Resh Stormclaw - Blinded by Desire
It was posted on the Tales of Order site, but not the forum, so here it is.
Sometimes, you want something so badly that you will go to any length to obtain it. Even lengths that are cause for one's own downfall. Be wary of such desires... - A traveling cleric.
"I know how to help you but... it comes with great risk and always a price. This price however, I do not set and often is not in your favor... If you truly desire a young one as badly as you say, this method is guaranteed to work. But I warn you: take caution in how you place your words, if you wish to continue..." the fortune teller explained to the dragon resting in front of him.
The ancient dragoness sighed. For so long she had wanted a hatchling of her own... to see the other dragons parading around as new and proud parents only made her more depressed with time. It was not that she lacked a mate, but that her blood had been cursed to not continue the lineage.
She remembered that day so clearly... the most hurtful and upsetting moment of her life. To be told of something her A'mea had done and agreed to, that forever changed the bloodline... To come to know what it was, and that it would prevent the blood of the clan from continuing... She had never been the same since. It took years for her to come to terms with it, and even longer to decide to research ways to combat it, all ending in failiure... except one.
The winds whispered many things as travellers come and go through the great portals connecting the world. One spoke of a travelling fortune teller who may be able to aid in the dragoness' plight. And although it took many more years to finally come upon this present moment, to stand before this particular human, it felt like no time had passed.
What the human had said to her made her insatiable desire jump... it was guaranteed that she could at last have herself a hatchling to love and care for! But this desire left her forgetting the other half: it always came with a price the fortune teller did not set. Any elder could have picked up on what this was with a clear mind. The dragoness, however, completely ignored and missed it, something that would forever leave its mark upon her and her young one.
"Do it, naka-duskael." the dragon spoke.
With a sigh, the human went through his preparations, setting up camp for the night. Later in the evening, it all began within the tent of the teller.
He pulled a black velvet satchel from within his pack, reminding the khutit placed before him to choose her words with caution when speaking before reaching into the ebon depths of the bag. From it, he produced a sphere of darkness that hungrily sucked up the light, like a small black hole. He placed the orb upon the table in front of him, secured by the stand for a crystal ball.
"Stand strong..." he noted, as a sudden tempest erupted in the tent, focused around the sphere. It intensified as a thunderous voice erupted from within the eye of the storm:
"WHAT MORTAL STANDS BEFORE ME?!"
"Gaurau Stormclaw." the khutit said sternly, standing strongly.
The tempest calmed and focused around the gem, creating the form of a dark shadow resembling a humanoid, but with grand dragon wings: an Archdemon. This one somehow had been either chained, imprisoned, or connected to this crystal sphere, and judging from its application, it may have been intentional on the demon's part, to meet its own sadistic ends.
"WHAT DOES THIS MORTAL ASK OF ME?!" the demon thundered.
"I have long desired a hatchling of my own, to see at least one child of my own blood." the dragoness spoke again.
"A HATCHLING OF YOUR BLOOD IS YOUR GREATEST DESIRE, THE REASON YOU STAND BEFORE ME TODAY?" the demon questioned, crossing its arms.
"Yes. Will you grant me this wish?" the dragoness asked.
The demon cloud stood up on the table, thoughtfully rubbing its chin and spreading its wings.
"TOUCHING. I WILL GRANT YOUR WISH..." it said sharply with a pause long enough to raise the khutit's hope, before continuing with a wicked and evil smile, accompanied by an equally evil laugh.
"BUT YOU WILL NOT SEE IT, AND I WILL MAKE SURE IT DOES NOT SEE YOU EITHER!" the demon roared, laughing. This had been what the teller had meant by choosing words carefully, as in any opportunity the Archdemon got, it would bend and twist it to entertain his sadistic and evil tendencies. The dragoness had forgotten this rule...
As the cloud tempest vanished, the teller put the sphere back into its pouch, with a sad expression upon his face, knowing he had helped create and destroy a life in one moment.
The khutit walked outside and resumed her usual form, feeling slightly different. No egg had been given to her... had the demon lied? Nonetheless, she thanked the teller for his efforts. The last thing the teller said to her before leaving was "I'm sorry..."
A few days passed and finally the growing feeling that was different became evident as she laid an egg. It was exciting for her, and a happy moment! She tended to it until shortly before it hatched. This moment was the price set by the foul demon she should not have cut a deal with.
Her vision began to fade. Looking and blinking around, she thought at first that some stray ash had clouded her eyes. But it was permanent. Her body gave out under her then, weakened and sapped of strength. She began to panic, wondering what was happening... trying to call for help failed, as her voice was gone. Shortly, her breath was sucked away, dragging her heartbeat into nothingness as life faded, and a squeaking little thing erupted from its eggshell prison with clouded and blind eyes.
If only she knew that this was the same demon that her A'mea had gone to, also forgetting to carefully choose her words and cursing her bloodline... A greedy wish to have so much hoard that her and her children and her grandchildren would be the richest dragons in istaria. While she did recieve her wish of hoard, gold, and platinum, the demon cursed her to not recieve any grandchildren.
Like her mother, the dragoness became blinded by desire so much as to cause her own demise.
And such is how resh stormclaw came to be, a blind hatchling gifted in magic.
