The Death of Garagt

The fable of the slaying of Garagt The Dragon is a popular regional folk tale. Begun by a simple dwarven tavern keeper as to name the beast that adorned his establishment, the Rusted Dragon Tavern, it's spread into a common story through the community around the neighborhood of Krakorum.

Summary

Garagt was supposedly one of the fiercest dragons in existance, said to have claimed the entire mountain chain associated with the Hammerdeep dwarf clans. Entire armies fell at his feet, the dwarves under the mountains were his slaves, toiling constantly for his every whim to be spared from being eaten or destroyed. All cowered at the meer utterance of his name.
One day, an exceptionally brave Halfling, named Dadle, sought to vanquish Garagt The Mountain Eater. None believed that Dadle could accomplish such a task; how could one person, a halfling no less, succeed where entire armies had failed? Undeterred, the halfling equipped himself with heavy armor and a might lance, and with his trusty pony, rode off in search of Garagt.
When he found the Dragon, Garagt was as dismissive of Dadle as his friends had been. Openly mocking, Garagt rolled on his horde of gold in unmitigated laughter, his howls causing the very mountains to tremble. Unshaken, Dadle charged with his pony at the beast, and with his magical lance and fierce training, was able to not only pierce Garagt's armor, but strike the beast in his heart, killing him.

Dadle became the hero of all of the land. Humble to a fault, the famed dragon slayer rode off into the sunset quietly one evening, never to be seen again. Some thought he tired of the fame and attention, where others thought the daring halfling sought to right other wrongs, and is out there still hunting for monsters to slay.

Historical Basis

Nothing of the story of Dadle and Garagt is true, and only small children believe it. Dragons are known to exist in the mountains of Hammerdeep, but none so large and ferocious as Garagt is said to have been has ever been known and documented.

Spread

Drandee, a gregarious and entreprenurial dwarf made the story up in order to charm his customers and bring in business to his establishment, The Rusted Dragon Tavern. Being a charismatic sort with a strong talent for theater, the story caught on with his customers, growing in the telling all the while. By the time Drandee felt comfortable with the story, it had grown to have a life of its own. Guests were telling the tale to their children, and to other locals. Foreigners, especially the elvish travelers from the nearby Bronzebark Forests, find the story quaint but struggle to understand the locals fascination.

Cultural Reception

Drandee, the owner and creator of the folk tale, has devised an annual 'feast day' to celebrate the killing of Garagt. The event has been embraced because of the brazenly ficticious and unserious nature of the story. Locals create new songs or tales of Dadle the Halfling or Garagt the Mountain Eater. Stages are built to allow for 'dramatic reenactments' of the great battle between the two figures; typically with great comedic flair. And of course, where people gather, merchants are not far behind. Drandee always makes sure that his own personal feast day is a true feast, with the best beers, sausages, and other goods he can buy brought in to further tantalize his guests.

In Art

The dragon sculpture outside the Rusted Dragon Tavern, outside city of Krakorum, is not only named Garagt but the origin of the myth.

Date of Setting

Early Second Age