IC: So, How About Those Dragons?

[Esprit15]

”What was the first hint? No, I’m not. Good people, the grey orcs, and I did sail with them for a while, but no.

There was a group of young dragons that a few of your old crew were transporting, likely to the Tabaxi. They hatched and killed their captors, and have been living on the island here ever since. Made friends with the Yuan-ti in the mountains – ah, excuse me, ‘Blessed of Merrshaulk’ is the title they chose for theirselves – and have been acting as a go between for the two cultures, trying to prevent them from killing each other. They should be around your age.”

[MesiDoomstalker]

Fashiir huffed, a small sizzle of static escaping his lips. Of course. I wouldn't expect many to turn down promise of easy coin. The way the Tabaxi reacted to me makes me believe they have less than friendly encounters with Dragon's not bound to their will.

[Esprit15]

Fashiir huffed, a small sizzle of static escaping his lips. Of course. I wouldn't expect many to turn down promise of easy coin. The way the Tabaxi reacted to me makes me believe they have less than friendly encounters with Dragon's not bound to their will.

"They have a simple understanding of dragons. They believe that all metallic dragons take after their Father while the chromatic take after their mother. It's a common outlook for the souled races. It's not wrong, but it's not accurate, either.

"So, do you plan to wait for your crewmates while on my island? Or do you think your new lair will be a more permanent residence?"

[MesiDoomstalker]

A question I am asking myself now... He sits, pensive for a few moments before continuing, seeming to talk more to the open air then directly to the Trickster. I am not one to stick to a single place. I yearn the open sky and the wind beneath my winds. But I find relying on the Orc's, no matter how enjoyable their company, a loathsome chore that upon my Rest I've come to believe beneath me. He tossed his head to the other side. And yet, it is clear that if I stay here, I'll hae no shortage of those who wish to see me ill. The Tabaxi, while cowardly individually, has enough brave and foolish enough to test their mettle. I find taking lives of such foolhardy two-legs a displeasure. And then there are these other dragons. Surely, few will find my presence an affront and take umbrage with my mere presence on this island. If not now, later, as we grow. He huffs, slumping down into the pillows and releasing a small burst of static from his horn. And yet, what choice do I have? I have little doubt that if one of us dragons could do so, they'd have left the island. Am I wrong to assume the distance to Easterland is beyond a day's travel by wing?

[Esprit15]

"You'll find that outlook no matter where you go. Your kind are feared by many, after all, and for good reason.

"If they knew where they were going. We're around 100 miles south of the Easterlands, which is almost exactly a day's flight for most dragons your size, and if you can’t see the land halfway through your flight, it’s rather dangerous to keep going if you aren’t sure when you’ll hit land and are not an aquatic variety. One of them did try flying north two years ago, but returned when she couldn’t see the shore by noon, and so returned.” The Trickster gets up and motions you to join them at the game board (which I would post a picture for, but the power is out). The whole thing is around twenty feet by thirty feet, with a simplified art style that makes it look quite old. While largely flat, a few of the areas, mountain ranges, have a basic elevation to them, sticking out like tiny, odd hexagons the same size as the small pieces on either side. ”It’s not exact, but this is roughly Valdrieth. You’re currently here, on Taishim.” The Trickster says, pointing toward a tiny island to the south of the larger continent. “Bettum meanwhile was over there,” they say, their arm growing longer as it reaches toward the western, coastal part of a desert on the other continent, before retracting back to normal length. ”Directly north of here is the main Yuan-ti empire, while to the west you have the Southern Wastes and to the east, the Blue Mountain range.”

[Orsik Vondal]

Haruki makes a face that looks a bit pained and frowns. "There's not really a super formal training. At best, Hunters tend to be individuals who are already effective hirelings and arcanists. It's more like taking up a moral cause with a group of like-minded and skilled individuals and sharing knowledge, than any proper order like you seem to be imagining it. It also requires being a devoted servant to Sonna, and, if you'll pardon me, I am... skeptical of a dragon's devotion to any people beyond their self."

Cicero

"You must not have met many dragons. Regardless, I think that Father wouldn't mind one of his sons serving a noble cause if it aligns with his own goals. I can always ask, but he and Mother tend to leave most of us to our own choices. Who would I talk to to learn more about Sonna and her tenets?"

[Esprit15]

Haruki spreads his arms as though to gesture to himself. "The devoted follower of her before you would be a good place to start.

"I haven't met many, and none that were not young and bound as familiars. But I am familiar with your long lifespans, and your lack of a soul making you less likely to risk that long lifespan for the sake of others. A dragon can live for thousands of years - can you truly say that you would risk that time and remain devoted to the people of this island until the day you die?"

[Lioslaith]

Snorting a billow of chilling cold fog Paarthurnax listens to the conversation but cannot hold back, "Are you saying your devotion is due to your short life span?"

[Esprit15]

"I'm saying that someone who lives fifty times as long as I could ever hope to is fifty times more likely to become bored and leave, and someone with no thoughts of an afterlife may turn and run when things look bleak. I fight because it is for the safety of my people. What would either of you be fighting for?"

[Orsik Vondal]

Cicero

"Good question, Paarth. To answer your question, Haruki, I'd like to see the world rid of oppression. I was born into slavery. You tabaxi are beset by dangers. All forms of oppression." Cicero lifts an eyebrow quizzically.

"And just this island? Does Sonna only work here? Granted, I never heard of Sonna until I arrived, but I was surrounded by yuan-ti before my slumber. Would she be adverse to her tenets spreading to other lands? Also truly, life isn't worth living if one only thinks to survive. So...tell me everything I need to know about Sonna."

Cicero extends his arm in a "after you" gesture and walks beside Haruki and Paarthurnax.

[MesiDoomstalker]

"You'll find that outlook no matter where you go. Your kind are feared by many, after all, and for good reason.

"If they knew where they were going. We're around 100 miles south of the Easterlands, which is almost exactly a day's flight for most dragons your size, and if you can’t see the land halfway through your flight, it’s rather dangerous to keep going if you aren’t sure when you’ll hit land and are not an aquatic variety. One of them did try flying north two years ago, but returned when she couldn’t see the shore by noon, and so returned.” The Trickster gets up and motions you to join them at the game board (which I would post a picture for, but the power is out). The whole thing is around twenty feet by thirty feet, with a simplified art style that makes it look quite old. While largely flat, a few of the areas, mountain ranges, have a basic elevation to them, sticking out like tiny, odd hexagons the same size as the small pieces on either side. ”It’s not exact, but this is roughly Valdrieth. You’re currently here, on Taishim.” The Trickster says, pointing toward a tiny island to the south of the larger continent. “Bettum meanwhile was over there,” they say, their arm growing longer as it reaches toward the western, coastal part of a desert on the other continent, before retracting back to normal length. ”Directly north of here is the main Yuan-ti empire, while to the west you have the Southern Wastes and to the east, the Blue Mountain range.”

Fashiir studied the old map intensely for a few minutes before he slowly raised his gaze to the Trickster. Forgive any impertinence but why are you helping me? For one who accepts the title of Trickster, you've been (mostly) straightforward with me. I find myself confused in such a strange land and yours is the first truly friendly face I've encountered. So to speak.

[Esprit15]

Cicero

"I see... Haruki says with a nod, clearly thinking your words over. "Yes. The Tabaxi, to our knowledge at least, exist only on this island, and nowhere else. Almost every one of the souled races, and several of the non-souled, was made in the image of the gods, from the dwarves and Moradin to the centaurs and Skerrit to the orcs and Grummsh, to us and Sonna. Some of us pay homage to the other gods - Pelor is not an uncommon patron, and there are scattered cults to Mammon at the edges of society, but just as dragons pay homage to their Mother, we pay homage to Ours. Sonna is a god of motherhood, sunlight, and life. She is the ruler of the Plane of Positive Energy. Even among non-Tabaxi, many midwives and healers will pay her at least passing respect, as she is the one that oversees the flow of Positive Energy into the Material Plane, making sure that it is neither insufficient to cause decay, nor so much as to be sterilizing, and making sure that the inflow balances the Negative Energy that also flows in. We Hunters are one such means of combating the latter of these, in our fighting undead. Many of the sages teach that Sonna placed us here not because this island was protected by her, but because it was closer to the Negative Energy Plane, and so we would always be trained to combat undead."

Fashiir

"I like to make sure that young ones do well for themselves. Nobody should start off on a bad footing, and it's fun to be owed favors. Or, maybe I'm just earning your trust for a big favor later. Or I'm just bored from a lack of guests. Sometimes I don't even really know, so I do what feels right at the time, and assume it will work out for the best later. I accept the title because it's easier than giving out my real name. Real names should be given out rarely, and only as necessary.

"Plus, you aren't nearly as fun to mess with as the locals. Convincing one group that you're a hag in the forest," she says, picking up one of the iron pieces that resembles a hag, "while another is convinced you're a fae," she takes another piece, this one capped with a dryad, and places both in Taishim on the map, "then taking the form of a local to watch the rumors, is way easier with a society than with an individual."

[MesiDoomstalker]

CiceroFashiir

"I like to make sure that young ones do well for themselves. Nobody should start off on a bad footing, and it's fun to be owed favors. Or, maybe I'm just earning your trust for a big favor later. Or I'm just bored from a lack of guests. Sometimes I don't even really know, so I do what feels right at the time, and assume it will work out for the best later. I accept the title because it's easier than giving out my real name. Real names should be given out rarely, and only as necessary.

"Plus, you aren't nearly as fun to mess with as the locals. Convincing one group that you're a hag in the forest," she says, picking up one of the iron pieces that resembles a hag, "while another is convinced you're a fae," she takes another piece, this one capped with a dryad, and places both in Taishim on the map, "then taking the form of a local to watch the rumors, is way easier with a society than with an individual."

He let out a mirthless, throaty chuckle. Of course. I lean on you and then can leverage that support against me. If you so choose. I cannot blame you however. He stands from his half-seating position, slowly circling the map. So then, Trickster, if I am to owe you a favor later, then I may as well make use of your advice and support now. I have no desire to stay on this island for the rest of my days but I lack the strength, speed and stamina to leave this island under my own power. So for the time being, I must survive on this island. The Tabaxi have made their position on my presence clear. What of the Yaunt-Ti? 'Mershaulk's Children'?

[Xanyo]

Itzcoatl nods in approval. "I'd probably be in a similar position of indecision if I were you. If you need any advice, don't be afraid to ask. I hope your next attempt on them is not as tragic as the first... You said you could only recover the body of Fenrir? I would be cautious - whatever is animating corpses there may have decided that your family would also make appealing guards. While I do not practice necromancy, a talented necromancer could make very frighting things out of them, if simple tabaxi corpses were able to threaten you all as they did."

"Fortunately, it seems unlikely that the necromancer is capable of creating nonhumanoid undead," Yrmys assures, "And even if he is, he will only have skeletons to work with - the wretched eat fast."

Spoiler

Show

Unless Itzcoatl continues talking, that's all for Yrmys for the night.

[Esprit15]

Fashiir
"Currently, Merrshaulk's Children, the Yuan-ti, have an outpost settlement in the western mountain range," Trickster moves the old figures and places a figure with a phalanx of humans on the mountains, and then places a figure with a gold dragon next to it, "and as of a few years ago have negotiated for the outlying lands surrounding their mountains, though have yet to properly settle them. They actually allied with the young dragons I mentioned earlier. Supposedly the Yuan-ti will protect them up to five years after they go to war with the Tabaxi, during which the dragons would assist in the fighting. The dragons thought this deal would be good for them, since if they could negotiate peace, then they would have protection through the entirety of their youth. So, I suppose from your perspective, more tolerant of dragons, though in truth, only when you have something to offer them.

"You'll find that most of the civilized races you find will be distrustful of elementally aligned, scaled creatures coming up to talk to them. Most of your kind either make friends who do trust them, and use those as a go between, or become skilled in magic enough to change their form and infiltrate that way. I heard of one who became a general by accident, getting conscripted into an army during one foray into town and proving their might on the battlefield."

Yrmys
"If they can make humanoid undead, they can make non-humanoid undead," Itzcoatl warns. "The spell to do either is the same."

***

Your night is fitful, with dreams of undead being renewed by your reading. Itzcoatl's words echo in your mind, and the thought of a skeletal Charazael, claws emanating cold energy from the grave. You fight and fight, the larger dragon snapping at you with unnatural strength, and as you open your mouth, releasing a burst of light, the skeleton bursts into black energy - and you wake up, the usual low light that fills Huitzlhuicaapetl gently lights the room.

[MesiDoomstalker]

It sounds like the Yaun-Ti always planned on welshing on their peace. I doubt I'll find much solace or security there, not while keeping my freedom. So, for now, I think I should find a trusted friend or two amongst the Tabaxi. He turns to Trickster, fixing her gaze. I thank you, Trickster. Your consul has been most enlightening. I shall take no more of your time today. Though, if I may, I'd like to visit again on occasion. He bowed his head, leaning his body ever so slightly forward as a sign of respect.

[Esprit15]

It sounds like the Yaun-Ti always planned on welshing on their peace. I doubt I'll find much solace or security there, not while keeping my freedom. So, for now, I think I should find a trusted friend or two amongst the Tabaxi. He turns to Trickster, fixing her gaze. I thank you, Trickster. Your consul has been most enlightening. I shall take no more of your time today. Though, if I may, I'd like to visit again on occasion. He bowed his head, leaning his body ever so slightly forward as a sign of respect.

"Probably. It was just a matter of whether they could maneuver into a stronger position before it or not. If they were not so isolated, they may have realized that. It will be interesting to watch play out..." The Trickster copies your gesture, adding a slightly teasing flourish to the bow. "And your presence broke up the monotony of what would have been an otherwise uneventful day. You have my thanks." As you leave, you see her begin arranging the figures on the board, evidently planning to play a game against herself.

[MesiDoomstalker]

With a bit more confidence, Fashiir left the strange entities cave before taking flight and heading west. He was stuck here, for the time being. Might as well familiarize himself with his surroundings. He wheeled in the air, angling towards the western half of the island, covered in dense forest.

Spoiler

Show

Hide (1d20+8)[16]
MS (1d20+8)[21]
Survival (1d20-1)[18]

[Esprit15]

You spend the next week or so lying around the western half of the island. The forest and jungle is thicker over on this side, which is a boon in that it hides your presence much more easily, but a bane in that it makes rapid movement difficult, and the thick roots make digging a headache. You thus spend your time largely crawling though the canopy, above where most dangerous wildlife can get you while still being able to get a lay of the land. You quickly notice two things in your little expedition: the forest is positively teeming with undead, and toward the mountain, the Yuan-ti are apparently learning this the hard way. Most of the undead are weaker: zombies, skeletons, and the occasional wight, none of which seem to travel in large packs or significantly threaten you. Occasionally though, far from any of the cities, you spot things that you aren't sure what they are: vast pits of bones that seem to ripple like water on a windy day, morbidly obese Tabaxi and Yuan-ti wights that seem to feast on any animal they can grab, and other things that you think it best to steer clear of. It begins to be clear why the Tabaxi remain holed up in cities, and why so much of the island they inhabit is left unclaimed. It's a shame, too. When you can find it, much of the other wildlife is quite beautiful. Colorful birds flit constantly between the trees; large, pollinating insects attend to flowers; and you see plenty of plants bearing fruit which, after a smell and small taste, seems to be good to eat. Much of the soil has a rusty tint to it, and in spite of the amount of things that seem intent on killing anything that walks and breathes, you still see plenty of game trails for dear and boar.

Out of the several ruins, from old houses that look long abandoned up to what seem to be cities that were wiped out, you also notice, around half way between the mountain ranges, what appears to be an abandoned cemetery, around which several zombies, wights, ghouls, and ghasts seem to be wandering, with a round structure toward the center that looks vaguely skull like from above. While you are initially tempted to fly down to it, as soon as you leave the trees, several undead heads turn your way, and you think better of it.

[Orsik Vondal]

Cicero

"Thank you very much, Haruki. Please allow me to consult with my Father about this course of action. Again, I feel he would be permissive of me joining your cause and that of Sonna. I just want to see if he has any insight into my desires. Is there a place where I might meditate?"

[Esprit15]

Haruki nods, and leads you to a small shrine a short ways away. The building is, being honest, more of an ornate walk-in closet with a roof to keep out the weather. The base is stone, roughly carved and reminiscent of a miniaturized mountain’s base. Looking closer, you see that the carving isn’t so much rough, as the carvings in it are old and faded. Inside, you see roughly humanoid sized statues, with several figures and symbols - a strong, stout Tabaxi with a black smith’s hammer carved from dark stone; a beautiful dragon coated in silver leaf that was peeling slightly; a tall sunflower whose leaves seem to reach out to whoever stands in front of it; a robed Tabaxi standing tall and straight; a figure wrapped in what appears to be metal and leaning on a heavy looking pole arm; a disheveled looking figure sitting cross legged; and a pair of hands held up as if in offering, with several actual silver and copper in them. You get the sense that taking them may be frowned upon. Beneath them in Tabaxi, you see several names - respectively: Kinbenkami, Hokkinryuu, Ryoujohana, Seiketsu, Gokishi-sama, Odayakan, and Sesseikyoushi.

You get the feeling that if you payed more attention when Mother and Father described their siblings, you would be able to piece together who the others were, but Hokkinryuu - Platinum Dragon - is the only one that you can obviously place with the names that you heard in your egg and during your rest. As you kneel before the Bahamut statue, you feel a very slight presence, familiar, but so distant that you could almost mistake it for simply being the feeling of being in a holy place.

[Orsik Vondal]

Cicero

Cicero kneels before the statue of Hokkinryuu and closes his eyes. Father, I know it's been a while since we talked. The wizard's bond sort of interfered with that. I'm free now... How have you been? Cicero cringes a bit thinking of how that must sound to his father, the god. I think I found a noble cause worth fighting for. To protect others. Thing is, they say I have to devote myself to Sonna to join the Hunters. Her tenets seem sound and good and just. I wanted to let you know that I'll be promoting her teachings through my actions unless and until you say to stop. He pops one eye open and looks around the shrine for any sign that Father was unhappy--y'know like a lightning bolt or flames shooting at him from above.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Satisfied with his survey of the lands immediately surrounding his resting place, he started his next day heading north to observe the city which he had first woke near. He wished to study the locals for a time, from a relatively safe distance.

[Esprit15]

Cicero
The shrine is quiet as you pray. Beyond the general feeling upon walking in, you feel no divine connection. But, the building doesn’t collapse, so maybe that amounts to approval? As you look around, the other names begin to translate themselves through your natural understanding of languages - God of Industriousness, Compassionate Flower, Immaculate, Lord of Knights, Gentle One, Temperance Teacher - but no contact from Bahamut comes to you.

Fashiir
(Make me a Hide, Move Silently, and your choice of K: Local or Sense Motive check)

[Orsik Vondal]

Cicero

Cicero stands up. "I'll take that as a 'Yes.' I assume you'll let me know if anything changes."

The walks out of the shrine and spreads his hands. "Looks like I'm good to go. Now where does a new Hunter hopeful go?"

[Esprit15]

Cicero
Haruki looks at you and after a few moments, relents. "I make no promises on how the others will receive you, but far be it from me to argue with the Platinum Dragon's approval." Haruki leads you to one of the other larger buildings in town. Like the shrine, the body is wood even if the base is stone, but unlike the shrine, the stone is smooth and lacks carving into it. Inside, it is largely empty, with a single group, what must be a family, praying by an alter before what appears to be a Tabaxi carved out of white stone and back lit by sunlight streaming into the empty window. You are led into a back room and then down into a basement, a locked door similar to the library earlier, though locked by a simple lock and key. Inside, you see a scene that is surprisingly reminiscent of the library, though there is only a single shelf of scrolls and scattered papers along the back wall. Two Tabaxi, one with short, leopard spotted fur, and one with long, white fur, are sitting at a table discussing something. The first is more dressed in some nice looking hide armor, while the other is just in robes. The armored one has a large, dark, wooden club with metal bars apparently punched through it, while the unarmored one seems to go unarmed like Haruki.

"-I'm saying that the best way to deal with them is invisibility. They're the only kind who can't see through it, why not-" The conversation halts as you enter, and both give a quizzical look. Haruki gestures you forward. "Rito, Isu, I present our newest potential recruit." The two Tabaxi look at you, then back at Haruki, then at you again, then to each other, and laugh.

Haruki sighs and gives you a 'This is what I was worried about' look as they continue laughing. "Yes, I explained why it was unprecedented. Yes, I explained the nature of the role. Yes, I explained the expectations. He seems truly- what's the harm? How often do we have a dragon honestly asking to help us?" As the laughter dies down, the two wipe their eyes, and Haruki uses this moment to lean down and whisper "This was your idea, help me out here."

Fashiir
You don't see too much movement throughout the day. In the morning, there is a changing of night and day guards at the entrance, and you see some folks with different fur from the guards leave, though based on the loads they are carrying, they are not coming back any time soon. Toward noon, you see three Tabaxi with an eclectic makeup head out seemingly in a rush, and get a feeling that you should duck further out of sight as they get a little too close for your comfort. Shortly after noon, the guards rotate out again, and some people with a wagon of goods come in. The guards and them chat a bit, but nothing that looks interesting enough to warrant moving in closer to overhear.

As the evening rolls in, you start to feel discouraged. The three Tabaxi from earlier came sprinting back in as quickly as they had left, this time with something wrapped up in cloth and more than a little covered in blood. For a while, you worry that you'll have to talk to a group like that, and have an interaction like the one you had the other day with the two hunters. Thinking of what other options there are, you remember that outside of the city's walls are several plots of farmland. At some point, the farmers must go into town to sell their produce, and buy anything they need for their homes. Maybe they would be your best bet: non-soldiers with a decent reputation in the city.

Spoiler

Show

Gate and Guards: The city has a wall probably fifteen feet high, built out of lobs that have been sharpened at the tops, and with another set of sharpened logs leaning out from the tops. At each entrance are two lookout towers, each manned by what seems to be two men. At the ground are another four men, each armed with some sort of polearm weapon and a sword. The gate is a little shy of ten feet wide - wide enough for a cart and a man at the side to walk through with not too much effort. The guards stand watch day and night, with three shifts: Roughly at sunrise, noon, and sunset. At night, the gate doors are closed, but with the moonlight you can see that each tower now has three men instead of two. No trees at all are within 100ft of the walls.

Traffic: Two carts came in today, one in the early afternoon, another in the evening that required them to open the gate. Three left early in the morning, escorted by what appeared to be some for hire guards. Several of the people with the wagons did not appear to be merchants or guards - possibly travelers going with the bigger group? As mentioned earlier, you saw a group of three with not much gear head out, and come back in later in the evening, with seemingly no interaction with the guards. Others who pass through are stopped at least briefly.

Interactions: The guards seem relatively relaxed, and the job seems like it would be downright boring. The only even that stuck out was when a pair of fleshy looking bodies wander from out of the woods and slowly charge at the gate. The men at the ground readied their polearms against the charge, two up front, two behind, while those high up pelted them with arrows. The zombies were killed with minimal scuffle as they reached the gate, and the guards seem unfazed by the events.

[Orsik Vondal]

Cicero

Cicero raises his claws in a placating gesture. "I know what you're thinking: 'What does this dragon think he's doing?' I get it. This has never happened before. And dragons are supposed to be selfish. Well, all I can tell you is I am here. I want to help. I want to learn. I want to push back the tide of darkness that encroaches on this world. And I have been given leave to do so by my Father. All I'm asking for is a chance to prove myself worthy of furthering the cause of Sonna. Here and abroad."

[Esprit15]

The two look at one another with skepticism, and then to Haruki, and sigh. "He chickens out and leaves someone to die, and it's your head," the armored one says to Haruki, danger in his voice. "Okay. How about a test, then? You pass, you're in, you fail, you're not. Among other things, we have been discussing how to deal with what appears to be a coven of hags that have made surveying of the Untamed Lands difficult. Some of our people, including Paarthurnax's old master, have been killed in prior attempts. If you can bring back everyone you go with either alive, or at least intact, and not be found to have run away or otherwise show behavior unbefitting a Hunter, we'll formally recognize you. Sound fair?"

[Lioslaith]

"While I would relish a chance to get revenge upon those hags, I would council caution. They will be no easy task." Paarthurnax responds even as he makes himself ready to fight the hags again.

[Orsik Vondal]

Cicero

"Caution. Duly noted. And I accept those terms, Riotsan and Isusan. What can you tell me about the these hags? Their locations. Their tactics. Their capabilities. Let's be as prepared as we can be before confronting them."

He turns to Paarthurnax. "Paarth, brother, I know you have suffered at the hands of these hags. Would you be willing to join me in bringing about their demise?"