Tales, Scripts, and Accounts

The Legend of Dilong

Since the beginning of time, the volcanic lands of the Fire Nation have been known to be the primary home to dragons. Some enthusiasts may have heard rumors of groups of dragons called thunders living among the Bikai Islands or Shandian Peaks and I can confirm their existence. However, in the center of the Si Wong there is a hill, and in that hill there is a hole. And this hole is so deep that it has no bottom. Any light that is dropped into this hole disappears, as does anyone who dares to explore.

I initially heard of this anomaly while traveling with the Ganzao tribe just outside the Mesa Tower. It was a frequent topic due to the violent earthquakes and sandstorms that would develop in the area and cause even the most experienced travelers to get lost in the desert. Some tales claimed the storms protected a treasure. Other variations spoke of all the dormant desert monsters that a person would only see once- moments before it ate them. Neither of the told tales piqued my interest until I asked the youngest girl in the group what she knew of it. The girl- who mustn't have been older than fifteen- recited to me her grandfather's variation, which claimed an earth dragon lived in the hole and on most weeks would emerge into the sky with such might that it wound up a sandstorm. And being the dragon fanatic I am, I claimed that version as my own.

Several months had passed by the time I was perusing the extensive collection of historic documentation in the Fire Nation library and stumbled upon a book that caught my attention. One of the sages wrote about the late Avatar Taoreta and how her connection to the Si Wong tribes caused her beloved dragon to get lost in the desert while searching for her after she passed. It was maybe a few sentences after that I recalled the story as told by the little girl. I immediately sent out the necessary letters to request transportation for an expedition. Two mornings later set sail.

I hadn't cared to keep track of the days while sailing to the Earth Nation, yet I recall the first day I contemplated if it was just a coincidence. What-ifs continued to crowd my head, despite attempts to distract myself with an original copy of A Lost and Forgotten Love. All the time at sea gave me quite the time to worry, but as soon as my feet stepped on shore, the doubt vanished.

The return trek to the Mesa Tower was inordinately uneventful. I recognized a small crew of sand sailors outside Omashu that ended up giving me a ride after I explained my situation and gave them half the payment ahead of time. After gathering the necessary food and gear, we sailed northeast for quite a few days until hitting the Si Wong Rock. We restocked at a local merchant camp and then headed straight south for what seemed to be the longest time. Anticipation grew as the sailors declared us to be nearing the center of the desert, but soon turned into anxiety as I saw no sandstorm or massive hill approaching. Had I just wasted the last three months searching for something that didn't exist? Or might we have gotten the location wrong? Another day had passed before a crew member saw a hill in the distance, slightly off course from where the ship was sailing.

I remember careening up the poor excuse of a hill and still nearly tripping in. The rest of the crew had followed, with the exception of a younger man who believed it housed all the dormant desert creatures and preferred to guard the craft. Everyone, including myself, leaned over the edge as far as we comfortably could in an attempt to see the bottom. There was no bottom. We lit a torch on fire and dropped it in the hole and as expected, the torch disappeared. Before a full day had passed of no desert creatures emerging from the abyss, a pair of the middle aged men were convinced there must have been treasure at the bottom. So they made their way down using their tools and bending. Three days we waited for their return, but the explorers never did.

It was about this time our dwindling rations of food and water forced us to pack up. I was beyond disappointed. Never have I gone to such lengths over a fantasy to find nothing. I had fully accepted defeat. And after taking one last solemn look at the hole, I began to retreat to the ship. On the way, my steps suddenly started to feel unstable. The sand beneath our feet shook. The entire desert howled and winds threw sand into our faces as if intentionally trying to scar our skin and suffocate us. I excitedly threw a cloth over my mouth, goggles over my face and raced to the top of the hill. By the time I got there, the ground was shaking so violently that I fell onto my hands and knees, and from that position I looked up.

So now when I hear the stories, I can confirm that in the center of the Si Wong there is a hill. And in that hill there is a hole. And this hole is so deep that it has no bottom. Any light that is dropped into this hole disappears, as does anyone who dares to explore. And while I have no proof there is a dragon that lives in the desert, I fully believe in the legend told by a little girl.