It has been a month since I rekindled The Draconic Spire, and in that time I have had several visitors to the Temple, mainly other dragons. The Lindwyrm has taken the role as my scholar and advisor; his name is Freznic. The Wyvern, who I believe has a crush on me, has taken the role as my scout and messenger; her name is Melody.

  I serve as the Ruler and General. Another thing about having these other dragons here is that each one of them has to be put through a ritual that basically makes them a member of my horde. By doing so, their colors change to match mine. This makes them official members, and they also gain the fire element to match my own.

  As of right now, there are twenty Wyverns; each of them mainly serves as aerial infantry, defending my territory from airborne threats. A couple of them serve as hunters, and besides Melody, there is one other Messenger; his name is Astri. No other Lindwyrms have shown up, but there have been Kobolds and a few Drakes.

  Drakes are a quadrupedal, flightless breed of dragon like myself. They can shift into a humanoid-like form. The Drakes serve as the main guards and foot soldiers. There are at least ten of them as of right now.

  Grom has led the other Kobolds into a massive overhaul of the temple. They have been busy preparing the proper rooms for us and making new furniture for said rooms. They started by creating a nesting room so my Horde can safely lay their eggs as well as a nursery to raise their young.

  I was honestly surprised that Grom knew how to do all this, but I think his parents imparted all their wisdom into him or something. Either way, things have mainly been working towards renovating the temple.

  Right now I’m doing push-ups in the throne room while Freznic tells me all the things I need to do; one of them is to make my presence known to the residential Fae and humans.

  When I was finished with my workout, I looked to Freznic and asked them how I might do that. Freznic’s best idea was through my messengers, and that might honestly be the best course of action, and it might help to know the lay of the land.

  I called Melody and Astri to my side, and under Freznic’s advice, I told them to spread the news of my occupation in the region. The two Wyverns saluted me and soon left the temple. After that, I began to train the Drakes. They were very willing students who eagerly wanted to fight. Training them was incredibly fun.

  I trained the Drakes until early dusk, then Astri and Melody returned. I asked them how the news went down, and they reported that the nearby Fae seemed interested while the humans seemed unfazed. Interesting. Later at the feast we got an uninvited guest; she was a subhuman feline.

  Felines are human-shaped Fae with cat ears and tails. They are incredibly smart, manipulative creatures, but they're also incredibly savvy merchants. I got up from the table and approached this feline; she smiled and said

  Tassy: Hello, your lordship. I’m Tassy; I run the Golden Paw Merchant Guild.

  Raven: Hello, I’m Raven, and what are you doing here?

  Tassy: I came to offer some support in exchange for a fee.

  Raven: What exactly are you offering? And if this is a scam, I won’t hesitate to end you.

  Tassy: Hehe, trust me, this offer is good. What I’m offering is gold and a link to the other Dragon communities in exchange for your Dragon eggshells.

  Raven: Excuse me?

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  Tassy: You heard me.

  Raven: Why would you want our eggshells? What worth could they be to you?

  Tassy: Well, let’s just say we felines have acquired tastes anyway. Gold is one of the greatest things to a dragon, and I can pay you right now if you give me all the eggshells you currently possess.

  Freznic soon came over to me and whispered in my ear that gold will be useful in the future, at least until we find a way to make our own.

  I then told Grom to go and gather all the eggshells we had and to put them in a bag for Tassy.

  Needless to say, Tassy left happy, and she repaid us with thirteen large bags of gold, which my Kobolds quickly moved to the treasury. The following week, several Fae came to my temple asking for permission to make the forest that surrounded the temple their home; many of them were Fae Furs.

  Fae Furs are lesser Fae that usually take the form of small animals like rabbits, squirrels, and small birds. Butterflies, etc.

  These creatures are incredibly weak but can muster up a fight if they have to. I allowed them to stay so long as they didn’t cause trouble.

  It soon became clear that being a Regal Dragon meant we were essentially kings and protectors of lesser Fae, frankly, I don’t know how my father did it.

  But this is my life now, and I’m slowly getting acclimated to it. For all that it’s worth, I soon went hunting out in the woods. I brought down a deer. As I was about to bring it home, I saw that the deer wasn’t alone; he had a pregnant doe with him, and I honestly felt bad for what I did.

  I took a deep breath and tried to commune with the deer. Using a spell, the deer was able to understand me at least vaguely. I was able to convince her to come with me to my temple, where I provided her with safety and shelter until she gave birth.

  In time I grew to enjoy caring for her and her fawn. I then made it a decree that all deer were not to be hunted in my domain. In time the local deer repaid my kindness by sharing their secrets with us. As it turned out, these deer knew of fruit that could serve as meat substitutes, and they tasted like steak when cooked.

  Ever since Deer became the pet of my temple, coming in and out as they saw fit, I had my messengers go to the human village and relay the message that all Deer are not to be harmed in my domain.

  I heard that the humans were pissed off, but if they went against me, they would deal with my claws personally.

  One week later, a new visitor made their way to my domain. This one was of the Sylvan Race; he was a Sylvan Deer. These deer are bigger than a Shire horse; their antlers are covered with vines and flowers; their fur is bushy and has the coloring of pastel green with white undertones; and their legs are also covered in vines.

  The last thing of note is that their eyes are a soft blue color. Sylvan Deer are considered gods of all other deer; it is said that wherever a Sylvan Deer chooses to make their home, a new forest will sprout overnight.

  I met this Sylvan Deer, and he bowed to me.

  Raven: So what brings you here?

  Sylvan Deer: I have come to inquire about you, your grace.

  Raven: Oh, does this have something to do with my decree to spare all deer within my domain?

  Sylvan Deer: It’s the very same. You see, the Word on the Wind told me about your decree to spare and protect my kin, and I grew curious. Are you aware of the Sylvan Crisis?

  Raven: No, I am not.

  Sylvan Deer: Well, you see, with the expansion of human and Fae settlements, the need for lumber has grown exponentially, and for this reason, several Sylvan forests have been greatly reduced despite my kind's best efforts to preserve them, but in truth, we cannot cope.

  Raven: So, in short, your homes are being destroyed, and you need a place to settle.

  Sylvan Deer: Yes, so I have come here on a gambit. I wish to join your horde and make this forest my home so I can propagate safely.

  Raven: I don’t see an issue with that; however, I ask that you lend a hand and pull your own weight. We don’t have any slackers here.

  Sylvan Deer: I promise to do my part. You see, I possess the ability to manipulate all forms of flora. I can also create all new plants if the need should strike me.

  Raven: That would be a great boon. What do I call you? I need to know if I am to properly perform the rite.

  Aeos: I have many names, but for the moment, you can call me Aeos

  Soon we had gained a new ally. Aeos’s green fur turned to an autumn red, and soon Aeos left to a part of the forest to make his home. I began to notice that the other deer followed Aeos for the next few months. I saw that the forest that surrounded the temple began to gain an ethereal glow. Some of the trees had strange runes on them. Aeos explained that his presence was converting the forest into a Sylvan Grove.

  The Sylvan race is best known for their strong ties to nature. Sylvan Wood has a multitude of purposes. Sylvan wood can’t be destroyed by fire; in fact, they absorb fire.

  Sylvan Groves are also known for giving life to other Sylvan; in time it won’t be uncommon for this forest to be abundant with Sylvan creatures.

  Soon I noticed that the forest began to take on a scarlet and topaz-like coloring. Aeoes told me that this was because of him; he wanted the forest to represent our bond. I approved. Soon the entire forest became known as the Crimson Grove.

  Things seemed to be going well.

  End of Episode