Gilreg was surprised by the Dragonspawn. They were gentle and allowed them time to rest after their battle. Raine jammed her shoulder against a large rock with an audible pop and screamed. Now that she could use her arm, the chieftain's daughter tended to the injuries of the others. Raine applied ointments and salves to the burns that Gilreg and Nulrok suffered. Tassarion, still wobbly from his head wound, gave the goblin warrior a thick, bitter concoction and said it would neutralize the poison from the gnome's gases. Gilreg had told the green-haired elf that he was not poisoned, and at this, the elf snickered and insisted that he drink the potion anyway. Gilreg compiled.
Once everyone was tended to and rested, they prepared to depart. The Dragonspawn patiently escorted them through the Scorched Plains. It was clear that the powerful humanoids could move much faster with their strong hind legs but kept a slow pace for the group. Only the slender Dragonspawn spoke with them and was polite and answered their questions.
"What is your name?" Gilreg asked.
"Name?" the slender one asked.
"What do we call you?"
She looked at Gilreg with her vertical slit eyes. They were red with a narrow black pupil that ran down the middle. Her fork tongue snaked out and back in. She nodded in understanding.
"Ahh, yes, your kind only communicates with sounds. We don't use our names often. Us Dragonspawn identifies each other by our unique scents and pheromones. We have titles. I believe in your tongue I would be a Priestess. You call me that," Priestess said.
"What gods do you worship?"
"Gods? I serve Elenorak. I am her chosen."
Gilreg nodded. He sensed that communication could be tricky with the Dragonspawn and even Elenorak. They were very different from goblins. Or even from orcs and dark elves, for that matter. A forward scout had returned from ahead of them. This Dragonspawn had blue scales with a plume of red feathers on its head. They had small horns along the ridges of their brows and a single long horn coming from their lower jaw. Priestess excused herself to speak with the scout. Gilreg walked over to Tassarion.
"You said that they would attack us," he said quietly to the elf.
"Yes, it was fortunate that we fought the adventurers. We proved our strength to them, and we did them a favor. The four we defeated were giving them trouble," Tassarion replied.
"How do you know that?"
The elf nodded his head to the dozen Dragonspawn that were loping along around them. "This is a war party organized to go after the four we defeated," the elf said.
Gilreg nodded as Priestess made her way over toward them.
"We must stop here," Priestess said.
"What's the matter?" The goblin warrior asked.
Priestess pointed with a clawed hand up toward the sky. A flock of wyverns was making their way toward them. Gilreg cursed and removed his shield and axe. Tassarion, Booger, and the other goblins prepared their weapons. Nulrok held up the staff he found in the ruins. Priestess gently placed her hand on Gilreg's wrist to lower it.
"Stay here. We will handle the beasts," she said and walked ahead of them with several other Dragonspawn. They carried shields that looked to have been made from giant scales. Could they have come from Elenorak? Gilreg wondered to himself.
The swarm of wyverns came closer. The sound of their leathery wings could be heard flapping. Their high pitch squawks brought back traumatizing memories to Nulrok. The mage unconsciously rubbed the spot on his neck where he was poisoned earlier by the blasted creatures. The Dragonspawn that remained with them formed a protective semi-circle around the group. Shaymus scowled at this. She needed no such protection.
Gilreg heard the Dragonspawn rumble deeply within their necks. It sounded like rocks rolling over each other, and the goblin warrior realized that was one of the ways they communicated with each other. The grumbling would start and stop with one, and then it would start with the next scaled warrior. Like it was an object that was passed around. Gilreg realized that they were letting each other know that they were ready. The warriors carried spears and shields. The spears looked to have been made out of bone and a sharp obsidian rock made for the spear point.
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Priestess was in front of them. Her hands out to her sides. She could be heard roaring up at the sky toward the swarm of sharp-tailed monstrosities. At first, her roar was her own. High pitch and delicate. But then it grew deeper, louder, and eventually deafening. It sounded like a roar that a massive and ancient dragon would make. At this, the wyverns flew in a panic as if they ran up against an invisible wall. They swirled, changed direction, and then eventually flew away from them. The sounds of their flapping grew fainter as they grew smaller and out of sight. Deep in his bones, Gilreg felt a primal fear. He had a desire to run and hide, but he overcame the sensation. Looking at the others, he noticed they experienced the same sense. Booger was covering his face with his thick hands. They all resumed walking. Priestess remained ahead of them with the forward scouts.
"That's clerical magic," Raine said in awe. The roar had little effect on her.
"How do you know?" Nulrok asked. He was shaken up a little, but the discussion on magic perked his curiosity, and his fear was forgotten.
"For one, she does not have the dark eyes of a caster. Also, I read about how the gods share their power with a select few."
"How is that different from an adventurer?" Asked Gilreg.
"They are very similar. They are both favored and are resurrected after death. But Clerics are given powers from their god," Raine explained.
"Priestess told me she was a servant to Elenorak. Is Elenorak as powerful as a god?" The warrior asked.
"That is fascinating!" Observed Nulrok while Raine pondered what Gilreg had just shared.
"I didn't think so, but clearly, the dragon shared their voice with Priestess," replied Raine. Gilreg called over to Tassarion, who was just recovering from the roar. The elf walked over to join them.
"What do you know about Elenorak?" The warrior asked.
"That's she's a dragon. Ancient, been here for probably longer than the Dungeon Masters," the elf answered.
"As powerful as a god?" Nulrok asked.
"Maybe. She exists naturally in this plane, so she definitely has more immediate influence here."
"Explain," demanded Raine. Tassarion was a little taken aback by the intensity of the chieftain's daughter. He composed himself and answered.
"The gods exist in a different realm. It takes a tremendous amount of their energy to exert their influence in our plane of existence. So they need adventurers to carry out their wishes in this realm. But more importantly, they need clerics and templars to channel their powers here."
"Elenorak can share her powers with her clerics," Gilreg said, and Tassarion nodded in understanding.
"That explains how that Dragonspawn was able to shout in Elenroak's voice," the elf said.
"She calls herself Priestess," the warrior stated. Tassarion shrugged, and it was clear he didn't care to know her name.
They traveled at a comfortable pace through the Scorched Plains for several hours. The Dragonspawn allowed them to rest as needed. A few scouts would return with foraged water, fruits, and in some cases, hunted game. Raine asked if she could accompany them on their next outing. Priestess translated for her, and the scouts nodded their horned heads. Raine smiled at this.
A few hours later, they stopped again. In the distance, Gilreg saw the faint ruins of a city. The warrior recognized that the buildings were very similar in material, color, and design to the ones in the ruins where they met Booger. Just beyond the ruins was the imposing Doom Spire rising up like a dark and menacing finger pointing toward the sky in defiance.
"Looks like where I used to live," said Booger, echoing Gilreg's thoughts.
"This is the city of Ssslisstaar, our home," Priestess said with a wave.
They waited for the foraging party to catch up to them. Raine was among the hunters and gatherers. Priestess explained that they do not waste any outings into the Scorched Plains. They always gather food and supplies whenever they can. Raine and the others returned to the group. The chieftain's daughter was shouldering a large hind leg of a reptilian animal. The others carried other bits of the creature they hunted as well. Raine smiled when she returned. One hunter with her, with grey scales and a faded scar over their pale right eye, hissed and clucked with Priestess, who then nodded.
"They say you are a skilled hunter," she said.
"What is that?" Gilreg asked.
"It was a giant lizard that hid in the sand. There were more animals out in the plains than I expected. Many little rodents and rabbits. This creature hides under the shifting sands to ambush its prey. The Dragonspawn know how to spot them. We baited it out of hiding. The hunters used spears and threw them with lots of strength. The plains lack the materials for them to make bows, and their physiology also makes it hard for them to shoot," Raine said. Probably the most Gilreg has ever heard her say in a single conversation.
"What's with the feathers?" asked Shaymus. At this, Raine shrugged.
"They just gave them to me," she answered.
"Your kind lacks horns or hard scales for us to mark properly. You were given feathers to mark you as a hunter," Priestess explained. At this, Raine beamed with pride.
The Dragonspawn completed the rolling clicks that rumbled through the group. The last came from Priestess, and she looked at the party.
"It is time to depart," she said.