>>5910829You have never encountered the Prince Consort of Hawksong, the so-called 'Eastern Exorcist' and former adventurer called Prince Long Wang. You know all the common rumors, of course: that he is a hunter of demons and of dragons, a masterful swordsman, and a skilled magician of the Oriental tradition; that he is a close ally of the so-called Green Knight, Lord Heinrich Yosef, and an enemy of the sinister reptilian race which infected the city with 'dragon-pox' two years prior; that, in true adventurer fashion, he left his pregnant wife (Hawksong's young, recently-orphaned queen) to face her coronation and turbulent rule alone while he journeyed far and wide waging war on all manner of monsters.
You also know something of the TRUE 'Long Wang', though: that he is, in fact, a 'Dragonborn' (whatever that means, exactly), a reptilian monster in his own right who merely wears a human skin, and whose machinations have long been at odds with the goodly humans and demihumans of this metropolitan city-state, and all the children of the Gods of Light.
"He's planning something," Izirina elaborates. "He's been all over town, meeting with all sorts of people... Giving speeches, courting influence, stoking paranoia. Tips, he's talking about war. War with the ELVES."
"Wh-what?" you say quietly. "You mean... Between Hawksong and the Sylvan Realms? Gods, WHY?!"
Neither of your companions can answer that, only offer up the talking points which have been bandied about town: that he has rooted out a hidden corruption among the elven elite, possibly demonic in nature; that the calling-back of diplomats and abrupt end to free travel and trade are themselves preludes to an attack by the elves upon Hawksong’s lands and subjects; that he has this on good authority from mysterious, black-skinned elven allies who approached him fleeing persecution by their brethren, representatives of whom he has brought with him to lend credence to his words.
“Bullshit,” you huff. “I was just there. It’s nonsense.”
“Obviously,” Izzy agrees. “He has another objective.”
>18 for Sense MotiveThere’s something about the way she says that, a tone. She knows more about this ‘other objective’ than she is letting on, you sense. It’s why she’s building this not-an-army.
“Izzy,” you say, “come on. What’s really going on?”