Discovery of the Dragon Temples

Subject: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Fri Aug 31, 2012 10:09 am

This board was co-created by Echo and myself so we could all go on an awesome adventure into the desert in search of the wondrous Dragon Temples.
There will be no posting order for this board as we expect this to turn into a happy-go-lucky roleplay where we’re all enjoying ourselves with quick posting, awesome events and some character development.
Please feel free to jump into the fray at any moment. There are not set plot points, thus you can enter whenever you wish with whichever character you think you’d want to test in this sort of environment.

Background of the Plot:
What started out as a fairly normal expedition into the desert to look at sand dunes and hope for amazing archaeological findings along the lines of pottery or jewellery from times long before these. There are those who are curious about their history and who want to find out more about the time of the rise of the Guardian’s, hoping that they will be enlightened by historical treasure.

The expedition was composed of mainly adventurers and scholars who all of a sudden stumbled across a sort of pole or tower sticking out of the sands, an artefact they had most definitely not been counting on. They had heard rumours about buildings in the sand but they had taken it to be just that, rumours and adventurous stories told to little children before bed.
Never had they dreamed they would actually stumble across something so enormous and so fantastic. In all their excitement, they forgot to take into consideration that this might be a cursed or a sacred place, but without further ado they raced towards what they had seen.
Only to promptly enter their doom.

Without having noticed it, the desert had begun to conspire against them and all hell broke lose. Many of the expedition died and all their supplies were lost. Those who did not die at the hands of the desert’s wrath, died because they no longer had any food or water supplies as they were trying to make their way back into civilisation.
It was a long and desperate journey back, but those who did survive, were unwilling to give up and swore they would return to this place to find out more. This time, they would take better precautions however.

Setting:
The newest and reinforced expedition is currently on their way travelling through the desert and are somewhere at half-way point between Didienne from where they have set off and the Volcane Belt, to where approximately they are headed.
It is in the middle of the afternoon; rather hot, sticky and yucky as per the norm of a desert. They have been travelling since the break of dawn like almost every day up until now.

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Fri Aug 31, 2012 10:42 am

Damn, it's hot out here.

Still not hot enough to take off his hood, though. Pulling it tight around his body, Veces looked over to the horizon, the bright sun forcing him to squint his eyes down to mere slits. By the calculations of the guides, they were about halfway to their destination. Definitely didn't feel like halfway, however, seeing as the landscape hasn't changed for what seemed like forever. But they still pressed on, the large, horned Goldo's carrying their loads for them, and themselves being carried by large the, frilled lizards native to the area. They at least made the travel a bit easier, allowing them to relax as they trudged through the desert, reserving the energy they had to survive the heat. Many of the group had to double up on their mounts because of their great number, however he had been lucky enough to get one to himself. And lucky he was indeed, if he had to share the ride with someone, he might have had to talk to someone. That would have been horrible. But maybe it would have been worth it, considering their destination was something out of a fairy tale.

Of course there was a large interest group drawn when it was proclaimed that a Dragon Temple was discovered. But the fact that it was a storybook discovery meant that the people willing to join the expedition was remarkable low, especially when told that a disaster had occurred just after its discovery. But Veces wasn't phased; the risk was well worth the reward, such an ancient temple could surely contain valuable magic artifacts from the forgotten age, and maybe something to even fix his curse. He had to admit that he was a little excited, though he also knew that it would most likely be a disappointment. Seriously, the likelihood that he would be cured was slim to none... Or was it?

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Fri Aug 31, 2012 12:35 pm

Their journey seemed to stretch endlessly and Soneya began feeling as though they would never arrive at their destination. Yet, at the same time, she rather enjoyed it, not in the least because she was the only one of the company probably not sweating like a pig in the heat. Being a mage did have its advantages, especially if one’s affinities were with water and frost.

Still, it did not change the fact that travelling was starting to be uncomfortable and Soneya wished for nothing more than a little bit of action to liven up the dull routine of sitting on a mount, walking, trying not to dry out, camp over night and repeat it all over again, day after day. Nothing much had occurred so far, as was to be assumed seeing that they were in the middle of a desert.

As the midday sun was high up in the sky, Soneya had pulled up the hood of her skyblue robes up to protect her head from direct sunlight. Even if she could have used magic to keep herself shielded, she did not want to abuse the energy it required to keep up a shield at all times. Nothing would happen to her complexion either way. Her practically white hair and her pale skin had an almost translucent shimmer, much like water. It happened a long time ago, a little experiment slightly gone wrong, but not completely.

“What a waste of time,” she muttered, not sure if the other person on her mount heard or not. With a glare at Veces – she still had a bone to pick with that guy – she resented him his luck to have a mount to himself, rather than having to share like most of them. It was not that she minded as such, because she liked having a bit of company and she liked being able to show off a little now and then, but it was still bothersome to practically never be on her own.

She had actually taken the job because it was part of her duty to the people to be at their disposal if they had special needs which required the help of a magician. Apparently this was one such thing. It would be nice to be on a little adventure and she never knew what might come of it, maybe even some profit, but she still considered this a bit of a nuisance rather than an enjoyable adventure.

Guest

Akari ached all over her frail body wasnt used to riding the lizards for so long. She preffered to walk, but knew she wouldnt last if she walked the whole way. Akari's mind had started to numb from lack of use, she hadnt used any spells so that she would have all her strength for any encounters. Which she was hoping soon that something was going to occur as bad as that sounds.

Though a few of her companions had put there hoods down Akari hadnt, she revelled in the sun because it gave her strength. Her hood hid her firery red hair and the freckles that covered her cheeks and arms, but it also hid the scar that was along her left cheek.

Akari was excited to reach the dragon temple as she had heard so many stories about the beauty they held. She was surprised she had been requested for this particular trip as her frail appearence gave people the idea she was weak, but she had prove many that that was not the case.

Excitement overided the fact that Akari hadnt been sleeping well the past few nights she had offered too keep watch every night mostly her offers was accepted but sometimes it wasnt, and it was those nights that her childhood nightmare's would come. She hadnt used any spells to get rid of them as she tended to only use her power for things that mattered.

Akari heard a voice coming from beside her, her companion seemed to be talking out loud. It felt weird hearing it as she hadnt heard much talk on the journey so far. 'A waste of time, what is?' she quiestioned finding her voice.

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Wed Sep 26, 2012 1:53 pm

“All of this,” Soneya replied to Akari, gesturing at the caravan, the people, the mounts, the desert, everything. Sighing, she added: “Well, not so much a waste of time as that we spent way too much time travelling without anything really happening. It is rather boring, don’t you think?”

Akari seemed a rather quiet companion, but she generally picked up on these small exclamations Soneya uttered from time to time. Secretive she was too, but the mage readily accepted this. They all had their individual secrets, there was no doubt about this.

Veces had secrets too, and problems, of that she was certain, but Soneya herself was not without fault in this respect either and she was not about to scream her secrets out into the world for everyone to hear. Though who would hear in this forsaken place anyway?

“Hey Veces!” she then called out, not because she was particularly fond of the man but because she was bored and wouldn’t mind teasing him a bit. “Is there nothing better on the menu than just sand as far as the eye can see? This really isn’t all that adventurous or interesting, you know.” It wasn’t the first time she had said this either, though mostly she had not told him to his face. He may have been one of the people to put this group together but she was not quite sure whether he was really the leader of the whole thing or not.
Either way, he ought to know a little something about it all, and he’d better come up with something more intelligent then ‘This is a desert.’ or she would really turn sour.

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Sat Sep 29, 2012 10:19 pm

Oh no, not this girl again. Yes, he understood that it was hot, and it seemed like nothing was changing but why on earth did she have to bother him about it? It wasn't like he gad orchestrated this little foray, he was just one of the first to reply. The scholars (who were technically the true leaders of this little caravan) were currently huddled away in one of the covered carts, as they were a bit too smart to be anywhere but the shade during this time of day. Veces began to turn his head to address the antsy mage, when suddenly he froze.

Something was wrong.

He felt his mount suddenly tense up, still pushing forward but now much more timidly, and he could hear the distressed lowing of the Goldos behind him. The white reaper quickly scanned the horizon, at first seeing nothing out of the ordinary, but animals never lied. And, soon enough, he saw what could be the only thing disturbing them. A trail of sand was getting displaced, which a normal traveler would only see as passing wind. But animals don't fear wind. He brought his mount to a halt with a sharp tug on the reins, and turned his head to the mage.

"I hope you're truly as bored as you say,
Because you're about to get your way."

Snide comment out of the way, Veces quickly jumped off of his lizard, ushering for others to do the same.

"Protect our beasts at all cost
If we lose any then we are lost!
Those able to fight, come to me
For a rough time we shall surely see..."

It was so hard to give out orders in rhyme.

Getting into a ready position, scythe ready to strike, Veces stood still and silently ushered the rest of them to do the same. Now all they could do was wait for their unseen foe to strike, and pray that they could defend against it....

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Mon Oct 01, 2012 1:12 pm

When Soneya had complained about the trip being boring, she had really not thought her thoughts would be answered this quickly, or in such a way. She may have wanted to snap back at Veces, but she also knew that this was not the time and he was quite right about what he said, though of course she would never admit that to him.

As the snaky rifts in the sand hurried towards them, coming closer with every beat of her rapidly increasing heart rate, Soneya wondered what she had wished down upon them. Or had it not been her fault?

Following Veces’ example, she also dismounted and motioned for Akari to do the same. Seeing that a few questioning looks were going around, she picked up on Veces’ order and bellowed: “Gather the mounts, and surround them. I will place a shield around them, but you will have to fend off the attacks as it will not hold against anything major!”

That at least finally seemed to get the last ones of the people into gear and doing as they had been told. Soneya proceeded to weave a spell that sucked some water from deep down under the sand to produce a very thin, shimmering shield around the mounts.

Lucky for them, it did not only protect the beasts from attacks but it also kept them in a bubble where sound was not as loud as outside of it. The shrieking howl of the monster as it suddenly pierced through the sand and bolted upright into the air in front of them would have sent every single one of the lizards running for safety. As it was, the sudden appearance already had them in a frenzy and Soneya almost faltered under the pressure they put against the shield while trying to escape but she held on to the spell, beads of sweat pearling down the whole of her face.

The thing was hideous, to say the least. An ugly sandy, beige colour with two heads and a body covered in scales that ran in stripes, utterly unlike those of a dragon. It almost looked like an odd cross between a worm and a snake, except that neither of those had two heads, or that many eyes! Oh dear lord, those eyes!! Soneya shuddered and had to look away, forcing herself to keep the thing in sight from the corner of her eye so as not to be trapped but not wanting to really see it.
Besides, she had enough on her hands with the shields as she was now mumbling an addition to the spell to protect Akari. The beast had surfaced dangerously close to her.

Guest

'It is rather boring, I know what you mean.' she replied to Soneya. It was supposed to be an adventure and so far nothing had happened to class it as such.

Soneya was an interesting person, she seemed up beat and interesting but Veces on the other hand, his rhymes enthralled her. It made it interesting to hear him speak. Akari felt good traveling with company, it kept her sane.

Akari watched as Soneya and Veces conversed, smiling at the retorts they gave each other. Watching she saw Veces freeze and his lizard slow, as her and Soneya's did the same. As Akari dismounted her hood fell down revealing the scar that went along her left cheek down to her neck, knowing there were bigger things to worry about she pushed it to the back of her mind.

Akari turned to the creature which was dangerously close, she staired at it, and its mysterious beauty. Staring directly into its eyes she was captivated. She heard the mumbling of Soneya and turned breaking the trance. She backed away and pulled out her bow and arrows placing the bow in the string. She aimed it at the monsters eyes. Letting go, the arrow glided through the air hitting one of 8 eyes on the right head. She continued firing arrows hitting 4 eyes on each head. After the initial shock the monsters heads started to dive towards her biting and snapping.

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Sat Oct 06, 2012 7:09 pm

Supposedly, the more exercise you did the easier it got. Well, Jaden didn't feel that way after hours on end travelling at a faster pace than he would ever normally use in an attempt to catch up to the expedition. It hadn't been until he had reached Yarrowitz on one of his infrequent visits to his elderly father that he had even heard of it, and by then it had already left. Luckily with so many of them they hadn't been moving too fast, and he had been able to catch up, at some cost to his comfort- and to his father, whom he only visited for a few hours in the end.

Finally, though, it looked like he was approaching the group- and something was going on. These great furrows in the sand were nothing he had seen before, but he suspected they didn't mean good news. Evidently he should have been paying more attention to what the future held, but he simply hadn't thought to worry about anything happening on the way to the Dragon Temples. His mind had been otherwise occupied, primarily with his suffering in this infernal heat and somewhat also with what might be found in the Temples. The knowledge, the sights that they might hold- it was beyond imagining. Just like, he suspected, whatever horror awaited him now. Oh, he always picked the best time to arrive, didn't he?

Seeing one of the women whip out a bow and begin to fire off arrows, Jaden spared a moment to guide their paths and keep the wind down as she shot, trying to help them to their targets as best he could. Whether or not it was his doing he couldn't say for sure, but the arrows flew home, taking out half of the monster's eyes. Unfortunately they seemed no more than a hindrance to its sight and a painful annoyance which angered it further, but any injury to it had to be helpful at the moment. Without time to really think through a solution- if the expedition was ended now, after all he'd been through to catch up!- he scrambled through the immediate possibilites of what might happen to the creature, alert for that clear resonance which signified something more likely to happen. Nothing seemed plausible or useful, let alone a combination of the two, but- there! Focusing intently on the chance he had found, Jaden let his magic flow freely and willed it into happening. His powers weren't always reliable, of course, but he hoped that something like this would be minor enough that he could get it to work.

Much to his relief, it did. As it pulled out the last of its tail from the sand, the beast was turning on Akari, its whole body shifting as it changed direction. Just a foot away from where the rest of its body had emerged, its tail smacked solidly into a buried rock. Momentarily forgetting its prey, the serpent-like creature twisted to find the new attacker at its tail. Jaden just hoped that momentarily would be all it took; surely the expedition wouldn't go defenceless?
"Strike now!" he yelled. He was no tactician or fighter, but even he knew that you should strike when your enemy's back is turned. Common sense; they can't see you coming, that way.

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Thu Oct 18, 2012 9:47 am

Soneya didn’t see much of the whole fight as she was concentrating on her own task but it struck her as odd that she could see out of the corner of her eye how several arrows were hitting their targets so quickly one after the other – without the beast reacting! Something had to be amiss.

Allowing herself a small dip in concentration, the mage glanced about just in time to see not only the monster dive for Akari but to realise that a card dragon had appeared all of a sudden. Magic! Soneya thought with a satisfied grin before turning back to her spellcasting with full concentration. Anything else would have been very unusual. She could not let their mounts and pack-animals run away; they would be doomed without them. But they were battering hard against her shield and it was slowly beginning to drain much more of her energy than she had anticipated.

The mage could not bring herself however to completely refrain from keeping an eye on the ongoings around her. After all, if they failed, it would be her hide on the menu next. The sandsnake was readying itself to strike, its horrible fangs extended to a suddenly tiny looking Akari, Soneya tried to increase the energy behind the shield surrounding the woman, but she knew it would never be enough to repel such a strong direct attack. If she were to increase the defense even more, she could as well kill herself with a knife.

Concentration was making her vision waver by now and the flow of the spell was draining her strength faster than she could call forward the water. Sweat was streaming down her back in the meantime but her hold on the mounts was strong enough to contain them – for now.
Why on earth did it have to be the desert where there was practically no water?
Through her self-created haze, she heard the card dragon yell and she was hoping that Veces or one of the other fighters were going to react promptly. If any more of them decided to throw themselves into heroically pointless acts, she wasn’t going to be able to do much about it for much longer.
They needed to get rid of the monster. And she really, really needed to reconsider her spells for next time!

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Sat Dec 22, 2012 9:46 pm

In honesty, Veces was extremely surprised that Akari hadn’t been eaten, or at least crushed, by the sand worm. On a creature whose main sense is touch, shooting out its eyes could only serve to enrage it. This, at the very least, would keep the creature’s attention away from their mounts and the goldos, but that would only last so long as none of them died trying to drive it away. Killing this beast would be extremely difficult without a lot of luck, an assumption which he was certain of.

The worm’s attention was set solely on whatever its tail had collided with, both of its heads snapping furiously at the ground, trying to coax its assailant out of hiding. Knowing that these monsters had no natural enemies once they reach adulthood, Veces could only assume that it had ran into a rock, proving just how dim these creatures really were. But, this was an opportunity to come up with a plan to scare the creature away, and one he wouldn’t pass up lightly.

Let’s see, what all is there to know about a giant desert worm? Knowing that temperature changes were drastic in the desert, the creature would most likely have a body which could adjust quickly to drops and rises in temperature. But this change would happen over hours. What would happen if the temperature dropped within seconds? Wasn’t the girl that had been talking to him a water mage? A quick look over his shoulder confirmed this, as he saw that she had raised shields around the caravan with the liquid. Spinning on his heels, he ran to her, and tried to explain as best he could his plan.

“You must perform this spell with haste,
We haven’t got a moment to waste!
The creature’s body is set to the heat
So if we were to give it a sheet
Of ice on its skin, then the shock should work,
To scare it back into the earth!”

Ah, rhymes. The perfect way to exchange battle information.

He would have to remind himself to sew his mouth shut later.

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Tue Dec 25, 2012 10:24 pm

When Veces suddenly appeared next to her, Soneya wanted to curse. She didn’t want any more problems and whatever feud seemed to develop between the two of them, she didn’t want to consider that now. She had other, more important things on her mind. However, when the man started speaking, she was surprised at the plan he was trying to convey. It took her a few precious moments to understand what he was saying but as soon as the words sank in, she looked at him as though he was completely insane.

“And you think this will work?!” It wasn’t that she didn’t want to try anything possible to get rid of this thing but the problem rather was that as soon as she concentrated on the spell Veces had just asked her to perform, she would have to loosen the shields around the goldos, which would most likely result in them escaping. “The animals?” she asked with a glance at them, but even as she considered telling Veces to shove his idea where the sun didn’t shine, she realised that this may well be their only chance. If the beast was attuned to heat, then a sudden wave of cold would be the only thing that could work.

“Alright!” she screamed against another howl of the sandworm as she dropped most of the shields and flung her energy towards the worm, weaving a spell to drop the temperature around its body and create a few ice shards in what she considered the most vital places, namely its face and the upper part of both its necks. “If this fails...,” she said, barely more than a whisper, thus she wasn’t sure whether Veces heard, but if he did, he would probably know what the end of the sentence would be. This spell cost her far more than the protective shields and there was no more water, and she was precariously nearing the end of her strength.

The spell worked slower than she’d hoped but it seemed to work. Ice was already forming around the beasts remaining eyes, clotting the goo that was seeping out of the wounded ones and the necks were slowly starting to turn slightly blue. But Soneya was afraid that it might not be quickly enough, especially when the creature suddenly stared at her. Her!

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Sat Feb 02, 2013 7:01 pm

This can't fail. Veces thought, picking up Soneya's words over the racket the worm was making of righting itself. Otherwise we won't stand a chance. The moment Soneya dropped her shields around the pack animals, they were again stirred into a frenzy at the aggressive beast's noise hit their ear clearly. Thankfully, the goldos were unable to run at all effectively, as with two to a cart they were pulling against each other, weighed down by their opposing pack-beast and the cart itself. The lizard mounts, however, the only thing making it so the caravan wasn't trekking on foot, weren't so restrained; the lizards whose owners were still on them were held in place, though distressed, but both Soneya's and Veces' lizards, as well as a few others, were able to quickly sprint away, rearing up on their back legs to maximize their speed. But better a few lizards return to their native homes, than the entire troupe returning to their homes in the sky (and in that demon beast's gut...).

The worm's reaction was extremely favorable, for them at least. From what the reaper could tell, Soneya was successful at freezing the worm's neck and head from the inside as, even though it has focused its entire attention on her, its movement was becoming extremely sluggish and off-balance, the tail contracting and wiggling slightly, trying to warm itself up with friction. But at the rate its body was freezing, it wouldn't be around much longer. Now, to finish it off!

Brandishing his scythe, Veces focused his supply of magic, making the crystal blade of his weapon shine with a bright light. Then, muttering a few words, he slashed at the air twice, facing the worm, sending two crescent blasts of energy barreling towards the worms head. His magic struck true and, upon impact, shattered the ice which had been growing within the worm’s heads, breaking them both and toppling the erect portion of the worm in a great cloud of uplifted sand. Now hopefully that wouldn’t attract any more worms.

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Tue Feb 05, 2013 8:43 pm

‘If there is one thing I really need to work on, it’s endurance.’ Soneya gritted her teeth as the sudden backlash of her own spell hit her and sent her tumbling backwards into the sand. At least Veces’ idea had worked, even though she had released her weave too late and was now suffering the consequences. Panting, she lifted herself up into a sitting position and regarded the shattered sandworm.

“I honestly didn’t think this would work, but here we are,” she sighed, looking up at the white reaper. “Will there be more of these things?” The question was the obvious one but she sincerely hoped that the answer was ‘no’, though she also knew that there was no way of really being certain that there would be no more attacks. For a moment, she had thought this might be her last. If Veces had moved a little later or the worm had broken the freeze or if she had broken down… the worm surely would have swallowed her immediately.

“They seem to have a rather large amount of water stored in their bodies though. The spell moved much quicker than I imagined. That knowledge should come in handy if we ever have to deal with these things again. Though I really hope that won’t happen.”

Soneya tried to get up onto her feet but still felt a little weak, so she simply planted herself back in the sand, looking around at the agitated goldos and lizards, though they were slowly starting to calm down again now that the noise and danger were over. Of course she also noticed, much to her annoyance, that at least two of the mounts had run off and that they would somehow have to get them back. Now that would be an interesting enterprise. Sighing, she looked back up at Veces: “Any clever ideas on how to get those damn mounts back?” Her tone was a little too cold, so she quickly tried to amend that, seeing that – despite their bickering – Veces had had the brilliant idea that had lead to the elimination of the threat. “I mean, it worked well for the sandworm...” That didn’t quite sound right either but she just shook her head and gave up on trying to sound grateful. It wasn’t particularly her thing.

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Fri Feb 08, 2013 8:40 am

Veces ignored all of Soneya's questions, scanning the horizon for a few seconds to try and see the loosed mounts, before he went to the mage and knelt down beside her, setting a hand on her shoulder and looking her over, looking for any bruises or cuts. Their medical capabilities were fairly slim out here in the desert, and an infection could spell only disaster out here in the middle of nowhere. A cursory check showed that she was a-okay, but he knew from experience that over-exertion could be dangerous after a while. Perhaps they should make camp soon, to give everyone a chance to rest.

Once he was sure that she would be fine, Veces turned to look at the worm's corpse, watching as many small desert creatures came to find a meal.

"No, we shan't worry of more,
Their kind is scattered, but what is more
The sun is leaving, so t'would be best
To set up camp, so we may rest.
And as for the lizards, they may wait
For the air is cooling, and the hour is late."

Well, in all honesty, there was still another hour or two before the sun would begin setting. But, that was how the rhymes came out. Such was the life of a cursed man.

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Fri Feb 08, 2013 7:59 pm

Jaden was delighted and relieved when his magic worked, the creature twisting in rage to investigate what had hit its tail. However, he had little more to offer to the battle, as he quickly came to realise. Evidently the woman was some kind of mage, though how general or specific her powers might be, he couldn’t say. That man… who knew why he was talking in rhyme. It seemed a foolish distraction when they were fighting for their lives, but even under the circumstances he couldn’t help but admire his mind. Complex rhyming to have thought of in the space of seconds.
“An excellent idea! Desert creatures do not cope well with sudden drops in temperature, and they take a long time to warm up and be able to move swiftly. If you even succeed in lowering its temperature significantly then it will be slow and sluggish for some time.”
Nobody was taking any notice of him, of course; he wasn’t exactly being helpful. But the card dragon was unable to resist any opportunity to share his knowledge.

Maybe for the best, he was soon distracted from his lecture by the poet raising the bizarre scythe he held. Jaden watched in open amazement as two huge missiles careered towards the worm, finishing it off quite decisively. With magic like that on their side, they’d hardly needed his little contribution! He hadn’t realised there would be such mages here. Perhaps they would have more scholarly minds than he might have guessed there would be in the group. Certainly he would enjoy discussing their powers with them; even if they were there in an attempt to loot the treasures of the temples, they would have to know something of magic.

With peace finally returned, the dragon trotted over to the group, panting from his journey and the stress of the fight.
“Some quite impressive pieces of magic, there,” he remarked as the man finished speaking- rhyming again, he noted. How odd. “May I introduce myself? I am Jaden of Yarrowitz. I’m glad I was able to catch up to the expedition. What a tragedy it would have been if I had missed you altogether! Fortunate that I arrived back in Yarrowitz just in time.” He beamed around at the group, before turning to the man. He seemed to hold the authority; unsurprisingly, with power like that. “Now, did I hear mention of you making camp? I certainly wouldn’t object to a good rest and something to eat. All that hurrying to catch up has left me entirely drained!” He smiled once more before looking about expectantly for some kind of food to appear.

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Wed Feb 13, 2013 6:14 pm

When Veces looked her over, she pushed at his arm. “It’s alright, I’m fine,” she grunted, finally forcing herself to get back onto her feet. “Just a little tired.” Her eyes followed his as he surveyed the mounts. Continuing the line of thought Veces had started, she said: “So you think they might be returning to us of their own accord if they feel the need for warmth. A fire should be visible to them even if they might start losing themselves in the desert, desert-native or not.”

From the way she had started rambling, she decided that she had better keep her replies a little shorter from now on to assure that she actually still made sense when she talked. Shaking her head, she turned away from the animals and looked back over the sandworm, being happily devoured by other beasts. It was at that moment she noticed a card dragon approach their group.

“Good day to you, Jaden of Yarrowitz. My name is Soneya.” The mage in question didn’t add anything else however, seeing that the dragon addressed Veces anyhow, she was sure the man was perfectly capable of introducing himself, despite the forced rhyming – which she still found odd to be quite frank. Plus, she didn't know what she could say in reply to the dragon complimenting their magical skills. What was there to say? Things were the way they were. However,making camp and getting something to eat was sounding better and better to her as well, and she really needed something to drink to fill up a little on her water reserve.

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Wed Mar 20, 2013 8:57 am

With Soneya's assurances of her own well-being, Veces stood and watched as she and the dragon from earlier exchanged their introductions, offering Jaden a quick nod in response to the compliment that he had been paid. Soon enough, it was then his turn and, while he despised speaking, Veces would never be so rude as to not tell a companion his name.

"Jaden, it is a pleasure that we meet.
My name is Veces, now come take a seat,
We shall be making camp, if all goes to plan,
And take a quick respite from this endless sand."

The rhyme wasn't even that bad this time, all things considered. Usually Veces had to add a large amount of unnecessary, multi-syllabel words to his end of the conversation, ruining any seriousness which a conversation could call for. So long as the group didn't decide to tell stories during their rest, he would be fine.

Offering the two another nod, Veces made his way to one of the covered wagons, pulling his tent and whatever other scattered supplies he brought with him on this journey, prompting the entire caravan to start setting camp. The wagons were pulled into a wide circle around the spot where the campfire would be made, the goldos secured safely in place by magically bound ropes, the reptile mounts put into a group and restrained in a similar way. A portion of their group, at the same time, began working on the corpse of the giant sand worm, shoeing away whatever small creatures had come to feed while they began separating out the meat which was safe for the group to eat, any spilled blood being quickly lost to the shifting sands.

Pleased at the quick progress the group was making, Veces went to work setting out his own supplies, erecting a simple weatherproof tent and stowing his satchels inside. The reaper did not believe in frivolous belongings, and brought only what he knew he needed, with some to spare in case of emergency. Since he only kept one cloak (he could mend and clean it easily with his magic), and all rations were stored as grop supplies, this meant that he himself was traveling very light.

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Thu Mar 28, 2013 12:48 pm

"A pleasure indeed, Veces, a pleasure indeed. The desert is most tedious, it's true... I wonder that the Arch Mage didn't think slightly more about the landscaping when he created the stones!" Pleased with his joke, Jaden chuckled briefly before continuing. "The escaped beasts shouldn't be an issue. I am sure that as Soneya has so astutely reasoned, they will return to the warmth of the fire. I can aid you on that front, anyway; a little magic should ensure that their paths turn our way." He had not taken much with him on the expedition; just a sleeping mat which was strapped to his back in a roll. Twisting his head round, he tugged at the strap until the bundle fell to the ground, where he unrolled it and spread it in the circle which was forming around the fire. The air was already cooling as the sun set, but the top layer of sand was still baking hot from being heated all day. The mat was pleasantly warm to lie on, but prevented Jaden from being burnt by the sand.

"It's a useful little piece, this," he remarked cheerfully to anyone who was listening. "A mage made it for me in return for me twisting his fortune a little. It changes temperature as needed, most handy." One man who was working to unload a wagon gave Jaden a sour look. The dragon was seated comfortably next to the steadily growing fire, cheerfully watching the rest of the expedition work to set up camp and prepare food for everyone. It took a few moments for the dragon to notice the man's expression, but when he did he simply frowned back, baffled as to the cause of the man's displeasure.
"Lovely to 'ear 'bout yer mat an' all," the worker said after a moment, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Think yeh migh' give us a hand though?"
"Hm? Oh, I see... Well, I'm afraid I won't be much help unloading the wagons." He pondered for a moment, the spade on the end of his tail moving slightly as he thought. "Perhaps I can watch the fire," he suggested after a moment. "Add more wood if needed."

Somehow, Jaden got the impression that nobody much appreciated his "aid", but this didn't faze him. It wasn't all that long before the group were assembled around the bonfire, with large pieces of the worm's meat being roasted over the flames and others hung to smoke so that they could be kept for later in the expedition. Jaden arranged himself next to Veces and Soneya, giving them a friendly smile as he accepted a piece of the meat.

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Sat Mar 30, 2013 7:04 pm

Soneya raised an eyebrow at Jaden’s joke but gave him a friendly smile, hoping that would avoid her having to actually say anything, because she wouldn’t have known what. “Oh, that would be nice,” Soneya finally said, when Jaden offered to use a little magic in case the animals didn’t reappear. “We definitely need them and if they don’t come back of their own free will..” She shot the dragon a smile. Never would she have thought that playing with fate was a good idea, but in this case, she definitely wouldn’t object. “Unless there are some negative side effects if you use your magic?”

Not really concerned with setting up a few tents, that’s what the others were there for, Soneya kept Jaden company while keeping an eye on things, also constantly scanning the horizon in the quickly fading light for the lost mounts. Noticing the exchange of glares between one of their group members and the dragon, Soneya sighed. “I better get a few things done before they’re deciding that I’m huffy or whatnot.”
In all honesty, she couldn’t care less about what the others thought but she did prefer to take care of her possessions herself rather than have someone else handle them, even if it wasn’t much. She still felt a little wobbly on the knees after the exertions of the fight. Her strength was gradually returning however now that she was taking it easy but she wouldn’t be able to repeat this within the next few minutes.

Her things were quickly removed from her mount and she stowed them away into one of the tents which had already been erected by the group. There weren’t that many girls travelling, so she only had to share her tent with few people. She hadn’t brought her own tent for the simple reason that she couldn’t be bothered with carrying it, knowing that enough would be provided for the group anyways.

Once they were all settled, mounts were taken care of, tents erected, a second fire put up so that really everyone could be warmed by the flames, Soneya settled back with Jaden and Veces. She still wasn’t all too fond of the mercenary but at least she knew that he wouldn’t sprew random nonsense and shitty stories she wasn’t interested in. Not talking a lot really did have its perks from time to time.
“So what brings you here, Jaden? Are you also hunting for the Dragon Temples?” She wasn’t quite sure whether the dragon had mentioned it or not when he had arrived but then again, she had been wrapped up in a life-or-death situation.

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Sat Apr 06, 2013 7:01 am

After having set up his tent, Veces moved to sit by the fire, accepting unceremoniously a hunk of seared worm. His wasn't the first, nor the last, as big hunks are tossed to every person in the group, offal being gathered into large tubs for the lizards who had stayed, with bales of hay given to the herbivorous goldos. As so much meat had no hope of being eaten overnight, the fires were not only being used for cooking, but smoking as well, creating long strips of what would be rough, tasteless meat for the long journey ahead, a welcome addition to their stores of food. The offal, as well, should be enough to keep these lizards with them, and give the runners reason, on top of the flames, to return.

Hopefully, the two wouldn't ask for any input on his part, and he would be allowed to eat and sit in silence. This was unlikely, but what could he do?

((Crap post, but didn't know what all I could add. Just a blurb putting him into place.))

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Tue Apr 09, 2013 7:57 am

It was supposed to have been an easy spell, simple enough and easy to cast. Well, that's at least what the book had said...

A bright, brown light erupted from a patch of sand nearby the crudely made camp of Sun tired travelers. It filtered through the grains of sand with a brilliant intensity that lasted only half a second; rays flickering briefly before relinquishing to the dim Sunlight. As the last bit of colour drained away it revealed a small pit of charcoal shaded sand where the grains had seemingly been burnt by the anomaly. The dark ground immediately began to collapse down, pulling fresh sand with it, swirling inwardly like a dry whirlpool of ebony and tan. Guttural groans rose from underneath the soft sounds of falling desert, a horrible noise muffled just bellow the surface.

A hand shot out from the ground in a cloud of dust! It grasped wildly for purchase in the loose sand, but when none was found, another limb punched into the air to desperately give its partner a "hand." Long fingers somehow managed to find their grip and with painstakingly slow movements started to drag out whatever mass was attached.

The top of a head appeared first crowned in a mass of white, unruly curls, and was followed after a long while by more humanoid features. A face coated with a layer of sand that made it look like a pale ghost, eyes hidden by leather frames and black glass that didn't help its already strange appearance. Shoulders, a torso, legs, then finally feet emerged from the ground with an unbearable noise of what could only be described as a boulder slamming onto another boulder. With the last bit out the funnel ceased, leaving a hole six feet in diameter and a motionless body face down on the soft blackened ground next to it.

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Thu Apr 11, 2013 7:03 am

Veces was busy at work trying to eat the mass of seared flesh before him just before the incident. The meat was surprisingly tough, and was hardly palatable despite being heavily seasoned by the woods and spices used to cook it. He had only gotten through a few bites when what could only be described as an explosion rattled the camp, sending the pack animals into a panic and the caravan members ducking for cover where they could. Luckily the animals had been safely secured this time around, and none were able to escape.

In a flash, the white reaper quickly leapt to his feet, his food lying forgotten, and was standing at the edge of the ditch, scythe held at the ready, aimed at the figure lying still on the ground. Famous for keeping a cool head in times of panic, he quickly scanned the aura which this new entity gave off, running through just what had happened. From what he could tell, there was no intentional malice within the spell used, instead just... incompetence? Whatever had happened, it didn't turn out right, and this was definitely not an attack. After a minute he drew back his scythe, holding it gently, then knelt down and put his hand gently on the figure's shoulder. Luckily, the person was still alive.

"Quickly, bring this poor soul a drink,
Their strength is wavering here on the brink."

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Thu Apr 11, 2013 7:44 am

The sand eruption made Soneya practically jump out of her skin and she was up on her feet before she even realised that she had gotten up. Adrenaline was a powerful thing, though she already knew that she was going to pay dearly for this renewed strain. She would need a lot of sleep to catch up on all the strength she had lost that day. The few minutes of peace and quiet hadn’t managed to give her back a whole lot.

Observing Veces as he observed whatever had caused the explosion, she stayed back. She was a ranged fighter, thus she would avoid getting close at all cost if there was any danger. However, Veces soon called for water and the mage instantly reacted. Water was her specialty. The waterskins that had been lying by their fire were quiet warm due to the desert temperatures and the proximity to the flames. Pouring some of it into a cup, the mage cooled it a little, only enough for it to be refreshing but not so that it would be a shock for anyone who drank it in this heat.

Hurrying over to the hole, Soneya went down on her knees next to the person. Without a clue whosoever they were, she poured a little of her strength into a shield surrounding herself before she lifted the person’s head onto her lap and gently brought to cup to their lips. From the looks of it, the figure was female, but Soneya couldn’t really tell, there was just too much sand and other debris covering the body.

Subject: Re: Discovery of the Dragon Temples Fri Apr 26, 2013 10:58 am

The stranger, female indeed, was shocked back into consciousness when the water suddenly revitalized her scorched throat. She quickly sat up, barely avoiding knocking the cup out of Soneya's hand, and erupted into a terrible coughing fit. Small mushroom clouds of dust burst from between the fingers clamped over her mouth, lungs desperately trying to abort the sand she hadn't been able to avoid inhaling in the whirlwind disaster. With her free hand, the woman tore the goggles from her eyes without a care for breaking the leather and left them abandoned on the ground. In the same move she desperately grasped the cup Soneya still held out in offering and downed the rest of it's contents in only a couple of gulps, ignoring any common sense to just take sips of the water.

She lowered the cup into her lap, legs tucked underneath her in a sloppy kneeling position, and was finally able to achieve a breath without choking on air. The woman tilted her head back slightly as she rubbed her teary right eye--a few grains had managed to get past a crack in the glass of her goggles--and with the other peeked up at the fading sky.

She dropped her hand and looked over her shoulder at the setting Sun.

Her brain, having almost instantly rejected the idea of the pair who had come to her aid, slowly reregistered the man standing watch nearby and the woman who was sitting close. She glanced over at her now, pale eyelashes framing thin, almond shaped eyes of an alarming silver colour. The woman was the one who had given her water? Or had she already had it...? No. Ideas formed, unraveled, and tried again until she could finally get a grasp on all the right answers. Smiling, she turned to fully face Soneya at last and reached out to return the cup.

"Many thanks, dearest. I'm afraid I would have... would have been lost had you not been here." Her voice was quiet and it cracked painfully in places, her windpipe still straining around the scratches caused by large pieces of sand.

She took another look around, giving herself time to compile conclusions of where she had been trying to get to when she cast the teleportation spell. Her attention darted from the horizon, back to Soneya, over to the man, then finally back to the other female as she was the closest and it was too difficult to speak loudly.

"Tell me something..." She raised her eyebrows in curiosity and waved a hand at their mounts and makeshift camp. "You wouldn't happened to be on your way to finding some temples, would you?"

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