Posted by Tommy Tanaka
on 6/25/2009, 11:49 am, in reply to "Re: A Brief History of Aurilaz & The Talisman"
"As for the Eleventh Talisman," continued War Scribe, "Most of what is known about it is that it grants the bearer the power to command Dragons--ALL of them--good and evil alike. The rest here is pure conjecture. Some say it expands consciousness. Others say it prolongs life. Still others say it connects the bearer to all Dragons living and dead across all planes of existence from The Dragon's Graveyard to The Realm of Dungeons and Dragons to Dragonwyck and beyond. Yet others say that the Talisman changes the bearer to such an extent that he or she becomes a dragon themselves. But all accounts agree on one thing: The Eleventh Talisman gives its bearer the absolute power to control Dragons--no exceptions!"
The Drowling closed the book, "Anything else, guys?"
The Gamer looked thoughtful. “Some of that sounds vaguely familiar. And there's something odd there. Why would she be fighting off Dragons if she had control of the Talisman? What references do we actually have to Aurilaz possessing the Talisman, and do any of her documented fights with other Dragons happen after those references?”
Seriah noted, "Perhaps, this black dragon is the guardian of such a talisman. Chosen by, most likely, Tiamat herself, to keep it from from any humanoid crazy enough to try and take it."
"Because maybe it's not meant for Dragons to have the power," Kana agreed with Seriah. "Dragons can only be the guardians, so that could be why Aurilaz only has it but can't use it. The maker of the Talisman was humanoid."
"That makes about as much sense to me as anything, Mistress Kana," added Serna hunching her shoulders.
Tommy chuckled. "That combined with the rumoured effect of transforming its bearer into a Dragon would be an amusing irony." He paused. "And just the sort of Curse I could see Bahamut placing on the Talisman. It fits his sense of humour."
"This Terenor the Terrible probably set the Talisman up so that only his kind could wield it," confessed Neven, "It would not make much sense for him to create something that ANYBODY could use, right? After all, he did hate Dragons."
"With a passion it would seem," Irzen folded his arms across his chest, "But how on Earth did she get her hands on the Talisman in the first place? Was she entrusted with it? Did she steal it? Or did she just run across it by blind luck?"
"How she may have acquired the Talisman may matter little, Lord Irzen," Willow Bark concluded, "What matters is that she has it but apparently chooses not to use it or cannot use it. Either way, her inability to access the power of that artifact is an advantage in our favor. We may have to face Aurilaz and her brood, but thankfully, we may not have to face any more dragons than that if all goes well."
War Scribe thumbed through a few pages of her second tome, "In answer to your question, Tommy, the references to Aurilaz possessing the Talisman comes throughout different points in the Realm's history. It has also been documented by my predecessors, The Chroniclers of Validor, before my order was betrayed by one of our own. As for her battles, Aurilaz has been challenging both good and evil Dragons to showdowns before and after she acquired The Eleventh Talisman. Sometimes she fought in self-defense, other times for blood, still other times for revenge and still more times for conquest. Say what you want to say about her but she has racked up an impressive winning streak. To date, she has never suffered a documented loss to an opponent. Not bad, huh?"
The Drowling asked once again, "Well, anything else you guys would like to know?"
"Any details on her fights with other Dragons?" the Gamer asked. "Is she a brawler? Does she use magic? And if so, what kind?" He paused. "Realmish Dragons… Is she restricted to an acidic breath weapon? Do the legends give any clue to how many children she might have around her? Oh, and are there any maps of the Dwarven colony available? She's probably done some remodeling, but knowing what she started with could be useful. Not as useful as finding this Myron fellow if that is where he's from, mind you, but better than nothing."