Poem: Dragons' Claw

Come one and all, and hear the tale of six 

heroes and kings who rose to greatness. Just as they rise, 

they must also fall, and here they fall to dragons’ claw.

A blue dragon sleeps soundly in his desert horde, as a hero, a half-devil, slinks in.

The king said to him, “Bring me the horn, hero --

the great horn that sits on the dragon’s nose!”

But the gold gnawed at the gut of the half-devil, an insatiable and inherent greed

and the hero (cursing his own nature) reached for the gold.

The king received the horns of the half-devil, delivered in the dragon’s claw.

A green dragon studies magic, strives for knowledge to feed its own power, but 

he was slain by a knight of the Summer Fey Court.

She brought the spellbooks to her king - an Archfey, and her love.

Although, fey are often greedier than dragons. With newfound power, the king 

turned tyrant. The knight -- his queen now -- drove her blade through his chest.

Then, through her own. Death of a kingdom at a dead dragon’s claw.

A white dragon scours the glaciers in the north, with hunger insatiable and 

a love of the hunt. The king loved the hunt, and with him he brought a small party.

One was an elven mage who’d seen the dragon, who could lead them to his lair.

“White dragon!” the mage cries. “Here I bring you your next meal! Feast,

and make me king!” The dragon devoured the company, and the mage (now king)

feeds the dragon daily, so not to be torn asunder by the dragon’s claw.

A black dragon lies in wait in a swamp, a princess of war in his clutches.

The king comes to negotiate, and it is he who slays the dragon without thought.

The princess wept, for she’d lost her greatest friend that day. 

The king and people scorned and shunned her -- who could love a dragon? 

But when the dragon’s mate came and melted the city under her breath of acid,

only the princess was spared from the dragon’s claw.

A red dragon lurked in the ruins of some great city when the hero approached him.

He was a gnomish archer, so small and meek, he said, “Great dragon, my king

is a cruel tyrant, and I seek your aid in his death.” And the dragon sneered,

“Little gnome, you trade tyrant for tyrant. Is that what you want?” But the gnome said,

“No tyrant is worse than ours.” So the dragon created more ruins of some great city,

and the gnome, the only survivor, said, “Better to be ruled under dragon’s claw.”

A golden dragon sat on a mountain, where a prince climbed alone

to ask his sage advice. “Dragon, I long for gold, like your scales, I long for riches

more than those in my dreams.” And the dragon chuckled at the prince. “You long for

my golden scales… so take them from me.” The prince became a dragon, and the dragon

became the prince, and later the king. He sent a knight to kill the dragon prince, but

the dragon returned and reclaimed the crown that he lost to the dragon’s claw.

Kings and heroes, beware, for greed shall be your undoing.

Kings and heroes, beware, for these beasts are frequently kind, but always very tricky.

Kings and heroes, always beware the dragons’ claw.