Name: Sorodomi
Age: 437 (looks about 23)
Bio: Sorodomi is a Copper Dragon whose species coexisted with the nearby Humans for hundreds of years. She was only a Wyrmling when the Dimede family staged a coup and stole the crown. King Umber Dimede felt that the Coppers' loyalty to the old family would threaten his reign, so he demonized them and ordered their slaughter. Because she was so small she escaped the initial carnage by hiding deep in the endless tunnels of the Ghost Heart Mesa. She kept her head down and carved out an existence for herself, but it became difficult as she grew and required larger prey to keep her satisfied.
Personality: She has a good sense of humor, but she resents Humans for turning on her and her kind so quickly and unquestioningly. She will kill any who invade her domain without mercy in order to protect herself and her location.
Description/Picture:
Dragon:

Human:

(You have no earthly idea how hard it is to find a picture of a knight…>.>)

Name: Devon La’Arc
Age: Guessed around twenty four.
Short Bio: Devon was raised by monks as a child. He was rebellious, rude, and a devout atheist. Angry with the monks, he deserted them. Since then, Devon has devoted his life to adventure. Any riches he finds, surprisingly enough, he only takes enough to live off, sending the rest of his riches to the Monastery.
Personality: Though Devon is usually loud and rude, he can be quiet the gentlemen. He tends to act tough most of the time. Extremely clumsy, though a fun loving male. His main weakness is beautiful woman. Since he was raised by the monks, he’d never been around female’s growing up, and it’s made it so as a young man, they are constantly on his mind. Tends to make him stutter.
Description/Picture:

Sorodomi sat quietly in her study, thumbing through a book on planes and dimension hopping. Her stomach grumbled, but she ignored it. It had been almost two weeks since she had last eaten; and even then it had only been a single goat. Raiding the nearby farms was becoming harder and harder and the sand squirrels just weren't cutting it. She thought again about shifting into a human guise and just buying food from the City. She had a little money that her pets had brought from the bodies of the unlucky slayers who had come to dispatch her...but Humans asked too many questions. Her stomach rumbled again, louder this time and she winced. It didn't help that her kind were so recognizable in human form; bright copper hair, turquoise eyes, and always the pointy teeth and tiny wings. Being inconspicuous was not one of their gifts. But she had no choice; she would visit a farm again tonight and take another goat. If she didn't, she was soon going to starve.

”Uh-huh. Just one goat? Really?” Devon’s speak was broken by pauses as he listened to the farmer rant and rave. The townspeople had pooled their money together and sent out for a slayer. Again. And, while Devon wasn’t actually a slayer, he was an adventurer. So this was an adventure. With, apparently, a huge copper dragon. And dragons’ always had riches, didn’t they? “So, how often would you say a farm animal goes missing? Uh-huh.” The male stepped away, debating. He could wait, since this seemed to be happening fairly often. But dragons were smart, right? And there were many villages. So, most likely, he’d need to go after it.

“Would you happen to know it’s nest…er…lair?” He finally turned back to question the farmer. “Just…in the mountain. That’s it?” He huffed, but nodded.
~
It was a few hours later when the dark headed boy set off, his gold dusted armor clanking as he trotted on his rent-a-horse. The nag was unruly, and didn’t want to move at anything faster than a slow walk. Devon kept pushing her, and soon they were climbing up the rocky hillside. It wasn’t long after that, that Devon was forced to move on foot, exploring several caves and still not seeing a dragon. He sighed, moving into one he’d seen by pure luck. (Also called falling into the cave mouth.)

He picked himself up and continued walking inside. It was much deeper than the other caves he’d been to. “Dragons my arse.” He began muttering, so much it began to become a chant.

She had been preparing for her raid when the interloper arrived. She felt it as he fell through her defense field as clearly as if he had sounded a siren. The scrying orb in her pocket glowed as she took it out and directed her focus to the mouth of her cave. He hadn't come far yet and so hadn't reached the cavern-turned-manor entrance hall yet. She didn't intend that to change. The cave held many natural traps to snare the unwary; deep pits, falling stalactites, pools of black water teeming with horrors even she didn't care to think about too long. She had her own entrance and exit, of course, and nothing in these caves was stupid enough to go toe-to-toe with a Dragon. Unless you counted the slayers, but that was a little different.

As she watched the young man press on through the maze her stomach grumbled, reminding her of a more important task. She sighed and decided it would be best to end this quickly so she could get on with her hunt. Walking over to a portion of the wall covered in arcane sigils she pressed a sequence that would release a horde of giant spiders into the Human's path. This was usually enough to either send potential attacker fleeing for their lives, or kill those stupid enough not to run. Once they had been released, she sat for a moment to watch the carnage. Just to make sure the arachnids took care of business.

The male kept pressing deeper, almost falling into a cavern, though he tripped and fell, only his head dangling in it. Another trip had saved his life from various rocks and pointy things that were lose in the cavern. Which were they, stalagmites or stalactites? He could never remember the difference. Soon, though, a new sound filled the cave. It was like a scratching…or a scurrying. Devon was puzzled, waving the torch he’d lit as soon as he’d entered the cavern.

Soon, the sound was apparent. The warrior glanced at his sheathed sword, and back to the giant spiders. Fighting wouldn’t make much of a difference here. Perhaps fire? He could remember when he was younger, and would play with bugs, setting them close to the fireplace and watching them crinkle and hiss before the flames ever touched them. Rather nervous now, he glanced around the cave for something else to help him. The only burnable items were too wet, like the moss covering the ground and sides of the immense area. The pools dotting the place weren’t connected otherwise he could swim in them to get further.

He hesitated once more, before dropping the torch at his feet, and kneeling, finally lifting his heavy shield. “AHHHH!” He screamed, remembering the loose rocks above. Yelling in this area would help make them fall, surely.

Sorodomi frowned as she watched the scene play out. What the hell is he doing?! she thought as the man dropped to his knees and covered himself with his shield. The orb didn't transfer sound, but she felt it even in her room as a part of the tunnel caved in.

She fought the urge to run into the caves herself to see what had happened. Instead she paced, holding the orb and cursing at it softly as she waited for the dust to settle. After a minute that dragged on for an eternity she was able to see what had happened. A pile of boulders and jagged rocks had dislodged themselves from the ceiling and some of the upper ledges to come crashing down; decimating her spider horde. She wrinkled her face in disgust as a few stray legs twitched from between the rocks. She scanned the area again, expecting to see a human hand amongst the spider legs, but she was met with a much stranger sight: it appeared that the rocks had fallen around the slayer, leaving him untouched!

"Impossible!" she said aloud to nobody. Of course they hadn't just avoided him but crushed her spiders. That didn't make any sense. She began to rationalize. Obviously he has an enchanted shield or something and they were repelled, or bounced off, or something! Panic began to creep into the corners of her mind as she tried to think of what to do next.

It took quite a bit of coughing for the dust to expel from Devon’s lungs, but eventually, he stood once again, looking about and grinning. Oh, yeah. He was amazing. “Fear me!” He began to yell, though quickly changed to a whisper. He glanced at the shield, the fool’s gold sparkling merrily. Seems the monks hadn’t been the fools Devon had thought they were, and the charms they’d given the man held. His torch was taken back in his hand.

Soon, he climbed happily, though he tripped over various rocks, and wrinkled his nose as his boot slid into a spider carcass with a ‘squelch’. Eventually, it was dislodged, and Devon continued, glancing about. He had doubts that this would be the dragon’s cavern, if there were giant spiders crawling around. Hopefully, however, that was the last of them.

(Wasn’t sure if you’d want to introduce the entryway or throw more at him or whatnot.)

As she came out of her own thoughts she looked back into the orb. I waited too long! she thought as she watched him approach the entrance hall. She knew it would be getting brighter in the cave for him as he entered.

The hall was enormous. Easily tall enough to accommodate a full-grown dragon. Gold-plaited statues of animals lined the strip of brocade carpet that lead to a wide set of stairs. The walls were covered with tapestries and carvings depicting scenes of legend. On the landing where the stairs diverged to lead up to the hallways, sat a copper statue. Its edges were beginning to green from years of oxidization, but the forms of three Copper Dragons were still clear as day. A large male, a smaller female, and a wyrmling. The parents looked on fondly as the wyrmling touched noses with a marble house cat that was about her same size. It had obviously been carved with love and skill.

Back in her room Sorodomi was panicking. No one had ever made it to the entrance hall alive! "WhatdoIdoWhatdoIdo?!" she repeated over and over. It had been years since she had needed to fight a slayer. She stopped and took a deep breath. It was going to be fine. Either she would pose as a "damsel in distress" or she would show up in all her coppery glory and melt his face. Both viable options. But if she didn't chose quickly he was sure to start looting. The problem with the first was that he would then insist upon "rescuing" her and taking her back to her non-existent village. So it looked like option two was the way to go.

She was about shift forms and go screaming into the hall when she took one last look in the orb. Something made her pause. She watched the young man for a moment. There was something strange about him, something different. He didn't act like the others who had come to kill her, all pomp and flashing steel. She hesitated, wanting to see what he would do next.

Soon, the hallway grew, became clearly man made. Or, dragon made. It was enormous, and Devon found himself eagerly moving to the statues, and running his fingers over the tapestries.

Soon, the male remembered his purpose, and withdrew his sword, glancing about nervously. No sign of the dragon yet, but all his doubts were gone. “Dragon! Dragon!’ He began calling, “Draaghhhh!” His yell finally cut off as he fell, sprawling forward. He picked himself up, and looked around nervously. “H-hullo?”

She found herself fighting a snicker as the young man sprawled across her carpet. It was as though the the title of slayer was too large for him. She realized with some shock that she was smiling. She couldn't remember the last time she had actually had a reason to smile. Maybe I'll give him a chance... she thought with some hesitation. Nodding her resolve, she went to the closet and pulled out a green velvet dress. She wore only a light slip most of the time, much easier to get out of if she needed to shift quickly. She couldn't afford to shred her clothing every time she went from Humanoid to Dragon.

Now dressed, she left the sanctuary of her room and made her way towards the hallway. Silently she descended the stairs to the landing and stopped in front of the statue of her family. She looked down at the young man rather coldly, "Why are you in my home?" her voice was soft, but unmistakably powerful.

Devon jumped a few feet in the air, and almost failed in his landing. Once he regained his balance, Devon stared openly at the figure who’d spoken.

She was beautiful, with short fiery hair, and amazing blue eyes that glued him to the ground. “I…you…er…” He cleared his throat, and quickly sheathed the sword at his side. “I, excuse me, Miss. I...I didn’t mean to disturb you. I’m look for…a…uhm, dragon? I was told it’s lair was in this mountain. I didn’t realize a lady lived here…” He faltered, and looked around, confused, nervous, and clearly out of place now.

Thinking quickly, Devon bowed, “I’m Devon La’Arc. Known warrior…and…apparently a dragon slayer. This may be…impertinent…but, I must ask what a woman such as yourself is doing here? It doesn’t seem the place for a lady to be…”What, with the giant spiders and falling stones and who knew what other creepy crawlies….

She scoffed, "Well...Devon La'Arc, known warrior and dragon slayer, as I said this is my home. And it appears you have found your quarry," she spread her arms and sighed a bit tiredly, "Are we to do battle now?"

“My quarry?” Devon repeated rather stupidly, then looked around, growing more puzzled.

It took a few minutes before he understood, and even then, the facts weren’t particularly clear. “You? Miss? Uhm…You don’t look very dragon…ie…” He faltered, and stepped forward. “If you aren’t feeling well, I’d be more than happy to escort you to the nearest town…” Surely this woman was as mad as she was stunning.

"No, no thank you. I'm feeling fine," her stomach rumbled, "Just a bit hungry, that's all," She sighed heavily this time, "I'd offer you some tea and cake, but sadly I'm all out," her voice dripped sarcasm. It appeared her newest slayer was both bumbling and dense. "So, did you...not study up on Dragons before you came here?" she said, her eyes boring into him as she descended the stairs towards him.

”I..no…I wasn’t aware this job was actually to slay a dragon. But, it would pay well…and…and…and…” Devon took a step back as the female moved forward. “I don’t see how the dragon pertains to you, Miss…” He reached to his belt, digging in the tiny sack there. “I don’t have much food, but I can offer you a bit of dried rabbit, and a biscuit or two…”

She stopped cold as he offered the food. Sweet, sweet food. Her eyes grew big, the pupils narrowing into slivers as her mouth began to water and she held out her hands, "Yes, please yes!" She snatched the rabbit jerky and biscuits from him, devouring them almost instantly. As she did her canines flashed and her tiny wings fluttered. As she finished she licked her lips. It wasn't much, but the rumbling slowly died down. "Dear gods I haven't eaten in weeks!" as she noticed him still watching her she recomposed herself. Her pupils returned to normal and she straightened up. Clearing her throat she said, "Well, thank you sir. That was very kind,"

Devon’s hands dropped to his sides as the woman grabbed the food. He hesitated as she ate, but he had to know. He could have sworn he saw wings flutter behind her. He frowned, and stepped around her, staring at the tiny things. Unable to help himself, he reached forward, gripping one gently. He pulled it, so it was fully extended, then let go. He repeated the process a few times, his mouth open.

“You weren’t lying.” He muttered, mostly to himself. “You are the dragon. I don’t understand. How can you be a woman, but a dragon too?” As he spoke, he pulled out a few more biscuts, offering her more. He was supposed to kill this girl, but how could he? He thought she’d be a terrifying dragon.

She sighed as he plucked at her wings. At least he was catching on. She took the biscuits gratefully and ate them more slowly than before. When she was finished she addressed him again, "Well, since you're here and not trying to stab me I may as well invite you in," she gestured upstairs, "Would you like to step into my study?" Without waiting for an answer she started up the stairs again, "I will explain when we are more comfortable."

The male frowned, glancing about. Something seemed wrong about following a dragon into her lair. But, who could resist a female like this inviting a man into her home?

Devon started after her, moving quickly. He didn’t wait, however, for the two of them to get comfortable before speaking. “So, what, is this a curse of some kind? You have…dragon…features?”

She sighed (she seemed to be doing that a lot lately), "No, not a curse. I was hatched this way," as she spoke she walked to one of the thousands of shelves lining the walls of her study. She dug through a pile of papers until she found two teacups, a teapot, and a very old satchel of tea, "Looks like I lied, I'm not out of tea yet. I hope you don't mind if it's a little weak though," as she crossed the room to begin brewing the tea she casually grabbed a well-read book from another shelf and tossed it into Devon's lap, "Lots of pictures in that one," she said over her shoulder. It was a family photo album of sorts. Portraits of her family, immediate and extended, in both Dragon and Humanoid forms. She let him flip through it himself as she finished with their drinks.

When it was finished she handed him a glass and sat down with her own. She took a sip before speaking, "I suppose your fear-mongering teachers taught you that all Dragons were horrible monsters bent on eating all of Humanity and their cattle, right?"

“Oh, Gods. Hatched.” Devon repeated stupidly. He simply stared at her as she spoke, until the book was handed to him. He obediently opened it, turning the pages, staring opened mouthed at the pictures. The resemblance to the dragons was unmistakable, though, thickheaded as he was, Devon probably wouldn’t have pieced the information together if it weren’t for the captions below.

When the tea was handed to him, and the woman spoke, he closed the book with a soft thump, getting more settled into the seat he’d chosen. “What do you mean? I haven’t had anyone teach me about dragons. There aren’t many left. From what I’ve heard in the town below, that’s what you seem intent on. Maybe not the people, but their cattle certainly.” He leaned forward, frowning, his eyes peering at her intently. “Why do you look all…lady-ish, then? And why haven’t you tried to kill me?” He paused, before also asking, “What are you called?”

"I look lady-ish because it's easier to fit through doors this way and claws are hard to turn pages with. I haven't tried to kill you because you haven't tried to kill me or steal my stuff, and..." she paused for a moment, "I'm called, Sorodomi," she was a little startled as she realized she hadn't heard her own name spoken aloud in nearly a century. She shook the feeling off quickly and returned to the matter at hand, "The cattle...or goats, since that's technically all I ever take...are an unfortunate necessity. The Humans won't allow me into their cities or villages, so I cannot buy my food. I tried leaving money in place of the livestock I took. But I finally stopped when they began using that same money to send Slayers after me. I figured I shouldn't be making it easier for them to hire someone to kill me," she sipped her tea again and sighed. Her voice was sad and a little wistful as she spoke again, "I don't like stealing, it's not in my nature. But if I didn't, I'd starve,"

The male stared at her, before shaking his head. “I’m sorry. It’s very hard to be sympathetic right now. Besides the wings…and, uh, fangs, you really don’t seem dragon-ie. Besides…” Devon stood, tucking his shield under his arm, “I don’t see any way I could help you, and since that was the last of my food, I suppose I shouldn’t be wasting more of your time.”

He hesitated once again, eying the female. Gah. He needed to leave…move towards the door! His feet, however, wouldn’t listen. Devon mirrored Sorodomi’s sighs and hung his head. “I could purchase some food below, and bring it to you, along with a map. We could attempt to get you to someplace deserted, without people, where you could hunt freely…?”

He still didn't believe her. She rubbed her eyes in exasperation. She said, not unkindly, "I appreciate the offer, and I am grateful you no longer seem interested in killing me. But this is my home, and I do not intend to run anymore," she could see he was still...confused. It looked like she'd have to do this the hard way. She began unzipping the back of her dress, "Since you seem like a gentleman of sorts, I suggest you turn around," she had no problem with nudity but Humans had always seemed to avoid it. Letting him chose for himself she stripped down fully and began the relatively quick transformation to her Draconic form. Having changed fully, her twelve foot length still coiled easily into her vaulted study, "Finished. Do you believe me now?" surprisingly, her voice didn't change at all.