Jacopo Syllandris

Jacopo Syllandris was but an adolescent when he left home to squire a knight of Shang'hi. Nestled deep in a towering mountain range of brilliant granite cliffs, crowned by cedar trees. The robust landscape lends itself to the ferocity of the civilization within.   Jealously guarded is the secret of the Shang'hi knights: the elite of the elite are granted the privilege and right to raise and ride dragons. All manner of evil creeps forth from cracks in the earth to threaten the forest's tranquility, and the knights are the sentinels tasked with pushing it back.   This was Jacopo's destiny, he was sure of it. He studied countless tomes, he volunteered to tend the rookery, and he brushed elbows with all the knights he could. Jacopo counted himself unnaturally lucky to be chosen to squire under the captain of the furthest patrolling squad, Bruse Norvall.   Bruse was cold and cruel in his training methods. A terse speaker with an unsympathetic view of the world, his many forays to and from the edges of the territory made him bitter, and jealous.   Several years into his apprenticeship, Jacopo witnessed Bruse begin to give in to corruption. Trading for illegal goods, extorting lost travelers, and disappearing into the Underdark via the fissures in the ground. Bruse accumulated riches, and Jacopo became concerned. Moreover, his legendary green drake, Gritvar, was relegated to little more than a beast of burden. No longer a companion, but a vehicle for Bruse's depravity.   Jacopo's raised concerns were met with the threat of sabotage. If Jacopo were to speak a word of these activities, Bruse would ensure he never ascended to knighthood. Jacopo believed him..   Jacopo waited some weeks for the conversation to fade from the air, before he decided to seize his destiny.  Night fell, and Jacopo and snuck into the rookery. He hastily selected an egg as he had always dreamed of doing during his knighting ceremony, and dashed away on horseback.   Just as the alarm was raised, Jacopo was making his final dash out of the forest. He approached a fissure he knew to be narrower than the others, and roused his horse to jump it. Just then, a shriek and a green flash of scales bolted past overhead. The nag missed the mark, and sent Jacopo, the horse, and the egg tumbling into the darkness.   Unknown hours passed before Jacopo awakened, covered in what was once his means of escape. When his head stopped spinning, he quickly checked for the egg.... He found it several feet away from him, cracked open. Despair entered his heart. Failed squire. Fugitive. Eggkiller. Exile.

  Just as the crushing weight of his decisions sank his head to his knees, a growling coo rattled behind him. A fierce-eyed steel drakeling stared at him with hungry intent. Gathering himself, Jacopo butchered a bit of the now-useless steed and fed it to the newborn. The bond was immediate and profound. The two ventured together in the only direction they could: down into the abyss....