Parade

[Corwin]

Seira approaches the tent, giving it a look over!

Taking 10 for Spellcraft 118 and Knowledge/Arcana 118.

[Anastasia]

It is some measure of artifact - but not one you know. Ancient without any doubt, perhaps one of the many endless treasures Tiamat has accrued over her countless lifetimes.

The tent offers safety and security you believe, as well as great luxury within. But only those with dragon's blood can properly use and appreciate it.

[Corwin]

The tent welcomes draconic blood, Seira relays to her companions, allowing them to choose their actions. Donald definitely qualifies, and as for Sanzha... it doesn't seem dangerous for her to enter, at least.

For her part, she pulls the flap open and steps inside.

[Anastasia]

You step in with Donald. Sanzha does as well. Whatever it may do to her, it seems beneath one such as her.

Inside is a grand pavilion, far larger than it looked outside. Here is a room with a luxurious fountain of crystal clear water, designs of strange, tall, starkly white humanoids. Almost like snow given form but not quite. Dozens and dozens of passages lead deeper in, but all but one seem hazy, indistinct. That one instead stands out, as if being invited deeper within.

[Corwin]

"I never considered the idea of a portable dungeon," Seira muses, taking that invitation. "Ah, but that sort of thing just makes you want to test it against a permanent one, right?"

[Anastasia]

"Quaint," Lady Sanzha says pleasantly, "Though I suppose it allows something like a portable demiplane, in it's way. Aurora's made lovely use out of such capabilities."

In you head. A luxurious room of piles of pillows. Here lounge dozens of strong, muscular humanoids. None seems to feel the need to wear anything, each an exemplar of masculine beauty. Yet each has the occasional hint of scale show on their skin, and at times little wisps of elemental energies come from their mouths. They lie about, as if nothing more than pleasant eye candy for the queen on the throne here.

In the back of the room sits a throne of solid gold. On this throne lounges a woman with dark, curly hair. An impossible beauty clad in delicate silks and wearing a five-fold crown of red, blue, white, green and black. With a look of amused indolence, as if stirred from some pleasant reverie, "You've arrived," Tiamat announces.

"See, this is what I like about you," Donald comments, "Attention to detail and a theme. You're doing a great job with the decadent queen look right now."

"It is mildly nostalgic," Lady Sanzha agrees, "But I doubt we're here to ooh and aah over Tiamat's boy toys."

"We are not," Tiamat smiles thinly, "We're here to talk about Tor Salinus."

[Corwin]

She did not expect to hear that! Seira pauses despite herself, before forming a simple but comfortable chair for herself and takes a seat.

"If you're talking about finally killing him, I have dibs," she says in a conversational tone of voice.

[Anastasia]

"Oh, don't make me laugh," Tiamat says, "If I wanted that upstart dead, his head would have decorated my hoard millions of years ago."

Meanwhile Sanzha copies you, sitting at your side. Donald does not but stands guard, a firm mass of muscle, strength and armor.

"Granted," Lady Sanzha smiles without any warmth, "But he's proved surprisingly wily in all stories. A respectable display of draconic superiority. A shame it manifests as a genocidal insanity, isn't it?

[Corwin]

"No, no, you misunderstand. I don't want to crush him like a bug. I want to face him with equivalent power and win on skill alone. Then he gets crushed," Seira elaborates, looking happy.

[Anastasia]

"Even better," Tiamat smiles, far too many bright white, shiny and doubtlessly sharp teeth seen. "I have my own agents to harvest crystalvein for my own uses. They are capable of dealing with Tor Salinus, of course. But the last time?" A slight lean forward, "Tor Salinus displayed power that eclipses his previous power. He found my servants and overwhelmed them."

A slow smile shows on her face, "You're exactly right. Someone needs to go there, find Tor Salinus and defeat him."

[Corwin]

"Clearly. But why now?" Seira asks, genuinely curious. "I don't believe for a moment that him rising to so-called power is more than a momentary annoyance to you."

[Anastasia]

"I find the offense of him daring to strike at my agents intolerable," Tiamat's voice is a sensual purr, her gaze lingering on you. "Besides, tell me this: Were Tor Salinus ever to find a patron, whom would it be? Who is the one deity who is dark and twisted enough to welcome such an all-murdering dragon into her ranks?"

[Corwin]

You? No, wait, clearly it's Shar. She really ruins everything.

"And nothing on Salt actually changed. That's a bit sad, isn't it?"

[Anastasia]

"Of course not." Donald snarks openly, "Now do you know this or do you only assume? Your ass is great and so is mine, but bad assumptions are still a mistake."

Tiamat actually pauses a moment at that, as if to work that one out in her head. "Hmph. Fine, crossbreed. It is merely a highly educated bit of speculation, but it fits oh so well, does it not? I wouldn't put it past Shar."

"And so, you want Seira to do your dirty work," Lady Sanzha sounds amused.

"To prove to Creation if she has the soul of a triumphant dragon or is merely a cowardly little half elf who will hide away from a true dragon like Tor Salinus when he threatens," Tiamat concludes. In that sensual voice, "Tell me Seira, are you a dragon or not?"

[Corwin]

"Oh please, this is beneath you, Tiamat," Seira scoffs. And Donald, ugh, don't flirt with the skanks from literal hell. Wait, does that mean that flirting with Glasya is also forbidden? "Also, a dragon would ask what's in it for me. I know what you get, so where's my benefit in smiting Tor Salinus down next week rather than next decade?"