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<strong>Luna has no memory</strong> of Sparkle ever having gone for a lack of words - her wise, old familiar and friend <em>always </em>has an opinion and always has something to say. Until now. Sparkle stares up into the sky with an expression of incredulousness as if doubting her own senses. Then, also a first, she <em>stammers</em>. "Lu- Luna, she... we are... why is she... Luna, please meet..." The "old girl" is interrupted by another, much larger, old girl. When the dragon speaks from above, her power and the tremendous honed will behind it, are clear to everyone. All the while, she glides like a dream through the sky, her incredibly-beautiful scales shine and shimmer in the moonlight like the stars themselves. Her graceful gliding is captivating; one could watch it for hours and never lose interest. Interest, however, is a feeling she apparently shares <em>with all of you.</em> "Thank you, <em>camou-dragon,</em> but I'll make my own introduction<em>.</em>" Her tone at first is not friendly; nor is it unfriendly. "I am Koshianth. Grimauldin is my mate. I am the Silver Flame of the North and conqueror of Cratia. Long have the stars given me cause to wonder, and tonight, once again, one fell. I saw and followed." She stretches her great wings wide. "I sensed gnoll-magic when I got here, of all the crappiest magic there ever was, and I thought to myself, 'I have enough prismalcum for even my lifetime, but <em>damned</em> if I'm going to let a bunch of flea-scratching, dim-brained cowards like the gnolls carry something like<em> that</em> off.' So I came to investigate and see who became enlightened. Turns out it was you." She nods. "Oh, and little kin? Your mageling familiar there is correct - attacking me will... well, I don't have to say it, do I?" Sparkle shakes her long neck and head vigorously. When she looks back up into Koshianth's eyes, it is with full composure and dignity. She takes a breath and states, "It needs not be said. The Silver Flame is brighter since it came to the north. You are greater than I am. I am Sparkle." Koshianth's eyebrows raise. "My, my! And you are wise for your size, Sparkle Human-bonded." Then you think you see a grin form at the curve of that gargantuan maw. "Could you... would you do <em>what </em>you do for me? I want to see if something still holds true." "Most certainly, Queen of Cratia," Sparkle replies with a smooth draconic curtsey that is amazing to watch. Her wings and tail unfurl and collapse as one. With a graceful twist of her neck, she closes her eyes, head bowed. Upon the conclusion of the curtsey, Sparkle stays in position. Then the psuedo-dragon's purple scales mix into her surroundings. In a moment, she appears to vanish. Koshianth's eyes then flare with magical brilliance of the purest white. She stares down upon Sparkle, and her gaze is so great that it covers all of you. Her gaze is accompanied with an odd feeling, as if you are wearing no clothes out in the open. "Oh, you little <em>camou-dragons</em> and your cloaking. You <em>remain</em> the <em>only</em> ones who can hide from the eyes of your greater kin. Tell me. How do you do it?" From the spot where you last saw Sparkle comes a proud, little giggle. "<em>Hoard your secrets but do not lie</em> <em>about them." </em> This gets a chuckle in return from the draconic matron. "Ohhh, <em>you </em>remember the old code <em>well</em>, unlike most of our generation... Talk about lazy- Wait..." Her gaze then falls on the rest of the Wardens. "What do we have here? Just who do you call company, Sparkle<em>?</em>" "My friends have their own secrets." "The Silver Flame illuminates all things... Except <em>that</em>!" She aims a claw straight at Powerpaw. "What are you, fuzzball? In all the long centuries I have flown the skies and read the stars, I have not seen your like. Are you a new race? And why do you carry such death-lust in you?" Powerpaw stands up proud and straight. He flexes his hulking muscles and produces a toothy "meow" of greeting. He thumps his two-handed hammer upon the earth and stares right back up at the silver dragon. "I iz a kitty-face! I comes from da Land of da Kitty-Faces. I noms faces an' count da bodies afterward." From Powerpaw's chest comes a great growl. "An' da count iz high. You wanna play a game of Hammer Smacks? You kin even haz da first smacks!" "Maybe later," Koshianth replies calmly. "And you, Ko monk? You have even more life-energy in you than most of your people, and they have never lacked for it." Bria places her fist into her open palm and then bows curtly in greeting. Her voice is filled with great joy. "Hello, Silver Flame of the North! You're so pretty! Your children are lots of fun to play with! How many do you have?" Koshianth nods and murmurs. "Over two hundred and fifty. You must hang out in Highwind, bright one. Your kind possess mysteries even my kind aren't sure about..." Her gaze passes over all of you. "Hello, fighting hobbit. Just look at you with your little magic flail. And you, Man of the Wood with your little shivering birdie there. No, no, honey, you can relax, little birdie. I am <em>not</em> hungry. Talk about giving a whale a tater tot... And you there, hammer-wielding fellow with... hmmm... I thought only dwarves had that special kind of energy in them." The great dragon's gaze stops cold when she spots Otiorin in your midst. The silver destroyer stares in disbelief. She flies down a little lower to get a better look. Then she stares again. "Oh, <em>you have </em>got <em>to be kidding me!</em> Sparkle, where have you been hiding this one?" Sparkle looks to Otiorin then right back to Luna. Then she puts her little claw straight to her forehead. Her expression seems to say, "Oh, <em>great!</em> I was so careful, and now that lazy buffoon is going to find some way to mess this all up!" The great silver dragon's face becomes brighter with pleasure and surprise. She then does something perhaps no dragon has ever done to an adventuring party in the long history of Sharseya - she begins gushing like a doting mother looking upon someone else's newborn baby. There is no sarcasm here; she appears to mean every word. "<em>Aren't you cuuuute?</em> Oh, just <em>look </em>at you and your little half-elfie self! And you come with baby shiny claws! <em>Oooooooh</em>! <em>I could just take you home and cuddle you until you were fully grown!" </em>She pauses. "Of course, Daddy would have a heart attack..." Bria turns to Otiorin and gives a little "eeep!" when she sees him in his current state. Powerpaw turns with her. He points and says, "Wha? You comes wif claws? Where in da hell waz those when you waz fightin' da doggie-faces? An' what's wrong wif yer eyes? Why dey shining like dat?" Koshianth addresses Otiorin directly, her expression a mixture of adoring amusement sprinkled with a touch of seriousness. "Listen, Piece of Eight, you <em>must </em>be from Charmsring's brood because Daddy and I sure as stars didn't make you. And when the others find out about you, you can... Hold. When did your line come into being? It must have been before Charmsy was imprisoned in stasis by that crazy Mielikkian-wanna-be lich lord. Gosh," she looks to the night sky and reminisces, "how long ago did that happen?" Sparkle thinks for a moment and shouts back to Koshianth. "What did you call the fallen star?" "Prismalcum. Cosmic ore. Whatever." "What do we do with it, Silver Flame?" "Well, you forge it into whatever you want. They make great weapons. Of course, you'll need someone who really knows what they're doing or you'll get yourselves killed..." Koshianth then glances to the stars again. "Listen, little currently-nameless adventuring people... whatever you call yourselves... as fun as this is, we don't - hold - <em>you</em> don't have much time. See, if <em>I </em>saw the <em>starfall</em> from where I was, I <em>know </em>the others saw it too. I'm just the first one here. When they arrive, which should be in about fifteen minutes in this weather, they'll want to challenge and kill<em> </em>you for it. So how about you ask a few of those questions that adventurers always have, and then skedaddle the stars out of here before..." Koshainth's eye returns to Otiorin along with a soft smile. Then, unable to resist, she bursts into gushing again. "<em>Before I take you home and snuggle you all up, you cute widdle half-baby yooooooou!</em> And just look at those shiny eyes! Don't you look fierce? Oh, do your feets have little clawsies too? Mommy wants to see!" Bria looks at the great hunk of ore. It shines in the firelight reflecting a dazzling display of colors of all variations into the night. She says slowly, "Oh, dear. Enlightened? Prismalcum? What is that? What have we gotten ourselves into? And what are we calling ourselves now that Bilal the Rich has fallen?"
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<strong>Luna has no memory</strong> of Sparkle ever having gone for a lack of words - her wise, old familiar and friend <em>always </em>has an opinion and always has something to say. Until now. Sparkle stares up into the sky with an expression of incredulousness as if doubting her own senses. Then, also a first, she <em>stammers</em>. "Lu- Luna, she... we are... why is she... Luna, please meet..." The "old girl" is interrupted by another, much larger, old girl. When the dragon speaks from above, her power and the tremendous honed will behind it, are clear to everyone. All the while, she glides like a dream through the sky, her incredibly-beautiful scales shine and shimmer in the moonlight like the stars themselves. Her graceful gliding is captivating; one could watch it for hours and never lose interest. Interest, however, is a feeling she apparently shares <em>with all of you.</em> "Thank you, <em>camou-dragon,</em> but I'll make my own introduction<em>.</em>" Her tone at first is not friendly; nor is it unfriendly. "I am Koshianth. Grimauldin is my mate. I am the Silver Flame of the North and conqueror of Cratia. Long have the stars given me cause to wonder, and tonight, once again, one fell. I saw and followed." She stretches her great wings wide. "I sensed gnoll-magic when I got here, of all the crappiest magic there ever was, and I thought to myself, 'I have enough prismalcum for even my lifetime, but <em>damned</em> if I'm going to let a bunch of flea-scratching, dim-brained cowards like the gnolls carry something like<em> that</em> off.' So I came to investigate and see who became enlightened. Turns out it was you." She nods. "Oh, and little kin? Your mageling familiar there is correct - attacking me will... well, I don't have to say it, do I?" Sparkle shakes her long neck and head vigorously. When she looks back up into Koshianth's eyes, it is with full composure and dignity. She takes a breath and states, "It needs not be said. The Silver Flame is brighter since it came to the north. You are greater than I am. I am Sparkle." Koshianth's eyebrows raise. "My, my! And you are wise for your size, Sparkle Human-bonded." Then you think you see a grin form at the curve of that gargantuan maw. "Could you... would you do <em>what </em>you do for me? I want to see if something still holds true." "Most certainly, Queen of Cratia," Sparkle replies with a smooth draconic curtsey that is amazing to watch. Her wings and tail unfurl and collapse as one. With a graceful twist of her neck, she closes her eyes, head bowed. Upon the conclusion of the curtsey, Sparkle stays in position. Then the psuedo-dragon's purple scales mix into her surroundings. In a moment, she appears to vanish. Koshianth's eyes then flare with magical brilliance of the purest white. She stares down upon Sparkle, and her gaze is so great that it covers all of you. Her gaze is accompanied with an odd feeling, as if you are wearing no clothes out in the open. "Oh, you little <em>camou-dragons</em> and your cloaking. You <em>remain</em> the <em>only</em> ones who can hide from the eyes of your greater kin. Tell me. How do you do it?" From the spot where you last saw Sparkle comes a proud, little giggle. "<em>Hoard your secrets but do not lie</em> <em>about them." </em> This gets a chuckle in return from the draconic matron. "Ohhh, <em>you </em>remember the old code <em>well</em>, unlike most of our generation... Talk about lazy- Wait..." Her gaze then falls on the rest of the Wardens. "What do we have here? Just who do you call company, Sparkle<em>?</em>" "My friends have their own secrets." "The Silver Flame illuminates all things... Except <em>that</em>!" She aims a claw straight at Powerpaw. "What are you, fuzzball? In all the long centuries I have flown the skies and read the stars, I have not seen your like. Are you a new race? And why do you carry such death-lust in you?" Powerpaw stands up proud and straight. He flexes his hulking muscles and produces a toothy "meow" of greeting. He thumps his two-handed hammer upon the earth and stares right back up at the silver dragon. "I iz a kitty-face! I comes from da Land of da Kitty-Faces. I noms faces an' count da bodies afterward." From Powerpaw's chest comes a great growl. "An' da count iz high. You wanna play a game of Hammer Smacks? You kin even haz da first smacks!" "Maybe later," Koshianth replies calmly. "And you, Ko monk? You have even more life-energy in you than most of your people, and they have never lacked for it." Bria places her fist into her open palm and then bows curtly in greeting. Her voice is filled with great joy. "Hello, Silver Flame of the North! You're so pretty! Your children are lots of fun to play with! How many do you have?" Koshianth nods and murmurs. "Over two hundred and fifty. You must hang out in Highwind, bright one. Your kind possess mysteries even my kind aren't sure about..." Her gaze passes over all of you. "Hello, fighting hobbit. Just look at you with your little magic flail. And you, Man of the Wood with your little shivering birdie there. No, no, honey, you can relax, little birdie. I am <em>not</em> hungry. Talk about giving a whale a tater tot... And you there, hammer-wielding fellow with... hmmm... I thought only dwarves had that special kind of energy in them." The great dragon's gaze stops cold when she spots Otiorin in your midst. The silver destroyer stares in disbelief. She flies down a little lower to get a better look. Then she stares again. "Oh, <em>you have </em>got <em>to be kidding me!</em> Sparkle, where have you been hiding this one?" Sparkle looks to Otiorin then right back to Luna. Then she puts her little claw straight to her forehead. Her expression seems to say, "Oh, <em>great!</em> I was so careful, and now that lazy buffoon is going to find some way to mess this all up!" The great silver dragon's face becomes brighter with pleasure and surprise. She then does something perhaps no dragon has ever done to an adventuring party in the long history of Sharseya - she begins gushing like a doting mother looking upon someone else's newborn baby. There is no sarcasm here; she appears to mean every word. "<em>Aren't you cuuuute?</em> Oh, just <em>look </em>at you and your little half-elfie self! And you come with baby shiny claws! <em>Oooooooh</em>! <em>I could just take you home and cuddle you until you were fully grown!" </em>She pauses. "Of course, Daddy would have a heart attack..." Bria turns to Otiorin and gives a little "eeep!" when she sees him in his current state. Powerpaw turns with her. He points and says, "Wha? You comes wif claws? Where in da hell waz those when you waz fightin' da doggie-faces? An' what's wrong wif yer eyes? Why dey shining like dat?" Koshianth addresses Otiorin directly, her expression a mixture of adoring amusement sprinkled with a touch of seriousness. "Listen, Piece of Eight, you <em>must </em>be from Charmsring's brood because Daddy and I sure as stars didn't make you. And when the others find out about you, you can... Hold. When did your line come into being? It must have been before Charmsy was imprisoned in stasis by that crazy Mielikkian-wanna-be lich lord. Gosh," she looks to the night sky and reminisces, "how long ago did that happen?" Sparkle thinks for a moment and shouts back to Koshianth. "What did you call the fallen star?" "Prismalcum. Cosmic ore. Whatever." "What do we do with it, Silver Flame?" "Well, you forge it into whatever you want. They make great weapons. Of course, you'll need someone who really knows what they're doing or you'll get yourselves killed..." Koshianth then glances to the stars again. "Listen, little currently-nameless adventuring people... whatever you call yourselves... as fun as this is, we don't - hold - <em>you</em> don't have much time. See, if <em>I </em>saw the <em>starfall</em> from where I was, I <em>know </em>the others saw it too. I'm just the first one here. When they arrive, which should be in about fifteen minutes in this weather, they'll want to challenge and kill<em> </em>you for it. So how about you ask a few of those questions that adventurers always have, and then skedaddle the stars out of here before..." Koshainth's eye returns to Otiorin along with a soft smile. Then, unable to resist, she bursts into gushing again. "<em>Before I take you home and snuggle you all up, you cute widdle half-baby yooooooou!</em> And just look at those shiny eyes! Don't you look fierce? Oh, do your feets have little clawsies too? Mommy wants to see!" Bria looks at the great hunk of ore. It shines in the firelight reflecting a dazzling display of colors of all variations into the night. She says slowly, "Oh, dear. Enlightened? Prismalcum? What is that? What have we gotten ourselves into? And what are we calling ourselves now that Bilal the Rich has fallen?"
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