Editing Durzibethinus

{{Worldbuilders}} {{Infobox character|name=Durzibethinus|image=Durzibethinus.png|caption=Moments after his rebirth as a [[Dragon]].|relatives=[[Feredemius]], [[Smargarg]]|affilliation=[[Ruby Court]]|alias=[[Ruby Court#Resurrected Court|Emerald Thane of Sardior]], Durian Grunwald, Adrian Grunwald|birthDate=826 [[PR]]|birthPlace=[[Northern Snowy Mountains]], [[Isonhound]]|species=[[Dragon]]|gender=Male (he/him)|eyes=Emerald|field1=Class|field2=Domain|value1=[[Quelmar Deities|Deity]]|value2=Trickery}}

Durian was born at the [[Jadenhill#Religion|Temple on Jadenhill]], a small community off the southern coast of [[Isonhound]]. Its population is primarily metallic [[Dragonborn]] and was settled by a clan of devout [[Bahamut]] worshippers who emigrated from [[Pteris]] in the early [[PR]] era to escape the chaos of the [[The Cavalry Rush|Cavalry Rush]]. The town of [[Jadenhill]] consists of little more than the temple, which is partially built into the ruins of an ancient abandoned mining project.

The temple practiced its worship in relative peace and seclusion for nearly three centuries, finding ways to honor [[Bahamut]] while they awaited his inevitable return, such as studying the [[Monk|Way of the Ascendant Dragon]]. However, they would fall victim to the [[The Razing of Isonhound|Razing of Isonhound]] in 700 [[PR]], flattening most parts of the temple that were not housed in the repurposed mining tunnels. Most lives were spared, but it was a devastating loss that would prove too difficult to build back from without outside help. They began tiptoeing back into the outside world to attempt trade and other forms of participating in greater society.

Blaming the [[Dragon|Dragons]] of [[Tiamat]] for this misfortune, they wrote letters declaring their loyalty to the church of [[Kragnux (Deity)|Kragnux the Dragon Slayer]], adding the god to their pantheon of deities. Around this same time, a few of the children in town had been born with brilliant, gemlike scales and proved to be gifted with psionic powers and sorcery. The origins of this gem ancestry was unknown, but the temple's priests interpreted it as a blessing from [[Bahamut]] as proof that they were on the most noble path.

This interpretation would prove regrettable as the growing church of [[Kragnux (Deity)|Kragnux]] became radicalized against not just [[Dragon|Dragons]], but against all draconic races. The temple heard word of the [[Dragonborn]] being slaughtered in the [[The Second Draconic Crusades|Second Draconic Crusades]] and quietly dissolved their allegiances to the church, but it was too late to recluse their community again. They had rebuilt and thrived with the benefit of outside trading partners who knew of the temple and would soon be visiting in greater numbers.

The temple leaders devised a system for receiving guests, erecting a mage tower dubbed the [[Jadenhill#Court of Quartz|Court of Quartz]] to serve as a visitors center as well as house many of the artifacts pulled from the former mining tunnels over the years, including a large amethyst gem shaped like a [[Dragon]] egg. They also appointed a high sorcerer, one of the gem-touched [[Dragonborn]], to reside in the tower and perform an essential part of their plan using one of the few rocky relics in the collection brought over from the old continent.

Dubbed the [[Selune Splinter]] and described as a fragment from an ancient moon crystal imbued with peculiar paranormal properties, it is able to amplify illusionary magic to increase its effect and distance. Wielding this artifact, the high sorcerer could cast a spell over the entire temple to disguise its [[Dragonborn]] residents as [[Elf|Wood Elves]], the primary inhabitants of the [[Woldlin]] region. This ruse was successfully kept up for the remainder of the century, and the monotonous high sorcerer position would be passed between gem-touched [[Dragonborn]] before reaching Durian's mother.

Ironically, the long-awaited return of [[Bahamut]] in 795 [[PR]] would also soon signal the end of this ruse. As [[Dragon|Dragons]] were now free to wreak their will on the realm, the temple came under attack by an unidentified [[Dragon]] in 825 [[PR]] and the [[Jadenhill#Court of Quartz|Court of Quartz]] was robbed of its collection, including the [[Selune Splinter]] which they had spent decades relying upon for protection. Its residents were sitting ducks in a world finding itself at odds with the [[Dragon|Dragons]] for the first time in over a century. How long would it be before the rest of the realm grew frustrated and turned its sights back on what was left of the draconic races?

Adrian, son of the high sorcerer and presumed next in line for the position, changed his name to Durian (a portmanteau of his elvish and draconic names) to conceal his identity and snuck away from the temple with aspirations to show the realm that the [[Dragonborn]] are equal victims of the [[Dragon|Dragons]]' ransacking ways and can be strong allies in the fight against them. If he could also uncover a new means of protecting his clan somewhere along the way, that would be all the better.

{{Infobox_character|affilliation=[[Harbingers of Sardior]]|name=Durian Grunwald|image=Durian.png|caption=His [[Dragonborn]] form, prior to his rebirth.|relatives=|languages=Celestial, Common, Draconic, Dwarvish, Elvish, Infernal, Primordial, Telepathy, Wiki|alias=|marital=|birthPlace=[[Jadenhill]], [[Isonhound]]|deathDate=|deathPlace=|species=[[Dragonborn]]|gender=Male (he/him)|height=6' 4"|weight=260 lbs|eyes=Emerald|field1=Class|value1=[[Sorcerer]]|playerName=[[User:Jeffbuterbaugh|Jeff]]|birthDate=806 [[PR]]}}

Durian leaves home for the first time and is given an alarming vision of the future before meeting a [[Silver dragon|Silver Dragon]] with a peculiar ideology, causing him to have a crisis of faith…

Durian exited the tent shaken, but barely a minute passed before he would experience his first crisis of faith in the teachings of [[Bahamut]] as he witnessed [[Sro|Sro the Silver Dragon]], seemingly allied with a [[Red Dragon]] and a [[Black Dragon]], descending upon the festivities and [[Three Dragons on Synàra|attacking the city]]. Durian joined a group of adventurers who were dashing towards city hall to confront the [[Silver dragon|Silver Dragon]]. Once they caught up, however, they quickly discovered the [[Dragon|Greatwyrm]] was simply too powerful to take down as it laid waste to the building's stone walls as if they were parchment. Durian avoided a breath weapon which took down most of the city guard and followed the massive creature inside the building. He tried to get closer to its head by climbing onto a balcony, but one whip from the [[Dragon|Dragon's]] tail sent Durian tumbling back to the ground floor. As Durian struggled to stand back up, he tried sending [[Sro]] a telepathic message: "child of [[Bahamut]], what is it that you want? Let us help you and cease this destruction!" The [[Silver dragon|Silver Dragon]] turned his head towards Durian and bellowed out "bring me the mayor!" What they didn't know was that some of the other adventurers were smuggling the mayor out of the building as Durian helped distract [[Sro]]. The mayor was rescued, but the [[Dragon]] grabbed one of the mayor's assistants in its claws before flying away with a thunderous boom.

Durian was left confused and with so many questions…why would a child of [[Bahamut]] conspire with spawns of [[Tiamat]] to commit such a seemingly evil act? To find out why, Durian responded to some local calls for aid and joined a rescue party that was on its way to confront [[Sro]] at his lair. The journey took several days to navigate [[Isonhound|Isonhound's]] thick forests, but after scaling a mountain and finally arriving at the lair's cavernous entrance, the [[Silver dragon|Silver Dragon]] was surprisingly receptive to them. [[Sro]] clarified that he was not allied with the [[Dragon#Chromatic Dragons|Chromatic Dragons]], but rather, he had been abducting mayors in order to better prepare humankind to battle [[Dragon|Dragons]] again. Durian was not impressed with this answer but held his tongue, knowing better than to fight or argue with one of the children of his deity. Still, he could not shake his worries…was it really wise to be raising armies of [[Dragon]] killers only a few decades after the heedless genocide of the [[The Second Draconic Crusades|Second Draconic Crusades]]? How long would it be before a new generation of crusaders rose up to finish off the remaining [[Dragonborn]]? He returned to [[Synàra]] in search of another job, one that he hoped would reveal a better path forward.

Not yet convinced that fighting was the best solution for his clan, he found himself in the town of [[Tsojcanth|Tsoljcanth]] where he was intrigued by the unique problem plaguing its residents: they were being rendered invisible to one another at seemingly random intervals. Durian joined a search party in following clues to the potential source of the problem: a stolen [[Dragon]] egg, strange in appearance and not dissimilar to the "egg-shaped gem" that had been stolen from [[Jadenhill]]. The party tracked the egg into the forest and found themselves battling invisible monsters. In a last-ditch attempt to shake them off, Durian shouted at the monsters that "I need to protect that egg!" In that moment, the monsters became visible to him and a brilliant [[Dragon#Gem Dragons|Sapphire Dragon]] appeared flying overhead. Durian had never heard of a [[Dragon#Gem Dragons|Gem Dragon]] before. He called out to her "who are you, who do you follow?" before witnessing her fly off with the egg, questions unanswered. Shortly thereafter, the party heard a voice in their heads declaring them friends of [[Dragon#Gem Dragons|Gem Dragons]] and being granted the [[Draconic Boon#Boon of the Galadiir (Corundum Egg)|Boon of Bleucorundum the Sapphire Dragon]], a protection which would render them "invisible to any [[Dragon]] who would hurt you, so long as you don't shed any [[Dragon|Dragon's]] blood." Possibilities raced through Durian's mind, could this boon lead to the solution for his clan that he'd been looking for? What is a [[Dragon#Gem Dragons|Gem Dragon]], could this be the reason he looks and feels so different from the other metallic [[Dragonborn]] at home?

The '''Korred''' captains docked the boat to address any damages and refuel at their midway station, which turned out to be an illicit mining operation in the [[Isonhound]] forests that the captains were involved with, even hauling mining equipment on their boat. As they pulled in, however, it was clear that the site had been completely destroyed, presumably by the [[Bronze Dragon]]. The team explored what was left of the site, displeased with the environmental scarring that the mining had caused, and quickly turned against the unapologetic '''Korreds'''. So much so, that when the [[Bronze Dragon]] eventually caught up with the team, they fed the '''Korred''' captains to him. They had a brief conversation with the [[Dragon]], who revealed that there were still enslaved workers trapped in the collapsed mine. He was unsympathetic to them, however, as he believed that anyone involved with this mining "deserve their fate." Durian also spoke to the [[Bronze Dragon]], but it was very clear that Durian was invisible to him as the creature struggled to make eye contact and follow the sound of Durian's voice. This was curious to Durian…did this mean that the [[Bronze Dragon]] still sought to harm him, or was he simply now invisible to all [[Dragon|Dragons]] of the [[Dragon#Metallic Dragons|Metallic]] and [[Dragon#Chromatic Dragons|Chromatic]] variety? More importantly, what did it say about the moral perspectives of [[Dragon#Gem Dragons|Gem Dragons]] if [[Bleucorundum]] viewed all non-[[Dragon#Gem Dragons|Gem Dragons]] as potentially harmful? There was a [[Warforged]] on their team who also seemed to be invisible to the [[Dragon]], but Durian did not know where the [[Warforged]] sourced their invisibility from.

Following the battle of the [[The Shadow Forge Shutdown|Shadow Forge]], the '''Curator''' offered a favor of information to those who aided in the battle. Durian used his favor to ask the '''Curator''' about [[Sardior]], but he was unable to provide any new leads except to reaffirm all that [[Yggwilv]] had already said. He suggested seeking out the [[Dragon#Gem Dragons|Gem Dragons]] for more answers, a recommendation which Durian felt very intent on following. He spent six weeks conducting research on [[Sardior]] and the [[Dragon#Gem Dragons|Gem Dragons]], using bribes and favors in order to compile a list of nearly everything ever put to paper about the ancient ruby god. It was not a terribly long list, which is predictable when conducting research on prehistory beings, but Durian was confident that it was at least comprehensive. One particular find caught his attention: stories of an unknown sixth type of [[Dragon#Gem Dragons|Gem Dragon]]. He immediately connected this sixth type with [[Feredemius|The One That Waits]], a mysterious dark entity who had recently began plaguing Isonhound. Durian surmised that [[Sardior]] must have casted this sixth [[Dragon#Gem Dragons|Gem Dragon]] out of his court and that they had returned to exact revenge on the reemerging [[Dragon#Gem Dragons|Gem Dragons]]. He felt further supported by this claim after some other adventures turned up a previously unknown [[Dragon#Gem Dragons|Gem Dragon]] type: [[Dragon#Gem Dragons|Obsidian]].

After a bit of struggle crossing the [[Iron Horse]] track that circled the factory, they entered to find it in the midst of a large-scale heist. '''Warforged-Centaurs''' were rolling around collecting as much [[Wovenstone]] as they could for use in the [[Into the Greedy Green/The Story So Far#Session 53: DOS III|MSDOS']] project to resurrect [[Tuschello|Tuschello the Topaz Dragon]]. Durian also spotted the topaz [[Warforged]] from [[Into the Greedy Green/The Story So Far#Session 53: DOS III|MSDOS]] standing atop a high balcony giving directions, and he called up to ask how they could help. The [[Warforged]] thanked him, telling them to grab [[Wovenstone]] and start carrying it to the cart they had parked outside. Durian began to do so, but '''Tolmè''' soon caught up with them and discovered his factory in the midst of being robbed. He turned his [[Autom|Automs]] on the adventurers as well as the '''Warforged-Centaurs''' and even began shooting at them himself. Durian tried to escape by hitching a ride on a conveyer belt deeper into the factory, where he discovered [[Into the Greedy Green/The Story So Far#Session 53: DOS III|MSDOS']] '''Clockwork Dragon''' also wreaking havoc. This gave Durian an idea and, in the chaos of the factory floor, he casted a major image of [[Smargarg|Smargarg the Emerald Dragon]] that roared "court is called, the five complete the four, the ruby will be…[[Sardior|Sardior's]] return is inevitable!" This served to briefly distract the [[Autom|Automs]] in the ensuing fight which persisted until everyone heard a monstrous roar coming from outside. The adventurers fled the factory to find the source of this roar and discovered an enormous [[Red Dragon]] attacking the town. Believing that he couldn't help in this fight without drawing [[Bleucorundum|Bleucorundum's]] wrath, Durian fled through one of the [[The Feywild|Fey]] portals that the '''Curator''' had left behind, depositing him and the [[Topaz Astrolabe|Astrolabe]] at the '''Lunaran''' temple in [[Seglock]].

As Durian peered off the stern of the [[Airship]], he saw the reanimated skeleton of a gargantuan [[Dragon]] flying towards them with incredible speed. Its eye sockets were filled with green fire and it was steadily gaining on the two [[Airship|Airships]]. Members of the party launched ranged spells and weapons at the monster, which seemed to slow it down for a while. Thinking back to the massive [[Sardior|Ruby Dragon]] woven into the tapestries in [[Bleucorundum|Bleucorundum's]] lair, Durian casted a major image of what he imagined [[Sardior]] to look like and shouted, "you cannot stop him!" For a brief moment, [[Feredemius|The One That Waits]] seemed startled by the visage of his old boss before coming to his senses and flying straight through the illusion. The party continued pelting heavy blows at the monster until they managed to put a respectable distance between them. Durian casted another major image off the stern of the [[Airship]]—this time of a massive [[Dragon#Gem Dragon|Emerald Dragon]] like how he imagined [[Feredemius]] must have looked in the old days—and loudly echoed the prophecy: "court is called, the five complete the four, the ruby will be…[[Sardior]] will return and there's nothing you can do about it!" This visibly enraged [[Feredemius|The One That Waits]] as the entire skeletal [[Dragon]] became washed over in green flames and caught up to the [[Airship|Airships]] with a sudden burst of speed. In his shock as he stood off the stern of the [[Airship]], Durian roared his breath weapon at the monster as it quickly bolted towards him. This was in vain, however, as the skeletal [[Dragon]] grabbed Durian in his teeth and slammed him into the deck of the [[Airship]], knocking him unconscious. His wounds were stabilized by another member of the party as the rest of the group threw a final round of blows at the monster before its bones began to break apart and land scattered on the ground below them. The party carried on their course towards [[Seglock]], having secured two [[Airship|Airships]] as well as the vital component for '''Tolmè''' to craft an artificial [[Crystal Moonwell|Moonwell]].

=== Mirrors & Fountains ===

During Adrian's watch, he tried talking to '''Kyar'<nowiki/>''' to try and get a better understanding of his affinity for secrets. Making small talk about the contents of the journal, '''Kyar'''' revealed that it had belonged to his old friend '''Nephilla''' and that he was reading it "for nostalgia." He seemed to come across a page that was especially interesting and Adrian asked what it said, but '''Kyar'''' would not reveal anything more without another trade. He took particular interest in the silver raven figurine as it was apparently some sort of wondrous magical item, but Adrian said that it belonged to the team and it was not his alone to trade away, which '''Kyar'''' seemed to accept. Before returning to his rest, Adrian also asked '''Kyar'''' about the glowing rock that the '''Bullywugs''' in the cave worshipped. '''Kyar'''' laughed, explaining that it was a simple '''Luckstone''' that the '''Bullywugs''' assigned superstition to after an earthquake had coincidentally occurred at the same time they had last touched the stone. With that, '''Kyar'''' returned to his reading and Adrian went to sleep.

It was one day's journey back to '''Terakai''' after leaving the '''Pericles Hills'''. Adrian and '''Dave''' attempted to identify the raven figurine along the way, discerning that it was magical in some way but not how to activate it. All of the living as well as deceased children ('''Garland''' the 4-year-old [[Halfling]], '''Anton''' the 5-year-old [[Human]], '''Rupus''' the 7-year-old [[Human]], and '''Huru''' the 9-year-old [[Half-Orc]]) had reverted to their original forms as they reached the outskirts of town. It was the late evening and the team decided to come up with a plan for how to deal with the children before reentering town, opting to take them to '''Silence''' as she seemed well-rehearsed in dealing with conflict amongst the townsfolk. '''Merys''' relayed this plan to the oldest child '''Kylie''', and she relayed it to the younger surviving children.

When morning finally came, Adrian walked past '''Merys'''' door hoping that he was also up as he did not quite feel ready to brave downstairs alone. Luckily, '''Merys''' was walking out at that exact moment and they both went down together. '''Ashe''' and '''Dave''' also reentered the tavern in that moment through the front door. They all sat at a table except for '''Dave''', who started trying to clean all around the room as if nothing had happened. '''Silence''' descended the stairs with a yawn, seemingly back to her normal spirits, and called to the kitchen for four morning sunrise platters. She sat with the team, apologizing for her impatience the night before as four platters of food floated towards the table and were placed in front of each of them.

They left the walls of the city in the direction of the fields…but all they found resembling a circus was a single, small tent guarded by a man whittling a stick into a point. '''Merys''' approached the man and asked if this was the circus, to which he replied—without even looking up from his whittling—that the circus had already passed through. '''Merys''' questioned what was inside the tent, but the man dismissively retorted "nothing that concerns you." '''Merys''' tried to press more by mentioning the toy rats and asking if he knew of any craftsmen who could have produced them. The man, however, sternly insisted that he didn't know anything about them. As Adrian listened in, he checked the man as having lied through his teeth for that entire conversation. He interjected to ask what was inside the tent if it didn't have to do with the toy rats, but the man kept up his act of completely stonewalling the team. Adrian responded "fine, then I guess you won't mind me taking a look" while attempting to slip past the man and enter the tent…but the man slashed him across the abdomen as his whittling stick elongated into a sword. Adrian attempted to press forward as the man's jaw unhinged, biting into Adrian as the man transformed into his [[Yuan-Ti]] form. '''Merys''' approached Adrian from behind and grabbed his shoulder intending to pull him back, but—upon feeling Adrian standing his ground—he removed his hand and backed away from the confrontation. Meanwhile, '''Maple''' sat down on the ground and pretended to not know the rest of the team. The [[Yuan-Ti]] gave them a warning to leave, but Adrian attempted to dodge past him again and was stabbed once more before falling unconscious. '''Dave''' casted a healing spell to reawaken Adrian and the team lugged him away from the encounter.

The team left the bar, opting to investigate the orphanage that '''Sqecia''' had mentioned to them. Upon locating the building, they found it in a state of complete disrepair…part of the roof had caved in, and any vegetation that grew from the cracks of urban sprawl seemed to die completely within the building's vicinity. '''Maple''' knocked on the door, inviting the sounds of children's muffled chatter as their beady eyes peeked out of the windows to get a glimpse at the woman with a mechanical arm. A girl in her early teens answered the door. She had a scar over her left eye—the eye itself milky and clouded over—indicating that she was probably blind on that side. She asked what they wanted, to which '''Maple''' asked if any children possessing a creepy doll had stayed there recently. She confirmed that some children matching that description had been there, but they hadn't been back for several days. '''Maple''' thanked the girl, offering her some gold to help buy food. She asked if '''Maple''' had any candy instead, to which '''Maple''' promised to bring some candy if they ever returned. '''Maple''' relayed this all back to the team, explaining that she was trying to build a rapport with the children to potentially gain access to inside the orphanage later. Notably, the team observed the teen girl conferring with someone on the second floor before coming downstairs to answer '''Maple's''' knocks.

Durian was sturdily built like most [[Dragonborn]], although he was not exceptionally strong. His scales were a shimmering emerald color with a fine, prickly texture and translucent at the surface. He had draconic emerald eyes and long head tendrils which hung down his back like a mop of hair. He also had a tail, uncommon but not unheard of amongst [[Dragonborn]]. His garbs would forego the customary blue of most [[Bahamut]] worshippers, instead opting for assorted metallic hues to better resemble the metallic [[Dragonborn]] most common amongst his clan. He still expressed his allegiance to [[Bahamut]], however, by donning a conspicuous pendant with his religion’s traditional symbol and color. He also wore a necklace that he handmade fastened with a [[Tear of Sardior]], symbolizing his mission to help resurrect the god of [[Dragon#Gem Dragons|Neutral Dragons]].

Durian’s prior knowledge of what existed outside [[Jadenhill]] had all been secondhand, so he looked upon the world with wondrous eyes. He asked lots of questions, seeking knowledge and solutions to problems that may not have even occurred yet. He had a deep appreciation for his own mortality, but would go all in for a cause he felt was just. He would try to fall back on the teachings of his temple when confronted with a new moral dilemma, but often privately struggled to fit all quandaries into the good-versus-evil paradigm that [[Bahamut]] espoused. He hoped that joining the fight against [[Dragon|Dragons]] would help bring clarity to his religious anxieties. The realities of the conflict, however, only further muddied his outlook.

Being new to '''Lyaphaire''', Adrian can come off as endearingly naive when encountering new things. He hides a chip on his shoulder due to feeling forsaken by his god, [[Sardior]], after sacrificing himself for the [[Dragon#Gem Dragons|Gem Dragon]] god's resurrection and being consequently discarded in an unfamiliar realm. He speaks about his past in vague terms and is often reluctant to talk about it since he is doubtful that anyone would believe him, yet alone be able to provide the sort of closure he desires. Optimism is a shaky habit to kick, however, so he hopes for a day when he is able to prove his worthiness to the [[Dragon#Gem Dragons|Gem Dragons]] and reclaim his emerald essence…possibly even return home and learn if his efforts to revive [[Sardior]] had paid off.

*Before leaving home, Durian had never seen or tasted the fruit of his unintended namesake. Coincidentally, however, durians are one of the few fruits that appear on the [[GM:It Came From Kiston#Scavenging Table|Scavenging Table]] for the [[Dragon]]-ridden mainland of [[Kiston (Island)|Kiston]]. Additionally, a single durian fruit once came into [[Jadenhill]] as a gift from an overseas diplomat, but it just ended up used as a kickball.