No Dungeons, Lots of Dragons, Nowhere to Run - IC

[Wabbajack]

"And yet the greatest heroes and villains are almost always members of these "lesser" races. What they lack in inherent power they compensate through sheer potential. I agree that should try to get their attention, but not as potential enemies."

[candycorn]

"Please, throw a million darts, and a couple are bound to hit the mark. They don't have potential, they just have dumb luck."

[CowMasterTrojan]

"I feel for your loss. If they can be restored, it is likely Io will show us the way. But what has happened to our kin is not necessarily related to what has happened with the symbol. As I admitted earlier, it is unlikely that the two are not connected somehow. But we do not know that for certain, nor do we know that these individuals are responsible. So do not direct your anger and hatred at them for reasons that may not be justified.

Secondly, magic is the key to all true power. Almost every one of our kind that has fallen to humans and the like do so because they underestimate them, and they likely are out matched in the ways of magic. To accomplish what they did, however they managed to, they must have been using very powerful magic. So again, I point out that setting up a situation where we are viewed as their enemies, while they have time to prepare and then strike us, is a very bad plan. "

[candycorn]

"And allow ME to point out that these worms destroy the world, and cause most of the catastrophes that NEED heroes... Including this. If Pandorym was awakened by anyone, I would wager it was a pinkskin that did it. They are a blight and a danger to the world, and removing a few tens of thousands of them from it will likely only prevent a few hundred catastrophes from happening.

As for their power and their magic? Hah. I wasn't aware I was called to a meeting of timid cowards. I thought we were supposed to be DRAGONS, not mice. Your lack of resolve sickens me, and to receive sympathy from the spineless is, well, frankly insulting.

The death of our kind to the pinkskins is usually due to a half dozen of the strongest of the cowardly vermin engaging a lone member of our kind. We shall not be alone. If we work together, rather than admire the very blight that endangers our offspring, that will not happen.

I will not shrink from the best course because there is a little risk or hardship in it. I have the resolve of a Dragon. It merely saddens me that I am alone in this."

[candycorn]

Ezzerach takes a deep breath to calm herself, and continues, "Look, I get it. I really do. You like these...things. And if they were content to kill each other and make trinkets, I would think nothing of it. However, they are the only beings with the...potential, you called it, for great destruction, and the lack of wisdom required to not do it. Even among their 'wisest', I've seen no less than a dozen doomsday cults from them in the last century, in my domain alone.

There are lines you don't cross, lines that make you too dangerous to be allowed to live. These beings cross those lines, time and again, and then have the arrogance to call compassion and consideration 'humanity'. Honestly, I would call the behavior of lemmings more appropriate to the title. They're both self-destructive, after all.

They must be made aware that there are consequences for their foolish behavior. They need to know that the rest of the world will not sit idly by and trust them any longer to clean up their own messes. If we must get involved, then it is appropriate to admonish them for allowing it to get so bad that it needs our attention. And since the only thing that 'humanity' truly understands, time and again, is violence, then they have chosen the lesson that they are to receive."

[CowMasterTrojan]

A smirk forms on Salazar's face, making the scrawny looking kobold appear to be up to something.
"Do not confuse time tested wisdom and patience with lack of resolve, young one! I assure you, I care nothing for the 'pinkskins' and their kind. My concern is dragons of all shapes, sizes and color. That is all. However I believe that the cons of this strategy out-weigh the pro's. It puts unnecessary attention and danger on our kind, and any information we may learn might not be credible. If you disagree, so be it. Io granted you your power, I am not one to criticize you for wielding it like a cudgel. But I will not aid you in your attempt. And I am willing to wager that your counterparts may go so far as to join the humans to stop you. If your anger and arrogance are willing to take that chance, go right ahead."

Turning to Nahatoran
"Tell me, have you been to any of those places? Can you teleport?"

[candycorn]

"It's not your resolve I question, small one, but your wisdom. Any dragon who would join the humans who injure dragons, to harm dragons who are stopping them, is not deserving of his or her life, and I have no qualm stripping them of it. There are three types of dragon. Those who will do what is necessary to protect their species, even if it means descending from their ivory tower and testing themselves in battle... Those who lack the will to act, and will stand by, idly, whilst those of us with vision and determination act... And the third type, traitors to their kind, neither worthy of respect nor life.

The pro's in this instance are us. We have millennia of experience, and are as professional as it comes, gifted with physical prowess and magical might. The con's are the pinkskins. To clean up whatever mess they made, they exposed our kind to risk, and have stolen our kin from us.

Wake up! Our kind are vanishing before our very eyes. How many more will we lose while you waste time looking for humans too cowardly to make themselves known? We are CURRENTLY suffering unnecessary danger and risk, and only a fool would extend that to pander to the sensibilities of the very creatures that caused these problems!

When time is on our side, subtlety is well and good. But when it is not, then swift action is what is required.

If you wish for these worms to have a chance for peaceful action, then I propose this. We send a dragon to several major cities of the pinkskin. We call for communication with those responsible for Pandorym's fall. We tell them that, if they do not meet with us peacefully, that we will, in one week, begin to lay waste to humanity, until they grant us audience, and the information we seek.

If they answer the call, and meet with us, then we have handled the situation, and there are no 'cons'. If they truly are the worms I expect they will be, and hide from us, then they will learn their lesson, one city at a time, until their own kind turns against them, and exposes them for the frauds they are."

[CowMasterTrojan]

"That... may actually work. Yes, that does have a certain level of efficiency to it as welll... hmm... "

The kobold scratches his chin for a moment, and appears to be thinking.

"Yes, that could very well work. One Dragon per city when putting the word out, so they don't know what they're really dealing with.... reduces the danger to our kind greatly. And with a week's time... more subtle approaches could simultaneously be pursued.... If you can get others that volunteered or even Arculos to support it, I will help you with this..."

[Aneurin]

[In lieu of any other opinions;]

In semi-private audience with Arculos, after a long wait, you explain the plan and he agrees it has potential, although he advises it may be safest to down play the dragon element if possible when searching for the heros, for your own safety. His long life has taught him that softskins in general, and adventurers in particular, seem to be trigger happy in the presence of dragons.

He offers the services of the spellcasting dragons to aid you to and from your destinations, and asks that you return to him when you have decided what message to send to the adventurers.

[CowMasterTrojan]

"Wow... I am surprised he went for that so willingly.... a bad sign for us perhaps..."

Salazar leans on his cane, looking thoughtful for a moment.

"What do you think? should we not make it obvious we are dragons? or should we just bite the crossbow bolt and put it out there? Arculas is right, it could change how they react to the message."

as for the message to be delivered, this is salazar's proposal.

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'Attention humanoids, many weeks ago a strange symbol appeared in the sky. It is come to my attention that a group of humanoid adventurers are responsible for ridding the world of it. It is rumored that they have been here recently. Although we may require thanks to them for their actions, it is imperative that I speak with them.

I ask that they contact me magically, or return to this spot 7 days from now at dusk. To illustrate the seriousness of this matter, if they do not make themselves known by this time, every city where this message appears will be systematically leveled and all it's people killed. This will take me mere moments, so I ask you to not waste my time.

That is all.'

[candycorn]

Ezzerach looks pensive for a moment, weighing options, before speaking. "The old one's point has merit. It will do us no favors if the pinkskins are too busy running in terror or lobbing feeble attacks to listen. I propose we seek audience with a captain of a guard, and speak thusly:

'I represent a group of powerful beings, who desire naught but information from this city. Recently, a great evil, by the name of Pandorym, was laid low. Shortly afterwards, there have been seen disturbances in the natural order of the world. Those I represent seek audience with those responsible for Pandorym's fall, so that we may better understand what has happened, and how to stop it. Should this request be met, they should leave word here, to arrange for meeting. If that is the case, then we shall go in peace, as we came. Should those adventurers not see fit to speak in peace, however, we will act swiftly, and shall destroy the cities they hide in, until they come forth. Make no mistake, we wish to gain what we seek peacefully. However, if your heroes leave us no choice, woe be unto you all.'

I believe that strikes the tone I was thinking of."

[CowMasterTrojan]

"I say put a deadline onto that, and we can call it good"

Unexpectedly a bat flutters and lands on the Kobold's shoulder. It curls its wings and sits as if it belongs there and has always been there. Awkwardly, Salazar turns his one good eye to the small creature as if to stare it down.

"Where the hell have you been? When we came in, I said stay close. Not go wherever you feel like! I have half a mind to put you in a bag and beat you with my cane!"

The bat merely returns the icy stare with a look of ignorance.

[dspeyer]

Antwelm finally rouses himself from thought and speaks.

"That may be a bit too harsh for an initial message. Remember that genuine allies are more useful than those forced into service by fear. Also remember that if a friendly approach doesn't work, we can always add threats later, but if threats do not achieve what we want, we cannot try friendliness afterwards.

Nevertheless, fear can be a great motivator. I propose that we say that we believe the disturbances are a threat to humanity. There's a good chance it's true (because of millennia of underdocumented interbreeding if nothing else) and I expect it will get plenty of attention.

If this doesn't produce results, we can threaten them with ourselves in the second round of messages."

[candycorn]

"And in the weeks that we try to coat our words with honey, for fear of offending those responsible for STEALING OUR CHILDREN? How many more of our kind will vanish in that time? We have NO TIME to protect the delicate sensibilities of lesser beings. We need to let them know that they can speak to us on friendly terms, or they can have us as enemies. If they would have us as enemies, we will raze their lands and kill everyone they hold dear to them. We are seeking very little from the whelps, given their obvious blame in the matter. I will not brook delays in obtaining it, not when it comes at the cost of dragons.

Mankind's heroism has, more often than not, been to clean up mankind's atrocities. Mankind's power comes at the price of meddling with forces they do not fully comprehend. There is always a reckoning. Now, in their impudent arrogance, they have meddled in the affairs of dragons. They NEED to understand that there will be consequences for such foolish behavior.

Not one more dragon will disappear, if I can help it, to protect the delicate feelings of those responsible for those disappearances. If I had my way, they would receive this warning AFTER the destruction of a half dozen of their towns. I only temper my actions out of the need to work with dragons without the stomach for action.

But I will not go before the humans, with hat in hand, begging for their table scraps. I will not go before them like a declawed cat, beseeching the mice for a scrap of cheese. If you think, for one second, that I will go before the killers of my sons, with sweet words and no spine, then you're deluded. And if you would protect those vermin, at the cost of the lives of dragons, then you're not worthy of your heritage!

WE are the threat to humanity. And if they don't do as we wish, when we wish, in the manner we wish, they will rue the day they set this plague upon us."

[CowMasterTrojan]

"Sadly I must agree with her. Time is a critical element here, and frankly at this moments the threats are just that, threats. We may not get off on the best claw, but if they are genuinely not responsible for what's going on, then they will quickly become helpful. If they are responsible, I don't think anyone here cares what we threaten them with. And honestly, her threats were way more vague than mine. Vague threats are much easier to overcome if we later pursue the diplomacy option."

Turning to Ezzerach
"Of course you should also remember, we won't be doing nothing while we wait. I have no intention of playing the waiting game. So do not assume that every minute we wait for a response will be a wasted moment"

[candycorn]

"Sadly I must agree with her. Time is a critical element here, and frankly at this moments the threats are just that, threats. We may not get off on the best claw, but if they are genuinely not responsible for what's going on, then they will quickly become helpful. If they are responsible, I don't think anyone here cares what we threaten them with. And honestly, her threats were way more vague than mine. Vague threats are much easier to overcome if we later pursue the diplomacy option."

Turning to Ezzerach
"Of course you should also remember, we won't be doing nothing while we wait. I have no intention of playing the waiting game. So do not assume that every minute we wait for a response will be a wasted moment"

"Nor do I. I intend to spend my time in human guise, within one of their cities, learning about their so-called-heroes, and learning of the defenses they can muster. That is where my words will drip with honey. I would bend their ears, their minds, and their hearts, so that when these cowards don't show, the humans will blame the absence of their 'heroes' for our actions."

[CowMasterTrojan]

"Exactly what I had in mind. Of course there is no way you can alone. Whatever is going on, with most of us gathered here, whomever goes out will be the most vulnerable because they will be one of the few targets left. Did you have a particular city you would like to start at?"

[candycorn]

"The spells that see through our human guise, while not terribly expensive, are too costly to use regularly. So long as we enter the cities as humans, and behave as humans, I don't think there is a terribly high chance of being discovered. After all, several of the more tolerant dragons actually own human property and live in human towns. At most, I'd send in two at a time, as larger groups tend to draw notice. We could send as many as four into a single city, in two groups of two, and simply establish signals under which we act to support one another. Otherwise, we act independently, and learn what we can. At the end of the week, if they do not meet with us, we use what we've learned to destroy their defenses in one swift blow, after which we raze the town. Then, we find another town to raze. And another. We isolate a larger city, by decimating the surrounding villages, then lay siege to it, and wreck it utterly.

Then perhaps the fools will see that we are not amused by their recklessness."

[CowMasterTrojan]

"I'm afraid you miss a key point. Arculos said this was happening to all our kind, true dragon and dragon blooded alike, with no difference. The simple ability to disguise ourselves among humans will most likely not be enough. If you wish to go out and try to find answers like we all do, you need to go with someone. Because if you never come back, there was no point in you going out..."

[cutlex]

"Mortals would have enough trouble slaying a single one of us. I believe the the presence of our group about a city would be enough to send panic throughout a small nation, and draw much attention. Especially if anyone keen enough notices our traditionally unfriendly companions not actively trying to destroy each other. I believe we should make ourselves known."

[candycorn]

"No, the kobold is astute, for a lesser dragon. This plague is taking all dragons, young and old, weak and powerful. Going alone is foolish, for we learn nothing from a scout that doesn't return. We shouldn't attract too much attention if we go in human guise, even in small groups. I'd say groups of four per city, splitting into two groups of two, meeting every second day to share information. That would give us the best chance at two seperate cities, to ensure our information is passed on."

[cutlex]

"Subterfuge has never been a strong point of mine. I would much rather have our groups appear in our true forms and demand their respect. But, I would much rather ANY plan than sitting here waiting for our ends to come to us."

[CowMasterTrojan]

"Well for the time being, perhaps you would learn it. Or stay with someone who knows it for their protection and your own. When the time comes, and no matter the outcome the time will come, you will be more than welcome to spill the blood you desire.

So given the the highlands of Sanscarr to the far north, the icewastes of Fel'mass to the south, the deserts of A'norr'ae to the west, the elf city of Winholme a hundred miles from here, where do we go first? Honestly I find the likely hood that they are in any of the areas very low. The rumors seem to be spread out so that if anyone was looking for them, they would have to go to far ends of the world. That right there suggests something is up, but it is equally possible that it's just a side effect of their fame. Does anyone know anything about these cities?"

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Calling all bards, calling all bards...

"If not, then given it's proximity, I vote for the elven city of winholme. It seems less likely to be a dead end according to my gut. Plus a city strikes me as a better starting point than a region."

[candycorn]

Mechanics:

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Notable history about each?

Knowledge: History: (Winholme) (1d20+42)[56]
Knowledge: History: (Sanscarr) (1d20+42)[43]
Knowledge: History: (Fel'mass) (1d20+42)[46]
Knowledge: History: (A'norr'ae) (1d20+42)[59]

"I agree with pursuing Winholme, if only because it would take only a touch over two hours to reach by wing, and there's no sense wasting magic, when the trip is so short. For anyone who flies slower, any who are in a more humanish form may take the trip upon my back. Two hours of flight, then a short walk in human form, and we'll be there, with nobody the wiser. Then one of our number can deliver the message to Winholme, and we can begin our study of the town."

With that, Ezzerach finds a reasonably open patch of land, and assumes the form of a massive blue dragon.

[Wabbajack]

"I will not assume a lesser form. I could ask the leader of one of these cities for an audience but I will not sneak around like a rat."

[candycorn]

"Even the 'great' Bahamut is seen, from time to time, walking around in human guise, to test the humans. I wasn't aware you held such a dim view of the Platinum one. Nonetheless, when you're looking to learn from the rats, it's not helpful to walk in, looking like a cat. Sorta puts them off a bit, or so I hear. Surely you can find a way to travel through the city without compromising your precious principles, while simultaneously avoiding causing these vermin to piss themselves at the sight of you."

[CowMasterTrojan]

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knowledge (arcana) (1d20+38)[57]

"He is afraid. Radiant dragons do not know how to cast spells like you and I, and he fears being attacked by you or his enemies while in a weaker form. I suppose I can understand that. Well one of two things can happen, one; You can take the time you need to overcome your fear of being in humanoid form and I will bring you along when I teleport to meet her. Or two; If you can't handle it but can manage to find some of us who will go with you, why don't you head to the icewastes of Fel'mass and see if you can find anything there?
Your choice big guy."

To Ezzerach;
"Fly to windholme, once there I will teleport in and meet you. I intend to make sure that the proper message gets sent to each area. In addition, I would like to make a few short preparations. But don't worry, you will not be alone."

Salazar turns to the bat on his shoulder and mumbles a few words of arcane magic. A beam of blue light shoots from the kobolds eye's into the bat's eyes, before disappearing. The bat nods for a moment before Salazar motions at Ezzerach, and the bat flies over to her and lands on her shoulder.
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Salazar casts Imbue Familiar with spell ability
Spells used;

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Teleport
Sending
Celerity
Haste
Maximized Fell drain Fireball
Wings of Cover

"At the first sign of trouble, return here if you can, get out of trouble at the very least. That's an order pal."
The bat proceeds to ignore him.

[dspeyer]

"Well let us divide then. And show no sign of knowing eachother beyond our own teams. Thereby we will not give away valuable information (that we are working together), and if those among us who cannot fathom subtlety ruin everything with their bluster, those among us who can will have a hope to salvage things.

For myself, I volunteer to go wherever is farthest -- I daresay that a bit of cleverness and a lot of magic will get me anywhere I wish to be."

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Let's see what I know...

Knowledge History
Sanscarr: (1d20+22)[37]
Fel'mass: (1d20+22)[39]
A'norr'ae: (1d20+22)[24]
Winholme: (1d20+22)[40]
Pandorym: (1d20+22)[31]

Draconic Knowledge:
Sanscarr: (1d20+15)[26]
Fel'mass: (1d20+15)[26]
A'norr'ae: (1d20+15)[23]
Winholme: (1d20+15)[19]
Pandorym: (1d20+15)[25]

[CowMasterTrojan]

"We are not going to split into 3 different groups. That's a bad plan. If we must split, one to the icelands and one to Winholme. If both turn up a dead end, then the group to the icelands can head to the highlands and the group to winholme to the desert."

"But If you desire to use subtlety, come with us to Winholme. If our Radiant friend here can get over his fears, we can break into two teams there. It will be rather efficient. I implore you both, staying close together would be the best thing in these times. We can move on to the other cities, one at a time"

[candycorn]

Ezzerach looks at the kobold, with more than a little venom. "Be careful who you boss around, half-breed. Even if I had a hand in this plan, you are not fit to give orders to those of true blood.

That said, the menial task of coordinating the others is...suited to one of your limited means.

I will not worry about being alone. Solitude is what I prefer, by and large. To that end, I expect your bat to follow MY instruction while it rides me. Should it choose not to, it will not survive the journey."

With that, Ezzerach lifts off with the grace of a hummingbird, and darts straight out of the cavern at rapid speed.

After leaving:

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Journey 100 miles will take 2 hours, 20 minutes, with 1 hour of hustling. After first hour, order the bat to dismount, fly a few hundred feet away, and cast the rest of my buff suite. Then return, place the bat on me, and continue onward to the destination.