[Necromancing the Stone]

The roads of Thay are a violent and dangerous place.  To combat this Tyraturos Legionnaires patrol constantly to keep merchant traffic moving.  The flow of money through a country is much like the blood flow of a human body.  If it stops, all hell breaks loose.  The Tharchion of Tyraturos does not tolerate the merchants being delayed for this very reason.  Money flowing through, out, in, and around the country keeps people happy, and his blood in his veins right where he likes it, and not decorating the floor for some unhappy Red Wizard somewhere.

Lawlessness still was evident everywhere, but the patrols tame it as they can.

So on this day, began as it always did for the duty squad.  March to Pyrados.  Kill, chase off, bribe, or other wise neutralize bandits.  Rest and refresh in Pyrados, turn around, march back, and hope the afternoon was easier as they had been successful in deterring the local banditry on the way to Pyrados leaving little for them to do on the way back. 

Pyrados was close. The soldiers on patrol were discussing where they would spend their coin they had earned for the day.  Most were going to spend much more than they earned in the weeping slave.  A few hoped to earn some fighting in the pit in the basement of that same tavern.  Some were buying gifts for spouses or boyfriend/girlfriends.....some just wanted to get off their feet for a moment.  They had been in contact with a few bandits, they were bruised and bloody, but in general a legionnaire was far better outfitted and equipped than the rabble pacing the roads.  They had grown a bit complacent and almost didn't hear the warning signs until it was to late.

Feet were stamping through the forest loudly and coming in their direction.  Voices hung in the air that were curt, and sharp, though it was easy to hear they were TRYING to be as quiet as possible.  As the patrols conversations drifted down to a murmur before stopping altogether, a disheveled, dirty, and decidedly bruised and bloody boy burst out of the woodline to the south, heading north as fast his feet would carry him.  Five steps behind was a ragged group of men with swords drawn.  The Legionnaire patrol knocked arrows, and just as the group of bandits realized their quarry was on their grasp, they saw the patrol and new their life was over.  A few tried to stand and fight, but most turned to flee.  They made it a few steps, but the arrows from the patrol hit their mark and they patrol barely broke a sweat.  

The boy wheeled around when he realized he wasn't being pursued.  The fear that had been pulling at the seams of his face visibly fell away as the bandits died.  He broke a small smile of satisfaction as the one that had killed his mother after breaking into their home took an arrow through his throat and was dead before he hit the ground.

The Legionnaires were cleaning their equipment, recovering usable arrows, and ensuring the bandits were truly dead when it began to dawn on them the little boy was still staring at them with look of awe and admiration.  They began to talk amongst themselves about what they were going to do with the boy.  They didn't want to leave him out on the road by himself, but none of them wanted to take responsibility for his care.  The argument was beginning to get heated, when the forest parted again, and a large man bearing the markings of a druid of Silvanus stepped out onto the road.  The Druid advised he had been following this group of bandits for some time due to their crimes against the forest.  They burned, looted, killed animals for sport, and in general took no care of what nature was providing them.  When the Druid realized the boy was an orphan, he calmed the patrols anxiety by taking the boy as his own.  To which, the patrol readily agreed and marched back to Tyraturos, happy in their knowledge they had completed their duty.

Over the next few years, patrols would report seeing a boy loping through the trees along the road, keeping pace with them.  He would never approach or speak to them, but he meant no harm, so the patrols let him be.  "The wild boy" they would call him.  But it was clear he had interest in them.

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Aguath was a small boy.  He stands barely over five feet tall.  He likes to tell people he is five foot 3 inches, but if he hit five foot 2" it would be a miracle.  He was thin and frail, but nimble.  His Foster Father would try to divert him away from his incessant talking about the patrol that had saved him.  He did what he could to discourage the inevitable. He had always hoped Aguath would turn toward stewarding the forest as he did, but he knew it was unlikely.  The boy wanted to become one of his heroes. And yet, it still took his foster father by surprise the day of his 18th birthday when he announced he had joined....not was going to jpin, he HAD joined, the Legion as a scout.  

He had taken his fathers teachings seriously.  He knew a balance had to be found and achieved, but a boy never quite gets away from the glow of his heroes, even unto manhood.  

His foster father kissed the top of his head, looked at him seriously and said.

I am as proud of you as if you were my own blood.  Keep the balance, as a scout you will need to be at home in the woods.  Keep nature in your heart, and all things will come together.

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He had tried to sign up as an infantryman, but one look at his frame and the recruitment sergeant laughed. Scout was what he was made for, scout is what he knew, so he didn't take the rejection harshly.

His first real mission was escort duty.  A couple of halfling prisoners being brought up from Bezantur to Tyraturos for questioning.  He had no idea what they had done to deserve their fate, and it truly didn't matter,  Many others were out on the patrol with them. The halflings had many dangerous enemies that apparently did not want to take the risk of the two talking.  At every turn danger lurked.  Mercenaries, monsters, even forest animals were employed to kill the guardians and ultimately the prisoners. But it was nothing they couldn't handle.  All fell before, spear and sword, arrow and stone.  

But one strange occurrence, piqued his mind.  A creature the like of which he had never seen before, barely larger than him......in front of his very eyes, become a dragon!  He didn't look LIKE a dragon, he didn't act LIKE a dragon, he BECAME a dragon? Aguath had so many questions.  How could such mass be put on so quickly? where did it come from? how long could he maintain the form? What ELSE could this creature become if he wished?  He wasn't allowed to linger and examine the body after the Dragon was laid low, but the thoughts of it were never far from his mind.  He did his duties, he obeyed his orders, but always, it was there.  When his mind was quiet, the memory of that small creature increasing his mass a hundred fold in seconds would come in and stay for a while. How free it must feel to be able to do that? How EMPOWERING!.......

It was a puzzle he was going to piece together, some how, someway.  How could it DO that?

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