The Isle of Dragons A small island off the coast of Adplagam, roughly 84,000 square kilometres in area. It's shape is a vertical oval that's leaning slightly to the right, as if it's about the teeter over. A treaty was signed to keep the Dragons on the island, in return for the Dragons never being hunted. The main city is called Star's Point. Main Character: - Elin - Male Dragon of 16 years. Vast magical potential, rivalling that of Elders. - Origins unknown. Rough Layout: - To the far north is the main Council Chamber. A port sits on the 'town' next to it. - A road travels south from the Council Chamber is a reasonably sized 'city' which is primarily home to magicians and invited mortals to live on the island. - People are generally not invited unless they have something to provide: merchants are invited if they can bring crucial imports, or magicians for labour and/or aid with agriculture - Dragon accomodation covers roughly the entire southern half of the island, primarily terraformed into a sea of mountains and caves, as well as forests and lakes. - Shelter is typically built for each Dragon, even if some prefer the open air - Military barracks are on the upper left side of the island, covering a reasonable distance, but with enough space between it and the city. - Dragons are trained in the barracks to defend themselves and even remain as guards, or go do their own thing - Each dragon is encouraged to get a job or a role in the island to better help prosper the Dragon species - rest of the island consists of primarily plains for livestock, or fields for other stuff Controlled by the Dragon Council, which is compromised of 3 Dragons: - Raln, head of the Military: controls the fleets of dragons used for combat. Primarily trains Dragons in events of invasion, rather than raids and seiges. Also trains them to defend themselves. Everyone gets basic combat training when they are mature enough. Raln is roughly 12 metres tall on all fours, primarily the colour of a mottled brown. He's roughly ~400 years old. His hide and body is littered with small, tiny scars from the days when he fought humans and anthros. His wings are slightly tattered, making it difficult to fly. Has 2 sharp fangs in an overbite from his mouth, and two curved horns atop his head and that sit just above kobold-like ears. - Valia, head of Agriculture: controls the fields and livestock to make sure there's plenty of food and fresh water to feed Dragons with. Also occasionally makes wine. Knows healing magic. Roughly ~325 years old. Stands at about 10m on all fours. Hide is the colour of a rich emerald (considered quite rare) and is mostly pristine. She has a way with fairies and has good magic. Face is long and slender, with short horns and a singular horn on the end of her snout (like a rhino) - Zexir, head of General Accommodation, and by extension head of the Council: deals with the day-to-day running of the island as well as housing newborn Dragons, and teaching them magic. He is roughly ~600 years old and is the oldest of all the Dragons on the island. Roughly 11m tall on all fours. Has the most formidable magic, which is why he is considered the leader. Doesn't often fight, but had considerable combat skills. Hide is a mixture of turquoise and sea-green and blue. His head is pronounced and slightly slender, with two large, wavy horns, with two extra ones sitting underneath. He has startling amber eyes and is the most composed of the Dragons. The isle has an age system: - Hatchling: newborns, who are roughly this way for about a year. - Fledglings: they finally start to grow up and stay this way between 1-13 years old, steadily growing. Playful and often childish. - Drake: their most shocking growth spurt happens around 6 years old, where they roughly double in size and keep growing. Still playful. 13-20 years - Dragon: most adult form, and prime of their growth. Magical potential is usually at it's peak here. 20-299 years - Elder: Elders are only considered such when they reach over 300. Revered and respected by other Dragons. 300+ years. Caste system: - regrettably, even in an island of Dragons, there is still a caste system. - The highest caste are those with the largest magical potential, and often remain near the council chamber in designated accomodation. here, they are trained in the highest forms of magic possible by Zexir himself. Their inevitable role is to travel as ambassadors or use their magic to help better further society - Mid-range caste are those who primarily linger around the main city and help merchants, or even travel to sell their own wares. They are not allowed on Orbath and often have to venture beyond. - Low range caste consists of Dragons who lack any sort of magical potential, and are often drafted in for manual labour in agriculture, or guard work. They're not really good for much else, to be fair. Chapters: 1. Elin is in the southern regions of Orbath, inside the Forest of Madness. He's not particularly lost, but he's hiding. He ventures a little too far towards the edge of the forest and is found by a villager from Scarhaven, a young canine boy named Cam, short for Cambrant. Cam isn't too afraid, but curious why the Dragon's around the forest. Upon hearing others coming, Elin gets scared and tries to leave and teleports, ending up taking the boy with him. After a brief accident/incident, they manage to teleport somewhere more stable, but the boy is now no longer at his home, and this alerts the guard of his hometown, which in turn starts a problem in Reliquim. Elin and Cam briefly have some innocent nudity, but nothing more: it's simply boyish curiosity. 2. Zexir begins tracking down Elin after he takes care of a few details within the Isle, and some information is expanded upon here. He travels immediately to Orbath and searches the southern forests to find it empty, but he notices the village on high alert. Not wanting to cause problems, he makes immediately for the capital and requests an audience with the king, who sees to him immediatley, obviously pissed that he's shown up. They speak briefly, before Zexir is away again, and the king is informed of the situation (though he was already). At the end of the chapter, Zexir spots the Dragon near the bridge to Adplagam . 3. Elin is caught by Zexir, and the two stand opposite one-anothre, locked in tension. Cam wants to protect his new friend and Zexir falters, before sending the boy home with a swift long-range teleportation. Scared and angry, Elin attempts to teleport away, but Zexir manages to follow him, and chases him across Orbath. At some particular point, Elin is startled and lets loose his magic that blows up part of the Hixborough mountains. With no other choice, Zexir gets in close and knocks the boy out, and binds his magic with an item or spell. He takes him back to the isle and speaks with the other elders about his power, before retreating to his studies to get some well-earned relaxation with a few servants girls (and possibly boys) within his personal company. Valia and Raln, meanwhile, discuss their irritance about an Elder who's been harrassing some of the younger troops in the guardsman's barracks. Fen is seen again briefly, escorting Raln back to his chambers as Valia continues about her duties. 4. Elin awakes to find himself on the Isle of Dragons inside a beautifully built chamber, surrounded by a variety of servants, who tell him nothing. An hour after awaking, Zexir meets him again and briefly tries to explain the consequences of his actions. He pries Elin for information, who is not so forthcoming, until he eventually caves. To Zexir's surprise, Elin tells him his father is not a Dragon, but a mortal who raised him from an egg. Elin obviously has never seen another dragon before and is intimiated by Zexir's height. To give the boy some piece of mind, Zexir takes him on a tour around the isle, where the island is explained further. Elin is enlisted into special mentoring with Zexir, but for the time being, his powers are blocked. There is a brief moment where Elin is alone and meets another Elder of the Idle, Iotta, who appears kind. Elin is told he'll be studying magic with Zexir, and meets his new classmates, a collection of 5 or 6 other Dragons around his age of varying heights and sizes. He takes to a few of them, but when they begin to probe him for information or ask him some rather personal questions, he grows confused. Some are obviously rude and don't like his arrival, whilst others try to be consoling. One asks his sexual orientation and he admits he doesn't know. In private, said Dragon tries to coax him into things sexually. The next morning, Elin is given a tour of Star's Point by one of his servants, where he meets a number of different people who treat him like royalty. He is unused to such treatment and it makes him nervous. When he returns to his quarters, the servant man asks if he needs to be relieved, and the reason for a sex-focused society is explained further. 5. Without his magic, Elin has to train some other way, so he's ushered over to the barracks, where he had to finally learn how to fight properly. His father never taught him and as such, he has to learn from the ground up, where other Dragons are already ahead of him. It quickly becomes clear that he does not have the best aptitude for physical combat and he's left feeling frustrated. Raln is clearly not happy with this unknown dragon appearing out of nowhere and makes his opinion known without any regard for the consequences, which only angers Elin even further. When retreating to his room, Elin meets Iotta again outside of the main quarters, and the two speak again in private. Iotta tells him that the council are not to be trusted and says that he should be wary of keeping the extent of his powers to himself, if he can: he claims Zexir will betray him. Elin doesn't know who to believe. 6. Still unsure of Elin's ability, and unsure whether he can be trusted without the bindings on his magic, Zexir seeks the opinion of the council and some close friends as they meet to go over the current changes to the treaty, as well as make orders for livestock and more. The conversation is inevitably steered towards Iotta, and Valia admits her hesitation in letting him remain on the isle. A little more of his background is explained: Iotta was an elder who valued Dragon lives above any other and abhorrs the introduction of mortals to their 'sacred land'. He is, in essence, a fanatic. Elin, meanwhile, is enjoying the company of one of the servants who he's come to get along quite well with: Julen, an avian man who intially gave him a tour of the mortal town on the isle. The two sit and have a long discussion over the history of the isle, as Elin knows none of it, and Julen tries his best to educate him, even though he is not a teacher. The chapter briefly ends with Iotta brewing over some ancient books and muttering to himself. 7. Elin finally admits he wont leave the island and designates it at his home, but demands that he see his father. Zexir apologises for this, saying he cannot set foot on Orbath due to their treaty, but he'll send a letter to his father and invite him onto the isle to join Elin, should the young Dragon request his father's presence. Elin grows a little suspicious at how readily the older dragon is bending to his whim and the words of Iotta ring in his mind. When Zexir removes the binding and has him perform some brief magical exercises, Elin tries to restrain his magic so he doesn't appear as powerful, keeping his abilities and the extent of them to himself. Zexir is surprised: he can see Elin is holding back, but chalks it down to the Dragon trying to learn restraint and control, and he's impressed by his sudden chance in maturity, compared to his childish brashness before. He begins scheduling him into lessons with the other students he is teaching, as well as giving him complete free roam of the isle, under the express condition that he doesn't teleport back to Orbath. Elin begrudingly agrees, knowing he'll be tracked, and is allowed to explore of his own accord. he meets with Iotta again by himself and they speak at greater length, where iotta reveals his plan to overthrow Zexir, with Elin's help. Elin agrees to it, blind to the fanatics easy manipulation of his young mind. The seed of doubt planted in Elin's mind has slowly corrupted him since their first meeting and is now finally bearing fruit. Elin doesn't trust the council, and too easily believes Iotta and his lies, thinking that they are going to deliberately imprison him here because he is too powerful for them. 8. Elin and Iotta secretly plot their plan over the next week or so, going over every minute detail, whilst Elin keeps up a good appearance at his classes, restraining his magic each time. Zexir is no fool: he can tell that the young Dragon is deliberately holding back, but simply thinks that Elin is trying to learn control and act mature. Inevitably, on one evening, Iotta makes his way to the council chambers, and Elin slips out to join him. Iotta states that he plans to bind their magic to exile them, naming himself the ruler with Elin at his side so that they can make the isle theirs again. In truth, Iotta plans to murder each of them and take the reigns as leader, whilst dispatching the naive Elin in the process, who has already shown to be physically inept in combat. They reach valia's chambers to find it empty (likely because she is working), and Raln appears sexually occupied, so they start with Zexir. Zexir, however, has seen them coming, of course. They stand face to face and Zexir attempts to discuss matters at first. Elin is confused and tries to display Iotta's point of view, but Zexir counters each of his arguements with the finesse of a diplomat, leaving Elin unsure what is the right and wrong way of doing things, and who is the real traitor here. Iotta grows frustrated and attacks Zexir himself, leaving Elin to watch a particularly physical fight between the two Elders. Zexir's moves are deliberate, aimed to impair and incapacitate, whilst Iotta is in a frenzy, trying to bite and go for the kill. Elin falters and slowly begins to realise that Iotta plans to kill him, and it makes him question their entire plan, a number of thoughts going through his mind. Iotta demands that Elin aid him, and works some magic into his mind, attempting to manipulate him. Elin is briefly lost in a sea of his own thoughts, until he manages to break free, and erupts his magic against Iotta, managing to knock him out. Elin finally realises just how destructive his magic can be (as if he didn't already know from destroying part of the Hixborough mountains) and what trouble he's caused. He has never used his magic to harm others before (not deliberately) and he's aware of how thin the line is between injuring someone nad outright killing them. Matured and humbled, Elin profusely apologises to Zexir, to the point of tears, as other Dragons come around to find the destruction of the chambers. Zexir, being a leader, binds Iotta's magic and exiles him to the common grounds on the far side of the island, where he will be guarded day and night. Elin's punishment is far less severe, and Zexir is understanding to his easy manipulation. 9. Epilogue. The small novella ends with Zexir meeting with the two elders once more in the council chambers, now briefly rebuilt after 2 weeks. Their arguement isthe same as it had been for the past 2 weeks: Raln believes Elin is too much of a destructive force to remain on the island, and a number of other Dragons agree, whilst Zexir and Valia firmly stand by the belief that he is a progidy and will one day make a great ruler, and a great elder. The epilogue ends with Fen bursting into the chambers once more, stammering that Elin has dissappeared again, presumably to Orbath. Zexir reminds Fen that he was his personal bodyguard, and should probably keep a better eye on him, roughly implying that Fen and Elin become good friends. Fen stammers his apologies and Zexir closes his eyes once more, pinging to Elin, who states he is just going for a brief flight around the isle and will return soon. Zexir silently remarks about how much trust the young dragon seems to place in them in such a short time, and muses about where the Dragon's life will take him next. The book ends.