The Dragon Coins

The Dragon Coins

By Henry Swinebottle

Circa 357YL

The creation of the Dragon coins remains shrouded in mystery, mainly due to the confiscation of all records prior to the arrival of the Invaders by the Lewisian Emperor in YL 30.  Scholars of the Coins must either study at the University and ply a senior administrator for access to forbidden records (and are thus sworn to secrecy ever after, making publishing such an account an impossibility), comb the countryside for ancient Elvish texts that slipped through Lewisian fingers during the purge, or speculate endlessly over the few crumbs of knowledge available to us regarding the coins. 

What is known is this:  There are 10 coins, of which 8 can be vaguely accounted for.  There are five coins with a representation of a chromatic dragon (red, black, blue, white, green) and five coins with the representation of a metallic dragon (silver, brass, bronze, copper, gold).  Each of the coins enables the user the one time service of an Elder dragon from the Mountains East of the Empire.  Each of the coins bears a portion of the true name of one of two dragons on it.  The Werbergians, when they came to the Empire in search of asylum in the year 260 YL, had 4 such coins with them (all metallic), the fifth of which they used to gain safe passage through the Pass of Bones, which is guarded by the two dragons named on the coins.  One of the remaining 4 coins held by the Werbergians was given to the Emperor (who in turn gave it to the University where it has remained for study for the last 100 years) as a gift of gratitude for letting them settle in the desert south of the Wild Plains.  One of the coins was stolen from the Grand Abbot by the Poison Clan, and its whereabouts are unknown.  Two of the coins are still held by the Grand Abbot.  Four of the coins are held by a wicked red dragon called Bonescraper in its hoard high in the mountains somewhere south of the Pass of Bones.  One of the coins is held by a dragon known as the Silverking in the Hammer Mountains North of the Pass.  Ownership of a coin allows one safe personal passage through the Pass and immunity to attacks from dragons, but for anyone else to pass with you, you must invoke the power of the coin.

Therein ends all known information about the coins.  The rest is rumor and speculation.  The Poison Clan was thought to have absconded with the stolen coin and settled somewhere in the west near the Imperial city of Feidvale.  The final coin is believed to be in the possession of a devotee of the demon prince Pazuzu, prince of evil winged animals, somewhere in a mountain fortress inaccessible from the ground. 

Once a coin is used, it reputedly returns to the possession of either the Silverking or Bonescraper.  The five metallic coins each have printed on them a fragment of Bonescraper’s true name, while the five chromatic coins have fragments of the Silverking’s name on them.  Legend has it that the coins were created by the Silverking over a millennia ago to prevent a war between good and evil dragons that would destroy the known world.  Bonescraper only agreed because his five coins were to be given to a wicked Emperor in the East who reputedly used one of the coins to have the ancient red dragon light his samovar for tea.  Bonescraper knew the evil and greedy emperor would use the coins quickly to conquer all the surrounding lands, which he did.  But the final coin, the black coin, was stolen by a demon prince and carried away never to be used.  The demon prince learned of the coin through the Silverking himself, knowing that the prince would covet the world and never give the coin willingly to Bonescraper by using it.  Bonescraper is powerless to harm the owner of a dragon coin, as are his many children and servants among dragon-kind.  The two dragons cannot interfere directly in the contest, but they can persuade mortal non-dragons to aid them if any are willing.   Legend also has it that if one of the dragons obtains all five of its coins, it will learn the true name of the other dragon and gain dominion over all the world, with the losing dragon as its servant for all eternity. 

Use of the coins is no easy feat, as invoking its power involves the sacrifice of the head of a slain dragon of the opposite type of the coin used.  Thus, to invoke the Silverking, one must both possess the coin and sacrifice the head of a chromatic dragon.  How the sacrifice is completed is a secret perhaps only the Grand Abbot himself knows.

The Legend of Caddigan's Bones

The Legend of Caddigan’s Bones

A treatise by Harold Herklebee

August 7^th, Y.L. 364

 

Few written records were kept of the initial landing of the Lennoxian Line, or, The Invaders as they later became known to the indigenous population of Illandria.  At least, such records are considered restricted by the Imperial Edict of Y.L. 30, with only the highest ranking University staff having access (in theory, at least).  The famous inventor Kwalish ran afoul of University policies in the early 4^th Century Y.L. 312 for attempting to bypass the locks guarding these very secrets.  To this very day, possession of any historical record from times predating the invasion is an offense punishable by death should the evidence be discovered. 

Rumors and legends abound about the time preceding and immediately following the establishment of the Lewisian Dynasty, but few are more provocative then the Legend of Caddigan, the Dwarven Archmage who led a rebellion against the Empire in Y.L. 18.  Though he was unsuccessful in freeing Illandria from under the yoke imposed by the Lewisian rulers, he still remained, and in a sense remains, unconquered by the Imperials.

We know little of Caddigan’s history, for the written records of the dwarves were confiscated upon their defeat in Y.L. 20 (as was the standard practice for all peoples conquered by King Lennox).  What is known or has been pieced together is that Caddigan was a mage of great power and renown, a great oddity among dwarves, whose distrust of magic is legendary.  Caddigan was also a great business owner, and the mines he owned spanned the length and breadth of Sylvania at its peak, with underground highways that rival our current above ground system.  Further, Caddigan was King of the Dwarves, the last king in recorded history.  Lastly, Caddigan was good, providing for the weak and infirm and the helpless among his people, and was held responsible for a period of dwarven prosperity unprecedented among all the races of humanoids. 

The Empire remained unaware of the dwarven population at large for over a decade after they completed their conquest of the Elves.  They knew of Caddigan’s mines, to be sure, for trade with the humans was taken up seamlessly after their conquest of Sylvania.  They did not know how numerous were the dwarves, nor did they suspect the rival kingdom that lay directly beneath their feat.  Certain things caused suspicion by Emperor Lennox.  First, the dwarves were able to transport goods across the Empire operating and charging for less than any human or elven caravan could afford to charge.  (The Emperor Trees were gone by this point, relegating the elves to mundane travel for transportation of goods.)  Second, no matter what taxes were levied against the dwarves, they were able to pay them, without quibbling. 

In the summer of 14 Y.L., Emperor Lennox, having tamed the armies of trolls and werewolves and adding their numbers as vassal states to the Empire, could finally focus on what he called ‘the dwarf problem.’  In the fall of that year he sent ambassadors to Caddigan at his keep in the heart of the Guyver River delta to request a royal tour of Caddigan’s holdings.  The emissaries were sent away rebuffed.  Reportedly, the stubborn dwarf stated, “Let the humans rule the surface and leave matters below ground to the dwarves.”  This did not go over well with Emperor Lennox to say the least, who went to far as to send his Spymaster along with two Imperial battlemages and a contingent of soldiers to arrest Caddigan in his keep.  In the Emperor’s defense, he was then unware of the power Caddigan wielded, both as an archmage and a king.  The Spymaster was returned, along with the company of soldiers and the battlemages, in cages.  They had all been turned into mice.

A fantastic battle ensued, above and below the surface lands.  Caddigan bested the forces of the more numerous Imperials again and again, hurling a seemingly inexhaustible supply of spells at the opposing forces.  For 6 years Caddigan had the best of the fight, using guerilla tactics and an underground transport system that eluded detection attempts by even the best of the Emperor’s seers.  Time and time again Imperial outposts fell, and their casualties mounted in the thousands.

This string of Imperial defeats ended at the gates of the Imperial palace itself, when Emperor Lennox finally dispatched his own archmages, N’Gorak the Great and Yeltil the Elven Traitor.  Whole swaths of the Imperial capital were laid waste, but in the end, Caddigan fell in battle.  He survived and was spirited away to his keep by his followers, but his wounds were grievous and defied even magical healing.  The Emperor pursued Caddigan across the Guyver River and into the river delta where Caddigan was taken, giving the dwarven king’s followers no respite.

Surrounded, outnumbered, and near death himself, Caddigan saw his defeat was inevitable.  The Emperor’s minions would pursue him above or below, and he had lost his right hand in the struggle, severely hampering his ability to cast spells.  On the night of his death, he called for his staff and proceeded to the parapet atop his tower and he looked down on the forces drawn against him.  Then he spoke.  His voice boomed across the plains such that every ear could hear his words:  “Not till these bones are laid to rest shall the Empire set foot in this place!  I curse the Emperor and all his kith and kin who enter my land!  The land shall not bear fruit, not will it suffer you to tread upon it!  Those who try will be devoured, ripped limb from limb, ground to dust!  Witness my Soul Curse!”  With that, Caddigan’s staff exploded, and the lands for miles around were devastated.

Many of the troops survived the blast, thanks to the magicks of N’Gorak and Yeltil, the Elven Traitor.  However, Caddigan’s curse held true.  A burning rain fell on the surviving troops, and they fled the Delta, never to return.  The remaining forces loyal to Caddigan surrendered, and became subjugated like all the peoples of Illandria.

It is said that the many dangers of what has become known as the Land of the Blight are the direct result of Caddigan’s Curse.  Few travel through the swamp, and fewer still live there.  The western part of Caddigan’s Swamp is inhabited largely by mongrel races, Lizardfolk and Boggards.  The eastern part is a bog where the only plants that will grow are resistant to the acidic soil.  Rain that burns the skin is reputed to fall still when dark clouds gather over the fog covered plains.  Roaches roam the surface in swarms that devour everything they encounter.  Wild dogs dwell in small caves.  Small tribes of cannibalistic halflings prowl in search of sentient meat, venturing out on occasion into Imperial soil. 

It is said that the curse may only be ended by locating Caddigan’s bones and laying them finally to rest, a difficult quest considering the natural hazards of the bog and its denizens.  To make matters worse, there are rumors of a guardian of the bones, a wicked and perverse spirit naga that slays all who attempt to set matters aright.  (For those less learned than myself, a naga is a creature with the body of an enormous snake and the head of a humanoid woman.)  Some have tried, lured by the tales of Caddigan’s wealth and magical riches he stored in his now ruined keep.  Chief among the wonders Caddigan was said to possess was the Sands of Time, an hourglass that enabled the user to slow time for 12 seconds or less.  Caddigan also possessed a crown with reputed magical qualities, not the least of which rendered him immune to psychic intrusion of any kind.  None have returned to tell tales of what truly lies at the heart of Caddigan’s Swamp.