Huerfang's Journey: Morning After Pill

[Cptdragon9]

The next morning found the Del Marian women slightly hungover. Sara had expected it since she’d been drinking heavy the night before, but Megan and her enhanced metabolism should have burned the alcohol out of her system long before dawn. It was another concern for the Soothsayer to worry over as the two women vied for the bathroom, playfully but softly jousting each other to see in the mirror. It was good that they were enjoying each other’s company. It had been a long time since they’d had a chance to pal around like this and Sara for one missed it.

Soon they were washed and dressed, Sara in a simple shift like the ones she wore at the castle; Megan taking a more commercial vector with jeans and a t-shirt that advertized for her were-rabbit farm. At least Megan had something to keep her busy (and out of trouble). Sara was more often than not immersed in books and text, trying to get a handle on how magic worked in this realm. It wasn’t that difficult a concept to understand, it was the applications that she seemed to fight with. It didn’t matter; it gave her a goal to strive for while she recuperated.

Eventually the duo found the breakfast bar, a better layout for a continental breakfast than most places. Sara picked at the fruit and some of the pastries while Megan loaded up. She might well be hung-over, but it seemed she at least had an appetite. A good thing too, because it was a beautiful smorgasbord and it would have been a shame to waste. While Megan loaded up her plate the Militant delegation showed up to breakfast as well, some looking just about as green as Sara felt. “Good morning Miss Megan; Miss Sara,” the Colonel piped up as he loaded his plate with sausages and scrambled eggs.

At least Megan was just as polite. “Good morning, Colonel. Staying another day?”

“Well I believe there was some talk about needing access to Militant files to help in improving your condition. I wanted to speak with the techs after they had a look at you to see what they would need from up.”

Megan’s face showed that she wasn’t keen on the Militants knowing in depth what her condition was, but she kept her tongue in check. “I see. Well I guess you’ll have a rough idea soon. We’re supposed to meet with them later this morning, I believe.”

As both entourages worked their way down the buffett, they were joined by Tully whom had one handful of notes that she was still re-reading as she worked her way down the line, picking out lighter fare that was easier to carry. “Ah, Missy Tully!” the Colonel smiled at her, causing her to blush slightly. “What are Your plans for the day?”

“Well, I have some studying to do… some… uh… research.. to follow up on.”

“Really, what kind of research? Perhaps I can help?”

“Uhm… no…. It’s just a bit of… uhm… social studies, I guess. If you’ll excuse me.” She snagged a large sweetroll then retreated back up the stairs to her room.

Megan turned to the Colonel. “Smooth move. You scared her right down to her knickers.”

“I was merely being helpful.”

“Dude, you’re just too much of yourself. You’re clouting her over the head with sex appeal.”

“Really?” Snorts and giggles began to ripple around the table.

“Like an Ox! Ease back on the friend-o-meter a bit.”

[Solem'cleavu]

Then they were joined by Serenity the priestess making her way down the stairs at that moment and looking rather disheveled as if she had just woken up about a minute prior, an oddity to say the least given her position. Although she herself was currently wearing a long shirt that hung down to her knees it was obvious she had shorts on underneath as well. Blue hair hanging free this time instead of tied back it was hanging down low enough for the tips to actually be brushing against the floor so with a yawn she made her way to the "breakfast bar" that the Kilans' maid constance had set up for everyone. She had actually passed by Estelle who had ran back up the stairs. "So who freaked out that Tully person?"

Prier was actually much better off, having already been dressed for the day when she exited her room only to see Estelle/Tully duck back into her room. The weapons' master making her way over to knock on the door a couple times before opening it and poking her head in. "Tully, it took a couple days to get the approval but I want you to come with me this morning to the central library. There's some information there relevant to your search that you might want to look over." With that being said she closed the door and headed down herself to get breakfast before everyone else ate it all up.

[Cptdragon9]

“Thank you,” Tully answered from somewhere in the room, perhaps the back of the closet even. “I’ll be out in a little bit....”

…….

Serenity got a quick answer. “Oh that would be the Colonel setting young hearts a fluttering,” Megan spoke up before stuffing some link sausage in her maw.

A second round of giggle followed. “Yes, I’m afraid so,” the Colonel rejoined. “Apparently I am some sort of cad.”

“An absolute heart-breaker,” Megan added. “She’s probably crying in her butterfly and unicorn notebook right now.”

“Then perhaps I should go up there and…”

“NO!” was the immediate outcry from most gathered around the table. It clearly was all in light jest, probably something that was needed after Sara’s scathing discussion with Saarith.

[Solem'cleavu]

Serenity's response was simple. She had made her way around to the Colonel then slapped him lightly upside the head but just enough to mess up his hair some, not enough to actually hurt the guy. "Quit scaring little girls." was all she would say before she resumed munching on the couple pieces of toast with jam that she prepared for herself.

Prier for her part had simply gotten a couple biscuits along with some ham then retreated to the main sitting area and started perusing some paperwork while she ate.

[Cptdragon9]

“What?” the Colonel quipped back. “I was trying to be nice!”

Soon they were all in the sitting area, glomming down on the good grub with varying forms of etiquette and manners, but all were enjoying the food. Megan looked apprehensive, so much so that she looked as if she might bolt. It was only a combination of Sara’s stern looks and the embarrassment she might suffer showing that weakness to the Colonel’s retinue. Besides the guy Did offer his help. It would have been rude to refuse, at least that’s what Sara muttered to the mutant when they were close enough to whisper without being overheard.

Megan settled into devouring the meal. “So, what’s the agenda? I assume there’s some sort of lab we gotta go to? Stick me with a gazillion needles? Stuff me in an iron lung and Xray the snot outta me until my skin starts peelin’ off?”

Some days she could be such a killjoy…

[Solem'cleavu]

"Pretty much the same as when you were carrying Junior, Meg." Serenity had stated once she had finished with her toast. "Although it would have been much more helpful if you would have had a mind to get this done before getting yourself pregnant again so we could get a baseline diagnosis down. As it stands now we would have to take into account the possibility of your new kid siphoning away at your strength as a possible reason why you do not seem to be getting better. We will still be trying to find other possible causes as well obviously."

[Cptdragon9]

“Like I Planned any of this,” she pouted slightly. She hadn’t thought that her baby was sucking away at her like Junior did. It didn’t Feel like he was. Or she. Or they. At the thought that she could be carrying two or more, a low moan shuddered through her.

The Colonel leaned over a bit. “Are you alright Miss Megan?”

She made a face at him. “Just gas,” she insisted.

Sara also hadn’t thought about the possibility that the pregnancy would be messing with her. “If it was the baby, wouldn’t she have gotten better between the first and second? From what I understand she’s been pretty much lingering like this for a while. When did this all start to begin with?”

Megan frowned. “Spheres,” she growled.

[Solem'cleavu]

Serenity merely shrugged. "First of all Sara there really hasn't been that much time between when she had Junior and the current pregnancy. Although I must admit that I am probably speaking as a Dragon here. Even so though you are most likely correct in that she still should have shown some improvement between the two if the pregnancy siphoning her strength was the case. However that being said as the Priestess overseeing this diagnosis I must keep in mind any and all possibilities and causes of Megan's condition no matter how unlikely if I am to have any chance at getting her back up to speed. Same thing as during my treatments of yourself as well as your son Sara."

At Megan's mention of the spheres she looked over to the woman then with a grin. "Well if you want we could try to get a hold of Miss Clone. From what I understand she is the current Chaos Sphere bearer. Maybe she has an idea or two." yes she would be expecting Meg's reaction to that suggestion no matter what it may be so she just stood up anyway without waiting for an answer. "Anyway it's about time we got everything underway. Sooner we can get this done the sooner I can get back and start finalizing preparations for the Rebirth Ceremony. Colonel once you finish handing over the data you have on the physiology of the mutant clan you can return home. I'm sure you have plenty of things that you need to get done as well."

Closing her eyes a bit her hair and clothing seeming to flutter a bit in the air before her body took on the familiar glow of the Vashtalians' standard metamorph spell. Once the glow had faded her hairstyle was back to normal and she was back to the standard Vashtalian Military uniform for her station. Black tunic and pants with red trim, the Vashtalian crest on the left breast of her tunic with the holy order's emblem on the right and her rank insignia just above that.

[Cptdragon9]

The Colonel watched as Serenity performed her quick-change slight-of-hand trick. “Miss Seren, what I wouldn’t do to be able to perform such a trick. There are days that I think this uniform of mine is more like second skin.” And indeed he must have slept in his work clothes during the night as they were not in pristine order. He did hand over the small data chip containing all of the pertinent information on mutant physiology. “Hopefully this will give you the baseline you are looking for.” He gave a bit of a wry face. “Much of it was cultivated from when Megan and her kin were “guests” during the war. It also has the results of several stress tests in case you were looking for other possible venues as to why she isn’t recuperating. What I would ask in return is any results from your testing here today to add to our database. We like to be thorough.”

That elicited a bit of a growl from Megan herself, once that carried enough of a tone to make Sara move between the uppity mutant less she try to be “thorough” herself. “Mind your manners,” she warned Megan softly, even as she steered her back towards the table for another go round at the spread.

Once Megan was stuffing her maw again, and after the Colonel and his retinue made their goodbyes before things go ugly; Sara turned to Seren. “If it is a sphere problem, there may be a bigger problem than just contacting this Clone creature. From what I understand there were three people involved in that merge with the Chaos orb, the third being the Deh Mahr herself. What if we need her to fix this problem?”

[Solem'cleavu]

"Thank you Colonel and I will take your request under consideration however keep in mind that due to patient confidentiality we may not be able to provide the full and complete details of the results to you without at least Megan's approval." Pocketing the datachip at that point before she just smirked. "Now as far as what I just did earlier that was nothing more than a different usage of teleportation and temporal magic with a bit of gravity control magic mixed in to get my hair in the right place. We can teach the teleportation part of it to you if you wish however I do not recommend immediately starting off with changing your clothing in that way. Thinks could get a bit awkward for you if you mess it up in public."

Serenity sighed at that point as Sara made her concern known. "Well that is a possibility now is it? Well we are in the process of hunting down Aurora actually so I imagine at one point we'll find her and bring her home if we need her. As for Clone I would appreciate it Sara if you would not refer to her as a "creature". After all is she not herself a member of the mutant clan? Would you refer to me or even Lord Claw or father as a "creature" if we were not around to hear it?"

[Cptdragon9]

The Colonel looked rather thoughtful at the prospect of learning magic of any kind. “I think I should like to learn this spell of yours. Perhaps next time I visit the castle, maybe after the Rebirthing Ceremony, you will be so kind to instruct us.”

He gave a bow. “But I believe it is time for us to leave before we wear out our welcome. “Good day, all; and good luck , Miss Megan.” They finally turned to head back to (their craft, I believe?)

………………………

Sara still looked a bit sour about the subject. “I’m sorry. It’s not Clone, but the idea of the Spheres. It was not the mutants’ fault that they ‘broke’ their precious Orbs, and their reaction to wipe out most any mutant they could … well you’ll forgive me if I am less than forgiving of their offices. I meant no disrespect to Clone. In fact I am amazed and perhaps a little confused that she stayed with them rather than return to the mutant clan where she belongs….”

“Now hold on a sec,” Megan stirred. “I don’t think Clone could just very well dump her orb on the next unsuspecting dupe. I mean I was in that mess. You sort of become one with it. I’m thinkin’ that the only reason me and Aurora were able to get free of it was that Clone took it all on herself, allowing us to escape it.” Megan pouted again. “I’m just thinkin’ that not all of me got out… or maybe some of that stupid orb stuck to me.” Her lip twitched. Clearly she didn’t like either scenario.

[Solem'cleavu]

Serenity just nodded a bit as the two girls spoke but in the end though she just shrugged. "Well I will leave the decision up to you Meg. If we can't find out what's going on with you here then we could always try to get Clone's attention and see if she could spare a moment to try and correct what is wrong with you. Would be odd to say the least as we would be asking a user of Chaotic forces to put you back right again but there wouldn't be much harm in asking for her opinion at the bare minimum. As I have said though that option is entirely up to you. Now if you two are done I believe that we ourselves should actually get going."

[Cptdragon9]

Both girls stood up and gathered their things, Megan bundling up more so than Sara though it was only mildly chilly outside. Sara noted this of course and had that concerned frown on her face as they stepped outside. There was a lot to think about. Hopefully they would be able to narrow down their options after all this testing was over with.

[Solem'cleavu]

While the other three had left for the medical ward Prier had made her way back upstairs knocking on the door to the guest room that Estelle was staying in. "Everyone's gone you can come out now."

A couple hours would see Serenity, Megan and Sara already at the same facility that Megan was at when she was pregnant with Junior. In fact she was seated in the exact same spot she was at that time as well. The only difference in the situation would be that Dracon wasn't around and wasn't powering the equipment this time. The medical techs currently double checking the equipment as well as the components attached to Megan to make sure everything is in proper working order for the testing.

[Cptdragon9]

(at the house)

While the other three had left for the medical ward Prier had made her way back upstairs knocking on the door to the guest room that Estelle was staying in. "Everyone's gone you can come out now."

Estelle sheepishly answered the door, even venturing for a moment to peek around. “Thank you,” she finally breathed. It had been okay, really…. Sort of. She’d managed to sort through her notes and get herself organized for yet another day of mind-numbing research. At least it would have been mind-numbing to most. Estelle found it fascinating, looking at the in-depth history of the dragons as seen by the eyes of those that lived here in Lahnia. And there was a lot of it. Estelle wondered if the dragons themselves had as much. She suspected so; they seemed very meticulous in their manners and she expected that extended out to their writings as well….

(at the lab)

The medical techs currently double checking the equipment as well as the components attached to Megan to make sure everything is in proper working order for the testing.

Megan was hunkered down on the table once again. Sara could see that her friend was almost as stiff as a board, as if expecting something painful might happen to her. From what she understood nothing of the sort happened the first time so she didn’t quite understand why Megan was all so tense this time around. Finally she reached over and lightly tapped the side of Megan’s head as clearly a slap would have disrupted some of the nodes attached to her skull. “Knock it off. Just breathe.”

Megan further sulked but she forcefully inhaled and exhaled, pouting the whole time.

[Solem'cleavu]

*Lab*

Serenity was watching Megan's reactions as well but she just sighed. "Megan you didn't get poked and prodded with anything last time so cut it out your starting to make me nervous." She watched as Sara lightly tapped her and told her much the same thing but then shrugged. Personally she would have went ahead and slapped the girl upside the head but she just let Sara handle it.

Before long though the scans had begun. Serenity had been overseeing everything very closely even having them do different variations of particular scans. In all the process took about an hour after which the lab techs disconnecting everything enough for Megan to get off the table. "Megan we should have the results here within the next hour or two. There is a cafeteria down the hall, why don't you two go grab some food or something to drink. I'll remain here and will let you know when we get something."

**********************************************************

*Kilan Household*

"No problem now finish getting ready so we can head out." Prier making her way back downstairs at that point and waited for Estelle to get ready. Once the girl had gotten herself ready for the day the two would head to the central library where Estelle was doing her research before. Instead of letting her do her own thing though Prier had led her around behind the main counter, waving off the looks she would be getting from the library staff, and eventually would come to what would look like a door but upon closer inspection it would actually seem more like just part of the wall made to look like a door.

Grabbing ahold of the crystal which served as this "door"'s handle she had closed her eyes for a few moments before she went through the wall itself on her own. A moment later she came out, grabbed a hold of Estelle's wrist and pulled the girl through the portal as well. The room they would end up in would look much like a conference room although the books lining the walls would suggest it as a large reference room or perhaps someone's study. Upon closer inspection however the books themselves did seem to be just designs on the wall. After letting go of Estelle's wrist Prier let her look around for a bit before she spoke up. "This room, believe it or not, contains the hidden truth about the Dragons' role in this world as compared to the role they give publically. We are actually in a sort of pocket dimension set up by Lord Clawrift and it is here, well used to be here anyway, that the senior leadership of the nations would get together along with Lord Clawrift to discuss how things should continue to be handled."

Prier had taken a seat at the table at that point, indicating another chair for Estelle to sit down in as well before she would continue with her explanation.

[Cptdragon9]

*Lab*

It was easy enough to find the cafeteria and simple enough to get a couple of sandwiches and some hot beverage (not coffee, but close enough as far as Sara was concerned. In fact she was pretty hungry and actually at most of her meal. Megan picked at hers; clearly not a good sign.

“Will you quit worrying? We are going to get your answers within the hour.”

Megan dropped her napkin on top of the sandwich. “I know, but what if they can’t fix it? What if Nobody can fix me.”

Sara rolled her eyes. “I’d like to fix you! I don’t understand how you turned into such a worry wart. You used to be as belligerent as your mother, blindly charging into battle, if not the same type of battles.” She paused a bit. “You’re not worried about the baby, are you? Look at Junior! He’s gotta be the best of the lot, talented in several fields, and stable. Sweet Teeth and Toenails, he’ll outshine the Alphas. If this second child is even Half that it would still be a blessing.”

“But….”

“ “But’ nothing.” Sara whipped the napkin off the sandwich. “You eat that before I stuff it in another orifice. You are not starvin’ that baby just because you’re being skittish.”

Megan looked as if she might argue the point, but then she finally sighed and again picked at her meal….

[Cptdragon9]

Secret Room:

Estelle had stumbled across hints of such a thing. The documents and diaries mentioned various un-papered treaties as discussed and agreed upon, so it seemed logical that there had to be face to face discussions that were for the benefit of the people. She hadn't, however imagined that there had been some sort of clandestine meeting place for the powers – that- be to be actually physically present in. She had figured that merely met in back alleys or in the back rooms of a commonplace inn or tavern. Her father had done the same when trying to placate a lord or two, usually before he applied force if said lord proved to be intractable.

This hidden room was also proof in her eyes that they had underhanded dealings; that they were not all above board. Still she would keep an open mind. She was after the truth of it all, no matter where the research led her. She sat in the chair, waiting for the explanation.

[Solem'cleavu]

Prier had chuckled a bit at the various expressions that ran across Estelle's face as the girl considered multiple reasons for the room in general. However once she sat down the weapons master herself wore a more serious expression. "I will put this simply and none of what you are about to hear can leave this room but as the next head of your family you really should know this anyway. One of the main roles of the Dragon clans in this world is to play the part of the common enemy. It's one reason why there is the area of residence of the dragons on the continent of Vashtalia and another quote unquote nation of dragons to the south of the Rhydinian alliance nations. The reasoning for this arrangement is one that even you will have to admit Estelle. If humankind in general did not have a common enemy then the Rhydinian Alliance would not even exist as all the human nations would no doubt be fighting with each other.

This room was used for meetings between the leadership of the Dragon Clans, usually Lord Clawrift as Vashtalia's ambassador, and the leadership of the other nations. There are still records in this room from before the time the Rhydinian Council came into being however they remain unreadable to anyone not authorized to look at them. You of course have not been authorized to look at them, not yet anyway. It was decided long ago that despite the Dragons' primary role of protecting the flow of mana on this world and by proxy this world itself that they would also play the secondary role of the common enemy to keep the other nations in check. Several of the human nations on the Rhydinian Continent at that point teamed up with each other forming the Rhydinian Alliance Nations in order to play their role. They Rhydinian council that you know was formed on this day as well to manage it's member nations to make sure things didn't get out of hand because even though the Dragon Clans were to play the common enemy they were not to be attacked unjustly due to the other roles they were created on this world to perform.

To this end some of the nations that did not join up with the Rhydinian Alliance were to be considered Vashtalia's allies while yet other nations were to remain independent of either side to further distribute the balance of power of this world. All this originally occurred I would say little over 700,000 years ago according to the records that still survive from that time and by Lord Clawrift's recollection. It was one of the reasons why Vashtalia was founded after all. Are you following so far?"

[Cptdragon9]

Estelle nodded though she did seem somewhat stunned. Clearly information was conflicting in her brain, along with suspicion. This very well could be a well thought out ruse, except that this was coming from the Lahnia camp, a supposed neutral party. It would be somewhat excessive with the hidden door and the detailed background, something that might not be easy to engineer for the short time she had been here.

For now she would listen. Prier’s explanations so far did make sense. If the dragons were feared, it would make sense to play on that fear to keep the nations and holdings from squabbling over lesser things. That fear, coupled with the dragon’s nigh inaccessible location would keep people from attempting to attack the Vashtalian stronghold; but secret meetings between the humans and the dragons to keep that perception perpetuating? That seemed a bit of a stretch.

Again she would listen, and then fact check.

[Solem'cleavu]

At that point one of Prier's hairpieces would flash a bit. This even causing prier to reach into one of her sleeves and pull out a small crystal which began to display some information in the air above it. "Well looks like I just got the word back that you are now authorized to read the records in here. There are two conditions however in regards to the records of this room which apply to all who have access here. First condition is as follows. Since Lahnia has been designated a neutral third party and as we have also been designated as host for all the meetings that take place here, thus referencing the "House Lahnia" you may have seen mentioned in other records from time to time, anyone reading these records must have a Lahnian delegate with access here to supervise. This helps ensure that none of the records are altered. If it is a Lahnian delegate with access that wishes to read the records then they themselves must be supervised by someone outside Lahnia for the same reason. The second condition is that none of the records found in this room may be removed from this room nor can any of the records be copied and the copies taken home with you. These are the conditions that everyone that has access to this room have to abide by in order to read the records contained here. As long as you abide by those conditions we will have no issues."

Tossing that crystal over to Estelle before she continued. "That will give you access to the records. They may look like they are simply painted on the wall but that is only to prevent anyone from just taking them. All people that are authorized to peruse the records here must have a key crystal like the one you are holding in order to do so. At any rate to continue the history lesson throughout the years that the current arrangement has been in effect Vashtalia would make public diplomatic runs to the other nations, mostly as a way to gauge the general feel of the other nations but also to keep public relations between Vashtalia and the other nations from deteriorating. It has always been the Vashtalian Central Government's hope that the current arrangement of the Dragon Clans' acting as the common enemy would be able to come to an end at some point.

"However sadly that has never come to pass. Granted up until about 3,000 years ago public relations between the Rhydinian Alliance nations and the Vashtalian nation had not really deteriorated in all that time but neither has it really improved enough to end the arrangement. Every thousand years or so though Vashtalia would reconvene with the nation leaders in this room to re-evaluate things but as I have said, things had never come to a point where the Dragons could quit playing the common enemy in the grand scheme of things. As the years went on the Rhydinian Alliance nations would of course change, some nations would grow tired of the arrangement and break off to be independent or would cease to exist while other nations would rise up to take their place. Nations formerly allied with Vashtalia would eventually ally themselves with the Rhydinian Alliance and vice versa.

"Starting at the 3,000 year mark I mentioned earlier. Things had slowly begun to change within the Rhydinian Alliance. They would begin to turn away more and more of the diplomatic teams that Vashtalia would send. Even some of the independent nations and lords would begin to slowly deny contact with Vashtalia and would instead begin dealing more and more with the Rhydinian Alliance. All this was going by very slowly mind you over the course of entire generations the general populace themselves weren't even really aware of the shift in the general attitude of the nations they inhabited. The dragon clans were aware of it however they could not do anything about it without making themselves out to actually be the bad guys that they were only supposed to be portrays as to keep the general peace. They knew that if things kept going in the direction they were going then eventually they were going to be attacked and not just the dragons in Vashtalia, all the dragons even the wasteland on the southern end of the Rhydinian continent which houses the Void Dragon Clans.

"Fast forward to around 300 years ago give or take a couple decades. That attack the dragon clans figured was going to occur happened. By the order of majority vote of the Rhydinian Alliance Council and their allied nations a large force was assembled and, using the portal network that was put in place by Lord Clawrift himself to ease travel between the Rhydinian nations and Vashtalia, invaded Vashtalia. To our knowledge they never bothered attacking the Void Dragons we can only assume that they were requested by the Vashtalian government to somehow cause the full force of the Rhydinian armies to be redirected to the Vashtalian Nation herself and then make themselves scarce. Clawrift should be able to shed some light on that one. If you are wondering why the dragons didn't shut down that portal network it was simply because they couldn't. Part of it is for the same reason they couldn't take any preventative military action against the Rhydinian alliance however the major reason was that they simply couldn't. The network was designed in such a way that it was being powered by the mana of the world itself and Claw had put so many enchantments into the portal frameworks that even he himself would have trouble shutting them down or even destroying them. Which is the main reason why they still stand today. I'd imagine even if all life on this world ended the portals would still remain even then. However they would probably shut down eventually since if even the dragons were destroyed the world's mana would eventually dry up without the dragons around to replenish it.

"Either way that is a story for a different time. As far as the Rhydinian-Vashtalian war is concerned though we figure that shortly before it started certain people came to power within the Rhydinian Alliance Council that had eventually completely bought into the idea that the dragons were the evil of this world or maybe they weren't quite that bad about it but either way they couldn't really stand the dragons being around. An ancestor of yours was mentioned in the records of that time, perhaps a great grandfather or great great grandfather of yours. However there were several prominent families at the time that were involved. Could the entire situation have been avoided if everything was out in the open to begin with? Yeah probably, at least the dragons likely would not have been feared as much. On the other hand though the entire point was to keep the Rhydinian nations more or less united and in that sense the entire project as it were was, and still is, mostly a complete success. So I suppose you could say that the plan to have the Dragons play the common enemy worked a bit too well eventually.

Still following this?"

[Cptdragon9]

Estelle looked at the crystal, turning the polished stone over and over in her hand, before she nodded. It seemed logical, the way that Prier explained things; but then the best stories were just that, stories. She would require more substantial proof and apparently this room held that proof. “So the dragons were just pretending to be our enemy? So any accounts that I have in our records at my castle that say contrary are… lies?” She hadn’t wanted to make it sound so accusatory but there were quite a few instances where dragons had ravaged livestock, destroyed crops, attacked those that worked the land, etc. Granted there were not so many accounted that the dragons were considered an imminent threat; more like a nuisance; but she couldn’t imagine the Vashtalians stooping so low as to harry her people just to perpetuate a stereotype.

She looked up at the flat walls, somewhat understanding that the crystal would somehow unlock the images from the wall and make them flesh. “It seems I will have much reading to do,” she intoned softly as one bracing herself to take on a monumental task

[Solem'cleavu]

Prier had just shook her head. "They were not necessarily lies per se however I doubt any of the true blood dragons would go out of their way to harass people. It's just not worth their time, remember everything we've been telling you on multiple occasions that the dragons' primary role is that of guardian. They guard the flow of mana of this world. Then by proxy of that they are also guarding this world in general and all the races that depend on the mana flow. The only time they will go out and harass anyone is if that person has been detected as mis-using the mana energy of this world and is becoming a threat to that flow. Think of the dragons as the enforcers, the various spirits and such that people call upon for their magic could be considered the sensors. The elemental spirits monitor the mana energy and when an irregularity is detected if it is found to be due to misconduct then the dragons are called in to take care of the situation.

While that may have been slightly off topic here it is still somewhat related to your question. The other part of my answer is that there are multitudes of sub-dragon races in this world that are not as... I guess intelligent would be as good a word as any, as the true-blood dragons. These races function mostly off of instict and are for the most part predators. I'm talking about wyverns, hydras, cockatrices, basilisks, etc. etc., many of these at quick glance, especially to the quote unquote peasant class of the various nations, can look like the true-blood dragons. Unfortunately when any of these attack I doubt that those being attacked have the luxury of just standing back and think "I think that is a dragon but I think that may actually be a wyvern attacking our livestock." They will just go out and try to fight the thing off or run to tell their lord who will send the local militia after it. Additionally when this happens most of the lords will not tell their citizens what it actually was but will let them keep thinking it was a dragon that actually fed off their only livestock or destroyed their crops. Remember, a true-blood dragon will most likely be travelling in their humanoid form as opposed to openly flying around and even if they do decide to fly when flying over any nation known to be hostile towards the dragon clans they will go to great lengths to not cast their shadow over any populated area. Which is why I doubt any of your people had ever seen Dracon or the others in their dragon form whenever they visited you."

Pulling out another crystal similar to the one that Estelle had Prier went around and tapped the spines of several of the books seeming to line the walls which began to glow in a faint greenish light. "I have marked the most important ones for you to read as the majority of these tomes are just records of the various meetings. However all of the documentation in this room has been checked multiple times and signed and dated by every single person in attendance at each of the meetings I have mentioned before so there should not be any question as to their authenticity. Quite frankly if this documentation in this room doesn't convince you that what we have been telling you is the truth then there may not be much else that can be done about it."

[Cptdragon9]

Estelle looked over the bookcase where the selected volumes glimmered. “Then it seems I have much to do then.” She turned and gave Prier a respectful nod. “I will keep your words in mind as I do my research then. Hopefully what you have said is true.” She paused. “I would like it to be true, but I must see for myself.” Tully then turned and tapped the closest volume with the crystal, releasing the tome from the magicked shelf, allowing her to pull it out as if it were a normal book. She was getting used to the idea of magic and how it worked, but it was still mesmerizing to see it in action. Finally she sat down at one of the tables, gave a long sigh as if preparing herself for the monumental task, then opened the volume to read….

[Solem'cleavu]

<Meeting room>

Prier simply nodded before taking a seat settling in for a long wait. Pulling some paperwork out of one of her sleeves at that point (exactly how was she fitting all this stuff in her sleeves?) and starting to work on it. Every couple minutes though she would glance up at Estelle as if making sure that she was still just reading the documents and not trying to make any changes.

****************************************************

<Lab Cafeteria>

Then as if on queue Serenity would make her way into the cafeteria at that point. Stopping only to get herself a sandwich and a glass of water before taking a seat with Megan and Sara. "Well we figured out at least partially what's wrong. Megan you worry too much about everything these days and yes that was part of the results of our diagnosis but that was obvious anyway. You are focusing way too much on what may or may not have happened when you were split from that Orb. Now that being said we have been able to trace things back to your separation from the Chaos Orb. You being such a worry wort about things these days is indeed about half of what's wrong with you. The other half leads into that. It would seem that your separation from that Orb left your biology and aura that much more out of sync with the rest of us than you were before you joined with that Orb to begin with. Not a very good thing seeing as how those of you of the Mutant Clan and those on this world that were originally from Del Mar have been in the process of adapting to this world and as such your biology and auras were pretty much getting in sync with this world.

Unfortunately your out of sync just enough now things are unable to sync back up to your current locale so we need to give you a little push. I imagine the power that will be flowing about during the Rebirth Ceremony and festivities should be enough to knock you back in line with everything or at the very least get your adaptivity back on track."