#less loves lore

[cursed-herbalist]

MEDITERRANEAN SMOOTH SCALE

HP DRAGON SPECIES • MEDITERRANEAN • OBSIDIAN • ELEMENTS: FIRE AND WATER

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As the name may hint, the Mediterranean Smooth Scale feels most at home in warmer climates. It usually settles along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and is mainly found in Italy, Spain, Greece and the South of France. It prefers to make its lair in warm mountainous areas such as coastal caves, ideally near geysers or volcanoes.

Unlike most coastal dragons, the Smooth Scale is adept at both, fire and water, and may, besides the usual fire spits and water fountains, emit steam to distract or scare its opponents.

Its scales are made from obsidian stone and therefore have a rich, deep black colour. Baby Smooth Scales may be identified by their sparse and rough-hewn scales, allowing a look at the brooding fire within the dragon. As the Smooth Scale matures, these scales become more dense and form a smooth protective layer that makes it hard to distinguish the individual scales and may reflect its surroundings. This is largely due to the dragons' affiliation with water and extensive swims, as it erodes the stone scales, rendering them a nice and smooth surface.

The usual height of the dragon ranges between medium to large, although some specimens were described to be much larger—although those discriptions might have been an exaggeration.

The dragon eggs of the Smooth Scale are like their scales: hard, smooth and shiny—that is until the egg is about to hatch. About a month before the hatching, the smooth surface will start to crack, showing the fire which engulfs the baby dragon—it may look like lava streams splitting the shell, much like tectonic plates. Be warned though as the cracked edges of the obsidian are extremely sharp and have caused many Dragonologists to lose a lot of blood and even fingers.

The extreme sharpness and durability of the scales and eggshells are one reason why they’ve become a sought-after, although rare, material for tools and weapons. By 900 CE, this species of dragons was believed to be extinct, although, there are rumours some of them might have found refuge somewhere.

Author’s note: In ancient times this species was known under the term ‘Obsidian Dragon’.

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Special thanks to @kathrynalicemc who helped me figure this one out 🖤

EXTRAS:

[cursed-herbalist]

THE LEGEND OF THE PORTKEY HP • HISTORY OF MAGIC

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‘Love doesn’t fear the flames.’

Once upon a time, there were two feuding families. Both were powerful and magically bound to dragons; their rivalry centuries old and deep-rooted. Whereas one could speak to dragons, the other was gifted with extraordinarily long lives.

As the fates would have it, two members of the warring families fell in love with each other—a girl cut from marble, and a boy as wise as the vines.

They knew each other since childhood; yet had looked at each other with spite. One day, however, in a fit of frustration, the girl fled to the woods. There, she stumbled upon the boy and his dragon. His calm soothed the girl and they quickly laid down their quarrel and formed a strong bond.

Scared of their families, they kept their love hidden. And so, they contented themselves with secret meetings and swift touches whenever they could. Both, however, lived on opposite ends of the world, so they were forced to part ways, eventually. But their love was strong and they found a way to be together.

As there was no way to travel far distances, fast and much less unnoticed, the two lovers took to spell-crafting. Countless moons passed but they soon managed to charm an object they held dear to take them to a chosen location merely by touch. 

The objects they enchanted took them to a hideaway which the boy had found somewhere in the Chinese mountains. And to ensure their safety, they guarded it with elaborate magic. Anyone who dared follow them would either prove worthy or be lost forever. 

And so, every night, the couple escaped to the misty mountains to see each other. 

Alas, the young couple’s joy didn’t last long, as their love entailed much more consequences. A long brooding conflict within the first family threatened to escalate as she and other members of her family opened their eyes to the wickedness of their traditions. The boy, however, had sworn loyalty to the girl and so the couple fought side by side to defeat her relatives. 

Seven days, flames heated the earth. Seven days, the clashing of metal hummed through the air. Until, on the last day, her uncle’s sword pierced through the boy’s dragon’s scales.

Thinking her beloved was dead, the girl gave in to her rage. She killed her uncle and declared the war to be over. But despite their victory and the change it brought about, the couple never returned from the scorched battlefield—their souls forever lost to the roaring flames.

No wizard has since found the location of the hideaway nor the key to enter it. Yet some say, if you hone in closely while using a Portkey, you can still feel the invisible thread attaching the two—the desperate pull to be together.

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An ancient ship cannot go without a legend @kathrynalicemc ❤️🐉