Quests & Challenges

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/SjLfhfh.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][color=#990000][size=7]Tusk, Leech, and Mask Day 5[/font][/size][/color][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93149972][img]https://i.imgur.com/HwnsksL.png[/img][/url][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93576253][img]https://i.imgur.com/zA5IOSd.png[/img][/url][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93529500][img]https://i.imgur.com/RhBICN8.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=cambria][size=3]The following day passed mostly uneventfully, right up until late afternoon. The dragons shifted watches throughout the day, changing guard and resting. They didn't split off to find food or water, today, all three deeply intent upon their Trials and meditations. They didn't speak, either, aside from the very few words required to nudge one another awake to take watch. The day had been warm, even hot at times, and the sunlight bright. As the afternoon crept on, though, the world took on a thickly golden light as the sun sank for the horizon of the Rim. It was at this point that Leech suddenly came upright, head twisting into the air. Her tongue flicked out, and a beat later her stare shot to Tusk. [b]"I see something. Smoke, I think. A campfire?"[/b] she guessed, and looked back, hesitating and tasting the air. Tusk at once rose, turning to prod Mask awake. She relayed what Leech had seen, and then set out—with Leech leading them. What had seemed a thin trickle of rising heat to the Mirror soon became visible to the others as a brownish-black thread of rising smoke. Tusk stopped them both just before the last little rise of land would've made them visible. She nodded once to Leech, and Leech nodded back. Her dark form crept swiftly, catlike, for the low ridge. She lifted her head over the lip slowly, and then froze for a long moment before lowering back down and scuttling back. She didn't look afraid, though; just confused. [b]"It's a dragon,"[/b] she said, with both relief and that confusion in her voice. [b]"A Sandsurge, I think it's called..? No wings, anyway. It has a fire and it's cooking something."[/b] Tusk's face tightened in consternation, and she strode for the ridge herself. When she crested it, she made no attempt to hide herself, and the two flanking her followed her lead. In the hollow below was, indeed, a Sandsurge dragon in tones of light, earthy brown. She was curled around a crackling campfire, and a net lay before her, tightened like a sack around a number of battered tomes. She held one in her claws, her fanned tail flicking like a cat's as she turned a page. The somewhat sour, yet warm, odor of a hot brewing drink came from a worn metal kettle placed on a grid over the fire. [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/92256007][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/922561/92256007_350.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=cambria][size=3][b]"What are you doing here?"[/b] Tusk demanded, and the stranger whipped around, blinking up with shock. The Sandsurge was smaller than Tusk, but... not by [i]much.[/i] Had she chosen violence then and there, a sudden strike for Tusk's throat may well have earned her a victory. But she didn't seem the sort to attack out of nowhere; instead, she tipped her head as surprise slowly bled into interest. [b]"Camping,"[/b] she answered easily, nodding to the dragons. [b]"And you?"[/b] [b]"Do you know where you [i]are?[/i]"[/b] Tusk demanded, but her allies could sense the horror beneath her hostility. Leech looked up at her, then ventured a worried explanation to the Sandsurge. [b]"You're in danger, here. These are Plague lands. The center of-... I don't think you're here for the Trials, are you?"[/b] she interrupted herself, looking over the camp as if hoping for a hint. It wasn't that dragons of other elements couldn't undergo the Trials. Many did, and some succeeded, too. But somehow, the brewing coffee and claw-clutched book spoke of a domestic, almost cozy, scene rather than the realities of brutal pestilence. [b]"Oh-... Yes, I know. And no, I'm not. Don't worry,"[/b] she added, beaming briefly. [b]"I'm quite safe."[/b] Before Tusk (who looked as if she might burst) could begin shouting, she interjected. [b]"I know a Necromancer. I'm here as a cartographer—I map from the ground, and find a lot of things her winged allies miss. But she'll purge me if something goes wrong,"[/b] she added, and there was total faith in her voice. [b]"Would you like a drink?"[/b] Tusk huffed, shocked by all of this. And her apprentices understood. Mask, even, stared incredulously (with both heads) at the Sandsurge. To just... camp, nonchalant, in the center of the Plagued lands? To wander around the Wyrmwound, drinking coffee and reading books? [b]"I'll take that as a no..? If I was interrupting your Trials, I'll move on, though I'd rather not. It took some time to set up camp,"[/b] she explained. Without a word—as if enraged by the very idea of all of this—Tusk spun and took flight. Heavy wingbeats quickly faded as she headed back to their perch. Leech looked after her, then grinned lopsidedly at the Sandsurge. [b]"I wouldn't bother moving. Have fun with your, err... cartograph... ing. And thanks for the well-wishes."[/b] The Sandsurge offered a draconic semblance of a smile, and a nod. And as Leech left, Mask hesitated, peering at the fire. [b]"What is that drink called?"[/b] he asked. By nightfall all three dragons were firmly back in their meditations, though Mask had returned a little late, still pondering why anyone would [i]want[/i] to drink that stuff. [/font][/size] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/mBVXuev.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][size=4][b]Trial of Infection[/b][/size][/font] [font=cambria][size=3]The dragon has 13 days to develop an infection as a sign from the Plaguebringer that they are worthy. Day 5/13[/center][/size][/font] [center][item=Earth Runestone][item=Obscure Runic Vellum][item=Bean Juicer][/center] [center][font=cambria][size=3][i]'Every day, draw an item from Pinkerton. If the item qualifies as a sign from Mother, then your flesh has been touched with plague and you have passed your first trial. The items that qualify as signs from Mother depend on the difficulty level you’ve chosen.'[/i][/size][/font][/center] [font=cambria][size=3]Iiiit's COFFEE TIME. I do love my dirty bean water in real life. Also, I'd intended for QUITE some time to purchase an Earth-element Sandsurge for my Lair (lorewise as a 'visitor,' because I love having some other elemental-themed dragons in the 'Outer Passages.') I took the Earth Runestone as "this will be an Earth element dragon" and rolled 1-23 for breed and got Sandsurge, so I took it as a sign to finally [s]spend all my treasure gening[/s] buy one. Maybe I'll give her a coffee-related name... [/size][/font] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/wXtSdWi.png[/img][/center]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/SjLfhfh.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][color=#990000][size=7]Austin Day 22[/font][/size][/color][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/92717306][img]https://i.imgur.com/ptWy1ih.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=cambria][size=3]Austin had been dreaming. Or, at least, he thought he had. Did it matter, anymore? Did it matter what was dream, and what was happening in the world around him? Were the worlds of the mind and of matter so very different? In both, he ached. Pain rode through him like the ebb and flow of a tide. Or maybe he was riding the pain, made half-mad by it. He wasn't sure of that, either. In both these worlds, darkness was claiming him. Everything he saw seemed to gleam an oily black, as though viewed through a curtain of shadow. His thoughts were disjointed, each flicker of moving sand or light across the Wyrmwound seeming to bring with it some prophetic meaning: a meaning that was lost instants later when he tried to focus on it. It was as though his mind had ceased its normal function, reduced—by plague or Shade, he didn't know—to shuddering misfires and mistaken connections. He'd still not gone for food, nor water. Instinctively he could feel that this was the end, though he'd long since stopped counting the days of his Trial. If he did not conquer this soon (and it was a matter of hours, now, not days), he would drift deeper into this dream state until all the shifting shadows rose up and dragged him down into death. [i]'Or something worse,'[/i] was the thought he drove away, each time it threatened his waking mind. At least Alstik was here. Austin wasn't sure when the Aberration had come back, or how, and when he'd asked about Tanda, Alstik hadn't answered. He simply sat quiet, wind-ruffled, watching Austin with a sort of placid patience. It wasn't hostility; it was reassuring, really. It was like he was waiting for something, but Austin felt no hurry. Whatever he'd come here for (he couldn't quite remember), whatever he was doing here, he was almost done. [/font][/size] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/mBVXuev.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][size=4][b]Trial of Survival - Austin[/b][/size][/font] [font=cambria][size=3]The dragon must master the plague that now ravages its body. Day 22/23[/center][/size][/font] [size=3][font=cambria]Austin reached Level 6 today, with no notable drops. He was doing QUITE well in his last successful round, with both he and his two helper dragons at almost full health. Then a sentient mushroom one-shot him. One day remains. [/size][/font] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/wXtSdWi.png[/img][/center]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/SjLfhfh.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][color=#990000][size=7]Tusk, Leech, and Mask Day 6[/font][/size][/color][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93149972][img]https://i.imgur.com/HwnsksL.png[/img][/url][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93576253][img]https://i.imgur.com/zA5IOSd.png[/img][/url][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93529500][img]https://i.imgur.com/RhBICN8.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=cambria][size=3]There was some suspicion among the other two dragons that Mask had been poisoned. At the very least, whatever he'd drunk the day before at the Sandsurge's camp had left a mark on him. He had gotten increasingly paranoid throughout the day, clearly anxious though there was no discernable cause, though also both intensely focused and unable to quite sit still. Eventually he'd gone for a 'patrol.' Whatever the cause, he hadn't been able to sleep all night; Leech had been hesitant to leave him on watch but eventually she'd drifted off. Come morning, the aftereffects were clear: as Mask recovered from the drink, exhaustion had finally struck him. He was sleeping, and had been almost all day. Tusk disapproved, firing glances at his curled-up form now and then, but she resolved to scold him after he awoke rather than waking him up just to tell him he was an idiot. [b]"He shouldn't have ingested anything from a stranger,"[/b] she growled, for probably the third time. [b]"There was something wrong with that one."[/b] Leech glanced up at her. [b]"Wrong with-?"[/b] she asked, curious. [b]"Who in their right mind goes traipsing through the Boneyard, let alone walking right over Rotrock Rim-? Without good reason, I mean."[/b] The way she glared at Leech (or rather, [i]through[/i] Leech), it was clear that she was actually worried rather than simply angry. Leech gave a little laugh, glancing off at Mask. [b]"I don't think she was anything sinister. Honestly, I think she was probably telling the truth. It didn't smell like anything bad, at least. And why would she be brewing something that just makes you hyperactive? It seems weird to prepare a poison just in case you get visitors, when the poison doesn't even do anything, really."[/b] Tusk stared off at the Wyrmwound for a moment, as if formulating her thoughts, before responding. [b]"I don't know. It doesn't make sense, and [i]that's[/i] what bothers me. She was here for [i]something.[/i]"[/b] Leech shrugged, looking off in the direction of the camp. [b]"I'd say you could go ask her, but..."[/b] 'But' the Sandsurge had left that morning, and she herself had reported as much. She'd seen the distant heat of the fire fade overnight, and then the dragon's own vibrant speck of warmth wander off toward the Rim's peak. When Tusk didn't answer, she shrugged and stood, shaking the gathered particles of unpleasant-looking yellow dust from her hide. [b]"I'm going to go hunt. I won't be long."[/b] A few rats or something, she figured, would do just fine. Tusk grunted, looking forward. [b]"I will try to push aside these distractions, in the meantime. When you get back, you can do the same."[/b] It was something of an admonishment, and Leech gave a little snort, for once. [b]"I was meditating,"[/b] she pointed out simply: it had been Tusk who'd interrupted their shared silence. The Ridgeback had the good grace to look briefly apologetic, but as she gathered her breath to answer, Leech turned and trotted away. She wasn't angry; she just didn't feel the need to put Tusk—or herself—through the forced awkwardness of another of the matron's stunted apologies. As for the Trials, well... there was always tomorrow. [/font][/size] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/mBVXuev.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][size=4][b]Trial of Infection[/b][/size][/font] [font=cambria][size=3]The dragon has 13 days to develop an infection as a sign from the Plaguebringer that they are worthy. Day 6/13[/center][/size][/font] [center][b][size=6]?[/size][/b][item=Dustrat][item=Decorative Rasa Shard][/center] [center][font=cambria][size=3][i]'Every day, draw an item from Pinkerton. If the item qualifies as a sign from Mother, then your flesh has been touched with plague and you have passed your first trial. The items that qualify as signs from Mother depend on the difficulty level you’ve chosen.'[/i][/size][/font][/center] [font=cambria][size=3]There's a ? because I noted the first drop, acknowledged it as "unrelated to any Necrolocke drops, good or bad" and immediately clicked past it and forgot what it was like the absolute goblin that I am. Either way, Mask did not pass his attention check today, so he gets to be distracted again. Yay? [/size][/font] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/wXtSdWi.png[/img][/center]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/SjLfhfh.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][color=#990000][size=7]Austin Day 23[/font][/size][/color][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/92717306][img]https://i.imgur.com/ptWy1ih.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=cambria][size=3]Dawn broke on the final day of Austin's trial to find that he had, in effect, already failed. The plague and Shade had both worked at him, eating away his substance and his spirit, until what remained was a tattered, infected silhouette slumped on a hillside. He had not gone for food or water in days, and he was, for the most part, unconscious. His hide rippled now and then as some unknown and final tremors or pain passed through him, but he couldn't stand or speak or even raise his head. Those blazing golden eyes—the ones Tanda had always praised for being able to see so far ahead—had slipped shut; and even when they opened, it was as the faintest, unaware slits. He did come to long enough to recognize the sweet odor around him, and to see the bobbing heads of pale flowers. He didn't know if he had dragged himself into Alstik's little garden or if the plants had spread. It didn't matter. His eyes slid closed again. Morning stretched into midday, blazing bright, but the dragon with his now-dark scales remained motionless. A few flies buzzed about him, but he didn't react. The wind picked up as afternoon crept onward, tousling the feathers on his motionless form. Afternoon fell away into evening and then dusk. And that was a blessing; for the encroaching darkness hid the limp and shadowed form from sight. [/font][/size] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/mBVXuev.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][size=4][b]Trial of Survival - Austin[/b][/size][/font] [font=cambria][size=3]The dragon must master the plague that now ravages its body. Day 23/23[/center][/size][/font] [size=3][font=cambria]After a long and tragic journey, the last of this trio has failed. There were no drops, and even at level 6 Austin only managed a single round. One of those Janustrap mobs one-shot him again from full health on round 2. I am waiting for clarification on the rules to determine his absolute final fate, but I'm pretty sure it's "consumed by the shade." He and his Faith/Determination dragons have been exalted, but his final appearance "on screen" has yet to occur. [b]Update:[/b] I have gotten a clarification. I feel like an idiot for having exalted, and using a 90-day restoration is... ehh. This message is shortened, and is from the Necrolocke general thread: [quote name="3idolon" date="2024-03-22 22:27:30" ] [s]my initial conclusion is that white slime = Lich (i.e. their cheating earns them a Necro 'seeming', which ultimately becomes Lich coloring). For grey slime, you can choose for the dragon to become a Ghoul or you can try staying in the Coli past the time limit. If the dragon eventually gets a sign they become a Lich.[/s] [/quote] [size=3][font=cambria][b]UPDATE,[/b] upon a rethink from 3idolon (the person who runs Necrolocke) it was noted that this is actually wrong, and the dragon would likely simply die. BUT, that's what I was going with at the time and they've generously noted I can keep the result (which is great since I've already started gening-) Anyway, I tossed in an Apparel item, hoping and praying for White. Then I could just... move on and Austin could be a Lich. BUT I got... Grey. So I had to sit back, and take a deep breath and think about this. I'd already exalted all the dragons involved... but they [i]are[/i] just placeholders, and I have plenty of unlevelled dragons. Then a bit of a lightbulb hit me. If I do just keep going in the Coliseum, he's 100% bound to be a Lich eventually. Why not just use a new Lich-dragon for it? He'd be replaced anyway. So I'll be levelling up a dragon to represent him, along with two Faith/Determination dragons, and just keep going through the hell-slog that is the Necro Coliseum (we love punishing ourselves here). It's going to cost me, mind. Let me just toss a list of what the requirements are: [gamedb item=562] - 1500g/1,500,000t [gamedb item=564] - 1200g/1,200,000t [gamedb item=15573] - 155,000t [gamedb item=39294] - 250,000t Even just looking at that I'm sitting back and. Just. *Exhale.* But I'll get there. And while I won't be posting daily, this will be, eventually, the end result: [center][morphology=4347639][/center] [size=3][font=cambria]Now I'm trying to come up with a name Austin would give himself that isn't Austin (referring to a place that doesn't exist in-universe lol). He'll make an appearance again if and when I get a drop for him. Off to level... [/size][/font] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/wXtSdWi.png[/img][/center]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/SjLfhfh.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][color=#990000][size=7]Tusk, Leech, and Mask Day 7[/font][/size][/color][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93149972][img]https://i.imgur.com/HwnsksL.png[/img][/url][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93576253][img]https://i.imgur.com/zA5IOSd.png[/img][/url][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93529500][img]https://i.imgur.com/RhBICN8.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=cambria][size=3]It was Tusk who caved first on the seventh day, pushing up and grimacing as she again shook the dust of drifting plague from her hide. [b]"I need food,"[/b] she said simply, and began to stride off toward the last place they'd foraged. Both the other dragons were awake, and so both rose and dutifully followed. Neither would need to find as much to eat, but Tusk was enormous, and both knew she must be ravenous at this point. The past few days, though, had been quite dry and a dig through the muck by the Wyrmwound's edge found only caked dirt, cracked apart by heat. Tusk hummed, lifting her long neck high to peer around the landscape, but as the last time they had sought food, it was Mask who offered an option. [b]"Things live in the water,"[/b] one head offered slyly. [b]"Twisted things. But edible things."[/b] [b]"They are diseased, but...[/b] and the single pair of shoulder shrugged, whilst the first head grinned and finished the sentence. [b]"We want disease."[/b] Tusk eyed him with suspicion, though more for the idea than of the dragon himself. [b]"We want [i]a[/i] disease, not [i]all of them,[/i]"[/b] she answered. But she looked to the bubbling Wound, curious now. [b]"...What lives in there? What 'twisted things?'[/b] Another shrug answered her, and for a moment she thought the Aberration might not add to it. But then [i]both[/i] heads grinned. [b]"I do not know. Anything that is in there is different every minute. What was there yesterday, is mutated tomorrow."[/b] Without awaiting her permission, Mask turned and trudged to the edge. For a moment, Tusk and Leech both tensed, fully expecting the Aberration to just leap in. But he turned, and instead, dipped his tail-tip into the liquid. [b]"...A lure?"[/b] Leech guessed, squinting. Mask's continued grin, fired back her way, was all the answer that she needed. She laughed, and turned away. [b]"I'll head up and have a look higher on the slope. Days like this, stuff'll be taking shelter in the shade, maybe in the thickets."[/b] She risked a low flight, spreading wings and sailing down the edges of the Wound to head back toward the Rim. Tusk, with a single grunt that didn't express anything but her vague distaste for everything, turned and went back to digging. Her great claws pulled furrows through the earth, until she'd reached damp soil deeper down. Then her snout came down, and she began sniffing about for signs of burrowing prey. Mask did not get any 'bites' at first, and Tusk still wasn't sure if he'd been telling the truth about things 'living' in the very Wyrmwound. He was a strange sort, and the idea he'd made it up to see how they'd react was, she thought, just as possible an answer. But as she dug a little deeper, she heard a sudden hiss behind her. Her head shot up, twisting toward the sound of pain, to find Mask flinging himself backward in a spin. There was something attached to one of his tails. In some world, it might vaguely have resembled a leech. But it was a monstrosity, all asymmetrical spines and fins, with too many eyes and pocked wounds eating away at its multicolored scales. To her shock, Mask immediately set to eating it, tearing it to pieces and gulping it down with both heads. [b]"I would not be at all surprised if that kills you,"[/b] she observed darkly. Eventually she found herself some little leeches of her own, scattered through the mud. And Leech herself returned back in another low glide, cheerfully informing them that there were rats among the brambles, if they wished to hunt a little more fruitfully. Tusk took the offer, her own vast shadow sailing off toward the thickets, while the smaller and more easily sated dragons headed back to perch. Leech settled in, turning to glance up to where the distant red shape of Tusk was foraging. [b]"I can't imagine being that big. She must not be afraid of anything, but... how much does she need to [i]eat?[/i]"[/b] [b]"We are not meant to eat much. What we do eat should be part of the Trial."[/b] [b]"That is why we eat sick things,"[/b] Mask's two heads explained, in tandem. Then, suddenly, he looked back and up toward Tusk with a detached air. [b]"She has little more to teach us,"[/b] he said. Leech blinked. [b]"-What?"[/b] Mask, always so eerie and unearthly in his appearance, was perched upright and almost prim in his spot. He studied Leech for a moment. [b]"Her lessons have stopped. She is only angry at things, now. She has taught us nothing new in days."[/b] He looked out over the Wound, and considered. [b]"But her size is a good protection. A deterrant."[/b] Leech sputtered in disbelief. For a moment, she truly didn't know what to say, but as she so often did, she fell back after a moment on her emotional reaction. [b]"You sound like you're planning to betray her."[/b] Mask looked at her. [b]"No?"[/b] he said, quizzical, and the reaction seemed genuine enough. [b]"Why would we do that?"[/b] was followed by, [b]"What purpose would that serve? -No, she is our ally. But we are..."[/b] Hesitation, then, as he sought the correct word. [b]"Disappointed."[/b] He sighed. [b]"We thought she would have more to teach us."[/b] Leech thought about this. And she had to think quickly, because she could see the Ridgeback's silhouette turning back toward them now. [b]"I think she's just focused on our Trial, Mask. She'll look out for us. And we need to look out for each other, too."[/b] His expression as he watched her in return was inscrutable, and his answer took some time in coming. [b]"We will,"[/b] was all he said, but there was no feeling in it. [/font][/size] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/mBVXuev.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][size=4][b]Trial of Infection[/b][/size][/font] [font=cambria][size=3]The dragon has 13 days to develop an infection as a sign from the Plaguebringer that they are worthy. Day 7/13[/center][/size][/font] [center][item=tropical seaslug] [item=azure lure][item=star-nosed mole][/center] [center][font=cambria][size=3][i]'Every day, draw an item from Pinkerton. If the item qualifies as a sign from Mother, then your flesh has been touched with plague and you have passed your first trial. The items that qualify as signs from Mother depend on the difficulty level you’ve chosen.'[/i][/size][/font][/center] [font=cambria][size=3]No qualifying drops today, but all three items that popped up are those that could be taken as food, two of which are seafood. That's a hunt/dinner writing prompt if I ever saw one! The fifth Crim drop was armor, but of course we're only three dragons. :( Mask did pass his higher/lower challenge, at least! [/size][/font] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/wXtSdWi.png[/img][/center]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/SjLfhfh.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][color=#990000][size=7]Tusk, Leech, and Mask Day 8[/font][/size][/color][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93149972][img]https://i.imgur.com/HwnsksL.png[/img][/url][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93576253][img]https://i.imgur.com/zA5IOSd.png[/img][/url][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93529500][img]https://i.imgur.com/RhBICN8.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=cambria][size=3]Around evening on the eighth day of their Trial, Leech perked up and growled a warning. She picked herself up, prowling over to her companions, and warned them in a low voice that she'd seen something across the lake. A dragon, she thought, but the brief glimpse she'd gotten with her optical eyes had made it look dark, maybe black. There were dragons taking Trials here, and all three of them knew that encountering a Lich was a risk. A rare risk, but a risk nonetheless. It was so much so that dragons who had natural dark markings often wore some brightly-colored piece of cloth to signify they were no threat. Tusk, deeply concerned, had warned the two to stay put. And then, displaying a deep selflessness that left even Mask silent with respect, she set out to fly directly over the Wyrmwound. The figure had been off to the right; Leech wouldn't have seen it so far off as the distant shore. But it was still a risk to fly over the diseased fluids at all. Should Tusk hit one of those patches of bad air, or simply falter in flight, a plunge into the Wyrmwound would likely kill her. And as unlikely as it was, as they watched her massive silhouette rise higher into the sky, a sudden and powerful gust of wind swept across the Wyrmwound. It was not a brief blast, but a harsh, cold wind coming down over the Rotrock Rim: one that buffeted the huge dragon sideways and carried tumbling whorls of dust and leaves from lands beyond the Boneyard. Mask and Leech both jerked alarmed stares toward the Rim. [b]"A storm,"[/b] Mask said, surprised, and Leech could feel the sudden cool dampness carried by the gust. She could hear, too, genuine concern in Mask's voice, and when she looked to him, she found him tensed and staring off again after Tusk. Leech followed his gaze, wordlessly watching. The Ridgeback tumbled, wings beating hard to steady herself against the blast. She then curved away, abandoning her forward track, flying with the wind instead of against it. This carried her farther out over the Wyrmwound, and both the watching dragons tensed. When it subsided for a moment, she turned to head back to them—only to be hit by another powerful gust. This time she fell, tumbling and faltering as she struggled to stay aloft. Just before she would have hit the lake she caught herself, the wind again falling. Tusk's wings beat powerfully, lifting her higher to gain the altitude that she had lost. As both dragons watched, breathless with fear for her, she shot to shore and glided down, fighting a last blast of wind as she landed. [b]"Are you all right-"[/b] Leech started to ask, only to be shouldered aside (accidentally, she thought) by Mask. [b]"THIS IS A STORM,"[/b] one of the Aberration's heads called out urgently over the rising wind. [b]"WE NEED SHELTER!"[/b] [b]"And there IS none!"[/b] The heads both glanced around, and as Tusk began to answer, they interrupted her. [b]"WE NEED TO MAKE SOME, NOW!"[/b] [b]"It's bad,"[/b] Tusk agreed, not needing to raise her own booming voice. She glanced sharply around, and seemed to accept that Mask knew this place well enough to take the lead, for now. [b]"Tell us what to do!"[/b] Mask turned, moving quickly. He gathered a clot of pestilent mud in his claws, forming it quickly into a large ball shape, before flattening it into a sort of block. This he sat on the ground before making another. A few moments later he'd stacked several, and the other two grasped his intent. Both Leech and Tusk got to work quickly aiding in forming the mud-bricks, piling them up to turn their little ridge into a thick and powerful windbreak that would cover their backs from the direction of the storm. They worked feverishly, even as the rain began to pour down, and all three dragons noted grimly that there were yellow sizzles in a few of the fat, cold droplets. Wyrmwound evaporation: rain that could carry their deaths. By the time the storm hit fully, about an hour later, the three were exhausted. Their muscles burned, and they quickly huddled up beneath their shelter. The alcove they'd built up, while sloppy and only barely large enough to shield all three, kept the worst of the torrential rains from pelting them. Lightning struck here and there, and Tusk kept low, her watchful eyes stuck on the sky above, both dragons pressed to either flank. None of them spoke, bar to call out now and then to remark about the power of the storm. But they could barely hear one another, and quickly realized conversation would be fruitless. At last Tusk shouted over the wind and shuddering rains. [b]"GOOD WORK, MASK. BUT WE ARE SAFE ENOUGH. IT IS TIME TO RETURN TO OUR MEDITATIONS!"[/b] They glanced at her, disbelieving, but the power of her faith was clear: this was but one test of many, and it would not distract them from their Trials. Huddled against the rain and thunder, the dragons went back to their prayers. [/font][/size] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/mBVXuev.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][size=4][b]Trial of Infection[/b][/size][/font] [font=cambria][size=3]The dragon has 13 days to develop an infection as a sign from the Plaguebringer that they are worthy. Day 8/13[/center][/size][/font] [center][item=construction armor] [item=hardened clodcakes][item=malleable graybricks][/center] [center][font=cambria][size=3][i]'Every day, draw an item from Pinkerton. If the item qualifies as a sign from Mother, then your flesh has been touched with plague and you have passed your first trial. The items that qualify as signs from Mother depend on the difficulty level you’ve chosen.'[/i][/size][/font][/center] [font=cambria][size=3]Is it me, or did these drops specifically scream "building project?" What a strange writing prompt. Figuring out how, and more importantly why, a bunch of dragons would build anything in a pestilent hellhole mid-meditation was a challenging writing prompt! Anyway, the bad news is, none of those drops qualify as a sign. The "armor" is a trinket, not an apparel piece. The good news is, we're past one week in and nobody's outright dead. It's made for fun storytelling, although I've found I don't like Mask as much as I thought I would. I think I just miss Alstik :( But when I make any character, sometimes they develop in ways I didn't expect. Mask is turning out a lot more sleazy than I'd intended, lol, and Tusk less "formidable teacher" than "angry old lady." I think in writing this specific day's prompt, they each redeemed themselves a little in my eyes, quite by accident. I saw a little more leadership in Tusk again, and some genuine empathy in Mask. I still love Leech, though. Leech is pretty cool. Anyway, that was an Austin cameo. It's the last we'll see of him until his final fate is known and revealed. [/size][/font] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/wXtSdWi.png[/img][/center]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/SjLfhfh.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][color=#990000][size=7]Tusk, Leech, and Mask Day 9[/font][/size][/color][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93149972][img]https://i.imgur.com/HwnsksL.png[/img][/url][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93576253][img]https://i.imgur.com/zA5IOSd.png[/img][/url][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93529500][img]https://i.imgur.com/RhBICN8.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=cambria][size=3]The storm raged through the night, and carried on into a gray and dreary morning. By then, the earthshaking cracks of thunder had faded to distant rumbles, and the torrential rain was merely a 'heavy' one. Part of their mud-brick shelter had fallen away, but that didn't matter to them, and any complaints had been quickly rebuked by Tusk with an instruction to return to meditation. This was all part of their test, she informed them, even if it hadn't been [i]intended[/i] to be. They knew what she meant: that the Trials proved those worthy of survival, whatever 'survival' might wind up entailing. Mask rose and stretched, catlike, early the next day. He pressed out into the rain, shaking himself twice, and the others tried to ignore the stink of wet feathers as he crept away across the mud. He sank rather deeply, and made a sound of annoyance as he pulled himself free. Then he glanced back at them. [b]"This will be a good time to find food,"[/b] he said, voice raised slightly to be heard over the rain. [b]"The bugs will be up!"[/b] The second head glanced at the one who had spoken before elaborating: [b]"They come up out of the dirt when it rains this hard."[/b] It was hardly Tusk's preferred meal, but the Aberration proved right nonetheless: a forage around the mud-slicked bank revealed hordes of horribly mutated-looking little centipedes, beetles and ants that had fled to the surface to avoid the flooding beneath. Three dragons could hardly eat their fill, but it took the edge off their hunger and they'd soon returned to their shelter relatively content. Leech settled in, suppressing a shiver, squinting around at the drifting mist that half-obscured the Wyrmwound. [b]"Why do you think we're not infected yet?"[/b] she asked. It was the first time one of them had voiced this, and Mask glanced first to her and then—warily, as if he feared the answer—to Tusk. But for once, her bemused look their way was accompanied by a simple [b]"I don't know."[/b] When the other two dragons balked, she gave a short laugh. [b]"I am your teacher. I am not a deity myself. I do not know! I doubt that we are unworthy,"[/b] she added thoughtfully, looking out at the rain. [b]"Perhaps we're strong enough that our test is to be more thorough. Or maybe we have just been unlucky. Continue your meditation,"[/b] she added, with a stern but gentle tone and a glance back at them both. [b]"Dedication to our cause is more important than reward."[/b] [/font][/size] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/mBVXuev.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][size=4][b]Trial of Infection[/b][/size][/font] [font=cambria][size=3]The dragon has 13 days to develop an infection as a sign from the Plaguebringer that they are worthy. Day 9/13[/center][/size][/font] [center][item=sparkling wasp] [item=pressed morning glory][item=shale skitter][/center] [center][font=cambria][size=3][i]'Every day, draw an item from Pinkerton. If the item qualifies as a sign from Mother, then your flesh has been touched with plague and you have passed your first trial. The items that qualify as signs from Mother depend on the difficulty level you’ve chosen.'[/i][/size][/font][/center] [font=cambria][size=3]Looks like we got food drops again! Since writing prompts of "eat :)" are getting old, I decided to factor in the storm I wrote for yesterday for some added depth. I mean it's not a [i]lot[/i] of depth, but still. The dragons have four more days to get a sign from Mother, or their Trial fails. Then they have to go home or something, and admit that they are bad at their jobs. [/size][/font] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/wXtSdWi.png[/img][/center]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/SjLfhfh.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][color=#990000][size=7]Tusk, Leech, and Mask Day 10[/font][/size][/color][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93149972][img]https://i.imgur.com/HwnsksL.png[/img][/url][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93576253][img]https://i.imgur.com/zA5IOSd.png[/img][/url][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93529500][img]https://i.imgur.com/RhBICN8.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=cambria][size=3]The trio of dragons continued their meditation, deep in focus and in prayer, throughout the next day. None of them dared break it without dire need, not this close to the limit of the Trial's time. Thirst went ignored, and hunger was allowed to grow in their bellies. The first few days had been almost carefree, but now the ticking of the approaching deadline weighed on all three of them. [i]Thirteen days.[/i] That's all they had, and right now, they were on day ten. That left only three days to develop an infection, a sign from Plaguebringer that they were worthy of her Trials. At this point it seemed inevitable that at least one of them, if not all three, would find themselves slinking from the Wyrmwound in defeat. Tusk, it seemed to the other two, reacted by doubling down on her devotion. Her long neck was kept in a proud arch, her head held high, a firm faith become almost desperate in her eyes—which never wavered from the plagued lake. Her wings, as much as possible, were kept mantled outward in that strained position the Council often took in debate: in her case, a sign of dedication. It was not a position she could maintain for long, but she returned to it again and again. Mask said nothing of it, nor of their lack of triumph thus far, but Leech could tell that he was troubled. He kept focused, but his faint fidgeting now and then was clear, and there was an unease in the way he crouched. And for Leech, well... she found herself less worried about her own failure than about how her companions would take theirs. Tusk was proud, so much so that a failure here—in the very first trial—could destroy her. Mask-... She found him difficult to read. But the way his confidence had evaporated into uncertainty made her worried. For herself-... [b]"If I fail this, if I don't get a sign—any suggestions on a new life path?"[/b] she asked abruptly, her voice fearless in breaking the long silence. She hadn't intended to speak aloud; more like she'd blurted it. And there was humor in it. She glanced to Tusk, expecting a reprimand, but found an odd worry in the dragon's expression. [b]"You will not fail, Leech,"[/b] Tusk assured her quietly, and there was a strangely motherly warmth to it. Leech didn't know what to say, which was just as well, because after a moment Tusk continued. [b]"And even if you do—even if any of us do—there are other ways to serve the Mother. It may be that this is not the path she intends for us, that's all."[/b] Again, Leech said nothing, but she found it fascinating to watch Tusk's calm seep back in. It was as though, in reassuring Leech, she'd reassured herself. A glance toward Mask found the Aberration unconvinced. Both heads, doubtful expressions on their faces, peered toward the matriarch. He and Leech exchanged glances, and he shrugged. [b]"You may be a good scout,"[/b] he suggested simply. Then he looked around. [b]"I might stay."[/b] Both dragons swung their heads to peer at him, and he looked back at them. [b]"What?"[/b] Tusk hesitated, thinking. [b]"I forget that your kind simply takes these trials for [i]fun,[/i] sometimes,"[/b] she said, sounding amused. [b]"Not for fun,"[/b] Mask corrected. [b]"To prove that we are strong. That we are worthy. [i]Most[/i] worthy,"[/b] he added, quite serious. [b]"If I do not get a sign. I will take the Trial again."[/b] [b]"We will take it on our own,"[/b] the other head agreed, quiet. There was solemnity to it, though. Then he asked a question of his own, peering at Tusk. [b]"What plans did you have for us?"[/b] [b]"Plans?"[/b] Tusk echoed, peering at him. Down the slope, a large patch of wet mud broke free and slid away. All morning, the saturated muck had been unsteady, and the dragons turned and watched as part of the Wyrmwound's edge disintegrated. As before, it revealed little hints of those who had come before: chips of bone, pieces of old tools, ancient trinkets. Some of these were from strangers who had perished passing too close to the Wound, or had gotten lost and died here. Others were from dragons: dragons who had come to prove their worth and had, in the end, been found wanting. Tusk exhaled, staring down at the faint glint of a piece of painted glass. [b]"I had planned to join the Council, given time. To have a say in the fate of dragons. To aid in a worthy cause. And I had planned to train you. I still do,"[/b] she added, blinking. [b]"But your paths would of course have been your own to choose. You serve me, and I train you, as it has been. If you had chosen some specific path—if you do so—I will help you to achieve it."[/b] Leech hesitated before speaking. [b]"So if I decided I wanted to become a messenger, or a scholar-..."[/b] [b]"I would make-... I [i]will[/i] make sure you get that training, one way or another. From another dragon, from myself. Whatever is best, at the time. You are not my slaves,"[/b] Tusk added, sounding a little surprised, and Leech burst into laughter. [b]"No, we know that. I guess-... Well, I can't speak for Mask,"[/b] she said, glancing at him, [b]"but for me the future was this... vague thing, you know? I have this idea in the back of my mind that I'll find other Mirrors to run with now and then, and the rest of the time I'll be... I don't know. Working with you. Working for you? But I don't know what I'm doing in that future. I hadn't thought much of it, aside from learning from you."[/b] A glance again at Mask found him nodding, and he picked up where she'd fallen silent. [b]"That is why I asked. But we thought..."[/b] and suddenly, he seemed almost [i]bashful.[/i] Both heads dipped low, his voice growing quieter. [b]"We wished to be scholars."[/b] [b]"To learn! To become knowledgeable."[/b] [b]"To learn all things, and know all things."[/b] [b]"Well-... not [i]all[/i] things, but-"[/b] [b]"As much as we can. Knowledge is strength."[/b] [b]"It is survival."[/b] Tusk considered. [b]"It is, I suppose. Without you here, we'd hardly have gotten any food, and we wouldn't have known how to shelter ourselves from the storm, either."[/b] She looked at her two charges, and struggled desperately not to think that she was failing them. [b]"We will all get our signs. And whatever paths you choose, I will help you on the way."[/b] [/font][/size] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/mBVXuev.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][size=4][b]Trial of Infection[/b][/size][/font] [font=cambria][size=3]The dragon has 13 days to develop an infection as a sign from the Plaguebringer that they are worthy. Day 10/13[/center][/size][/font] [center][item=glasswing butterfly] [item=tidelord seashell decoration][item=parched clay jar][/center] [center][font=cambria][size=3][i]'Every day, draw an item from Pinkerton. If the item qualifies as a sign from Mother, then your flesh has been touched with plague and you have passed your first trial. The items that qualify as signs from Mother depend on the difficulty level you’ve chosen.'[/i][/size][/font][/center] [font=cambria][size=3]The dragons have three more days to get a sign, or their Trial fails. [/size][/font] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/wXtSdWi.png[/img][/center]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/SjLfhfh.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][color=#990000][size=7]Tusk, Leech, and Mask Day 11[/font][/size][/color][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93149972][img]https://i.imgur.com/HwnsksL.png[/img][/url][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93576253][img]https://i.imgur.com/zA5IOSd.png[/img][/url][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93529500][img]https://i.imgur.com/RhBICN8.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=cambria][size=3]On the eleventh day, the dragons focused entirely on their meditation. There was no conversation whatsoever: no 'what were your plans,' or 'what-ifs,' or 'maybes.' None of them asked the others for reassurance, or offered it in turn: each was too busy deeply in meditation. Tusk had trained them well, in this. Tusk's prayers were entirely to Plaguebringer. Again and again, she willed the Mother to hear her faith and diligence, to reward her at least with a test of her strength, with the opportunity to prove herself worthy of service. Her certainty never faltered. She was confidence, too, in her choice of followers. Leech was both strong and loyal, and Mask was cunning and insightful. Between the three of them, she felt, they would make a powerful team in service to the Plaguebringer. Leech's meditations were more subdued. Not defeated, but rather, less zealous and more introspective. She tried to focus on what their task would be, on how she might best serve. Hers was a quieter faith, but no less strong. Her faith in Tusk, too, was complete: if the Ridgeback had led them here, then they could not fail. It was as Tusk said, Leech was certain; if Plaguebringer denied them a Trial, it was because she had other plans for them. Mask, in the meantime, had a rapidly wandering mind. He kept focused entirely on the Trial, proving again that he was above the average Aberration in terms of sharp focus and keen mind. But his purpose for being here was less a desire to serve, and more one to advance himself. He was not particularly ambitious, but he wanted to prove himself strong, at the very least; and the path he wished to follow in life was one higher and more precarious than the settled comfort of other dragons. He wished to train, to hone himself, to be at the forefront of whatever progress there might be to make: and Tusk seemed a good bet for leading the way. Still, his prayers were directly to Plaguebringer and his, among all three, were the most blunt. [i]'Let me prove myself. I will serve, better than other dragons. We are strong, you know we are strong. Why hold us back..? We will come back, again and again and again, until you accept us! -Until you admit we are worthy!'[/i] Both heads shared these prayers, almost fierce in their determination. Yet no sign presented itself, not today. The sun beat overhead, the winds falling still until it felt like high summer. The last of the dampness from the storm faded, and the mud slowly dried, baking into crumbled, cracked earth. The dragons perched in silence, each lost to their own meditations, ignoring the encroaching pains of hunger and of thirst. [/font][/size] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/mBVXuev.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][size=4][b]Trial of Infection[/b][/size][/font] [font=cambria][size=3]The dragon has 13 days to develop an infection as a sign from the Plaguebringer that they are worthy. Day 11/13[/center][/size][/font] [center][item=strange runic letter] [item=reflect][item=dire wooden toy][/center] [center][font=cambria][size=3][i]'Every day, draw an item from Pinkerton. If the item qualifies as a sign from Mother, then your flesh has been touched with plague and you have passed your first trial. The items that qualify as signs from Mother depend on the difficulty level you’ve chosen.'[/i][/size][/font][/center] [font=cambria][size=3]I didn't post yesterday, but I did do the rolls. Higher & Lower success, and then... this. Why's this matter? Because the [i][b]fourth[/b][/i] Crim item was this: [item=Echo Eater Tailspine] ...which would have counted as a Sign. Tragically today's rolls (which will be posted next) had the same horrible coincidence, with this: [item=Citrine Flourish Anklets] This is the fourth time Crim's has dropped a 'Sign' after the pulls for the actual 3 dragons in the Trial. Feelsbadman. The dragons have two more days to get a sign, or their Trial fails. [/size][/font] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/wXtSdWi.png[/img][/center]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/SjLfhfh.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][color=#990000][size=7]Tusk, Leech, and Mask Day 12[/font][/size][/color][/center] [center][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93149972][img]https://i.imgur.com/HwnsksL.png[/img][/url][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93576253][img]https://i.imgur.com/zA5IOSd.png[/img][/url][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/93529500][img]https://i.imgur.com/RhBICN8.png[/img][/url][/center] [font=cambria][size=3]On the final day before their impending failure, Tusk pushed up and spread her wings wide. A stern glance was fired to the dragons to either side of her, and when she spoke it was with rumbling authority. [b]"If the signs have not found us, then we will set out to find them,"[/b] she declared. She made no mention of her hunger or her dehydration, though her students could each hear the rasp of thirst in her words. The Ridgeback struck out, leading the way without hesitation down toward the lapping edges of the Wound. She did not go so far as to plunge herself within, nor even touch the liquid with her claws, but she did stride along its edges with no more care than a dragon might stroll along a sunny beach. Her head was held high, both with pride and to scan the wastes with determined resolve. Behind her, Leech set to keeping watch as she walked with her Mirror heat sight. There was nothing to be seen, bar the flitting of a few birds who'd undoubtedly gotten lost in the Boneyard and wound up here. [i]'They probably won't make it out alive,'[/i] she thought absently, watching them spiral back away into the sky. They were what Tusk had occasionally and reverently called 'vectors'—creatures that unwittingly carried Mother's gifts back into the wider world. It was Mask whose double heads spotted something in the mud where the Wyrmwound's water lapped. [b]"Hold on,"[/b] one head barked, and he picked his way down to the waters. Here he plucked and picked at something in the mud, the other two gathering closer. What he drew forth at last (falling on his rump when it came unexpectedly free of the mud) was a large, heavy tome, one encrusted with bits of sand and muck that had dried and dampened again, and was half worm-eaten and soggy with liquid. [b]"Is that a book?"[/b] Leech asked, tilting her head curiously. Mask squinted at it, holding it up at arm's length in his claws, letting the foul-smelling and pestilent liquids stream back down into the Wound. [b]"Yes."[/b] [b]"...We think so."[/b] Tusk simply watched, inscrutable but not interrupting, as attentive as Leech. Mask stepped back from the shore, setting the book in the mud and gingerly opening the cover. The pages within were half-ruined with wet, as could reasonably be expected. But the ink that remained was etched in violent streaks, sharp and urgent in their writing. Tusk pressed forward, peering down. [b]"A report,"[/b] she said, surprised. Neither of the others recognized the language, but the Ridgeback lifted the book carefully in her talons and explained. Now and then she tried to pull a page this way or that, though two tore almost at once as she did so. [b]"...From a scout, trying to explore the Wyrmwound. It claimed them,"[/b] she added. [b]"...When they realized they were infected, they chose to stay rather than risk bringing the disease out with them."[/b] She flipped through pages very carefully. [b]"They weren't a dragon?"[/b] Leech guessed. [b]"This is a beastfolk language. But it doesn't say who wrote it,"[/b] Tusk replied. Then she paused, eyes narrowing at a certain passage. Her tone came darker: [b]"From the sounds of things, they were a spy."[/b] Leech and Mask both made sharp, almost angry sounds of disapproval. Tusk went on after a pause. [b]"...They detail their illness. Pustules. Fever. Vomiting... then bleeding. They describe every aspect of their agony."[/b] She described more. She described worse, and worse still, until her apprentices—even sworn to Plague as they were—were recoiling. Then she reached the final written page; all those after were blank. [b]"This one-... They say that they saw two suns in the sky. Delirium,"[/b] she added, though it sounded unsure. [b]"And that's the last thing here."[/b] Leech stepped forward, reaching for the book, and Tusk let her have it with a curious expression. [b]"I can't read this,"[/b] the Mirror hastened to tell her, with humor. [b]"I just figure, if it's gonna infect you both, I want in on this. Maybe it's our sign,"[/b] she added, quietly. [b]"A warning that our Trials are gonna be... harsh. And a last chance to back out. I'm not backing out."[/b] Tusk eyed her, and then nodded, proud and firm. By her side, Mask crept forward to press his claws to the book again, and after a moment, Tusk added her own massive talons once again. [b]"May the Mother bless us,"[/b] she said, and her apprentices met her gaze with utter faith. [/font][/size] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/mBVXuev.png[/img][/center] [center][font=cambria][size=4][b]Trial of Infection[/b][/size][/font] [font=cambria][size=3]The dragon has 13 days to develop an infection as a sign from the Plaguebringer that they are worthy. Day 12/13[/center][/size][/font] [center][item=harrowing vellum missive] [item=love's herald] [item=barnacle-encrusted relic][/center] [center][font=cambria][size=3][i]'Every day, draw an item from Pinkerton. If the item qualifies as a sign from Mother, then your flesh has been touched with plague and you have passed your first trial. The items that qualify as signs from Mother depend on the difficulty level you’ve chosen.'[/i][/size][/font][/center] [font=cambria][size=3]I didn't really use yesterday's rolls as a writing prompt, and today's first pull oddly echoed yesterday's. Other than those, the only real prompt I could think of is 'stuff that might be lying around the Wyrmwound,' so here we are. The dragons have one more day to get a sign, or their Trials fail. [/size][/font] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/wXtSdWi.png[/img][/center]