The people of Cinderhill

At the outskirts of Valenor lay the town of Cinderhill. A remote cornucopia of crops, flowerbeds and herb-plantations it is tucked in between towering trees and a disarrayed but fertile farmland. A variety of herbs are being harvested in preparation of feasts to come, its fragrance carried on the breeze to mix with that of bread being baked. Bright kites and butterflies drift amongst the eaves of the communal longhouses, each bedecked with brightly colored scrolls drying in the sun.

The people of Cinderhill, a happy and peaceful folk, are busy working alongside each other - sharing the daily chores and responsibilities equally. Villagers hail each other and lend a hand at any task as need or desire takes them. The whole village gathers together for a simple lunch, everyone mingling together freely. The children play in the fields and between longhouses, being as merry and carefree as children should be under the gentle eye of the village. Seen from a distance, Cinderhill may appear quite ordinary and perhaps simple.

The founders of Cinderhill originally come from the four corners of Valenor some eight generations ago. This has given rise to a dialect mixing common elements from various languages. It was the promise of a better life that led them, a better life under the auspice of the Dragon, known simply to them as the Red Divinity. In a symbiotic relationship the Dragon provides a blanket of prosperity and security mixed with love while the Cinderhillians return the love through song and dance, every moment being a communion.

Those born with magic learn the Dragon Rituals required to commune with and mimic their beloved Divinity. Those without magic craft the paper, dyes and other materials used to make the scrolls that store the lore of the Dragon. Those rare visitors who have been arrived to Cinderhill have taken to calling those with magic 'Adepts of the Dragon' and referring to the rest as 'Scroll makers'. The people of Cinderhill find this amusing. To them, such a distinction is alien and moot. Cinderhillians are one people, equal under the glory of the Dragon.

The diviners amongst the Adepts believe that the Dragontide will soon be upon them again. The Red Divinity will walk amongst them, a rarity that only happens once or twice in a lifetime. The eyes of children sparkle with wonder and those blessed to have walked with their God before shed tears of joy and anticipation. The rhythm of life takes on a new vitality and the very colors of the flowers, the paints and pigments of the houses and drying scrolls sparkle with a renewed magic.

The last Dragontide saw offerings given to the Dragon to appease the misdeeds of their forefathers. Having learned from the past they've kept faith with their Divinity and look forward to a truly blessed occasion. This will be a time of song and celebration, a chance to dance with the Dragon and bask in its love.

Or it would have been.