Fantasy Roleplaying

metadude1234 · **Reply #6820 on:** November 25, 2009, 08:12:00 PM

Jake spoke to the guard "I have a proposition for the prince" (is a proposistion like a deal?)

The Great Valley Guardian · **Reply #6821 on:** November 25, 2009, 08:23:09 PM

Annette sighed.
"Well it would seem then that the guards must've confused me with the poorer ranks of the city, as they did seem rather reluctant to let me near any of the richer settlements in Hekaga." she said while thinking aloud.

Noname · **Reply #6822 on:** November 25, 2009, 08:41:25 PM

Rhiga looked at Annette.

"You don't look poor...but then again, the guards of Hekaga ARE rather discriminatory against those who are not like them. Since you are human... they would assume all sorts of bad things about you."

The Great Valley Guardian · **Reply #6823 on:** November 25, 2009, 09:10:22 PM

Annette narrowed her eyes for a moment as Rhiga's words sank in.
"That makes a lot of sense. Which seems unfair now that I think about it...and one of them did happen to make a joke about me, while I was in earshot..." she said with rather venomous tone in her voice.

Noname · **Reply #6824 on:** November 25, 2009, 10:02:37 PM

"Was it about how you dress or how you have hair on your skin?" Rhiga asked, knowing that Dracons thought that most humans "overdressed" and that they had hair, which the Dracons thought was the strangest thing.

Dracon females only wore what was needed to cover up certain parts, and even then, as Rhiga was dressed like now, the top part was occasionally discarded. It was no wonder they thought Annette was wearing too much, but Rhiga was too polite to mention it.

metadude1234 · **Reply #6825 on:** November 26, 2009, 01:30:30 AM

The guard faced Jake and his arm flew at him very fast and the guard gripped Jake by the throat.."uhk...erk...i....have a..urk...proposition...for the...urk...prince.ahk...i said" said Jake after each gasp. The guard released his grip on Jake and dropped him on the ground "oh really?..." said the guard not beleiving the youth in front of him.

"yes" replied Jake rubbing his throat "i know who the princes enemies are....and i know WHERE they are."

"hmm....." the guard thought for a moment "okay, you can come speak with the prince, but one wrong move and your dead...I don't even know why i'm even talking to you you piece of scum."

Noname · **Reply #6826 on:** November 26, 2009, 02:08:11 AM

Meanwhile...

A messenger had delivered a notice to Fort Aurix. Standing near a gold mine, this fort housed no fewer than 6,000 soldiers, plus a few hundred support staff. Being the largest fortress under the control of the king of Minbenthac, it was also one of the largest fortresses in the whole of the Dracon lands.

The message to the general whose garrison was stationed there was to move the mobile contingent of his men to the Inik plain, just outside of Minbenthac. These 5,000 men made up one eighth of the standing army of Minbenthac, there were 40,000 field soldiers in all. Thousands more were stationed on the city walls and as garrisons in forts. In times of siege, elements of the field army could be transferred to the city walls.

Most of the garrisons outside of the central city were militia who were given extra training and equipment; effectively, they were lighter infantry, with lower pay and standards of military efficiency. Still, in the absence of a standing force, they were still sufficient to maintain the garrison, even if only 1,000 of them were left to watch over the gold mine.

The 5,000 troops in question were going to assemble on the Inik plain in order to rally the spirits of the city, among other things. They were more than a show of power, though. This force was among the best Minbenthac had, behing only the king's own guards and the very best of the city garrison. If the Dark Master was going to make his move, Minbenthac would be ready.

The Great Valley Guardian · **Reply #6827 on:** November 26, 2009, 03:20:39 AM

Annette huffed as she replied, "He mentioned something about my hair catching fire...and then consuming my mortal soul. I try not to think about it...but now that I am I'm rather peeved." She then began to tap her foot on the ground in irritation.

Noname · **Reply #6828 on:** November 26, 2009, 05:25:02 AM

"I'm sorry to have brought it up again" Rhiga said. "My kind is not always as civilized as some of them claim to be..."

This was true. Many bad aspects of Dracon society still reared their ugly head from time to time.

The Great Valley Guardian · **Reply #6829 on:** November 26, 2009, 03:40:20 PM

Annette sighed and let the anger drop from her voice before she spoke again.
"It is alright. You were just curious and I can't fault you for that." She then smiled as she continued, "Besides, most Dracons are very kind and upstanding. That day was just another life lesson for me after all."

Noname · **Reply #6830 on:** November 27, 2009, 12:07:02 AM

Annette didn't know Dracons all that well. By human standards, their behavior was unusual, even shocking. Gladiator fights, sexism, constant wars, animal sacrifice, and autocracy were rampant. Still, it was possible for individual Dracons to be nice, and the Dracons themselves would liked to have thought of themselves as reasonable, civilized, and much "better" than they used to be. Sacrifice of sentient beings, though still in practice among some of the more evil Dracon temples, was looked down upon, and it was noted that Dracons, although sexist, still provided some basic protections for females and families.

"I suppose that is true" Rhiga replied.

Chiletrek · **Reply #6831 on:** November 27, 2009, 04:54:42 PM

Eriol looked at the human girl and commented - "Don't worry Annette, these kind of situations can happen a lot, I have seen all kinds of Dracons too, and I am sure that Gaeans like me or Arianne may have our own quirks too.... specially the ones like me." - he said while smirking.

"No society is perfect, but I have seen that we are all seeking the same goal to better ourselves, and I am sure Dracons do not think differently." - Arianne added, she has not been as much time in the Dracon lands as Eriol, but she is convinced of that, specially after thinking about all the ideas that have been commented since she joined the Party.

Noname · **Reply #6832 on:** November 27, 2009, 06:56:25 PM

"I need to go lie down for a while" Rhiga told Annette, excusing herself. "Marcus, could you take me to our room? I know it is a bit of a walk..." The female rogue had felt this way three times before. She was not ready to lay the egg for quite some time, but it was reaching a stage of development which made it hard for her to do much...

Her instincts were kicking in. While sentient, Dracons still had powerful instincts, especially female Dracons. Although they were an artificial race that was created by magic, the material that went into them was still derived from naturally-evolving creatures. Being female, Rhiga was the one of the couple who's body was the most invested in reproduction. She would need 10,000 mouthfuls of food to recover the energy expended in creating a child; Marcus needed one mouthful at most.

It also held true that the bond between mother and child was very strong indeed. This was, if anything, a method that evolved in order to ensure that her offspring would survive. Her hormones were acting in such a manner as to Rhiga feel more attached to her mate and child, especially the latter. This was neither a clean nor easy process, and she could feel irritable, crave odd foods, and in some cases, just not feel like doing much.

Nick22 · **Reply #6833 on:** November 27, 2009, 10:28:29 PM

Marcus took her by the claw and helped her walk to thier room. "Rest, and regain your strength. We'll be married in the next couple days, then I'll have to worry about picking out a nice house for us... Whatever you need, no matter how odd, I'll get it for you" Marcus said. Rhiga's belly had continued to expand, her pregnancy was now pretty evident, it would still be a couple months before the egg would be laid, and anoother few weeks before thier child would hatch, until then, he'll be responsible for providing security for her anmd their growing family..

Noname · **Reply #6834 on:** November 27, 2009, 10:49:40 PM

They were still months away from the egg hatching... even when it was laid, Rhiga would still be attached to it... at least at first. If she absolutely had to leave it, she would... she still had to eat, after all.

Once she got to her room, Rhiga took off her loincloth, lay down on her bed, and was soon asleep. The egg developed rapidly, and it took a toll on the Dracon female's body. Unlike mammals of the same size, it would be out before too much longer, so she wouldn't have to bear the burden for as much time.

As Rhiga was lying on her back, Macus could clearly see her belly rise and fall with each breath. Even with an egg growing in her, she still had a good figure; her curves were still the envy of many other females, and her underbelly was still an attractive shade of pale yellow, although her skin turned a bit browner due to the hormonal changes in her pregnant body, and her feet were somewhat swollen for the same reason. Her tail moved back and forth in a slow, almost hypnotic pattern. She was dreaming about something that she enjoyed...

JitteryDragon · **Reply #6835 on:** November 30, 2009, 09:32:46 AM

Not but a few rooms down, lay Eternion, the venerable Dracon, upon his own bed. His thoughts were awash with the occurrences of late. It was quite the toll that being thrust back into the adventurers way so quickly had taken upon him. One minute he was perfectly fine doing his humble duty at the temple, and now he had pledged his support to this so called "Warrior of Legend" that he hardly knew, not something he was prone to doing in his day.

Still, as he had quickly realized, this was no ordinary adventure. This was not some simple escort, dungeon crawl, dragon slaying, or rescuing a princess from a castle (he quickly threw that from his mind, he had hated that particular quest... especially when he was told that the princess was actually in another castle... he had never seen Almia so mad before). This was the potential end of the world as he knew it, and he knew it well... okay, not that well anymore... curse his feeble old mind!

This Dememoras... he knew nothing at all about him. It made him wonder why he had gotten involved in the first place, he could just as well be cozy in his own home at the moment.

He was nervous and worried for himself, as well as these others. The challenges that would arise next would surely test them all... especially Eternion, the oldest of the group in terms of bodily age. Was he truly prepared to fight an evil forced supposedly so strong and dangerous? Age was not a kind mistress, and neither were the scars of his past, both physical and emotional.

So there he lay, a terrified old Dracon. 'Almia, I need your guidance more than ever, now,' the old Dracon whispered to himself. He looked over to his sword as it lay upright in the far corner of the room. He could almost see the reflection of his good eye gazing back at him, and that alone made him smile just that little bit.

She was watching, she had to be... she wouldn't have let a little thing like death stop her from missing the adventure of a lifetime.

He sat up from his bed, and made a promise to himself. 'I need to get back in shape, back into fighting condition. I can't let myself fail again, not this time.'

Eternion would not let his rage consume him, he would bring back his fighting spirit, the same one that had brought him through so many encounters intact... well, partly intact. He rubbed his blind eye wearily... some wounds magic couldn't heal. He needed some sleep, and lay back down, closing his eyes softly and taking a deep breath.

The Great Valley Guardian · **Reply #6836 on:** November 30, 2009, 08:09:29 PM

Annette nodded to Rhiga and followed the couple back to their home. Although feeling rather welcomed she decided to sit outside for a while and watch the sky as she had done so many times before watching the colors change in the sky, and listening to the sounds around her. As she listened to the harmony of nature her staff gently began to give off a radiant, rainbow like glow that seemed to wrap itself around her arms as she smiled at the thought of peace being brought to the land.

Chiletrek · **Reply #6837 on:** November 30, 2009, 08:25:29 PM

Arianne gave a deep breathe before saying - "Well, I am kind of tired too, so I guess I'll go try to get some sleep." - This has been a day with too many things happening, and her early stages of pregnancy are beginning to show, not much for now, but her body is beginning to show the effects of the hormonal changes due to her new condition. - "Good night everybody, we'll see you all in the morning." - she said as she bowed as a show of respect, and then she turned around and began walking

Eriol waved goodbye as he turned to walk too. - "Well then, maybe something fun can happen in the way to the bedroom that has been given to us. I am kind of bored right now, political talking has that effect on me." - Eriol commented as he began walking next to his wife. She just sighed but kept on walking.

The room that was given to the Panthers was very ample, more than enough for the two Gaeans. After cleaning themselves in the shower, they went to bed. She fall asleep quite quickly, but he couldn't, placing his arms behind his head, he began thinking: thinking about home and his son there, thinking about the new mission they offered to help with and how some things about the Dracon society has made him think about his own past: a past filled with blood.

Noname · **Reply #6838 on:** November 30, 2009, 08:43:54 PM

The party had split up for the night. They would reconvene at noon tomorrow in the King's palace. Adykon had seen to his son in Tallon's home, and Rhiga still slept soundly.

At that moment...

The army from Fort Aurix was on the March. Being some distance away from Minbenthac, it would take them a couple of days to arrive. Still, the terrain was flat and open, and the army was used to marching quickly, even when clad in its heavy armor.

At the palace of the king, there was no rest for many. The lights were not dimmed, nor was the pace of life slowed. The bureaucracy kept humming day and night, although this night was particularly busy. Finances had to be reviewed, an army was on the move, supplies had to be procured, and there was a very real threat by a very great power looking over the city...

...right now!

Dememoras himself looked out at the city of Minbenthac from his own dark dimension. He had kept the three great Dragons waiting outside of his citadel for three days... and they would wait another three days before he was ready to let them in... it was how he worked. All the time in the world was his... all the time in several worlds, really... and if he needed more time, there were places he could go for that. In his observation tower in the citadel, time passed at a different pace; one day in the prime material plane that the common mortal called home passed in a month to him. Dememoras was able to observe in great detail, and could take hours and hours to do so...

... although the wards around the palace held firm against even his form of scrying. Clutching the crystal ball in his claws, the Dark Master moved over to a stand that he could place the glowing sphere on. Immediately, it began to project an image onto a wall of diamond, upon which the dark being could see details more clearly, reverse the image to an earlier time, or even zoom in on a detail he deemed important.

At this time, he could learn nothing of import. Sighing, the giant being that Dememoras was sat down into thin air, as if he expected a seat to just appear... which it did. A throne of palpable darkness materialized just in time to catch Dememoras; it was the same color as his scales and horns... it was hard to tell where the Dark Master began, and the room ended...

metadude1234 · **Reply #6839 on:** November 30, 2009, 11:03:49 PM

The guard walked back to his post and two more guards exited the castle. "come with us human" said the first guard. Jake nodded his head and he followed the guards inside the castle. Jake looked up at the ceiling and all of the surrounding scenery inside. It was very glamorous.