Mountain of...Revenge?

[flame_emperor]

🧙 WHO: Edelgard, Byleth, Claude, Flayn, Lorenz
⚔️️ WHAT: A multi-Fódlan party goes up Lotus Pod mountain to talk with a dragon...or kill it.
🕒 WHEN: Early November
🗺️ WHERE: Lotus Pod Mountain & one of its many mine-shafts
⚠️ WARNINGS: N/A

"Here, I don't think this shaft has been explored yet."

Halfway up the mountain, Edelgard pauses at the mouth of an open mine shaft. She turns to look to the others who accompanied her on this journey to correct her mistake the night of the equinox. To correct the mistake they all made that night. There was a dragon somewhere in this mountain, and there was business left unfinished. It was just a matter of whether that business would be bloody or not.

"Shall we give it a try, or look for one further up?" She asks. The dragon could fly and might have chosen to hide in one of the harder to reach shafts near the top of the peak. But if they exhausted themselves getting up there only to find there was no dragon...or worse, there was, well. The day would be wasted, or worse.

It was just a matter of deciding.

Comments

[notcethleann]

Flayn follows behind Edelgard as they go along, largely quiet unless spoken to. The gravity of their mission weighs heavily on her mind, though she's grateful to have Claude here with her this time. It was no mere platitude when she told him that when he's near, many things seem possible that without him do not.

She pauses to peer a little ways into the tunnel. "I believe we should try this one. His previous sanctuary was located in a similar sort of cave, and it seems likely that he would wish to retreat to a place reminiscent of his abandoned home, does it not?"

[leicesters]

Claude sticks close to Flayn to reassure her he's here for her, and while he's dropped his usual good humour for the most part, he'll smile and offer some encouraging words if addressed. He's carrying his bow and a quiver full of cursed arrows, arrows he hopes he won't have to use should the dragon prove cooperative, but if not...

When they pause at the tunnel, Claude nods his agreement. "Yeah, and it's better to be thorough than to rush ahead. Let's try it."

[hegemonwings]

Byleth stays closer to Edelgard than the friends who've accompanied them, though she glances to Flayn and Claude every so often just to keep track. Despite Celliwig and how it echoed previous horrors, she... is trying to hope for the best if they do find the dragon.

She is also ready for the worst.

"They're right. If he's not here, then we can move on, but..." She inclines her head slightly towards the shaft's entrance and gives Edelgard's hand a quick squeeze, free hand resting on the grip of her sword. A teasing comment dies on her tongue; she knows that her jokes would go unappreciated at a time like this.

[flame_emperor]

Edelgard nods, returning Byleth's squeeze. "All right, let's give this a go then. Byleth, Lorenz and I will take point. Claude, stay to the rear with Flayn and keep an eye on our flank." She's not expecting anything to try and jump them from behind, but it never hurts to be safe.

"We'll proceed a ways in and look for any signs of the dragon being down here. If we don't see anything obvious, we'll turn around and try for one of the shafts further up."

And with that, they begin the advance into the tunnel. "Flayn, if the dragon is down here, how do you wish to approach it?" She asks, a concession to the Nabatean's desire to try to reach out to the dragon if need be. They'll need to hash out how they want to do that without jeopardizing her safety too much if talks break down.