City of Brass Story 1

  Many years ago, rumors spoke of the day a black dragon stole his way into the City of Brass in the shape of a street merchant. Under the guise of selling his wares, he gathered information and made connections with certain folk unhampered by morals. One of these folks was there to study this new member of the backstreets. He reported to his boss, Lady of Flowers. She was not keen in allowing someone to conduct "business" in what she considered her domain without them paying her for the privilege.   Lady of Flowers invited the disguised black dragon for a round of drinks at her establishment, The Doorstop. There, she offered to allow him to continue his business ... for a fee. The black dragon refused her offer, stating he was not going here to interede in her... business. Instead, he wanted to make conenctions for little plans of quick profit mutually beneficial to all parties. He has no interest in trying to get into her business... just do his minor affairs in things she doesn't bother with.   Lady of Flowers prides herself in having a finger in everything and his refusal irks her. She nods and her thugs drag the new "street merchant" out back into the flower garden where they beat him them stab him before leaving him to die. Painful as it was, the black dragon knew he was not in any danger of truly dying, though if he "died" while in this merchant form, he would revert to his true dragon self. That would be a complication he could do without. Soon as the thugs were gone, he got up and magically stepped to hidden place just outside the city.   The flowers the black dragon bled into was a bed of dragonsnaps who absorbed it. The magical blood changed them as it granted each flower its very own dragon breath, though on a miniscule scale. Seeds from these dragon breath dragonsnaps are as gifted as their parent plant. The selling of these special seeds has bankrolled many... capers... within the City of Brass...  

Once upon a time...

It was an old and very large cemetary that served as a place for the poor and downtrodden to be laid to rest since its beginning. As time passed and graves sank, these became the graves for others. Markers were simple and made of wood that rotted away as inevitably as the graves sank. Those who wasted away in their graves became forgotten as new bodies were laid to rest over them. Finding the right soul to talk to was a considerable challenge for a Death Speaker especially if the one to be questioned had been gone for a long time.   Not all buried here were poor or downtrodden. Now and again, someone of significant status ended up buried here due to intrigues and befarious plots. The records for this cemetary are kept in a small stone office with modest quarters above the serves as the resident for the Death Speaker in charge. This is a miserable post and has been assigned to an old Death Speaker. Grumpy at having been placed here, he is reluctant to assist anyone or even allow anyone other than him to search the records.   Harland Copperfield is determined to find the resting place of his great grandfather in order to question him about a family mystery that has recently begun to be revealed. Too much has been lost in time and he is desperate to get it resolved. He has found enough hints that his great grandfather was buried as a pauper in the old cemetary. Unfortunately, the Death Speaker in charge is difficult on a good day. Still, he eventually came to a far corner of the cemetary where he always felt chilled even on a hot summer day. There he found a plot surrounded by strange dragonsnaps. These flowers were dark, their petals black with orange and yellow blending. As he stepped closer, the flowers turned to watch him. With a gasp, Harland stopped as the hairs at the back of his neck rose. Then, a chilled passed through his innards. His eyes darted around so fast he failed to see ghost white bats, each as long as his forearm, swoop down from the twisted branches of a nearby apple tree. With a scream he turned to run but the bats were on him. His trust thoptrix, always following behind, got between him and the bats. The creatures swarmed the thoptrix, weighing it down. With the bats distracted, Harland made good his escape.