Dragon Princes

A week and a half had now passed since the fall of Ca'Benicio. After the majority of the clergy were arrested by Morignus, the remaining priests, led by Deltorro's friend Fra Lucio, met in secret with Santa Maria. The young saint agreed to prove her powers by going to the infamous plague island, Isola della Mortanera, and cleansing it of the curse upon it. The di Benicio siblings agreed to go along, alongside a group of mercenaries led by Aksil, a feline condottiere.  With them also were Ornella Donati (the bodyguard of Maria's patron Silvia Franco), Antonio (Maria's bodyguard), and the three leading priests - Fra Lucio, Fra Luca and Madre Angela. At the same time, the di Benicio siblings received an unexpected windfall. Paolo, their crime-lord patron, passed along twenty ducats to each of them. This considerable fortune was from Signora Francesca di Pravo, one of the noblewomen that they had rescued from the red dragon Carnelio. With it was a message: Signora Frances

The latest Minecraft images. The post about the session will follow (hopefully soon!) Boats moored on the ash wastes of the Isola della Mortanera  The channels dug through the ash when the boats were pulled up.  Suddenly, Greta became a hippopotamus.  The island. The ghosts of the 'good' doctor and his victims.  A skull warning people from coming to this god-awful place.  The ruins of the old lazaretto.  The interior of the lazaretto tower. Art: Minecraft. 2009, Mojang AB.

One reason why the Auromian Empire was able to expand so effectively was because of the bronze dragons. They agreed with what the gold dragons were doing, and swore allegiance to the Golden Emperor. The bronze dragons became the leaders of the armies of Auromia, driving its expansion throughout Tellaia. When the Empire began to fall, the bronze dragons were responsible for delaying its collapse for as long as possible, holding off waves of orcs, goblins, and evil dragons. They failed, but without their efforts, the world would have been overrun and La Salvatrice would not have had the chance to discover the word of the Almighty One and save the world. When the bronze dragons were driven back into Tirenia, they fought ferociously to defend Staglia. This maritime city had been an important headquarters for the military. Consequently, it never fell to the attackers. During the following years, the bronze dragons remained its rulers, while petty kings rose and fell throughout the rest of

At the north of Tirenia is an extensive mountain chain: the White Mountains. A series of valleys in the mountains allow for travel through to the lands beyond. The largest of these, such as the Salassi Valley in the north-west, serve as major trade routes. Others are more isolated, such as Zigura, a plateau in the north. It is home to one of the largest gnomish settlements in the world, with a unique culture. The area is renowned for its mercenaries, who are some of the best trained soldiers in the world. The White Mountains are ruled over by the white dragons. They were driven north from Mezilano by the silver dragons, and settled in the mountains. They settled throughout the region, with little organisation between them. Most of the dragons are indifferent lords as well: Ghiaccolo, lord of the Salassi Valley, shows up to collect 'taxes' (tribute), and then leaves the people alone. Anything from months to decades may pass between his visits, and so the Salassi Valley is fair

Fiumenze was built a long time ago, on a ford of the Puzza River. It grew in importance under the Auromian Empire, as commerce became more widespread, and stone bridges were build across the river. The city was spared much of the devastation that accompanied the Empire's fall, and continued to be a major economic centre. The golden florins, the city's coinage, became ubiquitous worldwide, so much so that the 'pezzo d'oro,' as it is informally known, has become the most common name for a gold coin worldwide. Fiumenze's importance made it a natural target for the dragons. The blue dragons worked their way into Fiumentian society, posing as an up-and-coming mercantile family, the di Dottori. They established banks, as well as other enterprises, and worked to drive their rivals out of business. Within a hundred years, the blue dragons ran the largest and most successful banking house in the world, with branches in all the major cities. Anyone could get a loan from

Auromia was once the capital of the world. Its gold dragon rulers transformed the city into a monument of their rule, full of palaces, temples, statues and fountains. It was said that at its heyday, the city boasted over a million inhabitants. As implausible as that figure may sound, in these days where even the largest cities do not reach even a fifth of that total, the gold dragon emperors had established infrastructure to ensure that even the poorest citizens had an excellent standard of living, and food was imported in from across the world to feed them.  With the fall of the gold dragons, the Eternal City's decline began. The High Ordinarchs established themselves in Auromia, but the disruption meant that the city's population plummeted to more realistic levels. Ancient noble families with estates in the countryside took over the administration of Auromia. The city's decay became complete when the Ordinacy, due to the influence of the green dragons, moved to Atern