>>5196716>Talk to Henzler about her researches into “fixing” the Dragonborn’s deformitiesYou turn to Henzler, who has a look of impatience.
“So, may I set up my laboratory?” she demands.
“We will be leaving come nightfall,” you tell her.
Henzler sighs, shaking her head. “Hardly worth it. I wish you could have waited a few more days… I was making some real progress.”
“Do tell,” you command.
What Henzler rattles off—talk of ‘genetic and morphic plasticity’, ‘chromosomal compatibility between disparate organ systems’, and ‘rejection of subsequent graftings’ all honestly goes over your head. You are no Fleshweaver—you aren’t even a formally-trained occultist and illusionist!
“Can you fixx him?” you ask, straight to the point.
“I can,” Henzler says, “but… It will require further research. You and your partner, Alhazred, you two hold the key. Your hybrid physiology is not one of separate subsystems patched together with surgery and magic, but of natural birth supported by a surprising and frankly UNNERVING compatibility between your paternal and maternal lineages. Alhazred tells me you hatched from eggs?”
You are a bit taken-aback, but you nod. To the best of your knowledge, you were hatched from an egg, just as a full-blooded Reptilian.
“Fascinating…” Henzler murmurs. “We ad to use basilisk eggs, for lack of better material, but they’re surprisingly small and soft-shelled. Drake eggs are even worse as a match—like frogspawn—and gryphon eggs were utterly incompatible. What size was your egg?!”
You almost flinch at the ferocity of tone, the intensity. This human mage, enthralled or otherwise, is clearly passionate about her labours.
“I… Don’t know,” you admit.
“It must have been enormous, if you ‘hatched’ the size of a human newborn…” Henzler murmurs. “I don’t know that I can fix the dragon-chimera, but I we were to grow a successor in a Degenerate egg… Yes, yes, it would be the perfect environment, the next best thing to a dragon’s! We used human blood, it’s true, but sparingly, sequestered to the nervous system so as to shore up the mind against the effects of lesser reptiles’ and amphibians’ influence. When it spread to its other tissues, we assumed that was what let to malformation of the embryo, and the final product… But perhaps it was the OPPOSITE. Perhaps, we needed MORE human material, or ‘Degenerate’ material, to better serve as a bridge!”
