[@Shadow Dragon]

Ophion nodded. "If things get too bad, I should be able to teleport us out. There may be wards in here which prevent teleportation in or out, so it may get a little dicey..." he let it hang there for moment as the wraith spoke. "The scythe seems to be absorbing some of the ambient energy of this place. It may grow more powerful the longer we are in here, or it might risk overloading and exploding. Honestly, most of my experience with ambient energy absorption comes from experiments in a controlled environment. I've only ever seen it in the field a few times."

[@bloonewb]

Aerta took that in as best she could. She had heard of the Bythsea Empire and many other human states, but she wasn't an expert. To her, it sounded like the adoption of new titles was a cover for a power grab, using "modernization" or perhaps "standardization" as a way of acquiring more power at Rughoi's expense, or the expense of other powerful figures in Xigyll's nascent state. 

"I would like to meet Ardasa. It is nice to see that he has found a mate, or a wife, or whatever the status of matched one would signify." She was much more likely to get an audience with Ardasa if she could get Kali on board, as the priestess was friendly to both Rughoi's consort and the sorceress. She had slumped into a kobold-sized chair barely large enough for her frame. Even so, it was quite comfortable. "Can an audience be arranged?" 

While she found the thought of a kobold state rather amusing, Aerta realized that most around here wouldn't find it that way. This was a serious effort on the part of a different species to establish an independent realm. Any show of condescension or belittling on her part could prove disastrous.