svetikya Page 52
Page 52
The male Fang Dragons are difficult to find in humanoid societies due to their peculiar lifestyle, while the female Fang Dragons, lacking innate shapeshifting abilities, have never been seen. Perhaps only by delving deeper into the ruins of Mithril, or even from the Abyssal Demons suspected of being responsible for the emergence of the Fang Dragon species, can the secrets of the Fang Dragons be uncovered.
If Casaloz could obtain the secret of the origin of the Fanged Dragon and use it to exchange for Razor's withdrawal from the fight for Toona, it probably wouldn't object—as long as the enemy isn't a Chromatic Dragon, Iron Dragons usually prefer to try to resolve disputes through negotiation, and Casaloz is no exception.
Unaware of Casaroz's inner turmoil, it welcomed the new member of the group and showed particular interest upon learning that Casaroz also possessed the spellcasting abilities of a mage.
When this creature was young, it encountered a bored human archmage who cast a spell on it, fully activating its innate dragon spellcasting ability and leading it down the path of a mage. It then transformed into a human through magic and mingled in human society. It lost much of the impatience and irritability of a typical dragon, but gained more curiosity and goodwill towards human mages. This is one of the reasons it chose to live in seclusion in Waterdeep.
As a fellow mage-type spellcaster, Casalos was quite willing to exchange insights on arcane magic with it, but due to its current level of arcane magic, it could only temporarily decline on the grounds of insufficient time, agreeing to discuss it again when there was an opportunity in the future.
The remaining four dragons in the small group were all female. During this meeting, Toona kept a close watch on them, blocking Casalos from any attempt by them to have any private communication with Casalos.
There were many other Hidden Dragons in Deepwater City who were contacted by Toona, but they were not members of Toona's small group. After the small group's gathering, Toona arranged for Casalos to meet with another group of friendly Hidden Dragons.
The dragons of Waterdeep are roughly divided into three groups. Besides Toona's small group, another organized dragon group is the Hundred Rivers Society, founded and led by the steel dragon sorcerer brothers Antilost and Quitourit, whose members are mostly their half-steel dragon descendants.
The Rivers Rivers are committed to their original mission: to defend Waterdeep and resist the infiltration of Maragrim.
Like Toona, Antilost and Quitourit are also part of the common defense treaty among all the dragon dwellers hidden in human form in Radiant City. Together with Toona and the other known loosely organized dragons who maintain their individual independence, they form the three major groups of dragons in Waterdeep, forming a specific alliance to resist the dragon wizard Marel's control over the dragon-proof barrier... Marel is no benevolent figure. This archmage, who can be said to hold most of Waterdeep's lifeline, is actually neutral evil. Casalos wanted to complain: I don't know how Harp Master Kelburn tolerates him.
It's worth mentioning that Antilost and Quetzalcoatl, the two old steel dragons, are typical examples of how challenge levels cannot be used as a valid reference for strength.
Because of their unique personality—that Steel Dragons prefer to mingle with human society even more than Silver Dragons or even Song Dragons—it is suspected that Steel Dragons used some kind of magic to permanently alter the growth curve of the entire sub-species, making them small in size when they hatch. In the rules of True Dragon advancement, they are considered ordinary dragons, but they have become one of the smallest True Dragons after they grow up. This has led adventurers who have witnessed Steel Dragons to seriously misjudge their strength.
Elderly Steel Dragons like Antilost and Quetzalcoatl, in their base form, only have a Challenge Rating of 12. Even with the addition of their level 3 Warlock class rating (as set by the conman Varro), this only brings them to 15. However, these two old Steel Dragons actually possess a Warlock spellcasting rating of 18 and likely already have Legendary Seeds. Even disregarding the significant boost to their combat power from their dragon bodies, they could easily be considered among the top-tier powerhouses of Faerûn.
Marel, the dragon wizard who held Taona in high esteem, maintained a polite attitude when interacting with the steel dragon brothers. Casaloz, while possessing the arrogance of an iron dragon, would certainly not give them any attitude or try to show off.
Given the situation of the Atheron Clan, it's always good to have more friends.
To Casalos's regret, it did not encounter the legendary "Hidden Blade Dragon" Eldanther, whose existence Toona was unaware of. This ancient amethyst dragon, the Mind Master, often roamed the continent of Faerûn in the form of a sword, only rarely retreating to the Deadman's Rest in Waterdeep. Casalos did not know Eldanther from a semi-God's-eye view; the Hidden Blade Dragon was actually one of the few allies of the Atheros in Faerûn.
Some of the survivors of the Athelon race who fled the Holy Land may still maintain contact with the Vanishing Dragon.
60. Ancient Covenant
From the perspective of all beings in Faerûn, including metallic dragons and chromatic dragons, gem dragons are a unique subspecies within the dragon race. They spend the vast majority of their lives in the inner planes, with only a few revealing their true forms in the material plane. They are often solitary, reclusive, and self-centered.
However, the Aetherian Dragons do not see it that way. Their close relationship with the Gem Dragons can be traced back to the distant Age of Dragons.
Yes, like metal dragons, chromatic dragons, and terrestrial dragons, gem dragons were once among the rulers of Faerûn. They weren't always so attached to the Inner Realm, nor were they always so solitary. In ancient times, gem dragons were also social dragons living on Faerûn, with a social structure similar to that of metal dragons, and they were part of the Faerûn dragon civilization.
The elves, drawing inspiration from an unknown source, created the Dragon Frenzy Lock, manipulating the orbit of Kingkiller Star to approach Faerûn according to their will, unleashing endless dragon frenzy that caused the dragons to destroy their own civilization, but they were powerless to kill the truly powerful individual dragons.
Surviving the Dragon Frenzy
Chapter 141
The dragons—primarily metallic dragons, gem dragons, and chromatic dragons, with the era of the amorphous dragons being even more distant and ancient—have reunited from the endless dragon frenzy to strive to resolve it.
But they ultimately failed. After countless attempts, the exhausted metal dragons chose to go into a mass slumber, surrendering their fate to the gods and awaiting the arrival of a new era. The volatile color dragons, in their self-destructive behavior, collectively fell into depravity, reverting to their pre-dragon age nature and joining the evil camp. Meanwhile, the gem dragons, with their innate ability to traverse planes, spread their wings and fled to the inner realm.
The three major dragon subspecies that created the Age of Dragons parted ways, and then, through the relentless passage of time, gradually evolved into the current structure known to all of Faerûn.
During that great escape, the vast majority of the Gem Dragon race scattered into the almost boundless inner realm, living in isolation from one another until death. With each generation, they developed their current solitary personalities.
However, a small number of Gem Dragons still yearn for their true home, the Prime Material Plane. They and their descendants maintain a constant focus on the Prime Material Plane. Among them, some groups of Amethyst Dragons, Sapphire Dragons, and Emerald Dragons, perhaps remembering their ancient allies—the Araneosaurs who had long since withdrawn from the Forgotten Realms—have somehow rediscovered their ancient alliance and re-established contact with the Araneosaurs who are barely surviving in the Prime Material Plane, making the Araneosaurs their liaisons within the Prime Material Plane.
Today, most of the rare Amethyst Dragons, Sapphire Dragons, and Emerald Dragons that reside in the Prime Material Plane on the continent of Faerûn are their descendants, and they maintain a relatively close relationship with the Atheros!
Of course, due to the Gem Dragons' current solitary nature, they can no longer be considered a race. Their alliance with the Atheros is long gone, and the only thing they maintain with the Atheros is a close relationship between individuals.
When Fionamiron gave Casaroz a short-term training in hatching basics, she mentioned that Casaroz's original family was closely related to the Dragon of the Vanguard. After escaping from the Holy Land, she may have sought refuge with the Dragon of the Vanguard. This may be Casaroz's only valid clue in finding Fionamiron.
It learned from Kenneth that the survivors of the Atheros had spread false information about it in Faerûn several years ago, and then they disappeared without a trace. Finding them would take some effort.
It's a bit of a shame that Tao Na doesn't recognize the Dragon of the Vanguard, but it's not a big deal.
Unlike the Song Dragon, which has no concept of nests and territories, the Amethyst Dragon is extremely self-centered and almost never moves once it has chosen a nest. Since the Vanguard Dragon has chosen Waterdeep as its nest, Casaloz will have a chance to encounter it as long as he frequently travels to Waterdeep.
Casaloz-Ratambirol's official debut in Waterdeep not only ignited the passion of the Waterdeep residents, but also fueled the enthusiasm of the Mother Dragons who had traveled from all over Faerûn to the City of Glory during the short period of delay by the Waterdeep nobles.
That very night, after the negotiations concluded, over a dozen female dragons of varying sizes emerged from the area surrounding Waterdeep. Under the cover of darkness, they flew to the skies above Waterdeep and formed a formation, circling the dragon-proof barrier that blocked their entry. Waves of their unique, symphonic songs washed over the streets of Waterdeep. Even though the darkness obscured the view from the residents, the symphony performed by the dozen or so dragons still deeply moved their young hearts.
As top-tier magical creatures, dragons' every action carries magical power. A dozen or so singing dragons chanting the Song of Spring in Waterdeep had an effect comparable to the indiscriminate wide-area spell cast by succubi, turning countless impulsive young people in the glorious city into actual couples overnight, and causing countless family conflicts—even Kelben Black Staff probably couldn't keep up.
If it weren't for the Waterdeep guards holding their teeth and barely maintaining order, and if Casaloz's educational work hadn't yielded some results, Waterdeep would probably have descended into chaos.
Fortunately, there was Taona, the guardian of the dragons, to keep things in order. Before the Lords' Alliance and the dragon wizard Marel went berserk, Taona revealed her true form, took flight from outside the city, and entered the singing dragons. She calmed their overly excited emotions, stopped their impulsive behavior, and then led away the group of mother dragons who were welcoming spring.
Casalos didn't know what she had done to make these little female dragons so obedient; it didn't quite understand matters concerning female dragons. "Tranquil Scales" was always adept at handling such situations. It had been in Waterdeep for quite some time this time, and no other Waterdeep dragons had come to Iron Dawn, which was enough to prove the strength of Toona's wings.
Just as Casalos had predicted, the fishing operation was a complete failure. It's unknown how many more hidden dragons will emerge in Waterdeep after this, or how many more members Toona's clique will grow.
The increase in members of the Toona clique is equivalent to an increase in Casalos's target allies, since its original purpose was not to hold a mating and marriage flight event.
In short, everything is moving in a positive direction.
"Are we leaving already?" The transformed dragon sat on Casaroz's lap, which was also in human form, with one arm around its neck and the other stroking its own belly, its eyes gleaming with a faint black flame.
"It's been delayed long enough."
“I understand, you're at an age where you're very career-driven, but I just can't bear to let you go, we even…”
Unable to control his humanoid hormones, Casalos silenced Toona with a kiss and forced her down onto the soft mattress...
61. The Radiant Queen
Dragons don't need to make a fuss about parting.
To give Toona another shot that could never give birth to a new life, Casalos summoned the kobolds disguised as Fasslings back to make some arrangements. He left two dragon vein sorcerers in the city to handle the fixed shop matters and guide the follow-up teams. Under the cover of night, he sailed into the vast sea, took off from Waterdeep City, and launched a teleportation, returning to the Churt Peninsula.
The distortion of the teleportation dissipated, and Iron Dawn did not return to the Tindor Plains, nor did it enter the Darklands Rift Dragon Territory. Instead, it arrived above a vast jungle. This was the origin of the name of the Churt Peninsula, and also the most dangerous place for adventurers on the Forgotten Realms: the Churt Jungle.
Even the plants here are clever predators; they disguise themselves as the most ordinary plants, hiding in the lush jungle, waiting for their prey to come to them.
The native predators living in the Thurte jungle were enormous "dinosaurs" with huge teeth and claws. These creations of the "father of dinosaurs" bore some resemblance to the dinosaurs Casalos had imagined in his previous life, but they were entirely different species. Varo, Faerûn's biggest conman, believed that Faerûn's dinosaurs might be ancient species closely related to dragons. Casalos neither confirmed nor denied this, but it was enough to demonstrate the strength and danger of these creatures.
Even the most ferocious animals would have had a hard time getting anything out of the dinosaurs' claws.
However, with proper preparation, predatory plants and dinosaurs are easily avoided. The truly deadly threats in the Thurte Jungle come from the highly venomous insects that constantly bite travelers, the almost unbearable heat and humidity, and the ubiquitous venomous snakes in the dense bushes. Worse still, diseases are rampant in the area. Most things in the jungle carry some kind of disease or parasite, making it easy for travelers to contract illnesses. Even the water is severely polluted; seemingly clear streams are teeming with deadly germs.
Besides these, the most dangerous creatures are the intelligent beings who barely survive in the dense foliage. They are very willing, and sometimes reckless, to track travelers in order to hunt and kill any strangers who enter the jungle.
The snake people, bartlet goblins, and other species that have learned to survive in this area need food: adventurers are often able to meet this need quite well.
Chapter 142
Despite the unfavorable environment for adventurers, they still become a source of sustenance for the intelligent creatures of the Churt Jungle. This is not only due to the sheer number of adventurers in Faerûn, but more importantly, because the Churt Jungle possesses a unique "attractiveness." Legends of endless gold mines, enormous gems, and ancient imperial ruins brimming with wealth and magic circulate in Faerûn's taverns, drawing wave after wave of adventurers to cultivate this wild and untamed land.
The legend is true; Casaloz also came for gold, and those dangers that are deadly to adventurers are nothing to dragons.
However, before that, it will first pay a visit to the master of this place... the main dragon.
The Iron Dawn crossed the jungle and headed towards the towering volcanoes in the southern part of the basin. When it was still tens of kilometers away, Casalos set the magic ship to circle, reverted to his Iron Dragon Hatchling form, jumped off the ship, and flew alone towards the giant crater in the volcanoes that shone with a green starlight even in the night.
The giant pit is filled with radially protruding jade prisms, resembling giant jade swords pointing to the sky, making it difficult for ground animals to pass. Man-made paths meander through it, leading to caves in the center of the pit.
Since it was the dead of night, there were no people on the road, so no one would be alarmed by Casalos's descent.
However, before Casalos even reached the top of the crater, a resistance originating from its own mind made it consider turning back. Undoubtedly, this thought, completely against its will, was a suggestion implanted by mental forces.
“Esmeraldana, Your Majesty and Radiant Queen, I have come here specifically to pay you a visit.”
As the dragon's roar rang out, the thought of turning away quietly faded from Casalos's mind. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, slowed down, and glided to the cave in the center of the deep pit, where he folded his wings and landed.
"Hmm, Iron Dragon, it's been a very, very long time since I've seen you..." A mental fluctuation, like a dazzling light, swept over Casalos, transforming into a lazy, nonchalant sentence in its mind: "A young dragon, and also a Leather Dragon, an Elemental Master, and a Bloodscale Berserker, it seems you've suffered quite a shock. Well, it's true, almost the entire Iron Dragon race was wiped out, it would be too much of a waste not to try harder."
"It seems you already know about what the Atheron Clan went through."
Casalos stood upright on all fours and nodded slightly in respect to the dragon lying on a large bed carved from a single piece of jade.
The dragon had a slender body, covered in layered, translucent emerald-green scales. Light refracted through them, creating a hazy, shimmering effect that made its body appear almost entirely translucent. Several rows of neatly arranged, rounded, jade-like protrusions extended from the top of its head to the tip of its tail. Above these protrusions, about a meter above its body, floated transparent jade axe blades of varying sizes—the dragon's horns and spikes.
Emerald Dragon, an ancient female Emerald Dragon.
As Casaroz arrived, the emerald dragon, lying on the emerald bed, slightly shifted its head to look directly at Casaroz. With its movement, ripples spread across its body, which was also sculpted from emerald, and the horns and thorns that floated above its body undulated like duckweed on water, indicating that it was in a fairly good mood.
"Of course, although I don't go out much now, I'm still informed. I can still find out about such a big event, especially since your holy land isn't that far from here."
The Emerald Dragon raised its head and looked eastward, revealing a profile resembling an arrowhead. A trace of memory flickered in its eyes, which had now transformed into a green sphere of light. The hovering height of its horns and thorns decreased considerably, and its movements became melancholic.
“My friends among your kind have long since passed away, and I am nearing the end of my life. I have no further connection with you, and I cannot help you seek revenge against the otherworldly colored dragons, nor will I offer you any protection. What brings you here today, young iron dragon?”
"This has nothing to do with the Atherosthus clan. I've come here to make some deals with you."
Queen Esmeraldana, of course, would not help Athelon. She had most likely become a chosen one of the wild dwarf god Saad, and as she grew old, she would likely be guided into the divine realm, and perhaps even be elevated to a subordinate god of Saad. Why would she meddle in Athelon and the chromatic dragon's mess? Casalos knew this perfectly well.
It's only here to find gold; if it could also dig up some wild dwarves to return to Dragon Territory and expand its population, that would be even better.
62. A deal with no room for negotiation
Emerald dragons are naturally curious and particularly interested in the history and customs of various places. Due to their longevity and innate spiritual power, they have a very strong ability to gather information, and their knowledge of certain regions often surpasses that of the most knowledgeable sages.
They are not deceived, nor do they tamper with history. They are objective observers and recorders of history. The Emerald Dragon is a living history book.
Queen Esmeraldana has long been fascinated by the customs and history of the wild dwarves in the surrounding region. Over the past few centuries, with her in-depth study of the wild dwarves' history and culture, her paranoia about the wild dwarves' wandering caravans who worshipped the Lord of the Forest stealing her treasures has gradually faded. She has gradually integrated into the many wild dwarve tribes in the Churt Forest, becoming a bond and witness to the friendship between these priests of different tribes who share the same faith in the Lord of the Wild Dwarves but have different doctrines, and agreeing to safeguard their most sacred runestone.
The wild dwarves of Thurte return to the Emerald Crater to worship their gods and to record and store their most sacred carvings—the winding paths in the Emerald Crater are the sacred routes the wild dwarves take to reach the holy land.
The Brilliant Queen, the dragon guardian who dwells in the Emerald Pit, is now known as "Daughter of Sade" by the dwarves and has been incorporated into their mythology.
This was undoubtedly a kind of faith, granting the Radiant Queen a kind of divine transformation. Even if the rules of the turbulent year had not yet been reshaped, the wild dwarf god Saad had no reason to give up these abundant powers of faith. Elevating the Radiant Queen to the status of his subordinate god was undoubtedly a very worthwhile deal, and the Radiant Queen, who was about to enter her twilight years, would not refuse the temptation of immortality.
However, becoming a god comes with many stringent conditions. At the very least, the Radiant Queen cannot bring conflicts that certain dwarf lords do not want to touch into the divine realm. The hatred between the Arethonids and the Color Dragons is one of them. Therefore, the Radiant Queen will absolutely not lend a helping hand to the Arethonids at this time, even though she was once an ally of the Arethonids.
Casalos never expected to receive any help from this "neighbor". If the Radiant Queen really wanted to help the Aetherian race, she would have done so after the Battle of the Aetherian Holy Land. In reality, she did nothing and did not even help any of the Aetherian survivors.
Her actions were very much in line with her camp.
Therefore, Casalos preferred to travel to the distant Waterdeep City to find the Dragon of the Vanishing Edge, rather than ever considering coming to the Churt Jungle to seek help from the queen.
Right now, it just wants to open a branch mine in the Churt Forest, which requires the lord's consent and authorization.
"A trade?" The emerald dragon straightened its head, its wavy neck looking down at the young dragon standing in the main hall of its lair. "You? A young dragon, what could you possibly have to offer me in a trade?"
"Some long-forgotten histories, the histories of us true dragons, the histories of you gem dragons."
As the ancient dragon approaches its twilight years, its greed and possessiveness for treasure will decline exponentially, but some interests will never change. Casalos, playing to its interests, brought up "history" known only from its own godlike perspective, piquing the curiosity of the Radiant Queen.
"Oh, you're just a young dragon, yet you possess a history that even an ancient dragon like me doesn't know?"
She didn't doubt that the spiritual power that allowed her to enter the legendary realm enabled her to...
Chapter 143
She was amazed to find that Casalos's words were all true, and her floating dragon horns and spines stretched out: "But I can sense that you ask for much more than this, isn't it?"
Casalos was helpless. It was obvious that the Radiant Queen had sensed its bottom price through her mental powers, and there was no chance to bargain with the Mind Master.
“Alright, plus the complete method for advancing to the Carved Skin Dragon, including the detailed secrets of each glyph.” Apart from that, there was nothing else that could interest a Chosen Ancient Dragon.
"Now that I've given you my bottom line, I hope you can meet my needs as much as possible during the transaction..."
"Don't worry, although I can't help you much due to certain limitations, I at least won't treat you unfairly in normal transactions." The Radiant Queen's giggles echoed from all directions, then converged in her sharp beak, condensing into slow, deliberate dragon language: "Southwest of Flame Peak, on the desolate coast, there is a high peak, and at least three proven gold mines with good reserves are available to you along its northern slope where it meets the jungle."
There are five tribes of wild dwarves living around the peak. Constantly harassed by a wicked yellow jade dragon, they plan to migrate as a whole, but cannot find a suitable place. I would be happy to help you persuade them to become your vassal tribes.
Of course, the premise is that you can help them get rid of that scourge and gain their gratitude; otherwise, my words may not be effective..."
"make a deal!"
Casalos agreed readily. This model of going to a place, fighting something, and getting a reward was very much in line with its habits, and it was much simpler and clearer than the convoluted and treacherous trading model of human society.
In fact, even if the Brilliant Queen hadn't made this request, it would most likely have run into the Jade Dragon anyway—the gold mine the Brilliant Queen had traded to it was within the Jade Dragon's territory. Even if the Jade Dragon's interest in gold was far less than that in gemstones, a dragon would never simply hand over a gold mine.
The fact that she is now making this threat directly is actually a sign that she is willing to be open and honest in her dealings.
"Do you need specific information about the Yellow Jade Dragon?" Casalos nodded; gaining an informational advantage was key to defeating the enemy.
"Her name is Clarks, she's in her prime, and she's a very ordinary yellow jade dragon..."
"Ordinary" means lacking any special characteristics. It doesn't train into a specific profession like those powerful dragons, nor does it undergo a divine transformation like the Radiant Queen, nor does it experience any extraordinary encounters that grant additional power.
Although Casalos has never seen the Jade Dragon and is not sure which version of the template the Jade Dragon in this world uses, taking the Jade Dragon's most powerful gem dragon leader card as a reference, the greatest threat to a strong, mature Jade Dragon is only its innate powerful mental abilities and its strange dehydration breath.
After secretly comparing their strengths, Casalos felt that as long as they made sufficient preparations, taking down the Jade Dragon on their own shouldn't be a problem. He quickly bid farewell to the Radiant Queen and returned to the Iron Dawn. After a brief rest, he summoned the Dragon Spirit Armor to perform necessary pre-battle checks and maintenance, restoring it to its full potential. Casalos then piloted the Iron Dawn straight towards the desolate coast, having the unnamed prophetic kobold elder set up a surveillance shield before diving off the ship.
The provocative roar of the True Dragon Knowledge resounded through the heavens.
63. Twisted
Casaloz's roar did not receive the expected response; its roar could not reach all areas, and not all dragons were as easily provoked as the red dragon.