Io's Labyrinth

[Anastasia]

"This path, this door," the kobold agrees to Moore, "I bet none of you can guard this door better than I can. Especially not you," he points at Moore, "You're so small and floaty, you couldn't guard anything. They're big, you're little!"

[Nephrite]

Moore fills his cheeks up with air for a moment.

"I... sure?" Moore says. "All right, you're on."

He guesses?

[Anastasia]

The kobold scurries away and past all of you, "I'll be watching, no way you're as good a guard as I am," he calls.

[Nephrite]

Moore floats over to stand -- well, fly, where the Kobold was standing.

He clears his throat and then just ... folds his arms.

"As I said earlier, I'm guarding this from intruders. Even if Lord Io gave you permission, you'll have to be on your way." Moore says.

[Ebiris]

It feels rather like bullying a child, but even so... "He's right, we'll have to leave we can't argue with that," Alicia says, promptly about facing and walking away from the well guarded doorway, proving Moore's efficacy as a guard.

[Anastasia]

"Yeah, yeah," The kobold calls, then blinks, "Wait, you can't be that good a guard!"

Shaking her head in amusement, Jetina follows Alicia while Amaryl lingers with Seira, "What an odd kobold," she murmurs to her.

[Corwin]

Anything that achieves their goals without bullying. Seira turns to walk away.

[Anastasia]

A booming laugh. IT's deep and loud, comign from beyond the doorway. "Oh, let them through already," he says, "They're good sports, and more importantly, I've been wanting to meet Seira since I heard of her. Imagine, a half elf becoming a red dragon. What a curious thing!"

The kobold stiffens, "But sir, Io said..."

"That you obey me," The voice picks right up, "You've guarded everything fine and had your fun."

[Nephrite]

Moore thus moves out of the way and gestures the way ahead with a slight bow to the rest of the party.

[Ebiris]

"You still performed your duty well," Alicia reassures the kobold, now going back to open that unguarded door.

[Corwin]

"Working my way to a prismatic dragon, though I'll always be partial to reds!" Seira calls cheerfully.

[Anastasia]

Ahead is a vast chamber, loaded with copper and brass. Coins of it are everywhere, and atop it is a brassy colored dragon, watching in amusement. It smiles ear to ear, "Ah!" He sniffs, "I see why, I smell a few of you have been around a prismatic dragon. Come in, come in." Inviting you as you walk in, "Alicia, Moore, Antenora, Jetina, Oberuth, Amaryl and of course Seira. I've been wanting to meet you in particular, because how the devil did you discover turning yourself into a red dragon and get this far, you seem like one of those go getters that comes up every so often except you don't stop go getting, and frankly I'm impressed by it, because so many go getters stop go getting and then something wipes them out or they ossify, like so many spirits do, but it's hard to keep advancing, and even then sometimes you can't when you want to."

[Corwin]

"Oh yes, I've heard of these unfortunate cases where someone reaches a point of relevance on the planar scale but then despairs of ever changing the status quo in the right way. And then there are those who stagnate for decades doing nothing of importance; with those, you just have to keep faith that they will recognize their slump and try their hardest to leave it. So what's your name, friend, since you know all of ours like everyone around these parts?"

[Anastasia]

"I am Bendalasinusalan, but I go by Brass." The wyrm confirms, "It is so easy to find so many ways to stagnate short of perfection, or think you have it when you do not, or that there is any end at all, for why even the Incarnations strive for something to improve themselves, so how can any of us settle, nor does Lord Io settle even now that he has returned at long last, nor does Creation settle, nor will it settle for Shar, nor will it settle for a wretched Prophecy, nor will any of us settle to accept those, no matter what must be done, and much must be done, for what I can perceive and have been told are worrying, deep things that speak of a coming harrowing, win or lose."

[Corwin]

"You wanted to know how I got this way?" Seira muses. "It all started when I made a pact with an ancient Red called Ajan, placed in charge of the Gnomish God-King's prison. It started from there. I saw a prophecy that it will transform me and bring ruin to all those I love, so I decided to break that prophecy and change on my own terms. A bit of aid from the Reds living on Astral and a great deal of studying and delving into the arcane arts, and the rest is history!"

She grins now, asking Bendalasinusalan, "What sort of nice and deep things about the harrowing can you tell us?"