It was snowing outside when the courier came this morning. Nothing hard, but it was a sure sign winter was coming soon. The courier was from the crown, well dressed, bundled against the blustery winds, and all business. After confirming you were who he was sent to deliver the message to, he handed you a heavy parchment envelope and left without another word.
When you opened the envelope, the writing was near and clear, a royal scribe must have taken the king's dictation, because at the bottom of the letter was the Crown's sigil. Upon reading it, you learn you have been summoned to the golden throne, at the request of the king himself. You were to arrive at dusk.
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It was an hour before dusk, and you needed to get going if you were going to make the appointment. Having your things, you set out through the swoon laden streets. They were crowded, but at least the snow wasn't more than a inch deep at the most.
When you arrive at the castle, you are ushered into a room, and the door is shut behind you. Other than yourself, there is only one other person present among the piles of books and tomes strewn throughout the room. Shelves and racks are full of texts surround you, covering the walls and nearly any flat surface. In some cases, books have been stacked against each other to keep from falling over, making teetering attacks far above your head. Farther into the room is the only other person present, although as you get closer, you realize it's not a human.
Standing before you, dressed in a deep purple robe is a half dragon. Humanoids in shape, but with the reptilian head, claws, and silver scales our a dragon, there is only one person this could be, the king. At the moment, he is pouring through a tome covered in dust and yellow with age, as he turns a page, you can hear the parchment crackle. The kings tongue flashes out and you can see it's fork.
Muttering a few words of arcane magic, the book glows dimly fit a moment beefier the king looks up and notices you.
