<strong>The Wilds of Dra Sirdu: a village in the canopy</strong><br/><br/>Eshalu's greeting received a small, slightly troubled and slightly confused frown in response. "I am ... not cold?" he ventures uncertainly, as though searching the comment for a second meaning. Obviously, however, he misses hers. "As I said, it is a very good day, today." He shook his head, hissing softly to himself (or, perhaps, making a quiet side-comment to his adjutant). Reliyian's reluctant (one might even say offended) reaction to his offer went entirely unnoticed. She had not spoken, after all, and the lizard was less than familiar with the more subtle, or not so subtle, mannerisms of the face and posture.<br/><br/>Unsurprisingly, Aeryn's magnanimous acceptance was met with a grand gesture of welcome and a broad, deadly-fanged smile. "She is? Ah, yes, yes she is quite healthy! I have seen to that. I am sure she will be happy to see you all again." He gestured and exchanged some brief sounds - hisses, growls, and chirps - with the most nearby of his underlings. They scurried to and fro, and soon a rope ladder descended to the forest floor. Of course, a more enterprising party member with<strong>Fair</strong>footwork and sure hands could make her way up unassisted. But whether that would impress or concern the tree-dwelling lizardfolk, who could say?<br/><br/>The alpha led them into the center of the little settlement, which, as they passed through the outer camouflage, proved to take a roughly circular shape. Three levels of small, interlocking rooms formed the outer ring, with a similarly small plaza woven between branches. At the center, a somewhat larger building with what appeared to be individual rooms was visible. If all of the saurians seen outside truly lived in this single location, it would be fairly in a crowded and communal manner. As the group traveled inwards, the other lizardfolk gradually dispersed, lounging about across the woody courtyard or returning to their dwellings and duties.<br/><br/>The central building was noticeably different from the others. While they looked more naturally constructed and even scavenged, barring the occasional plank of wood or pane of glass, it had a clear floor plan and iron-hinged doors made from much more solid, obviously treated wood. The reptilian envoy who had first greeted them pulled open the door, allowing the three humanoids and the saurian entrance, then closed it again behind them.<br/><br/>Inside of what was apparently his home, Kelcis spread his arms wide and said, "Welcome, all. As I was given your names earlier, so I return the favor. I am Kelcis, band-master of this town. Please, make yourselves comfortable. Your comrade should join you quite soon." So saying, he vanished into an adjoining room, leaving the group alone for a moment. The room they had entered was quite tidy-looking to the point of being nearly empty. Four piles of various bedding, from silken pillows to coarse furs, filled each of its corners. As the building had originally suggested, the workmanship (or perhaps workslizardship) was almost startlingly impressive. Despite being built at a convergence of branches, with no central tree to build around, its floor was flat, smooth, and uniform, and its walls met neatly, with only the slightest of cracks hinting that they had been assembled, rather than growing together.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Investigative Opportunities and a small, belated note</div><div class="spoiler_body">Though this is particularly oriented as Aeryn, as she seems most suited to notice it, an investigation roll will yield the following two things. Firstly, there are quite obviously no spots for specialized workers or crafters in the little mid-tree village. And secondly, among the bedding that Kelcis suggested that you all should take advantage of are some objects clearly from the mainland. Noticing one is a challenge of Average/+1, while noticing both is Good/+3. You may pick which is noticed, however.<br/><br/>Edit: Also, while I'm too tired and lazy to go back and scatter bits about the entire post: do remember that everything here is build to a scale of about 4 feet as a maximum height. Kelcis's dwelling is a big more suitably scaled, but still a little cramped for anyone over five and a half feet. The little plaza, thankfully, is open-topped.</div></div>