As Stargaze takes stock of the plant life around her, she catches the uncanny ragged breathing. She pokes her head up and expression turns into one of fear and dread.
She instinctively arches her back, spreads out her wings, and digs her talons into the ground. With her hackles raised, she warns the group,
“Guys…! It’s in front of us. The darkness…it looks like a bearded dragon…!”
She silently wishes that Garrock and Skob were here… She notices the thorns moving, as though anticipating an attack from the wyrmlings.
She asked the group, “What should we do…?”
After hearing nothing from the group she took it upon herself to study the shadow dragon in front of them, retreating into the darkness.
Rolled a 10 on Study Someone (the shadow dragon in front of them)
The two chosen questions are... - What does your character wish I’d do for you? (What does it want?!) - How could I get you to end the corruption infecting everything and everyone this island once and for all?
An amused chuckle shook itself free of Skobeloff at Tamba's unhelpful factoid. One day, her knowledge and her tendency to say too much would shake the Moonlit Isles to their very foundations, he was sure of it. "It's alright, Fogdance." Skobeloff spoke up then as he made his way into the kitchen. "I know who's really behind all these disappearances." The drake then looked to the new arrivals and continued. "A creature of Darkness has come to the island. It's made its lair in the swamp. If your missing people are anywhere, they're probably there."
Skobeloff rolls an 11 to convince the accusers that their true enemy is the Darkness.
As Skobeloff enters the kitchen, he sees Fogdance sat at the table, with two pixies floating just at eye-level to her. One of them is the pixie who Skobeloff encountered earlier on his first trip to the stronghold. The other, who judging from the body language seems to be in charge, is holding a sewing needle as if it were a sword, brandishing it up at Fogdance as if attempting to threaten her. Considering both pixies are small enough to be blown away should Fogdance exhale deeply enough, they are far less of a threat then they are pretending to be.
Tamba and Pleexem are sat to the side of the room near the desk and counters. About five other pixies are either sat or standing on the counters, all of them looking far less fierce than their leader, and in fact some even attempting to make themselves cups of tea using the facilities, with varying levels of success given that a lot of the kitchenware is the same size as they are.
As Skobeloff makes himself known, the pixie he met earlier quickly taps their companion on the shoulder. "Hey, hey, Foxglove!" he says, motioning towards the trickster. "Tha-that's him! He's the dragon I encountered in the forest earlier. The one who stole the pixie dust from me."
The leader, apparently named Foxglove, turns away from Fogdance and looks over towards the newcomers. She then flies away from the table and towards Skobeloff and Garrock, still brandishing her needle in front of her.
"State your names and your intentions!" she says. "And maybe, just maybe, I'll be willing to hear you out." While Foxglove is obviously hostile, none of the other pixies seem willing to start a fight, most of them eying Skobeloff and Garrock with curiosity. Even the pixie Skobeloff took the pixie dust looks more tired than anything else.
In response to Stargaze's words, everyone hears the shadowy dragon let out a growl. To Fellwing, it sounds like the growls of an older dragon. To everyone else, it sounds quite unlike any creature they have heard before. However, it doesn't make any move towards the group, instead just staring back at them. It seems as if it's waiting for something, like it needs something in particular from the group before it can act.
As Stargaze draws closer to it to get a better look, the creatures shifts its attention from scanning the entire group to zeroing completely on the white drake. She is able to make out the dragon's face, completely void of eyes, a mouth or any details a normal dragon's face might have, yet despite this, she definitely knows it is looking at her... or, perhaps more accurately, it's looking through her, looking past her scales and deep into her very soul, or is at least trying to. Whatever it is seeing within Stargaze is not satisfying to it, and it growls once again, louder this time. Judging from what the group has seen so far, Stargaze can deduce that it is trying to find some kind of weakness, something it can exploit and use against her.
Because despite how terrifying it appears to be, pretends to be, it is a singular being against a group. If it can find a way to divide them, set them against each other, or separate them, it can pick them off one by one. As long as the group remains together, united against it, there's not much it can really do to hurt them. If the group can present a united enough front, they could potentially drive this creature, and it's influence, away.
At first Stargaze was frightened. But, as she studied the shadow dragon carefully, her fears melted away and in its place was curiosity...before it grew into a newfound confidence. Her serpentine neck formed a perfect S as her head is lifted thanks to this new confidence.
She gained a smile as she realized what the situation called for. She couldn't help but let a laugh bubble out as she moves back to her friends, not taking her eyes off of the being in front of her, "Of course...! You're still only one being! You can't exploit our weaknesses when we're together! You can't use any underhanded tricks to pick us off one by one! You are completely and utterly alone!"
She laughed and she continued, trusting her friends will stand with her and back her up, "Well, guess what? We're not the only ones who are united against you! Skobeloff has already united the dragons at the fortress by now. The moon magic can easily cure your corruption. And we will never abandon each other!"
Her wings spread out proudly as she continues her 'Power of Friendship' speech,
"I will always be there for my friends, and I know they will be there for me too! As long as we stand together, there is nothing we can't accomplish! All of this island is united! There is nothing for you here!"
She inhales in a deep breath, "Now..."
Then she lets out a true dragon's roar, unlike what she showed to the corrupted brownies, and she deals a finishing blow of her speech,
GET OUT OF OUR HOME!!!
Stargaze gives a Power of Friendship Speech to show that they are united and an Intimidating roar to scare off the shadow.
She will spend a hold from This is My Destiny to make this a 10+ Result.
"State your names and your intentions!" Foxglove demanded. "And maybe, just maybe, I'll be willing to hear you out."
"My name is Skobeloff and the big guy is Garrock." Skobeloff made introductions. "Our intentions are to see the Darkness off this island." Skobeloff then turned towards the pixie he had encountered earlier, his mind picking out a few facts about this particular brand of fairy to further disarm the hostile elements with knowledge of their dealings. "As for your pixie dust, I didn't realize I was stealing it. I thought you had left it behind as a gift." The Trickster continued as the tip of his tail slipped into his inventory. "Regardless, none of the dragons in this room save Garrock would be here were it not for that pixie dust. So please accept this as a token of my thanks." Skobeloff's tail emerged bound in a piece of ribbon, highly prized among pixies, which he held out for the wronged pixie to take.
Foxglove eyes both Skobeloff and the ribbon suspiciously for a minute before eventually lowering her sewing needle. She glances over her shoulder at the other pixies, who all nodded eagerly towards her, before taking the ribbon. "This," she says. "Will suffice as thanks." She wraps the ribbon around the hilt of her needle before sheathing it in her belt. "You say you know where the rest of our people are? Can you perhaps take us to them?"
Tamba also spoke up. "And you know where the other dragons are?" she adds hopefully.
At Stargaze's roar, the black dragon takes an involuntary step back, clearly startled by the white dragon's bravery. It turns its gaze towards the other members of the group, first Fellwing, then Shieldwing, then finally Kyte and Alpin, fixing each of them with that same searching eyeless stare. When it doesn't seem to find what it's looking for, it turns its head back towards Stargaze and lets out another horrible growl. Like Fellwing had in her earlier vision, Stargaze gets the sense of something looking through the creature back at her. She has no way of knowing who this strange other watcher is, but she feels undoubtedly that it feels a great rage towards her and that today, she has made a great most terrible enemy.
The black dragon's growls eventually cease as it spreads its wings and begins to lift off from the ground. It rising up into the trees, pausing for a moment to hover just in the group's line of sight as if gives on last look at each of them before it gives a final beat of its wings and takes off into the sky.
Almost the exact moment the black dragon is out of sight, the forest suddenly feels different. The group can feel the slightest of breezes start to blow through the trees, coursing the leaves to rattle ever so slightly. The shadows cast by the trees feel a lot less oppressive and through the foliage, the group can make out faint moonbeams breaking through gaps in the leaves. Most notably, the vines that crisscrossed through the area, while still present, no longer look so impassable, and the thorns that cover them no longer so sharp. It will still take some effort to clear through this area, but it no longer feels like an impossible task. With the right amount of manpower, this area can be made passable once more, and a proper search for those entangled within can finally begin.
"I don't know where the others currently are." Skobeloff said. "But I don't need to know that. The gem sand in my possession will teleport us all straight to them. But first..." Skobeloff paused then as he looked to Garrock. The bearded Warrior was still injured. Something that would be liable to cause problems down the line if not addressed now. The rawscale Trickster tried to get some insight into how best to broach the topic of Garrock accepting help with the injury. But when that failed, he decided to just hit the nail on the head. "I... saw your injury during our journey here, Garrock." Skobeloff stated uneasily. "And with you being the strongest of us, we'll be needing you at your best in case a fight breaks out. Tamba and Pleexem should be able to heal you with their Moon Magic... I know accepting help from others isn't something you are all that keen on, Garrock. So I wouldn't be asking this of you if I didn't believe it to be crucial to our success."
Skobeloff rolls a 5 to study Garrock, and a 9 to convince him to accept help with his injury.
Stargaze keeps her red eyes on the black dragon and her wings still outstretched, ready for anything. She didn't waver as the dragon kept trying to find something, only to find nothing. She felt that someone else was watching through the dark dragon and that she had made a great and terrible enemy today.
She didn't move until the dark dragon had flown out of sight and signs of life were returning to the island. She relaxed then and looked around. She couldn't help but smile, "Now....this feels more like home...!"
She looked to her friends happily and she couldn't help but hop and bound around in circles happily while cheering, "Guys! We did it! We actually did it! Whoopee!!!"
She then stopped when she remembered an important task and she spoke, "Oh yeah! Let's get the others out of those vines!"
She then excitedly got to work, trying to free the other dragons from the overgrown plant life.
At Skobeloff's words, Garrock reflexively folds his wings tightly against his body. "I assure you," he says quickly. "It's merely a small bite. Nothing to worry about." Still, he doesn't sound nearly as prickly as he was earlier, clearly softened by his earlier conversation with the trickster.
Fogdance, who only seems to have noticed Garrock now, takes a step away from the pixies and towards the other bearded dragon. "You're hurt?" she asks. "May I see?"
Instinctively, Garrock shrinks back. "You're all making a fuss over nothing, I tell you!" he says.
However, Fogdance doesn't let up and, very slowly and carefully, approaches Garrock. Seeing she's not about to back down, Garrock reluctantly opens his wing and lets her have a look. Fogdance inspects his injured wing for a moment, a frown forming on her face. "Well spotted, Skobeloff," she says after a moment. She looks up at Garrock. "Small bite or not, corruption has obviously gotten into this wound. You're lucky Skobeloff noticed, or this could have been a lot worse." Her tone is surprisingly sharp as she addresses him, very different from the softer tone she had been using on the drakes or the pixies, though not entirely unkind either. "We should deal with this immediately."
Garrock opens his mouth to protest, but seeing the seriousness in Fogdance's eyes, stops himself and merely lowers his head.
Fogdance gestures to the twins to come and aid her, and together, the three of them set about at using moon magic to remove the darkness from Garrock's wound. It takes a good couple of minutes, as it seems the dark markings on Garrock's wing are just as stubborn as he is. However, they do eventually fade to the healing light of the three's spell, and once gone, Garrock's wound heals up very easily. The twins step back to give Garrock some space as he flexes his wing. "Now doesn't that feel better?" Fogdance says.
Garrock doesn't answer right away, taking a moment to examine the wing. Skobeloff can see that the older dragon is trying not to look at anyone else in the room as he eventually says, "Much better. Thank you." A few of the pixies giggle at his indignation.
The rest of the group seems to relax slightly once the shadow dragon is out of sight. Kyte in particular gives a smile at Stargaze's cheering, while Alpin can be heard making an audible sigh of relief.
"I think my heart stopped for a moment," he says. "Did anyone else's heart stop?"
Kyte gives a snort of laughter at this before they, Fellwing and Shieldwing all start joining Stargaze in dispatching the vines. As guessed, they very easily relent to the strikes and pulls of the dragons' claws and teeth. It isn't long before they uncover their first dragon, a blue dragon with a mane of white feathers. Fellwing recognises him from her vision as the dragon Altostratus and quickly informs the group of this. Upon hearing his name spoken aloud, the blue dragon's body begins to shift, clearly beginning to wake from his forced slumber. He slowly begins to stand up, shrugging off the last of the vines as he spreads his wings, throws back his head and gives a small yawn. Once he finally opens his eyes, he gazes sleepily at the group before beginning to survey the rest of his surroundings. The confusion is clear on his face as he turns back to Stargaze and tilts his head at her in a questioning manner. Clearly, he has no idea where he is or how he got here.
Once Garrock was healed, Skobeloff nodded his approval of the older dragon bringing himself accept help. "Now that we've sorted that, everyone gather around me." Skobeloff addressed the room. "The time has come for us to join the final showdown!" One everyone had gathered around, Skobeloff focused his mind on his bond with Fellwing and threw gem sand into the air. This time, the sand formed into a great roiling cloud that then descended upon the group and incorporated them into the maelstrom as well. "And awaaay we go!" Skobeloff's voice called out from within the cloud before it shot off in the direction of Fellwing. Through the woods, across the marsh, and into the creatures lair the cloud bore the reinforcements that Skobeloff had gathered. And when it arrived the cloud disembarked its passengers and dissipated in a dramatic, multicolor tornado. "Have no fear! Reinforcements are here!" Skobeloff declared heroically as the newly arrived group came into view.
Once the sand had fully dissipated though, Skobeloff looked around for the creature and slowly but surely came to a horrifying realization. "We... We missed the showdown." Skobeloff said as he knees buckled beneath him. He had taken to long with his search for secrets and his gathering of forces. And so the ultimate confrontation with the darkness had happened without him. As this painful truth fully took hold, Skobeloff lifted his head to the sky and cried out in anguish.
"NOOOOOOOOO!"
Skobeloff then collapsed fully to the ground as he began lamenting his inability to make it to the big fight in time to see something cool happen.
Skobeloff returns a Friendship Gem to Fellwing teleport himself and everyone around him to her.
Stargaze answers Alpin's question with simply one word, "Yes!" before she continued to search for the captured dragons and free them. Despite what her answer meant, her tone was still cheerful because of the fact that the shadow dragon is gone.
Upon finding one of them and seeing them wake up, she greets the blue dragon, "Good Morning! How are you feeling? There are other dragons who are trapped here like you were. Can you help us find them and free them?"
Then a familiar voice caught her attention and she turned to see Skobeloff appear with the others. She called to him, Garrock, and the other dragons who are with him cheerfully, "It's okay, Skob! We chased off the Shadow Dragon already!"
She stopped upon hearing him realize they missed the showdown and give an anguished cry. She bounded over to Skobeloff, and nudged at him, trying to reassure him, "Hey, it's okay, Skob. It flew away. I...did get the sense that it's gonna come after me next time...."
Her tone noticeably became much more worried upon voicing that realization.
But she pepped back up again as she spoke cheerfully again, "Anyways! Home is safe again, and Echo should be recovering by now...I think! Can you help us find the other dragons who were trapped here?
"Hey, it's okay, Skob. It flew away. I...did get the sense that it's gonna come after me next time...."
At those words, Skobeloff became even more miserable. If Stargaze had the sense that the foe she had faced was coming for her next time, she must have done something really cool to make it swear revenge on her. And Skobeloff hadn't been there to see it.
"Anyways! Home is safe again, and Echo should be recovering by now...I think! Can you help us find the other dragons who were trapped here?"
In answer to Stargaze's request, Skobeloff weakly lifted his head and looked about him for anything of interest. At first, he was in too much despair to do any more than that. But then he caught a glimpse of something. "Huh? What's that over there?" Skobeloff said to no one in particular before picking himself up and moving to investigate what he had noticed.
Skobeloff rolls a 10 to survey the area and learns the answers to the following questions: - How can I gain access to this place’s secrets? - What here harbors Darkness?
At the sudden appearance of so many people, Altostratus ia clearly startled and gets into a defensive stance. However, his concern is abated slightly when Tamba, who was the first of Skobeloff's companions to recover from the sudden teleportation, comes bounding towards him. "Alto! You're alright!" she calls and looks for a moment like she's going to hug him. However, she stops herself, instead giving him a calming smile. He seems to appreciate this and relaxes.
A couple of the pixies are giggling at Skobeloff's distress but are silenced when Foxglove gives a loud "Ahem!" and addresses them. "Alright, everyone! Spread out and search the area for our missing people," she says. "Keep in groups of two of three as you do, however. That creature might be gone, but who knows what kind of nasty surprises it left behind." The pixies nod, some even giving a mock salute, before they disperse and start searching the trees for any signs of captured pixies.
As for Skobeloff, as he approaches the thing he noticed before, he can sense that while the main threat is gone and the darkness weakened, traces of corruption still remain and its roots run deep. He can feel in his body that the place that they are currently standing in is the very heart of the island, and this place should be brimming with powerful elemental magic. However, he can neither sense or see any elementals, meaning they've either fled to another part of the island or have been rendered dormant by the darkness. It will take time and concentrated exposure to the moons' light to restore this place, though the use of moon magic and prompting of those with a deep understanding of the elements could definitely speed up the process.
He eventually reaches his destination, a particularly thick tangle of thorny vines which seems to trapping something. Skobeloff can assume it's an adult dragon, though not a particularly old one judging by the size. It is completely restrained and it will definitely take some effort to free it.
Throughout their showdown with the shadow dragon, Fellwing had refused to budge, or look away, or tremble. How could she, when Stargaze so bravely held the creature's eyeless gaze? No, she wouldn't shrink way from danger and abandon her, not this time. She would gaze back into the abyss in front of them, and she would learn its secrets. She was of house Kebros, and they did not shy away from Darkness.
Then, as quickly as their standoff had begun, it ended. At Stargaze's bravery and resolve, the shadow dragon growled its displeasure, taking wing and fleeing to the skies. It lingered there, a dark, stormy cloud in an otherwise clear sky, threatening thunder, then disappeared beyond the treeline.
It was over.
It was over at last, and without further casualties. She couldn't believe it - wouldn't believe it, until she could no longer hear the beat of the shadow dragon's wings. The whole forest seemed to sigh in relief in tandem with her; a gentle breeze that chased away what shadows still lingered. To think that the answer to defeating the creature wasn't magic, but... friendship? Fellwing still wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but she knew if she'd gone at this alone, she would've not made it through. Facing it alone was what it wanted, and to think she almost played straight into its claws...
"Stargaze, you-- you're amazing!" the Seer's voice came to her gradually, starting from a whisper, then teetering on a shout. She rose to her back legs, wings beating as she beamed at her friend, proud. "Wait until Echo hears of this!"
Echo would hear of it, Fellwing would made sure of it, but for now they still had work to do. Luckily, it didn't take them long to find the first of the captives - and Skobeloff, safe and sound, with friends in tow. Fellwing chuckled at him. "I'm sure you've more chances for more showdowns soon enough."
She said it with a smile and an upbeat tone, an attempt to cheer up a friend, intoxicated by the flippant atmosphere as she was. But no sooner had the words left her mouth, than the memory of the shadow dragon returned. So as Skobeloff bounced off to find another captive, the Seer turned her gaze to the skies, feeling a shiver run through her scales as she thought back on their encounter - and the fact that the shadow dragon hadn't been vanquished, it had simply left.
For now.
Fellwing studied the shadow dragon, and with an 11, asks: "Who are you holding a grudge against?" (trying to figure out what its agenda is, sort of) and "What could I learn from you?"
As Fellwing shouted in happiness as well, Stargaze shouted in elation as well, "AHHH! I CAN'T WAIT TIL SHE HEARS! MAMA'S GONNA BE SO HAPPY AND OKAY!". As she responded to her friend, Stargaze had the biggest, goofiest grin on her maw. She was the most intoxicated on the flippant atmosphere.
After speaking with Skobeloff, and hearing him call, she hurried to help him free the dragon he found. She called to him, "Lemme Help! I'm on my way!"
As Skobeloff and Stargaze begin their attempts to free the captured dragon, it quickly becomes apparent that two drakes alone will not be enough to clear this mess. Thankfully, they are not alone: Shieldwing and Kyte are the first to join them, the former in particularly seeming glad to finally have something to sink his teeth and claws into. Kyte also manages to coax Alpin into helping, as it turns out that brownies have surprisingly sharp teeth, capable of chewing through materials most others would have trouble with. They're able to unbind the captive enough to the point that they can spot very dark green scales beneath the vegetation.
"That's definitely Maug," Fogdance says as she and Garrock approach the group. She's formed a ball of concentrated moonlight in the palm of her claw and she holds it up over the slumbering dragon so she can better examine them. Maug's scales shimmer slightly in the light, showing themselves to be iridescent as new colors seems to creep over the surface as the light changes angle. Fogdance frowns. "They usually shimmer much more vividly than this," she explains. "They've been like this for so long it seems the darkness has gotten beneath their scales." She nods to several thorns that have gotten themselves stuck in the spaces between the longtooth dragon's scales. "I don't think it would be a good idea to keep pulling. You might end up doing further damage to them."
Garrock leans over Maug's form. "I think I might be able to something about that," he says after a moment. "I still have access to the Liberty Moon." He glances over at Fogdane for confirmation, which she gives in the form of a small nod. Garrock places a claw over Maug's body and focuses. A golden light shimmers from his talons that starts to extend outwards, seeping into the vines and cause them to tremble as they try so desperately to keep hold of their captive. Even Maug themself seems to shudder in sleep, as if in the grips of a particularly nasty nightmare. Eventually, though, the vines' strength seems to leave them and they crumble away to dust, revealing Maug in full at last.
Fogdance gives a nod of approval to Garrock before she raises her ball of moonlight over Maug once more. This dragon is a complete stranger to Stargaze, Skobeloff and Shieldwing, and while Fellwing previously glimpsed them in her vision, none of them have met this dragon under better circumstances. However, even they can tell that what the darkness has done to Maug has several weakened them, leaving them thin, frail and covered in numerous wounds, each oozing out a thick black liquid. Fogdance begins to use her magic to close the injuries, once again causing Maug to thrash about. At one point, he even opens his eyes revealing them to be black and devoid of all light. He stares right at each member of the group, but they all get the distinct feeling he doesn't really see any of them. Once his wounds are closed, his eyes shut again. Beneath his skin, they can see black veins pulsing under his scales. Fogdance gently nudges him with her claw, but this time he remains fully asleep. The grey bearded dragon grimaces. "This is... far beyond anything I've seen before," she says. "We'll have to get the Capitol to look at him." She looks at Garrock. "You think you can carry him?
Garrock glances down at Maug. "As long as he doesn't toss and turn too much, it shouldn't be a problem," he says.
While this has been happening, Alto, Tamba and Pleexem seem to have located the third and final dragon, Vipereyes, and have worked to free her from constrictions, a process which appears to have been much easier than what happened with Maug. The older Myndoth dragon gives a loud yawn upon being pulled from her slumber, and immediately begins launching into questions. The obvious questions about where they are and how they got here come first, before she becomes incredibly interested in the quality of the vegetation and soil in the area, and even asks whether she would be allowed to take a sample of the remaining black vines back to her lab for study. From what Skobeloff knows of Vipereyes, this is incredibly typical behaviour for her.
Overheard, the shouts and calls of pixies can be heard as they seemed to have located their own captured people nestling in the trees above. Foxglove can be seen whizzing about from tree to tree after these calls, quick to check up on their well-being. Beyond that, in the near distance, the group can vaguely make out the first notes of birdsong, the first real wildlife sounds they've heard since stepping foot on the island. More moonlight begins to filter through the leaves, allowing the group to better make out their surroundings and the faces of their comrades. There is a definite sense of relief in the area, but it's also tinged with concern and uncertainty. Fogdance and Garrock are obviously worried for Maug, and are exchanging a lot of back and forth about what they should do once they reach the Capitol. Fogdance is wanting to suggesting everybody get a once-over by some medics just to make sure no one else is infected by corruption, an idea that Garrock doesn't seem fond of. He wants to go straight to the Council and begin a sweep for this mysterious black dragon. It's not an argument, at least not yet.
Kyte, still carrying Alpin on their back, has moved back towards where Tamba and Pleexem are. The former is conversing with Vipereyes very intensely about what they've uncovered since being on the island, occassionally pausing to ask Alto something which he responds to merely with a nod or shake of his head. While Pleexem is standing next to his twin, he doesn't seem to be partaking in the conversation at all. In fact, the more sharp-eyed members of the clutch will notice that he keeps glancing over his shoulder towards Maug's sleeping form, a look of deep worry on his face.
They say time heals all wounds, but those who have experienced true pain know that is a gross oversimplification. While time dulls pain and allows for the reflection and growth needed to overcome it, it can also allow for a wound to fester. Infection can seep in, causing even the smallest cut to become a fatal if not properly treated.
Even in his young age, Skobeloff has seen enough tragedy in his life to know this, and as such, is not content to leave Stargaze's island in its current state. With the strange shadow dragon gone and missing dragons recovered, he sets to work on finding a way to restore the island's heart to its former glory. Not a simple task, but thankfully one he is not alone in.
As the group are regaining their bearings, Echo gets in contact with the party, manifesting within the reflection of a small dewdrop as Stargaze and her clutch explain what has occurred. Even in a such a small image, it's easy for the group to see that Echo is not only doing better than when they last saw her, but she is quite literally radiating with pride, as the bioluminescent algae on her skin seems to glow brighter and warm when addressing Stargaze. She seems a little surprised when Skobeloff expresses his desire to heal the island's heart - an emotion that Stargaze would know the elemental does not show often - but she agrees and soon joins the group.
Once everyone is together, Skobeloff discusses his idea with the group. Most agree with little hesitation, the only exception being Garrock, who seems impatient to get Maug medical assistance and to report what they have witnessed to the Council. However, because Skobeloff has proved himself worthy of his respect and out of a sense of duty as the clutch's supervisor, he does eventually relent and allow the group to start formalizing plan. Between Vipereye's studies of the area compared with her already extensive knowledge of nature, Tamba's historical expertise and Echo's innate connection to the island, they are able to work out the outlines for a purification ritual. Of course, in order to bring it fruition, they will need huge amounts of moon magic, which requires access to a plentiful supply of moonlight. Altostratus is able oblige by coaxing the few sylphs in the area to come out of hiding and manipulate the wind into parting the leaves of the trees. Soon, their is a steady steam of moonlight illuminating the glade, and the way the plants in the area seem to bend towards it show that something is already starting to take place, starting to awaken beneath the surface.
Vipereyes also informs the group that they will need a dragon with a strong connection to the Spirit Moon, the Moon most associated with growth and healing. Ideally, an Elder who has devoted themself entirely to that moon would be the best, but since one is not readily available, it's up to one of the present bearded dragons to fulfill that role. Garrock has already given up his connection to the spirit moon ages ago, so he's automatically out. It's between Vipereyes and Fogdance, and the former is particularly eager to take up that role, believing it would be a fascinating opportunity and experience for her to gather some data for her reasearch. However, Fogdance interjects, saying Vipereyes is still weakened from being held captive by the Darkness for the past few days, and that such a ritual may prove particularly strenuous on her. After some back and forth, the Myndoth dragon does step aside and allow Fogdance to proceed.
The grey Tessith dragon takes a stand at the very center of the hollow, her scales glimmering slightly in the moonlight. Vipereyes scratches some markings into the dirt with her claws, making a very rough looking circle that encompasses the area and then instructs the group to stand at different points of that circle. Those not partaking in the ritual - Garrock, the unconscious Maug, the pixies and Alpin - all stand to the side, a few feet away and observe in silence. All those partaking in the ritual raise their heads up towards the sky and silently call upon the Spirit Moon's power, and in the response, the light starts to intensify, filling the woods until the light is so blinding everyone is forced to close their eyes. It takes a few seconds before everyone can open their eyes again, and when they do, it initially seems like nothing has really changed...
... then Fogdance starts glowing, her scales suddenly lighting up and turning from a dull, purplish-grey to a silvery white. Her eyes start glowing a pale green, and her expression becomes pensive and unreadable as she digs her claws into the dirt beneath her. The light from her feet seems to sink into ground, and everyone feels a brief tremor before the roots beneath the earth lights up, the same pale green light spreading through the system and into the various trees, bushes and other plant-life until they too start to give off the same shine. Echo's body is also starting to glow, implying that whatever healing magic that is sweeping through the area is also effecting her. There is a faint hum in the air, barely audible but still present. Beautiful tropical flowers start to bloom throughout area, similar to what happened when Fellwing had called upon the moons earlier, and the last of the dark vines that previously filled the area seem to crumble away, allowing for brighter, healthier vegetation to take its place.
Once the glow has seemingly overtaken the entire forest, the group hears a loud yawn come from one of the nearby trees as large dryad starts pulling himself out of the bark. Once his gnarled, moss-covered wooden body had fully formed, he stretches starts stretching out his limbs, which give a loud creak as he moves. He opens his eyes and surveys the area in a sleepy manner before focusing on the group. He frowns, seeming a little wary at first, before noticing Echo among them, and gives a big, loud laugh, and calling out to the rest of the forest that it is time for everyone to wake up. In response to his words, several other elementals start to form: a few flimsier dryads sprout out from the trees and bushes, while rocky gnomes start to dig themselves out from the earth. A splash can be heard in a nearby stream as shy-looking undine lifts her head from above the water. There's even a couple of mixed elementals that look like collections of dandelion fuzz floating around in the area, attempting to form a vaguely humanoid shape and only partially succeeding. Stargaze recognizes a couple of these faces as the other elementals that call the island home.
The greenish glow eventually dissipates as the ritual reaches its completion, but the surrounding woods remain much brighter and more colorful than they were previously. Echo moves away from the circle to go talk to some of her fellow elementals while the dragons regroup. The magic that was filling Fogdance's body seems to let her go and she stumbles slightly as she regains herself. Notably, while she is no longer glowing, her scales and eyes seems paler in coloration than they did before. Vipereyes starts checking her over and asking her several questions, both as a way of making sure she's okay and also out of curiosity on the effects such a powerful ritual may have had on her.
As this is all happening, Fellwing starts to feel an odd tingling in the back of her mind. She catches a glimpse of one the symbols that Vipereyes had scratched in the dirt and finds herself unable to stop staring at it as her vision starts to blur and shift.
While Fellwing's visions often leave her disembodied, there are times where her powers allow her to see through another dragon's eyes. This is one of those times, as she finds herself in a different forest. She's running a claw across the bark of a tree, tracing over an old symbol that is carved there, not dissimilar from the symbol she was just staring at. However, the claws she sees in front of her are not her own: they are larger, gnarlier and covered in tough verdant scales.
"This is still here I see," Fellwing finds herself saying in an unfamiliar voice. "You know, for all Tessith preaches of living simply and living off the land, even they find ways to do irreperable damage to the world around them."
"Unsurprising," a voice rumbles to her left. "They are still dragons, after all." Fellwing, or whoever she's currently seeing through, turns her head to see standing beside her a being unlike anything she has seen before. It's form resembles that of a horse, but instead of flesh and bone it's made of some sort of dark matter, the same color as the night sky. It's eyes are made of pale wisps of light, which also seem to be covering its feet. The only part of it that is solid is the silver horn in the center of its head, which is notably has a crack running down the middle that is causing it to split into two, with the two ends starting to curl outwards in different directions. Despite this creature's frightening appearance, Fellwing feels a great sense of reverence looking upon it. "Are you ready to do this?" the horse asks.
Fellwing feels herself give a heavy sigh. "Not really, no," she says after a long moment. "But this is our best chance." She pauses before adding, "You'll let me do the talking, yes?"
"If you can think you can handle it," the dark horse responds.
"I do. Don't worry, she's an old friend, she'll hear me out."
The horse creature gives a loud, prolonged snort, but otherwise doesn't respond. He doesn't have to. Fellwing can sense that whatever reason they're here for, he doesn't hold much hope. He seems impatient, as if this whole endeavor is a waste of time. Fellwing also gets the sense that that's not an unusual sentiment from him.
They move away from the tree and start making their way to the centre of this forest. It's colder here than the forest Fellwing is in, more alpine, with a thin layer of fog hanging in the air that seems to grow thicker the further they walk. Eventually, they reach the a glade within the forest, containing a large pond. While snow has yet to fall in the area, the water's surface is already covered in a thin layer of ice. Fellwing approaches this pond and gazes into her reflection, allowing her to get a good look at the face of the dragon she's controlling. It's a bearded dragon, with beautiful green scales that remind Fellwing of a luscious forest in spring. Her wings, seen just behind her head, even somewhat resemble leaves. She looks at herself for a long moment, and Fellwing senses within herself a strong sense of disastifaction with her own appearance, as if what her reflection is showing her is not what she wants to see. However, before Fellwing can fully analyse these feelings, something moves behind her reflection's head and she raises her eyes up to find herself gazing into someone else's.
"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting to see you here today." This voice belongs to a pair of icy blue eyes, which in turn belong to a being who's body is composed entirely of thick white mist, from its skin to its long flowy hair. It's humanoid in shape, floating just above Fellwing's head with its legs and arms tucked up close against its chest.
"It's good to see you again, Brume," Fellwing says, before pausing and adding, "Assuming you still go by that name?"
The misty being shrugs. "It's a good as name as any," she responds. She tilts her head to the side. "What about you? You still go by your name, or have you abandoned that as well?" There is the smallest hint of frost to her voice.
It's Fellwing's turn to shrug. "You can still call me that if you wish," she says, seemingly not picking up on the elemental's tone. "I haven't thought of anything better, or if I even want to be called anything at all."
"Hm," is Brume's only response to that. She turns her cold gaze from Fellwing to her companion. "And who's this?" Without waiting for an answer, she makes a beeline for the horse-like creature, stopping directly above him. He gives a loud snort and begins pawing at the earth with a hoof. "Not an elemental, nor some kind of beast or monster. What exactly are-" She reaches a hand out to touch the creature's horn, only to recoil when violet sparks start flying from its points. She starts floating backwards, eyes still transfixed on the creature. "Moons above!" she hisses under her breath.
"He's no threat," Fellwing speaks up, yet even as she says that, she feels a twinge of panic within her chest. This discussion is clearly not going how she hoped.
"Like Darkness he is," Brume says, turning to face the dragon once more. "This creature, whatever it is, is full of shadow magic. What kind of forces are you playing with?"
"Shadow magic, moon magic, elemental magic," Fellwing says. "There isn't really as much distinction as everyone would have you believe."
Brume gives a shake of her head. "Not this again," she says.
"The Darkness is a part of nature, Brume," Fellwing continues. "Just as much as you are, just as much the wind, the trees, this very pond that you and your sisters protect. It's been a part of this world long before dragonkind started to form, and will be a part of the world long after we're all gone."
"Just because the Darkness is old doesn't mean it isn't unnatural," Brume interjects. "It's a toxin, a parasitic force that sucks the moonlight out of the world around it, then twists it into something else, something horrible." She gestures to the smoke horse. "Just look what it's done to this creature, look what it's done..." She hesitates before pointing directly at Fellwing. "What it's done to you, Greeny." Her voice cracks slightly on that last word.
Fellwing blinks before gesturing to herself. "I feel fine," she says. "Better than fine."
"Don't lie to me!" Brume suddenly shouts, a sharp cold wind suddenly passing through the area at her words. "I saw the way you were looking into the pond. You can't even stand to look at yourself anymore!" Tears start to form in her eyes, yet instead of falling to the ground, they float upwards and become one with her vapourous mass of hair. "Deep down, there's a part of you that knows what's happening to you is wrong. That's why you can't stand to look yourself in the eye."
Fellwing feels her body tense. "That's not why..." she starts, only to trail off. Whatever she wants to say, she doesn't quite have the strength to voice.
"Listen to me," Brume quickly speaks again. "You can still stop this. You can still go back. Dragons have done far worse than you have under the grips of the Darkness, and they're still able to find their way back to the light." She starts drifting slightly closer to Fellwing. "You can turn around and go back home. You can go back to your family, I'm sure they would love to see-"
Before she can finish her sentence, the dark horse interjects, taking several steps towards her. "This is taking too long," he says, and even as Brume turns to face him, he doesn't hesitate: he brings down his horn and spears it right through her chest.
That same panic that had briefly gripped Fellwing's heart takes full hold of her. "Bicorn, stop!" she shouts, but it's too late. Purple light starts to fill her body, causing it to destabilise to lilac cloud of mist that begins to fill the glade. The air becomes incredibly cold, the sensation of frost beginning to form on her scales creeping over as the vision comes to an end.
Fellwing's vision fades back into reality, and while definitely disturbing, it doesn't have the same knock back her previous vision had. In fact, no one (besides, potentially her clutchmates) seems to notice anything is wrong with the Seer. Echo is conversing with her fellow elementals, some of which she brings over to introduce to the younger dragons, while the older dragons are still fussing over Fogdance. Once it becomes clear that the grey dragon is okay, Garrock starts to clear his throat in hopes of getting everyone's attention, likely about to suggest everyone heads out... when there is a large rustling in the bushes nearby.
Everyone briefly stops what they are doing, and Garrock in particular tenses up as if to prepare for a fight. He calls at whoever's hiding to show themselves and after a long pause, someone comes stumbling out: a brownie, older and a little chubbier than Alpin, their clothes left in tatters despite seemingly having no real injuries. While the other dragons do not recognise them, both Fellwing and Alpin do.
It's Bartley, now completely free of the Darkness' influence.
Alpin immediately comes scuttling towards him, and without waiting for a response, gives the other brownie a hug. Bartley seems a bit hesitant at first, clearly a little dazed, but eventually returns it. As the two reunite, several other purified brownies start to come out of the bushes, all of them a little confused but otherwise no worse for wear. Alpin quickly fills them in on what happened, aided by Foxglove and her fellow pixies. It appears some of them are old friends, as several start embracing and chatting among themselves.
As things start to quiet down and everyone starts to go their separate ways, with Garrock adamant that they start the flight back to Yves now, Echo requests a moment alone with Stargaze and her clutch. Garrock seems like he might object, but quickly swallows whatever protests he might have spoken, instead telling the group not to take too long and that they'll meet them at the same beach they first landed on. He and the other dragons then leave them alone.
Echo congratulates the four drakes on a job well done, seeming particularly grateful towards Stargaze for scaring off the shadow dragon and Skobeloff for insisting on restoring the island's heart. She says that she can sense no other traces of Darkness on the island at this time, and that the environment is likely going to be much healthier as a result. However, even as she's saying this, hints of graveness start to creep into her tone, and her eyes briefly meet Fellwing's as she states that they were likely going to face much more dangerous foes going forward. She doesn't elaborate on what she means by this, of course, instead changing the subject to say she has a gift for Stargaze.
She produces a large pebble covered in a thick coat of glowing moss. In the center of this stone is an odd spiraling symbol. Echo tells the group that this stone is attuned to her essence and if they ever wish to contact her, for any reason whatsoever, they must trace their claw against the symbol and envision her in their mind, and she will be able to speak with them. She does warn them that the further away they are from the island when using it, the more difficult it will be for the signal to go through. She then hands the stone to Stargaze.
THE ECHOING STONE: When you use the echoing stone to contact Echo, roll. Add +1 for every true statement. - The stone is being used by or in the presence of Stargaze. - You are using the stone while in Southern Yves or one of the tail-bone islands. - You have no Darkness marked. On a 10+, the call goes through and Echo picks up immediately. On a 7-9, the call doesn't reach Echo immediately, and she'll get back to you at a later point. On a miss, you end up contacting another elemental by mistake.
As the drakes are bidding the elemental farewell, Stargaze slips up and refers to Echo as 'Mom', surprising everyone in the group. There is a small pause before Echo gives a smile and places a hand on the white drake's head, ruffling her horns gently. It is a genuinely touching moment, yet both Skobeloff and Fellwing may notice a hint of sadness in the elemental's eyes as this is happening. However, it passes just as quickly as it appears, leaving the two of them to question what they saw.
The clutch then parts ways with Echo and makes their way to the beach to meet up with the other dragons.
The flight departing Stargaze's home feels drastically different from the one arriving: while Garrock is at the front of the group once more, he is no longer shooting scathing looks over his shoulder at those following behind him. Instead, his attention is split between keeping a look out for any possible threats and making sure the unconscious Maug doesn't slide off his back. Fogdance is at his side, also keeping an eye on Maug's body and consistently reminding Garrock to speak up if he feels he needs to rest. He merely grunts in response each time.
The drakes are flying all in the center of the formation, with Vipereyes and Altostratus on either side of them. Tamba is flying in between Vipereyes and Skobeloff and is chattering excitedly to the both of them about what they just witnessed. Vipereyes in particular chimes in with how she's hoping to return to the island again with a different expedition to study what long term affects their ritual had on the environment. Tamba seems eager to join her.
Altostratus isn't conversing with any of the dragons present, though he does occasionally glance over towards where Vipereyes and Tamba are when his name comes up in conversation. Instead, he is chattering in the tongues of wind elementals with a flock of sylphs that have started to gather around the group, aiding them in their flight back to the Capitol.
Kyte and Pleexem are slightly behind the other drakes, with Pleexem in particular seeming quite grim. He keeps looking between where Tamba is and where Maug is, the frown on his face deepening the longer they fly for. Kyte keeps trying to start conversation with him, but the lilac drake only responds in short, curt responses.
It's still some time before the group reaches the Capitol. What will our drakes do?
Skobeloff smiled as Tamba chattered excitedly about their adventures. However, he was only half listening to her words. The rest of him was focused on two other matters that had come to his attention.
The first was that Fellwing had received another vision during the ritual. Skobeloff would have to ask her about that. Though he would need to wait until they were away from prying ears. Despite none daring to bother any of his clutchmates since Skobeloff had unleashed merry hell during the Amphora Incident, Fellwing was still quite insistent that her being a Seer was to be kept secret.
The other subject occupying his mind was Fogdance's condition following the ritual. The strain of the process had left her paler than before. And while she seemed alright, there was always the possibility that she was just hiding the true extent of the damage so as not to worry anyone. Skobeloff didn't enjoy that thought. Especially since the ritual happened at his request. Which was why his eyes had been fixed on Fogdance from the moment the group took to the air, watching her like a hawcat for even the smallest indication that she was concealing any negative effects from the ritual.
Skobeloff studies Fogdance. He rolls a 9 and opts to learn what she is hoarding.
During his observation of Fogdance, Skobeloff notices that the coloration of her eyes and scales aren't the only physical changes caused by the ritual. It's subtle, but there are a few more wrinkles along her face and the back of her claws. It appears that, in order to replenish the forest, the Spirit Moon took some of Fogdance's life force, causing the dragon to age slightly. She's still not an Elder Dragon, but it's highly likely her final Rite of Aging will now come sooner than it was meant to. Fogdance, for her part, either hasn't noticed these changes or is untroubled by the implication that her lifespan may have been shortened.
