NABC Page 178
Page 178
Kara's beak parted slightly, revealing sharp teeth: "It seems your copper dragons' ability to boast is far weaker than their ability to court death."
"What does 'bragging' mean?" Chaturio asked curiously, moving closer.
Kara suddenly realized what she had said. Explaining such a word to a copper dragon was definitely not a good idea. She was sure that if she explained the meaning of "bragging" today, the dragons throughout Faerûn would hear all sorts of outrageous versions tomorrow. For example, absurd rumors like "a dragon named Karasandris shoved its face into a cow's reproductive organ and breathed into it." Forget about copper dragons not being brass dragons and not being gossipy; copper dragons were just as famous for their big mouths, and they especially loved to exaggerate and use it as part of their pranks. Everyone knew that copper dragons and brass dragons often got together to gossip, ending in bitter arguments. Sometimes they even dragged halflings into it, the two dragons and one humanoid race together could call black white and round square.
"Hmm..." Kara chose to remain silent, turning her attention back to the ongoing gathering.
On the surface, the gathering seemed to have come to a close with the unification of the gold and silver dragons' alliance, but it wasn't long before the dragons, who had been subdued, started a new topic, with the gold and silver dragons joining in as well. They clearly felt that it was necessary to continue the discussion—at least two hours before a decision could be made.
A barrage of random, even irrelevant, questions rained down, each one leaving the King of Justice utterly exhausted. Lares took a deep breath; he knew, of course, that convening a large meeting of dragons would be a protracted battle.
"Your concerns are quite valid," the Golden Dragon King's voice regained its composure. "We must discuss this carefully and not act hastily." Two hours passed quickly. The discussion showed no signs of ending; in fact, it intensified. For every problem solved, three new ones arose. The dragon horde had completely dispersed into numerous discussion groups, large and small. Conspiracy theorists debated whether the King of Justice intended to wipe out all the dragons, even speculating whether he had been bribed. The rationalists calculated whether and how much food should be stockpiled if they went into slumber; some bronze dragons even began designing the sanctuary's defenses and anticipating various attacks, regardless of the fact that the slumber was still far from over…
As the sun began to set, a young silver dragon suggested, "Perhaps we should rest for the night and continue tomorrow?"
"No!" a bronze dragon immediately objected. "I still have many questions to ask! For example, what if the guarding dragons also suddenly go mad?"
"Then we need a backup plan..."
What kind of backup plan?
"This requires careful consideration..."
Lares watched the increasingly chaotic scene below, his long tail swaying impatiently from side to side, making his fins whistle. He could feel his patience slowly slipping away.
"Gentlemen," he tried to steer the discussion back on track, "we can set out a general outline first, and discuss the details later."
"Ah, right, right, right!" This time, it was a bronze dragon who supported the idea. Its three front toes, more like webbed claws than wings, slapped against the top of its head, exhaling a thick breath of seawater. "What we're discussing now is whether or not to use magic to put someone to sleep, not how to put them to sleep!"
"That's right!" the brass dragons echoed. "This concerns the lives of all of us dragons!"
So the discussion returned to its main point, and as night fell, they decided they needed to discuss it for another day. The next day, as the morning light shone into the valley, the dragons gathered again and continued their endless debate.
For dragons, two days or three days make little difference. They have long lifespans, and a few days are but a fleeting moment for them. But as things dragged on, the gathering ended up on its third day.
"How boring..." Chaturio grumbled listlessly, lying on the rock. Three days of discussion had driven the restless bronze dragon nearly mad.
Kara was also somewhat disheartened. She had originally hoped to see the metal dragons unite against the dragon madness at this gathering, just like Casalos had done, but instead... she only saw endless arguments and bickering.
"You could try making a bunch of leaves," she said casually, "a vibrant, green one, and then have an invisible servant put it on the Lord of Justice's horns. That would make things less boring."
Chaturio's eyes lit up instantly: "Hey, great idea! Madam, you have the potential to become a top-tier bronze dragon!"
He rubbed his paws excitedly: "Looks like I know why dragons look so much like us... except for the color."
Kara rolled her eyes. She had only said it casually, but she hadn't expected him to actually take it seriously.
However, before the copper dragon could carry out its prank, the situation changed.
Lares suddenly stood up, his massive body fully stretched out. He took a deep breath and then let out a deafening roar.
The roar, imbued with the might of an ancient dragon, swept across the entire valley as if it were a tangible force, clearing away the rubble and dust, and instantly silencing all discussion. Some of the younger dragons were even shaken to their knees.
"Enough!" The voice of the Golden Dragon King boomed like thunder, his ancient dragon language filled with undisguised rage. For the first time, the dragon might of the King of Justice, the nominal sovereign of the Faerûn metal dragons, and His Highness the Glorious One, swept unbridled over the basin. All the dragons stared in terror at Lares on the high rock ledge.
"Three days! A full three days!" Golden flames burned in Lares's dragon eyes. "Do you know how many of your compatriots have gone mad while you've been arguing endlessly?"
He spread his wings, arched his back, raised his tail and every scale high, lowered his head, and the entire mountain trembled under his dragon might: "I possess dreams bestowed by the gods! Every night, I see my kin slaughtering each other in madness! And you are still arguing endlessly over trivial matters!"
The Golden Dragon King's voice was filled with pain and rage: "Dragon Madness will not wait for you to reach a consensus! It is eroding the minds of every dragon, including mine, including all of you!"
He pointed to the dragons in the basin: "Look at yourselves! Just three days ago you were discussing things calmly, and now you're fighting over the smallest thing! Isn't this a sign of dragon madness?"
Indeed, Long Qun's temper has become increasingly volatile over the past three days. What were originally just rational discussions are now frequently escalating into small-scale brawls.
"I will wait no longer," Lares declared in his final pronouncement. "Those who wish to believe in me, follow me to build a sanctuary. Those who do not, may do as you please. But when you destroy everything in your madness, do not regret your choice today!"
42. Uninvited guests
No dragon could withstand the full force of the Golden Dragon King's unleashed might. The dragon's might transformed into tangible pressure, acting deep within the souls of each dragon and triggering their most primal instincts of seeking advantage and avoiding harm.
Most gold and silver dragons are willing to believe in Larres, while bronze dragons are more willing to flee.
They turned around, they flapped their wings, and the dragon wings stirred up a gale that howled through the valley, creating turbulent currents. In their panic, none of them managed to take off, but this signaled the final end of the gathering.
Kara's mission was to delay the gathering, and she tried to stop it, but then she caught a glimpse of a figure... Just as the gathering was about to scatter like birds and beasts due to His Highness's impatience caused by the dragon's frenzy, a hoarse dragon roar tore open the chilling silence of the basin.
The roar carried the vicissitudes of time, yet it was also full of unruly domineering power. The dragon's might was no less than that of the King of Justice, and in some ways even surpassed it, being wilder, more primitive, and more violent.
"Hahaha, what a magnificent display of power! Alas, my wise king!"
A red figure, even larger than the Golden Dragon King, descended from the sky, its vortexes rising from the edges of its wings kicking up thick, black, scorching sulfurous fumes.
Klaus, the Northern Dragon, the Mad Dragon, the Nightmare of the Sword Coast Dragons, descended without warning at the gathering of the Golden Dragon King's Court. Its abnormally aged scales now resembled burning lava, its horns twisted like withered wood, and its face, covered with hideous scars, had its malevolent dragon eyes scanning the metal dragons in the basin.
Behind it were two slightly smaller figures, one blue and one white. The blue one still had desert dust clinging to its scales, and arcs of electricity danced between the sharp points of its horns and scales. The white one appeared exceptionally quiet, but the chill emanating from its crystalline, frost-covered vertical pupils caused the surrounding air to freeze into frost flowers.
Kara recognized the two dragons.
The "Desert Doom" statue of the dragon Emuris, and the white dragon sorceress "Pure White Dragon" Elvia. These three dragons together constitute the strongest chromatic dragon force in Sword Coast. Theoretically, Casalos has reached a non-aggression pact with these three chromatic dragons, including Klaus. As long as the pact's binding force—Cassaloz's military guarantee—remains in effect, Deepwater Territory is neither an ally nor an enemy.
"Klaus!"
The first to roar was not the King of Justice, Lares, but the most robust of the other seven dragon lords, Tamarand. The golden dragon's fury distorted the air around it, and the intense heat of its breath brewed in its throat.
"How dare you show your face here!" another angry voice rang out. It was Azak, the lieutenant of the Claw of Justice, the ancient silver dragon who had always silently accompanied Hevilan. Its silver scales stood up slightly in anger, and frost condensed beneath its claws.
Klaus lazily stretched his wing membranes, gathering the billowing smoke, and slammed his tail heavily on the ground: "Why can't I be here?"
The ancient red dragon's voice was mocking and languid, seemingly unconcerned about the fighting spirit of the gold and silver dragons: "My grudges with your Golden Dragon Royal Court are settled, leaving only the dragon grudges—but now, under the threat of Dragon Madness, do you two crown princes, still not quite dry from your eggs, want to settle those old scores with me?"
It turned its massive head, a dangerous glint flashing in its molten lava-like eyes: "Take a good look at your master's attitude, you little parrot-like brat. Dragon Madness and the dragons of Sword Bay share a life-or-death relationship. With our 'learned' neighbors holding a grand meeting here, why can't I join the discussion?"
Klaus leaned forward slightly, a wave of heat, thick with the smell of sulfur, emanating from the flames spewing from his nostrils: "What, you want to fight me here?"
Lares maintained a vigilant, defensive stance, his golden dragon eyes fixed on the uninvited guest, but he made no further move. The King of Justice's silence itself was a statement.
Hevilan remained seated on her stone platform, her silver body like a sculpture formed from the light of Suren, serene and peaceful. Having spent years fighting on the frontier, she understood the current situation better than any other dragon. Klaus hadn't come alone, and those accompanying him were no pushovers. While Amuris wasn't the overlord of the Desert Blue Dragons, her strength far surpassed theirs, and Elvia was the ruler of the Northern Glaciers. If a fight broke out, the dragons invited to the gathering by the Golden Dragon Royal Court would be the first to suffer.
The loss or injury of any metal dragon here would be a stain on the supreme dignity of the King of Justice.
"Klaus," Hevilan finally spoke, her voice still retaining the solemnity of a paladin, "you'd better really be here to discuss strategies for dealing with Dragon Madness."
Klaus let out a low chuckle: "Of course, of course, no need to be so tense, Silver Dragon. I'm not here to cause trouble—at least not now."
Lares slowly adjusted his posture, and ancient dragon language uttered from his mouth: "Can you speak on behalf of the dragons of color?"
"What nonsense are you spouting, you pedantic dragon lord?" Klaus's tail swayed from side to side, showing extreme impatience. "I'm not that lunatic Fei Yan. I only represent myself! And the two who came with me are too."
It paused, its beak slightly parted: "However, if you really have any good ideas, I wouldn't mind passing on a message for you. After all, Dragon Madness won't let anyone off just because of the color of their scales."
The atmosphere in the basin grew increasingly tense. The metal dragons exchanged glances, clearly divided on whether to include the three chromatic dragons in the discussion. Some bronze dragons had already assumed fighting stances, while the brass dragons whispered amongst themselves, discussing Klaus's true purpose in appearing. "Where's Lin Mei? Are you free? Is Lin Zai Zai there...?"
"Let them stay." Surprisingly, the first to voice support was the Demon Nexus. The lean golden dragon slightly raised its head from its position. "Since Dragon Madness threatens all dragons, perhaps listening to different voices isn't a bad thing."
Tamarand's dragon whiskers trembled with rage: "Nexus, you—"
"Enough, Tamarand," Lares interrupted his dragon lord. "The Nexus is right. Under the dragon's madness, we are all victims."
He turned to Klaus: "You may stay, but you must follow the rules."
"Rules?" Klaus scoffed, but nodded nonetheless. "Fine, for Long Kuang's sake."
Amuris and Elvia also found a spot to land. The blue dragon chose a rocky ledge overlooking the entire basin, while the white dragon curled up behind a boulder, only revealing half its head to observe the situation.
With the arrival of the three-headed chromatic dragon, the already complex situation became even more unpredictable. The metal dragons had to readjust their positions, maintaining a safe distance from the chromatic dragon. The entire basin was invisibly divided into several zones: the gold and silver dragons occupied the center, the bronze and brass dragons were positioned on either side, the copper dragons were scattered throughout, and the chromatic dragons occupied the high ground on the outer perimeter.
"Then," Lares cleared his throat, trying to get the discussion back on track, "let us continue to discuss how to deal with the Dragon's Fury."
"Wait a minute," Klaus suddenly interrupted, "before continuing your boring discussion, I'd like to hear what brilliant insights you've come up with."
The Nexus briefly outlined their plan: to establish a sanctuary, use legendary spells to put the dragons to sleep, and have shapeshifting dragons take turns guarding it until the dragon frenzy subsided.
After hearing this, Klaus burst into a deafening laugh. The laughter echoed through the valley, as piercing as thunder.
"You gathered so many dragons together to discuss strategies to combat the Dragon Frenzy, and all you came up with was a way to put up a shield, hide inside, and sleep?" Klaus's laughter was full of sarcasm. "And then, Nexus, you old scholar who spent your whole life holed up in the Lead Mountains researching arcane magic, calling yourself the greatest golden dragon mage, ended up with a legendary spell that makes dragons sleep!"
It shook its enormous head: "That's a great idea, hahaha..."
Tamarand's anger flared up again: "If you're just here to cause trouble, then shut up and get out."
"No, no, no..." Klaus stopped laughing, but the mockery in his dragon eyes was still obvious. "I didn't mean to mock you, you guys are just too funny."
It suddenly stood up, its massive figure looming over the surrounding young dragons: "Don't you know that if you just wanted to find a place to hide from the dragon madness, you wouldn't need to build any kind of shelter?"
These words immediately caused a stir.
"Where is such a place!" a young brass dragon couldn't help but exclaim.
"Don't believe him, he's a red dragon," warned the other silver dragon.
"A trap! This is definitely a trap!" More voices rang out.
Klaus slammed his tail on the ground, sending shards of rock flying. "Hahaha...you laughable youngsters, I'm not going to tell you where these places are."
"Are you playing us?" Several bronze dragons stood up at the same time, lightning crackling between their horns.
"Is it fun to play with you guys?" Klaus's voice suddenly turned icy, and the oppressive aura of an ancient red dragon instantly enveloped the entire basin. "Do you think I'm that bored? How many of you can withstand a single breath of my dragon breath?"
The oppressive aura was as heavy as a mountain, causing the young dragons to tremble, and even some of the adult dragons felt the pressure. But Klaus quickly withdrew the oppressive aura, his tone becoming relaxed again: "Besides, even if I told you where these places are, you, a group of winged dragons, can you really hide in those cramped spaces that aren't even big enough for you to flap your wings once, and spend your days, months, and years until the Dragon Madness disappears?"
Hevilan nodded thoughtfully: "That's why we need the Nexus's magic; sleep allows us to ignore the passage of time..."
"Pah!" Klaus scoffed, blowing out a puff of smoke. "Does a spell to put a dragon to sleep have to be legendary magic? Do you all think of dragons as cubs that need to be lulled to sleep?"
Lars's patience was clearly nearing its limit: "What exactly do you want, Klaus?"
Klaus slowly licked his paws: "What exactly do I want to do... to be honest, I don't know."
Its gaze swept across the entire basin: "Amuris, Elvia, and I originally came just to hear if you had any good ideas on how to get through this dragon frenzy, but we didn't expect to see you put on such a farce, so we couldn't help but laugh..."
"Looks like you don't have any good ideas either," the Nexus said coldly. "What's the difference between laughing at us and laughing at yourself? Shut up."
"Differentiation?" A dangerous glint flashed in Klaus's dragon eyes. "You're talking to me about differences? How can there be no differences?"
It turned to Lares: "I think it's normal that the Sour Scholar Dragon Lord can't come up with a solution, after all, it hasn't been long since it took over as Lord of Justice from Palotanser."
Then he looked at the Nexus: "But how old are you, you old scholar? You've experienced dozens more dragon madnesses than Lares, haven't you? And after all this research, you haven't come up with anything worthless, except a legendary spell that can put all dragons to sleep?"
Klaus's voice grew louder: "Is this how spells are developed? Is this how countermeasures are devised?"
Tamarand couldn't hold back any longer: "If you're so good, then you do it!"
"I'm not the 'Number One Mage' of the Golden Dragon," Klaus retorted.
Hevilan tried to ease the tension: "So, what's your opinion?"
Klaus was silent for a moment, then said, "I don't have any brilliant insights, but I think that to find a strategy to deal with Dragon Madness, we must at least find out why Dragon Madness occurs and what causes it, in order to come up with a real countermeasure."
Lares shook his head, his ancient dragon language sounding particularly heavy: "The wise men of my race throughout the ages only know that the dragon's madness arrives on schedule, and the dragons, spurred by it, become as insane as your race. What wisdom do you possess?"
"I don't know, and the other red dragons probably don't know either," Klaus readily admitted, but then changed the subject, "But... does this mean that only you metal dragons and us chromatic dragons are left in this world?"
This question struck like a bolt of lightning, instantly illuminating the minds of all the dragons. Indeed, the dragons of Faerûn are far more than just metallic dragons and chromatic dragons. There are also gem dragons, iron dragons, and those even more mysterious subspecies.
Silence fell once more in the basin, but this silence was different from before. The dragons began to truly ponder the question Klaus had posed: How did other dragon races deal with the Dragon Frenzy? Did they possess secrets unknown to the Metal Dragons and the Colored Dragons?
43. The so-called truth
Lares's ancient, archaic dragon language echoed through the valley, its syllables carrying the weight of a thousand years: "The rest of our race, the Gem-Scaled Dragons, dwell in the inner realm, unaware of worldly affairs..."
"Stop!" Klaus suddenly growled, interrupting the Golden Dragon King's narration. The Primordial Red Dragon's tail swayed impatiently from side to side, its molten eyes fixed on Lares on the high rock ledge: "Lares, although you're much younger than me, you've been in the Primordial Age for over a hundred years, haven't you?"
The King of Justice slightly raised his head, his golden dragon whiskers swaying gently with the movement, subtly radiating dragon might to show his displeasure at being forcibly interrupted, yet still maintaining his due dignity and composure.
However, the ancient golden dragon's might could not intimidate the northern dragons. Not to mention the "Old Roar" played by Casalos, even the desert calamity and the pure white dragon could only scoff at the King of Justice's silent intimidation.
Klaus continued his interjection: "Don't you golden dragons always hang out together? Didn't you hear about the gem dragons from your elders when you were a kid?"
It was as if he were lecturing a familiar junior—the continent of Faerûn is only so big, and for winged dragons, the distance between the Sinus Square and the Spine of the World is not that far. In the 1,200 years since the ancient dragons began, if we don't consider the factional and philosophical conflicts between metallic dragons and chromatic dragons, the two can indeed be considered to have such a relationship.
"I suppose your elders are unwilling to talk about those past events, but didn't your mentor, Palotanser, tell you that gem dragons once inhabited the Prime Material Plane?!" The red dragon suddenly spread one of its wing membranes, pointing at Lares: "He's the historian among your gold dragons!"
A brief silence fell over the basin. Several older golden dragons looked slightly reserved, clearly Klaus had touched on some past events they didn't want to be mentioned.
Lares paused for a moment, then slowly uttered the bittersweet dragon language runes: "I... don't know."
This answer elicited a low chuckle from Klaus, the sarcasm undisguised. He shook his massive head, sulfurous fumes billowing from his nostrils: "About three hundred years before your birth, the Gem Dragons in Faerûn still had an organization similar to your Golden Dragon Court."
The ancient red dragon's voice became deep and penetrating: "The last Gem Dragon King, the Topaz Dragon King Qisenrasisar, was killed in Westgate by the Archmage Selderlinar of Netheril—the so-called First Lord of Westgate—during the Year of the Void. Its remains are still preserved in the Westgate dungeons."
It paused, its beak slightly parted, its scales slightly raised, and its tail scraped against the ground: "From that moment on, the last organized group of Gem Dragons inhabiting the continent of Faerûn perished, and the entire subspecies completely retreated to the Inner Realm, never to interact with each other again."
"Hmm?" This news was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples among the dragons. Many young dragons widened their eyes, flapped their wings, and craned their necks, clearly hearing this history for the first time. Most of the older dragons also showed expressions of shock.