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Description
After checking for the third time that his robe was fastened tightly around his head and body, Will took flight. The night skies were bare; no Moon, just the faint glimmering of the stars above the city of Warfang. Any other day of the month, his pale yellow scales would have been obvious in the darkness, but now, he was hidden. That was why their group always met at this time, Roland had explained to him. Easier to hide.
Diving down from the lofty heights Warfang Palace rested upon, Will descended towards the entrance to the ancient Undercity, flying inside as fast as he could. The vast doors were always open, but as far as he knew, nobody ever ventured into the caverns if they could avoid it. Long ago, it had housed many a noble dragon family, and he knew there were meant to be vast mansions carved out of the stone beneath the city, but these days the halls lay vacant, and the streets were the fiefs of beggars, the sickly and any other dragon who didn't have a place to sleep at night, with small fires indicating their presence.
Carefully, Will landed on the roof of a tall building to the right of the main square, as he'd been instructed.
"Well, you certainly took your time."
Will spun around in fright. "Roland!" he hissed, as his orange-scaled friend emerged from the shadows. "Ancestors, what are you playing at?"
"Waiting for you to arrive?" his friend said, his tone bored. "I was starting to think you'd decided to give it a miss."
"I had to make sure nobody was watching!" Will hissed, while pulling his robe more tightly around him.
"Oh, like anybody cares." his friend snorted. "Stop being such an egg."
"They'll have our heads if we're caught, Roland!"
"So go home, then, if you're so worried about it." the elder dragon growled, turning away. "Nobody's forcing you to come along."
"No! I want to come!" Will insisted. "I really do!"
"Then calm down, for Ro'Silios' sake," Roland snapped, "and just follow me!"
Will swallowed nervously. "But what if-"
"If anything happens, I'll do the talking, okay?"
Reluctantly, Will nodded, and let Roland lead him deeper into the Undercity, through old stone hallways and past multitudes of dark empty doorways. Will swallowed, trying to stifle his fear. He knew any punishment the city guards could inflict upon him would pale before the torments he'd suffer in the next life for a lack of piety. At least, that was how Roland put it.
Without warning, Roland stopped, and Will walked into him, nearly losing his balance.
"We're here." his friend remarked, tapping three times on an ancient wooden door.
"Go 'way." a voice called from inside. "No room 'ere."
"My brother needs a place to stay." Roland recited. "He's flown a long way."
"Has he, now?"
"The north wind buoyed his wings." his friend continued, and Will heard the sound of a latch being pulled, just before the door swung open, revealing another robed dragon.
"Cutting things a bit late there." he said, his voice now sounding far more refined than it had a moment before.
"I know, I know." Roland said. "New member got a bit nervous."
Will went red. Why did these things have to be so hard? He just wanted to be a good dragon, like everyone else.
"Well, head on in," the new dragon said, gesturing with his tail towards a doorway obscured by a curtain. "They've not started yet."
"Good." Roland said, gesturing for Will to follow, before making his way to the curtain and pulling it aside. Will's jaw dropped. The chamber beyond the curtain was vast, with colourful banners depicting the Gods and their elemental sigils hanging throughout. The centre of the room was dominated by a large altar, illuminated only by glowing crystals, and with perhaps fifty dragons in robes sitting around it, quietly conversing with one another.
Oh, Ancestors, this was a stupid idea, Will thought to himself. Why had he let Roland talk him into this? As he struggled to think of an excuse that could let him leave, a massive robed dragon strode towards the central altar, and the other dragons fell silent.
"Sit down." Roland hissed, and Will did as he was told.
"Thank you all for coming, my brothers and sisters." the dragon said, his voice strongly accented, but somewhat familiar to Will. A noble, perhaps?
"It fills my heart with joy every time I see new dragons amongst our number," the dragon said, pulling back his hood, "reassuring me that our people have not forgotten our Gods in the face of this human usurper."
Will recognised him instantaneously, and had to clasp his foreclaws around his mouth to keep himself from gasping. The KING! King Faron was one of them? A true believer?
"But let's not let such thoughts sully such an important place as this." the King continued, spreading his wings. "Come, let us do honour to our great Ancestors with the time that we still have."

Description
After checking for the third time that his robe was fastened tightly around his head and body, Will took flight. The night skies were bare; no Moon, just the faint glimmering of the stars above the city of Warfang. Any other day of the month, his pale yellow scales would have been obvious in the darkness, but now, he was hidden. That was why their group always met at this time, Roland had explained to him. Easier to hide.
Diving down from the lofty heights Warfang Palace rested upon, Will descended towards the entrance to the ancient Undercity, flying inside as fast as he could. The vast doors were always open, but as far as he knew, nobody ever ventured into the caverns if they could avoid it. Long ago, it had housed many a noble dragon family, and he knew there were meant to be vast mansions carved out of the stone beneath the city, but these days the halls lay vacant, and the streets were the fiefs of beggars, the sickly and any other dragon who didn't have a place to sleep at night, with small fires indicating their presence.
Carefully, Will landed on the roof of a tall building to the right of the main square, as he'd been instructed.
"Well, you certainly took your time."
Will spun around in fright. "Roland!" he hissed, as his orange-scaled friend emerged from the shadows. "Ancestors, what are you playing at?"
"Waiting for you to arrive?" his friend said, his tone bored. "I was starting to think you'd decided to give it a miss."
"I had to make sure nobody was watching!" Will hissed, while pulling his robe more tightly around him.
"Oh, like anybody cares." his friend snorted. "Stop being such an egg."
"They'll have our heads if we're caught, Roland!"
"So go home, then, if you're so worried about it." the elder dragon growled, turning away. "Nobody's forcing you to come along."
"No! I want to come!" Will insisted. "I really do!"
"Then calm down, for Ro'Silios' sake," Roland snapped, "and just follow me!"
Will swallowed nervously. "But what if-"
"If anything happens, I'll do the talking, okay?"
Reluctantly, Will nodded, and let Roland lead him deeper into the Undercity, through old stone hallways and past multitudes of dark empty doorways. Will swallowed, trying to stifle his fear. He knew any punishment the city guards could inflict upon him would pale before the torments he'd suffer in the next life for a lack of piety. At least, that was how Roland put it.
Without warning, Roland stopped, and Will walked into him, nearly losing his balance.
"We're here." his friend remarked, tapping three times on an ancient wooden door.
"Go 'way." a voice called from inside. "No room 'ere."
"My brother needs a place to stay." Roland recited. "He's flown a long way."
"Has he, now?"
"The north wind buoyed his wings." his friend continued, and Will heard the sound of a latch being pulled, just before the door swung open, revealing another robed dragon.
"Cutting things a bit late there." he said, his voice now sounding far more refined than it had a moment before.
"I know, I know." Roland said. "New member got a bit nervous."
Will went red. Why did these things have to be so hard? He just wanted to be a good dragon, like everyone else.
"Well, head on in," the new dragon said, gesturing with his tail towards a doorway obscured by a curtain. "They've not started yet."
"Good." Roland said, gesturing for Will to follow, before making his way to the curtain and pulling it aside. Will's jaw dropped. The chamber beyond the curtain was vast, with colourful banners depicting the Gods and their elemental sigils hanging throughout. The centre of the room was dominated by a large altar, illuminated only by glowing crystals, and with perhaps fifty dragons in robes sitting around it, quietly conversing with one another.
Oh, Ancestors, this was a stupid idea, Will thought to himself. Why had he let Roland talk him into this? As he struggled to think of an excuse that could let him leave, a massive robed dragon strode towards the central altar, and the other dragons fell silent.
"Sit down." Roland hissed, and Will did as he was told.
"Thank you all for coming, my brothers and sisters." the dragon said, his voice strongly accented, but somewhat familiar to Will. A noble, perhaps?
"It fills my heart with joy every time I see new dragons amongst our number," the dragon said, pulling back his hood, "reassuring me that our people have not forgotten our Gods in the face of this human usurper."
Will recognised him instantaneously, and had to clasp his foreclaws around his mouth to keep himself from gasping. The KING! King Faron was one of them? A true believer?
"But let's not let such thoughts sully such an important place as this." the King continued, spreading his wings. "Come, let us do honour to our great Ancestors with the time that we still have."