The dragon's name is Ji'irik and she was a gold dragon that was the daughter of the dragonlord, Keturah, but until this day no one has been able to confirm this tale. Ji'irik never called any place in Athas her home, she chose to travel the lands, fighting evil wherever she came across it. Her journey's brought her to the Jetix Region an to Kordell City and it was here that she found a fondness for horses other than eating them and choose to make a home in Kordell. Though fearful that her natural form would bring fear to it's citizens, she took a more comforting form of a young human maiden. She found work at a carnival one year, where she taught children to care properly for horses and to ride.
It was during that carnival that a red dragon named Volcanus, attacked Kordell City looking for Ji'irik. Though his first attack was nothing major it did give Ji'irik time to get most of the city's citizens out of the city. When Volcanus returned to destroy the city, he was met with a surprise. Ji'irik had resumed her natural form and met Volcanus in battle. Their battle raged from dusk till dawn until the battle was won and the red dragon fled. The citizens of Kordell were so grateful to the gold dragon that they asked her remain in the city and become it's guardian.
Ji'irik she agreed to remain, but not within the city, she informed them that she would construct a lair on the out of the city. Still close enough to guard over it, yet far enough to maintain her privacy. And so the gold dragon went to prepare her lair. She found an adequate cave on the outskirts of town in a lake that would serve as her lair and it was here that she made her home. Over the year's the city went on in peace.
It's known that a dragon period doesn't forget those that go against them and since his defeat he has plotted his revenge on the gold dragon. Though ever patient, he waited year's till a day Ji'irik would not be expecting his attack. Meantime he tricked a Alchemist into making him a poisonous potion. Volcanus wouldn't travel to Kordell, because dragon's had the ability to sense other dragon that where close by. He sent a trusted servant to deliver the potion to Ji'irik for him in the form of her favorite food, a bushel of freshly picked apple's.
The servant took great precautions to cover his association with the red dragon making sure there was no scent left of the red on his person as he delivered the apples to the lair of Ji'irik. Unknowingly she happily accepted the gift and ate the apple's. Soon after Ji'irik fell to the floor and a nearby hunter felt the earthquake as she fell. He went to discover the cause of the quake and found to his dismay the poisoned dragon. He then ran back to the city for help and happened to hear that the dragon's mother was visiting the city that day and she heard the hunter's tale.
Fearful that the young dragon's soul had already passed from this realm she ran to the lair. She arrived in the nick of time and managed to cast a powerful magic spell known only to the dragon's of Athas. Her magic would put the young dragon to sleep instead of allowing the poison to take her life. The length of the sleep would last until a cure could be found for the powerful poison, and then she could live like she once did. The hunter arrived back at the lair with aid to try and ease the dragon's suffering only to find the young dragon sleeping.
She then tasked the young hunter to be the guardian of the sleeping dragon until the day she was to awaken and the proud hunter took to the task. Years passed as the dragon remained asleep, but the young hunter was know longer young and so he found a wife and they later had a heir who would watch over the sleeping dragon. "Generation's went by and till this day a guardian watch's over the sleeping dragon until the day somebody find's a cure.