Saraenith 4710
Imperator Pax
Talon Master
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Saraenith 4710
The longest day of the year, enough sunlight to work to work until late in the evening. At least that had been the plan up until... about midday when a loud cracking noise had begun to be heard. Fears of something breaking had been put aside, as all the beams seemed fine, but the growing heat from the egg and the repeated increasing crunching mounting from within provided an answer. One of the junior priests, and a mason in service to the church of the Inheritor, had rushed to fetch him shoving their way past Jhod and some others as they'd waited in line.
For good reason too they barely made it back to the site of the cathedral as noon took shape over head, and the wyrmling finally freed itself from the egg. An explosive burst of flame from the egg's boundary harmless smashed itself against a half completed wall of masonry brick. The cracking of shattered egg fragments redoubled as the wyrmling leapt out of the incubator to survey the 'lair'.
"Big."
"Aye."
The outburst from kobold, and then Harrim's reflexive simple acknowledgement was met with a sudden shift. Golden eyes flittered underneath a crown of sharp horns. He'd, Eire, was inclined to agree, the wyrmling on hatching he'd expected would have been well probably bigger than Linzi, but not the size of a full grown human. "Harrim pull everyone back." He ordered stepping to body block the incoming fire blast. A hundred and thirty something pounds of muscle, ungainly as the charge might have been, had followed after the charge.
Wrestling the crimson scaled wyrmling to the ground, and avoiding getting bit in the process took some effort but Eire was fully acclimated to being immune to fire so the errant fire bursts did nothing but make a big light show. The frenzied hatchling took the better part of a few hours to calm all the same which left him sitting in the cathedral while everyone else went about the business of the day.... though part of the problem was new comers just made the dragon more irritated... but within a few hours it was conversant in draconic if nothing else, and by nightfall could carry on a conversation in that language.
"This was not how I wanted to start the work week." He muttered, not out of any wish to not be heard, but really to grouse. The Wyrmling's incubator and fragments of egg had had a partition wrapped around most of it giving the dragon a vantage point to look out, but where it didn't have to contend with most.
Jaethal snorted, "That should go without saying." She threw a pointed glance at the two kobolds leaning out of their provided chairs.
The dragon hatching put them now in the spot of having to... him having... to mind the wyrmling, "We will give it a couple of days, Valerie I want you to ride out to the Nixie's glade and mark out precisely where it is and then map everything back to the southern crossing. I want a watch post there in the future, but once you've done that speak with Kresten. We're going to go north west and look for a crossing over the river."
--
That would be what led them into the woods, and eventually to remote section of the skunk river, where several sandy islets created the ford they had been looking for. At some point probably within the last few generations someone had tried to build a crossing that had since collapsed in, but had left large chunks of rubble strewn across the river's passage.
Amiri swung on instinct turning her giant's sword towards a nearby maple tree just as a six foot creature leapt from a hole at the base of the tree. The verdant reptile had clearly draconic features , and from its mouth wafted greenish vapors. "Another one over there." Linzi shouted pointing towards one of the isles in the river. The second green reptile had reared up from where it had been sunning itself making a shrill cry, that was drowned out by the beat of long red wings as the wyrmling took flight.
Amiri parried claws and hissing brought the thick blade to lever the Tatzylwyrm she was fighting back towards the brush. "I got this." She snapped.
"Clearly," Jaethal agreed as the best circled back towards the barbarian. The inquisitor made no move to intervene in the fight as Amiri corrected her stance and rushed towards the lizard, just as a crash sounded from the river. The stream of haughty condemnations of the false dragon's lineage rained from the hatchling red as she dived to meet the other Tatzlwyrm on the pile of rocks it had been leisurely occupying.
Linzi blinked and let her crossbow rest limply, "Should we be do something?" She asked in her high pitched squeak.
"Let them fight, we'll never hear the end of it if we don't let them." Jaethal counseled, not clarifying to mean one or the other. It was just the five of them after all. Harrim had remained at the site of Shrikewall to mediate and deal with matters of religion, particularly regarding the Erastil faithful and what was to be done regarding rebuilding the temple of the elk farther north.
The young dragon gave an attempt at a triumphal bellow as it roasted the Tatzylwyrm with a fifteen foot cone of white fire that completely burned through the reptile's upper half. A moment later Amiri had successfully decapitated the Tatzlwyrm, which she proceeded to pick up, "Trophy!" She declared happily.
An angry huff of flame, and then the dragon pointed towards the water, "Treasure." Then jumped into the churning waters. Within a few moments the wyrmling had dragged out the meager horde of the tatzlwyrms, the possessions of a long dead explorer.
"That's cold iron." Jaethal remarked inspected the masterwork longsword before moving to the decaying leather satchel. There were some coins, a ring, she scoffed at a jade carving of a nude female elf, but then tossed a watertight scroll tube that Eire carefully opened.
"What is it?" Amiri asked.
"A map, looks like he came down from the north," The map had some kind of scrawled signature in Taldan, but probably not a Taldan name, ABU IJN, the rest unclear due to a tear at the end. The map had the Temple of the Elk marked, as well as the source of the Skunk river, at the time it had been written Abu whatever his name was, had been had indicated to the north a village to the north west, "What's this mean?" He indicated an icon
"Tiger Lords, I believe," Jaethal said translating, "At one point they stretched all over this territory, but I don't know if they'd still be there. This map is probably at least fifty years old. It appears he trekked in from Numeria, it looks like there maybe ruins further north" She added indicating somewhere maybe eight or ten miles on the eastern side of the Skunk. "Probably more taldan ruins."
It was possible that if they had used the crossing here that they'd have been able to north and then find another one to cross back over, but they decided not to chance it, loaded up the small cache, and returned to wence they had come and followed the river north as it jinked easterly and then straightened north. Slowly away from where the fast moving curve kept the water relatively clean and free the land turned into a soggy mire, and in the distance were definitely old fortifications of Taldan make. Blocks of mud and moss stained black basalt lay half sunk into the earth The Taldan buildings were probably the remains of a fort and had likely been surrounded by a curtain wall given the sheer amount of stones all lyring around...
Somewhere a loud croak sounded, and then an equally froggy voice cried out 'TRUCE! TRUCE!" The male boggard was a pitiful sight as he hobbled out from one of the smaller buildings. He stank of booze, and had a badly maimed left hand, but lowered his hands when they didn't attack, "Garrum," He used his good hand to indicate himself, "Slurk" He pointed to the magical beast that had joined its master, "You?" They made introductions, and Garuum offered them a half way passable moonshine made from what he assumed was a salvaged still from somewhere and some crickets covered in some kind of sauce that while crunchy were edible. That was about the limit of Garrum the Boggard's common though. Magical means rectified that. "Escaped from home swamp," To the west in the lands claimed by Drelev's charter. "Many statues of Elk man in north. Moss covered, and then across river big stone, pool, many monstrous animals."
"No longer. Monsters destroyed." Linzi replied, Garrum had been living in the area for a while and knew about the tatzlwyrms, as well had seen Tuskgutter a time or two, but not sense Amiri had killed the big pig.
The reason though for Garrum the Boggard's injured hand and his flight from hooktongue slough with Drelev, he'd been escaping his own chieftain after having launched... a failed rebellion on his lonesome. The pulverized left hand though was easy to fix with healing magic, which amazed the frog man into telling them about a dead unicorn that didn't rot in glade across the river, somewhere south of a statue of Erastil but north of what he described as a huge stone kingdom. Given his description is must have on the Murque river given the implied western distance, and southerly location.
They made the decision to keep trekking north, but veered eastward to make for the Temple of The Elk. "What do you make of the boggard's tale of a stone kingdom?"
"That's what he called his home," Eire remarked as they approached the Temple grounds. "I expect if he describes it as bigger its probably a more intact Taldan fortification... but if its as far as he says it is then its too far for us to do anything about just yet, but it does suggest there are a number of recoverable fortifications." In truth though, "The possibility of that village in the north, I would want to investigate that first." Garrum had made clear he hadn't gone into the big stone kingdom saying he'd had a bad feeling about it, but it had at least appeared abandoned to him. Not really a surprise.
They slowed their approach as Beaky the Owlbear gave a trumpeting call, which was not so much a warning as it reminded them that the dragon hadn't met the owlbear, or Akiros for that matter who appeared shortly thereafter.
He did a double take, "We only just received word the egg had hatched. I didn't expect him,"
"Her," Eire corrected.
"We are Shaoyu, the radiant sword of midday." The wyrmling declared imperiously flaring her wings.
Akiros Insmort glanced to Eire, "Praise Iomedae?" He asked unsurely.
There was no guarantee that she'd stick with this one, but there were only so many things to read, especially given the hatchling's limited grasp of common without using comprehend language, and that was first level magic. There was also the fact that there was a very real chance the foisting of the egg off had been the age factor. As a young adult dragon a hatchling would be a comparatively much greater draw on resources and potential rival.... but Eire hadn't voiced that as it was pure speculation on his part. "How are things here?" Eire asked changing the subject.
"I can show you, but pretty well I think."
Destruction of the evil bear treant had purified the area... probably the destruction of all of the corrupted guardians had purified the area, but there was a difference between that and the cleaning of a more mundane sort in terms of physical appearance. The Taldan had preferred stone construction, and that showed with the way the grounds were laid out, restoring the mix of stone arches and wooden beams to hold up the roof would take longer, but the surrounding acreage was now occupied with tens of tents and masses of people who had made the trip from the surrounding area. For good reason, purged of the taint the pool at the stairs was capable of healing wounds even if you couldn't bottle the water and have it retain the effect.
The longest day of the year, enough sunlight to work to work until late in the evening. At least that had been the plan up until... about midday when a loud cracking noise had begun to be heard. Fears of something breaking had been put aside, as all the beams seemed fine, but the growing heat from the egg and the repeated increasing crunching mounting from within provided an answer. One of the junior priests, and a mason in service to the church of the Inheritor, had rushed to fetch him shoving their way past Jhod and some others as they'd waited in line.
For good reason too they barely made it back to the site of the cathedral as noon took shape over head, and the wyrmling finally freed itself from the egg. An explosive burst of flame from the egg's boundary harmless smashed itself against a half completed wall of masonry brick. The cracking of shattered egg fragments redoubled as the wyrmling leapt out of the incubator to survey the 'lair'.
"Big."
"Aye."
The outburst from kobold, and then Harrim's reflexive simple acknowledgement was met with a sudden shift. Golden eyes flittered underneath a crown of sharp horns. He'd, Eire, was inclined to agree, the wyrmling on hatching he'd expected would have been well probably bigger than Linzi, but not the size of a full grown human. "Harrim pull everyone back." He ordered stepping to body block the incoming fire blast. A hundred and thirty something pounds of muscle, ungainly as the charge might have been, had followed after the charge.
Wrestling the crimson scaled wyrmling to the ground, and avoiding getting bit in the process took some effort but Eire was fully acclimated to being immune to fire so the errant fire bursts did nothing but make a big light show. The frenzied hatchling took the better part of a few hours to calm all the same which left him sitting in the cathedral while everyone else went about the business of the day.... though part of the problem was new comers just made the dragon more irritated... but within a few hours it was conversant in draconic if nothing else, and by nightfall could carry on a conversation in that language.
"This was not how I wanted to start the work week." He muttered, not out of any wish to not be heard, but really to grouse. The Wyrmling's incubator and fragments of egg had had a partition wrapped around most of it giving the dragon a vantage point to look out, but where it didn't have to contend with most.
Jaethal snorted, "That should go without saying." She threw a pointed glance at the two kobolds leaning out of their provided chairs.
The dragon hatching put them now in the spot of having to... him having... to mind the wyrmling, "We will give it a couple of days, Valerie I want you to ride out to the Nixie's glade and mark out precisely where it is and then map everything back to the southern crossing. I want a watch post there in the future, but once you've done that speak with Kresten. We're going to go north west and look for a crossing over the river."
--
That would be what led them into the woods, and eventually to remote section of the skunk river, where several sandy islets created the ford they had been looking for. At some point probably within the last few generations someone had tried to build a crossing that had since collapsed in, but had left large chunks of rubble strewn across the river's passage.
Amiri swung on instinct turning her giant's sword towards a nearby maple tree just as a six foot creature leapt from a hole at the base of the tree. The verdant reptile had clearly draconic features , and from its mouth wafted greenish vapors. "Another one over there." Linzi shouted pointing towards one of the isles in the river. The second green reptile had reared up from where it had been sunning itself making a shrill cry, that was drowned out by the beat of long red wings as the wyrmling took flight.
Amiri parried claws and hissing brought the thick blade to lever the Tatzylwyrm she was fighting back towards the brush. "I got this." She snapped.
"Clearly," Jaethal agreed as the best circled back towards the barbarian. The inquisitor made no move to intervene in the fight as Amiri corrected her stance and rushed towards the lizard, just as a crash sounded from the river. The stream of haughty condemnations of the false dragon's lineage rained from the hatchling red as she dived to meet the other Tatzlwyrm on the pile of rocks it had been leisurely occupying.
Linzi blinked and let her crossbow rest limply, "Should we be do something?" She asked in her high pitched squeak.
"Let them fight, we'll never hear the end of it if we don't let them." Jaethal counseled, not clarifying to mean one or the other. It was just the five of them after all. Harrim had remained at the site of Shrikewall to mediate and deal with matters of religion, particularly regarding the Erastil faithful and what was to be done regarding rebuilding the temple of the elk farther north.
The young dragon gave an attempt at a triumphal bellow as it roasted the Tatzylwyrm with a fifteen foot cone of white fire that completely burned through the reptile's upper half. A moment later Amiri had successfully decapitated the Tatzlwyrm, which she proceeded to pick up, "Trophy!" She declared happily.
An angry huff of flame, and then the dragon pointed towards the water, "Treasure." Then jumped into the churning waters. Within a few moments the wyrmling had dragged out the meager horde of the tatzlwyrms, the possessions of a long dead explorer.
"That's cold iron." Jaethal remarked inspected the masterwork longsword before moving to the decaying leather satchel. There were some coins, a ring, she scoffed at a jade carving of a nude female elf, but then tossed a watertight scroll tube that Eire carefully opened.
"What is it?" Amiri asked.
"A map, looks like he came down from the north," The map had some kind of scrawled signature in Taldan, but probably not a Taldan name, ABU IJN, the rest unclear due to a tear at the end. The map had the Temple of the Elk marked, as well as the source of the Skunk river, at the time it had been written Abu whatever his name was, had been had indicated to the north a village to the north west, "What's this mean?" He indicated an icon
"Tiger Lords, I believe," Jaethal said translating, "At one point they stretched all over this territory, but I don't know if they'd still be there. This map is probably at least fifty years old. It appears he trekked in from Numeria, it looks like there maybe ruins further north" She added indicating somewhere maybe eight or ten miles on the eastern side of the Skunk. "Probably more taldan ruins."
It was possible that if they had used the crossing here that they'd have been able to north and then find another one to cross back over, but they decided not to chance it, loaded up the small cache, and returned to wence they had come and followed the river north as it jinked easterly and then straightened north. Slowly away from where the fast moving curve kept the water relatively clean and free the land turned into a soggy mire, and in the distance were definitely old fortifications of Taldan make. Blocks of mud and moss stained black basalt lay half sunk into the earth The Taldan buildings were probably the remains of a fort and had likely been surrounded by a curtain wall given the sheer amount of stones all lyring around...
Somewhere a loud croak sounded, and then an equally froggy voice cried out 'TRUCE! TRUCE!" The male boggard was a pitiful sight as he hobbled out from one of the smaller buildings. He stank of booze, and had a badly maimed left hand, but lowered his hands when they didn't attack, "Garrum," He used his good hand to indicate himself, "Slurk" He pointed to the magical beast that had joined its master, "You?" They made introductions, and Garuum offered them a half way passable moonshine made from what he assumed was a salvaged still from somewhere and some crickets covered in some kind of sauce that while crunchy were edible. That was about the limit of Garrum the Boggard's common though. Magical means rectified that. "Escaped from home swamp," To the west in the lands claimed by Drelev's charter. "Many statues of Elk man in north. Moss covered, and then across river big stone, pool, many monstrous animals."
"No longer. Monsters destroyed." Linzi replied, Garrum had been living in the area for a while and knew about the tatzlwyrms, as well had seen Tuskgutter a time or two, but not sense Amiri had killed the big pig.
The reason though for Garrum the Boggard's injured hand and his flight from hooktongue slough with Drelev, he'd been escaping his own chieftain after having launched... a failed rebellion on his lonesome. The pulverized left hand though was easy to fix with healing magic, which amazed the frog man into telling them about a dead unicorn that didn't rot in glade across the river, somewhere south of a statue of Erastil but north of what he described as a huge stone kingdom. Given his description is must have on the Murque river given the implied western distance, and southerly location.
They made the decision to keep trekking north, but veered eastward to make for the Temple of The Elk. "What do you make of the boggard's tale of a stone kingdom?"
"That's what he called his home," Eire remarked as they approached the Temple grounds. "I expect if he describes it as bigger its probably a more intact Taldan fortification... but if its as far as he says it is then its too far for us to do anything about just yet, but it does suggest there are a number of recoverable fortifications." In truth though, "The possibility of that village in the north, I would want to investigate that first." Garrum had made clear he hadn't gone into the big stone kingdom saying he'd had a bad feeling about it, but it had at least appeared abandoned to him. Not really a surprise.
They slowed their approach as Beaky the Owlbear gave a trumpeting call, which was not so much a warning as it reminded them that the dragon hadn't met the owlbear, or Akiros for that matter who appeared shortly thereafter.
He did a double take, "We only just received word the egg had hatched. I didn't expect him,"
"Her," Eire corrected.
"We are Shaoyu, the radiant sword of midday." The wyrmling declared imperiously flaring her wings.
Akiros Insmort glanced to Eire, "Praise Iomedae?" He asked unsurely.
There was no guarantee that she'd stick with this one, but there were only so many things to read, especially given the hatchling's limited grasp of common without using comprehend language, and that was first level magic. There was also the fact that there was a very real chance the foisting of the egg off had been the age factor. As a young adult dragon a hatchling would be a comparatively much greater draw on resources and potential rival.... but Eire hadn't voiced that as it was pure speculation on his part. "How are things here?" Eire asked changing the subject.
"I can show you, but pretty well I think."
Destruction of the evil bear treant had purified the area... probably the destruction of all of the corrupted guardians had purified the area, but there was a difference between that and the cleaning of a more mundane sort in terms of physical appearance. The Taldan had preferred stone construction, and that showed with the way the grounds were laid out, restoring the mix of stone arches and wooden beams to hold up the roof would take longer, but the surrounding acreage was now occupied with tens of tents and masses of people who had made the trip from the surrounding area. For good reason, purged of the taint the pool at the stairs was capable of healing wounds even if you couldn't bottle the water and have it retain the effect.
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