Deep beneath the surface of the planet Aroth the lich sat scheming. The mists trapped within the enchanted globe before him swirled and changed, showing him images of the underground kingdom of the dragons. If the lich had possessed physical eyes within his skeletal face they would have burned with hatred over what he saw. It was not the dragons that he held such antipathy for; he considered them pawns and little else. Instead it was the dragon's protectors, the elves, which the lich hated with such fervor, the elves and the massive barrier they had created, the great barrier trapping all of the magic on Aroth in these underground tombs. The lich had sat there waiting and planning for almost five millennia; now it was time for him to make his move, time to end his confinement. Now was the time when his influence from within and forces from without would cause the greatest strain on the barrier. But he could never exert his influence over the elves or the dragons as he was. He would need a new form if he were to succeed. A draconic form... Gaiowyn looked at the gathering in dismay. This was the third such gathering in as many days, young elves flocking to hear Nexrosis's plans of conquering the world beyond the barrier. Gaiowyn was saddened by the fact that many of them already bore a tatoo of a black dragon on their cheeks: Nexrosis's mark. "And what of the humans above Nexrosis? They defeated the dragons in times past, why would we win now?" Gaiowyn asked the gathering when she saw an opening in Nexrosis's tirade. "I have never seen a human. No one here has ever seen one. They are mere boogey men created by our elders to keep their children in fear. Besides, they have lived for millennia with no magic. What species could thrive in those circumstances?" Nexrosis responded. "And what if you are wrong? What do you find so lacking here that you must risk facing these 'boodey men?'" "The sun against our skins! The wind beneath our wings!" "Beautiful words, but what is their meaning? You have more light that you would ever need, and there are caverns large enough for hundreds of dragons to soar." "I would feel the true sun, and the living wind. Not this unwavering magic light and these fetid cave drafts." "And how do you know that the sun and the wind are not mere fairy tales to amuse children?" "What harm is there in looking?" "Who are you to speak for us? I don't remember seing you beyond three days ago, and I would remember a dragon like you, black wyrm." "I speak for those who bear my mark upon their flesh. With every day that passes I speak for more elves than the day before." It was another loss for the voice of reason. There were far too many of them lately. Days later Nexrosis was prowling the edges of the barrier. It had existed for thousands of years; there had to be a weak spot somewhere. When the barrier became visible through a gap in the rock he would rake his claws against it, batter it with his tail or simply snarl at it. Showers of blue sparks met his physical attacks; indifference met his snarls. Both served only to further enrage him. When his mood was at his blackest, an elf made the mistake of attempting to interrupt him. Nexrosis spun about, enraged, knocking the elf down. He pounced on the courier, pinning him to the ground with his massive fore-claw. "You had best have a very good reason for disturbing me, elf," he said. "Lord Nexrosis! The barrier has been breached! A human has entered our sanctuary!" This was better than Nexrosis could possibly have hoped. With his influence among the young elves and this 'emergency,' the council would be forced to hear him. "Well, that is certainly a worthy message," Nexrosis said as he withdrew his claws. "Now get out of my sight, I have business to attend to." With that Nexrosis stalked off, seeking to sway the council with his plans of invasion. The dragon's council chamber was a massive cavern. Presiding over the dragons was Belaphon, a huge white dragon who had lost his right eye in some long-ago fight. To his right sat Kalex, an older dragon, though not so old as Belaphon. To his left was Nodar, of comparable age to Kalex. Representing the elves was the maiden Gaiowyn. Nexrosis raved against the council, claiming that the human who broke through the barrier was a spy, saying that humans, now that they knew a way in, would surely attack soon, that the dragons and elves must be the ones to strike first, to strike hardest. He had almost won over Nodar and Kalex, but Gaiowyn and Belaphon stood firm, anchoring the younger dragons. After hours of argument, a dragon excorted the human into the chamber to bear witness. Seing his chances of winning the council over were rapidly diminishing, Nexrosis left the chamber with a roar of frustration. "Curse Belaphon!" Nexrosis raved to himself. "That one-eyed old fool could ruin everything. Summon my forces, we march on the barrier this night!" This last command directed at a nearby elf bearing the black dragon upon his cheek. Nexrosis then retreated into the heart of the caverns; he had preparation that had to be seen to, and little time in which to accomplish them. Nexrosis had gathered his army where the barrier intersected a cavern just too small to allow dragon-flight. Belaphon was heading towards Nexrosis's army at the head of a legion of dragons. The cavern echoed with the pad of elvin feet and the clicking of draconic claws. "Stop!" Belaphon called to Nexrosis. "Marching on the humans is utter folly until we know more about them. The human invader was an explorer, not a spy. Attacking now could ruin any future chances for peace!" "I have waited far too long to be stopped by you now, old fool." With that, Nexrosis began chanting an ancient spell, one that had not been heard under or above Aroth in thousands of years. When the spell was completed, a murmuring sound became audible, gradually growing. The elves of Nexrosis's "army" began collapsing with exhausion, their magical energies drained by the great, dark beast. Infused with this energy, Nexrosis turned and began walking towards the barrier with a feral grin. Belaphon tried to rush forward and confront the dark dragon, but found his path blocked. The followers of Nexrosis, disillusioned though many of them were, had performed one last service to their lord in blocking the path of his most powerful foe. Lighter and more nimble than her draconic friend, Gaiowyn ran ahead, trying desperately to stop Nexrosis. But long before even the swift Gaiowyn could reach him Nexrosis had plunged himself into the barrier. There was a time when the barrier was strong, and could have resisted even the strongest magic. There was a time when the barrier would have at least prevented Nexrosis's physical body from entering it. Those times were passed. As Nexrosis's powerful forelegs drove him through the barrier he unleashed the pent up energy he had siphoned from the elves. Magic arced like lightning, radiating out from where Nexrosis contacted the barrier, climbing and diving in all directions until the barrier curved out of sight into the cavern rock. The air filled with static crackling as though a thousand lightning bolts had struck at the same time. For a time the entire room seemed to stand frozen, transfixed by Nexrosis's progress through the barrier. At last the very tip of Nexrosis's tail disapeared, and the barrier seemed whole once again. But the magical lightning kept up its diabolic dance, growing more frenzied by the second as it fed off the powers of the barrier itself. At last a tiny hole opened where Nexrosis had disappeared, growing in size at an alarming rate. The crackling of the lightning was almost drowned out by a new sound. A terrible wind howled through the cavern, blowing from all directions to that one growing hole in the barrier. And then came a brilliant flash of light followed by... Quiet. When those in the hall could again open their eyes, the barrier was no more. The magic was no longer trapped beneath Aroth's surface, and the spectators knew that both worlds, the one above and this one beneath, would be irrevocably changed. ********** I wrote this Aroth-related short story for a college english couse in late 2001 (it earned me an A). However, since I lost my digital copy and had to transcribe this from a paper one, please let me know about any typos I may have introduced :) For more of the story behind Aroth, check out my gallery.