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Cadence takes another stab at Ynold

Brynn
The draconoid's eyes twinkled as they fell upon the green wyvern. She grinned practically ear to ear as she ensured they were positioned upwind from the beast, keeping her especially large form well hidden in the underbrush.
    "This one is remarkably like the red wyvern I first witnessed overhead," she whispered to the rest of the party, steadily sizing the predator up with almost worrying enthusiasm, "I am certain they are of the same species. Perhaps male and female? A mated pair, even? Such beautiful emerald scales she has, it would almost be a shame to bring her down. Almost."

A subtle, clicking reptilian hiss escaped her with that last syllable. Her tail, though she tried to control it, writhed quietly behind her. It was hard to tell whether she was more possessed by genuine excitement for battle or an instinctual rivalry that beckoned her to venture forth and establish dominance. It was likely not even Brynn herself knew, but either way she'd likely not hesitate to act for much longer...

Prepare to Hunt the Rathian

Not the best of starts to the plan, she would admit, but it was still far from unsalvageable. He may have known there was another assailant coming, but there would've been no way for him to correctly guess which angle he'd breach from until it was already too late. Which meant what Cadence had just witnessed was pure reflex.

The pig in front of her was becoming more interesting by the minute. For both all the right and wrong reasons.
Better instincts and reaction speed than I'd expect from a dark mage as well. Especially with such a hefty tome. Just who are you really, Ynold?

Aurora
"My, that's quite... impressive. The tree must be absolutely ancient to reach such a size naturally." The past immediately came flooding back in as soon as she set eyes on the massive canopy beyond the hill. "It's been a long while since I've seen such a specimen. The Elves used to be famous for cultivating trees greater than any others, some of which could grow to this size or even larger. They were quite proud about it too, their ability to turn whole sections of forests into natural fortresses. Imagine tens, sometimes hundreds of trees just like that one, all linked together, the very wood of their branches magically fused to form any structure their occupants needed. Back in those days, the forest floor was so dark and hostile in both beast and underbrush that no one without the lineage of the Feywild or their blessing dared tread through it. They were practically untouchable among the common races, borderline god-like in their understanding of the natural order and the power that could be derived from it... so aloof to the outside world that in some places people believed the mere sight of an Elven traveler brought good fortune. But justified though their pride was, they eventually fell into the trap of complacency. And thus their empire was doomed to fall..."

She neglected to mention that she had been the reason it did just that. One of the first wars she had ever sent her children on, and even until the end of their race, one of the most successful by far. No one on the mainland had even an inkling of their existence until that fateful day, but the elves who survived would be the first to spread their legend throughout the continent.

The remains of their once glorious capital remained infested for centuries afterwards, and their fortresses soon abandoned as the Arachni lands steadily expanded outwards from it for centuries. Their conquest would've been complete had it not been for some disgraced band of old elvish fools, come seeking atonement for their failures on the day the motherland fell. Old fools she had underestimated, yet proved powerful enough to slay her own firstborn and bath their lands in cleansing fire borrowed from that old wicked sun she had come to so abhor.
     But failed though she had, Arachne had still learned much from that chain of events, and they were the primary reason her children began to live as they did up until the very last moment of their race. Soil and stone burned nowhere near as easily as wood, and decentralizing their civilization to largely autonomous units provided both redundancy and a built in contingency plan in case of disaster... most disasters. And besides, even with that defeat, they had still gained far more than they lost; Among the common races only the ancient Elves held the arcane power, the longevity, and the sheer force of will to fight an open war against her children. And that was part of why she had broken them first. With them scattered and directionless, there was nothing that could pose a genuine threat to the Arachni race as a whole.

Not until the Arcadians and their wicked little plague.

Despite her own wickedness back then, she couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia for those early days. She was a young, foolish god full of scorn and fury. Times were simpler, the world was her enemy and thus she was justified in her crusade against all mankind and his various allies. But age has a way of revealing the lies we tell ourselves as children, and Arachne, for all her lack of humanity by now, was no different. 

A wistful smile graced her face as she shook the darkness of those days away, muttering to herself as she walked off towards where Ako was pointing. "Perhaps someday, trees of such magnificence will again kiss the skies of my world with their canopies... there was a certain beauty in what the Elves could accomplish for a race so disinterested in conquest or domination."

Ehto

"Hmmm, I see..." The hellhound said as she pocketed the shills. It was a bit disappointing to not have any information on who or what this 'Glofriam' fellow was and what he was capable of, but it wasn't surprising given the apparent adversity between the boggers and barons. She took a long glance at the captured boggers before turning back to Arint, obviously contemplating something. "These 'Rise' people you mention are.... rebels around here, right? Do you think there's any chance their interests align with Glofriam's boggers enough for them to potentially be collaborating? The timing of all these issues sounds like a perfect storm for both groups. Too perfect."

Hmmm... it's certainly seen better days, I'm surprised even this much of it is still standing. A testament to Alkethian Engineering, really. Wait, that wall, maybe....yes, I think that could work...

Cadence stays right where she is and continues assessing the fort
Amara Holds

Cadence sighed in annoyance, but something in her eyes made it clear it wasn't directed at Astrid herself.
"Just like a new recruit...well at least she's not spouting off titles."
"Look, at ease, Frei. I'm a soldier first and princess second, you don't have to bother with such formalities while out in the field- it'll just get one of us killed. Just pay me the same respect you would a commanding officer and that will be enough. As for your story.... I see. Sounds like Hagen alright. I think I even remember passing through the village you mentioned; good that you put some scum to the sword before they could do any damage. But that leaves my core question:why were you in that particular village, so many miles from home? Surely you have some greater mission if you're out this far."