The Lonely City

In The House of Isoriand

The next morning, after they had all got themselves ready and eaten, Allethan, Thilhan and Nembor all left the inn and made their way towards the House of Isoriand, in the south of the city. Outside the building there was a huge lake, the same one Allethan saw when they were approaching the city. The house itself reached above the other houses, but only by a metre or so, it was enough height that Allethan guessed he would be able to see over the entire city. They followed a path around the huge lake and followed it through a garden towards the house. The garden was mainly devoid of flowering plants, as it was November, but the grass was a bright green, thanks to the elves knowledge of gardening. As they grew nearer to the gate they could see that the huge gate at the front of the house was made of large planks of wood that stretched horizontally across the massive frame. This was rather odd as the rest of city's buildings were solid rock with stone doors, but then again Isoriand was known for having a passionate love of nature. As they approached the doors, the two wooden gates swung open to reveal a large hall inside, in the centre there was a huge table that spread the length of the room. Beyond the table, at the far end of the hall, was a throne. The throne was occupied by Isoriand himself, who stood up as they approached him. 

"So out of the ashes of Sodemview comes two lookouts and their convoy of women and children", he said, walking over towards them.

"You know about what happened", Thilhan asked.

"Not until afterwards, we saw the beast flying overhead, back towards Golddriel, and the mountain of Va'vua".

"Va'vua? What's that?", Allethan asked, examining the food and drink on the table.

"Va'vua is a prison, a prison for the greatest evil on this world. An evil that threatens all the peace. The Dragon Lord Adgrath..."

"Adgrath?".

"Yes, many years ago, in the year FA 34, there was a great battle, between my kind and the Ancient Dragon race. A devastating battle took place under the shadow of the mountain Va'vua. There we defeated the dragon's, and imprisoned Adgrath. And there he has remained... until now.",

"So that creature was... a dragon?!", Thilhan couldn't keep the fear out of his voice.

"As much as I would love to deny it, I simply can't. The dragon's will return, and I do not believe we can stop them", Isoriand's voice showed a hint of sadness toward the end of his sentence.

"But if your kind stopped them in ancient ancient times, can't you stop them now?", Thilhan asked.

"No, not this time, our forces were spread out when they attacked without warning. We were not prepared and thus Golddriel fell...", sadness filled Isoriand's voice towards the end. 

"Well if the races of men and dwarves helped there might be some chance  they can be defeated!", Nembor stated.

"Perhaps, but I fear that may not be the case, the golden days of men have faded, and the dwarves will not leave their cities in the south or attempt the trek from Steelforge, as it is so far away." Isoriand quickly dashed the hope that had dwindled for such a small amount of time. 

"Well there must have some way the elves defeated the dragons, some weapon or relic of some description that survived, something must have!", Allethan shouted.

"It is possible that records and recounts of the battle survived, perhaps Nembor can search for clues in my personal library? Since you're the only one who can understand the elven language", said Isoriand.

"Yes, I can try", Nembor replied.

"Good, I'll try and find anything on the subject, if I do I'll find you at the inn?", Isoriand told the two lookouts.