Dragons of Lesaria | Log 1

[17:09]	SeianVerian	The Circle City. Center of the desert, and as far as most are concerned, the center of the world. There are few other places more defensible, and perhaps none more active. People visit from all throughout the desert, and even from the southern coasts, all for different reasons. These people come from all walks of life- Even so, some are considered more unusual than others. Today, two such...
[17:09]	SeianVerian	...people walk in this city...
[17:13]	Sigurd	Sigurd is doing what he can to keep his head down. His armor obscured by the thick, brown sack-cloth robe keeping him shaded from the sun. Inhumanly colored eyes staring out from the shade of the hood, scanning for someone or something that could give him some answers
[17:14]	Artyom	walks the street, looking for the urban center. His face is likewise concealed, this one a face under a mask under a keffiyeh under a the hood of a coat meant to keep out the desert sand. He looks for bounty boards, taverns, and other places where a sellsword can find work.
[17:18]	SeianVerian	Two hooded figures cross paths. Do they notice each other? Or perhaps they simply notice the tavern at the edge of the square. "The Drunken Dragon" it's called. There are a lot of dragon themed names for businesses in this city. As much as dragons are feared, they're still symbols of power and wealth, and many people want to capitalize on this symbolism.
[17:19]	Artyom	makes eye contact, and bumps into the figure, rather innocently
[17:20]	Sigurd	doesn't raise his head, deciding instead to get something to eat at the tavern, having grown tired of smoked sausages and crusty bread.
[17:22]	Artyom	finds a seat in the tavern and sets about looking through whatever he's acquired, hoping it will tell him about the stranger.
[17:35]	Artyom	eyes this new ring with interest.
[17:47]	Sigurd	"Give me back my ring." Rumbled the hooded figure, standing up to confront the thief.
[17:48]	Artyom	"Big words from a Drachensang," he shoots back. "I can hardly think of a reason to find a prince so far from home. Indulge my curiosity."
[17:52]	Sigurd	"I'm no prince." He shakes his head. "I'm here on pilgrimage, that's all you need to know."
[17:54]	Artyom	lets out a slightly exasperated sigh. ”Poor choice of words, friend.” He stands, ring on a coiled digit, and flicks the ring into the air. Pling!
[17:55]	Sigurd	catches it, slipping it back onto his finger. "You have no right to steal whatever you like." He growls.
[17:55]	Artyom	suckerpunches him.
[17:58]	Sigurd	looks down at the spot where he impacted him. He opens his mouth and out comes words...at least they sound like words, sort of. The air hums around them, but it feels more like a void where words SHOULD be.
[17:59]	Sigurd	His eyes glow an unnatural, un-blinking pale blue.
[18:00]	Sigurd	And in a flash, he grows another two feet.
[18:01]	Artyom	shakes his fist and smiles, now roughly eye-to-eye with his sparring partner. ”Hit me, damnit!”
[18:06]	Sigurd	cracks him across the face with a steel-clad fist.
[18:07]	Artyom	's head whips to the side, and his hood falls back, a drip of blood out of his mask. ”Now that's more like it.” He cocks a bare fist and hits back. Hard.
[18:07]	Artyom	”Again!”
[18:08]	Sigurd	"You're enjoying this?"
[18:08]	Artyom	”Hoyeah!”
[18:08]	Sigurd	"In that case."
[18:08]	Sigurd	He sits back down to finish his drink.
[18:10]	Sigurd	"I'm not fighting you."
[18:10]	Artyom	steps up to him. ”You're a real buzzkill.” He punctuates with with a helmet-crumpling physical insult. Then he sits with the hulking figure.
[18:11]	Sigurd	"Couldn't think of a better punishment." He says with a shrug, returning to his size.
[18:11]	Sigurd	"Fighting's not something to be enjoyed, it's something to be ended as quick as possible by any means."
[18:12]	Artyom	"Every minute I spent sitting on my ass makes me weaker. Every minute Charlie spends sitting in the bush makes him stronger."
[18:13]	Sigurd	"I don't know any charlies."
[18:14]	Artyom	gets a drink and slogs a good gulp. ”Count your lucky stars, then.”
[18:14]	Sigurd	"Please do not steal from me again."
[18:17]	Artyom	"I merely borrowed. Without permission." He whistles to the bartender. "Oi. Who needs their ass kicked and for how much cash."
[18:18]	Sigurd	"Maybe all that pent up violence of yours should better be spent adventuring."
[18:18]	Sigurd	"I hear there's a fair bit of coin and violence in that career."
[18:18]	Artyom	"Ain't a seller's market."
[18:18]	SeianVerian	"If you're feeling suicidal I hear they're recruiting to deal with a Red Eye raiding party up north. Haven't been many takers yet, so if you're lucky enough maybe you'll get a nice big share of the pay."
[18:19]	Sigurd	"Sounds as good a place to go as any, my money won't last me forever."
[18:19]	Sigurd	He stands up and decides to head out.
[18:20]	Artyom	throws some coins on the bar and finishes his drink. ”Now that is a surprise.” He pays for both drinks and strides out along with the armored figure. ”You punched me, that makes us friends. Hurry up, I don't want to miss out on the violence.”
[18:21]	Sigurd	"You're an odd man, you know that?"
[18:21]	Artyom	"Every day."
[19:14]	SeianVerian	The two unlikely companions make their way out of town, to just outside the town walls, near the western bank of the northern river. A small group of armed men and women is gathered.
[19:15]	Sigurd	"Are you the ones taking on the Red Eye Legion?"
[19:16]	SeianVerian	They all look over to you, and a man about Sigurd's height speaks. You get the sense that he's a bit more experienced than the others. "Aye. You come to march to doom with the lot of us?"
[19:17]	Artyom	"That's affirmative."
[19:17]	Sigurd	"You only lose when you consign yourself to it."
[19:18]	SeianVerian	"Good. More people to make the city pay for graves." The one woman in the group speaks up. "Hey! Don't talk like that! I'm sure we'll do just fine." Another man, just short of six foot tall says, "Yeah, how bad can some dumb hobgoblins be?"
[19:19]	Sigurd	"Overconfidence is just as bad."
[19:21]	Sigurd	"When do we leave?"
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[19:22]	SeianVerian	"We were just about to, actually." says the man who spoke first. "I'm Godfred, the commander for this sorry expedition. Come along if you like."
[19:23]	Artyom	bobs his masked head eagerly.
[19:23]	Sigurd	"Sigurd, this is Artyom."
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[19:26]	SeianVerian	The woman speaks up. "I'm Gudrid. Good to meet new allies!" There's a bit of a nervous edge to her voice, but she seems to handle it well. She's shorter than the rest, about five feet, with blond hair and green eyes. The silent man says his name, "Lambi." but nothing else. The taller man holds out a hand to Sigurd. "I'm Jusif."
[19:27]	Sigurd	He shakes his hand, using the hand unadorned by his ring. "I hope we'll be able to provide the aid you need."
[19:29]	Artyom	palms the hilt of his sword, but doesn't draw it. ”Let's go.”
[19:32]	SeianVerian	The group heads on their way. Over the next few days, Godfred seems to be pessimistic and a bit mopey, Lambdi doesn't talk at all unless directly addressed, Jusif is generally pretty excitable, and Gudrid is fairly high strung but friendly enough. Whether Sigurd and Artyom choose to interact much with them is up to them, but regardless, the journey will take around four days
[19:33]	Sigurd	Sigurd will do his best to put their spirits in a better place, knowing full well that soldiers do not do well with poor morale.
[19:33]	Artyom	is an experienced marcher, and being a head taller than most, keeps watch. There is a quiet air of pleasantness around him, with the promise of the raid- that said, he's careful not to pull back his hood or his sleeves, leaving his skin and face covered. The occasional song crops up, should the others join in.
[19:36]	SeianVerian	Earlier on, Godfred's gloominess makes the march a chore, but between Sigurd's efforts and Artyom's songs, by the end the overall mood seems hopeful, and even Godfred joins in to sing on the last night.
[19:37]	SeianVerian	Finally, on the fifth day, the group sees a small army in the distance. What it also see however, is a dragon
[19:37]	Sigurd	"....."
[19:37]	Artyom	jets up to cover, attempting to gain a concealed vantage point.
[19:37]	Sigurd	"Stand firm, Brothers. IF the gods are on our side, the dragon may do our work for us."
[19:38]	Artyom	reports on numbers and movement.
[19:39]	SeianVerian	A great black wyrm faces against the horde breath and magic bringing countless of the legion down, many nearly to dust. However, some of the legion have magicks of their own, and after a tremendous battle, the wyrm falls.
[19:39]	SeianVerian	During this, everyone looks on, but Lamdi in particular seems to stare with a strange intensity, if any would notice such a thing
[19:41]	Sigurd	"LAmdi? Lamdi! What's wrong? Snap out of it!"
[19:42]	SeianVerian	Lamdi slowly turns his head, and narrows his eyes at Sigurd. Then he speaks, his voice seeming to hold a strange, barely repressed anger. "I'm fine."
[19:43]	Sigurd	"What did you see?"
[19:43]	SeianVerian	"A dragon."
[19:43]	Artyom	remains tacitly observant.
[19:45]	SeianVerian	Lamdi looks over in the direction of the army and the fallen dragon. For a moment he seems to smile, but then he quickly returns to his typical scowl.
[19:47]	SeianVerian	Everyone stares for a moment at Sigurd and Lamdi, before returning attention to the army. Most of what remains now seems to be surrounding the dragon's corpse, but a small group is heading toward a barely visible cave in the nearby mountain
[19:47]	Sigurd	"Right, the fact that they wasted their energies fighting that things means they're most certainly weakened."
[19:47]	Artyom	"The cave."
[19:48]	Artyom	slinks along behind a dune, heading for the cave- a sharp, quick hand signal ushers the others forward.
[19:49]	SeianVerian	"Follow him." Godfred directs the group, and the others follow.
[19:49]	Sigurd	draws his sword, following Artyom to the cave.
[19:51]	Artyom	creeps closer, and attempts to follow the warriors into the cave, just beyond the reach of torchlight.
[19:51]	SeianVerian	As the group approaches the cave, they might observe that the group surrounding the corpse is carting it off elsewhere. A small group stands outside the cave, but does not enter. There are 8 goblins, 4 orcs, 2 bugbears, and a single hobgoblin, which is likely the commander
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[19:52]	Sigurd	's eyes turn that same unearthly color as he mutters something under his breath.
[19:53]	Artyom	signals the group left and right, looking for something in the rock face to scale upwards.
[19:54]	SeianVerian	Artyom's trained eye easily finds a good place to climb partway up the side of the mountain. It looks like it should be easy to get above the cave from there
[19:54]	Artyom	signals the group: left, right, I'll go up, then we improvise.
[19:55]	Artyom	then proceeds to quietly scale up to his perch.
[19:55]	SeianVerian	The fighters don't even need instructions from Godfred before they follow Artyom's instructions
[20:10]	SeianVerian	Except, however, for Lamdi! While Artyom is busy climbing, Sigurd notices that Lamdi has disappeared
[20:10]	Sigurd	grits his teeth. That bastard had better not have run off...
[20:11]	Artyom	looks out from his perch, and does a headcount. He senses something amiss, but not sure what... time to move up the time table. He leaps.
[20:14]	Artyom	is audible only by a faint whistling sound before he slams down into the bugbear, driving his sword through the target's neck. He yanks the sword out of the corpse and looks for alarm.
[20:17]	Artyom	immediately turns and jets at the nearest enemy. Disarming Strike!
[20:20]	SeianVerian	Even as the first bugbear's corpse slumps to the ground, Artyom charges toward the other. His strike, while vicious, isn't enough to kill the creature, nor to wrest its morningstar from its hands. Still, it looks to be in pretty bad shape
[20:29]	SeianVerian	The hobgoblin, though only now realizing what's going on, reacts quickly, and charges at Artyom, unleashing two quick strikes, which he easily blocks!
[20:33]	Artyom	grins. ”I'm surrounded! You poor bastards.” He unleashes Steel Wind, catching them both in the same strike!
[20:36]	SeianVerian	The bugbear goes down! The poor thing never had a chance. The hobgoblin catches a hit in its arm, and winces back, cursing in its own language
[20:41]	SeianVerian	Gudrid charges forward, and slashes a goblin in two with her axe!
[20:45]	SeianVerian	She then valiantly tries to defend herself against the goblins that quickly surround her, but within seconds she's getting pretty badly hurt!
[20:47]	SeianVerian	Godfred rushes in afterward, trying to help her! He lands a nasty strike on a goblin, but can't take it down
[20:50]	SeianVerian	Unfortunately, for his troubles, he gets slashed by orcs, who pile on him! He's not doing quite as badly as Gudrid, but he's not going that great either
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[21:02]	Sigurd	Sigurd charges in. With the divine strength of The Dragon pumping through his veins, and a mask of black wood carved into a hideous , grimacing face, his greatsword rakes a goblin from its guts to its neck, viscera spilling out as it squeaks and chatters in panic trying to put its bits back in before its skull was cut in two like a ripe melon by the swing of the guillotene blade.
[21:04]	SeianVerian	The other goblins quickly scatter, running away from Sigurd
[21:07]	SeianVerian	Jusif charges in, and delivers a vicious, lethal blow upon an orc with his longsword, defeating it instantly!
[21:10]	SeianVerian	The hobgoblin takes a couple swings upon Artyom, and one manages to score upon his shoulder!
[21:16]	Artyom	twirls his blade and it doesn't just swing- it snaps downward like a lightning flash, catching his target's shoulder and jarring his balance. ”Don't run! I haven't had my fun yet!”
[21:17]	SeianVerian	The hobgoblin snarls and spits at Artyom
[21:18]	SeianVerian	Gudrid hobbles away from the combat!
[21:21]	SeianVerian	Godfred, however, keeps fighting, and attacks another orc! It isn't enough to take it down though
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[21:29]	Sigurd	He opens his mouth, speaking those same not-words loud and clear, the air humming with an unearthly energy which knits wounds, reduces swelling, and eases the agonies of any who can hear it.
[21:31]	SeianVerian	As energy comes forth from Sigurd, the orcs stop their assault. They seem to realize what they're facing, and finally flee! The hobgoblin sees the rest of his troops gone, and realizes that he's outmatched. He starts backing up, trying to defend against any attacks, shaking his head and saying "No! No! Stop! Surrender!" He's probably not asking you to surrender.
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[21:32]	Sigurd	keeps his sword drawn and approaches him. "Weapon. Drop it."
[21:35]	Artyom	is screaming towards him from behind Sigurd. Dead sprint, Murder Speed. That commander better drop his damn weapon.
[21:35]	SeianVerian	The hobgoblin complies. The fighters all approach, their weapons still out but only a little bit tense
[21:36]	Sigurd	"ARtyom. Stop." He commands.
[21:36]	Sigurd	"Restrain him."
[21:37]	Artyom	skids to a stop alongside the magical warrior. The blade snicker-snacks back into its sheath. Drawing some rope, he seems a little too happy with that.
[21:38]	Sigurd	"You are the leader of these men?"
[21:39]	SeianVerian	The hobgoblin nods. "Yes, yes! Others, gone, left here. Guard hoard."
[21:41]	Artyom	busies himself with binding the wrists and pressing that hobgoblin to the rock wall. His goblin is just a little too fluent. ”Hoard. Where.”
[21:42]	SeianVerian	The hobgoblin responds in goblin now. "Inside cave. May be traps. We were instructed to wait."
[21:42]	Artyom	"Wait for what?"
[21:43]	Sigurd	"Will your lords be coming back?"
[21:44]	SeianVerian	"Wait for others. Will have witches, shamans, sorcerors to find and disarm traps."
[21:45]	SeianVerian	He nodded toward Sigurd
[21:46]	Artyom	pauses, mulling over several options.
[21:46]	Sigurd	"And your plans where to attack the city after plunering this horde?"
[21:46]	Artyom	translates.
[21:48]	SeianVerian	"Don't know. See what's in hoard, then plan."
[21:49]	Sigurd	"You're going to leave a message for the ones who return here."
[21:49]	Sigurd	"Someone fetch me a hammer and some nails."
[21:50]	Artyom	looks to the group of fighters.
[21:50]	SeianVerian	Jusif steps forward, weapon sheathed, rummaging in his pack. He gets out a hammer and nails. "I always knew this would come in handy! Here you go."
[21:53]	Sigurd	"You are going to want to look away, and cover your ears."
[21:54]	Artyom	draws his sidearm, a wickedly curved kukri. ”Tell the troops to do the same.”
[21:55]	Sigurd	"Tell them to capture as many stragglers as possible."
[21:55]	SeianVerian	Godfred widened his eyes, and nodded. He beckoned for the others to come along, and they quickly exited the area
[21:55]	SeianVerian	The hobgoblin begins whimpering and struggling against the ropes
[21:56]	Artyom	spins the hobgoblin commander and grabs the back of his head. Smashing his face against the rock should stun him for a short while.
[21:56]	SeianVerian	The hobgoblin goes limp
[21:59]	Sigurd	"Thank you, artyom. Like I Said, you are going to send a message."
[22:00]	Artyom	ensures consciousness is at least half-present before he goes to work- shortly after, it's a bloody mess of crunching bone and tearing tissue, the swordsman butchering the prisoner with unsettling skill. He reaches elbow deep and pulls two bloody lungs out, intact, straining against the open air.
[22:04]	Artyom	shakes the blood from his hands and starts off for the prisoners.
[22:07]	SeianVerian	The three fighters return, with two goblins between them. Godfred refuses to look closely at the remains of the hobgoblin, Jusif looks at it admiringly, and Gudrid just goes pale and stares at it
[22:07]	Artyom	puts a bloody hand up to block her vision.
[22:08]	Artyom	"Try not to think about it, either."
[22:08]	Artyom	wipes his kukri on his coat and pulls his sword.
[22:08]	SeianVerian	"R-right..." she squeaks, and turns away.
[22:13]	Artyom	shunks the length of his sword through the brainstem of the first prisoner, and lets it slide free. He taps the blade on the shoulder of the other. ”Hmmm...”
[22:14]	Artyom	sheathes his sword. ”I'm going into the cave. Put your post-script on this one.”
[22:16]	Sigurd	"Understood."
[22:17]	Sigurd	"You may question my methods, but this will greatly help in reducing the attacks these goblinoids make on your land. Now, kill and remove the heads of all but one of these prisoners."
[22:17]	Artyom	melts into the sandscape.
[22:19]	SeianVerian	Godfred nods. "I understand. And certainly, without your help this would have been a suicide mission. You saved our lives, and I thank you." He looks to Jusif. "...Jusif, you do it."
[22:19]	SeianVerian	The younger man complies
[22:22]	Sigurd	"Are any more of you injured?" He asks, grabbing one of the surviving goblins, cutting off both his hands with a solid thwack of his blade before wrapping the wounds. "Tell your leaders what you saw today, and know I promise to do the same to them if they attack the Circle City."
[22:23]	SeianVerian	The goblin whimpers and nods
[22:26]	SeianVerian	Godfred responds" We're all fine."
[22:26]	Sigurd	He will let the small creature go.
[22:26]	SeianVerian	The goblin runs off
[02:24]	Zosimo	"We're lost again, aren't we?" says the long, slender drake, peering over the shoulder of his sour-faced elven guide. His thin, tapering snout taps at the map clutched in the red-faced elf's hands. "See there? There's a wadi where there should be a sea of dunes. If I hadn't seen the map before I'd be convinced you've got it upside down."
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[02:26]	Artyom	sits on a rock, stitching a gash back together, quietly smoking. He perks at the sound of voices, but remains, not pursuing the voices beyond the dune. Instead, he waits and listens.
[02:27]	Zosimo	"You've been following this empty riverbed trying to find an oasis I'm convinced isn't there and never was," says the skinny dragon dryly. "Now, I'm no navigator and even less of a cartographer, but even my eyes can see that the map," he reaches out and gingerly plucks the cracked foolscap from the seething elf guide's hands. "Is nigh on useless in this ocean of sand. Worse than."
[02:30]	Zosimo	gently prods his increasingly tense guide in the ribs with his snout. "You've been swindled, poor Lethain. That merchant sold you a false map." The elf says nothing as the long drake slithers around in front of him, clad in long linen robes of soft cream and a wide-brimmed sunhat of starched canvas. He peers around, then brightens at the dark splodge in the distance. "Travellers! Maybe
[02:30]	Zosimo	we should go meet them!"
[02:30]	Artyom	ducks below the edge of a dune.
[02:31]	Zosimo	bounds off into the distance, all smiles and bright purple eyes as he gallops up toward the party, his silently protesting guide and dwarven valt behind him.
[02:31]	Zosimo	valet*
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[02:33]	Artyom	is found, bewildered, sword in hand, just barely slinging his coat back on. Who the hell are you?
[02:35]	Zosimo	gallop gallop gallop. The little drake bounds across the dunes, heedless of his sun-hat sddenly flapping behind him, dangling from its chinstring, and pulls up short of Artyom, beaming down at him. "Hello the sword!" he chirps, eyeing the sword in Artyom's hand. "Hello the camp?"
[02:36]	Artyom	looks at the drake, at the surrounding stretches of sand, and down at the rock he was sitting on. ”...yes?”'
[02:38]	Zosimo	is instantly moving forward, slithering up around the sellsword as he adjusts his sunhat. "Man of few words? Wonderful~!" He leans in to sniff at Artyom's elbow, then at his cheek and hand, his smile turning into a thoughtful smirk. "Are you an adventurer?"
[02:40]	Artyom	sheathes his sword and crosses his arms, ignoring the other unstiched wound in his shoulder. He dusts off some memories of draconic, and tries to broach a greeting. ”I do not suppose you know any hobgoblins?” He smells oaky, with a hint of it's-hot-and-I'm-sweaty-so-sue-me and a dash of I'm-not-bleeding-really-I-promise.
[02:41]	Zosimo	's smile fades quickly. He purses his scaly lips and frowns at his shoulder, then pulls up short, ignoring the looks on the faces of his guide and valet as they come puffing up. "You've been injured."
[02:42]	Zosimo	lifts his head to the wind. "Yes... I smell a great deal of blood on the wind. Blood and acid and worse." He chuffs out a sneeze.
[02:44]	Artyom	tightens his stance somewhat, looking over at a mountain in the distance. He says nothing of it. ”There was battle. Do not press that line of questioning, please.”
[02:46]	Zosimo	"I'll press it if I like," he says petulantly, gently nosing at the injured shoulder. A blue forked tongue flicks out, tasting the air around it and tickling the side of his face.
[02:50]	Artyom	, being masked and wearing a coat, lets the latter soak through thoroughly and ignores the tongue on metal. While easily hidden from mammals, Zosimo may smell something different. ”First, I ask politely. Second, I ask less politely. This is my favor to you, do not investigate the smell unless you wish to lose your lunch and meet an army.”
[02:57]	Zosimo	"Pshaw! You're trying to scare me off, is all. Here, hold still." He suddenly rears up and is close to ten feet tall on his slender haunches, hand-like paws cupping the sellsword's shoulders. He breathes into the gap between his thumbs, and silver flame kindles under his palms, sending a wave of cool warmth through him as the wound knits together and the blood fades. Even his sweat evaporates
[02:57]	Zosimo	and the salt crust disappears in the wake of the wave, leaving him feeling fresh as after a summer shower.
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[02:58]	Zosimo	plops back down to all fours. "That should do. I've never tested that particular incantation on a biped. Let your camp physician know if you have any side effects."
[03:01]	Artyom	blinks and flexes his arm, rattling under his armor like a dog shaking off the rain. A cloud of dust and other debris filters out of his clothes, and pulls the drake's head down to eye level. ”I like you.” BONK. A headbutt ensues.
[03:03]	Artyom	looks at the valet... then the guide... and lifts up his mask just for Zosimo to see. Wink.
[03:06]	Zosimo	falls back onto his tail, eyes spinning. The valet lets out a wordless cry, then rushes up to his master, clucking and cursing in Thessilara. The dragon shakes his head, blinks his eyes, and stares down at Artyom.
[03:06]	Zosimo	"Is... that a traditional greeting?"
[03:07]	Artyom	quickly pulls the mask back down. ”Nope.” He chuckles lightly.
[03:10]	Zosimo	"...I see," he shakes his head and pulls his sunhat back onto his head. He stares down at him for a long while. A dragonborn in the desert, in the most godsforsaken spit of sand out there. Small wonder he'd found one, after having heard nothing but stories and rumors about them. He nobly resisted the urge to nose the mask away and study him closer. He was a Dragonetti, and he was nothing if
[03:10]	Zosimo	not mannered.
[03:12]	Zosimo	"I am Zosimo Arcidiacono de Dragonetti," he says regally, offering a slim paw and a smile. There was a name to remember. The Dragonettis ran the single largest library and university on this side of the ocean, if not the world, and were renowned as the sponsors of Thessilar and the Steel Cities.
[03:13]	Zosimo	There children were widely known and even popular in some parts, but Zosimo was not a name most knew.
[03:13]	Zosimo	many*
[03:16]	Artyom	shakes firmly, with a rather large hand, and argh he's got a grip. The warrior nods sagely. ”A lost duke and a Dragonetti out of the library- abroad, no less... what's next? I adopt the child of my worst enemy?” There is a strange sort of smile that lights in his eyes, the kind one only sees in cats and humans. All that can be seen of his face is in those two eyeholes, yet they speak fully
[03:17]	Gordon	[FORESHADOW FALLS ON EVERYONE WITH A *WHAM*]
[03:17]	Artyom	"...did the wind just stop?"
[03:19]	Zosimo	looks around, tongue flicking. "It did... Curious." He shrugs and beams down at him, silently nursing his crushed paw.
[03:24]	Artyom	eyes the attendants to the drake. ”Of course you will tell me what brings a Dragonetti out this far.” He leans into the gaze of the elf. ”Do not leave me hanging...”
[03:26]	Zosimo	The valet retreats into his beard, though the guide eagerly opens his mouth, all too willing to betray his client's intentions. Fortunately, Sir Zosimo is even quicker on the draw. "We're exploring! Partly mineral rights for my uncle, partly for adventure!" Unfortunately, Sir Zosimo is also extremely honest.
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[03:28]	Artyom	"Uncle?" Beat. "Black dragon, large wings, in shape, short horns?"
[03:32]	Zosimo	shakes his head. "Small, bandy-legged, blonde."
[03:33]	Zosimo	loops his long neck around his valet, who takes the scaly hug with dutiful aplomb. "About his size, but not a dwarf."
[03:35]	Artyom	"Oh, good."
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[03:37]	Zosimo	"Why?"
[03:39]	Artyom	"..."
[03:44]	Artyom	"There may or may not be a hogoblin army trying to harvest the corpse of a dragon, as well as its hoard."
[03:47]	Zosimo	"...I see." He sighs. "I don't know of any other of my family out here."
[03:50]	Zosimo	's guide growls at him. Zosimo sighs. "I should be on my way then... Perhaps I'll see you sometime soon?'
[03:52]	Artyom	"I would like that."
[03:52]	Artyom	quietly walks into the desert, fading into the sand like a ghost.
[03:52]	Zosimo	nods quickly. "I must be off, then. Until another day!"
[03:52]	Zosimo	trots off with his small entourage.