A Faint Presence

Campaign: The Lightwyrm's Roost

Chapter 4 / EX1-1

A Faint Presence

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Trail of Death

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The Three Mountain Fiends

Summary

Notte explains that faeries are kin to dragons and that she once lived among them until their differences drove her off. Hurt and alone, it was then she met Zethia.

Dialogue

I'm losing my mind. I can smell a dragon's presence nearby. It's close. ...Quite close. But Jupiter would never come this far down the mountain, and I'm certain it isn't any of YOUR dragons, darling. Ahem... You're forgetting a dragon, Mym. An exceptionally cute and talented one? I would certainly recognize the scent of my own mana, Notte. Not YOU, silly. Over heeere! Please don't try to trick me into craning my neck about wildly like a maniac. Now stop telling tales about this imaginary dragon friend before I get cross! I am NOT imaginary! I'm right here, in all my dragon-y glory! Don't you know that faeries are distant kin to the dragons? So if you smell dragon, that's me you're sniffing, sister! You. A dragon. ...YOU? *sniiiff* Good heavens, you may be right. I mean, it's tiny and feeble and scarcely detectable, but there IS mana in you. Well, there's a simple test to solve this once and for all: if you're truly a dragon, you will have a tail. Hold still while I get to the bottom of this. Mind your own beeswax, dragon lady! Have some freakin' dignity, Mym. Sheesh! You give someone wings, fire breath, and a few tons of muscle, and they think they're better than everybody! I mean, try telling a dragon that you're family when you're all tiny and weak like poor ol' me. They kicked me out. Like, literally punted me face-first in the castle garden. I'd still be there now watering the lawn with my tears if Zethia hadn't found me. She wiped the tears and gunk and worms from my face and gave me nectar to drink. When I told her my story, she said I was every bit a dragon, and that my kind were a treasure to the entire world. How very...quaint. Plenty of humans worship dragons, but buttering up a faerie is rather abnormal. Zethia isn't abnormal—she's nice! AND the Ilian Auspex, thankyouverymuch! The teachings of the goddess say to treat all dragons with respect. I was hurt and alone, and she was my friend when I really needed one. So Zethia is sweet on dragons, mmm? And my darling is her twin... So if I were to succumb to a grievous wound, he would race to my side and do all in his power to save me! Thank you for that little tidbit, Notte. It will come in handy...right...now. AaaAAAAaaah! I've FALLEN on this STEEP PASS and I've SKINNED my KNEES and ARMS and EARLOOOBES! I feel faint, darling... Help me! Ack! Mym! Are you okay? Hold still! (Ah, this is all too easy. Now, come... Come and take me in your arms...) Cleo, she needs healing! You take care of that while I make sure no one else is hurt! WHAT?! Rrrrgh! That squeaky little faerie sold me a bill of goods! Where exactly are you injured, Mym? In my HEART, Cleo! I am injured in my stupid HEART! Find me some medicine for that! Mmm... Might this work? They're an old pair of Euden's gloves. Ooooh! *sniff* They still have his smell! Sooo relaxing... I treated the symptom, but I fear I've made the underlying condition worse.