You return to the Main Hall after completing a relatively easy adventure and brood disgustedly over the fact that there are no longer any great adventures in which a young warrior may prove his mettle. With a twinge of envy you recall some of the great adventures recounted by the old timers over a flagon of mead in the tavern at Eamon Hall. Those were the days! Dragons to slay! Mighty wizards and warriors to battle! Elves, trolls, dwarves, orcs, and fairies still roamed the land! With a snarl you dig your spurs into the flanks of your charger. He gives a startled snort and breaks into a wild gallop."
The wild ride soothes your anger and you slow to a walk to allow your stallion, his once shiny coat now streaked with lather, to cool down. Later, as you stand at the edge of a small stream idly stroking your charger's neck while he drinks, you hear a noise coming from behind a large shrub. Your weapon instantly springs into your hand and you stealthily circle the shrub. You find a body lying face down near the stream. Cautiously you turn him over and look at his face.
By the Sacred Spear of Wotan! It appears to be an Elf! Impossible! The last Elves left Middle Earth shortly after the War of the Rings. This one is badly wounded and delirious. He is babbling in the ancient tongue of the Eldar. You learned a bit of that language from Hokas when he was treating you for a very serious wound. You wish now that you had paid more attention. At the time learning a dead language seemed like a good way to ease the boredom of being bed-ridden.
The Elf keeps talking about dragons. No. A dragon. The... ultimate dragon? No. The last dragon! An irreplaceable treasure? A ship waiting in a hidden cove. He draws a crude map in the mud showing its location and dies.
You stare silently at his body and ponder his words. A treasure! A dragon! A mysterious voyage! He repeatedly used a phrase that you could not translate. You must remember to ask Hokas what quaal dracis means. You think to yourself, "Here is your Great Adventure. Why hesitate? Do you want to live forever?" You mount your horse and ride toward the cove.
Search
