Thytosusia, the name is often associated with conquerors to many, and liberators to few. In truth the Thytosusian Empire is merely the remaining half of an old dynasty left untouched by the Khanate Horde. Once they were the more wealthy half of the Jovian Empire, a nation that spanned most of the world. Bordering the warlords of Eseian to the west, no one ever believed the cruel savages would ever unite, much less have the cunning and tenacity to overwhelm an empire. The Eseian Khanate conquered the Jovian legacy, slaughtered its priests and ruling council. Raping its townsfolk and devastating its lands were the least of their crimes.

The only segment of that once great Jovian empire to survive was the north-eastern provinces. Alone, and desperate, the ruling magistrate reorganized into a new lesser regime. Thytosusia stands as a glimmer of a once greater era, a shadow of a larger giant long brought down. It’s wealth has long been exhausted, and its armies forced to abandon hope of restoring the empire of old.

Today the ruling lords of Thytosusia focus their attention on raiding and reaving neighboring countries. Whenever the Khanate shows weakness, they are quick to pounce at seizing old provinces once belonging to their ancestors. Those times are few and far between. Quite often they are forced to invest large sums of wealth and resources in defending their southern borders, and patrolling its dwindling holdings.

With the rise of the newest czar, the Thytosusian armies focused their attention not to the south but to the north. They made an attempt at seizing control over the trade routes belonging to the Pharines of Fanfow. A bloody war was raged on several fronts, their first major objective was to seize valuable island chains so they could expand their operations on the greater landmass. This first phase of the war was meant to be short, bringing to bear three legions and a dozen naval destroyers.

They weren’t prepared for the harsh extremes, and fierce resistance they would receive. The war for the Knuckle, as the Aiverix warriors have come to call it, ended in a bitter stalemate. Failing to achieve their first objectives, the Thytosusian legions were forced to abandon their course of action, resulting in a terrible retreat. The bones of ten thousand legionaries decorate the mountains of the Isle of Fear, a lasting testimate to their arrogance.

This war nearly bankrupted the Thytosusian holdings, and many wonder how the much feared Eseian Khanate will respond. The world watches as the last vestiges of the old empire crumble before our eyes.

- From the teachings of Syncerastus Aurelio of the great library of Rothetbia

“Can you stop referring to me as ‘The Dragon’, I have a name you know?” The Dragon asked her in confidence.

The pair were sitting comfortably waist deep in the warm water, the bathhouse was already surging a fresh bout of steam into the large pool. Bare chested, the Dragon bore many scars, all of them told a story that Junipor was eager to learn.

Junipor was tempted to express her naked self, but fearing potential criticism of her ‘less than ample’ chest, she chose to wear a loin cloth around her waist and torso. Her ears fidgeted as a draft of cool air brushed through the bathhouse, a small collection of farmers had just entered, wind from the outside followed them through the giant doorway. Their labor complete for the day, the trio of Pharine’s were the image of exhaustion. Mud caked their boots, and their tails held clumps of matted fur. They were surprised to see the Dragon lounging in the main pool, and avoided him carefully. One of them eyed him warily as if he were a dangerous interloper.

“Cheerful bunch, you lot,” The Dragon sank a little deeper in the pool so that the soothing water came up to his arm pits. His arms were spread wide along the edge of the granite to keep him steady. “Seriously, do all Pharine’s treat guests so warmly?”

Junipor could tell it was a jest. In truth, Pharine’s were a sociable species but recent history had not been kind. Ever since the last war, the people of Hitecross were especially unwelcoming to uninvited travelers. Junipor sat cross legged in the water, her own arms planted firmly in front of her so that her hands were in between the gap of her thighs. Her frost white tail floated around her and was masked by the rising steam.

Unlike herself, the Dragon was more than comfortable shedding his clothes when basking in the splendor of warm water. The steam shielded his nether regions from view, but Junipor felt her stomach lurch just thinking about his nakedness. She had caught the barest glimpse of his manhood before he plunged into the pool. While it was only a fleeting glance, it was enough to make her feel dizzy. Since then she hadn’t said a word.

Before seeing the Dragon’s raw nakedness, Junipor was head over heals pining over him. That was her hormones talking, or screaming for that matter. But now that she caught a whiff of his stature, Junipor suddenly felt overwhelmed. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to sit in his lap, to feel his girth squeeze between her thighs. She knew the Dragon would certainly destroy her, he could ravish her virginity and tear her apart! Just thinking about it made her mouth water, and sent shivers deep in her gut.

“Your blushing?” The Dragons voice seemed tantalizing. There was a layer of charming curiosity in his tone, behind that though Junipor couldn’t help but feel like she was being interrogated.

Junipor decided to ignore her suspicion for now. She returned a sheepish grin and spoke for the first time, “I am not…”

“Your cute when you blush,” he teased her further.

In a desperate, albeit childish, attempt to hide her face Junipor sank deeper into the pool. She let the water come up to her nose.

There was a small collection of Pharine’s in the main pool of the bathhouse. They lounged farther away from them, for the most part. A couple females eyed the Dragon salaciously, one in particular flirted with the idea of swimming closer to them. Junipor eyed the red haired youth with fierce eyes and even bared her teeth to shun the blissfully naked female away. To his credit, the Dragon didn’t seem to notice the other females nearby. His attention seemed fixated solely on Junipor.

A couple minutes slowly went by, the sounds of water fountains sending arches of fresh water into the pool was almost hypnotic after a while. The accumulated steam built up every few minutes, Junipor would’ve fallen asleep had she not been so close to the Dragon. Her heart throbbed in her chest, keeping her awake.

“So your a blacksmith,” The Dragon asked softly.

Junipor kept most of her face submerged as she replied with a simple nod.

The Dragon’s interest seemed peeked, “Craft anything interesting?”

There was an abundance of things she could tell him about. She had crafted everything from simple supplies for the town such as nails and bolts, to swords and armor. Personalized armor components were a new specialty, but her most recent passion was the newly designed flintlock she had been working on. Junipor could also, if she had the confidence, explain in detail all the swords she had hand crafted for the town guard. Unable to voice her opinion however, and unable to look the Dragon in the eye, she simple shook her head from side to side while her cheeks were still submerged. She instantly regretted not saying anything.

“Hmm,” The Dragon smiled, “I doubt that very much.”

Junipor tried her best to look past the stubble of the Dragons chin. His eyes were so damn sharp against the rising steam she found them tantalizing. His skin was a warm olive color, with hints of sunburned flesh along his arms and cheeks. Junipor couldn’t decide what was most striking about him, his eerily blood red hair or striking yellow eyes. The iris’s were practically glowing, while his hair was the most unusual shade of red she had ever seen. Like a stark aged wine kept in the dark.

“So, I suppose now’s a good time to tell you,” The Dragon sighed in pleasure as he adjusted his position. He let the water come up a bit further as he dipped his arms into the pool.

“Tell me what?” Junipor lifted her head out of the water. Even under water, her tail swished back and forth out of anticipation.

The Dragon noticed her jolt of curiosity, “Why I’m here.”

Why he’s here? Junipor had wondered, so too had everyone in the village. She knew his ship sank and he was forced to fly to the nearest shore. But as too why he was searching for the Pharine’s homeland was still a mystery. Like everyone, Junipor just assumed he was a wandering adventurer or merchant seeking new trade routes. She never thought there was anything more too it.

“I am the equerry of the Dragon King, Lord of the lands of Soverland. Sadly his majesty is nearing the end of his days, and his son is ready to accept a bride. The problem is the prophecy.” He spoke in reverence when mentioning his king.

“Prophecy?” Junipor’s ears twitched.

The Dragon nodded, “It happened three years ago, the seers of Sonvers were blessed with a profound image of the future. Or possible futures I guess. Truth is I don’t understand half the garbage they spout, but the latest forewarnings were a bit…unsettling.” He looked around as if worried about eavesdroppers. None of the others in the pool seemed close enough to overhear him. “They said ‘When the son of Dragons unites with the Daughter of the Pharines, their offspring shall conquer the world’. Do you know what the Seers associate with your kind as?”

Junipor shook her head. This was the first time she ever heard of a prophecy. Her own goddess rarely spoke through mystics or prophets, and was more likely to send messages directly to her people through dreams. Never had Junipor had such a dream of religious significants, nor did she know what to do with such a prophecy.

“They call you the children of Sabbath and Entropy, for your spirit is both of reverence and chaos. But who knows if its true. Again half of what the Seers claim is utter garbage.” The Dragon shrugged his meaty shoulders as he finished his statement. Clearly he didn’t harbor a lot of trust with these so called Seers.

“I’ve never heard of something like that,” Junipor replied to this odd revelation.

The Dragon leaned forward, which startled Junipor. His natural musk was layered with scents of smoke and foreign earthly smells. She found it alarmingly attractive, her nipples perked against the loin cloth wrapped around her chest as the Dragon swam within arms reach. “I was sent by the King to the land of the Pharines, to find a suitable heir to bear the young princes children. I’m looking for a potential queen.”

“What?” Truth be told, Junipor had a hard time following his words. Her body was writhing in animalistic lust, to which she struggled to keep herself under control. Her body tensed as she slowly came to terms with what he was saying.

The Dragon continued, “It’s been a long journey, but I’m glad I arrived. When I sat foot on the shores of this lonely island, I prayed to the Dragon God Isu that he would show me the way to the future queen. And then…I found you in the desert. A strong young Pharine woman bearing a stark red stone around her neck. I couldn’t help but wonder if you were the one I’ve been sent to find?”

The story seemed incredibly audacious to her. Junipor wanted to laugh, but was afraid of insulting the Dragon, so she sank into the water and blew bubbles instead. Her eyes drifted to the watery surface, where the Dragons’ shadow cast an eerily long appendage in her direction. It was likely an illusion, or a trick of the light, but seeing the Dragon’s shadow under the water caused Juniper to gasp and jump back. Her tail pressed against the granite edge of the pool as she lurched away.

He noticed her sudden apprehension, and quickly gave her some space. He seemed to regret frightening her, although he probably didn’t understand how he had scared her so quickly. “I didn’t mean to alarm you, I guess this is a lot to take in. Maybe I shouldn’t be so direct. Damn I’m not that good at this, I knew I should’ve spent some time understanding Pharine culture before springing that on you.” He returned to his side of the pool before collecting himself and asking her the next question, “So, if I asked you to come with me to the land of Dragons, would you?”

Junipor just offered him a blank stare.