Ruari Auricama
"Ruari Auricama? I would say it is not a wise idea to chase after legends. If they aren't true, then you have wasted a great deal of time and energy. If the legends are true... you have drawn his attention.Dragons are mighty creatures, able and willing to do much to shape events on Erisdaire. More than a few of those who remain have a hand in how things unfold, but they often do so from behind layers of separation. Then there are dragons who prefer to involve themselves directly - even if sparingly. The dragon known as Ruari Auricama has long been intervening with matters, though his goals are not necessarily clear. The Imperial Surveyors have a standing order not to involve themselves in any events connected to Ruari, with many others who know of the gold dragon wisely choosing the same path.
Very little beyond historical events is known, and even in these cases it is hard to comprehend just what sort of person Ruari is. Scholars of the Empire have no clue as to where the gold dragon dwells, and no instances of his actions have turned up for several generations. Myrisic Sages know only a little more details, as they have more recent events on record. Some of these records indicate Ruari acts with an organization loyal to him, but as with many things there isn't much to go on. Other rumors indicate the gold dragon is dead and someone else is acting in his name, though whether this is true has yet to be determined.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Throughout the various ages of the world, there have been dragons who have been directly interacted with "lesser" civilizations - be it for protection or destruction. Among those dragons, Ruari Auricama is somewhat of an anomaly in how hard it is to find specific mentions of him. According to records reviewed by Myrisic Sages and scholars, Ruari has intervened in the history of civilization only rarely, and for reasons only known to himself. Among the various sources, some place the blame on the great golden dragon, while others hold forth his intent was to mitigate the worst aspects of those catastrophes. As with many things, the truth is much more elusive. There are stories about his involvement both as a defending champion, or as a vicious destroyer.
Main Article: The Fall
Among the tales which are spoken of, there are a scant few recovered from ancient elven tomes and records telling of a time when they were ruled by the Samerine. All indications are of such an empire predating the rise of human kingdoms by several centuries, though the span of years is unclear even with knowledge of the sources being reviewed. Elves had spread across a large portion of western Erisdaire, having established great cities and smaller enclaves built with magic and intended to endure against the inevitable wear brought about through time. Such conceit is, of course, not always a wise choice.
In the twilight of this elven empire there was a battle taking place at the capital, and Ruari arrived to assist the defenders. Though he was able to prevent the situation from getting much worse, in the end the golden dragon was unable to protect the Samerine. The empire was broken, and Ruari quietly departed to chase down those who had broken the empire.
This is where the accounts of the siege begin to include mention of a dragon which was seen descending from seemingly nowhere and annihilating aggressors who were preying on the citizens. Entire army units were routed "as a cat might scatter a pack of mice" in the face of such ferocious attacks. The sources mostly suggest the dragon made no attempt to parley or explain its actions, though some sources disagreed. These accounts say there was a demand to cease the attack on civilians, and this demand was ignored. One things all sources agreed upon is still chilling to consider: when attacking invaders, the dragon only attacked forces which were outside the towns and when doing so it was merciless and thorough. While veteran campaigners in any army will know the term "scorched earth", the varied records uniformly suggest this term was a pale comparison to what the dragon left behind in its actions.
After almost two years of consistent upheaval between the siege and dragon attacks, the Imperial army finally intervened. After one of the sieges was broken and the assaulting army retreated to recover, the Imperial forces approached and encircled the castle in a defensive posture with the invitation for any would-be-invaders to try their resolve. Steadily portions of the army dispersed to do the same to major towns, and Tomosil's defenders were able to recover and push back their enemies. During this time in the narratives, the dragon is not mentioned nor is there any conjecture as to why it is missing.
Scholars found only one more record talking of the matter: an account by a traveling merchant stopping to use the walls of Blackwind Abbey as shelter. It said the attack came during twilight when the sun was setting, and Ruari struck with no warning. There was no explanation, just a sound like howling wind and shattering glass as the golden dragon broke the barriers and slammed into the building hard enough to crack the heavy stone. Shards of glass rained from the windows set in the facade, and the dragon was seen to breathe white-hot fire through those openings. The merchant swiftly abandoned his goods and rode his pack mule from the area. When he returned in the morning, there was nothing inside the fortifications but a crater which was as deep as the temple building had been tall. The ground had been burned with hot enough fire to turn to shards of glass, and steam was still rising from the core of the pit.
The first chronological mention in the various records involved an attack on one of these Arcane Towers by a dragon, which was seemingly focused entirely on removing the control focus. Interestingly, this dragon was said to be silvery in color and "left a blanket of frost it as it dove in an attack". Other incidents similar to this followed, with a large number seemingly focused on Arcanist-backed projects within the western Rhyliss highlands and the Kiroan Desert. The conflict escalated rapidly as Arcanists were instructed to hunt down any dragons and use all possible tools at their disposal to make them die. Thus other dragons were thus drawn into the conflict, many choosing to side with their kin instead of fighting against them, though Arcane Towers were only targeted specifically by Ruari, the silver dragon, and another unidentified dragon.
Towards the end of the year the war began, Ruari and his two allies assaulted Ryksvalt - the stronghold of the Imperial Arcanists - while Archmage Sainas was present. The dragons struck at the structure itself, melting stone and steel or tearing holes through which to seek deeper parts of the interior. All the protections against dragons did little good as the innermost sanctum collapsed into a tomb for Sainas, with Ruari taking one last pass to melt the stone into a smoothed exterior.
The Fall
In the twilight of this elven empire there was a battle taking place at the capital, and Ruari arrived to assist the defenders. Though he was able to prevent the situation from getting much worse, in the end the golden dragon was unable to protect the Samerine. The empire was broken, and Ruari quietly departed to chase down those who had broken the empire.
The Siege of Tomosil
From the early days of the Empire, there is talk of an early kingdom known as Tomosil which had not yet fully integrated itself into the growing Empire. In response to an act which could cause a change to the balance of power in the region, a rival neighboring kingdom sent its army to besiege the ruler's castle and raid the unprotected towns. As an unrelated political situation became connected to the conflict, the Imperial army at the time was instructed to contain the matter, rather than intervene. Tomosil's defenders were capable of holding the castle siege at bay, even breaking it twice to resupply, but it could not extend the same protection to the people.This is where the accounts of the siege begin to include mention of a dragon which was seen descending from seemingly nowhere and annihilating aggressors who were preying on the citizens. Entire army units were routed "as a cat might scatter a pack of mice" in the face of such ferocious attacks. The sources mostly suggest the dragon made no attempt to parley or explain its actions, though some sources disagreed. These accounts say there was a demand to cease the attack on civilians, and this demand was ignored. One things all sources agreed upon is still chilling to consider: when attacking invaders, the dragon only attacked forces which were outside the towns and when doing so it was merciless and thorough. While veteran campaigners in any army will know the term "scorched earth", the varied records uniformly suggest this term was a pale comparison to what the dragon left behind in its actions.
After almost two years of consistent upheaval between the siege and dragon attacks, the Imperial army finally intervened. After one of the sieges was broken and the assaulting army retreated to recover, the Imperial forces approached and encircled the castle in a defensive posture with the invitation for any would-be-invaders to try their resolve. Steadily portions of the army dispersed to do the same to major towns, and Tomosil's defenders were able to recover and push back their enemies. During this time in the narratives, the dragon is not mentioned nor is there any conjecture as to why it is missing.
The Razing of Blackwind Abbey
Less known is the destruction of a temple named Blackwind Abbey situated near the Spine, squarely between the borders of Myrisia and the Empire. Records kept at Elada Hill describe a large stone temple which had been built in the forest, though various other records fail to say who it was built by or to which deity it was dedicated. The temple was heavily fortified and protected with potent magics of a divine nature, suggesting there was a significant investment by some deity in protecting it. Records show there were attempts to investigate the temple which were either unsuccessful or only reported the structure looked as though it had been recently abandoned.Scholars found only one more record talking of the matter: an account by a traveling merchant stopping to use the walls of Blackwind Abbey as shelter. It said the attack came during twilight when the sun was setting, and Ruari struck with no warning. There was no explanation, just a sound like howling wind and shattering glass as the golden dragon broke the barriers and slammed into the building hard enough to crack the heavy stone. Shards of glass rained from the windows set in the facade, and the dragon was seen to breathe white-hot fire through those openings. The merchant swiftly abandoned his goods and rode his pack mule from the area. When he returned in the morning, there was nothing inside the fortifications but a crater which was as deep as the temple building had been tall. The ground had been burned with hot enough fire to turn to shards of glass, and steam was still rising from the core of the pit.
The Arcanist-Dragon War
Perhaps the most striking example of Ruari acting against others is more recent, concerning the work of the Imperial Arcanists. The emperor of that time wished to pursue arcane magic as another potential tool to be employed against enemies of the Empire, and thus entrusted them to the authority of the Archmage Sainas Petrel. Sanus diverted an enormous amount of energy into studying magic meant to harness elemental energies and use them offensively, as well as hiring adventurers to raid ruins in the hopes of discovering sources of arcane knowledge to further those goals. Most historical sources concerning this period are, naturally, written by Imperial citizens and thus require some careful review, yet it is clear these studies led to the development of the Arcane Tower. It is at this time the intervention of Ruari becomes clear.The first chronological mention in the various records involved an attack on one of these Arcane Towers by a dragon, which was seemingly focused entirely on removing the control focus. Interestingly, this dragon was said to be silvery in color and "left a blanket of frost it as it dove in an attack". Other incidents similar to this followed, with a large number seemingly focused on Arcanist-backed projects within the western Rhyliss highlands and the Kiroan Desert. The conflict escalated rapidly as Arcanists were instructed to hunt down any dragons and use all possible tools at their disposal to make them die. Thus other dragons were thus drawn into the conflict, many choosing to side with their kin instead of fighting against them, though Arcane Towers were only targeted specifically by Ruari, the silver dragon, and another unidentified dragon.
Towards the end of the year the war began, Ruari and his two allies assaulted Ryksvalt - the stronghold of the Imperial Arcanists - while Archmage Sainas was present. The dragons struck at the structure itself, melting stone and steel or tearing holes through which to seek deeper parts of the interior. All the protections against dragons did little good as the innermost sanctum collapsed into a tomb for Sainas, with Ruari taking one last pass to melt the stone into a smoothed exterior.
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