High Mountain Flight

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The High Mountain Flight is a dragon flight based at Stormreaver Valley overlooking the city of Arindell. They are a direct offshoot of the Lowland Hills Flight which is rather famous for producing the dragon-sorcerer Draco.

High Mountain has always been known for its (reasonably) friendly attitude towards humans. The Atayan people were alowed to live on their lands for eons, some even in Stormreaver Valley itself in the shadow of High Mountain. During the Long Night, the Flight provided shelter for the Craftsmen.

Land

The High Mountain Flight lays claim to most of the Stormreaver Range as well as the Lowland Plains and parts of the Agras Plain. They share this land with numerous offshoot and allied flights, all of whom can claim links to the Lowland Hills Flight.

Debt to Necromancers

Late in the Sixth Age dragons from Ozork Flight attacked the eerie and destroyed a clutch of eggs, effectively eliminating an entire generation of High Mountain dragons. The local Necromancer Temple in Arindell, then still interned from the Necromanic Wars responded by reanimating a stock of dragon bones to create two unsleeping guardians to be stationed outside and forever guard the eerie. The dragons at the time viewed the necromancers as very lowly and poor people, and were extremely touched that some with so little would choose to give it to them. High Mountain swore a blood-pact with the Arindell necromancers, and the dragons were ardent supporters of necromancer freedom in the decades that followed.

High Mountain Bank and Trust

The High Mountain Flight is perhaps unique among dragon flights in that during the mid Fifth Age they operated a bank. Originally called 'First Talon Savings and Loan' and later named for the Flight, it quickly became very successful and a large source of income.

They began by giving human bankers a tour of the Eerie, which included a look at the Hoard. They then politely asked those banks for loans. Though the Hoard was never officially listed as collateral (as rumors would later claim), it was heavily implied that the Flight was rich enough to pay. Official collateral included several million acres of virgin forest that could become valuable timber land, as well as mineral and water rights.

The dragons also received very generous interest rates on their loans (by virtue of being dragons) as well as a long repayment schedule. The dragons used this money to open a bank of their own, lending to humans at much higher interest rates than they themselves were paying. While apologists like to paint the early efforts as 'loan sharking' the fact is the dragons were competitive in the industry. High Mountain primarily made loans to large businesses and countries, had very low overhead, and a nearly perfect repayment rate (one does not default on a dragon). There was a certain amount of threat implied, but over all First Talon was praised for its fair and equitable practices.

When First Talon officially opened rumors quickly spread (begun by the Flight, no doubt) that borrowing from the bank would make a business more prosperous, as it was 'dragon money' and therefore tied to dragon magic. Companies first in Arindell and soon all over the Alliance began taking out token loans. This large influx allowed High Mountain to buy several of the banks to which they owed money, thus forming 'High Mountain Bank and Trust', which by the mid-to-late Fifth Age was among the most successful banks in the known worlds.

Following the Long Night HMBT reopened its doors as part of the Trans-Draconic Federation, this time as the national bank for the entire Alliance and the mint, itself issuing currency.

Enterprises

HMBT owns and operates a series of amusement parks called Dragonlands. Not to be confused with The Dragonlands.

See also:

Dragons