An Eternity in Gold (D&D/Multicross SI)

Rehosting this to the new site.

Index
Obligatory ROB Scene
Hatching is Hard

 

Idea I wanted to throw out, subtly inspired by blatantly stolen from Mizuki_Stone's Origin's Rewritten:

An Eternity in Gold
Obligatory ROB scene!
Being dead is remarkably boring, as it turns out.

So far it seems to mostly consist of walking on a featureless plain towards what looks to be a walled city.

Aaand the wall is made up of screaming corpses.

Whoop dee doo, I've found the Wall of the Faithless.

"Any deities interested in a last-minute convert?" I called out, somewhat hopeful.

The only response was the continued howling of the winds across the plain.

"Pelor?"

Wind.

"Flarn- not even going to try to pronounce that one. Saint Cuthbert? Heironeous?" I shouted, losing hope.

Wai- nope, more wind.

"Bahamut?" I questioned, despondent.

I heard a ripping sound from behind me, combined with the scent of ozone and far too much saffron and incense.

"You seem to be in a bit of trouble." a voice rumbled, shaking the ground with its speech.

I turned, and beheld a colossus of shining platinum, blinding to the eye, flanked by seven glimmering behemoths in gold.

"If you help me out I'll promise to go around and tell everyone how great you are," I helpfully supplied.

He seemed slightly amused at this, so I guess it was working?

"Very well then," he boomed "Go forth Dave of Oakland and 'tell everyone how great I am'"

Wait, how is it possible for a dragon to snicker-

Darkness flooded my perception.

---

I awake, curled in the fetal position. It was all a dream, and I just need to open my eyes and-

I'm in an egg.

Thanks Bahamut.

---

AN: Yes, I'm a terrible writer, it's my first time writing a story longer than two pages. Get used to it.

 

Eggciting.

I can work with being in an egg. Being in an egg can only be a good thing, because I'm alive, and being alive is good. Being put into an egg by Bahamut mean that I'm getting reborn as either a dragon or a dragonborn, preferably the former, although the latter would work too.

Now, all I have to do is figure out how to hatch. Shouldn't be too hard.

Also, remember to pray occasionally, because eternal torment is bad.

Now, if I remember correctly, most lizards have some sort of beak or horn to break the shell, so I should just bash my head against the wall until it breaks. Works for most things in my life- scratch that, past life.

I curl up as tightly as I can, and then bash my head into the wall. It bends, like springy wood, and then rebounds into my face.

*Thud*

Ow.

I keep pounding my head against the rather springy walls again and again, to no avail.

If it didn't work the first time, clearly I need to do it again!

*Thud*

Ow.

*Thud*

Ow.

*Thud*

Ow.

*Thud*

Ow.

*Thud*

Ow.

Oh, the egg doesn't want to be helpful and let me out?

I roar in indignation and once again bash my head into the shell, the white boiling as the shell melts and drips away from the heat.

The heat is replaced by a sudden sense of vertigo, as if falling from a height.

Here rests Dave, I thought, who killed himself in childbirth.

*Crunch*

Ow.

Momentarily stunned by the pain, I have a moment to reflect on the fact that I just breathed fire. In an enclosed space.

Am I an idiot or what?

Good news, the fall has made a hole.

Bad news, the pain hurts.

I scrabble along the interior of the shell to reverse my position so my head once again faces the weakened portion and chip away at the edges.

The hole widens until I can fit through, and as I stick my head out, I see that I am on the side of a mountain.

A very smoky mou- it's a volcano.

I wonder if I'm supposed to eat the shell. Is that a thing?

I contort myself yet again, and discover that my scales are a dark yellow with golden flecks.

Also, I have six limbs.

Learning to walk again is going to be painful to sort out.
---

One meal of soft-boiled dragon egg later, I feel rather bloated and ready to set off once again.

After a nap. Naps are good.

---

Now I can set off on my grand quest to preach about really big dragons that fire laser beams. Well, just the one dragon.

I just need to put one foot in front of the other-

As I tumble down the mountainside once again, my mind is filled with hate at the cruel world that created slopes.

---

One brief pity session of indeterminate length later, I realize that learning to walk is going to be problematic.
It's time for a montage!
---

Alright, left front foot, then right fron-

Haaaaaate!

---
Alright, I'm pretty sure I've got it this ti-

INDETERMINATE SOUNDS OF RAGE

---

Definitely got that down this time.

Left front and right back, right front and left back, repeat.

It only took-

Sweet Bahamut, is it night already?

Too tired for more work, I'll do it tomorrow.

---
AN: Not happy with this one. Delayed because got distracted by polearms. Such wood. Very pointy. Much length.

 

Heh, I like the si, though no real including of plot yet, but the introduction is good.

 

he needs to get a Lay-Z boy.

 

Updates will be rare, if present at all, while I try to get past persistent writer's block. This is only really rehosted for archiving purposes.

TL;DR, this story is still on hiatus.

 

In my experience, it's better not to bother. Instead, go around the block. Write about something else, something whimsical, or dark, etc.

 

Also effective to detour around a writer's block is making a list of things that won't happen next - when you actually have points A and C it's much easier to find B than if you're looking everywhere from here to Q.

 

Have you decided on a particular setting like Eberron or Faerun? If so, there a lot of material out there to help spark ideas.

Also, the Draconomicon has a whole section on a dragons life. Reading about the typical wyrmling activities might help.

Other thoughts - is your dragon going to seek out an older gold dragon as a mentor?

Are you going to depend on you innate abilities or are you going to try to get some class levels? Becoming a cleric could help your quest and would likely provide spells earlier than your innate sorcerer casting.

Are you going to spend more of your time in dragon form or an alternative form? Live in the wilderness or in a town?

What are the surroundings like? Are there dragons or other large animals nearby that you have to be wary of? How far any is the nearest human settlement?

Are you going to join adventurers? As a dragon or something else?

What kind of treasure will your horde eventually be made out of? Traditional gold and gems; magical items; spells and other forms of knowledge?

 

1. Valyria
2. Found my old copy. Rereading.
3. If I find one.
4. More concerned about survival. Closest class analogue would be "dragon"
5. Adapt to suit the environment. Human for cities.
6. Volcanoes in rolling hills. Yes. Seventeen miles.
7. Probably not.
8. Shiny objects. "Dragons lust for treasure because, at heart, they are nothing but large, reptilian jackdaws." - Alrod Duart, sage

Thanks, going to try that.

 

Valeria - not familiar with that.

Stats for gold dragons are in the monster manual. Not sure why there weren't included in the draconomicon, since all sorts of odd ones were. Whatever. There's a prestige class for Bahamut followers in the draconicon. Not partularly impressive, but could add flavour.

Survival is definately the immediate concern and probably the main one for the next 50-100 years, but unless you are killed, you are probably looking at around 3000 years of life. That's a long time.

Also, most of your dragon abilities will just gradually develop as you age. Not sure if there is any way to speed that other than aging curses or time magic.

Volcano are good since golds are fire dragons. Of course, so are reds...

You can breath water, so sleeping in a lake or hot spring is an option. Just remember that green and black dragons can do the same.

It will be interesting to see how much of your thinking stays human and how much befores draconian.

 

Omake 1

Alternate Introduction

Old Spice?

"Hello, human.

Look at your afterlife.

Now look at me.

Now back at your afterlife.

Now back at me.

Sadly, your afterlife is not me.

But if you stopped worshiping a Jewish day laborer and started worshiping me, your afterlife could smell like me.

Look down.

Back up.

Where are you?

You're in the afterlife your afterlife could smell like.

What's in your hand?

Back at me.

I have it.

It's a ticket to the afterlife your afterlife could smell like.

Look again.

The tickets are now diamonds!

Anything is possible when your god smells like a man and not like a lady.

You're in an egg."

 

Because why the hell not? Have some likes, hope inspiration returns to you!

 

It's a concept that gets me, hope you are able to start it up again soon.

 

Hm. Are you going to actually use Valyrian? Or is that too much headwork in and obscure constructed language for you?

 

Too much headwork. The language has four genders, none of which divide male and female, the verb tenses make no sense whatsoever, and in general I'm kinda lazy.