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[Weirdsound]

"Well... my first question would be the obvious- why do they hate each other so?

For my second question, what can you tell me about the Master of Monsters? Philosophy, hobbies, outlook, abilities... anything, really."

"An obvious question," The creature admits, "but no singular obvious answer. Alot of it has to do with their matriarch... The Master confided in me that she raised her children to compete and war among themselves. Some of the hate also has to do with the fact that a vast majority of their family has been kidnapped by the Chimera... Each blames at least one of the others for the loss of a favored sibling, and furthermore, none of the few members of that Pantheon who would put some effort into keeping the piece remain."

She hisses slightly, "of course, their constant fighting gives them new reasons to hate one another all the time..."

The spider twitches slightly before getting into your second question. "The Master of Monsters, or the Golden One as he is also called, dwells at a castle at the bottom of luminous lagoon. He has few interests outside of growing his collection of treasures, and the breeding, creating, and training of vicious pets. It is very rare that he concerns himself with outside events, but when he acts on the mortal world, it is almost always with an overwhelming show of force.

He is the oldest, largest, and strongest of the sibblings. I have seen him outwitted by the Grand Stratagem, and bested by the Arena Master's skill with armor and spear, but I have never witnessed him involved in a straight slug-fest that didn't end in an overwhelming victory for him. He appears as a full grown Deep Dragon who has taken aspects of the cave lobster, He fights with large wings, clamping claws, teeth, divine magic, and miasma breath. He claims to be an even better fighter under water, but I can't back that up as I can't swim. His power, and desire to maintain its reputation, leads him to act only in a cruel manner towards the common Orcs and Harpies he encounters, but the same strength also gives him the confidence to deal with beings worth his time in a collected and affable manner."

Auratus lightly tapped his chin in thought. Having Canvas around certainly was helpful enough that he would not mind rewarding her. " Speaking as my Herald, is it? Well, if he is the mind who thought up what happened at the beach, I would actually be impressed by his wit. Disregarding the damage it dealt to us, as a tactic it gave them a resounding victory. Then again, I do suppose that not only Rattigont could have had his hand in that one, but Grand Stratagem as well. Not that I think the later would think up such a strategy, but then again I certainly don't know enough about him to think otherwise either. "

" But I digress. If Ogov was indeed involved in that matter, I guess Pyrite will have his ways with him. On the other hand, you seem to know him well enough. Ascertain that he is innocent in that regard, and he should get a lenient sentence. As for the two mages, I can easily imagine Pyrite developing an interest in both of them, so it will come down to what else he wants from that tribune. "

"I know him well enough to know that I have about as much a chance of getting an honest read on him as Alvin has of growing up an' behaving." Canvas explains, "he is a slippery one. He will protest his innocence, and given enough time he will convince me to believe him."

[escaped lurker]

Selma's Gate

Tulwor perked up again. 'Oh, yes, dragon. I would offer any of these sailors a place on Corusu's Wing, if they'd agree to serve under her captain. That ship is not meant for piracy, though - but I am sure they would find the life of foreign shores and unknown sights pleasant as well. Perhaps I should ask this Shark-kin? We may all make our offers, and let her choose her future.'

He grunted. 'I will gladly take the adamantite if you have no need of it. I have not had a chance to work with such material before.'

The dragon raised an eyebrow in genuine wonder. " Now that comes as a surprise. I would not have thought that you would be interested in those who practice magic. Or is your interest based on her race instead? I would have heard you like to explore the ocean depth at times. "

Canvas had already told the Shark-Kin to be of adventurous disposition, so in a sense Tulwor would indeed suit her. But, he really had no desire to place himself in a bet already rigged against himself. " Be that as it may, I would prefer if we made these choices by giving each of us a reasonable amount of the spoils. Well, if you and Pyrite insist on making a gamble out of it, my hands are obviously tied, and I would go along with it. "


Auratus' Lair
The dragon had rested himself from the battle for a few days, even taking some time trying to identify his part of the spoils. With Wild Red's corpse gifted to the boarsman, he only had the soul as bargaining piece for the prayer, and so he was intent on delivering it this month. Still, with his lair finally sporting some items of true value, he did feel a pang of unease while doing leaving them alone. He would need to secure it, one way or another.

Sparing his belongings one last, careful glance – he was sure he would know it if someone would dare to move them in his absence – he set out for Kiatown. Seeing as Rattigont might intend to strike at the one who had - in a sense - caused Wild Red's death, he even intended to use subtletly once inside of the city walls.

Interaction - Auratus takes the dagger / Wild Red's Soul, to represent it to Lord Elken Lionpaw


Mortus' Meeting

Mortus sighs. "Listen. I know plenty about Draconic Law lad. I know where ya want ta go with this. I also know that there be elements in Rexxis' court just waiting fer ya ta prove yaself disloyal. I did what I could ta soften da blow, if ya be smart, ya suck it up and let this one go."

Auratus reply was an angry groan, before spewing back at him. " You don't get to tell me what to do, Mortus, nor is it in your interest that I "Let this one go" ! "

Crossing his arms behind his back, the dragon began circling the god, delivering his spiel alongside. " The orcs tell of a ritual, where their warriors and my kin partake of those who loose said gambit. I am quite sure this extends to their souls as well, as, god or not, we dragons do tend to know a thing or two about handling them. Once we introduce this host you speak of, and use it against those four, we will break their idea of honour – the same honour which is the only thing currently keeping the girl alive! If we don't retrieve Chell before then, you won't be able to revive her soul this time around. They. Will. Devour. It. "

" Any other options, and time to implement them, are limited. Should we try to retrieve her by ourselves, they will spring the trap that they undoubtedly have sprung for us. After they have shown us their capabilties with the Wild Red incident, I doubt this approach to have any success. Sneaking in, through unknown terrain, retrieving her from their watchful gaze? The others are welcome to try, but I won't hold my breath. I, on the other hand, am confident that I could get one of them to move in our interest, with relative ease even. "

Throwing his arms up in theatrical abandon, the dragon continued. " But, true enough – if me taking diplomacy towards them would brand me as traitor, I guess we will have to leave your girl to her fate. "

Stopping to face the boatsmen once more, he quizzed the same. " Unless you try harder, that is. Well, Mortus? "

[IronyOwl]

The ferryman gives his head a bemused shake when you mention the souls, "I collected all o' them 'cept Meltip, but once a soul be on the boat, it be Glaciana's property, not mine. She likes ta dangle desired souls over the Pantheon's head, but if she owes ya a boon, and I mention you desire those three, ya might get what ya want.

As for Meltip, I'd try the lighthouse at ta mouth o' ta harbor at Selma's gate. That is where pirate souls, Bellian o' not, tend ta wa-"

Pyrite turned back to Mortus after his spat with Ketari.

"Uh, well. Thanks for the lighthouse tip. Why do they gather there, though?

As for Glaciana... gah. Any tips for dealing with her otherwise? Or is it not normally worth the effort?"


He turned back to the rest of the gods.

"So that's two for Fletchtania... hm. Not that I wouldn't mind a huntress' boons, but I think I'd lean more towards Glaciana. The tools or boons of the dead could prove quite handy, and she'd probably be..." He glanced at Auratus. "Well, maybe not totally unbiased, but possibly better. Clammor might also be an obvious choice, both for boons and objectivity."

He turned back to Auratus. "What about you? Who would you prefer assist us?"

" Giving Oinkiny the corpse, you say? " After thinking it over for a few moments, a smile painted itself unto the dragons face. " I like it. It might provide an even better spectacle than I had originally intended. Imagine the boarsman cooking the corpse publicly in Kiatown, maybe even offering some choice cuts to those vindictive enough to share in such a meal? Your idea does indeed sound charming. Let's have it that way then. "

"Excellent. No doubt Oinkiny will be pleased."

Auratus slightly frowned at Pyrites knowledge. The god clearly had more information than he personally would have liked him to have. " Truth be told, I did suspect something hiding in that armour, and had planned to investigate it given the chance. If there is some sort of soul remaining in there, my opinion on torturing it, really would depend on how sentient it is. As I can hardly insist on depriving you of your revenge, if it came to pass I still would wish for a reasonable sentence. We can leave that matter until then, or so I hope. "

"Oh, fair enough," Pyrite said mildly. "And I suppose sitting in a vault somewhere is a certain amount of punishment in its own right."

" Well, the cones are indeed intriguing. With that much inherent power in them, even I would feel confident that I could put them to use in various ways. Especially raising some treants does sound charming. Then again, you specialise in such antics, and I am certain you could twist them into something of your own devices. Gifting immortality, reviving a dead one... " the dragon leaned in close, whispering in the halfgod's ear " Yes, maybe even healing your own affliction, if it proves itself troublesome? " Taking a step back, the dragon shrugged. " Of all the things on that stage, they clearly are of the highest worth, especially for you. While I also might get some use out of them, I would call it fancy at best. "

Leaving aside the matter of the cones, the dragon would have a use for most of the things on display. Even if the artifacts could be of dubious worth, he was willing to gamble on them. " Besides the two draconic remains which I feel obligated to take, I have to say that the trumpet has a nice touch to it. If no-one else wants it, I'd most likely also would take the staff, but both items are somewhat of a gamble. The adamantite, well, I guess Tulwor would suit it best, if only for the reason that most of the rest on display does clearly not. Maybe he even has use for the warrior, seeing as he has that enchanted boat of his. "

" The mages... I actually would like to take one of them into my employ. As for which one, I guess we might want to talk to them first, and then decide this matter further. Else, I do agree that neither gems, ink, nor coins are hard enough to come by, as to warrant much of our attention. I'd suggest we split them somewhat evenly. "

Tulwor perked up again. 'Oh, yes, dragon. I would offer any of these sailors a place on Corusu's Wing, if they'd agree to serve under her captain. That ship is not meant for piracy, though - but I am sure they would find the life of foreign shores and unknown sights pleasant as well. Perhaps I should ask this Shark-kin? We may all make our offers, and let her choose her future.'

He grunted. 'I will gladly take the adamantite if you have no need of it. I have not had a chance to work with such material before.'

The dragon raised an eyebrow in genuine wonder. " Now that comes as a surprise. I would not have thought that you would be interested in those who practice magic. Or is your interest based on her race instead? I would have heard you like to explore the ocean depth at times. "

Canvas had already told the Shark-Kin to be of adventurous disposition, so in a sense Tulwor would indeed suit her. But, he really had no desire to place himself in a bet already rigged against himself. " Be that as it may, I would prefer if we made these choices by giving each of us a reasonable amount of the spoils. Well, if you and Pyrite insist on making a gamble out of it, my hands are obviously tied, and I would go along with it. "

Pyrite raised an eyebrow at the dragon's whisper. He didn't think he wanted to get out of being a Horizon God by becoming a Tree God, but he supposed they might have some useable qualities. Certainly they had the raw power for it.

He frowned a bit at everyone else suddenly clamoring over the captives. Not that he could blame them, but it was a bit unfortunate for him that they were now showing some taste.

"I suppose we should learn more about them before making our decisions. Heh. Giving them the choice has some merit, but it does encourage us to play nice, which is unfortunate," he added with a chuckle. "Obviously we'd still want to split everything evenly, but if nothing else, willing servants tend to be better servants.

Speaking of which, I say we do that now."


Making his way to the stage, he made to drag the captives into a convenient line. Kin and Red loyalists to the left, the prized spellcasters to the right, the rest assorted by power in the middle.

"So!" he announced cheerfully, bearing a pointy smile, "Anything any of you would like to say before we get started?"

"An obvious question," The creature admits, "but no singular obvious answer. Alot of it has to do with their matriarch... The Master confided in me that she raised her children to compete and war among themselves. Some of the hate also has to do with the fact that a vast majority of their family has been kidnapped by the Chimera... Each blames at least one of the others for the loss of a favored sibling, and furthermore, none of the few members of that Pantheon who would put some effort into keeping the piece remain."

She hisses slightly, "of course, their constant fighting gives them new reasons to hate one another all the time..."

The spider twitches slightly before getting into your second question. "The Master of Monsters, or the Golden One as he is also called, dwells at a castle at the bottom of luminous lagoon. He has few interests outside of growing his collection of treasures, and the breeding, creating, and training of vicious pets. It is very rare that he concerns himself with outside events, but when he acts on the mortal world, it is almost always with an overwhelming show of force.

He is the oldest, largest, and strongest of the sibblings. I have seen him outwitted by the Grand Stratagem, and bested by the Arena Master's skill with armor and spear, but I have never witnessed him involved in a straight slug-fest that didn't end in an overwhelming victory for him. He appears as a full grown Deep Dragon who has taken aspects of the cave lobster, He fights with large wings, clamping claws, teeth, divine magic, and miasma breath. He claims to be an even better fighter under water, but I can't back that up as I can't swim. His power, and desire to maintain its reputation, leads him to act only in a cruel manner towards the common Orcs and Harpies he encounters, but the same strength also gives him the confidence to deal with beings worth his time in a collected and affable manner."

Pyrite considered this for a bit. So... the bitter, shattered remnants of a perhaps not wholly functional family and pantheon. Interesting, but he wasn't sure what it meant.

"Well, I suppose that brings us to the next topic of importance. What can you tell me of these Chimaera, and how they came to fight and largely win a war against the Orcish Pantheon?"

[Weirdsound]

Auratus' Lair
The dragon had rested himself from the battle for a few days, even taking some time trying to identify his part of the spoils. With Wild Red's corpse gifted to the boarsman, he only had the soul as bargaining piece for the prayer, and so he was intent on delivering it this month. Still, with his lair finally sporting some items of true value, he did feel a pang of unease while doing leaving them alone. He would need to secure it, one way or another.

Sparing his belongings one last, careful glance – he was sure he would know it if someone would dare to move them in his absence – he set out for Kiatown. Seeing as Rattigont might intend to strike at the one who had - in a sense - caused Wild Red's death, he even intended to use subtletly once inside of the city walls.

Interaction - Auratus takes the dagger / Wild Red's Soul, to represent it to Lord Elken Lionpaw

Using subtlety for once, you slip into the ocean, swim through the storm just below the surface, and after some time you climb onto the Kiatown docks in the somewhat distasteful but unnecessary disguise of a well-to-do Bellian merchant.

From there it is but a simple walk to the gates of the Lionpaw Estate, where you drop the disguise and state your intentions to the guards. They waste no time ushering you in. You are let into a well decorated hall, and told that Lord Lionpaw will be down as soon as he can make himself presentable to meet a god.

As you wait, you ponder the art of the wall. Most of murals are landscapes, depicting several key battles of the Red River Rebellion, a war you have studied little do to a general lack of Draconic involvement, at a distance great enough to avoid showing any blood or gore. You know little of Lionpaw; In their favor they are one of the youngest of the Bellian High Houses, and did not exist to take part in the war before time, but weighted against them is the fact that they descend directly from Valor, the God responsible for more crimes against Dragonkind than any save Glaciana. There is also the fact that your mission on the island is to prevent its wealth from falling into the hands of the powers that be on the mainland, and as the rulers of an empire of three cities, the argument could easily be made that entity on the island represents mainland interests more than the owners of the hall you presently stand in.

Your thoughts are interupted by the arrival of Elkin, or, as it turns out, his replacement. A boy in his mid teens adorned with fine jewels and emerald encrusted ceremonial armor approaches, bows as deeply as said armor allows him, and introduces himself. For a Bellian Child talking to a dragon and a god, he keeps his composure well. "I am Lord Badger Lionpaw, humble servant of your pantheon. Welcome to my hall, holy one. Before he was incarcerated, uncle Elkin informed me that he had prayed at the temple for Wild Red's head. As I have heard that said pirate lord is missing since being driven from the Harbor at Selma's Gate, and the god of vengeance stands before me, I assume that I am to given said trophy? Or do you have other business to discuss with me?"

Auratus reply was an angry groan, before spewing back at him. " You don't get to tell me what to do, Mortus, nor is it in your interest that I "Let this one go" ! "

Crossing his arms behind his back, the dragon began circling the god, delivering his spiel alongside. " The orcs tell of a ritual, where their warriors and my kin partake of those who loose said gambit. I am quite sure this extends to their souls as well, as, god or not, we dragons do tend to know a thing or two about handling them. Once we introduce this host you speak of, and use it against those four, we will break their idea of honour – the same honour which is the only thing currently keeping the girl alive! If we don't retrieve Chell before then, you won't be able to revive her soul this time around. They. Will. Devour. It. "

" Any other options, and time to implement them, are limited. Should we try to retrieve her by ourselves, they will spring the trap that they undoubtedly have sprung for us. After they have shown us their capabilties with the Wild Red incident, I doubt this approach to have any success. Sneaking in, through unknown terrain, retrieving her from their watchful gaze? The others are welcome to try, but I won't hold my breath. I, on the other hand, am confident that I could get one of them to move in our interest, with relative ease even. "

Throwing his arms up in theatrical abandon, the dragon continued. " But, true enough – if me taking diplomacy towards them would brand me as traitor, I guess we will have to leave your girl to her fate. "

Stopping to face the boatsmen once more, he quizzed the same. " Unless you try harder, that is. Well, Mortus? "

Mortus calmly shrugs off your rant, although you think you detect the slightest hint of a frown when you mention his daughter. You suppose he deals with alot of anger, pleading, outbursts, bargining and other such behavior in his line of work. "Telen told me Chell's kidnapper is a Deep Dragon. I don't know ta full history, but I understand that they don't always see eye to eye wit or follow ta same rules as ta rest o' yer lot. Why should I trust my daugher's fate ta the diplomatic efforts of one who was likely taught in ta grand draconic tradition o' whitewashing conflict and differences between dragons. They could have reason ta hate ya that we don't even know about."

He blinks, and pauses, almost as if he is giving your words further consideration. After an uncomfortably long silence, he speaks again. "But even if we were ta put our faith into ya plan, crossing Valor is dangerous. Not unlike yerself, his temper is short, an unlike yerself he is stronger than me, and has more influence over Rexxis than I do. I'm not saying his will couldn't be subverted, but ta price o' failure, or even detectable success, could be high for all 'o us... It is not path I be willing ta walk just because somebody wit clear ulterior motives tells me its fer the best."

Pyrite considered this for a bit. So... the bitter, shattered remnants of a perhaps not wholly functional family and pantheon. Interesting, but he wasn't sure what it meant.

"Well, I suppose that brings us to the next topic of importance. What can you tell me of these Chimaera, and how they came to fight and largely win a war against the Orcish Pantheon?"

"The Chimera..."

She hisses in disgust before giving you an answer. "They are monsters and no to are alike. Each is custom built from living or dead body parts to serve a single purpose, and broken back down into parts when that purpose is served. Unless you can completely and quickly run them from a battlefield, or burn all the corpses, their losses are always negated, and your losses will be doubled when your dead are used to build more Chimera."

"They, they, hisssss," she pauses briefly, in disgust, "follow the same patterns for their gods. Building and unmaking them as needed. Once they know enough about a noteworthy being, even a deity, they may construct a creature specifically to exploit its weaknesses, negate its strengths, and either capture or kill it.

The harpies have some means, which they fight hard to keep secret, by which they prevent any effort by the Chimera to make new tunnels to the surface, forcing them to exit through several choke-points high up in the mountains. Between the death of the Orc Pantheon Matriarch, and their entrapment at the hands of the winged ones, The Chimera ruled the land and exploited the Orcs. They view all other life as my pet views his crops, or I might view my web; Useful materials and nothing more."

Pyrite turned back to Mortus after his spat with Ketari.

"Uh, well. Thanks for the lighthouse tip. Why do they gather there, though?

As for Glaciana... gah. Any tips for dealing with her otherwise? Or is it not normally worth the effort?"

"Bellians are instructed to go ta the sea after they die so that I can collect them, I think ta pirate tradition of souls gathering at lighthouses sort o' comes from that. I also know of a Barbarian death goddess who lives in a lighthouse, so that may have something ta do with it.

As fer her icyness, once she knows a soul is o' value ta ya, she will milk it for as much as she can. In the end, she will let ya have it. If she doesn't let one go once in  a while, people will stop trying ta bargin with her, but the most surefire way to get one quickly is ta offer her kin; She feeds off of loss, so she will almost always give a soul of mere practical value for a soul of emotional and personal worth."

"I suppose we should learn more about them before making our decisions. Heh. Giving them the choice has some merit, but it does encourage us to play nice, which is unfortunate," he added with a chuckle. "Obviously we'd still want to split everything evenly, but if nothing else, willing servants tend to be better servants.

Speaking of which, I say we do that now."


Making his way to the stage, he made to drag the captives into a convenient line. Kin and Red loyalists to the left, the prized spellcasters to the right, the rest assorted by power in the middle.

"So!" he announced cheerfully, bearing a pointy smile, "Anything any of you would like to say before we get started?"

The group remains quiet, nobody daring to speak. Your translation abilities do pick up on Ogov sending a messing along the lines of 'not yet' in the direction of the mages, and your divine perception discerns that the bindings on both himself and Makko seem to have been loosened significantly.

[IronyOwl]

"The Chimera..."

She hisses in disgust before giving you an answer. "They are monsters and no to are alike. Each is custom built from living or dead body parts to serve a single purpose, and broken back down into parts when that purpose is served. Unless you can completely and quickly run them from a battlefield, or burn all the corpses, their losses are always negated, and your losses will be doubled when your dead are used to build more Chimera."

"They, they, hisssss," she pauses briefly, in disgust, "follow the same patterns for their gods. Building and unmaking them as needed. Once they know enough about a noteworthy being, even a deity, they may construct a creature specifically to exploit its weaknesses, negate its strengths, and either capture or kill it.

The harpies have some means, which they fight hard to keep secret, by which they prevent any effort by the Chimera to make new tunnels to the surface, forcing them to exit through several choke-points high up in the mountains. Between the death of the Orc Pantheon Matriarch, and their entrapment at the hands of the winged ones, The Chimera ruled the land and exploited the Orcs. They view all other life as my pet views his crops, or I might view my web; Useful materials and nothing more."

Pyrite had to think on that for a moment.

"How do they view themselves?" he finally asked. "If they assemble and disassemble each other regularly... what's the point, to them? Who are they? What do they want?

Also..." He had to stop and think here, carefully considering whether to tell her. "There's a Chimeric deity in Kiatown, I'm told, though I didn't get the details. What would your... take on that be?"

"Bellians are instructed to go ta the sea after they die so that I can collect them, I think ta pirate tradition of souls gathering at lighthouses sort o' comes from that. I also know of a Barbarian death goddess who lives in a lighthouse, so that may have something ta do with it.

As fer her icyness, once she knows a soul is o' value ta ya, she will milk it for as much as she can. In the end, she will let ya have it. If she doesn't let one go once in  a while, people will stop trying ta bargin with her, but the most surefire way to get one quickly is ta offer her kin; She feeds off of loss, so she will almost always give a soul of mere practical value for a soul of emotional and personal worth."

"Ugh. Perfect," he grumbled. He supposed he should have known the Goddess of Death wouldn't be pleasant, but still.

He spent a few minutes restlessly pondering the issue before abruptly thinking of something. "...what's her relationship with Skullcrest, Nightcharm, and Agrippa?"

The group remains quiet, nobody daring to speak. Your translation abilities do pick up on Ogov sending a messing along the lines of 'not yet' in the direction of the mages, and your divine perception discerns that the bindings on both himself and Makko seem to have been loosened significantly.

"Well then, let's get to it," he continued, grinning. He couldn't help but be amused by their scheming, and wondered if they had a plan beyond "Run for it at a good moment."

He took a few loud, powerful strides to stand directly in front of- and, of course, above- the Shark-Kin. He studied her for a few moments, trying to get a better grasp of her physiology and, more importantly, her mental state.

"You're in a fortunate position," he finally said. "Turns out all three of us have displayed interest in you. Sorry, you only got two," he added jovially at the water mage beside her. "Well, technically you all got two, but the giant likes sailors and I like flesh. Sharky here is the only one to be unanimously sought after by name."

He tilted his head slightly, staring at her.

"How does that make you feel?"

[Weirdsound]

"The Chimera..."

She hisses in disgust before giving you an answer. "They are monsters and no to are alike. Each is custom built from living or dead body parts to serve a single purpose, and broken back down into parts when that purpose is served. Unless you can completely and quickly run them from a battlefield, or burn all the corpses, their losses are always negated, and your losses will be doubled when your dead are used to build more Chimera."

"They, they, hisssss," she pauses briefly, in disgust, "follow the same patterns for their gods. Building and unmaking them as needed. Once they know enough about a noteworthy being, even a deity, they may construct a creature specifically to exploit its weaknesses, negate its strengths, and either capture or kill it.

The harpies have some means, which they fight hard to keep secret, by which they prevent any effort by the Chimera to make new tunnels to the surface, forcing them to exit through several choke-points high up in the mountains. Between the death of the Orc Pantheon Matriarch, and their entrapment at the hands of the winged ones, The Chimera ruled the land and exploited the Orcs. They view all other life as my pet views his crops, or I might view my web; Useful materials and nothing more."

Pyrite had to think on that for a moment.

"How do they view themselves?" he finally asked. "If they assemble and disassemble each other regularly... what's the point, to them? Who are they? What do they want?

Also..." He had to stop and think here, carefully considering whether to tell her. "There's a Chimeric deity in Kiatown, I'm told, though I didn't get the details. What would your... take on that be?"

"I only got to meet a few personally, and they were all stupid workers and soldiers with little capacity for higher thought... The Master told me once, however, that they have some means of storing and reusing memories and personalities. They have an upper class, so to speak, of minds that are educated, honed, used, and recycled on various key projects. I think I was told once that they exist to 'organize and optimize biological existance'... but I have no clue what organization and optimization might mean to them..."

She clicks her fangs. "I don't know how such a creature would behave, but if it sought to control the city, I would have been aware of it by now. It could be using your dead and refuse as resources... but it would take quite some time to build an army to threaten the Harpy Siege that way... On that note, at least in the near term, I'd be more afraid of what the harpies might do to this town to drive the Chimera out than what the Chimera might do to this town themselves..."

"Ugh. Perfect," he grumbled. He supposed he should have known the Goddess of Death wouldn't be pleasant, but still.

He spent a few minutes restlessly pondering the issue before abruptly thinking of something. "...what's her relationship with Skullcrest, Nightcharm, and Agrippa?"

Mortus is able to answer these questions with speed and confidence in his answers. "She dotes on Skullcrest. They are kin to her. But she will still feed on their loss; She helped them make powerful artifacts out of some of ta dragons and monsters they slew in ta war, but beyond that, she would rather give them favorable position in ta Ice Realm than any aid in their mortal lives."

He shakes his head when Agrippa comes up. "Don't get her started on Agrippa. She will talk ya to death bitching about the vampire. Agrippa uses many souls, that her Icyness would otherwise get, to fuel her magic. She dislikes dark mages in general, so Nightcharm wont get many favors on ta other side, but it is Agrippa who gets most of her ire. That said, Agrippa makes more vampires than she can control, and a feral vampire who is no expert on dark magic will kill many and leave their souls untouched."

He took a few loud, powerful strides to stand directly in front of- and, of course, above- the Shark-Kin. He studied her for a few moments, trying to get a better grasp of her physiology and, more importantly, her mental state.

"You're in a fortunate position," he finally said. "Turns out all three of us have displayed interest in you. Sorry, you only got two," he added jovially at the water mage beside her. "Well, technically you all got two, but the giant likes sailors and I like flesh. Sharky here is the only one to be unanimously sought after by name."

He tilted his head slightly, staring at her.

"How does that make you feel?"

Cephlidquid, at first glance, looks to be a comely woman of mixed blood, but mostly Bellian or Common Barbarian. Her figure is tall, and her hair and eyes are the color of Shark Skin; Her own skin is slightly tinted in that shade as well, but is predominantly fair. Her teeth, razor sharp and pointed across her mouth, are the main tell that this isn't some ordinary mutt woman.

You have, of course, heard of Shark-Kin in your studies, but have never encountered one before. The name is a bit inaccurate; A Shark Kin is nothing more than a member of one of several sentient shark species with magical talent, which wears the enchanted skin of a humanoid land dweller to explore the surface, usually in search of magical knowledge or adventure. In all likelihood, there is an at least half ton creature crammed into that body with magic.

"I wouldn't waste leverage negotiating for me as a trophy if I were in your position." She answers bluntly. "A creature of my stature is not easily made to act against her will, even by wannabe gods. You best focus your efforts on walking away with the other prizes."

In response to the disrespect, one of the dread pirates watching over her, clearly a caster himself, blasts the Shark-Kin with some sort of painful magic draining spell, causing her to flinch, emit a soft yelp, and fall silent again.

[Digital Hellhound]

Selma's Gate

Tulwor grinned. 'Defiant to the last! I like you already,' he boomed. He eyed the Shark-Kin for a minute - quite pleasant to look at, for certain.

'I have no interest in you as a trophy, mortal! Nay, I come to offer you a place on Corusu's Wing. She sails the furthest reaches of the world, battles the fiercest monsters, seeks out treasure and secrets. Its legend is young yet, but I, Tulwor Storm-Breaker, have seen that it will last in the tales. Her crew could use a Shark-Kin as formidable as yourself - and a sorceress to boot. Of course, you would serve under her captain... Hah! It would be good for him to have you with him, I feel.'

His smile dimmed slightly. 'Of course... that ship has its purpose - should anyone think to take her for piracy, or war... I would not stop until they were punished.'

Mortus

Tulwor grimaced. 'I would fight Valor again, if it came to that - but he... defeated me before, and we would not want a tyrant like him in or against our Isle.'

[IronyOwl]

"I only got to meet a few personally, and they were all stupid workers and soldiers with little capacity for higher thought... The Master told me once, however, that they have some means of storing and reusing memories and personalities. They have an upper class, so to speak, of minds that are educated, honed, used, and recycled on various key projects. I think I was told once that they exist to 'organize and optimize biological existance'... but I have no clue what organization and optimization might mean to them..."

She clicks her fangs. "I don't know how such a creature would behave, but if it sought to control the city, I would have been aware of it by now. It could be using your dead and refuse as resources... but it would take quite some time to build an army to threaten the Harpy Siege that way... On that note, at least in the near term, I'd be more afraid of what the harpies might do to this town to drive the Chimera out than what the Chimera might do to this town themselves..."

Pyrite nodded slowly. "I suppose they're one more thing I'll have to look into in more detail at some point, then.

In the meantime, I have many more things I'd like to ask you... but if you'd like, I could try to work on fixing you now. It doesn't always work on the first try, and there are some slight risks involved in failure, but I'd say the odds are good."

If she'd like me to try, expend a miracle attempting to fix her.

Cephlidquid, at first glance, looks to be a comely woman of mixed blood, but mostly Bellian or Common Barbarian. Her figure is tall, and her hair and eyes are the color of Shark Skin; Her own skin is slightly tinted in that shade as well, but is predominantly fair. Her teeth, razor sharp and pointed across her mouth, are the main tell that this isn't some ordinary mutt woman.

You have, of course, heard of Shark-Kin in your studies, but have never encountered one before. The name is a bit inaccurate; A Shark Kin is nothing more than a member of one of several sentient shark species with magical talent, which wears the enchanted skin of a humanoid land dweller to explore the surface, usually in search of magical knowledge or adventure. In all likelihood, there is an at least half ton creature crammed into that body with magic.

"I wouldn't waste leverage negotiating for me as a trophy if I were in your position." She answers bluntly. "A creature of my stature is not easily made to act against her will, even by wannabe gods. You best focus your efforts on walking away with the other prizes."

In response to the disrespect, one of the dread pirates watching over her, clearly a caster himself, blasts the Shark-Kin with some sort of painful magic draining spell, causing her to flinch, emit a soft yelp, and fall silent again.

Selma's Gate

Tulwor grinned. 'Defiant to the last! I like you already,' he boomed. He eyed the Shark-Kin for a minute - quite pleasant to look at, for certain.

'I have no interest in you as a trophy, mortal! Nay, I come to offer you a place on Corusu's Wing. She sails the furthest reaches of the world, battles the fiercest monsters, seeks out treasure and secrets. Its legend is young yet, but I, Tulwor Storm-Breaker, have seen that it will last in the tales. Her crew could use a Shark-Kin as formidable as yourself - and a sorceress to boot. Of course, you would serve under her captain... Hah! It would be good for him to have you with him, I feel.'

His smile dimmed slightly. 'Of course... that ship has its purpose - should anyone think to take her for piracy, or war... I would not stop until they were punished.'

Pyrite decided to let Tulwor deal with her for the moment, moving on to the other mage with a slight downward twinge of his lips.

"And you?" he asked, considerably less mirthful now. "Both me and the dragon have expressed interest in the magically inclined." He couldn't help but give an amused smile again. "Of course," he added, louder, addressing all the captives, "Good Tulwor up there always has some use for the adventurous. If you feel like running the gauntlet of my and the dragon's wrath, I suppose you could try for his favor directly.

Otherwise," he continued, fixing the elementalist with an amused, toothy grin, "I suggest you start sounding useful."

[micelus]

The Hidden Hall

Ketemos pondered the state of his library; burnt and razed. Priceless tomes of knowledge and scrolls of ancient philosophers destroyed in an instant. He had planned to educate thousands of mortals in the hope that a model society could be established...it would seem that another method would have to be undertaken.

Pondering, Ketemos had no one to blame but himself. He had designed the Chamber and assigned the reading material. It was not the fault of the student that what she read had enthralled her to such an extent. Indeed, that was its very purpose; it was only a shame that this youth had become enthused with such a troublesome topic.

Ketemos looked at the priestess. She copied the gesture of the dragon and had burnt the library in apparent service to the dragons. Inadvertently, Ketemos had created a loyal servant of Auratus; not good. He doubted the lady's remorse.

"I bear the lady no ill will but as you can see my library has been destroyed which is a...pity. It shall have to be replaced. Of you however, I'd ask simply for reimbursement. Gold is all I need; a large sum actually. I assume that would be reasonable considering all the knowledge lost to the flames?"

Meeting with Mortus

"I...have little opinion save that I would suggest Clammor to aid us. We need help, yes, but the direct assistance of an elder? That would invalidate our assignment here. I'd rather not let our elders back on the mainland assume the command here; we came here to lead and influence, not be bossed around. No offense intended, Mortus."

At A Time Wherein No One Is Busy

Somewhat lost over the destruction of the Hidden Hall, Ketemos began devising a new creation. Something smaller and yet in itself, of equal value to the vast collection that resided in the library. Returning to his room, he built a common printing press; not a difficult chore. From there, he made use of enchantments and modifications to the design; a new mechanism here, a new block there. Perhaps a little teleportation between the ink wells and a dash of essence on the chains. Though progress was slow, Ketemos hoped that this time, perhaps, this creation would actually work and survive a year.

While able to print books, the Press would also have the ability to absorb runes by placing the runed object in a compartment on the underside of the actual press. In theory, nearly any object could be imbued quickly by placing it on top of the Press and lowering the mechanisms. Of course, considering the god's history of recent creations, Ketemos made sure not to be too excited for the Press of Boons' creation.

In preparation for any transactions Ketemos would make soon, he conjured a small pile of gemstones that he commonly used for boons and enchantments. Hopefully, they would be of some value to mortals.

Whether he succeeded or failed, Ketemos left the Castle to visit Tonk; he had wondered what had happened to him after his brother gods had splintered the Red's navy. He also required his services soon...


Interaction: Use the Nexus and go to Selma's Gate. Locate Tonk if he is still alive. Ask him if he is able to come to Newbellium and begin animating the remains of the Luminary
2 Miracles: Craft the Press of Boons. This artifact is capable of mundane printing of books but also the copying of runes and spells in their entirety, allowing for the quick application of enchantments to objects and entities.
1 Miracle: Conjure a small pile of valuable gemstones. 

[escaped lurker]

Kiatown

Your thoughts are interupted by the arrival of Elkin, or, as it turns out, his replacement. A boy in his mid teens adorned with fine jewels and emerald encrusted ceremonial armor approaches, bows as deeply as said armor allows him, and introduces himself. For a Bellian Child talking to a dragon and a god, he keeps his composure well. "I am Lord Badger Lionpaw, humble servant of your pantheon. Welcome to my hall, holy one. Before he was incarcerated, uncle Elkin informed me that he had prayed at the temple for Wild Red's head. As I have heard that said pirate lord is missing since being driven from the Harbor at Selma's Gate, and the god of vengeance stands before me, I assume that I am to given said trophy? Or do you have other business to discuss with me?"

Auratus was a bit taken aback by the notion of the newly appointed Lord already having become the previous one, and being imprisoned to boot. There was little doubt the son of the deceased general should also have held a high position within the military, so the dragon's guess was that he had taken the fall for the disastrous loss which had occurred last month. Even more pressing though, would the new, young lord concede to the fine point of a worthy reward? With only one way to find out, he spoke up.

" As you have rightly presumed, I have come to answer the prayer of your uncle. "

After gesturing the youth to stand, he took the silver dagger by the blade, presenting the hilt with the inlaid gem. " Wild Red's very soul, drawn by myself with the strike that ended his life. "

Giving his explanation, the dragon grinned broadly, sure to have found the perfect revenge. " I took the liberty of doing your family better than merely retrieving part of the corpse, which the prayer of your uncle asked for. While I don't know which gods the pirate curried favour with while alive, since he is now safely entrapped within this gem, I severely doubt it will do him any good. Further, it also leaves his future fate up to our discretion. "

" Still, incarcerated, you say? That is a bit inconvenient, as Elkin's prayer asked that the vengeance be delivered to him personally. Unless he has given you explicit permission to handle this matter in his stead, I would deem it necessary to act as he originally wished. "

Hidden Hall

"I bear the lady no ill will but as you can see my library has been destroyed which is a...pity. It shall have to be replaced. Of you however, I'd ask simply for reimbursement. Gold is all I need; a large sum actually. I assume that would be reasonable considering all the knowledge lost to the flames?"

Clicking his tongue loudly at Ketemos, the dragons answer was filled with irritation. " Have you just suggested that I should open my hoard for you?! If so, know your place, before I further regret ever hinting at compensating you for your own incompetence! "

He shook his head in annoyance. What impertinence! He was even loath to give away from his wealth for his own sake, but doing so for the god was out of the question. At least this situation was not nearly dire enough that he would earnestly consider doing so. " Unless you plan to test my patience, I might not be averse to giving you a favour to let this matter rest, but know that it will not be wealth that already has entered into my possession. May your next suggestion be one that is not as insolent. "

[micelus]

Ketemos tilted his head to the side in mild curiosity. "I would have thought it would be the easiest thing to provide. Very well then..."

Thinking for a moment at what could be of use, he decided. "I'd like to borrow your disciple then. It's clear that I've made some mistakes in my design...need to rectify that before I construct a new version. A little investigation into her experience and her knowledge could help. Would this be acceptable, Auratus?"

[Weirdsound]

Selma's Gate

Tulwor grinned. 'Defiant to the last! I like you already,' he boomed. He eyed the Shark-Kin for a minute - quite pleasant to look at, for certain.

'I have no interest in you as a trophy, mortal! Nay, I come to offer you a place on Corusu's Wing. She sails the furthest reaches of the world, battles the fiercest monsters, seeks out treasure and secrets. Its legend is young yet, but I, Tulwor Storm-Breaker, have seen that it will last in the tales. Her crew could use a Shark-Kin as formidable as yourself - and a sorceress to boot. Of course, you would serve under her captain... Hah! It would be good for him to have you with him, I feel.'

His smile dimmed slightly. 'Of course... that ship has its purpose - should anyone think to take her for piracy, or war... I would not stop until they were punished.'

The sorceress pauses in consideration. "Exploration is the reason I came to the surface. If this captain you speak of is worthy to lead me, your offer would be a good one."

Tulwor grimaced. 'I would fight Valor again, if it came to that - but he... defeated me before, and we would not want a tyrant like him in or against our Isle.'

"Ya wouldn't likely have to. I could deal with him myself if he proved silly enough to try and cross the ocean..."

Clicking his beak, Mortus continues. "That said, I would think ya be on the same page as him on this one; Unless ya think Auratus is right, and that we forfeit Chell's soul by bringing in another god an' host, I'm not sure you would like ta leave the bastard alive. Ya were kinda quick to swear ta kill him..."

Pyrite nodded slowly. "I suppose they're one more thing I'll have to look into in more detail at some point, then.

In the meantime, I have many more things I'd like to ask you... but if you'd like, I could try to work on fixing you now. It doesn't always work on the first try, and there are some slight risks involved in failure, but I'd say the odds are good."

If she'd like me to try, expend a miracle attempting to fix her.

The creature consents to the procedure and you get to work. You consume a great deal of divine energy to scan and memorize the workings of your host's body, as you have never seen a creature exactly like her before, and then stimulate your brain to come up with a plan of attack to handle the injuries.

By the time this prep work is finished, you have expended almost a miracle worth of divine energy. You use the rest to restore two of the spider's missing eyes, which doesn't do all that much to improve her total state of health, but at least presents her with clear evidence that progress has been made.

Borderline Fail

"...That helped. I think. My vision changed."

...moving on to the other mage with a slight downward twinge of his lips.

"And you?" he asked, considerably less mirthful now. "Both me and the dragon have expressed interest in the magically inclined." He couldn't help but give an amused smile again. "Of course," he added, louder, addressing all the captives, "Good Tulwor up there always has some use for the adventurous. If you feel like running the gauntlet of my and the dragon's wrath, I suppose you could try for his favor directly.

Otherwise," he continued, fixing the elementalist with an amused, toothy grin, "I suggest you start sounding useful."

"I see no reason to do court Tulwor's favor. I've changed masters under similar circumstances to this before. As long as you need a water elementalist or a naval officer, and value loyalty, you will find me useful. I serve my masters until they release me or die."

Several of the more loyal prisoners give the mage a dirty look at that.

"I can vouch for his worth." Canvas chimes in, "I know he played a key role in Red's capture of Redveil port a few years back. They say he blocked the mouth of the harbor with a whirlpool spell for several hours, and that be bested three of Gurndo Red's Champion Casters in mage duels in under an hour."

"She does not lie." The elementalist adds bluntly.

Kiatown

Your thoughts are interupted by the arrival of Elkin, or, as it turns out, his replacement. A boy in his mid teens adorned with fine jewels and emerald encrusted ceremonial armor approaches, bows as deeply as said armor allows him, and introduces himself. For a Bellian Child talking to a dragon and a god, he keeps his composure well. "I am Lord Badger Lionpaw, humble servant of your pantheon. Welcome to my hall, holy one. Before he was incarcerated, uncle Elkin informed me that he had prayed at the temple for Wild Red's head. As I have heard that said pirate lord is missing since being driven from the Harbor at Selma's Gate, and the god of vengeance stands before me, I assume that I am to given said trophy? Or do you have other business to discuss with me?"

Auratus was a bit taken aback by the notion of the newly appointed Lord already having become the previous one, and being imprisoned to boot. There was little doubt the son of the deceased general should also have held a high position within the military, so the dragon's guess was that he had taken the fall for the disastrous loss which had occurred last month. Even more pressing though, would the new, young lord concede to the fine point of a worthy reward? With only one way to find out, he spoke up.

" As you have rightly presumed, I have come to answer the prayer of your uncle. "

After gesturing the youth to stand, he took the silver dagger by the blade, presenting the hilt with the inlaid gem. " Wild Red's very soul, drawn by myself with the strike that ended his life. "

Giving his explanation, the dragon grinned broadly, sure to have found the perfect revenge. " I took the liberty of doing your family better than merely retrieving part of the corpse, which the prayer of your uncle asked for. While I don't know which gods the pirate curried favour with while alive, since he is now safely entrapped within this gem, I severely doubt it will do him any good. Further, it also leaves his future fate up to our discretion. "

" Still, incarcerated, you say? That is a bit inconvenient, as Elkin's prayer asked that the vengeance be delivered to him personally. Unless he has given you explicit permission to handle this matter in his stead, I would deem it necessary to act as he originally wished. "

The young leader pauses in thought. "He convinced both myself and the Crowned General to stay his execution until he had obtained satisfaction in the matter of his father's death. I'm not sure if that qualifies as the explicit permission you desire, but I am loathe to allow a condemned man a visitor that may imply that he has won some sort of divine favor. I will send him news of these events, and arrange for his beheading at dawn."

He scratches his chin, and smirks. "Of course, if this is about the tribute that my uncle promised, rest assured that you will not be denied. If you care to wait, I will dispatch messengers to both my uncle and the Crowned General, and I'm sure they each have something in mind for the god who answered the prayer. Otherwise, if you are in a hurry, I'll fetch you a weapon worthy of a Dragon's hoard from the vaults."

[IronyOwl]

The creature consents to the procedure and you get to work. You consume a great deal of divine energy to scan and memorize the workings of your host's body, as you have never seen a creature exactly like her before, and then stimulate your brain to come up with a plan of attack to handle the injuries.

By the time this prep work is finished, you have expended almost a miracle worth of divine energy. You use the rest to restore two of the spider's missing eyes, which doesn't do all that much to improve her total state of health, but at least presents her with clear evidence that progress has been made.

Borderline Fail

"...That helped. I think. My vision changed."

He cleared his throat. "Not my best work, but it's better than nothing. Marginally. I can't really promise the next time will be better, but I promise it won't be this slow overall. Just... ran into some snags with your unfamiliar physiology.

Uh, in the meantime," he continued, eager to change the subject, "Is there anything you could tell me about the Orcish siege? I know they fight to establish whether Bellians or Orcs are superior, and I know there's three factions among them. I also know they're a large coalition of tribes, and that if we win they'll blame everyone else to avoid admitting weakness. Anything you could add to that?"

The sorceress pauses in consideration. "Exploration is the reason I came to the surface. If this captain you speak of is worthy to lead me, your offer would be a good one."

-

"I see no reason to do court Tulwor's favor. I've changed masters under similar circumstances to this before. As long as you need a water elementalist or a naval officer, and value loyalty, you will find me useful. I serve my masters until they release me or die."

Several of the more loyal prisoners give the mage a dirty look at that.

"I can vouch for his worth." Canvas chimes in, "I know he played a key role in Red's capture of Redveil port a few years back. They say he blocked the mouth of the harbor with a whirlpool spell for several hours, and that be bested three of Gurndo Red's Champion Casters in mage duels in under an hour."

"She does not lie." The elementalist adds bluntly.

Pyrite briefly frowned again at Tulwor's behavior. He couldn't really fault the giant for not being even a bit sadistic, but it still felt like he was letting her off too easy. She was serving under the cretin who had orchestrated all of this, after all.

Oh well. He'd served in the battle, how he handled his spoils was up to him. And it was increasingly looking like she was his spoils.

He turned his attention back to the water mage, who was acting like rather dull property. Rather dull, rather useful property.

"Well! No doubt both of us have use for a water mage of such power." He also didn't doubt the dragon would have use for a slave, but didn't say so out loud. Partially because if the dragon claimed this one, he'd be stuck with the warrior, if he got one of the strong ones at all. Those cones were looking more and more like his main payoff from this pile.

Well, that and showing everyone in Selma's Gate why you did not murder a god's favored servants, cut off and destroy the army of a town under their protection, and then siege said town's very gates. Not without having your fleet smashed, your body publicly devoured, and your soul passed off to a dragon, at any rate.

"Any preferences on who you'd rather serve?" he asked offhandedly. "Draconic god of wealth and vengeance, half-scorpion god of knowledge, pleasure, and improvement."

He took a pair of short, leisurely steps to the side, standing before the warrior.

"Well?" he asked simply.

[Weirdsound]

He cleared his throat. "Not my best work, but it's better than nothing. Marginally. I can't really promise the next time will be better, but I promise it won't be this slow overall. Just... ran into some snags with your unfamiliar physiology.

Uh, in the meantime," he continued, eager to change the subject, "Is there anything you could tell me about the Orcish siege? I know they fight to establish whether Bellians or Orcs are superior, and I know there's three factions among them. I also know they're a large coalition of tribes, and that if we win they'll blame everyone else to avoid admitting weakness. Anything you could add to that?"

"...Better than anybody else has done in all these years."

She falls silent to ponder your question. "It sounds like you know more than I do. It has been ages since I dealt with the Orcs, and even longer since I spent time with their common mortals, and tribal politics can bring great changes in that amount of time.

If I had the names of some of the prominent tribes involved, I may be of more use to you, but even then I suspect many tribes would easily be younger than my exile. That said, finding out what tribes are doing what may be a good idea regardless; It may very well be easier to deal with various tribal elders on their own turf than the generals, diplomats, and high priests likely holding this siege force together in our backyard."

Pyrite briefly frowned again at Tulwor's behavior. He couldn't really fault the giant for not being even a bit sadistic, but it still felt like he was letting her off too easy. She was serving under the cretin who had orchestrated all of this, after all.

Oh well. He'd served in the battle, how he handled his spoils was up to him. And it was increasingly looking like she was his spoils.

He turned his attention back to the water mage, who was acting like rather dull property. Rather dull, rather useful property.

"Well! No doubt both of us have use for a water mage of such power." He also didn't doubt the dragon would have use for a slave, but didn't say so out loud. Partially because if the dragon claimed this one, he'd be stuck with the warrior, if he got one of the strong ones at all. Those cones were looking more and more like his main payoff from this pile.

Well, that and showing everyone in Selma's Gate why you did not murder a god's favored servants, cut off and destroy the army of a town under their protection, and then siege said town's very gates. Not without having your fleet smashed, your body publicly devoured, and your soul passed off to a dragon, at any rate.

"Any preferences on who you'd rather serve?" he asked offhandedly. "Draconic god of wealth and vengeance, half-scorpion god of knowledge, pleasure, and improvement."

He took a pair of short, leisurely steps to the side, standing before the warrior.

"Well?" he asked simply.

The mage gives the choice a few minutes of deep thought. You suspect he isn't the sort of person usually ask for his opinion on things. "Given the choice... I'd lean towards yourself over the Dragon. As my last master has just proven, serving Dragons doesn't always end well. And when all things are considered, I spend my wealth on pleasure and improvement anyhow, so I might as well skip the middle man -erm, middlegod."

Jorgen gives you the stink eye as you approach him. "If ya be looking fer an apology o' some groveling, keep moving. I did nothing more o' less than what I was paid to did, and if I am ta be punished fer it, so be it. I fer one am a man o' honor, and I will not speak good o' my employer's killers, nor betray his spirit in front o' his women."

[escaped lurker]

Kiatown

The young leader pauses in thought. "He convinced both myself and the Crowned General to stay his execution until he had obtained satisfaction in the matter of his father's death. I'm not sure if that qualifies as the explicit permission you desire, but I am loathe to allow a condemned man a visitor that may imply that he has won some sort of divine favor. I will send him news of these events, and arrange for his beheading at dawn."

He scratches his chin, and smirks. "Of course, if this is about the tribute that my uncle promised, rest assured that you will not be denied. If you care to wait, I will dispatch messengers to both my uncle and the Crowned General, and I'm sure they each have something in mind for the god who answered the prayer. Otherwise, if you are in a hurry, I'll fetch you a weapon worthy of a Dragon's hoard from the vaults."

The dragon offered a slight shrug in response. " I see no reason to needlessly meddle in matters that do not concern me, especially as I would presume this one to be of military nature. If he can be satisfied by the words of a messenger, then in accordance to your preferences there won't be a need to visit him by myself. Still, until I am sure that he has had his revenge, you are not to order his execution. "

" As I am in no particular hurry, I am willing to wait for his reply – and any designs that he might have in mind for Wild Red. In the meantime, given your position I take you to be well informed about the siege? While I would take the liberty to say that all of the pantheon keep a watchful eye on the current situation, it would be prudent to take this chance to make sure nothing of importance has escaped us. "


Hidden Hall

Ketemos tilted his head to the side in mild curiosity. "I would have thought it would be the easiest thing to provide. Very well then..."

Thinking for a moment at what could be of use, he decided. "I'd like to borrow your disciple then. It's clear that I've made some mistakes in my design...need to rectify that before I construct a new version. A little investigation into her experience and her knowledge could help. Would this be acceptable, Auratus?"

The dragon gave some thought to Ketemos' request, before answering with a sigh. " You really have a talent to ask for the wrong things. Given that you yourself do not know where you went wrong, I trust that you understand that you would have to limit yourself to your intellect in that search. I would be very loath to find out that your energies further escalated what you have already done to her, as there is no guarantee that it will be as merciful this time around. "

Shaking his head lightly, he came to the second point. Having re-discovered draconic frameworks, he would be a fool to present them to the other gods. If anything, he might even think of taking them over as his own. Linda burning the books looked more and more likely to have been the correct choice. " Then there is also the matter of the powers she has acquired. Spreading such important draconic knowledge is not something I can easily agree to. She would not tell you of her methods, nor display them in front of you. "

He gave a wry smile. " If you can agree to these limitations, I would have no problem with your request. Speaking truthfully, I would advise you to ask for something else instead. If nothing else comes to your mind at the moment, I will even allow you to hold on to that favour for the near future. Just be advised that I am bound to give priority to the ongoing war, than any fancy of yours. "

" Right, speaking of the war. As long as Chell is still in orcish hands, I would ask of you to give us continued access to your gates. Having easy access to both of the cities, would spare all of us a lot of trouble. "


Selma's Gate

Auratus had to hide a smile at the shark-kin's initial words. True enough, there were many gods, and to say that those actually worth revering would be far and few between was sugarcoating the matter. Stemming from a race of superior beings, she had all the less reason to lower herself before them. Still, considering her displayed nature it would seem best to leave her with Tulwor. With his boat gone, he actually doubted she would stay in his service for all too long, but it would not be the dragon's loss.

" Prideful, are we? I guess one would have to beat you in your true form, and element, to prove worthy of commanding you. Should you ever tire of being in Tulwor's service, I would not mind to see your true mettle. " He quipped at the giant in a good mood. " I think yielding this one to you would suit both of you best. Though I do wonder where you hope to find a captain worthy to command her, besides maybe yourself... "

The mage gives the choice a few minutes of deep thought. You suspect he isn't the sort of person usually ask for his opinion on things. "Given the choice... I'd lean towards yourself over the Dragon. As my last master has just proven, serving Dragons doesn't always end well. And when all things are considered, I spend my wealth on pleasure and improvement anyhow, so I might as well skip the middle man -erm, middlegod."

The dragon stole a surprised glance at the armour, before throwing a glare at the elementalist. So it truly was as he had suspected previously. With the matter out in the open, it was clear that Pyrite would come back to the arrangement of his revenge. His previous mood vanquished, he noted that obedience without honour was not as good as Canvas would have made it out to be.

" So you say the rumours were not just idle talk... This bears a question. " Leaving the middle, Auratus walked to those positioned on the left. Stopping in front of the priest, he quizzed the same. " Let me confirm a suspicion of mine. Whom is it that you serve, priest? Don't try my patience with answering "Red" to that question. You know very well what I aks of you. "