Enter the Spawn of Earnaness

[Diamond Master]

1. Yerkan meets two beings while wandering in the Garden: A tawny trickster and a Spawn of Earnaness from the Icy Wastes; i.e, a dragon.
2. The dragon is destructive. It reveals that it is here to deliver something secret.
3. Volatilus leads a hunt for both creatures. The tawny creature proves elusive and the dragon proves strong.
4. During the hunt, they find Crystal Trilobites, multitudinous bugs whose crystal eyes see a ways into the future, and cut off attempts to scry with other future-prediction or divination magics.
5. The trickster seems to be a mix of a cat, a monkey, a nut, and machine.
6. The Council uses the hunt of the dragon as an oath-bonding exercise. They seek to slay the dragon. Eventually, converging in their war shapes, the gods surround the dragon in a pit and unleash their might upon it.
7. Volatilus' spear takes on a little of the dragon's magic. The dragon is not mortally wounded, but slinks off to recover from severe injuries. The gods must also heal before they can move from the site of the battle.
8. They pursue and threaten it again. It promises to reveal the delivery's location - it is a transmitter that calls more "Heralds."
   It knows nothing about the trickster, and elaborates that the trilobites alter perceptions.

Yerkan, you are wandering amidst the clay statuary of the Diamond Garden, acclimating to the history of the space-spanning infinite world you have so suddenly found yourself in. Many of the statues do not seem to depict any historical element whatsoever, and many have been tailored to meet aesthetic principles you do not share.

As you round a statue of what seems to be a potbelly stove with legs and teeth, you hear a splintering noise. Shadows immediately flare out from the base of the statue. The fire does not come from the stove, nor the torches which dot the Arboretum. Rather, you leap back just in time from a burst of dragonfire, warned by some deep-seated hero instinct. The snakelike head of the wyrm unfurls around the statue to stare you down.

You hear a stifled guffaw coming from a tree overhead. A small quantity of frosted Eitr dusts you from above and runs down the back of your raiment and you hear another guffaw, then a rustling.

[Yerkan of Elish]

Of course such a world would be filled with traps and secrets! Who are these guffaws in the trees; I think of what kind of creature or being from history might make such a noise in such a situation, in the meantime glaring towards the dragon with my cloudy eyes.

My mind begins to work rapidly, analyzing everything I have seen, calculating where among the gardens I might seek to hide if it comes to combat with a being more powerful than me. At the same time, I glare into the eyes of the dragon, looking for intelligence or a glint of altruism, hoping that it does not wish merely for destruction, but also remembering the history of its kind and its forefathers. I bear forth the adamant leftover from my failed craft, enhanced with whatever mechanical defensive mechanical embellishments I can muster.

Mostly I am seeking somewhere to hide, however. I am well-versed in magical theory, and call upon whatever magics I can muster to grant myself a moment out of the sight of this creature so that I might hide from it, at least for enough time to study it and learn what it wants.

[Great Thrash]

And I shall raise a scattering of temporary earthen bunkers about the place - some where Yerkan of Elish is, and some where he is not.

Later I'll go back and plant them with rare herbs from Thrash, like Steep Nightshade.

If this draws attention to myself I will also not seek to enter combat.

Durin and other survivors, do you recognize this beast?

[Yerkan of Elish]

To be clear, however, I am not yet hiding myself away, though I am thinking of good places to both hide and get a good view of the dragon.

My strategy is going to be something like this:

1.) Imagine the statuary that I have seen so far (and extrapolate to include as much of the area that I have not visited as possible) and think of good places to hide, places where this creature cannot reach me.

2.) Avoid immediate death by dragon fire. Since the dragon has already flared at me, I'm not going to risk just standing here. I will be extremely prepared for the next attack, ready to dodge out of the way in case of fire, bite, claw, tail attack, or spells. I'm going to stay within its sight for now, so that I can learn how it fights.

3.) If combat starts in earnest, then I will dash away for my hiding spot, hopefully using some magic or other distraction so that it won't know where I'm hiding. If combat doesn't start, or if it seems geared more towards capture than towards kill, I will try to communicate with the dragon.

4.) Once in hiding, I want to observe it and learn how it thinks and what its advantages/disadvantages are. I want to know if it will smell me, seek me out with cunning, turn away from me, or whatever else. One of my primary goals is to figure out whether it wants something, is just hungry, or longs for destruction.

I will find out about this creature!

[Diamond Master]

Your final question is answered immediately. The dragon flickers between subtle shades of color, and then tears up a nearby gemcut lamppost with one clawed hand. The splintered end comes crashing down where Yerkan was standing moments before. Dragonfire billows up to cover an arc of possible evasion points, and Yerkan dodges between them, ending up within the shelter of a labyrinth of caped statues with spread arms where the dragon will not fit. By clinging to the front of the statuary or climbing small trees, Yerkan can peek over the edge to see the dragon sniffing him out.

It is muttering to itself, but the language seems cloaked behind layers of ancient changes and protected by a strange misarticulation glamer. Some tiny scavenging insect skitters from a joint in the dragon's scaly armor and rushes to hide amid the thing's spikes, carapace glowing red hot. Despite these signs of neglect, the dragon seems in perfect health.

The dragon has only a minor defensive magic about it, but it moves like a spellcaster. The glamer does not arise from the dragon's arcane abilities.

Earnaness' spawn doesn't seem motivated enough to break through the dense statuary. It is content to lob superheated missiles from its fiery throat over the walls in Yerkan's general direction before moving on to explore other parts of the garden. She will occasionally take the time to tip over some ornament, but is far from systematic or widespread in destruction. It seems to be seeking something but is clearly in no hurry.

To Yerkan and Thrash's eyes, this dragon is far Steeper than anything appearing in the mortal realms. Durin recognizes its like, however, from the realms of the Icy Wastes.

[Yerkan of Elish]

Even if I cannot understand the language, I transcribe it as best as I can, taking special note of whatever modifications seem to be caused particularly by magic. Perhaps I will be able to decipher it later.

In the meantime I wish to sneak back to where I was and find whatever was making the guffaws. If the dragon reacts, I will retreat, however.

Heh. I am liking this place, damn it. My grim smile returns as I carefully maneuver the field, keeping my eye on the dragon as it heads away.

[Yerkan of Elish]

I will also be using Thrash's bunkers for assistance in getting back there without drawing the dragon's attention.

[Great Thrash]

The living clay supports you, growing slightly to meet your needs, moving pseudopods to break up your outline, and giving you extra boost as you leap for the trees.

[Steepest Durin]

Aye, th' spawn of Earnaness. They're not such a big threat. Once you work out their particular immunity, it just takes a hard knock. I'm more worried about what it implies for I...it means I was followed, for one thing!

Why is everyone bein' so careless about th' garden?

[Volatilus]

Volatilus smells a hunt! He will watch ever closely to both dragon and Yerkan. A rich haunting sound of snarling beasts fills the air. I will show favor for hunter and pity for the prey.