[@Shadow Dragon] 

(Sorry for that. I was waiting for both of you to respond, and things got very busy for me at work when you did. I'll just reply when one or the other does from now on. Things will go much faster if I do that.)

"Really? Five artifacts? Might I inquire as to what they are, or at least, what their nature is?" Ophion wished he had a chance to investigate the scythe more closely. Then again, this wasn't the best place to do it, and he suspected that even his personal lab back home would be hard-pressed to unravel the mysteries of the undead, given that it wasn't his specialty. 

[@bloonewb]

"A friend of the court would work, as I am basically one of those for her Mercy. Or whatever style Ardasa has given herself these days." Aerta explained. Much like in the dracon realms, titles were given an inordinate amount of importance compared to the actual power they represented. It may have been a quirk of the reptilian mind, as dragons, dracons, and kobolds alike placed great importance on the names of their ranks, to an extent rarely seen among humans, dwarves or most elves. She had read once that it had to do with the perception of time. For humans, one's rank had to do with the present and one's current place in it, but for reptilian species, one's rank was a sign of future aspirations, including those which could be perceived as threatening the established order. 

"I'd be happy to accompany you to the palace. Aerta lifted her right foot and turned it to the side, exposing the white sole on her otherwise pink-skinned foot. "Oh, and as a token of my goodwill, you can hold this for the duration of my visit." Aerta reached down to the middle toe on her foot and pulled off a ring. It was the only piece of jewelry she was currently wearing. "This is my wedding ring. I wouldn't leave without it. Consider it insurance against me doing anything inappropriate." She followed Kutur and placed the ring in his hand. It was a rather wide hoop of gold, considering that it was meant for her toes rather than her fingers, and considering that she was a dracon and he only had the much shorter stature of a kobold. "And yes, female dracons typically wear their wedding bands on their toes, while males have them on their fingers. Long story."