Dragon Alliance: Rise Against Shadow (6 page)

With that, Mkel grabbed his riding jacket, took his heavy equipment belt and sword, and slung his crossbow over his back. He jumped up on Gallanth’s arm, who then raised him up to his neck; he threw the equipment onto the flying rig and harness situated between two of Gallanth’s back ridge plates. Gallanth rose up on all fours and lumbered over to the edge of his landing, where he sprang into the air. He gently sailed to the far edge of the Weir’s lake and landed with a swirl of dust as he back winged. Mkel slid off of Gallanth’s neck onto his arm and was lowered back to the ground, still carrying all of his equipment. He and Gallanth then walked over to the Weir garrison’s headquarters. The meeting room held over fifty people, and it had a large opening so Gallanth could lay his head down and face into the big room to participate in the discussions.

Mkel stowed his gear in his planning room, with the exception of his sword, and took his notes to his seat on the huge U shaped table. He placed the notes and sketches he made for the exercise tomorrow on the large oaken table in front of his chair. Gallanth lay down in his normal position so his immense head rested on the ground in front of the thirty-foot opening to the meeting chamber and filled in the top of the U shaped table that faced him from inside the room.
I believe Ordin is approaching from the lower corridor
, Gallanth said to Mkel telepathically.

Gallanth’s foresight (his ability to see into the near future) always amazed Mkel. On many an occasion, this ability saved their lives, as well as the lives of thousands that he and his dragon protected. This ability was the bane of their enemies in battle; it always kept any foes from succeeding in a surprise attack. Only gold dragons had this ability. Silver dragons had limited foresight ability, as did brass dragons (to an even lesser degree). This still gave them an advantage over their chromatic counterparts, however.

Sure enough, within seconds Mkel heard the heavy footsteps of a dwarf approaching from the corridor at the far end of the council room that leads from the lower levels of the Weir and the home of the dwarf clan that reside there. Ordin was their leader and one of their toughest fighters. He was the dwarf entrusted by Gallanth to receive Donnac, the dragonstone-powered war hammer made of solid mithril. Its ruby dragonstone mounted on the top gives the war hammer the power of thunder and lightning. Ordin could throw the weapon up to one hundred yards; it would strike one large opponent (or up to ten man-sized targets) and then return to his hand like a boomerang. Upon hitting a single target, it delivered enough concussion and shocking power to kill a full-grown troll. It can also create a spell shield like Mkel’s and Toderan’s swords were capable of. Upon a successful strike of a giant, it had a 50/50 chance of killing it outright. He also wielded a master-crafted mithril/steel alloy battle-axe in his off hand for balance. Ordin was wearing his mithril-lined dwarven plate armor, likely for the benefit of the regimental commander, as dwarves live for a good fight. In battle, it made him a difficult target to penetrate, but it looked cumbersome, even though it was actually quite light. It also didn’t affect his acute dexterity, surprising for his broad but squat frame.

While Ordin was the leader of the dwarf clan that inhabited the lower levels of Keystone Weir, he and his brother Dorin also oversaw the mining operations in the bowels of the mountain fortress. Dorin focused on the mining issues while Ordin worked on making the special dragonstone and mithril weapons, and they led their dwarf infantry company together. Ordin was a key member of the Weir council, as the dwarf clan representative, and also oversaw all dragonstone weapon production and updated the Weir on mining issues.

The burly dwarf stood just shy of five feet tall, but like most dwarves, he was extremely stocky and physically strong. Weighing in at roughly two hundred fifty pounds, he was stronger than most men (save Toderan and Pekram). His well-kept beard and hair were an earthy brown color, and his eyes were a lively light brown-green. He was very jovial and bombastic, but like all dwarves, he could be moody at times and apt to brawl after drinking heavily. Ordin had a good heart though and was usually kind, which sprang from the dwarves’ very strong sense of commitment to their friends and allies. He and his clansmen loved to drink ale and eat good food, often frequenting the Weir’s tavern as well as their own smaller tavern in their living areas in the deep caves and caverns below the Weir.

Dwarves were extraordinarily tough with high constitutions, which enabled them to stay underground so long. The dwarf clan mined the lower caves of Draden Weir, which was rich in gold, gems, and especially the rare mithril. They kept a small percentage of the wealth, and the rest went to the Weir for its upkeep and pay, with a portion shipped to the capital for the common treasury. The dwarves revered Gallanth and had a great respect for the gold dragon; they owed him their allegiance for his protection, benevolence, and wisdom. While they tolerated elves, they enjoyed the company of humans and halflings more. Most dwarves stood approximately four and a half to five and a half feet tall and weighed between one hundred eighty to two hundred fifty pounds or more. All males wore beards, and even some women sprouted them. Dwarves were adamant in their pursuit of good and to further the cause of the Alliance, but they tended to be loud and bombastic.

Ordin smiled as he walked over to Mkel and said in his low and gruff voice, “Greetings, my young dragonrider friend.” He gave Mkel a hug, picking him up in the process. “Ordin is as wide as he is tall,” Mkel thought to himself.

“And good to see you too, Master Ordin,” Mkel replied enthusiastically, putting his hands on Ordin’s shoulders.

“Greetings to you, Master Dragon,” Ordin said reverently as he turned to face Gallanth, giving him a slight bow.

“And greetings to you, Master Dwarf. I see you are full of life today as usual,” Gallanth replied.

“Aye, Master Dragon; I heard through the rocks that Lupek and the rangers found that the giants are on the move. And in other good news, we struck a solid vein of mithril in the northwest lower cavern. Dorin is working on it now,” Ordin stated. The expression of “hearing it through the rocks” was a dwarf phrase that was akin to hearing it through certified rumor. Dwarves had a unique sense about them; their mannerisms, phrases, and customs reflected their underground living tendencies, mining, and soldierly lifestyles.

“How big is the mithril vein, Ordin?” Mkel asked.

“We uncovered the top end of it this morning. Dorin and his miners have been trying to cut away the outer rock, but so far it is at least a foot and a half across. We don’t know how deep it goes, but when we get it out, it will be a bounty. Now tell me more of what the rangers found,” Ordin replied with a twinge of enthusiasm in his crusty voice. “I have not felled a giant or heard the sweet sound of their large evil bones cracking under my hammer in months.”

“All I know is what Lupek blurted out to me after he arrived back this morning, and before I made him get cleaned up and spend a couple of hours with his family. They tracked a scout unit of orcs mounted on hellhounds and dire wolves. After killing most of them, they followed the survivor back across the Gray Mountains to the northernmost fire giant lands. The orc was careful to avoid Lucian Forest but did not escape the elven scouts’ watchful eyes as they passed out of our lands. Lupek, Deless, and one of their squads swooped down on the mounted orc before it was able to get to the fire giant encampment. That is all I know at present,” Mkel finished.

“Greetings all,” stated Jodem from the far entrance of the meeting hall. The Weir’s wizard entered the large room, giving his customary greetings. Jodem wore his classic blue and white robe and carried his wizard’s staff, which had a sapphire dragonstone mounted on top. He was Mkel’s tutor, mentor, and surrogate uncle. He taught Mkel many lessons about leadership, politics, and magic, but especially precision marksmanship. Jodem sported medium-length, unkempt salt-and-pepper hair, and unlike most human wizards, he was clean shaven. He was slightly overweight, for he loved magic, marksmanship, politics, and philosophy, but he especially enjoyed good food, ale, and wine, being able to drink a dwarf under the table.

Jodem was one of the most powerful wizards in the Alliance and served not only on the Draden Weir council, but on the Alliance Wizard Council of Thirteen, which included the top magic users in the republic. He had a mastery of most wizard spells and could route a legion almost by himself if he wanted, with the magic abilities of his dragonstone staff. The power of his spells and magic shield had defended the garrison and the Draden regiment from repeated magical attacks during many battles.

Jodem and Gallanth watched over Mkel until he blood bonded and linked souls with the gold dragon. His laboratory was deep within Keystone Weir behind Gallanth’s ledge on the opposite side of Mkel’s living quarters. He and Gallanth, Ordin, Dorin, and the elves’ best weaponsmiths made arms out of the precious mithril.

One of Jodem’s keys to success was that he was very accurate with his wizard’s staff, which also doubled as a long, heavy crossbow. It also had the power to deliver a shocking jolt upon a physical strike or a close threat. Jodem aimed his crossbow-like staff to fire most of his offensive spells at ranges over five hundred yards. This gave him the advantage of a much greater range over other wizards in casting spells (and significantly more accuracy). His lighting bolt spells could reach up to five hundred yards, as an example, versus the one-hundred-yard distance of the average wizard or sorcerer. Upon his command, the crossbow limbs sprang up from the side of the thick staff and the dragon sinew string stretched out. As a crossbow, it could deliver a bolt with enough power to fell an ogre in a single shot or fire a regular masterwork bolt that could take down any orc or grummish. He, Mkel, and Dekeen had regular competitions both in the Weir and in open competitions on the plain between the town of Draden and Draden Forest. His staff/crossbow cannot see at night and was not as fast to fire as Mkel’s, but it was still powered by a sapphire dragonstone given to him by Gallanth. This dragonstone focused his magical and spell casting abilities and also allowed him to hit an opponent in a close melee, doing enough damage to kill an orc with its intense power. His mithril woven lined robe gave him the same armor protection as full plate, along with heavy magic resistance capable of absorbing several offensive spells.

Jodem had a giant bald eagle named Vatara, which he utilized as his mount. It had a twenty-five-foot wingspan and stood over seven feet tall, with claws that could slice an orc apart and fell an ogre on a diving attack. Its beak could bite for enough damage to almost cut an orc in half, and it was as fast as a dragon for a short sprint and very maneuverable. Several pairs of eagles share a commonality with the elves and both protect the Weir and are protected by it, nesting on the upper ledges of the mountain.

“Yes, greetings, Gallanth, Ordin, Mkel,” Jodem said. “Ordin, I hear we got lucky down in the southwest tunnel?”

“Yes,” the burly dwarf replied. “It should be a major find and produce many good weapons and tools.”

“I hear we might need it soon,” Jodem said.

“Keeping a secret in this place is impossible,” Mkel thought to himself, but Jodem had a way of finding information out, and keeping secrets from a wizard was very difficult.

“Jodem, are all the preparations for the Battle Point visit in place?” Mkel asked to change the subject until the command group meeting actually started.

“Yes, I talked with the Battle Point wizard on his seeing crystal. He said that he, the legion commander, and the town mayor will be ready for us the day after tomorrow. They have several concerns regarding a great deal of activity on almost all their fronts, as well as trouble between the Kaskar horse clans and the Northern Ontaror kingdoms,” Jodem replied.

“Sounds like there is an undertone of great proportions, and a Morgathian or drow plot to destabilize the region,” Gallanth added.

“A good point, Gallanth, we shall see when we get out there to address their concerns, for we may have to bring them up to the Dragon Council, and the premier as well as the senate when they convene later this month,” Jodem commented.

“Gentlemen, Gallanth, good afternoon,” Toderan said as he, Lupek, Pekram, Watterseth, Tegent, and Colonel Wierangan all walked into the room. Mkel got up as Colonel Wierangan entered. Toderan and Lupek walked over to shake Mkel’s hand and give Gallanth a respectful nod. As they made their greetings, Dekeen, the elven clan leader, entered the room and gave his salutations to everyone after bowing to Gallanth. The elf clan located in Draden Forest, which lies off of the southern and western slope of Keystone Weir Mountain, had always been protected by the Weir and aided in its defense.

Elves tend to be aloof if not arrogant in some regards, likely because of their long life spans and the way they considered everyone else (save dragons) less experienced. Mkel and Dekeen had attended lessons together in Draden, which elves take on occasion to keep abreast of human ventures. He was actually a young elf, being only three hundred years old, give or take a couple of years, to be in a position of authority.

He was given the leadership of the clan after the former leader was killed in the last Great Dragon War. Dekeen was especially talented with a long bow and had made an almost impossible shot, taking out a death knight before he could deliver a killing blow to an injured brass dragon. In making this shot he had exposed himself to orc return fire and took an arrow in the leg. Gallanth and Jodem awarded him Elm, a dragonstone-empowered bow, as a gift for this act of heroism.