The Story Of Bigzid

Clan Phiff was one of the largest and oldest Dragonborn tribes that had settled in the mountains north of Erenon after the Loosening that had freed them of their full-size dragon overseers. Known for their acid breath, Bigzid's line had held their territory for ten generations. Through guile and providence, they held a pinch point in the mountains where they would raid passersby and, as they became more civilized, traded with them. A settlement with three or four larger buildings with defensible gates slowly began to take foothold. The Dragonborn clans evolved into a strict patriarchy and the Phiff family was no exception.

Leadership in the family meant chieftainship of the town, and Bigzid was the second son to Tyee Ickfam, the current chief of Phifferary. Bigzid's elder brother had been born mentally handicapped, subject to fits, and was rarely to be seen in daylight. This might have been an easy succession for
Bigzid, but Ickfam had siblings and thus cousins arrived.

Molzahn was thought initially to suffer from the same mania as Gix, Bigzid's elder brother; he'd killed and eaten most of his litter mates when the opportunity arose. The difference, however, was that Gix didn't have the mind to wait until he was unwatched. Molzahn, ambitious from the beginning, was eldest of Ickfam's sister and possibly illegitimate as there were questions as to how her elderly husband could manage to sire children in his ill health. Molzahn, after coming of age, sought after the "prize of the mountain passes" -- a cold-breather from House Ouroborus named Llyra and a prize coveted by Bigzid as well.

Naturally, Molzahn and Bigzid both feuded over the hand of Llyra. These clashes grew increasingly bitter as they grew older and their enmity divided the tiny colony. There were those who cheered Molzahn's victory at all costs and envisioned his combining Phiff and Ouroboros for the good of both houses. Bigzid, the far superior physical specimen, appealed to those who adhered to the Dragonborn faith in the hunt. Hunting was among the first things necessary when the Dragonborn needed to fend for themselves and their affinity for the spear and halberd was a point of pride and religion for them. Bigzid had been training since boyhood to embark on his Provenance, which would take place at 25 (in human years) to the south in the Sands of Olais. The Provenance hunt was the most certain method to ascend to Tyee. Bagging the legendary giant purple worm would seal Bigzid's rulership and secure Llyra's hand, despite her taste for Molzahn's words and ambition.

Ickfam, for his part, simply wanted the best for the Clan. No challenges would a soft leader make. His son's success in his Provenance, in spite of Molzahn's politics and scheming, would be proof of his readiness and fortitude. He wasted no time in calling the ceremony after Bigzid's
25th birthday. It was a must that the drake in question ride out alone and encounter what he would on the way to the Sands. It had been three generations since a truly successful Provenance hunt. The giant worm was the symbol of freedom from the yoke of the Dragon and there was no better trophy for the future Tyee.

On the day of the departure, all of the Ouroboros clan arrived in Phifferary to join the festivities and revel in their shared peace. At sundown, a mounted Bigzid rode toward the gate. Molzahn, standing next to Llyra, wouldn't look in his direction as he rode by. Many ancestors didn't return from Provenances, eventually swallowed by the sands. Still, it was tough not to feel certain as the vibrating hisses of assent followed the son of Ickfam out the gate to the swirling Sands.

After several days of scouting and reading the land for signs of the giant worm, the creature finally made its presence known. Bigzid mounted his horse and gave chase. The worm was far more enormous and menacing than he could have ever dreamed, and somewhere in his gut he knew it would be too much for he alone to tackle, yet the Dragon blood drove him forward. Bigzid chased the worm for two days straight, driving his mount to near exhaustion, when he nearly trampled over a quartet of stranded adventurers in the desert.