#rivervale_lodge

"...So we don't need a Dragonlance, necessarily, but just "two god-blessed artifacts" to make one..." Dagmar, with a trove of research.

Gerd looks over it, "Sure seems like. But.. which gods? I mean, does it have to be D&D gods? Cuz this is gonna get complicated"

"I'd think any gods should do."

"And we know a nocker weaponsmith..."

"We do? I mean, Betty does Catapults right?"

"Well, she does catapults... but she also does ballistas and other stuff... so, like, she should be able to make a lance!"

"Ohhhh... what if we have a way to LAUNCH the lance?"

"Well, nothing saying the weapon has to be hand held..." Gerd ponders, "Black Arrow has the Tolkein approval for example"

"Exactly!"

"Like.. a giant crossbow?"

"Exactly what?" Sylvi asks, coming downstairs. She looks like she's getting ready to go somewhere, boots on and spear in hand, Flopsy in her wake.

"Oh, hey. Oh - hey!"

"Sylvi, come here!"

"Yeah, we could use you" Gerd says bluntly

"Sure, what's up?"

"We're planning a quest. For the dragon."

"More accurately, for weapons that can hurt a dragon. If uncle Vali can search for one, so can we"

"Right. So - stuff that people imagine winds up in the Dreaming, right?"

"Oh! Wow...." She blinks and bites her lip. "I...I don't know if I can..."

"So there are these lances, called dragonlances that are in a D&D book and.. wait, what do you mean you can't?" Gerd turns

"I'm trying to learn Spring. I mean, more Spring. If I vanish on a quest for days and days, I won't be ready." She's clearly torn.

"You can't? But... but see, they need "bane" weapons, right? If we can't fight, we can find weapons..."

Gerd ponders, "Wait uhm.. we can do this... look, Spring can help restore stuff right?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much what it's about. And I figure...if things are destroyed...they can be restored....?"

"Hunh... here it says you need a magic hammer and a silver arm... oh, hey.."

"Well, the Chieftain uses an axe, not a hammer...."

"Then.. what if... just a thought, you stayed and trained.. but if we find a damaged or sleeping magic weapon, THEN you can help when we bring it to you?" Gerd says

"Yeah, but if we find a magic hammer?"

"If we can't find a proper Dragonlance, y'know?"

Sylvi nods to Gerd. "I could do that. I mean, I should be able to before...you know...Samhain."

"Right, that makes sense," she says to Dagmar, nodding.

"I wish I could fight it..." Scowl. "This is home."

"Yeah well, wishes can come true in the Dreaming but we're going to have to deal with the fact it's probably not our turn to be heroes yet"

"I know.. but it..." a frustrated look. "I want to do something."

Sylvi bites her lip again, and looks at the kitchen door for a moment.

"...I don't want anything happening to them, either." Following Sylvi's look.

Gerd says "We ARE doing something. We're going to quest for dragonlan..." Her eyes follow the other two's gazes "Oh"

Sylvi shrugs uncomfortably and mutters, "She's never been, like, on the front lines in this stuff, much. I mostly knew she'd be home...." A deep breath. "So...yeah, you guys get the weapon, and I...heal things. And people."

Gerd says "maybe she'll stay home. ANother Hearth?"

Dag bites on her lower lip, nodding. "I'm no good at magic. But I... "

"Maybe. But she's looking kind of stubborn. And...well, I know what she looks like when she's planning stuff. Preparing stuff."

She nods.

"I want to protect them, even though I know they're... I mean, I'm not good enough to protect them. But I want to."

Gerd frowns "I wish I could promise you both happy endings. But I've never seen one."

Sylvi nods, determined. "Well...we're not the ones who can kill the Dragon. Doesn't mean we can't help everybody else. Like you said. We do what we can."

"Like get a weapon or learn to heal. Yeah, yeah..."

"Bake, like, a shit-ton of those cookies..."

Gerd says "Where is Siv? Anyone know?"

"I haven't seen her since we got back." Sylvi looks up the stairs.

No sign of Siv today, save at school.