Dragons Watch, Felucca, Chesapeake (PaxLair Times) – August 16, 2012 – by Ashlynn – Not long ago I was wandering the gleaming streets of Nujelm carefully considering which avirtuous establishment to overindulge in first when a young boy, no more than ten summers old appeared eager for my attention.
I cannot recommend this place enough. And they know how to keep out the riff raff too.
“Miss Reporter! Miss Reporter!” he shouted in a grating high pitched voice.
He asked if I was indeed the famous reporter from the times, which I of course confirmed, giving the boy a reason to smile wide as he was clearly in the presence of a heroine almost as famous as the Avatar himself. The things I have seen and written about must amaze the ordinary Sosarian, along with my peerless arcane skill and my ability to get around swiftly and cover the latest stories. Faster even than that Tengu reporter that allegedly dwells in Tokuno.
“I have a question,” he stated. I urged him to ask it and to be hasty. I could already smell the aroma of spiced dishes carrying on the wind and I was starting to feel hungry. The only thing I wanted to swiftly report about tonight was some heavily spiced food and highly alcoholic wine.
“Why is it called Dragons Watch?”
“Because they watch dragons, of course,” I replied, filling his tiny little head with previously unknown knowledge. His eyes lit up at the enlightening answer and he soon scampered off down the street.
Truth be told I’m not actually sure if that’s the reason. It must be though. And as we know there are dragons everywhere. Earik of Dragons Watch even keeps one as a pet and I see many in tow when the militia are rallied for whatever crisis of the month seems to be plaguing the realm.
So let us assume that IS why they call it Dragons Watch. Because they watch dragons and loose dragons can be a menace. But let us also consider the main advantage these draconic creatures have outside of their cavernous homes.
They can fly.
We have few options when it comes to dealing with things at a distance. Crossbow bolts and arrows are obvious choices but gravity is a cruel and heartless… mistress and she sees that their range is limited when shot into the sky. Assuming they can even pierce the creature’s thick scaly hide.
Another option are cannons, but they are expensive and a lot of work. And they are heavy too, not to mention they can easily miss. Additionally you need a lot of alchemicals just to shoot a single iron ball!
Furthermore, Dragon’s Watch sits on the coast and a dragon hovering out over the sea can quickly put itself in a position where it is difficult to engage. I was once told that simply shouting at them was a tactic worth considering but I imagine whoever told me that was drunk at the time. I know I was.
With this conundrum in mind, Lazulli of Dragons Watch decided to do something about it. For months she lounged around my ruin, running over ideas in her head looking half-comatose as she did so (well actually I think that was more the result of constantly imbibing this ginseng and mandrake root derived potion that had been mixed with some of my powdered zoogi, but anyway).
One evening she stumbled on a box of old fireworks I had been gifted by Lady Lenora, some of the biggest ever infact. She set one off and her eyes suddenly lit up as she was hit by an epiphany.
For the next several days she tinkered away on a strange device made from timber, old barrels and various metal… things and when she was done she unveiled the device.
It was quite a sight! She called it a “rocket” but I just told her it didn’t look much like a plant. It looked like a long wooden tube with a cone at the end and several of those old “Dragon’s End” swords we’d recovered from Covetous sticking out of the top.
She told me it worked on the same principle as the fireworks but on a much bigger scale. When the fuse was lit, the whole thing would hurtle towards whatever draconic beast was flying off the coast. I suggested that it might miss but I was soon corrected. Apparently there was a big crystal in the cone and that, along with the presence of the dragon slaying blades, would ensure the really long flying barrel would be attracted towards the beast.
“Well!” I said, “This is a fine invention! I’ll have to let everyone know about it! Let’s hope it doesn’t explode and kill everyone or something when you try to use it!”
So far, I hear that the contraption hasn’t but it is certainly good news that Dragons Watch is in a better position than ever to watch and shoot down dragons. I imagine after hearing news of the device that all the reptilian beasts out there will think twice before making any kind of flying visit to the town.