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Kartilann paced back and forth before stopping at the war table and slamming her first down. "What right does he think that he can just demand that I send some of my own forces to help him?"

In her tent were her three most trusted Draconians; a Bozak who was a skilled fighter, by the name of Zorak; a Sivak black robed wizard by the name of Koraza, and finally a Baaz Draconian cleric, faithful to the Dark Queen herself, named Thraxus.

Ariakas, favored by Takhisis, had recognized Kartilann's achievements and promoted her to the role of Dragon Highlord of the Blue Dragonarmy. She had brought her island to Schallsea, an island east of Abanasinia. Kartilann's forces were focused on fighting the people of the island known as the Que-Nal and the Wemitowuk, who had been the indigenous inhabitants of Schallsea. Stretching roughly two hundred miles and eighty miles wide, the island was split by an area known as the Barren Hills that ran down the center.

Kartilann's hands were gripping the table tightly as she stared at the map. Dragon Highlord Verminaard had only recently come into power but was rapidly proving his worth and validation as the Red Dragon Army’s Highlord. Where ever Verminaard went, he conquered quickly – smashing those beneath his heel and blade without remorse and without mercy.

Expanding his hold on Ansalon, he moved to infiltrate Haven. Haven had been taken over by the religious seeker priests, who set themselves up as the Council of Highseekers. The Seekers' headquarters was erected in Haven and they setup their own militia, using the mayor of that time as their puppet. From a political center, it quickly turned into a religious center. The city is currently captured by the Red Dragonarmy, who has quickly suppressed the false religions, forcing fake priests to convert to Takhisis or be slain.

However, the Qualinesti elves, south of Haven, have proven troublesome.

Sensing imminent danger, the Qualinesti elves have been sending small forces to attack shipments coming to Haven, seemingly knowing the difference between standard shipments, and those that are specific to the Dragon Highlord.

Unable to spare more soldiers to investigate, Highlord Verminaard had demanded Kartilann, to send some of her forces from Schallsea by vessel to investigate. She looked to her three most trusted soldiers. "If I am to send forces to Haven to help fight the Qualinesti, I will be sending the three of you. You three are my strongest and most trusted. Lieutenant Scarseye will go as well and be the commander aboard the ship. While I may share a bed with him, I do not trust him as I trust the three of you. He is human and may aspire to overthrow me one day. You three I can trust. So if I am going to send forces, I am giving the three of you a special mission - one you can not share with Lieutenant Scarseye or anyone else. I need you to find out if Highlord Verminaard has any weaknesses - if he's needing my forces to help quel the Qualinesti... You must find out if he's pulling his forces too thin. Find anything that you can deliver to me so that I can bring it back to Ariakas or Takhisis to gain favor with them."

Thraxus nodded, "Understood, Highlord." Thraxus had enjoyed serving with Kartilann, because Kartilann rarely sat back. She was hungry and ready to raise through the ranks. She'd quickly proven herself useful to Ariakas and he saw her hunger to crave more.

Koraza, a Sivak who wore the Black Robes, profited greatly being in Kartilann's army; since each time she moved her army into a town, the army was commanded to leave all libraries and tomes of magic alone; allowing Koraza the right to go through the items first. She'd scribed several spells that she still was not capable of fully understanding.

Zorak was far simpler; he enjoyed serving Kartilanna because she allowed him to be in the front of every assault so that his blade could taste the blood of the enemies who stood before them. She often used Zorak as her own personal body guard as well, when she made her way through some of the already conquered areas.

It'd taken two days for the soldiers to gather their supplies and board The Starfall, the vessel that would take them from Schallsea to Abanasinia. The first day out to sea had been difficult as the winds had not filled the sails, forcing the army to row. The second day saw kinder days as the winds filled the sales and relieved the soldiers from rowing. Lieutenant Scarseye brings the ship to a small island to gather additional supplies which Highlord Verminaard requested. Spending several hours at the small, uncharted island, they gathered resources and docked there for the night. The night came with a tropical storm that rocked the boat dangerously.

The following morning everyone had been soaked during the storm in an effort to prevent damage to the ship. As the night approached, Solinari – the Moon of White, seemed to be desperate to hide itself behind the scattered clouds of the velvet night skies; while the Red Moon of Lunitar seemed to be watching the vessel with vested interest, casting almost a blood like reflection on the tides of the ocean. The black moon of Nuitari, seen only by the faithful and magic users, seemed to be chasing the white moon out of the cover of clouds, forcing Solinari’s white light to shine upon the ocean as well.

It is because of Solinari's brief white light upon the ocean water that Zorak suddenly points out to the ocean. "There, look!" Koraza and Thraxus, who had been near by - rushed to the edge of the ship, but what Zorak had seen had already vanished beneath the tide.

"What did you see?" Koraza asked.

"A humanoid, and I could tell, because of the moonlight, the blasted thing was an elf," Zorak growled.

"Dargonesti," Thraxus said, with some concern.

The Dargonesti originally hailed from the land elves, but were altered by the Graygem and leapt into the depths of the seas in the early ages of Krynn. The average male Dargonesti elf stood at seven feet tall, whilst females normally stood at six feet in height. Considerably taller than their elven cousins on land, they are slightly bulkier. The Dargonesti bear dark blue skin that is compared to the deep blue of the ocean, and have long webbed hands and feet that allow them to glide through the water. The Dargonesti can breathe air easily enough, however they also possess small-feathered gill slits below each ear that allows them to breathe underwater with ease. Hair color for Dargonesti elves ranges from dark green to pale gold, and a few rare deep elves have been known to have black or silver hair. They worshipped either Abbuku the Fisher (Habbakuk), Kisla the Mother of the Sea (Chislev) or Zura the Maelstrom (Zeboim). And many of them had the ability to communicate with sea life.

It was at that moment, a dragon brine rose up from the water and slammed into the ship. The dragon brine's flesh was blue green in color, making them almost impossible to distinguish in the water when racing towards their target. Their torso was hardened with a structure similar to a turtle, though the dragon brine could not retreat into it, for it was not a shell. Dragon brine were not know to aggressively attack ships, and this is exactly what the dragon brine had been doing. It seemed more concerned to damage the ship that attack those aboard. These "sea dragons" as they were called were not true dragons, but given their name due to their appearance. They were known to rough up ships, usually from the bottom, but it was usually a playful manner, or proving troublesome to fisherman as it devoured nets full of food - but this one was physically attacking the ship.

"This is the Dargonesti's doing," Thraxus growled as the ship rocked from side to side.

Thraxus closed his eyes, focusing his balance, and calling on the Dark Queen to fill him with her glory and energy. When he opened his eyes - the light burst from his hand, striking the dragon brine so that it glowed. This allowed Zorak, who'd been near the railing, drew his blade and drove it across the dragon brine's neck as it rose from the water to slam against the ship again. The dragon brine reared up in fury, only to be struck by three magical darts that hit its nostrils, as Koraza finished her spell. Other soldiers aboard the ship began frantically looking for things to strike the dragon brine with. Lieutenant Scarseye was barking commands, pointing with his longsword as he shouted at his men.

The missiles striking the dragon brine, and the massive gash on its neck, had been enough to discourage it from attacking the ship further; but it'd done what it had been sent out to do - the mast was cracked and the rudder of the ship destroyed completely. Lieutenant Scarseye was furious and pacing back and forth scolding everyone. "You've let that damned Dargonesti elf to delay our voyage! Get to fixing the sails! If you need to rip off your own clothing to fix it - make it happen and make it happen now!"

Lieutenant Scarseye was furious, mostly because he did not want to disappoint Kartilann and he missed the nights he'd been away from her not spending it in her tent entwined in her embrace. Storming over to Thraxus, Lieutenant Scarseye stared at the Baaz Draconian cleric. "How could Takhisis allow this to happen?"

Thraxus growled, "You do realize she isn't just going to be watching over us? The Dark Queen is cautiously moving her pieces all across Krynn to prepare for this war. We are but one small piece. If you dare to question her, when I speak with her in my prayer to her later tonight, I will be sure to bring your concerns to her."

Lieutenant Scarseye spun on his heel and walked away furiously. "It's not wise to upset him," Koraza said, drawing her black robes around her. "He has Kartilann's ear and her sheets."

Thraxus turned to face his Sivak companion, "I would say it is more dangerous to upset Takhisis."

Zorak laughed. The Bozak draconian did not care for magic or gods; he only cared for warfare and blood. "Point me to an elf or point me to a god, I will still march forward, blade in hand."

The damage the dragon brine had done to The Starfall had been enough so that the ship was forced to make landfall just south of their original target due to the damage done to the rudder of the ship. As the soldiers exited the ship and looked around; just beyond the beach a lush forest sprang up, beyond that, towering mountains. Lieutenant Scarseye marched to Zorak, Koraza and Thraxus who were just beginning to disembark from the ship. "The three of you, since Kartilann trusts you so much - you three will find a way through the mountains to reach Qualinesti. Myself and the soldiers will cut down the trees and use the wood from there to repair our vessel and sail back to Haven, as planned."

"You want us to make our way through those mountains and go to the Qualinesti forest - then what?" Zorak asked.

"Find the rebels," Lieutenant Scarseye shrugged, "what do you think? The three of you elite," he said the word with some mockery, "can move through the woods much quieter than an entire army. Find the rebels and then come back to Haven. Report where they are, then I will lead the force and crush them."

Thraxus was about to say something, when he felt Koraza's hand on his shoulder. "We will do as you ask. We will camp in the woods and begin our journey," she said.

"Good," Lieutenant Scarseye replied and turned around to begin barking commands at his soldiers again.

Koraza turned to Thraxus, "This has nothing to do with us finding the Qualinesti," she said. "He hopes that we perish in the mountains - or if we do find a way through the mountains - we will die at the hands of the Qualinesti." Koraza began walking towards the woods, "Because, as I said, it was not wise to upset Lieutenant Scarseye."

"Takhisis will guide us," Thraxus countered.

"Didn't you say," Koraza looked over her shoulder, her silver scales glittering in the sunlight, "that we are but one small piece in her war?"

"What of Nuitari then," Thraxus smirked, "does your goddess turn away from us?"

Koraza looked up at the sky, "No," she smiled, "she is watching us right now. Even during the sunlight."

Zorak followed behind, his sword slung over his shoulder, "I don't care what gods guide us - so long as they point me at something to fight."


The forest had been eerily silent; there were no sounds of birds, rabbits, or even insects that one would normally expect to hear. "This isn't natural," Koraza whispered. "Something sleeps in these woods to silence the forest creatures in such a way."

"Good," Zorak grumbled, frustrated, because the only thing he'd been fighting the last few hours was exhaustion. "I'll keep first watch," he offered, "just in case whatever it is that's in here decides to try something."

They'd decided not to make a campfire, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to them. As Koraza and Thraxus laid down to sleep on the forest floor, unbeknownst to them, they were being watched with hungry eyes. After a moment a giant spider slithered down the silken web landing between all of them and sinking its venomous fangs into Zorak's shoulder. Zorak howled in pain and fury as he felt the venom coursing through his veins making every nerve ending in his body burst with the sensation of flame. He quickly shoved the eight-legged beast off and the other two awakened. 

Thraxus seeing his companion wounded; a mixture of blood and venom seeping from the Bozak's wound, jumped to his feet and placed his hands on Zorak's back while whispering a prayer to Takhisis. Takhisis turned her eyes from her war plans when she heard Thraxus and filled his body with the magic and energy she gave to the faithful. The magic completed the circuit, pouring into Zorak's body, pushing the venom out as it sealed his wound.

Thraxus then drew his mace and struck the creature twice, crushing one of its legs with a devastating blow. Zorak, not to be out done by the cleric, renewed his attack and brought his back down with all of his physical force, severing one of the legs of the giant spider. The giant spider reared up, barring its fangs which dripped with renewed venom; however, rather than continue the attack it quickly retreated into the trees.

The following morning, Koraza had reported back to the others that she'd spotted a cave up in the mountains just beyond the woods. She'd recognized the spider that attacked them as being a cave spider; so she knew there had to be a cave somewhere that the spider had to have come out at some point; whether it made the forest its new home; sometime before that, it had to have come from a cave and she'd managed to locate the cave entrance.

The only problem was that someone was going to have to scale the mountain side. Zorak offered to do so, hoping to scale the mountain first and find more spiders to fight - and this time kill. However, after scaling up the mountain and peering inside, he could see it was indeed a natural cavern and it looked large enough - over all - to allow them passage, at least as far deep as he could see. He tied several ropes together, then tied one end to a stone and lowered the other end so the others could scale up the wall.


From time to time, it required crawling through narrow spaces; sometimes on their bellies, sometimes between cracks in the wall; but one thing was consistent; ahead the could hear the sound of water, and from time to time, a small stream was what allowed them to fit under some of the narrow sections of the cavern. After several more hours of spelunking through the cavern, drenched in mud, the three had finally found where the cave opened to a large lake. Around the shore line of the lake were thousands of luminescent mushrooms that glowed from purple to blue to red to green and back to purple again in an almost chaotic, yet, hypnotic pattern. Just as Zorak was about to step forward, Koraza extended her hand in front of him.

"Don't move," she whispered as she pointed at the non-luminicent mushroom that Zorak was directly in front of. "Those are known as Shriekers. They're named that because - those tiny bristle branches that poke out of the caps of them are like sensors; and if they're disturbed, the Shrieker emits a horrendously loud noise. I know because I've used Shriekers and other mushrooms as spell components. You touch that - every creature in this cave is going to know we're here."

"So? Bring them to us, I say," Zorak smiled as he brandished his sword.

"We don't know who or what is in this cave," Thraxus cautioned. "For all we know, the Qualinesti may have planted these Shriekers here as a form of alarm."

"Follow me and step where I step," Koraza commanded as she began to cautiously moved through the mushroom field and make her way to the lake. Once reaching the lake, Koraza noticed a number of bat-like creatures hanging on the ceiling. They moved about slowing, by their feet, clinging to the ceiling, making noises that sounded like crickets; they looked like bats, but Koraza knew them for what they really were - creatures known as Stirges, who - for all intents and purposes looked like bats; and were often called "vampire bats" because of their behavior of drawing blood. Their snout was a long, needle-like formation that was used to pierce flesh and draw blood. She pointed the Stirges out to the others and urged them to move silently through the lake.

As they crossed the lake and made it to the other side, just beyond the cavern there, they could see light - daylight. But there was a deep smell of decay. Moving slowly through the cavern they reached a corner which they peeked around and found the source - a mound of flesh and bone scattered all about the cavern floor - and the cause - a large brown bear that appeared to be sleeping after another recent fresh kill.

"We can try to sneak past it," Koraza whispered.

"There's a good chance you might be able to," Thraxus replied softly, "but Zorak and I - our armor is too loud. It will awaken the bear. I have an idea." Thraxus explained his idea, and the other two agreed.

Thraxus called on Takhisis again; and a red flame flew from his fingertips and struck the bear; its mangy fur igniting. This awakened the bear, who now turned to see who would dare attack it in its own den? Seeing the three Draconian, the bear reared up on two legs, towering over all three of them in height. Koraza cast her spell next; a colorful spray of red, blue, green, purple, yellow, all flew out of her fingers at high intensity blinding the bear that took a few steps back; now Zorak went, charing in his blade held above his head, he brought it down with all of his might and force, cleaving the bear's chest wide open, so much so that its vital organs spilled to the ground. The bear roared for a few more seconds, furious, before realizing the wound had been a fatal one, and collapsed forward.

Koraza and Thraxus moved to the mouth of the cave and joined Zorak.

They looked out - and a massive forest opened up in front of them. In the distance they could see billows of smoke rising into the air.

"Qualinesti," they said with a smirk, and began to descend down the mountain.