“It looks like they’ve assembled an entourage to come out to greet us, Gallanth,” Mkel said with a smile to his dragon mate. General Daddonan is always up for a little pageantry, and his staff follows him like a herd of sheep, the gold dragon resonated again with a slight sense of humor, which was more than usual for him. He must be sensing something wrong, Mkel thought to himself, but still had to laugh out loud at his dragon’s joke.
Gallanth stopped short of the legion headquarters building and the gathered staff. General Daddonan gave a cursory bow to Gallanth, after which Mkel saluted the general and gave his greeting of good morning. He put his backpack on, grabbed his crossbow, and slid down Gallanth’s neck to his waiting front foreleg. Vatara landed beside Gallanth and Jodem also dismounted.
“Welcome, Gallanth, Captain Mkel, Master Wizard Jodem, welcome to Battle Point,” General Daddonan said with a friendly but commanding smile.
“Good morning to you, General Daddonan, gentlemen,” Gallanth said with a modest but booming tone.
“Yes General, good morning to you,” Jodem added, for it was still morning, but two hours ahead of Draden.
“Sir,” Mkel nodded.
“Gentlemen, please come in. We have the council room set up for you. The tea is hot and there are our best sweetbreads there. Come, we have much to talk about,” General Daddonan added as he turned to walk up the steps. “Gallanth, you can rest yourself outside the windows of the council room to our right,” he added.
Jodem and Mkel looked at each other to acknowledge that they both knew what he was going to propose. A stable hand walked over to Vatara and guided the great eagle to the stables. Gallanth gingerly stepped over to the area in front of the large windows of the council room of the headquarters building and lay down. Mkel could feel this, for the tremor of his massive body settling on the grass made the council room shudder.
“I understand why the Weirs are honed out of solid rock, I don’t think our landing could handle him here very often,” the general said with a slight smile.
“I could always create my own door to your council room, General,” Gallanth said from outside the large room’s windowed wall, which he now filled. In laying down, he also took up most of the space in the courtyard in front of the building.
“No, Master Dragon, I think you are fine just where you are, as long as it suits you,” General Daddonan quickly replied as Gallanth rested his head on the ground, which still allowed him to look into the council room’s open windows. “Now please, Captain, Jodem, sit. You must know why I’ve asked you to come all the way out here, so I will not insult your intelligence and will get right to the point. There has been a lot of hostile activity in this area in the last several months. Some we can trace to just roving bands of orcs and human marauders from the unclaimed territories in the east, but there is a growing power and organization to the attacks as well as an underlying Morgathian influence.
“The Kaskar clans to the north and the Northern Ontaror kingdoms to the south are also experiencing a great deal of unrest and unprovoked attacks from young chromatics,” the general continued. “They are having internal problems as well, but they are blaming each other, and even the Alliance, which makes as much sense as an Enlightened senator trying to find his common sense.” The general’s joke brought some laughs.
“They blame the Alliance?” Mkel answered with a slight sense of irritation. “We are the ones who provide stability to this whole region. Without this city and your legions to stabilize the area, the trade that takes place here would cease, and open warfare would result. Nobody wins for long if there was no Alliance presence, sir.”
“You said that these hostile forces were gaining in both power and organization?” Jodem asked.
“Yes, we are seeing increasingly more powerful creatures accompanying the orcs and human warriors as well as several moderately powerful sorcerers. I will have Colonel Sykes give you a more detailed picture,” Daddonan explained.
The colonel stood up and said, “Master Dragon, Jodem, Captain, approximately three weeks ago we became engaged in a skirmish that quickly escalated into a good-sized fight about sixty miles south of here, outside a small river town that is one of the many stops on the way to the Ontaror inland sea. A routine patrol encountered a company of orcs that were being led by a small band of common giants, with a mountain giant in charge. They were threatening the town and claiming that any support to the Alliance would mean their destruction.
“The patrol had to call for reinforcements to deal with the giants,” Colonel Sykes continued, “so a mixed task force of land dragons, heavy cavalry, and hippogriffs were dispatched immediately. Our wizard Andellion also accompanied them just in case. A fierce battle ensued, but with the aid of the combined task force, the tide quickly turned to our side. We killed most of the common giants and wounded the mountain giant when a drow wizard teleported in, riding a nightmare. A squadron of orcs riding giant wasp-like hymenoids also entered the fight from the east. The surprise attack took us off guard as the drow unleashed several powerful offensive spells before Andellion could react and eventually counter him. He defeated the dark elf, but the drow was not easy to kill.”
The colonel paused.
“Around the same time,” Colonel Sykes added, “a group of our rangers on a patrol observed a green dragon attack one of the more powerful Kaskar horse clans to the northwest of us. They eventually drove it back but not before it inflicted a good amount of casualties on the horsemen.”
“They drove off a green dragon? With what?” Mkel asked with intense curiosity.
“They have developed a type of arrowhead made from volcanic black stone that is so sharp it can penetrate the hide of certain lesser dragons. It will shatter on metal, though, because it is brittle,” Sykes answered.
“Yes, and I imagine it is much more effective on white, green, and black dragons due to their lack of a magic shield,” Gallanth added from outside the window. “Precisely, Gallanth,” General Daddonan added.
“Tell me more about the drow, Colonel,” Jodem said with concern.
“He died in combat, felled by an arrow shot, and finished by the claw of a hippogriff after Andellion depleted his magic power in the exchange. Andellion was injured, though, and is recuperating in the healers’ guild now. The drow did not have any Morgathian markings on his cloak, and the orcs did not carry any standard, not even a tribal one,” Colonel Sykes added.
“His magical power was derived from a dark crystal, I presume?” Jodem asked.
“Yes, imbedded in his staff, as usual,” Sykes said.
“It still smells of Morgathian backing” Gallanth interjected. “While there are rogue drow, a dark elf sorcerer does not usually travel alone, or without at least two or more drow men-at-arms bodyguards; this one was trying too hard to look independent.”
“That and the fact that the orcs did not even have a tribal standard, which likely they were attempting to project the image of being just a large raiding party. They are not attacking Alliance forces directly, only neutral, lightly defended villages and caravans that did not want our protection. This is likely some type of deeper plan than simple pillage or want of treasure or food,” Jodem surmised. He looked slightly puzzled as a small scowl came across his broad face, and he ran his fingers through his coarse dark gray hair.
“Were you able to take any prisoners, sir?” Mkel asked Colonel Sykes.
“No, the mountain giant managed to dive into the river and make it downstream,” the colonel replied. “The orcs were killed outright, for they were not in a surrendering mood.”
Mountain giants were excellent swimmers and could hold their breath for almost an hour, with some being able to breathe underwater. That was an impressive feat for a creature so large to be that nimble, Mkel thought to himself. They were the aloof but arrogant specimens of the giant races, taking on the very hu
man trait of being either evil or good. Both types, however, considered themselves above all other races of giants. They were large powerful creatures, being second only to the thunder giants in size and strength. They could be up to eighteen feet tall and weighed five thousand pounds or more. They had bluish-white to granite gray skin and silver to bluish hair with clear blue or gray eyes. They were almost as diverse as men and were excellent strategists in war. The unique situation that there were both good and evil mountain giants almost led them to their destruction during the last Great Dragon War, for they attacked their counterparts relentlessly. Many had the spell ability of at least a mediocre cleric or sorcerer.
All mountain giants could throw good-sized rocks out to an effective range of one hundred fifty yards, inflicting great damage. They mostly preferred gargantuan spiked maces or metal clubs that inflicted crushing wounds due to their great strength. These agile brutes were very tough, being three times as resilient as a griffon, and they had a naturally thick skin. Most of the Morgathian or independent mountain giants inhabited crude mountain peak castles. Many of the remaining good mountain giants inhabited the Weirs or lived in mountains close to them and had defense pacts with the metallic dragons of the Alliance. Evil ones usually formed temporary alliances with chromatic dragons, especially red, blue, and greens, but they were careful, for often a chromatic turned on a giant for its treasure or to enslave it. They often headed up war bands of the other lesser giant races and evil creatures such as orcs.
“The drow wizard would have been an excellent source of information. I know this is difficult, but you should have your men try to take a prisoner if they can,” Jodem told General Daddonan.
“That drow was too powerful, and Andellion was barely able to defeat him, let alone try to capture him,” Daddonan said with authority.
“I realize that, but if drow are involved, this is the beginning of something larger. I’m surprised that you did not encounter a chromatic dragon or two,” Jodem said.
“We were lucky, even though nine land dragons could have countered a red dragon,” Daddonan replied.
“Yes sir, but you would have suffered heavy losses. Did the Dragon Council in Draconia tell you when you can expect to have a metallic out here anytime soon?” Mkel asked, tipping the hand on what they knew the general was going to ask.
“No, but I did hear it will either be one of the young coppers from Talinor Weir, with a brass dragon, or one of the new Avenger dragons from the capital,” the general answered with a raised eyebrow.
“We will feel more comfortable when we get some type of dragon support way out here, Captain,” Colonel Sykes said nervously but with a slight indignation. Again that slight anxiety, almost animosity toward dragons and riders from higher ranking Alliance officers, Mkel thought to himself, while not displaying any emotion or reaction.
I share your sentiment regarding the good colonel’s attitude toward dragons, my friend, Gallanth said to Mkel telepathically as he tried to conceal his smile from his rider’s silent comment.
“Captain, you are going to Draconia for the monthly Senate and Dragon Council gathering?” General Daddonan interjected, to redirect the tone of the meeting, as if he could also detect Colonel Sykes’s growing attitude but did not want to correct him in front of his guests. He would reserve that task for later.
“Yes sir, Gallanth, myself, Jodem, and the other key leaders of Keystone Weir are going. Do you need transportation?” asked Mkel.
“No, a dragon from the Capital Wing is supposed to come and take me and my adjutant, although our teleportation circle is almost ready,” he replied. “I am looking forward to seeing the new Avenger dragons and to make sure that stationing dragons here at Battle Point is a priority. This also brings me up to the point I wanted to talk to you about.” He paused. “I know we will be getting a dragon dedicated to our city soon, but until then, I would feel a lot more comfortable if we had an interim defense agreement with a dragon and rider, like one of the most powerful dragons in the Alliance, for example,” he said with a smile.
“Sir, you know that Gallanth and I are supposed to be solely dedicated to Keystone Weir, the town of Draden, and its regiment under Colonel Wierangan,” Mkel explained with all sincerity. “I would not enter into another agreement unless I talked to the colonel. Now I will tell you that if Battle Point ever needs us or even the whole Weir garrison, we will be more than willing to fight with you and reinforce your legions.”
“Yes, and that is both comforting and appreciated, but you also know, as I do, that as the senior dragon and rider and leader of a Weir, you are not totally bound by the Alliance military code. You enjoy a certain limited freedom and autonomy, in that you have flexibility in how you align yourself and those who you command. You are not bound to the Draden regiment,” the general said with a softer, more convincing tone.
“I do understand that, sir, but it would not be honorable to make deals behind Colonel Wierangan’s back that would leave him high and dry. The forces stationed around Draden are only a regiment, not a legion, like Colonel Lordan and Talonth have at Eladran Weir. The garrison at Keystone Weir is an integral part of the Draden regiment’s forces, and I have made a defense allegiance agreement with Draden and its regiment. A dragonrider’s word is his bond. I know that if we talk to Colonel Wierangan, we can come to some sort of agreement,” Mkel answered.
“We can pursue that course of action, but again there is a simpler solution,” Daddonan responded. “The increased trouble we have been experiencing in our region could be abated or put to rest if hostile forces would see a metallic dragon flying and patrolling the skies over our lands, especially a gold dragon.”
“While that might be true in the short term, General,” Jodem chimed in, “I feel there is a new threat rising, and just a show of force by Captain Mkel and Gallanth would only delay the inevitable. A fight is brewing and likely cannot be avoided, only dealt with and won.” Jodem usually sat back and analyzed the situation before weighing into the discussion, but he spoke up sooner here.
“Plus, if my rider and I started to patrol the skies tomorrow,” Gallanth added,” sufficient force might be brought against us so that we would need to call for reinforcements ourselves. Surprise would be the key in this situation. Also, there is a great threat currently looming in the Fire Mountains that we, Haldrin’s elves, and Eladran Weir are currently keeping an eye on. This could pose a significant threat to Alliance territory if left unchecked.”
“Master Dragon, being the largest gold dragon, and the most powerful dragon in the world other than Michenth, you would inspire great fear in any chromatic that would dare venture anywhere close to your Weir or our territory,” General Daddonan said.
“Yes, General, you would think, and nonaligned or independent chromatics usually respond that way; however, there has been an increased coordination growing in their ranks as of late, and this means a likely Morgathian connection,” Gallanth added.
“We have been witnessing an unholy alliance between many of the closer orc tribes and the giants in the southern elbow where the Gray Mountains meet the fire caps,” Jodem added. “We are expecting a major battle any time soon. There have been signs that several red and blue dragons have been working in concert in this gathering, along with you slaying a drow sorcerer, as Gallanth said, a dark force is rising under a suspicious cloud. If there is an organization of all the forces we have been discussing, especially chromatic dragons, we along with Gallanth will need reinforcements. The problem is where the next strike will come from and how spread out our forces are. This will determine a great deal. What is the true situation of the northern clans and the southern kingdoms?”
“Master Wizard, I know you know of the growing hostilities between the nomadic clans and many of the southern kingdoms,” General Daddonan said. “Ten years ago, the horse clans were striking deep into the eastern lands and Morgathian territory,
taking both wealth and resources from those areas. With the Morgathians and their Southern Ontaror kingdom puppets still reeling from the losses they suffered at our hands in the Great Dragon War, they were vulnerable to the rapid quick strikes of the Kaskar clans.
“Lately, however,” the general continued, “with the combination of orc and drow pressure, and the ever increasing number of chromatic dragon attacks along with their own internal problems, the Kaskars are on the defensive. They are only organizing small raiding parties into Morgathian-protected lands, which has been only enough to keep them slightly off balance. The orcs and drow are under Morgathian control, with the dark armies led by errant death knights, Morgathian sorcerers, and scattered chromatic dragons. They are attacking deep into the eastern portions of the Kaskar lands but are still being driven back, with both sides incurring heavy losses.
“The Kaskars can drive the white, green, and black dragons away with moderate success,” Daddonan said, “due to those types possessing weaker magic shields and the effectiveness of their obsidian arrowheads. Blues and especially reds, however, give them a great deal more trouble. The Kaskars, as you know, are mostly mounted cavalry, using their dismounted infantry as fodder. While their saber-toothed tigers and riders are feared, and the mammoths they employ are like our land dragons, they are not as effective or nearly as coordinated. The giant snow hawks and ravenhawks that make up their aerial wings, while numerous, depend on mass attacks, unlike our hippogriffs, giant eagles, and griffons. They are very mobile on the plains, however, and Morgathian cavalry is too heavy to chase them, and the orc’s dire wolves are too slow. They’ve learned to react well to dragon attacks, being able to scatter quickly to minimize their breath weapons and spell effects. Like I mentioned before, their leaders do not seem to mind taking a great deal of casualties, as long as the outcome is in their favor.
Dragon Alliance: Rise Against Shadow Page 18
