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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3023054" data-attributes="member: 35788">Brandt leaned forward in his chair and lowered his volume.  Everyone in the room had to strain just to hear what had been said.  “I have a favor to ask of you, and this is a favor that will come at quite a difficult level for you.  I had the chance to speak to my dragon father about Ischarus over the course of this past week.  In so doing, my dragon father has been impressed not only by your progress in each of your talents, but more in the values that you exude.  Ischarus has told me of your moral choice to kill no foe.  My father dragon found that particularly noteworthy.  He was also impressed by the fact that you frequently risk your lives for the freedom of others.  He has asked a simple favor, but I will not lie.  The favor carries a tremendous amount of danger within it.”He paused and leaned back in his chair as if to think about what to say.  Ischarus began to speak, but Brandt silenced him with a simple look.  Nobody else desired to challenge Brandt for the floor and the ability to speak once Ischarus had been refused.  “My dragon father wishes to have a red dragon egg if there is one available.”Ischarus and Charis immediately knew the imminent danger of such a task and they gasped as the favor was asked.  Semeion understood dragon pride enough from his studies to also understand the weight that such a task would carry.  Rhema knew little about dragons and their clutches, but she knew enough from the last time a red dragon was breathing down their necks to know she didn’t want a repeat of that event.Ischarus spoke first.  “Your dragon father asks too much!  It is impossible!”Brandt smiled and shook his head.  “It is not impossible.  And it is not an order or a command.  It is merely an offer should you find yourself in a given opportunity.”Semeion spoke up the next objection.  “Surely you know how greedy red dragons are!  They often know the value of their hordes down to the smallest fleck of gold.  Do you expect us to be able to steal an egg easier than a gold piece?”Brandt was prepared for this objection.  “Yes.  As to the well known fact of dragon greed, the funny thing about red wyrms is that there are some things that you can in fact steal and others that if you steal them they will hunt you down across the mountains.  Their treasure is completely off limits, and it matters not if you are talking about monetary treasure or gemstones.  They love their hordes more than anything else in the whole world.  A red wyrm’s honor and reputation is wrapped up both psychologically and emotionally in the size of the horde to which they return.  In fact, the only way to ever be free in stealing even the minutest portion of a red dragon’s horde is to slay the dragon itself.”Brandt paused and the look of a mischievous eight year old boy who just sent his younger brother out of the room to distract his mother while he dips into the cookie jar passed over Brandt’s face.  “That being said about the greed of the red wyrm especially, remember that you managed to take Charis without her dragon father tracking you down personally.  He came after you in anger, but only sent minions to reclaim Charis.  The red wyrm is indeed greedy and possessive about treasure; but it is much less possessive of family.  Human made Drakontai can always be replaced by mating with another human.  A dragon cannot produce treasure through mating.  A clutch of eggs can even be replaced almost as easily as a Drakontos.  Living family is perishable in the eyes of a red wyrm.  But the gold that lay on the bottom of a horde floor cannot be replaced.”Charis’ mouth opened slightly as she heard Brandt’s explanation.  She thought about all that she had learned in the past three months as well as how much her kin still living in Quehalost meant to her.  She pondered for a second about how many had perished when they fled.  “That’s just wrong.”  It was a simple complaint, but it was all her mind could wrap around regarding the priorities of her dragon father.  She had never thought about how little her father dragon had done to get her back in those terms.  Yet Charis knew that Brandt’s logic was absolutely correct.Brandt nodded in agreement.  “You’ll not find the same values in all dragon kind, Charis.  In fact you’ll not even find those values in all evil dragon kind.  In truth most dragons care about their immediate family.  But you will find it true in reds.  Furthermore, a red dragon will care less about the eggs within its clutch that are of the same gender as the parent than the eggs of the opposite gender.  Red wyrms are very territorial, remember?  Dragons of the same gender compete for mating rites, land usage, and even control over Drakontai.  From the perspective of a red dragon, the fewer red wyrms around of the same gender the easier and more productive their life will be.  Thus, if you can find his stash of male eggs, he might not even notice one was gone for a few days.  And even if one turns up missing, I guarantee that the red wyrm will pursue you for the sake of his reputation being tarnished and not because he actually cares for the egg.  If you can survive long enough for his immediate anger to burn itself out, your task will be all but accomplished.”Charis still couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  Ischarus was struggling to understand the red wyrm approach to kin as well.  He had known the love that his own silver dragon father gave to all his children.  Semeion was absolutely amazed at Brandt’s wealth of knowledge regarding the red dragon that he didn’t have time to be appalled.  In a very neutral and academic sort of way Semeion even found it intriguing.  Rhema, on the other hand, was already scheming.  A slight and dark smile crept across her face.  “We might be able to do it, Brandt.  If we cannot do it on this journey perhaps we can accomplish this task on the next.”Rhema’s voice trailed off into her own thoughts.  Brandt replied simply, “My father dragon is not particular.  Of course sooner is better, but this is not a simple one time offer.  We do not desire you to make this the goal of your mission.  Obviously, saving lives is the goal.  Working toward justice in Quehalost is far superior to this quest for my father dragon.  However, should you find that the red wyrm has protection of a clutch and you are in a position…”Rhema smiled broadly.  “We just might find ourselves there.”The rest of the party was now curious, but that was all Rhema was going to offer up in explanation in front of Brandt.  Brandt mentioned a healthy reward from such a dragon egg.  They chatted about their training for a little while longer and Charis reminded them that if they were going to leave the city before the gates were closed for the night they should probably hurry.  Before too long they were all on the way home to Huetown.  The next day was spent in preparation for the expedition.  Salted food, water skins, arrows, and flint were all packed into the saddlebags.  Once the preparations were made, they each lay down to sleep.  Tomorrow marked the most difficult trip into the evil land yet.  Not only were they intentionally headed into an area in which they were already marked individuals, they were doing it with Rhema convinced that the retrieval of an egg of a red wyrm might just be possible.[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]Brandt leaned forward in his chair and lowered his volume. Everyone in the room had to strain just to hear what had been said. “I have a favor to ask of you, and this is a favor that will come at quite a difficult level for you. I had the chance to speak to my dragon father about Ischarus over the course of this past week. In so doing, my dragon father has been impressed not only by your progress in each of your talents, but more in the values that you exude. Ischarus has told me of your moral choice to kill no foe. My father dragon found that particularly noteworthy. He was also impressed by the fact that you frequently risk your lives for the freedom of others. He has asked a simple favor, but I will not lie. The favor carries a tremendous amount of danger within it.”He paused and leaned back in his chair as if to think about what to say. Ischarus began to speak, but Brandt silenced him with a simple look. Nobody else desired to challenge Brandt for the floor and the ability to speak once Ischarus had been refused. “My dragon father wishes to have a red dragon egg if there is one available.”Ischarus and Charis immediately knew the imminent danger of such a task and they gasped as the favor was asked. Semeion understood dragon pride enough from his studies to also understand the weight that such a task would carry. Rhema knew little about dragons and their clutches, but she knew enough from the last time a red dragon was breathing down their necks to know she didn’t want a repeat of that event.Ischarus spoke first. “Your dragon father asks too much! It is impossible!”Brandt smiled and shook his head. “It is not impossible. And it is not an order or a command. It is merely an offer should you find yourself in a given opportunity.”Semeion spoke up the next objection. “Surely you know how greedy red dragons are! They often know the value of their hordes down to the smallest fleck of gold. Do you expect us to be able to steal an egg easier than a gold piece?”Brandt was prepared for this objection. “Yes. As to the well known fact of dragon greed, the funny thing about red wyrms is that there are some things that you can in fact steal and others that if you steal them they will hunt you down across the mountains. Their treasure is completely off limits, and it matters not if you are talking about monetary treasure or gemstones. They love their hordes more than anything else in the whole world. A red wyrm’s honor and reputation is wrapped up both psychologically and emotionally in the size of the horde to which they return. In fact, the only way to ever be free in stealing even the minutest portion of a red dragon’s horde is to slay the dragon itself.”Brandt paused and the look of a mischievous eight year old boy who just sent his younger brother out of the room to distract his mother while he dips into the cookie jar passed over Brandt’s face. “That being said about the greed of the red wyrm especially, remember that you managed to take Charis without her dragon father tracking you down personally. He came after you in anger, but only sent minions to reclaim Charis. The red wyrm is indeed greedy and possessive about treasure; but it is much less possessive of family. Human made Drakontai can always be replaced by mating with another human. A dragon cannot produce treasure through mating. A clutch of eggs can even be replaced almost as easily as a Drakontos. Living family is perishable in the eyes of a red wyrm. But the gold that lay on the bottom of a horde floor cannot be replaced.”Charis’ mouth opened slightly as she heard Brandt’s explanation. She thought about all that she had learned in the past three months as well as how much her kin still living in Quehalost meant to her. She pondered for a second about how many had perished when they fled. “That’s just wrong.” It was a simple complaint, but it was all her mind could wrap around regarding the priorities of her dragon father. She had never thought about how little her father dragon had done to get her back in those terms. Yet Charis knew that Brandt’s logic was absolutely correct.Brandt nodded in agreement. “You’ll not find the same values in all dragon kind, Charis. In fact you’ll not even find those values in all evil dragon kind. In truth most dragons care about their immediate family. But you will find it true in reds. Furthermore, a red dragon will care less about the eggs within its clutch that are of the same gender as the parent than the eggs of the opposite gender. Red wyrms are very territorial, remember? Dragons of the same gender compete for mating rites, land usage, and even control over Drakontai. From the perspective of a red dragon, the fewer red wyrms around of the same gender the easier and more productive their life will be. Thus, if you can find his stash of male eggs, he might not even notice one was gone for a few days. And even if one turns up missing, I guarantee that the red wyrm will pursue you for the sake of his reputation being tarnished and not because he actually cares for the egg. If you can survive long enough for his immediate anger to burn itself out, your task will be all but accomplished.”Charis still couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Ischarus was struggling to understand the red wyrm approach to kin as well. He had known the love that his own silver dragon father gave to all his children. Semeion was absolutely amazed at Brandt’s wealth of knowledge regarding the red dragon that he didn’t have time to be appalled. In a very neutral and academic sort of way Semeion even found it intriguing. Rhema, on the other hand, was already scheming. A slight and dark smile crept across her face. “We might be able to do it, Brandt. If we cannot do it on this journey perhaps we can accomplish this task on the next.”Rhema’s voice trailed off into her own thoughts. Brandt replied simply, “My father dragon is not particular. Of course sooner is better, but this is not a simple one time offer. We do not desire you to make this the goal of your mission. Obviously, saving lives is the goal. Working toward justice in Quehalost is far superior to this quest for my father dragon. However, should you find that the red wyrm has protection of a clutch and you are in a position…”Rhema smiled broadly. “We just might find ourselves there.”The rest of the party was now curious, but that was all Rhema was going to offer up in explanation in front of Brandt. Brandt mentioned a healthy reward from such a dragon egg. They chatted about their training for a little while longer and Charis reminded them that if they were going to leave the city before the gates were closed for the night they should probably hurry. Before too long they were all on the way home to Huetown. The next day was spent in preparation for the expedition. Salted food, water skins, arrows, and flint were all packed into the saddlebags. Once the preparations were made, they each lay down to sleep. Tomorrow marked the most difficult trip into the evil land yet. Not only were they intentionally headed into an area in which they were already marked individuals, they were doing it with Rhema convinced that the retrieval of an egg of a red wyrm might just be possible.[/Sblock]</blockquote>

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