The Brink of chaos (Greatmar2 & Nyte)

[Greatmar2]

Overview


50 years ago the The Dragon Wars began. As it always has, it marked the beginning of a new era: a dragon-ruled era. The cycle between human and dragon dominance has been continuing since before the Ancient Texts, which predicted it to continue till the end of the world. The Texts also predicted the unending conflict between Human- and Dragon-kind. Dragons have always had the advantage of individual strength, while Humans had the advantage of sheer numbers.


It was the end of the human era. The Empire had grown corrupt. No longer happy with mere alliances and treaties, the Emperor sought to assimilate all human factions under his Empire. This, of course, was met with resistance from the smaller factions, who created the 'Free Alliance'.


The Emperor, for reasons to later be discovered, ordered his armies on the defence and withdrew great numbers from the front lines. During this time, the Empire lost much ground to the Free Alliance, who were advancing in a straight line towards the capital. This was ultimately their doom.


As the capital, Cidun, came into the sight of the advancing army, the gates opened. Out came the Emperor followed by a procession of the royal guard and many dragons. The sight of so many dragons was enough to cause many of the Free Alliance army to attempt to flee. However they found themselves surrounded, being deep inside enemy territory. The fields surrounding Cidun were bathed in the blood of the free that day.


The Dragon Wars began then. The Empire had captured Dragons and tortured them until their wills broke, leaving them nothing but obedient slaves, bound by magic. The Empire used these 'Broken Dragons' to bring itself a swift and decisive victory over all other Human factions.


Over the past centuries, Dragons had been in hiding. Dragons discovered in human territory were usually hunted down and killed swiftly, but not without taking down some humans first. The Dragon Elders, each leading their own faction of dragons, were rarely concerned with the matters of humans or each other. However the enslavement of an Elder and all her followers, and the wholesale slaughter wrought as a consequence of this, was enough to get their attention. They met in the Hall of Dragons, the Dragons' closest thing to a throne room situated in the Mountains of Madness, to discuss what they would do. They did not wish to battle, and kill, their kin as there were already few enough Dragons. This left them unable to come to a solution.


A year later, when the Empire had suppressed all human resistance, it turned its attention to the Dragons. Many Dragons were killed on both sides, but the Empire just captured and Broke more and more Dragons over the years until it was unstoppable… This was also when the Dragon to destined to change the world was discovered. This was when the Empire fell.


Since the Ancient Texts, each time the world neared completing half its cycle, a special being would be born to one of the races. Either a Human destined to rule, or a Dragon. As Dragons live for centuries, millenia even, the Human who manages to kill the Dragon King is crowned as the new King or Queen.


Now, to explain the Dragon King, I have to explain the workings of magic in the world. Humans generally do not have access to magic, however there are a lucky few born with some aptitude for magic. All Dragons, however, have the ability for magic equivalent to a proficient Human mage. However, they are also each born with an ability. Their abilities are most often powerful. Some abilities are more common than others. For example, a Dragon with telepathy is more common than one with telekinesis, which is, in turn, more common than one with a cloaking/concealment ability. There are many more than the three mentioned prior, two more being weather manipulation and a doppelgänger (which is rather rare). The rarest of them all, however, is only found once at the end of each Human Era. The full extent of this power has not been truly discovered, however it is often referred to as 'Dominating Will', 'Kingly Will' or 'The King's Aura'.


The Dragon Elders sent a young dragon alone against the entire of the Empire's army. As soon as they laid eyes on him, every single being bowed before him, Dragon or Human. Thus the Empire was broken. Having lost the intimidating power of the Broken Dragons, who left with the youth, many of the soldiers deserted the Empire's army. The Humans revolted, killing the Emperor in his throne room. The Dragons returned to their territories, expanding them and no longer hiding from the humans. But something went wrong: instead of being united under the new Dragon King, the Dragon factions began to squabble. The young king had disappeared.


Over the past 45 years the world has begun to unbalance, it's unending cycle having been broken. There are rumours. Rumours of Dragons being born with two abilities, some only discovering they even had two later in their lives. There have been Human mages said to be more powerful than any before. Whispers talk of human factions making alliances with dragons, overcoming their previous hate in effort to survive in these times. One thing, speculated about without end is: where is the Dragon King? Are the Ancient Texts wrong for the first time, or are they correct and this is but the end of the world…


Map/world:


Map of the world. (Too big to put here)


The capital of the Empire is about 1 third of the way right and just above the equator of the planet.


The cities with names and titles, eg. "the divine city of Mabrycg" or "Ilaney the city of quests" are the capital cities of other human factions.


Dragons tend to live far away from human settlements, especially in the southern mountains, where their ability to fly and survive harsh environments has allowed them to prosper away from humans.


Character Sheet

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Appearance:
Species:
Personality:
History:
Other:

 

[Nyte]

I hope you like her. Just let me know if I missed anything or if there is something else I need to add. =]


Name: Faye Gilman


Age: 25


Gender: female


Species: human


Personality: Faye is the serious type that walks the line of paranoia. She calls herself cautious as she always suspects the worst of the situation, but has good way of hiding her harsh skepticism in those that she deals with. Her moves are calculated and executed with great precision. Despite her flaws Faye was a rather caring human being, as much as she would allow herself to be, as she would often offer a helping hand when it was needed. A trait instilled in her by her mother who had no tolerance for paranoia.


History: As a child Faye was raised with stories of monsters and beasts that would rip her to shreds before she even knew that she was being stalked. Her father, sharing her paranoia, also constantly warned her of the evils of man and how they would take advantage of any situation given the chance, but the story most often told was of dragons. Her father would scare her and her four siblings with tales of how the beasts would change into the shape of a beautiful woman or man to lure humans away from their families and villages to slaughter them without mercy. He also told them of how their terrible magics allowed them to have power far beyond anything that any "beast" should be capable of. Of course tales of the wars and battles between humans and dragons was another popular story, and always caused the children to hide under their blankets at night and cower from shadows in the corners of their rooms.


Faye's mother on the other hand was of a different nature. She told the children that dragons were not be feared as their father insisted. That they feared humans just as much as they feared them, and that they provided a balance to the greedy nature of man and if not for them humanity would have killed itself long ago. Faye's mother had taught her children kindness and to try and give everyone the benefit of the doubt, or at least go through the motions of being polite.


With the combination of conflicting points of views from her parent it left Faye doubtful and curious of what the true nature of the world. As a young woman she was given to a clergy for training in magic as it was discovered on her tenth year that she had an aptitude for. The clergy offered a new perspective on the world and also a working knowledge of all that went on across the old empire. When the search for the young dragon king began Faye was more than happy to lend a helping hand in the search and to begin an adventure to form her own ideas of the world.


Other: Faye specialized in healing magics, taught by the clergy, but also entertains a sharp skill with a staff and sword. Being the cruel world that it is her father taught each of their children to fight and defend themselves against any attack. She also has a working knowledge of botany from the clergy to aid her in helping with illness and injuries.


Appearance:

 

[Greatmar2]

Name: Nilanth Zinnath


Age: 48


Gender: Male

Spoiler

Nilanth is a shape-shifter, and therefore does not have a fixed form, but his natural form is this:


<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_06/The_Dragon_wallpaper_by_TheOutcast1821.jpg.3fc71dfb77c77f0adde68abe803a1fa0.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="20618" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_06/The_Dragon_wallpaper_by_TheOutcast1821.jpg.3fc71dfb77c77f0adde68abe803a1fa0.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>


His scales change colour depending on his mood and its intensity, if he is not hiding what he is feeling, brown being neutral.


Species: Dragon


Personality:


As a Shape-shifter Dragon, Nilanth’s personality can vary to a certain extent. He is usually secretive and quiet, preferring to observe conversations and events without getting involved. Being curious about the world around, him he tends to enjoy adventuring taking advantage of his powers to explore places other dragons can not. He doesn’t make friends easily, but is loyal to the ones he makes. If given the opportunity he can be a supportive and forward-thinking leader, but he still prefers to work alone. He has hated humans since his father was taken. He is very loyal to his Elder, Kajori, who has been almost a father to Nilanth, his siblings and a number of other young dragons who had lost their fathers.


History:


Nilanth hatched two years into the Dragon Wars. His pack (hmm... what do you call a group of dragons?) lived on the edge of the forests in between the Winding river and Orcfen river, to the North West of the Fortress of Ulfang the Black (bottom left of the map). When he was but 9 months old, his pack was attacked by an Empire raiding party, consisting of a large number of Broken Dragons. The Elder Talurth, who was a doppelganger, managed to organise the panicking dragons swiftly enough to save most of them. The hatchlings, mothers and a third of the adult males were sent to flee to the source of the Winding river, far from any human civilisation. The others, including Talurth, stayed behind to hold back the attackers. Nilanth's dad, Gretiem, was one of those that stayed behind.


The flight away was slow, as some hatchlings could not properly fly and had to ride on adults. There were also two parents carrying their eggs. When they had travelled a quarter of the way to the source of the river Talurth's second in command, a powerful telepath called Rindor, delivered the news. The defending dragons had been defeated. Many had been killed, but most captured. As he died, Talurth said, through Rindor, that Kajori should be the next leader of that pack. He also instructed the fleeing dragons to go to the Dragon City at the heart of the Mountains of Madness, as they would not be safe at the Winding river source, should the Empire pry from the minds of the captured that the fleeing dragons would be travelling there.


When the Dragon Wars finished, Kajori led the dragons following him to the River of Wrath, not to where they had previously lived, as he did not wish to bring back memories of the past. They have lived there, holding a tenuous peace with the nearby Human cities of Doriathomb and Ilaney. The defeat of the Empire had reminded the humans of the might of the dragons and with both races suffering the consequences of the 5-year war, they did not wish to fight unnecessarily.


Kajori acted as a father-figure to the hatchlings who had lost their fathers in the attack. Nilanth has three siblings, one sister and two brothers, all of whom were found to have uncommon powers. The siblings grew up with their mother and Kajori, who was warm, wise and supporting, as their parents. Nilanth has long wondered what became of his real father, but has held onto the hope that he is still alive and has merely vanished with the Dragon King, not killed while protecting his family. Either way, he hates humans in general for what they took from him.


Recently, Kajori has started participating with the other Elders in the searches, discussions and arguments as to what could have happened to the Dragon King. Being the only shape-shifter under Kajori, Nilanth was also chosen for a mission in search of clues, but one different in nature to the others. He has been sent to one of the Human faction's capitals, Ilaney, to see if he can find out anything about what the humans know about the disappearance of the King. At intervals he shall be contacted by Rindor to make a report about what he has learnt.


Yesterday, his sister teleported him and herself to a hidden area near the city. After staying with her and waiting for her to recover enough to teleport again, they said goodbye to each other. Once she had vanished, he shifted to human form and began walking to the city. He quickly found an inn and rented a room with some of the gold that Kajori had given him.


Other:


While he is posing as a human, Nilanth has has taken on the name of Kelvin Greenberg and the appearance as follows:





<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_06/Anime-boy-with-white-hair-and-blue-eyes.jpg.3a234cb95e98bb88fea607730ff9a018.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="20620" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_06/Anime-boy-with-white-hair-and-blue-eyes.jpg.3a234cb95e98bb88fea607730ff9a018.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> He does have pupils, don't worry. xD

 
Nilanth's play with his siblings was interrupted by commotion at the edge of the nesting grounds. There were shouts that sounded like they were made by humans. There were also roars, those of the dragons caught by surprise and those that just sounded wrong. He looked around, confused, catching glimpses of fighting between the trees.


Nilanth squeaked with fright when an insubstantial Talurth appeared before him. The Elder instructed his parents to flee to the river source while he stayed behind and held off the attackers. Glancing around, Nilanth could see other 'Talurth's doing the same by each of the other nests. "You will not be able to hold that many alone. I, too, will protect my family from harm," Nilanth's dad stepped forward.


"You have my thanks. May we drive them from our home." Talurth turned to Nilanth's mother, "Go now, Rindor will let you know when we have defeated the humans and their dragon slaves." The copy of Talurth vanished, while Gretiem left to fight the humans and Broken Dragons along with a number of the other fathers.





"Dad, no! Come back!"


There was a banging on the door. "Hey, what's happening in there?"


Nilanth bolted upright, then fell to the floor. He had shifted partially back to dragon form in his sleep. The scales he could see were the dark black of death, fear and terror. The same colour they had remained for weeks after the attack. He quickly changed his head and neck fully human, so his voice would sound human. Remembering to be polite to the human, he said, "Sorry, I was having a nightmare. Did I wake you?"


"It sounded like someone was dying in there. Are you all right? Don't worry about me, I was awake a little while ago," came the voice of the person in the room next to him.


"I was having a nightmare about when my family was attacked by dragons when I was still a child. I never saw my dad after that day..." Nilanth said. It was close enough to the truth to cover anything he might have shouted in his sleep.


"Oh... I'm sorry for your loss... Come to the pub downstairs if you want, I'll buy you a drink."


"Thanks, I'll come just now, I just need to wake up properly."


"Ok." Nilanth heard retreating footsteps on the wooden floor. I am glad that door is locked, he thought with relief.


Looking down at himself, he observed how much had changed. His hands and feet had grown claws and there were patches of pitch black scales across his arms and legs. Lifting his torn shirt, he could see also had the outlines of wings on his back, along with random patches of black scales. He tried to get rid of them, but his form merely shimmered and then gained more scales. He fell to his hands and knees, his few memories of his father tugging at him. He hadn't had that nightmare in so long. It must have been the proximity with humans that caused it to return.


Resisting the urge to break down into sobs, Nilanth tried to remember what Kajori had taught him. Close your eyes and imagine a calm, clear, lake. Imagine yourself as the serene waters. Keep this in your mind until your emotions have become calm as the water. He remained on the floor for some time, before he finally opened his eyes. His scales were now a light, tranquil blue. With ease this time, he made the scales, claws and vanish. He walked to the copper mirror on the wall and looked in it. His eyes were the same light blue as his scales had been. Brushing the white hair from his face, he decided to keep his eyes like that.


He then turned his attention to the bedding and his clothes, both of which had been torn over the course of his nightmare. The innkeeper wouldn't be very happy about the torn blanket and sheet, but with humans that wasn't anything a few gold coins couldn't solve. He took off the torn clothes and packed them in his backpack, then took out some other clothes and put them on. Yesterday's visit to the market had gone well.


After some time, Nilanth finally decided to leave his room. He went to the innkeeper and apologised for damaging the bedding, saying he had had a rather violent nightmare. Next, he decided that he should go to that human who had offered him a drink, as he would need to get to know some the humans living at and visiting the city to learn where he would be most likely to find out about what the humans know.


Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Nilanth entered the noisy pub. He scanned the groups of men seated at table, searching for the man he had briefly met yesterday and talked to this morning. After almost a minute standing on tip-toes, he spotted his next-room-neighbor, seated at a table with two others, each drinking a golden yellow liquid from a glass mug. He headed over to the table and pulled up a chair, sitting on it.


"Ha! You came! Waitressh, get a cup of beer for thish man!" he boomed, his words slurred slightly.


After briefly considering trying the human drink, Nilanth declined with a polite, "No, thanks." He had heard of the humans' love of alcohol and that once one was under its effects, they were no longer themselves. They would do and say things that they, in their right minds, would never. He didn't want to be turning into a dragon in front of a pub filled with drunken humans.


"You don't know what you are missing out, thish is quality brew here. But I won't complain," came the man's response.


One of the other men seated at the table waved his hand for Nilanth's attention, then said "What's yer name, boy?"


"Kelvin," Nilanth replied after hesitating for a moment. Sure, he was young for a dragon, but he didn't expect a human to be calling him boy. He would be something between old and middle-aged by their standards. "What's yours?"


"Richard. So when did yer losh yer father?" This question caught Nilanth off guard, as he did not expect the man to know this. Then he remembered another thing he had been told about drunk humans, they did not hold back from sharing sensitive or secret information. He could make use of that. "If those beastsh down by the wrath river did it, why I'm gonna-"


"During the Dragon Wars," he interrupted, "It was a long time ago."


"Oh... yer older than yer look... I thoughtsh you were in your twentiesh."


Nilanth remained quiet until he realised the men were waiting for him to respond. "What can I say, natural good looks?"


This, apparently, was hilarious and the men burst into raucous laughter. After the laughter had subsided, the man that hadn't spoken yet spoke. His glass was empty and he seemed the drunkest of the lot. "My cushion ish lookingsh for cluesh with shome other people."


"Clues for what?" Nilanth asked, trying his best to remain patient with the man who seemed to be talking about utter nonsense.


"Cluesh for zat dragon king thingy. Y'know, the one who vanished after the warsh. My cousin ish eshcorting shome peoplesh from the clergey ansh shome reasercersh to a shecret plashe in the mountainsh."


His interest suddenly sparked, Nilanth asked, "Do you know where they are?"


"They ish leaving thish morning. They shud be by ze baker for food."


"Thank you," Nilanth said, standing up.


"Wheresh are you going?" asked his next-room-neighbor.


"I'm going to see if I can join them."


"They wontsh be letting random peoplesh in."


"It is worth a try. I can help them."


With that, Nilanth ran up the stairs to the inn, and then into his room. He packed his backpack with the belongings he had bought yesterday, returned the key to the innkeeper and then set off at a sprint to the bakery he had seen at the edge of the city yesterday.


When he arrived there, he saw a small group of people all with travelling gear. Happy that the drunk had been right, Nilanth slowed down. "Wait!" he shouted, stopping for breath as they all turned to look at him. Once he had caught his breath, he said, "My name is Kelvin Greenberg. I heard about your expedition at the Galloping Horse Inn. I want to join your expidition. I can help you. I know a bit about dragons, since my family's farm was near some of their territory." He knew it might be a bit late for him to join, but this was the kind of thing Kajori had sent him here to find out about. Had I been here a couple days ago, I would have had stood more of a chance, he thought, cursing his luck.

 

[Nyte]

The night spent in the town was anything but relaxing. Faye spent the majority of the evening listening to the sounds of people walking along the noisy floor boards outside their room, and since the door didn't have a proper lock on it she felt very uncomfortable with all of their valuables and lives entrusted in word of the inn keeper that they would be safe.


She was sharing the room with one of her sister clergy members, who by Faye's standards was quite careless. She had left her bag open revealing the shining gold plated rod they used for their magic as well as her coin purse. Faye had hidden her bag underneath her bed in the shadows so it was at the very least hidden from plain sight.


After a very spotty night's sleep she wasn't feeling very sociable or energetic. Their group consisted of three clergy members: Ariena, Elder Riker, and herself. Accompanying them was also two hired swords, who's names Faye cared little to remember, and there was supposed to be another young man that was to meet them at the baker the morning of their departure.


The baker was a fat man who smelled heavily of the beer he used to make his beer buns. As the Elder bartered with him on prices for the supplies they would need Faye looked through the shop to find a particularly sweet smelling pastry she had caught wind of standing outside. Upon finding her item of interest she was pleasantly surprised to find sweet rolls that had been coated in fresh honey.


The Elder would not buy such an item for their journey, but she had not eaten the breakfast the inn had offered them. Meat wasn't something she enjoyed eating in large quantities.


The bakers wife was a soft faced woman with salt and pepper hair who upon seeing Faye's interest in the honey rolls offered to pack a few for her to enjoy on her journey. Faye eagerly accepted and waited almost impatiently for the woman to wrap them in a cloth suitable for travel. Faye paid the woman a couple of copper pieces and headed back out to their caravan just as a man whom she did not recognize approached and asked to join them.


The two hired swords looked him over with careful calculation, but said nothing. Faye also looked him over and took note of his appearance. He defiantly was not a local, and his interest in wanting to join them made Faye instantly suspicious, but then again it was probably just her paranoia.


"Really now?" The Elder questioned as he mounted one if the two horses they had with them, the other pulling a cart of their supplies. "Now that would useful." He stated. Faye glared at the Elder, he was to trusting. "We are down a man. Seems our other help came down with an illness that will keep him in bed for a couple of weeks. If you're good for the labor of setting up and tearing down camp you may join us."


Faye could not believe her ears. They were looking for a legendary being that could very well rip them to shreds upon hem finding him, and they just invited a complete stranger to join them.


Having finished his bartering the Elder kicked his horse into motion and the caravan started to move out.


Faye simply rolled her eyes and took out a honey roll and took a bite.


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[Greatmar2]

"That's fine. I'm just glad I can come along and help," Nilanth hid his surprise at how quick the human allowed him to join. That human was obviously the leader of the group, as he was the only one with a mount. Nilanth was not eager to set up the humans' camp, but at least it gave them a reason to keep him around.


As the caravan began to move forward, Nilanth fast-walked to catch up and then he fell in line behind the others. While they walked, Nilanth looked at his new 'friends'. One of the robed women had caught his attention when he had asked to join the group. She had glared at the leader, obviously not wanting him to allow a complete stranger into the group.


Nilanth's thoughts were interrupted when he felt a foreign presence touch his mind. Nilanth, where are you going? You are supposed to be in Ilaney to find out what the humans know about the Dragon King.


Yes, Rindor. A human told me of a group of humans leaving the city in search of clues as to the whereabouts of the Dragon King. They let me join the group rather easily, as they were missing a member, who fell sick. I will be setting up and taking down their camp, which is not the best of positions, but at least they have a reason to keep me around while they search.


Who are these humans you are now with?


I do not know their names, but there are two men who are obviously here to protect the other three. The others all wear similar clothes and carry a gold rod. I sense some magic within those three. Their leader seems quick to trust, as he didn't even ask anything about me when I asked to join. Nilanth concentrated on his memory of the man upon the horse and the two women beside him so that Rindor would be able to see them from the front. He tripped over a stone, breaking his concentration.


Pay attention to what you are doing. Those are members of the Clergy. Essentially human healers. It is in their nature to be quick to trust. Use this to your advantage. Do you know where they are going?


No, they have not told me. But we are heading in the direction of the mountains.


Find out from them and then tell me tomorrow morning when I contact you again. You must aid these humans in their objective to find out about what happened to the Dragon King and tell me what they find out. But the Human leaders can not learn anything from this expedition, as they would kill the King if they had the opportunity. Once this group of humans you travel with has found what they can, you must kill them all. Start with the mercenaries, as they will pose the biggest threat, but do not underestimate the healers either. It would be best for you to choose a target and separate them from the group, where you can kill them without the others suspecting you.


I shall do that. Nilanth felt Rindor leaving his mind and then allowed his normal thoughts to resume. He didn't like Rindor very much, but he was second in command to Kajori. Nilanth wondered why Rindor wasn't chosen as Elder by Talurth. Maybe it was just because he was a telepath and Talurth wanted someone with a more powerful ability to lead? Maybe there was some other reason? Rindor was the best telepath Nilanth knew, but he did also have his limits. While Rindor does have a huge telepathic range, he doesn't have one long enough to reach more than a few leagues. When Kajori sends a dragon on an assignment, they are given a gem enchanted by a dragon whose name Nilanth forgot. Rindor also had been given one of those gems, and he can use them to communicate with any dragon in possession of another. Nilanth has his in the side pocket of his backpack.


Looking upwards, Nilanth saw the mountains approaching. He hadn't been to them in ages. From his pack's home the biggest mountains were but a hazy outline on even the clearest of days. He looked forward to visiting them again and was dying to soar above and between them, not trek up and down their surfaces. However, what had to be done, had to be done.

 

[Nyte]

The day was quiet and peaceful as they traveled along the road. The cart had no problems over the well traveled ground and they were able to take turns sitting on the back edge of it to give their legs a rest occasionally. Faye had mostly busied herself with braiding a bit of twine she had obtained while in town. Th next time she was in a major city she planned on buying glass beads to make a new set of prayer beads. The ones she currently had hanging from her hip had been given to her by the clergy and she had wanted a strand of her own making.


They did not stop for an afternoon meal, instead they simply passed out a few strips of dried meat and passed around the water skin to eat and drink while they walked. Afterward Faye offered up the last of her honey rolls to the group, knowing they would not last till the next day.


She had passed the rolls out to everyone, with the newcomer being the last. "Would you care for a honey roll?" She asked in a rather flat tone. "I'm afraid they will not keep over night and was not wanting the to go to waste." She held out the last of the rolls in the cloth that the baker's wife had wrapped them up in for her. The smell of honey still carried heavily in the air around it.


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[Greatmar2]

Nilanth was surprised how quiet the journey had been, but he did not have any complaints about that. He was not in the mood to talk at the time. He would have to find out more from them eventually, but that would be best done when they were not talking and the humans were more relaxed. He might have a bit of trouble setting up the tents, as he had never had the need to before, but how hard could they be?


One of the healers, the one that had been fiddling with the twine while they walked, began passing out bread. He didn't take much notice of it until he realised she had offered him. She didn't sound too excited about giving him a 'honey roll', but she had offered. "Are you sure you don't want it?" He would have to get these humans to like him so they wouldn't suspect him when it came to the inevitable. If she said that she didn't want it, he would accept the honey roll. Sweet things such as honey were a rare treat in the diet of dragons. He hadn't eaten very much that day, skipping breakfast to join hurriedly join the expedition. Luckily now he had the metabolism of a human. He needed to eat much smaller quantities of food, but at much more regular intervals. In his true form, he would eat a whole plump deer every couple of days.


((Time skip to when they arrive at the campsite or once they have set up camp?))

 

[Nyte]

((I think to when they arrive at the campsite. Seeing him fiddle with the tents would be amusing. I will post shortly.))


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[Greatmar2]

((I thought as much. xD ))

 

[Nyte]

((After I got home and on my computer I wanted to re-do this. I hope you don't mind.))


"If I did want it I would not have offered it to you." She stated bluntly. Her expression was blank, despite her slightly harsh words, but when Elder Riker cleared his throat loudly Faye instantly knew that he had disapproved of her statement. Her shoulders relaxed slightly and her expression softened. "My apologies. No, I have had enough sweets for the day and would like it if you shared in them as well." She handed the roll to Kelvin and dipped her head into a shallow bow. "Again my apologies for my rudeness. Travel had made me weary and I am lacking my manners." She bowed her head once more and excused herself to return to Riker's side at the front of the caravan.


As she walked next to the Elder's horse he scolded her for her actions towards the newcomer, and Faye responded with polite agreements and apologies. This was a normal occurrence as Faye often forgot to reign in her more critical impulses that came with her nature. Most of the clergy council agreed that she was a good cleric just not a very good politician, and Elder Riker was one of the few to offered to help teach her to control her quick tongue.


While Riker and Faye spoke at the head of the caravan one of the two mercenaries, Olaf he called himself, a bear of a man with a full beard and cloak made of pelts slowed down his pace till Kelvin caught up to him. He smiled, his teeth barely showing through his beard and gave Kevlin a hard slap on the back. "Don't worry about her boy." His voice was loud and carried through the area around them with ease. Chuckling he told Kelvin "We've been working with these three for a couple of weeks now and she hasn't said more than three words to us, unless she must. She keeps to herself and likes to watch from afar." He pat Kelvin on the back again, this time being a bit more gentle and winked at him while putting a finger next to his nose. "She is quite good at healing though. Saved my brother in arms leg, Sigurd over there when a wolf fancied a bite of him." With one last chuckle he picked up his pace to trot to catch up to the front of the caravan, and his companion, once more.

 

[Greatmar2]

Nilanth was mildly amused with the humans. The lady, who had been handing out the buns, seemed to be rather distrustful of him but obviously didn't want to get in trouble with the lead healer, apologising swiftly when he cleared his throat. It didn't matter much if one of the humans did not trust him, if all the others did. That was something he could easily deal with, as she was but a healer. He took a bite of the honey bun and immediately was pleased that he had accepted it. While humans were useless at many things, their food was certainly more flavourful and varied than the various animals that were usually eaten raw or slightly singed...


Noticing one of the mercenaries slowing their pace so that he would end up beside Nilanth, Nilanth finished the mouthful he had been savouring and waited for the human to talk. He grunted in surprise when the man hit him on the back. Flinching from the man's loud voice, all he said in quiet reply was, "Ah, ok. Thanks." It was good to know that the healer wasn't suspicious of him in particular. She probably just doesn't want associate with lesser 'humans', he thought, trying to hide his smile while he imagined the healer's face if she found out what he actually was.


After walking for a few more hours, it the sun began to sink in the Western sky, the direction of home. The leader of the healers announced that they would be making camp. They were still in the flatlands, but the mountains were nearing, likely only a couple leagues away. They would be in them tomorrow. Sitting down with a sigh, Nilanth rested his legs before realising that he needed to pack out the tents for the confounded humans. He stood up and walked to the mercenary who had talked to him earlier, as he was the only human who had showed the slightest interest in being friendly to him, other than clearing their throat.


"Could you help me please? I just need to be shown what needs to be done, then I will be able to do it from tomorrow onwards."


The man turned to him and gave a broad smile, before saying, "Sure, start with the tents." He walked over to the cart and reached inside. From the cart, he withdrew six bags, one at a time, passing them to Kelvin, who placed them in a pile on the ground. Once he had taken them all out, he turned around and said, "Well, come on Kelvin, get started."


"Oh, sorry," said Nilanth. He took one of the bags and unpacked it, taking out and unrolling large pieces of fabric, long metal rods and short, thin metal rods. Once he had finished he stood up and looked at what lay before him. Well this just got more complicated, he thought. "What's your name, by the way? Sorry I didn't ask earlier."


"My name is Olaf."


"Olaf?"


"Yes?"


"How do you set up a tent?"


This question drew a bout of laughter from Olaf and the other mercenary. "Poor kid, have ye ne'er set up a tent in your life?" Sigurd chortled.


"Well, I've never had the need to..." Nilanth defended himself.


"Didn't you say your family's farm was on the edge of Dragon territory? You would have had to travel at least two or three days to get Illaney," observed Olaf.


That caught Nilanth off guard. I had really watch what I tell them more careful from now on, he decided. "Well... We didn't exactly have a tent on the farm..."


"You slept under the stars?!" Sigurd looked surprised.


Nilanth had never thought about how humans slept when they were travelling. Now that he thought of it, humans did not have much resistance to the natural elements. That was why the mountains and the southern regions of the world were generally the safest for dragons. "I brought a lot of blankets."


"You are tougher than you look. Come, I'll show you how to set up the first tent," Olaf came to Nilanth's rescue again.


Olaf proceeded to show 'Kelvin' how to set up a tent, placing the groundsheet, then putting in the poles and connecting them to each other, next they would peg down the tent. Afterwards, the waterproof layer was put on top and pegged down as well. Once they had finished the first tent, Olaf told Kelvin to set up the second on his own.


"This is going to be fun to watch," Sigurd commented to Olaf under his breath.


Nilanth disappointed Sigurd, until he started putting in the pegs. A gust of wind blew the tent down on top of him and one of the poles hit him on the head. "Ouch," Nilanth muttered while rubbing his head and glaring at the mirth-filled mercenaries. Starting over again, Nilanth managed to set up that tent and all the others without too many incidents.

 

[Nyte]

As night drew closer Faye had put away the twine she had been braiding in her pack she kept on the cart and kept a hand resting loosely on the hilt of the short sword that hung against her hip. Her other hand held the walking pole that she had kept with her throughout the day. Neither were over decorative, as was a normal cleric's weapons, and from the way the scabbard and ends of the walking pole looked they also got frequent use.


When Riker decided to stop their group in order to make camp for the night Faye seemed to relax somewhat. Her stance became less ridged and she even smiled at something her sister cleric said.


None of the clerics moved to help the men with the tent. Instead they assisted Riker in preparing items that he would use to make wards around their camp, but when Kelvin had started on the second tent by himself both of the girls had to stifle their laughter. Even Riker had given a smile of amusement, but quickly returned to his task at hand.


The items they had taken out were considered some of the more valuable items they had with them. A silver plated rod, herbs that only the clergy cultivated, and a series of bowls with many inscriptions carved into them. Riker, after they had finished grinding the necessary herbs, dismissed the girls to their own affects.


After the all the tents had been pitched, and the supplies secured Faye took the opportunity to gather up her sword and staff to practice her more brutal skills in private elsewhere. The woods around them were fairly dense, but she managed to find a small clearing just bit enough to move around enough to swing her weapons.


The light outside was dim enough, since the canopy blocked most of the moon's light, that her footing became a bit precarious. First she propped her sword up against the trunk of one of a nearby tree and then, while positioned in the middle of the clearing moved into the first of her forms. As her body moved from stance to stance her attention to the world around her faded as her concentration strengthened.


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[Greatmar2]

Nilanth helped the mercenaries with various tasks around the camp for some time. He noticed the one healer had left after the three had completed some magic ritual. He was not sure what it was, as he was not accustomed to the human's methods of using magic. After he and the mercenaries had finished, they settled down next to the fire, where the two healers were cooking some delicious-smelling food in a pot on edge of the fire.


"The food is almost ready," announced the lead healer, "Olaf, Kelvin, please go fetch Faye. She is most likely busy practising some swordplay. I saw her head that way," the man pointed.


Olaf and Nilanth got up and left in the direction the leader had pointed.


"So, I know your name, Olaf. Your friend is Sigurd. That one healer is called Faye. What are the other's names?" Nilanth asked, attempting to get to know the humans to earn their trust. They did seem to trust him enough already, but one can't be too careful.


"The leader is called Elder Riker," replied Olaf, "And the other one's name is Ariena."


"Thanks."


Nilant got hit in the face by a branch, as he walked and silently cursed the humans' terrible night vision. The sun was almost completely gone and there was not much light filtering between the leaves of the thick canopy above. Stumbling over a rock, he got fed up. He focused on his eyes and felt them changing to their normal cat-like slitted forms. He smiled contentedly as his vision adjusted and he could now see the surrounding forest clearly. Glancing to his left he could see the human beside him occasionally stumbling or walking into something. Soon they neared a small clearing between the trees and Nilanth was stopped from entering it by an arm appearing before him.


"I want to watch for a bit," whispered Olaf, "I ain't ever seen a healer with that much skill with a blade. She can't have learned it at that peace-loving Clergy. They seem to disapprove of it, but knowing how to defend oneself is always a good thing."


Nilanth just nodded. There was more light in the clearing, because of the gap in the leaves above let through some moonlight. After a minute or two watching the glittering sword dancing in the moonlight, Olaf stepped forward into the clearing and cleared his throat. "The Elder sent Kelvin and I to fetch you. Supper is almost ready. Well, it is probably finished by now. We should be heading back."


Nilanth waited at the edge of the clearing, and then walked alongside the other two when they headed back, shifting his eyes back to their light blue human form before they arrived at camp.

 

[Nyte]

When the sound of a voice reached Faye's ears she swung her weapon with considerable force toward the person who had approached her mid training. As if she had been in a trance her vision focused as she realized who she was looking at with an expression of murderous intent displayed on her features. Her expression fell to that of an apologetic one and she gave a slight bow at the waist. "My apologies. I wasn't expecting anyone to follow me out here."


When she straightened her back to an upright position she spotted the mercenary hiding just inside the protection of the trees. He wore an amusing grin on his lips as he had watched her in the clearing. "Right, I hadn't realized how long I'd been out here." She moved to gather her things and followed them back through the trees towards camp.


As they came up on the clearing where the tents had been erected, and crossed the threshold of the wards, symbols that had been drawn into the dirt started to glow brightly and it sounded as if lightning had struck the ground next to them. "Dragon!" Ariena yelled from the side of the campfire.


Olaf went to grab his weapon as Faye already had hers at the ready. With an frustrated expression she quickly lowered her weapon once more. "There's no dragon." She yelled back. "It's just us. The wards must have been set up for all intruders rather than just dragons." She sighed and straightened out her robes.

 

[Greatmar2]

An ear-splitting bang made Nilanth jump in fright. This combined with someone shouting "Dragon!" was enough to make him run several metres back into the forest. Panicked, he registered the humans dashing for, or raising, their weapons.


He was prepared to fight, until heard Faye yelling "There's no dragon." Relief flooded through him, as he realised what the sound was and, fortunately, the humans seemed to think that their wards were faulty, not suspecting him to be the cause. The humans were less careless than he expected. Nilanth decided that it would be best for him to not leave the camp once they have set up the wards, or at least enter with humans.


He saw a figure, silhouetted by the fire walking towards him. "Oi Kelvin, there ain't no dragon here," came the voice of Olaf, "No need to run."


Nilanth walked to the man, before replying, "The noise gave me the biggest fright." He and Olaf walked back into the camp, the loud sound triggered again.


"Damn loud," muttered Olaf.


Still shaken from the experience, Nilanth sat down beside the fire and watched the humans. Elder Riker was dishing food from the pot into carved wooden bowls. How easily the humans bestow such an honoured title escapes me, he thought as he looked at the Elder.

 

[Nyte]

Cursing to herself Faye looked back to see Olaf going to fetch Kelvin, who had run. "Coward." She muttered under her breath. At least if a dragon did make an appearance perhaps it would try to pick off the the one who ran instead of the ones who stood together to fight. Without waiting for the men to catch up she went to join her two companions by the fire and gladly took a bowl of food. As Faye ate the Elder eyed her weapons sitting on the ground next to her with a disapproving look. "Don't look at me like that." Faye said to the Elder as the rest of their group joined them. "Your wards obviously don't work correctly and if we're to be out in the forests I want to be well armed." She did not look up from her bowl as she spoke.


"Do not give me orders, child. You forget your place." Riker scolded her.


"And you forget where we are, Elder." Her last word drug out in sarcasm. "We are not in a temple where we can sit leisurely and sip tea by the warmth of our hearths. We near dragon country and if we're to survive this little "outing" then you better get your wards right or pick up a sword." Faye set her bowl down on the ground, still half full and looked the Elder in the eye. Ariena placed a hand on Faye's arm to which Faye turned her gaze to her companion for a moment before she sighed and shook her head.


Riker, obviously taken back by Faye's boldness sat in silence as he ate the rest of his meal. Undoubtedly Faye would be reciting all thirty creeds of magic the next day for her insubordination, but for now, in the presence of others, Riker kept his anger towards Faye to himself.


"Kelvin," Faye started "why did you run when the wards were triggered? That was possibly the worst response you could have given to a situation like that."

 

[Greatmar2]

Nilanth noticed that Faye was obviously not in a very good mood. She had a brief argument with her superior. In the following silence, Nilanth realised that Riker was surprised about how Faye had talked to him. Riker also did not seem to want to continue the fight, giving her no reason to continue arguing with him.


Nilanth continued eating before Faye turned her anger towards him. He looked at her, his expression neutral. What I do does not concern you, human, he mentally sighed, but seeing as I need to earn your trust I shan't ignore you. I don't want you humans to suspect anything of me...


"I had no idea what was going on. No one told me about the wards. The loud bang gave me a massive fright, and then when someone yelled 'Dragon!', I instinctively ran for cover. As you can see, I also have no weapons. I do apologize, but I had no idea what was happening."

 

[Nyte]

Faye looked over Kelvin and made note of his lack of weapons. She did not want to give up one of her own but perhaps one of the mercenaries would be willing to lend him a sword. Her shoulders relaxed as she sighed and picked up her bowl once more.


Both of the other men seemed to enjoy watching Faye's little outburst as they ate their own meals. And chuckled once she had finished her rant.


"I believe the girl is right. Kelvin, you need a weapon. I believe I may have a spear or long knife you may use. And as for everyone else this will be the last night we light a fire. All other cooking is to be done during daylight hours so we do not bring attention to our camp." Olaf's words were calm but had a sense of seriousness about them. "And seeing as some of us are getting tired." He looked towards Faye. "I think we should all go straight to bed."


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[Greatmar2]

Nilanth was surprised, but pleased that Faye had no retorts to make. When one of the other humans, Olaf, talked Nilanth nodded in partial agreement. He normally would not need weapons, as what nature had given him was enough, but if he were to defend himself in possible fights without revealing himself to the humans, he would need a human weapon. He just hoped they would not encounter any dragons. He would need to think of something to do in case they did encounter a dragon. Unless the dragon was a telepath or similarly skilled, he would think Nilanth a human. Nilanth could shift to dragon form, but then he and the hypothetical dragon would have to kill the humans he was now with. That would waste this excellent opportunity. He would need some way to let the dragon know to leave them alone without raising any suspicion. The last, unthinkable option, was that he would have to fight - and kill - a fellow dragon to earn the human's trust. He could leave them to kill it, but it would still weigh heavily on his conscience. If he could lure the dragon away from the humans somehow... then maybe they could talk.


"Thank you, Olaf. I agree with you. We need to go through the mountains unnoticed. If we only light fires in the day, we will have less time for hiking each day, but then we are far less likely to get noticed, unless we burn leaves, which will let off a lot of smoke. I recommend not setting up the wards at all. Dragons will definitely be a common once we reach the mountains. If one were to fly above us, yet not notice us, the loud bang would catch its attention. The bang will also catch the attention of any other nearby dragons, regardless whether the one who triggered it noticed us before. If a dragon were to stray into our campsite, we would notice the noisy and large beast without the need of a bang. If we are asleep when the wards are triggered, I doubt many of us will be able to wake up and get oriented in time before getting eaten, so we are doomed either way. Lastly, we must camp in places that are not easily visible from above. The majority of dragons would be flying above or between the mountains."

 

[Greatmar2]

*bump to reset timer*

 

[Greatmar2]

*bump for timer*

 

[Nyte]

Once Faye had finished her meal she wasted no time in cleaning out her bowl in a nearby stream and packing everything up for the night. She shared a tent with the only other female in their group and was pleasantly surprised that her roommate had not yet made it to their tent.


Sitting on her bedroll Faye thought about her actions that evening. Back at home she would have been extremely embarrassed for such an outburst. Her cheeks burned as she thought about what the other elders would have said if they had heard her. She resolved that she would have to apologize to the group in the morning.


She lay back on her bed and pulled the rough blanket over her torso, leaving her legs uncovered in case she needed to get up quickly. "I'll be glad when this trip is over." She mumbled to herself as she closed her eyes to go to sleep.


(Sorry if it's short)

 

[Greatmar2]

(It's fine, I'm happy you were able to post. Don't stress too much. I hope you get better soon )


The rest of the meal went in silence. Faye quickly finished her food and then went to wash her bowl. Nilanth watched as she went into her tent alone. He then finished his own food and stared into the depths of his bowl, his mind wandering.


"Kelvin." Nilanth looked up to see Olaf standing above him. "Pass me your bowl, I'll wash it. You can settle into the tent now. You, Sigurd and I are sharing one tent. The two healer women get another. Elder Riker gets the last to himself."


"Thank you. I'll get my pack now." Nilanth stood up and went to get the backpack he had been travelling with. He unrolled his bedroll, which had been tied to the back of the bag, and then took his sleeping bag out. There was something about the smell of the brand-new material that was pleasing to his human nose. Despite not knowing the source of it, he settled down and awaited the arrival of the two guards. Soon enough they arrived and they too set out their beds. Nilanth closed his eyes and breathed deeply, relaxing himself in the hope of not having nightmares, then drifted off to sleep.


~~~The next morning~~~


Nilanth awoke to the singing of the occasional bird and the stirring of the two men, with whom he shared a tent. After lying still for some time, he too got up.


"Morning, Kelvin."


"Morning."


"Morning Olaf. Sigurd," replied Nilanth before climbing out from the sleeping bag. After he had packed his bag, Nilanth climbed out the tent and looked around the dewed landscape. He yawned and stretched, before going to help the two guards with what he could around the campsite.

 

[Nyte]

As the sun peaked over the horizon it's warmth washed over Faye as she sat on a prayer rug with her eyes closed. She found that morning meditations often helped her find her center that she would need to pass out the apologies she owed when everyone woke up.


The sound of people stirring from their beds could be heard as the day began to warm and more light filled the sky. Standing from her sitting position on the rug she rolled the thick cloth up and tied I to the back of the horse the Elder used. Such precious items he liked to keep close during their travels.


The first person Faye saw emerge from their tent was Kelvin. She inhaled a large breath and exhausted to solidify her good mood this morning. "Good morning Kelvin." She stated as she approached him. "I wanted to offer my apologies for my actions last night. It was very inappropriate of me."

 

[Greatmar2]

"Good morning Kelvin. I wanted to offer my apologies for my actions last night. It was very inappropriate of me."


Nilanth turned to the healer as she approached him. He then responded, "Good morning. Apology accepted. Shall we try get along from now?" He smiled. I need to earn these human's trust, he thought to himself once again.


Nilanth idly walked over to the horse and held his hand out to it, watching it sniff his hand. He then stroked it a bit. He remembered a time a couple decades ago when he had explored the lands in and surrounding Kajori's territory. He had changed his form to that of any new type of animal he met and had spent some time with each, learning some of the ways of lesser creatures. He sometimes referred back to those experiences when hunting or to use that species' strength in a certain situation. Horses were creatures of flight. They usually slept standing, ready to flee at the slightest hint of danger, only lying down in very safe environments. The equine species was meant to be free, to run from its preditors. Humans had subdued them and made them into animals for work, sport and war.


"So, what is for breakfast?" Nilanth asked, turning his attention back to the healer.