Shadow
Phoenix motions to you, and you follow her across the floor of the planetarium.
You enter a small room off to the side, which has a warm light, appearing
to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Then, you notice
that it comes from the walls. Your gasp makes Shadow Phoenix smile. "The
walls are made of firestone, which is very rare in large quantities such
as this. I got it from the place where I used to go to school, which was
inside a volcano," she sees your startled look and waves it away like a
fly, "I'll tell you more
about it later. Anyway, this stone holds nothing but the truth. Any
who try and lie to it get burned alive. Even fire dragons are not immune
to it, so strong is the Old Magick.The contest is written that stone tablet
over there." She points a finger towards the pillar in the center of the
room, above which is hovering a blue tablet. On it, in extremely weather-worn
writing is inscribed a riddle:
For those who wish
To seek and find
A dragon to occupy their time:
One task ye seeker must do:
Ye must describe,
In great detail,
A story that,
Is full of peril.
A dragon in it is a must,
Allow'd is fight, allow'd is lust.
This only one ye must complete,
To say "Here, here, I've done this
feat!"
And ye shall recieve a dragon.
"But what does it mean?" you ask as you step down from the pedestal's base,
"That riddle is so confusing! It sounds like I've got to write a story!"
"And that you do my friend! But not just any story, an adventure
story. It must be an adventure story, with a dragon in it. Then, you need
only to send it to me! If I like it (that's not too hard, I like almost
ALL the stories I come across), then I'll send you one of the planetary
dragon hatchlings. Sound easy enough for you?"
You shrug. She motions to you, "Come on, lets see
the dragons . ."
