The Court of the King in Rags

[Gullara]

[Dragon-Less Swamp]

"I apologize. I mean you know harm. My travels can be somewhat unpredictable, is all. My name is Utayo." She offers. Her eyes wander back to Ambrosia, though. "Is your friend well?"

[Morty]

[A Murky Swamp]

The dragon retreats, flying back towards the court to assume a defensive position. Not something a creature this destructive would normally do, but the King's will holds it firmly. The King himself aims his bow towards the cloud, ready to shoot if his target reveals herself again.

[Dragon-Less Swamp]

"Yeah, she's... having an out of body experience." Thariza realizes how stupid this must sound. "So I'm guarding her body before she returns to it. Oh, and I'm Thariza." She glances over in the direction of the King's court.

[Shadowcaller]

[A Murky Swamp]

The storm dragon isn't going to allow a retreat.
Thus as it starts retreating an intense cold snap suddenly strikes and cloud and all the water on the dragons scales is in an instant turned into ice. It's not enough to encase the dragon but all that sudden added weight along with the cold itself should probably slow it down.

As it left the cloud straight away it will still be able to get out but the storm dragon emerges from the clouds right behind it. Aiming to close in and rip a hole in one of its wings. They can see that she has drowsed herself in the water of the clouds to sooth the burns the King's dragon gave her so her scales are now dripping wet even in this high speed battle.
When she emerges from the storm clouds she's gambling that the King's dragon is flying straight towards its master which would make it difficult for the King to shoot at her without risking hitting his own pet.

[Gullara]

[Dragon-Less Swamp]

Utayo quirks her brow and glances at Ambrosia again. Curious, but not totally out of her realm of understanding. "I understand. I should apologize for my intrusion again. I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with this region, and my means of transportation that got me here won't help me... navigate more finely." She explains. "If you don't mind, I'd like to accompany you if you intend to leave for a more populous area. When your business here is concluded, of course."

[Morty]

[A Murky Swamp]

The storm-dragon's gambit appears to have worked. The King's dragon is slowed down by the ice and not quick enough to avoid an injury to one of its wings. However, it does not fly back directly towards its master, instead falling down uncontrollably for a few moments. The King keeps firing arrows at the assailant. They might not cause much harm, but they're laced with essence of fear and doubt.

[Dragon-Less Swamp]

Thariza does her best to stay calm. It wouldn't do to panic in front of this stranger. And her request is entirely reasonable. This place isn't safe.

"...sure. I wouldn't want to travel here alone either. But it might take a while before my friend is ready for travel."

[Shadowcaller]

[A Murky Swamp]

Then the way she saw it there was only one way to go.

Down.

Ambrosia starts diving after the other dragon as since once she reached it she could finish this fight and have a shield against those terrible arrows that little ragman was shooting at her. She would ignore the cold and bitterness they inflicted. She was a dragon and beyond such insignificant things. Fear and doubt was poison meant for lesser creatures, not her.

She's aiming to finish it now. A lighting bolt to the chest and then her jaws closing around its neck. Crushing it.

[Gullara]

[Dragon-Less Swamp]

Utayo nods. "Thank you." She lowers toward the ground, folding her legs under her as she settles, hovering just over the ground. She pulls her satchel in front of herself and pulls a thin object out of it. She taps on it with her finger idly. "What do you call this region, if I may ask?"

[Morty]

[A Murky Swamp]

The King's dragon can't defend itself against Ambrosia's assault, but it might not need to. A growl comes from the court. No, this won't end like this. Reviving this dragon took too much effort, represents too much of the King's authority for it to die here.

The archer on the roof vanishes and the room itself explodes outward. Nothing pours out. Thick nothing, devouring light and sound and crawling hungrily towards Ambrosia. There's growling of beasts and gnashing of teeth in this nothing; the fear that had ancient humans huddling around their fires. It's the fear of young animals when they see a bird of prey overhead. The kind of fear that you understand even if you've never seen its source before; bone-deep terror. It's coming for Ambrosia quick, trying to sink its teeth in her.

[Dragon-Less Swamp]

"This region? No idea. It's a swamp inhabited by a really creepy scarecrow-king with dreams of grandeur. The world is called the Nexus." The Charr looks up towards the court. "I think something is happening over there."

[Shadowcaller]

[A Murky Swamp]

The sudden surge of aether coming from the place where the archer once stood is strong enough to pull Ambrosia's attention away even from the foe she was just about to deliver the death blow to.
She had studied the fey and knew that most of their power didn't lay in the manipulation of the world, their true power was the manipulation of the mind. The soul.

This one seemed to be fear, an emotion she was more familiar with than she'd like.
Caution her father had always called it, but that had not been the way she had seen it. It was always for the best that she never revealed what she truly was in case the fey decided to murder her like the other dragons. He hadn't put it like that of course but they both knew that what it was and to her living under the constant threat of being found out was living in fear. But she had despised that with her whole being as fear felt antithetical to her.
Dragons had been made as the very apex of the waking world, the top of the food chain in all aspects which meant there simply was nothing else to fear. Mortals had plenty of fears because they were so vulnerable, so weak. But dragons had none since they were strong.

So all the research she had done had been in order to not have to live in that fear anymore. To understand how the fey had undone her kind so that she could counter it. So that she could finally come out from the shadows and reclaim her dragonhood.
Since a dragon that lived in fear was not a dragon at all.

Which was why this time, for the first time in decades, when she finally stood before a real opponent she wasn't going to back down. She was going to destroy this pathetic creature and show it that true dragons were not puppets.
So she turns and flies straight towards the nothingness and when bites into her she almost feels the urge to laugh.

These were the fears of prey.

No wonder this creature took the form of nothing. It was nothing to her but empty air that she now attempts to devour in turn like she would do with any other pathetic spirit that would dare to hurt her.

[Gullara]

[Dragon-Less Swamp]

Utayo turns and looks in the direction Thariza indicates. She has other questions to follow up with, but perhaps later. She hadn't noticed the structure earlier. "Something to do with this 'scarecrow-king'?" She ventures.

[Morty]

[A Murky Swamp]

There was once a god of thunder who was tricked into trying to drink the sea. He thought he was drinking from a mead-horn, but couldn't empty it no matter how hard he tried. This is something Ambrosia might feel now. Even after the being that calls itself the King in Rags has cast off its physical shell, she has only glimpsed the surface of it. What's underneath is far more immense, timeless and primal.

When Ambrosia consumes the King's essence, it will start filling her from the inside, getting into every nook and cranny of her body and soul, unstoppable. It roots through her memories, those she remembers and those she forgot. It cannot harm her and it cannot control her the way it does with its own dragon... but it can use its power over fear and stories to make an example of this upstart. If what she fears is being used as a weapon or controlled like a monster, then that is precisely what the Gentry will do to her.

One of the memories it unearths is Vigil. It seems Ambrosia is their ally. And... yes, one of Vigil's commanders. He fought to free the fake Ilpholin from the demons' attack dogs. A poor excuse for humanity's warriors who once challenged the King in Rags. But he will have to do. The being bearing the name of the King in Rags latches onto Ambrosia's memory of Vigil and twists it. Turns it into a story. An old, faded story from a world far away. There was a god of war, named Jarowit, and he slew many dragons. Then one of the dragons, mightier than the others, flew to avenge its kin. But Jarowit's spear slew it too.

Ambrosia's memory will be twisted to match the story; placing Wenomir in Jarowit's place and herself as the dragon challenging him. Whether or not the warrior manages to kill her is of secondary importance. Perhaps he will, or perhaps Ambrosia will slay him instead. The fear given name suspects the latter, but one way or the other Ambrosia will be punished for her arrogance. Her greatest fear realized - used as a weapon to destroy those the who might oppose the King or die trying.

[Dragon-Less Swamp]

"Yes. My friend... went out to fight him. And I don't think it's going well."

Thariza's tail swishes back and forth, panic mounting.

[Shadowcaller]

[A Murky Swamp]

Struggling, she realizes her mistake but still doesn't give this awful creature the satisfaction of fear. He could pile through some of her memories but as it did she hid away parts of herself. Masking them with the rage and hate that was filling her up right now.

She could feel her father's presence within her mind. The king getting a glimpse of a lidless eyes that through every memory he riffles through is staring at him despite the impossibility of it being in all of them.

His concern didn't make things better though. Would he try to have her go back to his library? To have his watchers stalk her wherever she went? His worry was thrown aside and dismissed like everything else that stood in the way of her rage.

The king will no doubt hear it, growls of pure hate as the dragon struggles against him to no avail. The storm around her growing in intensity with her wrath. Lighting bolts tear the land around them asunder and the wind rips out trees by their roots.

But as she realizes what he's about to do something in the back of her mind stir. A memory now half-forgotten.

Thariza.

She had promised her.

And so she gains a moment of clarity, causing the storm to still.
But as it calms down so does she and without the her rage masking it the king will be able to feel her fear. But she didn't care anymore.

She had to try to honor her promise to her friend.

[Dragon-Less Swamp]

Ambrosia stirs.

Her eyes and mouth remains closed but she suddenly gestures to the sky and words seem to simply appear out of her. Barely a whisper, easily drowned out by the nearby storm until everything suddenly gets eerily silent and they can just make it out.

"VIGIL... stop me..."

She speaks without speaking as her mouth still isn't moving yet the sounds are still somehow formed by her tongue and not by some telepathic connection.

But when it seems she isn't going to say anything else, three more words are spoken.

"so sorry T...."

If either of them look in the direction that she's pointing they can see a huge dragon in the sky, flying in that direction. The storm seemingly coming with her as she clouds seem to follow along like a flock of black sheep.

[Gullara]

[Dragon-Less Swamp]

Utayo's head whips towards Ambrosia. It seems she's go herself in the midst of a situation. She lifts off the ground and rights herself. "I take it your friend isn't doing so well on her own." She follows the gesture and watches the dragon soar across the sky. Now that is a familiar enough sight, and a dangerous one. It can be hard to predict a dragon's motives, but she's sure this one isn't altruistic.

[Morty]

[Dragon-Less Swamp]

In Thariza's current state, the word "Vigil" sends an icy spike of panic through her. It brings forth memories of fighting alone against a horde of demons, hopelessly overwhelmed. Being dragged down and killed... and the relief of finally being relieved from duty. Not surviving when people who'd relied on her didn't.

But she came back and Ambrosia helped her find a purpose once she did. And now she's being taken from her. On her watch. Again. Just like her warband was. Has there ever been anyone who expected her to do anything right that didn't suffer horribly for it? Ambrosia didn't deserve it. The Charr clutches her head as images of her dead warband members flash before her. And Ambrosia seems to be among them, broken and bloody. But that's not the worst that can happen, is it? If this fey monster is controlling her somehow... death might not be the worst.

"No, no, no, no," she whimpers then turns to Utayo. Her eyes are wild and her fur is standing up. "Please, you have to help me follow her. That scarecrow is controlling her somehow and is making her attack people. Dangerous people. Her allies. I have to stop her somehow."

[Gullara]

[Dragon-Less Swamp]

Utayo's brow arches at the emotional outburst, but she otherwise holds steady and calm. "Steady, Thariza. I can only transport myself, and only with understanding of the topography. I will help you, but first you need to think. Is there some way we can move quickly? Perhaps a form of transportation nearby?" It seems like a stretch in this apparent wilderness, but it's the best she can think to hope for.

[Morty]

[Dragon-Less Swamp]

Thariza tries to steady her breathing and keep herself from yelling. Right, she does have something she can use. She doesn't do it often, but... the Charr smacks her wrists together, which emits a plume of smoke that solidifies into a black motorbike under Thariza. She jumps down form it.

"I can use it to move around quickly but it'll only carry one person."

[Gullara]

[Dragon-Less Swamp]

Utayo starts slightly as the motorcycle appears. She has to admit, she wasn't expecting that out of this place and this individual. She won't look a gift horse in the mouth, though. "I think under the circumstances, you can carry her in front of you." She nods to Ambrosia and then steps towards the bike. "You won't get far in this terrain, though. You'll have to forgive me. I'll fix it later."

With a few swift motions and a light dancing across her finger tips, she slices the fuel tank cleanly from the bike and pushes it away. Her nose wrinkles at the spill of fuel, but she ignores both that and any protests Thariza might have. She retrieves a glowing orb encircled in filigree from her satchel and sets it in place. She draws a tool from her bag and it aids her in stretching and shaping the metal there until the orb is integrated into the bike.

"I'm afraid to say this is a chop job. It'll surely fall apart in days, but for now." She starts the engine. The orb flares and blue light spreads through the innards of the bike. "It'll do the trick." She takes another small object and it unfurls like the legs of a spider. It places it on the bike and it latches in place. "Go quickly. You won't be hindered by the swamp. I'll follow as best I can."

[Morty]

[Dragon-Less Swamp]

Thariza offers no protests. She has no particular attachment to this bike and rarely uses it. Since it appears out of smoke and she found it in the Hunting Grounds, it doesn't feel real to her. But if she can use it to save Ambrosia, it will have served a purpose. She climbs onto the bike, putting Ambrosia's inert body in front of her.

"Thank you. I owe you," she tells Utayo. "Just follow me in a straight line and you'll get to Vigil."

With that, she speeds off.

[Gullara]

[Dragon-Less Swamp]

"Don't worry, we'll meet again soon." Utayo bows and watches Thariza speed off. The char will find that the bike doesn't ride the same, instead hovering just off the ground. She won't be slowed down in her pursuit.

Once the other woman is on her way, Utayo takes another device from her bag and affixes it over the left lens of her glasses. It snaps into place there and against the side of her head. In front of her eye appears a feed from the drone she left attached to the bike. Then she surges forward, following as quickly as she can.

[Morty]

[Invitation]

This time, someone will arrive in the court after having been invited there, instead of wandering in on their own. Ilpholin will have received a message through a black bird that the King in Rags has an offer for her yet again, and would like to receive her in his court. Unlike with the previous visitors, an actual path through the swamp will emerge, rough stones rising from the water.

When the nymph gets there, the signs of battle against Ambrosia are still clearly visible. There is a large hole in one of the court's walls and stones litter the swamp around it. But the building seems to be repairing itself - black vines are growing around the hole, plugging it and carrying stones back towards it. Other signs, where fire and lightning struck the court and its surroundings, are also visible.

Before the gates waits the King... or Queen, rather, the old fey having taken on a feminine form to greet Ilpholin. No one else is visible and the court is silent.

[Reinholdt]

[Ilpholinvitation]

A courtly invitation, how rare. Ilpholin doesn't get invited to too many court functions anymore. She almost felt the need to dress up.

Almost. She still looks nice of course, but she's not wasting her good clothes on this swamp infested forgotten hole. The nymph's never been afraid to get her hands or feet dirty to accomplish her goals, but that doesn't mean she enjoys wallowing in the muck.

Having never been here before, she isn't entirely sure that the battle damage isn't just a part of the decor. It looks new, but one can only guess how intentional the decayed and decrepit look is with the King in Rags... Queen today it seems. Was this about lessons again?

The nymph barely holds back being flippant, only because fey courts were tricky things and dangerous places. It was one thing to test the King in Rags' limits in her own home. It was another altogether in theirs.

Some day, she'll get around to calling him Raggy though.

"Your Majesty wished to speak with me?" Ilpholin asks with the slightest tone of deference as she arrives, a light, respectful bow given.

[Morty]

[Ilpholinvitation]

"I did indeed." The Queen's voice is as deep and melodious as ever, different from the King in Rags' usual hoarse whisper. "You must forgive the mess. An intruder tried to breach my court recently. Which is part of what I wish to speak to you about. Come inside with me."

The Queen will wait for Ilpholin at the top of the stairs, before the gate. Then she will walk side by side with the nymph to the gate, which swings open before them. But it doesn't do so on its own, as one might expect. It's pulled apart by a pair of large fey. They appear to be humanoid dragons, but their bodies are covered in both bark and scales; their limbs are intertwined with thick, dark wood and their horns look like branches. Once the door is open, they kneel and bow their heads deeply as the Queen and Ilpholin pass them by. Here, at the seat of their power, the King's (or Queen's) authority is palpable and radiates from them.

The hall beyond the door is wide but empty. The walls are made of dark stones, seemingly held together by black wood. A glow fills the air, originating from small buds on the wood. There's a stone throne at the end of the hall, but as the two walk, a door seems to form itself on the wall to the right.

[Reinholdt]

[Ilpholinvitation]

"That right?" Ilpholin feigns curiosity, looking with more interest at the newest servants the Queen in Rags seems to have added to her collection. Some facsimile of dragon, human, and plant. "Anyone I know?" Only one intruder. So the King could probably still be taken down by several or from the inside when it becomes necessary, she imagines.

Her attention turns to the door. Not the throne today? Well that would explain why the Queen met Ilpholin instead of merely sitting upon the chair waiting for her arrival.

[Morty]

[Ilpholinvitation]

The two wood-dragons are similar, but nonetheless distinct. One of them is taller and has broad chest and shoulders, their scales verdant green and their bark resembling a mossy pine. The other is shorter (but still at least 185 cm in height), more wiry and lean. Their scales are blue and their bark looks like birch. Both dragons' eyes follow Ilpholin as she studies them, gleaming yellow. They're clearly individuals, not just extensions of the Queen's will.

"A dragon, who was incensed by my mastery over my own dragon. Seemed to take it as an insult to the pride of her kind. I drove her off, but I need a more powerful weapon should something like this happen again. You can help me obtain it."

The door swings open, this time pulled by a stick-thin fey in a silvery white cloak. Their limbs seem like bronze filigree and their head is a bird-like mask with stylized feathers out of wire. The servant bows deeply and departs, closing the door behind them. Inside there's a well-furnished but dimly-lit room, with tapestry on the walls, a fireplace on the opposite side and and a black oaken table in the middle. Two comfortable chairs stand on the opposite sides of the table.

[Reinholdt]

[Ilpholinvitation]

"Hmm..." Ilpholin's not familiar with any dragons recently. And if it's an old dragon, they haven't dropped in to say hello. So probably not anyone she knows. Still, doesn't sound like the sort of thing easily sorted out. Well, this was always bound to happen sooner or later. Anyone with ambition will be opposed and the King in Rags' ambition would cause quite a stir if it ever came to fruition. It was a skirmish this time, but the fighting is only likely to grow in frequency and intensity. Might be a good time to consider cutting relations honestly. Though she can't deny his contributions to managing the demon menace. If she could just get those two more at each other's throats somehow...

"So you seek some sort of dragonbane weapon? I've never heard of any such weapon actually being of use to the poor fool who buys one." They usually just end up dead and the weapon goes into the dragon's horde, ironically. Ilpholin walks over and takes a seat in one of the chairs, unless there's some indication that the Queen in Rags was just passing through this room.

[Morty]

[Ilpholinvitation]

"Not just any dragon-bane weapon." The Queen sits on the opposite side from Ilpholin, lounging comfortably. "I seek the spear of Jarowit. He was a human warrior, who was later remembered as a god of war. He felled dragons with his spear, and more creatures besides. I would know, because some of them were mine." She pauses for effect and looks into Ilpholin's eyes. Her gaze is as intense as ever. "In return, I can offer you recruits in your war against the demons. To train, command and arm as you see fit."

[Reinholdt]

[Ilpholinvitation]

"Never heard of him," Ilpholin says nonchalantly. The myths of old were just that. It's goddesses like Lolth that matter now. "So you want me to track down his tomb or descendants and take the spear from whomever has it now?" Not really her usual expertise, but shouldn't be terribly difficult she imagines. She'll consider the payment offered once she fully understands the job.

[Morty]

[Ilpholinvitation]

"You can ask Wenomir, one of the Vigil commanders, about him. But I doubt he'd appreciate it." The Queen smiles mysteriously. "Whoever he truly was, his spear was lost. It's a topic of myth and legend what really happened to it. But I have power over things forgotten. With the help of my servant, the mystic Amalungak, I can let you undergo a... vision quest. Into the deep past, when Jarowit was already dead but before the power of humanity waned. When warriors like the Vigil commander were more common. You can obtain the spear from them and bring it back into the present reality. It will become simply another legend told about it."

[Reinholdt]

[Ilpholinvitation]

Ilpholin narrows her eyes a little at the comment about Wenomir. Were the two related by blood?

The nymph frowns. "Forgive my uneducated understanding of vision quests, but I was always given the impression that the results they produced were metaphorical and not tangible in nature." The phrase is seeing is believing, not seeing is existing! Not to even mention that they were talking about past events...

[Morty]

[Ilpholinvitation]

The Queen seems amused by Ilpholin's doubts. Has she not proven her power? Didn't they break the laws of the universe once before?

"Normally, that might be the case. But with my power... it will be real enough. When the spear returns with you to the present, it will become tangible enough for me to use. It is lost and forgotten, and I can make use of such things."