When Dragons Sleep

Thormir’s mind was cluttered with the sensations of the environment around him. Even though his awareness of his surroundings had become extremely amplified, he still had one overbearing thought - hunger. And then he noticed Bishop walking in front of him, but it didn’t seem like Bishop any more. It didn’t look like his friend any more.

Waves of energy began to course all over the elf’s body, and he felt more and more invigorated and energized. It was like the rest of the world had slowed down and he was running at full speed. He wanted to get the attention of the man in front of him, but an attempt at calling his name only came out as a growl.

Bishop heard the animal-like noise behind him, and turned around to catch a flash of something quickly moving towards him. He felt a sharp pain in his neck, and the sensation that someone was holding him in an embrace. H then blacked out, forever.

Thormir drank and drank, savoring the hot fluid in his mouth. It made him feel stronger, and helped the hunger to subside. As if by instinct, he realized the need to clean up the mess he had made, so he began dragging the body of cleric back through the forest, towards the cavern.

- - - -

In the town of Shinnington, Bishop Mace, his elven friend Thormir, and the dwarf Dinbilgar were never seen or heard from again. In the years after their disappearance, several groups of brave adventurers headed towards the mountains with hopes of slaying a dragon and claiming its treasure. Not a single person returned from those excursions.

With the constant threat of imminent danger from dragon attack, Shinnington eventually dried up. To this day, travelers make great efforts to avoid the Menol mountains and the ghost town of Shinnington, as many people have reported seeing strange things going on in and around the ruined buildings, especially near Mace’s Tavern.

Some folks even say the town is haunted.