[@Eviledd1984] "Er... Smith? You're a prince? I mean, your mother is a queen, so... you didn't tell me that..." Kara shyly remarked, not really expecting a response at the moment. She kept up with the others, wide-eyed and attentive, but keeping her silence. Vespion approached the brown-robed man, greeting him a respectful bow. "Hello. My name is Vespion, dracon cleric. Are you a healer? I admit that my spells haven't been as effective on Smith as they are on others. He's half-nymph, isn't he?" [@LordofthePies][@bloonewb] "That's better, but I shall have to work on that 'woman' part. Hmm. By the way, judging by your manner of dress, Norix, I'll have to assume that you've spent some time outside of the dracon lands, but they're called 'female' here. We aren't human, after all. So, Rebat, we can coordinate our forces. Give me a moment." Teroc retrieved a piece of parchment from a nearby table and wrote something down on it, followed by his signature, an application of wax. He pressed his signet ring into the wax, sealing it. Then, he stamped it with a red stamp which had also been lying on the table, and proceeded to date it. "Forgive me for all the paperwork. It's just that diplomatic correspondences require careful attention to detail" He rolled up the paper and put it into an envelope, which he sealed and addressed. "Take this writ to Rughoi. It is the first of many you will have to convey to him. It details the proposal we just spoke of, this military alliance." "My prince, if I may-" "Grand Prince, Mazdak." "Yes, Grand Prince Ternoc. Your highness-" "You may dispense with the formalities." "- I don't believe that Rughoi is going to want a dracon general to be in command." Ternoc thought about the matter for a moment. "Are you sure? You can't read minds, after all." "My lord, it's just... just not in Rughoi's personality. He talks big, but he's a scared child on the inside. He will be loathe to let anyone else use his 'toys', or share in them, even for a short time, even when it is in his best interest." "Rebat, please tell your lord that if he wants an alliance, he has to give us this concession, minor though it is. I'll even throw in a wagon full of healing potions if he acquiesces." Ternoc then turned to Norix. "Any improvement? I won't have you here for much longer. These negotiations are going well, but we have other things to consider. If there aren't any improvements, we'll just keep it as it is and cut any possible losses. And I will have to make a trip to see one of the more powerful oracles for confirmation and clarification of your predictions, as well as information on how to avoid the bad parts. No offense, Norix. I called you here not to tell me what I want to hear, but to give me the honest truth, and not have to deal with the arduous process of dealing with some of these lengthy oracular rituals."