11th of Ab, 117 years since megados eruption
Mom said I should start 'documenting my life' aka have a diary. Something about selling it to historians or something. I guess it might help with my bad memory, but to be honest, I don't care. Let me forget shit.
I guess the first page is for who I am. My name is Vildra Miltos, second daughter of Greater Dragon Tildra Miltos. My birthday is the 17th of Aes, I am currently 249 years old, and I only remember my birthday because it's going to be the day I'll have to leave and make my own den somewhere. I've already got a planned spot; a mountain a couple hours to the north. I have bad memory, but can learn stuff quickly so it cancels out. My favorite food is cheesy basilisk, my least favorite food is centipede. (They're too cute to eat! :( Better as pets.) I like to read stories, but don't like reading itself. I know remember only one spell, erase memory, which I sometimes use to forget about a story I read so I can experience it all over again. I'm a mostly pacifist; I mostly don't kill people. I hate romance, of all kinds, and don't know what a crush feels like.
Is that enough about me? If it isn't, too bad, I hate writing about myself. Makes me introspective and shit. Let's talk about that mountain I'm planning on denning in. It's in the northern wastes, where the low amount of mana means most dragons don't want to even go near the place. Not me though, I don't need mana for any magical rituals or anything, and a lack of ambient mana works as its own defense system. Anything that lives there is far weaker than me, and anything that comes in won't have the energy to fight. Only downside is that I'll end up sleeping longer, but honestly, I won't remember anything I would've done with that time, and at least with sleeping I know I didn't forget anything.
24th of Ab, 117 years since megados eruption
Nothing important has happened since the last time I wrote something. So instead, I'll be talking writing about why I'm moving out. Once a dragon is 250 years old, they're officially considered an adult and must find a den other than their parents. Once they have their own den, they'll officially be considered as lesser dragons. From there, they have to build up their wealth, fame, repute, and strength. If you get enough of any of those, you can apply to become a greater dragon. Once you're recognized as a greater dragon, you can then seek out a mate and start a family. If you keep on growing in fame or wealth, you'll become a dragon lord. Apparently it's something every dragon wants to become, but I don't get it to be honest. Sounds like too much work.
17th of Aes, 117 years since megados eruption
Today's my birthday! The whole extended family came around this time. Wish they didn't, way too loud. Especially Bethane, he kept on singing some foreign song that was definitely not made for his voice. Too low pitched. The cake was tasty, the party unsatisfying, and gifts... honestly, the gems and stuff were clearly last minute hoard grabs. I don't need them, nor understand the appeal they seem to have to other dragons. Maybe it's an age thing. The fire extinguishing stone and poison alarms were nice though; I might use them in my future den. Note to future self: Charlie is allergic to almost all bird meat. This includes pheonixes and harpies, but not phoenixes.
Anyways, after the party, I got my stuff and flew out to my planned home. Usually your family would follow so they know where you'll be, but as soon as they saw me going towards the wastes they kinda just ditched me. Rude, but understandable. Once I got to my mountain, I marked my territory with some charcoal stakes. According to mom, other dragons will sense the charcoal and know it's someone's territory, but I won't sense anything. Maybe it's a magic thing. I marked the entire mountain and about a kilometer around it. Doing that already made me tired, so I dug a little hole near the peak and am now taking a rest there. It's fairly warm in this hole, so I might just go to sleep now and wake up more rested tomorrow.
21st of Aes, 117 years since megados eruption
It just occurred to me that i never described the mountain itself. It's a dead volcano whose sides got washed away by time, but the peak got preserved by a metallic cap. What's left is a very rocky, steep mountain that's nearly as tall as it is wide. Which isn't saying much, considering it's only about two kilometers tall. From what I can smell, the surface has some copper spread throughout, but it's too small for me to see.
The surroundings are mostly just desert, but there's grasslands to the south with some beasts to hunt. There was a scorpo city to the north-east, about 50 kilometers from the base of the mountain. I'll check it out later. Finally, about 80 kilometers west is the ocean. Nice to have a source of water nearby.
You may have noticed that it's been 4 days since my last entry. I slept for 4 whole days. Didn't notice until I saw the moon half empty. Best sleep I've had in a long while to be honest. Minor problem is I still feel sleepy. But I need to at least get the beginnings of my den done. So I'm going to try to dig out a den big enough to fit two of me for now. I made sure not to cut my claws last month so that it'd be easier to dig in stone, but to be honest I'm not sure if it'll actually help.
1st of Alm, 117 years since megados eruption
It did help. I managed to carve out a starter den in only 8 days! It can barely fit my full form in it, so I've been trying to stay in lesser forms while I carve it out. So far 'tripedal with four arms' is the best since I can move the rocks while still working, but it uses way too much energy for long term work. To be honest, I prefer the 'bipedal with two arms' form for its energy efficiency. I heard some dragons complain that the form is too similar to sapients, but I don't see the problem with that. Though I will complain about elbows. You hit it wrong and suddenly it feels like sand.
The carving process was actually quite interesting. You see, you can't just jab a claw into stone. If you do it wrong, your claw will snap and it'll become useless. What you have to do is scratch out a segment, preferably following any natural cracks that formed. Then, you have to make those scratches or cracks converge behind the stone piece. That will separate the piece and the wall, allowing you to rip it out, or break it apart. Interestingly, if two sides are exposed, then stone can easily be broken apart by striking from one side towards the other. This means that once a small chunk is taken out of a wall, the rest of the wall can be mined to that depth.
Also, I found something interesting while digging; copper and orichalcum ores! (Though technically orichalcum is a mix of copper and mythril or titanium.) I don't have any current use for these ores, but it's important to know what you're digging into. I already broke two claws discovering them. I think there's a magic item and spell to detect nearby ores. I'll have to see if I can invest in those. If anything, it'll let me know where the volcano's core is so I can avoid breaking more claws.
I'm starting to get hungry, so I'll go hunting soon. I'm excited to see what grows in the wastes.
12th of Alm, 117 years since megados eruption
I found a bastard! Didn't expect to find one out in the wastes. Looks like a wolf's. Bastards always taste good, but I hate how you have to let them sit for a day. Fun fact, impure dragon blood is actually toxic, even to dragons! It only gives us stomach pain but anything else will die from a few drops. Bonus fun fact for anthropologists, eating bastards used to be considered cannibalism by dragons. Now it's only considered inauspicious. Which isn't a problem for me, so I can enjoy the taste without any worries!
In case bastards aren't that well known in the future: A bastard is any monster that is born between a dragon and a non-dragon. They are usually unintelligent and barely even sentient. They are fairly strong, so some dragons use them as soldiers and stuff. In my opinion, the best part is that they taste nearly as good as actual dragons! And since most aren't sapient there's no moral conflict in killing them.
Anyways, the bastard I found was wandering the desert to the west, going towards the ocean. Looked fairly beaten up and exhausted, maybe even dehydrated, so it was easy to hunt. I made sure it wasn't sapient before killing it. I'm not evil. It's currently being laid out on a rock table I made, draining the blood into a hole I dug. I can use it as a sauce once it ferments away the toxic part. Tomorrow I'll try making actual furniture for stuff like this.
It smelled water. Towards the rising sun. Only a day away at worst. Finally its thirst can be fully quenched. It might even be able to heal its wounds. Mother might be right. The rising sun is salvation.
It forgot about the setting sun. In that direction came pain. Short, sharp, but mercifully less than what father gave. The beast, no, father-like stared into its eyes and whispered into its mind. It didn't couldn't understand. The father-like, no, not-father granted it one mercy. It close its eyes, and there was no more pain.
11th of An, 117 years since megados eruption
Here's a rhetorical question. How the fuck has it been a month? I swear I only slept for like a week! I only realized its been a month because the blood finished fermenting. Is it the wastes? Maybe choosing to den here was a bad idea. Nah, I already carved out a starter den, I can't just abandon it. But I need to get my sleep under control. I think there was a magic item that released a signal when a certain amount of time passed. They should be fairly common, so I'll go to the city nearby to see if they have anything like that. Worst case scenario I have to fly to mom and ask her for some advice.
Anyways, the den is starting to look more spacious. I can sleep in my full form without touching a wall! The problem is all these rocks piling up. Or more specifically ores. I know ores are valuable and stuff but I have no current use for them. But a part of me is telling me I can't just throw them out. Luckily it's an ignorable part of me. Oh wait, I might be able to use them to trade for some magic items. Sapients love to trade for stuff right? Exchange of goods and services and all that. Well, to be honest, I can always just take it with force, but that's just rude. And evil. I'm not evil.
15th of An, 117 years since megados eruption
Went trading today. The scorpos seemed confused more than the usual scared. Guess they don't see much dragons around here (of course they don't). Got some nice deals for three magic items; an 'alarm bell' thing (loud sound!), a metal detection plate (it looks like a shield but they called it a plate?), and a pickaxe that can fix itself (a 'horsemans' pick, didn't know centaurs mined).
To be honest, they seemed quite frantic about giving me these stuff. Maybe I underpaid (or overpaid)? Oh well, their fault for not giving me a proper price (aka didn't ask). In other news, I've been feeling an itch on my back for a while now. I'm not sure what it is. I hate how my arms can't scratch it. Rubbing against a wall also doesn't seem to work. Maybe it's an early shed. If it is, then I'll know in a few days. Otherwise this might be concerning. (sorry!)
Brildlid was a reputable store. Possibly the best in Throldhaven. Its owner, also named Brildlid, was old for a scorpo. His carapace had many scars and just as many honors tattooed. Brildlid was also known as an impenetrable vault. Rumors say that even the king has valuables stored in Brildlid. This is to say, when the king came panicked to Brildlid, he wasn't concerned. He knew what the king, that klutz, was like. The king probably owed someone big, or forgot to take something out of or put in the vault.
Brildlid was not prepared to meet a dragon. The massive creature was sitting patiently outside the castle. It had dull scales and undamaged wings. Rich and powerful then. But why was it here?
The king bowed to the dragon. "Oh great one, I have brought the best tradesman of this town. Th..."
"Yeah yeah, whatever. What's your name?"
"Me? I'm, uh, Brildlid."
"Cool. Look, I got some stuff I don't need, and need stuff I don't got. And I'm wondering if you have some stuff that I want. A potential trade, you know?" The dragon gave an insincere smile. Brildlid had to think fast.
"oh ok. What is it that you're looking for, great one?"
"Well, I'd like something to wake me up at a consistent time. A magic item that activates after a certain amount of time has passed. I'd also like something that can detect metal, and a pick would be nice."
Brildlid held down the fear that was brewing. This dragon was here for three of the city's five treasures! He'd need to speak to the king... no, he's already passed out. He can't just lie either. This dragon clearly did its research to know about the treasures.
"Yes, well, we have some items that might be what you're looking for. First is the alarm bell on the church's east tower. You can set a time and it will ring at that time everyday. We also have a plate of metal that gets hot when near other metals. Finally, we have a horseman's pick that repairs itself when in direct contact with metal. These three items seem to fit your descriptions best. However, each item is valuable, and we cannot part with them ea..."
"Ah yes, payment. Will something like this be enough?"
From its pouch the dragon took out 5 boulders. Each had a sharp, green pattern and smelled of pennies. Copper ore. Two had silver stripes as well. Orichalcum ore. What happened next was a blur. Brildlid's vault was opened, the church bell plucked. Smiths and alchemists and miners and even the town fool was called upon. A single boulder of copper was worth a castle, orichalcum the city. The fool tasted titanium, and the chemist confirmed it.
Rumors flew around like carrion crows after war. A kind dragon who lowered itself to the level of sapients, for it traded for goods. A condescending dragon who bought the city's great treasures with trash. A foolish dragon who overestimated the price of the treasures (though they were priceless to begin with). A rich dragon, who called boulders of ore as 'stuff I don't need'. A cruel dragon who forced the king to hand over treasures, and left behind ore out of pity. No matter the rumor, some things stayed the same; a dragon so wealthy it didn't need or want boulders of orichalcum, came and got the treasures of the city, and left with no more damage than some cracked roads.
Brildlid was once a trader, and so he understood the values traded today. A single one of these boulders could fund the recreation of all three treasures, though the history was lost. The king should be happy about this outcome; when dealing with a dragon, there is no such thing as an unhappy outcome.
11th of Ab, 117 years since megados eruption
Mom said I should start 'documenting my life' aka have a diary. Something about selling it to historians or something. I guess it might help with my bad memory, but to be honest, I don't care. Let me forget shit.
I guess the first page is for who I am. My name is Vildra Miltos, second daughter of Greater Dragon Tildra Miltos. My birthday is the 17th of Aes, I am currently 249 years old, and I only remember my birthday because it's going to be the day I'll have to leave and make my own den somewhere. I've already got a planned spot; a mountain a couple hours to the north. I have bad memory, but can learn stuff quickly so it cancels out. My favorite food is cheesy basilisk, my least favorite food is centipede. (They're too cute to eat! :( Better as pets.) I like to read stories, but don't like reading itself. I know remember only one spell, erase memory, which I sometimes use to forget about a story I read so I can experience it all over again. I'm a mostly pacifist; I mostly don't kill people. I hate romance, of all kinds, and don't know what a crush feels like.
Is that enough about me? If it isn't, too bad, I hate writing about myself. Makes me introspective and shit. Let's talk about that mountain I'm planning on denning in. It's in the northern wastes, where the low amount of mana means most dragons don't want to even go near the place. Not me though, I don't need mana for any magical rituals or anything, and a lack of ambient mana works as its own defense system. Anything that lives there is far weaker than me, and anything that comes in won't have the energy to fight. Only downside is that I'll end up sleeping longer, but honestly, I won't remember anything I would've done with that time, and at least with sleeping I know I didn't forget anything.
24th of Ab, 117 years since megados eruption
Nothing important has happened since the last time I wrote something. So instead, I'll be talking writing about why I'm moving out. Once a dragon is 250 years old, they're officially considered an adult and must find a den other than their parents. Once they have their own den, they'll officially be considered as lesser dragons. From there, they have to build up their wealth, fame, repute, and strength. If you get enough of any of those, you can apply to become a greater dragon. Once you're recognized as a greater dragon, you can then seek out a mate and start a family. If you keep on growing in fame or wealth, you'll become a dragon lord. Apparently it's something every dragon wants to become, but I don't get it to be honest. Sounds like too much work.
17th of Aes, 117 years since megados eruption
Today's my birthday! The whole extended family came around this time. Wish they didn't, way too loud. Especially Bethane, he kept on singing some foreign song that was definitely not made for his voice. Too low pitched. The cake was tasty, the party unsatisfying, and gifts... honestly, the gems and stuff were clearly last minute hoard grabs. I don't need them, nor understand the appeal they seem to have to other dragons. Maybe it's an age thing. The fire extinguishing stone and poison alarms were nice though; I might use them in my future den. Note to future self: Charlie is allergic to almost all bird meat. This includes pheonixes and harpies, but not phoenixes.
Anyways, after the party, I got my stuff and flew out to my planned home. Usually your family would follow so they know where you'll be, but as soon as they saw me going towards the wastes they kinda just ditched me. Rude, but understandable. Once I got to my mountain, I marked my territory with some charcoal stakes. According to mom, other dragons will sense the charcoal and know it's someone's territory, but I won't sense anything. Maybe it's a magic thing. I marked the entire mountain and about a kilometer around it. Doing that already made me tired, so I dug a little hole near the peak and am now taking a rest there. It's fairly warm in this hole, so I might just go to sleep now and wake up more rested tomorrow.
21st of Aes, 117 years since megados eruption
It just occurred to me that i never described the mountain itself. It's a dead volcano whose sides got washed away by time, but the peak got preserved by a metallic cap. What's left is a very rocky, steep mountain that's nearly as tall as it is wide. Which isn't saying much, considering it's only about two kilometers tall. From what I can smell, the surface has some copper spread throughout, but it's too small for me to see.
The surroundings are mostly just desert, but there's grasslands to the south with some beasts to hunt. There was a scorpo city to the north-east, about 50 kilometers from the base of the mountain. I'll check it out later. Finally, about 80 kilometers west is the ocean. Nice to have a source of water nearby.
You may have noticed that it's been 4 days since my last entry. I slept for 4 whole days. Didn't notice until I saw the moon half empty. Best sleep I've had in a long while to be honest. Minor problem is I still feel sleepy. But I need to at least get the beginnings of my den done. So I'm going to try to dig out a den big enough to fit two of me for now. I made sure not to cut my claws last month so that it'd be easier to dig in stone, but to be honest I'm not sure if it'll actually help.
1st of Alm, 117 years since megados eruption
It did help. I managed to carve out a starter den in only 8 days! It can barely fit my full form in it, so I've been trying to stay in lesser forms while I carve it out. So far 'tripedal with four arms' is the best since I can move the rocks while still working, but it uses way too much energy for long term work. To be honest, I prefer the 'bipedal with two arms' form for its energy efficiency. I heard some dragons complain that the form is too similar to sapients, but I don't see the problem with that. Though I will complain about elbows. You hit it wrong and suddenly it feels like sand.
The carving process was actually quite interesting. You see, you can't just jab a claw into stone. If you do it wrong, your claw will snap and it'll become useless. What you have to do is scratch out a segment, preferably following any natural cracks that formed. Then, you have to make those scratches or cracks converge behind the stone piece. That will separate the piece and the wall, allowing you to rip it out, or break it apart. Interestingly, if two sides are exposed, then stone can easily be broken apart by striking from one side towards the other. This means that once a small chunk is taken out of a wall, the rest of the wall can be mined to that depth.
Also, I found something interesting while digging; copper and orichalcum ores! (Though technically orichalcum is a mix of copper and mythril or titanium.) I don't have any current use for these ores, but it's important to know what you're digging into. I already broke two claws discovering them. I think there's a magic item and spell to detect nearby ores. I'll have to see if I can invest in those. If anything, it'll let me know where the volcano's core is so I can avoid breaking more claws.
I'm starting to get hungry, so I'll go hunting soon. I'm excited to see what grows in the wastes.
12th of Alm, 117 years since megados eruption
I found a bastard! Didn't expect to find one out in the wastes. Looks like a wolf's. Bastards always taste good, but I hate how you have to let them sit for a day. Fun fact, impure dragon blood is actually toxic, even to dragons! It only gives us stomach pain but anything else will die from a few drops. Bonus fun fact for anthropologists, eating bastards used to be considered cannibalism by dragons. Now it's only considered inauspicious. Which isn't a problem for me, so I can enjoy the taste without any worries!
In case bastards aren't that well known in the future: A bastard is any monster that is born between a dragon and a non-dragon. They are usually unintelligent and barely even sentient. They are fairly strong, so some dragons use them as soldiers and stuff. In my opinion, the best part is that they taste nearly as good as actual dragons! And since most aren't sapient there's no moral conflict in killing them.
Anyways, the bastard I found was wandering the desert to the west, going towards the ocean. Looked fairly beaten up and exhausted, maybe even dehydrated, so it was easy to hunt. I made sure it wasn't sapient before killing it. I'm not evil. It's currently being laid out on a rock table I made, draining the blood into a hole I dug. I can use it as a sauce once it ferments away the toxic part. Tomorrow I'll try making actual furniture for stuff like this.
It smelled water. Towards the rising sun. Only a day away at worst. Finally its thirst can be fully quenched. It might even be able to heal its wounds. Mother might be right. The rising sun is salvation.
It forgot about the setting sun. In that direction came pain. Short, sharp, but mercifully less than what father gave. The beast, no, father-like stared into its eyes and whispered into its mind. It didn't couldn't understand. The father-like, no, not-father granted it one mercy. It closed its eyes, and there was no more pain.
11th of An, 117 years since megados eruption
Here's a rhetorical question. How the fuck has it been a month? I swear I only slept for like a week! I only realized its been a month because the blood finished fermenting. Is it the wastes? Maybe choosing to den here was a bad idea. Nah, I already carved out a starter den, I can't just abandon it. But I need to get my sleep under control. I think there was a magic item that released a signal when a certain amount of time passed. They should be fairly common, so I'll go to the city nearby to see if they have anything like that. Worst case scenario I have to fly to mom and ask her for some advice.
Anyways, the den is starting to look more spacious. I can sleep in my full form without touching a wall! The problem is all these rocks piling up. Or more specifically ores. I know ores are valuable and stuff but I have no current use for them. But a part of me is telling me I can't just throw them out. Luckily it's an ignorable part of me. Oh wait, I might be able to use them to trade for some magic items. Sapients love to trade for stuff right? Exchange of goods and services and all that. Well, to be honest, I can always just take it with force, but that's just rude. And evil. I'm not evil.
15th of An, 117 years since megados eruption
Went trading today. The scorpos seemed confused more than the usual scared. Guess they don't see much dragons around here (of course they don't). Got some nice deals for three magic items; an 'alarm bell' thing (loud sound!), a metal detection plate (it looks like a shield but they called it a plate?), and a pickaxe that can fix itself (a 'horsemans' pick, didn't know centaurs mined).
To be honest, they seemed quite frantic about giving me these stuff. Maybe I underpaid (or overpaid)? Oh well, their fault for not giving me a proper price (aka didn't ask). In other news, I've been feeling an itch on my back for a while now. I'm not sure what it is. I hate how my arms can't scratch it. Rubbing against a wall also doesn't seem to work. Maybe it's an early shed. If it is, then I'll know in a few days. Otherwise this might be concerning. (sorry!)
Pov Brildlid
Brildlid was a reputable store. Possibly the best in Throldhaven. Its owner, also named Brildlid, was old for a scorpo. His carapace had many scars and just as many honors tattooed. Brildlid was also known as an impenetrable vault. Rumors say that even the king has valuables stored in Brildlid. This is to say, when the king came panicked to Brildlid, he wasn't concerned. He knew what the king, that klutz, was like. The king probably owed someone big, or forgot to take something out of or put in the vault.
Brildlid was not prepared to meet a dragon. The massive creature was sitting patiently outside the castle. It had dull scales and undamaged wings. Rich and powerful then. But why was it here?
The king bowed to the dragon. "Oh great one, I have brought the best tradesman of this town. Th..."
"Yeah yeah, whatever. What's your name?"
"Me? I'm, uh, Brildlid."
"Cool. Look, I got some stuff I don't need, and need stuff I don't got. And I'm wondering if you have some stuff that I want. A potential trade, you know?" The dragon gave an insincere smile. Brildlid had to think fast.
"oh ok. What is it that you're looking for, great one?"
"Well, I'd like something to wake me up at a consistent time. A magic item that activates after a certain amount of time has passed. I'd also like something that can detect metal, and a pick would be nice."
Brildlid held down the fear that was brewing. This dragon was here for three of the city's five treasures! He'd need to speak to the king... no, he's already passed out. He can't just lie either. This dragon clearly did its research to know about the treasures.
"Yes, well, we have some items that might be what you're looking for. First is the alarm bell on the church's east tower. You can set a time and it will ring at that time everyday. We also have a plate of metal that gets hot when near other metals. Finally, we have a horseman's pick that repairs itself when in direct contact with metal. These three items seem to fit your descriptions best. However, each item is valuable, and we cannot part with them ea..."
"Ah yes, payment. Will something like this be enough?"
From its pouch the dragon took out 5 boulders. Each had a sharp, green pattern and smelled of pennies. Copper ore. Two had silver stripes as well. Orichalcum ore. What happened next was a blur. Brildlid's vault was opened, the church bell plucked. Smiths and alchemists and miners and even the town fool was called upon. A single boulder of copper was worth a castle, orichalcum the city. The fool tasted titanium, and the chemist confirmed it.
Rumors flew around like carrion crows after war. A kind dragon who lowered itself to the level of sapients, for it traded for goods. A condescending dragon who bought the city's great treasures with trash. A foolish dragon who overestimated the price of the treasures (though they were priceless to begin with). A rich dragon, who called boulders of ore as 'stuff I don't need'. A cruel dragon who forced the king to hand over treasures, and left behind ore out of pity. No matter the rumor, some things stayed the same; a dragon so wealthy it didn't need or want boulders of orichalcum, came and got the treasures of the city, and left with no more damage than some cracked roads.
Brildlid was once a trader, and so he understood the values traded today. A single one of these boulders could fund the recreation of all three treasures, though the history was lost. The king should be happy about this outcome; when dealing with a dragon, there is no such thing as an unhappy outcome.
28th of An, 117 years since megados eruption
These magic items are super useful. The bell woke me up consistently, though it's annoying to change the time it rings (required fine motor skills). The plate has a metal-detecting range of about half a meter, so it's more useful to detect ores after I mine them than actually finding them. More usefully, it can warm up food. I haven't had warm blood for ages(weeks)! Finally, the pick. I have conflicting feelings for it; on the one hand, I have to be in a smaller form to use it (one with hands), and it's less efficient than just using my nails. On the other hand, I don't have to worry about breaking it. It barely chipped when striking orichalcum, and fixed itself immediately!
In other, more annoying news, the itching's been getting worse. If I was any younger I'd think it was nest-bugs, but this (cozy) cave is unideal for such parasites. Is it allergies? Fun fact, the average dragon has around 300 allergies, mostly mild. This is not mild. It also shouldn't be localized on my back. Fuck, is it an infection? Wing infections are so annoying (can't relate)! I'm sure I have some medicine stored somewhere, but if I don't write for a week, I'm probably getting some from mom.
5th of Aos, 117 years since megados eruption
Good news, not an infection. Bad news, I'm still itchy. I guess it's time to actually use my brain. I've made a hyposethis (wrong spelling), this has to do with the wastes. Spending an extended amount of time in low ambient mana is causing unforeseen physical symptoms to appear (nerd). Based off of where the itchiness is, the area that's being impacted is specifically vertebrae 18-29. For reference, dragons have 97 vertebrae, first set of wings are at around 21 vertebrae from the neck, second set at 46, and third at 71. There are 36 muscles within the itchy area, 4 mana veins, 7 arteries, many minor organs which can't itch to begin with, and an indeterminate amount of scales. (how do you even know this?) Based off of the fact that the itch is local, it's unlikely to be any veins or arteries or scales. Which just leaves muscles as the major suspect. (Nerd does not even begin to describe you.)
Among the 36 muscles in the area, only 12 ever interact with mana. I suspect that the low ambient mana is irritating those muscles because they are being exposed to lowered amounts of mana. I'll try cycling and focusing my mana to those muscles. If the itchiness goes away, then that's a piece of evidence. If it doesn't go away, well fuck. I'll have to go see a doctor. Which I need money for. Money I don't have right now. The only thing of value I have access to is this mountain's ores. Oh, and the metal core that is rumored to exist in the center of volcanoes. That's got to be worth something.
15th of Aos, 117 years since megados eruption
I don't know whether its good or bad, but the itchiness has decreased in strength (good). This is because it has spread out over a larger area (bad). Vertebrae 15-74 to be exact. Additionally, my hyposethis (wow really) is wrong. While focusing mana on the muscles lessened the itchiness, it didn't get rid of it in the other muscles. Which leads me to believe this is a parasite that has never been seen before. Luckily, there are many ways for dragons to treat parasites (oh no). If I remember my magic circles correctly, I can have a rir-fire shower using the copper I found so far. Just need some bastard fur, which the one I hunted should still have enough of. If that doesn't work, I can get saltwater from the ocean and make myself 'hero's brine'. Worst case scenario I dig down to magma (no thanks). Been a while since I've had one of those.
11th of Ar, 117 years since megados eruption
Blessed shit I think it worked. Not the rir-fire, turns out I didn't remember my magic circles correctly. The brine got rid of the itchiness. Hate how it makes me smell like flowers though (I like it). This means that I was most likely dealing with many small parasites. Normal parasites can't get past a dragon's hide, so either I somehow got nest-bugs without a nest yet, or it's an undiscovered parasite native to the wastes. If it's the former, it's been dealt with. If it's the latter, then it might happen again (sorry). Note for future self; itchiness found along the back, focused more along vertebrae, might be parasites and can be treated with hero's brine.
Now that that's taken care of, I should probably expand my den. Currently it's just one big room that I sleep, write, read, and eat in. Most other dragons keep it like that unless they need more space, but to be honest, I hate it (agreed). Every time I want to do one thing, I have to move stuff or prepare stuff, which is tiring (aka boring). So, I want a designated area to eat, one to sleep, one to read and write in, and an extra space for anything else (mine). I think I'll base the design off of kobold cities; a spiral downwards with rooms to the side, and a large open room in the center. To be honest, I'm doing this because I think it looks cool. I'll start mining tomorrow.
28th of Ar, 117 years since megados eruption
I'm running low on bastard meat. Going to have to hunt soon (food). I'll go the next time I feel hungry. In other news, the minings going smoothly. The new pick is actually surprisingly effective at making hallways. Before, the height of my digging was limited by my hand hitting the ceiling before my nails struck the wall, meaning the ceiling slowly sloped downwards over time (just raise the ceiling). However, with the pick, I can hit the top of the wall without hitting the ceiling, so the hallway remains the same height no matter how deep I go!
There is the minor (miner) concern that I've been losing track of time while mining, but it's not like anything bad happens if I mine for too long. I'm not even sure how I lose track of time, just that days pass by without me realizing. At least I hope its only days and not months; I've been relying on the moon to keep track of the days (only 17 days). Oh well. I didn't have anything scheduled anyways. (how about your birthday?)
Deep in a dead volcano, there sang a dragon. Speaking in ancient tongues the songs of ancient men. A chorus of one, for there were no one else. Only the mountain heard these words.
"Ri la-pi le ri-la-vi!
sin sin sin-la-ee!
Do-la-do il-la-do
do-la-le eil fe-la-do?
...
Lo-li-la-lo mi la fi
Co la eil, sin la ee!
Eih la-le-la le la li-la-lo~
la-li la-li lo~ la-li la-li lo~
Eih la-le-la le la li-la-lo~
la-li la-li lo~ la-li la-li lo~..."
The song echoed for days. The words imprinted deep within the stone. Hundred of years later, that stone made their way to a broadcasting station. It became known as the hymn of stone, one of the most mysterious songs of history. All that is known about its origins is that a dragon sang it alone in a volcano. This lead to some believing it to be an ancient ritual, or of cultural significance to ancient civilizations.
-Excerpt from 'Lost history vol 7.'
19th of Auv, 117 years since megados eruption
Who the fuck is messing with my diary! I read back and there's comments between the lines. It started a few months ago, and even the most recent one has comments! I'm going to set up a surveillance tonight to see if I can catch who's doing it. I swear if I have an interloper in my den I'm going to drown them in acid.
20th of Auv, 117 years since megados eruption
While I didn't find any interlopers, I did find out I have a nocturnal centipede! Don't even know how it got in, but I'm keeping it in the spare room as a pet. In other news, I finished two rooms. The first is a dining area. There's nothing in there right now, as i finished eating the bastard a week ago. The second is currently unused. Or rather it now houses a cute centipede. I've re-worked the initial cave as an 'office'. Finally, my nest-room is in progress. It's hard to describe this layout, so I'll probably draw a map later. Eventually, I'm sure.
It's been so long since I've had a pet. I don't even remember what to feed them. I mean, I know normal centipedes eat small insects and stuff, but this one is the size of a cart. I guess I'll go hunt something and see if it'll eat it. I just hope it isn't vegetarian.
Addendum; So I'm back from hunting a camel, and turns out the centipede can eat ores. I don't know if it can live off of them though. It started eating the camel when I gave it a piece, so I at least know it can also eat meat. I hope I don't have to feed it too much. I'll have to hibernate soon.
1st of Ax, 117 years since megados eruption
It's winter. Which means hibernation time. I have some meat stockpiled for the centipede if it needs it. Unfortunately I don't have any bedding, but the plate should keep me warm. I'll seal the entrance once the first snow falls. Or maybe earlier. I'm already a lot sleepier. Fun fact, dragons hibernate due to an inability to warm their blood above the temperature outside. Because of this, winters feel super cold. However, some masochists actually like the cold, and so don't hibernate. I recommend you never touch them, you might get poisoned.
? of Az, 117 years since megados eruption
I sealed the cave a while ago. Forgot what day it is. Really sleepy now, so I'll keep this entry quick. Finished my nest-room. Small for now, but it'll be enough. Named the centipede 'Aesmo'. It's been relatively inactive. Do centipedes hibernate? I forgot. I hope it doesn't die.
__ of Bi, 117 years since megados eruption
dragon been sleep for while now. they hogging all warmth of plate >:( so greedy. too salty for me still. damned hero, whoever that is. why did you have to make such a brine. and not enough blood in meat pile. dragon, if you're reading this, give me blood! preferably yours. it tastes the best.
