The scene was not at all unusual.  A simple bar, late at night, had a fair amount of customers, even for one so far from a major city.  It was the usual crowd, a group of the familiar drunks, some weary travelers, and one solitary figure sitting off to the side of the bar.  It was nothing out of the ordinary.  Even so, the young bard looked around nervously.  He tuned the strings on his guitar, praying he would have time to calm down.  Unfortunately, the travelers soon wanted some entertainment.  One of the pretty women gave him a dazzling smile.  “How about a story, Sir Bard?”

“Of course!” he replied, his nervousness mysteriously waning.  “Have you ever heard of the phoenixes that worship the sun? Or perhaps a story of the Lunar Knights?”  

The barkeep suddenly yelled out. “Why don’t you enlighten us about the Black and Gold Dragonlord, Bard?  I’ve heard she may be nearby.”  

The bard swallowed nervously.  “Surely your customers would like to hear about a more … enjoyable story.  The Black and Gold Dragonlord isn’t exactly a happy story.”

“But! Sir Bard!” The same woman smiled again, “I believe that is a story few of us have heard.  Why don‘t you tell us?”  He suddenly found most of the pub watching him.  “Very well then.”  He tried to put on a brave face, took a deep breath, and began.

“About two thousand years ago, the mighty weredragons of the north gained a powerful new ally.  She was the beautiful and terrible leader of a powerful mercenary band, and once she Changed, they found she was one of the most powerful Dragonlords ever.  Unlike most Dragonlords, she could completely control her Change.  In other words,  She could gain just the wings or claws of a dragon, and keep her human form.  Most Dragonlords can only shift from one form to another, and not combine them.  The weredragons were amazed and thrilled to have her.  Many believed that she would have become a fearsome ally.   She lived among them for a long time, at least to our perspective, since a Dragonlord can live for tens of thousands of years.  

“One day, she suddenly went mad.  No one is exactly sure why she lost her mind.  It is well known, however, that she tried to murder the Lady of Dragonskeep.”  There was an audible gasp from his now quite attentive audience.  Even the solitary figure had slightly tilted their hooded head towards him.  He gulped and continued.

“The Dragonlords were unable to control her and a mighty battle raged for many nights. Suddenly, with the help of a strong ally, they were finally able to restrain her.  Even contained, she refused to repent for her crimes.  In a show of mercy, The Lady of Dragonskeep took pity on her and only stripped her of her powers, and exiled her from Dragonskeep.  As she fell from the keep, she cursed her fellow weredragons, saying that they would never again gain an ally as powerful as she ever again.  To this day, the Dragonlords of the north believe that it was a small price to pay to keep their Lady safe.”

“However,”  His voice turned dark and many could feel an eerie aura envelope the room.  “Dragonskeep may be safe from her threat, but they have failed to keep the mortals safe. They say she still roams the countryside, trying to find a way to get revenge on her fellow Dragonlords.  In the mean time, however, she will content herself with murdering foolish tavern goers who do not pay their tab.”  The bard finished with a ominous smile and a dark laugh as many other patrons laughed uproariously , “And that, my friends, is the story of the black and gold Dragonlord, Raeya Kimani.”

Once of the drunks let out a bawdy laugh.  “Roamin’ ta countryside, eh?  Sounds ta me like she’d be awful lonely!”  He laughed again and nudged his friend knowingly.  “Aye,” his friend replied, “Without her powers she’d be pretty easy as well!  I‘d be quite content not paying my tab, so‘s long as I get my chance at her!”

They laughed drunkenly until a woman’s voice cut through the air.  “Is that the way they tell it now, Sir Bard?”  

The bard jerked nervously to the solitary figure.  “Um, well, yes ma’am,” he stammered, “It is.”

The woman sat at the bar, cowl pulled over her face, her back to the crowd.  “Feh. It’s disgusting what only two millennia will do to the truth of a story,” she spat in derision.

The bard bristled defensively.  “Now wait a minute!” he started, “I know-

His voice died away as the back of her cloak bulged, and red mist slithered out from under it.  The woman simply laughed.  “You know nothing.” She purred.  The crowd murmured fearfully and backed up.  “You see, you’ve made one glaring error, my dear bard,” the woman said as she stood up and turned.  A slender hand with the scales and claws of a dragon swept back the cowl as gold and black dragon wings unfurled from under the cloak.  

Raeya Kimani faced them all as the crowd yelled in horror and some tried to run away.  She curled her lip back in a sneer, revealing fangs beneath her glowing red eyes.

“I never lost my powers.“