[X] Take the stone. You can't leave it here, you'd never forgive yourself if something happened to it because you assumed it'd be safe here. Besides, everything you've heard of Gyra-Dregon says that he'd want to help his decedents in their time of greatest need. Surely his spirit and the Mother would understand…
[X] Attempt to collapse the tunnel. You want your home to be safe, and it's not going to be so long as this tunnel into the depths of the mountain is open. It gives you the heebie-jeebies.
-[X] Who will work to collapse the tunnel. The more people working on it, the faster the process will go, but they will be more vulnerable to attack.
--[X] Lancel, Belle
-[X] Who will defend the corridors behind you. While you haven't seen any revenants recently doesn't mean they don't exist, and there might be some of the doogs or even a bael hanging around.
--[X] Axton, Octavio
-[X] Who will defend the stairs leading up. Everyone has a bit of a bad feeling when they look down there, but other than some scratch marks that Axton believes came from doog claws there doesn't seem to be any tangible threat.
--[X] Ryza, Kelton, Claire
[X] Take the stone. You can't leave it here, you'd never forgive yourself if something happened to it because you assumed it'd be safe here. Besides, everything you've heard of Gyra-Dregon says that he'd want to help his decedents in their time of greatest need. Surely his spirit and the Mother would understand…
[X] Leave the tunnel and go back upstairs. As much as you want to prevent the monsters from coming back, Sir Octavio's right, it's not worth the risk.
[X] Take the stone. You can't leave it here, you'd never forgive yourself if something happened to it because you assumed it'd be safe here. Besides, everything you've heard of Gyra-Dregon says that he'd want to help his decedents in their time of greatest need. Surely his spirit and the Mother would understand…
[X] Attempt to collapse the tunnel. You want your home to be safe, and it's not going to be so long as this tunnel into the depths of the mountain is open. It gives you the heebie-jeebies.
-[X] Who will work to collapse the tunnel. The more people working on it, the faster the process will go, but they will be more vulnerable to attack.
--[X] Lancel, Belle
-[X] Who will defend the corridors behind you. While you haven't seen any revenants recently doesn't mean they don't exist, and there might be some of the doogs or even a bael hanging around.
--[X] Axton, Octavio
-[X] Who will defend the stairs leading up. Everyone has a bit of a bad feeling when they look down there, but other than some scratch marks that Axton believes came from doog claws there doesn't seem to be any tangible threat.
--[X] Ryza, Kelton, Claire
[X] Take the stone. You can't leave it here, you'd never forgive yourself if something happened to it because you assumed it'd be safe here. Besides, everything you've heard of Gyra-Dregon says that he'd want to help his decedents in their time of greatest need. Surely his spirit and the Mother would understand…
[X] Leave the tunnel and go back upstairs. As much as you want to prevent the monsters from coming back, Sir Octavio's right, it's not worth the risk.
Our troublemaking noble neighbor will doubtless beat us back here, and most likely the empire as well. Let's not leave them anything they could benefit from.
[X] Take the stone. You can't leave it here, you'd never forgive yourself if something happened to it because you assumed it'd be safe here. Besides, everything you've heard of Gyra-Dregon says that he'd want to help his decedents in their time of greatest need. Surely his spirit and the Mother would understand…
[X] Leave the tunnel and go back upstairs. As much as you want to prevent the monsters from coming back, Sir Octavio's right, it's not worth the risk.
[X] You can't. You just can't. It's too wrong, too invasive, too disrespectful to plunder his tomb like this. No matter your need, no matter your own fears, if you did this you'd be no better than the humans. Leave him to his rest. You will not despoil the last untouched tomb in these crypts.
[X] Attempt to collapse the tunnel. You want your home to be safe, and it's not going to be so long as this tunnel into the depths of the mountain is open. It gives you the heebie-jeebies.
-[X] Who will work to collapse the tunnel. The more people working on it, the faster the process will go, but they will be more vulnerable to attack.
--[X] Lancel, Belle
-[X] Who will defend the corridors behind you. While you haven't seen any revenants recently doesn't mean they don't exist, and there might be some of the doogs or even a bael hanging around.
--[X] Axton, Octavio
-[X] Who will defend the stairs leading up. Everyone has a bit of a bad feeling when they look down there, but other than some scratch marks that Axton believes came from doog claws there doesn't seem to be any tangible threat.
--[X] Ryza, Kelton, Claire
Adhoc vote count started by SoaringHawk218 on Feb 24, 2023 at 10:28 AM, finished with 29 posts and 26 votes.
[X] Take the stone. You can't leave it here, you'd never forgive yourself if something happened to it because you assumed it'd be safe here. Besides, everything you've heard of Gyra-Dregon says that he'd want to help his decedents in their time of greatest need. Surely his spirit and the Mother would understand…
[X] Attempt to collapse the tunnel. You want your home to be safe, and it's not going to be so long as this tunnel into the depths of the mountain is open. It gives you the heebie-jeebies.
-[X] Who will work to collapse the tunnel. The more people working on it, the faster the process will go, but they will be more vulnerable to attack.
--[X] Lancel, Belle
-[X] Who will defend the corridors behind you. While you haven't seen any revenants recently doesn't mean they don't exist, and there might be some of the doogs or even a bael hanging around.
--[X] Axton, Octavio
-[X] Who will defend the stairs leading up. Everyone has a bit of a bad feeling when they look down there, but other than some scratch marks that Axton believes came from doog claws there doesn't seem to be any tangible threat.
--[X] Ryza, Kelton, Claire
[X] You can't. You just can't. It's too wrong, too invasive, too disrespectful to plunder his tomb like this. No matter your need, no matter your own fears, if you did this you'd be no better than the humans. Leave him to his rest. You will not despoil the last untouched tomb in these crypts.
[X] You can't. You just can't. It's too wrong, too invasive, too disrespectful to plunder his tomb like this. No matter your need, no matter your own fears, if you did this you'd be no better than the humans. Leave him to his rest. You will not despoil the last untouched tomb in these crypts.
-[X] Maybe later, if there is need. But not now, in case you come across something worth desecrating Dyra-Dreagon's grave for.
Scheduled vote count started by SoaringHawk218 on Feb 20, 2023 at 11:51 PM, finished with 30 posts and 26 votes.
[X] Take the stone. You can't leave it here, you'd never forgive yourself if something happened to it because you assumed it'd be safe here. Besides, everything you've heard of Gyra-Dregon says that he'd want to help his decedents in their time of greatest need. Surely his spirit and the Mother would understand…
[X] Attempt to collapse the tunnel. You want your home to be safe, and it's not going to be so long as this tunnel into the depths of the mountain is open. It gives you the heebie-jeebies.
-[X] Who will work to collapse the tunnel. The more people working on it, the faster the process will go, but they will be more vulnerable to attack.
--[X] Lancel, Belle
-[X] Who will defend the corridors behind you. While you haven't seen any revenants recently doesn't mean they don't exist, and there might be some of the doogs or even a bael hanging around.
--[X] Axton, Octavio
-[X] Who will defend the stairs leading up. Everyone has a bit of a bad feeling when they look down there, but other than some scratch marks that Axton believes came from doog claws there doesn't seem to be any tangible threat.
--[X] Ryza, Kelton, Claire
[X] You can't. You just can't. It's too wrong, too invasive, too disrespectful to plunder his tomb like this. No matter your need, no matter your own fears, if you did this you'd be no better than the humans. Leave him to his rest. You will not despoil the last untouched tomb in these crypts.
[X] You can't. You just can't. It's too wrong, too invasive, too disrespectful to plunder his tomb like this. No matter your need, no matter your own fears, if you did this you'd be no better than the humans. Leave him to his rest. You will not despoil the last untouched tomb in these crypts.
-[X] Maybe later, if there is need. But not now, in case you come across something worth desecrating Dyra-Dreagon's grave for.
[X] Take the stone. You can't leave it here; you'd never forgive yourself if something happened to it because you assumed it'd be safe here. Besides, everything you've heard of Gyra-Dregon says that he'd want to help his decedents in their time of greatest need. Surely his spirit and the Mother would understand…
[X] Leave the tunnel and go back upstairs. As much as you want to prevent the monsters from coming back, Sir Octavio's right, it's not worth the risk.
As the Empire's oldest and strongest allies, wyverns can never and should never truly be fully domesticated or subordinated. Instead, those who would ride them should always work to forge a bond of mutual respect. The Proud Flames: On Wyverns and Their Place in Imperial Society
Staring at the stone glinting in the palm of your hand, you find yourself desperately wishing that you could go back in time and ask your ancestor what he would want in this situation. Looking up, you wish that the statue would somehow, miraculously, be inhabited by Gyra-Dregon's spirit, so that he could tell you what to do. So that this horrible burden of an impossible choice between two unacceptable paths could be taken from your shoulders! Haven't you suffered enough?!
You can't take his stone. You just can't! To take another manakete's stone without their permission is the worst possible thing you could do! However, you can't just leave it either, that's not a viable option. These defenses have been worn down over the centuries; it's clear the lich had been at them and they're on their last legs. Even if that monster is dead, there are any number of others things that could come in here and do who-knows-what to the stone. It can't be safe here, and you can't stay here, not yet, and you can't protect the catacombs while you're in Agrithe. Hissing, you press Gyra-Dregon's stone to your forehead, hoping for some guidance.
For an instant, nothing happens. However, before you can pull away, the gentle tickle of static against your skin seems to stick the stone to your forehead. As you close your eyes against the flashing lightning around the dragonstone, you find yourself smiling as you feel the energy within. It's not the same as your own, of course; the link is tenuous at best, the energy comes as a trickle rather than a rush, and the glimpses into the emotions of your sleeping dragon-self are faint. However… the stone acknowledges you. Even though you'd taken it from its resting place, it still thinks you're worthy. You don't care that there's no evidence that any true intelligence remained in the stones to decide who to follow, you take some comfort in the fact that whatever echo of Gyra-Dregon's being might be in the gemstone didn't immediately reject you for disturbing its slumber.
After a few seconds of simply basking in the link, you take a deep breath, calm down, and think about the situation logically.
There are clear pros for taking the stone with you. Not only will it be a great help in the dangerous world you'd found yourself in, allowing you to draw on it to help blunt magical exhaustion without risking transforming through the pure connection to your own stone, bringing it with you will allow you to keep the stone safe. You know Baron Cicenco doesn't like you, and while you're hoping that Countess Mantrae can keep him in check you don't want to risk him or his goons coming down here and stealing Gyra-Dregon's stone. That would be utterly unacceptable.
There are also some cons, of course. Not only is taking the stone like this something that would never normally be done, but if you do take it, then you'll be responsible for it. You'll have to not only look after your own stone, one that you instinctively know the location of, but you'll also have to look after your ancestor's. If something happens to it, it will be utterly and unquestionably your fault. Can you really…
Another faint flare of lightning flashes against your head from the stone, and you can't help but look back up at the statue. Gyra-Dregon… from every story you'd heard about him, he was the kind of manakete who would want to help his descendants if they were in trouble. Besides, he'd set his tomb up so that one could get the stone out, something that must have taken a lot of effort. He had to have done that on purpose.
Had he… had he wanted someone to come take his stone if it was needed?
After a few long seconds of considering, you finally decide to go with your gut instinct. "Mother… Gyra-Dregon… I pray I'm doing the right thing. I… I promise I'll keep this safe. From any and all threats."
As you turn to rejoin your friends, carefully tucking Gyra-Dregon's stone into your pocket, you think you see something upon the statue as the light flickers across it. Pausing, you stare at the stone for several long seconds before continuing on your way with one last thought.
Had the statue just… smiled?
Standing at the top of the stairs to Below, you frown as you think over your options. While you haven't met any monsters since you left the Crypts, the fact that everyone's had bad feelings about staying here means that they can't be far off. As you look down into the darkness, you shiver again. If something as terrible as that lich rose from the relatively safe tomb rooms, what sort of horror could have formed down there, someplace that was apparently so dangerous you'd never been allowed to go?
More than that, thought, you realize that you're tired. Not as tired as you have been at other times, but you are weary, tense, and worried. Looking around, you notice that your friends don't look at their best either. You've been careful to heal them, but despite some repair efforts in the crypts while you were looking around, you can still see that Sir Octavio's armor has some scars, Belle's cloak is torn, and Kelton and Claire's shields are not looking great. If you try to bring this stairway down, and you have to fight, then you'll be doing it from a disadvantageous position.
Thirdly… you're not sure you even want to collapse this tunnel. After all, it's part of your home, even if you've never been down there. It seems wrong to just give it up without a fight, no matter how much you find the cold pit creepy. Maybe you won't be able to reclaim it today, but Mother and Father wouldn't have kept it around if it was pointless. You want to follow their example.
Besides, collapsing tunnels while you're in them sounds like it's a recipe for disaster.
"Let's go," you say softly. "We're not really in fit shape to be breaking things right now, let's go get some rest." You look around. "I… I don't want any of you to get hurt either, especially since you're only here because of me."
Kelton frowns. "We can take them," he says. "At least long enough to prevent anything worse from coming up."
"Maybe," you say. "But we've seen a lot of bad things here, and whatever's down there… It's probably worse. Much, much worse."
"But wouldn't that mean it would be good to block it off?" Lancel asks.
You frown. "Not if we're going to squish ourselves doing it," you say. "This place… it's so old, it has so much damage that I don't know how much more it can take. We'd have to be super careful, and that would just give the monsters more time to come get us." You shiver. "I've only seen one bael, and I really don't want to see another one if I don't have to. Especially since Mother isn't here to kill it."
The humans all look at each other. "From what I've seen, if it was a fight between dragon-you and an oversized spider, I'd bet on dragon-you," Belle says. "But I can't say I'm against falling back. Those stairs… they give me all kinds of bad vibes."
Everyone looks down into the darkness before shivering. "Good point," Lancel says. "It was just a thought. You probably would do better with some proper sappers; I only learned a bit from Father, so it would be risky if I was running it." He grimaces. "Yeah… we probably shouldn't rely on my memory."
You pat him soothingly on the side. "It's not a bad idea, and I'm sure you'd be able to make it work," you say. "Maybe just not right now." You sigh. "Alright, we should get going before the doogs or baels show up and we end up having to fight anyways."
It ends up taking you a while to get back to the relative safety of the old living floors. You run into a group of revenants a few corridors away from the stairs; not enough to be a real threat but you had to make some noise fighting them off. That lead to a single doog coming and growling at you all from behind. Thankfully the creature quickly realized that this was not a fight it could win, so it ran off howling after getting a bolt of light into its eyes. Still, by the time you finally pick up the bag of scrolls you'd gotten from the Deep Library and made your way back up the warded stairs, your sense of adventure has been thoroughly quashed for the day.
"Is everyone alright up here?" you ask the Agrithian guards standing at the top of the stairs as you hover in midair so you can work off one of your boots and dump out the pebbles that had somehow found their way in.
"We're uninjured, Mistress Ryza," the man says. You sigh, but don't argue: you're too tired for that right now. "There was a single revenant that tried to breach your defenses, but the wards fried it before we had to do anything." You grimace; you could still smell burned flesh. "We got rid of the body before you returned." He looks around. "Were you successful?"
You nod. "Mostly," you say. "We found some interesting scrolls in the old library, and we cleared my family's old tombs." You don't mention Gyra-Dregon's stone: while news of your own will probably start spreading despite Artemis's best efforts, you don't want people getting the idea that there are more around.
The guard nods. "Sentinel be praised," he says softly.
You smile tiredly. "Thanks for keeping an eye on everything," you say.
"Of course, Mistress. We live to serve."
You're not quite sure how you feel about that, but you pat him on the arm as you lead the way back towards the main entrance. A minute later, you're finally back out under the sun. Mother you'd missed it…
As you drape yourself over a rock, spreading your wings to soak up as many rays of light as you can, the rest of your friends settle around you. "So, what now, Ryza?" Kelton asks.
You lay in silence for a few seconds before answering. "We should probably start getting ready to go," you say. "I've already found more here than I dared to hope, but I need to get back to Agrithe, to make sure nothing bad's happened." Like Artemis getting kidnapped again without you there to save her. "I'll probably poke around the library up here a bit to see if there's anything, but with how much everything else's been… well, with how much damage has been done, I'm not really expecting to find much. We'll probably be ready to leave tomorrow."
Belle runs a finger along your wing, causing it to twitch at the ticklish sensation. "After you've gone and talked to the big lady so that we don't all get arrested by His Baronly Goonishness for the terrible crime of not kissing his a- feet, right?" she says in a faux-sweet tone.
Sir Octavio's jaw clenches slightly, but thankfully he doesn't argue as you nod. "Right, right, sorry," you say. "I forgot about that. It shouldn't take that long, though, maybe a day or so there, a day back… you all can stay here if you want."
"Shouldn't someone go with you?" Axton asks. "Lady Artemis told us about your… shapeshifting abilities, and it sounds like you're vulnerable between transformations."
You flick your wings. "Well, I won't really need to half-shift this time," you say. "I can fly just fine on my heart-form's wings, so long as I don't have to carry anyone. That'll also let me full-shift if anything does go wrong."
The humans all glance at each other. "I mean; I guess," Kelton says. "But it's our job to keep you safe, and we can't do that if we're stuck here while you're miles away."
A flash of irritation crosses your mind. "I can take care of myself," you say.
"Nobody's saying you can't, Mistress Ryza," Sir Octavio says. "But still, we swore that we would keep you safe, and we intend to stand by that oath." Everyone nods.
Your annoyance fades. "And I'm glad you do," you say, standing and wrapping your arms around Belle, who's closest. The thief tenses slightly before slowly ruffling your hair. "But it would be faster if I just went myself: I can alternate flying and walking without having to take hours to rest and recast the ritual." You let Belle go. "But I guess you do make a good point. I'll think about it: I was going to go flying for a bit anyways, just for fun."
"Alright," Kelton says. "We'll start moving and organizing all this stuff you found. Anything in particular you want?"
"Just be really careful, please," you say. "Some of it's kind of fragile, and with… with everything that's happened, I don't know if it can be replaced anywhere else." Everyone nods and agrees quickly. Still, you hesitate. This is your home; it doesn't seem fair to make other people do the work of moving things…
"Ryza, for spirits' sake, go take a break, do something fun," Belle says. "You've been pushing yourself ever since we got here; we can handle things for a little bit."
Finally, you nod. "Okay," you say. "Thank you, and if you need anything just call; I'll probably hear you." With that, you spread your wings and lift off, gliding up into the clear, slightly-chilly sky.
As you fly higher, dancing on the currents of wind that you remember so well, you let your mind wander as your wings do the work. You consider what the world looks like from up here. From the sky, you can almost pretend that nothing has changed. That when you land, Father or Mother will be waiting for you, that your home will not have been broken or infested by monsters. That you can be happy.
You shake your head; you can be happy! True, it still hurts to think about what happened, but you have friends and people who love you for you. Who cares if they're human, they're still precious to you. While you will not deny that you wish things could have been different, that you could have stayed awake a thousand years ago and lived out your life in peace with Father and Mother, you are glad that you got the chance to meet Artemis and Kelton and Belle and Axton and Lancel and-
As you tumble through the sky, you freeze for a moment as your sharp vision catches something in the clouds. Righting yourself, you peer west, frowning. You'd only been looking in that direction for an instant, and it'd been pretty far away and obscured, but you could have sworn you saw a flash of red… Slowly, you start to drift lower, your gaze desperately scanning-
"SCREEE!"
You gasp as the unmistakable sound of a wyvern's cry reaches your ears. For an instant, you think it's Deathwing and the Talons, but you realize that even at this distance the call sounds deeper, more mature. A moment later, dipping down out of the clouds, the form of a large red-gold wyvern comes fully into view. Thank the Mother, it's still far enough away that you're in no immediate danger, but you can instantly tell the creature is on alert and is flying in your relative direction.
It is a massive specimen; you can tell that right away. You're pretty sure it's about fifteen feet long snout to tail, though thankfully not as broad or muscular as your dragon-form. Squinting, you take a moment to decide that it's likely female; you're pretty sure that's a stinger on the end of its tail, and its horns don't look ornate enough for a male. Its wings seem to stretch on forever, the internal flames causing the membranes to glow brightly even during the day. A full adult, perhaps even an elder.
With the wyvern taking most of your attention, it takes a moment to realize that there's a human sitting on its back; a long red cloak billowing in the wind of the wyvern's movement. However, unless you want to hang around until they get closer, you can't tell more than that, and you do not want to be alone up here with them! Maybe dragon-you could beat the pair, but there's no point in getting into a fight if you don't have to.
Folding your wings, you allow yourself to drop like a stone. For an instant, you consider angling towards the campsite where the cart was left, but Countess Mantrae didn't send very many yeomen, so there weren't a lot of bows there. If the wyvern or its rider get aggressive, you want Axton and Lancel to be around. Well, you really want Robin to be around, but he's back in Agrithe so he can't help you right now!
For a moment, you hope that the wyvern hadn't noticed you, or at least that it would decide you're not worth the effort and just keep flying. However, your heart sinks as you watch the creature begin to slow and turn, clearly angling towards you. It's not going into an aggressive dive, which is good, but it's spotted you and is interested enough to investigate. As you're forced to unfurl your wings so as not to go splat, you watch as the wyvern continues to circle lower and lower, tilting so that it's rider can get a look at you as well.
"Ryza!" Kelton calls as you land hard. "What's going on!? Where'd that wyvern-"
"West!" you say quickly. "Still flying high, but it's coming this way! Has a rider, so she's not wild."
The Kingdom soldiers glance at each other warily. "Imperial wyvern rider of some sort," Sir Octavio says coolly. "The only question is: have they come to parley, spy, or to make demands?" Turning, he starts shouting to the other men loitering around. "Get everything under cover, quickly! Bows, make ready, but do not engage unless ordered."
Despite the fact that most of the men came from Agrithe, nobody argues, and they start dashing about to gather up the bags and tents that they'd started packing and pulling them back into your home. Meanwhile, Kelton hurries to stand next to you, a new shield out and one of his javelins ready. Claire follows a moment later, similarly armed, while Belle looks around before darting into cover a short distance away from the three of you. Axton and Lancel also take cover, their bows out and arrows in place, and the other yeomen follow suit.
These preparations are only just completed when the wyvern swoops overhead. It's still not diving, which you find kind of surprising. Instead, it glides almost lazily above you, just out of reach of your spells. You frown as you see the face of the rider peering past the wings of his (you're pretty sure it's a he) mount, eyes surely scanning the area. You suddenly feel very exposed as you nervously fold your wings.
"Easy, Ryza," Kelton says softly as the wyvern passes on. "It'll have to come lower if it wants to try anything, and not even a wyvern can survive this many arrows as well as your lightning. We'll get it."
Swallowing, you nod as you watch the wyvern keep going, expecting it to turn and dive at any moment. However, shockingly, it doesn't. Instead, it slowly circles lower before flaring its wings into a landing maneuver as it drops down onto a rocky outcropping a few hundred meters away from the entrance. You still feel the jolt of impact as the massive creature scratches and claws at the stone with its talons and wings, getting settled and turning so that it can keep its eyes on you all.
A moment later, the red-cloaked man riding the wyvern hops off, petting his mount on the snout. She leans her head into his hand, and you faintly hear a crooning noise as she lays down, though she is still watching you all warily.
"What do we do now?" one of the other yeomen asks from behind you as the man takes a few steps in your direction, standing at the edge of the outcropping he'd chosen as his landing spot. You wish you knew how to answer her.
"Hold fast," Sir Octavio says, stepping forward and planting the lance he'd drawn on the ground firmly, looking quite stout and intimidating. Content to let the more experienced cavalier take the lead, you settle back to watch, wondering just what's going on and wishing once again that you had one of Robin's spyglasses so that you could get a closer look at the stranger.
The man's red cloak billows slightly in the mountain breeze, his arms folded as he peers in your direction. His wyvern scoots forward to lay her head next to him, the faint glint of teeth visible even from this distance. His arms unfold and, surprisingly, he lightly starts petting her nose again, seemingly calming her down. Once she's settled back onto her belly, the man unslings the lance from over his shoulder, plants it point down in the ground, and starts digging around in his cloak.
"What's he doing?" you ask softly.
"I don't know," Claire says. "From his dress… this is no Talon merc. I'd say at least a high-ranking noble, but why in spirits' name-"
A soft series of gasps and curses sounds throughout the area as you see a white cloth appear in the Imperial's hand, and a moment later he's tying it around the butt of his lance. "He wants to talk?" you say.
"Looks like it," Kelton says. "I wonder how he knew to come here; news couldn't have spread yet, could it?" He glances at Claire. "Unless Baron Cicenco-"
Claire shakes her head. "Baron Cicenco may be a cruel man, at least when it comes to Ryza," she says. "But I don't think he's a traitor. At least, none of our people reported any of his men going into the Empire."
"Well, someone had to tell-"
As the two bicker, you slip past them, shielding your eyes as you watch the red-cloaked man lower one hand to his side. A moment later, he raises it, a trail of fire glowing in his palm as he lifts his hand above his head. Then, the fire leaps into the air, forming into large, clear words.
"I just wish to talk…" you read the flaming letters slowly. "I mean no harm, child…" Blinking, you look around, only to realize that everyone's looking in your direction.
"It looks like it's you he wants to talk to, Mistress Ryza," Sir Octavio says to your questioning glance. "Besides, this is your home, it was not my place to take command. My apologies for overstepping my bounds."
You shake your head. "No, no, it's fine," you say. "What do you all think?"
Claire frowns. "It would be one way to figure out why he's here, if we can believe anything he says," she muses.
"The Imperials aren't all bad," you argue. "Bernard was a bit of a grump, but he loves Sypha, and he got better." Slowly, you nod to yourself. "Let's hear what he has to say." Raising your own hand, you form your own message out of lighting: "Alright. Come over and let's talk."
The Imperial across the way seems to start, but a moment later he nods and dismisses his flaming letters before starting to make his way down the rocky incline.
His wyvern rises to her wings and legs, staring to crawl after him with a whining growl. The man turns, holding out a hand to the wyvern's muzzle. You don't hear what he says; you don't even know if he says anything, but you watch as he strokes his mount, which causes her to slump back onto her belly. A moment later, the mage turns to continue walking carefully towards you.
It takes several tense minutes for the Imperial to work his way across the rough mountain terrain to your position. The wyvern remains in her place, but from the way her eyes stay locked on you and your friends with her teeth slightly bared, it's clear that if there's the slightest hint that her rider is in trouble she'll be at his side in a flash. You wonder just how this human got one of those notoriously territorial and aggressive creatures to listen to him.
Finally, however, the man climbs up the remnants of the path your parents had once maintained, and you get a closer look at him as you step up to stand next to Sir Octavio, flanked by Kelton and Claire.
The most immediate thing you notice about this man is that he's clearly a powerful and talented mage. Even if his little trick with the fire words hadn't told you that, the sheer amount of Red magic swirling around him like an invisible cloak would have made his abilities obvious. His clothes are also clearly well-made, a similar red cape to the one Jenna wore with some additional gold trimming and stitching. 'Do mages have a uniform?' you think as you try to decipher what he's thinking past his beard, noting the strange gemstone-studded ring glinting on one finger, over his thick leather gloves. 'Will they make me wear that?'
Not that capes are bad, of course. It might be nice to have a bright yellow cape…
Several long, tense seconds pass as the man studies you, barely sparing a glance for your friends. You're just about to ask if everything's alright, before there's a shift in his lower face that you think is a smile. "Clever girl, Jenna," he murmurs, almost to himself.
You blink. "Jenna? Do you mean Jenna Flarestone?" you ask. "You know her? Are you a friend of hers?"
The man laughs. He has a nice laugh; warm and friendly, and you find yourself relaxing a little. "That I am, child," he says. He presses down on the lance-turned-flag, driving it into the ground before taking another step forwards and crouching down so that you're closer to eye-level. "I was one of Jenna's mentors when she was a student at the Marble Hall, and we've kept in touch." His eyes twinkle as he continues to look you over. "I must say, I was very surprised when I got her letter. Some of the things she'd described… well, they were things we'd been seeking for centuries, and suddenly she finds them without a hint in advance?" He laughs again. "Of course, it all makes sense now! 'Well preserved new site' indeed!"
You rock back and forwards on your heels. "Please don't be upset that she didn't tell you," you say. "I asked her not to, it's my-"
The man waves a hand. "Of course, child, of course," he says. "Taking the current dominant opinion into account, it's only natural that you'd want to be careful with who knows of your existence."
"You know…" you start.
He nods. "I saw you flying," he says. "And I can think of no other explanation than you being…" He pauses, his eyes finally scanning the people behind you. "Might I presume that these people have your trust?"
You nod. "Yes, yes," you say. "These are my friends. That's Kelton and Claire, and there's Sir Octavio, and Belle's hiding over there-"
"Hey!" Belle calls irritably, poking her head out. "Did you think maybe there was a point to me hiding?!"
"Oops."
The Imperial mage chuckles. "I had noticed her from the air, but thank you for having some faith in me, child," he says, throwing a wry glance over his shoulder. "Firescale would have been very upset if she thought anything funny was going on." As if hearing her name, the wyvern lets out a hiss that you can just barely hear, lifting her head.
The mage, meanwhile, looks back at you. "But my apologies, where are my manners. My name is Lacroix Skyfire, Phoenix Lord, Head Mage of the Southlands in the service of Duchess Callista and most pressingly at the moment, a member of the Revisionist scholarly group. At your service. And you, young manakete?"
You blink; you remember making sure that Jenna had included that word and the meaning behind it, but to hear it used unprompted… "Ryza," you say, curtsying. "My name is Ryza, and it's nice to meet you, Lacroix."
"Well met, Ryza," Lacroix says before glancing up. "Sir… Octavio, yes," he says, looking behind you. "I do hope you're not upset that I am entering Legerian lands. As you can see, I come in peace."
The cavalier's armor grinds slightly as he nods. "So I can see," he says, a subtle edge creeping into his voice. "And in truth, you have not yet entered Legerius; you are currently in Mistress Ryza's domain." Glancing back, you see his eyes narrow. "Though I do find myself curious about what exactly the head mage of an entire Imperial Duchy is doing here. Especially in these… times."
Looking back at Lacroix, you see a shadow cross his face for a moment before he nods. "I assure you, I mean no harm, to you or to anyone in the east," he says, standing. "I am merely responding to a letter I received from my old student Jenna, about some truly fascinating finds she'd made, in relation to the people of our young friend here." His smile takes on a slightly teasing edge (you think, Mother it's hard to read the facial expressions of bearded people…) "I had intended to try and wring some more details out of her, perhaps get a look at her grand find, and it seems that I already have."
"Hey, Jenna didn't find me," you say, interrupting Sir Octavio as he starts to open his mouth. "I found her!"
Lacroix laughs. "Of course, my apologies Ryza," he says. "And did I hear the good cavalier mention that you'd become an accredited mage? I haven't been back to the Hall in some time, but I'm surprised I haven't heard of that."
You shake your head. "I'm not really one yet," you say. "Jenna tested me, and she said I passed so I can become one, but I haven't had a chance to go fill out the parchments yet. I wanted to revisit home and recover some… things."
The mage looks past you, at the door to your home. "Incredible…" he says. "I'd never imagined…" He looks around. "Although, I suppose it's in the sort of place where it can go undiscovered for a good long while: right on the edge of Whitewing territory, high on a somewhat-contested mountain range… yes, this is the kind of place that can go unnoticed for a long time…"
You frown. "It's mine," you say, a slight flicker of lightning creeping between the fingers of the hand that you're trying not to clench into a fist. "This is my home, not some archeological ruin for you to poke around. Even Countess Mantrae agrees."
"My apologies, Ryza," Lacroix says, shaking his head and turning his attention back to you. "Of course, you are correct. I sometimes get overexcited when I see something I can learn from, but I must also respect the true owners of a place. Thank you for reminding me."
"Okay," you say. "Thank you for being understanding."
The pair of you stare at each other in silence for a few moments before Sir Octavio speaks up again. "Do you still intend to proceed to Castle Legerius?" he asks. "I had not heard of this letter, but I can't imagine Mistress Flarestone invited you, what with the current climate"
Lacroix nods. "If possible, yes, though you are correct that she did not invite me," he says. "However, it has been a while since I've seen Jenna, and I never received any messages denying entry. Is there such an order in effect?"
Sir Octavio grits his teeth. "Not… as such," he says. "Although Her Excellency is not currently well disposed to non-family in the west."
The two men stare each other down for several seconds before you nervously step between them. "Well, even if you can't go further, you're welcome here for now, Lacroix," you say. "Do you want to get some rest? Some food? It's not much, but Kepesk-Okar is safe enough to rest in."
"I would be honored," Lacroix says, bowing. "And rest assured, I will uphold the bargain you struck with Jenna, and not speak of you to anyone that might wish you harm. Would you allow for Firescale to join us? I assure you, she is very friendly, so long as neither she nor I are threatened."
You hesitate for a moment before nodding. Lacroix seems nice enough, and it would be fun to finally get a good look at a real wyvern that's not trying to hurt you or anyone you care about. "Okay," you say.
Taking a few steps back, Lacroix lets out a piercing whistle. Instantly, the wyvern stands, spreads her wings, ignites her internal flames, and jumps off her perch to glide over, landing with a thump just down the path. She keeps her wings unfurled, though, and slowly starts to stand up straight.
"Firescale," Lacroix says, firmly but not unfriendly. "These are friends. Be kind to them." The wyvern's eyes sweep all of you, and she lets out a little hiss, but drops down onto the claws of her wings and crawls closer. As she approaches, however, her gaze locks onto you, and she freezes, giving a confused whine. "Friend, Firescale," Lacroix says, a slight note of urgency in his voice.
However… as you look into Firescale's eyes, you find that you're not afraid. She seems… curious, confused, but not hostile. You slowly take a step towards the wyvern. "She's beautiful…" you whisper, watching the light glint off her ruby scales, causing her muscular form to ripple and glow. She lets out another whine, cocking her head as she continues to study you.
"That she is," Lacroix says. "My father, Sentinel watch over him, helped me raise her ever since she hatched. He was a wyvern rider in the old Duke's service." He looks between the pair of you. "Interesting. She almost seems to recognize that you're distantly related…"
"She can smell me," you say, watching Firescale's nostrils flare. "I was flying earlier; my wings' scent must still be in the air." Slowly, you unfurl your wings, causing the wyvern to blink. Then, with a soft crooning noise, she crawls a few steps closer. "May I touch her?"
Lacroix studies his mount for a few seconds before nodding. "She seems calm with you around, not inclined towards any aggressive behavior;" he says. "Though I wonder, is that because you're young enough that you're triggering her nesting instincts, or do you just smell close enough to being a wyvern to make her curious while smelling different enough that you're not triggering her territorial instincts. I think you're safe to approach; just be careful and make no sudden movements."
You nod; that makes sense. Wyverns are related to dragons; they have a similar "act first ask questions never," mentality when startled without even having a heart to rein them in. Carefully, you step around Lacroix, moving far enough away that Firescale still has a clear path to her rider. The wyvern shifts to be a little closer to him, but she does not growl or give any other worrying signs, simply continuing to watch you curiously.
After a few more careful steps you hold out your hand and stop: giving her the option to take the last few steps herself. After a few seconds of studying you, she obliges, pressing her warm muzzle into the palm of your hand. You smile as you pet her nose, closing your own eyes for a moment. Other than the heat, you can almost imagine Dragon-Mother or Dragon-Father is with you again.
"Incredible…" Lacroix says as Firescale lays down, her big, barbed tail thumping happily against the ground. "Did manakete and wyverns get along, back before the Emperor?"
You shrug, stepping in closer to stroke the rest of Firescale's head, causing her to croon again. "Sometimes, but not often," you say. "They roost in some of the same places we liked to make our holds, and so they would often get really angry when we were around. Most manakete just avoided them so as not to get into a fight." You carefully scratch Firescale behind her horns, causing her to hum contentedly as she leans into you. "That's right, you're being very calm, Firescale. You're such a nice wyvern."
It takes several minutes for you to pull yourself away from petting your new friend, and another minute after that to convince her to let you go as she tries to tuck you under her wing like a hatchling. Finally, however, you're able to make your escape, leaving the massive red creature to curl up on a smooth patch of rock and go to sleep, seemingly convinced that everything's alright. "Thank you, for that," you say.
"Thank you for making her happy," Lacroix says. "Most humans, even in the Empire, get very nervous whenever a wyvern is around. She's not really used to having strangers treat her so warmly right away."
In the back of your mind, you wonder why the Emperor decided that wyverns were friends while manakete were enemies. Why had he decided that your people were Fell monsters that needed to die? Was it because wyverns were more willing to accept a human as a more-equal partner? You shake your head; you don't want to make yourself sad. "I know what it's like to be feared just for the way I was born," you say softly. After a moment, you shake your head. "Well," you say, looking up at the sky. "Well, it's not what I had planned for the rest of the day, but since you're already here." You steel yourself. "If you're anything like Jenna, I'm sure you have a lot of questions about me and manakete in general. We… we can talk, if you want."
Lacroix clearly wants to, but he hesitates. "Only if you are willing," he says. "You've clearly made good friends with the people of Legerius, and so if you want to postpone any conversation until you can be with Jenna-"
You shake your head. "No, no, it's fine," you say. "I want to talk to Revisionists, to help you all get the real story about manakete out there, to get rid of all the lies and slander that other humans use to justify hurting us." You gesture to the door. "Come on in. As I said, it's not much, but at least there's shelter from the wind."
The rest of the day is spent talking to Lacroix. He is clearly very intelligent, asking a lot of questions about you, about manakete, about history, about everything. You even end up taking him to the library, just as you'd planned to go look around yourself. As you'd suspected, there wasn't much left in the library save for shattered shelves and burned scrolls. Still, Lacroix seems fascinated with even the most minor of things, and it certainly gives a proper backdrop for the sort of conversation you're having.
Just like Jenna, he's willing to back off if any of his questions seem to upset you, but you soon find yourself telling him a lot. He's very good at gently guiding you towards things you might not have been willing to talk about otherwise. You don't feel forced or tricked into answering, of course, but Lacroix is very easy to talk to.
(EDIT: Please vote by plan)
[] Of particular note, you tell Lacroix- (Choose at least one)
-[] a lot about Manakete runes. You show him some of Father's old labs, the ones that aren't completely collapsed, as well as the fitfully-glowing ones at the top of the stairs. You even end up being convinced to let him see the fully-functional runes Father put inside of your shrine. He is suitably impressed.
-[] a lot about Makai. You show him the scrolls you recovered, as well as some of the fragments that are scattered around the library. You look over some of the fragments of scroll he brought with him, and the two of you end up improving a bit upon the makeshift dictionary you'd already made. You even end up letting him keep a few of the more damaged pieces, so he can show them to other Revisionists.
-[] a lot about Manakete magic. You show him your tablets, how you feed magic into them to get them to work. You talk about how the different Tribes were shaped by their color of magic, and how they in turn could cast it at will.
-[] a lot about Manakete history. You dig out an old scroll that you'd found in the Deep Library that has a map of the traditional homelands of the different tribes, as well as some of the major holds. He mentions that some of them are known to humans, but others, he seems surprised by.
-[] a lot about your dragon-self. More than anyone else, he seems to get your descriptions of the different facets of your mind, soul and being. Maybe it's because he spends so much time around wyverns. You even end up showing him your half-shifted form, though you hold back on full-shifting.
-[] Write-in (subject to veto)
Of course, the exchange of information is not one-sided. Lacroix is more than happy to share his own stories and insights with you, as well as let you bounce ideas off of him about how things got to the sorry state they're in today.
[] What are some interesting things you learned? (Choose one for each thing you told Lacroix)
-[] Still trying to wrap your head around the Union described in Solariana's scroll, you drag it out and show it to Lacroix. While he's never heard of it, he does have some interesting insight on the topic.
-[] You tell him of your goal to show humans a better way of using magic, so that they don't have to grind up your peoples' stones to help themselves. He is sympathetic to your plight, and he does have some ideas that might prove helpful.
-[] The memory of Kopoi's seal lingers in your mind for some reason. When asked, Lacroix is happy to give you some insight into the topic, as well as other Seals. They're really quite fascinating bits of magical work.
-[] At one point, during the discussion about manakete and magic, you end up telling him about Archduke Letoro's plan on making you Agrithe's head mage, and how you need to get accredited before you can do that. Lacroix is happy to add his own seal to Jenna's report of your capabilities.
-[] While he doesn't seem to really want to say much about it, you are able to get Lacroix talking a bit about what's going on in the Empire. It turns out, things are a little more complicated than you'd thought… possibly more dangerous.
-[] Write-in
As the next morning dawns, you roll yourself out of the blanket Mother made you. Stretching, you wander outside, noting with some amusement that Firescale is still wrapped around Lacroix with her wing draped over him. You'd offered to allow him to sleep inside with the rest of you, but he'd assured you that he was quite comfortable with his wyvern. "More importantly, having me nearby helps to keep her comfortable in a new environment, so that she doesn't… wander."
Everyone had been very grateful that he was keeping his "giant flaming flying lizard" calm. Sometimes you wonder where Belle learned to use such abrasive language.
As you peer east, you realize with a jolt that in the excitement of meeting Lacroix and talking about your people and how the Revisionists could convince humans that they don't have to be afraid anymore, you'd forgotten to decide how you're going to go back to Castle Legerius and tattle on Baron Cicenco. You want to do that soon, so you can safely get back to Agrithe and make sure everyone's okay there.
Hurrying back inside, you start tapping your feet outside Kelton's tent in what you hope is an approximation of a knock. "Kelton? You awake?"
A moment later, an affirmative grunt comes from inside. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be out in a second," he says. Nodding, you quickly hurry over to Belle's tent. After waking her (and ignoring the very rude comment you're pretty sure you weren't meant to hear) you continue on until all your main friends are up and about.
"So I still think I can just fly over myself," you say once everyone's settled around the big block of stone acting as a makeshift table with some dried meat and bread for breakfast. "It'll be quicker that way."
"It will also be more dangerous," Sir Octavio says, rubbing his eyes; he'd had the watch just before you woke up. "Not immensely, that is true, but at the same time your safety is our most immediate concern. If anything were to happen to you…"
"I'll be fine!" you say. "I know the way well enough that I'll be able to make it pretty fast, especially if I'm not having to stop every few hours. Besides, there aren't any wyverns around here except Firescale, and she's friendly."
Axton nods. "That is true, and even if there were surely His Highness has hired some Whitewings to patrol the area, and you would be able to call on them," he says. "It's not when you're in the sky that we're worried about, it's when you have to land. There are many dangers, even in times of peace, and if you don't have someone to watch your back… well, any number of things could happen."
"But if I have to go back to half-shifting, dragon-me might start getting grumpy again-"
"I could take her," Lacroix says smoothly as he joins you all at the table. "My apologies for eavesdropping, but if you are concerned about young Ryza's safety on her way back to Castle Legerius I can guarantee that Firescale and I will see her safely to the journey."
Sir Octavio's eyes narrow slightly. "My Lady is currently not too keen to have Imperials poking around her domain," he says coolly. "Surely, if you have any further questions for Mistress Flarestone, we could carry a letter for you."
The bearded mage sighs. "I understand that things are… a touch tense, right now," he says. "I have not been told any of the details, but I had heard that some mercenaries from the Empire overstepped their bounds; and rest assured Duchess Callista is taking the matter most seriously. However, while I will not deny that there have been quarrels between our people, the mages of the Hall have always done our best to rise above them. I came here seeking knowledge, not to do any harm. All I can ask is that you have faith in that."
It takes the better part of an hour of arguing, far more than you'd been hoping, but in the end you come to a decision that everyone can at least tolerate.
[] You end up flying alone, carrying a letter for Jenna from Lacroix. You know the way, and without anyone on your back you'll be able to make good time. It'll be a little risky, but you're a big girl and you can handle yourself. You've done pretty well so far.
[] Your friends are able to talk you into taking one of them with you, carrying a letter for Jenna from Lacroix. This will slow you down, as you'll have to do the old half-shift skipping. However, they insist it will be safer for you to have some backup.
[] You decide to fly with Lacroix. Sir Octavio wasn't super keen on him being able to fly into Legerius, and with some of the problems going on between the Kingdoms and the Empire you can understand that. However, the mage seems nice, and you'll make sure he doesn't go snooping. Besides, it'll be nice to spend some time with Firescale, she's a sweetheart as far as wyverns go.
[X] Of particular note, you tell Lacroix- (Choose at least one)
-[X] a lot about Manakete runes. You show him some of Father's old labs, the ones that aren't completely collapsed, as well as the fitfully-glowing ones at the top of the stairs. You even end up being convinced to let him see the fully-functional runes Father put inside of your shrine. He is suitably impressed.
-[X] a lot about Makai. You show him the scrolls you recovered, as well as some of the fragments that are scattered around the library. You look over some of the fragments of scroll he brought with him, and the two of you end up improving a bit upon the makeshift dictionary you'd already made. You even end up letting him keep a few of the more damaged pieces, so he can show them to other Revisionists.
-[X] a lot about Manakete history. You dig out an old scroll that you'd found in the Deep Library that has a map of the traditional homelands of the different tribes, as well as some of the major holds. He mentions that some of them are known to humans, but others, he seems surprised by.
-[X] a lot about your dragon-self. More than anyone else, he seems to get your descriptions of the different facets of your mind, soul and being. Maybe it's because he spends so much time around wyverns. You even end up showing him your half-shifted form, though you hold back on full-shifting.
[X] What are some interesting things you learned? (Choose one for each thing you told Lacroix)
-[X] You tell him of your goal to show humans a better way of using magic, so that they don't have to grind up your peoples' stones to help themselves. He is sympathetic to your plight, and he does have some ideas that might prove helpful.
-[X] The memory of Kopoi's seal lingers in your mind for some reason. When asked, Lacroix is happy to give you some insight into the topic, as well as other Seals. They're really quite fascinating bits of magical work.
-[X] At one point, during the discussion about manakete and magic, you end up telling him about Archduke Letoro's plan on making you Agrithe's head mage, and how you need to get accredited before you can do that. Lacroix is happy to add his own seal to Jenna's report of your capabilities.
-[X] While he doesn't seem to really want to say much about it, you are able to get Lacroix talking a bit about what's going on in the Empire. It turns out, things are a little more complicated than you'd thought… possibly more dangerous.
[X] You decide to fly with Lacroix. Sir Octavio wasn't super keen on him being able to fly into Legerius, and with some of the problems going on between the Kingdoms and the Empire you can understand that. However, the mage seems nice, and you'll make sure he doesn't go snooping. Besides, it'll be nice to spend some time with Firescale, she's a sweetheart as far as wyverns go.
Thank you for the update, i am always happy to see you and Ryza.
[X] Hey, I just met you...
-[X] Of particular note, you tell Lacroix- (Choose at least one)
--[X] a lot about Manakete runes. You show him some of Father's old labs, the ones that aren't completely collapsed, as well as the fitfully-glowing ones at the top of the stairs. You even end up being convinced to let him see the fully-functional runes Father put inside of your shrine. He is suitably impressed.
--[X] a lot about Makai. You show him the scrolls you recovered, as well as some of the fragments that are scattered around the library. You look over some of the fragments of scroll he brought with him, and the two of you end up improving a bit upon the makeshift dictionary you'd already made. You even end up letting him keep a few of the more damaged pieces, so he can show them to other Revisionists.
--[X] a lot about Manakete magic. You show him your tablets, how you feed magic into them to get them to work. You talk about how the different Tribes were shaped by their color of magic, and how they in turn could cast it at will.
-[X] What are some interesting things you learned? (Choose one for each thing you told Lacroix)
--[X] You tell him of your goal to show humans a better way of using magic, so that they don't have to grind up your peoples' stones to help themselves. He is sympathetic to your plight, and he does have some ideas that might prove helpful.
--[X] At one point, during the discussion about manakete and magic, you end up telling him about Archduke Letoro's plan on making you Agrithe's head mage, and how you need to get accredited before you can do that. Lacroix is happy to add his own seal to Jenna's report of your capabilities.
--[X] While he doesn't seem to really want to say much about it, you are able to get Lacroix talking a bit about what's going on in the Empire. It turns out, things are a little more complicated than you'd thought… possibly more dangerous.
-[X] Your friends are able to talk you into taking one of them with you, carrying a letter for Jenna from Lacroix. This will slow you down, as you'll have to do the old half-shift skipping. However, they insist it will be safer for you to have some backup.
I worry slightly that anything we give to him will be used by the Empire. Not because he is a bad or insincere person, but because of his hierarchy.
Also, listen to your friends Ryza.
Edit: [X] Plan History of the (Manakete) World Part 1
Plan This is a Manakete is almost the same as what I voted for, but mine has Manakete history rather than the details of Manakete magic. I'm a lot happier about sharing sociological information than I am about tactical info.
[X] Of particular note, you tell Lacroix- (Choose at least one)
-[X] a lot about Makai. You show him the scrolls you recovered, as well as some of the fragments that are scattered around the library. You look over some of the fragments of scroll he brought with him, and the two of you end up improving a bit upon the makeshift dictionary you'd already made. You even end up letting him keep a few of the more damaged pieces, so he can show them to other Revisionists.
-[X] a lot about Manakete history. You dig out an old scroll that you'd found in the Deep Library that has a map of the traditional homelands of the different tribes, as well as some of the major holds. He mentions that some of them are known to humans, but others, he seems surprised by.
-[X] a lot about your dragon-self. More than anyone else, he seems to get your descriptions of the different facets of your mind, soul and being. Maybe it's because he spends so much time around wyverns. You even end up showing him your half-shifted form, though you hold back on full-shifting.
[X] What are some interesting things you learned? (Choose one for each thing you told Lacroix)
-[X] Still trying to wrap your head around the Union described in Solariana's scroll, you drag it out and show it to Lacroix. While he's never heard of it, he does have some interesting insight on the topic.
-[X] You tell him of your goal to show humans a better way of using magic, so that they don't have to grind up your peoples' stones to help themselves. He is sympathetic to your plight, and he does have some ideas that might prove helpful.
-[X] While he doesn't seem to really want to say much about it, you are able to get Lacroix talking a bit about what's going on in the Empire. It turns out, things are a little more complicated than you'd thought… possibly more dangerous.
[X] You decide to fly with Lacroix. Sir Octavio wasn't super keen on him being able to fly into Legerius, and with some of the problems going on between the Kingdoms and the Empire you can understand that. However, the mage seems nice, and you'll make sure he doesn't go snooping. Besides, it'll be nice to spend some time with Firescale, she's a sweetheart as far as wyverns go.
This seems like it covers a lot of the information we wanted to get out and the stuff we need ourselves right now, without speaking too much about tactically important things someone else might get out of him later.
We might want to find a metal, padded lockbox or something for that Heartstone once we get back to civilization. Maybe slap some tracking spells on it, or ask Belle for advice on how to keep something safe from thieves. It just seems a little careless to throw it in a backpack or something, although I guess that's all we have for now.
[X] Plan This Is A Manakete
-[X] Of particular note, you tell Lacroix- (Choose at least one)
--[X] a lot about Makai. You show him the scrolls you recovered, as well as some of the fragments that are scattered around the library. You look over some of the fragments of scroll he brought with him, and the two of you end up improving a bit upon the makeshift dictionary you'd already made. You even end up letting him keep a few of the more damaged pieces, so he can show them to other Revisionists.
--[X] a lot about Manakete magic. You show him your tablets, how you feed magic into them to get them to work. You talk about how the different Tribes were shaped by their color of magic, and how they in turn could cast it at will.
--[X] a lot about your dragon-self. More than anyone else, he seems to get your descriptions of the different facets of your mind, soul and being. Maybe it's because he spends so much time around wyverns. You even end up showing him your half-shifted form, though you hold back on full-shifting.
-[X] What are some interesting things you learned? (Choose one for each thing you told Lacroix)
--[X] Still trying to wrap your head around the Union described in Solariana's scroll, you drag it out and show it to Lacroix. While he's never heard of it, he does have some interesting insight on the topic.
--[X] You tell him of your goal to show humans a better way of using magic, so that they don't have to grind up your peoples' stones to help themselves. He is sympathetic to your plight, and he does have some ideas that might prove helpful.
--[X] While he doesn't seem to really want to say much about it, you are able to get Lacroix talking a bit about what's going on in the Empire. It turns out, things are a little more complicated than you'd thought… possibly more dangerous.
My thought process here is 1) sharing knowledge of Makai and improving the Makai-to-Modern dictionary is actively beneficial to our goals, so that one works well for us, 2) while I'm hesitant on sharing info about Manakete magic, I think it would chain very well with getting insight from Lacroix on how to make humans not need Dragonstones for their magic, 3) I feel like the dragon-self option might also be a good idea to share based on how the vote says he gets it in a way other people don't, and 4) we need to pick one for Lacroix to tell us for everything we tell him, and while Solariana is an obvious pick, the intel on the Empire is the only other thing that seems interesting to me out of the preexisting options.
With that said, I would be interested to know if Lacroix has any idea how the stories about dragons started, because with how far removed they are from the truth about Manakete, it seems like a logical conclusion that they were deliberately fabricated, which then raises the question of why.
[X] You decide to fly with Lacroix. Sir Octavio wasn't super keen on him being able to fly into Legerius, and with some of the problems going on between the Kingdoms and the Empire you can understand that. However, the mage seems nice, and you'll make sure he doesn't go snooping. Besides, it'll be nice to spend some time with Firescale, she's a sweetheart as far as wyverns go.
I think we can trust him, and I would rather avoid half-shifting more than we absolutely need to considering how Dragon!Ryza takes issue with it.
[x] Of particular note, you tell Lacroix- (Choose at least one)
-[x] a lot about Makai. You show him the scrolls you recovered, as well as some of the fragments that are scattered around the library. You look over some of the fragments of scroll he brought with him, and the two of you end up improving a bit upon the makeshift dictionary you'd already made. You even end up letting him keep a few of the more damaged pieces, so he can show them to other Revisionists.
-[x] a lot about Manakete history. You dig out an old scroll that you'd found in the Deep Library that has a map of the traditional homelands of the different tribes, as well as some of the major holds. He mentions that some of them are known to humans, but others, he seems surprised by.
-[x] a lot about your dragon-self. More than anyone else, he seems to get your descriptions of the different facets of your mind, soul and being. Maybe it's because he spends so much time around wyverns. You even end up showing him your half-shifted form, though you hold back on full-shifting.
-[x] Still trying to wrap your head around the Union described in Solariana's scroll, you drag it out and show it to Lacroix. While he's never heard of it, he does have some interesting insight on the topic.
-[x] You tell him of your goal to show humans a better way of using magic, so that they don't have to grind up your peoples' stones to help themselves. He is sympathetic to your plight, and he does have some ideas that might prove helpful.
-[x] While he doesn't seem to really want to say much about it, you are able to get Lacroix talking a bit about what's going on in the Empire. It turns out, things are a little more complicated than you'd thought… possibly more dangerous.
[x] Your friends are able to talk you into taking one of them with you, carrying a letter for Jenna from Lacroix. This will slow you down, as you'll have to do the old half-shift skipping. However, they insist it will be safer for you to have some backup.
Would something like this work as a write-in for giving Lacroix info?
"A lot about Manakete culture. How you lived, how tribes were organized, and about the Mother."
I'm not sure if that's considered redundant with either the info Jenna distributed or with the manakete history option but the latter at least seems to be focused on the locations where manakete holds are rather than anything with a cultural bent.
Would something like this work as a write-in for giving Lacroix info?
"A lot about Manakete culture. How you lived, how tribes were organized, and about the Mother."
I'm not sure if that's considered redundant with either the info Jenna distributed or with the manakete history option but the latter at least seems to be focused on the locations where manakete holds are rather than anything with a cultural bent.
[X]Plan Information Exchange
-[X] Of particular note, you tell Lacroix- (Choose at least one)
--[X] a lot about Makai. You show him the scrolls you recovered, as well as some of the fragments that are scattered around the library. You look over some of the fragments of scroll he brought with him, and the two of you end up improving a bit upon the makeshift dictionary you'd already made. You even end up letting him keep a few of the more damaged pieces, so he can show them to other Revisionists.
--[X] a lot about Manakete magic. You show him your tablets, how you feed magic into them to get them to work. You talk about how the different Tribes were shaped by their color of magic, and how they in turn could cast it at will.
--[X] a lot about Manakete history. You dig out an old scroll that you'd found in the Deep Library that has a map of the traditional homelands of the different tribes, as well as some of the major holds. He mentions that some of them are known to humans, but others, he seems surprised by.
--[X] Write-in (subject to veto): a lot about Manakete culture. You tell him about how you lived, about how the tribes were organized, and about the Mother.
-[X] What are some interesting things you learned? (Choose one for each thing you told Lacroix)
--[X] Still trying to wrap your head around the Union described in Solariana's scroll, you drag it out and show it to Lacroix. While he's never heard of it, he does have some interesting insight on the topic.
--[X] You tell him of your goal to show humans a better way of using magic, so that they don't have to grind up your peoples' stones to help themselves. He is sympathetic to your plight, and he does have some ideas that might prove helpful.
--[X] At one point, during the discussion about manakete and magic, you end up telling him about Archduke Letoro's plan on making you Agrithe's head mage, and how you need to get accredited before you can do that. Lacroix is happy to add his own seal to Jenna's report of your capabilities.
--[X] While he doesn't seem to really want to say much about it, you are able to get Lacroix talking a bit about what's going on in the Empire. It turns out, things are a little more complicated than you'd thought… possibly more dangerous.
[X] You end up flying alone, carrying a letter for Jenna from Lacroix. You know the way, and without anyone on your back you'll be able to make good time. It'll be a little risky, but you're a big girl and you can handle yourself. You've done pretty well so far.
Thoughts: Most of what we're telling seems to me like it plays well with our goal of informing people about manaketes without having too big a backfire potential - I think worst case scenario is he spreads the info of the undiscovered holds around and they get looted. Which is... bad, but if he's the kind of person to do that we may have more immediate problems. I'd actually have been willing to tell him about dragons if not for the fact that it says we half-shift - I'd like to avoid doing that unless necessary and this would feel like a pretty selfish/unnecessary reason to do so on Heart!Ryza's part. As for the runes, given that we know the shrine runes involve those spirits I don't know if that's something we want to potentially give away like this. As for what we're learning in return, most of the options are intriguing IMO. I chose to have the seal be the odd one out but I think there's a compelling case to switch it out for the accreditation if we're willing to trust we're already good on that front.
For getting to Legerius, again, I am opposed to half-shifting options if avoidable and I dunno I feel a bit suspicious of Lacroix. In any event, it's less friction once we actually get to Legerius if we're not bringing an imperial wyvern with us. Feels like the last thing we need is for Mantrae, or worse, Sypha to see that and bring back bad memories. Ryza's got this.
[X] Of particular note, you tell Lacroix- (Choose at least one)
-[X] a lot about Makai. You show him the scrolls you recovered, as well as some of the fragments that are scattered around the library. You look over some of the fragments of scroll he brought with him, and the two of you end up improving a bit upon the makeshift dictionary you'd already made. You even end up letting him keep a few of the more damaged pieces, so he can show them to other Revisionists.
-[X] a lot about Manakete magic. You show him your tablets, how you feed magic into them to get them to work. You talk about how the different Tribes were shaped by their color of magic, and how they in turn could cast it at will.
-[X] a lot about Manakete history. You dig out an old scroll that you'd found in the Deep Library that has a map of the traditional homelands of the different tribes, as well as some of the major holds. He mentions that some of them are known to humans, but others, he seems surprised by.
-[X] Write-in (subject to veto): a lot about Manakete culture. You tell him about how you lived, about how the tribes were organized, and about the Mother.
[X] What are some interesting things you learned? (Choose one for each thing you told Lacroix)
-[X] Still trying to wrap your head around the Union described in Solariana's scroll, you drag it out and show it to Lacroix. While he's never heard of it, he does have some interesting insight on the topic.
-[X] You tell him of your goal to show humans a better way of using magic, so that they don't have to grind up your peoples' stones to help themselves. He is sympathetic to your plight, and he does have some ideas that might prove helpful.
-[X] At one point, during the discussion about manakete and magic, you end up telling him about Archduke Letoro's plan on making you Agrithe's head mage, and how you need to get accredited before you can do that. Lacroix is happy to add his own seal to Jenna's report of your capabilities.
-[X] While he doesn't seem to really want to say much about it, you are able to get Lacroix talking a bit about what's going on in the Empire. It turns out, things are a little more complicated than you'd thought… possibly more dangerous.
[X] You end up flying alone, carrying a letter for Jenna from Lacroix. You know the way, and without anyone on your back you'll be able to make good time. It'll be a little risky, but you're a big girl and you can handle yourself. You've done pretty well so far.
[X] You end up flying alone, carrying a letter for Jenna from Lacroix. You know the way, and without anyone on your back you'll be able to make good time. It'll be a little risky, but you're a big girl and you can handle yourself. You've done pretty well so far.
I'm fine with pretty much anything so long as we go for more than two questions. I also don't mind whether or not Lacroix comes along. I think there's a lot of benefit to going on our own; the faster we get this done the better. Not to mention a solo Ryza journey is a rare opportunity. However Lacroix has been fun and friendly so far. And I think increasing our relationship with one of the Duchess' people could be useful in the coming days.
[X] Of particular note, you tell Lacroix- (Choose at least one)
-[X] a lot about Makai. You show him the scrolls you recovered, as well as some of the fragments that are scattered around the library. You look over some of the fragments of scroll he brought with him, and the two of you end up improving a bit upon the makeshift dictionary you'd already made. You even end up letting him keep a few of the more damaged pieces, so he can show them to other Revisionists.
-[X] a lot about Manakete magic. You show him your tablets, how you feed magic into them to get them to work. You talk about how the different Tribes were shaped by their color of magic, and how they in turn could cast it at will.
-[X] a lot about Manakete history. You dig out an old scroll that you'd found in the Deep Library that has a map of the traditional homelands of the different tribes, as well as some of the major holds. He mentions that some of them are known to humans, but others, he seems surprised by.
-[X] Write-in (subject to veto): a lot about Manakete culture. You tell him about how you lived, about how the tribes were organized, and about the Mother.
[X] What are some interesting things you learned? (Choose one for each thing you told Lacroix)
-[X] Still trying to wrap your head around the Union described in Solariana's scroll, you drag it out and show it to Lacroix. While he's never heard of it, he does have some interesting insight on the topic.
-[X] You tell him of your goal to show humans a better way of using magic, so that they don't have to grind up your peoples' stones to help themselves. He is sympathetic to your plight, and he does have some ideas that might prove helpful.
-[X] At one point, during the discussion about manakete and magic, you end up telling him about Archduke Letoro's plan on making you Agrithe's head mage, and how you need to get accredited before you can do that. Lacroix is happy to add his own seal to Jenna's report of your capabilities.
-[X] While he doesn't seem to really want to say much about it, you are able to get Lacroix talking a bit about what's going on in the Empire. It turns out, things are a little more complicated than you'd thought… possibly more dangerous.
[X] You end up flying alone, carrying a letter for Jenna from Lacroix. You know the way, and without anyone on your back you'll be able to make good time. It'll be a little risky, but you're a big girl and you can handle yourself. You've done pretty well so far.
[X] Of particular note, you tell Lacroix- (Choose at least one)
-[X] a lot about Makai. You show him the scrolls you recovered, as well as some of the fragments that are scattered around the library. You look over some of the fragments of scroll he brought with him, and the two of you end up improving a bit upon the makeshift dictionary you'd already made. You even end up letting him keep a few of the more damaged pieces, so he can show them to other Revisionists.
-[X] a lot about Manakete magic. You show him your tablets, how you feed magic into them to get them to work. You talk about how the different Tribes were shaped by their color of magic, and how they in turn could cast it at will.
-[X] a lot about Manakete history. You dig out an old scroll that you'd found in the Deep Library that has a map of the traditional homelands of the different tribes, as well as some of the major holds. He mentions that some of them are known to humans, but others, he seems surprised by.
-[X] Write-in (subject to veto): a lot about Manakete culture. You tell him about how you lived, about how the tribes were organized, and about the Mother.
[X] What are some interesting things you learned? (Choose one for each thing you told Lacroix)
-[X] Still trying to wrap your head around the Union described in Solariana's scroll, you drag it out and show it to Lacroix. While he's never heard of it, he does have some interesting insight on the topic.
-[X] You tell him of your goal to show humans a better way of using magic, so that they don't have to grind up your peoples' stones to help themselves. He is sympathetic to your plight, and he does have some ideas that might prove helpful.
-[X] At one point, during the discussion about manakete and magic, you end up telling him about Archduke Letoro's plan on making you Agrithe's head mage, and how you need to get accredited before you can do that. Lacroix is happy to add his own seal to Jenna's report of your capabilities.
-[X] While he doesn't seem to really want to say much about it, you are able to get Lacroix talking a bit about what's going on in the Empire. It turns out, things are a little more complicated than you'd thought… possibly more dangerous.
[X] You end up flying alone, carrying a letter for Jenna from Lacroix. You know the way, and without anyone on your back you'll be able to make good time. It'll be a little risky, but you're a big girl and you can handle yourself. You've done pretty well so far.
[X] Of particular note, you tell Lacroix- (Choose at least one)
-[X] a lot about Makai. You show him the scrolls you recovered, as well as some of the fragments that are scattered around the library. You look over some of the fragments of scroll he brought with him, and the two of you end up improving a bit upon the makeshift dictionary you'd already made. You even end up letting him keep a few of the more damaged pieces, so he can show them to other Revisionists.
-[X] a lot about Manakete magic. You show him your tablets, how you feed magic into them to get them to work. You talk about how the different Tribes were shaped by their color of magic, and how they in turn could cast it at will.
-[X] a lot about Manakete history. You dig out an old scroll that you'd found in the Deep Library that has a map of the traditional homelands of the different tribes, as well as some of the major holds. He mentions that some of them are known to humans, but others, he seems surprised by.
-[X] Write-in (subject to veto): a lot about Manakete culture. You tell him about how you lived, about how the tribes were organized, and about the Mother.
[X] What are some interesting things you learned? (Choose one for each thing you told Lacroix)
-[X] Still trying to wrap your head around the Union described in Solariana's scroll, you drag it out and show it to Lacroix. While he's never heard of it, he does have some interesting insight on the topic.
-[X] You tell him of your goal to show humans a better way of using magic, so that they don't have to grind up your peoples' stones to help themselves. He is sympathetic to your plight, and he does have some ideas that might prove helpful.
-[X] At one point, during the discussion about manakete and magic, you end up telling him about Archduke Letoro's plan on making you Agrithe's head mage, and how you need to get accredited before you can do that. Lacroix is happy to add his own seal to Jenna's report of your capabilities.
-[X] While he doesn't seem to really want to say much about it, you are able to get Lacroix talking a bit about what's going on in the Empire. It turns out, things are a little more complicated than you'd thought… possibly more dangerous.
[X] You end up flying alone, carrying a letter for Jenna from Lacroix. You know the way, and without anyone on your back you'll be able to make good time. It'll be a little risky, but you're a big girl and you can handle yourself. You've done pretty well so far.
[X] Of particular note, you tell Lacroix- (Choose at least one)
-[X] a lot about Makai. You show him the scrolls you recovered, as well as some of the fragments that are scattered around the library. You look over some of the fragments of scroll he brought with him, and the two of you end up improving a bit upon the makeshift dictionary you'd already made. You even end up letting him keep a few of the more damaged pieces, so he can show them to other Revisionists.
-[X] a lot about Manakete magic. You show him your tablets, how you feed magic into them to get them to work. You talk about how the different Tribes were shaped by their color of magic, and how they in turn could cast it at will.
-[X] a lot about Manakete history. You dig out an old scroll that you'd found in the Deep Library that has a map of the traditional homelands of the different tribes, as well as some of the major holds. He mentions that some of them are known to humans, but others, he seems surprised by.
-[X] Write-in (subject to veto): a lot about Manakete culture. You tell him about how you lived, about how the tribes were organized, and about the Mother.
[X] What are some interesting things you learned? (Choose one for each thing you told Lacroix)
-[X] Still trying to wrap your head around the Union described in Solariana's scroll, you drag it out and show it to Lacroix. While he's never heard of it, he does have some interesting insight on the topic.
-[X] You tell him of your goal to show humans a better way of using magic, so that they don't have to grind up your peoples' stones to help themselves. He is sympathetic to your plight, and he does have some ideas that might prove helpful.
-[X] At one point, during the discussion about manakete and magic, you end up telling him about Archduke Letoro's plan on making you Agrithe's head mage, and how you need to get accredited before you can do that. Lacroix is happy to add his own seal to Jenna's report of your capabilities.
-[X] While he doesn't seem to really want to say much about it, you are able to get Lacroix talking a bit about what's going on in the Empire. It turns out, things are a little more complicated than you'd thought… possibly more dangerous.
Oh hey, it's the badass old dude that normally only joins the party in the final chapter of the game (Looking at you FE7)! I think that the plan made by Alcor looks pretty good, but I'm a little torn about whether to fly back with Lacroix or not. I'm leaning towards not, if only because the reception he might receive will be... less than stellar if he were to show up unannounced and that could reflect poorly on us. But, with the information we're learning from him about the empire, it gives us an opportunity to at least announce that he's here before he accidentallys a diplomatic incident. I'm choosing the friend option because I want to show off a little.
[X] Your friends are able to talk you into taking one of them with you, carrying a letter for Jenna from Lacroix. This will slow you down, as you'll have to do the old half-shift skipping. However, they insist it will be safer for you to have some backup.
