CHAPTER XXXIII
in which the Gang has a pleasant chat with Veckra ...
New Business
While the Silver Foxes update Gorbie, Glad goes off on his own to recharge his flight ring. Then he does some research with Mr. Face and through Gorbie into reaping, but doesn't find anything about countering it aside from some vague "try revocation" advice. He also makes gold by selling off a third of his Regen 2 stock to Gorbie. Later on at their inn, Haas returns with the goods she received from the Weaver's go between. She distributes them along with the warning that they are only to be used on Leshrak and should no be unsheathed in public. They then meet up with Sovelus and update him with their journeys. They share knews of what Xisben told them and they theorize about Mercayan's restoration. Sovelus tells them about the ongoing war with the Tuskers. Then he pays them and decides to take the group to Gogan the Savorite smith. Haas takes pains getting an appointment, only to learn she could have mentioned they were repeat customers since Glad got his staff their. Along the way, Eierryn and Ra'jira cockblock Glad when he was only trying to play information from the receptionist.
Haas makes an appeal to Gogan to retrieve the statue of Mercayan in exchange for her Sentinel's favor. She doesn't much care about profit, wishing it moreso to be a rallying symbol for those who lost their pillar. But if there is profit to be made, she wants a fair share. Gogan tells her that the Sentinel's favor would be expended completely in the retrieval by procuring Tiersa's time. After they make a deal, Gogan and Sovelus discuss private business and the group stocks up on items for their trip to Kara. They then chart a mini-airship to to Kara.
Snow Walkers
In Kara, the group do some exploring. They discover that the walled city, which is the only one to successfully repel the Westerners during the war, makes use of quasith sapping technology to keep the inner city warm despite the cold climates. They also come across robed members of the rock people species they encountered back in Vormyll, which they later learn are called Virtaugh. At the boundary of Kara, they are met by the Vekrans Tummack, Kick, and Triv who escort them to one of the waiting Vekran chiefs. Along the way they learn of the Vekran wilderness and beasts who hunt it. They are plagued by cats and bandits and wyrm riders. There's no prohibition on attacking any of them. At camp, they Silver Foxes have a snowball fight with each other while they wait for the chief, Vauk, to show up. This evolves into a full power version of snowball fighting as Glad turns snowball arsenals into body seeking missiles and uses a kinetic field to rebuff incoming attacks. Haas has to intervene with some stealthy pouncing to keep Ra'jira from being hit. Krom spends the time practicing with the Centaur bow which impresses some of the Veckrans.
When the chief shows up, they continue the trip on Mammoth back. The Silver Foxes join some of the hunting parties who disconnect from the main group and rejoin with fresh kills. Through this, Glad gets a sabertooth cat heart which he mixes into a Regen 3 potion...effects yet unknown. Eventually they make their way to the Veckran mystic waiting their arrival. She dismisses the girls who were talking with her and hears Haas' entreaty to aid the group in their fight against Leshrac. The mystic Rogi is unsure Veckra will honor their request for a meeting then closes her eyes.
Interview With a Dragon III
A short time later, the camp erupts into a commotion as their eyes clearly trail something unseen to the Silver Foxes as it flies down from the sky and lands in camp. Rogi seems to be petting air, but the dragonstones confirm that Veckra is present. He speaks, mentally, with the group. They relate the events of the Centaur aggression, suppression, stolen Equinos, and XisBen talk with him. They ask his aid in the plan. He's unsure what aid he can take and is hesitant to make a move without knowing if Shul has made his move yet. But when he learns of the Tusker attacks, it becomes apparent that the first moves have been made. He pledges Veckran support in the form of soldiers and also protection from the white quasith half of Equinos when facing LeShrec. And if they help rescue Equinos, they may be honored by being able to see and touch Equinos, which Haas wants to do.
They also glean more information from Veckra while they have his attention. They learn that the First, named Den, is the mother of all dragons. They learn that Veckra once fought Shul. At Chracio's prompting, Glad learns Veckra is hesitant to involve himself directly because the collateral damage would be to great. Veckra implies he and Shul are on the same superior level but that Shul believes he isn't bound by the same rules as dragons. They also learn the identities of two more dragons. Ytura is the maroon dragon and mother of Equinos. Jurlim is the green dragon they have heard rumors of. This last bit comes as a surprise. That means that the Silver Foxes actually encountered the green dragon's followers in the tunnels beneath Brenthia. They're the cannibalistic Tusker clan that aided them, which means that Shul and Jurlim are still in conflict if Shul is in fact backing the rival Tusker clan.
As this is being discussed, condors fly in from the horizon.