Corven nods at Tural's suggestion to enter and says "Perhaps we should gather the entire group before doing introductions? Might save time, and Cayden knows that we don't have a lot of it." Corven then turns and holds open the door for the others.
Tural stares at Corven, his golden eyes glowing in the evening light.
"We want to speak with Allyph alone. We can do introductions later. We are almost complete anyways..."
He says, anger and sadness of the recent loss on his face. Moving over to the door he holds it open for the others, making his point clear to Corven. Standing next to the halfling shows something which was hard to see before. Tural seems to be covered with an uncountable number of scars, the grit of battle seems to cling on his body.
Even with her less-than-sterling social skills, Weiss can see the sadness on Tural's face and she quickly takes a few steps backwards, scuffing her shoe against the ground. She looks around as the others speak, trying to get a feel for if any scrying sensors might be watching them talk at the moment.
Then, it's finally her turn, and she speaks up again responding to Mavor.
"Well, since you have time for me now... Um... hm." She usually left the talking to others before, so suddenly she isn't quite sure what to say. 'Hi there, you've earned yourself the help of a god. Hope you're okay with that!' doesn't seem like the sort of thing one says as a greeting. 'I just want to help!' would sound suspicious, probably, given the situation with the Queen...
Ah. She's freezing up, isn't she? She can't just say nothing and smile, either--there's nobody here to do the talking for her anymore.
"Weiss. You should call me Weiss. As for my business... let us say that someone in a position of power owes you a debt for that whole Blood Veil debacle. I am going to repay it to their satisfaction."
She pauses as if done speaking, then realizes that she'd heard similar language used once before in extremely different circumstances. With a gasp, she quickly follows up:
"To be clear, I mean 'owes you a debt' in the 'they are thankful' way. I don't mean you harm. But, please." She gestures towards the open door. "It can wait until your coniferous friend is ready to continue speaking. There is no great hurry, I can wait out here for several days should it be required."
Mavor looks at Weiss with a raised eyebrow, then shakes his head. "That won't be necessary miss Weiss. My friends and Allyph here just want to catch up with our stories. There are some things that need to be discussed and it's more of a private manner now. We will be done in maybe two hours at the most. After that you can explain us more about this 'debt' people owe us. As I understand we already have some friends in higher places, I'm intriged on who we can add to that list."
"Ah! That is good to hear." Her hand falls to the mask on her belt, and she breaks into yet another wide smile.
"I will try to arrange for you to speak to them directly in the meanwhile. It'll be easier to explain things that way, I'm sure."
Denario looks at Mavor, then over at Weiss.
"What are you saying, miss Weiss. Are you wired to someone -or something- else by means of magic, for communications?"
"It's possible for me to let them speak to you, yes." She purses her lips. "I assure you, it's far less useful a trick than it may sound."
(Leans in to Mavor)
"Perhaps the woman is possessed, and we're dealing with a thankful dead person."
"Wouldn't be the first dead person we're helping though."
Mavor replies back to Denario.
(nods in response)
When the two speak in orcish, Weiss watches them with her full attention. She puts her hand over her mouth and mouths the words to herself, like she's trying to figure out what they mean.
Tural nods, not sure what to think of the two.
"Two hours it is."
He ducks inside the building.
Tural sighs, his anger falling away again being replaced by sadness. He looks around and smiles.
"This place looks great. You have done very well."
Denario taps Mavor on the shoulder in an encouraging way.
"Let's go see Allyph inside first. A little wait won't hurt them."
He heads inside.
Seeing Tural's composure, Denario puts a hand on his shoulder, giving him an understanding look, then lets go and takes a look around.
"Spacious. I'll bet they've got a blast with hide & seek."
"My apologies spirit speaker. I meant no disrespect, I just wanted to save time from having to introduce myself over and over again."
Turning to Weiss, Corven says "Madam, perhaps you would care to join me for a meal while these fine people catch up with each other?"
"I would love to, but I have to go sit somewhere high up and meditate to try and get in touch with someone. It may take some time." Corven isn't a bad sort, and she was hoping to have him help her out if things fell through and she ran out of other plans besides 'making her own group of adventurers to try and help...' but with both of them trying to talk their way onto the side of the heroes of Korvosa it put them both into a possible competition. Who knew if they'd take multiple sword-arms? In Katapesh, after all, they frequently limited the number of members in mercenary groups in order to maximize their share of coin.
But then, being rude to someone isn't really something Weiss can do without feeling that pang of guilt in her stomach, either.
"...You are welcome to join me." She's eyeing the side of the building that the others have walked into, running her fingers along her chin as she tries to work a way up. Deciding that skulking around on their roof would probably be a bridge too far, she instead climbs up the branches of a nearby tree, puts her mask back on, and reclines against its trunk. After she's found a comfortable spot, she pulls a rope from her bag, tying it around the tree to let it dangle down so that it can be climbed, since with all that metal armor she's willing to bet that the halfing isn't the most mobile sort.
Allyph cocks her head slightly, reading the sadness in her friends' demeanor. She looks around, reconfirming Baer's not around, and quickly moves inside with those she's already familiar with.
"We'll talk later," is all she says to Corven and Weiss, then closes the door behind her.
A couple of kids run up to her as she enters, oblivious of the mood. They start talking to her, but Allyph motions for them to return to the room they came for.
"Not right now, there's something I need to discuss," she says in a kind but very clear tone. The kids seem to realize there's grown-up business going on, and leave you.
Allyph leads you upstairs, to one of the bedrooms. The room's got a bunk bed and, judging by the dresses on the floor, is shared by two girls. She smiles at Tural's comment, thanking him, and grins when Denario comments about playing hide and seek. "It took a lot of effort to get all this done, but the amount of gold I had on me when I arrived here opened many doors. We were lucky we could stay at one of the nearby ranches for the first couple of weeks, during the renovation here. Again, the gold really helped. Though I have to say many people also helped simply because they felt sorry for the kids. I've met many kind people since I left Korvosa."
"None as kind as you though," she says with a smile, closing the bedroom's door behind her so you've got some privacy from any kids that may sneak upstairs to eavesdrop.
The smile disappears, and Allyph's face returns to worrisome. "Where's Baer...?"
Denario decides to break the bad the gloomy silence.
"Baer..died, during an encounter with something really dangerous.
We ventured somewhere risky, and the eventual opposition was powerful enough to kill her."
Mavor nods, eventually breaking the silence as well.
"I didn't see how she died, though the last time I saw her, she was waiting in the same line as me."
Mavor lets that soak in for a second or two, then continues to remove the collar of his coat and shirt. A thick scar around his neck is visible to anyone close to him.
"She found rest at least. We made sure she was buried in a peaceful place outside of Korvosa for now. Maybe we'll return her body for a proper burial after the current regime has been deposed."
"We tried to bring her back, but to no avail."
Tural moves over to Allyph and puts his arm on her shoulder.
"We can show you her grave if you want. It fit's her perfectly, beautiful and rough in the same place."
"Your offer is most kind, but I prefer more...civilized environs. I'll be in the local watering hole if one of you could be so kind as to come and speak to me when you are done catching up. I have some information to share with you that is of some import."
With a nod, Weiss unties the rope and coils it back up. Quietly she stows it away again, keeping watch over the house while she orders her thoughts. That language from before... it was harsh and sharp, and not one she'd already learned back home. She tries thinking on it to figure out what it's called, if only to know what she needs to study next.
As she does, she waits for the others to emerge once more, without moving from her post in the branches.
All expression in Allyph's face drains away, her eyes turning to Mavor's neck with a blank stare. She sits down on the lower bed and covers her face with her hands. She sits quietly, not moving at all, until she begins to cry and her shoulders shake with each sob.
Allyph looks up at you with red eyes when she stops crying. "Who did it?" she asks with a hoarse voice. "Did you make them pay?"
She looks at Mavor. "How come you came back, but she didn't? Why not both, if you had her body?"
Mavor relaxes his shoulders and moves over to Allyph, sitting down next beside her and laying an arm around her shoulders.
"I'm not so sure as to who or what did it to Baer, but it was on the grounds of the Arkona family that me and Baer both had found our folly. The Arkona bloke who orchestrated everything, died a certain death by my axe. With all of us helping the good and long fight, it is never a one man effort."
Mavor sighs as he knows he has to tell the coming part of the tale.
"Like I said, Baer and me were standing in the same line. We were waiting for our judgment to come. I was a little ahead in the line of Baer. Then suddenly I heard a whisper of a voice calling out my name as well as Baer's, calling us back. Then I looked over to Baer, see if she was also going back. She shook her head and waved me goodbye. That was the last I know before returning back to life to fight alongside the others once more."
Mavor looks a bit confused at the others.
"To be honest, I'm not sure how those guys managed to get us both back. We were nowhere near a temple."
Denario looks at Tural, then back.
"That was something surreal.
After Baer's death, Quorthos got quite emotional, and wholeheartedly wished for the big enemy to outright die. It started to boil, eventually exploding in a torrent of acid."
"He likewise wished for you and Baer to come back to life."
"I'm just guessing but, genies, divine favors?"
Tural nods.
"Three wishes... One for the creature to die a horrific death, and two to revive Baer and Mavor."
He thinks back to the moment, the loss and the horror still fresh on his mind.
"I think Quorthos will pay for it, though he hasn't yet."
Sitting on the other side of the bed Tural tries to comfort her.
"I'd like to see her grave when you go back," Allyph says softly, leaning against Mavor.
She looks at Quorthos, waiting for him to say something about what happened, but lowers her head when he stays quiet.
Allyph's head jerks up again, a thoughtful look on her face. "Did you come here to tell me, or is there also another reason for your visit? That Corven fellow has been here for a couple of days, and he said he was waiting for you. You know him?"
"And that girl... Not sure where she came from, but that was very... random."
"We don't know this Corven character. The woman seems to imply she can speak to someone, or something, via some mysterious means. Other than that, we couldn't -not- visit you, could we, regardless of circumstances."
Quorthos stays silent, letting the others draw conclusions. "Let's just say, I called in a favor," he states afterwards.
Tural tells everything that happened since Allyph left, being filled in when his memory fails him. He eventually falls silent, having nothing left to tell.
"Shall we see what those two halflings want before we head off to bed? We still have a ways to go before we reach our destination."
The large tree man stands, stretching his limbs. He moves over to the door and steps into the fresh evening air. Walking to the middle of the street he glances about, to see if he can spot the couple.
He spots Weiss with ease and makes his way over to the tree.
"Unusual spot... We are done talking for now. Where is your friend? I believe you wanted to introduce yourself?"
With a flip of his hand he casts levitate on the halfling to get her down to ground level.
The... admittedly short thief accepts the levitate, keeping her eyes closed as she falls until her feet touch the ground. She'd said to Denario and Mavor that she'd get in touch with the person who sent her... and that meant it was time to set down one name and put another on.
"I wouldn't exactly call us 'friends,' Tural. Corven just happened to be here looking for you at the same time as Weiss." Her voice is a complete monotone now, accent aside. "She was under the impression that things would be easier if you spoke with me directly. It's a pleasure, I'm sure."
Tural looks everything but impressed, being someone who communes with spirits on a daily basis.
"Well met, now let's get Corven and hear what you have to talk about."
He walks over to where Corven mentioned he would go before they parted ways, the nearest place to get a drink. Once found he returns to the group with both halflings in tow.
By the time Tural returns with Corven and Weiss, who is indeed also very short, Allyph has introduced herself to Neolandus and has moved everyone to the living room of her farm.
"Hey," Allyph says as she lets the trio in. She leads them to the living room as well, where they take place at a massive dinner table with two dozen chairs.
The kids, realizing important stuff is going on, have either moved outside, to their rooms, or behind the door to the corridor so they can eavesdrop. Allyph makes the eavesdropping kids scurry away, and returns to sit with you.
"Alright... So I was talking to Corven and then a couple of... things happened."
"Anyway, welcome." She looks expectantly at Corven and Weiss.
"Thank you for your hospitality." says Corven, who again offers around a flask.
After allowing anyone to partake from it, he begins. "I was sent here by my god, Cayden Cailean, to assist you. I had a vision at the temple where I was working that showed me your group being in this village, along with an urge to be there, as if I will be needed to bring about resolution. I do not know anything of your quest, but my spellcasting is at your disposal."
"Well... that's interesting." The thief gives a monotone 'heh,' leaning forward to put her hands on the table. Once again, before saying anything of note she gives a once over for anything that might be a scrying sensor.
"I suppose I'll introduce myself as well, then. You speak to the Divine Thief Eon, scourge of Katapesh and god of thievery since before Norgorber was a twinkle in his father's eye. You helped my people with that blood veil business, and my current vessel was in the area. I've decided to gift her to you. Never let it be said that I don't pay my debts." She pauses, to wave her hand out to the side dismissively.
"Weiss is still growing into a vessel befitting my power, but I'm sure she'll be useful just the same."
Denario gives a smile to the kids whom he recognizes.
"Hey there. Good to see you in good health. Allyph's been taking good care of you, huh? It's good to be away from the city right now."
Allyph then hushes the kids away...
He then turns back to the conversation.
"The only Eon I've heard of, is the term designated to great timespans. There's only been a handful of mortals who've passed the divination trial, the name Eon is not mentioned among those. Any who do are famous in no time."
"Label me curious, then, where does this divinity stem from?"
Thanks largely to a past with a particularly nosy paladin, she doesn't even blink in making a response.
"My existence predates even the starstone, Denario. Surely, you must have wondered who the god was that ruled over thieves, before a man ascended to do it. Thievery is eternal so long as greed exists, and gods themselves are greedy... why, I've heard that one young upstart is something of a lush." She looks over at Corven, giving him a playful nod despite her monotonous tone and flat demeanor. "My divinity stems from that. I think I was born the first time someone coveted something... I delivered it to them, and sparked some conflict in the bargain... Ah, but that was so long ago, back when I was satisfied to be worshiped in hushed tones as someone tried to execute some grand plan for a heist... but there is something very different between watching over a heist, and performing it yourself. I missed the rush. Sadly, when you are a deity there is little challenge in taking what you want, unless it is from another deity. And stealing from a deity... that starts holy wars. I am no empty armor. So, I was bored. For millenia."
"It was thousands of years of waiting, but the Reaper of Reputation passed his test and his ascension gave me an opportunity. I offered to step back from the stage and let him be the one cursed for empty coinpurses. You may not remember this happening, it was several thousand years ago. Since then, I have acted directly through a single divine vessel marked by a token proving them the greatest thief of their generation, using their form and limitations alongside my own considerable knowledge to do the impossible. It makes existence much more interesting than answering prayers ever did."
"It's no surprise you haven't heard of me, considering how old this story is. This Asprishya girl currently has the token, which is out of Katapesh for the first time since the city's founding." She tilts her head to the left, then back to the right in another dismissive gesture. "The pactmasters are so proud of their little city, and how well they protect their goods. They spare no expense in their security systems. You understand the allure, I'm sure."
Mavor taking a seat in a chair nods in agreement with Corven at his mention of being sent here by Cayden Cailean.
"Very well, the Drunken God has never disappointed the worthy and righteous. I will welcome his gift if you share it."
Mavor takes the flask of ale when Corven shares it and takes a large gulp out of it.
Mavor then looks at Weiss as she's telling her story and scoffs at the mention of being an old god.
"Miss Weiss, please refrain from telling such preposterous lies to us. You want to help us out or want us to help you out, you should better tell us the truth and not dawdle in tales of grandeur."
Mavor sits back on the chair, twirling his greataxe on the ground.
"We've got more important matters to attend to than believing these false lies. We've got a city to save, if the gods favour us so."
Mavor stares intently at Weiss, making the point that he won't be fooled with this grand lie, neither he nor the others for that matter.
”I answer, and I’m disrespected. She promised me no disrespect. Weiss, they are yours.” she removes the mask with a flourish, pauses, and puts it back on twice before just hanging it on her belt with a sigh. If nothing else, she’s very committed.
”I... know how it sounds. You don’t have to believe it. What matters most is that the atmosphere in Korvosa has been depressing since I arrived. I wanted to change it, so I wound up following that guy.” she points at Corven, which is probably a surprise to him. ”I had intended to see if he was going to do something to help... Imagine my surprise when he finds you all, the heroes who cured my blood veil and saved so many people.” the girl stares at the table, massaging the stiffness out of her cheeks as she gives an awkward smile. She perks up again all at once to add on a sudden, half-panicked clarification to the end. ”Ah—do not worry! No one else followed. I made sure of that, keeping watch from the shadows. It is only us.” Clearly uncomfortable, she takes a deep breath and screws her eyes shut to continue.
”I am a thief! A good one, too! I can use a blade better than most, and spot traps at a full run! I can track people without them catching on, even pick curses as easily as locks! I want to help you, to ‘save the city,’ if that’s what it’ll take to make the people smile.”
“I... do owe you guys my life, after all.”
Surely, you must have wondered who the god was that ruled over thieves, before a man ascended to do it.
(Flatout) "Nope."
He didn't buy it.
Mavor seemed to voice his own sentiment.
"Well then, fictional divine characters aside, i guess we'll fill you three in on what has happened since Allyph left. Mavor and Tural, fill in whatever i am forgetting right now, if you please.
"We're on the queens most wanted list. The city is on lockdown, her own Grey Maiden regiment watching the place. We had a run-in with Rakshasas, who were posing as nobles. More recently, the sad events that cost us Baer."
Mavo stands up walks over to Weiss, places a hand on her shoulder and nods.
"I'm sorry if I sounded harsh, but you wouldn't believe a stranger telling you that he or she is a god yourself right? Time will tell if there truly is a god inside of you or that mask you are wearing. For now, we will welcome any person willing and able to help out in the salvation of Korvosa. Our journey is a long and hard one and fraught with peril."
Mavor walks across the room and fills in the possible gaps in the story Denario tells the two newcomers and Allyph.
"Well we've come to know who the current Blackjack is and he is of course on our side. We've played a game of Bloodpig with one of the local crimelords. He himself didn't live to tell the tale. And we've now come out of Korvosa to seek out a cure so you will for the Queen. She has used some pact or magic to gain unnatural abilities, maybe some of the tribes know of a way to counter that."
When Mavor drinks from Corven's flask, he is somewhat surprised to learn that it is filled with a pear-flavored brandy, which is sweet and strong.
Upon hearing Weiss' story, Corven will rack his brain trying to remember everything he knows about ancient dieties.
"I know not of your deity, but the universe is a vast and mysterious place. Where exactly where you worshipped, and by what sort of being?"
After hearing Mavor and Denario's explanations of past events, Corven will say "What queen have you angered, and who is Blackjack? finally, what sort of game is Bloodpig?"
Tural listens to Weiss and Corven explaining their story. Though he doesn't know the god he does believe she tells the truth.
"You tell us you are chosen by a god, I believe that. But the fact that bothers me most is that you proclaim to be a thief, without hesitation."
He keeps his eyes on her, and fills in the gaps for Corven.
"The queen of Korvosa, the one behind the plague and the one pulling the strings in the city. She has a possessed crown on her head, which took control of her. Not only that, it also made her invincible."
He tells him the story they heard, about her being shot through the head and simply ignoring the arrow.
"Blackjack is the hero of the city, don't know him very well but... Before we were there he helped out the citizens."
He thinks for a moment on the last question.
"Bloodpig... is better left alone. A bloody game to entertain a crime lord..."
He looks both Weiss and Corven in the eyes, taking a moment before moving on.
"Now... You both said you were called to join us. We know nothing of this and we know nothing about you but what you just told us. I have a proposition, I will prepare a ritual tonight. I will be able to perform this ritual tomorrow. I will talk with my ancestors, see what they have to say about this situation."
"Those are excellent questions, but not ones I am able to answer myself. All I can say is that Eon is something of a bogeyman among the richest merchantfolk in Katapesh, existing there for nearly as long as the city itself has. A great many thieves throughout the country strive to grab hold of the token that will let them summon him. I only have it now through sheer luck... I didn't consider that the Divine Thief would be all but unheard of here."
Then, to Tural. Her hands go back to the table, as she smiles.
"Not all thieves are evil, Tural... I use my skills to punish those who would oppress others. I also normally keep my mouth shut about it. Confessing to thievery in my country means losing a hand, and that's if you're lucky. Consider my openness a way of showing my trust."
"Wasn't Blackjack the legendary Korvosan hero who saved that girl who was suspected of murdering the king? Tania or Trini, or something, wasn't it? I heard about the commotion he caused during that whole affair. If you're friends with him, it's no wonder Queen Ileosa wants your heads... and with her being immune to being stabbed in the face..." The information about the crown was new, and she files that away for later digestion.
"Well, for what it is worth I am no stranger to being wanted. If your ritual would help you feel comfortable with me, then by all means."
Vencarlo, being very quiet up till now, raises a hand. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Vencarlo Orisini, swordmaster and owner of the Orisini Academy in the Korvosan neighborhood of Old Korvosa. Also, as most of you recently learned, I am Blackjack."
"It was indeed I who saved Trinia that fateful day, but I am not to thank for her safe departure from the city. It was this group of heroes who escorted her out of the city and to a new life, here in Harse."
He nods at Neolandus. "My dear friend Neolandus Kalepopolis is, officially still, the seneschal of Korvosa. He's the only one who's in an official position of power to dethrone Queen Ileosa, which is also the reason he'd be a dead man if he were to go back to the city."
"Now I believe you had some news to share about the Queen's powers, which you insisted should wait until we'd arrived safely in Harse?" Vencarlo looks at the seneschal, waiting for said news to be shared.
Neolandus scrapes his throat. "Yes... Ahem."
"You sure you want me to share it now, after all that's already been told? It's a lot."
When Vencarlo keeps looking at him, Neolandus scrapes his throat again. "Alright... Ahem. Allow me to take a leap back in time, to the time Queen Ileosa rose to power after King Eodred's suspicious death..."
"When I confronted Queen Ileosa about King Eodred II’s death, her response was to send Red Mantis assassins after me — proof enough of guilt for me. Through a combination of luck and knowledge about the castle’s layout, I barely managed to escape with his life and went into hiding with my friend Salvator Scream in Old Korvosa."
"After I recovered from the attack but before Salvator handed me over to the Arkonas, I spent much of my time in Old Korvosa researching the situation by interviewing key people, poring through records in Endrin Academy, and piecing together information and rumors I heard to try to determine what caused Queen Ileosa’s sudden personality change from a petulant spoiled queen to a scheming murderous tyrant."
"My’s suspicions grew, but until Queen Ileosa’s first public appearance after the plague, I tempered my suspicions with hope. I knew that Queen Ileosa had been “borrowing” the treasury key to look through Korvosa’s holdings. I was also familiar with several old and obscure legends about the chambers below Castle Korvosa — chambers, it was whispered, that were old even when the Shoanti dwelt here, and that used to hide something of great power or evil. There was little more information to go on, but I did uncover mention in some documents from Korvosa’s earliest days of something called Midnight’s Teeth, and that these teeth were believed to be some sort of sacred relic of great import to the Shoanti. Circumstantial evidence indicates that the Shoanti kept these teeth in the chambers inside the pyramid that now serves as Castle Korvosa’s foundation."
"Further research uncovered an old legend that chilled my soul. Several hundred years ago, a powerful blue dragon and agent of Zon-Kuthon named Kazavon brought the orcs of Belkzen to their knees and began conquering the neighboring nations of Ustalav and Lastwall, until he was finally defeated and his remains scattered. Some of these remains, according to certain Zon-Kuthonic scriptures, contained fragments of Kazavon’s essence. One of these relics was the Fangs of Kazavon."
"Piecing together this evidence, I suspect that Midnight’s Teeth were none other than the Fangs of Kazavon. The description of the queen’s new crown sounds to me as if she now wears the Fangs of Kazavon on her brow, the implications of which troubles me greatly."
"I wasn’t able to gather much more information before the Arkonas took me, but I don’t suspect there was much more to learn. Hard facts about Midnight’s Teeth were sparse to begin with — Korvosa’s founders didn’t think it important to preserve much in the way of Shoanti culture. Yet there is still some hope. The Shoanti have very strong oral traditions, and if anyone knows the truth behind Midnight’s Teeth, that truth is doubtless hidden among their historians up in the Cinderlands."
Quorthos listens quietly to the tales told by the newcomers. He accepts Corvin's passed flask, savoring the flavor of the liquor. When Weiss seems to change from the Divine Their Eon to Weiss, Quorthos perks up with interest. His father had told him of such cases, of divinity or madness, he knew not. Still, the pair seemed competant and motivated, and thus would be useful in the coming weeks.
After listening to the Seneschal's story, a worried frown creeps onto Quorthos' face. An evil despot he was prepared for, in fact needed, so that someone could be amde to pay for everything that had happened. He hated the Queen, and wanted to see her dead. But this news raised the possibility that the Queen was merely a puppet, a vessel, for an evil entity from the ancient past. Almost to himself, he raises his eyebrow as he sees the similarity between this possibility and Weiss' tale of "divinity".
Regardless of the source, she must be stopped!" Quorthos interjects, not realizing he has said it out loud. "We must travel to the Shoanti, both to learn of this ancient evil, and to raise an army. The Queen must pay for what she has done!"
Denario's thoughts were slightly drifting, thinking of his family, not picking up much of the conversation between the others.
When Vencarlo and Neolandus start talking, his attention snaps back to.
"A dragon?"
Denario thinks about the topic, whether he may have read or heard lore on a dragon named such.