The Dragon Master {IC}

[Durzan]

OOC Thread is here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?487399-Freeform-The-Dragon-Master-OCC&p=20761342#post20761342)

Day 1

(OOC: Since the Dragons are effectively being treated as slaves by most Dragon Masters, then it is only logical for there to be slave markets… ahem I mean “Dragon Service Auctions”… gotta be politically correct here. Sorry for subjecting your characters to this crap on the first post, but it is the easiest, most universal way I could think of to get the party together under one roof, while still showing the ugly side of this story. It sets the tone perfectly, and will provide a stark contrast for your character’s treatment under Bairn.)

Dammit! How could you have been so foolish! You were just so hungry… you just had to make the jump, otherwise your stomach pains would’ve killed you. Your parents had warned you not to go, but you didn’t listen, and while in Illnora… you got careless and a Dragon Master found you out. Overconfident in your own abilities, you tried to fight him or to escape, but his magic easily overpowered you. Knowing it was the only way to escape, you instinctually attempt the jump back to Draconia in a panic. You briefly set foot on the dusty red soil of Draconia, your mind both surprised and elated; you had outwitted a Dragon Master!But then you feel something tugging at you. You feel your body begin to shift again. No… It can’t be…! With a flash, you are back in Illnora, and in your human form. You try to shift back to your dragon form, but there is some kind of invisible barrier preventing you from doing so.

The Dragon Master who had found you out is standing in front of you, a smug look upon his face. that you just want to rend with your now nonexistent claws. “Well…well…well, ye do be seemin’ te wake. Yer sure te fetch a hefty price on tis local Dragon Market.”

That did it. You throw a punch at the man, which doesn’t seem to phase him in the slightest. Moments later, you feel the zap of a slight electrical shock. Cursed humans and their confounded magic! As you shake your hand, you notice a glowing blue mark on the palm of your hand that vaguely resembled a dragon.

“Aha… a feisty one, aren’t ya?” The Dragon Master, “Now, tha’ will only raise yer price. Th’y be some masters who prize breaking a strapping young’n like yourself; If I were te be in yer shoes, I’d refrain fr’m making too much of a fuss, don’t ye know?”
You bite your lip, trying not to respond. It was clear that he was in control… for now.

The next few days were a blur… you aren’t sure if they put a sleeping spell on you, or of if they drugged your food. All you can recall is that the caged wagon you were transported in had no windows, smelled awful, and you were given very little to eat. Just like back home; not much has changed.

The first thing you clearly remember, is bright light stinging your eyes as you are escorted from the cage and dragged roughly onto an a wooden platform next to 4 four others. You hear a faint muttering, and then you feel a force of energy clamp around your feet, preventing you from moving more than a few inches in any direction.You stare out defiantly into the crowd, seeing many faces, old and young, male and female. To you it was all the same: cruelty. You were determined to not let them break you.

“We have 5 freshly caught dragons, here!” Boomed a tall man at a podium right in front of the stage. “All of them Untamed. All of them together, fine deal! Lets start the bidding at 10 Gold Maurcs!”
The faceless crowd shuffled uneasily.

“Ten!” A gruff voice shouted.
“Ten Maurcs and 2 Dunis!” Another rumbled.
“I offer Eleven!”
“What about Twelve Maurcs and 5 Dunis!”
“Thirteen!”
“I raise that to Thirteen Maurcs and 4 Dunis!”
“Fourteen!”

The crowd quieted down. You zone out. Whatever a Maurc was, it was some form of measuring value. And you weren’t worth very much to them it seemed. You lower your head again. As you look down, your eyes happen to meet those of a cruel looking man near the front of the crowd. His burning eyes bespoke of a terrible hatred and hunger, and the deep scars on his hook-nosed face only served to make him appear even more frightening. There was something about him that caused a shiver to run down your spine.

“Fourteen, I heard Fourteen, can anyone raise to Fifteen?”
The crowd held its breath. It seemed as though the group would be sold.
“Fifteen!” The scarred man bellowed.
“Eighteen!” A second man, just as ugly bellowed.
“Twenty!” The scarred man countered, an evil grin on his face. That one was determined… almost as if he was hungry…
The second man bowed his head, in defeat.

“Going Once…”

A movement at the back of the crowd catches your attention.

“Going Twice… And…S—”

The Auctioneer cut off shortly, his hands shaking, as he noticed the crowd suddenly part, revealing a young man of medium shrouded in a blue cloak and holding a staff. The crowd was dead silent. If a scale would’ve dropped, you could hear it.

“Come on, finish this! I want my property!” The scarred man growled.

The Auctioneer and the crowd just stood and gaped in silent astonishment.

“1 Xinti,” the blue cloaked man offered calmly.
“M—M-Master Bairn?
“Do you accept my offer?”
“Of course.”
“Now, transfer the spells over to me, and we shall be on our way.”
“Y-y-yes, sir!”

The Auctioneer walked in front of the five of you, muttering a few words, and gesturing with his hands, and then you felt a slight change in the spells that bound you. You could move again. Hesitantly, you and the others step off the platform and walk towards your new master, who eyed each of you up and down expressionless. His blue eyes seemed calm and calculating, but for just a moment, you thought you saw his eyes twinkle. Then he motioned you all to follow, and turned, making his way back through the dumbfounded crowd. As you turned to follow Bairn, you thought you could hear the scarred man muttering curses under his breath.

“All of you look like you haven’t had a decent meal in weeks,” Bairn muttered to the five of you, once you were out of hearing range of the crowd. “I know of a place where we can get a decent meal; Dlamard’s is the name I believe. And while we eat, you can tell me just how you got yourselves into this predicament.”

((OOC: You may now assume control over your characters. The next few posts should take place within Dlamard's Restaurant. Use this opportunity to introduce yourselves to everyone else in the group, ask questions, explain a bit about your background, etc.))

Some dragons in draconia heard rumors of a Dragon Master who was exceptionally kind and respectful to the dragons in his service... unfortunately, the rumors don't give any specifics.


((OOC: Welcome my friends, to the World of Illnora! Home of the Dragon Masters!))

[Mabn]

Morgawr followed along nonplussed by the events. Being forced into human form had made him close to blind and he hadn't bothered to bring it up with his captors. Now he stumbled after his new owner following by the blue coat and the parting crowds around him.

[gremlin-pult]

Valstraz tried in vain to keep each and every human within his sight as he unhappily followed the blue cloaked manling away from the market. Expecting a whip, or a stab in the back, or in the front even, he moved tensely and tried to keep in the middle of the other dragons, to discourage any human agression from finding him first.
Well, this is a spectacular failure... He thought to himself as he briefly studied the mark that their captor had put on them. It rankled him to be shackled like that, but there was nothing he could do. It would take magic to conquer magic, after all.
Deciding that undue worrying would only bring unnecessary stress, he settled for watching carefully for now, and let his new... fellows... take the lead in conversation and action. At the least, he'd have to curb his pangs of hunger for now, although they renewed with a vengeance when the human mentioned a restaurant, and let the others eat first. Elders know what the humans might put in our food, the better to bend us to their will...

[Ilena]

Aurora struggles with the chains, she wants out of this form, its lumpy and soft, nothing like the elegance and power of her true form. who are these people who feel they can trap her kind freely. when she gets out of these bonds someone is going to pay. when the mention of food comes around her stomach rumbles, something to eat is why she came here after all. She does not entirely understand how humans are supposed to eat, but with these small dull teeth it is probably far different then what she is used to.

[JNAProductions]

Celina trudges along sadly, her head held low.

[Elbeyon]

How foolish indeed. She supposes it was only a matter of time before someone enslaved her. She should never had taken dragon form and allowed others to spy her as an object. The chains move along with her as she follows.

Though she's only making things worse on herself, she struggles with her prison. A major inconvenience to herself and a minor one toward her false master seems worth it. Even if her fellow dragons have to suffer a little. When he finally speaks to them her face increases in intensity. "You're joking?" He's joking about us starving. "If you're trying to win us over on the cheap you're not doing very well. Slaver scum like you don't deserve an easy live with which to abuse others." Her dried, cracked lips hurting as her voice raised. "A show of kindness won't wash away your guilt. Our servitude is beyond any fee."

[Durzan]

As everyone continues walking, Bairn turned and looked at the blonde haired girl with the scar on her face, his face like a mask. His eyes showing no hint of anger or malice. He steps back, so he is walking beside you instead of in front. His deep blue eyes meets hers.

“Little one, I have so much guilt piled on my back and shoulders that the entire Gulf Ocean couldn’t wash it away, much less one single act of kindness,” He said in a calm voice, just loud enough for the entire group to hear it. “Do you really think a life as a Dragon Master is easy? It takes years of intense training to learn magic, even longer to be taught how to summon. By the time all of that is done, most of us have become numb to it at the least, or worse. I have seen first hand how other dragons were treated. What you have gone through just in the past week is only a small taste of that. Some Dragon Masters are worse than others, treating their dragons worse than pigs. Others, in an increasingly shrinking group, try to afford your kind at least some respect. How many of us do you think weep inside whenever we see the kind of treatment you and your fellows are put through? How many of us do you think, seek out as many dragons that come here as we can, to ensure that someone with cruel intentions doesn’t get to you first? How many of us do you really think are heartless bastards? Which group do you think I am a part of?"

He stood up, glanced around for a moment, then pointed to a small well kept building just off to the left. “Oh look were here. If you think the meal was a joke, then I suppose you don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to. I will not force you to eat, but I do ask that you come along. We can talk more freely when we aren’t out in the open.”

Dlamard Family Diner
Var Novis, Northern District
Happily serving others for over 10 Years

Bairn stops at the door, noting the glowing dragon symbol on everyone else’s hand. “Before we go in, let me suppress your mark. The glowing tends to attract unwanted attention. When the mark isn’t active, it will appear to be just a normal tattoo.”

Bairn waved his hand, and the mark shimmered briefly then faded away, leaving only a small black shape that only vaguely resembled a dragon. Almost simultaneously, you felt the magical forces that were binding you loosen up quite a bit. You could tell they were still there, but it wasn’t completely suffocating now. And where as before you couldn’t even sense your true form, now it felt like it was there… almost out of reach, like it was behind a thin wall of glass. He smiled slightly as he watched the reactions of you and your companions. “You can all feel your true forms now, yes? You still won’t be able to transform back just yet, but it should ease some of that tension which you’ve been feeling. While the common folk are typically more pleasant to deal with than Dragon Masters, they likely haven’t seen a dragon’s true form. The entire city could end up in a panic, and thats the sort of mess that I really don’t want to deal with right now.”

Bairn opened the door, letting you and the other dragons go through first, before following you in himself. It wasn’t very crowded, but you could tell that the family that owned the restaurant kept good care of it. The wooden floor looked like it had just been swept, and the tables were clean, or at least, the ones that didn’t have customers sitting at them. A young man with messy blonde hair looked up, as the group entered, and rushed over to meet you.

“Welcome to Dlamard’s, my name is Goose, and I will be your caterer today. Would you prefer a table or a booth?”

Bairn looks at each of the dragons, then back at Goose. “A booth please.”

“Right this way, sir.”

Goose led them to a large booth in the corner, and motioned for everyone to sit. You and the others do so, albeit a bit nervously.

“What would you like?”

“Steak, medium rare, and a glass of wine for me.” Bairn replied. “They’ve been through a lot recently, give them whatever they would like.”

Goose quickly asks each of you for your orders, listening very carefully with wrapped attention. Once he had finished taking all the orders, he rushed to the back with hurried precision. As soon as he was gone, Bairn took another long look into the eyes of you and your fellows. You note that his eyes didn’t hold the hardness that you saw in the others at the market.

“Since we are out from the prying eye of the public, and now that we have food on the way, I think its time we formally introduce ourselves. I am Bairn Novison, the blue Dragon Master. My late mother, was the Duchess of Var Novis, the city in which you are currently located. That doesn’t mean I control the city however; the local populace are quite capable of going about their daily lives without my interference. My duties as a member of the Order of Wizards and as a Dragon Master take up most of my time, and as such I am hardly ever in town anyway.What matters that need a Noble’s attention is handled by my Secretary, Argos. Anyway, most of that is really not that important. I am more interested in who each of you are. Tell me, What is your name? Was there more than one reason you made the jump? Which of the twelve dragon clans do each of you hail from? Dark-claw? Whisper Wind? Scatter-Tooth? Firemaw? Or one of the lesser known ones ones, such as the Frostbite or Moon-hunter Clans?”

Bairn listens intently as you and your companions slowly start talking, uncomfortably at first, but soon you find yourself calming down, if only a little. While you are not completely relaxed, you find yourself relatively at ease with this strange human and your newfound compatriots. While you and the others By the time all of you have finished telling your stories, the food has arrived. Your stomach complains loudly, as you catch a whiff of the delicious food.

As you finish devouring your meal, Bairn clears his throat.“Now that you have had some food, there is much that we need to discuss, and much that all of you need to know, especially if you are to survive in Illnora. Most of it will have to wait until we are back at my manor, but I can divulge some of it now. I’m sure you are quite aware that there are worse fates that could’ve befell you today. Had I not intervened, I would be willing to bet that the scar-faced man back at the auction would’ve gutted and skinned the lot of you by nightfall; or failing that, you would each be stuffed alone in a cell that would’ve made those transport carts seem roomy, awaiting an even gloomier fate, instead of being able to sit here and enjoy a hot meal. If you have any questions of me, I am willing to answer some of them. Others will have to wait until we are out of the city.”

(OOC: sorry for the long posts guys. I’m trying to cover a lot of ground, fairly quickly, and this gives you guys enough structure and ground to cover, to allow you enough room to make a well detailed post.)

[Ilena]

Aurora stays quite while the man talks, claiming to be not a heartless bastard ... to imprison her ... to take the sky from her is a fate worse then death. She does continue to glare at him as they walk, the only one to focus her attention on, the others , true dragons , would be her allies in this. She watches as the man makes the mark fade, that cursed mark is blocking her from her form, she feels her form is just a hairs breath away, she reaches for it pushing for freedom. CLosing her eyes she focus's, pushes , tries with all her draconic might, but ... nothing. Openning her eyes she again glares at the man, so close ... yet so far away ... this is torture.

She refuses to speak the human tongue and speaks in draconic, "Something with meat ... and lots of it ..." she still glares at the man who is their captor. Listening as he tells that he is .. or could be, the ruler of the city if he wishes to be, when he asks for her name, "Aurora," Continuing to speak in Draconic, "If you say you are not like the others, then free us to go home. We have no desire to be your slaves." The anger in her voice is so thick you could cut it with a knife.

[Durzan]

Aurora stays quite while the man talks, claiming to be not a heartless bastard ... to imprison her ... to take the sky from her is a fate worse then death. She does continue to glare at him as they walk, the only one to focus her attention on, the others , true dragons , would be her allies in this. She watches as the man makes the mark fade, that cursed mark is blocking her from her form, she feels her form is just a hairs breath away, she reaches for it pushing for freedom. Closing her eyes she focus's, pushes , tries with all her draconic might, but ... nothing. Openning her eyes she again glares at the man, so close ... yet so far away ... this is torture.

She refuses to speak the human tongue and speaks in draconic, "Something with meat ... and lots of it ..." she still glares at the man who is their captor. Listening as he tells that he is .. or could be, the ruler of the city if he wishes to be, when he asks for her name, "Aurora," Continuing to speak in Draconic, "If you say you are not like the others, then free us to go home. We have no desire to be your slaves." The anger in her voice is so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Bairn translates the order for Aurora, watching her shift around uncomfortably, and glare at him.

"Aurora. Among humans, such name means 'Dawn' or 'Hope'," Bairn mused, "Among dragons it means 'Agile' or 'Quick' if I recall correctly. Such a name would suggest you are from the Wind Whisper clan. They pride themselves on their speed and agility while in flight. A very appropriate name, and a very beautiful One I might add."

"As far as your request to be free to return home," he pauses for a moment, organizing his thoughts,"it is not an unreasonable request, and perfectly understandable given the current circumstances. However, there is a slight problem. The terms of the old treaty were clear that a summoned dragon would serve a minimum of one human year, or until the terms of the agreed upon contract were fulfilled. Since you were summoned here without a bargain, a result of jumping here of your own free will, the spell binds you here until the minimum time period is fufilled. Even if I were to fully release you now, you wouldn't be able to make the jump until that time period expired. And that's not even considering the fact that doing so would put me, as well as every other dragon I released, in the sights of the Wizard Council and the Knights of Rhorda. You'd find yourself in more danger than you were when you first got captured... Hunted by the deadliest wizards in the world, and setting a group of extremists on your trail."

"I could alter the spell to allow me to set each of you free early, but since I wasn't the one who initially cast it, doing so would take time and considerable effort. Six months prep time at the minimum, possibly longer if the Dragon Master who cast it decided to be clever and hide some surprises in it. Not to mention that if I mess up somewhere, I could end up accidentally extending the spell rather than shortening it. All things considered, its probably just worth it to wait the full year. Either way, you,look at it, you are stuck here. The summoning spell is faster and less exhausting than the jump, but it does have its own price."

[gremlin-pult]

As the female, Aurora, made her feelings about the situation known and Bairn answered, Valstraz listened with keen concentration. He waved of the waiter with a muttered order for the same that Aurora ordered, and when the food came he forcibly silenced his growling stomach and waited until she ate some of her food first. Seeing no adverse effects on the female, Valstraz ate his own, slowly and carefully chewing it, alert to any odd tastes or sensations in it.
When there was a lull in Aurora's conversation with Bairn, he spoke for the first time. "So what you say is, in simple terms, that you now hold our leashes, and is either incapable of or unwilling to set us free. And that it's all for our sakes, and in our best interests." He said in a level tone, polite and clear, but not with a shred of warmth. His lips curved ever so slightly, a small sardonic smile on his face. "You'll have to forgive us for, quite reasonably, doubting everything you say. Words are cheap, and I imagine that food for starving people is as well, for a noble like you. You give us no real reason to trust you, or to stop plotting our escape."
Valstraz leaned back slightly in his chair after saying his piece, eagerly awaiting the human's answer, although he carefully masked it. If the dragonmaster truly wanted to work with them somewhat equally, he would have to offer them something tangible in return. And Valstraz knew exactly what he wanted.

[Ilena]

Thinking to herself, "At least he understands who he is dealing with," The compliment feeds her ego and pride in herself, she smiles a bit as she thinks about it. "So, if we are stuck here ... what do you want with us? Can you not just let us be into the woods for a year, if you say you are not like the others, we would be protected by your ... claim ... on us, and after a year goes by we can go home." She likes her idea ... pretty well anything that will allow her to return to her true form and to fly.

[Mabn]

Morgawr listened to the conversation round him with interest, but found negotiation before he was more familiar with this world and its terms to be an untenable gamble. Better to stretch these conversations out than bring them prematurely to a head. Gesturing towards his plate he inquired. "Of which of your grass seeds is this composed?"

[Durzan]

To Morgawr: Your plate had a thick slab of meat on it, and next to it was some kind of crumbly yellow cake. If you recalled correctly, it was a common food among humans. Was bread, what it was called?

"Are you asking about the Corn Bread on your plate, sir?" Goose asked, just a tad bit confused. He had been covertly pretending to sweep nearby, and when he heard you ask a question about the food, he came over. "Welll, Its...made from a grain called corn. Its a common food here in Var Novis."

(OOC: Still waiting for the others to post while I am working on Bairn's next reply. How he responds depends on the sum total of everyone's reactions so far.)

[Mabn]

Morgawr bit at the corn bread experimentally. If the others were like him, they had been caught nearly instantly. Catching them apparently took years of preparatory effort. If so many humans had gone through that effort only to kill the dragons shortly after their capture this realm must be unfathomably rich. Since the meat seemed comparable to home, humanities wealth must rest in this strange flaky sponge food.

[Durzan]

Thinking to herself, "At least he understands who he is dealing with," The compliment feeds her ego and pride in herself, she smiles a bit as she thinks about it. "So, if we are stuck here ... what do you want with us? Can you not just let us be into the woods for a year, if you say you are not like the others, we would be protected by your ... claim ... on us, and after a year goes by we can go home." She likes her idea ... pretty well anything that will allow her to return to her true form and to fly.

"A very good idea, Aurora. Unfortunately, It wouldn't work. If I weren't so high up, then I could possibly get away with it. But, I am a well known figure in the Wizard Council and rumors have been going around that I am a bit kinder to dragons than they would prefer me to be. They are already keeping an eye on me, if I sent you or the others out into the forest for a year, the council would take notice and you may find yourself assigned to another master rather quickly, who's treatment of you is not guaranteed to be good. Better I think, to keep you all close and at least pretend to put everyone to work, that way the council won't bat an eye."

"As for what I want with all of you, that question will have to wait until we get home, and away from prying ears. If you wish to fly when we get back home, then you and the others can assume your true forms whenever you wish, while on the grounds of my manor."


As the female, Aurora, made her feelings about the situation known and Bairn answered, Valstraz listened with keen concentration. He waved of the waiter with a muttered order for the same that Aurora ordered, and when the food came he forcibly silenced his growling stomach and waited until she ate some of her food first. Seeing no adverse effects on the female, Valstraz ate his own, slowly and carefully chewing it, alert to any odd tastes or sensations in it.
When there was a lull in Aurora's conversation with Bairn, he spoke for the first time. "So what you say is, in simple terms, that you now hold our leashes, and is either incapable of or unwilling to set us free. And that it's all for our sakes, and in our best interests." He said in a level tone, polite and clear, but not with a shred of warmth. His lips curved ever so slightly, a small sardonic smile on his face. "You'll have to forgive us for, quite reasonably, doubting everything you say. Words are cheap, and I imagine that food for starving people is as well, for a noble like you. You give us no real reason to trust you, or to stop plotting our escape."
Valstraz leaned back slightly in his chair after saying his piece, eagerly awaiting the human's answer, although he carefully masked it. If the dragonmaster truly wanted to work with them somewhat equally, he would have to offer them something tangible in return. And Valstraz knew exactly what he wanted.

Bairn turns and eyes Valstraz with a twinkle in his eye.

“You speak bluntly, that is a wise thing to do. It clears away any misconceptions,” Bairn noted, smiling slightly at the pale dragon,"As far as 'more tangible claims'... I can extend some offers here, while I wait for my friend to arrive, but again, there are too many prying ears in the city, so the best I can do now is a token offer. I think it would be wise to wait for the others to introduce themselves first, before I put any offers on the table or consider any requests. Incidentally, I believe I may recognize your accent: do you happen to hail from the Dark-claw clan? I heard that they value cunning and guile. If you are half as smart as your observation implies, then it would seem that they have a fine tribe member. It is true that words are fickle, and I can understand wanting I think we should let the others properly introduce themselves, if they havent done so as well."

[Durzan]

Bairn glances at the others who haven't spoken at the table yet, "May I ask for your names, and what clan do you hail from, please? I would also like to hear your thoughts on these matters as well."

[JNAProductions]

"What?" Celina says, jerking herself out of her revery. "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening. I should stop feeling sorry for myself and listen, shouldn't I?"

[Durzan]

"What?" Celina says, jerking herself out of her revery. "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening. I should stop feeling sorry for myself and listen, shouldn't I?"

"Well I wouldn't put it that way," Bairn said, actually managing to look just a little concerned, "but yes. In all truthfulness, things could be a lot worse for you. Your companions are trying to make the best of the situation, and it might be a good idea to try and do the same. Ill fill you in on what you need to know: Aurora here was asking me what my plans for everyone was, your pale friend over there seemed to be implying some form of compensation in exchange for everyone's willing cooperation, and this polite Red-haired fellow over here is enjoying his food while trying to test the water with some small talk."

As Bairn is speaking, you notice the plate of food sitting in front of you, which you had barely touched up to this point. The smell of the steak is mouthwatering, and your stomach growls loudly.

"What's your name, young one? What clan do you hail from?"

[gremlin-pult]

Valstraz narrowed his eyes slightly when Bairn asked about his clan. He would neither deny nor confirm the humans guess. He felt that it would be moot to do so anyway. Bairn would not have guessed that he was a Dark Claw unless he had a fairly good idea of it already.
This one is clever. He commits to little and reveals even less, while ferreting information out of the others with his kindly act... Feh, let him have their names and trust. I shall use him for my own goal. And I shall certainly not give my name to any human, much less a human mage. Elders know in what ways he could bind me with that knowledge...

"I did not say anything about either accepting compensation or willing servitude. I merely stated that such things would bring you further in your dealings than mere words of platitude." He said, closing his eyes in thought as he spoke. "I thank you for the food. You will have nothing more from me for now."
Valstraz settled back in his chair and took his attention of Bairn for the moment. He would read nothing more from the man's demeanor, as he was obviously skilled in feigning emotions. Instead Valstraz studied his fellow dragons from underneath his half closed eyes, seemingly uninterested in the conversation.

The human is not the only one I can study, and make use of. And the others make it much easier, hiding their state of mind so poorly...
His train of thought was slightly disturbed by another faint growl from his stomach. After a second or two, he reached out for another piece of meat, which he ate in silence as he watched the others.

[cavalieredraghi]

There was a slight bit of commotion outside of the restaurant, as a new customer arrived. He seemed dressed like that of a human noble, embroidered all over his blue tunic were golden draconic like beings. The pattern and rough contrast of hues suggested dragon make, yet the detail and finery of the tunic and pants suggested human. It was a stunning set piece as this person walked into the establishment. You could tell he was blonde of hair as his back was faced to you, along with a sword and shield strapped to his back. The shield seemed almost dragonfire blown, while the sword was similar to a Flamberge in design, a common trait for draconic made swords.

He nods to the waitress who greeted you before, then he turned around. His face was in some state between a human man and a boy, while his eyes. Those eyes were a stark contrast to the paleness of his face. They were like islands of blue in a sea of white. Well mostly white as he had the tattoo of a dragon prisoner etched across his face. Whom ever placed that on him certain was a torturer to a high degree. It covered both eyes even the lids of those eyes as it completed itself when ever this person blinked. He approached your table with an air of peace and strength fitting to a similar air of Bairn himself. He stood behind the dragon master with his arms crossed over his chest. aside from his body language his face did not betray his ire.

"Master, when I agree'd to come to the auction house with you, you did not mention running off on your own, or the acquisition of more dragons."

[Durzan]

"Makes sense," Bairn grunted in response to the Dark Claw. He was getting just a little antsy. Where was Drix? He was supposed to be here by now.

As soon as Drix walked in, Bairn relaxed and brightened just a little. It seemed he was at ease around Drix.

(OOC: Goose is a guy :smallbiggrin:. Lets lighten the tone, ever so slightly. All this darkness is starting to clog my mind.)

"I was wondering when you would arrive Drix; for some strange reason, I assumed you had other errands that you needed to attend to," Bairn said in a camaraderie tone. "That lady you were eying certainly seemed pretty taken with you, and I thought the two of you could use some... ahem, privacy. Was she too much for you to handle? Anyway, its not like we went too far. You knew that this was the place we decided we would meet up if we got separated."

Bairn made room for his fellow compatriot, and motioned for him to sit.

"Excuse me, where are my manners: this is Sir Drixtel, the friend that I was talking about earlier. He's such a ladies man," Bairn said, grinning mischeviously. "Everyone, Drixtel; Drix, say hello to our new compatriots. These poor souls have had a very long week, so I treated them to a meal. When I saw them, they were about to be bought by one of those Rhordian beasts."

"While you were out there, did you happen to hear any news or rumors concerning Sophrenia?" Bairn asked a tad more seriously. He waited for a reply before he quietly filled Drix in.

"Aurora, the girl with silver hair, is from the Whisper Wind clan; she was anxious to go into the woods, and has been very twitchy since I first laid eyes on her; she's just itching to fly again. Surprisingly, only she has trusted me enough to share her name."

Bairn took another swig of wine.

"The pale youth is from Dark Claw; so far he has been rather reclusive and calculating, saying that words are fickle, and even going so far as subtly imply that he at least, would like to see something more tangible."

"The red-head seems to have a taste for good culinary, and based on his body language and small talk, I would guess that he is probably a Scatter Tooth, but I'm not certain; a good taste for food is a trait found among all kinds of people."

"The tall blonde who seems to be almost in shock right now, is probably a Firemaw, but again I'm not not certain, as I would either have to observe her more, or receive confirmation from her.

"The shorter blonde with the scars on her face, seems to have a feisty streak, as she called me out on being a slaver right when we were about to come in,then has been silent ever since; she is a strange one, as I can't seem to place her clan."

"While I could probably eventually get the others to talk, we need to get going soon. If we stay any longer, common folk will start wanting to talk to me, and I really don't want to get involved with that at the moment. Perhaps Aurora and the others will be a tad more open with you, than with me. See what you can do, Drix."

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix just blushed at the comment of him and the young lady he was talking to before. He was stammering over his words as he tried to defend his case.
"I would... she was just.... I never could....." Drix just sat down as he started at the table trying not to draw attention to himself anymore, only his behavior was just the opposite. His flushed cheeks and down cast gaze never helps a young man's case. He then simply cleared his throat when the conversation switched to the others. Only after Bairn introduced the others did Drix seem to calm down.

"Hello everyone I am Drixtel, of the Arbiters. " Drix closed his eyes revealing his own enslavement tattoo and smiled.
"Aurora was it? Please just wait a little longer and you can stretch your wings. I promise on my scales."

[Ilena]

Aurora shifts her piercing gaze to Drix as he enters, she does not smile as they exchange pleasantries and as he gets teased about pursuing a female ... did he chase her? Bite her? Herd hear? Probably not ... he has been cowed by this human it seems, I mean he is pursuing a human ... she will never be as elegant or beautiful as a dragon is, never as strong never his equal. Her human form rivals that of some of the most beautiful humans, and her draconic, far surpasses anything a human can come to. He would out live a human anyway. It is best the arbiters are dead rather then see one of their clan reduced to this.

She breaks out of her thoughts when he addresses her, speaking in Draconic, still refusing to speak the human tongue, "I don't know how you stay in this form ... it is so weak and pathetic, nothing like our true form, land bound and scaleless. Wearing their weapons not using your talens and teeth ... how do you stand it?" She says coldly and with a lot of anger, may not be at all his fault , she is greatly angered by being trapped in human form, being a prisoner and not being able to return home. But also she doesn't understand how one could become so complacent to humans and work for them.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix did not stop smiling and keeping an air of peace and calm about him.
"Human's have their own strengths and weaknesses, I won't deny I would rather be in my scales, but as for these weapons they were made for me by my clan. So I may defend myself even as a human. to bare them is to honor my heritage not to hinder and forget it. "
Drix was loosing the buckle to remove the weapon and armor from his back as he sat down.

"Maybe after we leave this place and go the estate we can fly together? I know unwilling be in this form is always a harsh one to accept. I assume many of you would like such a thing?" Drix said as he looked back on his other compatriots. Why was he so calm?

[Mabn]

Morgawr found himself infuriated at this new arrival. More context he lacked and a perfect chance to steer the conversation totally out of his control again. But natural disasters are statistically likely to hasten an area's development along its original direction and this person is no exception. The offer to allow dragon form latter in a controlled setting was reoccurring and mention of how pleasant it would be and desperately is must be missed seemed overly dwelt upon. It was obvious their transformation was to be a powerful lever, but it would turn in both directions: whatever Bairn wanted, it wasn't his current useless form. "Not particularly. My time in this form has been a poor example. Left to my own devices I might try again."

[cavalieredraghi]

Morgawr found himself infuriated at this new arrival. More context he lacked and a perfect chance to steer the conversation totally out of his control again. But natural disasters are statistically likely to hasten an area's development along its original direction and this person is no exception. The offer to allow dragon form latter in a controlled setting was reoccurring and mention of how pleasant it would be and desperately is must be missed seemed overly dwelt upon. It was obvious their transformation was to be a powerful lever, but it would turn in both directions: whatever Bairn wanted, it wasn't his current useless form. "Not particularly. My time in this form has been a poor example. Left to my own devices I might try again."

"excellent!" Drix stated with glee.
"Little I said humans have their own advantages, it would seem at least one of you appreciates such things." He then reaches for a goblet of drink. With his hand outstretched there was another tattoo of imprisonment on him there.

"Tell can you please share with me your name as I have done for you?" Drixtel asked Morgawr.

[Durzan]

While Drix is the center of attention, Bairn quietly waves Goose over, and slips him a single blood red coin. Gooses eyes grow wide and his hands start trembling.

"Heres the payment for the food, and a tip as well," Bairn told him quietly. "I heard business has been slow for your family the past couple of weeks. This should help them make ends meet, or at least for the next couple of weeks."

"Thank you... Lord Bairn," The young man stammered.

"Oh and by the way, I would prefer it if you didn't speak of what you heard to anyone else."

"Yes Sir." Goose replied as he walked to the back in a bit of a daze.

[Mabn]

"excellent!" Drix stated with glee.
"Little I said humans have their own advantages, it would seem at least one of you appreciates such things." He then reaches for a goblet of drink. With his hand outstretched there was another tattoo of imprisonment on him there.

"Tell can you please share with me your name as I have done for you?" Drixtel asked Morgawr.

Morgawr knew then that he had found a permanent recipient of his loathing. His desire to spite and control was strong enough to justify staying in the wretched form of a human, but the thought of this person approving and possibly even wanting to spend time with him was a bridge to far. "I am Moragwr Glek of the Razor Scale Tribe. You should eat."

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix knew this Moragwr was trying to assert his dominance it was clear from his posture his tone his unwillingness to cooperate. However Drix did not actually care, rather he was just happy there were other dragons someone he could finally talk to aside from Bairn. He also could not deny that the female Aurora was attractive as a human hopefully she would continue it in her true form. However that was of little importance really. No what Drix wanted now was companionship allies and friends. He was still quite naïve only barely physically maturing.

"Thank you Moragwr, however I am fine I ate this morning and should be good for the rest of the week." Drix just smiled back and acted as if he was normal. However not eating for a whole weak there was something wrong with this dragon that was for sure.

[Ilena]

Aurora snears at Drix, their people starves every day and he has all this food sitting around and chooses not to eat it? "What do you feel something for dragons starving back home so you punish yourself by not eating?" Her anger comes through her voice and utter distaste for Drix and his ways, being considered cowed and not possessing the spirit of a dragon anymore. She can't wait to get out of here, it takes everything in her will power to not claw everything around her, even with these weak human talons.

[cavalieredraghi]

"No not all." Drix frowned as he clearly was also mad at himself.
"I am different. I adapted. I can...." Drix looked from side to side. He was uncomfortable with his strange mutation.

"I can eat Gemstones. Having one small one, can fill me up or a week or more...." Drix looked to Aurora as if asking for forgivness with his eyes.

"I want to help our people at home, we are dying from hunger, and it needs to stop. This contract the dragons agree'd to with the human's is abused, and needs to end. Our people need to live once again." He seemed to speak with his own convictions and thoughts on this.

[Ilena]

She tilts her head in confusion, a purely dragon trait with a slight eyebrow raise. "What do you mean you eat gemstones? How does that even work? Yes my people are starving and yes it seems the human are abusing the contract but ... we are not rock, we are flesh and blood and require flesh and blood to eat. You make no sense ... how badly have the humans destroyed your sanity?" She thinks this idea of eating stone is one of the dumbest she has ever heard of and this poor dragon is never going to return home or be accepted.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix looks to Bairn and hopes what he was about to do was ok. He then reached down and pulled a small pebble sized topaz from his pocket. He casually hands it to Aurora.
"Try to bite down on this. Can you do it?"

[Ilena]

She does not take the stone, and glares at him, "I am not a rock hound, I am a dragon, pure and simple, my blood runs strong from that of our ancestors, I eat meat pure and simple, not stone like a rock hound." How can he offer this to her? Doesn't he know it goes against all that they are? All that dragons were born to be?"

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix nods, he tried he wanted to share. Together Drix believed dragons could succeed once more. Dragons needed to stop being separated they needed a unity of the identity. A ruler like the stories of the past. He pulls back his hand with the gem then places it between his teeth. He keeps his lips wide and open so she could see what he was about to do. With a sudden and violent crush, with a sound worse then bone breaking or glass shattering. The gem shattered between his teeth. He then swallowed the shards in one quiet gulp.


"I can eat Gems, I don't know why, but I can. Master Bairn and I have not yet found the time to study why."

(Heading to bed now, have a wonderful night!)

[Ilena]

Aurora shakes her head at his display, just proving her thoughts about him even more ... we are carnivores, not gem eaters, how can he do that. It makes no sense ... it does have her curious about how it is possible. The idea is placed in her mind for later, after she has gotten out of this situation. "It makes no sense ... I will stick to my flesh for food."

[Durzan]

Bairn glances out the window to check the time, then squeezes his way out of the booth. Grabbing his staff, he walked towards the door, at a leisurely place.

"If were going to make it home by nightfall, we'd better leave now. Come, you can continue your conversations while we make our way to the southern gate. If you are still hungry, Goose was kind enough to prepare some containers for take out."

As he reached the door, Bairn pulled an amulet with vaguely resembling a phoenix out of his pocket, and put it on. He was going to need it when they reached the outer perimeter of the city. There was no way he would be able to keep up with Drix and the others without it.

He glances at Drix and shows him the amulet.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix gets up and reattaches his sword and shield to his back. as he fiddles with the buckle to strap everything down, both hands show his tattoos of enslavement rather just the one from before. He rather then be bitter by Aurora's statement nods in agreement with her.

"It is strange and it does not make sense, but rather then be hungry I will eat gems." Drix said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"So tell me, what were you doing when you got captured?" Drix asked only a sense of innocence coming from his tone.

[Durzan]

As the group leaves the restaurant Bairn drops in beside the two blonde dragons, who had remained mostly silent during the entire meal.

"Do you two want to talk about what happened?" He asked, actually seeming to be concerned. "I wasn't there when you were captured, but I have been in situations that can compare. It can help if you have someone to confide in."

He paused for a moment to take a small swig from a tankard of wine hung about his shoulder.

"While I'm sure you'd rather talk with Drix than with me, but its going to be a long walk, and I'd much rather that time be spent talking than in silence. Even if you two do hate me, there's always some comfort in a good conversation. You can talk to me about whatever you desire; spill your inner most secrets out to me, or throw more insults at me if you want... I don't care. I will just walk beside and listen to whatever you choose to tell me. You are in control of this conversation. Say whatever is on your mind."

[gremlin-pult]

Having listened to the others talk for a while now, both with Bairn and the new dragon, whose demeanor either supported Bairn's claim of wanting to help them or was a spectacular example of a thoroughly broken dragon, Valstraz had settled for letting them reveal whatever they wished.
But as they talked, and as they left the restaurant, he found himself becoming more and more annoyed with them. They were buddying up with these two sketchy fellows! Even the ones who were suspicious, like the glutton, seemed to unwittingly reveal information about themselves with how they acted!
Elder's blood, it's like watching the interactions between a grown up and an infant! They have no sense of subterfuge, no notion of how to barter information for something useful for themselves! I mean it's a given that they cannot be at my level, after all even most Dark Claws aren't, but still they should know better. They're making us all seem easily manipulated. By something as inferior as a human!

"*Ahem* If I may interject..." Valstraz said, clearing his throat to get Bairn's attention, and to interrupt the others before they revealed something truly important. "I find myself wanting a conversational exchange. Perhaps you would humor me? I find myself intrigued by the ways of the humans. I will start with giving a name, since you seemed interested in that. You may call me Val." he said with his most practiced and realistic "sincere smile". "So perhaps you could give me some information in return? Perhaps about the human social structure, or your own circumstances? Or perhaps... your magic?"
Valstraz said it all casually, with practiced ease, but he was nigh on incapable of supressing the hungry glint that appeared in his eyes when he mentioned magic in particular.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix did not in anyway reveal that he knew what this Val was really scheming for. After all all dragons would want to learn magic, it was what kept them under the foot of humans. He just continued to walk beside Aurora and Morgawr. He had missed these interactions for so long he was wanting to savor every bit of draconic nature he could from his companions.

[Ilena]

aurora keeps an eye out around her, drinking im every bit of culture and surroindings as she could, she may be angry but she is not stupid. When drix comes too close to her she hisses at him in warning, she has no fear of assurting her dominance and her space. if the human comes too close she will as well hiss at him. her main attentoon is on that around her and watching. she cant wait to get back in the air, shes never been this long without flying. as zhe moves her movements are elegant and graceful.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix understood Draconic personal space but humans were different. What with there greetings and handshakes hugs, it was always interesting to test a dragon to see how well they may do. Aurora was not doing to well.

Drix just smiled and stayed happy and calm.
"You know they do things differently from us right? Your hissing is not going to allow you to blend in well."

[Durzan]

Having listened to the others talk for a while now, both with Bairn and the new dragon, whose demeanor either supported Bairn's claim of wanting to help them or was a spectacular example of a thoroughly broken dragon, Valstraz had settled for letting them reveal whatever they wished.
But as they talked, and as they left the restaurant, he found himself becoming more and more annoyed with them. They were buddying up with these two sketchy fellows! Even the ones who were suspicious, like the glutton, seemed to unwittingly reveal information about themselves with how they acted!
Elder's blood, it's like watching the interactions between a grown up and an infant! They have no sense of subterfuge, no notion of how to barter information for something useful for themselves! I mean it's a given that they cannot be at my level, after all even most Dark Claws aren't, but still they should know better. They're making us all seem easily manipulated. By something as inferior as a human!

"*Ahem* If I may interject..." Valstraz said, clearing his throat to get Bairn's attention, and to interrupt the others before they revealed something truly important. "I find myself wanting a conversational exchange. Perhaps you would humor me? I find myself intrigued by the ways of the humans. I will start with giving a name, since you seemed interested in that. You may call me Val." he said with his most practiced and realistic "sincere smile". "So perhaps you could give me some information in return? Perhaps about the human social structure, or your own circumstances? Or perhaps... your magic?"
Valstraz said it all casually, with practiced ease, but he was nigh on incapable of supressing the hungry glint that appeared in his eyes when he mentioned magic in particular.

Bairn's eyes narrowed slightly, but otherwise he kept his cheerful demenor. Inside however, his mind was racing He's looking for ways to manipulate us, isn't he. Is he trying to learn magic? Not surprising. Still I can work with him, a few harmless crumbs should be sufficient.

"Very well, if Val is what you want to be called, then I most certainly will not object," Bairn replied in a pleasant tone.

"As far as exchanging information goes, I am certainly open to the suggestion," He said, revealing another slight smile.

"Our social structure, culture and values vary widely from country to country, and from city to city. Its kind of hard to describe in generalities, but most cities typically have 3 broad social classes based on wealth or family ties. There's the lower working class: farmers, ranchers, low-ranking soldiers, servants, and other common but unspecialized workers. They are usually, but not always the poorest. Then we have the middle class, which usually consists of Merchants, Artisans, blacksmiths, other craftsmen, Servants of the Upper Class, and low ranking government officials. Then we have the Upper Class which consists of various noble and royal houses, as well as higher government officials. Status is determined through a combination of your trade, how hard you work, your education, personal or familial wealth, and connections. If you excel in your trade and work hard then generally speaking you will eventually prosper. If you prosper enough and have the right skills or connections, then you will probably move up to a higher class. Conversely, if your excessively stupid with your talents and money, or just have a string of misfortune, then you risk losing it all."

"As far as magic goes, its a complicated process involving harnessing the power that holds the universe itself together, and bending it to our will by purifying it into mana. Once mana is made, we use it to fuel various spells and magical items through the power of our mind alone. Gestures and Incantations help to focus the mind and define the spell, thus making spell-casting much easier, but it isn't strictly speaking necessary. If you have a strong mind or are extremely experienced, then it is possible to forego gestures and incantations entirely."

There, that should satisfy his curiosity, Bairn thought, Magic is too complicated to explain all in one sitting, and besides he will need to learn patience if he eventually wishes to learn how to use it. If the gods are correct, then Dragons haven't been able to use magic at all since the Cataclysm almost 5,000 years ago. However, I have reason to believe that this is about to change. If Sophrenia was able to figure it out and learn spellcraft from me, then surely these dragons could do so as well.

"If you plan on trying to learn magic," Bairn whispers to Val, "Then you might want to think twice about it. I heard that the dragons haven't been able to use magic since the Cataclysm."

"With that being said, I think it is possible, but extraordinarily difficult. I once heard of an extraordinary dragon whom was able to break through that limitation, at least to a degree. She was a gifted student of the man who summoned her. Its unfortunate that she is no longer here."

[gremlin-pult]

"I see..." Valstraz said, listening with keen interest to everything that Bairn said. "A society built where status is determined both by one's talent, wealth and connections... Crude, but not completely different from some dragon clans..." He said, revealing a little tidbit in return without actually telling Bairn anything of import.
Ha ha ha, this shall be easier than I thought, if he so easily reveals such morsels. It may seem inconsequential, but already I have valuable information on how to play for influence in their primitive society. It will be as easy taking smoked meat from a Firemaw...

As Bairn went onto talking about magic, Valstraz eagerly hung onto his every word. He was momentarily dismayed that he was told more than the basic concept of it. After all, mana and the idea of shaping it was not unknown to dragons, they still remembered that much from the stories of old. But there was a vast difference between knowing the concept, and applying it.
Gestures and incantations... Hmm, it would seem a crutch that the humans developed. But it shall make it easier for me to learn it I think... No wait, how would I use human gestures for spells in my true form? Our claws are mightier than any human blade, but not suited for infantile finger dancing...
He pondered the problem with some dismay, but concluded that it would have to wait. Not like he could experiment until he ferretted the actual secrets of magic out of the human.
Besides, I am certain that gestures, and perhaps even incantations will be moot as soon as I unravel the mysteries of mana with my superior draconic mind. And then I shall command magic neither the humans nor my kin would dare dream of, both in this guise and in my own!

As his thoughts on magic turned to his inevitable future might and wisdom, Valstraz did not at first notice the wide triumphant smirk that spread across his face. After a moment he did notice it, however, and quickly wiped it of his face, trusting that none of these gullible fools had seen it.

[Durzan]

"Don't get too cocky, Val," Bairn said, almost sternly when he noticed the big grin on the black haired youth's face,"While most humans wouldn't recognize a dragon in human form unless your mark was visible, your kind still stands out like a sore thumb to everyone but the most blind of humans. They'd recognize the signs, and avoid you like the plauge."

​I'd better keep my eye on this one...

[gremlin-pult]

"Ah, but of course. The legendary vigilance of the humans..." Valstraz said with a flat tone of voice. He smiled slightly, at Bairn and nodded to show that he at least took heed of the warning.
"But then, I suppose it is fortunate that you humans have provided us with such sophisticated means of masking the mark... Such as the ingenious glove." He added, chuckling at his own wit.

Feh, as if I had not considered the wildly paranoid, yet not completely unwise fear the humans hold for our kind. He thought derisively.
Never mind that it HAD in fact slipped his mind in his eager thoughts of magic...

[Durzan]

Bairn rolled his eyes at Val's attempt at humor. Doesn't he realize that its his body language that gives him away, not the mark?

He glanced at the two blondes, who were following the group in an almost dazed state. That doesn't look good; they wouldn't even be able to transform in this state. Darn... that means the Phoenix Wings will have to wait. Maybe I better put them into a suspended animation when we get home.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix just looked over his shoulder to Val. His mark still clearly visible. He would never be able to hide being a dragon Val should realize even if his posture was just like a human's.

Drix then stops and goes to Bairn ,"master may I change to carry them? They are not looking well." Drix motions to the two other blondes.

[Durzan]

"Yes of course. We're nearing the gate soon anyway," Bairn said. Hopefully the few townsfolk that saw them now, wouldn't get too much of a shock...

As they went through the gates, Bairn turned to the others."When we get Over the top of that hill over there, away everyone else should transform as well. We will be flying the rest of the way."

Bairn was holding the amulet in his free hand while he spoke, and you notice that the crystal in the center had started to glow.

Once everyone reaches the top of the hill, Bairn waves his hand, and the rest of you feel the remaining pressure on your mind fade away completely. You knew you could transform.

Bairn pressed the the crystal with his thumb, and suddenly he was encased in a first colored crystalline formation with floating wings to either side of him, giving him the appearance of a Phoenix.

Bairn Lept into the air and took flight, with speed and agility to rival even the most agile of dragons.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix unbuckled his sword and shield placing them on the ground next to him. In a flash of golden flame he changed into a dragon no bigger the a large Clydesdale. A couple of scale like growths that resemble hair drap down his face as they resemble human facial hair. His wings look like massive fins that go all the way down to his tail. His Scales a dull gold telling signs of his age. He gently picks up the two who were comatose and places them on his back. Then he takes his sword and shield into his claws, and places them in his mouth. With a running leap Drix takes off into the air swimming through the sky. He is slow making sure the two passengers do not fall off him. Yet he is certain he is doing the right thing.

[Ilena]

The moment she was free from being blocked from her form she assumes it, her wings stretching out all the way, finally free from the constraints of the human form, she lets out a loud roar that echoes across the hills. Her form is bright and reflective silver, and lithe and agile looking. Not to say shes weak, by any means the muscle can be seen, though her ribs as well, she has not been eating as well as she should ... though this is nothing unusual. She launches herself into the air, takeoff is graceful and smooth and quickly she rises above the others, using the thermals and every inch of environmental effects to give her an edge over the others, she makes it look so effortless. Closing her eyes for a moment she loves the feeling of flying, missing it so much ... how the humans can survive without this is beyond her.

[cavalieredraghi]

The moment she was free from being blocked from her form she assumes it, her wings stretching out all the way, finally free from the constraints of the human form, she lets out a loud roar that echoes across the hills. Her form is bright and reflective silver, and lithe and agile looking. Not to say shes weak, by any means the muscle can be seen, though her ribs as well, she has not been eating as well as she should ... though this is nothing unusual. She launches herself into the air, takeoff is graceful and smooth and quickly she rises above the others, using the thermals and every inch of environmental effects to give her an edge over the others, she makes it look so effortless. Closing her eyes for a moment she loves the feeling of flying, missing it so much ... how the humans can survive without this is beyond her.
Drix had a bad feeling about her flying off to far away from Bairn, Drix did not want to see his fellows suffer unjustly, however at the moment he could not catch her. Well he was to small to ever truly catch her if she wanted, but damn it right now was different thanks to the others on his back.


"Aurora don't go to far away! I can be dangerous!" Drix tried to shout toward her.

[Durzan]

"Feels good to fly again, doesn't it?" Bairn shouts, when he heard her roar.

He circled a few times, carefully maintaining a close distance to the others while keeping an eye on both Drix an Aurora. If Drix tried to stop Aurora from flying off, he could risk dropping the two girls he was carrying. While he could catch Aurora if she tried to escape, he knew that doing so would quickly run through his mana reserve. Phoenix wings were extremely agile and fast, but at the price of consuming mana relatively quickly.

She should be able to clear her mind now, Bairn thought happily, if only a bit.

[Ilena]

Aurora continues to climb higher and higher over the others, she makes switch back over top of them staying in range roughly of them, the joy of flying makes her forget for awhile that she is in fact a prisoner. She smiles to herself as an idea crosses her mind, and a quick flick of the wing and she is flipping over and diving straight down aiming herself and using her tail to adjust to angle, diving straight between them, flying past as if a silver bullet, opening her wings a moment before she impacts the ground and pulling out of the dive with a snap of her wings, edging just over tree tops before rising. The trees bend with her passing so close she is to them. Using the momentum she climbs up to their level doing a loop and leveling out near them ... though above, just to feel superior. Ah I have missed this, feeling the sun on your scales, land below you, wind lifting you up .... would have nothing else in this life.

[cavalieredraghi]

Aurora continues to climb higher and higher over the others, she makes switch back over top of them staying in range roughly of them, the joy of flying makes her forget for awhile that she is in fact a prisoner. She smiles to herself as an idea crosses her mind, and a quick flick of the wing and she is flipping over and diving straight down aiming herself and using her tail to adjust to angle, diving straight between them, flying past as if a silver bullet, opening her wings a moment before she impacts the ground and pulling out of the dive with a snap of her wings, edging just over tree tops before rising. The trees bend with her passing so close she is to them. Using the momentum she climbs up to their level doing a loop and leveling out near them ... though above, just to feel superior. Ah I have missed this, feeling the sun on your scales, land below you, wind lifting you up .... would have nothing else in this life.

Drix just keeps flying forward, his wings forming a serpentine pattern on each of his sides. If he ever tried to move faster he would have had to move his whole body back can't at the moment. He does not look to Aurora when he speaks, rather he stays focused on his direction.

"Glad you are enjoying yourself. I could never pull off such a maneuver but unlike you I have no desire to. Aurora showing off like that does not state a superiority nor is being above someone." Drix stated as he continued to fly along he was not trying to sting Aurora, even though it can be easily taken that way. In his mind he was trying to convey stunts are nothing without a conviction behind them.

[Ilena]

Rolling over and flying upside down, she then rolls again upright and beside Drix, "HA, does it matter? It's fun as all hell, the rush of pushing yourself to your limits of flying with the wings you were born with. How does that not show superiority, we are superior to humans in every way, only we reached too far and were punished for it."

[cavalieredraghi]

Rolling over and flying upside down, she then rolls again upright and beside Drix, "HA, does it matter? It's fun as all hell, the rush of pushing yourself to your limits of flying with the wings you were born with. How does that not show superiority, we are superior to humans in every way, only we reached too far and were punished for it."

"We are not superior, we are teachers, and need to show the Human's a better way." Drix said without looking towards Aurora still. He left no room in his voice for debate on that subject, if anything he had his conviction.

[Durzan]

Bairn's eyes narrowed when he heard Aurora say that. I swear she's related to Sophrenia. Thats the exact kind of comment that she would give just to bug me... and the comment that started me on this path. Oh, how times have changed. Challenge... Accepted.

He flew up as high as he could, taking careful notice to place himself within vision of Aurora, before giving himself a quick boost to jumpstart the acceleration to terminal velocity. As he dived, he turned off the thrust to preserve mana. The wings on his crystalline form folded, and he narrowed his crystal encased body so that he better pick up speed, and closed his eyes feeling the wind rush across his face.

Dammit, why do you have to be so competitive, He thought to himself, as adrenaline rushed through his body. He would have to time this just right, otherwise, he would certainly feel this in the morning.Ah who are you kidding... you've watched falcons do this all the time. Bairn opened his azure eyes, letting the determination and stubbornness of his ancestors flow through him. The ground was approaching quickly, but he was calm inside.

He activated his wings at the last possible moment, pulling off a hairpin pull up that stressed the very structure of the crystals. As he climbed, he made more sharp turns, activating hover mode for an instant to grant maximum maneuverability.
Finally, he pulled back, and just to rub it in, flew up right beside the silver dragon, making another pinpoint turn with the arial agility of of a humming bird.

"Superior to humans, eh?" He said. "I think that some of us at least, can match your talents."

Way to go... idiot, His more sensible half said. Now she's gonna try to to out do you... Your foolish pride is what got you into the mess that started this whole thing to begin with. You just started yet another one-upping contest.

He glanced down at the amulet, noticing that the crystal was glowing yellow now instead of green. I used up a lot of mana just to pull off that stunt, he thought as he redirected some of his mana reserves into the crystal. Hopefully, at least it will further motivate her to push herself even farther. She will need that.

[Ilena]

Laughing, a true and honest laugh , Aurora thinks to herself, this human has guts, I will give him that, lets see if he can do this. "Not bad for a human, I liked that turn , almost as well as I could have done. " She MIGHT have been stretching that a little, a turn like that would pull her wing joints out of their sockets but ... he doesn't need to know that. "Well human, lets see if you can do this." She spots what she was looking for, a tight canyon that should have some interesting wind changes going through ... though it isn't that windy ... wont be THAT much fun but hey make do with what she has. Doing another rolling flip and diving upside down until she opens her wings just a slight bit, giving control and lift to her. Dropping into the canyon she twists and turns, skimming trees and rocks at break neck speed, even closing her wings to drop between tree branches only to catch at the last moment. Making minute adjustments she pulls out of the canyon and raises again to the others, "Not as much wind as I would like, but still, exciting." The smile comes across in her voice, she is proud of her skill and enjoys showing off.

[gremlin-pult]

Though Valstraz would never admit to such sentiment, it did feel good to morph back into his own form. Stretching his black wings and rustling his scales, he reveled in the suns warming his green crystalline spikes and horns.
Well, if he was uncertain as to my clan affiliation before, Bairn surely knows for certain now... He thought, somewhat belatedly. None but a Dark Claw has the chance of developing the emerald mutation at birth. Oh well, I suppose it is a small price to pay. I get to be comfortable in my own skin, and he has already given me several interesting tidbits of information...

As he followed the others, he refrained from trying to copy their aerial stunts. He was a skilled flyer, true, but so was every dragon. And he had no desire to prove himself in flying. So he simply followed comfortably, letting the updrafts carry him as he gazed upon the lands beneath him at leizure.
"My, she truly is gifted at navigating the skies..." He said to himself as he watched Aurora dominate with her skills.
He was likewise impressed by Bairn's skills at maneuvering his magical wings. That could not be easy for one not meant for flying. But the human had little of the natural grace that Aurora showed, her wings stretching and bending, the sun glistening of her scales... Valstraz had no issue with admiring such a resplendent display of draconic beauty... With purely aesthetic thoughts, of course.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix did not know why but he was enthralled by Aurora her beauty her skill they were both amazing. Then however she smiled and laughed and Drix knew then why he was so enamored by this silver dragon, she was breath taking when she was allowed to be herself. He did not know her yet, and it was clear none of his fellow dragons looked on him with any respect, he did not care for what he planned to do they would have to respect him then. However her Drix knew, she would be the one he wanted to have respect from.

He was still young and could never pull off half of the stunts she did with the shape of his wings, however that canyon maybe tonight he could ask her to fly with him.

[Durzan]

Laughing, a true and honest laugh , Aurora thinks to herself, this human has guts, I will give him that, lets see if he can do this. "Not bad for a human, I liked that turn , almost as well as I could have done. " She MIGHT have been stretching that a little, a turn like that would pull her wing joints out of their sockets but ... he doesn't need to know that. "Well human, lets see if you can do this." She spots what she was looking for, a tight canyon that should have some interesting wind changes going through ... though it isn't that windy ... wont be THAT much fun but hey make do with what she has. Doing another rolling flip and diving upside down until she opens her wings just a slight bit, giving control and lift to her. Dropping into the canyon she twists and turns, skimming trees and rocks at break neck speed, even closing her wings to drop between tree branches only to catch at the last moment. Making minute adjustments she pulls out of the canyon and raises again to the others, "Not as much wind as I would like, but still, exciting." The smile comes across in her voice, she is proud of her skill and enjoys showing off.

Bairn grins at her as she flies back up.

"Not bad. I practice my skills by flying though canyons all the time."

He dives into the canyon at full speed, before switching into Hover Mode to allow for greater maneuverability. Seemingly effortlessly, he glides around through the canyon, twisting, turning, and strafing when appropriate. He exits the canyon, a bit out of breath, but compared to his last maneuver, this was a piece of cake.

He flies back up, and switches to Glider Mode to preserve power.

"You're right, there wasn't a whole lot of wind. Still fun though," Bairn said, with obvious understatement.

[Mabn]

Morgawr continued to walk along the road in human form. A week in human form without glasses had given him a nearly debilitating headache, but he had made his opinion known and the pain focused his introspection. Bairn's glowing wings and the screaming of air that accompanies dragon flight made the antics of his traveling companions obvious to him. They felt such a desperate need to show off but they refused to commit to their efforts. If it was important to show how well you could dive it was important enough to melt the ground below you and show with pride the broken bones pulling up from underneath the earth would give you.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix curious as to why one of his fellow dragons was not taking his true form called down to him.
"Morgawr? Are you okay? Why are you not taking to the skies?" Drix was genuinely worried for his possible new ally.

[Mabn]

Morgawr looked up to Drast, puzzled. "I said I wished to practice the human form. I am doing so. Bairn said our destination was a long walk, so my true form did not seem required."

[cavalieredraghi]

"Yes a long walk, but a short flight as the dragon flies." Drix said warping the human saying to be more fitting to the current situation."

[Ilena]

Rollling over in the air lazily, theres nothing here to be very challenging, aside from flying through trees, but he is smaller and more agile and would in that. Frowning to herself she declares this over for now, "You have nothing challenging here, perhaps next time youbwill prrsent me with something that can push my skills." She knows the others hace been watching her preform, and tgats more of what it was.. a performance to show her skills off. Aurora also ignores Drixs comment about dragons being teachers, ha, them teach the humans .... students dont lock their teachers in cages.

[Durzan]

Its at this moment, that Bairn is able to spot his castle... you notice it shortly afterwards (if you are flying, that is).

By foot it would be at least another 1/2 hour walk through a small hilly forest, but by flight reaching it would be a piece of cake.

"The entire fortification is protected with enchantments that prevents anyone from flying over the walls. We will have to enter on foot. The populace here is more used to the sight of dragons, so feel free to stay in your dragon form if you so desire."

Bairns castle is well designed, with thee walls surrounding the castle itself. Within the outer most wall is a small town capable of holding a couple hundred commoners, but nothing compared to the city of Val Novis itself. Surrounding the Castle is acres upon acres of fenced off farmland, orchards, pastures for livestock, what appeared to be tree farms, and occasionally, small settlements of more commoners.

As Bairn and the others fly over, you can see the workers farming or carrying out trade without the supervision of any guards. In fact, when they see Bairn fly over, they stop their work to look up in awe. In fact, some even give a small cheer. Your keen sight is able to pick out just a couple of dragon marks on some of the workers. It appears that the workers were mostly human, but that some dragons were working alongside them.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix walks next to Bairn, he looks to each villager as they pass. He nods to those that look in their direct and gives a small bugle when they cheer. Drix was always more then happy to see these folks faces, they all were welcoming in their own ways.

[gremlin-pult]

Landing in view of the castle, Valstraz changed back into his human guise and followed Bairn. He had nothing in particular against taking humanoid form, it was after all quite common amongst the Dark Claw to do so when performing the myriad tasks that required the squishy but dextrous hands of the lesser races. What he disliked was the choice being taken away from him.
Narrowing his eyes slightly he studied the people working around the castle, the ones with dragon marks especially.
Hmm, they seem content, and favorable toward Bairn... So either he truly is a good person who aids my kind, or his skills at breaking the minds of others is truly prodigious. We'll see...

"So, what exactly do you do, Bairn?" He asked casually "I mean, besides rescuing young dragons and being enigmatic?" He added. Despite his suspicions, Valstraz found himself intrigued by the human. He was like some kind of riddle wrapped in a puzzle, and Valstraz hated riddles he couldn't answer.

[Ilena]

Shaking her head a little, she wonders why they are working a field when a dragon is worth so much more .... she notes the live stock thinking to herself that it looks like a good snack. As the others land she circles a little bit, looking around and drinking things in, careful not to fly over the castle. The others seem to return to human form, something shes not willing to do. Circling she comes in for a landing, and when right above the others flares we wings and cuts all forward movement and floats for a few moments before landing gently with a couple of flaps, perfect and elegant in landing within touching distance of the now human shaped people. She keeps her form and speaks, "Well, now what?"

[cavalieredraghi]

"Why don't I show you around? If you want." Drix said to the newcomers as they gawked at the sight of the small town. He was still busy carrying the comatose dragons in his back, he was wondering when he could leave them in a safe place while we waited for them to recover.

[Ilena]

Thinking about it for a few moments, "It could be interesting, why not. Perhaps you should dump them first though ..." glancing at the 2 who seemed to not get over the whole being a prisoner thing .... " Where do you hunt around here? I am assuming it would be bad form to go and eat those animals out in the field ... they also dont look like much of a challenge to catch either ... " Curious where she can find food for herself, she is already hungry again after eating earlier. Starvation sucks.

[Durzan]

In response to Aurora's question, Bairn absent mindedly points to the forest on the northern edge of the lot. "That forest is where the other dragons tend to hunt at night, although some go out farther, at least when they are not trying to catch up on their rest. You might be able to find a few deer in there if you look hard enough. The deer population has been a bit thin lately... I might just have to summon another herd so the population doesn't die out."

[Ilena]

Curious, why they go at night .... "Why at night? The deer tend to be sleepy then and less active ... less of a challenge ... less fun." Shaking her head, this world is strange, and the dragons here are strange .. is this what being under human control does to you? They seem declawed ... she closes one of her talons drawing deep cuts in the ground, this is frustrating ... so frustrating. Oh well ... best make the best of it ...

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix just grinned.
"I prefer to hunt in the canyon you pasted through to be honest. There are plenty of Gem stones buried there waiting to be found. Though there is a lake also in that direction. It,has great fish,to,be eaten as well."
Drix pointed with one claw past the forest.
"I think we should go back to the Canyon. I really like it there."

[Durzan]

Landing in view of the castle, Valstraz changed back into his human guise and followed Bairn. He had nothing in particular against taking humanoid form, it was after all quite common amongst the Dark Claw to do so when performing the myriad tasks that required the squishy but dextrous hands of the lesser races. What he disliked was the choice being taken away from him.
Narrowing his eyes slightly he studied the people working around the castle, the ones with dragon marks especially.
Hmm, they seem content, and favorable toward Bairn... So either he truly is a good person who aids my kind, or his skills at breaking the minds of others is truly prodigious. We'll see...

"So, what exactly do you do, Bairn?" He asked casually "I mean, besides rescuing young dragons and being enigmatic?" He added. Despite his suspicions, Valstraz found himself intrigued by the human. He was like some kind of riddle wrapped in a puzzle, and Valstraz hated riddles he couldn't answer.

"Well," Bairn said, scratching the back of his head in thought,"I am primarily a scholar. I have a huge library filled with knowledge from all over the world... some tomes may even date back to the ruins of the First Empire. Unfortunately, I nor none of the dragons currently in my employment can translate the writings, which I would assume are written in Ancient Draconic, but its hard to say for sure."

"Other than that, I attend the meetings of the Wizards Council, sometimes host banquets and balls, pay my workers with the money I bring in from taxes, and occasionally teach the common folk some of what I know. I used to take in and train apprentices, but not since..."

Bairn trailed off as the painful memories of his beloved apprentice flooded back into his mind.

Damn it! Why couldn't I save you Sophrenia, He thought bitterly. His hands shaking, he takes a swig from his wineskin.

[Ilena]

Shaking her head and growling a little, "I imagine it must be difficult hunting those gems, so quick on their feet they are." She smiles a little at her joke, not ENTIRELY meaning it to sound so mean as it could be taken, "Mmm fish, not the easiest thing to catch from the air but I will give it a try." She is always up for a challenge and hasn't entirely learned the ... back down from things part.

[cavalieredraghi]

"I will be happy to teach you how to fish then." Drix remembered read some ancient Draconic but e was far from fluent if only Bairn would let him try and read the unknown documents.

[Ilena]

Laughing, "Sure, I will take you up on that offer ... there is not much water you want to swim in back home ... could be interesting." Aurora doesn't pretend to know any Ancient Draconic, it was never something she delved into or really cared about ... flying was her thing, surviving each day was her thing, not reading about how her people fell and were thrown into that dimension ... to suffer and die without food. No that was not something she cared about ... turning to the human " Do you not have people to take them?" She wants to fly, not be stuck here ... the offer to go canyon surfing and swimming is far preferable.

[Durzan]

Laughing, "Sure, I will take you up on that offer ... there is not much water you want to swim in back home ... could be interesting." Aurora doesn't pretend to know any Ancient Draconic, it was never something she delved into or really cared about ... flying was her thing, surviving each day was her thing, not reading about how her people fell and were thrown into that dimension ... to suffer and die without food. No that was not something she cared about ... turning to the human " Do you not have people to take them?" She wants to fly, not be stuck here ... the offer to go canyon surfing and swimming is far preferable.

"They are too valuable to just give away. Such a book would heft a feisty price in most corners of the globe, and many more would pay money to have someone steal them. Trying to give them away for free would only put those priceless tomes at risk," He said. "Plus, quite a few dragons have managed to find out about them, and have actually sought me out in order to sate their curiosity."

(Suggestion: Possible additional motivation for Drix to search Bairn out? It would seem like the kind of thing an Arbiter is interested in...)

Then Bairn realized that she was pointing at the comatose dragons.

"Oh, well, yes I do." Bairn said.

He called over a few servants, spoke with them briefly, then they came over and picked up the two girls, put them on stretchers, and carried them off.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix looked to Bairn and rolled his eyes. Not even he would have made that mistake and he was half Bairn age. Or more.
"Thank you master, now who wants to go hunt and fish?" Drix looked to the new dragons willing to,show the way.

[gremlin-pult]

"Perhaps later." Valstraz answered Drix's question. "Right now, I find myself much more intrigued by the prospect of Bairn's library. It just so happens that I have had some lessons in Ancient Draconic. It's by no means exhaustive, but I know quite a bit of the basic grammar, and a fair amount of words. I think I could translate it, given time." He continued, turning to Bairn.
His eyes glittered with scholarly interest, something he'd never learned to hide, no matter how much he tried to.
Knowledge was one of his strongest interests, after all, and something like books in ancient draconic made him feel like a child in a confection store. "I would very, very much like to be allowed in your library, Bairn." He said, showing visibly more respect to the human than he had earlier.

[cavalieredraghi]

"He won't let me read said book's so good luck." Drix replied before heading out the gates he turned back just briefly.

"If you truly love knowledge then I suggest Artema's thesis that he has in his library good read. That one."

[Durzan]

"Drix, in the 4 months you've worked with me, have you ever once asked me flat out?" Bairn asked pointedly.


"Perhaps later." Valstraz answered Drix's question. "Right now, I find myself much more intrigued by the prospect of Bairn's library. It just so happens that I have had some lessons in Ancient Draconic. It's by no means exhaustive, but I know quite a bit of the basic grammar, and a fair amount of words. I think I could translate it, given time." He continued, turning to Bairn.
His eyes glittered with scholarly interest, something he'd never learned to hide, no matter how much he tried to.
Knowledge was one of his strongest interests, after all, and something like books in ancient draconic made him feel like a child in a confection store. "I would very, very much like to be allowed in your library, Bairn." He said, showing visibly more respect to the human than he had earlier.

Bairn eyed Val with a humorous look. "Alright, I can show you around the library... and possibly show you one of the shorter ancient scrolls. But we should probably wait for Morgawr to arrive first, as I'm sure there are things in the Castle that he would be interested in as well."

[Ilena]

shrugging, "Im not waitibg around for him to arrive, he should have just flown with the rest of us, I think its time to go check out that lake." she then turns and takes to wing, graceful as ever. Foolish dragon, walking when you could fly, its like a human crawling whe. they could walk, so stupid. She flaps a few times and rises above the tree circling a few times to see if drix is coming, interested in what hes going to try now that hes not burdenned.

[cavalieredraghi]

"Drix, in the 4 months you've worked with me, have you ever once asked me flat out?" Bairn asked pointedly.



Bairn eyed Val with a humorous look. "Alright, I can show you around the library... and possibly show you one of the shorter ancient scrolls. But we should probably wait for Morgawr to arrive first, as I'm sure there are things in the Castle that he would be interested in as well."

Drix turned immediately on Bairn, the first time he looked truly angry.
"Yes I have, it was the first time you mentioned the book's to me. I even explained I had a working knowledge of Ancient Draconic better then just a few words." Drix snarled as he was not liking where this conversation was heading.

[Mabn]

Mogawr walked through the fields and forest. He noticed the workers, although not their marks. Chiefly his thoughts were elsewhere. Humans relied more on sight than dragons, and their sense of pain was much stronger. Nevertheless they lacked the shock response a deer would have, so on his walk Morgawr was able to enjoy his headache more keenly than he ever before had. To understand humanity he would have to grasp the torture of being human: blind, helpless, and quick to die. He could feel what he assumed must be the fight or flight response present in many prey animals and how it must impair their judgement. No wonder the species was so totally irrational in the presence of a dragon.

Eventually he met up with his new possessor at the entrance of his home. Some of his fellow dragons had left and he approached quietly to see what the remanent were doing.

[Durzan]

Bairn eyed Drix with a calm expression, seemingly unfazed by the dragon's sudden movement or anger. He paused for a moment, as he tried to remember the exact conversation.

"Oh, dear. I had nearly forgotten about that," He apologized in a rather flat tone. "I was going to let you attempt the translation of them, but then you mentioned that the mark made by your former master was acting strange. We don't know what additional spells he attached to that mark; for all we know, some of those spells might still be active and could interfere with the translation process."

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix was just confused.
"Why would this mark prevent me from translating?" He sat down on his hind legs and tilted his head like some dog, before shaking his head clear. This was not a fight worth having at the moment. Drix decided to simply avoid the conflict for now.

"Fine you enjoy the books then." Drix got up and simply left with Aurora. He swam through the air in an attempt to catch her. His form now not obstructed by individuals on his back, he was like a golden ribbon gliding through the breeze. His every wing flap mimicked by his body as he climbed in the sky. He was like some serpent slithering on the air itself.

[Durzan]

"Ah Mogawr, we were waiting for you. Aurora and Drix decided to go fishing in a nearby canyon. Val is interested in the Library, so I decided to show you and him around personally."Bairn said loudly as soon as the ginger dragon was nearby.

Bairn starts gliding towards the castle at a leisurely pace, his staff making a slight thump every time it hit the ground.

[Ilena]

Gliding on the air rising from the heated ground, Aurora waits for drix to catch up to her, she lazily floats watching him swim through the air, curious differe t then her. She smiles when he finally catcges up and shouts to him, "took you long enough, got permission from your keeper finally?" she is going to enjoy bugging him ....

[gremlin-pult]

"A bit rowdy, aren't they?" Valstraz commented dryly as he watched Aurora and Drix fly of. "Oh well, to each his own." He added with a shrug, before following Bairn to the castle. He noted with some interest how the humans had built the place.
Was it built with magic, perhaps? or with the raw strength of dragon slaves? He thought, the second thought bringing a small frown to his face. Well, I hope it was the first one... It couldn't be with their own strength, certainly. They're much to small and... squishy for such things.

He then recalled that he was, in fact, walking right behind the owner of said castle, and could just ask.
"Say, Bairn, how was this castle built?" He asked.

[cavalieredraghi]

Gliding on the air rising from the heated ground, Aurora waits for drix to catch up to her, she lazily floats watching him swim through the air, curious differe t then her. She smiles when he finally catcges up and shouts to him, "took you long enough, got permission from your keeper finally?" she is going to enjoy bugging him ....

Drix did not look to Aurora that moment, his eyes he knew were still flaming with anger. He just said with a low growl. "I don't want to talk about Bairn at the moment, the pompous arse." Drix flew right next to Aurora as he barely even made a shift in the air as he did. He simply looked to her, "So Canyon or Forest Lake?"

[Durzan]

"A bit rowdy, aren't they?" Valstraz commented dryly as he watched Aurora and Drix fly of. "Oh well, to each his own." He added with a shrug, before following Bairn to the castle. He noted with some interest how the humans had built the place.
Was it built with magic, perhaps? or with the raw strength of dragon slaves? He thought, the second thought bringing a small frown to his face. Well, I hope it was the first one... It couldn't be with their own strength, certainly. They're much to small and... squishy for such things.

He then recalled that he was, in fact, walking right behind the owner of said castle, and could just ask.
"Say, Bairn, how was this castle built?" He asked.

"Why," Bairn responded, "With our own hands of course."

Bairn eyed Val with some degree of interest.

"Magic can be used for many things, but it isn't our only strength. We humans are extremely versatile, especially our minds. If we cannot do something ourselves, then we make that can. For instance We also use animals as beasts of burden in addition to food. A pair of Oxen or horses can pull heavy blocks up some ramps, and then we use pulleys to lift them into place. If there is a wizard or two on hand, he can speed up the process quite a bit, but their services in such areas are expensive, even for a noble."

"Of course, a large dragon can easily lift the boulders and put them into place, and quite a few castles have been built with their labor. But not this one; This castle dates back to before the dragons arrived, and has been constantly renovated for many generations."

[gremlin-pult]

"Really? Pulleys? What an innovative way to skirt around your lacking physical aspects as a race." Valstraz exclaimed with eagerness. "I had heard about the almost uncanny ability humans have for inventing tools. We dragons don't do that much, since we have our raw power. But what an excellent way to keep from being overly reliant on magic!..." He continued, waving his hands with excitement, before stopping almost midsentence. It had abruptly become clear to him how he'd let his interest in this novelty take hold of him. He'd lost his bearing to enthusiasm, like some unschooled whelp!
His cheeks colored ever so slightly with embarrasment, and he narrowed his eyes and sent Bairn a sharp stare that quite clearly conveyed the message "You saw nothing".'

"*Ahem*, Anyway... I suppose it is somewhat of a feat. For humans." He added after a moment, radiating an air of superiority, dismissing it with a wave of his hand.

[Ilena]

Smiling, pleased that hes finally shown emotion, now this she can work with. "hmmmmm I dont know, you said the lake was beyond the canyon correct? so perhaps I will just race you through the canyon and meet you at tge lake?" the way she sayd it makes you think she assumes its a foregone conclusion that she will win.

[cavalieredraghi]

Smiling, pleased that hes finally shown emotion, now this she can work with. "hmmmmm I dont know, you said the lake was beyond the canyon correct? so perhaps I will just race you through the canyon and meet you at tge lake?" the way she sayd it makes you think she assumes its a foregone conclusion that she will win.

"Well there is a lake underneath the Canyon, but the lake from before is beyond the forest. However. Sure you can race me to the lake underneath the Canyon. Good luck finding it." Drix said with a rye smile as he sped off ahead of her. He seemed to dive as he gained speed. He would never be as fast as her but his control would help compensate when they got into the Canyon he knew.

[Mabn]

Morgawr sighed and massaged his scalp. "Dragons don't lack tools because we're strong. We lack tools because so many of us have a foolish fixation with sleeping in caves and biting the heads off of animals. The type of idiocy that sees a dragon that apparently doesn't need to eat organic matter and a starving dragon who was offered all the food they wanted waiting in order to go fishing... I would very much like to see this library now." The drama of his capture and purchase finally caught up with Morgawr amid the sudden and unexpected normalcy of other dragons acting frivolously in a dire situation. This more normal despair served as a conduit to the emotions of his present and moved him to despondency.

[Durzan]

"Well that can easily be arranged." Bairn said, a wry smile on lips. "Come, its this way."

As you entered the castle, Bairn absentmindedly began to give the two of you directions. "That hallway down the left leads to the West Wing, the Kitchen, and the main Dining Hall. The cooks have been a bit short staffed for the past 6 months or so, so if either of you like to cook, you are welcome to help out. That hallway leads to the east wing, which contains the student quarters, the Library, and private study rooms."

The Library was enormous. Rows upon rows of neatly organized bookshelves, some of which seemed to touch the ceiling 20 feet up. And this was just the first floor. Bairn led them up a flight of stairs and through a door labeled "Historical Section: First Empire."

He wound his way through the few bookshelves, until he came to a wall that was empty except for a single bookcase and a desk with a chair. The front of the bookcase was blocked by a thin glass barricade with a small keyhole along the edge, but you could feel a magical aura coming from the shelf itself. Clearly Bairn valued the contents of this shelf very highly. Bairn pulled out a small key, and unlocked the glass seal. He pulled out a yellowed scroll, and carefully undid the binding.

"This is one of the few intact scrolls that can be traced to the First Empire Era, dating back to roughly 500 BC. The fact that it survived not only the Cataclysm, but also five thousand years in a damp and dusty ruin without falling apart, quite frankly amazes me," Bairn said. "While no one has been able to translate much of it,most dragons whom I showed it to were able to gain a rough translation of the title: 'Aga-Raktha Mynduin', which if I understand correctly is roughly translated as 'Origins of the First Empire'. They weren't able to translate anything else; the writing is cramped and barely legible. If you are interested, you can attempt to translate the first sentence or two."

[Ilena]

smiling, "oh thats ok, im sure I can find it." she the rolls into a steep dive dropping into the canyon. keeping her wings half closed she skirts along, not going as fast as she could but not slow enough to make him think that shes purposely is keeping slow, planning on following him to tge lake.

[gremlin-pult]

"The first empire..." Valstraz muttered, almost reverently as he carefully took the scroll, holding it with all the care of a mother cradling a babe. "Incredible, to think that writings from so long ago still exists..."
Turning his gaze to Bairn, Valstraz bowed his head with an expression showing uncommon amounts of honest emotion.
"Bairn, it is my honor to try and translate this script. I thank you for this opportunity."

With that said, he promptly sat down at the nearest table, and started trying to read it. occasionally he would mutter to himself, as he fought with the ancient characters used in the writing. "How in the name of the Elders does this fit together?... Is the grammer in reverse, with this letter being the leading verb?... No, no that would make no sense... Perhaps it is the irregular form of a word... Huh, but then what would this mean? It can't be some archaic form of the Zhi- prefix, then the vertical line in the letter would be smaller..."
His muttered ramblings went on as he procured a piece of paper and some ink and a quill, and started taking notes. The paper quickly filled with words and sentences, most if not all of them just as hastily scrawled over with lines to show that they were wrong.

[cavalieredraghi]

smiling, "oh thats ok, im sure I can find it." she the rolls into a steep dive dropping into the canyon. keeping her wings half closed she skirts along, not going as fast as she could but not slow enough to make him think that shes purposely is keeping slow, planning on following him to tge lake.

Drix weaved through and around many jutting Buttes in the canyon with little effort. He was no where near as fast as his follower, or sometimes as graceful, though he often looked like a ribbon when he twirled around the Buttes. What he was skilled at was precision. He was making sharp turns and needed little air to stay afloat. even during down drafts of air he remained steady in his flight. However he was then soon heading straight for a wall with a thin crack. Well Thin for a dragon that was older then Drix, it was wide enough for a human to walk through, but not much wider for a dragon.

Then Drix went perpendicular with the ground and soared straight through he crack. He disappeared well with in.

[Ilena]

Smiling she watches Drix aim for a wall, she instantly knew what he was doing, a quick flap she sped up a little, and with a roll she flipped sidewards and passed between the walls just after him. She feels her back narrowly missing the cavern wall, following him through the twists and turns as they go.

[cavalieredraghi]

Smiling she watches Drix aim for a wall, she instantly knew what he was doing, a quick flap she sped up a little, and with a roll she flipped sidewards and passed between the walls just after him. She feels her back narrowly missing the cavern wall, following him through the twists and turns as they go.

He suddenly drops down, had her own skill not been greater then Drix, she could have thought he had been hit and was falling. No she knew he made the effort to go down, as he started to gracefully fall, suddenly when she thought he would get the ground he disappeared into another black hole. He let out a small bugle of joy as he let her know he was alright, then a splash of water could be heard echoing off the chamber.

[Ilena]

Her eyes naturally switching to a lack of light she follows Drix, her plan of passing him seems to be fading as time goes, she does not know this well enough and its too tight. Following his quick movements, naturally just reacting to each move she comes out into the open area of the lake, flaring so she doesnt actually go IN it, she looks around quickly to get her bearings.

[cavalieredraghi]

Her eyes naturally switching to a lack of light she follows Drix, her plan of passing him seems to be fading as time goes, she does not know this well enough and its too tight. Following his quick movements, naturally just reacting to each move she comes out into the open area of the lake, flaring so she doesnt actually go IN it, she looks around quickly to get her bearings.

There was a faint glow to the area so you did not have to rely completely on your dark vision. Some of the rocks in the ceiling had veins of lumonous rock. Drix was gone deep under the surface of the water. You could just barely see his shimmer from under the depths.

[Mabn]

Morgawr had always considered linguistics to be his weakest subject. He paused to look at the ancient texts, but continued on to get a full picture of the library's layout.

[Ilena]

Floating on the still air, she watches him down in the water , curious as to what hes doing. She finds a rock outcropping close to the water , close enough for her to drink if she wanted to. Landing softly on the outcropping, she takes a drink of the cool water and then looks around. She crouches in to watch the other dragon , watching what hes doing, maybe he will bring her a fish. Would be amusing.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix swam far away at first then she could see in the distance a massive creature breach the surface of the water. It was large, bigger then drix and her combined. However a gas seemed to enclose it as it jumped. Then steam. After several Drix did indeed bring her a fish, the large one he just slain.

"I know it is not much, but would this fill you up?"

[Ilena]

She rears back a little, somewhat appalled at the size of the thing, she wonders if it is something that would eat her ... "I believe that could fill us both, that thing is massive .... " When it is close enough she bites down onto it, pulling it more onto the beach and the rocks, still partly in the water its at least not going to float away. She then moves over a little so he can crawl up beside her if he wants to. "What is this thing? I have never seen anything like it before." Her respect of Drix is definitely on the rise. Something she can always respect is a good hunter, in the world they live in a good hunter means their family wont starve to death.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix looked to her then back to the water. He crawled out and lay next to her without much of any fuss. He watched her eat as he thought on her question.
"I won't let the fish go to waste, I can chop it up after you are finished and take back the rest for the other dragons who are living upon the castle grounds. As for what it is, from what I have read it is a cousin to Sharks. However despite that it does not have that bad a bite. I usually find them in the waters here."

Drix then got up and retrieved a net from behind the rock.
"Have your fill okay, I know you are probably still hungry."

[Ilena]

Biting down and ripping off flesh from it, she is indeed hungry, and spends some time in silence while she devours the carcass, taking a moment to talk, "Don't you want some? It can't be healthy to eat just stone ... and there is plenty here. Eat some, please?" She tears off a large chunk and lays it at his feet, she then takes another large bite and swallows it. She is worried about him when it comes to eating ... its not normal ... and there is plenty of food on this world.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix was genuinely touched that she did seem to care for him. Though Aurora's concerns were not needed. He truly was fine. He had energy for days he felt it in his muscles and stomach. Though such a thing like what he could do was so bizarre she was right it was no normal.
"Thank you, but I really am fine. Please don't worry about me, feed your empty belly and then we can talk more if you want, or you can see if your flight can keep up with my swimming?"

[Ilena]

Shaking her head a little at his stubbornness , "In the air I am the best ... I know I am, my family are some of the best anywhere and I am better then them .... but ... I have never swam before, I do not enjoy the prospect of being without currents and updrafts ... things that I know ... it is ... different." She would not admit it to you, but the water looks very deep and she is scared of it, back home this much water would house something very dangerous, and you never went into it. Here .... well ... this just came out of it, who knows what else is in here ... " Still ... I would feel more comfortable to not be the only one gorging on food, this much ... it is a dream back home, to find something like this ... it is amazing."

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix knew he would regret being tempted by this female, but her pleas, her desire to not feel ashamed. Drix knew he would risk gaining some weight if he fed right now, but this eyes they were calling for him to join her and not let her suffer. Drix shifted closer and took the piece she offered and ate it down. He then looked to a part of the meal she had yet to enjoy and started to eat as well.

[Ilena]

Smiling , shes pleased that hes eating, she just cant wrap her head around that he doesnt eat real food .. it just ... seems weird and wrong to her. She watches him dig into the carcass for a few moments before she then bites down herself, chowing down until her stomach feels sickeningly full. Who knows when you may get a chance like this to gorge yourself? The extra food might even put a little layer of fat on he bones, she is very skinny, unhealthily so, the lack of food and starvation in the homeland being the cause. She does not show the weakness of it, or tries not to. Showing off earlier took a lot of energy out of her, but it was important to fight for her standing among the others, this food will do much to replenish her depleted stores. When she is finished eating, Aurora licks her lips, cleaning the blood off, and partly rolls to her side, groaning a little at her now very uncomfortable stomach. She lays her head against Drix and curls up a little beside him, breathing a deep sigh, "My stomach has never been this full .... I feel sick .. like im about t puke ... its such a nice feeling." She lets out a big yawn, and snuggles up against Drix while her meal digests.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix lay a wing over Aurora. He did not know why but he felt protective over her. He was glad she had her full and was resting on him. He then curled his neck to rest his own head next to but not on top,of Aurora.
"I was much the same way my first feast I had. It was not to long after I learned to eat gems. " Drix said happily almost with a purr.

"Though why can i. I still don't know." Drix said as he did also feel himself a freak for his weird mutation.

[Ilena]

Sighing deeply, stomach grumbling at the food shoved in it she says,"true .. but at least when you go home you wont have issues finding food, there are a bunch of gems laying around that no one uses, if youbpass that onto your kids then that would be an advatage." streaching out aurora continues, "iblike this place , it reminds me of home. I used toblive in a cave near a small river that ran all year.is there other ways into here?"

[cavalieredraghi]

"A couple, but they require you to be able to breath underwater like myself. otherwise you would drown before you got anywhere close. to this cave." Drix said, though something seemed to hit him when she spoke that he did not get immediately. It was not a concept that had yet crossed his mind being so young as he was.

"Have you thought about having kids often?" Drix asked very much confused. Her size would suggest she was not much older then he was, but looks can be deceiving.

[Ilena]

"not overly, but I know its my duty to evenutally have kids, if I dont tgen my blood line dies out and our species is reduced, if more and more choose not to then we as a whole are reduced." shaking her head, "water is not my thing, I do not breathe it nor swim in it. this is the first time ive been this close tobwater of this amount and eaten something from it." her eyes have been closed for the entire time she has been laying, enjoying the company of another of her kind where she doesnt have to fight or be afraid. "can I ask you a serious question?"

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix nods understanding the logical process of her statements. It really made sense, dragons were so weak right now compared to the propagating humans. Still the idea of having children right now anyways it was foreign to his mind. He was still so young. However when she wanted to ask her serious question he lifted his head and looked to her.

"Of course, we should be honest with each since we have a year of being together ahead of us."

[Ilena]

"do you trust the human? if so why? you have clearly been with him for awhile, wearing human weapons and you seem to hace a familierarity with him. I think he trusts you and you him. I mean what otger reason would he allow us to just leave if he trusts you to bring me back, right?" she days, theres no judgement in her voice, shes fed, in her true form and comfortable. the anger and aggression from earlier is gone , or at least subdued for now. drix can notice her eyes are still not open, relaxed she is with him.

[cavalieredraghi]

"do you trust the human? if so why? you have clearly been with him for awhile, wearing human weapons and you seem to hace a familierarity with him. I think he trusts you and you him. I mean what otger reason would he allow us to just leave if he trusts you to bring me back, right?" she days, theres no judgement in her voice, shes fed, in her true form and comfortable. the anger and aggression from earlier is gone , or at least subdued for now. drix can notice her eyes are still not open, relaxed she is with him.

"He is the only human who has been nice and kind to me so far. I have been in this world for almost a full year now, but my contract keeps resetting. My masters keep dying mysteriously, or disappearing. Bairn is the only one who seemed to care about my well being. the others treated me no better then animal, and there was the first one...." Drix physically shivers from memories of Caax.
"Despite it all though I respect him more then I trust him. He still won't let me read those ancient draconic books despite that I have told him I know ancient draconic better then most dragons." Drix let out a heavy sigh.
"The weapons I carry area actually gifts from my clan before I came to this world. made for my human form so I may have a better chance of blending in."

Drix then lowered his head again.
"May I ask a question?"

[Ilena]

"Hmmm he does seem nice ... but I can't trust that ... he has other motives im assuming, why else would he want us? So I plan to be careful and not give in to him. I want to see if i can survive here without having to go back soon ... it would be really nice to have a chance to eat and not to starve to death. Its why I came here .... finding food ... its becoming so much more difficult ... I think we are running out back home. What would you like to know?"

[cavalieredraghi]

"Hmmm he does seem nice ... but I can't trust that ... he has other motives im assuming, why else would he want us? So I plan to be careful and not give in to him. I want to see if i can survive here without having to go back soon ... it would be really nice to have a chance to eat and not to starve to death. Its why I came here .... finding food ... its becoming so much more difficult ... I think we are running out back home. What would you like to know?"

"What do you plan to do after your contract is up? Would you go back? Would you stick around?" Drix asked as he stared at the water. He seemed focused in his words, more then he has ever shown before. Drix mind went to his future, his dream of a Kingdom here in this world for dragons to live. A place where the contract was none existent. A Place where they can gain food beyond measure, as well as power once again.

[Ilena]

Shrugging a little, "I don't know, I mean .. I like it here ... lots of food, lots of land, places that I haven't seen and can fly but ... its not safe here. The humans would either kill or imprison me again and I wont let that happen. I thought about killing the human the moment I got my body back .. but decided against it. It would serve no purpose and I imagine he has some form of protection. But I will not be so kind to the next person who tries to take me. I want to learn how to protect myself from these humans, so that this doesn't happen again. I think he might do it, if he is who he says he is. But oh well ... that is something for the future." She yawns deeply and curls up, stomach feeling a bit better and puts her head under her wing, she fully intends on going to sleep.

[cavalieredraghi]

Shrugging a little, "I don't know, I mean .. I like it here ... lots of food, lots of land, places that I haven't seen and can fly but ... its not safe here. The humans would either kill or imprison me again and I wont let that happen. I thought about killing the human the moment I got my body back .. but decided against it. It would serve no purpose and I imagine he has some form of protection. But I will not be so kind to the next person who tries to take me. I want to learn how to protect myself from these humans, so that this doesn't happen again. I think he might do it, if he is who he says he is. But oh well ... that is something for the future." She yawns deeply and curls up, stomach feeling a bit better and puts her head under her wing, she fully intends on going to sleep.

"exactly" Drix mumbled to himself, more to himself as he thought on her words. His Kingdom would be such a place, a place of protection from the humans, from their cruelty, humans like Bairn could prove allies, but Drix had to learn how magic worked before he could even hope to defend himself let alone a kingdom. He spit out a ball of fire next to the pair of the to keep them warm as Drix started to close his eyes as well.

[Ilena]

Aurora jumped when she feels the heat and his fireball, her head shoots up and she almost is ready to get to her feet, "Whats the matter? Is something attacking us?" Her head swivels looking for what the reason for his breath is, her concern is evident.

[cavalieredraghi]

Aurora jumped when she feels the heat and his fireball, her head shoots up and she almost is ready to get to her feet, "Whats the matter? Is something attacking us?" Her head swivels looking for what the reason for his breath is, her concern is evident.

"Do you not get cold often?" Drix asked. As he slowly raised his head.
"I was setting a small fire for heat?"

[Ilena]

"Oh ... no, I get too hot sometimes but I've never been too cold. No matter how high I fly or if i walk in snow. I feel cold but not so much that I would consider making heat for myself. I'm ok if you want heat just warn me ok?" Laying her head down again and snuggling back in against him she then wraps herself up into a ball again.

[cavalieredraghi]

"Oh ... no, I get too hot sometimes but I've never been too cold. No matter how high I fly or if i walk in snow. I feel cold but not so much that I would consider making heat for myself. I'm ok if you want heat just warn me ok?" Laying her head down again and snuggling back in against him she then wraps herself up into a ball again.

Drix nods and promises to earn her next time . He laid his wing over her again as he curled around her, falling asleep on their snuggled bodies.

[Durzan]

"Oh ... no, I get too hot sometimes but I've never been too cold. No matter how high I fly or if i walk in snow. I feel cold but not so much that I would consider making heat for myself. I'm ok if you want heat just warn me ok?" Laying her head down again and snuggling back in against him she then wraps herself up into a ball again.


Drix nods and promises to earn her next time. He laid his wing over her again as he curled around her, falling asleep on their snuggled bodies.

The two of you wake up slowly about an hour later to an itching sensation. The mark on your paw has grown increasingly itchy. Its not unbearable, but you find it increasingly distracting.

Drix, you know what this means. This is Bairn's way of asking you two to come home.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix sighed he was enjoying his time alone with Aurora. She was honestly really nice he found as he got to know her. Also the cuddling was enjoyable as well. Drix looked to Aurora, "he wants us to come back Bairn that is. I really enjoyed this. Let me cut up the fish and for the other dragons then I will be ready. You can go ahead if you want."

[Ilena]

"What do you mean? He can just ... summon us like this? That is .... annoying." She yawns deeply and uncoils herself, still a little sleepy but feeling much better, more filled with life and energy after the good meal, smiling at his comment at cutting up the fish, "Sure ... I will help." and by help she means devour some more, less so, so she can still fly and not be overloaded but she will have her fill, focusing on some tasty internal organs and removing pieces to make it smaller. Near the end she grabs a slab by its edge, throwing it up into the air, letting a jet of flame go so it flash heats the meat and then catching it again. Smiling as she plays with her food a quick bite and swallow finishes that off. Then settling to watch Drix finish up carving the food she thinks to herself, "Well ... he didn't try anything last night, it was nice to have companionship again ... being alone sucks.

[cavalieredraghi]

"What do you mean? He can just ... summon us like this? That is .... annoying." She yawns deeply and uncoils herself, still a little sleepy but feeling much better, more filled with life and energy after the good meal, smiling at his comment at cutting up the fish, "Sure ... I will help." and by help she means devour some more, less so, so she can still fly and not be overloaded but she will have her fill, focusing on some tasty internal organs and removing pieces to make it smaller. Near the end she grabs a slab by its edge, throwing it up into the air, letting a jet of flame go so it flash heats the meat and then catching it again. Smiling as she plays with her food a quick bite and swallow finishes that off. Then settling to watch Drix finish up carving the food she thinks to herself, "Well ... he didn't try anything last night, it was nice to have companionship again ... being alone sucks.

Drix chopped up the meat, well what ever Aurora did not have. He knew it would not go to waste at all with his people at the castle. He saved everything including the bone, as he knew crafts and other things could be made with it. He wrapped it all up in the netting and dipped it in the water to clean off the sand and dirty. However as he worked he did enjoy the display of Aurora having fun with her food. She was bigger then he was, but yet how she acted made him wonder if she was older. if she let him he would have to ask her later.

"It should still be dark out, I don't think we were asleep for that long." Drix said as he skewered the net to his spine. He then started to flap his wings to do a vertical take off from the ground, not as quick as a run and leap but Drix could not risk such a maneuver with his current pay load.

[Durzan]

"The first empire..." Valstraz muttered, almost reverently as he carefully took the scroll, holding it with all the care of a mother cradling a babe. "Incredible, to think that writings from so long ago still exists..."
Turning his gaze to Bairn, Valstraz bowed his head with an expression showing uncommon amounts of honest emotion.
"Bairn, it is my honor to try and translate this script. I thank you for this opportunity."

With that said, he promptly sat down at the nearest table, and started trying to read it. occasionally he would mutter to himself, as he fought with the ancient characters used in the writing. "How in the name of the Elders does this fit together?... Is the grammer in reverse, with this letter being the leading verb?... No, no that would make no sense... Perhaps it is the irregular form of a word... Huh, but then what would this mean? It can't be some archaic form of the Zhi- prefix, then the vertical line in the letter would be smaller..."
His muttered ramblings went on as he procured a piece of paper and some ink and a quill, and started taking notes. The paper quickly filled with words and sentences, most if not all of them just as hastily scrawled over with lines to show that they were wrong.

The following words and phrases crop up within the first few sentences in the first paragraph: Xilmund the Great, Established, Glorious, Empire, Over, Ago, Clan, War, Bloody, & Peace.

After that, the writing in the first paragraph becomes significantly harder. You are able to pick out the names of the 12 Dragon Clans as well as important historical figures, and a few words such as "Magic" crop up repeatedly. Although you would need to let the translations stew in your head for a while, you are able to determine that the first paragraph is talking about the times before the establishment of the First Empire. If what you remembered is correct, Xilmund the Great of the Dark Claw clan waged war on the clans opposed to him, and eventually managed to unite all of them under his banner. This event marked the end of the bloody clan wars which characterized the early days of Dragonkind. This unification would evolve quickly into the First Empire.

With a start, you realize that you had been studying this paragraph for hours, and it was now dark outside. Bairn and Mogawr had quietly left while you studied, but the human was kind enough to leave a note for you.


Val,

Don't stay up too late studying that scroll; you don't have to translate the whole thing at once. Take your time, little one. When you are done for the night, just roll up the scroll and it will automatically teleport itself back into the safe-box. Don't try to take it out of the library; I put security measures in place to prevent that. You can keep your notes in your quarters if you wish, or tomorrow you can ask me to store them with the scroll.

Choose any one of the available sleeping chambers in the East Wing. You'll find the beds extremely comfortable, should choose to sleep in human form. There is also a dragon roost in each of the chambers as well. There are also washing up chambers and drawers filled with clothing that will automatically adjust to your size in each of the rooms, so feel free to use them.

Get some rest, tomorrow you and the others will begin your basic training... and it will not be easy.

--Bairn

[Ilena]

"I don't know, it doesn't feel all that late ... probably is dark outside though. Mmmm it feels good to have a full stomach, it has been so long ... but I suppose we should go answer his summons .. as if he has any right to demand it .." You can hear the grumbling in her voice, she hates being controlled and loves her freedom and free will. This whole training thing you know is coming should be very interesting, and probably require some convincing for her to go along with it freely. Opening her wings and using her powerful leg muscles she launches herself into the air, a couple of flaps and a graceful turn and she follows you out of the underground lake. Plans already formulating in her mind for making a better way in, one that is easier and accessible when she is larger.

[cavalieredraghi]

"I don't know, it doesn't feel all that late ... probably is dark outside though. Mmmm it feels good to have a full stomach, it has been so long ... but I suppose we should go answer his summons .. as if he has any right to demand it .." You can hear the grumbling in her voice, she hates being controlled and loves her freedom and free will. This whole training thing you know is coming should be very interesting, and probably require some convincing for her to go along with it freely. Opening her wings and using her powerful leg muscles she launches herself into the air, a couple of flaps and a graceful turn and she follows you out of the underground lake. Plans already formulating in her mind for making a better way in, one that is easier and accessible when she is larger.

Drix led the way, and as soon as they could see the stars of the night sky, Drix slowed and looked to Aurora.

"Aurora!" Drix said rather quickly and loudly.

"If I know Bairn, you and the others, well.... Would you like to learn how to use magic?"

[gremlin-pult]

Ha...Hahaha...This is incredible! Actual records from the foundation of the first empire! positively extraordinary. The secrets that must be contained in these scrolls could very well change the fate of dragons everywhere. I MUST translate them!
Valstraz thought to himself, giddy with excitement and groggy from studying the text so closely. finishing of his notes, he decided after some thought to only include the words about the empire itself in his notes.
No reason to write down a lot of broken bits about magic. Not just yet... It would be wrong to keep anything in writing that could give others ideas before I've made certain theres anything of value in the information... Yesss, best to keep it to myself for now. And share it with the others when I have something concrete... He thought, vaguely justifying his instinctive desire to hoard anything that could hold the barest scrap of knowledge on magic.

Valstraz then noticed the note Bairn had left behind, and read through it as an afterthought. "Well, he certainly cares more than adequately for guests... But what is this basic training? Hmm, no matter. I will find out tomorrow. As long as I am given continued access to these writings, I will play the dutiful servant no matter what he cooks up, whether good or ill."
Stretching his body, somewhat stiff after so much time sitting still, he rolled up the scroll, and watched with fascination as it disappeared and then reappeared in the case. Afterwards he walked to the east wing and found an empty room. Deciding that he'd spent enough time in human form for now, he carefully hid his notes underneath the lining of his dragon roost, morphed into his true form, and made himself comfortable in the roost. confident that no one could get to his notes without waking him, he slipped into sleep with a toothy grin on his face, quite excited for the future despite what had happened so far.

[Ilena]

Slowing up when Drix does, Aurora thinks about what he just said, shes never really thought about magic ... she knew it existed of course and that her kind did control it before, but no one could make use of it. She never really worried about it then because it did not allow for survival ... "I ... never really thought about it before ... are you saying that he knows how to teach us magic?"

[cavalieredraghi]

Slowing up when Drix does, Aurora thinks about what he just said, shes never really thought about magic ... she knew it existed of course and that her kind did control it before, but no one could make use of it. She never really worried about it then because it did not allow for survival ... "I ... never really thought about it before ... are you saying that he knows how to teach us magic?"

"Yes he will teach us, but the first couple weeks are not going to be pleasant. If he is a sadist like other humans as well, he will make me be the ones to give you that hell. I want to apologize ahead of time, I truly won't mean to hurt any of you." Drix lowered his head as he knew what was coming, he was already feeling ashamed for what he may do.

[Ilena]

Confused, "I don't know what you mean ... whats going on? Whats he going to make you do?" She flys close to him, still confused as to what is going to happen. Training yes but why does he feel bad about it?

[cavalieredraghi]

Confused, "I don't know what you mean ... whats going on? Whats he going to make you do?" She flys close to him, still confused as to what is going to happen. Training yes but why does he feel bad about it?

"it is going to be tough, and the training will hurt at first. I am sorry for the pain you will feel." Drix said as he looked to Aurora.

[Ilena]

You sense her shrug, "But it's for the possibility of learning magic ... if i could learn to create food for our people ... pass on that knowledge to them ... it could be the edge we need over the humans, the ability to hold our own, we wont be prisoners anymore and we can feed ourselves ... I am willing to go through whatever is necessary and I won't blame you for anything you need to do."

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix smiled and sent his head to nuzzle Aurora in thanks for her kind words.

"You really do want to help our people a lot. I like that about you." He replied as he kept on flying forward.

[Ilena]

Smiling to herself, she nuzzles him back in thanks, "I do, we are a dieing race ... I don't want to watch us die out because we cant defend ourselves ... or become slaves as its the only option, no I cant stand the thought of that Drix." Aurora flies lazily beside him as they go, anger at what has happened to her people in her voice but a calm anger, one that she will hold onto until the problem is solved.

[cavalieredraghi]

Smiling to herself, she nuzzles him back in thanks, "I do, we are a dieing race ... I don't want to watch us die out because we cant defend ourselves ... or become slaves as its the only option, no I cant stand the thought of that Drix." Aurora flies lazily beside him as they go, anger at what has happened to her people in her voice but a calm anger, one that she will hold onto until the problem is solved.

Drix looked to the horizon.
"I know all the stories that my clan has kept and I can recite them all back perfectly. I agree we need to survive we need to be strong again. Even if we are physically superior to Humans, without magic we will never raise above them. Not unless we wish to destroy them like we destroyed ourselves." Drix hinted at that he knew the stories of the void.

[Ilena]

Smiling she quickly rolls under him and as she passes nips at his leg, before coming up beside him again, "Showing off your knowledge are you?" She is going to enjoy teasing him in the days and months going forward.

[cavalieredraghi]

Smiling she quickly rolls under him and as she passes nips at his leg, before coming up beside him again, "Showing off your knowledge are you?" She is going to enjoy teasing him in the days and months going forward.

Drix jumped just a bit at the nib at his leg. He looked away embarrassed.
"Do you not want me to. I figured just that i...." He was not sure why he did what he just did,.

[Ilena]

Smiling more, feeling playful, "No it's ok, you never have to hide things from me, I'm just feeling playful, thats all. For the first time in a long time I don't have to worry about where my next meal is coming from, who's going to try to kill me or any of that, its ... freeing."

[cavalieredraghi]

Smiling more, feeling playful, "No it's ok, you never have to hide things from me, I'm just feeling playful, thats all. For the first time in a long time I don't have to worry about where my next meal is coming from, who's going to try to kill me or any of that, its ... freeing."

Drix looked back to her her smile was pretty for sure. He just smiled back not really thinking just glad to have another he could be honest with.

"I imagine it will be even more freeing when this contract is over!" Drix said with excitment.

[Ilena]

Her smile fades a little, "Well ... that all depends , i mean right now we would be going back to starvation. If we learn magic ... wait, you said he would be making you do the drill training ... does that mean you have gone through it already?"

[cavalieredraghi]

Her smile fades a little, "Well ... that all depends , i mean right now we would be going back to starvation. If we learn magic ... wait, you said he would be making you do the drill training ... does that mean you have gone through it already?"

"Yes I have gone through it, and who says we have to go back after the year. Why not carve our own place here? Why not make a safe port in the storm that is our home, so dragons can come here freely for food without dealing with those damned humans."

[Ilena]

"Do you think they would allow us to? The two of us would never be able to keep them at bay ... we would have to collect a group hopefully a large one ... and if you have gone through it ... does that mean you are learning magic now? Have you learned anything??" The excitement in her voice is definitely there.

[cavalieredraghi]

"Do you think they would allow us to? The two of us would never be able to keep them at bay ... we would have to collect a group hopefully a large one ... and if you have gone through it ... does that mean you are learning magic now? Have you learned anything??" The excitement in her voice is definitely there.
"Not yet to be honest I had finished my training by the time we learned about you and the others. My actual learning will most likely wait on you." Drix then smiled again.
"We do it And build it before the wizards can stop us! Then we have strength and the wizards can do nothing to us."

[Ilena]

Smiling, "So we will learn together then, I wonder who will be better at magic .... hmmm," She floats back above you and over to your right again, "I think I see the castle coming up, looks like we are almost there ..."

[Durzan]

Bairn watched Val for a moment, then wrote a note and left it on the table. The young Dark Claw was so engrossed in the translation, that he was now oblivious to everything else.

"Is there anything in particular you'd like to see?" Bairn asked Mogawr as he headed back to the hallway.

[cavalieredraghi]

Smiling, "So we will learn together then, I wonder who will be better at magic .... hmmm," She floats back above you and over to your right again, "I think I see the castle coming up, looks like we are almost there ..."

Drix frowned then.
"Yah I guess so...." He then looked to Aurora and smiled.
"We will have to do this again, I really enjoyed it."

[Ilena]

Confused, "What do you mean do this again? Of course we will, I'm not planning on sleeping inside no castle. Especially not without scales." Shaking her head as if the thought was crazy.

[cavalieredraghi]

Confused, "What do you mean do this again? Of course we will, I'm not planning on sleeping inside no castle. Especially not without scales." Shaking her head as if the thought was crazy.

Drix just grinned at the thought.
"Of course I did not know what I was thinking. Maybe next time I will catch you a nice stag deer." Drix said with a wink of his eye before diving slowly toward the castle.

[Ilena]

Laughing, "Sure if you think you can find one before me that is ... your in my hunting grounds then!" she starts bleeding height as they come in, letting out a loud roar, announcing that she is coming. Perhaps also waking up everyone in the castle ... and surrounding area ... i mean, she was woken up early right? Everyone else should get out of bed too.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix flew back up to her.
"Aurora! People are still sleeping look at the moon, it has not been that long since we last were here. Come on lets drop off this meat to the butcher and he will know what to do with it." Drix then dropped once again as he heads for a building that smelled heavily of blood and meat.

[Ilena]

Still smiling, she got her point across she followed Drix down to the butchers, trusting him to know where to go. She lets him land first, then lands beside him, folding her wings she nudges him gently with her head before letting him go do what is needed to deal with the food.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix walks up to the door of the butcher and gives it a small rap of knocks with his single claw. He waited patiently for the man, but he could not help and smile at Aurora when she nudged him. He had to remain polite and attentive however and wait for the butcher. Afterall it was this man who would spread this food to the other dragons.

[Durzan]

"Damn tha' infernal racket!" a voice with a thick accent shouted.

You hear the thud of heavy footsteps, and the creaking of a rusty lock, and then a fat, bleary eyed man with a thick red beard opens the door.

"Can't you blo'y Drag'ns keep yer mouths shut for more than f've minutes? Some of us 're tryin' te sleep, don't ye know."

The man rubs his eyes and yawns... Then his eyes pop open when he realizes that he is speaking to Drix.

"Oh, it be you, master Drix. Ye brought meh some more of that delicious fish, I take it? I'll take care 'f it... Bring et around back."

He walks out of his house, a meat cleaver in one hand, and a blood stained apron in the other. As he passes, he eyes Aurora.

"Ey, I hav'nt seen your friend 'ere before. She be new, eh? I hav'nt seen a drag'n that looks so well suited fer flight, no' since Bairn brought back Sophrenia a few years ago. She'll be well welcomed 'round these parts I reckon."

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix nodded to the butxhers statement.
"Her abilities are superb. Best I have ever seen. She also claims to be a great hunter and I believe her. Maybe she will bring you more venison master butcher."

[Ilena]

Aurora puffs out her chest in pride at the compliment and smiles, even if it is from a human, he it seems, has a good eye for talent. "Why thank you, and I could, if you ask nicely I would be happy to bring food back. My names Aurora by the way, what are you called?"" Drix can tell she is actually showing a little bit of respect, a first for her with humans, curious it might be why she would pick this human but it is there. How her mind works will definitely take a lot of time to figure out. For her, she respects this man for he helps to feet his people and clan, even if he does not bring the food in, he takes care of it and makes sure that it can be distributed to others. At least that is how it works in her mind. The smile though ... that you can only guess at , she just really enjoys how he talks. Hes sassy, like her.

[Durzan]

"Meh name's Dugan, dear lass," The butcher grunted,"And bringin' meh venison t'woul' be nice. The locals ge' fed up if they ge' nothin' but be'f & mutt'n, don't ya know? Th'y like a littl' variety."

[Ilena]

Aurora looks to Drix for a moment, switching back to draconic, "I like this guy." turning back to him, and switching to the human tongue, "Well, if I find something extra when I'm out hunting I may consider bringing a few for you."

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix just nods to Aurora's comment in draconic. He looked to the butcher Dugan.
"Just let me know when you would like me to try and bring other variants of meat. I am always willing to help the others around the castle."

[Mabn]

Once Morgawr had thoroughly understood what books were present where in the castle he set about finding him sleeping arrangements. He hoped desperately that said arrangements were private in nature because he was exhausted and he did not relish figuring our how humans slept with their face facing downward and no scales between them and their bed.

[Durzan]

To Mowgar: To your surprise, you find that the room you chose is not only private, but has both a dragon-roost and a human bed in it. There's also a washroom, and drawers filled with clean clothes.

To Drix: "I will, meh friend. Take care, Drix," The butcher said. "And when ye get a chance, come back and see meh."

Once the fish is taken care of, he waves goodbye to the two of you, as you turn and head for the castle.

[Ilena]

Turning from the man, seeing drix unburdened from his weight she launches herself into the air and lands infront of the gate, she runs her clawed talons down tge gates surface letting those inside that she wants in.

[cavalieredraghi]

Turning from the man, seeing drix unburdened from his weight she launches herself into the air and lands infront of the gate, she runs her clawed talons down tge gates surface letting those inside that she wants in.

Drix raced off after Aurora, finally being able to take a running start to his take off. He bursts with speed and energy he knew he had to work off all that extra fish and gemstones. He swooped in front of the Dragonness.
"Want me to show you to your room mi'lady?" Drix offered being the gentledragon he was.

[Ilena]

Tilting her head , "What room, we were just at my room, considering I've now taken over your little hideaway , you can come visit if you wish." She smiles , seeing what he will do with that.

[cavalieredraghi]

"You would want to sleep outside? We can have a room made up for you in the castle Mi'lady." Drix said not at all getting the flirting Aurora was doing this time.

[Ilena]

Shaking her head, she waits for the door to open, banging on it with her talon this time letting out a loud rapping, thinking to herself, she could just make another ruckus ... someone would surely come then.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix looks confused at Aurora and opens the door for her.

"This way mi'lady." Drix offered as he wished to guide her through out the castle if need be.

[Durzan]

Bairn walked the hallways of his castle. He had a lot on his mind recently, and he needed time to think things through.

Will they be able to handle what I have in store for them? ​He thought. All four of them have the spark needed to learn magic... Which is surprising, all things considered. What are the chances that I would come across 5 dragons with the potential to use magic, at the same time? Too bad those other two are practically unconscious. And then theirs Drix... his spark only recently showed up... strange.

If I want to change the system, then first I need to prove beyond all doubt that dragons can use magic, He thought. Sophrenia was the first exception to the rule; lets see if these dragons can confirm my suspicions.

[Ilena]

Nodding to him, she follows him through the castle watching everything, she is less comforable in this place then deep undergroubd for here ther is danger around every corner.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix leads her through the castle, unknowingly humming to himself a small tune he heard his mother sing to him time and time again. It was a song many dragons would have heard that talked about the raise of their first empire. Finally he comes to a door and stops.
"Here we are I hope it is not to much." Drix said as he motioned to a door for Aurora.

[Ilena]

Aurora pushes the door open and enters, she knows the son he was humming for her own parents sang it with her,.

[Durzan]

TO ALL CHARACTERS: You sleep rather soundly during the night, comfortable in your dragon roost or bed, and content for the first time in weeks.

Within your dreams, you catch glimpses of strange creatures with flaming eyes and bodies, a swirling black abyss, and strangely, a huge dragon with shining sapphire scales. You see more things, some wonderful, some terrifying, but one thing is certain... its a jumbled mess.

Just as you are about to wake up, you hear a voice call out to you. The time is drawing close, little dragon...

END OF DAY 1

[Durzan]

Day 2 — Learning the Ropes


You wake up to the sound of a loud buzzing in your ear. You try to ignore it, but the buzz is extremely persistent. Groggily, you open your eyes and look around, trying to figure out where that damned noise is coming from. Your eyes land on a small piece of vibrating paper that is sitting on the dresser. As soon as you grab the paper and open it, the thing blessedly stops vibrating.


Little One,


I trust that you slept well last night, other dragons have told me that the furnishings are extremely comfortable. Before you leave your room, please make sure to get cleaned up… I do have washrooms in your quarters for a reason. You’ll find soap and towels in the top drawer of your dresser. The second drawer contains clean clothing for you to wear. Don’t worry if they seem a little small or a little big when you put them on; its magically enhanced to adjust itself to your proportions. When you are cleaned up, you will find breakfast waiting for you in the primary dining hall.


Don’t worry about getting work for today, I have something special planned for you and the others. Meet me in the East Gardens at 9 am sharp; don’t be late. You can relax until then, but try to appear busy whenever the Taskmaster is around. It is his job to make sure that all of the daily matinence is taken care of, and he will not hesitate to give you an assignment to you if he spots you lounging about. He just LOVES to assign additional work to stragglers, and just because you’re new here or a personal servant of mine, doesn’t mean he will give you an exception. Heck, even I can’t escape this man’s snares! He’s worked here since before I was born, and ever since then I’ve had to do my fair share of chores every once in a while. Other lords probably wouldn’t tolerate this, but if you hadn’t noticed, I’m a bit of strange one; perhaps it’s because of my father’s blood that I am a bit eccentric.


Last but not least, I’d recommend staying within the castle, and in human form for now.


—Master Bairn


After reading the note, you glance up at the little clock hanging from the wall: It was 7 am… plenty of time to get ready and have breakfast. You wonder what exactly it was that the cooks prepared for a hungry dragon.

[Ilena]

Aurora rolls over after reading it, rolled upside down, she is not a morning dragon. Her wings splayed out to her sides, her tail twitches as she tries to go back to sleep, rolling a few times she curses that damn letter that woke her up. Letting a massive toothy grin show as she yawns. The grumbling in her stomach makes her groan again and roll over to her feet. Getting up she gets herself cleaned up she remains in her natural form and heads to the mess hall, interested in this .. "food" the humans think they can feed them, knowing where it is from Drix showing her around before.

[gremlin-pult]

Rolling his eyes at how Bairn apparently can get of track even in a letter, Valstraz left it on the table and went to wash up.
After cleaning himself, he perused the selection of clothes in his room. After a little looking he ended up wearing a black robe with green trim that suited his tastes perfectly. Dignified, easy to move in, and not too hot, the perfect clothing for him.
Taking his notes out of the roost and planting them securely in the inner pocket of his robe, he then set out for the library. Once there, he looked through the normal books Bairn had, searching specifically for a book on those anti-dragon, racist knights that the Dragon master had mentioned before. If none such book could be found, he would settle for a book on human war practices against dragons. After all, the more you know about your enemy...

After a few minutes of light reading, Valstraz was interrupted by the growling of his stomach. After being thoroughly shushed by a passing librarian, or archivist of whatever the humans call it, He decided that he might as well eat while reading.
So he took the book with him, and went for the designated dining hall. He was quite proud of his intellect and memory when he got there. He'd only had to ask a maid for directions once.

[Mabn]

Morgawr awoke begrudgingly. Not willing to change to human form yet he stumbled into his washroom. His second disappointment of the morning quickly followed the first; the washroom was adequate even for a bathing dragon, but not conducive to his favored method of cleaning. With the lake no longer an option he submerged his head and decided to make the best of it. One loud groan later the water began to eat at its container and he shifted to human to go fully under it. Quickly learning that parts of the human anatomy were sensitive to caustic substances he reverted to dragon, throwing acid everywhere. He tried to wash himself in stages, but resigned himself to going without the deep clean to which he was accustomed. He rolled in the stack of towels to dry himself and threw on the first garment in the drawer, and then the second garment in the drawer because humans chopped their clothing into a lot of little pieces for some reason. He lurched out of his room and sought out the promised food, reminded again that humans had a vestigial nose that didn't actually smell anything.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix awoke with a smile on his face. Even with the strange dream he believed it was going to be a good day. He would get to see Aurora again, and soon learn magic. At least that is what he thought till he read his letter, his heart sank. He had a feeling Bairn would do this. Why Drix Why him... He did not want to alienate himself already, he needed allies for his future plans. Drix just took a bath, and dressed in his formal warrior attire. his chainmail fitting under the master's shirt, but under his undershirt. His sword and shield slung across his back.

He then walked slowing down the halls passing the dining room, heading towards the training fields.

[Durzan]

You walk into the dining room, your stomach growling like... well, a dragon. As soon as you open the door, your mouth drops to the floor in astonishment. A single long table was placed against the far wall, and heaping platters of food were spread out along the table, buffet style. There were all kinds of food: Breads, breakfast pastries, fruit, eggs, sausages, bacon, and many more. Your mouth starts to drool just looking at it. Hurriedly, you grab a plate and stand in line.

Spread out through out the dining room were smaller round tables, each looking like they could fit up to 8 people. You fill your plate up as quick as you can, then claim a seat.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix was out of the castle by the time the others were in the dining hall. He was already working on his sword technique as he hacked slashed and parried against a training dummy that was out in the yard. As he went Drix seemed to grow more and more frustrated at the dummy. He was also mumbling under his breath as he went till finally He sent a heavy hack at the dummy cleaving it in two. He just panted heavily as he glared at his sword.

[Ilena]

Grumbling that theres no raw food, a whole cow, or something else for a proper dragon to eat, Aurora shifts to human form, and grumbles about it all the way. She does grab a plate , copying the others and grabs things like meat though .... tries a couple of non meat items to try ... she looks around for Drix but does not see him, wondering where he is. Going and having a seat at one of the tables, her body starting to get used to eating and she looks healthier already.

[Draconium]

Groaning slightly, Scynath sat up, blinking sleep out of his eyes. He had arrived at the castle late the previous night, in the wake of what were apparently another small group of new dragons. He had done his best to stay out of their way as they explored the new castle, not having any particular desire to announce his presence, though he was sure that Bairn had known of his arrival.

After reading the letter, the young dragon took a moment to stretch out in his true form, then he reverted to human form and perused the selection of clothes for a moment. Choosing the simplest clothes he could find, he cleaned himself and changed into them, then sulked down towards the dining room.

As he drew closer, the aroma of breakfast assaulted his senses. It took all his willpower not to break into a dead run as he walked into the dining room. Scy could nearly feel his eyes bug out of his skull as he surveyed the selection of food before him. He hurried to the table and, taking a plate, proceeded to nearly overburden it with food.

Scy slid to a table and sat down, preparing to devour his feast... only to realize he was not alone at the table. A young woman was sitting there as well - one of the other new arrivals?

"Erm... Hello there..." he ventured by way of greeting.

[Ilena]

Glancing up as she eats quickly, interesting, never seen that one before, wonder who he is, she murmers a hello inbetween food.

[Draconium]

What an amazing conversation, Scy thought dryly to himself. Anyways... He turned his attention to his food, lifting up a piece of sausage and taking an experimental bite.

The taste was like nothing he had ever experienced before. Any remaining willpower Scy possessed crumbled away as he tore into his breakfast like a ravenous dog. Within minutes, the mountain of food on his plate had vanished down his gullet. Scy sat back in his chair, happily dazed and full from the most fulfilling meal he had ever experienced.

[Ilena]

Finishing her plate first, food is more important then talking right now. After she finishes and sits back, she watches the other who sat across from her, "Hey, so what brings you here?"

[Draconium]

"Stupidity," Scynath replied lazily. Then he blinked and cleared his throat. "My stupidity, to be exact. I got captured by a Dragon Master - some older human, really fat, smelled like fish. I ended up being sold to a representative of this Dragon Master, Bairn. Not that I'm complaining. Bairn does seem different than the others, from what I've heard..." Scy sat up and looked across the table. "My name's Scynath, by the way. Now, May I ask you the same question?"

[Durzan]

Drix was out of the castle by the time the others were in the dining hall. He was already working on his sword technique as he hacked slashed and parried against a training dummy that was out in the yard. As he went Drix seemed to grow more and more frustrated at the dummy. He was also mumbling under his breath as he went till finally He sent a heavy hack at the dummy cleaving it in two. He just panted heavily as he glared at his sword.

"Not bad. Not bad at all," A familiar voice said, "You're still fairly sloppy, though. A dummy can only help you so much."

You turn around to see that it was Bairn, dressed not in his usual simple everyday clothing and blue hood, but in a plain leather tunic & breeches. His shoulders were bared, revealing well toned arms. With curiosity, you notice that his staff is not with him either, nor is he carrying any other weapons or armor.

"You definitely are out here early. Care for a sparring parter?" You master asked, his blue eyes twinkling with hidden mirth. "I am a bit rusty myself, and I could use the exercise."

He pulled out a pair of fighting gloves and casually put them on.

"Lets see if you remember what I taught you, Drix," Bairn said, settling into a defensive stance.

[gremlin-pult]

As he sauntered towards a table with his chosen book tucked under his arm, and a plate filled with all kinds of meat in his hands, Valstraz saw Aurora sitting at a table and talking with someone. Judging from the female dragons less than graceful way of handling their situation the day before, he found it fairly safe to assume that the other person was a dragon, not a human. She would not feel up to talking with unfamiliar humans yet. Perhaps this is a good time to gain some potential allies... He thought, and moved over to join them.

Sitting down, he graced them both with a friendly expression. "Why, good morning. Lady Aurora, I hope you slept well." He said with a chipper tone, before turning to Scynath. "Greetings and long life to your clan, friend. I am Val. It is a pleasure to meet you." He said, giving the best semblance of a traditional draconic greeting that he could muster in human form. Smiling without showing teeth, keeping eye contact while bowing his head slightly.

[cavalieredraghi]

"It is just not working" Drix said after a sigh.
"The Spell that would turn my Flamberge into an actual blade of flames. You said it would draw from my breathe, but I don't get it. " Drix shook his head as he took a stance against Bairn, he shield raised to provide enough protection.
"No Holding back."

[Ilena]

Nodding a little, "Hey Val, as he says, my name is Aurora, and pretty well the same answer, though different man ... " she shivers a little, it was a horrible experience, "Do either of you know whats going on today? " She asks, keeping the knowledge that she does in fact have a very good idea of why they are here from the other 2, she wants to see how far they will trust her.

[Durzan]

"It is just not working" Drix said after a sigh.
"The Spell that would turn my Flamberge into an actual blade of flames. You said it would draw from my breathe, but I don't get it. " Drix shook his head as he took a stance against Bairn, he shield raised to provide enough protection.
"No Holding back."

"Patience Drix, it sometimes takes time to attune yourself to a magical weapon," Bairn said.

He cocked his head slightly as Drix asked him not to hold back. He noticed that Drix's stance was only slightly defensive in nature. Hmmmm... interesting.

"I wasn't planning to," he said, grinning slightly.

Bairn darted forward, then quickly snaked slightly towards Drix's shield. He thrust himself as high into the air as his muscles could, twisting his body to avoid the attack that he was sure Drix had been readying, while at the same time clipping the young dragon's shoulder with a light kick. He landed catlike on the ground behind Drix, then squn and made an attempt to trip him, before darting back out of range of Drix's sword.

(I'll let you decide if the trip is successful or not.)

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix jumped above the kick, as he flipped over Bairn. He sent his shield down in what would be assumed a shield bash, one that was blocked easily. However the sudden force of the push from the shield revealed its true intent, it was a way to add energy to Drix's flip as he pushed against the block to continue his flip over Bairn. He then once landed did not even give a second to relax as he lunged with his Flamberge straight for Bairn's chest, attempting to pierce the wizard.

(Drix sword is not magical remember, it was one made for him by his clan.)

[Draconium]

Returning Val's greeting, Scy glances back at Aurora as she answers. "I see..." He glanced around. "Well, I'm not entirely sure what our... master... has planned for us. I suppose we'll see sooner or later..." Scy stood up. "Anyways, it was nice meeting you two, but I think I should go... Perhaps we'll meet up later." Scynath slipped off, limping slightly, towards the outside. He wanted to get an idea of the grounds around the castle.

[gremlin-pult]

"No, I'm afraid I have no idea what Bairn has planned. Except that it's some kind of training, of course. We can only hope that it is training in something useful to us. And that it is not training in how to correctly be... Servile." Valstraz said, with a slight shrug.
As he watched Scynath walk away, Valstraz raised an eyebrow slightly. "Huh, not very social, is he? Didn't even give his name... Oh well, what can you do?" He turned back to Aurora with a conspiratory smile. "So anyway, how was your little soiree with... Drix, was it? You seemed a lot less averse to this whole situation after some one-on-one time with him..." He said with the mock-whisper of a village woman fishing for gossip. One of his eyebrows remained raised a little, as he gave a suggestive smirk.

[Durzan]

Drix jumped above the kick, as he flipped over Bairn. He sent his shield down in what would be assumed a shield bash, one that was blocked easily. However the sudden force of the push from the shield revealed its true intent, it was a way to add energy to Drix's flip as he pushed against the block to continue his flip over Bairn. He then once landed did not even give a second to relax as he lunged with his Flamberge straight for Bairn's chest, attempting to pierce the wizard.

(Drix sword is not magical remember, it was one made for him by his clan.)

(Well then, that explains why Drix is having so much trouble with the flame-tounge spell. Also, don't forget that mail is fairly heavy, and would limit his mobility and ability to jump...)

Bairn pivots to the side, narrowly avoiding the thrust from Drix's sword, as it barely nicks the edge of his shirt. Grinning broadly, the Dragon Master continues his pivot and grabs your shield arm with surprising strength. He twists it, forcing the edge of your shield into the side of your sword arm with a slight thud. If he had been more abrupt, the move would've dislocated the shoulder. He then casually trips you, and pushes you from behind to make sure that you actually fall this time.

"Not bad." He said, "You're still leaving yourself open quite a bit though."

(Suggestion: Have Drix go into a roll from the move...)

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix only sees red at this moment, as he swings his supposedly dead leg around tripping Bairn. He then keeps up his momentum to plunge his suddenly sparking sword down into the ground next to Bairn's face. The Sword was hot, ready to burst a flame at any moment.
"Game set and match." Drix said before pulling his sword out of the ground and walking away.

Drix as he walked away lifted his shield arm in front of him then make it rotate and pop back into place as he had his shield arm dislocated, for his shield was to large to have been made to slap his sword arm other wise.

[Durzan]

Drix only sees red at this moment, as he swings his supposedly dead leg around tripping Bairn. He then keeps up his momentum to plunge his suddenly sparking sword down into the ground next to Bairn's face. The Sword was hot, ready to burst a flame at any moment.
"Game set and match." Drix said before pulling his sword out of the ground and walking away.

Drix as he walked away lifted his shield arm in front of him then make it rotate and pop back into place as he had his shield arm dislocated, for his shield was to large to have been made to slap his sword arm other wise.

(I thought you were talking about the sword arm being dislocated.)

Bairn rolls with the trip, rolling to the side and springing to his feet. Your sword landed no where near his face, but you did manage to trip him up.

"Well Played," He said casually. "Although I don't think I was anywhere near where you stabbed your heated sword, so I'd say that the match is more of a stalemate, if you want to call it off now."

I could feel the heat coming off of that sword. Perfect; It won't be long before he will be able to ignite it at this rate. I could almost feel the sparks of magic coming off of him.

[Ilena]

Smiling a little, "It was nice to get out and fly again, he caught a fish and we feasted on that, first time ive had fish and was pretty good. Slimy though. It was a pretty good night though, whatcha got there?" Indicating the book.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix rolled his shoulder as he winced it was going to be sore he knew.
"Yah let's call it a draw." Drix looked to the ground were his sword entered,like butter. He saw the burn marks on the grass and the smoke rise.

"So am I?" Drix asked switching the subject to the Spark of magic.

[Mabn]

Morgawr managed to get profoundly lost on his way to the dining hall, and ended up arriving an hour and a half after leaving his room. Seeing two of the dragons from yesterday sitting at a table he served himself and sat at an entirely different table. He arranged several plates of food before himself in order to test their combinations without creating a muddled mess of them.

[Durzan]

Drix rolled his shoulder as he winced it was going to be sore he knew.
"Yah let's call it a draw." Drix looked to the ground were his sword entered,like butter. He saw the burn marks on the grass and the smoke rise.

"So am I?" Drix asked switching the subject to the Spark of magic.

"That little display you made with your sword would seem to indicate that you do have the Spark," Bairn said thoughtfully. "Only those with the Spark can learn how to use magic. It will take some time before you will be able to use spells, but it seems as though you definitely have the capability. The question is... do the others have the Spark as well? I thought I sensed it in them, but its hard to say for sure. They will need to be pushed in human form, just like I've been pushing you for the past four months, in order to determine that for sure."

"What was going through your mind when you stabbed the ground?" He asked.

[cavalieredraghi]

"Pain, Cold Calculating rage, and..... Caax." Drix said honestly.
"Though that was not my true question. Am I, the one who will train them, start to push them?" Drix did not want to be the one to push them, but would do it. He mostly hated the idea of Pushing Aurora. the time he spent in the cave with her was precious and he did not want to lose that.

[Durzan]

"Pain, Cold Calculating rage, and..... Caax." Drix said honestly.
"Though that was not my true question. Am I, the one who will train them, start to push them?" Drix did not want to be the one to push them, but would do it. He mostly hated the idea of Pushing Aurora. the time he spent in the cave with her was precious and he did not want to lose that.

"Interesting...you unlocked your Spark by remembering past trauma. That is the first step."

"As to your true question, yes you will train them and push them physically," Bairn said. "But putting them through harsh physical training alone will not reveal their Sparks. It will merely prepare their bodies and minds for the handling of magic. Leave the real 'pushing' to me."

[cavalieredraghi]

"They will come to hate you most likely, you must be aware of this?" Drix asked whither he was worried or not he did not let his voice give him away.

[Durzan]

"They will come to hate you most likely, you must be aware of this?" Drix asked whither he was worried or not he did not let his voice give him away.

"Sophrenia hated me at first, with a passion that rivaled your feelings for Ca'ax," Bairn answered quietly. "But she got over it, despite all the trouble I put her through. If she can do so, then so can the others."

"If you think there is another way to learn magic, then you're wrong. The Wizard Academy pushed me to the brink of insanity, and if it wasn't for that, I would've risked death. Magic is dangerous if not handled properly... you can't afford be coddled. It takes lots of sweat, pain, tears, anguish alongside copious amounts of of hard work, persistence, and patience just to learn how to properly use it. It takes years more just to master it. If you're body and mind aren't strong enough, the act of purifying energy will drive you insane. One wrong move, and you can turn yourself to dust in a brilliant flash of light and fire. If I can go to Hell and back, if Sophrenia can, then they can as well."

Bairn was exaggerating a little, but not by much.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix looked to Bairn wondering something clearly.
"You talk of this Sopherina alot. Almost with reverence. Was she your lover?"

[Durzan]

Drix looked to Bairn wondering something clearly.
"You talk of this Sopherina alot. Almost with reverence. Was she your lover?"

"No; She was greater than that, and such a relationship would've been beneath her and I," Bairn whispered. He was about to say more, but he realized that it would be easier to show rather than tell.

He extended his arm out to the side, and his staff appeared. Tapping it three times on the ground, he activated a stored memory within its energy matrix. Drix would be able to live through the moment of his first encounter with Sophrenia... the memory that still haunted him to this day.

*Flicker.*


Bairn was sitting on a log in the middle of a huge clearing, lazily eyeing the crackling fire with his azure eyes as he listened intently to the hum of crickets in the evening air. Before him was a flayed rabbit roasting on a spit. He couldn’t wait. It had taken him all day to set that trap up, and he was ready to see how good his outdoor cooking skills were. He could smell the rabbit, hear the boiling of its juicy fat, could almost taste the delicious grease as it ran down the spitted corpse and into the hot coals of the fire with a sizzle; it was almost too much for him. The cooks back home were good, and magic was even better, but sometimes the simple things in life were more enjoyable. Such a waste, he thought to himself as he turned the corpse, if only I thought to bring a pan along, then I could make a rich stew.
As he sat there, cooking his this meager meal, his mind began to wander. Three days… I’ve been out here, searching in vain for a dragon, and not even a hint of one. Damn the council and their flimsy traditions. Why did they send me here, of all places? A right of passage is what was needed, Bairn thought to himself, Nothing like the thrill of hunting and capturing a dragon,’ they said. Only then can you be considered a full member of the Dragon Master order. Damn them! Where’s the thrill, where’s the fun? All I found out here was bugs, plants, and Rabbits! Of all the places I could hunt, they send me into the Ivorian Mountains. Dragons never come here. Well, at least its summer.
Crack! Bairn was jerked out of his thoughts when he heard a small twig break behind him. He grabbed his staff and whirled around, ready to fight whatever had entered his camp, only to gape in disbelief. What the hell is a lone girl doing up here in the mountains? Bairn thought.
The teenage girl that had been quietly reaching for his supply pack, froze in place. Her large violet eyes were filled with fear, and Bairn could hear her heart pounding. Her dark hair reflected the firelight, and he swore there was purple highlights in them.
“Drop the pack, girl,” He said in as calm a voice as he could manage. He lowered his staff slightly as a gesture of good will.
Her eyes flickered to the nearby brush.
“If you’re thinking about running away, I wouldn’t advise it. You’d find yourself strung up like a chicken before you could even take two steps.” Bairn said, letting the crystal on the top of his staff glow slightly.
Reluctantly, the girl gave one more glance towards the bushes, then dropped the bag with a soft thud.
Well, at least she can understand me, Bairn thought, relaxing slightly. He lowered his staff, and gestured for her to come sit. She was obviously hungry, and this strange girl had perked his curiosity.
“Come sit,” he said, “You look hungry. This rabbit won’t fill the both of us, but I can deal with a little hunger in exchange for some company.”
Hesitantly, she stood up and walked over. Curiously, he noticed that as she moved, there was a slight twitch to her step, almost as if she wasn’t used to walking… or maybe it was the fact that she had been caught. He watched her large eyes, carefully noting that although the panic in them had faded somewhat, she was still nervous. Deep violet eyes, how curious, He thought. The girl sat down on the log without a word, and stretched her hands out towards the fire to warm them. Bairn pulled up another log and sat down beside her.
“Do you have a name, kid?” He asked, turning the rabbit one more time. It looked like it was almost ready.
“Sophrenia,” She whispered.
“Well, Sophrenia,” Bairn said, as he took the rabbit of the spit, “It looks like our meal is ready.”
He opened up his supply pack and pulled out two wooden plates, two forks and two knives. Then, he cut the rabbit into two pieces and gave her the bigger piece. Sophrenia eyed the rabbit for a moment, then dug in with gusto. Within a few minutes, she had eaten the entire portion of rabbit. Bairn ate leisurely, apparently unaware of just how hungry the would-be thief was. When they were both finished, he took the plates and washed them off with some water from his canteen.
“So, what are you doing up in these mountains Sophrenia? We are miles away from the nearest town.”
“Uh..I…” She stammered, “I come up here to be alone, sometimes.”
“I see. And do you’re parents know that sometimes you wander out into the wilderness?”
“My…parents? They are… dead,” She said bitterly.
Bairn’s eyes widened. “I’m, sorry. What happened?”
They sat in silence for a few more minutes.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” She finally said, turning away and wiping away a tear.
Something about this situation doesn’t seem right, He thought. How the hell did an orphan manage to get all the way up here, let alone survive? She was starving when she tried to steal my supplies. She should be dead right now… unless…
He reached out with his mind and grabbed a small wisp of Mana from his staff, quickly weaving it into the shape of a detection spell. His eyes furrowed in concentration as he quickly ran through the incantations in his mind that would direct the mana to establish correct the spell. He could do this with his own willpower alone, but that would take more effort than he was willing to expend at the moment. When the spell was completed, he “threw” it at Sophrenia. Moments later, the spell bounced back, with a faint humming sound that confirmed his suspicion… Sophrenia wasn’t human. Bairn’s eyes widened in surprise. His instincts were right.
Meanwhile, the girl suddenly seemed like she had made a startling discovery. Eying his staff carefully, she noticed the Dragon Master insignia for the first time. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she stumbled backwards in fear. Their eyes locked for a moment, and then both were screaming at the top of their lungs.
“YOU!” They both screamed. “You’re… your…a…”
“Dragon!”
“Dragon Catcher!”
There was a sudden flash of light, and the girl was gone, replaced by a black dragon with purple highlights.
Damn. Bairn thought, diving to one side.
It was not a moment too soon, for a giant black paw smashed into the log that he had been comfortably sitting on a moment later.
Bairn rolled to his feet, and activated his protection spells. Again, not a moment too soon, for she made another swipe at him. The force of the blow knocked him back into a tree, and would’ve injured him greatly had his mage armor not been activated. He stumbled back to his feet, only to see her charge at him again, but this time, he was ready. He activated another spell, and Blinked out sight, just before she could sink her teeth into him. Sophrenia roared in frustration, searching the area with her keen smell and hearing as well as her sight.
Bairn reappeared behind a tree and activated yet another spell to conceal his scent. It wasn’t fool proof, but it would buy him time to study her from a distance. Quietly as possible, he peered out from behind the tree to take a look at her. Sophrenia was a black dragon about the size of an unusually large lion. Some of her black scales were flecked with purple, and her build was unusually slimmer and more aerodynamic than a Dark Claw…
Damn! He thought, She has dark scales like the Dark Claws, but the slender build of the Whisper Winds… which means that she must be a natural born flier. And those beautiful black and purple scales cannot possibly belong to the Dark Claw clan… this means that she can… only… be from the Nightshade Clan! They rarely come to Illnora! She could fetch a hefty price at the auctions! Boy, my colleagues would be so jealous if I managed to catch her.
Bairn knew he had to keep her interest, otherwise she would fly off when she got bored. So he did something that was probably just a tad bit unwise: he stepped out from behind the tree and into plain sight.
“So, you figured it out, Sophrenia,” He said almost casually. “I am curious though, why did you attack me? Most dragons would prefer to run from a Dragon Master rather than fight.”
“Your kind is responsible for the death of my parents,” Sophrenia growled as she turned to face him. Bairn noted that her violet eyes glowing with anger, rather than fear.
“Ah, I see. So you blame me for their death?” Bairn responded wryly,“On someone whom probably never even saw them, and who was kind enough to share a meal with a starving little girl? And now you wish to take your anger out on me? Damn; I suppose I should’ve known that no good deed goes unpunished.”
“Don’t mock me, foolish human. I can see through your tricks. How do I know you didn’t drug the food?”
“You’re the one who tried to steal food from my survival pack, Sophrenia,” Bairn pointed out flatly,“I offered you food I was going to consume myself, and you chose to eat it. If you were drugged, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. The results speak for themselves, little one.”
“Enough of this; you will die by my claws you insignificant whelp!”
Bairn’s eyes hardened. Insignificant whelp, eh? Well, if its a fight you want, Sophrenia, then its a fight you’ll get.
“You sure you want to fight me?” Bairn asked. “We humans are not as helpless or weak as you seem to think we are.”
Sophrenia roared in defiance, and let loose a torrent of hot fire at the young Dragon Master, but Bairn was ready for this. He slammed his staff into the ground, flinging up a protective dome of brilliant blue energy, which split the jet into two streams that passed harmlessly to either side. The trees behind him lit up as they burst into crackling red lames, but it was of no consequence: both of them were resistant to immense heat.
So be it. He thought, raising his staff.
The two of them circled the charred remains of the camp slowly, not daring to take their eyes off one another. Then, as quick as lightning the two closed on each other. Bairn’s staff was a blur as he parried the dragon’s fierce attacks, and struck repeatedly in return, then they broke and started circling one another once again. They were merely testing each other.
Bairn found himself actually grinning. So this is what they meant when my colleagues said that hunting a dragon brings on a measure of thrill! But I’d bet that none of them have ever fought one before!
Sophrenia leaped at him again, but he Blinked to the side and casually whacked her across the snout with the butt of his staff. Growling, she turned and swiped at him again, but Bairn was already gone, sliding under her belly, and taking another whack at her back legs before darting out of the way of her attempt to buffet him with her wings and tail. He knew that this wouldn’t hurt her very much, dragon scales were extraordinarily tough, but this would most definitely annoy her… and that is exactly what he wanted.
“You got to move faster than that, little one.” He said mockingly.
“You smart mouthed bastard!” She swore back at him, making yet another swipe at him.
Bairn blocked with his staff then ducked to the side again, as she tried to bite him. He countered with another swat to the snout, before dancing out of range once more.
Lesson Number 1, Bairn thought, Humans are generally more agile than dragons when on the ground. Stay out of reach of their claws, wings, and teeth. Wait for them to open themselves up to attack before striking. Do all you can to annoy them; an agitated dragon makes many mistakes that you can take advantage of.
After a moment’s pause, Bairn darted in a second time, this time swinging around behind her and whacking the tip of her tail with his staff. Sophrenia’s tail writhed, knocking the Dragon Master off his feet. For just a moment Bairn, actually thought he heard her whimper.
Lesson Number 2, He thought with satisfaction, A hit to the tip of the tail is akin to kicking a man in the groin.
Sophrenia turned on him, rearing her head up like a snake as she as she opened her gaping maw to charge her breath weapon. Idiot, He thought, Never use your breath weapon at point blank range. Or someone might do something like… THIS!
Bairn quickly shot a bolt of cold into her open maw. She stumbled backward with a crash, and shook her head in an attempt to reduce the disorientation.
Lesson Number 3, He thought, Counter a dragon’s breath weapon with its natural opposite. It will disorient the dragon, especially if you manage to fire it directly into their mouth as they are about to use their most deadly weapon.
Now was his chance. With a burst of additional speed, he darted in and struck her hard at specific points on her legs, just below the knees. He then darted to each side, and hit each of the wings just under the shoulder blades. Finally, he jumped up, and gave a single hard wrap on the back of her neck. Sophrenia crumpled to the ground with a thud.
Final Lesson, Bairn thought to himself, Memorize Draconic pressure points. If you know where to hit and hit those spots with just enough force, then even the largest dragon will collapse to the ground in defeat.
“Still think humans are weak?” Bairn said archly, as he casually positioned himself so he stood right in front of her.
“Bah, what did you do to me, human?”
“I hit your pressure points. You really should’ve learned how to defend them better.”
“I am helpless now; Kill me then and get this over with.Kill me like you killed my parents.”
“I never killed your parents, Sophrenia. Nor do I intend to kill you.” Bairn said calmly.
“What are you going to do then?”
“You caused me a great deal of trouble, little one. For that, I think that a year spent stuck in human form would be a fitting punishment for your arrogant attempt to attack a fully trained Dragon Master.”
“You wouldn’t!” Sophrenia gasped.
“I would.”
Bairn raised his hand, and traced a mark onto her right front paw. It began to glow a bright blue color.
“Sophrenia of the Nightshade Clan, for jumping to Illnora without permission and in violation of the Human-Dragon Compact, and for attacking a Dragon Master without provocation, I hereby sentence you to one year of personal servitude in human form. I say this with the full authority of my position as a Blue Ranked Dragon Master.”
There was a flash of light, and Sophrenia was back in human form again. She gaped down in horror at the glowing mark on the palm of her hand that now signified her enslavement, and tears began to roll down her eyes. “I hate you,” She whispered. “I hate you, Dragon Master.”
Bairn used some of his magic to put out the forest fire, then turned and grinned at her impishly. “Apparently you already hated me before, so its not like much has changed between us.”
“I swear,” The broken girl muttered bitterly, “You will pay for what you’ve done to me.”
“You kid yourself, Sophrenia,” Bairn said mildly, “Your actions, in part, brought this upon you, little one. I was content to share a meal with you and treat you with respect, but you had to go and attack me.”
What a story this had turned out to be; my colleagues would be so jealous. The Dragon Master thought as he slung his staff over his shoulder, gently picked up the sobbing girl, and then activated his Phoenix Wings and flew off. This was a good day for him.
But for Sophrenia, however, it was the worst day she had in her entire life. She was still crying.


*Flicker*


"As you can see, we did not exactly meet on the best of terms," Bairn said quietly, as the the memory dimmed. "For the next few months, she absolutely despised me for that one act. The relationship between her and I was about what you'd expect... at least at first. Sure enough, about three months in, she couldn't take it anymore and tried to escape... only to fall into the hands of a Rhordian Knight; a fate far worse than any cruel joke I could come up with. If I hadn't gone after her she would've quickly become a dead dragon, and you nor your companions would be here in this castle now."

"That night, something changed within the both of us. I realized that I had come to care for her, while that traumatic experience awakened the Spark within her. Over time, I undid the restrictions I had placed upon her contract and started to teach her how to fight and defend herself from those armor extremists. We grew very close during that time."

"Eventually, I detected the Spark within her and decided to take her training a step further, to see if she could truly use magic. Slowly but surely, she defied all expectations and was able to learn how to cast spells. What had started out as a relationship between master and servant, evolved into a close bond between master and apprentice. Eventually, even that bond became something much more: a close friendship between two members of two races long thought to be bitter rivals. For many years, we were inseparable. Every time I asked if she wanted to go home, she asked me to extend the bond another year... so I could continue to teach her, and so we could continue to work together, and in my foolishness I accepted, every time. And it was because of my foolishness, that she died."

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix sheathed his sword and put away his shield. He did not look to Bairn for a few long minutes.
"How did she die?"

[Durzan]

Drix sheathed his sword and put away his shield. He did not look to Bairn for a few long minutes.
"How did she die?"

"Those damned Knights of Rhorda," Bairn muttered, his face stone cold.

[cavalieredraghi]

"They will need to be gone then, before I can do my work." Drix said coldly.
"I will teach these new crop of dragons and hold no remorse for helping them become better."

[Durzan]

"They will need to be gone then, before I can do my work." Drix said coldly.
"I will teach these new crop of dragons and hold no remorse for helping them become better."

"That's one thing we can agree on for sure." Bairn said, smiling wryly.

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix was known to change subjects rather quickly and what he said was no different.
"WHy won't you let me read the book on Ancient Draconic? I may not be fluent, but I have a working knowledge of it, better then most, for I remember page for page a book that helped translate it to modern."

[Durzan]

"Would you want Ca'ax to get ahold of that information?" Bairn asked rather bluntly. "We can easily attach whatever spells we want to the marks you know."

[cavalieredraghi]

"Would you want Ca'ax to get ahold of that information?" Bairn asked rather bluntly. "We can easily attach whatever spells we want to the marks you know."

Drix was just confused, not understanding.
"What do you mean?"

[Durzan]

Drix was just confused, not understanding.
"What do you mean?"

"Your former master could've planted either an eavesdropping or mindreading spell on your face mark," Bairn said flatly. "And the bastard is clever enough to know exactly how to conceal such spells from my detection."

[cavalieredraghi]

"But it has nearly been a year, won't his mark leave after that year?" Drix asked, hoped that it was true, but upon hearing hte mark can be extended from Bairn's story Drix had little true hope only a fools hope.

[gremlin-pult]

Smiling a little, "It was nice to get out and fly again, he caught a fish and we feasted on that, first time ive had fish and was pretty good. Slimy though. It was a pretty good night though, whatcha got there?" Indicating the book.

"Sounds pleasant. I've had fish once before. It IS pretty tasty." Valstraz answered, keeping up the friendly demeanor. He would've thought that it woudl be the new dragon that he could get close to with some friendliness, but he had proven to be unreceptive. And Aurora's attitude the day before had left valstraz with little hope of winning her over with some ingratiating acting. Oh well, I can work on the other when he is in a better mood. And forging bonds with this one will open up possibilities of working my way around Drix's perceptiveness... He thought to himself.

"Hmm? Oh, this?" He said, holding up the book when she mentioned it. "It is a book about humans. I figure since we'll be here a while, it'll be a good idea to know something about humans in general. It probably won't help against a determined Dracophobe, but the more we blend in, the smaller the risk of us being bothered by the ignorance that might very well permeate the general populace."
Not the exact reason he was reading, but close enough that it wasn't a lie. And a half truth was often better than a lie, after all.

[Durzan]

"But it has nearly been a year, won't his mark leave after that year?" Drix asked, hoped that it was true, but upon hearing hte mark can be extended from Bairn's story Drix had little true hope only a fools hope.

"It would, if he was stupid enough not to extend it for a ridiculously stupid amount of time," Bairn replied dryly. "But I doubt that he is; Dragon Masters don't last very long if they aren't at least marginally clever. Training tends to weed out the stupid and weak, and those that somehow manage to get through in once piece will eventually get careless. When that happens, they will usually either end up dead or stripped of their rank, privileges, and powers."

[Durzan]

Returning Val's greeting, Scy glances back at Aurora as she answers. "I see..." He glanced around. "Well, I'm not entirely sure what our... master... has planned for us. I suppose we'll see sooner or later..." Scy stood up. "Anyways, it was nice meeting you two, but I think I should go... Perhaps we'll meet up later." Scynath slipped off, limping slightly, towards the outside. He wanted to get an idea of the grounds around the castle.

As you approach the training grounds, you notice a tall blonde young man talking to a man in black leather and holding an ornate staff.

[cavalieredraghi]

"It would, if he was stupid enough not to extend it for a ridiculously stupid amount of time," Bairn replied dryly. "But I doubt that he is; Dragon Masters don't last very long if they aren't at least marginally clever. Training tends to weed out the stupid and weak, and those that somehow manage to get through in once piece will eventually get careless. When that happens, they will usually either end up dead or stripped of their rank, privileges, and powers."

"there has to be magics that can remove my marks? Even break and destroy the ideas of the contract as well right?"

[Durzan]

"there has to be magics that can remove my marks? Even break and destroy the ideas of the contract as well right?"

Bairn shook his head. "The tattoos Ca'ax gave you are a twisted form of an ancient way of enforcing the treaty with dragon nobility. They were... meant to be permanent... a mark that would allow a dragon to travel between Illnora and Draconia with relative freedom after their time of servitude was up. Ca'ax took the practice and perverted it, using the ritual tattoos as a way to mock and torture his victims, rather than honor them. While the spells will eventually fade in time, and the magic that makes them more than tattoos shall eventually wear off, the marks will themselves be with you as a testament to your past servitude."

[Draconium]

As you approach the training grounds, you notice a tall blonde young man talking to a man in black leather and holding an ornate staff.

Blinking slightly at the sight, Scy hung back for a moment, studying the two - not really hiding so much as just staying out of the way, watching. The man holding the staff was probably human... Could he be Bairn, perhaps?

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix eyes flare with anger, but not at Bairn, at Ca'ax at the bastard who first gave him the tattoo. Drix wanted nothing more then to bite through Ca'ax taste his blood and make him suffer for what he did, prevent him from ever doing it again.

[Ilena]

Shaking her head, "Why do you think we have to blend in with them? It's not like we are going to be going anywhere, only stuck in this little land doing whatever twisted things this mage wants us to do."

[gremlin-pult]

Shaking his head slightly with a smile, Valstraz let out a small chuckle. "I was not aware you could see the future, my dear." He said. "We have no clue what tomorrow brings, and I think knowing the humans is crucial. If we ever want better conditions for our race as a whole, we need to somehow come here, after all. Our home is not a place we can live forever, unless we change it for the better, which would mean magic. Which in turn would also mean needing to understand and walk among humans. Besides, I quite like the idea of being able to pass for human, should I ever need to hide from the racist knights. Never dismiss anything that can give you an edge in anything."

[Ilena]

Nodding a little, "That is true, what have you learned so far?" Aurora consents to the point, her anger slowly bleeding away into the need for survival and the knowledge to do it.

[Mabn]

Upon finishing his breakfast Morgawr made his way to the library. Bairn's focus on history had little interest to him, so he went to the section on magic as being the second best represented. He started on a book of magical classifications. He knew humanity thought about magic differently, and he should understand those differences sooner than later given the mark with which he now had to live

[gremlin-pult]

"Oh, nothing much as of yet. I have only barely cracked the book open. this morning. But this one is about the general war tactics of humans throughout history." Valstraz answered with a shrug, patting the cover of the book. "I'm hoping it holds some information on their typical stratagems and way of fighting against dragons as well. Until we can succesfully blend in, I believe that some knowledge of their preferred methods against us would be useful."

[Durzan]

"I think we have company Drix," Bairn said as he noticed the approaching young dragon out of the corner of his eye.

[Ilena]

"Mmmm makes sense I suppose, hmmm think we should go see what the human wants of us?" Getting herself up she heads to where they were told to be.

[Durzan]

To Val: The book doesn't go into a lot of detail on how to fight dragons, but you do find a brief section on the Draconic War.

During the war, Human strategies initially focused on driving dragons away from their settlements, and reducing the damages caused by breath weapons. They developed underground bunkers where civilians could shelter from the fighting while their armies met the dragons. Later on however, humans took a more offensive approach, with strategies and new technologies focused on removing, limiting, or countering the Aerial Advantages of dragons, taking advantage of weak-spots, and generally nullifying their breath weapons. Once a dragon was downed, a battalion of armored ground forces would move in with specialized weapons (specifically designed to pierce dragon hide) to finish the dragons off. The use of Dragonsbane was also fairly common.

To Scy: It appears that the man with the staff has noticed you.

"Greetings Scy. I'm sure you've guessed by now, that I am Bairn Novison. This is my colleague, Drix."

(Just gonna speed things up a tad)

To Everyone: You were so busy caught up in whatever it was you were doing, that you lost track of the time... so when you hear the bell ring 9 o'clock, you are startled. You are already late.

[gremlin-pult]

"Hmm, yes yes, you do that..." Val answered absentmindedly as Aurora left and he settled in with his book.
When the bells struck 9 a while later, he was jolted out of his reading and looked around in consternation.
"Ugh, what an infernal racket! Why do they even need such noisy.... Oh right, the Lesson!" He exclaimed, before hastily marking where he'd gotten to in the book, and rushing out towards the training field.

When he arrived he took a moment to catch his breath "Apologies for my tardiness I was caught up in studies." He said inbetween huffs.

[Draconium]

Scy blinked when the Dragon Master addressed him. "Oh... Yes, it is... Good to meet you." Then the bell rang, signifying the time. "I suppose that means it's time to meet up, then..."

[cavalieredraghi]

Drix nods to the new dragon.
"Yes if you would start the line up over there." Drix pointed to an area around the training ground. He was already starting to take charge of his new recruits.

[Ilena]

Striding in , Aurora looks around and sees the others, returning to her natural form she walks up and follows what the others seem to be doing.

[Durzan]

Drix nods to the new dragon.
"Yes if you would start the line up over there." Drix pointed to an area around the training ground. He was already starting to take charge of his new recruits.

Once everyone was lined up and quiet, Bairn watched quietly as Drix took leadership of the four new recruits, and led them through the warmup excersises. Once Drix was finished he
strode in front of the group, pacing back and forth nonchalantly.

"Welcome to the training grounds, recruits. For eight hours a day for the next six weeks, you will undergo intense training that will push you to your physical and mental limits. The evening and night will be yours to do with as you please, but I would advise you to get plenty of rest."

"The purpose of this training is threefold: One, to teach you how to fight in human form and to help you better learn its strengths and weaknesses, as well as improve and refine your combat skills while in dragon form; by the time this training is done, you will be able to fight competently both as an individual and as a group in both forms, and be able to switch seamlessly between the two at the drop of a hat. Two, to instill discipline and a sense of teamwork within each of you; humans tend to work together in groups to accomplish something greater than one can on their own, a trait that if learned, you will find of great use. Three, to build up your strength and endurance in both forms, although its primarily your human forms that need this, your dragon forms will also benefit from these exercises."

"Today, I think it best if we start you off with the basics of unarmed combat. Drix, would you demonstrate?"

[gremlin-pult]

Strength?... Endurance?... Ugh. Valstraz thought, not quite managing to keep the dissatisfaction of his face. Why would we need something like that. We have it in spades in our true forms, and in human form we will learn magic. What is the logical use of spreading our attentions so broadly, instead of focusig only on the magic?
While he wasn't happy about it, he nonetheless followed Bairn's instructions without complaint. Not like there was much he could do about it if Bairn had decided, what with the slave mark and all. So he might as well keep it inside, and try to make it as painless as possible. He did recoil however at the thought of doing brute physical excercise rather than training his mind.

[Ilena]

Nodding, Aurora knew this was coming and why, she is willing to put her all in to this training and learn. She wants to learn this.