Dragon Bones

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Vennan: Short, lean Dawn Elf in dark leather armor.

Lorien: A black-blond, young male guy

Klythos: Goblin Artificer, fairly obvious.

Ssylrath: Green lizardman, short and wide, with a Swiftclaw.

Tatyannah: Short Giantborn woman, dark hair, bronze skin.

Munch: Dreadlocked golem with metal scales.

Aurala: Giantborn lass, Shiny Breastplate, and a Greatsword

Ormarr: A short, bandy-legged, pepper-and-salt oruch

Ulharilti Wiiivai: Large. Blue. Scaled.

It was an emergency. One minute you were minding your own business, doing /whatever/, and the next thing there was a knock on your door or a guardsman bursting in on you and telling you that you were needed /right/ now with little more information than that. And even when you /get/ to your destination, you haven'y gotten a lot of information. Just that you're about to be dropped into the middle of a fight where a whole lot is at stake.

You see, the Empress of the Sith-Makar is under attack. You need to save her.

"Are you ready?" says Wizard Darktulip, a poncy looking elf with a flower in his hair. He seems grimly serious and seriously grimly.

Vennan can't help but narrow his eyes at Darktulip. It's elves like that who give his race a reputation. "... Ready." He affirms, nevertheless.

Aurala cocks her head to the side and shrugs, "Ready, let us go and save her." it means a fight and Aurala is really looking for a good rousing fight.

Ssylrath pauses only long enough to coollect his gear and Thaliss his swiftclaw mount, and hurries. "The Empress? Whatever is needed of coursssse."

Klythos was sleeping in his titan armor, and it smells that way too. He rouses and heads out with the others, blinking his eyes clear, when he arrives he looks around at the others there and shrugs. "Ready."

Lorien dressed up quite fast. And he threw on his black and crimson cassock on as he slides his firearms about the shoulder, and the back of his belt. He then slides a few contraptions to his belt flaps, and then adjusts a scarf about himself, and when they arrive, he nods, "Prepared," he says.

Munch doesn't -have- a door, but seldom allows such details to bother him. There's a fight to be had? He's ready, axe in hand. "Well? What are we waiting for?"

"Hear that, Badger?" Ormarr is reaching down to scratch the creature's ears. But Badger don't care. Badger never does. He nods to the sil, "Whenever you're ready, eh?" he says.

"This better pay," Tatyannah yells as she was desposited in the middle of the fight and the departing guardsman. He blinks at one of the many poncy elves, "I guess. Anything special we need to know before we do this?"

Ulharilti Wiivai was told little, but what she was told was more than enough. Her glaive is in hand when she arrives. "Where is she?" That is the only needed information she needs to known for now.

"It will pay if you survive," says Darktulip, quickly, and begins to intone the spell.

"She is in Am'shere. THere was urgent busine ss -- some kind of attack on an outpost, and she and her retinue went to assist. I don't have more details than that except that she's in grave danger. We'll be going there right now. Brace yourselves."

And with that, he begins to cast.

Munch idly hopes he's able to distinguish which are teh friends and which are the foes. that sort of detail is important, and he doesn't want to get into trouble... again.

Klythos reaches up on his armor, adjusting a few dials and then pushing a button, there is a faint humm, and a brief crackle of electricity as something activates.

"Oh, I'll get paid, one way or another," Tatyannah reassures Darktulip. It is one of her more annoying qualities.

Ssylrath waits, lance at the ready and banner flapping on its post behind his saddle.

Lorien puts on a pair of spectacles as he nods a little, "Be nice to have a layout of the outpost and area, but it seems like this is way too urgent to plan much ahead," he says, as he sighs a little, tugging his military-jacket about himself. He makes ready a few preperations.

Aurala hates being transfered by spell, but if it gets them to the fight faster, all the good for it.

Vennan is likewise less than thrilled about magical teleportation. He sighs heavily and braces for it.

Ulharilti Wiivai is not terribly fond of magic, either, but can overlook it for its necessity. Due to that same necessity, she enacts brief bit of spell, herself.

Munch blinks, and focuses a moment himself, the golem's eyes starting to glow with a faint golden light. Sometimes he forgets he can -do- that.

There's a sudden feeling of disorientation.

You're teleported to the location of the Sith-Makar queem.

You're immediately greeted by the sounds of battle. There are Troglodytes /everywhere/, their stink filling the immediate area. Literally. They /stink/. There are dead and dying on both sides all over the place, and you can hear screaming. There's smoke and fire, and a structure nearby is ablaze. The smoke is making it hard to figure out what's going on /exactly/, but you can hear the peep-peep of Sith children.

All of you, with the exception of Lorien,a re able to get your bearings fairly fast. The sounds of combat are none too far away and you are able to begin making your way there. There are trogs everywhere, and some of them you're simply able to cut down en route. They're no match for you.

You quickly come to realize the reason that you're here, and why the Empress is here: these are hatching grounds for the Sith-Makar. There are shattered eggs as far as the eye can see.

/Shattered eggs/... and murdered younglings as well as fallen Sith-Makar guards, as well as recognizable members of the Empress' retinue.

You travel further in towards the sounds of battle, tracking the sounds in the din and the smoke and the flame within this stone structure.

Vennan can't help but look disturbed by the sight of the broken eggs. He casts his eyes down and shakes his head forlornly. "This is... an unforgiveable crime."

Klythos is disoriented for just a second, then his eyes widen and he raises his death ray to point at the closest thing that seems an issue. When they reach the eggs, he simply shakes his head and moves on, the queen is the priority and she must be where the heaviest fighting is.

"Tha hells..." Ormarr is careful where he steps. For an oruch, he does his best at his own bandy-legged mince. He's not going to claim some ballerina-moves of an elven dancer. He ain't close, and Badger does his level best to bumble carefully on behind him.

Ssylrath appears to be getting more and more angry as he surveys the destruction. "They are all dead. Eggtenders, Nessst Guards, children... this is ssslaughter. It will be avenged." His mount seems much less disturbes but just as eager for combat.

Lorien doesn't have much of an idea where the general direction is, so he instead follows up behind the others. He is better with range either way. He then unlatches his firearm Ray from the back of his belt, and looks around with confusion and horror, "What..." He then growls a little, and makes prepared his weapon, even though it takes him a moment to make out the scene even when they arrive. He does take a few shots on the way taking trogs. "What now?"

Munch has never tasted troglodyte flesh before. This changes quite rapidly, and the golem swiftly losing intrest in the foul and sour flesh. He does continue to swiftly cut down any of the primitive organics he runs across, looking for something more intresting. The eggs are a curiousity, but the metal man leaves them alone. He's simple, not stupid.

Aurala growls a bit herself, young are offlimits always offlimits. Her greatsword comes out and she readies for what they might find.

Tatyannah frowns deeply as she spots the shattered eggs and slaughtered younglings. For all that she is moneygrubbing, she is unnaturally fond of children of all sorts and this is a tragedy. Her spear is out and she begins to stab and otherwise murder every and any trog is in reach of her, particularly ones destroying eggs.

"Aw, hells..." Ormarr looks around, and then spits in the center of his palm. The bandy-legged shaman then tosses this into the air--it surges, becoming a raincloud over the fire. Water gushes down from the sky in torrents. Some is quenched, other parts take on an elemental battle, fire versus the nature of water, and in these parts, fire wins. While some of the hatch-grounds are extinguished, others continue to...burn.

Ulharilti Wiivai blinks several times at the disorientation, and then begins to cleave her way through the wrestched trogs. The scent of blood is heavy in the air, and it is not all troglodyte. And then she and her senses reach, and fall upon a slew of unhatched, torn from eggs. There is a mometary pause, but only long enough for a n inhale. A deafening roar follows, carrying enough energy to cause literal sparks in its wake. Immediately behind the sound is a mass of blue scales, teeth, claws and steel as Ulharilti bolts into the jungle. The Empress must still fight them, and may have led the threat away. But She is not the primary focus any longer.

It would appear that Ul's instinct is right. You come out the other side of the hatchery through a broken down wall and leave it behind where the few remaining guards are busily trying to save what they can. The relief brought by your dismemberment of the trogs remaining within is definitely welcome.

But you quickly come upon the sight of another battle. A half dozen Trog warriors are engaged in battle with the Empress and one of her remaining guards. There's the flash of spell, the sizzle of magic. One more Trog falls to the ground with a scorcched hole brought about by lightning in his chest.

A Trogolodyte shimmers into existance, roaring with laughter. Speaking in draconic. "It is over, 'your majesty'. Your children burn and choke and die, and your dreams of rulership will die with them. It is so commander. IT SHALL BE DONE."

And that's when the mocking Trog changes.

His form balloons outwards in all directions.

Great wings spread from his back, his reptilian form contorting...

In a dragon.

A green dragon. <draconic>

Ssylrath roars defiance at the appearance of the scaly monster and urges Thaliss into a galloping run, leaping straight over the front rank of troglodytes, two of which wound her as she passes overhead. Landing hard she wheels around and Ssylrath stabs one with his lance.

Tatyannah goes running towards the queen and the trogs attacking her. As Ssyl engages them on one side, she tries to stab them, but it doesn't work. Oh god, it's going to be one of those days.

Klythos watches as the larger folks fly off into battle, one even leaping with a horse. He raises his death ray, looking around for a target and spotting one off to the edge of the elite group. He adjusts a few dials on the death ray, and the weapon charges up with green energy, finally firing out a blast of electrified goo. It hurts him, but fails to actually stick him to the ground.

Vennan is a Dawn Elf, his heritage immediately evidenced by his long pointed ears and pale skin. He's a little short for a man of his kind, standing perhaps just a little bit shy of five feet in height. His frame is lean, but his obviously toned muscles suggest that he still possesses a considerable strength despite his small stature. His facial features are sharp and severe, giving him a countenance that has a way of looking grumpy even when he's smiling. His hair and eyes are both a light green color, shimmering like emeralds. A bit unusually for one of his kind, he keeps his hair cut very short, generally parted on one side. He generally wears simple light clothing that allows great freedom of movement, with a chain link shirt atop it for a layer of protection.

Vennan narrows his eyes as he leaps into battle, drawing his rapier and running it straight through the nearest troglodyte's torso. That looks painful.

"Badger," Ormarr says and the two of them take off at a jog. The shaman tests the winds and then gives a whistle. The whistle grows and takes shape, forming a wall two feet thick in front of the green dragon. Shaman and badger slow when they near the remainding sith, the old man panting.

Her Majesty, the Supreme Empress of the Sith-Makar (if she can truly be called such), calls upon the blood of the ancestors in her veins. She changes, her form twisting as well into that of a dragon. This is magic, not a true transfomration as the true dragon before you, and it is much larger than she is, but it is all that she can do. She lunges forward and is now engaged in the huge green directly in a battle of claw and fang that she will almost certainly fail to win without help.

Aurala growls as she calls on the rage within herself. Her muscles bulge a bit and swell as she gets stronger and harder to hurt. She seems to move a bit faster as she whispers some words and activates her boots. She moves forward and whips her greatsword cutting a deep gash into one of the trogs.

Ulharilti Wiivai has her eyes firmly locked on the foul green. Some might question the Empress in throwing herself at it. Ulharilti does not. She understands all to well. Seething anger roiling off her in waves, she roars at the green as she storms towards it. "Egg-sucker! Butcher! Traitor! I will tear off your wings so you must crawl! Pull out your tongue so you cannot roar! Gut you and rip out your seed to dowse your own pyre!"

Lorien takes up his weapon and growls as he notices the dragon and the others. He then grows a little shaky with the unnatural fear. He tries to manage through it, and then lifts his weapon, a mana-charged ball of flame cleanly smacking into the trog. As he tries and look through the smoke.

The dragon is not happy.

It's a dragon, after all. It's wings beat powerfull once, but it dividfes its attention between the small silver attacking it and th War Golem join ing in the fray. IT bellows an order in Draconic to the troglodytes in draconic. "YOUR LIVES ARE WORTH NOTHING IF THE EMPRESS LIVES."

Munch hisses quietly, muscles swelling with power as a swirl of sparkly rainbows encircles his metal feet. tearing off around the majority of the battle, the golem's large axe slams into the dragon, drawing a painful gash in it's side. "DIBS ON THE LIVER!" Priorities. Munch has them.

Yes, it is very definitely going to be one of those nights. Tatyannah fails to hit not once, but twice.

Ssylrath urges Thaliss to turn and charge the dragon, both roar defiance as Thaliss leaps up bringing her strong rear legs into play as well. The lance plunges home and the swiftclaw also leaves some nasty marks. "You shall not escape what you have done!" <draconic>

Klythos adjusts more dials on his weapon, ignoring the little guys now in favor of the larger danger, the dragon. He takes careful aim, moving a step closer and firing off a bolt of green energy...that hits a tree. The tree is hurt very bad, poor tree.

Vennan winces at his injury, but doesn't let it slow him down. He swiftly slashes twice more at his foe, dropping it before turning straight to the next beast and running a blade through it.

"'ey, Badger. Ya know what to do," the old shaman says. Then, the ancestors take him. The earth takes him, and he falls forward. The salt and pepper hair turns to brilliant scales, age giving way to youth's power through the ancestor's energies. Badger...goes nuts.

The Empress, locked in dragon form and absorbing a great deal of punishment from the larger, green cohort is slashing away and doing her damndest to keep it distracted. She's not the most skilled warrior, and she surely would not last under the combined assault of the troglodytes and the dragon together, let alone the dragon itself. "

"ANCESTORS WATCH OVER US. YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR TREACHERY, BEAST!"

Aurala becomes a blur with her greatsword, one slash, a second slash and then she whips it around and slashes a final time. The first one didn't make it through the armor, but the second two slashes take her trog down, leaving it bleeding on the ground as she looks for a new target.

Ulharilti Wiivai saves her breath to move, and move she does. Directly for the dragon. She leaps slightly as she nears, bringing her glaive down overhand to sink into its scales. The charged weapon also discharges, though it is with a disappointing fizzle and not a satisfying sizzle.

Lorien rushes upwards and growls as he flicks a few switches on his weapon. He takes time on the approach because he is still shaken, but even as he does, the shot slams right near a wing of the dragon and crackles with the sound of ice, as he pants a little, and then looks at the trogs not far off.

Munch buzzes angirly, axe and fangs flashing. Green scales go flying, but the flesh below remains mostly untoched. Mostly. Still a fair bit of bloodshed.

THe dragon decides it does not like being surrounded. It lifts into the air, but finds itself snatched by it's foot and yanked down by a giant allosaurus. It roars, it's alkready batteered from battle form receiving more wounds in the process. That did not work out for it. It wasn't expecting such potent reinforcements. It opens its mouth instead and breathes a masive cone of acid over all near it, including the Empress, who is badly wounded.

Ssylrath discards the lance and pulls his falchion, swinging ineffectually. Thaliss does one better, getting in a claw attack for minor damage only. "Die! Die die die!" <draconic>

Tatyannah doesn't understand it, she tries to have another go at one of the trogs. Nothing. Again. TWICE.

Klythos decides that he must take care of the little targets, that way, more of the team can focus on the dragon. He turns to aim at a trog, adjusting dials and firing another burst of green energy at it.

Vennan is getting into one of those stabbing frenzies he gets into in these situations. His next target is slashes to ribbons, then he moves on to the next. Stabby stabby!

The badly wounded Emperess is forced to scale back, step back. She casts a quick spell and a great golden dome covers her. She's too weak to fight any further, after that acid blast that seared through her flesh and her prior solo-battle with a dragon beyond her abilities. Bravery only goes so far.

When the dragon surges upwards? Ormarr grabs it. His jaws close around and he digs his claws into the earth. Hold it, hold it...HOLD IT...

Meanwhile, the trogolodyte elites have dwindled down to just a pair between Tatyannah, Vennan and Aurala's efforts. They don't appear ot be fiarin g well, but they do score some nasty hits on the latter two.

Aurala growls as she gets hit. She shakes her head and though most of it glances off her hide, she roars and then she takes a chunk out of the trog in front of her, and then she brings it back around slashing again, and then the fury rages within her and she whips around cutting the trog in half, pieces falling to the ground.

"No!" Ulharilti is upset when the dragong might fly away. When it does not, she takes every opportunity to slash at it. Avoiding Ormarr is also a worry, though, and one swing skitters off of scales. The other cuts through and into muscle.

Lorien lifts up his weapon as he notices the dragon has harried the Empress back. He rushes forward and lifts up his Ray with both hands hefting it forward he takes a clean shot as he speaks with Draconic, "Stop this madness!" he exclaims. And it smacks the creature on its scales at the chest, a few bits of ice forming. He's trying.

Munch's shiney scales gleam, untouched by the dragons massive blast of acid. Sadly, said scales only cover a small portion of the golem, and the rest of his flesh sizzed in a rather painful fashion. Furious, the golem unleashes another flurry of attacks upon the dragonic foe, again sending scales flying, but only a bit of blood shed in the process.

The dragon is not happy. The allosauris that is Ormarr is taking the full front of it's brutal assault, and the only thing that's sparing Ormarr from dismebowlement is the fact that he's holding onto it at such a angle that just keeps the claws from mortally wounding him. He's a bloody mess now, though.

Tatyannah gets her groove back, finally and so successfully manages to stab a trog, not once, but twice. Even better, it dies.

Ssylrath crowds forward again, bleeding heavily and swings his falchion is a vicious arc slashing the dragon once. Thaliss also bites and claws it. "Empress, I will die before I allow you to fall to this... creature." <draconic>

Klythos just keeps firing his death ray, another trog target. The goblin adjusts his dials, always setting things like range and wind velocity, then launches the electrically charged goo at the creature.

Vennan finally finishes cutting his way through the troglodgyte horde, cutting straight through the skull of his last foe. Now he looks to the dragon, narrowing his eyes.

Grip. Rend. Ormarr twists his neck, the corded muscles bunching, then contracting as he slams the dragon onto the ground. A foot follows, a heavy tail--anything he can use to trap the creature, anything he can use to still the acid-breathing destruction.

Aurala moves up to the dragon now that the trogs are all down. She takes a moment and finds a good spot and then whips her blade around and hits a tender area cutting in with her greatsword.

Lorien makes his way towards the dragon as his boots pound, military jacket flowing through the smoke that wafts the air from the nests that burn that so thinly covers the air. He lifts up his weapon and points it right forward, "Listen here, I am tired of your kind which grows the evil in this world, you have committed horrid acts, for this we can not allow you to live, you are too dangerous, may the gods have mercy because ours is short when we fell you," he says, all in Draconic, as he takes a clean shot right into the creatures. <draconic>

Munch buzzes and steams, axe flying. Green dragon scales fly, and a fount of acidic blood gushes forth as the golem hits an artery.

The dragon breaks free of Ormarr's grasp. It's giving him a deeply, deeply menancing look, but it's Munch's strike that has it whirling about towards the WAr Golem.

Ssylrath presses forward, cleaving into the scaled hide with two swings and his mount adds her own damage, clawing and biting at the blue beast. She hisses her displeasure.

Tatyannah watches the last filthy trog, before she eyes the dragon. Now, to do something completely stupid. She runs at it and attacks it with her spear. Oh thank Tarien, it's even a good attack and she even manages to make it bleed and stuff.

As Tat lunges in, the dragon snaps it's head around and snaps it's teeth across her form, wounding her grievously butn ot before she's able to finish her strike.

Klythos watches as the last trog drops, then moves closer to the dragon. He adjust dials on his armor, and the formerly green energy from the powerpack becomes blue. An icy ray is fired out, actually hitting the dragon in the head and giving him a mild brain freeze!

Vennan rushes in to save the day. Then promptly slips on the horrible mess left by Tatyannah and falls over gracelessly.

The Sith Emress remains in her golden dome, trying to shield herself for the moment. She is unable to help now, though. Too badly injured.

The Sith in the party do catch her eye, though, and she seems murmur blessings of the Gods upon them.

Lorien lifts up his weapon and takes another shot right where Klythos managed. It's an ice dragon! He's keeping focused, trying to do what he can.

The dragon, wounded as it is, still hsa the wherewithall to bite Munch.

It does.

In /half/.

The two ends of the golem drop out of it's mouth and it swings its gaze around towards the rest of you.

Ssylrath winds up and carves deeply into a leg as Thaliss continues to gnaw on the edge of a wing. She seems to have a taste for it now.

FINALLY! Tatyannah stabs, stabs some more and there is more dragon bleeding. And it is /awesome/.

The goblin artificer keeps firing! Of course, its not doing much but a little damage to the thing, after all, it is a green dragon.

Venann grabs Munch's remains and drags them back.

Aurala growls ferociously. She moves right up to the dragon and is flanking with one of the other allies. She whips her greatsword at it and it cuts deeply, really deeply into the dragon's hide, and then she slashes again, the second strike, cutting into the former wound and then again she strikes and it almost looks like she might cut the dragon in twain but it is still standing, barely but it is.

Munch still has dibs on that dragon liver. He's going to want it if he wakes up again.

Tatyannah wobbles as she stands there, "Oh thank Tarien. Good job, Ul-" and then she proceeds to mangle the name horribly. "So. What's say we go back there and see if we can do something about those magic fires and maybe save some of those eggs, huh?" She begins to walk that way, "Is there anyway to douse that? Do we need like holy water or something, because I don't have any."

The goblin looks around, apparently finding nothing else to shoot with his death ray. "Done? Safe?" he tends to speak common with as few words as possible.

Ulharilti Wiivai is furiously frustrated when many of her blows skip off of scales. When she finally succeeds in piercing the green armor with her glaive once more, it finally seems to take the last bit of energy from the beast. Others injured it far worst, she had timing. Which she now takes full advantage of. The moment the dragon slumps, she drops her glaive and her claws lengthen to lethal weapons. She has a promise to keep, though she begins in the reverse order. First, she will slit the underbelly, so she can pull out its gonads. While it is still alive. The tonge can be pulled out last.

Ssylrath raises his blade again and then looks around the battlefield as the dragon falls. "Empress, are you well? Is there anything we can do for you?" <draconic>

Aurala cracks her neck a bit, "Is there someone that can help the wounded?" she asks as she looks around. She doesn't understand draconic but she is concerned about it. She wipes the blade of her sword off on the dragon's green hide and then sheaths it.

"I will be fine. It is glad tidings that you arrived when you did. We had been fighting for hours against the Troglodytes and I'd epended a great and many magical power to save as many of our children as we could. We heard rumors that they were en route," she's switched top trade for the benefit of non-draconic speakers here as she lets go of the bubble. "Most of my retinue is dead, but they secured a great many of the children that we could save. I am afraid that this was deisgned to lure me here with this fate in mind, to force me to use my magics in defense of the People so that I would be easier to murder."

Lorien looks at Ulharilti as he takes his ray and then fires off the remaining shots at a few of the flames that are about. Why not? It's frost. He does so where it will not destroy anything important. He then looks at Munch, and frowns a bit. He seems disgusted by what is being done to the dragon to the point he vomits on the ground, and then shakes his head. He then makes his way to the Empresses general area with his weapon sheathed, "When we've made sure all is safe we can assist with escort, perhaps?"

"Well, I'm sorry about your kids. That's just - off limits," Tatyannah isn't entirely sure how the whole who lays the eggs thing, whether the Arvek are just community birthers or more like bees, with their one queen being perpetually pregnant and popping out young. "And /rude/."

Klythos idly wonders if the people care about the dragon, supposidly they rever them, and well, cutting off its gonads? He turns away from the action, but offers no remarks about anything else going on.

Munch is, for once, quiet. Not that he's a lot of choice in the matter.

Ssylrath swings out of the saddle and collects his lance from where he discarded it and then sets to soothing Thaliss's wounds which are grievous. "Those who did this are dead, those who sent them must also pay in blood. I am at your service Empress whenever you wish to call on me."

Aurala nods her head, "I am glad that we were able to come and assist in time. I only sorrow that we were not able to arrive earlier and save more." she shakes her head a bit.

"That dragon was hardly alone. There was a presence with it and behind it. Once that gave it power and one that kept it's wounds from too grievous until you were able to overwhelm it. No," she says, "This is not over, and the ones behind this are not dead. Not hyet. We must ever vigilant, but I will return home. Safely. With what's left of my retinue and the children. You must return to ALexandria. But those of you that have helped us this day have earned our gratitutde and those of you of the people have done your duty in helping to preserve our future,."

Ulharilti Wiivai holds dragons in great respect and awe. Just not /that/ dragon. She finishes her threat, her word, and now approaches the others and the Empress. The news that some were saved is uplifting. The news that others sent them is not. "Who? Who would do this to lure you? And have power over a dragon?"

Ssylrath shakes his head. "Sssounds like Heth to me. Who else commands dragons and wissshes to prevent aid to Rune?"

"I do not know, my daughter," says the Empress to Ulharilti, "I do not know. We have a great many enemies and it would appear that they have decided to lay down with the Trogolodytes. We can only hope that this does not bring ill tidings. I seem to've concluded our Alliance with Alexandria at a fortutious time."

Lorien says, "I do not think he had a hand in this /directly/. It doesn't... Sem like him."

"I do not think it was this 'Heth'. I trace no sense of the undead here, but it is possible," admits the Empress toSsylrath.

"Oh," Tatyannah sighs. "I've met him. I lied. I don't want to meet him. Again."

Ssylrath approaches the Empress on foot. "Regardlesss, I will stay with your guards until you are safe if you will permit it."

Munch wouldn't mind meeting Heth. Axe first. But just at the moment, he's busy meeting with some representatives of Reos and Kor. It seems there's still some debate as to what afterlife he'll eventually head to, and filling out the survey now will help matters along...