>>5301376>>5299779You begin to ascend out of the earth as you approach the Bloodrise mountain-range, once the territory of a mighty dragon-king. Beneath the surface of the earth, the terrain here is much the same as any other—unchanged since the days of the ancestors and their mighty kingdom. It is said that the Red Dragon King had a mighty empire, but in his cautiousness and in his pride, he would allow none but his own sons and grandsons to hold any position of importance therein—that THIS is the origin of the Dragonblooded caste, from which you and the Bastard both descend. However, even these mighty champions fell before the hordes of screeching mammals, their foul tactics and their meddling ‘gods’. In the end, the Reptilian Master Arce was driven down and away, and Bloodrise was purged of all its rightful heirs and looted of all its precious treasures. Only those beneath notice survived this genocide and were able to remain, hidden in crevices like crawling vermin.
Kobolds.
Still, they are REPTILIAN vermin, the direct descendants of claves and attendants of the Red Dragon, and it is better that they own this place than humans. The threat they bring is in acting without permission, in plumbing depths and accessing ancient ruins better suited to a superior race, and in drawing the threat of human armies or ‘adventurers’ discovering and plundering those few caches which remain… Maybe even if exploring the deeper and wider recesses of the earth and stumbling upon your people’s conspiracies.
You will explain the situation tot hem, and put these overambitious scoundrels back in their place.
It is after another half-day’s trek that you begin to see it—an eerie glow. You hesitate, reaching for your blade. Glowie crouches low as well, drawing nearer to you—for protection, or perhaps in a desire to protect YOU. The Novice, watching this, is unable to keep in her laughter.
“In all your bluster, I sometimes forget how sheltered and inexperienced you truly are,” she says.
You shoot a glare at the Novice; she speaks too freely and without necessary respect, given the proximity of the rest of you retinue. She seems to realize it, rattling with a more nervous laughter now.
“You know this glow?” you ask. “What is it?”
“The sun,” she answers, dryly.
You sheathe your blade, and stare at the yellow-white glow, shining into the cavern from around a corner. The sun… The surface… You’ve never seen it before. Not until now. Your retinue waits, beginning to cluster behind you. Most of them show none of your trepidation—they are infiltrators, merchants, elder warriors. Most have seen the sun. Some have maybe spent more of their live sin its realm than away from it.
You take a deep breath, and join them in the light.
“By the Hells and the accursed HEAVENS!” you roar, unable to help yourself. You shut your eyes, stumbling back and shielding your face. “That is BRIGHT.”
