There was something odd about the dragon - well other than it's existance of course that struck them. Oh it looked magnifecntly draconic, very much in the Dragonlance tradtion, all slender swan like neck and horned narrow face with twin ivory horns jutting back before its ears, a bat-like wings wrapped protectively around it's body and a tail as thick as a tree trunk ending in a spade like flap of skin. It's skins gleamed a brilliant azure. Or would have anyway, if it weren't for the thick layer of dust covering everything.
That was what was ood. The creature was obviously alive - they could see it's mighty sides rise and fall as it breathed and hear whistle of it's nostrils in use, but clearly the dragon had been asleep for a long time... Dál picked up a gold coin and rubbed the dull dust covering it. He frowned.
"I don't know exactly how long this thing has been here but this coin must be at least 900 years old - see it has the symbol of the Dardanic dynasty. They haven't ruled in a thousand years. Now, ok it might just have been part of a pre-existing hoard the dragon found here, but looking at those statues over there and these goblets I'm inclined to believe our scaly friend here has been alseep for centuries."
"Is that normal?" whispered a somewhat relieved Katie back. Not even her luck was that bad to cause a comatose dragon to wake up.
Dál looked undecided before shaking his head. @Dragons live almost forever and can sleep for a long time, but nearly a thousand years? I think there might be some magic afoot."
Katie's increasingly sensitive nostrils quivered at the mention of magic. She detected something sharp but distant in the air and told the bard.
"Probably magic - it gives a smell of burnt tin. Too faint for me, but it sounds like i," he shivered, "Sounds like time is wasting too: that smell must have been very faint, lets go."
Katie nodded enthusiastically as they crept through the silent mounds of treasure towards the opening. Then something glittering caught her eye. Crouching she scooped it up and glanced at it. It was a beautiful saphire pendant on a gold chain, one that seemed to have a unique flaw in it - held to the light she could see the silhouette of a dragon... It really was very beautiful and she slipped it into her pocket on impulse, as the two scrambled up to the cave opening.
Behind them the blue dragon Xeltus slepth as he had for centuries and dreamt of coming Spring.
Fri Jan 28 17:41:05 2005
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