Tentineh was one of the most powerful wizards who ever lived. Master of the elements he came up with many new spells never seen before. He became the defender of Greshendale during the Age of Monsters. Frustrated with draconic tyranny, Tentineh led the heroes of the land during the Dragon War. He invented the Orbs of Dragonkind to imprison the dragons. Greshendale was destroyed during the war, but upon the heroes’ victory, Tentineh used half of the Orbs to rebuild Greshendale as a flying city. Tentineh now lies with the other heroes of the Dragon War, deep beneath the earth awaiting the return of the silver dragons which he personally imprisoned.
Tentineh was the first son born to a wealthy farmer in the Greshen Valley. Tentineh’s family did not know, but he was destined for great things. His mother had been attacked by one of the wyverns of the Terror Mountains in her youth. The poison from the wyvern’s sting lingered in her body and transferred into the babe during her pregnancy. The poison tested the boy and he came through, not weakened, but fortified with the might of the dragon.
Tentineh’s father saved up all his gold to pay for the boy’s education. He apprenticed his son to an accomplished wizard who also happened to be a descendant of Sadroston. From a young age Tentineh learned all the secrets passed down by Sadroston. He mastered them with a unnatural speed due to the draconic power flowing in his veins. He swiftly surpassed his master and rose to be the greatest spellcaster in the whole of Greshen Valley.
The dragons in the Terror Mountains did not permit the people in the valley to organize armies, but the same could not be said for the trolls in the foothills. Tentineh had experience repelling smaller troll attacks with his command over the elements, but his powers could not stop an entire army of the beasts when they attacked. Instead, the young wizard turned to dark, forbidden magicks. He summoned a fiery demon from beyond the realm of Hades to vanquish the trolls. This slaad, as it was called, defeated the troll army, but it demanded a terrible price. It would see the whole world burn in payment for it’s service.
Tentineh moved quickly to thwart this new threat to Greshendale’s safety. The infernal slaad rested after obliterating the trolls to regain its power. Tentineh dug through old tomes of binding spells. He found what he needed and used the magic to imprison the slaad forever. A magical rod provided the key to the slaad’s prison and the key could only be turned by three mages, one of good nature, one of evil, and one of neither. The rod was broken into pieces and scattered across the realm to prevent the slaad’s return.
Tentineh never wanted to resort to such dire measures again. He began secretly training the people of Greshendale in the magical and martial arts. If the dragons would not let him have an army, then he would hide it from them. In time, a force of giants descended from the mountains. Tentineh could not halt the giants’ advance on his own. He was forced to use his army and in so doing, reveal it to the dragons. The punishment was certain, death.
Rather than submit to the dragons’ judgement, Tentineh gathered the heroes of the land alongside his army. Thus began the Dragon War. The war lasted many long years. Killing the dragons proved difficult. The elder wyrms that ruled their species could regenerate even the most dire of wounds. Tentineh’s past experience proved invaluable in solving this problem. Instead of killing the dragons he bound their leaders to ten crystal orbs. Each dragon color had two elder wyrms that led it. Each Orb contained within it one of those leaders while the other leader was set to guard the Orb for all eternity. The Orbs in turn gave great power to any mortal that possessed them.
Tentineh advised the other heroes he had fought with to place eternal defenses around the Orbs. Those who could not or would not gave their Orbs to their architect. Tentineh used them to build a new Greshendale, for the original city in the valley had been destroyed during the war. Vast power was poured into the city. A volcano imprisoning an ancient enemy of Zeus was used in the creation of the new city, freeing the monstrous Dahak and winning its gratitude. Other powerful artifacts besides the Orbs were used in the city’s construction but it was still not enough. Tentineh took more magic from the surrounding land and the valley died as its life energy was given over to the city. Holes in the fabric of the world were ripped asunder. These holes are still present in the valley as empty spheres, consuming all that is placed within them.
In the end, Tentineh completed his vision. Greshendale flew. The magic within the city made it a paradise, providing light, food, water, shelter, communication, and entertainment to all who lived within it. The people of the valley were offered a choice, live in the floating city or strike out on their own. Many accepted Tentineh’s offer and moved into new homes. The others attempted to settle a new Greshendale to the south, but the settlement upon the ground atrophied within a few generations.
Tentineh did his best to be a good leader to his subjects. He set up the War Mage Academy to teach them battle magic for defense. He invited druids, sorcerers, and psions to the city to teach other forms of magic. He bound elementals to his service to further enhance the city’s comforts. Tentineh even set up a ruling council of mages so that he would not have absolute tyrannical power over the city.
Despite all his accomplishments, a dark fear still lingered in Tentineh’s heart. The Orbs were not indestructible. The dragons could return in time. He worked out a plan along with the nine other heroes who had imprisoned the dragons. Should an Orb be broken, the hero who defeated that dragon would be summoned once more to re-imprison the beast. To keep their youthful edge sharp for all eternity, the heroes would voluntarily accept a death-like slumber. Eons could pass, but they would not age. They would wait, and when the dragons returned, they would be ready.
Tentineh sleeps with his companions beneath the earth now, awaiting the return of the silver dragons.
-GoCorral
