Locations
You wake to a silent grayness. Your room, no longer than the height of the butcher’s son and perhaps just a hand span wider, remains dull and somber. The slit of a window above your head frames only silver mist beyond the monastery’s walls. Once fully awake, you inspect the weather more thoroughly only to find that a firm rain has created the muted colors of this morning.
With no way to complete your duties outdoors and no sign of a stoppage in rain, you prepare yourself for a visit to the old man before an early meal. After dressing, you silently walk the hall, passing the doors of your lazy brethren. They have little taste for the early hours of daylight, and have most likely gone back to sleep after seeing the depressing environment beyond their rooms.
Once at Issar Roon’s study, you knock. Though you prefer arriving unannounced—enjoying the old man’s game of augury—you are unsure of morning visits and wish to avoid any outbursts from the old man if at all possible. Showing the old man cautious respect usually pays off in the form of a story, and you hope to receive one on this bleak day.
Good morning, young one. My, you are awake early, and at my door even earlier! I imagine the weather has prevented the fulfillment of your daily responsibilities, but why did you not return to slumber like the others? Have you no desire for a warm dream on a day such as this?
You enter the old man’s room to the familiar sights of candles and books. Nothing has changed over the year or so you have been visiting the old man except the forms of book piles scattered throughout.
Today is a dreary day, and I believe you shall have a tale to match it. Do not worry! It will not be as bland as the view beyond my corridor, but it will not be a happy tale, either.
It is about a blue pixie, a creature who happens to also live on your world. You have seen one, yes? No?
A pixie, my young student, is much smaller than a man and often no larger than a toad, though exceptions do exist. With broad wings upon their back, they have the ability to fly, but only do so when they wish to be seen, which is not often. Some confuse them with fairies, and that is entirely understandable. Unless they are within a finger’s length of your face, it is impossible to tell the difference in appearance for all but the most scholarly of men.
The key distinction between the two magical beings is within their abilities. Fairy magic can actually change the world around them, while pixies are unable to create permanent change. Pixies are known for their illusions—visions that are realistic enough to make the strongest in mind eventually succumb. It is their illusions that make men fear them.
My, my . . . look at me. I’ve gotten so caught up in describing pixies that I haven’t even begun a tale for you. Apologies from this old frame of skin and bones.
My tale begins with a blue pixie by the name of Vaan. Vaan and his clan lived on Dominaria sometime after the Phyrexian Invasion. They lived gaily, avoiding humans and playing tricks on each other, and did not have a care in the world. That is, until a dragon found them.
The dragon, named Zumaki of the Bottomless Pool, was a strong dragon who had amassed what all dragons dream of, wealth, but his treasures did not satisfy him. Instead, he enslaved Vaan and his clan with a geas spell to entertain him with illusions. The pixies were forced to create visions of great dreams and youth to help the dragon forget his old age. It was not a happy turn of events for the pixies, and they did not relish living in the dragon’s cave. Sadly, things would only get worse for them.
Distracted by the pixies’ glamours, Zumaki was ill-prepared to defend himself from a wandering dragon engine left from the Phyrexian war. When the engine attacked, Zumaki was taken by surprise, but the dragon still had his strength. In the short battle that followed, the two dragons destroyed each other, seemingly freeing the pixies, but it was not to be. The dragon engine’s regenerative abilities brought both dragons back from the dead, fused together. With the body of the dragon engine and a crazed version of Zumaki’s mind, the new dragon once again assumed control over the pixies.
While the pixies had hated serving Zumaki, they knew there was an end in sight—the dragon had been old, and his demands simple—but their new master was not so kind. Unaware that they did not have its regenerative abilities, the dragon began to punish the pixies when they failed to fulfill his requests. As the punishments grew, the population of Vaan’s clan members fell. Eventually, only Vaan was left.
For months, Vaan was forced to live inside the dragon’s metal body and project illusions of the original Zumaki to all beyond as the dragon terrorized the surrounding countryside. The pixie could do nothing but watch, alone. He grew saddened by the destruction and his clan’s death, and slowly devised a plan to stop the crazed dragon he served.
The geas spell over Vaan prevented him from telling details about his situation, but he was a pixie. Using his ability to create illusions in the eyes of others, Vaan slowly told specific humans of the dragon and the danger it presented. Over time, he was able to convince a group, who set out to slay the dragon.
Though Vaan was able to tell the dragon-slayers relevant information about their mark, there were many things he could not say. When they came to his cave, this disparity caused trouble for the group, for the dragon was nigh immortal. They fought bravely, but had no knowledge of the dragon’s origin, and thus could not kill it.
During the melee, Vaan became wounded and fell in front of a woman named Tania. As he lay dying, the geas spell began to fade. Finally free of its grasp, the blue pixie told Tania of the dragon’s creation, and how it could be defeated. With the pixie gone, Tania took up a warrior’s sword and slew the dragon and Zumaki’s bones simultaneously.
With the defeat of their mark, the dragon-slayers who remained alive returned home to tell stories of the dead. When they had gone, the dragon engine rose once again.
As for Vaan, the blue pixie, he was unable to escape, even after death. The twisted mind of Zumaki resurrected him to once again serve as the dragon’s personal illusionist.
The old man finishes his story with no change of expression, but you can feel sadness lingering in the air. He certainly was right when he said the story was an unhappy one.
That is enough for today. You will be wanting food shortly. I suggest you return to the more populated chambers.
With a short wave of his hand, the old man has dismissed you once again. You can’t help but agree with his assessment, and head in the direction of food with heavy heart.
