The adventurers hurried back to the Flagon Dragon Inn and quickly got their gear together. They purchased some food at the tavern that could substitute for rations and made sure their water-skins were full. Bree packed the larger, heavier gear in her Portable Hole. They were ready shortly before Otaaryliakkarnos, the ancient silver dragon, showed up.
As Otaaryliakkarnos circled over the plaza in front of the Inn, and prepared to land, people on the streets ran to get out of her way and then stared in fear and awe.
"Don't be afraid," she addressed the trembling people. "I am a silver dragon and, as worshipper of a good deity, I have no desire to harm you. I am merely offering a ride to the Phandalin Heroes."
Some people crept away, but others were overcome with curiosity and stayed to watch. This enormous dragon certainly looked different than the white dragons who had just recently been menacing the city. But she was a dragon, after all. The mere sight of her was enough to frighten a person.
"Where are you taking the Phandalin Heroes?" asked a particularly brave individual.
"They have been invited to attend a council of the metallic dragons as we make a decision on what we should do to stop the ritual to summon the evil goddess Tiamat."
The crowd murmured in astonishment that creatures so mighty as dragons would care what the smaller folk had to say.
A few minutes later the adventurers emerged from the inn and the crowd cheered. Otaaryliakkarnos had donned a riding platform on her back to provide a place for the party to sit and ordered them to tie themselves to the platform with the attached ropes.
"I don't want any of you to fall off," she cautioned.
Once everyone was in place, she rose into the air on her great wings and Frostbite rose behind her, following in her draft. The crowd cheered again as they took off.
High in the air, the party could see a panoramic view of the Sword Coast. At this height, the extent of the destruction wrought by the Cult of the Dragon attacks was laid out before their eyes. Although Phandalin had survived and was rebuilding, many villages had become burned out ruins, abandoned by the former inhabitants. Smoke on the horizon further inland reminded them that cult raids continued in other parts of Faerûn. Talis bowed her head and tears formed in her eyes as she once again was confronted with the misery her former colleagues had visited upon the land.
After about half a day, Otaaryliakkarnos landed and allowed the party to eat something. She had brought some food of her own and ate with them. While they were eating, she turned to Frostbite and said, "Stay close to me, young one. The same people who want to kill Talis almost certainly want to kill you, as well. I will protect you as long as you don't get too far away from me."
Frostbite looked frightened, "I won't stray from your side," he promised.
As they continued their journey, they occasionally passed over the heads of people on the ground. The people pointed at them, but they were too high in the air for anyone to attempt to attack them.
Night drew on and they landed for the night, whereupon Kellen cast Leomund's Tiny Hut. Otaaryliakkarnos admired the hut and commented that it looked like a very nice place for humanoids to spend the night. Kellen explained that it was warm and dry on the interior, and its magical walls protected them from assailants who might attack as they slept.
Noticing that Frostbite chose to sleep outside the hut, she asked, "Aren't you going to join your friends in the magic hut?"
"Oh, no." answered Frostbite. "There probably wouldn't be room to fit me in there. Besides, with all those humanoids in there producing heat, I would probably get too hot."
Otaaryliakkarnos laughed as they both lay down on the ground next to the hut. She took the opportunity to have a conversation with Frostbite.
"How long have you been a companion of Talis?" she asked.
"About 2 or 2 ½ years," he answered.
"Was she with Mara at the time?"
"No. She and Mara had broken up not long before I met her. Talis talked about Mara constantly. She said they had been lovers for 5 years, but Talis' involvement in the Cult of the Dragon caused them to argue constantly and they eventually parted. Then, several months ago, Mara showed up at the lodge where Talis was stationed. They renewed their relationship and Talis has been questioning her loyalty to the cult ever since."
"Does this bother you?"
"Not really. I'm committed to Talis, not to the cult. I will go wherever Talis goes."
"Since you are a white dragon, and therefore of evil alignment, doesn't it bother you that Talis is now forming alliances with creatures of good alignment?"
"No, I guess not. I never thought of myself as evil. I don't even know exactly what that means. I don't know what good means, either. All I know is that Talis is my companion, and now I guess Mara is, too."
"Do you have the desire to impose your will on others, or to take things they have that you would like to have? Does it bother you if your actions cause pain to others?"
"I don't remember wanting to take things from others. I don't remember wanting to impose my will on others or wanting to cause them pain. I only want to make sure no one harms my companions."
"Do you worship Tiamat, the evil dragon goddess?"
"No. I don't really worship any deity. Do you worship any particular deity?"
"I worship Bahamut, the god of good dragons."
Frostbite stared wide-eyed at her, "I never heard of such a being before! What does he look like?"
"He's a platinum dragon, far larger and more powerful than any other metallic dragon. He is committed to good and strives to aid all other creatures who pursue good in the world."
"Oh, is he friendly? I would like to meet him sometime."
"He isn't very tolerant of evil beings. But you don't seem very evil. Perhaps someday you will be able to meet him. But you would have to agree to become good."
Frostbite pondered that. "I have no idea what becoming good would involve," he said, shaking his head.
By now he was very tired and nodding off, so the conversation with Otaaryliakkarnos had to come to a close. As he fell asleep, Otaaryliakkarnos muttered, "There is hope for you, Frostbite. And I believe there is hope for Talis, too."
The night passed with no incident, and the next morning they ate and set off again. The weather was favorable and Otaaryliakkarnos made good time flying. They stopped at noon so the party could eat and stretch their legs.
Otaaryliakkarnos called out to Talis, "Talis, I want to try an experiment."
She looked intensely at Talis for a brief minute, and Talis' jaw dropped in astonishment.
"Did you just send me a telepathic message?" she asked, incredulously.
"Yes, I did. Can you telepathically respond?"
Talis concentrated and Otaaryliakkarnos smiled. "It's just as I had hoped. You are able to telepathically communicate with silver dragons, as well as with white dragons. You have an affinity with both."
"How did you know about this?"
"The white dragons, particularly the ancient white dragon Ralazrad, have been in contact with me about you. They explained that you have had an affinity with them your entire adult life and are able to telepathically communicate with them. They asked me to test if you had a similar affinity with silver dragons."
"Why would they want me to have an affinity with silver dragons? Wouldn't that mean they would have to share me with you?"
"Yes. But they know that you're in danger now that you have betrayed the Cult of the Dragons. Most of them are in agreement with your decision because they recognize that you will probably never be appointed as the white dragon representative on the cult council of leaders. They wanted you in that position every bit as much as you wanted it. Now you need protection from cult assassins, and the white dragons would like us to help. They are willing to share you if we agree to that."
"But why would the silver dragons care what happens to me?"
"You could be a powerful ally in the fight against the effort to summon Tiamat. I convinced the metallic dragon council to interview you as a part of our decision whether or not to join the humanoid alliance against the cult."
"What do they intend to ask me?"
"I don't know everything they will want to ask. But they are going to want to evaluate your motivations and trustworthiness. It will be part of our deliberations about whether to ally with the Council of Waterdeep."
Talis was silent. She tried to understand what it would mean if she had connections to silver, as well as white, dragons. And what did it mean that the white dragons were willing to accept this? And what if she were unsuccessful in convincing the metallic dragons that she was sincere in her claims to have renounced the Cult of the Dragon?
"Can I talk to the rest of the party about this? In particular, I want to tell Mara and Frostbite."
"Certainly. You can tell everyone. Feel free to contact Ralazrad about it, too."
After the noon meal they continued on their journey and at nightfall stopped for an evening meal and overnight camping. The party settled into Leomund's Tiny Hut, with Frostbite and Otaaryliakkarnos sleeping outside. About an hour later, Otaaryliakkarnos heard a noise in the trees just outside the camp clearing. Peering in the direction of the noise, she noticed 6 figures stealthily approaching the camp. They appeared to have weapons at ready. She let out a tremendous roar and blew a blast with her cold breath weapon at the intruders. All 6 were caught in the cone of the breath weapon and all 6 died. Frostbite jumped up in fright and startled party members emerged from the hut to see what was going on.
"We had some potential attackers sneaking up on us, but I took card of them," said Otaaryliakkarnos.
She walked over to examine the bodies, and continued, "They aren't dressed as Cult of the Dragon members. I suspect they were common marauders, expecting to rob a group of travelers."
"Well," said Kellen, "I guess they tried to attack he wrong travelers."
That unpleasant business having been concluded, the group went back to finish their rest. The next day they continued their journey. Traveling weather continued to be good and by the end of the third day they had reached the council site in the Nether Mountains.
"Rest for the night and we will start our council negotiations with you in the morning," said Otaaryliakkarnos.
Several servant kobolds showed the party to their spacious quarters and brought hot food and ale to them. They made sure there was a good sized piece of meat for Frostbite to eat. They lit a brazier to provide warmth and torches to provide light.
"I'm very anxious about this upcoming meeting," worried Talis. "Otaaryliakkarnos says that the council has far more interest in me than I would have expected. I hope my presence doesn't doom the negotiations before they even start."
"We will have to see," said Borovik. "None of us really knows what to expect."
"Borovik, are you willing to be our spokesman, like usual," asked Neega. "you are the most learned and eloquent among us."
"I will when they address questions to the group as a whole," responded Borovik. "But they may end up questioning us as individuals. Then each person will have to speak for themselves."
They all spent a restless night worrying about the upcoming meeting, despite the comfortable surroundings.
The next morning the kobolds brought them a hearty breakfast and ushered them into the council meeting chambers. The party sat at a table sized for humanoids, facing 5 ancient metallic dragons. The party trembled at the sight, but Otaaryliakkarnos bade them to relax. She assured them that the dragons had no intention of harming them. A male gold dragon rose and introduced the council members.
"I am the gold dragon Protanther and I lead the council. Next to me is Ileuthra. He is a brass dragon. You all have met Otaaryliakkarnos, a silver dragon. Next is Nymmurh, who is a male bronze dragon. Finally, we have Tazmikella. She is a copper dragon.
"Like your allies in the Council of Waterdeep, we have heard the call of the Draakhorn and are aware of the efforts to summon Tiamat to the material plane. We intend to take actions to stop this process, and thus the council is meeting. It is our habit to include ambassadors from the humanoid races in these councils. We called you to explain to us why we should join your efforts to stop the ritual, as opposed to proceeding with our plans on our own. We will need to question you to determine if your motives are noble and you are trustworthy before we can make a decision."
Protanther continued, "Otaaryliakkarnos will start the questioning because of the presence of Talis Kasterel, who has a special affinity to the white dragons and who, until recently, was a high officer in the Cult of the Dragon."
"Talis," began Otaaryliakkarnos, "it is my understanding that you recently betrayed the Cult of the Dragon by revealing to authorities the details of their plans for the ritual to summon Tiamat."
"Yes, that's true," responded Talis, gripping Mara's hand for courage.
"And why did you turn against them?"
"Because of Mara. We had been lovers by the time I was asked to join the cult, but the increasingly evil nature of my actions in the cult drove us apart. After 2 years of separation we re-encountered one another and wanted to revive the relationship. I knew that this could not happen as long as I continued in the cult."
"Besides that," and here Talis hung her head, "Mara helped me to understand and face up to the misery that was being caused by the cult raids on the towns of the Sword Coast, and how my activities facilitated those miserable consequences. She helped me see how this was endangering her, her family and the entire rest of Faerûn. I had to make a choice and I chose Mara."
"Why did you join the cult in the first place?"
"My mother raised me by herself. My father left before I was born. We lived in grinding poverty and didn't even always have enough to eat. When the cult contacted us, they promised to feed us and give us housing. It was too tempting an offer to pass up."
At this point, Talis could feel Otaaryliakkarnos mentally probing her mind, looking for indications of falsehoods. Talis didn't try to resist the probing. She wasn't sure she could even if she tried.
Otaaryliakkarnos continued, "The white dragons have been communicating with me about you. They say that from the time you first reached womanhood you had an affinity for them. They could sense it and reached out to you telepathically. When you responded, they asked cult members in Waterdeep to take you in. Is that correct?"
"Yes. They wanted me to be their representative to the leadership of the cult to make sure the desires of the white dragons were properly dealt with by the cult."
"And do you worship Tiamat, the evil goddess of the chromatic dragons?"
"Yes, I do." Again Talis lowered her head. "But lately my devotion has been waning. I fear the harm she would cause to all non-dragons in Faerûn should she successfully return to the material plane."
"Would you ever consider becoming a worshiper of Bahamut, the god of the good metallic dragons?"
"I don't know," Talis looked troubled. "Why would Bahamut want anything to do with me? I have practiced evil for 8 years."
"Talis, I am trying to determine if you are evil by nature, or if you could leave the evil ways and learn to practice good. That will be a crucial question in the council's decision. If you are capable of becoming good and willing to, Bahamut would be willing to help you, particularly since I have now determined that you also have an affinity for silver dragons."
Turning to Protanther, Otaaryliakkarnos said, "That is all I wanted to pursue at this moment. I will let someone else begin questions at this point."
Protanther said, "I would like to continue the questioning of Talis and also question Mara Evenwood. I perceive that both Talis and Mara are half-elves."
Talis and Mara nodded at this.
"Talis, were you raised among humans, or among elves? I have the same question for Mara."
"I was raised among humans," answered Talis.
"I was raised among half-elves," said Mara.
"Among half-elves?" asked Protanther, looking slightly puzzled.
"Yes, my family has lived in a half-elf enclave outside of Waterdeep for generations."
"When did elf blood become mixed with human in your family?"
"It was so many generations ago that no one in the family knows. We just feel as if we have always been half -elves."
"Talis, when did the elf blood become mixed with human in your family?"
"With my mother and father. I am a first-generation half-elf."
"Hmmm," Protanther pondered briefly, then continued. "Are either of you aware of the horror visited upon dragons by the Dracorage Mythal?"
Mara and Talis looked at each other in astonishment, both shaking their heads.
Finally, Talis spoke, "We don't even know that the Dracorage Mythal was."
Protanther explained, "Tens of thousands of years ago, powerful elven mages cast a vast arcane spell over the entire continent of Faerûn that would periodically drive the dragons mad, so that they would attack and destroy anything in their paths. The effects of the spell seem to have finally dissipated around 100 years ago, but not before countless dragons had died over the millennia. In order for me to be able to support this alliance, I would need for there to be an apology issued by King Melandrach of the Misty Forest for the Dracorage Mythal."
Mara turned to Borovik. "What are the chances we could get King Melandrach to agree to an apology on behalf of all elves?" she asked.
"I don't know. He's a proud man, and he is also likely to argue that no living elves were involved in creating that spell. All we can do is try."
Protanther puffed a bit and looked a little unhappy but didn't say the alliance was dead in the water.
The next dragon to speak up was Ileuthra. "I have a concern about the Dragon Masks, which are a crucial part of the ritual. I would like to see any of them that are recovered from the cult turned over to the metallic dragons for safe keeping. While I know that the humanoid races are capable of great good, I believe that as long as the masks are in humanoid control, evil ones of your kind will feel too much temptation to steal them and use them for evil. Can you get that concession out of the Council of Waterdeep?"
Borovik pondered, "It's an entirely reasonable request. I believe we can convince them to do as you ask."
Tazmikella piped in, "There is an additional member of the party with a shady past, and I wish to question her. Bree Thorngage, you used to be a thief, if I am correct."
Bree started, not expecting to be part of any controversy. "Yes. Many years ago."
"And are you still a thief?"
"No. I gave that life up because I got tired of constantly being on the wrong side of the law and of constantly taking things from other people in order to make a living."
"And what do you do now?"
"I use my skills at stealth and trickery to help my companions defeat evil doers."
"Have you renounced your thieving ways? Have you abandoned you former thieving comrades?"
"I have. I cut all ties with my former thieves' guild. For many years I worked with the city watch of Neverwinter to track down and arrest former colleagues of mine."
Tazmikella then directed her next question to the rest of the party. "Is she telling the truth? Has she given up being a thief?"
The entire party nodded and assured Tazmikella that Bree had indeed stopped being a criminal.
"One more thing," continued Tazimikella. "Neega the Sword Bearer, you now carry a weapon that belongs to me. It was stolen from me many decades ago and I wish it to be returned to me."
Neega's mouth dropped open and her had instinctively dropped to grip Hazirawn's hilt.
"Hazirawn?" she stammered. "I did not steal it from you. I won it in battle by defeating the evil black-half dragon Rezmir."
"No, you did not steal it from me. It was stolen by a Zhentarim thief, who then sold it to the Cult of the Dragon. I won it by defeating an ancient black dragon and claiming his hoard. It belonged to me for 3 centuries before being stolen. I want it back."
"Hazirawn, is this true?" asked Neega with a tremor in her voice.
"It is true that I was once part of Tazmikella's hoard, but I don't want to go back there," responded Hazirawn.
"You belong to me!" said Tazmikella crossly. "You will return to my hoard."
"No!" shouted Hazirawn, "You set me on a shelf to look pretty, but I was made to fight battles. The entire time you owned me you never took me into battle. You never fed me a single drop of blood. In the short time she has wielded me, the mighty warrior Neega has bathed me in the blood of many different types of creatures. I will never go back to being a decoration on a shelf!"
"I am going to grab you and force you to return!" spat out Tazimikella.
"Neega," Hazirawn said, "take me out of my scabbard and lay me on the table."
Neega did as Hazirawn asked and Hazirawn began to vibrate, creating a high-pitched whining noise. The sound was annoying to the humanoids but was piercingly painful to the dragons.
"Tazmikella! Let Neega keep the sword!" called out Protanther.
"Yes! Let her keep it!" cried several others as they tried to cover their ears with their front paws.
Tazimikella ignored her colleagues' pleas and approached the table to seize Hazirawn. As soon as she grasped it, the vibrating blade cut her front paws and she had to drop it.
"It doesn't want to go with you, Taz!" shouted Protanther. "Let it remain with Neega. She will use it for the cause of good."
Tazmikella returned to her place with a scowl on her face. Looking sourly at Neega, she asked, "If Hazirawn had wanted to return to me, would you have given it back?"
Neega wiped a few tears from her eyes and said, "If that was what Hazirawn wanted and it was the price for getting the cooperation of the metallic dragons, then I would have given it to you."
"Then I will withdraw the demand," said Tazmikella, although she still looked very unhappy.
Hazirawn then stopped vibrating and the dragons breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Otaaryliakkarnos spoke up one more time. "I have a request to ask of the party, as well. Dwarves of Faerûn used to run hunting expeditions, which they called Dragonmoots. They would target a specific dragon whom they perceived as a threat and several clans would go on a communal hunt to slay that dragon. Centuries ago, one of my relatives was killed in a Dragonmoot, and her skin used to make a suit of armor for the dwarven lord who slew her. I want you to ask Connerad Brawnanvil to retrieve the skin of my slain relative and return it to me. I also desire an apology from him for the deaths of so many dragons caused by the Dragonmoots."
Borovik again made answer, "We will ask him. We cannot guarantee that he will agree, but we will make a good faith effort."
Otaaryliakkarnos nodded. "I suppose that is the best you can do. I appreciate your effort."
Protanther then turned to the party. "We have heard much from you that we must consider. We must now discuss among ourselves what we want to do, which will be our recommendations to the metallic dragons as a whole. There are some of us who think the metallic dragons should act quickly on our own and not be concerned about what the humanoids are doing. There are others who fear we can't stop the ritual on our own and we need the support of the humanoids. Some of us despair of humanoids ever being able to conquer the evil in their natures, and others who believe that humanoids have the capability of rising to true good. We have to resolve our differences and choose a path. We will dismiss you all now and you may go back to your quarters or relax in one of the common areas."
The party left the council chamber and located what seemed to be something of a tavern. Various servants and guests of the dragons were eating and drinking there. They sat down glumly and ordered tankards of ale. Frostbite lay on the floor next to Mara and Talis.
"I don't think we made a very good impression," frowned Bree. "Maybe the Council of Waterdeep would have done better to send someone else besides us."
Kellen sighed, "I wonder if I should have played a magical tune on my harp to make them more well disposed towards us."
"That might have just antagonized them," said Borovik. "They would have inferred we were trying to manipulate them and then wouldn't have trusted another word we had to say."
"Well, everyone agreed that we should go, even though the entire Council knew our backgrounds," Neega pointed out. "And we did speak truthfully. As for myself, I am glad that Hazirawn refused to be reclaimed by Tazmikella. I have grown rather fond of Hazirawn over time."
"And I have grown fond of Neega," piped in Hazirawn.
"I think I caused them the most anxiety," sighed Talis. "It seems that Protanther has a problem with elves and half-eves, and until recently I was a member of the Cult of the Dragon. Maybe I shouldn't have come along."
"If you hadn't come, neither would I," said Mara. "I don't want us to ever be separated again."
They ordered a little food and sat sullenly, trying with only minimal success to inject some levity into the conversation. They felt that they had failed the Council of Waterdeep.
About 3 hours later the dragons called the party back into the council chamber. Protanther took the floor.
"We have come to the decision that we will provisionally agree to become allies with the humanoids and the Council of Waterdeep in the fight to prevent Tiamat's return. We understand that you don't have the authority to demand that the apologies we requested from the dwarves and elves are actually made. However, we will have Otaaryliakkarnos accompany you back to Waterdeep to ensure that you make a good faith effort to obtain our wishes.
"We also believe that those of you with unsavory pasts have made significant efforts to redeem themselves, and some our reticence with Bree and Talis has been relieved.
"Tazmikella was initially opposed to the alliance, particularly since she was unable to reclaim the sword Hazirawn for her hoard. However, she has agreed to support the alliance if the ambassadors will attempt to get one last concession from the Council of Waterdeep. She would like to see the metallic dragons as a whole get a share of the treasure assembled for Tiamat that is equal to the share granted to the other factions of your council. The treasure added to her hoard would alleviate some of Tazmikella's distress."
Borovik nodded his head. "We will do our best to convince the Council of Waterdeep to meet all these demands. We thank you for the opportunity to speak with you and for your hospitality."
Otaaryliakkarnos stood up to speak, "I would like to address some final words to Talis. I sent a prayer to Bahamut last night to ask if he would be willing to accept you as a devotee, should you decide to begin worshiping him. He said he would, but you would need to go through some training and indoctrination. I will be contacting a band of Bahamut worshipers in Waterdeep to have them start teaching you about the good dragon god.
"I am talking to the silver dragons and asking them to begin communications with you. The white dragons I have talked to have accepted that they will have to share you in order to secure our help in keeping you safe.
"Finally, I will be talking to the white dragons who oppose the effort to summon Tiamat, trying to convince them to become more active in stopping the ritual."
Talis nodded. Mara took her hand to encourage her, and Frostbite nuzzled up against her side.
"I will listen to what the followers of Bahamut have to say and will give it careful consideration," she promised.
The party felt drained and requested that they be dismissed from the meeting to rest in their quarters. Protanther agreed and said he would have the kobold servants deliver food for them to eat while they relaxed in their room. The servants would also be willing to take care of any other needs they might have.
Back in their quarters, Borovik sighed, "I really thought we had botched this assignment."
"I did, too," responded Kellen. "I can't believe the metallic dragons have said they would join the alliance."
Bree looked at the both of them soberly, "We aren't in the clear, yet. We have to make sure Otaaryliakkarnos believes we made a good faith effort to extract the concessions from the Council of Waterdeep."
"Yeah," Preston added. "Those apologies are going to be a hard sell to Connerad Brawnanvil and King Melandrach. And who knows what the Council will say when we ask them that a portion of the stolen treasure be given to the metallic dragons?"
They sat on the chairs or lay on the beds to calm their jangled nerves and give their aching heads a rest. Before long, the kobolds brought a hearty evening meal to them, complete with fine ale.
"You might have to return with another round of ale for everyone," said Neega. "I have a feeling we will need it."
"We can do that," squeaked the kobold who seemed to be the supervisor. She then then paused and asked, "Would it be okay if my brother came in to meet you? He is so excited that adventurers are here and wants to see you in person."
Turning to the rest of the group, Mara said, "I would be okay with that. How about the rest of you?"
After a short discussion, the party agreed to meet with the supervisor's brother. They began eating their food and the kobold servants left to retrieve more ale. The kobold crew returned shortly with several pitchers full of ale. As agreed, the supervisor brought her brother along to meet the party.
"Here is my brother, Meepo the Storyteller," she introduced her brother to the party.
"Storyteller?" asked Kellen, smiling broadly. "I, too, tell stories, through song. I can also use music to create magic."
Meepo's eyes grew wide. "A bard!" he squeaked in joy. "I always wanted to meet one such as you!"
"Maybe we can trade some stories," said Kellen. "I always love to learn new stories."
"Me, too! Also, I hear there is one of you who can telepathically communicate with some of the dragons."
"Me," said Talis, raising her hand. "I am Talis, and I can communicate with silver and white dragons."
"And who among you in the one who can turn into animals?"
"Mara, that's me. I'm a druid and I can take on an animal form," said Mara. She became a weasel to demonstrate. Meepo jumped up and down with excitement.
"And who has the sword that talks?"
Hazirawn replied for Neega, "I am the sword that talks, and I'm wielded by the mighty barbarian Neega.
Meepo next looked at Bree. "Are you the stealthy Halfling?"
"I am. I can sneak up and stab you in the back before you even know I'm there!"
"I hope you never get mad at me," said Meepo worriedly.
"And are you 2 the mighty mages?" asked Meepo, turning first to Borovik and then to Preston.
"Well, mages, but it's up for debate how mighty we are," laughed Preston.
Introductions having been made, Meepo and the party engaged in a delightful conversation about their various skills and experiences. Kellen and Meepo exchanged some of their favorite stories. It was a fine way to relax from a very stressful day.
The next morning after a quick breakfast, they packed their gear and Otaaryliakkarnos re-donned her riding platform. The party boarded and secured themselves to the seats. Otaaryliakkarnos and Frostbite rose into the air, and they began their flight back to Waterdeep.