"About thirty years ago, before either of us where born, a fairly small diplomatic dispute arose over the ownership of a small island in the Maredian Sea. You may have heard of it before. It is called Gilmonda, or the Dark Island in the common speech. As you have no doubt heard in stories, the island is perpetually shrouded in dark magical mists that keep direct sunlight from penetrating to the ground. Nothing was found of any note on it centuries before, only long bleak stretches of black stone.
"Then one day, a shipwrecked mariner showed up in Arkon claiming to have landed on Gilmonda and discovered in his despondent ramblings, a cave that had heretofore not been discovered. Inside he found remains of what appeared to be three ancient dragons, not locked in combat but supposedly lying be each other in a row. For a time this discovery was written off as the mad ravings of a hapless beggar, but the man swore that there was more that might be found if one had the courage to go deep into the ancient tunnels under the island that the cave had revealed.
"My father, Julian the third of the name, decided to send some to investigate the matter after he also learned that the shipwrecked mariner was determined to head back to Carthor to reunite with his family and to approach the Council of Fifty, as you might know is the leading body of decision makers in the city. Indeed the man, a Gilius Martin by name, did return to his homeland and reported to those in power. By that time though my father had taken possession of Gilmonda, had found the ancient dragon cave, and with the assistance of men like Adrius here, discerned that this island is actually the home of a great dragon burial ground. The three found in the cave were actually left to be buried later by other dragons, but for some reason unknown to us, the project was never completed."
"It has taken us many years to understand even some of the many secrets of the island," interjected Adrius the Black. "Dragons are fell beast that have a great and cunning minds if allowed to grow to their full maturity. They have lain many a trap to defeat the foolish and unwary, and even I have almost been snuffed out by some of the protective wards, simply because they go beyond my understanding. Yet that is specifically why we want to keep the island for further research and hopefully to one day uncover greater knowledge about these creatures, their past, and how we might better relate with them in the future."
"So you see, before no one wanted the island," continued the prince. "Now many have desired to claim ownership. The lords of Carthor claim the island by virtue of Gilius Martin having landed on the island and having spent several days on it alone. My father claimed it by right of conquest. Until now, the relatively small dispute in the greater political matter of things has remained a sore spot in our relations with Carthor, but nothing further has happened until now. Annea and Herclius were in attendance at the coronation of a King Maxren of Brundia just a week ago, when they were abducted from their very rooms by Carthor agents right after the coronation. Maxren has issued threats of war against these treacherous men, but in fact, he can do nothing with my father's say so. Unlike what I said earlier when the guard was here, the lords of Carthor do not want trade benefits or mere money. They want Gilmonda, and have given us just five days to make up our minds before they kill my brother and sister. That is the urgency of this mission."
"We are incredibly close to unlocking something very powerful, and potentially very dangerous deep within the island's secret caverns," added Adrius again at this point. "The Carthor agents have discovered this, and hope it is also a weapon they can use against us if they can recover the island from the Angeli Empire. This is why we must stop their plan by rescuing the royal children of Julius III, before the next full moon, and you may have noticed, it has just begun to wax in the heavens."
"What do you have planned for me to do?" asked Devron at length, realizing the two powerful men were waiting for a response from him at this point.
"Many things, but at this point, how do you feel about hawks and crows?" asked Adrius with an amused smile on his lips.
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