Echoes from the Caverns

Hello everyone, this is Asclepius, with the next instalment of this wonderful story by Draxenath. It is entitled “Interview with the Dragon Goddess”.

Background music by Smartsound

Part 8: Starmire

– The next settlement in terms of size is called Starmire. It’s an odd one indeed. About four hundred years ago, a meteor crashed on a humid region, leaving a very large crater. The minerals of the meteor nourished the earth and water. This slowly transformed the region into a swamp full of life, attracting several nomadic tribes of different races. They fought for about two centuries, then one day their leaders sat down together and established a civil code that would allow them to co-exist peacefully.

The goddess was surprised at hearing that. She was in a much better mood than before. – They live in peace by themselves? What is their form of organization? – she asked. – They have a council of elders, composed of the wise men from each tribe. – I answered.

Her eyes gleamed with interest. – And no control from Amaxis? Do they live in complete freedom? – She asked. I noticed a hint of excitement in her voice. – Yes, they are completely free, and their way of living is very careful about not to upset the natural balance of their home. And I now understand them a little better. You mentioned a goddess of plants and god of fungi earlier. Starmire’s inhabitants don’t refer to them as deities, but they worship them and bury their dead in the swamplands as a form of offering. I heard the names Viridiana and Fungar so many times, and how the dead served as food for them. I thought they were two creatures inhabiting the swamp.

Draxenath nodded. – They didn’t participate in the conflict, always indifferent to it, so they were left alone even by Amaxis. Their influence might be what made the tribes stop fighting! Do they have other traditions in common among the different tribes?

– They have a festival during the flowering season. The swamp is covered in vivid colors from the different flowers. The tribes gather to thank Viridiana and Fungar for the abundance of vegetation. There is music, dancing, food, and the usual games and activities seen on festivals. At night one can observe varieties of luminescent insects tracing beautiful light patterns as they do their mating flight.

She seemed delighted, as if she were imagining it – What are their main activities?

– Their main activities vary among races, but most of them are hunter-gatherers. The swamp provides plenty of food and resources for them to survive. Besides the activities essential for living, the do clay pottery, carpentry, stone crafting, and bone crafting.

Draxenath nodded. – No agriculture or cattle raising… do they have commerce with other regions? – she asked. – They don’t, they are prosperous and self-sufficient by themselves, and would not risk causing scarcity in their homeland. They take all means necessary to control their own population and take only what they need, even when they hoard for the winter. – Draxenath seemed thoughtful. – There is still hope… They understand… what about technology?

– They have developed technology for building through natural means like tree root and branch growth and shaping. They also use shaped rocks for construction. Their homes, bridges. and constructions, in general, are made of shaped trees, rocks, vines and plants. -The goddess was very surprised. – I need to see that! What other wonderful things have they accomplished through technology? – she asked. – They have also developed techniques to shape and rebind bone matter. Their bone and stone craftsmanship is very impressive. Their weapons made of bone and stone are comparable to metal ones in terms of hardness and sharpness,

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Hello everyone, this is Asclepius, with the next instalment of this wonderful story by Draxenath. It is entitled “Interview with the Dragon Goddess”.

Background music by Smartsound

Part 7: The Quarrelling Cities

– What would the next largest settlement be?

– This is not exactly one settlement, but eight cities, which is said belonged to a single kingdom. They are collectively called The Quarrelling Cities. The population of each individual city is quite uniform in racial distribution. There is a city mostly inhabited by humans, another by giants, another by ungulans, there is another by felids, one more by canids, another by insect-men, another by reptilians, another by avians… they are not very far from one another, and roughly in the center of that territory is a ruined castle, where it is said a king used to rule them all.

I noticed she had gone absentminded. After a couple minutes, she asked me to continue. – Each city is very different from the others, with different social organization and activities. They form a sort of synergy with each other, as each city produces something the others need.

The goddess nodded. – Humans produce technology, giants are miners and blacksmiths, insect men and ungulans are agricultural, canids and felids are hunters, avians are carpenters and hunters, reptilians are metallurgists and glassworkers. Or has anything changed?

– It has not changed at all. As for this ancient king, the lore and legends are different in each city. In fact, those differing legends are what have kept them from reunifying and have contributed to the ongoing quarrels. The legends of King Centurion. The humans claim he was human, the avians claim he was an avian, the giants claim he was a giant, the canids claim he was a canid, and so on. Each legend tells of how King Centurion liberated their people from human oppression. As for the human version, it tells of how he united them all under the same banner.

By then, I noticed the goddess’ wrinkled brow. – I would like to hear the legends. – she said. My excitement could not be greater at that time. – Do you know the real story? My understanding is it happened over a thousand years ago. I can tell you the legends, then I would be happy to hear the real story. – Draxenath nodded, remaining silent. I proceeded to relate the legends to her.

– There is a sort of basis all these legends have in common. They start in the same way: From far away came a warrior, his strength worth that of a hundred. Centurion was his name. His sword was broad like a giant meat cleaver, its hilt adorned by two intertwined dragons, its aura strengthened the worthy and weakened the unworthy. Its weight was so great no one else could wield it. He rode a dragon, as a horse had no strength to carry both him and the sword. – As I said this, I couldn’t help but look at Draxenath’s sword… it matched the description. She was nodding as I described it.

I decided not to ask anything and continued. – I will start with the Giants’ version. One day, a human woman with bright crimson hair purchased a considerable amount of giant slaves. She claimed to be a princess from far away lands and wanted the slaves for a very important task which required a lot of strength. Little did the slaves know that she was the wife of a giant warrior unlike any known even until today. This warrior had fair skin and golden hair, fierce eyes, a prominent nose, and was very tall, even for a giant, and his strength had no equal, he was called Centurion The Courageous. – Draxenath had a very unusual smile. Was she entertained? It seemed like something else. Nostalgia maybe? I was not able to tell for sure. Maybe it was a fun fact for her that she matches that general description as well.

– He trained the slaves in wrestling,

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Hello everyone, this is Asclepius, with the next instalment of this wonderful story by Draxenath. It is entitled “Interview with the Dragon Goddess”.Background music by Smartsound

Part 5: Draconia– What are the largest settlements? Start with the largest of all and tell me of its most remarkable features.– Draconia is a metropolis with beautiful buildings made of stone and concrete. Its streets are paved and very busy. Underneath the city is a maze-like system of tunnels and galleries called The Undercity, mostly inhabited by vampires.– Vampires? – she lifted an eyebrow and grinned as if entertained by the thought. – I think it’s safe to assume all of them are servants of Amaxis. How active are they? Do they feed constantly?– Yes, they are. There is a Blood Tax that must be paid, as mandated by Amaxis. The rich usually pay it with blood from their slaves, while the poor pay with their own. Vampires have the right to take blood by force from those evading the tax. Also, Amaxis keeps a number of Blood Concubines in the castle, and whenever one of them can’t be used to pay the Blood Tax anymore, he chooses a new one from the population.– Are vampires in a position of authority?– Yes, they were chosen by Amaxis to become vampires and appointed to uphold the law and punish lawbreakers. They watch us even during the day, sometimes you can see them on the street wearing garbs that protect them from the sun.– What happened to The House of Athaldar? Ever heard of it? Are there any survivors?– You mean the legendary clan of vampire slayers? They are not a subject of conversation at all these days, they fell about eight centuries ago. It’s said their blood runs through the veins of most of the human population of Draconia. Their skin is unnaturally fair and I heard they are remarkably tough.She looked upset. – Now that The House of Athaldar no longer rules Draconia, who does? Is there a Vampire King appointed by Amaxis?– Draconia is ruled by Amaxis himself. However, he is absent very often as he constantly travels to the other cities he rules. In his absence, the High Priest has the authority to rule.She nodded. – Let’s talk about their prosperity. Is agriculture doing well?– Yes, Draconia has a wide variety of crops, making it self sufficient in cereal, vegetable, fruit, and spice. Especially prominent in producing wheat, citrus, grape, grenade, tomato, onion, potato, chili, and garlic. Wine brewing has prospered because of their great production of grape.Draxenath got up on her feet and walked to the carcass of the cow I had brought as an offering to her, picking it up from the rear legs. – I assume Draconia abandoned hunting of free wild animals and grows enslaved cattle born in captivity now, as it is customary of Amaxis’ people.– With her claws, she cut the cow’s underside and proceeded to gut and skin it.– Yes, they grow a variety of cattle now. Also, there are other animals, like cats, dogs, and birds of prey, used to protect the houses and control the population of other animals that bring filth and disease, like rodents, pigeons, roaches, and flies.– I remember that! Many of the proud races of canines, once fierce and self-sufficient, have become lazy after their “domestication”, happily wagging their tails and eating the leftovers of their easily accepted masters. Hopefully, the wolves and werewolves remain free. On the other hand, cats and birds of prey still have some of their pride and freedom left, seeing humans as convenient servants.The cow was completely gutted and skinned, now roasting on a spit she pulled out of a magical bag. – What about the other highly intelligent races? Which of them live in Draconia and what do they do?– Giants and minotaurs conform the main workforce for jobs requiring strength and endurance, from mining,

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Hello everyone, this is Asclepius, with the next instalment of this wonderful story by Draxenath. It is entitled “Interview with the Dragon Goddess”.Background music by Smartsound

Part 3: The Conflict– So, are humans basically the result of divine punishment over two Dragon Gods? – I was overwhelmed. – What happened next?The Goddess changed to a more comfortable posture, as a bean cushion formed from the ground under her. – The Creator thought Amaxis’ punishment would placate the other Gods, but things turned out quite different than expected, as usual. They started picking on Amaxis now that he was weak. Poor Humenalia suffered so much from watching all that abuse and feeling powerless. That went on for a few days, then Amaxis paid them back. He was smarter and more cunning than all of them, and now the tables had turned again, Amaxis had devised tools, instruments, armor, weapons, and machines to close the gap.– Open conflict was unleashed among them. The Creator waited, in hopes they would get tired of fighting, but that never happened. Instead, they turned against each other, trying to decide who was the one to reign supreme over the others. So The Creator felt forced to make a very tough decision: To kill the Gods participating in the conflict. It was very painful for him, as he loved them all, and one of them was his favorite. – She unsheathed the broadsword and contemplated it as she continued speaking. – He created a Godslaying Sword, a foul weapon that causes a God’s body to wither and rot, eventually leading to death. When it was ready, he hesitated to use it himself, so he relayed the task to Samsara, the Overgoddess of Life and Death.– An Overgoddess? Is there a hierarchy of sorts? And is that the Godslaying Sword you speak of? – I asked with excitement. Draxenath nodded. – Samsara is the deity right below The Creator in the hierarchy, and under her are all other Gods. Viridiana is Goddess of Plants, Fungar is God of Fungi, I am Goddess of Dragons, Amaxis and Humenalia are Gods of Hominids, Gigaeth and Potenki are Gods of Giants, Mammi and Agrios are Gods of Beasts, Marina and Ipomos are Gods of Sea Life, Hexaphia and Filopos are Gods of Insects. This is the Godslaying Sword indeed, Samsara wielded it and was determined to kill the feuding Gods. But they defended themselves, banding together against her. The battle raged on until Samsara was convinced she wasn’t making any progress.The broadsword’s aura was contained back inside the scabbard as it was sheathed again. She looked sad. – It was heart-breaking for me, knowing The Creator took that path to end the conflict, but it was terrifying when Samsara gave up fighting and relinquished the Godslaying Sword. She left it for anyone to take and use. She intended for everyone to fight for the sword and kill each other. Even if we didn’t get along very well, I couldn’t just let that happen. Being the strongest of the Gods, I took it for myself. I was not part of the conflict, but now I was there, wielding the sword in order to prevent the massacre.She remained silent and absent-minded for a while. – After some time, they stopped fighting me for the sword and went back to their fight among them. I appealed to The Creator on what he did, and he decided not to interfere anymore, and leave us to solve our problems by ourselves. The fighting continued for eons, not only among the Gods but also among mortals, “That which is above is the same as that which is below”, it is said. One by one the Gods fell to Amaxis’ power and were imprisoned, at the same time humans conquered and enslaved their corresponding followers.– When only me and Amaxis were left, I heard them more with every passing day… prayers begging for me to lead them in the fight for freedom…prayers from both Gods and mortals alike… I had been a passi...

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Hello everyone, this is Asclepius, with the next instalment of this wonderful story by Draxenath. It is entitled “Interview with the Dragon Goddess”.

Background music by Smartsound

Part 1 : The Beginning

I was so thrilled and nervous my mind went completely blank. I had so many questions before meeting her, but all of them had escaped me at the moment, so I proceded with a very basic question. – Please tell me about yourself, if you may introduce, and tell me how you came to be. There is no written information I could find about you in the world, but you are talked about in whispers. We are told Amaxis is the only God of our world so I would like to hear your side of the story.

She looked back at me with some skepticism. – The Creator made me at the same time he made Amaxis and gave me the name Draxenath. We were the last of the Gods to be made in The Creator’s original plan. We were meant to be the pinnacle of his creative process, our purpose was to inspire the other Gods, to be the ideal they would strive towards in order to achieve their greatest potential. Stronger than the Giant Gods, fiercer than the Beast Gods, more diligent than the Insect Gods, and more patient than the Sea Gods. – She smirked with a hint of irony. – The Creator was not expecting we would bring out the worst in all of them instead.

There it was, a confirmation of the existence of Gods for the giants, beasts, insects and sea life, and not just that, a “Creator”, a sort of Supergod! – Tell me more about The Creator! How is he like?

The Dragon Goddess looked sad after my question. – He loves all of his creation, he knows it’s not what he originally expected it to be, but won’t interfere anymore. He intends to let things settle down by themselves, however long that takes, and whatever it takes. He has the belief that we will do the right thing and whatever happens, in the end, will be the best outcome that could have been. – The smirk of irony returned to her face. – I can’t deny, the conflict that arose pushed every one of us to make our best effort.

The conflict, the confrontation among the Gods, the one in which we are told Amaxis emerged victoriously! What a great opportunity to know the details of the conflict! – We are told Amaxis defeated some Great Demons and that is how peace and unity were finally achieved. You are mentioning a conflict, which I assume is the same and the so-called Great Demons were actually the other Gods. I am very interested in knowing how the conflict started, and all the important details on it.

– That is a very long story, but I can tell you the most important events. It all started the day we were made. The Creator presented us to the other Gods. “These are the Dragon Gods, greatest of my creation. All of you must look up to them, admire their splendor and learn from them, for they are to be your masters and guides. You are to serve and assist them in their task of leading the World on the road of constant improvement towards perfection.”, he said to them. Those words filled my heart with fear, it was such a great responsibility. Amaxis noticed it and comforted me with a reassuring smile.

– Wait a minute! – I interrupted. – Was Amaxis originally a Dragon God? How did he… alright, I guess we will get to that eventually. Sorry, please go ahead.

– Every one of the male Gods wanted to measure against Amaxis, – she continued, – and he literally humiliated them in their own games. They didn’t take that very well at all. He got addicted to the feeling of besting others, of proving he was better than anyone else. With time, he got bored of them and looked for a stronger opponent to compete against. Unfortunately, I was the only one worthy of such an “honor”.

She paused,

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