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But what about dragons? Besides their innate power and their evolutionary growth that transcends age, how much have ancient dragons learned in their thousands of years of existence?
How could they not be weak? How could they not be weak? What gave them the right to be weak?
If sleeping makes you stronger, and sleeping long enough makes you the world's top power, who would bother to work hard?
They don't even want to sleep; most of the dragons' time is wasted on inexplicable things.
Casalos recalled that he had once compiled a list of powerful dragons in Faerûn by name when he had nothing else to do—by powerful, he meant those that surpassed the Ancient Gold Dragon CR.
Interestingly, none of the top five on this list are from the pan-metal dragon sub-races that should be the strongest!
The entire list contains only a handful of gold and silver dragons, as well as one bronze dragon.
The leader of the Atheros, the Old Supreme Dragon, Garugosingo the All-Knowing, even had a CR card that didn't surpass the ceiling of the Ancient Golden Dragon. So, was its defeat against the CR40 Chassa's raid truly unexpected?
In the ancient drow city of Charson, among the hybrid drow dragons—a branch of the drow race that combines shadow dragons and drow—there is a fellow named Tufir Arkenlight, who, despite having a mage level of 13 and an assassin level of 1, could achieve a crit of 30 in his prime; Azak, the silver dragon with the Claw of Justice, though only having a paladin level of 9, already possessed a crit of 32 during the ancient dragon era…
There are countless examples like this, which demonstrate the fact that surpassing the Primordial Golden Dragon is actually quite simple!
Is it really that difficult for a professional team of around level 10?
Of course not. While talent and luck may be indispensable for achieving a legendary profession, the innate advantages of dragons are enormous. Any dragon, if it could spare a little time from its usual aimless wandering and mischief, and put in just a tiny bit of effort, could easily level up to level 10 or higher by taking on a combat profession developed by humanoid races as a side job.
A certain bronze dragon, known as the Unexpected Calamity, caused trouble everywhere. However, he was raised by a human mage, which gave him a great curiosity about magic. As a result, he was able to obtain a level 14 warlock class in his youth, a level that even legendary humanoid teams dared not provoke.
If it continues to develop like this, it might be able to surpass the ceiling of Taikoo Jinlong 27cr when it matures!
Countless examples show that with just a little bit of effort, a dragon can truly become powerful.
Breaking free from one's own inertia, striving to discover one's own strength, and overcoming the psychological "shackles" brought about by innate power seems extremely difficult for dragons. The higher the dragon species, the more obvious this behavior becomes.
Moreover, dragons already have their own advanced career system created by dragons, which is suitable for them. They don't need to spend too much effort learning the careers developed by part-time human races.
However, Casaloz didn't see a single dragon with a class-level skill among the Atheroscrypha clan!
With this, you still want to restore Athlon's former status and glory?
Chassar was right; the Aetherian dragons were perhaps a pathetic bunch destined to be swept into the dustbin of history. If this situation doesn't change, then the entire dragon race of Faerûn will remain so…
The birth of Casalos and the opportunity presented by the Dragon Vault may not be a coincidence at all.
"I really have to thank you, Chassa..."
He said thank you, but Casalos's entrenched face and indigo eyes were filled with extreme hatred.
"Since you destroyed the Atheron race and killed my parents in front of me, yet let me live, then you must be prepared to face my vengeful wrath!"
A burst of sparks shot from Casalos's nostrils as it staggered to its feet from the semi-cooled, viscous lava, its right foreleg buckling as it collapsed.
What overwhelmed it was not just the weight of its body, but also the heavy burden that fell on its shoulders: the revival of the Athena dragon race, and the revenge against Chassa, the Color Dragon race, the Mother of Dragons, and the true mastermind!
It did not truly fall, but struggled again, using its broken wings as support, and rose again in a slower but more stable manner.
This time it didn't fall down again, but slowly raised its neck and tail, basking in the sunlight streaming through the gap in the cave ceiling, as if it had been reborn.
22. Escape from Death
Ancient dragons begin as tiny dragon eggs, and great dragons also grow from delicate fledglings.
Regardless, Casalos's first priority is to survive.
"In the end, I can't escape the fate of being an orphan and eating dirt..." It closed its eyes and sighed softly, suppressing its hatred deep into its soul and bones. It activated its metal perception and swallowed some inferior minerals with high iron content from the cooled lava.
Chewing on the inferior minerals that were full of dirt and ash, he couldn't help but recall the sweet taste of the high-quality minerals that Miss Tungsten Dragon fed him, as well as the smoothness of her tongue that was full of fire element power. Tears welled up between his inner eyelids again.
After the colorful dragon broke into the maze, the dying screams of the young iron dragon echoed in its ears from within the smoke and dust, lingering for a long time.
"Damn..."
With a curse, Casalos muttered something and began crunching away at the inferior ore encased in obsidian, as if that alone could kill Chassa.
The iron supplement slightly relieved the itching of the rusty scales, and Casalos regained some strength. Finding a rough sandstone in the cave, he pressed it against his body, rubbing it back and forth and side to side, making a swishing sound as he painstakingly removed the rust from his scales, leaving dense scratches on the newly grown, shiny coating. He finally felt a little better.
"Even eggshells are considered the ultimate delicacy now, but I've missed out on it."
Casalos didn't know how long he had been unconscious. The small amount of minerals brought from the ground in the lava pool in the cave was not abundant enough to fill his stomach. After solving the problem of itchy rusted scales, the weakness and hunger caused by not eating for a long time could no longer be concealed.
Casalos climbed to the cave entrance and listened quietly. He heard no sound outside, sniffed the air, but couldn't smell anything other than the pungent sulfurous substances from the lava. Only then did Casalos lean closer and observe the area with his eyes.
It had no idea where the flowing lava had taken it; there were no traces of the colorful dragons outside. The lava flowed down the valley, igniting the primeval forest covering the hills, setting off a forest fire that burned vast areas.
Saloz saw that the valley was already very narrow, and the forest fire had been extinguished. Opposite him was a patch of mostly charred dead wood, with grayish-white "snowflakes" flying everywhere. These were the underground ash ejected after the volcano was detonated by the battle with the ancient dragon, as well as the last traces of the burned flowers, grass, and trees.
Within the carbonized, withered forest, tender green shoots had already sprouted from the black and gray dust. It estimated that it had been unconscious for at least a few days, and that Chassa and the army of chromatic dragons must have already left—most of the members of that army of chromatic dragons were not dragons living in the prime material. No matter what kind of deal the Mother of Dragons made with whom to bring them to Faerûn, they could not stay for very long.
And the dragons like Chassa would not lower themselves to stay here and wipe out the "remnants" of the Atheros.
Casalos is most likely safe at this moment.
Crouching low, with its wings down, trying to conceal itself, Casalos was preparing to use its claws to widen the hole so it could pass through when it suddenly tapped its head with its wing hook.
"How stupid. Even the most annoying ability has its uses. It's clearly a divine skill, so why do I hate it so much? Is it the influence of my dragon nature... How strange."
While cursing, a thought flashed through its mind, and its dragon body, which was over five meters long, twisted and transformed into a giant lizard. It stuck out its tongue and flicked its long, thin tail. Its body, which had become long and "soft" due to adaptation and no longer had wings, Casalos crawled out of the cave, quickly crossed the valley, and ran into the carbonized deadwood forest.
Like the gold and silver dragons, the newly hatched iron dragon possesses a form-changing magic ability, allowing it to conceal its dragon body and act as any medium-sized or smaller animal or humanoid creature.
To avoid being watched by the possible chromatic dragons, Casalos did not choose the human form that most dragons preferred.
The sacred site of Atheron is located in the hills south of the Hazur Mountains on the Chultan Peninsula.
The Chultan Peninsula is a backward and uninhabitable region, teeming with monsters, dense jungles, and rampant diseases. It is a desolate land where people live in tribal units, using primitive weapons and ancient witchcraft. Humans from several surrounding tribal, closed regimes rarely venture into the Black Jungle and the Hazur Mountains, especially the southern foothills, because these areas are inhabited by the ferocious Yuanti Snake People.
A human's presence here is far too conspicuous, and it's not surprising that a monitor lizard active in the jungle, hiding in a damp cave that may contain groundwater, miraculously survived the lava flow and forest fire. During his observation, Casalos noticed that many small animals were already emerging from the carbonized jungle, searching for food. Those animals that couldn't escape the fire and perished in the forest had become a lavish buffet for the surviving animals.
Casalos naturally wanted to join their ranks.
Extending his tongue, equipped with olfactory organs, Casalos quickly found a charred tortoise by following the unique aroma of fats and proteins after high-temperature caramelization.
Using its massive size to scare away the carnivorous birds and rats that were surrounding the tortoise carcass, Casalos glanced at it with disdain, and then, mimicking the way monitor lizards had eaten in documentaries or videos of nature, painstakingly tore off pieces of the tortoise's charred flesh and ate them.
It dares not use dragon breath to process food now; charred chunks of meat are undoubtedly the most palatable choice for it.
Although dragons can eat almost anything, they are very picky eaters in most cases.
Even though it felt like a rebirth, Casalos felt that some things couldn't be tolerated forever. It had already been forced to eat the soil, the rotten chunks of meat and the foul-smelling entrails that most carnivores preferred, so it turned its back on it. After all, there were plenty of animals burned to death in this forest.
Fortunately, monitor lizards generally don't eat large prey, and this method of tearing off only the surface of their food is consistent with how they behave when they have the opportunity to obtain extra food, so it is unlikely to arouse suspicion.
After gnawing on the charred flesh of five corpses to fill his stomach, leaving their "plump" entrails for the jungle survivors, Casalos swayed, tongue lolling out, his back covered in dust, and strolled down the mountain where the scent of water could be smelled.
It needs to replenish some water and then find a place full of natural magic to have a good "sleep".
Having personally experienced its own genocide war, witnessed the tragic deaths of its parents, and with the fate of the tungsten dragon lady it had been in close contact with still unknown, its desire to become stronger was stronger than ever before.
Chapter 176
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The greatest crowned king of the Comensal Empire, Iltagrim, returned to Avandor in a conscious state, plunging all of Comensal into mourning.
After Iltagrim returned to Avanto, his niece, Elavie Ilisel, became the sole survivor of the Ilisel royal family. Elavie, over a hundred years old, was chosen by Iltagrim as his heir to the throne and carefully groomed. Lady Serenhi, along with several senior priests of elven and mortal deities, served as her mentors. By this time, Elavie had become a noble lady, outwardly gentle but inwardly strong, full of wisdom and reason. The crown prince was in his prime, and many vied to shower the future crown prince with praise, hoping to curry favor with the soon-to-be-crowned king. Elavie, however, had no liking for these sycophantic nobles hoping to gain more power in the future.
In fact, Elavie already had a prince she admired: Eustia Starling, heir to the noble Starling family of the Sun Elves, a brave Elven Blade Singer. Ironically, the Ilther and Starling families had a long-standing feud spanning centuries, yet the younger generation of both families were deeply in love with each other. Elavie hoped to mend the rift between the two families through marriage. However, more than a hundred years before Iltagrim returned to Avanto, Eustia had left Mysdrano to search for the long-lost Sword of War in order to prove to the Crown King that he was worthy of his niece, and had been missing ever since.
Ella firmly believes that her lover will return.
After Iltagrim returned to Avando, everyone's attention turned to Elavie.
Overwhelmed with grief, Elavie insisted on carrying out the ancient ritual, declaring a five-year mourning period to buy time. During this time, Elavie dispatched many subordinates to search for Eustia's whereabouts, while also learning from Lady Serenci how to gain the Crown Sword's approval and become a qualified Crowned King. Elavie and Serenci lived a secluded, semi-reclusive life, discussing how to ensure the continuation of Iltagrim's dream—Lady Serenci knew all too well how fragile Iltagrim's dreamland was.
During this time, the noble families of the elves began their most endeavored activity: spreading rumors. The central argument of the rumors was that the death of Iltagrim was orchestrated by the moon elf, Serenshi.
These families wanted to expel Silencer from the heart of the empire's power, because they didn't want this figure, who had stood beside the throne for over 600 years, to continue exerting her influence over "their" Comancel Empire—Casaros was certain that these elven nobles, with their brains full of bloated intestines, had always been the masterminds behind the Crown Wars, under the manipulation and control of the Lysa elves. Iltagrim's departure gave the Lysa elves the opportunity to kick this chosen one of the goddess of magic off the elven stage.
Many families recommended their heirs to Elavie, which annoyed her greatly. According to elven custom, a family in mourning could refuse any form of marriage alliance. Therefore, with the support of Serenhi, Elavie ordered the mourning to extend to the entirety of Mysdrano, thus gaining ample time to properly prepare to draw the Crown Sword and ascend to the throne.
However, as the mourning period entered its third year, Elavie was assassinated in a highly mysterious manner: on the night of Peace in the Year of Falling Flowers (664 DR), Elavie was murdered in her sleep, leaving a deep black bruise on her neck, shaped like an oversized elven hand. Her three Kingsguard, who had served as her bodyguards since birth, also died under mysterious circumstances, bearing the same mark on their necks. No magic or means could reveal the killer's identity, nor could the deceased be resurrected. The only clue at the scene were some black mud spots on the bed and the wall opposite the window, but no traces were found on the white carpets inside or outside the house. Furthermore, a thorough investigation revealed that this type of mud was not found within a 500-mile radius of Mysdrano.
102. Drawing the sword
Did the murderer find a loophole in the Mysterious Lock defenses protecting Mystron and teleport from 500 miles away, without alerting anyone, including Lady Silinshi, and easily kill the heir to the then most powerful Comansel Empire on the continent of Faerûn before leaving?
Anyone with even a basic understanding of high elven magic and elven magic locks would scoff at such speculation.
The dragon-proof barrier of Agar'haron in Waterdeep was constructed by the archmage Agar'haron using a single Seed of the Enchanted Lock, and to this day, no dragon has been able to find a breach in its defenses and infiltrate it. The Enchanted Lock of Mysdraor, however, is the ultimate defense built by dozens of high-ranking elven mages during the pinnacle of modern elven magical power, relying on divine artifacts. Who could possibly disregard it except for a traitor or a god himself?
The bizarre assassination attempt on Elavie sparked rumors throughout the city, with people speculating about the true culprit. Some suggested a noble family, others a malevolent relative of the elves in the Underdark, or even the "ugly" Saronian monsters, or even the Felin, the destroyer of Netheril… The most discordant voice accused Lady Sylphine of the assassination—clearly another of the old tricks of certain families.
The truth behind the assassination of Crown Prince Comansell remains buried in the dust of history with the fall of the Comansell Empire, unknown to anyone. Casalos, with his omniscient perspective, only knows that the true culprit was Ellison Starling, heir to the Starling family.
It's said that this guy fears that if Eustia Starling returns and marries Elavie, he will replace him as the head of the Starling family. As for how this arrogant good-for-nothing who was burned to death by the Crown Sword shortly afterward managed to carry out this perfect assassination without alerting Sirinsie, that remains a mystery—a reasonable guess is that it was most likely the work of those Lysa spirits.
Ishtar Green's utopia is not favored by these super-enhanced elves and elves among elves native to Faerûn.
The successful assassination of the crown prince led many nobles to demand an end to the mourning period and the early election of a new king. However, Celine and the court mages decided to respect Elavie's wishes and postpone the sword-drawing ceremony for selecting a new king. The nobles could only suppress their desire for power and prepare for the sword-drawing ceremony 19 months later.
Some disgruntled elves attempted to approach the Crown Sword, still hovering atop the Tower of Domination, by flying or other means. Naturally, they were blocked by the magic protecting the Crown Sword. Throughout the entire continent of Faerûn, no one could break through the magical barrier personally cast by Lady Silence.
On the morning of Midsummer's Day in the Year of the Severe Judgment (666 DR), the Sword Selection Ceremony officially began under the auspices of Lady Celine: for the first time in thousands of years, due to the extinction of the royal bloodline, the throne of the Crown King was opened to all families, including commoners.
Lady Serenhi and four other court mages drew magic from the Mystron's Enchanted Barrier and summoned a transparent, spherical barrier at the top of the Tower of Domination. The barrier allowed one person to pass through every four hours, while they remained on the tower to guard the barrier and the ritual, until someone was recognized by the Crown Sword and became the new Crown King.
Each Sun Elf noble family sent at least one heir to touch the Crown Sword in hopes of gaining its approval. The Kingsguard guarded the tower's entrance, forbidding anyone from entering; all elves could only ascend to the top by flight. Each elf participating in the ceremony believed their piety was sufficient to earn the Holy Sword's approval, but they all met with the same inevitable failure.
The Crown Sword sensed the endless greed and insatiable desire for power within these challengers, releasing golden flames that devoured all the spirits that touched it and ignited them into a humanoid firework that exploded high in the sky.
By dawn on the sixth day, 24 Sun Elf noble families had lost their heirs… In fact, starting from dawn on the fifth day, Moon Elf and Wood Elf noble families had requested to participate in the ceremony, but they were unable to…
Chapter 175
A wide passage was opened leading to the Underdark. Centuries after the Cataclysm, the drow elves and grey dwarves poured out of the tunnels of the Underdark and attacked the elven royal court and the dwarven kingdom of Saphir. Saphir was thus destroyed, and its territory was divided between the drow elves and grey dwarves; the drow, after plundering the elven royal court, retreated back to the Underdark, leaving only ruins behind.
Although the elven kingdom was not destroyed, the attack inflicted heavy losses on the elves, taking them four hundred years to recover. To prevent a recurrence of this tragedy, the elves began to strengthen their armed forces.
Meanwhile, the wood elves of Ristol declared their separation from the Great Forest, and the country became increasingly isolated and closed off, unwilling to form alliances with other elven kingdoms except to deal with the drow.
As King Orsens of Jerensta lay dying, he left a prophecy, instructing the next king to unite all people who could be united and advance together. Following Orsens's will, all candidates qualified to succeed him had to undergo numerous trials, and ultimately three passed the tests to enter the final ceremony. For this purpose, the surviving high-ranking mages of the Elven court forged three elven holy swords. During a high-level magical ritual, the three candidates simultaneously drew their swords, and Arthur… no, it was Kavorm Ilisel who drew the Crown Sword, becoming the new king.
After gaining the support of the nobles of Jerensta and Senberholm, Kavorm Ilisel declared that the entire Great Forest Elf Kingdom would be merged into a single United Nations, namely the Comansel Empire, and the Great Forest of Akra would be renamed the Comansel Forest.
Afterwards, in search of a suitable location for the imperial capital, Kavorm spent fifteen years wandering through the great forest. Finally, he plunged the Crown Sword into a small hill in the northern forest that appeared in his vision. The Crown Sword conjured a white tower out of thin air, which Kavorm named the Tower of Domination, and made it the center of the imperial capital, Comansor.
Over the next three thousand years, the orcs of Vasta, the drow of the Underdark, the evil god Morandor, and the archmages of Netheril all brought great calamity to Koman'thal, but the Empire persevered and continued to grow and expand, its duration surpassing that of any other human dynasty. During the Empire's expansion, Ristol, who had consistently refused to join and accept its aid, ultimately succumbed to its influence, falling to the giants and orcs in the Year of the White Frost (-64 DR).
Learning from the fall of Ristor, the sixth Crowned King of Cormanthor, Iltagrim Ilther, decided to unite with other benevolent races to create a glorious era. Ignoring strong opposition from many elven nobles, and with the support of the elven royal court, he invited the leaders of human tribes and clans from the valley to the capital, Cormanthor.
After a year of negotiations, the elves and humans signed the famous Valley Pact and erected a stone, agreeing to live in peace and marking the beginning of the Valley Cultivation Calendar (DR 1).
The prophecy of King Orsens of Jerensta speaks of "uniting the races of this great land." Iltagrim believes that these races also include non-elf races.
Therefore, in the Year of Sword and Violet (220 DR), he opened the Forest of Comanthos for the first time to a select group of non-elf mages, druids, artists, and other immigrants. Of course, this measure once again drew opposition from many nobles, and the Elven court firmly sided with Iltagrim.
Soon after, the great human sage Elminster disguised himself as an elf and entered the capital, Comansor. His appearance was intolerable to many elves. After a series of tests, Iltagrim declared Elminster a friend of the elves.
Nevertheless, many elves at the time still attempted to manipulate Elminster to thwart Iltagrim's plan for racial unification.
The noble families, led by the Starlings, even resorted to open rebellion. Fortunately, thanks to Elminster's shrewdness and the help of the goddess Mystra and their friends, the opponents failed. In the Year of the Rising Star (261 DR), as the Mystic Lock that enveloped the entire city rose in Comanso, Iltagrim and Sylphine renamed the capital Mysdrono and opened it to all good races of Faerûn.
Some elves chose to leave because they did not want to live with other races, but many more chose to stay.
Under the leadership of Iltagrim and with the assistance of Sylphine, and under the watchful eyes of the gods, Mysdrono reached the pinnacle of its prosperity:
This marked the first time in the history of Faerûn that elves, humans, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, and other forest races lived together harmoniously, caring for and supporting one another. Under the powerful protection of the Mystic Lock, people enjoyed health, longevity, and abundant food and clothing, leading to a highly developed and progressive society. The Harpists' Alliance, a benevolent organization active throughout Faerûn, whose predecessor was the Twilight Harpists, began its journey through history from this very moment.
Modeled after Mysdrano, sister cities sprang up across the Northlands, the most famous being Silvermoon City. Mysdrano gradually became the magical and artistic capital of Faerûn, earning the title "City of Song." Throughout Faerûn's history, no other city could rival its achievements.
As the saying goes, things reach their extremes and then reverse; prosperity inevitably leads to decline. With the erosion of time, Comanthel, which represented the most prosperous era of the Faerûn continent, also began its decline.
101. The Beginning of Decline
Casalos did not know whether the Comensal Empire was as glorious and great as recorded in history. He only knew that the establishment of this "land paradise" was completely contrary to the development law of the Faerûn continent. The only guarantee for its success and its continuation for hundreds of years was actually the unparalleled personal power of two idealists.
The first among them is, of course, Iltagrim Iliser, the Crown King of the Comensor Empire. According to Casalos, this Sun Elf is perhaps the most powerful humanoid warrior in the history of Faerûn, and he is also an Elven High Mage. The other one is the Chief Elven High Mage of the Comensor Empire, the Court Mage Master, a chosen one of the second generation of the Goddess of Magic, Mystra, the magic mentor of the human sage Ilminster, and the Greenwood who was resurrected from the form of a Beren lich into a moon elf and designated as the strongest creature in Faerûn, Lady Orwenia Estoda.
The empire was established and prospered because of the existence of these two individuals, and it also declined and perished because of their departure.
During the Midsummer Festival of the Year of Bloody Fangs (DR 661), a grand celebration was held, with revelry lasting all night. According to tradition, King Iltagrim would ascend the Tower of Domination before dawn to greet the first rays of sunlight. Unlike previous years, this time Iltagrim did not wear the robes symbolizing his royal status, but instead donned ancient armor that reflected a dazzling light, and with his crown sword at his waist, he ascended the tower.
When questioned, Iltagrim remained silent and simply smiled at the crowd. The revelers saw His Majesty the Sun Elf, his golden eyes gleaming brightly, and his lithe, agile steps as he ascended the tower—he seemed nothing like a frail, over 1200-year-old elf. Upon reaching the top, His Majesty drew the Crown Sword, the symbol of elven royal power, raised it above his head with both hands, and began to sing an ancient hymn of victory. His voice was resonant and sacred, like celestial music descending from the elven kingdom of Avandor.
Inspired by the King's voice, the people joined in the chanting, and the song resounded throughout Mystron.