Feliks takes the scale from Alaric, reading the word etched into it and translating, "Treasure."

He turns it over on his hands, then can't help but turn to Sedris. "Sir, this is an actual dragon scale?" He tries to imagine what a full-sized, miky-white dragon would look like. "Was the dragon this came from a friend of yours?"

Still clearly studying the item, Feliks continues speaking. "Sedris said 'starlight'. Clearly we need to look at this more in the night.  Perhaps once we get to Marne. It won't hurt to look at it tonight though." With that, he hands the scale back to Alaric.

The Dragonborn of Tymanther are a continent away, and you know how rare it is for them to leave home. But you're right, my enemies have grown. For now they are far away, and this island is defensible even without a Dragon. I'll be safe here, it's the five of you that I worry about, our there is the lion's den.

The Queen smiles and nods as Kyrian moves to leave the room, "Sedris will not be burning any of the Great Houses, boredom or not."

The Dragon continues to stare outside, making no indication that he heard the comments of Kyrian or the Queen, only turning for the briefest of moments to stare at Feliks after the young man's question. "Nothing from my hoard is a fake or forgery." He pointedly ignores the nobleman's second question, turning back to the balcony.

"With that...I think we can call this council meeting ended." Saera says. "Make whatever personal preparations you wish, and enjoy a good rest tonight. I'll see you off in the morning."

"Oh, a treasure hunt under the stars, how exciting." The young red-haired lady says with an amused smile. "Nothing's like a good little mystery to solve." She continues, ready to assist in any attempts to gain more knowledge about the dragon scale and what hidden information it might hold for them.

"Your Grace", says Kertez as he salutes the Queen with a bow. He offers the same courtesy to the rest of the members of the Queen’s inner circle. The old wizard then calmly walks back to his study to begin his preparations. His step is punctuated by his light limp which he balances with his cane.

Once arrived in his study, he sits down at his desk and summons a magical quill the write down the message he would send to his former master. Meanwhile, he has his unseen servant handle the packing of his luggage for the journey ahead.

After it's handed back to him, Alaric slips the scale into a pocket. "We can take a little moonlit stroll after the sun goes down, see if it does anything."

Valeria's comment brings a smile to his face. In truth, the small quest Sedris had given them reminded him more of how things were before returning to the Muindor. He was far more interested in figuring out what the dragon had sent them after than he was in negotiating with noble families. "It'll give me something to do on this trip at least, as you've pointed out, not much use for a duelist in court is there?" He says with a wink.

He turns to Saera next, offering a smile and a bow. "Your Grace." Using honorifics with her was still a new feeling to him, after all the time spent together in Brabenne in beyond it was taking some adjusting on his part.

He takes a parting glance at Sedris, still preoccupied with the ocean view it seemed, before leaving the chamber to go make his own preparations for the trip. 

Kyrian lets out a sigh as he steps out of the room, letting his hand slip back into his pocket. He turns the small, smooth item there over and over as he thinks. Before he knows it, he's back in the suite the Queen lent him while he was staying at the Dragon's Tooth. He glances around, once again intimidated by its sheer size. He walks over to the bed, picking up the small bag with all of his worldly belongings. He'd not bothered to unpack properly, though he had taken the chance to get his clothes laundered and mended. They all smelled of soap now, which was strange but not unpleasant - he hadn't cleaned them with anything other than semi-clean river water for a few months. With nothing to do, he finds himself equal parts bored and worried about the trip they'd embark on the next day. He finds his gaze drawn to his sword, which lies sheathed on his bed, and hesitates before shrugging. The room was no training arena, but the main area was more than large enough to him to not have to worry about damaging anything. 

He walks over to the bed, baring the blade and holding it out in front of him, before letting his conscious thoughts fade. His normally restless body stills as he starts to recall memories of a time that feels like an eternity ago. Memories that are crystal clear, despite being from his childhood. Memories of an elf with a smiling face and memories of the rolling hills of his homeland.

It is late by the time he snaps out of his reverie. His muscles burn and his breath comes heavy, but he finds that his worries are allayed somewhat. They're not gone, but they are far enough towards the back of his mind that he can ignore them for the rest of the evening and hopefully get some rest.

Feliks gives Queen Saera a bow then starts to head out.  With both Alaric and Valeria mentioning a further look at the dragon scale after sunset, he falls into step with them as they depart. "Should we meet somewhere this evening? Perhaps in the gardens here in a few hours? We'll see if this mysterious scale will give us any clues!" he says enthusiastically.  

After making arrangements, he heads to his own room, starting to pack up his things into his pack.  He does this rather swiftly, being used to preparing to head out on the road or into the wilderness.  When he's done, he leaves his room, heading to the garden far in advance of the meeting time that had been set.  He makes a loud whistle, then calls out, "Nixiri!"  In response, a small red wingless dragon appears. The size of a dog, perhaps a bit longer, it comes up to Feliks, looking at him. He puts his hand atop its head for a moment, then the pair take a stroll, giving each a chance to stretch their legs.  Feliks uses the time to contemplate all that had been discussed and start to consider their upcoming meeting with his mother. She was certainly a supporter of Queen Saera, but he just hoped she could provide ideas on how to persuade those like his father and uncle, who were not as enthusiastic. 

Nixri (though perhaps when a bit larger) 

"Later in the gardens then." The red-haired lady says with a pleasant smile, looking between Alaric and Feliks. "My queen." She says, to Saera with another graceful curtsy before leaving for her private quarters. She felt more anxious over this journey than she would admit even to herself. This was where she should be able to contribute to her queen's ascension, and now she wondered if whe would be up to that task. She tries to relax with a glass of wine, sitting comfortably on her balcony, watching the serene view of the sun settling in the west. 

"I see you brought your pet..." Comes a voice out of the shadows, Valeria appearing a moment later as Feliks and Nixri strolls through the garden evening, looking between them. "...now have you taught him any new tricks lately dear Nixri." She adds, kneeling by the wingless dragon, petting it as if she knew something about what dragon's would find pleasant, looking up at Feliks with a teasing smile. Then there is a small puff of flame lighting up the evening from a nearby tree, Cruentus huffing and puffing over his mistress showing tenderness towards his cousin, pouting and looking away to show he didn't care, which of course he did.

"Tricks?" Feliks says a bit dismissively. "She is not a pet but rather a well-trained companion. You know she doesn't do tricks."  The young man frows slightly, realizing only after the fact that Valeria was probably trying to get a reaction out of him.  For her part, Nixri seems to utterly ignore Cruentus, while reacting very pleased at Valeria's attentions. "I see you are here early. Must be eager to find out if that dragon scale really leads to anything? Hoping for some new shiny trinkets?" 

He simply watches Valeria a moment as she kneels by the small dragon. "It's rather interesting that this item might be in Marne. With 'rasvim' etched into that scale, it surely must lead to a dragon's treasure.  Which means there must have been a dragon itself living in that area sometime in the past."  He pauses in consideration before his eyes go a bit wider. "Or could there even by a dragon still living there in hiding! How fascinating would that be?" 

"Oh, I was talking to Nixri dear Feliks." Valeria says with a teasing smile as she keeps petting the red drake as she kneels by it's side. Meanwhile Cruentus flutters off to hunt some vermin in the garden to bargerque and feast upon.

"I guess I am trying to take my mind off the diplomatic mission a bit..." The young red-haired lady says with a small sigh, seeming more serious now. "...although we have come so far, through many dangers and hardships, I still sense the hardest parts are still ahead of us Feliks. This treasure hunt that Sedris has offered us simply weighs less heavy on me for some reason and I am happy to be a part of it whatever it may lead us to. And yes, I am of course curious what the old gold have gotten us into this time." She finishes with a small smile, looking up at the young noble.

"If I had to guess there is something hidden there from a time long before man came here. I had the impression Sedris recognized the landscape but not the cities and castles humans erected in what he likely would consider recent years." Valeria comments. "If we do find another dragon though, that would be another diplomatic mission that can't be allowed to fail." She adds with a weak smile.

As the sun goes down, Alaric himself makes his way to the castle's gardens. "I wouldn't put it past Sedris to send us on a wild chase for a fancy chair pillow." He says, catching the tail end of the conversation the other two were having as he arrives. "Treasure to a dragon might be something very dangerous to us."

He gathers near the other two, taking the scale out and holding it up towards the night sky, eyeing it closely for any changes. "Let's see what we get though..."

"Indeed..." The young red-haired lady says with a small smile as she stands up to greet the other young nobleman. "...nevertheless, I must admit my curiosty is piqued. As for Sedris, I'm not sure we will ever fully fathom his agenda here, but I do trust him as our queen seems to do." She continues as she steps closer to Alaric, curiously studying the scale in his hand.

Investigation/Perception: 7

The moon is a barely noticeable crescent tonight as the three of you gather in the gardens, bathing the peaceful terrace in starlight. The scale twinkles brightly despite how dim the stars actually are. Starlight reflects off it in some places, refracting in others. As Valeria peers closely at it, a thought crosses her mind. If light is traveling through it, might it make a pattern on the ground? Looking down, she is able to see the barest hints of what seems to be an arrowhead shape outlined on the ground. No matter how Alaric turns the scale, it remains pointing in the same direction: southeast.

"Look..." The young red-haired lady says with excitement in her voice, pointing to the ground. "...the scale seems to function as a lens, the starlight showing us something. Please, hold the scale between your fingertips to fully expose it to the starlight." 

Feliks had just slightly shook his head when Valeria suggests she was talking to the drake rather than him.  He wished he had a witty comeback, but he simply remained silent. 

To Alaric, he does respond to his comment about Sedris. "Just because you, or anyone, do not understand the wisdom behind this dragon's thoughts, doesn't make it wrong.  If Sedris says this will help or be important, then we should take this seriously."

As Alaric and Valeria investigate the scale, Feliks watches closely.  When the red-haired woman points, he follows, seeing the arrow. "To the southeast. That would be towards Marne. I bet it's telling us which way to go! Once we're closer itc will be more clear where exactly."

Alaric follows the red-heads direction, holding the scale between his fingertips so the rest of his hand doesn't block the light. Looking at the arrow on the ground, he almost scoffs. "Honestly I didn't expect it would be that simple." 

He's not deterred by Felik's defensiveness of Sedris. "It's not that I mistrust the dragon. He's done so much for us already...Sometimes he's just difficult to take seriously." The riddles and way Sedris danced around some subjects was a point of frustration for the young nobleman, who for much of his life, has favored a direct approach to problems. 

"This is more my speed anyway." He says, nodding to the arrow on the ground. "A little sign pointing where to go wherever we are, if only he had a scale like this for all our problems."

"We can definitely keep an eye on it as we travel to Marne."

Once he’s tasked a messenger to deliver his letter, Kertez remembers that the other members of the team had scheduled an evening meeting to examine the white scale given by Sedris. He goes on a evening stroll through the garden, keeping an eye out for his young companions.

When he eventually finds them, he approaches the three and greets them.

"Good evening, friends. Apologies for my lateness, I needed to take care of some matters. Have you made any progress with our draconic ally’s riddle?", he asks with unmistakeable curiosity.

"Hello Kertez," Feliks says. "I hadn't realized you were going to join us."  He points to the arrow being cast on the ground from the scale. "It appears to always be pointing in the same direction. Surely to whatever treasure hold that contains the item that Sedris wants us to obtain."   He again glances off towards the southeastern direction it seems to be pointing. "It is certainly pointing in the direction of Marne. I would presume as we get closer we could use it to triangulate the exact spot." 

"We were fortunate this time, the riddle wasn't much of a riddle after all." Alaric replies as Keretz joins them. After Feliks is done demonstrating, he pockets the scale again unless someone else desires to investigate it further. "We probably want to establish ourselves in Marne before going off looking for this thing. Believe me, I'd much rather be treasure hunting than politicking...But we have a primary task to do for our Queen."

The young red-haired lady dips her head to acknowledge the arrival of the old wizard. While not as entertaining as the boys, he certainly didn't lack style, and unlike young Feliks he had learned how to properly groom a beard.

Valeria then nods in agreement with Alaric. "We won't neglect our duties to our queen. This treasure hunt will be a night time acivity anyway, let us just hope we won't have cloudy nights ahead of us." She says with a small smile, looking up to admire the stars above them, so many, and all of them full of promise. May they shine with good fortune on their endeavour.