fandomania | The Adventure continues... (Reply)

It was well past mid-morning when Donal and Orlando returned. They looked somber and tired. While they rested, I gave them some food that I had prepared. I sat down with them and waited for them to talk.

Donal spoke first. “The people from Riverford didn’t recognize any of the bodies. They weren’t anyone who had lived there.”

“LOOKING AT THEIR CLOTHING AND POSSESSIONS, THEY MAY HAVE BEEN RAJHAI.” Orlando added.

Donal seemed lost in thought for a bit and then said, “I seem to recall talk in Haven that a band of them had been lurking about outside of town. But I don’t remember seeing any inside town.”

“NO, THEY DON’T LIKE CIVILIZATION OR ANY PLACE THAT HAS RULES AND REGULATIONS AND A MILITIA THAT CAN ENFORCE THEM. STAYING ON THE FRINGES IS HOW THEY OPERATE AND SURVIVE.”

“Well, they didn’t survive this time.”

“THEY WERE A SMALL BAND. PROBABLY JUST ONE FAMILY. THEY WEREN’T LARGE ENOUGH TO SEEM LIKE A THREAT BUT TOO BIG TO TRAVEL AROUND UNNOTICED. THAT WAS THEIR DOWNFALL.”

“The Rajhai?” I queried. “Who are they? I have never heard of them.”

“THEY ARE A BAND OF NOMADIC PEOPLE. WHERE THEY ORIGINATED, NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW. THERE ARE A LOT OF MYTHS AND RUMORS ABOUT THEM, BUT NOTHING THAT IS CERTAIN, NOTHING THAT IS PROVABLE WITH RESEARCH. THEY MOSTLY KEEP TO THEMSELVES AND DON’T MIX WITH ANYONE BUT THEIR OWN PEOPLE, OTHER THAN TO SELL THEIR TRADE GOODS AND TO BUY SUPPLIES THAT THEY CANNOT FIND OR MAKE THEMSELVES.”

“What I find interesting,” continued Donal, “is that they are a very swarthy, dark skinned people. Every body that we found fit Rajhai coloration and body type. How is it that they had Loysa? There was no one we found that wasn’t swarthy. Not a blonde amongst them. What were they doing with her? She isn’t one of them.”

“TRUE. I SUSPECT THAT LOYSA, AND PATRA, ARE GYVENTI. ALTHOUGH HISTORY STATES THAT EMPEROR RHUFAN OF ROSTA EXTERMINATED THEM IN A POGRAM 800 YEARS AGO AND THAT THEY WERE WIPED FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH. THAT SOUNDS LIKE TYPICAL HISTORICAL PROPAGANDA. THERE MUST HAVE BEEN SURVIVORS.”

Our hatchlings:

¤

Our eggs:

“Who were the Gyventi?” Donal asked. “Where did they live?”

“They were a peace-loving people from the Kalnus Mountains in Rosta.” I replied. “They had a great affinity for dragons and lived amongst them in peace and harmony. The Emperor feared them because neither group would bow down to him. The Emperor wanted to subjugate the dragons, so they would do his bidding and help him conquer other lands and people. The Gyventi sacrificed their lives so that the dragons could escape and live free elsewhere. That is when dragons came to Freedonia.”

“YOU KNOW THIS?”

“I just figured it out right now, from some stories that my grandmother told me when I was little and from the things I read in the archives in Freedonia. I thought they were just fairy tales a granny tells to her grandchildren. I never thought they were real.”

“THE GYVENTI WERE REAL. I SPENT SOME TIME WITH THEM AFTER I MATURED. I WAS COURTING A WINSOME YOUNG DRAGONESS. THEY WERE AN OPENHEARTED, GENEROUS AND WARM PEOPLE. THEY WERE ALSO PHYSICALLY TALL AND BLOND. MANY OF THEM HAD MAGICAL PROCLIVITIES. AS YOU HAVE SAID BEFORE, THERE ARE OTHER HUMANS WHO ARE TALL AND BLOND, BUT THAT YOU MAY BE GYVENTI IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE LIKELY, ESPECIALLY IF YOUR GRANDMOTHER TOLD YOU STORIES ABOUT THEM.”

“I am glad to know that my Granny was telling me history rather than fairy tales.”

“THE ROSTAN EMPIRE COLLAPSED 300 YEARS AGO, WHEN RHUFAN’S DESCENDENTS GREW CORRUPT AND WEAK. IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO RESEARCH IF THE GEORGIST’S LEADERS HAVE ROSTANI BLOOD IN THEM. HOWEVER, THAT KIND OF RESEARCH WOULD BE FOR OTHERS TO DO. IT WOULD BE FAR TOO DANGEROUS FOR EVEN A MAGI DRAGON TO PURSUE THAT HISTORY.”

“True.” Then a thought occurred to me, and I asked Orlando, “So how did that courtship go? Did you win her over?”

Orlando chortled. “I HAVEN’T THOUGHT OF ANGELICA IN CENTURIES. YES I DID WIN HER OVER … FOR A WHILE. WE RAISED QUITE A FEW CLUTCHES TOGETHER WHILE I STUDIED UNDER MY MASTER. BUT MY FIRST LOVE WAS MAGIC AND I LEFT ANGELICA AND THE KALNUS MOUNTAINS TO FIND ANOTHER MASTER TO HELP ME LEARN STRONGER AND DEEPER MAGIC.”

Orlando seemed lost in his memories for a few moments. He then shook himself and stood up. “WELL, ARE WE STAYING HERE ANOTHER DAY? OR SHALL WE TRY TO MAKE RIVERFORD BY NIGHTFALL?”

We all agreed it was best to leave and we went about gathering up everything and everyone to make that happen.