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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 1423908" data-attributes="member: 15043">Pellaron is Dead... and the Dragons Return”He’s what?” Tess asked urgently.  “Dead?  Really dead?”  Oh poor Pell!”I need a diamond,” the half orc growled.  “I can bring him back, if I can have a 500 gold piece or greater diamond.  It must be flawless... as Kord allows those whose strenght is flawless to return.”  Immediately the party began searching through their backs.”Grumki, if they can’t find one, let me go through this tower and I’ll bring you back one in a couple minutes,” Shaun promised after coming up empty on his pack, surprisingly.  At least Grumki can bring him back...  A search into one of the pouches of Tess’ dress revealed such a diamond, and Grumki set to work bringing Pellaron’s spirit back from the dead...In the chaos over Grumki, none noticed Siabrey sinking to the floor, crying silently, or Lucius holding her tight.”It’ll be alright, Siabrey.  Grumki can fix it,” Lucius’ voice came through her head calmly and quietly.  ”Ssshh... It’ll be alright.”  She couldn’t see where he was at, but judging from his body heat, she grabbed him and pushed him backwards.”What was that for?” he asked, a little hurt.”That’s for being so reckless and jumping into combat yourself!” she retorted, making sure her voice carried a weight of anger with it.  ”Luke!  You should have just guided me to the front and let me fight!””You’re blind, your deaf, and you can’t speak!  I was defending YOU!” he snapped back.  His anger subsided momentarily, and he grabbed her and held her close.  ”As much as you don’t want anything to happen to me, I don’t want anything to happen to you!  I love you!”  Siabrey’s anger melted away, though she made a mental note once she could see and speak again to give Luke a lecture on recklessness.  ”For me, Luke, its ok to be reckless!  I’ve been in fights, I know how to dodge, to roll, and how to avoid being hurt!  Luke, remember the ghouls?!  You don’t know how scared I was then!  Or how scared I was in Kulloden, seeing you laying there paralyzed!  I don’t want anything like that to happen to you again!?”Lucius by this point realized that arguing with Siabrey would have been pointless.  Instead, he tried to raise her spirits some, ”Fine.  Have it your way.  But if you continue to be this obstinate, I think I shall have to prank you while you’re vulnerable...”  A smile crossed his lips, and he grinned when he saw her lips echo the move.”You wouldn’t dare,” came her mental reply, as her lips formed the words but no sound came forth.  He leaned to her and pulled her close.  Her only clue to the fact that he was tearing up was feeling wetness on her neck and shoulder.”What’s happening?  Whats going on, Luke?” Siabrey asked nervously.”I’m taking you outside.  Grumki said he can’t heal you tonight... raising Pellaron will take the rest of his divine powers for the day.  He’ll heal you tommorrow.”  He pulled her even closer.  ”Until then, I’ll watch over you, I’ll be by your side, even when this spell runs out.  You can still feel things, can’t you?””Yes,” she sniffed.  I am truly lucky to have this man, her mind thought.”Then I’ll hold your hand,” he said softly, before starting to cry again.Shaun was likewise by Elenya’s side, who was finally crying about her inability to help during the fight, Shaun’s jumping into the middle of the fray and the results.“Its alright... its alright...” he hugged her close.“Why did you have to try to be a hero and leap into that mess?” she muffled into his shoulder.  “You saw what happened to Pell... that could’ve been you.   You’re a father now... and... and... I can’t think of life without you!” she cried as he held her close.The two then went and began to comfort Renee, who was still crying and shaking from the terrible thing she had seen.  The two pulled her close, and let her cry as she blurbed to them between tears.Tess slumped to the ground, her last songstrike launched at the vile little girl.  She felt weary and weak, and was fully expecting more guards to come down... yet none did.  She felt horrible... Pellaron was dead, it was clear something very wrong had happened to Siabrey, and as of yet they had not found any trace of the dragons....Off in the distance, even from here, deep in the base of hte tower, the party heard a distant growl... as if a roar of a great beast had been carried thinly through the air to their ears.  The single noise grew into several, then tens, then too many to count.  Tess, Lucius, Elenya and Aris immediately dashed up the stairs, while Lucius hefted Siabrey over his shoulder and followed.”Luke... whats going on?  Where are you taking me?””To see the dragons,” he replied.As the party left the tower, they could see people scrambling around in the village below, as a massive constellation of lights, seeming pinpricks in the moonlight, moved in the distance.  Tess cleared her lungs, and gave a mighty shout for Xanadu.  The largest pinprick then seemed to turn, the others following suit.  The pinpricks grew larger, until bodies became visible, then wings, and it finally sank into the party consciousness what they were seeing... over two hundred dragons coming in to land.As the figures grew closer and lower, their sizes became apparent.  Xanadu was easily the largest, though there were a few near his size.  Most of the rest were comparatively small... only 50 feet long or so.  As masses of dust arose over the village, the dragons all began to rear back, and just beyond, their legs began touching down.  A mighty rumble echoed through the hillsides as they came to the ground at a gallop, and then moved aside to let the rest land.  Before the massive cloud of dust and dirt enveloped the party, they were able to see that there were not only silver colored dragons, but others... gold colored ones, copper colored ones, and some that looked to be made of brass.”Luke!  Whats happening?” Siabrey asked desperately, feeling the ground shake underneath her.  ”Tell me!””They’re landing... over two hundred of them!  Massive dragons... Xanadu is there, and there are many other silvers... many gold dragons, many that are copper or brass.. oh... its beautiful!””I wish I could see it!” she cried, as Lucius described to her in detail as all the dragons drew themselves up, the largest ones near the center, and Xanadu himself coming forward, and bowing to the party.”Mmmm... I am not sure what you have done, but the barriers that held us are broken.  I feel we owe you a great thanks.” the great dragon spoke graciously into their minds.  Even Siabrey heard.”Where is your friend Pellaron? And his friend Igbar the paladin?” Xanadu asked quietly, and Shaun quietly said that both had fallen.  Xanadu’s massive eyes went downcast... even moreso when he saw Siabrey.”What has happened to Siabrey?  Why can she not speak?” he said with grave concern, his head lowering to barely a foot from her.”She has been cursed, Xanadu,” Lucius said.  “She can neither hear, nor speak, nor see.  She desperately wants to see all of you, I’m talking to her through the spell you taught me in Irulas.”  Gingerly Luke took Siabrey’s left hand, and stretched it out.”What are you reaching my hand out for?” Siabrey asked in her darkened mind.  She did not resist however.  ”Is it to...”Her question was answered, as she felt familiar scales and the coolness of silver plating under her fingertips.  She jumped out of happiness, her mouth making a soundless shriek of joy.  ”Xanadu!” her mind leaped.”Yes, Siabrey Sipner,” the great dragon spoke quietly.  ”It is me... and I would consider it an honor to be nuzzled by one as brave as you.”  Siabrey gingerly felt along with her other hand, and encircled one quarter of girth of the dragon’s massive head.  She could not hear anything, but Lucius said into her mind.”He’s purring again, Siabrey.”  As those words entered her mind, she felt his head gently nuzzle her, and she felt the gentle vibrations herself.... and began crying.It was early the next morning, long after Lucius’ spell wore off, that she felt herself rise.  She couldn’t see anything, but she felt a hand clasped around hers, and something, perhaps another hand, gently rubbing her arm, and something like lips touch her cheek.  She smiled, knowing it was Lucius by her side... and then she jumped when another hand, much larger and rougher, clamped itself on her forehead. A second later, she realized it was Grumki.She couldn’t hear the words intoned, or see the light that enveloped her as his divine magic did its work, but suddenly her eyes were bombarded with light, and shapes moved in front of them.  To her relief, she heard muffled whispers, distant noises of something, which became louder and more distinct.  When her senses were fully intact, she realized the shape blocking most of the light was Lucius, and the noises she heard were him repeating, “Its ok!  Its all better!  I love you!”The two held each other for several minutes, before she rose, and looked around.  Pellaron, back from his ordeal, was explaining to Aris what he saw.  She looked out towards the village, hoping to see the dragons, but instead caught a glimpse of many people of various types, working on cutting wood, making saddles, or other affairs.  Worriedly, she turned to Lucius, who covered her lips with a kiss and then an index finger before she could ask her question.“Xanadu proposed the dragons give us a lift to Irulas.  It would be much faster than travelling over the mountains... so they’re making saddles and the like so we don’t fall out,” he smiled.  As she looked, she suddenly realized every one of the elves, humans, half-elves, and dwarves in front of her had the same brassy eyes of the middle aged half elf standing before her, smiling.(Well, that brings us to only two sessions behind <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> )</blockquote>

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