07.03x: Refuge of Dreams

[ShadowOfPreservation]

"And what can you tell me of your father? I saw him, even if it was only a vision, when I walked...attuned to Pattern. He spoke to me of forging a new legacy."

[Joshua]

Nate will ponder for a bit. "Dworkin is the only one with ...?" He will ask. Again, trying not to name the power. Seems more of a superstition than anything. Like Lord Voldemort. "He messed with the time here. I guess he didn't know it was occupied." Nate grumbles. "Anyhow, my father? Chaos was a magus-engineer, sorcerer, conjuror and weapons researcher. The titans... do you know about the titans in this age? The titans that nearly destroyed the world were designed to fight for the house, in conflicts where destroying whole shadows would be needed. Much simpler than primal chaos, and a bit more controlled. It has been..." He tries to count... "A long long time since I've seen him. Perhaps since the fall of our clan. What he is like now is likely hard to say. I have changed myself. Met those who have changed me. I am unsure. I..." He thinks. "I cannot try to find him as this projection. I would need to awaken my body to do that. You might be able to find him. Or perhaps find a way for me to move without destroying the city."

[Rasanam]

Rasanam shakes his head. "He knew, he just... didn't bother to mention how rude it would be to you when we asked. As for Chaos - yes, I'm sure we can find him; we can use Pattern to walk to wherever he is. Not that I've had much chance to experiment with it myself, yet."

"And we should also be able to get you out from under Dra'Varden if you'd like; I imagine that will require somewhere between a day and a month of engineering work, followed by a simple teleport spell... Whatever else it does, walking the Pattern seems to have dramatically increased my ability to work with magic; before, that sort of project would have taken years, if it had been within my reach at all."

[Wyvern]

"Dworkin is the only one I know of," Alys replies to Nate. "And anyone else who wants the Serpent's Favor will have to find some new way to gain it. Unless..." She gets a slightly worried expression, "Well, I probably could, if I had cause to trade sanity for power. At the least, I can still find the Labyrinth... And you said my family were literally devoured for their connection to that Power?"

Alys shifts back to her human form - the previous transition was drawn out for dramatic effect; this time she shifts quickly, like someone flicking a lightswitch off.

"If any of them remember that, they might be tempted to see if it would work a second time; any one of them I can take, at least with no Greater Powers in play, but the whole of 'clan demon'? Maybe I should construct a few more non-draconic home forms..."

[ShadowOfPreservation]

Lyra looks to Alys. "If they saw a dragon would they automatically assume they were from Chaos? Or are all Dragons in some way a shadow of the true original dragons so anyone appearing draconic could be suspect? Or would they likely be able to simply sense our connections to Chaos?"

[Joshua]

"They would need a dragon that previously held..." he will sigh and jsut say, "Logrus. I never had it, lyra, you never have as well. It's not something they're likely to be able to tell easily. And to the best of my knowledge, they would have wiped out any who possessed it before."

[Wyvern]

Alys nods. "Actual attunement I can spot - that is why I know Dworkin has it - but if there is a visible difference between unrealized potential and just being a halfway decent shapeshifter, I have not yet figured it out. I am more concerned about ones that do not have quite that good vision; if they are desperate - and they definitely are - they might not care to double-check before trying something. And at the very least, I should work out a winged form that's a bit less distinctively House Sybaris."

She ponders a bit, and then adds, "May as well start on that now; we've got some time, and it feels like this place supports shapeshifting fairly strongly."

[Joshua]

"There are lots of imitators of any clan. Where True dragons begin and end is a matter for debate. And the one who would actually care is one who no longer grants approval." Nate will say. "So... mostly, you are who you wish to be. You make your own way."

[Wyvern]

"I care." Alys looks at Nathrezell with narrowed eyes - she knows what he meant, but is still feeling slightly insulted by it. "But under the circumstances, I'm inclined to be... more practical than my parents would have been. Given that the number of True dragons I know are alive is no more than three, insisting on perfection would be foolish."

Then she tilts her head, and seems to realize that implying Nathrezell might not be a real dragon is perhaps a bit rude, given that this is his home. "Earlier you apologized for not being able to show your true form; if you would not consider the attempt too rude, I might be able to see that from here..."

[Joshua]

"I suppose." he will say.