Even in the midst of the party, Whiteclaw, Kia and Reason are alert to odd happenings.
Kia looks up and then looks to see if Whiteclaw has noticed.
Arianwyn enjoys himself telling stories of the group's exploits as well as milking the humour of his first naked appearance with the band. He flirts outrageously with Kargzant beauties.
The Kargzant girls are more than happy to indulge Arianwyn, but eventually all but two are driven off by the persistent attentions of a pair of twins. The other girls shrug and back away, in what is clearly a familiar dance.
"Nuesha."
"Cilise."
"Or not."
"Join us by the fire..."
"For the feasting..."
"For the dancing..."
"For the singing..."
"And if you can tell us apart ..."
"We shall see..."
Whiteclaw hops off of Arianwyn's shoulder and turns back into a gnoll once more, her eyes scanning the sky.
The gnoll sees a pale winged shape circling and gradually getting lower in the sky.
By now, the Kargzant have also noticed and several are reaching for their bows. Arianwyn's twin companions untwine themselves from him and take aim.
"Stupid things! I need space to land. I shall freeze the ground and jump on them." The young dragon calls out to Whiteclaw, seemingly oblivious to any danger and for that matter taking no notice of anyone other than the gnoll herself.
"Why did you take so long? I got bored."
Arianwyn sighs and mutters to Whiteclaw, "You adopted draconic offspring has just ruined a most intriguing diversion on my part, albeit in impressive style."
"Stand down." Whiteclaw calls out. "She's friendly. She's my daughter, in a manner of speaking. Give her some space to land."
Looking up at the dragonling, the gnoll says "Wait a moment for them to clear you space, do not freeze them or the ground, please."
Once her dragon is safely on the ground, Whiteclaw makes the introductions. "This is Ixu Palax. She is here to aid us and you. Treat her like a member of our pack, for she is that."
"Ixu Palax?"
The young dragon circles once more and comes in to land, scarcely waiting for the stunned Kargzant to get out of the way.
"If you say that's my name, then it is." The draconic head moves closer to Whiteclaw and sniffs her.
"I am not a pack animal, so I don't care about them," Ixu Palax's tail swings, clearing space around her, "but you are mine. That's quite different."
"What is happening? Will I enjoy it?" She sits back, clearly expecting entertainment.
Kia turns to Ixu Palax with a smile.
"If you enjoy fighting evil, then you will enjoy it very much."
"Can you catch things? Like this?"
Kia fires an arrow into the air - carefully aimed so that it won't hit anyone if it isn't caught.
Ixu Palax turns a considering gaze on Kia and reaches out a claw to stop the arrow, which she bites neatly in half.
"I don't really know what I like yet. Does evil keep treasure for me to take and horde?"
She drops the broken remnants at Kia's feet. "That was quite amusing. Do something else."
By now, the Bone Riders are almost immune to surprise where the party is concerned and curiosity is overcoming their initial doubts about the arrival of a small dragon in their camp.
Cilise and Nuesha, the twin beauties bent on seducing Arianwyn move a little closer.
"We can dance like no other of our people. We can flame the blood of the dead and bring joy to the hearts of the living. Will you see this?"
The dragon looks at Whiteclaw. "This is much more interesting than the Grove. I was exceptionally clever to come and find you, mother."
The twins take this for assent. Cilise (or possibly Nuesha) exchange a long look with each other, and then sidelong at the warlock.
"A moment. We need to prepare. Someone else can amuse you perhaps in the meantime."
"Yea, verily," the warlock replies to the twins.
To the dragon, Arianwyn makes a small bow of the head, and says "fekiikiri, wux re tenpiswo sva vi bensvelk klewar. malsvir tepohaic kiarf rasvim, persvek sia irthir, vi muansi intuil, svabolen ui bvecko."
Draconic
"Si hefoc rasvim. Sjek malsvir tepohaic rasvim, si geou marinx vhira malsvir vur duulo wer rasvim."
Translation
"Do you dance as well as speak properly?"
"Yes..." Whiteclaw says. "Evil has treasure for you to take and horde. Not everything we encounter is evil though it's easy enough to tell when it is."
Realising that she cannot compete with Arianwyn when he starts to talk rubbish she she doesn't understand, and before it goes completely out of her head, Kia mentions her need for more arrows, offering to pay coin for them.
Gepid shakes his head. "Don't be stupid, Kia," he says cheerily, "of course you can have arrows and of course I won't take money from family. That would be wrong and the spirits would come in the night and eat my soul."
Ixu Palax continues to make herself at home and an air of expectation fills the circle as the twins eventually return.
Long hair flowing loose and painted with ash, they seem to be celebrating a private ritual as they move close to the great fire and nod to two of the warriors, clapping the rhythm of their dance for him to pick up. They spoke no more than the truth about their dancing, which seems to call on the earth and the flame to enhance every subtle movement.
The enaree smiles slightly and joins them, now male, now female as the mood dictates. As you watch, a story unfolds.
This is the tale of the Panish's ride to conquer Kargzant and the Skyburning that made it truly the People's land.
Slightly bewildered by the noise of so many people, Reason's finely honed senses slightly betray him.
Rev:
Vel
Kia hums tunelessly to herself as the dance continues. It is unlikley she will notice much untoward.
The dancing has an almost hypnotic effect on Kia and Arianwyn, possibly because of the deep affiliations with their own cultural history.
The twins draw Arianwyn into their dance, circling and twisting, faces almost blank as they draw on the power of earth and flame. The enaree seems to split into two figures, one male, one female and the warlock is almost hidden from view as strong arms surround him.
As the drum beat grows more intense, there is an subtle change in the dancers. Still moving, they draw daggers and stab expertly at the eladrin in their midst, faces shifting to those of fey assassins and bodies becoming insubstantial as the daggers strike home.
"Did you think we would give up so easiily?" hisses one of them gleefully.
Arianwyn looks at his stab wound and laughs.
Arianwyn continues to laugh as spiraling white energy flows around him, cutting his pale foes.
He disappears and reappears near Kia.
"Now these are are interesting foes!" he yells excitedly.
With almost childlike joy, Arianwyn blasts his fey adversaries and leaves them immobilised in the firelight as he teleports clear.
Whiteclaw growls with annoyance. "It never ends, does it." She charges in at the one substantial fey.
HP: 96/96
Surges: 10/13
AP: 0/1
Status: None.
Standing its ground, the fey sneers as Whiteclaw misses it.
"Stupid dog-thing," it chants striking deep with its dagger.
Reason looks unconcerned as he curls his tail over his arm and strolls towards the fire.
"I'll just light the way ..."
Ixu Palax turns her head towards the fire, at the sound of combat.
HP: 23/70
Surges: 5/9
AP: 0/1
Status: ongoing 5 poison and slowed.
Reason shakes an admonitory head at the fey and politely heals the worst of Arianwyn's wounds.
Ixu Palax takes to the air, and lands not far behind Whiteclaw., "These must be evil. Maybe they have something for my horde." She then breathes frost over the group.
The cold breath passes harmlessly around Whiteclaw, but strikes some of the fey.
Rosey: