I’ll get my revenge on those miserable blues if it’s the last thing I do.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. And truth be told, they maybe did me a small favor by letting me out into the rest of the world. But it was at the cost of so many of my kinsmen and friends that I secretly wonder sometimes if it was all worth it. Not a lot of people out here trust me and it gets a little bit lonely some times…
Anyway, I’m Skittler. I used to be the forgemaster for the army of Astyrinax, the most fearsome red dragon you’ve ever met in your life. He sensed the heart of fire and the spirit of the forge within me when I was just a pup. In exchange for swearing to worship him for the rest of my days, he placed me under the literal wing of Cobblesmash (he was an Urd) who was in charge of the forge when I was born. I’m pretty sure he died in some battle and left me in charge of the arms and armor of the various creatures that swore allegiance to his majesty. It was a good life, and I was very good at my job. The heat from the forge never bothered me like it did the others that came and went. And as I grew up I learned I could do things that normal smiths could only dream of. The forge… spoke to me. I saw what the iron and steel wanted to become and I gave them the gift of that form. At that time I thought it was just from my fervent desire to worship Astyrinax. Now… Now I know different.
It didn’t last all that long when I stop and think about it. Four years ago the blue dragon Thrazidal and his army swept in and crushed Astyrinax in battle. He took a lot of them with him, and he gave Thrazidal a few good blows, melted one of his eyes, but in the end I saw my master and my god fall. The army broke after that and those that survived the sacking of the lair scattered everywhere. I spent a long time just hiding – moving from place to place. I was convinced that Thrazidal and his thralls were looking for me because of my connection with Astyrinax. I realize now that they weren’t, but it made sense to me at the time. Eventually, I chanced upon some people on the road that needed some assistance with their cart. They saw my tools and asked me if I would help – I still don’t know if they were simply that open-minded or simply that desperate to not slay me out of hand in that moment. For the first time since the fall of Astyrinax, I picked up my tools, and the power flowed like it normally did – I created the parts needed to fix their cart and helped to patch it up. They thanked me by bringing me to their town and feeding me. Over the next year I managed to stay in their good graces by finding odd jobs that needed to be done in exchange for food and shelter. They were never without the best farming implements and hunting gear. The few weapons they kept for their militia were of the finest quality.
It was nice, but I knew I couldn’t stay.
I needed to discover the source of my power – If it wasn’t granted to me by Astyrinax, then where did it come from? I’ve spent the last two years and change trying to figure out just that, and I’m afraid I’m really not any closer to finding the truth. But I’ve also learned a lot about the other races and found ways that I can fit in with them without being driven out as a monster. It’s been a learning experience for everyone, but we’re all getting there.
And I’ve got to find the power to destroy Thrazidal myself – if not for Astyrinax, then for everyone else that blue dragon took from me…
I had this thought for a character when I glanced at the Cleric’s Forge Domain from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything the other day and I simply couldn’t not write him up. A kobold cleric that worshipped a red dragon leader as a literal god (and then faced losing him and retaining his powers) was such a fun idea. And the Domain worked into that so incredibly well and his role as a blacksmith and forgemaster within the ranks of the dragon army. It also gave him a really easy way to find a niche in “good” society, and prove his worth as something other than a monster. He’s maybe not quite there yet (as shown in his alignment), but he’s better than he was.
Character created with the D&D Beyond Character Builder – https://www.dndbeyond.com/profile/darkcyril/characters/5999670
Ben Erickson
