Chapter 2 – The First Vision
Gliding across the infinite sands, Dassk slithered forward seeking to escape the eternal cries of a young baby. The human child did not calm, weeping and howling and cursing inaudible babble. There was no end. Only with divine light, the healing power bestowed upon Dassk by the goddess of air, did the baby relent, if only momentarily. Humans are enduring, thought Dassk. It is no wonder they can wreak such calamity.
He flowed divine energy through the baby once more and was rewarded with a welcomed silence. Dassk has been healing more frequently; the baby's condition must be worsening. Mother must be found quickly.
This task was forced upon Dassk by the human child's father who came upon his camp on the southern edge of the Crystal Desert. They had set up a rough fortification to defend against the countless swarms of undead attacking under the command of their king, Lord Joko. The warrior claims to have lifted the baby from the grasp of Joko himself.
He may have been sincere. A devastating raid came upon them on the following day. Palawa Joko was there in command.
The warrior was amazing to watch in battle. His blade cleaved through shield and armor and bone alike; the fort would have been easily captured without him. He met the undead lord in battle and wounded him, and ultimately, actuating their retreat.
Unfortunately the warrior was wounded as well. He traded blows with the undead lord and his blood was left a black corrupted ink. The power of the goddess of the light could not make him flow human blood. Dassk was there when he died. He asked him one thing. "The boy needs a mother," the weakened warrior pleaded. After what he did on the battlefield, sparing his companions from the wrath of the undead lord, Dassk vowed to do everything he could to see that the boy was found a proper mother.
Dassk cursed those words. He knew it was the right thing to do, and though it would have pained him to deny the final request from a man of such apparent greatness, but what was he to do now. He got caught in the moment. He knows nothing about human offspring. As one of the Forgotten, he knows very little about mothers. Forgotten are not a race of two genders. Only one mother is known to them. It is said that she resides within a single grain of sand.
The Great Mother only grants an audience to those she deems worthy. Dassk could only hope that his years of faithful service would be enough to help fulfill promise.
Dassk had always retreated to a seclusive statue in the Salt Flats when he sought a sort of silent guidance from Mother. When he arrived this time, gripping the irritable crying baby, he found Apohk waiting for him. Blue, jagged, and as reflective as only the purest ice could manage, Apohk perched atop a rock near the statue.
As Dassk slid closer, the constant fluttering of sand that lingers in the air of the desert lay stagnant. Apohk could be seen more clearly now. He looked regal yet dauntless and as welcoming as one should, being the third born of Glint's hatchlings. He did not hesitate. "Come." His voice boomed over the crying baby. "She waits."
Dassk coiled himself around the surprisingly warm dragon, gripping the baby firmly yet not tightly enough cause more accursed crying. Apohk rose. Each flap of his massive wings ascended further, each rise another step progressing higher on the ladder up towards the stars. The statue of Mother soon looked small and insignificant. Dassk gazed in wonder at the Shiverpeak Mountains from their incredible distance. In the sandbox below, only the scattered remains of Giganticus could be seen amongst the golden desert. This how a dragon views the world.
Asohk compressed his wings and they fell. The landscape hurled toward them. Dassk closed his eyes. They entered the sand as a pebble entering water. The baby stopped crying.
Upon opening his eyes, Dassk met Glint's direct gaze. She had a stare like no other; Dassk had known no fear until this moment. He wanted to weep, but it was the baby who began crying. Dassk instinctively cast his divine light through the small child.
One of Glint's wings twitched in response to this. It was subtle, but Dassk managed to recognize. Had I insulted her? Was it rude to cast a simple spell before one of such power? Dassk immediately cut the flow of energy to the baby. Moments later the baby began to cry again. Glint turned her head to the side a bit and then walked closer to them.
Dassk panicked. Thus occurred the first bow in the history of the forgotten. Dassk had seen some human do it as a sign of what he believed to be submission. It was awkward and looked as if his back coil was trapped in some brush and he was struggling to get it loose. During this process, he nearly hit the baby's head on the jagged landscape of the Dragon's lair.
Glint paused once more. The Dragon's spoke with a voice that was both gentle and sweet. "At ease Dassk Arossyss. You have served me well these many years." The forgotten was overjoyed with a sense of accomplishment. Dassk's pride collapsed as her tone then became harsh and bitter. "Take care. You shall not cripple the child because your are too feeble in the knowledge of humans."
Glint looked to her side as Apohk came stalking into the lair. Dassk had not seen him leave; he had done little in the way of taking his eyes off Mother since the entry into her chamber. Apohk's movement seemed clumsy and awkward next to Mother. Now she was resplendent and Apohk was menial. Dassk felt utterly insignificant.
Apohk took the baby over to a pool of what appeared to be similar to water in the corner of the chamber. Glint lectured Dask. "The baby is not ill. Humans need nourishment to survive. The baby is weak. You would have healed the baby to death in another day. Tell me how you came by this child?"
Her words cut deeper than any foe he had ever faced. Dassk's feeling of worthlessness now mingled with embarrassment. Dassk morosely told of the human warrior's exploits and of his promise.
Dassk fell. The dwarf's hard, cold hands helped him to his feet, only to catch him as he fell forward once more. He watched as the human surveyed his surroundings erratically. Eventually he met the Dwarf's stone eyes. "I was him," Dassk proclaimed and then appeared to catch himself. "I mean, I know I was the baby, but I felt as if I was the other Dassk. You know, the serpent."
Dassk struggled to his feet and placed one hand down on the figure to his side. The support was enough to balance him for the moment. "Even now I have to tell myself that I cannot simple glide forward as one of the Forgotten."
"I know, young Dassk Wade." The stone dwarf was calm and sounded unsurprised. "It is as it was with your predecessor. It seems as though you've inherited more than your ancestor's height." A raucous laugh echoed off the high ceiling. By the time it cascaded down and reached the floor Dassk was looking at his unusual new friend.
With his identity crisis nearly complete, Dassk had finally attained full control of his more basic motor skills. He knelt down and became level with his companion. "Who are you, really, and what do you know of Beta Ray Wade?"
"The name's Arin Shinsbane," the dwarf forced out as his chuckling dwindled down. "And I can tell you this. I know a lot more about Beta Ray Wade than anyone who's yet to feel the touch of your Grenth. And if my memory is keeping well, Beta would have known better then to ask me so many questions without a proper helping of ale on the table in front of us."
