Somewhere over the rough ocean waves, across the burned and blackened landscape of Atrata, through the peachy pink and orange forests of the Hinterlands, at the foot of the Farcaster peaks… Sits a small farmstead on a spring evening.
Inside the farmstead, a human farmer by the name of Morgan is putting his children, Sindy and Aaron, to bed.
“Pa,” says Aaron, pulling his blanket tighter, “when we went to market last month, Old Henrik told us of a town built inside a dragon’s skull. That can’t be true, can it?”
Morgan chuckles softly, settling into his chair. “Aye, it’s true my boy. But Old Henrik doesn’t know his history like I do - I bet he didn’t tell you how the town came to be! Have you ever heard the tale of Pyraxis the Goldwing?”
“Long before The Dark Age began, dragons ruled the skies. When Orcus arrived, they refused to bow. Greatest of all was Pyraxis the Goldwing - so vast his shadow covered villages, scales like molten gold.
For years, dragons fought the War of the Dragons but were losing. Pyraxis decided to face Orcus directly.
‘I can end this war myself,’ he told the others.
Vaelthrim the Rememberer warned: ‘His Wand of Death has ended other dragons in a whisper.’
But pride made Pyraxis a fool. “But all who have fell before were not me. I will end this war, I’ll face him alone, dragon to demon.” and so Pyraxis offered the challenge.
Orcus, amused, accepted. They met on the hills where Draymere now stands. Pyraxis descended from high above like a golden comet, breathing a fire that could melt mountains. But Orcus simply raised his wand.
Pyraxis fell like a stone. All that strength, ended with one gesture.
Vaelthrim found his friend’s body and wept. He learned that raw power couldn’t defeat Orcus - only wisdom could. That’s why he later helped Arrako the Pure and The Four with their trap.
People found the dragon’s skull embedded in the hillside. And over time Draymere was born, carved into Pyraxis’s skull.
Vaelthrim still lives. On quiet nights, Draymere folk hear wings overhead - the dragon keeping watch over his fallen friend.”
Morgan looked seriously at his children. “The lesson, young ones, is this: courage comes in many forms. Pyraxis had the courage to face his enemy directly, and though he failed, his sacrifice taught others how to succeed. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is admit when you need help.”
He stood and tucked them into their beds. “Now sleep. And remember - strength without wisdom is not strength at all.”