Dragon Alliance: Rise Against Shadow

by J. Michael Fluck

  Ordin smiled as he walked over to Mkel and said in his low and gruff voice, “Greetings, my young dragonrider friend.” He gave Mkel a hug, picking him up in the process. “Ordin is as wide as he is tall,” Mkel thought to himself.

  “And good to see you too, Master Ordin,” Mkel replied enthusiastically, putting his hands on Ordin’s shoulders.

  “Greetings to you, Master Dragon,” Ordin said reverently as he turned to face Gallanth, giving him a slight bow.

  “And greetings to you, Master Dwarf. I see you are full of life today as usual,” Gallanth replied.

  “Aye, Master Dragon; I heard through the rocks that Lupek and the rangers found that the giants are on the move. And in other good news, we struck a solid vein of mithril in the northwest lower cavern. Dorin is working on it now,” Ordin stated. The expression of “hearing it through the rocks” was a dwarf phrase that was akin to hearing it through certified rumor. Dwarves had a unique sense about them; their mannerisms, phrases, and customs reflected their underground living tendencies, mining, and soldierly lifestyles.

  “How big is the mithril vein, Ordin?” Mkel asked.

  “We uncovered the top end of it this morning. Dorin and his miners have been trying to cut away the outer rock, but so far it is at least a foot and a half across. We don’t know how deep it goes, but when we get it out, it will be a bounty. Now tell me more of what the rangers found,” Ordin replied with a twinge of enthusiasm in his crusty voice. “I have not felled a giant or heard the sweet sound of their large evil bones cracking under my hammer in months.”

  “All I know is what Lupek blurted out to me after he arrived back this morning, and before I made him get cleaned up and spend a couple of hours with his family. They tracked a scout unit of orcs mounted on hellhounds and dire wolves. After killing most of them, they followed the survivor back across the Gray Mountains to the northernmost fire giant lands. The orc was careful to avoid Lucian Forest but did not escape the elven scouts’ watchful eyes as they passed out of our lands. Lupek, Deless, and one of their squads swooped down on the mounted orc before it was able to get to the fire giant encampment. That is all I know at present,” Mkel finished.

  “Greetings all,” stated Jodem from the far entrance of the meeting hall. The Weir’s wizard entered the large room, giving his customary greetings. Jodem wore his classic blue and white robe and carried his wizard’s staff, which had a sapphire dragonstone mounted on top. He was Mkel’s tutor, mentor, and surrogate uncle. He taught Mkel many lessons about leadership, politics, and magic, but especially precision marksmanship. Jodem sported medium-length, unkempt salt-and-pepper hair, and unlike most human wizards, he was clean shaven. He was slightly overweight, for he loved magic, marksmanship, politics, and philosophy, but he especially enjoyed good food, ale, and wine, being able to drink a dwarf under the table.

  Jodem was one of the most powerful wizards in the Alliance and served not only on the Draden Weir council, but on the Alliance Wizard Council of Thirteen, which included the top magic users in the republic. He had a mastery of most wizard spells and could route a legion almost by himself if he wanted, with the magic abilities of his dragonstone staff. The power of his spells and magic shield had defended the garrison and the Draden regiment from repeated magical attacks during many battles.

  Jodem and Gallanth watched over Mkel until he blood bonded and linked souls with the gold dragon. His laboratory was deep within Keystone Weir behind Gallanth’s ledge on the opposite side of Mkel’s living quarters. He and Gallanth, Ordin, Dorin, and the elves’ best weaponsmiths made arms out of the precious mithril.

  One of Jodem’s keys to success was that he was very accurate with his wizard’s staff, which also doubled as a long, heavy crossbow. It also had the power to deliver a shocking jolt upon a physical strike or a close threat. Jodem aimed his crossbow-like staff to fire most of his offensive spells at ranges over five hundred yards. This gave him the advantage of a much greater range over other wizards in casting spells (and significantly more accuracy). His lighting bolt spells could reach up to five hundred yards, as an example, versus the one-hundred-yard distance of the average wizard or sorcerer. Upon his command, the crossbow limbs sprang up from the side of the thick staff and the dragon sinew string stretched out. As a crossbow, it could deliver a bolt with enough power to fell an ogre in a single shot or fire a regular masterwork bolt that could take down any orc or grummish. He, Mkel, and Dekeen had regular competitions both in the Weir and in open competitions on the plain between the town of Draden and Draden Forest. His staff/crossbow cannot see at night and was not as fast to fire as Mkel’s, but it was still powered by a sapphire dragonstone given to him by Gallanth. This dragonstone focused his magical and spell casting abilities and also allowed him to hit an opponent in a close melee, doing enough damage to kill an orc with its intense power. His mithril woven lined robe gave him the same armor protection as full plate, along with heavy magic resistance capable of absorbing several offensive spells.

  Jodem had a giant bald eagle named Vatara, which he utilized as his mount. It had a twenty-five-foot wingspan and stood over seven feet tall, with claws that could slice an orc apart and fell an ogre on a diving attack. Its beak could bite for enough damage to almost cut an orc in half, and it was as fast as a dragon for a short sprint and very maneuverable. Several pairs of eagles share a commonality with the elves and both protect the Weir and are protected by it, nesting on the upper ledges of the mountain.

  “Yes, greetings, Gallanth, Ordin, Mkel,” Jodem said. “Ordin, I hear we got lucky down in the southwest tunnel?”

  “Yes,” the burly dwarf replied. “It should be a major find and produce many good weapons and tools.”

  “I hear we might need it soon,” Jodem said.

  “Keeping a secret in this place is impossible,” Mkel thought to himself, but Jodem had a way of finding information out, and keeping secrets from a wizard was very difficult.

  “Jodem, are all the preparations for the Battle Point visit in place?” Mkel asked to change the subject until the command group meeting actually started.

  “Yes, I talked with the Battle Point wizard on his seeing crystal. He said that he, the legion commander, and the town mayor will be ready for us the day after tomorrow. They have several concerns regarding a great deal of activity on almost all their fronts, as well as trouble between the Kaskar horse clans and the Northern Ontaror kingdoms,” Jodem replied.

  “Sounds like there is an undertone of great proportions, and a Morgathian or drow plot to destabilize the region,” Gallanth added.

  “A good point, Gallanth, we shall see when we get out there to address their concerns, for we may have to bring them up to the Dragon Council, and the premier as well as the senate when they convene later this month,” Jodem commented.

  “Gentlemen, Gallanth, good afternoon,” Toderan said as he, Lupek, Pekram, Watterseth, Tegent, and Colonel Wierangan all walked into the room. Mkel got up as Colonel Wierangan entered. Toderan and Lupek walked over to shake Mkel’s hand and give Gallanth a respectful nod. As they made their greetings, Dekeen, the elven clan leader, entered the room and gave his salutations to everyone after bowing to Gallanth. The elf clan located in Draden Forest, which lies off of the southern and western slope of Keystone Weir Mountain, had always been protected by the Weir and aided in its defense.

  Elves tend to be aloof if not arrogant in some regards, likely because of their long life spans and the way they considered everyone else (save dragons) less experienced. Mkel and Dekeen had attended lessons together in Draden, which elves take on occasion to keep abreast of human ventures. He was actually a young elf, being only three hundred years old, give or take a couple of years, to be in a position of authority.

  He was given the leadership of the clan after the former leader was killed in the last Great Dragon War. Dekeen was especially talented with a long bow and had
made an almost impossible shot, taking out a death knight before he could deliver a killing blow to an injured brass dragon. In making this shot he had exposed himself to orc return fire and took an arrow in the leg. Gallanth and Jodem awarded him Elm, a dragonstone-empowered bow, as a gift for this act of heroism.

  Dekeen stood approximately five feet eight inches tall and weighed one hundred forty-five pounds. He had medium-length dark hair and bronze-silver eyes (rare for an elf), which accented his pointed ears. He has a quiet and pleasant disposition in spite of being a master archer. He utilizes his powerful long composite bow, named Elm, which has a centrally mounted dragonstone located above the hand grip, given to him by Gallanth. This gave the bow great power, enabling it to deliver an energy burst to arrows fired from it when Dekeen desired. Arrows so directed delivered enough damage to fell an ogre with a single shot and could circumvent all but the strongest of magic armor and even magic shields.

  The bow was made of elven dark oak, laminated with red dragon bone and sporting the same dragon’s sinew for a string. The most feared power of Elm was that once per day, it could empower a slaying arrow of Dekeen’s choosing. This deadly arrow, upon a successful hit, could automatically kill the intended target, regardless of the creature’s power. While proven on a white and green dragon, it had never been tried on a more powerful blue or red. This also drained the bow’s power for a short period of time, however. Elm could also be fired to counter certain spells in midair as well as create a smaller antimagic shield, capable of taking almost the same damage as Mkel’s or Toderan’s sword. Mkel often witnessed his friend fire ten arrows in extremely rapid succession, stopping an orc charge. Mkel knew Dekeen was almost as accurate as he was with his crossbow, but the magic longbow didn’t have quite the same range, being able to consistently hit stationary targets out to five hundred yards. Mkel, Dekeen, and Jodem often had shooting matches in which they pushed each other to strive for more excellence.

  Mkel found it puzzling that Dekeen was carrying his powerful bow rather than slinging it across his body. The elf clan leader also had his short mithril alloy scimitar with him, which he utilized for close-in fighting. He was very fast and deadly with the scimitar, being able to cleave a man or orc with a well-placed blow.

  Dekeen’s wife, Beckann, was herself a powerful wizard, almost as advanced as Jodem. The lady elf was five and a half feet tall with shimmering golden hair and deep violet-blue eyes. Her beauty was only matched by Jennar, the elusive nymph who lived in Draden Forest. Together, they oversaw the elf clan in Draden Forest. The clan consisted of approximately three hundred elves, and they could muster a force of one hundred twenty to complement the Weir’s garrison.

  Mkel counted on the elven company for the next day’s exercise: three platoons of elven archers and one platoon of infantry armed with the deadly double-headed pole arms and long swords. They worked closely with the Weir in providing both local security and trade as partners for goods and services while receiving defense from the Weir. The elves produced fine products of wood, cloth, metal, and magic work, as well as wine and certain fine foods and elvish medicines.

  Eldir, the elven master weaponsmith, worked with Ordin, Jodem, and Gallanth on magic items and weapons made with mithril and Gallanth’s or Silvanth’s dragonstones. Mithril was a very difficult metal to work with and required dwarven strength, elven finesse, Gallanth’s intense heat to make it malleable, and Silvanth’s cold to cool it down and strengthen it. Jodem’s magical abilities made these items among the most powerful known. The weapons they made were given as a reward to those soldiers of the Weir’s garrison and the Draden regiment that distinguished themselves in battle. All of the mithril arrow and bolt tips for Mkel’s and Dekeen’s projectiles were made by them as well.

  The elves cared for the giant eagles that inhabited the top of Keystone Weir, and they also trained and bred the griffons used by the rangers. They crafted all the support gear for them as well, including the special saddles and riding equipment. Their forest community was mostly based in the large trees in the middle of the Draden Forest, making it a difficult position to take. It was regularly patrolled by the elven archers and guarded by hidden but strategically placed outposts.

  Elves had superior vision, four times more acute than men. They could also see fairly well at night, making it very difficult to surprise an elf, although dwarves could still see better in pitch darkness because of their underground habitat ancestry.

  “Are the preparations ready for tomorrow, Senior Sergeant Toderan?” Mkel asked his large friend.

  “Of course, Captain,” he replied. Toderan was one of Mkel’s closest comrades and shared second command authority of the Weir with Jodem; he was also second in command of the Weir’s garrison when they did not have an executive officer. He also coordinated on many matters with the Draden regimental senior sergeant or highest ranking noncommissioned soldier, and with Colonel Wierangan. Toderan was a master paladin of great power and skill, being awarded the highest degree of that order.

  Toderan’s holy avenger long sword hung from its scabbard on his waist belt. The powerful weapon was forged by the dwarves and elves out of a heavy mithril/steel alloy; it also had one of Gallanth’s dragonstones imbedded in the hilt. The sword could smite evil upon every stroke, dealing enough damage to fell an ogre with a single blow. Once per day, it could muster the power to kill a giant or similar creature. The sword also emanated an anti-black magic shield and could ward off evil spells in a one-hundred-foot radius. Its shield could withstand a great deal of spell damage, at least equal to Mkel’s sword Kershan, and also gave him immunity to death magic.

  When Toderan wielded his magic sword in battle, he instilled courage and strength to individuals around him. The sword allowed him to heal people’s wounds; it also enabled him to heal his winged horse. Because of the importance of this meeting, he had left his mithril alloy plate armor in his quarters, but he wore his best uniform. The strong armor he wore was mithril lined, as was his large shield, keeping almost anything from penetrating it. The mithril in the armor also gave him a certain amount of spell resistance.

  Toderan’s winged horse was named Alvanch. It was intelligent and could fight independently of Toderan if the need arose, as well as being telepathically linked to the senior paladin. This link was not nearly as strong as the link between a dragonrider and his dragon, though. A strong but graceful winged mount, the off-white Alvanch was extremely fast over short distances and highly maneuverable in aerial combat with incredible evasion ability. Its hide was also very tough. Alvanch’s attacks were also enhanced; its hoof strikes could kill a grummish in a single blow. Its own inherent constitution gave it the ability to take twice the damage a normal heavy warhorse could take. Winged horses were also immune to certain types of spells.

  Toderan often hunted with Mkel, using a repeating crossbow given to him by Dekeen. He was Mkel’s confidant on many matters, for the gold dragonrider admired his strength and commonsense wisdom, with a nonyielding determination to fight the good fight. He was a true leader of men. Toderan constantly displayed a cool head, even under the direst of combat situations. His sense of fairness was uncompromising, and he dealt with personnel matters with an even hand. Only Gallanth was closer to Mkel.

  Toderan stood tall at six foot three inches and weighed over two hundred thirty pounds. He had a balding head and a well-kept mustache that exuded his forcefulness of leadership. His great physical strength and constitution were equal to that of Ordin. Toderan also served in the Alliance Navy for a short time as a troop transport advisor, bringing his paladin experiences to bear. He has a wife in the support corps company and a young son and daughter.

  They all sat at the U shaped table, with Mkel on the left and Colonel Wierangan on the right. Jodem and Toderan sat beside them. Senior Sergeant Pekram, Dekeen, Ordin, Lupek, the Weir cleric Watterseth, and Deless sat in the middle seats, all facing Gallanth’s immense hea
d, which was now resting on the ground. “Sir, are you ready to begin?” Mkel said to Colonel Wierangan, as a courtesy for being the highest-ranking officer at the meeting, even though he was the Weirleader and did not have to answer to him.

  “At your and Gallanth’s pleasure, Captain,” Wierangan replied.

  “Gentlemen,” Mkel said, drawing his sword as all present raised their dragonstone-empowered weapons, “to the Alliance, Draden Weir, Gallanth, the regiment, honor, and each other.” They all saluted Gallanth, who gave a small nod with his colossal head, and then laid their weapons on the table, pointing toward the center. The dragonstones in their weapons glowed intensely, indicating the incredible collective power of the swords, bows, javelins, hammers, and staff of the Weir’s most powerful members.

  This also represented the idea that all Alliance citizens and civilians were granted the right to possess and bear arms and were encouraged to do so. This was the central premise of the Articles of the Alliance, along with personal freedom and freedom of open talk. Misuse of these rights, however, carried a heavy penalty, for freedom without responsibility was a recipe for disaster.

  “We will first start with the ranger leader’s briefing and will then discuss the exercise tomorrow, followed by a few Weir matters. Lupek, Deless, at your leisure,” Mkel directed to his ranger companions.

  “Yes sir, Gallanth, Colonel Wierangan,” Lupek said, giving the gold dragon, Mkel, and the regimental commander a courtesy acknowledgment. “Deless, if you would,” Lupek added, motioning to his elven comrade. Deless placed his bow in the gap in the U shaped table, and a three-dimensional map projected from the centrally mounted dragonstone appeared, representing the terrain of the area between the Weir and the southern chain of the Gray Mountains.

  “We first tracked the orc scouts here at the base of the third mountain, just out of sight of Lucian Forest,” Lupek began. “They were making good time across the plain at dusk when we attacked. We killed six of the riders and their hellhound and dire wolf mounts and let the remaining one escape. We followed him for eighteen days back across the mountains. He made sure not to get anywhere near Lucian Forest, so we know that the elf clan under Haldrin is alive and well and protecting his borders. We crossed the mountains undetected by the rider while still watching out for any other unfriendly eyes.”