Sapphire Skies

Orothon and the other black smiths cheered for a moment before Orothon bowed and said "Thank ya mi'ady! Those terms sound agreeable, we'll be makin sure to do everything you ask of us before anyone else, you can count on us!" They seemed content knowing that finally they will be an official guild, with guild related bonuses.

Oliver nodded and said "Of course my lady, I will make the finishing touches on some of my designs and then perhaps we can arrange a time for us to meet and discuss them and their places in Brighton's future." He smiled and bowed, an obvious nobleman's bow, this man had learned from very high and mighty people, he could have useful connection along with useful intelligence.

The woman sighed "We aren't sure what's wrong with him, he has a bad bruise on his back that seems to just be getting bigger, and the Clerics couldn't do anything for him except make the pain go away. Ashian's power has dwindled with her worshipers sadly.."

The caravaners shifted, obviously uncomfortable, and obviously very unhappy that they were not going to be compensated for the time lost, but they werent going to say anything, especially after she locked eyes with them, they caught the threat rather quickly and would have begun apologizing until she said she had a counter offer for them. The main caravaner cleared his throat and nodded "Yes, what would this counter offer be?" He did his best to maintain his air of calmness.

Dylan was taken aback by how much she was promising, and it was shown on his face rather clearly but he smiled and nodded "Thank you my Queen, you are so very generous, the people of this town and the people of our goddess Ashian thank you. I understand our city is not prepared to take people in, but I look forward to perhaps talking with you about this further along the line once Brighton is closer to your obviously grand vision. Rest assured that the temple of Ashian is open to help you with anything you need. Our coffers are rather empty, not nearly enough to even repair the temple, but we would be willing to give it to you to help with the rest of your plans, after we repair the temple and perhaps raise some extra funds." She could almost see how much he was thinking about, thinking about who to select to teach the young ones, which clerics should be on duty in a hospital. He was a dedicated cleric, and she'd be lucky to have him in the future.

"I would very much like to meet him myself," Caeriadne said to the farmer's daughter. "Farming is as noble a profession as any, and this city owes its seasoned providers a great deal of respect. And to answer your question, young lady, farming will play an important role in Brighton's future. I would like to see us be able to function independently of any other city, with enough reserves of food for ourselves, and a surplus for trade and storing. Too many cities make the mistake of becoming dependent upon outside food sources, or private farms. At the very least, we will be claiming more rural area nearby the city for the farms to have room to expand - eventually, I would like to build plantations and give you access to the resources needed for more advanced and varied farming."

"Profitable long-term work," she answered. "Run shipments for me and I will offer your group a permanent stall in the market, free of charge for as long as you are under my employ. You will see that this would be a profitable offer for you even now, but consider that as the city of Brighton will be growing, so too will the trade here. And who wouldn't covet a permanent stall in a bustling marketplace with no overhead costs for upkeep? This isn't the sort of opportunity you would find in an already well-established city. I wonder what those merchants at Briar Hill would value a permanent street-vendor stall at..."

She nodded, pleased with Dylan's response. "You have my permission to start raising funds at once, however you see fit, so long as it does not infringe on the city's income or services. You might ask some of the local suppliers for wood or masonry supplies; the faster you have what you need, the faster you and the gnolls can build it."

The girl seemed surprised she wanted to actually come and meet her father "O-oh! Alright my lady, you can come whenever you'd like of course. We would love to have you in our home. I'll tell my father the news and your plans I'm sure he will be happy, It's been a while since anything as promising as this has happened."

The caravaner thought it over and even turned to speak with the other couple of men with him, then turned back and nodded "Yes this offer sounds good, we will agree to your terms. Though we have one more question, since we will be switching from and independent caravan to one working directly for you, perhaps you will also see fit to give us one extra caravan wagon?"

Dylan nodded with a smile "I will get to that right away my queen, thank you, and my the goddess Ashian bless you and all you endeavor to do."

"Not yet," Caeriadne said to the merchants plainly. She wasn't giving into their game - it was all a part of her test. "Work well for me, and you will earn one as a token of my gratitude. It would bring both of us more success after you can prove your worth under this new agreement, don't you think? But I do admire your...entrepreneurship. You will do fine. Choose any open stall you like." She smiled and then moved on, not really giving them a chance to refute her without interrupting. The deal was already done.

"Thank you, Dylan. I hope to visit you in the temple soon, when I get the chance. I wish to speak more with you and your clerics." She turned back to the rest of the forum, and then peered out the windows of the town hall. The sun was getting low already. The elections would be held soon.

"Thank you all for attending this forum. I will have more like it to address on-going concerns. Does anyone who has not already spoken have anything they wish to speak of? This shall be the final call." She glanced around at all the people in attendance.

The merchants stopped talking, rather annoyed looking, they were planning on a continue negotiation. No one else had any more issues and began to filter out of the building, except for a man she never saw come in. He was wearing a blue cloak and hood, and all she could see under it were blue dragon like eyes. But not diluted, not like a dragon blooded. Once he noticed she saw him, he smirked and immediately disappeared into the crowd, she couldn't sense him, he was hiding his presence.

Caeriadne raised her eyebrows, but showed no other signs of surprise. She knew what she was dealing with now, and would not let this new and unknown adversary have the pleasure of knowing that her guard had just gone up tenfold.

She waited for a moment until the crowd had dispersed out the door entirely before she stood and preemptively straightened her dress. This was not good. The very fact that this creature, likely one of her own kind, had the audacity to spy on her and then knowingly insult her made her blood boil. He was likely no friend of hers. She had been so careful to lock the city down specifically so something like this wouldn't happen, but already, some fool was vying for what was rightfully hers? She allowed herself to fume for a moment before she gathered her composure and, with a sharply observant eye, exited the town hall and turned to the grassy open field to the side, where most of the gnolls had been making themselves comfortable. The sun was falling, and in just a few minutes she would be addressing the town again for the election results - but the sudden appearance of that damnable spy in her midst was more pressing now.

She crossed the grass, looking for Korrok. She made a point to move normally and naturally so as not to draw attention, or let the strange 'man' know that she was alarmed.

Korrok seemed to be speaking to a group of gnolls, telling them where and how he wanted his tent set up. Although they could live in solid buildings, Korrok had decided on his tent anyway, making it more of a permanent structure though by adding some bits and pieces onto it. When he saw her walking up he spun around and bowed three times to her. "Hello Great One!"

"Hello, Korrok." She smiled at him. She was beginning to like this rather eccentric creature. "A word, please?" She gestured for him to take a few steps away from the others, and lowered her voice slightly.

"Listen. This is..." She reorganized her words to make more sense, and tried not to do so in a condescending way. "This is a secret. Someone is in the city that shouldn't be. Someone else that could be powerful like me, and I think he's watching me. Don't tell anyone, or act surprised. I don't want him to know that we know. Do you understand, Korrok?"

Korrok walked away with her and when she explained he was going to look very surprised, until she said that, then he calmed down and let out a deep breath "There is another dragon in the town...that's definitely an issue, yes. I will keep this a secret. Do you want us to try and keep an eye on them?"

"Yes. But very carefully, Korrok. If he knows you're watching, I'm not sure what will happen. He could be very dangerous. Tell Silus for me, and not a peep of this gets out to anyone else. Send some of the gnolls to go check on the gate guards, and make sure they're all awake and doing their job. No one in, no one out."

Korrok nodded "It will be done, Great One!" He bowed again and ran back to his men, making sure they were all quiet and calm about the situation, then sending them out to do her bidding and to make sure they we were watching the one person that was out of place, the cloaked figure.

Caeriadne nearly facepalmed when she saw Korrok immediately go off and dutifully report the situation. Didn't I tell him... She cursed under her breath and decided it was too late now anyway, so she turned, crossed the courtyard, and headed towards the small election area by the market square. She watched around her the entire time as a state of heightened awareness had kicked in.

She hadn't given much consideration to what had happened to the other dragons - but logically, if she had been hibernating for as long as it had felt, there would be other dragons operating in this area that she was completely unaware of. How foolish not to scout the area more efficiently, she scolded herself, and watch to be absolutely sure you were in unclaimed territory. This new dragon certainly would not take kindly to an encroaching conqueror such as herself, and she was in no position to fight for her new prize quite yet. Damn. She had been foolhardy and over-eager...

She would then hear a voice in her head, a man's voice, she would recognize the power. He was a lapis dragon, a gem dragon like her. One of their abilities was to speak to other dragon's telepathically.

"Hello there, sister. You're a sapphire correct? We're both gems, that's interesting isn't it. Makes us like family in a weird way. I love your little city here, such cute gnolls too. Their so dedicated. If I didn't already know they were here I may not have even noticed them started to watch me"

"Why are you here?" Caeriadne responded. Her temper was rising quickly, but she tried to stay steady and not allow any emotional fluctuations into her communication. "Make your intentions known. I have no time for games."

"Oh nothing too nefarious I promise. You're name is Caeriadne right? My name is Raziel, a Lapis Lazuli dragon. I'm not too interested in being in charge of thing, but you seem VERY interesting. Gnolls and humans living together, a democratic dragon queen...all so much fun to watch."

"Then why don't you come speak with me, instead of skulking through crowds and staying hidden? I have no animosity towards you. Do you wish to discuss what I have been doing here?"

"Oh but I like to stay in the shadows you see. What is going to keep you from trying to kill me, my territorial sapphire friend."

"The only thing that would motivate me to kill you, my secretive Lapis friend, is for you to antagonize me like some rogue instead of having a proper conversation. Do you think I will attack you? In the middle of a city filled with people I am actively trying to protect? Unlikely." She paused for a moment, trying to think of ways to keep him talking. "How long have you been here?"

She would hear a voice behind her, outside of her head "I've been here for a couple hours my dear." He laughed

She turned slowly, calmly, decisively. She expected that if this man...dragon, rather...was going to shove a blade into her throat or blast her away with some wicked spell, now would be his opportunity. Her eyes analyzed him brutally and with a derision that almost challenged some sort of threat, but her voice stayed low and delicate as if she was entertaining some important guest.

"Nice of you to come out and speak to me, Raziel," she offered a dry smile.

His face was pleasant enough, it showed someone who looked on the joyful side of life, who had laughed more often then they had sneered. His eyes were a bright blue-ish color, slightly purple, shifting with the light it seemed. He was taller than she was by a head, and while he wasn't a very muscular man he appeared to carry himself with strength. It didn't seem like he came with any ill intent, but with dragons it was rarely obvious, unless you were dealing with chromatics.

"Had to gauge whether or nor you'd murder me on the spot for being sneaky." He laughed softly "You're fast my dear Sapphire. Dragons have only been back a few days it seems, and you have a village under boot. Impressive."

"Thank you. I don't have time to play games," she offered as a polite response to his compliment, but she tinged it with undertones that belied her meaning. She decided not to respond to learning that, in fact, the dragons had just returned - she kept her composure and let him believe that she had known what was going on all along.

"As much as I appreciate your admiration, I'm sure you didn't come here just to give me a pat on the shoulder, my friend. Are you...seeking refuge?" She could still try to play this out as a friendly encounter. Raziel obviously wasn't hostile, but she couldn't trust his intentions yet - she still had to get a sense of exactly what he wanted out of her.

"Oooh seeking refuge! Wouldn't that be an interesting story to spin, a Lapis Dragon seeking asylum from an angry world comes running to a benevolent Sapphire! Oh it almost sounds like a love story." He laughs and smiled "Oh nothing so dire my dear. Lapis dragons can sense other dragons, even read their actions to a basic degree. You were the most interesting dragon that I thought wouldn't kill me on sight. The other was some nasty Hex Dragon beast, she already has two whole clans of Orks following her. Plans to go into the underdark, scary stuff. But you...well you seemed more my pace. So I'm going to stick around."

Her eyes locked onto his. She couldn't quite tell just how powerful the dragon before her was, but she knew that regardless, she was in no position to start a conflict. Besides, he was bold enough to march into her territory, so it was more likely that he had enough force to back up his actions. She doubted that this was some young straggler only looking to stir up trouble. He was too..confident.

She said nothing, but allowed him more time to speak. He had been free with his information so far, so perhaps he would volunteer some more. Besides, Caeriadne wasn't sure that if she allowed herself to speak freely she would still be able to maintain her composure. Every nerve in her body was irritated by Raziel at this point and she would've loved nothing more than to reach out and wring his neck for daring to encroach onto her newly earned territory like some common hoodlum.

His smile turned into a slightly mischievous, but dark, smirk "Oh my dear, I can read you like one reads a book. You really want me dead or gone don't you? Oh my dear new friend, I am cut to the core!" He made an over dramatic gestured to his heart. "You are some where around 700 years old I gather from when I sensed your dragon form and it's power. You shouldn't try anything my dear, i have about 200 years on you. But obviously you know I don't want to hurt you, if I wanted to I would have during the time I was walking around your village without you being any the wiser. No no my dear Caeriadne, I don't want to spill any of your sapphire tinted blood. I find you amusing, an interesting spark of light in an other wise rather dull age we've woken into. So I will be staying around until I stop finding you interesting."