Dronna

Flamecaller effigy subspecies

When the harpies attacked the land, many dragons and their hatchlings died in the gruesome battles. While the dragon population could regrow once more in time, something that couldn’t be reversed was the culture and knowledge that died. Many ancient ways of living were destroyed and their recordings either was taken with the harpies or destroyed and drenched in their creators blood. Overtime the land started to settle and anything that was left was slowly buried underground or faded away like time.

——

She knew she shouldn’t be in these desolate lands. This was past her clans territory, past her line of safety but she needed to scavenge whatever knowledge was left. She had read the scrolls of her people, read about the slaughter, but that wasn’t what she cared about; she wanted to find a formula. This was no ordinary formula, this could destroy many lives if in the wrong hands, and her hands were mostly safe. She slithered across the creators floor, feeling the bumps and ashes across her body as she slowly scanned the ground. She didn’t know exactly where the formula was hidden, it’s original creators made sure it wasn’t going to harpy claws, but she had a rough idea. She headed towards the creators most eastern wall and slid her hands across the pointed wall. The scrolls said that when her kind spied on the dragons from above the lava fall, they could see dragons move freely through the walls. While the scrolls never said what were behind the walls, the way the described the dragons, the way they made them sound robotic, non-living gave her a big hint. She was going to find one of the abandoned Flamecaller Effigy facilities.

She was there for a long time touching the walls, pacing back from side to side, feeling all the grooves and knocks of the wall until by the the last bits of sunlight something moved. Slowly the wall moved on her right outwards and made a opening fit for an imperial. She didn’t know if it was on a timer or not so she quickly made her way inside. There was no light inside so she took out some supplies and lot a torch. As she walked into the wall the ground changed from ash and dirt to polished stone, slightly dusty from the ground moving. The more she entered, the more thick and eerie the walls she slithered down became. She slithered down the way until she found a metal door at the end already open. She carefully entered the room to see all the tools and workings left scattered on tables. It was like waking through time, she could feel the breathing, the small talk as they continued working. She moved on with her search. There was a split, left or right. She chose right first and entered what seemed to be a bedroom filled with work clothing and smaller personal belongings. The room was still, and had nothing of interest from a quick look so she closed that door one last time. On her left was a storage area, filled with crystals and body parts left laying around, never being able to see the surface. Legs, arms and a couple of heads layed on the counters and tables, lifelessly. It seemed that these effigies couldn’t be made in time before the fight. She picked up some of the crystals and put them in her bag before walking into the very back room. The door was made of a dark wood that was very dusted and looked worn. She opened it and saw it to be almost like a home. The ground was covered in furs, there was a spot for a fireplace, shelves filled with books and figures and at the very back wall was a desk and table. She approached it, scanning its smooth surface. On the table was an envelope, unnamed but clearly asking for someone to open it. She carefully sliced the top of of the envelope and pulled out the letter inside. There was a message written in common language, just waiting to be read. It said, “Whomever finds this I am most likely dead. The harpies found us blending in with the hatchery a couple of months ago. It was clear they wanted to take us down, end our production. I hear the reports of the attack that is occurring as I write. I sent out all functioning golems at this base but I’m sure it’s not going to be enough. I doubt they will find this place and I doubt they will find the formula to create these golems. There are other facilities similar but different to here. They produce other robotic, non living creations similar to a dragon. I’m not going to tell you where just in case but if you hear of other mass harpy attacks then fear for the worst. If the harpies attack them as well then there may be no chance that our species, our society may live. You, reader, I want you to have this formula. It’s over in the shelf with the books that I collected over the years. It’s inside of a book called “the flamecaller.” Don’t bring these constructions back to life, they are too powerful when functioning properly but they are also very prone to going insane when built incorrectly. IF you do make one, don’t make it a guardian; trust us. Make sure it stays in dragon hands. Now I must go out to fight for my kind. Goodbye friend, and thank you.” A chill slid across her back as she read the final words. She knew the truth now, the reason for the war. She may be the only one. She slid over to the shelf and found the book. It was a black book that was covered in ash and scorch marks. She flipped through the book until a folded piece of thick paper fell out in between the pages. She unfolded it and there it was, the instructions to make the flamecallers guards. She placed it safely into her bag and with one more glance around the room she closed the door for its final time.

——

She made it back to her little hut away from her clan late at night when the moon was still fully out. She slithered over to a counter in one of the back rooms and sprawled out the gems and formula over it. This was going to be a big project, something that would take days but that was fine with her, she needed to do this. She examined the gems further and realised they were large clumps of jasper, a key ingredient needed in the formula to mould it together. She needed to sleep before her construction could begin so she hid the formula under a floorboard and headed off.

——

Her kind warned her about the big dragons, the creatures of death and destruction. They were cruel, selfish things that didn’t even want to share the land they were all created on. There was some dragons that did align with the ‘beasts’, dragons shunned by their kind for peace. She used to know two of them, two that helped raise her when she had lost her family at war. They were a family in her eyes, they taught her that not all dragons were evil and they were right still to this day, but she could never keep a happy life as their own kind killed her dragon parents once they found where they hid. She had to hide in a create and watch through a hole as their souls and blood left their body. She knew the unfairness of the world would soon catch up to her, her learnt knowledge would spread, her hunters would show; she needed a bodyguard.

——

Time passed and slowly but surely parts of fake dragon had been built. She had to go out to the seriths markets quite often and most of the miners knew her as the jasper girl as she would ask for all of it in trade for whatever small conjunctions of material she either hand made like baskets or clothe, or magically made items such as potions of healing or spells trapped in orbs. When everything was ready she dragged the big chunks outside and started stacking and welding everything in place. It didn’t look like a dragon, she wasn’t that good at sculpting but it was a dragon none the less. She read the formula for the next step and her mouth gaped. It said she needed to give it a gem, but not just any gem; a ruby. But that wasn’t even the worst part. Once she gave the golem a gem she would then have to dunk it in lava and wait. She knew she should’ve made it smaller. That was going to be a long push. So with more time she managed to save up and buy a ruby from a serith who said they found it on the ground and started her push towards lava. She gathered her manual and a handful of the things she wanted to keep before she pushed the pieces and parts to a pool of lava near a lava fall and finished welding it all together. With one more look at her work, she put the ruby necklace on its tail as it was too big for anywhere else and with all her might pushed it into the lava. The lava bubbled as the mass of jasper was slowly engulfed, leaving everything to time once more.

——-

Awaken. Awaken. AWAKEN. A voice boomed into its ears. It opened it eyes into the mass of liquid red and orange. Surface. Guard. Protect. It had its commands. It was ready.

——-

She sat away from the lava on a little patch of grey ash, waiting, whilst setting up a little camp in the free time. The manual didn’t say if it was instant or a week long or maybe never. Time was always a factor in her life, always so annoying. The atmosphere changed after an hour. Something was off. She didn’t approach the lava but she could see from her camp the bubbles intensifying, bursting all over the ground. The rippled and erupted and suddenly something shot out of the lava, glistening and flew up in the air. Lava dripped off its body and it slowly descended on the ground. It lifted its paws and played with the ash covered ground. She carefully slithered over to her newly active golem and looked up at it. The golem looked back and said in a monotony voice “Surface.Guard.Protect.” With that response, she packed up her camp and slithered away with the golem walking along side her.

——-

They haven’t been in contact with serith or dragon kind in so long. She had become old and wrinkly whilst her golem now named ‘Dronna’ stayed forever the same, just with some chips and scratches scarred in its body. She would head out to the surface from time to time, getting food for herself in traps she set but it wasn’t for long periods. But their time alone was at an end. Word spread of a dragon clan living near where she found the manual, where she brought Dronna alive. It was time to make sure Dronna had a new leader before she needed to pass beyond. They took everything the needed from their hidden underground home before causing a cave in and headed towards the clans location. It wasn’t a massive walk but around half way Dronna forced itself to pick up her creator and carry her the rest of the way. As the approached there was mass harpy movement flying overhead, almost like a guide to the clans location. When they arrived Dronna carefully lowered her to the ground once more and walked in. Their presence would be enough to bring out the leaders of the guild and soon enough it brought out an orange guardian. “Who are you? We weren’t expecting any dragons today.” Dronna looked down at her creator who stated “We didn’t have time to tell you of our presence. Many assume I’m dead.” A hmm came out of the guardian. “What about that ridgeback? It’s a ridgeback right?” “It’s a golem. A golem I want to give to you.” “Why?” “I’m old Guardian. Deaths catching up. It will need something to guard, let it help guard you.” “So you want this to be your final resting place?” “It you would allow it.” “Well I won’t say no to you. I’ll have a space made for you miss...?” She rolled out a slow smile “My name is Igava. The last known creator of the flamecaller effigies.”