The home of goldenfire (Afina, Jaela, Surraruthru)

[Iron Dragoon]

"Hmm... A tarot reference? We'll see, I suppose."

[Anastasia]

"Well, are you going to open it?" Kascha asks.

[Iron Dragoon]

Surraruthru snorts.

"You just like the idea of my being the fool."

Regardless, Surraruthru does open the door.

[Anastasia]

The door opens. On the other side is...Surraruthru. Surraruthru meets Surraruthru's gaze and says, "Hello, Surraruthru."

[Iron Dragoon]

Surraruthru squeezes his eyes shut in obvious frustration and annoyance.

"I guessed as much. Let's get on with this. What's the test going to be?"

[Anastasia]

"That was a setup for whoever opened the door, wasn't it?" Kascha sighs, patting Surraruthru on the back.

"Knowledge of one's failings is trivial with hindsight," Surraruthru says, "Real wisdom is seeing your failings in the future and preventing them. This wisdom is important to the power you seek. Surraruthru, show me you understand this wisdom. Tell me of a failing you have and how you intend to prevent it."

[Iron Dragoon]

".... Greed. All dragons suffer from it, but I suffer from it doubly so. I thirst for gold and knowledge, and desire to hoard it. To prevent it... Be wary of it. Know it is there, and plan for it. Entrust access to my hoards to another. Kascha in this case, to remind me of the dangers of my greed."

[Anastasia]

"Greed is a dangerous sin," Surraruthru agrees. "Many plunge into eternal torment over coin and treasure, and more follow over greed for other things, like knowledge."

[Iron Dragoon]

Surraruthru nods.

"Yes, I know. I desire both, and so, am doubly vulnerable. Arcane knowledge and treasure. Both sources of power, but both can drag me down. Allowing Kascha, and perhaps eventually a select few others, to access what I have freely will hopefully ward me against such single-minded focus."

[Anastasia]

Surraruthru vanishes at those words, the way ahead open. It's a simple hallway that leads onward before making a curving turn to the left.

[Ebiris]

"You're putting a lot of responsibility on Kascha's shoulders, Surraruthru," Afina can't help but observe as the doppelganger disappears.

[Iron Dragoon]

"For now, yes. As I said, I intend to expand the circle I give access to. Kascha was the first one in Aurora that I knew. There will be others, eventually. And while there's responsibility there for her, there's benefit, too. She has free access to anything I know, and if she desires something from my hoard, meager though it may be for now, it will be hers."

[Anastasia]

"I'll manage it," Kascha steps forward boldly, "It won't be a problem."

> roll 1d20+8
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+8 --> [ 1d20=10 ]{18}

Down the hall is a stairway and you go down to it. It leads to another door with writing on it, identical to the last. It reads, "Light."

[Ebiris]

"That's your interest, isn't it Jaela?" Afina asks.

[Corwin]

"I'm somewhat of an expert on the subject," Jaela says with a grin, fielding this one.