<strong>Eshalu - still confronting Kelcis</strong><br/><br/>Upon the Sauriann alpha's explanation of its grudging admiration for her technique, Eshalu felt an unfamiliar surge of curiosity. Perhaps Kelcis thought her bizarre in the same way that a large and bipedal lizard seemed strange to her. "Your strength is great, Cold One," she conceded, "but if strength were the only virtue require for survival, my People would have passed into the mists of half-forgotten legend by now. I will tell my clan stories of your kind, so that we will have memory of you and this encounter will not be forgotten. Then, one day, if our descendants meet again, mine will know how to inflict the killing blow on yours. Tell your<em>children</em>," Eshalu spoke the word with a certain distaste - she had never begotten any children, but her clan tended carefully and lovingly to their young, unlike the callous reptile before her, "these stories, too, and perhaps they may stand a chance."<br/><br/>Later, when Aeryn outlined her strategy, Eshalu remained pensive. "I will accompany you to see these 'matriarchs' and know that I intend no violence. I do not wish to insult the spirits of this land any further. The People know the limits of violence. We do not walk in great, iron-clad bands to inflict slaughter because our lore does not agree with the lore of another clan."<br/><br/>Though she willed herself to suppress the threat response mechanism churning in her subconscious, Eshalu, despite herself, had begun forming the image of a bloated, immense and ancient matriarch lizard in her mind, sitting on a nest of countless eggs, its vast, fanged maw dripping with venom. Having no memory of such creatures from the songs of her Loreweavers, the over-active parts of her imagination had taken hold.<br/><br/>Turning to Reliyian, Eshalu spoke, "Though I am curious to explore the village, too, would it be wise to draw further attention to ourselves? There is much scope for misunderstanding and, perhaps, bloodshed where none is required. But since I have little to offer other than my blades, I will follow you both where you choose to go."<br/><br/>Aeryn and Reliyian had shown themselves to be knowledgeable and trustworthy in the same way she expected a druid of her own clan to be. It felt strange, since neither was a wood elf, but Eshalu found herself extending the same deference in matters of lore and negotiation to her companions.