Player Progression Story Aloft A Feathered Dragon's Wing

Spoiler: Ambiance

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Departing at the break of dawn, the Dragon Hunt Party had planned to travel in two conveniently spaced carriages with each carrying six of their group. A mix-up amongst the paperwork to the Travel Company however instead afforded them a singular carriage on the larger end, alongside a smaller travel-cart for their luggage. Though their journey thus far had been nought but dreary with the onset of heavy Anglian rain, a group of battle-hardened aberrations and have-nots alike scrunched into the Travel Carriage made for quite the bonding experience.

Whilst Leufred du Brierüst was flanked by Jocelyn von Duerr and his Family Secretary Elyon, opposite the trio sat Séverin Marchánd with his pack-runt Läthai and Astaroth pressed close soon beside. Jocelyn had found solace in glaring begrudgingly out the window, all while much of the party shared a laugh regarding one of the Sailors aboard having attempted to bed him, misled by his more feminine features whilst Shane Marth attempted to calm him down -- only barely managing to hold back a grin of his own. Faust Sokolov, relegated to being squished between a group he just barely wished to cooperate with, found himself playing a game of cards alongside Eleonora du Kirsch; a game in which most of the party soon joined in. Safe to say, paired with the rain, lack of space and certain prior frictions among certain members, tensions rose to the noisy rabble and flat-out argumentation without much need for encouragement.

The Allorn Princess Vivana Avalorn, Madame Milena du Brierüst, Abbot-Consort Valerie du Brierüst and pastel battle-accessory Elmyra Rhallientha however were naught to be found amidst this group, having had more than enough coin between them to rent a private, somewhat cushier carriage befitting their lifestyle and prestige -- taking their travel time to discuss politics, trade gossip and enjoy various drinks and treats. Safe to say that upon arrival at the base of the Dragoncrown Peak of Morris, the well-refreshed and energised Noblewomen were met by a more than drained and irritated group of Phantasma and Mages. From this point onwards, it was a trek along the rocky mountain path to their destination: the now surprisingly reconstructed Dragon Temple, albeit missing a very integral component as the Party would come to learn. Much to their surprise, the rain cleared as they began to ascend, with rays of clear and glimmering sunshine illuminating their pathway up. The gesture certainly raised morale, and surprisingly led to no clumsy tumbles.

Upon reaching the Dragon Temple itself, Leufred and his newly betrothed Valerie alongside Shane were almost stunned to see how quickly the Dragon Temple had been rebuilt. Now devoid of the mist with life returned to the region, those at the ‘Mist’s Salvation Battle’ held opportunity to witness the region in a state of normality -- a state of peace that they had contributed towards. To Leufred, alongside any other Phantasma among the group present at the Battle, it also held phantom memories of immense pain and agony at the behest horrific sickly green energies seeping from the very same temple. All the same, the group divided as such; Eleonora, Elyon, Milena, Faust and Jocelyn all entered the temple as the Negotiation Group, led by Leufred. During said negotiations, Astaroth, Shane, Viviana, Valerie and Lathai would be led by Severin bonded with Elmyra as the Exploration Team. Despite Leufred’s original intention, it seemed wiser to send a Noblewoman instead of Lathai. Given his recent rather noisy streetside breakup with a certain Qadir, few in the group disagreed.

Though Leufred and co. arrived with express written permission from High Reverend Aelfric Harhold, or Manfried II himself, the local officials were less than pleased at their intrusion at a supposedly crucial time. Though the Head Priest thanked the party for the efforts in dissuading the Mist, they did complain of an integral missing piece of the recently rebuilt Temple -- a glittering, shining green stone which belonged in a now-empty shrine. “This is where we would have placed the Core, if we had one! Stolen by one of your foreign friends from the City, no doubt!” The Head Priest did so snap, followed by a string of curses. This led into a back-and-forth between both groups, with the Head Priest acting every bit as difficult and bluntly discriminatory of the Phantasma. In earnest, it was really Jocelyn that had made the most diplomatic headway alongside Madame Milena, given Jocelyn’s parallel faith to the Dragon Dogma alongside his acclaimed medical work in the Regalian City and Milena appealing to the Head Priest's softer side with a few well-placed phrases. Surprisingly, word of Jocelyn's unparalleled proficiency had spread so far as Anglia, if only to a nearby Temple Aide that had spoken up for him. All in all, it was a lengthy and difficult diplomatic process. It all came down to the local Head Priest believing the group to be more motivated by personal gain than simply expansion of the Unionist Faith selflessly, the missing Core only making things more difficult.

-=-​

Meanwhile, the Exploration Group had made little groundbreaking headway. The few residences around the temple were for locals helping to maintain the Temple or temporary homes for those having aided in the reconstruction. Upon their exploration, both Severin and Lathai began to sniffle and sneeze somewhat as they approached a flowerbed shaded by overhanging trees; soon enough stepping away as the symbiotic Elmyra wondered if this was what they called an ‘allergic reaction’. It was, however, Shane that spotted the Axford Maiden among the various other flowers, hidden in the flowerbed with their intense scent. Though Shane had no experience with plants, his years of slumming it up certainly made him aware of the alchemical Stink Bomb, Maiden’s Bane, and its flowery key component. As Shane laughed and explained the situation, Lathai held his breath to pick a handful -- intending to offer them his Darkwald Alchemist friend. Somewhere in a vacant Dragon Temple amidst the chatter and argumentation, Faust sneezed.

Through chatter with a nearby group of construction workers, Valerie and Vivana managed to worm some valuable information out of the burly men whom, in all earnest, were far too exhausted following the months of construction to bother putting up a strong front against two conventionally attractive women. They learnt that following the Mist, morale was low and many were confused with how the World had essentially carried on without them; despite the efforts that the Regalians had gone through to save them. They did however make mention of a supposedly no-name ‘Regalian Kade’ passing through the various villages and farming settlements to ‘check in on things’, though he brought little with him save for an addictively sweet liquor and a few mediocre speeches. To Valerie and Vivana, it was clear that the presence of a Kade, any Kade at this point, may have provided a more valuable social lubricant to encourage open cooperation given the heavy Kade rule of the area.

It was however Astaroth, unoccupied with much else and ducked behind a tree or two, that first noticed the chatter sourced by a descending party of Dragon Dogma Zealots arriving from further beyond the Dragon Temple’s path, whilst Astaroth personally witnessed them having arrived from a certain less than obvious cave entrance further above. They carried spiked mace-like clubs, rather crude yet brutal-looking instruments, with one of the Zealots in particular followed by a strange long-clawed Violet Missier Cat. It was easy enough to deduce therefore that secrets may lay further above, yet his need to stay with the group kept him from clambering on ahead. Instead, the Zealots seemed to draw closer to Astaroth in particular; given his conspicuous sunglasses, hat and large coat to boot. Though in Regalia it may have just been a snazzy fashion statement, the style was all too queer to the Anglian folk. The culture was everything in Anglia, clothing especially. Almost as though Lady Luck were sneering down at him, a particularly forceful gust of wind unhatted the Manathar -- revealing the ears and hints of snake-scales beneath. If not for the roaring wind, you may have heard a pin drop.

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The argumentation back at the Dragon Temple had only just began to simmer, with the Head Priest finally beginning to disclose the importance of the Core to the present group as a bargaining chip that they could attempt to find and bring back for further cooperation, when suddenly a loud, distinctive feline roar sounded over even the rushing wind. Leufred was the first to pick out just how similar it sounded to Lathai’s voice if only melded with the roar, though Eleonora was not far behind -- already moving to investigate before being expressly halted by Leufred. Unbeknownst to the group within, the Zealots just beyond the Temple had assailed Astaroth with a nasty swing and bash of the crude, spiked club, subsequently knocking the glasses free of his visage as well (yet thankfully causing no damage to his eyes). Though the Manathar had no time to draw a weapon, he was only bleeding against the arms he’d raised in defence of the blow -- very much mendable by any capable healer. It was that very blood that had triggered the fresh Clawbeast, with Lathai assuming form with a mighty and otherwise terrifying roar. It sent the Zealots into a panicked frenzy, with three of them activating a Will of Denial -- a large area in which no arcane abilities could be used. The Zealots were only further frightened by the furious Lathai-Clawbeast’s lack of retreat. After all, Soulshards suffered no effect from the Will of Denial’s ring of soul essence encompassing the group.

Valerie and Astaroth, however, were helpless, watching as the Zealots charged forwards and hacked at the transformed Lathai, leaving bloodied scars and gashes alike in fur and flesh both. It was little concern to Lathai however, who’s claws and brute violent strength sent the Zealots flying backwards with wounds and gashes of their own. It was ultimately Severin, though guided by the symbiotic-voice melded within him, that stepped in to wring his runt back -- commanding a great deal of obedience through his own transformed state. Grabbing Lathai by the scruff of his fur, Severin dragged the misbehaved whelp into the darkness of nearby shadowed trees, beyond the flowerbeds, and into a shallow cave. Where the damaged and fearful Zealots attempted to apprehend Astaroth however, Vivana stepped in to intercede with Shane as backup. Though she carried her Glaive Sword at her hip, she seldom needed to use it -- her piercing stare aglow was enough to send the frazzled Zealots back down the mountain, commanding every bit the respect of a Warrior Princess. Surprisingly, the Violet Missier Cat followed the two Clawbeasts into the cave instead, seemingly mistaking the two Soulshards for much larger, alpha felines.

The Exploration Group voted to send Valerie ahead to the Temple itself to convey the events outside, with the recently married Noblewoman managing quite successfully to smother details of the Clawbeast transformation or even the presence of a Manathar. The Head Priest looked surprisingly relieved, having overheard her louder than expected mutters. He then explained that the Zealots the bunch had encountered were in fact no better than Religious Thugs collecting coin and social benefit under the pretence of furthering the Dragon’s Will, led astray by a more charismatic ringleader. All the same, the Head Priest looked somewhat soothed by the news, though remarked that the Zealot Group was likely a smaller fraction of the greater Gang, commenting on the Zealot’s heavy use of the famed Anglian Longbow from afar unto rival social groups. The remainder of the more conspicuous team members had stayed clear out of the Head Priest’s sight, instead moving into the aforementioned cave to collect their two party members. Upon entrance, it was clear enough that Lathai had returned to normalcy -- and that he’d suffered quite the thrashing from his Alpha for the disgraceful behaviour. The Violet Missier Cat had also grown quite fond of Severine, and followed closely at his heels of it’s new chosen master. It was here that the group decided to head back towards the travel point for their companions as discussed with Valerie, not hoping to start another commotion and already somewhat stressed over having botched the mission entirely.

-=-​

It was two hours later that the entire group met up properly, with Leufred and the Diplomatic Team filling in the blanks regarding the missing Core that was allegedly stolen or removed by a Regalian amidst the Mist Salvation Battle, whereas the Exploration Team explained the occurrence of the supposed Regalian Kade crossing by with strangely sweet pacifying drink. Each group had found some means of a bargaining chip to potentially persuade the High Priest or Locals with, though either or both options could have unintended ramifications. Naturally, it was Jocelyn that tended to Lathai, who himself was still echoing the supposed spread of his fame to even Anglia -- no measly feat. All the same, the group soon planned to return to Regalia; however, they chose to spend a day or two amidst the Anglian Wilderness to appreciate the lands and mountains belonging to the very Feathered Dragons that they pursued. In this time, they would come across a number of more preserved and weathered Feathered Dragon and Kade statues alike, the former to which the handful of Dragon Worshippers among the group could and did offer reverence and worship to.

Ultimately, it was Faust that truly gained the most, now with a satchel filled with particularly potent and high quality Axford Maidens to concoct into tragic stink bombs, and a devious smile at his lips. All in all, quite the foothold to an expanding adventure, followed by an equally cramped ride back home. They would be wise to use an alternate travel company upon their next visit.

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