FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Luck Be a Lady

• Chapter 20 of the Legends of the DragonRider

It was with a deep breath that Anitra once again stepped into the altar-room which had, literally overnight, become one of the most tightly-secured areas in the entire Citadel - which was saying something, considering some of the things that were going on in the laboratories of the basement-levels. She'd been dreading this... but at least she didn't have to worry about keeping up appearances in front of her sisters, on this occasion. Instead, she was entering alongside her beloved Blake, her darling Direza, and the sturdy and loyal pair of Melora and Mel. They were meant to get their 'marching-orders', after all, and there was no reason to leave anyone behind this time. Of course, in Melora's case, there was an added reason for her presence...

The room looked as it ever did - windowless and lit by twin braziers, unadorned but for the blocky, silver-sheathed altar at the back. And, of course, the ivory-white human skull that sat atop it. As they approached, it shivered and rose into the air in response to their presence, loose jawbone clicking, and pinpricks of light lit in the empty eye-hollows. Iam, the fallen God of Mankind, was still here - he'd been in residence for nearly a week at this point, and seemed confident that he'd be able to stick around for as long as his presence was required.

It was still hard to say, or even think, that name outside of his immediate presence, though. Between that and his generally calm demeanor, they'd all gotten fairly accustomed to thinking of him as 'Lutan' instead. A friendly and helpful, if somewhat naive and idealistic, traveler and explorer... albeit one who wielded power and wisdom beyond mortal ken. Back, now, from his stay in whatever in-between place immortal gods wound up in when they died, and still dedicated to finding some kind of absolution for his past sins.

"Greetings, all..." The skull declared pleasantly, nodding in welcome - and not just at Anitra and Blake. Even the servants, who would normally have been ignored and treated as part of the furniture by most mortal nobles, were given due attention. "You've made preparations to travel as we discussed last time, I hope?" Now it was Anitra's turn to nod - but not without reservation. "We have - but we have a conversation to finish, before I'm prepared to go anywhere on your say-so." Her voice was hard, but as usual, Lutan did not take offense. If anything, he sounded rather understanding as he replied. "We do indeed, though I doubt you will be entirely satisfied by what I have to say..."

Anitra just raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to continue. Sighing, he floated a bit sideways and turned to stare into the smoldering coals of the nearest brazier, rather than meet her eyes. "Your concern for your friend does you credit..." he remarked, before sighing heavily. "However, we are entering uncharted territory. I can offer but one certainty, and beyond that, guesswork and probabilities. Not unfounded guesswork, of course - as you requested, I conferred with the wizards and other experts you made available, concerning the likely effects that becoming host to the powers of a god might have on a mortal mind... and we reached some conclusions."

The members of the Circle of Secrets had been more than enthusiastic to get a chance to work directly with a God, even one as severely diminished as Iam was now, and there was little doubt that the 'workshops' they'd held had involved a great many subjects other than just what would happen to poor Tiffany if she was indeed transformed into a Demigoddess for the sake of the Utopia's future. "Some truly brilliant minds you have rallied, incidentally!" He continued glancing in her direction with a ghostly smile being barely perceivable around the gleaming ivory of his bared teeth. "They will be very helpful for some of the other measures that will need to be taken... ah, if we go ahead with the plan, of course."

They would, almost inevitably, and they both knew it - but Lutan seemed determined to act as if there was an actual choice in the matter. As if Anitra could just... pick the first actual friend_she'd made after becoming a DragonRider, over the future of the entire Dragon Utopia. But, all the same, she nodded. "Well, let me hear those conclusions, then. And that one certainty you mentioned, while we're at it." His unearthly gaze was back on the embers as he started talking again - apparently, magical lighting couldn't be used here, for fear of disrupting the ritual that had drawn Lutan back to the mortal plane. "We all agreed that it is_highly unlikely that your friend's mind would simply be immediately supplanted by that of Fortuna."

That much, at least, was good news - despite the 'unlikely' bit being clearly stressed, and Anitra only listened with half an ear to Lutan's explanation of why. Something about it being difficult for gods to directly manipulate mortal minds because of some kind of rule involving 'free will', and Fortuna's own mind likely being weakened or even dormant due to the lengthy case of 'dead' she'd suffered from. "...however, there is a bit of a caveat there." He then concluded, drawing Anitra's attention back into focus. "The host of the God-Shard, Tiffany, is human. Once she has undergone apotheosis, she will be a Demigoddess, and consequently immortal. Human minds were not designed to last for more than a century or two at most - I should know, I designed them!" Sighing, he shook his head. "I had to make significant modifications when I created your kind, DragonRider, specifically to account for the vastly increased lifespan that being linked to a dragon would grant you."

"So... what will happen to her, with time?" Anitra asked, feeling a chill run down her spine. If there was one silver lining in this whole affair it was that she might potentially wind up with a friend who'd be just as long-lived as she herself had become. That was a rarity indeed! Even her dear Direza, elven though she was, had a limited lifespan - something that both of them were careful not to think too much about. They'd have centuries, but even centuries passed - and assuming she survived the impending conflict, Anitra could look forwards to a life measured in millenia, linked as she was to her equally immortal lover.

"Most likely..." Lutan intoned, careful to make it clear this was no certainty. "...her human mind will gradually begin to fade as she reaches and exceeds her original, natural lifespan. Being then replaced, bit by bit, by the slowly-awakening mind of Fortuna. Personality-traits will shift, memories from before and during the God-War may emerge, and she will become less and less Tiffany, more and more Fortuna." Anitra grimaced at this, grinding her teeth. It... sounded pretty bad, but logically speaking, it meant that Tiffany would only suffer these consequences at a point when she'd normally be dead, anyway. Of course, it was all just a theory, however well-supported. If all the clever-clogs had gotten their calculations just a little bit wrong, it could happen faster than that...

"I see." She said out loud. "Not as bad as it could've been, I suppose." Lutan nodded, and his continued gaze at the embers in the brazier seemed symbolic, now, of how the fires of Tiffany's somewhat spacey but ultimately lovable self would one day fade - to be replaced by the inhuman intellect of a forgotten goddess. "Now, with all that said, I do know one thing for sure, as I hinted at before..." he then continued, and finally spun around to face her again. "Your friend will change, and it won't take decades. She is, after all, human, and I know what effect power has on humans. That was part of my original plan, after all. This 'Tiffany'... she was born to a simple farmer, I've gathered, then spent years as a slave, and now works as a prostitute. After the apotheosis, she will be one of the most powerful beings in this world. Mightier even than the DragonRider she currently looks up to and idolizes. That will change her - it cannot help but change her."

A fundamental truth, that, and one Anitra could not deny. After all, while there'd been other factors at play, she had undeniably changed a lot, as a person, after obtaining the power of a DragonRider. "I understand." She said out loud. "And with all that having been said, I have no objections to going ahead with this, assuming she is on board. I won't stand for you, or anyone else, forcing this upon her." Lutan's skull was nodding firmly before she'd even finished talking, and there was a certain stab of shame somewhere deep in the most human parts of her soul. She knew, after all - as he clearly did - that Tiffany would have no objections, especially not when the request came from the 'heroic DragonRider', Anitra. She'd leap at the opportunity to help protect the Utopia. To be fair, most people wouldn't turn down an opportunity to become immortal and wield godlike power, but in Tiffany's case, the reasons wouldn't be quite so shallow... nor would she likely be deterred by the likelihood that her mind would eventually give way to another, far older one.

Well, regardless, there was nothing to do but move ahead. "So, what is the next step, then? Where are we going?" Anitra asked, and Lutan promptly perked up - with the ghostly face that overlay the skull, more sensed than seen, taking on an expression that made Anitra sigh inwards. She'd had a couple of meetings with him so far, and save for one particular, rather brief and private chat they'd shared shortly after his initial awakening - where he'd become_remarkably_ tight-lipped - she'd generally found herself growing exasperated by his habit of dishing out long, meandering explanations for everything.

"Ah, well!" He exclaimed, which was another red flag as far as Anitra was concerned. "In order to elevate your friend to the status of Demigoddess, we will need to gather a great number of Fortuna's God-Shards. Part of that process can begin without delay - I've already started working with the wizards you introduced to me to on that count, actually. Such bright young minds that have assembled here!" The way he delivered that with a perfectly straight face - such as it was - nearly made Anitra snort with laughter. The wizards in question were all white-bearded old humans, centuries-old elves and ancient, gold-scaled dragons. But to him... well, they were clearly all but children. Clever children, eager to learn...

Lutan expanded on his plans for a while after that - apparently, they'd be crafting a grand Fate-Manipulation Spell together, which was something she knew all to well that he had great expertise with, of course. The Tablet of Lutan, that she'd worked so hard to assemble back in the day, had held such a spell, activating once it was fully assembled and drawing in both the enemies and friends she'd made on her journeys, creating three nasty trials for her and Blake to overcome before it finally coughed up directions for the Dragon Utopia. This one, though, would apparently cause people all over the continent who carried God-Shards of Fortuna within them to be led, inexorably, towards the Utopia.

He was in the midst of explaining how an arcane ritual that he'd first started researching when he was still the God-Emperor of Qinxiang, and was now refining and finalizing with help from the wizards of the Circle of Secrets, would enable them to extract these God-Shards without harming - let alone killing - their hosts, when Anitra ran out of patience. "That's all well and good, but what's our_part?" She half-interjected, half-snapped. Lutan paused, gave himself a little shake, and nodded apologetically. "Ah, yes, of course... ahem. Basically, while sapients often carry comparatively large God-Shards, these alone won't be enough. We will need to gather many of the _inert shards, as well - ones that are simply floating around in the atmosphere, or lodged in vegetation, rock and ground. I've devised an arcane construct that should be able to accomplish this - essentially, it will create a focal-point, which will draw in..." he seemingly noticed Anitra's glare, trailed off, and coughed. "...ah, but, we are missing a key component for this device. And you not only have prior experience in the adventuring profession, but specifically in tracking down and retrieving rare and obscure items, making you the most likely candidate for finding it."

Now they were getting somewhere. Anitra nodded, feeling the thrill of adventure build in her blood once more. "Clearly. So what are we looking for?" Lutan's answer, for once, was relatively brief. "An artifact imbued with Fortuna's power. Any would do, theoretically." Perhaps a bit too brief, even. Above her, Blake's scaly brow wrinkled. "Such things still exist, even with the goddess herself long-dead and forgotten?" he queried, prompting a nod and an eager continuation from the garrulous skull. "Oh, certainly! Imbuing powerful artifacts as gifts for our most favorite mortals was a popular affair, even back before the war... and moreso yet during it! Many of those artifacts survived the war, and though the death of their creator inevitably led to _some_loss of power, vestiges always remain, particularly in the most potent examples. Fortuna is no exception!"

That_would_ explain many of the strange artifacts that adventurers often found in ancient ruins, Anitra conceded - for all that they were generally attributed to 'forgotten magicks' or whatever. Her mother had sometimes told stories about such things when she was a child, though she'd never actually used such artifacts herself - finding them too unreliable and unpredictable. Better to sell them wealthy collectors or curious wizards for a hefty payday, clearly! "Any leads?" Anitra asked out loud, pondering how long it might take to scour the collections of such adventurer-patrons for what she needed. To her surprise, the answer was an emphatic "Oh, yes! In fact, I know exactly where you might find one!"

"...or, at least, where one was to be found, a few thousand years ago..." Lutan then quickly corrected himself with an apologetic smile on his ghostly lips. "I encountered one during my travels, you see. And honestly, I would not be surprised if it was still located exactly where I left it." Now, at least, he was saying something useful - Anitra eagerly gestured for him to continue, and he was clearly more than happy to do so... at length. "You, ah, know why I was traveling back then, yes?" He started by asking, pinprick eyes flickering. Anitra's brow wrinkled briefly. That topic hadn't technically come up before, but based on what she knew - about his desire for redemption, and the places she knew he'd visited - it wasn't hard to put it together.

"You were looking for the... 'orphans' of the gods you'd slain during the war, right?" She guessed, prompting a slight wince and a morose nod. "Indeed, that was my primary goal..." he agreed. "Though I did sometimes wind up finding other interesting odds and ends in that pursuit, admittedly. Mind you, it wasn't _just_that kind of... 'orphans', as you put it. Some peoples were simply abandoned by their gods after the war, for various reasons, and those do not weigh any less heavily on my conscience than the rest." A fair point, that - Anitra knew that this had happened to the Minotaurs, after all. Sargonnas hadn't been interested in rebuilding a civilization from the scattering of escaped slaves that was all that remained of his once-great people, and had settled for a healthy chunk of humanity instead.

"Regardless, that of course included the children of Fortuna." Lutan continued, seemingly more cognizant of the need to stay on topic after the last couple of glares she'd given him. "They'd vanished after Fortuna's last, sacrificial gamble - even back then, I had to admire her resolve." Anitra could only agree. A goddess who considered the lives and freedom of her 'children' as more important than her own immortal existence seemed like the sort she might actually be able to get along with - boding well for the project as a whole. "However, once I went looking for them, as a simple, human explorer..." Lutan intoned, his voice shifting from sad to somehow amused "...I found them very easily. They hadn't concealed themselves in some deep, sunless cave, or on a remote island, or even in some hidden valley. No, they'd set up a pleasant and prosperous little city-state off in the western lands, in an area that was certainly a bit of a wild frontier, but far from a barbaric and desolate wasteland. Had my conquest continued, I would've soon caught up with them, rendering their escape pointless - but it didn't, and I didn't. Fortuna gambled on my impending fall - and won, once again."

He sounded bemused, and impressed - which was pretty much how Anitra felt about this revelation too. Certainly, she was starting to see why Lutan felt that having Fortuna on their side, even in the diminished form of a Demigoddess, would make an immense difference in the upcoming confrontation. "And it didn't stop there!" He carried on, with growing enthusiasm in his voice. "The nearest human kingdom - established well after the children of Fortuna set up their new settlement there, I should add - was ruled by a wise and enlightened Philosopher-King. Already, trade had begun to grow between the two, adding more prosperity to the city-state, as well as the promise of peaceful coexistence with their neighbors. Needless to say, it wasn't a suitable place to hide one of the tablet-pieces I was carrying at that time, but I took the opportunity to play the diplomat, and helped establish an official treaty between the parties, turning the city into an independent and self-governed protectorate of the human kingdom, thus insulating them against any other, less tolerant human nations that might grow nearby."

That sounded... a bit ominous to Anitra, if only because Lutan had kind of a history of trying to do good things and help people, only for it to backfire spectacularly long after he'd happily marched onwards. Well, perhaps she was being unfair - this particular attempt at helping actually sounded fairly sensible and well thought out. "I also helped establish the place as a sanctuary of sorts for _another_group of oft-overlooked victims of my past mistakes..." the floating skull continued as she pondered this, sounding a bit more downbeat now. "...but, the important detail here is that despite having forgotten their origins, they were still holding on to a number of old artifacts of Fortuna, which to them were relics of the near-mythical exodus that led them to their current home. Among these was a particularly potent one - the Bones of Fate - which still retained a semblance of their old power. A pair of carved bone dice, crafted by Fortuna's own hand - though where the bones came from, I was never able to determine... they were a potent tool of divination back in the day, letting the wielder determine the likely outcome of any planned course of action with a single roll. No doubt, they are far less capable now, but they will still serve our purposes quite nicely!"

It was, indeed, rather like old times to Anitra... an odd magical relic, stored in a remote location, surrounded by strange creatures, and she had to retrieve it - by hook or by crook. But it seemed rather clear that Lutan would much prefer the 'crook' option, and for that, she needed as much information as she could get... back in the day, she'd had only Lezard Valeth's notes about her various objectives to rely upon, but that at least had changed. The Utopia was home to an immense amount of information, and many knowledgeable people - plus one ancient god who'd apparently visited the place himself, even if it was a while ago. So the first step was, alas, clear - she'd have to give Lutan his druthers, and let him talk up a storm while Direza took notes... and she and Blake just tried to stay awake.

"All right." She said out loud, squaring her shoulders. "Now, tell me everything you can about this city-state. What, exactly, are the 'Children of Fortuna' like, and who are these 'oft-overlooked victims' you sent there?" The floating skull grinned broadly, as ominous in this moment as any maniacal lich, and the deluge began. Apparently, the creations of Fortuna were quite unique, in that they were two independent but strongly-connected races, which was very impressive for... reasons relating to how all the gods only had so much 'creation-juice' to go 'round. These two were the Lagos, a race of rabbit-like humanoids, and the Vulps, a race of fox-like humanoids. Both, in other words, were largely just animal features overlaying the 'humanoid framework' that Iam had originally introduced when he created humanity. A shortcut that... _apparently_helped explain how she was able to make two separated races?

"They symbolize the duality of luck, you see..." Lutan excitedly gabbed. "The predator's fortune is the prey's misfortune. When a fox hunts a rabbit, there is no scenario in which they might _both_consider themselves lucky. Not that the Vulps have ever been known to eat the Lagos, mind you! Fortuna instilled a strong aversion to that kind of behavior in them, wisely enough - they are more like friendly rivals to one another, often playing pranks and competing to outwit one another." Nor were such games purely for fun, apparently. If a Lagos or Vulp were able to 'overcome' a member of their counterpart race, forcing them to yield or slink away in defeat, they could 'steal their luck' - gaining enhanced fortunes, while their victim instead suffered ill luck. "Though that seemed to have been forgotten, along with the nature of their creator, by the time I found them..." Lutan declared with a shoulderless shrug. "Or rather, they apparently considered the idea of 'stealing luck' to be something in the nature of old superstition."

Which was probably for the best, since that whole 'feature' of their creation seemed to be meant as a lesson. "If a Lagos and a Vulp join together, as friends and lovers, their luck equalizes - and both_wind up enjoying mildly enhanced fortunes." Lutan's voice was full of obvious admiration for the way his old foe, Fortuna, had managed to build such a moral lesson directly into the makeup of her people. "Are you familiar with that famous thought-experiment, the Prisoner's Dilemma? It proposes a situation where you can gain a great benefit from betraying an ally, but only so long as _they_do not in turn betray _you - with them being in the same situation. However, if both remain steadfast and refuse, both can enjoy smaller benefits. And needless to say, it makes for a healthier and more stable society if everyone works together for the betterment of all, rather than being locked in cutthroat competition with one another..."

Anitra felt confident that some of the philosophers residing in the Utopia would have been happy to argue that there were advantages to such 'cutthroat competition', if only because philosophers seemed happy to argue any point, ever, for any reason. But she certainly wasn't going to extend this lecture by pointing that out! Especially not now that the lecturer finally seemed ready to move on from the strange rabbit-and-fox people that Fortuna had created, to the actual city that was her objective. "It was named Fortune's Twist when I visited, though I would not be surprised if it had changed names a few times since..." Lutan thus reminisced. "My vision is faint in this state - all I can say for certain is that the city still exists, and little else." The name was apparently a reference to the twisty nature of the river that the city had been built on - and, of course, indicative that at the time of its founding, its builders still remembered who had helped them escape from conquest and slavery, naming their new home in her honor.

More interesting than such historical curiosities - to Anitra, at least - was the odd way the city-state was governed. Rather than simply being ruled by a hereditary line of princes, it was administrated by a Mayor, who was in turn appointed by - and could be removed by - a City Council made up of large landowners, guild-leaders, the heads of noble families, and other such luminaries. Not too different from the Low Council that had sprung up, somewhat organically, in the Utopia itself. Needless to say, the Mayor always came from within their own ranks, though technically they could appoint anyone they pleased. Lutan seemed to rather like that approach, though it still seemed strange to Anitra - but, it also seemed to hold great potential for skulduggery. No doubt, there'd be rival factions and competing interests within that Council that could be played against one another if, say, one wanted to convince them to part with a historical relic.

The location of the city was easy enough to convey - it'd be a bit of a trek, to be sure, but Blake's swift wings should be able to get them there within a few weeks, and various other measures and preparations would be carrying on while they were gone, of course. Not just the plan to draw in mortal carriers of Fortuna's God-Shards to liberate them of same, either, Anitra reflected as Lutan expounded on the beautiful, natural environment that surrounded Fortune's Twist - deep pine-forests, white sand beaches, lush plains being steadily converted into fertile fields by industrious Lagos farmers, and so on. Her sisters were also all pitching in by now, doing what they could on the down-low, preparing for their own missions and adventures.

Lazhug had started training a number of volunteers, mostly sorcerers and mages, into true 'Battlecasters' - people who could reliably wield magic even in the chaos of a pitched battle. Apparently, it had more to do with attitude and mindset, as well as knowing what real combat_felt_ like, than any kind of specific, magical tricks - making her more well-suited for that task than any of the senior wizards or magi who rarely left their cozy labs. Arsinde, meanwhile, had seemingly had her imagination lit up by Lutan's tale about 'extraordinary individuals' who possessed godlike talent thanks to God-Shards, and had begun casting a wide net, searching for such people to recruit. If one Demigoddess could turn the tides of a battle, then surely a full squad of them would be even better, right? It seemed unlikely that there'd be enough time to go through this whole process for multiple candidates, honestly, but even without that, such talented individuals could be useful for the defense of the Utopia, so there was certainly no harm in such recruitment.

Evereldis and Swarten... they were working with a group of alchemists on... something about expanding the Utopia's access to rare and potent reagents, right? There was something more to it too, though - something about how the Quickening worked, and how to get the most out of it. A couple of members of the Circle of Secrets had seemed really excited about that, after their first audience with Lutan. And Tiriana was... uhh... what was it again? Anitra could feel her focus slipping as her mind wandered. She was leaning against Blake's shoulder as he reclined on the floor, and had a feeling that she'd soon start nodding off altogether. Maybe it was just because of Lutan's voice. It wasn't... droning, really, so much as just kind of soft and pleasant, especially considering that it was coming from a floating skull. Reminded her of being a little girl, and falling asleep on the kitchen bench while her mother chatted amiably with the royal armsmaster, who so often came by to visit. She couldn't remember his name any longer - only the stupid, childish embarrassment she'd felt once she realized that the two of them were lovers, entirely out of wedlock, and that everyone in town knew it. He hadn't survived the orcish invasion, had he? What had become of the child, his son, her little half-brother... was her old friend still caring for him? What... what was her name, again? It all seemed so distant, as if Karistad was in another world altogether, and not just a week and a half's flight to the southwest.

"How much do you know about werewolves?" The question pierced her meandering mind, and she found herself all but jumping in panic - like a schoolboy called to attention by a question from the teacher while busy woolgathering. "Ah... I know how to kill them?" She managed to ask, half- jokingly, while her mind quickly tried to focus on more relevant things. Tiriana had a werewolf manservant, and Kirsten - the childlike vampire who was the acting second-in-command of the Utopia's covert enforcers, the Red Hand - had apparently adopted one as her 'blood-pet'? But she'd never really gotten to know either particularly well.

Fortunately, Lutan seemed to accept this as a fairly valid answer, nodding as he floated tirelessly over the altar. "Understandable - from my conversations with the 'Circle of Secrets' you gathered, it seems that much knowledge about the fundamental nature of lycanthropy has been lost to the ages..." he intoned, a note of sadness in his voice. "Very well, then, I will have to provide a little bit of background, if this final note about your target is to make any sense." Anitra nodded gravely, and tried to shift to a less comfortable position. She wasn't sure exactly what this seemingly sudden aside about werewolves had to do with anything, but that was just all the more reason to start paying attention again. There_would_, she felt certain, be a test... and she couldn't necessarily count on having Direza's notes handy when that happened.

"The Curse of Lycanthropy is, in essence a disease - but not a natural one..." Lutan intoned, a note of guilt sneaking into his voice. "Born, as so many other things, of my failings. It originated with Amok, the God of the Wilds, the Natural Order, and the Hunt. In short, I... underestimated him, quite severely. His creations, the Warg, seemed underwhelming at best. Mere wolves, enhanced with larger frames and heightened intelligence, but lacking the means to _apply_that intelligence effectively. Without hands, they could make only the most primitive and simplistic of tools, leaving them unable to build any kind of real civilization. Today, I understand that this was purposeful - Amok wished for them to always live in harmony with nature, and not build cities of wood and stone. But at the time, I thought them a mere nuisance, to be removed when convenient and ignored until then - they would not be any use as slaves, after all, since anything they could be used for would be better left to regular animals, who would be far more loyal and less prone to rebel."

But this had apparently proven to be quite the error in judgment. Amok, it seemed, was well aware of the fact that there was no place in Iam's world for his Wargs, and the relative simplicity of his creations had left him with some of that limited... 'creation-juice' still in stock. He'd thus used that to create something new - a dreadful infection, specifically designed to target humans, which would fill them with the fury and red-toothed hunger of the wilds. Lycanthropy. The original carriers were the Warg, turning them into far more dangerous foes for human hunters than before - especially in the early days, when nobody understood what was happening or why people were suddenly transforming into ravening beasts under the light of the full moon. Chaos, panic and paranoia spread even more quickly than the infection itself. "Looking back, I do not think he did it alone, though..." Lutan reflected, looking suddenly speculative. "The way they draw strength from the moon, and the incredible fecundity with which they spread..." He sighed, shaking his head. "At that time, my beloved consort, Ishtari - Goddess of Fertility, Renewal and the Moon - had yet to turn on me openly, but I would not be surprised if she was already giving covert aid to my enemies."

Yes... Lolth had said something about that, hadn't she? Anitra still remembered - rather fondly - the way she'd been 'inducted' as a Priestess of the Unicorn's odd fertility-cult... a remnant, it seemed, of their original worship of the fertility-goddess Ishtari, their creator. Lolth had noticed this vestigial connection and commented on how that Goddess had ultimately fallen by the hand of her lover... quite the sordid tale, no doubt, though not one that Lutan seemed interested in getting into at this time. Indeed, it appeared as if he had suddenly remembered the need for getting to the point, clearing his spectral throat. "Ahem. But, that is ultimately irrelevant to the matter of hand..."

The relevant bit was that, once he did figure out where this disease had come from, Iam had made Amok and his children a new priority. It hadn't worked out brilliantly for either of them. Amok himself was ultimately hunted down and goaded into facing Iam directly, using means that Lutan clearly didn't want to discuss_either_ - and, like many other deities, he had fallen, slain and shattered by the might of the God of Power, Conquest and the Sun. However, this did not stop the infection - if anything, it seemed to_destabilize_ it. "The Warg disappeared into the wilds that were their home... mixing with packs of wild wolves, to make themselves harder to track." Lutan recounted sadly. "And the disease spread to them. Even today, it can be found in many wild wolves - they are not affected by it, being healthy carriers, but a single bite from them can inflict that terrible curse upon any unwary human."

But it hadn't stopped there. Amok's purview covered the entirety of the 'wild world', and the birds and beasts that lived in it. This hadn't been apparent during the war itself - Iam had been quite busy, after all - but during his later travels, Lutan eventually encountered a number of oddities. A were-rat. A were-bear. A were-hog. Driven by curiosity, he had investigated their nature and origins, and eventually reached a startling conclusion. While the lycanthropic infection had originally been limited to wolves, be it the baseline animals or the larger and smarter Warg, it would sometimes leap across species-barriers, infecting other wild animals. Bites or scratches weren't even needed - just close proximity could do the trick, though it was apparently very rare. "These host-animals are more affected by it than the wolves - becoming more aggressive and less wary of humans. And if they attack a human... well, the result is commonly called a Therianthrope, or just a Were-Beast."

Anitra found herself pondering the potential of this as Lutan went off on a short tangent about how the Warg no longer carried or transmitted their creator's old 'gift', ever since they entered into the protection of Gork, the orcish God of Strength and Violence - he'd seemingly 'cleansed' them of it, because he considered such measures to be no different from using envenomed weapons... and that was apparently, well, whatever the orcish equivalent of 'unsportsmanlike' was. But more importantly, the prospect of a big, hulking, humanoid, moderately intelligent version being available for just about any animal was quite fetching to someone who, like Anitra, had found herself enjoying the company of a fair variety of beasts. The were-hog in particular sounded intriguing! She'd heard some interesting things about the shape of their equipment - mainly from Tiffany - but they were generally too small to be of interest to her...

She forced herself to refocus as Lutan returned from his tangent, and got to the point at long last. "These creatures... the Therianthropes..." he declared, skull drooping sadly. "They are victims, for all that they are also a danger to any human who might go near them. They lack even the potential to find solace in the pack, and build small communities of their own, as many werewolves have. They are rare, in some cases unique creatures - yet still possess the natural desire for social interaction, for_belonging_, that all humans do. So when I found that city-state, where two different groups of animal-like people lived in harmony... neither of them human, leaving them immune to the corruption that the were-beasts carried... it seemed a perfect opportunity."

His voice lost some of its sadness and guilt, gaining more energy as he expounded on how he'd convinced the Mayor and City Council at the time to open their gates to the Therianthropes - or, at least those among them who were able to suppress the violent instincts that came with that condition. In addition to bringing the skills and knowledge of their past, human lives to the community, these Were-Beasts also represented a potent fighting-force - whatever creature they now resembled, they all shared the werewolf's basic advantages of greatly enhanced strength and stamina, rapid regeneration, and resistance to nonmagical weapons. This was a key part of the treaty that had put the city under the protection of the nearby human kingdom - that if said kingdom was ever threatened, Fortune's Twist would provide them with a force of Werebeast Irregulars. No ordinary, human army could field such soldiers, and while there were ways to counter them, the psychological impact of having to face a force of Werebeasts, hungry for a chance to let their wild instincts run loose for once, should not be underestimated - providing the kingdom with a powerful deterrent against would-be invaders. And in return, the lonely Werebeasts got a place where they could live openly and freely, and mingle with others of their kind.

There were a lot more details than that, of course - like how Lutan had done his best to spread the word about this sanctuary during his travels, recounting it to werewolf-packs and hunting-communities, in order to maximize the odds that whenever a werebeast emerged, it might hear of the place and head there. No doubt, there were many who never caught wind of it - but all the same, werebeasts had apparently been traveling to Fortune's Twist from all across the continent during the years where Lutan was active, suggesting that it had been a significant success. The more interesting detail, though - to Anitra's ears - was the other reason why he'd figured that the place would be good for the Werebeasts, as well as _attractive_to them...

"The Lagos - and, to a somewhat lesser degree, the Vulps as well - have rather... loose social standards when it comes to sexuality." Lutan didn't sound particularly embarrassed by this, which was hardly surprising considering what kind of society he'd presided over, as Iam. But he did seem keen to avoid saying anything that sounded like criticism of this odd, two-sided society. "Part of that is probably due to the fact that relationships between members of the two groups aren't uncommon, and since they cannot interbreed, an outside donor is then needed if they wish to raise children together. But even beyond that, the female Lagos in particular were renowned for their... promiscuity, especially during pregnancy. Considering that most Werebeasts are male, and thus tend to have great difficulty finding a suitable mate, it seemed a good match..."

Fortune's Twist - or whatever its name might have changed to over the course of the last few millenia - was starting to sound like a more and more intriguing destination to Anitra... and Lutan's reminders that social mores and standards could shift a lot over the centuries wasn't much of a deterrence. Especially since the lecture seemed to finally be drawing to a close, meaning she could get out of there, into the air, and on her way. Well, almost. There was still another matter to discuss, though with any luck, it shouldn't take very long - namely, the reason why Melora specifically had been invited to this briefing.

"Before we leave, there is something you should know..." Anitra thus declared once Lutan had finished his explanation, gesturing for Melora to step forwards. She did so promptly, bowing respectfully before the altar. The floating skull's pinprick eyes fixated on her as she made her account, and Anitra couldn't help but feel a bit proud of her - how many people in this realm had a servant who could stand unshaken before the eyes of a God, however diminished, and speak without the slightest tremor in her voice? In her own, submissive way, the Equus mare had developed a remarkable sort of self-confidence - one that seemed to stem from knowing her place and her self, and being perfectly satisfied with both.

"This is purely second-hand information..." Melora started by cautioning. "I heard it from Gisela Goodsong, who is a good friend of mine and of Tiffany. Apparently, Tiffany complained to her of repeated, consistent nightmares, which have been disrupting her sleep of late. She was fuzzy on the details, but mentioned something 'huge and scary' looming over her in the dreams, 'blotting out the entire horizon'." Having given this report, Melora bowed again and stepped back, while Anitra glanced at the thoughtful expression on Lutan's vague, ghostly face. "Even Gisela was concerned about this..." she followed up "...and she doesn't know what we know about Tiffany. So? Any chance it's more than just a bad dream?"

Lutan sighed and nodded. "Very likely, yes. Fortuna always was_quite skilled at peering into the future. Indeed, stuck as I am in this shadow-form, even a small shard of hers may see more clearly than I. Quite possibly, the God-Shard is trying to _warn your friend of the impending danger..." chewing on it for a moment, he then nodded again. "I could wish for more details, but just based on that, I think we can safely assume that we are looking at a_direct_ attack by one or more gods. That was always the most likely conclusion, but... still, good to narrow things down. And though we've already discussed what the consequences thereof will be, I would still call this good news, on the balance of things!"

Anitra nodded, though the idea of being happy that a full-on_manifested deity_ was likely to stomp over the horizon at some point to personally crush the Dragon Utopia still seemed strange. Based on Lutan's earlier explanations, the other gods had agreed to a binding treaty after the end of the war, which meant that none of them could manifest in the mortal realm without unanimous agreement from all of the signatories. Apparently, Lolth's whispers would be sufficient to secure that agreement. And indeed, this was ultimately for the best - since the alternative would've been for the gods to simply send mortal armies to besiege the Utopia in what would, essentially, have been a strategic feint designed to test the waters and force them to reveal the extent of their defenses. Something that it would almost certainly have done a splendid job at, unfortunately.

It honestly seemed rather brash of the gods to just charge right in_without_ taking such a step, which was why many of them - including both Anitra herself and Arsinde - had been somewhat skeptical when Lutan confidently had asserted that such a feint was ultimately unlikely. "Don't get me wrong..." he had explained. "If they had only had Lolth's account to go on, I would consider it far more likely. But by now they are aware of_my_ presence here - and they will not want to take any half-hearted measures where I'm concerned." That sounded rather rich, coming from a floating skull - but remembering the version of Iam that she had seen in Lolth's memories made it easier to understand. Clearly, that ruthless, bearded giant with the sword of blue flame had left a lasting impression on all those who survived his war.

Regardless, there wasn't much more to be said. "Once you return, successfully of course, we'll have everything we need to carry out the plan..." Lutan firmly stated. "At that point, there will be little point in keeping Tiffany in the dark any further. We can attempt to get more details about her dreams out of her by then - though until that moment, I fully support your desire to let her live a normal, unburdened life." Thus, after giving her goodbyes to Lutan and promising that they'd do their level best to retrieve the Bones of Fate without disrupting the society that Fortuna's children had built for themselves, it was time to leave...

---

PREVIEW ENDS - for the full chapter, including the dirty parts, check out my free Discord-server, using the link on my profile-page.