Sword for Hire

[Baphelocutis]

The WarDrac of RhyDin, Baphelocutis est Lathadoscia, has had many roles in the city and the realms of RhyDin over the past decade and more. He has been involved in so much like being the champion of the dueling House Lathadoscia, to an emperor in charge of many old Inner Realms of RhyDin like Dracoern Highlands, Mountainside, and Questrion, to being aligned in high-level circles of influence to try and accomplish certain tasks. When he returned to RhyDin over a year ago from a little absence, he returned as a solo project. A draconian that has shed all titles, all lands, and most associations across the region though he does still travel with a plethora of magical items and funds to pursue whatever interests him. While not longing for any kind of power or leadership roles in his immortal life anymore, he still feels a nagging obligation to serve the community he dwells near as best he can here and there as a support role. Most of the dueling denizens knew he was available to lend a hand in challenges or in the team league but he felt he needed to do more for the general populace.

Using local publications, heralds, and public posting places throughout the city the platinum draconian had general press releases sent out detailing his intent, interest, contact information, and guidelines in which any commission or contract could normally be arranged. He was not available to escort trade caravans or do guard duty for merchant warehouses or the like that a typical mercenary could earn a living by doing as a daily job. It was made very clear he wasn’t interested in a job, but rather special tasks that normal mercenaries could not handle. His interest lay in taking out powerful creatures or beings that threatened the normal everyday ability of the city’s mundane populace to carry out their routine of life. Regardless if it was an undead in the city feeding on children, or a multi-headed hydra blocking a river crossing on a trade route from the city, the WarDrac would assist in making the city and surrounding region safer for all.

Being a dragon-kin of course he naturally required reward or payment so he left it negotiable depending on the task needed to accomplish and the resources needed in the completion of the task. He used a guideline of one gold piece for every ten kilograms of weight of the target and any that protected the target, and the right to claim the body and all items found on the body of the target for his own keeping and use. All other treasure or items recovered could be split as shares among any with whom he traveled in such a task. As the WarDrac was perched just outside his lair in the mountains north of the city, he couldn’t help but flash his trademark dagger long fanged chesire cat like grin while the deep bellowing Jabba the Hutt type laugh rumbled out of his chest as he was now a “Sword for Hire” for the types of denizens who often served him as subjects.

[Baphelocutis]

The platinum draconian had his metallic gold sheen wings out stretched as he glided into the city of RhyDin. The bright golden glittering site of his landing on the beach not too far from the Crooked Hook establishment in the Dockside district is where Baphelocutis decided to start his day of errands. In a lazy leisurely counter-clockwise circuit about the outskirts of the city of RhyDin the WarDrac stopped by different offices seeing if there might be any new “Sword for Hire” contracts worth his interest. Often he was severely disappointed in the prospects at some of the offices he peeked into for inquiry on the subject, yet other times he was only mildly disappointed as now he came to expect the call for merchant guards and bodyguards for nobles to be about the only contracts listed as available.

At some point in the early afternoon of his day walking about the city he found himself in the Dragon’s Gate district apparently by the smell just down the street from Howling Jack’s Hot Wings. There was another mercenary office he could check in on around the corner from the hot wings bistro and as such he got himself a bucket of wings and went down to the offices. Being a draconian almost four meters tall and carrying a lot of reptilian weight the street children and other scavengers that trailed the beast while he ate were sorely disappointed at the lack of thrown scraps to the gutters. There were none as he ate hot wing, skin, meat, and bone all in a quick gulp each like they were popcorn to him. The only happy denizen was a maturing pup of some mangy breed that licked the bucket clean once the WarDrac tossed it down an alley towards another pile of garbage.

“So why do they call you the “WarDrac” anyway?” asked a young man of recent military training staffing the desk. He knew instantly whom the beast was that entered and after the usual questions leading to the usual disappointing answers Baphelocutis usually received the man was too curious not to try and ask.

The platinum draconian stopped a moment and regarded the young man for a moment and then slightly grinned. “Well, in order to keep my name off the available dragons to hunt lists for Knightly Quests, I had to avail myself of my abilities and skills in the protection of the city and denizens of RhyDin. Hence, my enrollment in the lists of names available for city guard, but do you really see me with a rank like sergeant or lieutenant?”

The recently trained solider couldn’t contain himself from emitting a slight chuckle at the thought of trying to put rank insignia of any kind on a creature like Baphelocutis. “Nae, WarDrac, nae at all.”

Then as he saw the WarDrac walking down the street the young solider realized he never did get his question truly answered as to why the creature was specifically called the “WarDrac” though.”

[Baphelocutis]

One afternoon as he was perched on a ledge nearby his lair getting his draconic natural self on, surveying the valleys below from afar with no one but the mountains to keep him company, he noticed that the turn from autumn to winter had crossed the point of official season equinox. Which reminded him of his preparations for something he said he would handle should be close to complete fruition by now. Back in early spring he had preformed some rituals and ceremonies in a certain spot in the forest between his lair and the city of RhyDin. Part of developing the trap he was setting was patience for spring, summer, and autumn to complete their cycles to cover the sigils and glyphs he had etched and bound with elemental and divine magic to help disguise the setting for a ghost’s final stand.

He also had implemented certain items there as well as in his lair that he regularly checked while doing rituals and ceremonies to maintain magic and strengthen over time the aura of the task he was constructing for them to work together. In another few days he figured he would have to put the finishing touches on the trap and make the final preparations to execute the plan. Which left one final task he needed to get taken care of though unfortunately he would have to do this himself. There was a relic in a temple of his on another world he would have to get to in order to retrieve the item that would help to guarantee success in his plan. He made a mental note of things to do was get together some items he wanted to deliver and store at this temple now and other things to get from there before he went knowing he wouldn’t have much time to consider such lists once he got there.

A secondary thought to this whole tangent he figured besides completing a task his sword sibling had set him was at least it would be a recent accomplishment to put on his mercenary resume in the offices of RhyDin. Though he did this not to further employment opportunity, but because it needed to be done he figured it was a good reference to the types of things he could handle to maybe land a contract or two in the future. He had some other thoughts about how he might increase his value for taking on tasks and quests of might and glory, but those were ones that also would take time to complete. He needed to complete this task and find some other introductory assignments to solidify his base skills being showcased. Checking his surroundings one last time he slithered over to his lair entrance and went down deep inside to begin making preparations for his little trip off of RhyDin.