The cloak they wear is made of carefully tanned thick buffalo hide. Upon it, overlapping, are dragon scales. Oddly enough, each scale has a name etched into it. They buy the scales from the dragons, and dragon kin, fairly, one scale per individual, have it signed using a special metal quill, and use these for the cloak.
Why? Because they love all dragons and dragon-kind. And their life's mission is to make a special shrine where the names of them may forever be found, may be remembered, and looked upon with warmth. -- Anon Guest
There's a very fine line between dedication and lunacy. Surely, it would only take a complete fool to walk, unarmed and unarmoured, into a Dragon's den. Surely, one might reason, it would take utter insanity to politely ask for a single scale.
And yet, the wandering traveller Morsalor had a cloak of Dragon scales. It was huge, of course, just as he was huge. Being at least part Giant does that to a being[1]. What else made him do what he did was a matter of debate wherever he wandered. Some pointed out 'miscegenation' but idiots like that should never be given the credit they claim.
The easiest way to find out is never favoured by adults. There is no power more mighty than the curiosity of a small child learning about the world. The sight of Morsalor sitting on the floor so he could fit at the inn's table did its work on that curious mind.
"Mister? Why're you so big?"
"It's just the way I am. Me Mam's big, too."
"Why's that like that?" a prodding finger at the gigantic cloak. "It's pretty."
"Careful. Some bits are sharp." He took it off to spread it out. "These are all scales from different dragons. I've been making my way from den to den to den to ask a scale from each of them. I've put their names on each scale."
"Why?"
"Because I want to remember who gave each scale."
"Why'd you wear them?"
"It's a funny thing. When you wear something heavy, it doesn't feel very heavy any more. That's why people in full plate can run and jump and tumble[2] even when they have trouble carrying the whole set of armour."
"Were the dragons hurt?"
"No, they were fine. Taking off a scale is like... scratching off a bit of mud from your skin. It doesn't hurt them at all."
"Why do you do it at all?"
"Because I really, really like Dragons."
[1] Anyone pondering the plumbing issues should please stop.
[2] More agile people than I have done a full army obstacle course in historically-accurate plate mail. There is footage of this.
[Photo by David Clode on Unsplash]
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