"The time has come when I can speak plainly to you on this matter," the Great One said. "All that you know and have concluded about the gemstone dragons is correct, although the situation is far more complex than you may think. For one thing, although they are called the Masters, they are not the true masters behind these events."
"One of them said the gemstone dragons serve someone called the Overlord," Thelvyn replied. "Unfortunately, I do not know anything more."
"Nor do I. They do indeed control Alessa Vyledaar, and as you suspected, they achieved that control only recently. Nor is she the only one in this world whose will they control. But you must be aware that they can control the will of any dragon just as they controlled Murodhir and his henchmen, although it was the traitor, Byen Kalestraan, who helped the Masters entrap them. You must also be aware that they have controlled the Flaemish people in the past, and it is within their power to seize control of the Flaem once again. Fortunately, they are not yet that strong in this world."
"But who are the gemstone dragons?" Thelvyn asked. "They know an ancient version of the language of the dragons, so we suspect they must have had some contact with this world long ago. Is it possible this isn't the first time that they have tried to conquer Mystara?"
"Indeed it is not the first time," the Great One answered. "Have you been told of the Eldar and the origin of the dragons? That will help you to better understand the gemstone dragons."
The Great One paused a moment to recline along the length of the stage, still facing them. "The time has come that you should learn the true history of the first Dragonlord, which even the dragons do not know. For in the time of ancient Blackmoor, there was no dragon Immortal to guide and protect the dragons. The dragons had been gaining in power and in knowledge, and their breeds continued to evolve, becoming larger and wiser. Magic became even more a part of their very being.
"In this time, there was a fellowship of powerful dragon sorcerers who had observed the slow advancement of their race and wished to gather and direct the magic they would need to accelerate that natural process. They wished to evolve into higher forms rather than be content to wait for their descendants to inherit the power and wisdom that would be their birthright."
The Great One paused a moment, turning his head to look away. "I must confess that I was a part of their band at first, for I was a cleric in the service of the Immortal Terra, and I supported anything that might benefit the dragons. At first their desires were pure and noble. But in time they came to believe that they could become Immortals, and that became their ultimate goal. I argued with them, warning them that they expected too much, but they would not listen. And so I withdrew from their company.
"In time, these dragon sorcerers worked great magic upon themselves, but their experiment failed. They did not become true Immortals but were instead transformed into the gemstone dragons, far more powerful than any dragon that lived at that time, even more powerful that most modern golds and reds. Believing that they had the right as the most powerful beings in the world to rule the world, they began to force lesser nations to their will. Eventually they made war upon Blackmoor.
"That was when the first misunderstanding began, since the men of Blackmoor believed that all dragons were at war with them, not understanding that it was only the gemstone dragons. And Blackmoor was slowly being defeated, so that in desperation they sought to create a weapon the dragons could not hope to fight. Eventually the wizards of Blackmoor created the first Dragonlord, who mistakenly made war upon all dragons and nearly destroyed them, while the gemstone dragons withdrew and continued their own war in secret."
The Great One rose, sitting up on his haunches as if the memory of that time still filled him with concern. "At that time, the Immortals, especially Terra, became convinced they must intervene to save the dragons and stop the war. I had withdrawn to the ancient forests as a cleric of Terra. Terra conceived a plan that seemed to her the only hope to put an end to the conflict. Terra sponsored me, and in a relatively short time, she succeeded in making me the first dragon Immortal. To make a long story short, I eventually defeated the first Dragonlord, that being the only way to force him to listen, and then we joined forces together with the wizards of Blackmoor against the gemstone dragons. Subsequently the gemstone dragons were defeated and escaped through a world gate.
"We were aware from the first that the gemstone dragons had only retreated, and we suspected that they would withdraw for a time to gather new strength, then return. We had to be certain that the dragons would always be ready to face them. The wizards of Blackmoor had created the Collar of the Dragons, and I created a prophecy so that, if the gemstone dragons did indeed return, my chosen hero could use the collar to claim the unquestioned support of all dragons."
"I would not yet call their support unquestioned," Thelvyn remarked.
"No, I fear not," the Great One agreed regretfully. "We had always anticipated that when the time came, both a Dragonking and the new Dragonlord would be chosen, but unforeseen problems necessitated that you should be both Dragonking and Dragonlord. I had been suspicious of the Flaem since they first came to Mystara. When I became certain that they were secret agents of the gemstone dragons, and after enlisting the aide of Terra and other sympathetic Immortals, I made the arrangements to bring my chosen hero into the world. You possess nearly Immortal powers: those that you have inherited from me, the most powerful enchantments of ancient Blackmoor, and the authority of the Dragonking.
"Ever since the gemstone dragons left our world, they have been regaining their strength, gathering new powers, and collecting slaves from many worlds. They must have captured the Flaem during their wanderings from world to world, and they hoped to use the rivalry between the Flaem and the Alphatians as the means to prepare for their invasion of Mystara and to secure the power of the Radiance. They had known of the Radiance for some time, and were disappointed to find that its power is quite limited in range."
The Great One paused and rose to his hind legs so that he stood above them. "Sir George Kirbey, I summon you to stand before me."
For a moment, Sir George looked like a child who had been caught doing something wrong. The two dragons stepped aside so that he could approach the Great One, but he did so with obvious reluctance and considerable apprehension.
"Do not fear," the Great One said. "You have served very well indeed, but you represent a problem as you are. You cannot accompany Thelvyn among the dragons in human form, nor are you of much use as a flightless drake. Therefore I have a gift for you, which you may consider payment for services above and beyond what was expected."
Suddenly Sir George became aware of a strange sensation in his left arm, at the end of his wrist, where his hand had been severed long ago. The feeling was not one of actual pain but rather an intense tingling, a nagging sensation such as had often driven him to distraction in the first months after he had lost his hand. Fearful that something was wrong, he struggled to release the buckles and pull loose the straps that held the leather cuff and its attached hook to his wrist. Then, as he watched in amazement, the end of his arm began to grow longer, eventually forming a new hand. Once the moment of discomfort had passed, he watched his hand with wonder and delight as it slowly began to respond to his will.
"Now you must go," the Great One said to Thelvyn. "The parliament is expecting you. Now is the time to declare yourself as the rightful Dragonking. Be resolute in your claim, for
the time of compromise is past."