Nymph interlude (Afina)

[Anastasia]

Following along with you, "I do hope the rest of your wardrobe is better than that, or I'll have work to do," Bubbles remarks.

[Ebiris]

"I didn't expect I'd be able to retrieve my clothes after finishing in Absolute Zero so I brought along something disposable," Afina says, trotting along towards a portal that'll take them to the floor Smrgol resides on. Letting him look after her equipment seemed like the safest thing to do, all things considered. Passing quarters assigned to giants and Hannas and Arrels, she soon comes to the ironwyrm's door and knocks.

"ENTER!" a booming voice declares from within, drawing a little smile as Afina pushes the door open.

"Hello Smrgol, I'm home. Everything's been fine here I hope?" she asks, seeing the crystalline dragon crouched protectively over her equipment while his own hoard rests in the corner as a neatly stacked pile of bullion. He hasn't quite grasped the flair that Baleruk and Arrel reach for in their own hoards even if he's still trying to imitate the concept.

"NONE WOULD DARE CHALLENGE ME FOR THE CREATOR'S BELONGINGS!" Smrgol booms out, rearing back and fanning the multicoloured feathers festooned around his head in an intimidating display.

"Excellent. Have you met Bubbles? Bubbles this is Smrgol, he's a draconic golem crafted from a shard of the Archomental Sunnis," Afina provides introductions, going towards her things and picking up the alloyed short sword Afame first of all.

"CHARMED," Smrgol bellows, fixing his multifaceted gem eyes on the nymph while Afina sees to her business beneath his imposing bulk.

[Anastasia]

"Charmed," Bubbles echos with a small smile, "My goodness, you're a big one. I bet you have all the female wyrms swooning over you, sweety."

Meanwhile you pick up Afame - and feel it resonate in your hand, flashing icy cold.

Paste me Afame's stats?

[Ebiris]

Afame - Adamantine/linthrum small short sword +5, skirmishing
- Afina is constantly feels at ease wherever she goes. This gives her the benefits of Avoid Planar Effects and Endure Elements spell. This ability is always active as long as the sword is held.
- Against creatures anathema to Afina (devils) and to Creation (creatures from beyond), this sword deals an extra 5d6 points of damage per strike.
- Part of Afina's natural world is speed and dodging. As a swift action, she may grant herself a +4 dodge bonus to armor class while holding this sword. This may be used at will.
- Once per day, Afina may bestow some of her elemental energies to a willing creature by touch. This is a full round action. Doing so grants that creature the half fire, water, earth, or air elemental template (Afina's choice). This lasts for 24 hours. Doing so takes some of Afina's life energy, and she suffers a -2 penalty to constitution during this time. This penalty cannot be removed until the 24 hours pass.

I never actually examined it after going to Smoke so any stuff it got from that is still pending

"THERE IS A SAD DEARTH OF FEMALE WYRMS ON AURORA. I HAVE OFTEN HEARD BALERUK COMPLAIN OVER THIS," Smrgol notes, though lacking a sex drive of his own he's mostly just parroting what he's figured out from listening to his exemplars of all things draconic.

[Anastasia]

You hold Afame and you feel power flowing into it. You feel it resonate within you like a bell being struck, the sound echoing in your ears.

At the same time, distant to you, Bubbles smiles winsomely, "Well, that's what shape changing magic is for. Get one of those lovely ladies to transform into a fetching female wyrm, perhaps? I've known many relationships salvaged through applied magic like that. Why, I hear that Kescha? Is that her name?" she asks in a sidebar to Afina, "Whatever, the Seira worshiper. She serves a dragon, she can probably do it."

Amid that, you feel Afame. Air. Air is more complete in it now. Fire and water are partially complete in it. Earth is still unchanged. There's something growing in there, but you need more.

[Ebiris]

"Mmhhmm, mmmhmm," Afina makes affirmative sounding humming noises as she shucks off her toga and stops time to quickly dresses up in her typical harlequin-esque outfit of tight leggings and minidress with long sleeves and a flared skirt, all in checkered and clashing colours. Affixing her swords in their sheathes behind her waist she sets her twintailed hat on her head and slips on her magical jewellery. "Thank you for looking after my things, Smrgol. Come on Bubbles," she takes the nymph's hand, heading back out.

"Smrgol doesn't have any equipment of his own for that to matter," she mutters as they head back down the hallway, "He just repeats what he hears from the other dragons to try and fit in."

[Anastasia]

Did you just use a time stop to preserve your modesty?

"Ah," Bubbles giggles as she follows you. "Poor thing, but I suppose you didn't really want to study that part of dragons for accuracy."

[Ebiris]

I used it to get out of that conversation more quickly.

"Nor just have it hanging out there for everyone to see all of the time. I don't want to know what people would say about me," Afina says, fluttering along now that she's properly dressed in something that lets her wings move. "Anyway, Afame is coming along nicely. I'll need to visit Ooze and Magma next to finish my para-elemental pilgrimage. Simmer will certainly want to come along to Magma - have you met her yet? She might be a bit stand-offish because of your inclination towards Water but she's nice. What are your feelings on Ooze?"

[Anastasia]

Bubbles shudders, "Oh no, no no no no no no no no no no no no no no!  No Ooze! You've never been? Most people who go there are violently ill the moment they gate in from the stench, and it only gets worse. It's a hive of disease and filth like nothing else."

[Ebiris]

"Oh," Afina says, disappointment rising. "Well I'll leave Magma till last so it's something to look forward to. I suppose Dana might like Ooze? She enjoys unpleasant things. It's either that or bringing along a golem since I doubt I'll get volunteers."

[Anastasia]

This gets Bubbles to shake her head and lay a hand on your side, "Sweetheart," she says, "You're thinking wrong. You're a sorcerer. If the world is distasteful, change it to something more pleasing. Surely you have ways to mitigate Ooze rather than trying to find those foolish enough to brave it unaided."

[Ebiris]

"That would be missing the point though," Afina shakes her head, though she leans in a little against Bubbles' hand. "As Earth and Water are part of me, so too is Ooze. I need to be able to find something nice about it if I'm to understand it and strengthen my connection to the inner planes."

[Anastasia]

"So it would," Bubbles agrees, "You have a talent for finding adventures that give people reasons not to go. I would like to fight with you, but not naked or in Ooze."

[Ebiris]

"Blame the planes, not me," Afina huffs. "Anyway, like how I researched Absolute Zero beforehand I'm going to spend some time in the library learning about places of power within Ooze... or maybe spots that aren't utterly revolting to all sensibilities. Do you want to help me at least that far?"

[Anastasia]

"My evening is free," Bubbles says, "In the meantime, what are your sizes? You would look amazing in a frock that..."

Okay, what exactly are you researching?