The Draconic Divines

 The Draconic Divines

     Iriisii: "All right, everyone, listen up. We are heading back to where and when we left Telios. It is now time to summon and free the Draconic Divines. I have no idea how this is going to go, just that it is paramount that I do this before we go onward. If things go south on me, know that I...well just know that I could not have gotten as far as I have without all of you. You have kept me on the straight and narrow, and I want to thank you all for that. I thought about having a party, but now I think it best that we see what happens first. If it goes well then we will have cause for celebration. 

     So gather up everything you will need to take with you, and I will open us a portal, then we will see this through."

     Everyone who knows they are going moves to gather whatever they think they will need, but not more than they can carry. Anything else, Iriisii or someone else will provide.

     Through the portal, and stepping out on top of the flat roof of the Temple. Iriisii can feel the tension building, like the biggest tinderbox imaginable, and someone approaching with a torch to set it off. She scans the area around for leagues outward but sees nothing that could be the cause for the tension. Then she lets her search go and opens her mind to simply listen.

     NORTH! Beyond the 'Ice Wall'! Something is...stirring?...no, not stirring, waiting, patiently waiting for something. It had been stirring before she arrived, that was the cause for the tension. But now it is simply waiting, perhaps for her to do something. Is it waiting for her to complete the summoning? What could be buried up there that would be powerful enough to take on the Draconic Divines? She needs information on what happened long ago, but this is a situation she does not think going back in time to view would be safe to do. Then Kali-Mah walks up, an expression Iriisii can only interpret as concern on her face.

     Kali-Mah: "Deep evil, a cold evil, watches this place, this time, watches us."

     Iriisii: "Do you know of it?"

     Kali-Mah: "No, I do not know, but I feel. It has been asleep for a long time, but it is awake now, and it is hungry."

     Iriisii: "Is there anything else you can tell me about it?"

     Kali-Mah: "I worry for our family, I worry for all of us, I worry for those we love."

     Iriisii: "Thank you, even for this much, thank you."

     Kali-Mah wraps her arms around Iriisii.

     Kali-Mah: "I will fight, for you, for our family, for our loved ones!"

     Iriisii looks at the determination in Kali-Mah's face, for whatever reason or none at all, a ray of hope shines through the gloom and tension. She then sees what she must do, something she did not suspect to be possible, but nonetheless, she must try.

     Iriisii: "When the 'Cold Evil' comes, I will merge. Then I will gather you, Norok, Night Tiger, and merge you together, with Brii Qo Dun. Then we will fight the 'Cold Evil' and we will win."

     Iriisii looks over to the Sage who came up to wait after they had come through the portal.

     Iriisii: "Call the people, it is time to summon the souls of the Draconic Divines. This will alert the 'Cold Evil' beyond the northern Ice Wall, and it will come. I will want the city and the countryside evacuated and sent to the Capital City for safety. I and mine will fight the 'Cold Evil' here. Anyone who stays will likely be frozen to death by the 'Cold Evil' as it passes. There will be naught I can do about that, so if they value their lives, they must flee. Tell them I ask that they go to safety in the Capital City, and await what happens."

     The Sage goes to gather the priests and acolytes, then send them out into the city and the countryside to warn everyone. All are to gather here for the summoning, then go to the Capital City and safety.

     It almost seems the people knew this was the moment, as quickly as they arrived and gathered. They stood quiet, their heads bowed, silently praying that all would go well.

Iriisii stands on the edge of the Temple parapet looking out over all gathered. 

     Iriisii: "It is time!", projecting her voice with the Thu'um. she takes the scroll in her hands and opens it one more time to where the recall spell is written. Opening her mind to the power contained within the scroll, within the runes written on the papyrus. She lets them speak with her voice, knowing there is no other way to be certain she incants them correctly. Because even though written in the Dovahzul runes, the language itself is older than Dovahzul, much, much older. 

     Si spol sia ivah sari wer whedabra, sari

     wer whedab goawyic persvek wer thaczil di wurunwaic

     ekess svaklar wer nelith Ithquenti lapiet wurunwair

     ekess nomenes nelith wurunwari nymuer sia ivah      

     batobot ui ti nelith svabolen shilta malakta lapiet

     kagh mrith bvecko fosskic tangis nomag nelithik.

     Si relgr ekess wux nelith Draushum Ithquenti,

     nymuer sia Thu'um, nymuer sia ivah, 

     nymuer sia lexri, kagh sweekmon ve svaust renthisjic

     wer ioth lexri plyntor persvek wer sjir,

     Si vucot ekess Draushum Ithquenti! Si kiwieg wux,

     rocen ekess sia lexri, sweekmon sia ivah,

     demak ve, wer tairais tepohaic confn huena throdenilt

     onel wer Grikori ekess vucot wux lae tir!

     I send my voice into the darkness, into

     the dark places in the land of dreams

     to where the dead Gods lie dreaming,

     to those dead dreamers hear my voice

     that is not dead which can eternal lie

     and with strange eons, even death may die.

     I call to you dead Dragon Gods,

     Hear my Thu'um, hear my voice,

     Hear my words, and seek me who speaks

     the holy words written in the scroll

     I know you Dragon Gods! I feel you,

     wake to my words, seek my voice,

     join me, the time has come once more

     for the Realms to know you as I do!

     Feeling for perhaps the first time in a long while, drained of power. She waits to see the result of the words she sent into dreams. It is only a minute or so, although it feels like a much longer time. Echoes of an ancient door, creak open until it slams against a wall. Chains rattle and the sounds of giant manacles falling to a floor somewhere distant yet as close as a fleeting daydream.

     She swears she can feel the wind blowing from the beating of mighty wings, but nothing is moving on top of Temple, not even a speck of dust. The sound of lightning bolts crackling across the sky, but the day is clear as a bell. And then a voice can be heard growing closer, a voice she believes she has heard in the stillness of her mind, while she trod the edge between sleep and dream.

     We hear the voice that calls to us

     The Thu'um that awakens us from

     Our deathly sleep, our dreams of 

     paradise and of nightmares unknown

     We come at last to join with the

     one strong enough to call us,

     to rouse us, free us from the chains

     that have bound us for so long.

     Forgotten were we, but forgotten no

     longer, you who remembered us, woke 

     us, summoned us, to you we now come.

     And then she sees them, four dragon spirits as massive as they were when they lived at the dawn of the First Creation. They circle around the Temple as if waiting for her to join them, and with one voice they call to her.

     "You who summoned us, who freed us

     from our dreams of forever. To you

     we owe everything, to you we stand

     ready to give everything. Take the

     final leap of faith, take us within

     you, and become what only you can

     now become. Scion of the Draconic

     Divines, as we held the 'Voice of

     Creation' within us so now will you.

     As we called all dragons our children,

     so now will you. As we once guarded

     the 'Fount of the Balance' so now

     will that charge fall to you. Rise

     now, on the wings of a dragon,

     join us as the First Scion to ever be."

     

     Iriisii unfurls her wings, stretching them straight above her, they grow longer until they are twice her body length. At her will, they grab the air and pull her upward. And as she rises so the colors of her wings shift from blue to green, to orange to red, then to the deepest violet. The color of storm clouds that seem to gather from every direction above her. As lightning bolts chase each other across her wings, they are mirrored in the storm clouds high above her. The winds seem to slowly spin her round and round.

     An aura of violet streaked with gold surrounds her now, the spirits of the Draconic Divines circling her, and then one by one they pass into her body and disappear. As the last one vanishes, Iriisii arches her back, her head was thrown back in a soundless scream. She then begins to morph, first assuming her dragon form, then she changes from female to male. Hovering in the air, she shouts, "Bii Qo Dun".

     Then a roar sounds from off behind a hill, a deep blue dragon, spines crackling with lightning takes to the air toward Iriisii. As she approaches, they circle each other, then rise high up into and above the storm clouds. Higher and higher, until the air thins so much their wings can hardly hold them aloft. They then enter into an aerial ballet as they drop toward the ground, flying around each other, twisting and turning. It almost looks like aerial combat, but neither is harming the other.

     At that moment Iriisii covers 'Bii Qo Dun' and they stay together as they fall. Closer and closer to the ground, it seems they will both hit together. And then at the last possible moment, they separate and each flies in a different direction, skimming the ground so closely anyone could lift a hand and touch them as they fly by.

     "Bii Qo Dun" seeks a deep cave in the hills where she flew up from, Iriisii glides to the top of the Temple, returns to her Aasimar form, and as she collapses, she is heard to say, "it is done." Rigmor tries to wake her from her state of exhaustion but cannot, she turns to Dettlaff, "let's get her inside where she can sleep this off, then she has some questions to answer."

     Kali-Mah comes up to Iriisii and places a hand on her cheek, "I will watch over you, protect you. As you have protected me and given me a new life." She then turns to Rigmor and mindspeaks, 'do not hurt her by your own ignorance, you have no wisdom of what she has endured or why.' Rigmor looks at Kali-Mah amazed at what just happened, she starts to say something but decides better to wait. There may indeed be more to this than is apparent, and if there is not, then she can throw a tantrum.

     Three days later. Iriisii is still comatose, Rigmor is really starting to worry as she talks to Dettlaff about what happened.

     Rigmor: "Did she say anything to you about what she expected when she summoned them?"

     Dettlaff: "No, she said nothing about it to anyone that I am aware of. Illyria has looked her over and says she is not harmed, but that she was drained of nearly all the power she had stored within her. She is slowly rebuilding, and when she has enough to wake then she can restore herself fully."

     Rigmor: "Did she say why she thought Iriisii was drained?"

     Dettlaff: "She said she has some thoughts, but that it is not her place to say anything. All explanations must come from Iriisii and no one else."

     Rigmor: "Damn, what does she know? Why will she not tell us?"

     Dettlaff: "I really have no verifiable ideas but I can hazard a guess or two."

     Rigmor: "Anything right now is better than nothing."

     Dettlaff: "We know that it has to do with the Souls of the Draconic Divines. Nothing happened out of bounds of what we have seen before until they merged with her."

     Rigmor: "True, so you are also saying that what happened after they merged, they also were the cause of?"

     Dettlaff: "I believe so, yes."

     Rigmor: "But why would they need that?"

     Dettlaff: "There is a lot of the metaphysics involved that I do not understand, but I surmise that it was the best way for the Divines to be given new bodies."

     Rigmor: "You mean what we saw was a ..."

     Dettlaff: "Yes, a mating flight. As they were both dragons, the children will be dragons. And at least four will be hatched with the souls of the Draconic Divines, if there are more eggs laid, then we will have to see what happens."

     Rigmor: "Surely we will not be stuck here until the eggs are laid and hatched?"

     Dettlaff: "Don't quote me on this, but I think they will be moved to a tower in the Krang. They will be safer there for however long it takes. Also, we know they will not make an appearance until far down the timeline. Past any point where we have already been."

     Rigmor: "That makes sense. But what does it mean that she is now Scion of the Draconic Divines?"

     Dettlaff: "Again, I cannot speak to these things except in guesses. But considering what just happened, it places her above them, as she is now their sire."

     Rigmor: "But I thought she was to stop going higher when she takes the 'Mantle of the Mother', when did this change?"

     Dettlaff: "My guess is when she destroyed and rebirthed the Second Creation. You have heard her say that she needs to do the same to the First. To watch over three Creations, she would have to stand above the position of watching only the Third."

     Rigmor: "But how much higher can she go if these things keep happening to her."

     Dettlaff: "That I cannot say, only those above who are orchestrating this know the answer to that if they even truly know."

     Rigmor: "And that is what frightens me most because we have to go with her. She cannot do it alone, she needs all of us to help her, keep her straight and level."

     Dettlaff: "We would do that regardless, not for all that is out there, but because we love her, and she needs us. That is all the reason we need."

     Rigmor: "You are right, she has always been there when I needed her. Even when death almost claimed her, she came back to me. And I will do no less. Where are Desidarius and Kali-Mah, I have not seen them today?"

     Dettlaff: "Desidarius is monitoring beyond the northern Ice Wall. She senses something stirring and is keeping watch in case we need to move against it. Kali-Mah is sleeping right now, she will take up monitoring later tonight, after I take over for Desidarius."

     Rigmor: "What the hell is up there?"

     Dettlaff: "None of us knows, what we can sense is that it is very old, very strong. It has been sleeping for a very long time and is starting to wake up. It will likely be hungry when it does. The summoning of the Draconic Divines is likely what started it waking up. As to why it had to be here and not somewhere else? This is a strange world, I am not sure of how to speak of it."

     Rigmor: "Try to anyway."

     Dettlaff: "It shares existence with both the First Creation and the Second, as well as where we are now in the Third. It is like it has existed in all three, how this could be, I do not know. But it explains how the Draconic Divines lived here in the dawn of the First Creation, and now can be reborn into the Third Creation, in this same world. It almost makes a kind of sense."

     Rigmor: "Well I am glad it makes sense to someone, so enlighten me!"

     Dettlaff: "If it could not share existence across all three Creations, there is no way the Draconic Divines could be reborn without Iriisii first taking over the destruction of the First and restoring it as she did the Second because it had to be done on the world they lived on and were exiled to 'where the Dead Gods lie dreaming' from.

     As I said the metaphysics gets strange in all of this, but that is how I see it. Why I can see it at all, has to be due to my elevation through blood sharing with Iriisii. I am gaining not just in abilities but in knowledge as well. My own ancestral memories are waking, soon I will have to deal with them as Iriisii did hers."

     Rigmor: "You mean you will have to take the Catalyst?"

     Dettlaff: "No, I get a small bit in each sharing, it is just now accumulating to the point where it will be enough to start the process."

     Rigmor looks back at Iriisii, thinking about all that they have gone through, what lies ahead, what has changed, and what still remains the same. She whispers softly to her, "Although I let my temper get the better of me, you have always sought to bring me to see reason. You have sought peace between us when all I wanted to do was fight. You have loved me when I would have thrown you away in anger. And you have returned to me time after time, even from death's door. You have only sought what you felt was best for me, often sacrificing much to do so." And as she goes and sits down next to where Iriisii sleeps, "and so I will sit beside you and wait for your return once more, because you would do the same for me, and because I love you."

      

     Iriisii is walking down a shallow stream bed, cool water splashing around her feet as she walks. The bottom seems to be a kind of clay with some smooth stones, some large enough for the water to have to flow around rather than over. The light is somewhat muted, not moonlight but softer sunlight than what she is accustomed to. There is a mist, almost a fog, flowing from the higher edges of the stream bank down into the stream itself.

     She continues on and begins to hear female voices singing a rhythmic song. It seems to be punctuated by slaps of the wet fabric against hard rock. Perhaps they are washing clothes as her own village women used to do. As she can barely see the three young women clad in white linen dresses, old, with faded stains. They are washing the clothes, slapping them against the rocks, then wringing them above their heads letting the water, fall on their bodies, helping to cool them. All of this is done in time to the song they are singing, something kin to a lullaby.

     As she continues to watch, she sees three men slide down the stream bank and approach the young women. They do not stop what they are doing as they use their movements to entice them closer. As the men do go closer, the young women keep singing, while gracefully stepping around the men, each selecting one. One picks up a clay jug and gives it to one of the men. As he cradles it in one arm, she gently lifts his arm and he drinks as she sings to him.

     She wonders what is going on, she knows what it looks like, that these men came upon these young women who like what they see and begin to seduce them. Something feels wrong though, for she is standing here within sight but none have taken notice of her. And the song, while it is slow and melodic, is having the effect of entrancing these men. Are they perhaps some kind of true siren? Should she interfere in this?

     The decision is taken from her hands as if on cue there is a flash of reflected light. And all three men have their throats slashed open. The young women have not stopped their singing and the men do not fight as their blood colors the water flowing by her. One by one the men collapse into the stream, water taking away the last of their blood. It is then she picks up a scent from the blood that she remembers.

     The three young women look toward her, all three dark-haired, of different heights, with fair skin but not pale. But their eyes are violet, lighter than hers but still violet. The lead walks to her while the other two go back to washing clothes.

     Iriisii: "What are you?"

     Siren: "The word that came into your mind when you saw us will do to describe us."

     Iriisii: "Where is this place?"

     Siren: "Somewhere you have yet to visit, but you will. For now, you dream walk, seeking things, places that call to you."

     Iriisii: "Why am I here?"

     Siren: "For more than one reason, you recognized the scent of their blood. Such that you know what they are, this is not where they come from, but they came here looking for you. They found us first."

     Iriisii: "Why did you draw them away, kill them?"

     Siren: "We were once more than we are now. That which made these came to us with sweet words and promises. Promises of lives and deaths. We do not seek or hunt mortal men for sport or even sustenance. They look for and find us, they come from every corner of existence, in dreams, in vision quests, some even looking to die pleasurably in our arms.

     But these are not like the others, the others stay with us for a little time and are drawn back to their beds, no harm or hurt done."

     Iriisii: "What of those who come seeking death?"

     Siren: "They seek release from pain, sometimes physical, sometimes emotional, sometimes other kinds of pain, but all overwhelming. They seek us to end their pain and allow their passing to be pleasurable."

     Iriisii: "And these?"

     Siren: "These we kill whenever we sense them close by. What the one who made them did to our sisters, requires that we pay back in kind. Anything we can do to stand in its way, cause it to fail in its goals, and as we have finally done, find the one who threatens it most."

     Iriisii: "Why to seek me, then?"

     Siren: "For you are the only one who can stand against its return. The one to stop what it most wants to do."

     Iriisii: "And that is?"

     Siren: "Bring its father back from exile. The father of every dire and evil thing, desire, wish, want, that ever existed."

     Iriisii: "Why would I want to stop its return? There is a role for all within the 'Balance'."

     Siren: "Yes, there is. As we ourselves fulfill the role given to us. But it is not of the Balance. It never was and never will be. Life was seeded far longer ago than your three Creations began. We were a part of it, as some others are who also watch you to see if you survive and prove your worth. It, however, was not of the seeding of life. It came after life was established, perhaps drawn to the scent of innocence. For at that time all life was undefiled.

     It began by using words and gifts, power and guile, it seeded corruption and watched as it took root. Not all were affected by it, some turned it away, and some simply ignored it. They fell as corruption took hold and they knew not how to defend themselves."

     Iriisii: "What of the Gods, those who should have watched over you, protected you."

     Siren: "We were the Gods at that time. Mortals were created later, hoping they could survive and spread themselves farther and faster than it could corrupt them. Then they could turn and defend against the corrupted ones. And we would help them do that. After a fashion, it worked. It and its son were defeated and exiled into the outer darkness.

     But the seeds of corruption remained and were too strong to fully root out. And so we now have had to learn to coexist with it. To draw it into what you call the 'Balance', to allow life to go on. But now it seeks to return and finish what it started. We are not what we once were, but pale reflections.

     You and ones like you, have arisen from the ranks of mortal kind. Hope aspires when another rises, but though there are those like you, there was not one among them to come forth and take command. To stand together, bind all that would follow, and send it back into the outer darkness."

     Iriisii: "And if it came back once, surely it could come back again."

     Siren: "Yet we have no idea if it can be dealt with otherwise."

     Iriisii: "I too have no idea, but I will try and find a way. If one does not look, a way will never be found. Would you come with me, you know the old ones you speak of far more than I do. I need that knowledge if I am to be the one to deal with this, and it seems to believe that I can. For it hunts me relentlessly, and that tells me it fears me, fears what I can do to it, should I but find the way."

     The siren looks to her sisters. They let go of the trappings that they used to lure the ones that were sent to intercept Iriisii.

     Siren: "We will go with you, fight with you, teach you what we know of what came before, and what we have learned in fighting them. We accept your authority over us, as of now, we are yours."

     Iriisii: "Then follow me, I still need to speak with others before I return to the waking world. The 'waking world', strange that I choose those words when this is obviously not the 'Dreamlands'."

     Siren: "You are correct that this is not the Dream Lands you know. It is from a time when there was no difference between the 'Waking World' and the 'Dream World'. The Dragon Language you know as Dovahzul was not the first, but came later out of another. When you incanted the words from the 'Scroll', they were of this language, and they reached back into this Reality to perform the action you requested. For that place, you call 'Where the Dead Gods Lie Dreaming', even though it is found in your Lands of Dream, it was birthed in this Reality. And so it reaches back to touch upon this Reality.

     Those you called to you, the Draconic Divines, were from this Reality. They felt the call of kin when your First Creation was born, they heard the Dragons of that Creation as they were born. And so went to see for themselves what had transpired. They were unprepared and were caught up in the struggle as other forces strove to destroy that Creation, just as they strove to save it and the dragons they called their children. They were defeated and drained of power almost unto death. But they being of a different, earlier Reality, could not have their immortality wrested away from them. And so when that place, Where the Dead Gods Lie Dreaming, was created to hold them imprisoned. When they were interred there, they called to their home. And even though it could not free them and bring them home, it was able to lay claim to it as a part of that earlier Reality by their presence locked away inside, even as it was insulated by your Lands of Dream. it was recognized as belonging to the Dreamworld.

     It also made an excellent prison for other Gods from your Realities, who for whatever reason saw fit to place them there. And there they will remain unless you see fit to take them out, for you now hold the keys to that place."

     Iriisii: "I see. For now, though, is it possible to teach what you can do and if so can you determine who of any others can learn?"

     Siren: "We can teach those who have the needed skills. Few there are though that can do so, it is in part why we are so few. But if you would learn, we would be honored to teach. What you can already do with your voice is astonishing. Your control of pitch, tone, and volume is absolute. And we can sense other abilities inherent to your voice that could make it a weapon of devastating power if trained properly.

     You could single out a single individual to ensnare or lay waste to an army with your voice."

     Iriisii: "I had another, maybe two, that could possibly learn, but if you think you can do what you say with my voice, then it would be worth it for me to learn. How long would you need?"

     Siren: "Hard to say, each learns at their own rate."

     Iriisii: "Then I know of a way to give us as much time as we need. I have used this to train others and it has worked splendidly. I can create a pocket dimension for security and privacy, then adjust the time flow within so we have as much as we need and only a minimal amount outside the pocket passes."

     Siren: "Yes, this would work well. Without interruptions, things would go much quicker and smoother. But you came here first to seek those lost souls you found and brought back. They have moved to their new bodies to await the fullness of time. We must admit, your way of dealing with their return was both inspired and unexpected."

     Iriisii: "In what way was it inspired?"

     Siren: "There was no possibility for specific bodies to be created for them in time that would work. Starting with newly conceived dragons gave the fusion the greatest chance to successfully progress. They can mold the bodies to their needs much easier and they will have time to adjust to the new surroundings.

     Others would have created a fully mature body and moved their soul into it. Yes, it would work, but they would have to expend a great deal of time and effort to make the necessary changes for them to make the best use. Your way eliminates at least half the work they would have otherwise had to do. Not to mention what this will mean to Brii Qo Dun, you will however have to move her soon. She is going to become a target otherwise, those who placed them in that place will come looking for them when they find out they have been released.

     But with your voice trained in our skills, it would not be a problem for you to see to it that they would take the place of the Draconic Divines in 'Where the Dead Gods Lie Dreaming'. In our memory, there has never been a Draconic Siren Goddess, the possibility of one fills us with great anticipation."

     Iriisii: "I will need to go back to wakefulness, see what if anything needs my attention. Then set up what we would need to begin. I will need to explain this to the two others I think could learn and let them decide if they want to go through with it. If it suits you, once I am awake, I can call for a portal to bring you to me, having been somewhere once, I can send a portal there no matter where it is."

     Siren: "Then we will wait for your portal, it has been some time since we traveled in the Realities, but we have not forgotten how. We will be here, waiting."

     Iriisii starts the process of waking up, knowing how things like this have happened to her in the past, she knows not to try and wake abruptly but to do it gradually.

     Rigmor: "Dettlaff! She is waking up!"

     Dettlaff rushes over to where Rigmor has spent the last two days at Iriisii's side. He can feel the increased activity in her body. And his gaze moves to her face to see her eyes moving behind still closed eyelids.

     Dettlaff: "She is moving out of a dream state into wakefulness now."

     Rigmor: "How do you know?"

     Dettlaff: "Watch her eyes. If the eyes move while the lids are still down it is an indication she is dreaming. I can feel her awareness coming closer to waking, she must realize she has been comatose for several days, she is bringing herself back awake slowly."

     Rigmor: "Take your time, love, we are not going anywhere."

     Soon, but still, not soon enough for Rigmor, Iriisii starts moving.

     Rigmor: "Easy, you have been comatose for nearly a week now. Even if you are a Goddess, you were effectively drained of power. So take it easy until you regain everything."

     Iriisii: "Thank you, that was quite an unexpected ride."

     Rigmor: "You did not anticipate what happened?"

     Iriisii: "No, I did not. As they came to me, I was prepared to make new bodies. They told me because of their true nature there was a good chance the bodies would fail the process of melding with their souls."

     Rigmor: "Their true nature?"

     Iriisii: "They are older than even the First Creation. They felt it being born and came to see it when they felt the first dragons being born. They took the dragons under their wings and began to teach them what they needed to know. They were unprepared for the onslaught that came later."

     Rigmor: "What happened?"

     Iriisii: "High Evils came from all corners of existence, banded together for an opportunity to assail the Draconic Divines, while they were absent from their seat of power. They were drained, down to as close as it was possible. The place, 'Where the Dead Gods Lie Dreaming' was created in the Dreamlands' and they were entombed there. 

     They would have been there forever, but as they were being imprisoned, they were called to their 'home'. It could not pull them back out of the grasp of their new prison and those placing them there. But it did isolate that prison from the rest of the Dreamlands and established it as a part of its own Land of Dreams."

     Rigmor: "So it is like a dreamland within the Dreamlands!"

     Iriisii: "Close, in the place where they come from, the Land of Dreams and the Waking World, exist together. So the prison is like an extension of their 'home'. As such they could not be completely drained and their souls remained inviolate. But until I came along, there was no way for them to be released, they could not regain enough power to break free. It had to be done from outside."

     Rigmor: "And the language you spoke while reading the scroll?"

     Iriisii: "Is their native tongue, 'Draconic', from which Dovahzul evolved from."

     Rigmor: "How? How could it?"

     Iriisii: "All Dragons to a greater or lesser extent, feel one another. Over time language seeped from one to the other. And so Dovahzul developed among the Dragons of Mundus. After the Dragon Wars, some escaped Nirn and went wandering. They met with the other Dragons out there, learned to speak with each other, and so that knowledge was passed to their brothers. But I need to know if anything has happened since I was gone, I must also speak with you, Illyria, and Desidarius about the possibility to learn a new skill."

     Rigmor: "What skill?"

     Iriisii: "I would rather speak to all of you at one time than go through with it several times. Besides, I need to arrange a portal to bring some new allies, and I need to check on Brii Qo Dun. I may need to set some security for her until alternative arrangements can be made."

     Rigmor: "Speaking of Brii Qo Dun."

     Iriisii: "I had no idea that I would do that, or that she would be the other party involved. She also had no idea, until I called her. It was purely a snap and instinctual decision."

     Rigmor: "I finally figured that out, once I gave myself time to think, but..."

     Iriisii: "Why did I not just stay in a female dragon form?"

     Rigmor: "The thought crossed my mind."

     Iriisii: "Where was I going to find a male dragon? And who would be the one to be chosen? What would be the consequences of that decision, both for me and for the male chosen?"

     Rigmor: "I have no idea."

     Iriisii: "Even I am not certain, but I do not think the long-term implications would be very good. The case could be made that I was playing favorites among the males. Of course, I would not be, not consciously anyway."

     Rigmor: "When you put it that way, I can see you took the simpler path. By morphing into a male, you took that path away and stopped any possible problem from coming down the road. And since Brii Qo Dun was the only female around, she would be the prime choice of partner."

     Iriisii: "Not to mention this will raise her status among all dragons. To bear the eggs that will later hatch and allow the Draconic Divines a way to return to the Realities. No other 'Jill' can supplant her position with us, and should she choose to mate again later, she will have her choice of males to choose from."

     Rigmor: "And if there are more than four eggs to clutch?"

     Iriisii: "Then we will have true dragon children to bring the Dragons and Humans closer together, possibly giving both more reason to protect both rather than hunting them. I can only pray that is what the result will be. Still, it will take time to see what will happen."

     Rigmor: "You do not think...?"

     Iriisii: "I honestly have not thought of that possibility. But if it comes about, we will cross that bridge when and if we come to it."

     Dettlaff: "What possibility is that?"

     Rigmor looks to Iriisii as Iriisii looks back at Rigmor.

     Dettlaff: "What did I just say? I just asked a question."

     Iriisii: "It is not that you just asked a question, love. It is what question you asked so innocently, and what the answer could mean to all of us."

     Dettlaff: "I still do not understand."

     Rigmor: "I am not saying anything, you are going to have to explain this one."

     Iriisii sighs, "the answer to your question is whether or not Brii Qo Dun might wish to marry into our family rather than seek an outside dragon mate. And then what issues would that bring to our family."

     Dettlaff: "Oh! I can somewhat see your point."

     Iriisii: "Physical issues are not the point, that can be easily dealt with. It is the issue of possibly crossing species lines that would be the issue. Not with us, you see, for you know as well as I that when we morph into another species, we fully become that species.

But others may not be capable of understanding that. Be that as it may, if Brii wants to join us, I am not saying 'no' to her. I will leave that decision for each to make on their own."

     Dettlaff: "Fair enough, you did the same for Desidarius, and I respect and agree with that. I will agree and respect whatever is decided with Brii. Now just who are these new allies you mentioned?"

     Iriisii: "Best you meet them first before I say who they are. I do not want any old sailor's stories to unduly influence you, any of you."

     Rigmor: "What do old sailor's stories have to do with this?"

     Iriisii: "Maybe nothing at all, but appearances can be deceiving at times, and many of those old stories have a grain of truth behind them. In this case, they may be related directly, but they may not be. We will have to see. Anyway, as I said I do not want you to have preconceived ideas as to whether or not they have a relation to those stories. Let us get the others together first, then let me bring our new allies here."

     It takes just a bit of time to get everyone together and Desidarius has to keep her Aetherial eye on the Northern Ice Plains, just in case. When they are all together, Iriisii explains she is bringing some new allies in by portal. And that she will want to speak to Rigmor, Desidarius, and Illyria, at least about learning a new skill, any others who may wish to be tested for trying to learn may also be included." 

     Iriisii then contacts the Custodian and has 'him' open a portal to the Siren's Realm. As it opens she sees the Sirens in a pitched battle with different groups of opponents, but all sharing the same base trait of 'possession'. The Sirens are holding their own, using their voice skills to override the possession and using those to fight for them.

     Iriisii: "Dettlaff, Rigmor, Desidarius, suit up and arm yourselves, any others who want to join in are welcome. Only the three women in white linen are friendly, everyone else is to be taken down. No quarter to be given, they are already dead. Killing the bodies would be a mercy to them."

     Iriisii calls her 'Armor of the Ancients', arms herself with her 'signature' Dai-Katana, and leaps through shouting, 'FUS RO DAH' into the greatest concentration of possessed enemies, scattering them like ragdolls. The possessing entity is strong enough within them to keep them from being instantly turned to ash. Practically everyone dashed through, including Norok and Night Tiger. 

     Their sense of smell tells them to avoid the blood and just use claws to rend with. They leap about on the fringes taking down individual enemies. The others start picking targets and taking them out. The fighting is fierce but over quickly once the addition of Iriisii and her people are added in. Iriisii goes over to see if the Sirens are wounded.

     Iriisii: "Looks like we arrived just in time."

     Siren: "Indeed, thank you. We did not anticipate the lengths the enemy would go to in keeping us apart. Your assessment of its being concerned, no, scared of what we could do together to stop its plans was far closer to the mark than we first thought. That is a mistake we will not make again. But if you are done, we should not tarry. I would not put it past our enemy to have an even larger force ready if the first one failed."

     Iriisii: "Rigmor, take them through the portal, Dettlaff, you and Elric stay and guard me while I dispose of the bodies." This time instead of burning the bodies and releasing the possession, she brings out 'Infinity'.

     Siren: "Is that? No, it is another, based on the same principles. Where did you acquire it? Your people are not yet knowing the construction of 'Chaos' weapons."

     Iriisii: "I will tell you the tale of that after I return. It is a long, drawn-out telling."

     Siren: "I agree then, it should wait."

     Rigmor begins herding everyone through the portal, noticing that Norok and Night Tiger seem enamored of the Sirens. Oh well, if they approve then they must be all right. Iriisii goes about using 'Infinity' to cast the bodies into 'Time', intending to trap the possession there and potentially weaken the source.

     Iriisii, Dettlaff, and Elric are standing before the portal looking around before walking through.

     Dettlaff: "Those three are the allies you spoke of?"

     Iriisii: "Yes, it seems an enemy of mine does not want us to join forces. Or more specifically what they can teach me."

     Dettlaff: "Just what can they teach you to add to what you already know?"

     Iriisii: "To use my voice for more than 'shouts'. To be able to use it as a surgeon uses a scalpel, as well as how a warrior uses a blade. To use it against a single opponent or against an entire army. To ease the pain in one's wounds, or inflict tremendous hurt in an enemy, even in a God."

     Dettlaff thinks about what she has said, then nods his head in agreement. Iriisii reaches up and pulls his head down into a heated kiss. 

     Iriisii: "I do not know the reason why, but for some reason bathing my blade in the blood and guts of an enemy stirs my blood."

     Dettlaff: "It is because you have a warrior's heart and soul. And that is what drew me to you when I first saw you. Later it was when I saw how you temper that heart and soul with wisdom and compassion that I lost my own heart to you. And the first time you took my blood, I lost my soul to you. Now, all that I am is yours and I would have it no other way."

     Iriisii: "Good, then I will temper all that you are in the flames and forge that is who I am and return them to you, stronger, sharper, more balanced. And together we will shake the very foundations of Reality, making it ours. Come let us return before more decide to show up and delay us."

     They walk back through and close it as soon as all were clear. She instructs the closest page to find some quarters for the Sirens, saying she needed to look in on Brii Qo Dun and speak with her. The ride out to the hills was short, but even so, everyone was keeping a close watch on the surrounding countryside for anyone or anything that should not be there. Once at the entrance to the cave system Brii had claimed as her own, Iriisii asked everyone to stay outside and wait.

     Rigmor wanted so badly to go with her but held her tongue and found a nearby stump to sit on. Iriisii walked confidently inside, threading her way down to the large chamber where Brii was laying with her head up waiting for Iriisii.

     Iriisii: "How are you? Is there anything I can get for you?"

     Brii Qo Dun: "I am very well, thank you. Never had I truly expected you to make good on your promise so soon. Not only that but the added gift you have given me is far more than I could ever have believed possible."

     Iriisii: "I can hardly believe it myself, the way these events have sewn themselves together like they have."

     Brii: "Whether it is the Fates, or karma, or whatever other word that is used to describe these things, it happened and I will not gainsay it. I heard your 'call' and my heart sang like I could only imagine it would before. The height we flew to was greater than any I could have aspired to. And your performance was stunning, to say the least.

     You won my fiery heart with your flying acrobatics, and when you covered me in the air, I knew you were the one I had waited for. When you released me so close to the ground, you took my soul with you as you skimmed the ground.

     And now I feel your gift to me, working within to extend your blessing and give me what I have always hoped for. I feel the four have already claimed their skins and settled down. And I still feel more answering the call of your seed within me. I think we will need to find a new home, it will grow close in here when the eggs are laid. Also, this place will not be warm enough to properly care for the clutch."

     Iriisii: "That is one of the things I wanted to speak to you about. Security is also an issue here. Those who put the Divines in their prison will soon know they are no longer there. And I anticipate they will come looking. I would that you not be here when they do, so I would ask you to come with me to my Krang.

     I can open an entire tower if you like, or I can make use of the additional space in the area where the Blue Lyrium Dragons reside. I can make whatever kind of terrain you need. Even put in a few mountains if you like, but I do have an idea. My daughter Aleytys before she hatched, was kept secretly inside a Temple, built within an ancient caldera. Deep down inside the main chamber was kept heated by a magma pool and was very large. I remember it well enough to recreate it for you.

     It would be large enough without question, and I can provide servants to turn the eggs to even out the warmth, provide you with food, and all within my Krang, so that security will not be a problem. I and mine will be close should you need us for anything, and on a personal note, I would like from time to time to sleep close to them with you, so they know the two of us."

     Brii: "That would please me greatly, to know you feel that you belong with them and me."

     Iriisii feels a rush come over her, her blood pounding as her heart pushes that blood throughout her body. But somehow she thinks there is more at work here, and she swears she hears the calling of innumerable dragons. The calling spread across the vastness of existence, the depths of the past, and the unknown of the future. She feels it flowing from the shadows, showering from the elements, singing from the stars, flowing from the waters hidden deep within the bones of the worlds, and all driving her to do one thing, to speak just a few words with her dragonlings still quickening within the womb of their mother, adding to their number.

     Iriisii steps up to Brii and places a hand against her jaw. 

     Iriisii: "Feel what flows through me right now, hear the words I am bidden to speak, by whatever power that guides me now, I care not, I just know this is the right thing I do now.

Brii Qo Dun, will you marry me according to the oldest ways of dragons?"