Revelations

After awhile (after Fred's curse is lifted), Malachi finishes the last magical examination (herself), and turns back to human form to give the final verdicts on everything she's found......

"I must say....that I'm not entirely sure on what I saw," she finally says, quietly. "I'll tell you what I can, but....."

The dragoness just sighs and shakes her human head, siting down on a rock.

"But frankly not everything made sense to me," she continues. "And some....is alarming."

"Well, tell us what you can, please." Astra 5a says finally.

"Well, first let's start with me," the dragoness says, "Now, what I am going to tell you isn't human public knowledge....but that's only because dragonkind usually doesn't chose to publicize it. It has to do with a dragon's link to his or her Hoard. A dragon's life is their Hoard. The larger the Hoard, the longer their life and the greater their magical might. That's why dragons like treasure and soon start to collect it soon after hatching....."

"It's a matter of life and death," Yorga says, nodding. "You....I mean your analog from my world told me about that."

"So that's why dragons are so zealous in guarding their treasure!" the other Astra whispered.

"Yes, that's why," Malachi agreed, "It's a matter of life or death. But something happened with me.....with all of us. With me, something was done to me that severed my connection to my Hoard.....but not only am I alive and well but still have my full range of magical might."

Several people look at each other, not sure what to make of that.

"Next on our list is our mysterious amnesia stricken young woman, Louise and Sigourney," the dragoness mage said. "Their condition appears to have nothing to do with whatever is happening with me....but I've got to say I've rarely run into Minervian before."

"'Minervians' as in 'Minerva'?" Astra 5a blinks, "As in the war goddess that formed fully formed from the brows of Zeus?"

"That's were the term comes from," the dragoness said, "Now, while it does NOT mean that they happen to be divinity....it does mean that they have come forth into the world fully formed. Without memories of a past.....because they don't have one. I looked at the age of their souls....their spirits...... They are newly minted."

"We don't have a past, do we." Louise sighs, already having guessed the truth even beforehand.

"That's kind of a relief, actually." Sygourney added smiling.

"A relief?" Astra asks, goggle eyed. "How?!"

"Because, simply, it means that we have no dark past we must worry about," Louise put in, "A bit before going to bed back....in Yorga's cottage, we discussed what you could term....shall we say.....dark scenarios. Things like we could actually be evil magical users, suffering from a backlash of magic. We were worried that if we ever did regain our memories....."

"That we turned out to be terrible people," Sygourney finished, "Perhaps even, God forbid, that we may have been MEN at one time or another. There are actually tales about that, you know!"

"Uh, right." Fred said, blinking.

"Then there is of course the fact that Yorga appears to have been a vampire," Malachi says softly, looking over at the count.

"Hey, he's not evil!" Sigourney says angrily as the others draw back in surprise, "Who says all vampires are evil? Not all of them are like that madman Drakul!"

"You mean Dracula," Astra mutters, then shuts up, remember that since these other people are from.....elsewhere...then the small blond woman probably was correct and she herself was wrong.

"Anything else?" Astra 5a asks, just waiting for the next "bomb" to fall, "You said ther was this one or two other things, right?"

"Yes," a voice says behind them, "There is something. Us."

They all turn and see an oddly dressed man in leather and chains (what some would call a James Dean type in a biker gang outfit).

That and an odd, small man in glasses with slate grey skin and an odd mode of dress indeed (a 20th century business suite....that is anacrhonistic in this setting).

Rule 4 decides to let his Chaos counterpart speak first.

"It has to do with the Crimson Pyramid....and the fourteen lives who's lives are hanging in the balance on what you decide next," Agent 4 says, serious for once. "That and a world that could go very furry.....if not to a large percentage Foresaken....."

This Agent was responsible to the rather....tight wedding dress that only emphasized one of the Astra's pregnancies back on Terra Prime (as well as implanting the idea for a name that an elven empress would take later on).

However, right now, after a few rather orders and messages from On High, the Agent was not in a jolly mood. Not even a little bit.

Oh, he wasn't angry at these new Potentials. Rather, at the creators of the Pyramid.....an awful Atlantian Artifact who's Keeper (the book) had just been nudged by a rather dark being indeed.

Meanwhile, back at the castle......

"....and that is why invading Aqualaria is such a horrible plan. It's dishonorable to treat warriors of such caliber in such a manner!" Fred finishes his warning, "We are D'Honaires and if we can not live with honor......"

"......we don't live at all," Duke Dred says weakly, looking at Fred oddly.

"Son, I've lived decades longer than you......yet......" he shakes his head, "You teach me, today, about honor."

In another room, Jarlath is increasingly getting vexed in his talk with the mage who's calling from the House of Hindsight.

"Okay, so?" the young mage says, looking over at the blinking mage of D'Honaire, "He has the pancreas of a woman and a few inhuman parts. But what parts ARE the original parts? Isn't there SOME spell that you know would tell if the most important part, the mind, was still the original and not a ringer?!"

The last word causes the other mages to blink in confusion (what exactly was a ringer?) Must mean a falsehood or something like that, perhaps. What ever the case, though this strange young boy appears to be a foreigner....he wears the sign of the White Hand around his throat (on a necklace). That and the boy knew enough to prove to be a member.....but that branch had been defunct ever since that Tower burned to the ground decades ago....... Strange indeed, but.....

"Well, there....is....but it's no longer allowed because it involves the shedding of blood," the other mage begins, suddenly nervous. "Besides that there is no way....."

Jarlath rolls his eyes, knowing well enough from what "his" Rowena told of her misadventures before finding Fred 7 what kind of spell the other mage is speaking about....and that perhaps this mage of D'Honaire. As for the odd parts in this Fred, Jarlath was guessing that when Fred got restored to human that the Crystallic didn't take care of that blip. Dr. Vincent back on Terra Prime had admitted having to "make do" in order to get Fred 3 back in shape after Bobo nearly destroyed him.... "No, there are ways," the mage of D'Honaire interrupts, "There are things that only father and son know and the issue of identity has been proven beyond doubt and questions of safety for my lord answered sufficiently. The Duke is convinced and so am I and I SHALL attest to this in front of the Council of the White Hand if need be."

1. "Be it on your head it be then if you are proven wrong," the other mage sighs before breaking contact with them.

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