Audio | UN: Wei Wuxian

[singlelogbridge]

I was able to make contact with Warrior Leixi Kalain. She led the battle to protect Queen Lloria during the uprising. The High Queens of Hhial had once been warrior queens with dragon companions for protectors, but by the time of the uprising, their numbers had greatly diminished.

Their advisors turned against them. There was something called "The Fever," presumably a grave illness but I can’t say for sure, and there was a divide between the people who had powers and those who didn’t. The advisors used these things to gather support against them.

Warrior Leixi urged High Queen Lloria to flee, and the queen's daughter Zehin escaped on High Queen Lloria’s dragon. Warrior Leixi believes they fled west to the island where their dragons built their nests. She didn’t know where it was though, she and her dragon partner fell protecting them. [He pauses for a moment to honor Warrior Leixi’s sacrifice before continuing with the rest of what he’d learned.]

High Queen Lloria took with her something called Zefira’s Gem, an object of great power that had been passed from one high queen to the next since High Queen Zefira first unified the continent.

If that sounds like the Orb to you, then we’re on the same page. I can’t say if it’s still on that island, but from what I can see, finding that island is our best bet, and we should be prepared for the possibility of encountering dragons when we do.

[Another pause and then—] The dragons that fought beside the Kalain queens were loyal and noble. They weren’t mindless creatures. If you do meet one, please don’t attack them. Speak to them as you would speak to each other. They've done noting to deserve anything less.

Comments

{ audio } un: joric

[drawsblood]

Hmm.

[ All this talk of dragons is reminding him of something. Not of Jun, which would be a fair parallel to make, but of something more recent. ]

They sound like that dragon Cubit on Ankata, don't they? It was talked down from attacking so it was intelligent too.

[singlelogbridge]

[He wasn't there, but he remembers hearing about it. Still, his own takeaway is a little different if only due to his own experiences.]

I'll admit I'm less familiar with dragons that aren't intelligent than ones that are. [Fitz's world, his own world, a handful of others. Had Warrior Leixi suggested that they weren't intelligent, he would have been more surprised.]

Perhaps they are similar creatures though. The ones that lived in my world long ago were similarly intelligent.

[drawsblood]

Oh, we don't have them in my world. Or at least not to my knowledge. It's just strange that out of all the possible places to go with dragons, this has happened twice in a row.

[singlelogbridge]

It is strange twice in a row, I suppose, after so many places without them. [There'd been some in Alydhion and definitely in Xrisora but otherwise, he isn't sure they've existed in any of the other worlds they visited. Or who knows, maybe they had existed once a long time ago.]

We have all manner of creatures where I'm from, but it seems like a number of them aren't commonly found elsewhere, dragons among them.

[Audio] un: PrinceArctic

[evicerated]

And I continue to be vexed that it was insisted I shed my normal form and take on this nonsensical bipedal shape for the duration of this mission. Did the commander really not consider it might have been beneficial to have a proper dragon on the team, to parlay with the ones native to this planet?

[singlelogbridge]

[After seeing someone walking around with a clock for a face, and interacting with Jake, Wei Wuxian honestly can't say he's at all surprised to know there's a dragon on the ship. He does roll his eyes a little at the stuffiness and complaining though. What is this, a Jin dragon?]

Have you seen any dragons around?

[evicerated]

[A Jin dragon really isn't too far off base, RIP 😔]

What. Do you think I couldn't hide myself? Is that what you're driving at?

[singlelogbridge]

[Absolute Jin vibes. 100%. He's tired already.]

Did I say that? [He snorts.] How would you be of help to the mission if you were in hiding?

audio; un: frost's claws

[tnr]

[ Thistle is intrigued--both by the description of long-past events and the way it seems they were gained. Is this some kind of supernatural power? It seems much more potent than his own, if so. ]

Excuse me, if you don't mind me asking... What do you mean by you "made contact" with her?

[singlelogbridge]

[He doesn't mind, especially not when asked more directly and without some of the weird comments he's received in the past.]

I can summon and speak to the dead. I called out to them in Zefindam and Warrior Leixi heeded my call.

[tnr]

[ Thistle's ears prick forward. ]

You can speak to them? As if they're still here?

[singlelogbridge]

[Well that's something of a loaded question, isn't it?]

Sometimes. Not everyone's spirit lingers, and not everyone wants to talk. [He can compel them of course, not the way Inquiry does, but he can at least demand their presence. But that's not a skill he's put to use since E23-b, and only one he uses when the situation necessitates it.]

In the case of Warrior Leixi, she was already around. All I did was ask for her to speak with me and she responded.

audio; un L.Lance

[lightinside]

I'm new here, but I'm guessing you've come across dragons before? [ A beat. ] I also wouldn't plan on attacking them either because I don't fancy my chances.

[singlelogbridge]

[He laughs lightly under his breath. That's fair enough after all.]

Not up close and personal, but there have been different dragon like creatures on some of the missions, and there used to be dragons in my home world. [Maybe still are, though no on has seen one in a very long time.]

I'm Wei Wuxian.

[lightinside]

Wow! That's so interesting to know. Dragons only exist in stories where I'm from.

[ Her interest and enthusiasm is genuine, given how normal her own world was. Well, it did have shadowy organisations and metahumans, but no dragons. ]

I'm Laurel Lance. Funny how our names are both alliterations. [ She's amused. ] Anyway. It's nice to meet you.

[singlelogbridge]

[He's heard the same from other friends here before, so it isn't that much of a surprise. Thankfully, she doesn't seem too skeptical about it which is nice.

He lets out his own soft snort of amusement. At this point on the Ximilia, he has enough of a grasp of the English alphabet to understand what she means.] It's nice to meet you too, Miss Lance.

I've been with the Ximilia for a little over a year and a half, so if you have any questions about anything, I can do my best to help you out. Just don't ask me how any of the technology works. [He understands more than he once did, but still better to be on the safe side.]

text | un: lion cub

[heyciri]

Does make sense as far as what rising through the skies meant in the stories, to be partnered and friends with a creature who flies as dragons do. Makes for easier escapes than most of us face.

I believe Yenenfer's dealt with dragons before? She might have some insight, if we ask. If they're similar enough. Best being respectful and listening if they're also allowing the space for that, like you say.

On the fever, I wonder if that's not related to what Sabriel and I learned about how people here have to survive an illness before they come into powers. Clarke was being called less than kind things for being curious about the way.

[singlelogbridge]

[Advocating being respectful to the dragons? Ahhh what a good girl Ciri is!]

I'll be sure to speak to Miss Yennefer to see if she has any insight on the matter, thank you for the tip, Ciri.

And that does sound like it might be related. Warrior Leixi said that the people blamed their queen for it, but it didn't sound like there was any actual connection to her. Did you find out how people became ill to start?

[heyciri]

Not so much, only that as an illness it's older than the Uprising. Not much to go on, from what Alucard found.

What'd changed is how quiet you kept about it, if you survived and you had powers. After the Uprising you weren't supposed to make it obvious. Which implies that before then, it wasn't something anyone bothered to hide.

Text; un: 苣屋

[dispassioned]

So, the Queen’s protectors were dragons and all records of their existence have been lost or destroyed. Except, apparently, their teeth, which nobleman wear as jewelry.

That tracks.

[singlelogbridge]

[He thinks of the clear affection on Warrior Leixi's face as she'd spoken of her dragon partner and anger spills into his veins just for a moment before he sighs deeply.]

How much trouble do you think it would cause if I took a few of their teeth to wear as a trophy?

[He's not going to but it's fun idea at least.]

[dispassioned]

Depends on how you go about it. Some of them are so addicted to cards you might be able to get them to gamble a few away.

[Maybe not Aeson specifically, though.]

Audio. Un: Aleksander

[cruelyethuman]

An island of dragon nests.

[Because he will not touch on the repeated history of tension between those who have powers and those who covert it. Fear it. Time and again, this is what happened and Aleksander grew weary with it even before knowing about orbs and space stations and alternate realities.

His voice is warm, because Wuxian deserves nothing less.]

A captain of a ship might have maps. It would either show the location of the island, or a curious blank spot that has yet to be fully mapped out.

[singlelogbridge]

[It isn't a surprise what Aleksander chooses not to comment on. Aleksander had been one of a few people who'd crossed his mind when Warrior Leixi had told her story after all.]

You might be onto something about that blank spot. There might even be some kind of barrier hiding it. What else could explain how long people have been looking?

[cruelyethuman]

Willful ignorance.

[Was that fair? No, but it really does... annoy him, to see history repeated this often.]

A starting point could be to find every map we can, across all ships and compare notes. I'm sure there are competent cartographers among our group.