Turgon
06-24-2002, 05:19 AM
By the end of the Third Age of Middle-Earth the dragon race was teetering on the brink of extinction, and these glorious beasts were in danger of being lost from the world forever.
Smaug's Tale: In the winter of the year TA 2941 a party of treasure-hunters (dwarves for the most part - a race noted for its avaricious nature) descended upon the lair of a certain Smaug the Magnificent - one of the last examples of the great golden fire-drake surviving in the wild. This expedition was endorsed by Messers Elrond Half-elven and Gandalf the Grey, both prominent members of the White Council (one of the leading lights in the field of Middle Earth Conservation). An irony the aforementioned wyrm did not live long enough to appreciate.
It is the habit of the dragon to make it's 'nest' from gold, gems, and other such stuff which the peoples of Middle Earth hold in high regard, and this I fear is the chief cause of its sad demise. Once a nest is disturbed,the dragon's natural instincts take over and these normally peaceful beasts become savage and wild, and can become a danger to any settlements lying in the regions surrounding its lair. Unfortunately this habit is often used as an excuse by unscrupulous treasure-hunters as a means of getting their hands upon the 'dragon-gold'. Acting as it were as agent provocateurs, stirring the creatures from their sleep only to slay them.
Alas! The rest of the tale does not make for happy reading, the more perceptive amongst you will perhaps see where it is leading. Our dragon, Smaug, confused and disorientated after being woken from his winter sleep by a halfling provocateur by the name of Baggins, and being unsure as to the origin of the threat to his habitat, left the relative safety of his lair to find the source of this disturbence. In this wild and savage state Smaug made for the town of Esgaroth (A town, it must be said, that had enjoyed a peaceful co-existence with dragon for nigh on two hundred years), only to be slain by an disreputable warrior eager to make a name for himself. I will not dwell on the events that followed the death of this most magnificent creature. Needless to say, they do no credit to any of the parties involved.
It is a sad tale, but one which is becoming increasingly common in the wilds of Middle Earth. The Dragon, the Mirkwood spider, the dumbledor, even the common warg - all under threat as the dominion of man spreads ever wider. But you can make a difference. Help us save these magnificent beasts by donating a just few gold pieces to our conservation fund or join the Friends of Middle Earth now.
Checks payable to Radagast the Brown,The Old Cottage, Rhosgobel.
Smaug's Tale: In the winter of the year TA 2941 a party of treasure-hunters (dwarves for the most part - a race noted for its avaricious nature) descended upon the lair of a certain Smaug the Magnificent - one of the last examples of the great golden fire-drake surviving in the wild. This expedition was endorsed by Messers Elrond Half-elven and Gandalf the Grey, both prominent members of the White Council (one of the leading lights in the field of Middle Earth Conservation). An irony the aforementioned wyrm did not live long enough to appreciate.
It is the habit of the dragon to make it's 'nest' from gold, gems, and other such stuff which the peoples of Middle Earth hold in high regard, and this I fear is the chief cause of its sad demise. Once a nest is disturbed,the dragon's natural instincts take over and these normally peaceful beasts become savage and wild, and can become a danger to any settlements lying in the regions surrounding its lair. Unfortunately this habit is often used as an excuse by unscrupulous treasure-hunters as a means of getting their hands upon the 'dragon-gold'. Acting as it were as agent provocateurs, stirring the creatures from their sleep only to slay them.
Alas! The rest of the tale does not make for happy reading, the more perceptive amongst you will perhaps see where it is leading. Our dragon, Smaug, confused and disorientated after being woken from his winter sleep by a halfling provocateur by the name of Baggins, and being unsure as to the origin of the threat to his habitat, left the relative safety of his lair to find the source of this disturbence. In this wild and savage state Smaug made for the town of Esgaroth (A town, it must be said, that had enjoyed a peaceful co-existence with dragon for nigh on two hundred years), only to be slain by an disreputable warrior eager to make a name for himself. I will not dwell on the events that followed the death of this most magnificent creature. Needless to say, they do no credit to any of the parties involved.
It is a sad tale, but one which is becoming increasingly common in the wilds of Middle Earth. The Dragon, the Mirkwood spider, the dumbledor, even the common warg - all under threat as the dominion of man spreads ever wider. But you can make a difference. Help us save these magnificent beasts by donating a just few gold pieces to our conservation fund or join the Friends of Middle Earth now.
Checks payable to Radagast the Brown,The Old Cottage, Rhosgobel.