(Talrit POV)
As I came into contact with the 'Great Sand Sea' I saw roaming groups of Thir-kreen and once in a while, groups of Dothraki, as it seems the insect people made their home here. The two would have skirmishes if they met, with the insect people losing more often than not, especially if they were outnumbered.
After flying for a few weeks over the great sand sea, I saw a lake in the center of the desert. The only fresh water in hundreds of miles in all directions. I then saw that the Thir-kreen had made a home near this lake. My curiosity increased and so I landed outside the home they made.
My appearance as expected caused panic as they all ran out ready to die to defend their home. From the way their mini city looked it was a very simple place, with everything made from whatever they could find or make use of in this desert. They appeared to be very simplistic too, not an advanced society in any way.
Then I saw a more decorated Thir-kreen come out from the group of warriors that stared at me with heavy fear but faced their fear ready to die to defend themselves. The Thir-kreen I assumed was their leader spoke to me in their language of clicking sounds. To understand them, I cast Comprehend Languages, and then what it was saying I began to understand.
"...please great one, we will give you whatever you seek. Just leave us unharmed," the leader of the Thir-kreen says to me with a very pleading voice.
"I mean not harm to you all. I am simply passing by and saw your city. I just wish to learn more about you all as a people. Then once I feel I have learned all I found I will continue on my way. In the meantime, I promise to defend your home from enemies as long as I remain here learning about your people," I say to them as the spell I cast transfers my draconic into their language to understand me, as I understand them.
"Of course! We will teach you all about us!" the leader says to me excited about me being here being a temporary deterrent to all that would try to harm them.
Over the next few weeks, I learned everything I felt I could about the Thir-kreen people. Their leader was called the 'chief' and his name was Chit'al. Like the gnolls, their lifespan is very short only around 35 years. Though they breed even faster than the gnolls, as one female can lay a dozen or so eggs at once. While the gnolls can only birth up to four children at once.
Also like the gnolls, the Thir-kreen, have very simple lives. They just try to survive and thrive, though unlike the gnolls they try to avoid conflict unless necessary. Unfortunately for them, they are now in a place where nothing but conflict awaits them. From the raids of the Dothraki and the gnolls to the now natural wildlife that came from my old world being a threat to them.
However, thanks to their high reproduction rate and even faster maturity than the gnolls, they can still thrive in this area. Plus they have a decent amount of magic casters that are similar to druids from my old world. As they would help make the environment they were in more liveable and the Thir-kreen themselves respected nature to a very high degree.
"Farewell, everyone. Maybe one day we will meet again," I say to the clan of Thir-kreen before taking my leave. They have come to enjoy my company as I did theirs, the whole clan waved me goodbye as I took my leave.
As I flew over the last of the Great Sand Sea, I finally saw the very large lake called the Bleeding Sea. The lake itself looked to be several hundred miles wide and five times that in length. Like the name, the water was a deep red, that looked just like blood. From what I learned it is red simply from the plant that grows in the water.
I dove down to see the water for myself, as I approached the water I could sense many draconic energies. Some were stronger than others, but at the same time the draconic energy was tainted, whatever was here was not a true dragon but lesser ones. As I landed outside the lake I saw many creatures moving inside the water.
Large fish, crabs, and other common creatures of the water. But what stood out aside from the red plants at the bottom of the lake, were the large snapping turtles. From the sense I was getting, it came from these turtles. From what I could tell they were 'Dragon Turtles', these were cousins of us true dragons, though considered lessers as they are not true dragons.
When I landed the sea creatures scurried away, though the dragon turtles all began to congregate to me. After a few minutes, two ancient dragon turtles came out of the water, a mated pair if I had to guess. They both appeared around 50ft (15m) from head to tail, with their shells being 25ft (7.6m) wide.
Unlike normal dragon turtles with blueish/green skin and shells, these seem to have adapted to match the lake. With more reddish skin and shells. Their appearance is with long tails and necks with large, taloned flippers. Their heads had a golden crest down the center, showing that their dragon blood came from a golden dragon.
That would explain their lack of fear of seeing me, as their ancestral blood comes from a golden dragon. I can see the respect and adoration they all have looking at me. As there are dozen that inhabit this lake. Though the two ancient ones approaching me appear to be to ones who started this big family. There were many adults and younglings amount the group too. With a few babies that were hiding behind the adults.
Contrary to the belief of most mortals, dragon turtles hold great intelligence and can speak common, draconic, and aquan which is the language of sea creatures. Though their personalities depend on their ancestral blood, since these appeared to be from a gold dragon they would be lawful and kind.
"We welcome you revered one!" the male dragon turtle said to me in a deep and reserved voice, while bowing his head in respect as all the other turtles did the same following their Patriarch.
"I thank you for the welcome. How long has your group been living here?" I ask the two ancient dragon turtles.
"My mate and I arrived here just under a millennia ago. Since we arrived we have claimed this lake as our own. Our family has grown since," the male ancient dragon turtle says to me with respect in his voice.
"That is good. I am glad you have found and made a home here. May I take a look in the lake?" I say to them and since they have shown me respect, I return the respect even though I am their superior according to the natural laws of our kind. As all lesser dragon kind shows natural respect and servitude to true dragons.
"We would be honored!" the female dragon turtle says with excitement in her voice.
I walked into the lake and found even at the center where it was the deepest, that it was only a few hundred feet deep. So even laying down my whole body was not submerged, though I did stick my head under the water as best I could to see what else was down there.
For the next few hours, I talked with the dragon turtles and learned the two ancient dragon turtles' names. The male was called Aremag and the female, his mate, was called Parnaka. After speaking with them I felt it was time to move on. They told me I was welcome back any time and I told them my clan's location should they ever want to make the trip there and live among us.
A few of the young adult dragon turtles decided to make the long journey to my clan. I sent a message to my clan to expect the arrival of the handful of dragon turtles that decided to move to my clan. They would follow the rivers connected to the bleeding lake south, leading to the ocean, and then swim west to my clan. Then I bid the group goodbye and flew in the direction of the 'Grey Waste' which is the furthest east anyone has traveled according to human history.
As I flew another thousand miles or so, I realized it has been a year or so since I started exploring this world and yet there is still so much to do. Then I noticed the temperature start to slowly shift from a hot desert environment to a cold desert environment. As the lands below became covered in snow and ice, with huge pillars of stone jutting out throughout the land. Each pillar is several hundred feet high.
I saw very little to no life as I flew across this icy wasteland. Though I did finally come across some life as I saw creatures from my old world walking around. Things like giant elk, dire wolves, giant ice bears, and even a few rare yetis. Then I saw a few Frost Salamanders and ice trolls walking about near caves in the stone pillars throughout the lands.
As I flew even further into the land, I saw small settlements of Ice Giants. Which I would have dropped down to learn about them. But they are very brutish creatures that have little to no fear and attack anything they deem a threat or food on sight. I knew they would even attack me regardless of the death sentence that would be. So instead I just observed them from a distance, as I did not want to wipe out the settlements just for my curiosity about them.
After I spent a few months watching the ice giants and other creatures in this icy wasteland. I decided to fly south to the 'Shadow Lands' where people suspected more dragons resided and magic was common. I was most excited to see just how true those stories are. So I took off and flew south to see these lands.
The Grey Waste was probably the largest land I have inspected so far as it appeared never-ending in all directions. Maybe several hundred thousand miles long, as it took me almost a year just to inspect the lands. And a few months of travel to finally reach the border of the Shadow Lands.
As the stories stated, the shadow lands were a very mountainous region. As it appeared to be mostly mountains. Also, I could feel the heavy magic in the air, even more so than in my clan's lands. The land itself also seemed to be covered in a very thick fog above the mountains, blocking the sunlight from reaching below, where the mysterious white grass grew everywhere.
The fog above right below the tallest of mountain tops was so thick that no sunlight broke through it. The lands below were darker than night itself, and even with my superior vision, it was hard to see more than a few hundred feet from myself. As I landed on the white grass below, I could tell this grass had a magical component to it.
'This place will take me a while to explore and learn more about. As I have little to no information regarding it. So this will require me to experiment myself,' I think while grabbing a chunk of the white grass that withered as soon as I tore it from the ground.
Laying down I began pushing my magic into the grass to learn what I could about it, before doing experiments to learn even more.