your hands protect the flames

[modforged]

Who: The Dragonsworn
What: The first arrival of the Dragonsworn goes a bit...awry.
Where: Scattered around the perimeter of Suramar.
When: Dawn on March 21st
Warnings: Please PM the mods if any warnings are needed

It is almost as if you've woken from a daydream when the ground meets your feet. The stench of fire is overpowering, and though dawn is just approaching in the canopies of Kalimdor, bright flashes of green can be seen between the branches of impossibly tall trees. If that doesn't snap you out of your surprise, then the sound of nearby spitting in demonic tongue may persuade you to get a grip and notice your surroundings -- you are not alone. There are others like you, huddled just a bit too close, with a somewhat familiar face keeping you from advancing further. Looking down at your hands may briefly reveal a momentary flash of color, but nothing lasting more than a few seconds.

The mages of each flight take the helm of their charges, and they are quick to notice any movement from their groups despite channeling some sort of spell to keep you protected. Stray fire will bounce off an invisible shield that ripples when anything make contact with it. There seems to be nothing in sight but your new comrades, and your guardian -- at least not on the ground. The sky has flying demons swarming a pack of dragons -- and the dragons are very clearly losing. Look just a bit farther, and you might find more dragons, though these clearly have different colored scales than the ones above your head.

While distracted, you may hear your guardian speak to you. "There may yet be wounded nearby -- if you care to, bring them here, and we will tend to them from the Sanctum." Briefly, they gesture skyward, toward the dragons flying overhead. "Do not bring to us any that are not our own, lest you invite their demise!"

But the mage is focused on casting -- they are in no position to halt your advance, and they know it. They speak with concern -- concern for you, concern for the dire situation at hand. The demonic cackling is drawing near. The forests are rapidly becoming overrun, and there are already a few dragons slain on the forest floor.

"Take care, Dragonsworn -- I am bringing us to safety, but it will take time. To wander far is to invite your ruin, and we cannot afford the loss of your life."

[OOC: You are free to mingle on this post as you choose, despite the flight groups being scattered through the forests around Suramar -- after this log, you will be separated into your sanctums, and your interactions will be watched much more closely. Attempting to enter the city itself will result in a vicious attack from demons that will kill. The Dragon Mages will be tagging sporadically to heroes of their matching flight, and the conclusion of this log will lead Dragonsworn through portals to their Sanctums.]

Comments

[ninjacques]

     If he'd been surprised by the girl's call, he doesn't show it as he seems to calmly glance in her direction. One of their's? She wears green, and somehow, that feels... right?

     "...rock?" Jacques can't help but echo as he arches a brow at her, although it's only the subtlest change of expression.

[pouts]

"Yes, my shiniest rock." The girl pouts as if it was an obvious request. "I had it with me before I came through and now it's missing. That means it must have fallen somewhere in this wooded area."

Her logic is almost child-like and how she approaches it doubly so. "How hard is it to overlook a rock? You've either seen it or you haven't seen it. Which is it?"

[ninjacques]

     Somehow it seems he's disappointed the girl, even though he's not quite sure how that works. And for all that they're in the middle of a battleground, Jacques still takes the time for a quick glance around. Admittedly, he hadn't been paying attention to the ground very closely, but if it is so shiny as the girl describes (which really isn't very descriptive at all, now that he thinks about it), he probably would have at least noticed something.

     "...sorry," he says as he looks back at the kid.

[pouts]

"Sorry? What for?"

It doesn't occur to her that he may be apologizing due to not being able to see her stone. She asked a yes or no question, so anything that's a reply from either of those will leave her more confused than she cares to be with battle raging on around them.

"Okay so maybe you haven't seen my stone." Nowi recovers quick enough to continue, "But maybe you've seen my comrades? I'm looking for members of Chrom's army that might have come with me when I wasn't paying attention."

A little girl looking for military forces. Something's strange about that.

[ninjacques]

     ...or maybe not so strange if you're used to being associated with a ragtag army that includes a number of children.

     Jacques just looks at her in his quiet way before shaking his head. Not that he knows who this Chrom-person is, in any case. If this little one is involved with an army, then it's a sad thing to think that perhaps wherever she's from, there is also a battle that would even pull in kids like that.

     ...which...wouldn't be too different from their current situation, he realizes. Huh.

[pouts]

Then she may feel right at home with him even if she was just one of a couple "children" in Chrom's Army. Still, she doesn't speak much on her past anymore now that he's confirmed he's not heard of anyone like that.

"No one from Ylisse huh... do you think Nowi is the only one that was strong enough to come help?"

[ninjacques]

     "I've not familiar with Ylisse..." he mentions, even as his attention begins to drift back to the sounds of battle above them. It's probably not safe, standing around talking like this. The concerned cry from his eagle-friend confirms this.

     Yet, even so, Jacques can't blame this girl for asking such questions. He's sure he'd probably ask the same things, but he hasn't allowed himself to think that much into the matter yet.

     "...maybe you'll find someone around. It's a mess out here, and everyone's scattered..."

[pouts]

"Are you alone too?" An abrupt question, but she's much like a child in the way she handles things if it weren't evident by how she continues the conversation despite the battle taking place. "You must be sad, but you got a pet bird already."

Nowi looks towards the eagle with a smile while clasping her hands together in excitement.

"Nowi once had a bird friend too. Janaff and I were supposed to be best friends forever..."

[ninjacques]

     Her words surprise him, but then again, children say such things rather easily. Alone? Sad? He hasn't allowed himself to sort these things out, but while he couldn't say he wasn't used to being alone, separation of this manner meant that he probably wouldn't see those he was used to for a very long time.

     The eagle cocks its head at the eager Manakete, probably thinking her strange for how she's acting presently. When giving a glance at Jacques again, the hunter offers a faint shrug.

     "...we're alone here, but not completely. For now, you can make new friends," he suggests to Nowi, deciding to avoid asking what happened to Janaff.

[pouts]

Excellent call--children are, as they say it, incapable of grasping the full situation so who knows what farfetched story she may have gone on about her birdy friend if the subject was unearthed any further.

"That's right. I think I've already made my first one." Whether or not the feeling is mutual, it appears she does trust too easily.

"So how can I help my new friend out?"

[ninjacques]

     It seems he's made a new friend already. That doesn't bother him in the least, and for the moment he doesn't seem to be thinking about how worrisome that might be in the case of this girl meeting others.

     "...."

     Jacques looks back towards where their mage continues to protect the fallen aside from the newly confused arrivals. "...we need to find the wounded from our side..."

[pouts]

"It's unfair that you ask that!" Nowi huffs up as she stomps her foot into the ground a bit, digging the heel in. "Nowi can't do heavy lifting so well and these dragons are much bigger than Nowi's used to seeing!"

So how can they help? It isn't as if they can drag a dragon's body together.

[ninjacques]

     Blink. Okay, he hadn't expected that sort of a response, but he can't say that the kid doesn't have a point there.

     "I didn't say to bring them..." He just feels he should clarify. "...but we can help protect them until someone else comes to help move them." ...right?

[pouts]

"You think Nowi can protect these dragons?"

She considers the option of doing so and then she considers what she can do right now. No weapon, no magic, no stone... She can turn into a bear, but that was done only after she fell from a tree branch.

"Maybe if I can turn into something scary again!"

[ninjacques]

     If she'd been brought here for her abilities, then surely she should be able to do something. Jacques nods, having no reason to discredit her. The kids back home were pretty gutsy too.

     "...you can change?"

[pouts]

"I used to have to use a Dragonstone, but without my precious stone, I'm a pretty useless Manakete!"

If he can follow along with that, it'll be a miracle. "Oh, but Nowi turned into a bear when I fell from a tree."

[ninjacques]

     "...."

     He could take a guess, but he's never heard of Manaketes to make a solid enough connection. Of course, with the mentioning of bears and falling from trees (what), everything he could have pieced together gets thrown out the window.

     "A...bear?"

[pouts]

"That's right--a bear! It was the bestest thing ever, well no."

(She probably shouldn't sound so proud about falling out of a tree as a giant mammal.)

"It was the second bestest thing ever. The best bestest is turning into a dragon and soaring through the air! Whoosh!"

[ninjacques]

     "....."

     Did that make her...a were-bear? He's still not sure how that has anything to do with her falling from a tree.

     "...so...you're a bear...dragon?"