Vydirexi found a perch on a sturdy tree and began to watch over the ruin for any signs of trouble.  Her surveillance continued for some time, but no movement of any sort could be seen.

Moving on to phase two, she swooped around the outskirts trying to get a better idea of the village's layout and other details.  Almost immediately she started to find the remains of the village's occupants.  Charred humanoid skeletons in a variety of shapes lay strewn about the village proper.  The few uncharred corpses seemed to being missing large portions of their bodies.  Small plants were starting to overgrow in different places, as it looks like nature was trying to reclaim back this land.  But once again, nothing dangerous

Searching closer around the ruin, she discovered a few interesting tidbits.
- A freshwater well was situated on the far end of the village, although the pulley had long since broken.

-A few tiny rats, of which Vydirexi was able to snatch up one of before the other fled into the rubble.

-The remains of the bodies were vastly different from each other.  There were skeletons of humanoids, quadrupeds, and even birds, all ranging in size and skull shape.  One of most preserved bodies looked like a human, but with a bird's head.

-The uncollapsed buildings seemed to have been previously looted and ransacked.  The only "shinnies" she found on her first cursory look was a bunch of broken or rusted metal tools and weapons, a handful of copper pieces, and one silver teapot with a moderate dent in it.

-In the largest ruin, it appears like some debris had been moved to the side and stacked, revealing an open trap door with a staircase leading down into darkness.

With a belly full of yummy rat, Vydi gathered up the bits of copper she had found and plonked them loudly into the teapot, which she places in the most whole building she could find. In particular, one with a hearth she could start a fire in would be the best choice. It was time to feel warm!

Vydi crawled carefully down into the well to drink her fill of fresh water, and then returned to the trap door. This was, clearly, too interesting to leave alone.

Relying on her natural ability to see in the dark, Vydi prowled forward down the stairs and up onto one of the walls, using her claws to anchor her safely off the ground as she explored into the unknown.

As Vydirexi follows the staircase as it spirals downward, she begins to hear the faint sloshing of water.  Twenty feet down, she is greeted with the sight of a small circular cave, about 40 feet in diameter. The floor is flooded with water that continues to ebb and flow, suggesting that it must be connected to the nearby sea in some manner.

The cavern walls are engraved with strange tentacled beasts and unknown glyphs.  In the far back of the room is an alter, partially submerged, but completely unrotten. On the top of the alter lays a ruby encrusted silver chalice and a long, wicked knife with a matching ruby set in its pommel.

Three bodies lay about the cavern.  Although water logged and decaying, they seem much fresher than any of the corpses above ground.  The two closest were human, both wearing patchwork leathers under tattered green robes.  Each carried a pack on their shoulders.  The obvious sign of death seemed to be massive bite wounds inflicted upon both.

The third body was a monstrosity leaning against the alter.  This towering creature would likely be 8 ft. tall standing, and while it was mostly human from the neck down, it had a fishlike head with sharp teeth and a dorsal fin protruding from its back.  It had two arrows jutting out from its chest.

Vydirexi didn't comprehend that she was coming upon the scene of a couple likely adventurers' demise, sad as it was for them. They were dead bipedals, which she found quite agreeable after her first two days hatched had been so severely shaped by such things.

The hatchling remained clinging to the cavern walls as she approached the altar. Those treasures, especially their lustrous red, called to her inner flame - and as long as she got them back up top without trouble, she intended to come back for the dead humanoids belongings, as well. Perhaps their packs would contain something tasty, or more treasure!

As Vydirexi was just about to get in range of the treasures, the monstrosity reacted.  It's white eyes rolled forward revealing two icy blue orbs that locked onto the young wyrmling.

"Vythrantra," it growled out in a heavily accented voice.  Slowly the creature rose to its feet, its glare never leaving Vydirexi.  In a louder voice it screamed in anger, "***** ***** * ***** ****** *** ****** Vythrantra!"


Roll Initiative

Vydi dug her claws into the cavern wall more furiously, causing thin cracks across the surface as instinct took over.

The hatchling braced, lowered her head towards the stone as if a charging bull again, and prepared her answer with word and flame.

"VYDIREXI!" She roared at the fishy monstrosity, unleashing a blast of flame with true gusto, a far cry from her warning shot at the adventurers.

17 on Initiative, 16 Fire damage with my weapon pending its Dex save! I'll move as close as I need to get it in the cone.

Vydirexi lights up the entire cavern with her breath, and the monstrosity recoils in terror from the flames.  It is able to partially hide behind the alter, reducing the severity of the burns.

Seeming surprised at how little damage he took, the monstrocity returns its glare back onto the wyrmling and jumps at her.  Its arms outstretched, he tries to pull her into its massive maul to take a bite out a wing.  However, Vydirexi is too nimble, and swiftly evades.

19 Save
6 Attack
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:04, Mon 24 Jan 2022.

Vydi was thankful for her strange orientation, which was probably what made it so difficult for the piscine humanoid to get hold of her.

The little dragoness felt an anger building deep inside her, and the fire filled her belly again - then bathed the cavern once more in red, intense light as it roared forth from her jaws.

Got a 6 on breath recharge, 15 damage before save!
This message was last edited by the player at 07:12, Mon 24 Jan 2022.

The monstrocity cries out once more "Vythrantra!" and makes no effort to defend himself from the flames as he tries to take another chomp out  Vydirexi.  As a result, he takes a full on blast of dragon breath, severely wounding the creature.

However, it still pushes through the pain and lands an attack of his own, mauling the dragon, and ripping off some of her scales.

The creature looks severely battered, but the madness in its eyes shows its unwillingness to back down.

Dex save: 3
Bite Attack 21
Bite Damage: 5 Piercing

It was terribly satisfying, giving something that wanted to hurt her a scorching bodyscrub of deadly flame. Less satisfying was when the fishman kept coming and used its big, freaky, not-at-all-draconic teeth to damage some of her beautiful scales!

The fire was not forthcoming a third time in such quick succession, so Vydi simply snarled, "My name is Vydirexi, and I bite back!"

Her serpentine neck allowed her to thrust her face at the strange humanoid, flesh-tearing and bone-crushing fangs snapping shut hard when she thought it would hurt worst.

Bite Attack: 21
Bite Damage: 8 Piercing

Vydirexi lands a devastating bite, tearing a sizeable chunk of flesh from the fishman's body.  Black ichor flows from the wound and the glow in the creature's eyes begins to fade.  It falls to its knees before collapsing face first onto the water filled floor.

Combat is over.

Vydi finally let go of the wall. In hindsight, she was glad nobody had seen this first foray into violence; she must have looked a little odd, so much of her body drooping sideways the whole fight. And now her neck hurt where the fishman's teeth had found purchase, which wasn't fun.

She splashed down on top of the corpse, standing atop it much more like the conquering dragoness that she saw in her mind's eye.

As Vydi considered these things, she began to chew and eventually swallowed the fatal mouthful, determining if the creature would be good to eat.

And then, once finished sampling the meat, Vydi continued to the altar and claimed her prizes. Were these my mother's? She wondered. Is she called Vythranta?

As long as nothing horrible happened when she touched the chalice and knife,  Vydi planned to haul them back upstairs to her temporary dwelling. Then she would return for the erstwhile adventurers' packs and, if he was edible, her first real kill. It would take a few trips, she imagined, especially on the spiral stairs and having to balance on only three feet while she pulled their packs off or dragged the body, but it would be worth it to have a better shot at living.

And then, assuming all of that went well? She had earned a rest.

Just to clarify: Taking the altar items upstairs as long as they don't do anything unexpected. Then coming down for the packs and the fishman, if he's safe to eat, and finally settling into one of the buildings for a Short Rest. That was fun. =)

The bite she took from the monstrosity tasted rancid and of decay, probably not the best thing to be eating.

Vydirexi had no trouble with the chalice and dagger, but the first pack she dragged up the stairs ripped, and scattered their contents down below.  She gathered the more shiny pieces, as well as the second pack, and made her way back to the makeshift hide away.  Opening the pack, she did a quick inventory of first ever plundered prize.

The packs contained some standard adventuring supplies such as rope, torches, moldy rations, flint rocks, and a bedroll.  They also contained a few random objects that had been looted from the ruin.  They included a copper sextant, a scrimshaw drawling of a boat on a whale's tooth, and a neckless with a moonstone pendent.  In addition, they had a pouch containing 33gp and 2sp.

That's all in addition to the silvered chalice and masterwork dagger.

"Didn't know my name, didn't taste good, hurt my scales - I'm glad you're dead," Vydirexi scowled at the fish man on her way back up. The torn pack was frustrating, but she salvaged the things which called to her treasure lust and that would have to be enough.

Back in her abandoned hut, Vydi spread out the bedroll and coiled herself up on it while she took inventory.

The rope could be useful, if only to secure her things. Torches obviously weren't necessary; she made her own fire, and she had seen how weak their light was in the lair. Those, the moldy rations and the flint stones were tossed out of her small and drafty abode. The sextant was fascinating, and she spent some minutes looking through its lenses with no real conception of how to operate it. The scrimshaw likewise merited some of her attention, being an odd thing. The size of the tooth piqued Vydi's interest; had this been from a dragon? Truly a wonder.

She put the necklace and the coin into her dented silver teapot, where they added up to a satisfyingly weighty collection of precious metals and gems. The full teapot went into the surviving pack, and she laid her scaly head on top of it. She imagined Vythranta doing the same, with the great mountains of ruby and gold, and felt a little tingle of connection. Although, Vydi realized, she didn't even know what her mother had looked like.

While she rested, the hatchling closely examined the chalice and the knife, curious what made them uniquely worthy of placement on the strange aquatic altar.

Spending 1HD for my short rest, rolled an 8+3 for Con.

After Vydirexi's short little adventure and afternoon nap, she noticed the skies start to darken, signaling that it was nearing the day's end.

Examining the chalice and dagger closer did reveal a few more details.  The interior of the chalice seemed be stained slightly red from continual use, but the exterior remained well maintained and polished- even though it was in such a damp environment.

The ceremonial knife had also maintained a keen edge and had a few unrecognizable glyphs engraved on the blade near the hilt.

Vydi felt the pain of the bite ease, and that was a welcome surprise. She healed quite quickly, surely a side effect of the inherent magic of the draconic breed and not a convenient function of reality. Yes, surely it was just a dragon thing, that's what Vydi concluded.

Making sure her small collection of useful and sparkly items were tucked into the old, soggy pack and hiding it in the hearth, she went out hunting in the early dusk, hoping to get some game now she was so much farther from the mountain. If that failed, however, some foraging would suffice.

Went ahead and rolled Survival, got an 18!

Vykdirexi set out for a hunt once more.  With the combination of not being desperate and having some experience from the previous day, this attempt was much more successful.

It also helped that the further she traveled away from the volcano, the more that wildlife appeared.  Still, the only creatures she had spotted so far have been insects and small herbivores.

After 30 minutes of searching, she found another clearing with patches of those bitter orange berries.  Knowing that those horned rabbits enjoyed eating them, Vydirexi laid in wait, letting the prey come to her.

In the twilight of the day, a single almiraj appeared cautiously, and begin to nibble on the proffered fruits.  With the horned rabbit still unaware, Vydirexi took the opportunity to pounce, and snapped its neck in one clean bite.  She had successfully hunted her first truly satisfying meal, with over 60 pounds of meat to show for it.

THAT'S A BIG BUNNY. I'm going to outline how I see the rest of her night going, but if anything happens then obviously that takes precedence!

Vydirexi was utterly thrilled! Snails and the rat had been decent, the berries were vile but kept her alive, but this creature? This was something real!

She hauled her catch back to the village, and returned to her shelter. There, she removed the treasure sack from its hidey-hole in the dilapidated cottage's hearth, and set about to quickly gather some old, dry timber from the ruins.

The wyrmling prepared the hearth for a fire, as much as she could at least, and exhaled a gust of flames to get herself a nice, crackling fire going. Curled up in the halo of warmth her bedroll, Vydi began to tear hunks off of her kill, then breathe more, less powerful gusts of flame to sear the meat clamped in her jaws.

Yes, this is what eating should be, Vydirexi purred to herself, savoring the savory and succulent flavors as blood and juices ran down her throat from the cooked game. Then went down the meat itself, and Vydi could only luxuriate in the feeling of true fullness as only meat could provide to a predator such as herself.

Vydi ate her fill of the almiraj, and then curled tighter and draped her wing over her scaly face to settle in for a restful night's sleep.

At least, she hoped it would be.

With a full stomach, a serviceable shelter, a fire, and her little hoard as comfort, Vydirexi was able to get a deep and peaceful sleep for the very first time.

She awoke mid-morning the next day, just as the embers from her modest fire began to die out.  With a new day to look forward to, and finding herself in relatively safe environment (at least for now), Vydirexi needed to figure out what she wanted to do.

As the sun came through the holes in her shelter walls, the future was more and more on Vydirexi's mind. The village was safe so far, and the almiraj were an excellent food source for the time being, but subsistence was not the way of a true dragon. Eventually she would want a real lair. Perhaps even the lair of her mother, if Vythranta was gone as she appeared to be, but the volcano was too grand a throne and, currently, too vulnerable of one. Not to mention the logistics: It had been a great effort to fly out this far, and Vythranta must have ranged much farther still just to hunt - if she hunted at all and hadn't kept the service of minions for that, which Vydi suspected was likely. Being brought food sounded spectacular, as stimulating as the hunting had been.

But that helped sharpen her priorities. She had to leave this place for a more complex, fulfilling life eventually, and that meant travel. The biggest limiting factor getting to the village in the first place had been her wings: They were still new, and her body wasn't prepared for this level of exertion compared to how much nutrition it was receiving. Likewise, her hunting had been a mixed bag, even though she did ultimately find the orange berries that would make future Almiraj hunting easier.

So the wyrmling got up from her bedding, stretched forward like a cat with her tongue extended, and got to work.

Over the next several days, Vydi set up a routine for herself. First, she would snuff the fire in her nest, so the smoke wouldn't give her location away. Then she would check that her treasures were all accounted for - this was extremely important. Treasures were then placed into the pack, tied up tight with the rope, and hidden in the nest.

After protecting her belongings, Vydi would go for a morning hunt. The light of early day made it easier to hunt from the sky, which went hand in hand with the work that occupied the bulk of her time: Practicing flying to strengthen her wings. Every minute on the ground or in a treetop was a vulnerable minute, and the farther she could fly without a breather, the better.

If her hunt was a success or once she was too exhausted from flying circles over the forest and coast to keep going, Vydi would return to the village around midday - when her shadow was starkest on the forest floor anyway, making for poor hunting. If there was still food leftover or her hunt succeeded, she would eat again (a hatchling had to eat as much as she could, Vydi reasoned, to grow larger), drink from the well, and then spend time investigating the village. The panoply of humanoid remains suggested that a variety of creatures had lived here, and she was interested in learning about them. She was also interested, of course, in more treasure.

On days that the hunt succeeded and she wasn't too tired yet, Vydi would brave the sunken ships for their unknown contents, and to practice holding her breath. She tried not to spend too much time swimming; clawing her way along the collapsed docks and hulls, and flying when she could, was much preferable.

After a good couple of hours searching, the hatchling would check on her treasures and then treat herself to a nap.

Upon waking, more flight practice and an evening hunt. If the day had been a complete failure, then she would suffer the orange berries. Eating a lousy meal was better than being hungry, and drinking water helped purge the taste.

Once the evening hunt ended, Vydi would return to her nest, light a fresh fire to sleep by, and once again check on and admire her treasures. Then, she would go back to sleep.

Every day that passed, she imagined what might be found at the great tree she had seen. That's where she would go next, when her wings could take her far enough.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:52, Tue 25 Jan 2022.

Vydirexi gained some valuable experience over the course of the week.  At first her hunting was hit or miss, but eventually she was able to capture a total of four almiraj over her various outings.  There was also a day that a giant grab had been roaming on the nearby beach, so Vydirexi was able to supplement her meals with some delicious sea food.

Her flight training also showed great benefits.  Her endurance rose slightly, and she began to feel comfortable with more nimble and precise maneuvers- although there was still plenty of room for improvement.

Her hunt through the ruins did not fair so well.  Other than a few more loose copper pieces, she only discovered a broken comb set with a green cat's eye agate.  At the very least, none of her treasures disappeared after every time she counted them.

The shipwreck dives faired even more poorly for our young wyrm.  Swimming did not come naturally to red dragons, and she struggled to overcome her instincts while underwater.  Her strategy of pulling herself along with her claws, while more effective, was still inefficient.  She was unable to do more than get just a cursory look on the ships before she ran out of breath.  Sadly, it seems like the previous looters had checked the ships out as well.  It would take a lot more training for her to become proficient in the water.

At the end of the week, and after two successful days of hunting in a row, Vydirexi found herself overstuffed and brimming with vitality.  That night she entered a deep slumber for three days, at the end of which she found herself significantly stronger!

CR up!  Head to Draconic Advancement to make your selections

Vydirexi felt good. The long rest was refreshing in a wholly different way than mere sleep, and reminded her of how she felt in her egg, consciousness developing as her scales formed and her awareness began to blossom. When she awoke, all her muscles felt tighter, more developed. The scales which had been scraped off were back, and all of them felt sturdier. Not harder, per se, just... More. Vydi was utterly pleased with the feeling.

Thus, it felt like an auspicious time to travel onward. She would remember this little village, and perhaps return if the journey proved a bit too difficult or the wyrmling couldn't find a worthy new place to dwell in the places she went next, but it was with a certain wistfulness that she took a last prowl around the blasted ruins.

One could only hope there was more evidence of Vythranta elsewhere. Maybe even something to indicate her survival and location. But Vydi did not fare to hope too much.

"Goodbye, village," Vydi announced to the breeze, a little fuller and deeper of voice than she had been, and much more comfortable with making the Draconic words. "Reclaim yourself to the trees, let the water and salt forget what was. Vydirexi will remember you, but you will not remember her."

With farewells said to her first safe place, Vydi put her pack of treasures together (now including the broken comb set with agate) and tied the bedroll to it carefully, using the rope to hold the entire package together firmly. Vydirexi couldn't wear it like the bipeds did, so she wanted to make absolutely sure it wouldn't slide from her while she flew.

Vydi slipped the straps and loops of rope over her neck, and spun it around to rest on her small spinal ridge between the dragoness's wings.

Then Vydi took off, flying back towards the great tree she had seen almost two weeks prior.

Vydirexi took flight, and headed in the direction she remembered that towering tree was located.  Her hoard slowed her progress significantly, however.  The backpack was obviously made with humanoids in mind, and while her makeshift method left it secure, it was awkward and left her unbalanced.

Still her journey progressed smoothly, and she was able to score another horned rabbit for dinner on the first day of the trip.  Interestingly, she spotted a pack of wolves on the morning of the next day.  They were the first predators in the forest she had spotted up to this point, but they bolted into the overgrowth the second her shadow appeared over head.

By midday, she had sight of the giant tree once again, and with a clear direction she hastened her journey.  As she moved closer, she noticed the forest itself starting to become more lively.  More flowers were blooming, the vegetation was growing thicker, and even the leaves on the trees themselves started to become a more vibrant shade of green.

On the third morning, she estimated that she was less than a half days travel left.  On her flight, she spotted two of the largest beasts she had ever laid her eyes on.  A pair of large elk, each with flowers woven into their antlers, could be seen grazing on some of the greenery.  Upon noticing Vydirexi, they became slightly skittish, but still continued to eat.

Vydi was irritated by the challenge of carrying something in flight, but she certainly wasn't going to abandon her nascent hoard. It was special to her, and it was coming with even if that made life harder. If nothing else, it would be good to improve her aerial balance and help develop strength.

The creatures below, as Vydi soared overhead, absolutely fascinated the wyrmling. As was the growing beauty of the forest. She sensed that, most likely, this meant that the magic of Vythranta was fading. That made her very sad. But even knowing that? Vydi found herself thinking it was all quite beautiful - in its own way.

She had been tempted to pursue the wolves, wondering if they might have the intelligence to speak being predators like her, but they were too quick to disappear into the undergrowth.

The elk were a much different story. The flowers woven into their antlers, large and deadly, that was decorative! These must be intelligent! And they didn't bolt, either, that was something.

Vydi circled around until she found a good place to come down near them, squarely in the elks' sightlines, and then flapped and flapped to control the way down for herself until her claws met the verdant floor. Vydi began to approach slowly, hoping she wouldn't scare them away.

"Do you speak?" The wyrmling asked curiously when it seemed they wouldn't allow her to get any closer, her head cocked to one side. "I like your flower horns."

Vydirexi's nearby landing and enthusiastic greeting startled the pair of creatures.  Instinctually, they leapt back a few yards and began to give off a low pitch bugle call.

A few moments later, two new humanoids arrived in the clearing in an instant.  This came as a surprise to Vydirexi, as she was completely unable to track or sense their arrival.

Both of these new creatures were rather otherworldly in appearance.  They both wore a set of clothes and cloaks that seemed to be made out of the leaves themselves.  Each had a longbow drawn and a scimitar at their side.  They both also had a very noticeable pair of long pointed ears and sported a lithe figure.  But that's were the similarities ended.

The one on the left was obviously female, and had faintly orange skin with matching amber hair and eyes.  She radiated a sense of calm about her, even with her weapon drawn.

Her partner was male with pale blue skin.  He had azure eyes and hair which seemed almost frozen in place.  He had a more somber presence.

Together they looked at Vydirexi in shock.  After a moment, the male questioned the female using a very lyrical language.  The female gave a quick response back, before she turned to face Vydirexi squarely.  Lowering her head, she began to kneel, and in heavily accented draconic, she said, "Greeting's, your Highness."