Barraugh was born to Bicerphax and Archirserex, two dragons that were unaligned to the two major factions. Both of them worked in construction. Given their refusal to join either the Helian or Lunus factions, they often had trouble finding well paying work and so Barraugh often found himself carried along to the settlements of non-dragon races where his parents would help in erecting their homes when he was old enough to glide in the slipstream of primal magic from his parent’s wings. Unfortunately, his parent’s decision to stay neutral affected his ability to join a good school, many would only cater to Lunus or Helian families, anything else was incredibly scarce, and often dubious in their quality of education.

Even so, he happily mimicked how his parents worked with stone, metal, and essence. Barraugh would show his parents the lumpy bricks and warped lumps of metal he made, often met with encouragement and a few words on how to improve his work. This would turn into the beginning of his education in crafting from his parents.

He enjoyed helping his parents with the simpler parts of their tasks when able. He would pull around small loads of bricks, wood, and metal bars for them to use- he was too young to participate in any real labor. More often, Barraugh would be sent by his parents to mingle with the other kids if there were any, or to go play nearby where he would still be within sight of them. He got along well with the kids of the diverse living races; satyrs, sslik, fiends, humans, elves, even tiny dryads. All of them were a suitable playmate, and being often the largest of the group made him a first choice when picking teams for rougher games.

However, this lifestyle of being on the move with his parents and visiting settlements across Istaria would not last. During a visit to a relatively quiet settlement near Bristugo, Barraugh was left to his own devices while his parents worked. The day was too hot to do much, so he elected to nap in the shade of a large tree until they came to find him. He was unaware that a hunting patrol of skulks were nearby. They found him as he dozed, and his life was cut short as a cruel blade sliced his throat.

He barely felt its sting through his dreams, and immediately a sense of weightlessness came over him. However, this was not his final breath, and the hatchling found himself waking on the island of Skalkaar. His parents were nowhere to be found, and he was in unfamiliar surroundings. However, there was another hatchling there, whom he learned was Spitfyre. He was horrified to learn he had died, and was transported here, so far away from them where they would probably have no mind to even think to search for him. Even worse, his strange ability, The Gift, had doomed him to be trained to fight the Withered Aegis! He had heard of them in passing; horrible undead monstrosities that were trying to wipe out all life on the prime as they knew it- Barraugh assumed that the adults would handle it, and such worries were supposed to be far from his mind so he could focus on his studies.

He was so stunned with it all that he found himself unable to argue when he was directed to Karkath for training. When he found the dragon, however, he made an attempt to argue, that he was not soldier material, and he needed to find his parents. Unfortunately, his concerns were glossed over as he was sent to train by hunting the local beasts, and after that, sent to Jemenoth to learn how to craft. These tasks were less jarring, and far more welcome than the bloodthirsty trials Karkath asked of him. In a way it reminded him a little of learning crafting from his parents, although he found Jemenoth’s standards to be different than those of his mother and father. His parents taught him well, though the elder dragon seemed to pick at certain details here and there. This would also be the first time the hatchling learned how to craft weapons and armor- albeit hesitantly. Well protected and armed or not, he did not think combat was something that befitted a child.

It was when he was gathering the sandstone slabs for his chest scale, Barraugh noticed the path leading down to the far end of the island, and the far off hum of a portal gate. He knew well enough how to operate them, he had joined his parents on trips that required using them to save their effort and time spent flying. He eagerly abandoned the pile of sandstone he had been gathering and made a beeline for the way off this horrible island. But as he left Skalkaar, Barraugh found himself somewhere worse; New Trismus, which had an active undead infestation that they were clearly trying to control. Most of the planning, to his dismay, involved throwing newly Gifted like himself at the problem.

He needed to get away from this place, there had to be a way out. Unfortunately, Avariatus would have none of it, as he caught the hatchling and promptly sent him off to perform the same wanton carnage (as he saw it) as Karkath. Again, his attempts at arguing and pleading to let him find his mother and father were dismissed with a wave of the trainer’s clawed paw.

“If you want to find your parents, you should to be strong enough to get back to them on your own.” He had said, before sending him off to fight the local risen skeletons.

One look at the shambling boney creatures was enough to send the hatchling hiding. He found a place in the upstairs storage of one of the buildings in the town to curl up and sob. However, he would not be left alone for long, as a satyr happened across him while she went to investigate the sound of what she thought was an animal whimpering in pain.

Barraugh had expected to be pulled back out to fight, but to his pleasant surprise, the satyr sympathized with him. This one was Gerra, an aspiring paladin whom had elected to train here of her own decision when she found out she had the gift. Fairly certain herself that trying to train hatchlings to fight in a war was an act of desperation on the side of the dragons, and there were likely plenty of hatchlings that did not actually want to be parted from their families- she happily volunteered to help Barraugh find his way back home. Gerra already had several seasons of combat experience under her platemail belt, it would be no feat for her to act as the hatchling’s guardian until they could find his parents.

She took him under her metaphorical wing, protecting him from the local dangers while helping him find a way back to his parents. Though most Gifted hatchlings seemed to have accepted their new role and the possibility of never seeing their families again, Barraugh knew his parents would be looking for him, and perhaps all he needed to do was get off of New Trismus so they could find him.

Gerra knew that the local portal to Lesser Aradoth went to Kion, a coastal trade hub on a small island off the coast of Aradoth. With how Barraugh had told her that his parents worked in construction, and her knowledge that the area had been growing more developed before she found out she had the Gift as well, she figured it to be the best place to go first to try and reunite the hatchling. The two made for the portal immediately, and were met with dry heat on their faces and the smell of briny air in their noses the moment they stepped off the landing pad into Kion. However, in this city of vibrantly painted sandstone and the cat-like Saris, they saw a few dragons, but none that were Barraugh’s parents.

Asking around, the guards had recalled seeing two worried parents that were looking for Barraugh, and that the duo had took wing back to the trade city of Bristugo once they found their child did not end up in Lesser Aradoth. Now that the hatchling was brought to Kion’s guards, a message could be sent to the Dalimond Militia to direct the two dragons back to Kion. The following days were relatively uneventful, though Gerra insisted on staying by Barraugh to ensure she saw he made it back to his parents, and to help explain exactly what had happened to their child.

One morning the thunderous clap of leathery wings sounded over the town, and the rising sun was blotted out by two adult dragons. Their nostrils flared with every puff of exhausted breath from undoubtedly may have been the fastest they had flown in their lives. Immensely grateful to the Satyr cleric and Kion’s guards for reuniting them with their child, listening as both Barraugh and Gerra explained what happened to bring this strange circumstance into being. Their hatchling was one of the Gifted, although too young to join the fight against the Withered Aegis just yet. on one hand, the parents were worried all over again at the thought of their child being dragged into a war against the undead, and all that could imply for Barraugh’s well being- on the other, knowing their hatchling was nigh immortal and far more resilient than the average dragon was a point of pride for the two, knowing that their hatchling was lucky enough to receive the Gift, and would have access to better schooling and mentorship than what could be found in any Helian or Lunus run academy.

Barraugh left Kion with his parents, and stayed with them until he was old enough, and confident enough, to return to New Trismus to take his training. From there, Barraugh’s training followed the same course of most, completing the trials set before him by his trainers. He traveled from New Trismus to Kion and Lesser Aradoth, to Bristugo, to Dalimond and further into the Eastern Continent. It was when he arrived in Mahagra on a quest that he reunited with Gerra, who had moved further along in her training since helping Barraugh reunite with his parents. Though many years had passed, perhaps a few decades since the incident, the Satyr had barely aged a day. Even more amazingly, she remembered him.

work in progress!

work in progress!