Academia Draconis

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Location: Rancho Jurupa Park, Riverside CA. Date: March 10th,11th,12th

Academia Draconis' goal

Academia Draconis' goal is to provide practical training on the battlefield and personal development for chivalry and defense.

Episode I: The Battle of TowerFall

By Baron Ramvoldus Kroll

It had been less than a fortnight since our beloved Queen Drada de Variis descended from the throne of Caid and returned to the deep woods. There are very few that know that during her time on the throne she continued her studies in the mystic arts. While no one knows for sure what she had been conjuring behind closed doors, there are rumors abound of dark energies being stirred.

As her advisor, I cautioned her to take care as there are many mysterious and malevolent creatures that lay dormant within the mythical lands of Dreiburgen. I had shared with her the stories I was told in my youth of the terrible dragons that once inhabited our mountain ranges. Comitissa Drada was always right and just, but I believe that she had inadvertently created an imbalance in the delicate energies upon her departure. There is an almost tangible void left behind, and I sense a dark presence is seeking to fill that void.

In the days leading up to our Summer Arts festival Lady Sancha, my Captain of the Guard was out on patrol and came across a dragon nest. Remembering the tales of Dragons she heard when she was young, Lady Sancha decided it was too risky to leave this potentially powerful creature to its own devices. So she brought the egg to me. After the egg was removed from the nest, it began to hatch. What emerged from the egg was truly terrifying. The hatchling was indeed a dragon of blackened scales sharing the same distinguishable traits as the fabled Gorgonoth from Dreiburgen lore.

Her Excellency, Kungund Benehonig quickly decided that the hatchling should be placed into the care of someone with great skill and knowledge in ferocious and fantastic beasts. It was well known that Her Majesty, Banrigh Stæina Hálfdanardóttir wields a unique power over dangerous beasts while her abilities to rear wild younglings is unmatched. Tales of her lulling a group of 30 feral boar with only the sound of her voice have been told around many campfires. Her Majesty Stæina, the Daughter of Drada would be such a person. Lady Sancha presented the hatchling to her Majesty at Dreiburgen Summer Arts, and Stæina heroically accepted the challenge to keep and rear this most ferocious beast.

Without hesitation, I dispatched several Guardsmen into the hills to search for more evidence. After weeks of searching, we found several other nests but no more eggs. Over the next few months, complaints kept coming in from our local herders of missing livestock. One family reported a few pigs, while another farm reported an entire flock of sheep gone uncounted. Suspicions were mounting, but we had no real tracks to follow. Then at our Anniversary, an urgent message reached us from the farthest corner of our Barony. People had started to go missing.

The populace needed reassurance and I had to put a stop to the mounting fears. I charged my Baronial Marshal Olaf mac Stiamna to assemble a group of our finest guards and form a unit of Armored Guardsmen to hunt down and put a stop to these disturbances and thus bring peace of mind back to our populace. These elite and highly skilled fighters would be henceforth referred to as the Tower Guard.

A Few weeks later I embarked on a pilgrimage to the Barony of Naevehjem to celebrate with them on their Anniversary and witness the investiture of their new Baron and Baroness Liam and Anastasiia. The Tales of their recurring Dragon troubles had been well known throughout our Kingdom. It was a great day of arts, sciences, and most chivalrous combat. Then suddenly but predictably; as if it had happened every year, the local menace known to them as the "Frost Dragon" reared it's ugly head. I had never seen this beast before but decided to join in the line of brave warriors to face this foe. When the beast approached I vigorously beat it about the head and neck, aggressively persuading it to retreat back to the icy northern regions from whence it came. Thus delaying the advance of an icy November for our Northernmost brothers and sisters while securing a most comfortable climate for our own Dreiburgen Yule Celebration. I was honored by their Excellencies Liam and Anastasiia by being named "Premier Dragon Slayer". I had also managed to slice off a good portion of the Frost Dragon's backside to provide a delicious Roast of Beast to bring to our Dreiburgen Yule Table this year. Nonetheless, there was now one less Dragon in Caid to worry about.

Then, one night I had a terrible dream filled with fire and anguish. Between flickers of pain and unspeakable fear I could make out the shape of a gigantic winged serpent towering twice as high as our tallest tower. The dreadful wyrm spit columns of white hot magma and raged about on venomous claws. I saw the beast lay waste to hundreds of our guardsmen only to somehow reclaim them from the great blackness and bind them into her service. What I saw buckled my mind in pure horror. If fear is a weapon, this beast wields it well.

I awoke to the hysterics of a late night rider, wailing that the Eastern Tower was engulfed in flames. We quickly departed from my keep and rode through the night. We arrived just as the morning sun broke through thick clouds of ash and soot. Billows of smoke smothered our every breath. With burning eyes I surveyed the damage, and what I saw broke me. The largest of the three towers that have stood for generations as a symbol of our Barony’s strength now lay in a pile of dust at my feet.

I, Lord Ramvoldus Kröll, Baron of Dreiburgen, put out this desperate call to arms. To all Territories, Households and Warbands of Caid… we beg your assistance. Whatever forces you can spare, heed our call. The Dreaded Gorgonoth is upon us and the beast will not stop until all of Caid has been consumed.

The First Event of this type was the Kingdom Fighting Practice and War College, 1986 in the Barony of Dreiburgen.

Events Under the name Academia Draconis

• Academia Draconis 2023

Events of Caid
Events: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s Event Types: Tournament, War, Collegium, Revel, Court, Arts & Sciences Competition Other Information: Results