@bloonewb

"Don't worry about my wives. There really isn't much for you to tell them, and they don't have much to tell you" Ternoc explained, taking a bite of a juicy leg of lamb. "They don't know much about politics, anyway. All were raised as recluses since they hatched, and their marriages were arranged to my family. They're Sequestered females, as the term goes. They don't get out much." He took another bite before changing the subject.

"My childhood was an unhappy place. It would be easier for me to count the number of my surviving relatives than my dead ones" he paused for a moment. "There was also a spate of killings when my father took power. Still, he did one good thing for me, even though he didn't intend for it at all. I was sent as an ambassador to Minbenthac, a move which got me out of the city when things got ugly. He purged dozens of high court officials, nobles, and yes, many of his own sons and daughters." Once more, he paused, trying not to think too much about it.

"As for adventures, there were a few, yes. I was trained as a sword fighter in my youngest days, in preparation for a career in the army which never came. I was also taught some magic spells. In adventuring terms, I guess I would qualify as a warmage, not that I've done any adventuring in decades, for obvious reasons. My duties as grand prince come first. Since you asked, I had a few adventures between the years of my ambassadorship and my assumption of the throne as the grand prince. Remember, I was put on this throne by the other dracon realms, not by primogeniture or by selection by the previous monarch. My father never left the throne to anyone, possibly due to the fact that Dememoras had promised him eternal life. He didn't deliver, obviously."

Soulcors stalked through the alleyway, his scythe on his back. He looked around, his burning eyes taking in the sights. He had been in this town for a few weeks now, and had yet to find employment. He tightened his disguise, a tall cloak and mask that hid his true nature, and set out into the city to try to find employment. Surely there was someone who wouldn't chase him out of their business with a holy symbol or flask of blessed waters. There has to be someone who understands in the city. They can't all be heartless, can they?

"That sounds so very grand," Ardasa said. The fruit she favored was covered in rather annoying seeds, that had a tendency to stick themselves between her teeth. She licked at her gums, to little result. It was annoying, to say the least, but she knew she ought not complain. Not here. "I would love to hear about these adventures, then. Or, if you prefer, I could speak of my tales first." She was not the greatest judge of people, but when it seemed to her that Ternoc was going to allow her to speak first, she began.

"I cannot believe last year, I was still a child. You likely would not understand, but adulthood and childhood have a very clear separation in our culture. Oh, to be a child again? Life was so simple. I understand that some of the kobolds do suffer in the cities, and what good our empire does for them, but a girl can dream, can't she?" Ardasa grabbed the cup set before her, and absentmindedly took a sip from it. Then, she spit the contents back out. It was so bitter! What do the people of Hekaga drink!? "Water, I'd like some water please," she said, covering her mouth.

@bloonewb

A servant came and brought Ardasa a glass of cool water. Ternoc nodded at her comment about having been a child just last year.

"Truly? While there are rites of passage for dracons, the line between child and adult tends to blur a bit, especially for males. Female dracons are unquestionably adult by age 18, but young males usually need to prove themselves at that age before they are fully respected as adults by older males. Or wait until they are 25 years old, at which point they are fully grown, and there's no point in denying their malehood. Also, I would advise you not to call your realm an empire. It may provoke retaliation from other dracon realms if they consider it an expansionist state, as empires generally are."

@Shadow Dragon

Ophion was a mage of great renown. As an ally of Adykon and a friend to the great priest Vespion, he had played quite the important role in stopped Dememoras two decades ago. Working in his laboratory, he scried the city of Minbenthac for any possible threats, including invaders, demons, or the undead. To his surprise, he detected a wraith floating around in the city's back alleys. It wasn't unheard of for necromancers hiding in the city's catacombs to mess around in the middle of the night, but it was broad daylight. Something was quite odd, although he didn't see that the wraith was harming anyone in particular at the moment.

He picked up his staff and prepared to leave his residence, a large building which consisted of living quarters, a store which sold magical goods, a warehouse, a library, and his magical laboratory. Before he left, he stopped for a moment to tell his wife where he was going.

"Aurie! There's a wraith loose in the streets. I'm going out to hunt it down. Don't think it's dangerous, though."

"Just be back in time for dinner!" Aurescia reminded him.

"Sure thing! See you later, dear!" With that, he walked out of the residence and went to find the wraith.

Soulcors turns down another allyway, and walks onto the main street, and strolls casually past the street vendors, glancing at the merchandise. He smiles at a cloth merchant, and asks, "Excuse me sir, where might a labor-for-hire find employment here?" The merchant looks up from his cloths, and nods. "Aie, best check the main streets. They got all kinds a good jobs there." Soulcors waves to him. "Thank you for the assistance." He turns and walks down to the center of town, and begins searching for an employment desk.

"Perhaps dracons mean a different thing when they say empire," Ardasa said, taking the cup and drinking from it. "This is a story that every kobold learns from the moment they are born." She set the cup down and got herself comfortable on the chair. "So, it's not a short tale, but I'll see if I can condense it to one meal's time." Crossing, her legs and clasping her hands together, she began. "So, it all started with a leader of kobolds, who crossed over from the home continent through a tunnel under the sea . . ."

". . . His name was Arjun, chief of a grand tribe of our tunneling cousins. In his dreams, he heard the voice of Scen calling him to the surface, and with his pick, he hammered a tunnel straight up so wide that it became a cave on the surface. We cannot seem to find it anymore, sadly, but I have no doubt that it must exist somewhere. He led his tribe to the surface, to the blessed home that the gods had found for us. That would be this continent, of course."

"Yet all was not well. There already were peoples living here, who were taller, stronger, and far more magical than we the kobolds were. It is said that a great king of these people dishonored Arjun, speaking to him as if master to slave. In his anger, Arjun strangled the king with his hands, as well as his entire guard. There, he declared himself an emperor, making himself greater than all kings in the world, and thus may never be subject to one."

@Shadow Dragon

Ophion came upon the figure of a wraith in the distance, moving nonchalantly through the streets. He quickened his pace, alert but not alarmed. The figure didn't seem to be hurting anyone, but he was somewhat unnerved by the calm at which the dracons around it acted. Normally, one would imagine that the crowds would panic upon seeing an undead creature. Indeed, they would panic in almost any other city or town but Minbenthac. People here had grown far too accepting of danger for their own good.

"Excuse me! Out of the way, please! Hold there! Wait! I mean you no harm, but be warned, I'm prepared to defend myself if need be." Ophion stood in front of the wraith, prepared to cast spells if he had to. "I am Ophion, of Minbenthac. This city is under my protection. State your name and business!"

@bloonewb

Ternoc sighed as he heard that story.

"Cute as it may be, that tale is somewhat reminiscent of Dememoras, another self-proclaimed 'emperor' who rebelled against authority in order to declare himself a greater one. He became worse than the thing he hated, all with the approval of his conscience. If anything, your tale should be taken as a cautionary one about not becoming the monster you seek to destroy." He took another sip of wine, then spoke again.

"It still makes no difference. No dracon king will accept the title of emperor for himself nor tolerate it from another on this continent, even if the 'emperor' in question is a kobold." He took another bite of his food. "Plus, that really does come off as a wish-fulfillment story. A kobold strangle a dracon and his entire guard? come on."

He draws his scythe, and twirls it around. His scythe begins to emit a black light, and he raises it defensibly. He rasps, "I am Soulcors Eclipse. I mean no harm, to you or your city. I am simply here searching for employment. Although...how could you tell?" His disguise begins to fade, and he tightens his control over it, hiding his undead aura.

Ardasa couldn't help but laugh upon hearing Ternoc's comment. "Really, Your Majesty, you speak as if you had never grown up with stories! You, in your youth, must have had your share of favorite larger-than-life heroes, who you longed in your heart to be, despite your head knowing that their feats were impossible. We the kobolds of the north adore our heroic legends, and have more of them than perhaps we have tribespeople alive now."

When her laugh subsided, she continued. "My memory is not as good as that of my aunt Sasak. She was the wise woman of our tribe, and has perhaps all the traditional tales of our people. How she can keep them all in her head is a mystery to me. Yet, even her great mind was not so perfect. I could swear the king's guard in Arjun's tale gets larger with every telling!" She speared a bit of the food with her fork and placed it in her mouth. "This is truly good, you must teach me how it's made sometime. Rughoi had to teach me how to use this tool, he having grown up with such things. It were silly to me when I was still a child, but I think I'm growing fond of the . . . fork?"

Ardasa took another drink of water, and continued. "Where was I? Right. Upon discovering the old king was dead, his son swore vengeance against Arjun. He brought his engineers together, and they built a tower as tall as the sky and as wide as the depths of the earth to repel the kobold tribe. Arjun attacked the tower many times, but was thrown back without fail. As he sat in the grass and formed his next strategy, his eye caught the most beautiful female he and anyone had laid eyes upon, bathing in the nearby river. Her name was Deborah the Stonecutter, and she was the greatest mage the surface kobolds know of. Other stories tell of even greater tunneling kobolds, but they are so far removed from us now we would never know if those stories are at all founded. My grandfather claimed to have found the very location where their eyes met the other. The neighboring tribe has claimed the same thing, but in a different location entirely. Wars have been fought over where the true location lie."

"Her love for Arjun, and for the tribe, were great, and she saw the tower as halting the progress of her subjects as empress and consort to Arjun. This is where the tale dips ever more into metaphor than it already is. Aunt Sasak tried explaining the philosophical significance behind the story's characters and objects, but I could not wrap my head around it. Deborah somehow attuned to the very stones making up the tower, either by a pact with a dragon, a demon lord, or even a wish granted from a god. As she was spiritually connected to the stones, she drew a blade and killed herself. The stones themselves were made weak by her death, and the tower collapsed, burying the army with it. Where Deborah's corpse lay sprouted a tree, which quickly bore fruit. Trees of the sort are still called Deborah trees by my people, and its fruit grows only a day for each year. It is the sweetest thing you could ever taste, and is said to have the ability to cure diseases, patch wounds, and dispel sadness."

"Arjun, grief stricken, flung himself from the highest cliff of his empire, and the tribe, leaderless, scattered, becoming the Invincibles, the Unreachables, and the Deathless tribes, all members legendary in their own right. From them are born all the kobolds and kobold tribes of the entire north, including myself, as the tales say. Arjun's corpse also birthed a tree, which we call bravery trees, and its fruit may only be consumed by the most valiant of warriors. Consuming one gives the chief visions that offer supernatural wisdom from the gods. My father, after eating one, changed his demeanor entirely, from a hotheaded warrior to an even-handed and pragmatic leader of our tribe."

@Shadow Dragon

"Powerful scrying magic, although truth be told, there is a coldness about you that even a lay dracon can sense through that disguise. You had best work on hiding it better" Ophion explained. "Now, lower that scythe and we can talk like civilized dracons, or else we shall truly give the citizens a cause to run. I don't want that to happen and you'd better not want to cause that kind of mayhem either."

@bloonewb

Ternoc could only sigh wistfully at her first comment. "It isn't that I didn't grow up with such stories, but rather, they lost their magic for me at a young age. Growing up in such a unique household, one learns the falsehoods of such tales very quickly, and then relearns them as weapons of propaganda to be unleashed on the weak-minded. I need not remind you that my childhood was hardly a happy one. And yes, that is a fork. One of my uncles had his eyes stabbed out by one in a failed assassination attempt. In any event, such martyrdom tales aren't uncommon among the underdogs of the world. I find they the tales people tell their children can turn from martyrdom and victimhood with miraculous victories into stories which justify oppression in no time at all. In fact, I have one myself that I was told over and over again as a child. Didn't believe a word of it then, still don't."

He finished his wine before speaking. He was going to need it to belt this one out.

"It has been said that long ago, the world was run by a hard and fast rule: that one gets what one deserves, whether it is in this life or the next. It was also said that no one went to heaven or hell, but that all were born anew upon death, with their station in their new life being a reward or punishment for their deeds in the last. In life itself, it was said that if something bad happened to you, it was a punishment for one's sins, whereas good luck was recompense from the universe for good deeds. This held true for entire species as well as individuals, families, and nations. If a species suffered, they had done something to deserve it. Same thing with those races who prospered."

Ternoc took another bite before continuing. "Funny how that works. The myth of a perfectly just universe being used to justify poverty, misery, and inequality. Not that all inequality is bad, but too much of it causes problems, as I'm sure you're aware. Anyway, it was in this era of rebirth that the hero Nergamesh was born. He was a dracon of great renown in almost every way: a prince, a soldier, a mage, even a poet. And yet, despite all he had, the only thing he could think of was the day when he would lose it all, for no matter what great deeds he accomplished in this life, all would be wiped away when he died. And while he led a good life, the prince feared that his next would never be able to match what he had. The same could be said the rich, who feared coming back into a life worse than what they had. The poor feared it too, for few of them led lives which matched up to the lofty expectations set by them. The priests of those days were said to have made it very clear that only an exceptionally virtuous life could merit rebirth into a higher class, as the poor far outnumbered the rich. You can see why one would imagine that being reborn with more wealth would be seen as a hard thing to do" Ternoc explained, briefly breaking the flow of the story to finish his food.

"Nergamesh called a meeting of all the priests and princes of all the lands and all the races- this is where I stopped taking the story seriously as a child- and he bade them pray, fast, and meditate in hopes of being given a way out of the endless cycle of death and rebirth. After one hundred days and nights, the gods answered the assembled magnates, offering to allow mortals into heaven in exchange for three things: increased worship, the construction of great temples, and the acceptance of the possibility that everlasting hell might await the sinners."

"After much deliberation, the assembly agreed to the god's new plan, with the only dissenters being the kobolds, goblins, and orcs. For this rejection of divine mercy, they were cast out from the possibility of heaven, yet exposed to the fires of hell, with only their stubbornness to blame. Nergamesh went on to perform many deeds in the name of all the gods, most of which are etiological myths to explain how things came to be. Supposedly, he dug whole rivers in a day, opened passes into mountains, slew horrific monsters and used their body parts to make natural landmarks, and so on and so forth. I won't bore you with the details. Many of Nergamesh's exploits involved wars against kobolds and goblins, along with excursions to other continents. When he died, it is said that he was placed in the highest sphere of heaven, where the gods themselves actually dwell. Now, I could talk about the historical Nergamesh and the mythical one, but I think you get my point. If there's any truth to the myth at all, it has to do with the last part, where astrologers seeking answers to hard questions can often find clues to them in the stars in Nergamesh's Belt. That's his constellation, after all. Sort of a catch-all place for amateur astrologers seeking quick if incomplete answers to their problems. Not that any of his depictions show him wearing a belt, but that's besides the point."

He cleared his throat, then continued. "The actual point is that myths can be and often are used to explain and justify behaviors, not tell the truth. While myths may, at their best, provide moral instruction, it becomes difficult or dangerous to try and apply their literal meaning to the real world. If dracons who heard the tale of Nergamesh believed it and if it were true, kobolds would be damned to a life of misery and poverty, and it would totally be their fault. And on a minor note, if that fruit is really as you say it is, perhaps Rughoi could use a bite of it."

He lets the necrotic energy in his scythe fade, and he puts it away. "But...I'm not a Dracon, nor do I know how civilization works here. I'm just a foreigner, and I'm looking for employment. Would you have any recommendations on where I might find a job at a work place of some kind, and how to improve my veil?"

Ardasa quieted. This was not a man who wanted to socialize. Was Xigyll's reputation so horrible, that even its allies cannot hide their revulsion? Was it Ternoc's blindness that keeps him critical and distant, or her own? The soup was thick and creamy, the lamb fat and hearty, but she was unsatisfied.

The night, inevitably, wound down. The sunset sky changed from its vibrant pinks and golds to a deep purple, which was eventually swallowed by the merry light of the burning torches. She doesn't think she has said a word since Ternoc's earlier rebuke. She was trapped in her own mind, thinking back to the two stories, playing them in her mind again and again. How could both legends be true, while completely opposing each other? She lived her entire life taking Aunt Sasak's word as it was said, but was the old storyteller lying, misinformed, or does the fault lie in the dracon scribes?

"It seems to be getting late. I intend to return to Xigyll come the morning. I'll call it a triumph of good spirit over evil, if you would agree. We both need a triumph, I think, tonight of all nights. Would you be so kind as to show me to my sleeping quarters tonight?" Ardasa said, hopping off of her chair. The ground seemed further away than she remembered it.

@bloonewb

"I shall show you, but before you leave Hekaga, please keep in mind that politics can be a very dangerous game to play around here. I pray that things never get so bad in Xigyll as they are here. If it is any consolation, my kingdom... which lacks a king... is the most dangerous to play the game of all dracon realms. The political life of Minbenthac or Hekaga are far safer and cleaner. Hekaga is something of a pariah state for supporting Dememoras, and rightfully so, forced by the other realms to endure restrictions which no self-respecting state ought to bear." Ternoc explained. "And yet out of all the major realms, it was mine and mine alone which saw fit to recognize Xigyll. Make of that what you will. Perhaps we are both outcasts."

He led her to her quarters, under guard again, as usual. "You are free to leave at any time, but please check in with me once more in the morning. I'll be up early, so if you don't mind me in my throne room, you will have but a short time to wait."

@Shadow Dragon

Ophion thought about it for a moment. "Actually, yes. Come with me. I run a magic store. I don't just sell magic items, but I make them as well. Perhaps it would be better to talk there, away from prying eyes." He looked around, wondering if the city guard or a squad of templars from the city's great temple might be onto them. Nothing. "That, and I am sure your arrival hasn't gone unnoticed by other, less sympathetic parties."

Soulcors nods. "If you could find me out, I have no doubt that others could as well. Lead on, Ophion." He travels in silence for a few streets, then says, "Three questions. One, what kind of magic do you sell, two, how do you make them, and three, would you be willing to accept my assistance?"

Ardasa, without any ceremony, plopped herself upon the bed and sank into it. This was not the mat she kept in the palace at home, but a mattress, stuffed with the feathers of birds. Words swam through her head, arranging in the most nonsensical of ways before fading into the ground mush that is her thoughts. The crown, the words, the legends lulled her into a fitful sleep.

She dreamed a wild dream in the night. Arjun charging that impossible tower, as arrows rained down on him from above. When his sword struck the stone, it gave before him, sending the entire stoneworks tumbling down. Blood spilled out, and the scream of a woman rang out as blue cracks of magic danced along the air. Lightning struck the ground, shattering it open and revealing the world below. A world of fire and death, and Arjun backed up. But he was stopped, just before he could leap out from the opening circle of doom. A claw, a dracon claw, reached out and grabbed Arjun, flinging him back. Nergamesh. He laughed, as the kobold fell into the flames. Then, Nergamesh jumped, far into the clouds, beyond the very sun itself, up to where nobody can know. The clouds grew heavy, and rains carved into the ground like knives and shovels.

Ardasa was jolted awake by the morning. The sun, it danced painfully in her eyes. She rose and rubbed them with a groan, pulling her robes over herself and sneezing. When she left her room, she found herself face to face with a kobold. A Xigyll legionnaire, by the looks of his armor. He kneeled, and spoke. "The good commander Rebat has chosen to embark for home, feeling his duty here to be done. He has left myself and those under my command to escort Your Mercy home, if it so pleases you." Ardasa nodded numbly, and he rushed off, presumably to repeat the order to his troops. Where was Ternoc? Perhaps it was best that she give him a proper farewell. The dinner last night was not the most spirited, and she wanted to make amends before she returned home. Less importantly, she was curious about the crown she was promised.

@Shadow Dragon

Ophion thought about it for a moment.

"Good questions. First, I sell all kinds of magical items except for those related to necromancy and demonology. Second, it depends on the item in quest. I personally enscribe my own scrolls, and my wife helps me with potions. I also enchant most of my items, but I also buy some second-hand. As for assistance, I suppose I could use some, but you'll need to keep in mind what I told you earlier; no necromancy. Not even a 'harmless little bit' thrown in to 'make things easier', as some foolish mages put it."

@bloonewb

Ternoc was unable to come in person to see Ardasa off, but in his stead came a messenger carrying a large chest.

"Lady Ardasa! Hold on!" The skittish-looking male dracon ran up to her, nearly running into her, in fact. He took a moment to catch his breath. "My lord, the Grand Prince Ternoc bade me to give you these crowns. One for you, another for your lord and husband, Rughoi." He opened the chest to show her the contents. Inside were the crowns and a letter from the grand prince. It read:

My dear lady, it has been a pleasure showing you around my city, rough around the edges though it may be. I look forward to our next meeting and hope that we can correspond again. Please let your husband know what has transpired here, and bade him to accept his crown; his is the larger of the two in the chest. Best wishes, Grand Prince Ternoc.

"My lord has also commanded me to tell you that the route out of Hekaga has been prepared for you. The main gates are open and the main road leading out of the city has been cleared."

He frowns, drawing his scythe. "I see." His eyes become wraith's eyes, white, burning orbs of hate. "My only forms of magic are necromancy and demonology. If you are not supportive of my only powers, then that makes us enemies. I have no wish to help the Gods of Light, nor can I fight my Patron, God of Darkness and Death. I have no doubt that if we were to duel, many would die. So what now, Ophion?" His scythe glows with a unholy light, the darkness leaching into the minds of passerby's.

"How kind of him," Ardasa said. Curiosity struck her, as she accepted the box from the hands of the dracon. She grasped the smaller crown and, with unsteady hands, placed it upon her own head. "How does it look?" she asked the messenger. She had thought that there were mirrors lining every part of the palace. It seems, that by some stroke of poor luck, the exception just so happened to be where she found herself. "I don't know, it just seems so fancy. It's a bit . . . much. Maybe you don't understand. You must have grown up in this city of colors and riches, oh how lucky you are. This is just the way your life is, isn't it? Once you see miracles up every tree and along every path, they just lose their magic." She stopped her rambling, only to notice that the dracon has not had the opportunity to speak at all. "Oh! Silly me, you'll just have to bear it a little longer. I do this sometimes. Well? Does the crown fit right?"

@Shadow Dragon

Ophion sighed, hoping it would not come to that. "You don't need to use your powers to help out in the shop. I can also teach you how to use spells which don't involve disrupting the life cycle or summoning demonic beings. I will say, for an undead being whose powers include the ability to manipulate the dead, you seem awfully concerned about preserving the lives of the innocent. This may work out after all."

@bloonewb

He looked at Ardasa and the crown. It fit her reasonably well, although it extended perhaps a bit too far down her head.

"It's good, my lady. A-and yes, I am very lucky to-" he looked around, nervous, then moved in closer to her. "-get out of the city as fast as you can, my lady. While the Grand Prince means you no harm, there are plenty in the city who do! This place is a viper's nest balanced along a knife's edge! For your own sake, leave while you still can!"

His scythe stops glowing, and he says, "Of course I'm concerned about the innocent. Why would I hurt them, except in self defense, in which case, they don't really count as innocent, do they? I have undead to do work for me, and I specifically searched out a way to use my necromancy to heal. I don't need to make new corpses, I can just get what I need from graves and catacombs. The only issues I might have would be my feeding, but I can just take what I need from the undead I raise, and the whole "demons and devils" issue."