Creature observes Martelai for a while: "A fair request, our stinky champion <giggle>. You ask more then I can answer, but let me try and indulge you..."
She sits on rotten stump near the pool of silvery water that seems to have recovered its clarity as soon as monstrosity perished:
"How should I start... Yes, I know... Once upon a time there was The Dragon. There might have been Others before Dragon, but it there were, they are gone and forgotten so long that no memory remains. There are no tales about The Dragon but ones that tell of monster's cruel tyranny, terrible greed and foul temper and these I shall not tell now.
What is important that once upon a time, long ago, She came. Who or what She was is matter of dispute within these lands - some say She was hero of some other Realm, not unlike yourselves, others say She was one of us, given power by Moon and Star... others yet tell She is one of Ancient Ones or one of God-like beings who forsook immortality for love now long gone and buried and some tales even say she was no more then one of The People driven by Fate and born under the right Sign...
It matters not however, for She came and accompanied by Greatest of Her Champions, She challenged The Dragon and The Shard changed under the fury of their conflict and land bled fire and smoke and skies split and the dead rose to fight for The Dragon and the living were buried and Time stood still observing the battle.
And in that Hour of Fate, Dragon bled and its black blood rained upon The Shard and where it fell, it festered and horrors were born and joined their father in battle. But in the end all the terror did not avail, for She struck down The Dragon and cast its broken corpse from the skies and such was its fall that it burrowed deep into the Land where it still festers and rots, hated and forgotten... "
Creature pauses for a while, drawing arcane signs of unknown meaning around her. Runes linger in the air and glow, bathing grove with gentle radiance, driving away shadows. Rotting remains of monstrosity slowly sink into the swamp and fresh breeze replaces stench of decay...
"That is story of Dragon's fall and one I know well, but what followed is less known for The Dragon fell long ago and we died and were born anew many times since then... we died and forgot only to live once more. She reigned from Palace of Stars, magnificent in her beauty as The Dragon was horrible in its terror and men came, champions not unlike yourselves. Some came to woo Her, some to take her, some to ravage, some to unmake her... yet all they tried and all joined The Failed <creature makes unusually cruel smirk> and now they linger, fester and rot never to die, never to rot away, sharing The Dragon's fate."
With weave of her delicate fingers, creature invokes harp-like instrument wrought of pale moonlight and continues her tale followed by tunes of soft, sad, lingering music:
"And Ages came and went away and Summer came and work burned under Fires of the Sun and Winter came when dead walked and living went below and Autumn with emerald rains and winds that change man and beast... And then one day with setting of Hunter's moon, She was gone. Where did She go? Who knows... I most certainly don't and many are songs and tales of her disappearance, one stranger then other, but none in agreement. The Hunters tell she went to join The Great Hunt, to forever Hunt up there <she points at radiant stars>; Hags of the Marsh tell she curst the world, cursed men who came for her and went away to become Nightmare which forever lingers in minds of men, men cruel and greedy; Beasts tell nothing, yet they howl and they hunt and rend and devour in Her name... What do I tell? I know not, She might have got tired of the endless game, She might have been taken by one of men who came and taken far far away, to strange realms which see the day.. yet one thing I know -She no longer holds her court In Palace of Stars and no longer does she govern Eldanarth with her Voice and moves us with her Gaze. The Palace is empty now, save shadows of her handmaids and silence lingers in Halls of the Stars...
That is what bard's tales tell, yet another thing can I tell you - Palace is not truly empty, for The Failed still linger there, holding their silent court amid the great halls and it is told that Lord among the Failed himself linger there, though I have not seen any of them with my own eyes. Know one thing - they will not give you warm welcome <giggles>"