The Sorcerer's Spire

There was a rushing of wind as a black cloud of ashes flowed down from the clouds, swirling around in spirals and quickly taking the shape of a large black dragon, beating its wings slowly as to keep itself elevated in the air. She was wearing a golden crown decorated with jewels, along with another assortment of jewellery. "Father..." Said Lady Ashe, summoning out her pipe with a gesture and tucking it carefully in her mouth, before lighting it with a tap of her talon. She did not seem very upset, and neither did she pay any attention to the battle about to erupt below, or the one in the skies around them. Taking in a deep breath on her pipe, the dragon sent out a cloud of purple smoke, briefly watching it dissipate into the air, the eyes slowly travelled to look at the hoard of treasure below before returning to look at the older dragon. "I see you redecorated..." she took another deep breath from her pipe, creating a ring of smoke. "I liked the castle better before, it was... honest."  

The Lady of Ashes did not appear impressed by her father's words, he could just have been talking about the weather or the current price for rice. Her gaze slowly shifted to look at the area far below the tower, watching the movement of the forces moving to reclaim their homeland. "It seems to be what everyone is saying, it is all necessary this, or that." She sucked on her pipe, creating another purple cloud. "You need not worry about my part in all this, I have no intention of playing along with this little war. Worrying that I might join their demise is a waste of time..." There was a faint chuckle, and she adjusted her grip on the pipe. "Never mind, I feel we have a limited amount of time in which to speak, and I think now is as good a time as any to clean the air as the mortals call it"

Thulana paused, letting her words ring out and giving her father time to take it in before she continued. "Let me go first, I think it only fair. You are an idiot, the first thing you do when freed is acting like the world has not changed without you? Not only that, but you did not visit me in my solitude, you never came for tea, or bothered to ask how I was doing." She sounded a little angry now, it was nothing she tried to hide, but she was still keeping herself in control. "Had you asked how I was, just once stopped to ask me that simple question, I would have answered. But, alas, my life was clearly not necessary in your grand plan. Nor was anything outside of your schemes." She made a dismissive gesture with the pipe, not looking at Thorodan as she talked.  

Thulana let out a sound that could only be a growl. "You chose not to see." She said as her father returned to his position on the spire. "You lost the moment you tried to see yourself as the saviour of our people, turning us into villains in their eyes." She made no attempt to move into any of the portals he created, in fact her body vanished into a cloud of ashes and reformed again, still in dragon form, a distance away from them, she moved over to Thorodan and held out one of her claws hands to slowly touch the side of his snout. "I need you to listen, I do not ask you to understand, I just ask that you listen. It will be.. long, but please listen." Her voice had lost the anger, and she seemed more collected, more calm and serious.

She took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she was about to say next, she knew it would hurt very much. "Young dragons can be so impulsive, can't they? I understand you must have had your claws full with me back in the day. You would have liked him father, he looked just like you, but he had his fathers eyes. I named him Thanos, and he was perfect. My little gem, your grandson, how he loved to play in my treasures, sneaking away gems to his own little nest when he thought I did not see it." Thulana did not look away from Thorodan as she talked, set to get this out and over with before the end, she did not want the heroes to hear it if they should get here soon. "I told him stories about how wonderful you were, and how we would find you and get you back. He was excited to meet you, pestering me to tell him about everything, and how soon we would find you. He was going to give you a proper gift, and show how good he was at making fire." The dragoness paused, letting her words fade and giving herself time to gather herself before she continued. "I told him to be patient, he needed to be stronger, and this was just a few hundred years after you vanished, I told him we still had time, you would have been more upset if we had acted without thinking. Planning, is the key to victory."

Thulana examined her pipe, then her gaze returned to Thorodan. "I was out hunting for food when he left the cave. I can only imagine he had these visions to save you himself, and surprise you. Look, I'm your grandson grandfather and I saved you on my own. But, he did not even make it to Death mountain." She looked away, she did not want to see her father's eyes in this moment of shame, when she had failed to protect their bloodline. "He found a village, he must have been curious and gods know what he was thinking. But the villagers attacked him, he must have been confused and scared. I arrived to find him mortally wounded in a field surrounded by farmers with weapons and all manner of tools." She let out another growl, and her tone changed to that of anger. "I slaughter every man, woman and child, even the animals I killed. I burned their homes down and turned the whole village to ash. I returned to Thanos, but he was dying, and you know I never had a knack for healing. I could do nothing but caress him as his life faded, I waited as his fire died. In that moment, my heart shattered. I left the world behind, I hated it and everything in it."