Dragon Helmet Vision

Once the first piece of dragon armor had been discovered, Gix thought it would be a good idea to try it on. He had the following experience: It’s late morning. Your other comrades are snug in their burrows, stuffed full of boar and tired from hunting outside all day. Your day was different. Sure, it was spent eating and cajoling with the various members of the Shady Bark tribe, but the whole time your mind was elsewhere. With the helm. Everyone knows you found an old shiny helmet back in the forgotten tomb. But no one other than your travelling companions knows that it’s THE HELM. The sacred dragon treasure. This secret knowledge is a burden, but one you gladly carry. And ooooooh, do you carry it.

All day long it’s been lurking there in the back of your mind. Your mind races with the dragonesque curvature of the helm. The way it seems to glow. How detailed the scales look. But what catches your imagination most of all is an indentation above the left eye.

This dent is the only visible blemish on the helmet. It’s blackness contrasts with the bright red and orange hues. It looks deep and ferocious. How did it get there? Why was the armor separated? Who was it made for? All of the questions jumble in your mind, buzzing like hornets around a nest. Finally you can deal with it no more. In the dead of day, when no one is around, you take out the helmet. Gazing at its magnificence, you pick it up and try it on…..

Suddenly you’re not in the forest anymore. You’re not underground either. Everything around is a confusing blur of heat and light. Your nostrils are filled with the stench of fish and salt. At once you know you are by the ocean. Nevermind the fact that you, Verveshgix, have never seen the ocean. You are someone else; someone tall, proud, armor clad and coming home from battle. But something’s wrong. Hell, everything is wrong. Before you can get your bearings, a thunderous roar rips through you and you feel something heavy pushing down. Despite your armor (the dragon armor!) you can feel yourself being crushed. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. You didn’t fail. The scent changes from salt to smoke and charred flesh. Unbearable pain surges through your body. At this moment you know two things, 1) You are being attacked by a red dragon. 2) You’re going to die. A large black claw swipes at your helmet and blood fills your eyes. It roars again and once more you feel fire gnawing through your limbs. Your body shakes in agony. A harsh voice snarls, “I bestowed upon you your armament and made you my equal. Called you friend and ally. And for what!?! I curse you now. From this moment on you will be known as only one thing, BETRAYER.”

With that your body hits the ground and the helmet rolls away. You are Verveshgix. You are alive. It was all a terrible dream. Shaken, you pick up the helm and prepare to hide it again. This time, when your eyes linger on the black scorch mark, you’re sure of where it came from.