Lith the Crispy Centaur: An Ilroch Herd Tale[edit | edit source]
Once, not so long ago, the Ilroch did not migrate out of respect for land, but out of necessity. You see, back then, there were monsters about worse than those of the Twisted Fae; there were dragons!
The dragons were larger than anything we can fathom now, although the remains in the North could give a clue to the imaginative mind. They were great, hulking, yet graceful beasts that could fly faster than an arrow and crush with more power than the greatest waterfall. They were the most dreaded enemy of all races and forced many underground, but not the centaur!
We are free creatures and wandering folk not meant to be quarantined on one continent, much less a small cave system. No, we remained planted solidly above ground where we could flourish, but in order to do so, we had to create new ways of fighting in order to protect ourselves. And so, the tribe stayed on the move, hiding as best we could while we crafted a magical defense inspired by the dragons' themselves. There were no greater craftsmen, however, than Lith and Naura.
A mated pair, Lith and Naura worked seamlessly finishing one another's discarded projects and pushing the other in directions yet envisioned. These two are the only ones ever to share a seat on the Council because electing just one was meaningless without the other. Still young, they had already earned many weaves in their exploits of not just magic, but also their study of other races and so, they were often elected to be sent away from camp to barter with others in an emergency.
It was on one such occasion, that Lith and Naura were faced with the unspeakable. Just a quarter day's ride away from camp, they were stopped by a brief, but uncompromising wind storm. As the leaves settled, the origin of the storm stood before them, felled trees beneath their mighty claws: a dragon!
Lith and Nuara recognized her instantly. It was Mesanth, a gold dragon who ironically did not hoard gold, but magical knowledge in order to bring about the raising of her Goddess: Tiamat. She had long tormented the residents of Isonhound for their magical abilities in order to add to her own arsenal.
"Centaur, I have learned that you and your kin are the creators of new magics. I demand that you give me their skill." she boomed, branches creaking as she shifted her weight toward the pair.
"Oh great Dragon," Lith responded, kneeling slightly, "we have no skills the like of which you might seek. Against your might, they are but playthings, meek and weak."
On the tailwind of a smoky snorted laugh, came the glimmering beast's retort. "Then you should not resist my request, else your playthings be put to the test."
"Our magics could easily destroy the likes of you," butted in Nuara.
"DESTROY?" Mesanth cackled, "You could not dent a scale on my hide before you fell beneath it."
"A test, then! Our skills against yours. Should we indeed dent a scale on your hide, you leave our kin be. Should we fail, our pitiful creations will be yours." With that, brambles sprung up around Mesanth's legs threatening to keep her in place as Nuara's first arrow met it's mark.
With a smirk from her shining lips, Nuara and Lith were thrown back as the dragon's wings tore her hulking mass free of the brambles and threw her into the sky. Her great maw opened to unleash a fiery breath, but Lith's arrow found it's mark first as a shockwave explosion wracked her gaping mouth. Annoyed and with all scales in place, Mesanth disappeared from the sky with a slight pop.
Suspecting a surprise attack, Nuara knocked an arrow and, after a short evocation, let it fly. As it left her bow, it twisted and turned to hit its target, revealing Mesanth not a gallop behind her. Soon, the centaur couple was bathed in searing flames, but Lith managed to dive to shelter behind a nearby outcropping. Nuara, unfortunately, was not so quick. As soon as the flames receded, Lith's next arrow engulfed Mesanth in shadow blinding her to anything outside her immediate reach.
Enraged, a clearing was soon made with a few sweeps of her tail, but Lith remained hidden as his next shot landed, enfeebling the dragon. Weakened, but furious, Mesanth continued to lash out blindly, roaring as she set the nearby stand of trees ablaze, searching desperately for the source of her ire.
In one last rapid fire, six exploding shots rang out over the dragon's side as Lith's last arrows flew from the trees and one, singular scale fell from Mesanth's hide onto the smoldering leaves below.
"It is done," cried Lith, stepping away from the remaining treeline and into Mesanth's view.
"That was your last mistake, centaur," Mesanth replied, lunging forward with her jaws ready to snap over Lith's tiny body.
Lith was faster, however, and his final shot landed squarely in the dragon's tongue just as her maw began to close around him. Immediately, she disappeared, but Lith could hear her defeated roar from thousands of acres away.
With a grave purpose, Lith crossed Mesanth's war path to gather what was left as Nuara into his arms. Weaves burned away at their roots, and hide charred, Lith returned home with his passed beloved, never to create magic again. However, the tribe came together once a year, bringing their new magics, skills, and ideas to honor Nuara, her sacrifice, and her genius. To this day, we celebrate in her name with our Breme brethren in the North on the last day of the Festival of Miliekki. We remember Nuara and Lith, and remember why it is the dragons must never return to this world now, or ever.
