B.T.V. -- Session 03 Prologue: Dragon's Wings

The monitors stood in silent readiness. They had no choice -- they could not hear. Most monitors were made deaf by the draegerans who gave them their jobs. Being an easterner was difficult. A life filled with hardships and few enough prospects for a comfortable life. Some preferred the comforts of the imperial palace complex to the hardships beyond. To gain access could simply be a matter of allowing a sorcerer to make hearing a thing of the past -- then an easterner could be useful to a House. What couldn’t be heard, couldn’t be repeated. An easterner's life, even a better kind of life, could be harsh. The House Monitors had been assembled by Lady Klack. She was different from those she’d told to ready themselves. She was a monitor both deafened and blinded and a Dragon.
With written instructions, read by the other monitors and nods of understanding received by all, she dispatched them to their positions. Lady Klack knew her role and knew this was a gathering like no other. The Dragonlords interested in putting forth their claim on the draegeran throne had begun to arrive in Adrilankha. It would be her job to see that the gathering didn’t turn ‘skyed’. In Adrilankha the sky was covered in clouds, black and red. Any meeting could be skyed -- ruined by dark confusion and red betrayal. A gathering of princes and dukes and their attendant members could go skyed in the time a thought took to begin to form.


Lady Klack made her way to the Dragon Hall’s main antechamber. Dragonlords could already be arriving. She saw that Prince Elric and his retinue had appeared earlier than the rest. His being first interested Lady Klack. She was aware that some Dragons preferred to make an entrance. This newcomer was not a man for the subtleties of gatherings. She wondered why that might be. He certainly looked the equal of any draegeran prince. Except, she noted, for his empty scabbard. She wasn’t sure why he’d elected to come unarmed. That was certainly not done. Lady Klack always carried two swords; her curved basketed sabre and a matching foil. The attendant Dragon house warriors stood aside as she approached Elric and his three eastern servants. They were armed. Lady Klack wondered at the sensibility of a prince of the House coming to gathering with armed easterners and being unarmed himself. Lady Klack removed her medallion of office. This was also a tempered object that prevented psychic contact. She attempted mental contact with the prince and his followers.




Prince Elric?
Prince Elric, you must psyre me. I do not hear or see as most do. Through psyring only, can I be spoken with.


Elric had detected a psychic contact initially and had wondered at its source momentarily. The second touch of thought made clear the source. The easterners with him had sensed that it was the woman before them immediately. This was because they were unable to do anything to stop her thoughts reaching their minds -- Lady Klack's ability was a quiet, dominant kind.


I hea — psyre you. You are the Dragon I was told about?


I am.


The Lady Klack. I am honoured to meet you.



I am only High Monitor. Honour is mine to greet you, Prince. These easterners are to attend?


The question held some measure of the woman’s uncertainty of the possibility’s appropriateness.


Yes. They are my retinue. I think it best for witnesses to what transpires.


It is a wisdom that will escape some.


Avoidance of my truth is something I am well used to. There can be no better place to introduce my different nature than this gathering. I will be taking eastern thoughts along with draegeran.


I believe I understand.


You are as perceptive as I was told you would be. I might wish those at the gathering were as well equipped.


There are some who might ask me of this. I will explain.


That will be fine.


Lady Klack hadn’t asked for or expected to be offered the prince’s agreement to her mention of explaining things to a Dragonlord. It was her role at the gathering. Klack did not attempt to explain this to Elric.


We shall move to the roost — the place of gathering... ... ... easterners, this is a site of importance to my House. Do nothing to deface it. If a Dragon feels your action is contrary, they will remove you.


The ‘easterners’ could sense from the woman’s thoughts that being ‘removed’ might involve more than simply being escorted elsewhere.


Finndo put his hands on Selador’s and Asher’s shoulders. He gave each a slight squeeze. Physical signals might not be passed to someone in psychic contact.


Lady Klack turned and led them from the antechamber. The walls of the corridor were draped in deep coloured, many folded velvet swags.


Not all our walls are bare, some are hung with pictures. Those pictures that do hang here, you will be permitted to see. They have been uncovered for the gathering. As she walked past paintings she gave a brief description of the scenes depicted, importance and subjects.


A most modest depiction. A portrait of Couwiddon e’Kieron, standing before a favourite spot. He is lit by the Eye rising behind his patrimonial roost of, Othnagys Castle.

Here is a scene that I believe is an artistic interpretation of the gifting by the serioli crafter, Adjauanitaffe of the great weapon known as Skybreaker, to the Dragonlady Serydyionne e'Terrics. You should note the pennant cloth that festoons the blade. This is proof the weapon has been tested but never before been wielded by aught but its maker.

Here is the only known painting of House el’Nibone. It depicts what appears to be you, Prince Elric and another. Would you care to clear up where it depicts and if, as some including me believe, there’s an easterner in your company? Given what you psyred earlier, I’m more sure now that the fellow in red is not draegeran.

His name is Rackhir. As we are all from east of somewhere, I suppose he wouldn’t mind you naming him an easterner, as he did indeed hail from a place to the east of the Sighing Desert. A companion I held in regard and valued too much to let him live out his days as he might have. He was at my side at the end of a Realm. A decent man who deserved a better fate.


There is no trace of such a doomed destiny in the painting. A shame there are no others better capturing your nature, to replace it with.


It will do.


Finndo made to psyre something but chose to dismiss it before it was a conscious thing. Lady Klack who was an expert in half-bidden thoughts and their dismissals only nodded at Finndo.


Lady Klack paused at a large pair of overwhelming doors. The doors projected the might of the House Dragon. Thick slabs of black metal mixed with bone, had been forced together by a maker’s expert hand. The pale colour of the bone offset the dark tone of the rest. The amalgamation looked like it had been combined with a broad trowel. Chunks of either material were missing or less than carefully applied. One brutal, crafted door depicted what might be figures lunging outward, or eviscerating a cowering foe, or leading troops or drawing weapon. The other door showed some arching fortress, a forested plain, mountain fastness or a severe sea coast, all home to dragons flying over them. The jagged doors drew up and ominous, inward in two diametric and symmetric, silent arcs. They were like wings being drawn back, though whether they made to settle or made to launch into flight was difficult to know.


I need not announce you as you are first to arrive. The doors welcome you. They have flown away, rather than contest your entrance, as is to be expected as you are a true Dragonlord.


The one who made them showed rare style.


His descendants are honoured annually with a payment for what they continue to give our House.


Finndo interjected, probably because he could not help but do this.

They are hinged?


Only after a description. The means by which they remain connected to the doorway is a thing of crafters that I am not knowledgeable about. Are you a crafter to ask me this?


No. I am just an admirer of buildings’ interiors.


I do not know the names of the builders of the hall... Please be seated. As others arrive, first they will be announced, then introductions can be exchanged. Following this, I will raise the scales of the House and then the gathering can properly start.


Our thanks, Lady Klack.


Should you have any needs; refreshments, a break in proceedings, leave-taking due to emergency, whatever, please psyre to me this need. I will send other monitors to fetch things or if necessary explain to the attendees what occurs.


Lady Klack departed the room. The four men waited for the gathering of Dragonlords to begin. They knew their thoughts might be available to at least the Lady. It made for a difficult wait, not being sure if they should think anything at all.









Morollan e’Drien awaited Monitor Klack. Klack’s proficiency in weapons came second only to her ability as a diplomat. Thinking this of a Dragon was faint praise. Dragon’s made second-rate diplomats as a rule. Klack’s ability in this unlikely skill, stemmed from her injuries. It had taken too much time between her being blinded and deafened by ascarctic poison splashed on her face and the restoration of her senses. She had been left deafened and with the ability to see a general mist with some colours where people should be. For Klack to see a person’s facial expressions was impossible. Klack had learned to conform her fighting skill to her new situation. Her ability to read nuance in unvoiced thoughts was learned through patience and a Dragon’s will to succeed where others would fail. The events of the assault on her had taken place a long time ago. Few knew her real or family name. To all she was simply Klack, or more politely, Lady Klack. Some wits suggested that her name came from the noise of her staff on the tiled floors as she made her rounds about the imperial palace buildings. No one truly knew why she used the name, Klack. Perhaps she just didn’t like her real one. Few were those who knew of her mistreatment at the hands of her parents.

As need would have it, the Dragons were self-aware enough to have seen Klack’s disability as a gift to the House. She could act to tend to the sorcerers required to allow meetings of Dragonlords to occur. At the same time, she could safeguard against any sorcerous interferences. Dragons made decent sorcerers but these were some of those who might have need of what Klack and her group of monitors could provide. The stability of the Hall of Dragons only extended ‘... the length of opposed blades’. The monitors of Lady Klack extended this distance by an order of twenty.


Klack’s signature tapping sound rounded the stairs to Morolllan’s right. Morollan might have been mindful of which Dragons were located in the direction the noise came from but he wanted to be non-predisposed toward those he was to meet. He knew enough about them and rather a lot more about Lady Klack. In her case, he knew that she might have visited all the prospective families prior to the gathering and would have said nothing her office did not allow. Morollan trusted Lady Klack because he could, not because he wanted to. Being able to trust in anyone was one of his life’s great luxuries. Morollan would not put aside a luxury to allow for suspicions. Klack had earned her place and the trust of all Dragons. She had stood against the jenoine’s trickery at the peak of the interregnum period. Without her, a lasting cessation of violence would never have occurred. In comparison to that time, this week’s gathering of Dragonlords would be a simple thing for Klack to control. Not for the first time, Morollan was pleased that she was provided the position to use her hard won skills to the House’s advantage.



In his round-toned way of speaking, Morollan said, “Lady Klack, it is most delightful to see you looking well.” Morollan knew Lady Klack could not hear his words but that she would read his words as thought. He preferred to speak in her presence as it was his belief this was a way of not observing her inability to hear him. He did not know if she felt complimented by this. She had never uttered a negative view on his choice. He took this as acceptance if not more than that from her.


Lord e’Drien, I do not ‘look well’ but I see adequately enough.


“Yes. I remember your ability to see.”

You are here to parlay and observe. Klack’s was a stated thought not a questioning one.


“We are assembling inside the hall?”


Su, Dragonlord.


“How many are yet to arrive?”


You are the last.


“How unfortunate to be the reason for delay.” Morollan was not particularly concerned with any frustrations the other attendees might be experiencing but he was a mindful Dragonlord. To lose this perspective would be a danger to his own well-being. Recognising the mindset of others was something to be good at and it was why he’d become one of the great influencers in the House and the Draegeran Empire.


If you will follow this monitor, I will go to begin to raise the scales.


“Of course, Lady Klack. I will wait upon your sign that all is ready and I will bring the gathering to roost.”


I will watch for your sign to close the gathering also.


“Mind that you do. It could be a close-timed thing if things turn ugly, requiring a deft touch.”


Su, Dragonlord.



Morollan was quite looking forward to what was bound to be a most enlightening meeting. He followed the easterner monitor down the corridor to the opening Winged Doors. The awaiting gathering could well determine the fate of many in Adrilankha and Axildusk.