Free Dragon Alliance: Rise Against Shadow by J. Michael Fluck

main effort attack, with the regiment conducting a follow-on attack and exploitation. You all will have a lot of men, equipment, cavalry, and land dragons behind you. It is always good for the regiment to see Gallanth with his abilities and the incredible power that he can bring to bear. To see you in action, Master Dragon, is a definite morale booster for the regiment,” Wierangan said, looking at the gold dragon. “Will Silvanth be joining us, Gallanth?”
    “She is a little testy at present but will participate in the exercise,” answered Gallanth.
    “Good, the regiment needs practice in defending against an aerial dragon attack, especially in light of these recent developments. She will only frost our backend a little, I presume?” Wierangan quipped, as all present chuckled a bit.
    “Yes, Colonel, I have faith it will not be more than that,” Gallanth replied with as much of a smile as a dragon could muster.
    “Excellent; gentlemen, Gallanth, the regiment will see you on the practice field tomorrow morning,” Wierangan finished. “Bishop Watterseth, a closing prayer,” he added.
    Watterseth, the Weir’s and the regiment’s senior cleric, stood up, as did the rest of the leadership. “Let us pray. Creator, we thank you for this circle of friends and comrades, and for your divine leadership. For the dragons that watch over us and for our dwarven and elven brothers, we pray. We also pray for those who currently defend our freedom and way of life and for those in the field right now. We seek your spirit and guidance in all our decisions and endeavors. Faith and honor to all.”
    Watterseth was not only the senior holy man of the Weir but a powerful cleric and formidable opponent in battle, along with being a master healer. As the Weir’s chief cleric and spiritual leader, he was inspirational to all those who served around him, and his talents to heal those wounded in battle were most appreciated. Watterseth was one of the most recognized clerics in the eastern part of the Alliance. He also worked with the support corps group, aiding them in their logistics operations for the Weir garrison, and joined the council members in various missions and campaigns. He was a tall man of six feet two inches and medium build, but he was as tough as he was pious. He had short gray hair and soulful green eyes, and he conveyed a commanding presence, instilling courage in all around him.
    In battle, he never wavered, wielding his powerful holy mace. This mithril steel alloy weapon had a sapphire dragonstone, given to him by Silvanth, mounted on the end of the pillar-shaped shaft. Upon a normal strike against an evil opponent, it delivered a crushing blow capable of felling an average ogre and inflicting stunning damage to all evil creatures within ten yards of the hit. Upon command, it could fire a bolt of lightning that delivered enough damage to strike down a troll at a range of up to one hundred yards. Once per day, it could deliver a thunderclap to an opponent that inflicted severe damage, almost able to kill a common giant, and again stun all within ten yards of the strike. The magic shield it can create had the same power as Toderan’s holy sword and was especially effective against dark crystal-powered evil magic. His suit of gleaming mithril alloy half plate armor was expertly crafted by the elves and could even reflect certain spells cast at him back to their originator, with the Alliance white triangle of the Creator church over the red Keystone symbol emblazoned on the chest plate.
    At the end of the prayer, everyone saluted Colonel Wierangan, and he and Watterseth started to leave the meeting room. Colonel Wierangan is indeed a remarkable man, Mkel thought to himself. He was the commander of the reinforced regiment stationed just outside the city of Draden and oversaw the combined units when the Weir’s garrison performed joint missions with them. They also defended the Weir and city on the rare occasion when the