<strong>The Wilds of Dra Sirdu - In Which a Scholar (Or Perhaps Two, As Well As Their Escort) Examines A Collection of Unique and Unusual Symbols and Is Privy To A Delightful Example of Mutualistic Cooperation Between Several Different Species</strong><br/><br/>The examination, itself, went marvelously. The symbols ran all along the base of the wall in neatly (if quite narrowly) spaced columns of four. Like the wall, itself, they were quite mundane: no unnatural wriggling or eye-bleeds induced by their unholy power. Quite unlike the stones, however, none of the symbols resembled anything found on the mainland. Or nothing that had been there for a good few centuries. Still, it did look a good bit like an alphabet, or at least<em>some</em>sort of systematic representation. Sadly, whatever glyphs had endorsed the melted and crumbled sections had both been rendered unreadable. But a bit more inspection would reveal a brighter surprise: the far side of the wall held similar markings arranged in a similar pattern.<br/><br/>The markings were doubtless of Vuali origins, and Aeryn's extensive knowledge offered only tormentingly close analogies to the subtle curves and sharp angles of the script. The spiral of a Lakish 'rt' twisted into what might be one vowel in written Bolun and another in Thaj. Here, sadly, breadth of knowledge meant little, and instead it was Reliyian's older lore that offered insight. The Vuali, either in trade, raids, or outright war, had not dealt with the non-human species of Nuln whenever they could avoid it. Out of the way, and relatively ignorable, the elves had suffered little of the yoke that the rest of the continent had experienced. The dwarves had not been so lucky. The Winter of Melted Gold saw three Low Kings in just as twice as many months, an unthinkable occurrence for a crown that hadn't changed hands in the last century.<br/><br/>And so, as was the dwarven way, countless scholars had devoted themselves to learning about the Vuali so that, when the dwarven armies had wiped them from the earth, the dwarves could remember their hated foe. Given the renowned Vuali inclination towards secrecy, this had gone much as one might expect. Most (perhaps even all) of those countless scholars died pursuing their studies, and their holds with them. The dwarven population had yet to recover.<br/><br/>But some scraps of their knowledge remained, and the Silver Tower held some of that knowledge, primarily in the form of a series of rough sketches. None actually portraying a Vuali soldier, much less their famed war-beasts and other terrifying oddities, had survived, but the images of a sword and a captured banner both sprang to mind. They had borne some of the symbols seen here. It would take time, and require rather severe reliance upon ancient memories of an (at the time) unimportant oddity once glimpsed during more important studies, but some system of interpretation and understanding might, just possibly, be achieved.<br/><br/>Now, however, was not the time for such airy speculation. Particularly when Reliyian, in her eagerness to investigate the wall along with dislodged something that expressed its resentment of her jostling with a hearty puff of foul, acrid gas. Within seconds, the greenery had sprung into action, grasping and lashing unpredictably at the trio. None of the exceptionally dangerous-looking plants joined the fray, being far too immobile between their armored bark and massive spines to actually move. But still, between flailing vines and raking, sharp-edged leaves, the peril was nothing to be scoffed at.<br/><br/>It was, unfortunately, also the lesser of the dangers threatening the group. Within moments of the quite literally staggering unpleasant chemical defense, the air had filled with a flock of cawing, flapping shapes. They resembled crows, if much larger, more fiercely clawed and beaked, and possessing two pairs of sharp, beady eyes rather than one. After milling about menacingly for a few moments in the air, they descended on the group like a collection of maddened, murderous, wingéd flensing knives.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">The Plural of Crows (Conflict)</div><div class="spoiler_body">So! This is a conflict, of sorts. Both of the entities you're fighting are more environmental threats than actual opponents. However, they behave in much the same way. The plants simply attack everyone each turn at a moderate value, while the crows focus on a single target. The crows won't act on their first turn (they spend it flapping about and cawing wildly).<br/><br/>The following aspects are in effect on the scene: <em>Air of Foreboding</em>, <em>Horrendous Stench</em>, <em>Whirlwind of Mad Birds</em>.<br/><br/>Anyway, the plants got a surprisingly good roll their first turn around: At 2013-05-15 22:20:53, Dangerous Plants (uid: 13420) rolls: 4d3a-5 Result: 6 (http://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=46365). Everyone defend against that, and then we'll move onto the next round.</div></div>