Draconic Sins

A Destiny Of Gods One-Shot: Draconic Sins.

While Toraleth is on his quest for his Divine Weapon, Railund has come across a trace of Dae’s Divine Weapon. Dae refuses to go on their quest with anyone on the boat, so Railund hires a mercenary group to accompany them and ensure their safety. Dae is really set in their ways, but decides to let Railund organize a party as cannon fodder for them. Railund drops them off on the continent of Felldrift, in a frozen, snowy town at the base of a mountain in the Kuovola region of the continent.

Dae, freezing in the snow, encounters a group of four mercenaries in the town of Somnard: a Veil Etheral named Valryn Skye, a Velstran named Jesse Silas Baglow, an Alnean named Bauhaus Spirytus, and an Orthic named Sabbath Odesta. Upon meeting them all, Dae clearly sees that most of them are a bit too soft and perky for their taste, all except for Sabbath. Valryn is a bit sly and mysterious, Jesse is warm and inviting, Bauhaus is drunken and caring, and Sabbath is brooding and serious. Dae comes out the gate already, mentioning their mother and their strained past. They immediately pinpoint Sabbath as having mother issues as well, to which he agrees, starting their subtle allyship off the bat. Sabbath takes Dae to a nearby outlet shop to get them some clothes fitted for the trek up the mountain, paying for them to get a nice, warm coat. Ripping the back of the jacket with their wings, they dawn a new look, more fit for adventuring. Dae explains they are destined for a Divine Weapon, and is supposed to find something called The Carrion Flame on this mountain, where their weapon is supposed to be. Dae explains that they lived under a mountain range for about twelve years, but never climbed any mountains themself, so has no clue what to really expect. However, they’re ready to climb and seem very prepared to face whatever the quest throws at them. They begin the hike, Dae starting to get to know their hired mercenaries a bit more.

They approach Sabbath first, asking him what his story is. Sabbath tells Dae about his traumatizing childhood: As a child, he grew up on a continent called Orphean, with his sister and his mother. His mother was very religious, and the household worshipped Synmycin, the God of darkness. One day, in a fit of religious proclamation and procephy, his mother took his sister’s life, killing her in front of him. He was able to get away, fleeing to other continents, but has sought out revenge from that day on. Sabbath has done mercenary work to provide for himself and get stronger, and one day return to Orphean to kill his mother himself. Dae relates to him a lot, saying their mother wasn’t that different. Dae explains that their mother’s religious proclamations were loyalty to something called The Hain, instead. Their mother, Ophelia, was drowned in the continent of Canderous for her crimes of experimentation, and became known as The Banshee of Maidenhead there. Sabbath thought the Banshee was just a myth, but Dae explains that them and their siblings experienced her firsthand. Dae recalls their siblings, who were also all experimented on. They mention Nym and Holyoke, two siblings of them that became deer-like monsters due to experiments. They also mention their sibling, Casey, who they seem to have been very close with. They say they don’t remember much about Casey, but hear there’s a tree in Canderous that stands to be the remnants of Casey. The other sibling they mention is Wrentham, the only one that wasn’t experimented on. He was the one that drowned Ophelia and banished Dae and their siblings. They were sent away and Dae was separated from everyone, ending up underground and getting to Ichorfall. Their conversation ends as the party meets a fork in the road, choosing to take the left path from here, thanks to Bauhaus’s drunken premonitions. On this path, Dae grills Jesse, the Velstran. Jesse explains that he’s a doctor and keeps everyone in good shape in their group. However, Jesse doesn’t seem to have a medical license, being trained by three underground doctors instead, none of them having licenses either. Jesse mentions doing mercenary work to keep his family alive and put food on the table, and isn’t really looking to further his education. Dae mentions the Royal Enclave, saying that Jesse shouldn’t waste his time there even if he wanted to. Wrentham, their brother, is the current head of it, but may not be there for much longer. Jesse also brings up his daughter, who is currently being looked after by his sister, and how rough it’s been for her. Her real mother died, and since money has been tight, Jesse has been doing whatever he can to support his family. Dae tells Jesse his daughter is lucky to have him, and walks off, a bit sullen. The party then arrives at a large, frozen lake as an obstacle in their path. Dae effortlessly begins to walk across it, the ice under their feet strengthening as they step, and thinning behind them as they move. Dae shows them all how wide the lake spans, saying they don’t have much of a choice but to cross. With his dexterous abilities, Sabbath crosses the lake with ease. The rest of the party decides to take the 3 hour detour to walk around instead. Sabbath and Dae make it across without any worry, and make camp a bit away from the camp and wait for everyone to get there, deciding to pack it in for the night.

Dae gets to know more about the other mercenaries, first asking Bauhaus as he pours drinks for him, Valryn and Jesse. Bauhaus describes himself as a brewmaster savant. He lives life in the moment, and wants to help people live their lives to the fullest. He does this by sharing his craftsmanship with brewing alcohol, and hopes to help people achieve enlightenment. Dae seems a bit lost with this, realizing they may not have been considering what is important in life. Bauhaus advises them that their life is important, and says that he is happy to help them get to their goal, whatever that may be. Dae turns to Valryn next, asking about their life. Valryn explains that they are a free thinking person from a place called the Bright Veil. They made their choice to leave there, despite how beautiful it was. They advise Dae to live life freely, which is all they know how to do. They are a bit mischievous, taking what they want as they see fit, and having fun. They tell Dae not to let anyone control their path, to their discontempt. Dae tells everyone that their life has been slow and controlled up until this point, but tries to consider what it might be like to live more freely. Dae might not even know what they themself want for themself. Dae packs it in for the night and tries to sleep for the night, everyone else taking watches for them. They strap themself to a tree by an overhang, and let their legs dangle over the edge. While Dae tries to rest, Sabbath seems a bit on edge. He explains that Dae is a lot like himself, to an unnerving degree, and he is a bit unsettled by the idea of them searching out a Divine Weapon. Jesse explains that while it might be dangerous, it’s not their business to get involved in. They’ll do their best to help Dae meet their goal, but the weapon seems out of their control. With this, Bauhaus takes Sabbath’s watch for him, and everyone gets ready for bed.

The night is full of agonized screams from Dae, unrestful for everyone able to hear it. Dae writhes in pain throughout the entire night, and everyone awakes the next day with very little sleep. Valryn deciphers the screams as night terrors, but Jesse and Sabbath think otherwise. Sabbath mentions that it could be a result of their experimentation from their childhood. When Dae approaches them, Bauhaus notices that Dae looks just the slightest bit taller, and they seem to be growing more dragon scales. Dae has some more conversation with some of the mercenaries, Bauhaus cheerily eating while Sabbath asks Dae if they plan on going after their brother Wrentham one day, causing Dae to smile for the first time in a long while. With this, the party ascends the last leg of the mountain above the cloudline, a eerie quietness accompanying them. They reach a platform with steps carved out from the mountain and approach, assuming this to be the destination. There, they find an icy, stone clearing bowl within the mountain with twelve braziers, lit with different colored flames in each. Some flames burn brighter than others. In the center of the bowl is a pile of bones, gargantuan and larger than anything some of these heroes have ever seen before. Dae approaches first, ignoring the party’s cautiousness of the remains. As Dae approaches, a flame the same cobalt as their draconic skin ignites. A heavy rumble shakes the clearing. The remains begin to reanimate on their own, the bones stacking and forming a ginormous, monstrous creature right before them. Skin covers over its long neck, but leaves the rest of the body bare bones. Dae refuses to move, facing the creature face to face as it speaks to them:

“Long have I awaited your arrival, iceborne. For 3 millenia I’ve watched over these flames, longer still shall I live. Your destiny is a fleeting spark within this world’s history, whilst my flame remains trapped within this mantle. Twenty odd years it has been since one has voyaged to me, she took a piece of my flame, iceborne. Am I to assume it is that which you are derived from? If this truth is evident, then my secrets are to be your destiny. I am the Umbras, that which remains, that which protects, that which destroys and nurtures. You are a part of my cobalt flame, Iceborne. Advance, and lay claim to destiny. Our father guides my flame, can you say the same of your mother?” (The Umbras, Destiny Of Gods One Shot: Draconic Sins)

With its icy breath enveloping Dae, the Umbras attacks with heavy abilities and frightening strength. The heroes advance, leaping into battle with their own, individual arsenal of tricks and fighting tactics. Bauhaus and Valryn team up and produce a fiery explosion against the large dragon using a cask of Bauhaus’s brew, dealing massive amounts of damage to it. Jesse navigates the battlefield, alternating between crossbow arrow shots and ranged healing spells that keep the party standing and fighting. Sabbath manipulates the shadows, using them to get the upper hand on the Umbras with sneak attacks out of its sight. Dae battles ferociously, using their ice magic to create frozen blades to slash at the mighty beast. The Umbras has a wide variety of abilities and traits that make it a very long, very stressful fight. It still is able to deal massive amounts of damage to the party, between its massive claws and teeth, its formidable tail throwing them, and powerful breath attack that sends the party nearly to its end. As the umbras reaches the end of its rope, it uses the last of its energy to corner Valryn.

Valryn shoves their staff into the ground just as the Umbras slashes through their chest before clenching them in its jaws, killing them instantly. Dae unleashes the final attack on the Umbras, leaping into the air and cleaving through it with a frozen ice sword. Its skull splits in half, falling part and dying right there. Jesse and Bauhaus mourn over the loss of Valryn, crying as they realize there’s nothing they can do to save them. Sabbath watches as Dae digs through the remains of the Umbras, eventually pulling out some sort of weapon. They find Gyralmaw, the Divine Weapon of the God, Davisian, a throwing glaive in the shape of a dragon’s head, spiked with large dragon teeth and a large opal center. Upon finding it, Dae begins to retch again, screaming in agony as their back contorts. Their wings, once shredded and mangled, are now growing into fully formed dragon wings.

After Dae realizes Valryn is dead, they pass out from the agony, unconscious as their new wings come in. Jesse and Bauhaus carry back Valryn’s lifeless body while Sabbath takes the unconscious Dae. They descend, making their way back to Somnard, quiet and upset. They return back, and arrange for Valryn to be buried properly while Dae recovers in their lodge. After a while, Dae wakes back up while the mercenaries mourn. Dae sees the trouble they have caused, and goes to leave almost immediately, feeling something akin to guilt watching them be so hurt. Jesse hands them Valryn’s cloak before they go, wishing for them to keep their memory alive. Dae flies away quickly, returning to the Shepherd as a snowstorm brews. Jesse and Bauhaus go get drinks together while Sabbath stares into the air where Dae disappears from sight.