He takes the staff, letting his necrotic power flow into the gold weapon, and he whispers to it in an ancient tongue. "What secrets do you hide, I wonder?" He runs his skeletal fingers through the ruins, committing them to memory. His scythe handle glows, and its ruins spiral, turning black. He turns it over in his hands, admiring it's once fine craftsmanship. "I might be able to repair this artifact, giving enough time. I can see why you didn't want to try using it. Prolonged use by a living creature would quickly leave its would be wielder a former shell of the creature they once were." He stares at the staff for a minute, then shakes his head slightly to clear it. He pulls up his elvin disguise, and bows to Aurescia. "Thank you for allowing me to be under your roof, even if it was for a short while. It has been an honor to meet you, Aurescia. May your deities grant you a long and happy life." He rises from his bow and walks over to Ophion, and continues inspecting the staff.

Rughoi stormed into his chambers and grabbed at the quill. Ardasa, his Ardasa, attacked in the streets of Hekaga. He dipped the quill in the ink and sat down before his parchment. His mind clouded over as he began to write.

To the imbecilic 'Prince' Ternoc of the pitiful state of Hekaga

Do not presume that I did not know of the assassination plot against my bound one. You'd best be thrice-damned sure that Ardasa, myself, or any kobold dignitary I send in the future should not even see an arrow, or we will cut ties with you immediately and impose taxes the likes of which would cripple your trade with the entire northern hemisphere. Think on your mistake.

Rughoi "the Unbound", Emperor of All Kobold

He stared at the document for a long while, stewing in his anger. In a flash of clarity, he grabbed the sheet and tore it in two, throwing the halves into the far corners of the room. He was above this! He had to be! He had to think . . . the way Ardasa always did. She had a way with all peoples, race be damned. He wasn't blind. He knew how the palace saw its two rulers differently. They loved her, and feared him. Rughoi dipped his quill into the ink again, and pulled out a new sheet of paper. Perhaps a second try, on his clearer head, would do wonders for diplomacy.

To the honorable Prince Ternoc of Hekaga

I have been told that my bound one has enjoyed your city immensely.

Alright, that was good. A good start. Rughoi continued.

She was especially impressed by . . .

What was it she said? Something about the streets? Ah yes, dodging arrows in the streets of Hekaga.

. . . the infrastructure. It serves as a testament to the building of cities, and in time, we hope to adopt a similar plan for our own. However, she as expressed concerns about the safety of your streets, and is hesitant to visit again before such issues are resolved. A minor issue, surely, for your dauntless army.

Rughoi "the Unbound", Emperor of All Kobold

He looked over it once, and once again, before folding it up. This is the one he's planning on sending. Perhaps Ardasa could write a better one. Perhaps he should just let her do it. But it was high time he learned to be a ruler.
_____________________________________________
"Wise Arda, I'm sure you blessed my journey home," Ardasa said, quietly. The statue was where it always was, in the temple room within the palace. It was comforting, in a way, returning to religious life. "I may only hope that you are as happy to see me as I am to see you." Silence. Ardasa got up from her kneeling position. Something was out of touch. Perhaps it was herself. She can't concentrate on the prayers the way she used to. The threat of death still shook her. "Thank you for your mercy, oh blessed mother of kobolds. I will find the right words to honor you in time. I'm sure you'd understand." That was when she heard the sound of the temple's door creak open. "Hello?" she called. "Is somebody there?"

@Shadow Dragon

Aurescia bowed to the wraith.

"And may you enjoy a long and healthy... unlife."

Ophion concentrated his magic in his hands, as evidenced by a bright glow in each. He clapped his hands together, then spread them apart. In the space between his hands, an oval-shaped portal emerged. It led to a stretch of desert, with an ominous rocky mountain looming in the distance.

"There really isn't a name for the place we're about to go. Nothing official, at least. This portal leads to a site which is about 300 kilometers west of the Lost City, into a mountain. Don't worry, I've been to the entrance before. We're heading to the tomb of the ancient mage-king Polybius. I acquired his staff at some price in an auction a while back, but I've never had the chance to see if the old legends about him were true. Then you came along. I was going to his tomb anyway, but without someone undead to wield the staff, it would have been far more difficult. You wouldn't believe some of the stories they told about him." Ophion walked towards the portal, gesturing for Soulcors to follow. "Come along. I'll tell you the rest of it on the way. It's a bit of a walk, but this is as close as I could safely take us. His tomb practically radiates all sorts of magical energies which would interfere with my teleporting us directly there."

@bloonewb

Kali stepped forward. "Sorry to spy on you like that, but as a priestess, I didn't want to disturb you during prayers. Speaking of which, I have some news." She looked Ardasa in the eye and gave a smile.

"The gods have favored you, my friend. It was they who protected you during your escape from Hekaga, and they wish to bless you further now. I have had a vision, no, a prophecy. It came to me in my sleep. In my dream, I saw you and Rughoi standing in front of a line, no, a procession. Behind him I saw Krakas and a male dracon, and in front of him I saw the vague figures, their features obscure, but clearly a male and a female. His children. Your children. The two of them were standing on opposite sides of a road. On the left, the female stood on parched grass with a red sky above, while the male stood on rich grass beneath a blue sky. Neither seemed to have a menacing aspect about them, so don't let the dramatic vision near the female scare you in any way."

Kali knelt down and took Ardasa's hand. "Your mercy... my friend. I wish to give you a blessing. I don't know exactly when or how, but the time for your family to begin is at hand, if you wish it. There are events already in motion which we cannot stop. Events which will only be known years from now, possibly after our time. Or the time of yourself, me, Rughoi, or all of us. For Xigyll to survive, it will need leadership in the years beyond its founding couple. Now, I know this is a lot to take in at once, so if you have anything to ask me before proceeding, ask away."

"I bet I probably would believe quite a few of the things said about undead, being one myself, so I could tell between truth and lie. Protected his Phylactery with magic wards, and most likely much more dangerous traps. This Polybius sounds like a interesting creacher. I wonder if he's still in there?..." He stares at the mountain, then passes through the portal, drawing his scythe. "If you have any questions about the Unlife, I would happily teach you all that I know on the subject. You need not become a practitioner of it, it would be purely for educational purposes." He looks at the staff, then points it away from Ophion, and sends a small bolt of his necrotic power through it to check its reaction.

(Sorry for the delay!)

@Shadow Dragon

Ophion pondered that thought for a moment. There was a long walk ahead of them before they reached the tomb of Polybius, after all. The road before them was cracked and overgrown, a testament to the many years it had been since it had received anything approaching proper maintenance.

"Well, how exactly do you perceive the world? Your senses are surely different in undeath than they were in life. How do they compare? Is your vision the same? Do you even have all of the senses of a living being? Or new ones? From what I know, the undead can sense life force and the negative energy which fuels undead beings. And ah, be careful with that staff, please. It seems to be working well, but one never knows."

(Sorry it's a bit short. Not feeling much inspired as of late.)

Ardasa shuddered. Her goddess had answered her. A glimpse into the future . . . it was more power than she had imagined ever holding, even as empress. "I don't know if I'm ready," Ardasa said. "To see fate, I don't know if anyone could ever be ready." She glanced over at the statue of Arda. It urged her on with its stare. She breathed slowly, in, then out, then in and out again. The breathing helped, just a little bit. "I think I'm about as prepared as I can ever be." Slowly, the walls pressed in on her mind, till she felt squeezed into a tiny box. She had to stare at the walls, willing them back with the help of her faith, until they retreated to where they should be. "Alright, alright. Alright," she moaned to herself, clutching her head and sitting cross-legged on the ground. "Give me your blessing, wise sister."

@bloonewb

(It's fine. Damn weather has me down too. That, and a cold of some sort.)

Kali smiled at Ardasa's words. "The goddess has decided that you are ready. Don't fight her. Just let her in. You shall have my blessing." She gestured for Ardasa to sit. When she had done so, Kali touched her fingers to her Mercy's forehead and chanted in an old language, a dialect of draconic which was virtually unrecognizable to the modern-day kobolds. It was the language of Ardasa's first priests.

As she spoke, a soft yellow glow suffused Kali's hands, moving to a single point on Ardasa's head and concentrating on a single point. A vision appeared before Ardasa's eyes, which now started to glow the same color as Kali's hands. "Just stay calm, my friend. Take deep breaths. I know you can't see me, but you can still hear my voice. Don't question what you see. Experience it. Let it become a part of you. Don't resist it, no matter what it is. What you are seeing is a reflection of what may be, and what will be if events continue on their current course. You are not seeing what must be."

The vision itself was the same which Kali had seen, but with some twists. For one, it was clearer for Ardasa, as the vision was meant for her. She could clearly see who the kobolds on either side of the road were. One male, one female. Both of her blood. Both of Rughoi's blood, yet Rughoi himself was nowhere to be found in the vision.

He nods, drifting along, his presence blacking and withering the overgrown plants. "You are correct. My vision has changed, and you almost got it right. I can see energy. I can also see infirmities, diseases, and injuries." His white eyes glow like white candle flames. "Life aura appears green, necrotic and darkness as black, and so on. I can't feel things the way you do anymore. Everything feels like how you'd remember holding or touching something. If you were to touch my scythe, you'd feel it's cold metal. I remember what the metal feels like, almost like how you feel things in a dream. I can also trace what kind of magic that a being has used the most. Your's mostly appears to be scrying magic, divination and so forth. For holy warriors," He spits the words out like they cause him physical pain, "They have the presence of their deity surrounding them. A mantel of sorts. Their power tries to brighten the darkness, and I can feel the imbalance that it's creating. If the balance is upset, my Patron has instructed me to restore the balance, by any means possible. I believe that healing magic is actually a adaptation to necromancy. What is healing if not the manipulation of the life aura in the body? However, I do understand the mistrust and concern that necromancy brings. I can taste different emotions, like fear, hope, love, and pain." He lifts his hand, and a black fireball grows in his palm. "Necromancy does have the problem of twisting and corrupting every other kind of magic however. My spells will still do there intended function, but twisted and warped. If I were to use this fireball on someone, their flesh would burn like dry kindling, but their possessions would be untouched." The fireball vanishes. "I am also permanently hovering. Although....I've never been able to get feedback on what my kind of healing feels like to the recipient. Would you be willing to try?" He holds out a black, skeletal hand.

@Shadow Dragon

Ophion held out his hand. "Alright, go ahead. I've taken many precautions over the years against being cursed, mind-controlled, hypnotized, possessed, or affected by other magical attacks. I'm not sure which, if any, of these protections will be necessary to protect me from your touch, but I think you've earned my trust at this point."

Trusted or not, the archmage was nervous. He hadn't held a wraith's hand before, although part of him was curious as to what it would be like. He didn't need any healing, but he could feel the healing magic coursing through him, if it came to that.

He carefully grasps Ophion's hand in his own, his cold skeletal fingers sending chills into Ophion's warm scales.The magic fights slightly against Ophion's possession ward, but ultimately gives way to his magic. His black, undead hand feels like cold, ash coated bones, filled with dreadful power. He takes in a burst of unhealthy energies and feelings from Ophion, and sends out a surge of pure life energy into his body, revitalizing and energizing his entire body. He looks at Ophion, his tired, burning white eyes showing concern. "How do you feel?"

"Hello?" Ardasa called. "Excuse me! Sorry! . . . Where am I?" The two figures didn't respond, seeming content with staring at each other. Their faces shifted frequently, from sad to angry to happy and back again. Ardasa continued to shout and wave, to no avail. These were her . . . children? Ardasa could not say. It was a gift from Arda, this prophecy, and she was honored to bear it, but she never had a head for philosophical analysis. Perhaps she could be a better servant of Arda's will should the goddess just descend from the heavens and give her the answer.

Such was not meant to be. The ground beneath her quaked, and Ardasa fell to the ground. Slowly, the ground beneath the two figures rose up, higher and higher, nearly touching the swiftly brewing storm above. Lighting crackled down, illuminating two mountains that were not there a second ago. Then, Ardasa realized to her horror that they were not mountains at all, but kobolds. Huge, gargantuan kobolds, dressed in the crude armor of the legion. Her children each stood on one of the fingers, frozen to their places, excepting their expression, which continued to change.

Slowly, the kobold legionnaires shuddered into motion. They glared at each other, keeping only anger upon their face. Their fists smashed into the other, each blow causing thunder and lightning to rip across the sky. Occasionally, the bolts would strike one of the legionnaires, knocking a chunk of stone off their frame.

Through the thick billows of clouds, two eyes shone through. They were dracon's eyes, but not like any she had seen before. Fear lanced through her, as she stared up at them, which seemed for all intents to be staring back. A bolt of lightning, differently colored, tore open the clouds, and evil grey smoke began to seep into the fighting legionnaires. The legionnaires' movements became slower and more sluggish, until they froze completely. Then, Ardasa woke up, gasping for air.

@Shadow Dragon

Ophion felt something leaving him, but it wasn't dangerous. Had it been a threat, his wards would have stopped the drain, or at least tried to stop it. Instead, something which shouldn't have been there was removed, although he had no idea what had just been siphoned from his body.

"I- uh... I'm not sure what you took out, but I suppose I should thank you for it. Perhaps I had absorbed more dangerous energies than I had realized in my years of practicing magic. Not that I was in any danger, but it's still good to get rid of those dark powers. And I see you gave me a shot of mana as well. Thank you." For once, the archmage was at a loss for words. Having never studied what the wraith had just done, he had little to say in response to it.

@bloonewb

Kali ran over to Ardasa. She stayed silent for a moment, not wanting to further alarm her friend. The priestess put a hand on Ardasa's shoulder, giving her a reassuring little squeeze. "I- perhaps I should have warned you that seeing a vision like that for the first time can be a rather intense experience. Seeing one's children before they are conceived, let alone hatched, can be a strange thing indeed. Keep in mind that what you have seen is only the path you are currently on. It is possible that by your will or the will of another, the course of events can be altered. The easiest way to avoid the course of events would be to delay having children. Or if you want to speed things up, go to your husband and lie with him sooner rather than later. From what I can gather, you are the driver of these events for the moment. Once your choice is made, you won't have the same amount of agency to change events going forward, so make sure you choose well."

She gave Ardasa a smile. "But on a side note, I think you and Rughoi would make some beautiful hatchlings together."

He smiles with his glowing eyes. "I took your injures, mental fatigue, and magic block up from your body and soul. I also took the stains from the dark artifacts you've collected over the years from your mana channels. It should let your magic flow much easier now. As a bonus, I fed on it, so now I can go longer without needing to feed again." He waves his hand at Ophion, and chuckles. "I've devised ways to use all kinds of "dark magics" for the force of good. Not the forces of light. But good. I am well aware of the suspicions my powers carry, but I've carried them for this long, and nothing bad has happened to me yet." He points at him with the staff of his scythe. "However, you should be more careful on how you study the magics you choose to use. They can become corrupted over time, and start dealing more harm then good. And being made of Necromancy, I realize that I'm immune to its effects."

@Shadow Dragon

"I don't practice necromancy, truth be told" Ophion explained. "My fields of expertise are conjuration, abjuration, evocation, divination, and construction. I'm not much of an illusionist either. Not for my power, at least. People are right to be suspicious of your powers, you know. In all my years of dealing with the undead, you are the first to mean me no harm." To be fair, the mindless undead couldn't really intend to cause harm to anyone, but the being who controlled them most certainly could and generally did.

"In any event, we still have some time before we reach Polybius' tomb. Hmm. Did you know there was a game also called Polybius? Or at least, there was the rumor of such a game. Word on the street was that the game would hypnotize the player and cause addictive hallucinations."

"I am well aware of the suspicion my powers bring. That's why I had to leave home." His helm tilts slightly at the mention of the game."Do you know how to play it, or was it just a rumor you picked up?" He seems zoned out, the heat and light from the desert making him slower. "I need to get out of this sun." He looks up, and sighs. "I've had to use necromancy to harm others before, but I always try to talk rather then fight. But when it's a hot shot paladin, determined to "Kill the unholy scourge", I've had to use far more dangerous spells." His eyes seem dimmer in the heat, but the ground he's traveling on is slowly freezing beneath him. "How many sentient undead have you met?" He begins twirling around his scythe, making a complex binding of magic around him.

" . . . Thank you," Ardasa said, between breaths. She was shaken, shaken in a way she had not been in a long time. The images, they were still too clear in her head. What did it all mean? Her children . . . are they destined to fight each other, to be poisoned by fate and their own efforts, to lose the empire once again to vengeful dracon hands? "I'm scared, Kali," Ardasa admitted, after a period of silence. "Scen might not be able to protect my children from the hands of war. What if . . . what if one of them is killed? Or both of them? What am I to do as a mother?" Their haunting faces, so many expressions locked within, all bursting out before her like the colors of the sky after a rain. That, she is sure will haunt her for the rest of her life. So too would the harsh faces of the stone legionnaires, and worst of all those eyes. Eyes without a body. Eyes full of malice, hatred brought upon not just her, but all things good and living. "Please . . . I need to be left alone. Just for a bit."

@Shadow Dragon

"It's just a rumor. Besides that, I doubt the rumors hold much water. Apparently, 'Polybius' was played using machine with some sort of glass screen in a sort of cabinet with light projected onto the screen from within. And it required coins to play, which would have to be inserted into the machine." He thought about the question. "How many sentient undead? Probably dozens. It can be hard to tell if they don't speak to you, and most undead tend to attack first and speak later, if at all. That said, I have spoken with several vampires, over a dozen ghosts, and a couple of liches. Does that answer your question?"

@bloonewb

Kali slowly began to walk away from Ardasa, but she couldn't resist giving her a bit of assurance as she left the room. "I know it sounds harsh. Try to remember that the gods reveal the future for a reason. If you didn't know what might happen, things would end up much worse. You might have been happier not knowing, but all that would do is defer your grief, not avoid it, and whatever would come to pass would cause you far more pain than what will happen if you act in accordance with what you just saw. If it helps, what you saw may have saved your children's lives, as you know that there is danger on the distant horizon. Knowing that a threat exists that far ahead of time and having the chance to prevent a tragedy which could come from it is a privilege few queens, few kobolds, and few mothers ever get to have." With that, she slipped out of the room into the nearby hall, but she didn't go very far just yet.

He looks at him, his white eyes burning. "You've spoken to liches and lived? The vampires I'm less impressed by, as they can be easily spoken to and bargained with, but to speak to a Souleater and survive is a commendable feat, much less multiple liches. You truly are a strong mage, if your will is powerful enough to resist their magics." He looks around, and raps his scythe against the hard earth, cracking the stone. "What kind of ghosts? There are many kinds of ghost, good, bad, pranksters, and summoned to name a few. They all have some uncompleted task binding them here, and they cannot rest until that task is completed."

@Shadow Dragon

(Was waiting for Bloonewb, but he can catch up)

"Not all liches are soul eaters, and those who do generally don't like anywhere near the dracon realms" Ophion explained. "As for the ghosts, I've met mostly harmless ones. Not like the specters and wraiths people are so afraid of. I've faced a few of the former, but only two of the latter. Most people don't know the difference. Specters cast spells, while wraiths can cast spells but are better known for their life-draining powers."

"What is it that you want in this Liches tomb? Surely nothing inside would interest a esteemed mage who is openly against necromancy?" He twirls the golden scepter as he glides along the earth. "What is it that you hope to gain on this venture? Gold? Knowledge?" His eyes flare. "Why hasn't anyone raided it before?"