“I am aware.” you say. “She believes she has secured a supporter indirectly, since I have a vested interest in keeping her alive and high-ranking. The thought had crossed my mind. As I believe I duly demonstrated, you devils are not /nearly/ as subtle as you seem to think you are. Something for which I am rather grateful.”

“Perhaps to you, lord.” Scinnari says demurely and you let out hissing laughter.

“I am aware of the terms of the agreement. What I really wished to talk about is closer to hand...” You pause, picking up her jewel prison, watching the dim light from the torches in it's myriad facets. “Namely, the terms of your containment. Can you believe me when I say that I did only what was necessary, without malice?”

“I... I believe you, lord. I- I am sorry for causing you such... irritation.” Scinnari says. “I- Understand what you intended, and am grateful for the mercy you showed me. I apologize for failing you... And wish I had been of more substantial help in assisting you in your- justified- vengeance.” her spirit kneels before you, and she bows her head.

“Very well, then.” The gem responds to your psychic commands, freeing the soul trapped within completely, and crumbling to ashen powder. Scinnari's soul fully materializes, losing it's misty edges, and falling a few inches from where she was floating.

“Scinnari... Having secured your independence, allow me to grant you a choice... As I once did in the past, if I recall. You may leave. I will neither pursue nor retaliate, nor will I consider it any betrayal- You have earned your... independence, if you so desire it. I will regrettably be forced to treat you as a separate party- no matter how I will loathe it. I will not permit you to see Azyra- you would be someone else, someone different, a... unquantifiable entity.

“I repeat, should you desire, you may leave, and I will not pursue or stop you.” you state. “If... on the other hand, your words to me have been true, and what you desire is both... your family, and the power that goes with being my consort... I invite you to take up my gift once more- To reaffirm our pact, if you will.” You stare pointedly downward, and after a moment, she follows your gaze downward, eyes coming to rest on the gift you once gave her. The choker lies midway between the two of you, where it fell at the time of her imprisonment. The implications are quite obvious.

“I...” Scinnari says, seeming to be searching for words. She picks up the amulet, and stands before you, turning it over in her hands as if examining it for the first time. You wait patiently, reluctant to interrupt her contemplation. You are certain you know what her answer will be, but understand that she may have to reach that answer herself. At length, she seems to reach her decision.

“Nothing would please me more, my lord. Azaladon.” Scinnari says, looking up at you as she re-fastens the amulet around her neck.

#######################################

You suppress a wince as Scinnari inspects the newly healed flesh of your wound with, admittedly, gentle hands. She apparently can't gain sufficient data without doing- /that/, as you almost suppress another wince, and instead focus on the flickering movement of your tail. Azyra bounds after it, chasing the tip. You twitch it away just ahead of her, and she pursues, leaping for it and flapping her still-oversized wings. She still looks rather malformed, but seems to have adapted to her form relatively well. Only rarely clumsy, and her wings are no longer comically oversized. Still, she has exhibited no capability for flight, and you are surprised when her wingbeats actually give her an extra foot or two of height. You decide that's impressive enough, and drop your tail sufficiently for her to catch the tip on her second attempt, dragging it to the ground with her.

In front of you, Scinnari backs up from your scaled chest, evidently finished with her inspection.

“It seems to have healed completely. A fairly nasty scar, but it doesn't look debilitating. Is it?” Scinnari reports. You shake your head and she continues. “Good... I suppose it would be possible to re-open the wound deliberately, if your heart is set upon total healing. On the other hand, if you leave it to... mend itself, it will, over the next few decades. In the end, I assume it will end up looking like one of the scars... Seffestranias... bears, albeit much more... lonesome.”

>>14254327
>Jezirba
Re: Zevaana. Not enough sleep when I wrote the initial part.

###############################

“I think I would rather delay judgment. The idea of self-inflicted injury is... rather distasteful, even if it would only be to heal it immediately. Perhaps my vanity will win out, but not at the moment.” you decide.
“Very well, milord. As to the news...?”

“Go ahead.” you verify.

“Of course. More expansions are underway in Mza, and they do seem to be keeping away from the slope. The impetus behind the recent immigration seems to be the raiding and wars to the north. The frost giants are apparently enough reason for the barbarian tribes to head south, and the chaos has spread itself depressingly well. The upside is that many refugees- some even fairly skilled individuals at their trades- have been moving south into Aquitaine, Rhasver, and the Angevin territories. With them has come a small plague... nothing significant, though, and it only seems to be taking root where the clergy are totally absent or conditions terrible enough to overwhelm their efforts. I-” Scinnari's recitation of the world events is interrupted by Azyra finally moving into view around you, dragging your tail.

“Mother! I caught it!” she crows triumphantly, and you smile.

“Alas, she has.” you confirm, “But you know what they say about catching a dragon by the tail, don't you?”

“What do they say?” Azyra asks, and you twitch your tail out of her grasp, then sweep her up in it. Azyra shrieks at the brief flight, and you deposit her in Scinnari's arms.

“Generally, they either say “don't do it”, or “don't let go”.” you inform her. She looks like she's about to object, but Scinnari silences her.

I think that one of the idea was confirming with Scinnari that our 'Pact of Truth' is not only intact, but be expanded to a 'Pact of Honesty' wherein not just what is said is true, but lies of omission/dangerous secrets are also frowned upon. Might also be a good time to talk to her about how she feels about her new technical freedom from the hells.

Mza-wise, I'd say set up inspections for all ships coming from the north, have a requirement that all persons who come from those ships be attended to by a healer of some sort with the ability (via potion, wand, spell, whatever) to cure disease. Just in case. How have our efforts to dilute the rumors about us with wild stories been going?

Foreign relations; we should personally deliver the two thousand gold plus an actual gift. Almost anything will do, but some rubies set into the shapes of two dragons fighting something else on a plaque of gold seems appropriate. Alternately, we could get a master gemcrafter to make a bundle of 'roses' out of rubies and emeralds. Though I would rather not right now.

For now, what's the situation with Cygnis? We should get on capturing her before we get distracted again.

Fuck yes Dragon Quest!

We'll never get to capturing Cygnis.
We're going to do everything we ever wished, broken free from the binder, and at the end of it all Cygnis will somehow have become the BBEG.

Oh, nice, Dragon Quest.

>>14254580
>Pact of Honesty
Noted.

>Inspections
May cost some money, but can be instituted.

>payment + gift
Payment is delivered, but a gift might do some good.

>Cygnis
She seems to be doing very well in Freeport, though you haven't had a chance to visit her recently. She's still quite happy to talk to you when you call, though.

>>14254902
Well, do everything listed then. Our heart-to-heart with Scinnari and delivery of the gift to Seffy will be fine for the next update. Then afterward we will re-state our plan to capture Cygnis and carry it out.

Regarding construction on our island: We don't want people to rampantly urbanize everything and destroy the jungles. Set laws to make sure that expansion is thorough within a relatively small area instead of clearing tons of jungle; set our sights on not clearing more than a third of the island before we have at least a couple hundred thousand residents. And people should keep their houses well away from the volcano, the lizardmen's area, and our castle.

>>14254580
>'Pact of Honesty'
Make it absolutely clear that, as we have now dealt with even the hells as they sought to take her back, Scinnari is to take the fact that she once again agreed to be ours entirely seriously. She belongs to us utterly, and while we might not have the power to enforce that against archdevils quite yet, we likely have decades or centuries before arguing that particular point with anyone. In the meantime- true devotion would please us like nothing else.


>She seems to be doing very well in Freeport, though you haven't had a chance to visit her recently. She's still quite happy to talk to you when you call, though.
When you say "very well", is that financially or emotionally? Because last we heard she was in a seriously bad emotional state, which was what made just want to kick up the timetable. If she's becoming happier it's a significant problem.

>Payment is delivered, but a gift might do some good.
Delivering a gift to Seffy could spark a rather lengthy conversation, I suspect. I would prefer something practical- like, for example, a detailed dossier on the pit fiend that didn't end up getting killed permanently, so that she'll be better able to shred him when he comes back looking for her blood in a century.

“You distracted me.” Azyra accuses. You nod.

“That I did. It worked rather well, didn't it?” you agree placidly. Azyra frowns.

“It won't /next time/!” she states proudly, nose in the air, and you laugh quietly at the sight.

“I look forward to a rematch, then. Until that happens, though, do you think you can find it in your heart to forgive me?” you ask. Apparently, your crime was heinous. Azyra stares at you from Scinnari's arms, considering seriously before answering.

“Oh, all right. But you have to take me flying again, okay?”

“Of course, my dear. “ you promise her. “Tomorrow, perhaps?”

“No! I want to go at night!” Azyra demands, then shifts to asking. “Could we? Please?”

“I think that's reasonable.” you agree. “Very well. Tonight.”

Azyra squeals and leans over to hug you, or at least, wrap her small arms as far around your head as she can. After a moment, she leans back, and Scinnari puts her down. Almost instantly, she scrambles off, and you watch her depart down the corridor from your lair. After she leaves, you turn back to Scinnari.

“My commission with the gemcutters has been completed?” you ask.

“Yes. It seems... adequate. I do not understand why you wish to give it to her, though.” Scinnari says, producing the golden plaque. The likeness of two dragons exists... rather well, actually. You're surprised, considering that you hadn't thought that the cutter to have actually ever /seen/ red dragons, but it exists, and the rubies set in gold do make for a pleasing image- Two red dragons rampant, back to back on the semi-circular golden plaque.

“Because a gift goes a long way to ensuring good will. Because I want to make sure such services as she provided are accessible in the future. Because it is polite.” you reply, finally adding, “And, in removing all vestiges of ego, because extortion is easiest to endure when it is unspoken.”

“You would tolerate that from her, when you didn't from Lezzeskauva?” Scinnari asks, and you giver her a wan smile.

“She is not making any such demand. And the prior three reasons still stand.” you reason.

“I still do not like it.” Scinnari says reluctantly.

“You don't need to.” you say, and then in a kinder tone, “In fact, I'm glad you don't- Scinnari, I value your opinion more than anyone else's. If you do- or don't- like something, I wish to know. Please. I cannot say that I will always be in concordance with you, or that I will always abide by your recommendation, but I desire you to speak your mind.”

“I always have, haven't I?” Scinnari asks, ever so slightly ruefully.

“I want you to know that I desire it- That you have nothing to hide from me, and that I desire to know everything about a situation- Feel free to tell me, even if you think I already know. In fact, do so. All the irony in the world would not make death, or even the mere dissolution of a few plans more palatable. I would hate to find out that the one time my own knowledge fails me, you knew and neglected to inform me because you thought I did as well.”

“That would be... most ironic, Lord.” Scinnari agrees.

“Beyond that, I want you to know- /know/ that I desire your... devotion. I have purchased your service and freedom, and you have agreed that you are mine again. One of the reasons I so detest Jezirba, for getting her... claws all over you.” Drawing yourself up, you tower over her, still small in the gargantuan chamber that your lair is, but no less titanic for the comparison. Scinnari hesitates, but bows her head before you, and accedes.

“If it pleases you, my lord.”

“/Nothing/ would please me more.” you assure her. "Please see that that is delivered."

>>14254911
Okay, now we need to do this, by which I mean capture Cygnis. Before we get distracted again, and definitely before we go off looking for Lorekeeper.

We keep putting off the capture, and while we do have important things that keep popping up (case in point: Binder), having this constantly sit on our to-do list is aggravating.

What were all the enchantments we put on that collar?

Okay, Cygnis plan goes as such:

1. Go to Freeport.
2. Wine and dine her.
3. Put capturing amulet on her. Either as a gift (use something to magically shield it so she can't tell) or through other methods. If sexy-time is required to get her defenseless, proceed.
4. Ideally drug her with our dragon-drug as well.
5. Spirit her back to Mza so bound, chain her to throne.
6. Scinnari comes out in dragonscale dress.
7. Evil laughter?

The amulet should do the following:
Mind Blank
Prevent shapeshifting.
Prevent spellcasting.
Prevent removal.
Prevent telepathy.

It must do all these things. Additionally, I would like it to do the following:
Render wearer bare to our magical abilities. Suggestion, charm, ect.

If too magically loaded, however, that item can be placed onto an unremovable ring.

>>14255769
Not just prevent shapeshifting. Enforce it so that we can CONTROL her shapeshifting at will. If we don't want her in dragon form, then she won't be in dragon form.

Also, something that can stop her revealing any secrets about us if asked. Maybe a geas of some sort.

>>14255607
Excellent. Now fuck her deliciously tiny body and exult in the fact that she is ours. That will please us too.

(Offscreen is acceptable.)

>>14255789
Geas would be a separate enchantment that wouldn't strictly need an amulet or ring. (The above shopping list would require either something approaching a serious artifact, or a small set of items to contain such enchantment.)

As for /controling/ her shapeshifting, that's off in dreamland. Unless you can come up with a really good reason as to why it should be possible, I think you'll have to settle for preventing her from polymorphing.

Going to start writing a Cygnis update, if you have any instructions, nows the time.

>>14255835
Please start with going to see her and being extra friendly and making her love us more than ever. That is an essential, high-priority part of this and ought to eat a couple more posts while we iron out the finer points of the plan.

>>14255835
A suite of items is fine.

As for ensuring that she doesn't get away:

Prepare to disjunct her completely. Have two sets of magical binding gear made. Put one set on her, the put iron rings around her neck, arms, ect, then disjunct. This will remove all continginces and such. Then replace the now-useless gear with the second set. Metal bands can remain on.

I also think we should have an item to reduce her strength and dexterity on her. She doesn't need those to be chained to our throne.

>>14255835
We are eventually going to bring out the Watcher to probe her mind for hoard location anyway. Therefore, I suggest we ask it if she has any escape plans or magic while we are at it.

Remember to strip her naked ASAP, gagged, knocked out if possible, bound completely. All the standard precautions, we have what... 16 int? We should be able to cover all the bases even without specifying everything.

Ideally if she can be mental controlled we can get all of her influence and contacts. however not sure if this is in our current means.

>>14255950
We aren't moving into Freeport at this point so I don't see any reason to bother. Hoard and businesses, plus any powerful friends who might look for her. Everything else is secondary.

this quest was short lived today...guess I'll have to go do something productive then.

actually we are discussing stuff in irc chat. we also post here too.

>>14256454
Oh I see, well I can't help but feel left out. Guess I shall calmly wait in anticipation.

>>14256431
>>14256505
It's well-established that WD takes some time to update. And yes, we are discussing what to do in chat (among other things) while we wait.

>>14256431
IRChighway, #dragonquest. I'm also horrifically slow today. Like, slower than usual. I'm not sure why. Sorry. I'm still typing away, though.

>>14256519
What is Dragon Quest IRC anyways?

>>14256529
Open a chat client. Chatzilla, mIRC, or just Mibbit (for going through a browser). The server you want to connect to is irc.irchighway.net (for dedicated programs) and IrcHighway.net (for Mibbit). The channel is #dragonquest.

here is the URL: irc://irc.irchighway.net/dragonquest

you can download chatzilla and use the URL

WD, I've asked a few times, but no response - how feasible is Draconic Adamantine Barding? Preferably with a method that will allow us to expand it as we grow, for the next time we go and dance with a Pit Fiend?

>>14256686
IIRC he said it was very possible once we get enough adamantine, which will be a while.

>>14256721
It would also require divulging our secret to whoever is doing the forging for us, and while Seffy does know now, I don't know that we want to let (potentially) an entire clan of dwarves realise that we are in fact a dragon.

>>14256833
Not really. We could say we are making it for a dragon friend who gets into a lot of combat. Natural assumption? Seffy.

>>14256866
True. That's one heck of a gift, though, unless we also say that she's paying for it.

>>14256891
So? They don't need to give a damn what our gifts cost. And it's not like it's going to be given to her anyway. We'll just need to ensure the production is perfect, we don't want dwarves sabotaging it.

Even if they do, we can always melt it down into ingots and wait until we have our own master smiths.

>>14256686
Yeah, I don't like IRC. Circlejerk.

>>14255890

This sounds promising; as in a more complete 'set' of magical bindings after the initial capture, so there's not just one thing to remove.

Ideally I'd have preferred to play a slower game where we wear her down over a few decades...but expediency is the buzzword of today, and its been made apparent that leaving off full control of people ends up iting us in the ass more often than not.

disregarding any personal matters we must attend too, i sugjest we start building up our economic base.


taking a page out of frost giant quest, food will always be in demand, and is also a stragegic resource, we should crib those designs for plantations in unused lands, to be worked by tennemented wage thralls, complete with company towns, as opposed to either slaves or compensated workers, that way we can ensure motivation (their livelyhood depends on us), while maximizing profit, (all their money ends up going back to us in the end)
if we could use undead or some form of golem easily, maby try that instead, but just speculation.

we should also set up banking and lending enterprises, there is no better way to make somthing out of nothing then working finance, with our large stores of cash and law enforcement apparatus, profit is the short term is almost a lock, in the end game we could become the lender of nations and kings, giving us strategic weight, while making the real profits amongst the civilian sector, microfinance, consultancy, loans, banking, trust funds, stocks and futures, Mza incorporated is your one stop shop for all things finance!

as far as physical goods are concerned, unless we ourselves push it i dont see an industrial revolution happening soon, so heavy industry is not on the horizion just yet. we might be able to compete is the shipping and delivery business, but its likely that there are already well established companies in that field so competition would be stiff, it might be worthwhile to try though, and having an efficient logistics apparatus is also a tactical and strategic resource.

if we have a strong underworld presence in cities we dont like, we can take a page out of the mafia's book and get a public works racket going, monopolising construction and coopting unions.


hmm, if anyone else has ideas lets not keep them to ourselves. point out flaws and correct them as needed.

We could ask watchers input on the whole idea of capturing cygnis. Also along with some other questions mainly more about her.

>>14257092
No. We do not go near Watcher unless we absolutely need to. Why do we even care about his opinion on capturing Cygnis?

>>14257085
We've done all this in previous threads. No need to do it again.

>>14257085

Sounds promising. How would we start going about making such an economic system, though? We can't play a stockmarket if everyone's just using their own gold, surely.

>>14257092
Man, FUCK Watcher unless we can't avoid using it. Why are you even /thinking/ such a thing?

>>14257085
Already done, long ago, read the archives.

Arright, I know I'm going to sound a little D&D illiterate here, but what exactly will we be needing in order to forge these magical bindings we're going to put Cygnis in? Are there particular components, or what? And how much gold from our hoard are we going to have to part with to aquire these?

...Man, I wish I knew more about spells, too...

Oh we should probably start to focuses on our mainland empire, like building roads schools hospitals, and a series of forts along our borders to give our enemy's something to think about.

>>14257150
It's covered, we're a powerful sorcerer with imperial resources. The expense will hardly be noticed.

It's been quite a while since you've seen Cygnis, as the recent year and a half or so has been rather heavily packed. Still, she's just as ageless as you are, perhaps slightly more by dint of her breed. You have, however, been calling her on a near-monthly basis, and she seems to recall you fondly.

“Have things changed much since I've been gone?”

“Yes. Partially due to my efforts, but also on it's own. Freeport is quite the city, and it's slowly evolving towards something respectable.” Cygnis says.

“Really? That's quite an accomplishment. How are you managing it?” you ask, feigning being impressed. It actually is moderately impressive, but you've been turning your mind toward similar objectives over the past several years, and it's not quite as hard as you once would have thought.

“I have a few ways of making my voice heard.” Cygnis replies with a hint of smugness. “Among other things, I've established a... public persona I can use for speaking with the local 'mighty'.”

“Ah. I do hope you'll introduce me to her- I should hope it's 'her'?”

“Of course. I shall.” Cygnis replies with a small smile. “I don't suppose you'd be coming to Freeport any time soon? She can't travel.”

>>14257166
Our appointed governess is handling it. Plus, do you really think there is a lack of fortresses in Angevis? Reeeealy?

“I could...” you reply, mentally cackling. She just invited you, meaning you don't even need your excuse- but probably best to mention it anyway. “As it happens, I did have some... -relatively- recent discoveries on the Binder. Stumbled upon them, almost.”

“Really?” Cygnis is suddenly all business. “That does sound important. What do you have?”

“A reason to want to discuss it face to face, as opposed to through intermediaries.” you reply, completely honestly, “No matter how fond I may be of them.”

“I... /see/...” Cygnis replies, with a tone approaching, perhaps, fear. At the very least, you're certain you just saw a flicker of it in her eyes. Evidently her recovery has not bee flawless, complete as it's been. “That does sound important. When can you come?”

“I... If I recall, I am not terribly welcome in Freeport for at least another two decades...” you reply, “Though I'm sure you would know more than I would. Aside from that, I... well, speed at which I can traverse the distance is the only limiter.”

“I... You're in Morinth? My word, what are you doing /there/?” Cygnis asks after a slight pause. “Perhaps... Let's see... Well, if you can hire someone to teleport you, that would be instant- My house, perhaps, though I don't frequently reside there anymore.”

“Moved on to grander and greater things, it sounds like.” you offer. “Ah... I may have lied, I do have a few things to do before I arrive. But I can make that happen- Teleport to your- apparently it's now your 'old' house, yes? I can be there tonight.” Technically, you could go now, but you're doing your best to play /Cibach/, the adventurer. Gentleman adventurer, you remind yourself. It's been a while. And adventurers are very rarely organized at anything, except, perhaps, making a nuisance of themselves.

“Alright. In that case, I will meet you there and then.” you agree.

“Not before the sixth hour, I hope- and dress nicely if you are able. I shall see you then.”

With those enigmatic words, she cuts the connection, leaving your mildly confused, and somewhat interested.

##################################

You handle the teleporting yourself, arriving about half past the fifth hour. The house of Cygnis, the rather nice, if modest, shack in the Old City still stands, but seems somewhat alien to your memories. Cygnis is not there when you arrive, so you sit down to wait. Presumably, she will show up at or before the hour she mentioned. Still... Something about the building doesn't seem quite right, and you set about investigating her house.

Nearly fifteen minutes pass before she arrives, but arrive she does. The opening door alerts you to her presence, and you hurriedly halt your searching of the premise. She looks exactly as you remember, a beautiful young elven woman. The finery she asked for from you contrasts sharply with the more common clothing she's wearing, but that and everything else takes a lower priority as you reunite.

I'm curious; do we have any plans for what to make her *after* we've enslaved her? I'm not adverse to keeping her chained to the throne as a status symbol or something, but I find appeal in finding ways of putting her dragon-strength to more practical use too.

“Cibach! You haven't changed at all!” she replies.

“Neither have you, but if I recall, you have an excuse.” you reply, embracing her. “It's been nearly two years, I think. How have you been?”

“Quite alright. Actually, the change that I mentioned had happened last time, but it, ah, was still in the making. I didn't want to show it off yet, at the time..”

“Oh? Should I assume this is related to why you wanted me to... 'dress nicely', I think your words were?”

“Yes. If you will allow me a moment...” Cygnis says, stepping into the next room. True to her word, she returns a moment later, or at least, who you assume to be her. Still elven, but much paler, and slightly taller, and wearing a dress to surpass even your elegant attire. “That is more suiting, I think. Now, as I understand it, you are supposed to treat me, but I am the host, so I won't mention it. Would you care for dinner, though?”

“I would, but I should hope you are willing to tell me what has changed, rather than dance around it?” you ask. She smiles, and offers a mock-curtsey, acknowledging that she has.

“You find yourself in the company of Erania, the diva of the local opera.” Cygnis-come-Erania says, with a hint of smugness. Of course, impressing the mere adventurer, bragging. Understandable, you indulge in the habit occasionally yourself, when you have to deal with them. And were you actually just 'Cibach', that might be enough to impress you.

“Ah...” you reply, mind shifting gears rapidly, “Should I assume then, that, perhaps due to Cygnis' efforts, it has established itself in the city, perhaps grown in popularity and quality, and approached the point where everyone who is /anyone/ must attend it?”

“And the star of the local opera has become quite the celebrity, if I do say so myself.” Cygnis agrees. “That was an excellent deduction, Cibach.”

“I figured I'd have to prepare myself, before I went dancing with dragons again.” you reply modestly, offering her your arm. She laughs, but accepts.

“If I recall, you have /never/ been dancing with me-”

“Falsehoods! You do me wrong!” you object with mock protest. “Not only did we do so... Twelve years ago, I believe, when I visited, but arguably, our descent from the ill-fated lighthouse may have qualified as well. Particularly to one who has taken to the stage like yourself, I would think.”

“I stand corrected.” Cygnis replies, though presumably she was aware all along. “I have made dinner arrangements, and, should you care to attend my performance tonight, I have a seat reserved for a foreign friend of mine that I believe has just arrived...”

“Lead on my lady,” you reply, “Your humble 'foreign friend' is in awe.”

SUSPICIOUS.

Are there magical shieldings? No, surely not, she can't be paranoid of us...

Is it really her? Hmm. Lets play this cautiously...

she should know we are not suppose to be here does she have plans to conceal our identity?

>>14256961
Don't we have a cult of Kobolds sitting around somewhere who we agreed to bring to a Volcano lying around in Freeport?

Aren't they known as smiths who are almost as good as Dwarves?

rolled 25 = 25

>>14257341

I think the kobolds died off by now sadly..... besides, we upgraded to lizardmen.

Well. Attend and eat and all that stuff. For the cult information, say that we think Az's involvement in destroying the cult was known by whoever killed him (true, we knew) and that we think they were very closely linked with the cult itself. (also true, we are the binder's channel in this world.)

>>14257360
Unless they survived to breed and grow in numbers.

>>14257271
Make sure we have the items enchanted with anti-teleport (except by us) and a tracking spell as well. Those were mentioned in the original plan way back but almost forgotten here. Glad I remembered.

For all we know, they've developed their own religion around a red dragon who will take them to the Volcanic Promised Land.

Ya lets check up on the little ones see how there doing and stuff. After we finished our business her.

See if we can get her in a romantic scene somewhere and slip the stuff on her as gifts, then drug her. She likes to drink, if I remember correctly? We could slip some potent knockout shit into that.

Stupid sexy dragon quest, making me not work on my essay

> number sellope
> damm captcha not so mean

>>14257457

Some drugged wine or so would be nice, but it seems a little odd to me to be giving her gifts; we aren't her paramour, only her friend, and generally speaking you don't buy nice-looking trinkets for friends.

This whole thing about the oddness of the house and her leaving the room to shapeshift has made me suspicious, even if it is perfectly reasonable and in character for her. I think perhaps we should take this slower than we had planned. There were things that happened in past threads that could have perhaps made her suspicious of us.

>>14257457
Too fast! We can't do that yet, we haven't even ascertained if this is a trap or not.

>>14257271
All right, here's the plan.
-Consider making minor alterations to our appearance; clear this with Cygnis, but she knows that we're a sorcerer and should be more than willing to let us go with an "alter self" or similar. Avoid troubles of being spotted as 'Cibach' in Freeport, where we will be surrounded by everyone who is anyone, including many people who likely saw us decades ago and might recall.
-Go to dinner. Be irrepressibly charming, and spin at least one tale of what we've "done" as an adventurer, preferably something colorful and harmless based mostly on true events. Just for fun and to keep her enamored of us.
-Go to the opera. Enjoy watching Cygnis in her native, free state before we move in for the capture.
-Go dancing. For fun. Make Cygnis love us like no one else- I believe we've been taking quite a few dancing lessons for Scinnari purposes.
-Move from dancing to romancing. Enjoy Cygnis in her free state, again, somewhat more directly, since we won't get another chance.
-From there, offer her our 'gift' at an opportune moment and take everything to hell. Pound her with everything in the book to get rid of contingencies and such, drug her to knock her out, and take her back home where we can really work on her.
-Initiate EVIL MODE and have a hell of a lot of fun

check up on our kobolds after using this plan >>14257621

>>14257621

I approve. Also, for thinking on her occupation:

http://www.alchar.org/~aedil/Campaign/WizardSpells/Ottos_Irresistible_Dance.html

I think she'd make quite the performer, given certain incentives...

>>14257658
man we haven't seen our kobolds in 30 years they are going to be pissed.

We should bring some back to Mza or at lest give them some support or even take some a playing companions for the kid

>>14257669

As an addenum, I think a good mindfuck for her would be to put Sympathy spell-enchantments on her bindings as well, so she is torn between hating them and loving how they feel.

>>14257703

You mean- http://www.alchar.org/~aedil/Campaign/WizardSpells/Antipathy_Sympathy.html ?

If so, then yeah, go for it!

>>14257703
Wow good idea

I say we dont do anything bad for her now, she has been spreading the good word for us for the last 30 odd years, in twenty we come back and can easily pick up the city or just conquer. but in the during that time she is basically one of our agents here, that is of course if we havent given up on our Cibach personna, which i think we have since we haven't done anything to enhance his name.

>>14257766

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

NO. We've waited TOO long for this. And we're EVIL.

Eeeeeeeevil! And nothing says 'Awesome Evil Dragon' than having a pathetic goodie-goodie- dragon as a slave-dancer.

>>14257703
Oh, we've got a whole list of mindfucks.

-Item that automatically turns whatever we order her to do into a Suggestion spell- if we want it to. Use this enough on her while mixing it in with psychological torture and normal orders, and she should eventually be obeying us reflexively even without magical enforcement.
-Item that lets us use a (modified) Command spell on her to force her to change shape, linked to the item that suppresses her polymorphing so that it'll switch off for a moment when the Command activates. We can take control of her body in a very literal sense.
-Sympathy on her chains (good one) or perhaps on the dress made of her brother's skin (extra creepy and sure to give her that needed dose of self-loathing!).
-Cursed items to apply a modified Mind Fog (-10 to Will saves), Wisdom penalty (-6 to the attribute that makes you strong-willed, perceptive, and able to comprehend others' motives), and perhaps a skill penalty to Sense Motive to make molding her mind that much easier. Because it'll be almost impossible if we don't have such aids, frankly.

I'm sure we'll come up with more, given a bit of thought.

Guys I all for cap and mind rape too but we can't forget our kobolds, leaving them here just feels kinda wrong to me I admit I have a soft spot for the little guys and coming here and not seeing them does not seem right to. But cap first, thekobolds second.

>>14257785
not when were just doing it for the elolz, her current position enhances our power and leaves us with options in Freeport. But like i said when havent made any thing good in this town for some time, we haven't capitalized in promoting our image as Cibach or used our Kobolds. Hell as our personna of the king of Mza freeport hate us. We got 20 years till we can come back we either need to keep our options open

>>14257851

I guess we could see the lil' nippers for a n hour or so if we have the time. Sadly this looks like it's going to take more intensive effort, so we can't plot much with them right now.

>>14257851
We can come back for them after Cygnis is completely dealt with. They have waited for 20 years, they can wait another two days.

>>14257804

S'a good list; though it seems to be lacking something in way of a 'punishment' magic, like if we could enchant an electrical shock in it whenever we wanted/whenever she tries to break a rule- get a bit Pavlovian on her by having a 'chime' sound from the items before delivering the shock, so eventually the chime will be all the deterrent she needs.

>>14258004
We're going to be doing much worse than that. Remember Asha and Varra? Those were our practice runs, we've been plotting to do this to Cygnis for ages.

bump

>>14258046

Hmm. Have this: http://www.alchar.org/~aedil/Campaign/WizardSpells/Programmed_Illusion.html as like a 'boundary' spell, and if she gets too far away in an escape attempt, and it activate and have her step into an illusion of her brother's horrific murder.

And loop it.

>>14258286
If she was able to escape that sure as hell won't stop her. Not at all practical.

Cygnis does the honors for invisibility, and you exit the house after her. A carriage is halted nearby, not directly in front of her house, you notice.

“While I can understand that it might be awkward were I to spontaneously emerge from your house, might I ask what, exactly, is going on?” you ask once you are both inside. The footman shuts the door, and the driver reins the horses into motion.

“Ah... Well, strictly, Cygnis has vanished again. Like last time, officially. She did sell her house before she left, of course, though the new landlord is a friend of mine... I mentioned I needed to borrow it for a moment, and he indulged me.”

“I see. And, not to be self centered, but there's the whole thing of my banishment from the city. Do you have any... advice, or plans, in that regard?”

“I did come prepared.” Cygnis agrees, “Here, try this.” The ring she hands you is copper, but laced with some strange red material- not ruby, but something else. You pause, pondering over which ring to give up for her gift. She notices, and reassures, “Don't worry, just put it on and activate it.” You are still reluctant to surrender any of your protective amulets for an unquantifiable 'gift', but nothing ventured, nothing gained....

############

“Little progress regarding your brother, I'm afraid- killers of gold dragons are not eager to make themselves known.” you inform her regretfully. The restaurant you have been taken to isn't quite 'classy', but the food is most exquisite.

“Nothing? I-..” Cygnis says, an air of frustrated defeat around her, “I've done everything I can think of to search, but nothing works. You're sure there's nothing?” she asks. You pause for a moments consideration, and lead into your next objective.

“Actually... I... Understand, I have little information to go on, but- I think his killer may be involved with the Binder, and the Binder's Cult. Perhaps the Bound-”.

“You said that last time we spoke, if I recall.” Cygnis says with a hint of bitterness, “That's not news.”

“No, it isn't. But this is: I believe I've located one of the Bound. An imprisoned one, one that, allegedly, we may be able to visit and communicate with. Without fighting. If... if you were willing and interested, I was going to ask that you accompany me. “ you trail off, “It seemed... important. And possibly something I would want major backup when dealing with.”

“My word. Do you have the name of this Bound?” Cygnis/Erania asks. You aren't certain in the candle-lighting, but she may have gone even paler.

“I believe him to be the... 'Twice-Bound', or perhaps 'Many-Bound'.” you reply. “Records were somewhat unclear on that.”

“I see...” she says, and for a moment, you're afraid you won't get the result you're praying for here... Then she obliges you most kindly. “I... I think I will see about excusing myself, I can arrange to travel with you. This sounds like something I should attend to personally. I.. think I can make arrangements to accompany you.” You could almost laugh- this is working /perfectly/....

########################

Your dinner is most excellent, and you find yourself in consensus with Cygnis in terms of taste, although generally you like your food more... cooked. Despite that, though, you enjoy quality when it is given. Likewise, her opera- Probably miniscule and unimpressive compared to the grand ones of Tashz, Aquitane or the far west, but still an impressive establishment. Quite enjoyable, too, though you don't think much of the plot. After the show, you greet Cygnis, and she takes your arm. Despite that, though, she's leading, and it feels far more like she's showing you off- Perhaps she had some insistent courters, and wanted her refusals corroborated, or blame redirected to strange and mysterious foreigner who accompanies her. At least her disguise enchantment seems to be effective.

You follow her home, to what you recognize as the merchant district- wealthy, luxurious. She's left the humble 'Cygnis' far behind, it seems, and is moving up in the world.

Though you could probably have captured her that night, you refrained- She made noises about making arrangements to depart, and you are willing to wait if she'll set her organization up to run itself. Additionally, it's probably best not to attract avoidable attention, even if it is unlikely to matter. If Erania the prima donna were to vanish just as her foreign friend shows up.... Unlikely to matter, but best to avoid, in any case. You concentrate on being Cibach, her charming hero, and guest with her for the remainder of the week. It is rather enjoyable- she seems to attend every major event in the city, and you are at her arm for all of them. Still, you are merely waiting...

The end of the week brings what you desire.

“Alright. I've made my arrangments, Cibach- I believe we can leave tomorrow. You are certain this... Bound is in Rhasver?”

“Under the smoking mountain, I am certain.” Again, a truth. Comfortable in her house, you pour drinks and bring them to where she sits. “Do you think we should leave tomorrow?”

“I.. I think that would be best. Any more and I'll lose my nerve- Hah, Cibach, I thought I'd gotten over this.”

“This?” you ask, handing her her drink.

“My fears over- Ah, the cult. The Binder. Your return- I almost wish you'd never come back, it- It seems to have awakened my memories. Fears.”

“Cygnis, don't- It's alright. There's nothing to be worried about!” you reassure her. Blatant lies, but expected. “The Binder is long dead, I certainly don't have any intentino of aiding her. Look- If you don't want to come-”

“No! I- I need to come, face my fear, and all that. I'll go- I've told them we'll leave in the morning.” she replies, “I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't be involving you in this. I just don't like the feeling of terror- I shouldn't be afraid, but in my dreams it's so real- Chained and bound, except you never show up- I just-”

“Cygnis, don't worry.”

“You don't understand!” she nearly shouts, slamming her fist down on the couch armrest, “It's been getting worse and worse every night. I'm /afraid/ to- to sleep tonight. Afraid!”

“Then don't sleep.” you suggest, offering her your hand. She looks up at you for a moment, meeting your eyes, before she accepts and you pull her to her feet. Your steps are ever so slightly unsteady- these were nowhere near your first drinks of the night- but you are capable, and you move with a purpose. The time is now...

Let the sexings happen, then gets the drugs out.

Oh, and take that ring off!

>>14258523
Okay, so.

-Make sweet love.
-Get Cygnis to drink some more wine.
-More sweet love.
-More wine.
-Swap back to our proper set of rings.
-More sweet love (mmm, draconic endurance)
-Help Cygnis drift off to sleep
-Cursed necklace time
-Then strong knockout drugs to keep her zonked for a while
-Teleport to our lair
-Remove suppressor and anything she's still visibly wearing, disjoin her while she's still drugged to get rid of any contingencies or hidden items
-Put on suppressor and all supplementary items
-Those nightmares, baby? They're real.

>>14258523
Ring she gave us off. I assume if we've had a whole week we've experimented with it. All senses on high alert. I wish we hadn't gotten drunk, that's not smart. Why did we do that when we KNEW this was coming up? Ugh.

Give her an excellent lay, we've been nailing Scinnari daily for 20 years at this point, I assume we can lay down some bedroom mojo. Before slipping anything on her make sure to sniff for magic.

>>14258668
We can take a subtle potion of lesser restoration or neutralize poison or whatever in order to clear our head just before go time.

you know we might have our mind breaking already done for us we might have to try to keep her sane.

A bit of IRC consensus:

OOC, Cygnis deserved better than us and we all feel like total jackasses. Serious bastards, all of us. Most of us even like her.
IC, no hesitation, no regrets; this is how it has to be. Red takes gold. There is no other end for Cygnis but this.

It's late when you both finally give in to sleep- Rather, when she does, and you feign sleep beside her. Intoxication can be magicked away, lack of sleep, sadly, can't. Dragons are nothing if not capable, though. Focusing your will, you concentrate on staying awake beside her. It's not difficult, its just frustrating. It seems to take forever- but eventually her breathing seems to stabalize, and she seems to be truly asleep. You rise, gently, standing next to the bed, and set about your efforts.

Step one.... you did present her the amulet. The same one you gave her brother, as a matter of fact, though heavily enhanced. She is wearing it, as she neglected to remove it... previously. Other magic, then... A few minutes gives you an read. Two rings- Damnation! Your ring!

You hurriedly remove the ring she gave you. You hadn't been using it's disguise, nor did it ever show any signs of hostility, but your paranoia refuses to let it stay, just in case. It comes off easily, and you feel relieved when it does. No hidden enchantments, no subtle... programming.

>>14258923
So, does she end up as our (mindraped) slave or as a sacriface.

Pic somewhat related.

That attended to, you return to the important matter at had. First of all, the small perfume bottle you had brought along. Scinnaris instructions, and later your own experimentation with the drug are fresh in your mind as you carefully unstopper the bottle, and give her a healthy dose. Enough to knock out a lizardman, in your experience, is probably enough to knock out an elf, even an elf of supernatural endurance.

That done, you pull the covers away from her, and remove her two rings, and give her another whiff of the drug- Thoroughness costs you little, as your terribly unlikely to harm her this way. Then you carefully remove her necklace- midway through, you forcibly remind yourself that you aren't about to wake her, and stop holding your breath. Amulet removed, you use the spell you've been practicing specifically for this event- A major disjunction. Despite your practice, it seems impossible to do without a small degree of effects, but you manage to confine it to soft blue glow. It fades, and Cygnis sleeps unconscious before you. So far, so good. Replacing the amulet, you add to it the two rings you prepared. Between the two of them and the amulet, you have the enchantments you desired. The echo in your mind as you begin the series of teleports necessary to get you back to Mza... Immunity from detection... Permanent spell-failure.... Susceptibility to mind-magic... Multiple flavors of mind influencing magic... Prevention from polymorphing... and more. In retrospect, you realize you've spent quite a while constructing these- To think that it's finally coming to fruition now. You allow yourself a smile.

“Cygnis.... I am going to enjoy these next few centuries, I think...” you whisper as you arrive in your lair. Scinnari is on hand, and you see too shackling Cygnis securely, and enchanting the adamantium bands you had pre-made for her... Ooooh, yes, you might enjoy the next few years.

“Cygnariassis. Sunk so low?” Scinnari asks playfully, half to you, half to her unmoving form.

“Indeed. I believe I have taken her from heaven on earth to hell in a few minutes. Quite the achievements. At your words, you notice Scinnari's eyes flash, but she doesn't speak. You invite her to do so. “I'm sorry? Was there something you wanted to say, Scinnari?”

“I... No, my lord.” she says, bowing her head, “I... hope you enjoyed your time with her... almost as much as you going to enjoy this.”

“Thank you. I think I shall.” you reply, teleporting away. Momentairly, you return with the Spinel Sage. The /Watcher/, if your suspicions are correct.

“Crystal. Are you the Watcher?” you demand. It does not respond, though you wait nearly a minute.

“Crystal. Can you read her mind?” you ask. To this it responds.

“Not at all, thank you for asking.” It's ringing tones and... /voice/ are irritatingly familiar.

“Why not?”

“Because she is protected by the same enchantments you use to shield yourself.” the crystal replies.

“And you cannot penetrate them?”

“Not at all.” It rings out, annoyingly bland. You consider arguing with it, but instead remove the necklace from Cygnis' neck. Though you swear nothing changes, the Crystal seems to almost glow.

“Ah... Yes. Her mind is clear to me now. What is it that you desire to know?”

>>14259009
How much of our identity was she able to uncover?
Just paranoia here.

>>14259009

Location of her hoard. Traps. That sort of thing.

what has she learned about the binder and binder accessories?

>>14259009
Learn everything she knew or suspected about us personally.

Get a list of her significant assets and how to access them. Also, any protections they have.

Learn any precautions that she took against kidnapping and imprisonment, and the names, locations, and nature any friends or family she maintains ties with. And if they'll come looking for her.

Then get that damn necklace back on Cygnis. If she wakes and polymorphs, we will be in deep trouble.

What exactly it is she fears. Her personal insecurities- what she takes her solace and her strength from- which pieces of her mind seem liable to resist her enslavement and which could help.

-Where is her hoard?
-What magical and physical protections surround it? Anything divine?
-How are her magical capabilities? Greater or lesser than ours?
-Is she able to break the bindings - at least, if she were conscious and knew the full extent of our bindings on her, could she break them from the inside or outside? What about over time?
-What does she think of her brother's disappearance, and the people who did it? What evidence has she uncovered?
-What does she know of the Binder?
-Does she have any divine patrons or magical countermeasures that might attempt to help her? What about physical allies?
-Can they track her, that she knows of, though any means at all to where we are now?
-What's her opinion on red dragons?
-What's her opinion on Erinyes?
-What's her opinion on NSuccubi?
-What's her opinion on half dragon-half devils?

>>14259009
Poor, poor Cygnis. I'll be almost heartbroken when she wakes.

Now, on with the evil:
1. Does she have any backup plans in case of being captured again?
2. If so, what are they?
3. Does she know any way to escape from my control?
4. Does she have any powerful beings who will search for her?
5. If so, who?
6. Where is her hoard?
7. What traps are around her hoard?
8. What is her mental state?
9. What will be her mental state upon awakening?
10. Are there any plans she knows of to move against the Sorcerer-King of Mza?

I'd also like to have a talk with Scinnari after this is all done. Something to the effect of, "Please tell me the truth, my love. Do you have any problems with Cygnis? If so always remember that /you/ are my greatest jewel, mother of my children, and wife. That that will not change unless it is by your own actions, you need not fear Cygnis as a rival, she is a slave." This is important to get straight at the outset, especially if we ever decide to have a harem in the future.

>>14259117
We should totally tenderly embrace and kiss Scinnari right in front of Cygnis. That would have desired effects on both sides.

>>14258985
I'm torn over possible sound tracks- Perhaps Descent of Archangel? Perhaps Devil in the Belfry, but that's probably just a few random lines sounding right... Ah...

Question her about:

Her hoard. (Monies.)
Her magic.
Her knowledge, of us and the Binder, respectively,
Her precautions, and finally,
Who will come looking for her.

BBEG time, people.

the comment of taking her from heaven to hell probably reminded Scinnari of her past. We could apologize if the comment made her sad. We could offer to go more lenient on Cygnis if she it makes Scinnari feel bad.

The Watcher takes snapshots of minds, so stick the amulet right back on her. Don't want to spend any amount of time with it off if we can avoid it. We can then ask it at our leisure.

>"Please tell me the truth, my love. Do you have any problems with Cygnis? If so always remember that /you/ are my greatest jewel, mother of my children, and wife. That that will not change unless it is by your own actions, you need not fear Cygnis as a rival, she is a slave."
Evil d'awww? Accompany with kissan and huggan and more reassuran, and tell her she was a much, much better lay than Cygnis anyway.

>>14259234
I suggest we just ask her what was wrong rather than assume. It's more likely just her being adorably jealous, and we need to remind her she has nothing to be jealous of here. She is above Cygnis in every way. Wife compared to slave.

Oh forgot to add we after our Mwahahaha we should ask Cygnis any last requests.

>>14259234

im kicking myself for not catching that, yeah definitly mention it to scinnari

not directly though, make an oblique reference that ties in with a saying on how the past should be remembered to improve our future, not fill it with sorrow, and when she looks at us turn with a warm and knowing smile.

>>14259234
No, it made Scinnari jealous of the fact that we were lovingly sexing Cygnis. That's why her next line was that she hopes we have more fun with being mean than we did with being nice; she resents that we were nice at all. Scinnari was a very good girl when she choked down her impulse to object to our fun, and should be commended on her efforts and loyalty.

>>14259245
>my greatest jewel, mother of my children, and wife. That that will not change unless it is by your own actions, you need not fear Cygnis as a rival, she is a slave."
Okay, she's our greatest jewel, the mother of our children, but the wife thing is a story for others to hear, and as for Cygnis being a slave- Cygnis is now our trophy, our possession. Scinnari is also our possession; she yielded herself up to become part of our hoard. Scinnari is one that we care greatly about because she's much more useful and more enthusiastic, not to mention that she's got a lot of history with us during which she's only betrayed us a handful of times (though some of those were damned annoying).

Ultimately, however, like everything else we own they are both our possessions.

>>14259283
What? No. Don't be silly. I'm all for romantic talks with our devil but there's no need to mention anything of the sort until we first know what she took issue at. "If it isn't broken don't fix it." comes to mind.

>>14259206
Soundtrack is "Phantom of the Opera", she even had her moment in the spotlight. Now she will sing only for us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZMraAGlpwc

The lyrics are perfect.

>>14259305
She's both our "wife" and our possession. Not mutually exclusive.

I have to agree that rubbing the fact we just nailed cygnis into the face of the mother of our only child was a bit of a wut moment. Apologize and tell her we <3 her.

...

Screw Scinnari in front of Cygnis.


Alright, I'm a bad person, and I'll stop.

>>14259349
It might get award if she does bare a clutch.

>>14259372
I assume we're going to do /exactly/ that at some point, actually.

>>14259376
There are...ways to address that kind of issue. FALCON PAWNCH comes to mind.

>>14259376
We can control our reproduction, besides we were both in human form, so no dice.

>>14259377
I'm pretty sure that if we haven't boned both of them in front of the other within the next couple months, we're slacking off. This is pretty much our best shot to set the "you know what, I sleep with whomever I please" standard. And we should. Scinnari is delightful and fun in bed, plus eager; Cygnis is good for a rape fix and it's been a long time since we fucked a dragon. An hour ago discounted, heh.

We will enjoy both their charms, and Scinnari will learn to either like it or at least support us in sating our desires as desired.

to be fair i prefer past the "point of no return" from phantom of the opera

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0DQgY7Rr-0&feature=related

>>14259409
If we don't arrange a threesome, we're slacking off here.

>>14259444
Meh, I'd rather see how Scinnari feels about that first. We can get threesomes galore when we start expanding the harem. If Scinnari would rather not participate with anyone but us, however, that's fine.

>>14259444
I like your style, Anonymous.

>>14259464
We can see how she feels. Mostly because we need to change it if it's not "If Azaladon wants a threesome, it would be my pleasure to fetch whatever other girl has caught his eye and ensure that she is as enthusiastic as he could want, in addition to having a blast myself." Admittedly that's a bit much to ask for at the moment, but she's got decades to shift her way of thinking, I suppose.

>>14259496
We don't use Scinnari for slavish servitude in everything. That's what our mindbroken and Cygnis will be for. Scinnari is a troubleshooter with her own ideas, and that has proven very useful to us in the past. It's one of her best features. Not everyone has to be a slave to be devoted.

>>14259522

Hey now, Cygnis ain't goin' to be mindbroken. More...mind-repaired. Fixed the way we want. She'll be happy by the end of it.

I wonder at the best way to torment Cygnis when she wakes up, before she really realizes what's happening.

Should we reveal that we were an evil red who was plotting her downfall all along? Or should we pretend that Cibach was real, that he really investigated who killed her brother, and that when he got too close we killed him and then temporarily assumed his identity to get at her?

Certainly the shock and horror of the first option would be fun, but the second also torments her with the death of her dear Cibach.

Leave her to stew for a while on her own when she wakes up, let her think it's a nightmare, find memories of the people she knows and polymorph into them when we reveal ourselves, as the ultimate bit of mindfuckery.

And, y'know, other ideas're like- use suggestion to insert the eroticism of the whole thing into her mind, perhaps issue a command so that she can't say her name, and that she has no name until we deign to give her one...we're really gonna screw with her, now that we have her.

“First of all, testing...”You say, half to yourself. To the crystal, you demand “Where is her hoard?”

“A demi-plane.” The crystal rings back blandly. You sigh and signal for Scinnari to replace the necklace on Cygnis.

“I am well aware that you are both more than you purport to be, and capable of filling in the gaps in my phrasing. Be /useful/.” you admonish the artifact. It doesn't cost anything, and it's worth a shot. “How is access to this demi-plane gained?”

“The lady Cygnariassis has a... magical rope. One end, when activated, will gain access to the demi-plane.”

“Obstacles to safely acquiring it?”

“It cannot be accessed otherwise, she believes, and it is hidden in the hangings of her... bedroom, in Freeport. Eastern window, on the right. About half an inch thick.” the crystal replies, surprisingly precise. “Trap unless opened by her. A particularly explosive glyph of warding- Divine flame, as it happens, and simply being hidden. She was not terribly extravagant.. My word, at least, until you entered her life.”

“I see.” you reply, ignoring the crystal's comments. “What precautions has she taken?”

“She... has two contingencies on herself, one of teleportation, her brother's lair, the second of message. One is verbally activated, the other is somatic.”

“And do you know who she would have intended to contact, given a chance to use the second? Or why she desired to flee to her brother's lair?”

“She would have fled to her brother's lair because it is unexpected, should she be pursued. And, it seems, because she has a very faint hope that he will just happen to be there, despite knowing that he's dead.” the crystal answers. “The message she intended to contact a friend with. A Silver dragon she knows as Bellianthas. He is an acquaintance of her family, and her... father figure, as she is not on very good terms with her surviving family.”

“Age?” you ask. The important things. How old your potential opposition is, for one.

“One thousand... One hundred seventy.... eight years.” the crystal reports slowly.

“Great...” you mutter to yourself. Then you ask about as open-ended a question as you've ever asked. “Given the capabilities she possesses, and the precautions I've taken, how can she escape?”

The crystal is silent for almost a full minute before answering.

“Death. Alternately, luck.”

“Luck?”

“Anything is possible with sufficient luck. For instance, were part of the ceiling to collapse and sever her chains...” You roll your eyes. It was foolish to expect anything else.

“And what does she know of me?” you ask. Also open-ended. Probably not terribly productive...

“She knows Cibach as a mercenary and 'hero'. She knows Lord Prestor as a distant ruling figure, whom she has seen exactly once. She does not know Azaladon. She has occasionally entertained suspicions regarding how well you protect yourself from scrying, but otherwise has no knowledge of you-as-you. If only I'd warned her...” the final sentence sounds mockingly mournful, and you do your best to ignore it.

>>14259629
Can she use those contingencies anymore? Didn't we hit her with a disjunction?

aks what shes learned of the binder and things relating to the binder

We need those contingencies OFF, as soon as possible. If we can make sure she's still out cold, get our stuff out of the way and hit her with another disjunction, that might do it.

get rid of her contingency and make sure she can't be scryed on maybe a false vision if scryed on showing she is dead.

Investigate more into this silver dragon at a latter date.

>>14259662
No she can't use them, we took things like that into account.

>>14259682
Not just a dragon but a fucking great wyrm given a few more decades. We have to make sure that one does not become an issue.

>>14259687
And what if 'luck' happens to her? And then we've got an ancient Silver that would really like to have a brief and friendly chat with us on the ethics of kidnapping his baby girl.

>>14259702
I think that's kind of an inherent risk 'in the business'.

Contingencies dispelled. Cygnis was asleep so she doesn't know. WD was just being pedantic.

Tell the Watcher if it will attempt to be more helpful in the future we will attempt to give it better quarters. Then put it away and move on to Scinnari time.

>>14259678
The contingencies are off, but spinel doesn't know that becasue we did it before he arrived.

OR

Spinel's acting like he can't read our minds to find out we disjuncted her, and the contingencies are still off.

Watcher has been helpful. I think we should ask a question that will throw it off its Guard. I have always asked you about others what are your wishes and desires.

>>14259732
You know, that would be interesting. Ask it.

>>14259732

we more or less know that already thought, it serves at the binders command and its desire is to spread chaos and distrust.
i supose it wouldent hurt to ask though

Can't dismiss luck. Gold dragons are inherently lucky.

>>14259835
This is why we need to break her psycologically. Make her realize she's valued and safer now that she's ever been. She shouldn't want to leave.

Anyway, be nice to Scinnari, show her that she's not a slave, maybe offer her to do something symbolic with Cygnis to compensate. Clothing, dominating, renaming, nicknaming, something like that.

We need to talk to Scinarri about distilling her soul into physical form so we can trade it amongst Devils (Cygnis'). We already have, after all, one we sort of know who and a contract with her. We might be able to work out a ritual to contact her (is it Glasya?). Also, talk to the Crystal, ask if it can think of a way to use souls to boost magical power. If so, the soul of a golden dragon could help us greatly. Or boost our physical capabilities, which would be even better.

We should send a token of our esteem to Seffy, to keep her happy - a big fat ruby, say. Since she knows about our alternate form, and all. Better she thinks we're appeasing her with occasional gifts. That way, when she tries to extort us we'll send one along with a trap in it that she won't catch, since she's so used to getting purely mundane shiny things from us.

Ask the crystal if we and the rope would survive the explosion should we go and get it from Cyggy's house to loot her horde. Or if we would be incapacitated, permanently crippled or harmed in any way.

Ask why it was so slow in bringing up the age of the Silver, and if she knows anything about the power of it or it's allies.

Why is she estranged from her family?

And I think that we should, if we can survive it, get the rope post haste. I want Cygnis to wake up to see us sitting on her horde in human form, then.. reverting.

Writer dude, check the chat.

>>14259892
We already sent Seffy a gift. I'd rather not give away our hoard if we can help it.

>>14259892
Why would we want to sell her soul to devils? They won't give us anything worth half as much. Stop being wasteful. We didn't go to all the effort of capturing Cygnis just to eat/sell her soul.

>>14259901
She's a tupisd greedy bitch who will, sooner or later, try to exploit us. And even if she doesn't, the constant gifts will eventually set the stage to allow us to murder her - again, trapped item. And we're rich enough that it doesn't matter.

>>14259892
Cygnis is ours body and soul we will not trade any of our horde away.

>>14259918
What, exactly, do YOU think we should do with it? Or is this another session of waifu quest and noone mentioned it? We've got something that is hugely valuable and a ticking time bomb on our hands.

>>14259929
When we get epic magic we can cannibalize it and steal her remaining lifespan. Evil enough for you? We were talking about it in chat earlier. Once we get epic magic we:

1. Craft a spell that saps a few years from a huge number of people. 3 years x 300,000 humans = 900,000 year bonus lifespan.

2. Find a clutch of abandoned chromatic dragon eggs. Take them, hatch them, then steal all their lifespans. 5 x 2000 = 10,000 year bonus lifespan.

Paranoid, you check Cygnariassis again with your senses, and are reassured when you don't detect magic. More questioning, then...

“Why is she estranged from her family?”

“I couldn't say what drives these foolish Golds.” The crystal replies, “But her parents seem to have had some... friction. She may have had a half-humanoid sibling or two... Hmmm.... I can't say.” The crystal's reply hovers between 'recalcitrant', 'deliberately annoying' and 'taunting'. You resist the urge to attempt to break it.

“And how effective are the defenses on her hoard?” you ask instead. To this it responds reasonably.

“They would severely injure you, given no additional protection. They.... Can be bypassed by merely making sure that /she/ is the one to open it. Now, as she is comatose, or later, once you have thoroughly suborned her will, would be the best times.” it chimes. Not only thorough, but helpful. You just may die of shock. Purely out of curiosity, you ask a last question.

“Watcher, you have been helpful. What do you desire?”

This pause is shorter than the rest, dragging on a 'mere' fifteen seconds.

“The body of a brass dragon. Female. Void of soul. The ritualized destruction of this gem. In close proximity.” The entire response resounds in a single tolling chime, and lingers long after it has stopped 'speaking'. Part of the light leaves the gem, and it does not respond to further questioning. You scowl, and dismiss it back to it's storage location. Other important business awaits you, though.

“Scinnari, you have had that dress... constructed?”

“Yes.” she replies, producing it. The shimmering golden fabric ripples, flowing almost like liquid beneath her hands. “They... are skilled at their work.”

“And no doubt require proportional compensation.” you agree regretfully. But it is, you must admit, worth it. “Very well, if you wish to get dressed...?” Scinnari nods, and proceeds to don the dress, a deceptively elaborate affair. When she is done, you speak again.

"Please tell me the truth, my love. Do you have any problems with Cygnis? If so always remember that /you/ are my greatest jewel, mother of my children, and consort supreme. That that will not change unless it is by your own actions, you need not fear Cygnis as a rival. She is a slave."

“I... am aware of that, my lord, but...” Scinnari says, pausing as if struggling for worfds, “I cannot view her as anything other than a threat. Even... as she is.” Understandable. Regrettable, but understandable, you decide.

“Scinnari. I love you dearly, and I recognize the efforts you have made in the proper direction... But though you hold primacy as my consort and love, you do not exclusively hold my affection or attention. Should I desire... for instance, a harem, or a second consort... I will have it. I shall not be denied.”

“I do not like it, my lord, but I... believe I can live with it.” Scinnari replies, distasteful, but sounding honest in your ears. Honesty, at least. “Your desires are my... are mine.”

>>14259960

I care more about self preservation. And yes, that'll do nicely.

Let's grab her, teleport to her home and have her take the rope by manipulating her hand. That should do it.

And, uh, cast our most powerful protective spells in case.

>>14259999

Haha, man, Scinnari really seems to be struggling with her sentences these days. She's still not used to being ours alone, is she?

actual throw in a bag of holding and get the hoard on the astral plane once ejected.

actually we can grant watcher's wishes. get our blind sculptor to craft a brass dragon out of stone. stone to flesh done.

Dammit, what am I missing on the IRC?

>>14260087
Join! It's not that hard. Failing that, email me with what you want. That's what it's here for.

NOTE: Very real possibility that I won't be around on sunday. We'll see what will happen then. I have no idea.

We can get the treasure whenever we want, nearly free of risk.

Don't forget: we have a cadre of assasins. They know how to pick locks and disable or bypass traps and we can aid them with powerful defensive magics.

>>14260125
If all else fails, we can get some unlucky thief/kobold/mook to take the flak (or in this case, firestorm,) for us.

This is the first time I've felt actually evil in this quest.

I was kinda shaking, though I can't tell if it's because I'm full of emotion, or because it's 5 AM and I haven't gotten a wink yet.

Easiest just to keep her knocked out and take her there to pull it. After, of course, verifying that it is indeed trapped and keyed to her touch. I'd rather not have it be an emergency implosion device she constructed to take out everyone if she was dying anyway.

I'll just re-iterate (from chat) that I think we should start putting some legwork into both investigating Lorekeeper. Once we have Cygnis fully under control, of course (and are keeping tabs on that silver). Also, maybe we should start thinking about expanding our empire

>wonderful night with (presumably) the man of her dreams
>wake to discover everything she knows is a lie, and that she is enslaved in the worst ways possible

Ouch. I know we're evil but damn, will Asmodeus send us a "good job!" card?

>>14260149
This is not actually the most evil thing we have done. We damned a good (though assholish) soul to eternal torture and reforging into a devil. Quite a few souls, actually. Mindbroke people. Other things.

I think we all just like Cygnis and that's why it feels wrong, but it really was inevitable. Azaladon doesn't care for her beyond being a possession, unlike certain other devils or half-devils.

>>14260169
I figured Azdukashan's soul would be worth more in a barter to Bahamut than just torture, like how Scinnari suggested our soul might be bartered to Tiamat.

>>14260166
Probably our 'Welcome to the family" card and our union paperwork.

>>14260169
That was mostly 'let Scinnari do it'. God, you know, Scinnari seems the type that, were we any other character, we'd be trying to REDEEM her, get her to face up and accept redemption. Instead....

>>14260169
I wouldn't say we don't care, just that the only way she can be of use to us is as a mindbroken trinket. We're Practical Evil.

If we hadn't liked her, we could have just sent her the way of her brother.

>>14260166
We're actually pretty unlikely to be going to the Hells when we die (IF we die, I should say), I would guess. Based on our actions, we're more Neutral Evil than we are Lawful Evil.

>>14260196
No, when she suggests something depraved we either up the ante or laugh and agree.

>>14260208
We're kind of liable to go there anyway, because that's where Mama Tiamat lives.

For the archive: WD, by missed opportunities, I meant quest hooks that we may have passed over or ignored in favor of pursuing other goals. Like the bronze dragon's ghost whom we haven't revisited since finding it, and maybe pursuing a more in-depth diplomatic relationship with the blue dragons.

>>14260208
We seem pretty lawful to me, we put great store in loyalty, agreements, and especially on title to property.

We keep our word, and prefer to decieve without lies. It may have been a habit picked up from dealing with a gold in freeport, but we've kept it up for decades now.

WD, I'd like to seek out a priest of Tiamat just in case. I want to know why she's telling people our dirty secrets. Or work out a way to contact her, if the only available priests are Draconic - we'll have to eat the priest after we speak to them. It might just be because of the whole binder thing, but you never know.