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Description
Legend had it that there were enchanted gems that allowed a person to do a miraculous thing. It was not to bring infinite riches nor was it to raise the dead, but something much more unbelievable and much more impossible. If the stories were even remotely true, you could control a dragon with a single stone. No one knew what happened if one managed to collect all seven of them, but they would be practically unstoppable.

She was on a quest to find one of these enchanted jewels, though not for her own means. A powerful king was offering a substantial amount of gold for a single gem, let alone the entire set, though it was uncertain for what purpose he wanted them. These gems could control a dragon by force, no matter what shape they used, and it would be under your command for whatever you willed to do with it and it would be unable to disobey you without detrimental results. That isn’t to say that it couldn’t disobey whoever possessed the gem, but no one really knew much about what would happen if that occurred. Probably because the caster was killed or something equally horrible.

Dragons were tricky creatures, the king had said, sometimes taking other forms in order to hide what they truly were – especially human. But if you pissed one off enough, the eyes would reflect the beast inside and you would know that you had a dragon on your hands. Besides the eye color change, a dragon also would have the same scars in every shape. Say for example there was a scar over one eye, as a human it would have an identical scar over the same eye or as say a dog it would have an exact marking across that eye. They could change shape, but not identifying features like that.

Not to mention that dragons, like any other magical being – human or not – were worth a fortune if you were to catch one and sell it. Magic was rare and those who didn’t have it wanted to control anything that did, usually by force and with enchanted items that would bring forth obedience and punish resistance. She had her own magic, though few people knew about it – she had no desire to be bought and sold like many of the others like her who were enslaved by the rich folk.

As she crested a large hill, a ramshackle town lay below, only a few torch lights flickering in the darkness. From the looks of the place, it had once been a bustling port but now was a ghost of its former glory. A few creaky ships rocked forlornly in the harbor, most of the docks were bare and a few had missing planks through which dark frothing water splashed, and a skittering movement through the shadows were rats feeding on whatever scraps they could find. Her footsteps echoed slightly as she walked down the cracked cobblestone street, some stones were jagged or angled while others were pitted to the point that man or beast could twist an ankle if they stepped in the indent wrong. The full moon peered out momentarily through gray wispy clouds as a storm slowly gathered overhead while a chilly breeze gusted by. People were scattered about the town, usually in pairs or small groups, finishing the day’s business so that they could return to the safety of their warm homes. It was easy to tell the rich folk from their poorer neighbors, these people wore fancy dress that glinted with jewels and precious metals; some even had their servants trailing on their heels ready to answer their master’s bidding.

Description
Legend had it that there were enchanted gems that allowed a person to do a miraculous thing. It was not to bring infinite riches nor was it to raise the dead, but something much more unbelievable and much more impossible. If the stories were even remotely true, you could control a dragon with a single stone. No one knew what happened if one managed to collect all seven of them, but they would be practically unstoppable.

She was on a quest to find one of these enchanted jewels, though not for her own means. A powerful king was offering a substantial amount of gold for a single gem, let alone the entire set, though it was uncertain for what purpose he wanted them. These gems could control a dragon by force, no matter what shape they used, and it would be under your command for whatever you willed to do with it and it would be unable to disobey you without detrimental results. That isn’t to say that it couldn’t disobey whoever possessed the gem, but no one really knew much about what would happen if that occurred. Probably because the caster was killed or something equally horrible.

Dragons were tricky creatures, the king had said, sometimes taking other forms in order to hide what they truly were – especially human. But if you pissed one off enough, the eyes would reflect the beast inside and you would know that you had a dragon on your hands. Besides the eye color change, a dragon also would have the same scars in every shape. Say for example there was a scar over one eye, as a human it would have an identical scar over the same eye or as say a dog it would have an exact marking across that eye. They could change shape, but not identifying features like that.

Not to mention that dragons, like any other magical being – human or not – were worth a fortune if you were to catch one and sell it. Magic was rare and those who didn’t have it wanted to control anything that did, usually by force and with enchanted items that would bring forth obedience and punish resistance. She had her own magic, though few people knew about it – she had no desire to be bought and sold like many of the others like her who were enslaved by the rich folk.

As she crested a large hill, a ramshackle town lay below, only a few torch lights flickering in the darkness. From the looks of the place, it had once been a bustling port but now was a ghost of its former glory. A few creaky ships rocked forlornly in the harbor, most of the docks were bare and a few had missing planks through which dark frothing water splashed, and a skittering movement through the shadows were rats feeding on whatever scraps they could find. Her footsteps echoed slightly as she walked down the cracked cobblestone street, some stones were jagged or angled while others were pitted to the point that man or beast could twist an ankle if they stepped in the indent wrong. The full moon peered out momentarily through gray wispy clouds as a storm slowly gathered overhead while a chilly breeze gusted by. People were scattered about the town, usually in pairs or small groups, finishing the day’s business so that they could return to the safety of their warm homes. It was easy to tell the rich folk from their poorer neighbors, these people wore fancy dress that glinted with jewels and precious metals; some even had their servants trailing on their heels ready to answer their master’s bidding.