You decide to suck it up, go out of your way to interact with the lesser beings, and get to know their leaders a bit better. You have a week of travel, and six minions to study if you count the Tiefling twins as a single entity, so that means a day spent with each as well as a single day to yourself and your superior draconic thoughts.
---
Grom-Chul is forthcoming and willing to talk during the time you spend with him, and in a matter of hours you are confident you have him figured out; His ambition is driven by a desire to fit in and prove himself. As the nephew of a pirate lord, he would normally expect to be put in command of at least a small raiding fleet, but because Grom-Chul's mother was human, he was never even allowed to be captain of a single ship. Instead, he was made to take on the role of head slave driver at his uncle's mansion, a politically powerful position to be sure, but one usually held by Orcs of much lower birth. When he announced his intention to travel with you and help manage the Clownfin, he found that only the true outcasts and scum of orcish society were willing to serve under a half-breed. Of his 90 slave drivers, 15 are actually hardened and well armed mercenaries being paid a very generous wage, while the rest are prisoners and indentured servants who are barely more free than the slaves they will be working.
In terms of agenda Grom-Chul is clearly ambitious, but lacking in concrete plans. He knows the high elves will likely be the most powerful beings in Doomrus, aside from yourself, but also knows that they will likely depend on the slaves for survival, leaving him in a position over the noble people. When asked about the Tieflings, Grom-Chul admits that influence over them would be nice, but that because they will have less of a need for his services, he intends to focus most of his effort on working for and with the elves. On a slightly more personal note, the half orc mentions that he has his eyes on one of Dr. Seville's students, a young Geomancer named Meladora who appears to be at least a quarter human, if not half like Grom-Chul.
---
You pick a bad day to spend with Dr. Seville as the old elf had scheduled himself to lecture for eight hours straight, and the best you can do is sit in. You learn little about his personality, aside from the fact that he is stubborn enough not to let a dragon alter his plans, but you do learn a bit about the wildlife of your soon to be home. He spends the first half of the lecture talking about Death Hogs, porcine creatures from the haunted woods of Doomrus that can grow larger than a horse and breath miasmic gasses that melt flesh right off the bone. Their meat is toxic to most races, but they are still sought after for their bones and hide, which is extremely resistant to negative energy effects - such as the breath of a purple dragon. The second half of his lecture speaks of a creature called the Drakeclaw which inhabits the Doomrus deserts. Drakeclaws are dog sized creatures that possess the body setup of an arachnid, but the scales and fire breath of a red dragon. It is speculated that some ancient Dragon or Elemental elf created them by mixing dragon blood into the local scorpion population.
Having spent his entire day speaking about creatures that may be of interest to you, you wonder if the old elf might have secretly differed to your presence in some small way after all.
After the lecture, you do get a brief period to talk with Dr. Seville about his agenda. In the short term, he wants to set up shop on a sandy beach or desert; He has come equipped with the supplies and casters to perform a ritual that will transmute sand into enough glass and marble to build a proper High Elf academic compound. He anticipates that Dean Mapleseat has similar plans, and suspects that there will be competition over the slaves to see which elf faction will get their home built first. He assumes that he can count on your support in this matter, as Mapleseat has ties to "those dwarves who would dare butcher such a fascinating creature as yourself."
Once his tower is complete, Dr. Seville plans to hire and equip Tiefling guides to protect and feed his students as he sends them out into the interior of the wild continent to study the plants and animals. He has also brought large stocks of both magical and mundane crop seeds, and once he gets a feel for the local climate to figure out what will grow, he hopes to gain long term control over a slave population to work his fields.
---
Dean Mayleen Mapleseat is an administrator first and a teacher second, so she has no issue clearing her schedule to meet with you. You find her to be upfront, to the point, and no less scary than your initial impression of her has lead you to believe. She is quick to address the elephant in the room: her past. She worked with the Xinut empire, helped them butcher many dragons, and enjoyed every second of it. If she wanted to, she has no doubt that she could kill you as well, but fortunately she feels she has learned everything there is to know about the magics held within a dragon's corpse, and as such sees more value in you alive.
"You may not like me for my past, but we are natural allies," She argues. Dragons like to stockpile magical treasures. Scholars of forgotten magic like to study magical treasures. Dean Mapleseat claims to have many leads as to the location of magical treasures in Doomrus, that both you and her would benefit from investigating. Beyond that, she keeps her agenda close to the chest, but when you mention Dr. Seville's assumption that she intends to turn sand into building supplies and compete for slave labor to build a tower, she nods. "Best that you help me get my tower built first. The quicker I have a base of operations, the quicker we can get to treasure hunting."
---
Like Dean Mapleseat, Princess Ni'gwent is very forward in some ways. As an elf princess of the highest possible birth, she is entitled to rule over all less beings. As an artist, she appreciates beauty above all things. She fawns over and flatters you at every given opportunity, making no secret of her desires and going so far as to show you several idealized elfish forms you might adopt when the time comes to take her physically.
You are happy to receive a straight answer when you inquire as to why she thinks herself worthy of being a dragon's lover. "I am of the highest breeding. Unless you can convince a dragoness to abandon her stash of treasure and run off to Doomrus, you will not find anybody more worthy than me." She goes on to suggest that she is one of the few who can understand that you are not arrogant, but merely superior to most others, and hopes that you can one day see her in the same light. She wishes to use your might to subjugate the land and peoples of Doomrus, and bring the continent in line with her ideals of beauty, and in turn she is willing to pull rank on the other high elves to aid whatever your agenda happens to be. She then suggests that a shared bed and shared offspring are the logical first steps in forging the long term alliance with you that she seeks. You fall silent for a few moments to contemplate her words. It would be a stretch to imagine yourself seeing her as anything close to an equal, but at the very least you do admire her moxie.
Having spoken earnestly about her agenda, Princess Ni'gwent quickly re-adopts the persona of a young lady fawning over an idealized lover. Even though you now know this personality to be a mask of sorts, her performance of innocence and nativity appeals to you draconic instincts, to the point where you must excuse yourself from the room before you make the rash decision to claim her as a meal or a plaything.
---
The Moonblood Twins agree to host you for dinner in their cabin, which you find they have decorated and furnished to be a cozy home for them and their four children. They serve you a hearty bowl of soup made with tuber vegetables and salted meats, which you find to be more than enough to fill the stomach of your small humanoid form. Aside from their odd blueish-gray skin, the pair appear to be normal mortal dwarves. Cori explains that their demonic appearance and powers only manifest in moonlight, and that they become more monstrous and magical the closer the moon is to being full.
After dinner, Cori produces a harp and begins to play, while Cameron produces a deck of cards and invites you to join him in a bridge like game against two of his adult sons. Thanks to your draconic competitiveness and intelligence, the team of you and Cameron dominates the game, and as you play, you learn more about the Tieflings. The Moonbloods lead the Typhoon Coast Enclave because they, out of all the enclave's powerful bloodlines, are least driven to evil by their heritage, and as such can be trusted to make decisions that benefit the group rather than their own interests. As the night progresses you begin to develop a hunch that their nice and caring personas are genuine, but they may not be the soft-hearted chumps you take them for; You doubt they could have survived this long as leaders of a Tiefling compound if they were.
You press the Moonbloods on their agenda, and learn little of interest. They have brought some crops and livestock along, but have no clue what will or wont grow in Doomrus, and admit that they may have to depend on either your generosity or the slave labor of the Clownfins until they are established. They have few desires, seeking only to live in peace and continue their eugenics projects, but are willing to devote some of their time and energy to your service in exchange for protection. On the matter of eugenics, you ask if they envision dragon blood in the future of the compound's breeding projects. Cori puts down the harp to answer the question: "We had hoped so, but were not going to press the issue unless you brought it up. Our eldest daughter will come of age in a year or two, but we could match you with a female from another bloodline at any time you wish."
---
Your meeting with the Mute Prophet Diabold dosn't go as well as the others. You have to rely on his 13 apostles to translate his writings in Demon Rune, and going off the look on Diabold's face you suspect that said acolytes are editing his words to flatter you. According to his servants, the Prophet feels that although his faith typically shuns those without demon blood, his people will serve your interests for as long as he lives, as payment for safe passage to Doomrus. The lifespan of a Tiefling can vary greatly based on both its mortal and demonic heritage, so you have no clue how long Diabold, a tall and slim figure covered in black chitin and resembling no mortal race you have ever seen, might last or what his people might do after he dies. You also begin to wonder if he is really the one who holds power over the Cult of the Four Limbs; Perhaps you should be keeping a close eye on his apostles.
---
Land is spotted. Rocky cliffs, reaching 1000 ft up in some place stand before you, and you can see the purple and black leaves of Doomrus' dread haunted forests growing all the way up to the edge.
Most of the minions wish to keep sailing and find a better spot to make landfall, but Grom-Chul and the Moonbloods have other ideas. The Half Orc quickly spots a natural harbor that would be a perfect place for the Clownfin to establish homes and underwater ranches. Between the efforts of the slaves, and the remaining food stores, Grom-Chul reckons that the travelers can continue to live on the ships, protected from storms and waves by high cliffs on all sides, until they find away to clear the woods and settle the land above.
The Moonbloods claim that their enclave possess a bloodline of Tiefling capable of digging into the stone cliffs and making subterranean homes, and some of the crops they have brought with them should grow very well in a haunted biome.
The Elfish scholars, of course, desire a sandy beach so that they may build proper marble towers. Dean Mapleseat in particular claims to have some maps that lead to a ruined elfish colony on the beach that can serve as a solid foundation, but since she dosn't know her exact location on the coastline of Doomrus, cannot tell you how far away said spot is.
Princess Ni'gwent is a bit more ambivalent toward the group's landing point, claiming that she can design a beautiful colony anywhere she chooses, but admitting that doing so would be much easier if the scholars had their sand.
The Cult of the Four Limbs is most opposed to stopping here. Prophet Diabold has no desire to subject his people to the horrors of the haunted wood nor the indignity of living underground with a bunch of 'inbred freaks'.
You suppose you have a choice to make now. You are a dragon, not a king. Your instinct is to fly off, explore the continent, claim a den, and start rebuilding your treasure hoard. You can lord over your minions from a distance, offering aid when they are doing poorly, and demanding tribute when they are doing well.
On the other hand, you know the Xinut Empire is only going to grow stronger, and eventually (hopefully no time soon) they will come for Doomrus. These peons need to grow strong to stand a chance at repelling them, and perhaps you need to fight your instincts and live among them, ruling them directly with your vast power and intelligence. You are not sure, after all, that such inferior beings can be both entrusted with freedom and expected to become mighty.
How do you proceed?
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Topic: (SG) Flight of the Dragon Lord (Read 8209 times)