Post:Questions about Aaron Albuam - 3/29/2011 - 12:42:20

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Re: Questions about Aaron Albuam · on 3/29/2011 12:42:20 PM 12877
>>Elaborate a little on domains and what they are with regard to dragon.

A domain is what the dragon calls home and a significant area around that. "That forest, "the valley," "the mountain over there" were examples that Albuam cited. This is one of many areas where Journey to the Forbidden West suffers from being written like fiction (if it isn't, you know, fiction): all the discussion of the nature of domains is in very vague, qualitative speak.

>>Do domains ever conflict such that one dragon may have to protect itself from another?

Nothing prohibits domains from overlapping, and Albuam's host told him it is the primary cause of strife between dragons.

>>As a Bard, did Albuam entertain the dragon with musical performances. If so, were there certain instruments or styles of play that the dragon found most pleasing?

Of course! Albuam had with him his trusty lute, which he strummed with enchanting grace and prowess. His host was very appreciative, and offered him draconic magic if he would stay. Alas, the call of adventure beckoned him further west.

>>What was the dragon most interested in talking about, instead of Albuam's own questions.

Albuam, of course.

>>My first question would be how does a Dragon know Common, I understand they are very wise and old but if one never heard the language?

Strangely, this is a common feature in the entire book. It seems that every exotic culture and speaking monster Albuam ran into spoke Common. Albuam never touched on language at all.

>>How does a dragon mark its domain? How does it define its domain and the health of it, particularly in regards to a Life Dragon vs. an Elemental Dragon?

Domains are unmarked. This does, Albuam's host admitted, pose a certain amount of hazard for wandering Humans that the dragons don't really account for.

All dragons define the health of a domain in the same way, though may vary in how they approach arriving at their goals. The environment must be as close to the idea of pristine nature as possible, and the environment must be kept pure of the touch of other planes.

>>If they regard the Immortals as an "intellectual puzzle," who do they think created them?

They don't know, and this caused Albuam's host considerable regret. Draconic history is an oral tradition (Albuam noted, glibly, that quills don't come in dragon size) and at some point in the distant past something happened that disrupted their species. Many dragons died, for centuries or millennium they were focused strictly on survival, and when the dust settled they had been severed from their past.

>>What sort of "power over life and death" did Albuam's dragon have? How about Life Dragons in general?

Albuam described in broad terms two lines of draconic Life magic. First, "rulership over nature" which he described as druidic in form. Second, the ability to warp their shape.

>>Do dragons ever travel beyond their domains? If so, have they ever visited any of the five provinces?

Dragons are not bound to their domains and can certainly travel. Albuam cites the Five Provinces' heavy pollution, both the wholesale creation of towns and industry, as well as the heavy practice of extraplanar-based magic, as keeping dragons away from civilization.

>>Is Aaron Albuam still alive? Was he human, or did he belong to some other race? Did he belong to a guild?

Aaron Albuam was a Human Bard of essentially no repute, unless you were reading his travelouges. He died twenty years ago after a lifetime of adventure (we think), drinking (absolutely), and charming women (arguable).

This message was originally posted in Events and Happenings in DragonRealms' Elanthia (13) \ General Discussions - Events in General (OOC) (5), by DR-ARMIFER on the play.net forums.