Gameplay - The Dragon Who Asked Too Much

Oh aye? Is this some sort a’game? Is tha’ going to mime it, or do we ask yes no questions ‘til we give up an’ you give us clue?

The exasperated Mavis exclaims. Sorry lad, don’t mean to be so mardy. Is it far away? Do we walk, tek carriage or catch ship?

"Yes, we shouldn't dally, whats the way to get there?"

Calm down, I don't think a minute to think will cause the end of days. While it is normally an arduous journey North along the coast, across the Isthmus of storms and then and then to the northern coast of the inland sea.

He looks around and continues on.

However, using the hippogriffs we can do it in 3 days. If we leave early in the morning we could rest the first night in Mourning Town. A quiet place where we should have no problems. The second night would be Great Delta, a much rougher town. Keep your hands on your purse there. Then at the end of the third day, we should make Blackwater.

I am not weighed down with gold, so I am not sure if we could sell some of the stack of weapons and armour that we seem to have.
We will need 30 pieces of gold for lodging and food for the journey. Only high end inns have stabling for hippogriffs

On hearing the plan, all of Mavis’s instincts are to raise objections. How bad could the Isthmus of Storms be? What if we walked, like, really really fast? No, I mean really fast.

But in her heart Mavis knows that she can’t disgrace the honour of the Cloudsea before they even start this phase of the adventure. She can’t admit how much flying terrifies her; that she spent the entire journey here with her eyes screwed shut, praying to every God she knew (including a few that she might have made up).

Sure, on landing they’d probably tease her about the way she screamed the whole way, but the key point was they would have to land to do that- which meant they wouldn’t have spiralled into the ground from a thousand feet.

Ashen faced, lower lip quivering, Mavis speaks:
Cloudsea gave me fifty gold coins, if that’ll ‘elp.

Hehsh nods to Pananthys. "Thank you. I... look forward to meeting my father." To the group he says, "I agree, selling our trophies should pay our way."

You know that you won't be able to get good prices in Allaya's Cove. It is too small for the need for surplus weapons. However, Mourning Town is large enough and a trading town to boot.

Shall we get our gear together and get in the air?

Garth bows again to the dragon and turns to leave.

You gather your new things, and return to the hippogriffs. You notice that they look well fed and rested, especially Mavis' who shows no signs of the prior long flight. It isn't that the hippogriff is particularly resilient, but more that its strength has been restored somehow. In addition, the hippogriffs are all wearing full saddles now, which should make your journey much safer. There are places to tie your gear behind the saddle if you wish to do so.

Eager to be off, the hippogriffs snap playfully at you, but lower a shoulder to allow you to mount up.

A man in wilderness clothes can be seen sitting in the forest nearby, your saddler undoubtedly, as he rolls a leather rein around his arm. He nods to you and continues to care for his gear.

Men have marched to the scaffold with more enthusiasm than Mavis shows walking to her mount.

Some dwarves have traveled far and wide, not Mavis, she’s traveled far and deep. Her whole wide world didn’t have the first "w". Mavis is a traditionalist, a proper delver. She’d never liked the idea of wide open skies above her, let alone below her.

She approaches the side of the beast with trepidation and nimbly mounts it, as though riding hippogriffs came as naturally to dwarves as singing about gold.By ‘eck, I ‘opes there’s chance of nice hot brew when we get to Mourning t’n. All this flyin’ ‘bout t’ place is leavin’ me gaspin’’.
Mavis shouts to the party, hoping her nervous prattling disguises her anxiety.

Hehsh shakes his head atthe dwarf's antics. Recognizing the Hypogryph from the battle, he greets it. "Hello my friend. It is good to see you.

Upon exiting the cave Ruby looks for the first chance to leap onto a boulder and cause her robe to billow as she stands tall.

When they reach their mounts she rushes up to hers, scratching them under the chin. "To think I'd be traveling once again, it's kind of exciting actually."

"Where did you travel before this?"

On seeing Ruby’s robe billow majestically around her small frame, Mavis sits up and makes the Obama ‘not bad’ face. She then hunkers back down, grips her harness tightly, checks her tray is in the upright position, and is ready for take off.

Ruby hops on her mount, getting situated. "Uproot, it's a halfling settlememt up north. Well it was, before...it's not around anymore." Ruby has a hint of sadness as she doesn't explain what exactly happened "I traveled with this older man Jorge for a while, taught me everything I know, well not everything. We went...east first? Maybe directly south for a while. He settled down somewhere, and I ended up here."

Garth approaches the saddler.

Will you be coming with us? If not, will the inns have someone trained to do it? I have some training with horses, but not with these fine creatures.

The saddler waves you away. "Nah, a saddle's a saddle, but don't tell yon missus, she thinks my stars rise with the sun!"

A faint rumbling can be heard from the cave.

Garth chuckles.

Your secret is safe with me.

Garth mounts the hippogriff and prepares for the leap 8nto the sky.