RNP Page 64
Page 64
Anyway, according to Casalos's existing intelligence...
Chapter 196
From a semi-God's-eye view, becoming a god in the realm of the heavens might not be a good choice. Don't be fooled by its current reluctance to even utter the name of a god; that's because divine power currently holds absolute sway over mortals. The people of Faerûn are merely playthings for the gods. But once the turbulent years pass, the relationship between gods and mortals will change.
The age of the gods is about to come to a complete end, and a brand new era is about to begin.
The new round of trials was unremarkable. Casalos was neither lucky enough to find the artifact again, nor did he encounter any "NPCs" who could help him. Without the artifact's support, even with the permanent in-game buff from the discovered artifact, he could only hold out for a few minutes before the boss's arrival, before being completely exhausted and torn apart by the swarm of insects once more.
Compared to the bizarre and varied ways to die in the first phase of the room-clearing mode, the focus of Survivor Mode is always the same: after being torn apart by swarms so many times, Casalos gradually becomes psychologically numb to such pain, and the buffer period for retreating outside the dungeon is also shortening little by little. But this is meaningless; the time experienced inside the Dragon's Vault is entirely based on a different clock frame, having no real impact on reality, only tempering the dragon's will to become even more resolute.
As planned, Casalos invested his newly acquired money into the long-awaited Trinity Divine Ability talent tree, officially embarking on the path of "Divine Power".
As the talent nodes were activated, strange changes unfolded before Casalos's eyes.
Guided by a mysterious force, its gaze transcended the "illusion" of the Dragon Treasury and projected into reality, starting from the slumbering lava pool, extending to the underground rift, then penetrating the thick layers of rock and soil, looking down into the interior of the planet Toril, and up to the surface sky, crossing mountains and oceans, spreading across the entire continent of Faerûn.
As far as the eye can see, everything becomes transparent lines. Suddenly, twinkling points of light appear in the clear summer sky. A finer line emerges from each point of light, connecting to other points of light that are either adjacent or not, but are always connected in some way, weaving a mysterious and complex grid that changes constantly with the movement of the points of light.
Casalos also saw Toril's magic net, but unfortunately, its perspective was too macroscopic; what was close by was already a blur and indistinguishable, while what was further away resembled clouds and mist...
But its arcane transformation is only just beginning.
A fleeting glimpse of the magical network covering the entire planet Toril, and the uncontrollable gaze quickly retreated into the lava pool where its true form slumbered, plunging into the dragon's body.
The dragon magic flowing within the basal vessels manipulates the warp and weft of the magic network, churning it into the starry sky depicted by Van Gogh.
A force that appeared out of nowhere gently stirred a point in the starry sky. The warp and weft of the magic web, tangled and intertwined by the dragon's magic power, suddenly broke free from its grasp... No, that's not right. It was the dragon's magic power that detached itself from the warp and weft of the Torel magic web. In an instant, the warp and weft of the Torel magic web lost its anchor point connecting it to Casalos, naturally smoothing out its natural state, passing through Casalos yet becoming independent of it, as if Casalos was no longer a part of all things.
However, the dragon's magic still flowed in his veins, now more smoothly and more effortlessly.
Casalos knew that from this moment on, his spellcasting was no longer dependent on the magic network, but instead relied entirely on his own dragon magic.
For it now, casting spells would be exceptionally difficult and complex, and the energy consumption would be far greater—but that didn't really matter, since its current spellcasting ability was barely anything to begin with. However, as it grows, its "intelligence" and dragon magic capacity will increase, and it will soon truly master this spellcasting method that transcends the magic network. And severing the support of the magic network means that its magic will no longer be bound by the rules of the magic network, nor will it be confined to the range of its support.
The Death Magic Zone, the Dark Magic Zone, the Wild Magic Zone, and even the Anti-Magic Zone will no longer be able to restrict Casalos's arcane abilities!
Perhaps as its understanding of arcane magic deepens and its exploration of magic becomes more profound, it will discover more answers that are closer to the essence of magic, leading to a deeper transformation. For now, the core impact of the arcane transformation stops here.
At the same time, on a more mysterious and elusive structural level, three entirely new windows opened for Casalos. Its perceptive tendrils stealthily probed into them, catching glimpses of three magnificent figures.
The first figure was a lithe giant dragon with shimmering platinum-gold scales. Its bearded face combined the features of both gold and silver dragons, making it appear even more noble.
Its noble and magnificent bearing could not conceal its wretched state. Chains of unknown material bound its head, waist, tail, and six limbs with interlocking links, stretching its body taut and outstretched, like a whole lamb skewered on an iron fork awaiting roasting, firmly locking its body in the void. Mysterious, colorful runes floated at a specific distance, layer upon layer, forming a magical structure millions of times more complex than the mazes of the high elves, sealing everything off.
This is a cage, a cage that imprisons gods.
Imprisoned within are none other than the Kings of Good Dragons, the Lord of the North Wind, the Lord of Justice, the Holy Knights of Dragons, and Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon God.
126. Withholding
Who imprisoned Bahamut in this dark and hopeless cage?
Even with God's perspective, Casalos could not answer this question. Apart from Bahamut himself, perhaps only the dragon gods knew the answer, but they all remained silent, and the truth was buried in the long river of time.
"If only I could take a picture of what it looks like now as a keepsake, I wonder if it will remember it for the rest of its life if I show it to it in the future?"
Casalos's suicidal thoughts were stirring, but unfortunately, it lacked the conditions to act on them—it had no idea what kind of channels its current perception was using. This was definitely not the conventional sense of perception such as sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch, yet it possessed all of this information. The transitions between near and far were all passively adjusted by the Dragon Treasury, just like walking through a locked-control cutscene. It couldn't actively control the viewpoint, let alone take a picture.
But... it should be fine to just remember the general idea of the scene, and then recreate it in reality as a memento.
Perhaps due to the erosion of time, or for some other reason, the cage imprisoning Bahamut has suffered extensive damage. The runes that were once densely packed on the outer shell of the cage have become largely incomplete, forming cracks that spread like across a broken mirror, allowing Bahamut's power to connect with the outside world and establish contact with his few followers.
From the area where the cracks were most concentrated, an aura familiar to Casalos surged outwards, continuous and far-reaching. This aura was subtle yet penetrating, easily and silently invading the depths of every dragon's soul, drawing out the most insane and frenzied rage buried deep within the soul of every being flowing with the blood of Asgras, overwhelming all reason…
Dragon Madness!
Even the most knowledgeable historians of dragons only know that the elves created the Dragon Frenzy Lock, and that the elves controlled the intensity and range of the Faerûn Dragon Frenzy according to their own will, causing the dragons, driven mad by the curse, to destroy their own empire and civilization.
The instigators, the almost extinct Winged Elves, among whom only the most central figures knew that the Dragon Madness Lock achieved its goal by manipulating the orbit of the King-Slaying Star.
Apart from the gods, no one knows the true source of Dragon Madness.
Even Casalos, with his godlike perspective, could only speculate—the settings and backgrounds provided by the toilet paper were always fragmented, making it easier for the coastal wizards to distort the truth… Well, even without this premise, they could distort the truth however they wanted, even if it meant forcing it down until they were stuffed—now, Casalos was witnessing it firsthand…
Chapter 197
Having witnessed the source of the Dragon Madness, their speculation was confirmed.
Why does the approach of the Kingkiller Star trigger the dragon frenzy in Faerûn?
Because the Platinum Dragon God Bahamut is imprisoned on Kingkiller Star. Bahamut is the true source of the Dragon Madness in Faerûn. The Dragon Madness that ended the Dragon Age of Faerûn was Bahamut's curse on all true dragons and their bloodlines!
Casalos, the King of Dragons and Lord of Justice, had no idea why he would utter such a vicious curse upon his own kind. Perhaps it was related to the reason for Bahamut's imprisonment. It was probably a conflict between the gods, a forbidden zone for the beings of Faerûn, and for the time being, it had nothing to do with Casalos. Knowing the truth, it could only silently keep it to itself, waiting for everything to pass.
The Dragon Frenzy will eventually pass. The moment Bahamut is freed from its cage, it will retract its curse, making the Dragon Frenzy an indelible part of true dragon history. Its image will never appear in any description related to the Dragon Frenzy; the true dragons will only know that the Good Dragon King returned to Faerûn, dispelling the lingering shadow that had hung over the heads of the true dragons of Faerûn.
Bahamut was already preparing for all of this; occasionally, a few of the broken runes would extinguish, widening the gaps in the cage. And with that, the power Bahamut could project into Faerûn would increase.
The sounds of prayer to the Platinum Dragon God echoed faintly within the cage, growing stronger with unwavering determination, eventually becoming a steadfast channel of faith. Bahamut responded to these prayers, bestowing upon the believers the power of the Dragon God, guiding them to prepare for the coming moment.
Bahamut, with its dragon eyes tightly closed, whispered something to some beings who were not its followers. Those beings who heard its voice did not pay attention to this faint celestial sound for the time being, but as the gaps in the cage widened and the channel of faith became more stable, its whispers would grow louder and louder, and then it would guide these beings to complete a mission that belonged to "greatness".
Interestingly, Bahamut's prying into the Dragon Treasury went unnoticed, and even Casalos's consciousness infiltrated the meager prayer, thus naturally intercepting a gift from the Platinum Dragon God.
By folding this gift into a specific structure and wrapping it around the dragon magic that had broken free from the magic network, Casalos transformed into Bahamut's Holy Guardian—of course, only a facade, a facade that even Bahamut himself might not be able to discern.
Without a doubt, the other two figures Casalos glimpsed were Tiamat, the dragon and goddess of conquest, and Chronips, the dragon god of fate, death, and judgment.
Tiamat is a deformed dragon with short, thick limbs like a corgi. Her body is unlike the slender, agile form expected of a true dragon, instead being much more robust and ferocious. Five writhing necks and heads extend from her body, each corresponding to a subspecies of dragon of a particular color, creating a nightmarish hybrid. The color of each head extends down her neck to the front of her body, forming bands that gradually blend into gray, blue-green, and purple stripes on her northern and thicker sides, finally disappearing at her murky dark brown tail. The scales on her lower abdomen and legs are greenish-white, fading into the color of her upper body.
Tiamat, now in Hell, revealed five heads that were not the five colors of red, blue, green, black, and white known to the people of Faerûn, but rather purple, red, yellow, green, and the form of a shadow dragon. Perhaps because she didn't need to respond to the prayers of the five-colored dragon followers, she could reveal whatever she wanted. After all, the image of a god is determined by need, and in the minds of most of the people of Faerûn, she was still simply Tiamat, the human goddess of the Enser pantheon, the Lady of the Night.
She threw all the believers' prayers into the maggot's lair beneath Dragon Cliff outside the fortress, and no one knows which demon she contacted.
Only a very few devout believers who know her true identity maintain a connection of faith with her, and the Dragon Treasury still retains a small portion of its power to create an optional Blasphemous Destroyer skin for Casalos.
127. Epic Enhancement
Just as Bahamut was not the creator of metallic dragons, Tiamat, who calls herself the Mother of Dragons, was not the deity who created rainbow dragons—the most direct evidence being that several dragon gods much older than these two were metallic dragons or subspecies of rainbow dragons. Furthermore, in kobold legends, when the kobold god Kurtumak was created by the green dragon Scelinek using the creative power bestowed upon true dragons by Io, Tiamat was merely an ancient dragon that had not yet ascended to godhood.
Of course, this profound history is long unknown to the dragons, and only Casalos's godlike perspective can glimpse it. Due to various reasons, many contradictions exist, such as the origin of the kobolds: chrome dragons are the ancestors of the kobolds, but the first kobold, the kobold god Kurtumak, claims to have been created by the green dragon, and now he has even become Tiamat's lackey. What is the truth behind this? Did Kurtumak lie to his people because of some unspeakable dragon secret, or is there an even more unknown connection between the green dragon's creation and the chrome dragons? Casalos's curiosity will likely be satisfied only by obtaining the true answers from the gods who witnessed history firsthand.
Regardless, Tiamat's current incarnation as a "colorful dragon" from purgatory appears somewhat comical to Casalos, who knows part of the truth. Currently, the main force supporting this great demon's existence on the continent of Faerûn is still the people of Enser, who, under Gilejin's tyrannical rule, are forced to pray to Tiamat, the "retribution of the gods," who, over two thousand years ago, disguised herself as a human goddess of the Enser pantheon to ambush Gilejin.
The belief in Tiamat as the Dragon Queen had just been spread to the continent of Faerûn by Chassa, who had returned from Purgatory. It quietly spread within the Dragon Cult through her influence on Samaster, but few of the colorful dragons paid it any attention.
Neither Bahamut's Divine Watcher nor Tiamat's Desecrator skins have any practical use yet.
For now, Casalos can only wear his third skin, Chronips' Calm Observer, to flaunt his presence on the continent of Faerûn.
Under the immense power of the Dragon Treasury, it was also able to glimpse the face of this true dragon god of destiny: this dragon god, who knew the complete intertwining of the lives of all dragons and dragon-like creatures, and guided the deceased to the afterlife, did not possess the massive and robust physique of Bahamut and Tiamat. Instead, it maintained the form of a small dragon with dull, black scales. Its flesh appeared as if it had been dead for several hours, decaying and shriveling, with withered yellow bones exposed everywhere, symbolizing its duty as the god of death among dragons. Deep within Chronipus's eye sockets were a pair of radiant amber eyes, and a brass harp about six feet tall floated above its head, signifying its difference from ordinary dragons.
Bahamut has not yet recovered to the level of a weak god, Tiamat is still a god-like demon in her infernal form, and the dragon god Chronipus is now a powerful god!
It also failed to detect Casalos's spying, or perhaps... it could no longer detect it.
Unlike the imprisoned Bahamut and Tiamat, who remained in her infernal form, Chronips offered no response to the prayers of any of his followers. All prayers that Casalos could access through the Dragon Treasury vanished without a trace after flowing to the Dragon God of Fate. The Dragon God, who held the power of life and death over true dragons, seemed to have died long ago, leaving only an empty shell lying quietly in his divine realm. His followers could still sense his presence, but could no longer hear his divine pronouncements, nor receive his response. The dragon souls of the dragons who had died within the realm's heavens, having lost their guidance, drifted aimlessly and unconsciously in the divine realm where the Dragon God of Fate's souls resided, until they were captured by some tentacles that probed into this realm.
Chapter 198
Pulled into an unknown realm—that's probably how those mysterious external dragons came to be.
The Dragon God of Destiny had long since abandoned his kingdom, leaving behind only an empty face, "Nur," still retaining his original divine duties and powers. This empty face, imbued with immense divine power, was the subject of countless gazes from deities, all seeking to seize it.
Unfortunately, no one has been able to truly steal even a fraction of the Dragon God's power... except for the Dragon Treasury.
Since the Dragon God of Destiny did not respond to the believers' prayers, the Dragon Treasury naturally could not extract power from the divine grace of the gods to shape the skin of the Calm Observer. Casalos watched helplessly as his perception, driven and shaped by an unknown force, traversed the countless meshes woven by the divine power of probing, and adhered to the body of Chronipus, as if scooping out a small piece of pudding with a spoon.
A tiny, insignificant piece.
Among the many undercurrents of divine power reaching for the Dragon God of Destiny, it was so conspicuous, so ostentatious... yet the divine powers seemed to notice nothing, turning a blind eye to this theft right under their noses, simply doing whatever they pleased.
The long sensory exploration was only a moment, and Casalos, regaining his senses, had already completed his first advancement in his divinely endowed profession.
With the transformation complete, several new branches have emerged from the unique Primal Power Talent Tree, connecting the nodes of the Divinely Endowed Class and True Dragon Essence Advanced Class Talent Trees, making the connection between its different sources of power even closer.
Casalos focused his attention on these new nodes, sitting upright with his mouth agape, uncontrollable sparks of electricity dancing between his nostrils and throat: the various powers of flame and disintegration could now break free from the limitations of a dragon's innate weaponry and defense, flowing into abilities such as magic, spell-like spells, the supernatural, the extraordinary, and even divinely bestowed "divine arts." Crucially, these were hybrid basic nodes, requiring very few crystals to activate, only some gold. In this survivor mode where even bosses were rarely seen, compared to the crystals dropped by bosses, the gold was practically free.
After calculating his wallet balance, Casalos gritted his teeth and invested his first point into the 20-casting-level spell "Burning Cloud," acquired through his Elemental Master advancement. He would first channel the power of flames into this only large-area-of-effect spell he possessed. Frankly, limited by the effects of the flames, this allocation offered Casalos virtually no real increase to his strength. However, his recent journey through the heart of Faerûn gave him a more direct understanding of his own power. In the current situation, he was strong enough to defend himself in Faerûn, so improving his efficiency in the current Survivor Mode of the training dungeons became his primary need. A large-area-of-effect spell like "Burning Cloud" would be an epic boost!
128. The Bone-Gnawing Gang
Somewhere in Deepwater City, a noblewoman dressed in a luxurious silk robe from the Dragon Empire lay languidly on a sofa. Her slender, sickly-looking fingers crushed tobacco into a gilded pipe, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled, before speaking slowly and deliberately: "What about that stinking half-breed?"
"It rejected your offer, Elentara." The veiled female halfling sat in the chair opposite Elentara, peeling fruit with a small knife. The peeled skin was as thin as a noblewoman's silk, shining through the light from behind, yet it remained connected without breaking, hanging long down to the floor. "Without its involvement, should we still take action?"
"Move, of course we have to take action!" Elentara threw her pipe onto the table. "Over the past few years, our business..."
“Your business,” the halfling interrupted Elentara, “is not ours.”
“Yes, it’s my business.” Elentara glanced at the halflings and continued sarcastically, “But don’t forget where all the expenses of your activities come from. Do you really think our cunning and stingy mistress would reward you with a single copper coin?”
“So I’m willing to cooperate with you.” The halfling shrugged indifferently, slicing off a piece of the peeled fruit with his knife and putting it in his mouth. “By the way, it’s not a good thing to talk badly about the mistress behind her back.”
"Hehe, wasn't I just praising the mistress...? The mistress looks down on our little business and doesn't want to get involved, but if we lose our own business, we'll probably starve to death in this glorious city!"
“It’s not that bad. Didn’t you also get involved in Golong’s business under your noble status? You just want to earn more.” The halfling finished his fruit, sat up straight, and looked directly at Elentara. “Of course I support that. After all, the more you earn, the more funding we have, the more effectively we can connect with others, and the wider our information channels will be. You know how cruel and demanding our mistress is—as you said, that’s a compliment. But for us, that’s not a good thing. To satisfy our mistress, we need to work much harder, which is why I’m sitting here with you today.”
Clang! The halfling in front of Elentara turned its gaze to the high-hanging glass window. From time to time, huge figures swept across the night sky outside the window. They were not the griffon riders of Waterdeep, but... dragons!
One dragon after another, covered in iridescent silver-blue scales, with short, beakless faces, wide, smooth sloping plates protruding above their eyes, and long, flat horns segmented and extending backward from the sloping plates, their slender and beautiful figures soaring outside the dragon-proof barrier like seabirds.
Dragons like these are everywhere in Waterdeep. Unlike the hidden dragons of the past who used to linger among the city's inhabitants, they now freely roam around Waterdeep. Of course, they still disguise themselves to blend into the city, but no one cares anymore. These dragons from all over the continent have made Waterdeep their meeting place for friendship. Every day, new dragons come from afar to join them, and every day, new pairs of dragons soar into the sky. They sing joyful songs, spew out lightning that intertwines and dances as they fly into the distance.
The Crown of the North is now the matchmaking agency for the dragons of Faerûn!
All these changes were naturally triggered by the dragon merchant from another world who arrived in Waterdeep City a few years ago. That fellow, still in his true dragon form, stayed in Waterdeep City for a long time, attracting all the female dragons from across the continent to the vicinity of Waterdeep City, which terrified many of the city's inhabitants at the time. As time passed, these female dragons did not disturb people's daily lives; on the contrary, they greatly improved the safety of the wilderness surrounding Waterdeep City, and the people of Waterdeep City gradually accepted their presence.
Later, for reasons unknown, the female dragons made a group trip to Neverwinter, reportedly causing quite a stir, even startling a reclusive archmage. After that, the female dragons, along with some male dragons who appeared out of nowhere, returned to Waterdeep and built nests there. Male dragons hidden throughout the continent also began short-term migrations to this area. Over time, Waterdeep became a place where eligible dragons from across the continent sought mates…
Amidst the songs of the dragons, the glorious city is now known as "The Harmonious Couple and the Prosperous Bay," where humans and dragons coexist in a strange harmony. The other non-evil dragon subspecies hidden within the deep city have also begun to occasionally reveal their true forms to the public, and rumors circulate that a dragon has ascended to a new secret leadership position. The crown of the North is transforming into a city of humans and dragons.
Not everyone is happy to see Waterdeep change, especially those like Elentara whose interests are harmed.
Elentara is a noblewoman from Waterdeep who ostensibly runs several large merchant guilds, but in reality, she is the price setter for major commodities in Waterdeep and even the Northlands. Admittedly, Elentara's wealth...
Chapter 199
The resources available to her were insufficient to establish a super merchant guild capable of monopolizing goods in the North. Her methods of controlling prices were clearly unscrupulous: she hired... no, she instructed powerful evil creatures to attack caravans carrying goods that could influence prices, thus allowing her to regulate commodity prices in several trading cities in the North as needed.
To act in this way and still get away with it, one must naturally possess sufficient strength—both personal power and influence are indispensable. Elentara's secret identity is that of the "Bone-Gnawing Gang's" agent in Waterdeep. This infamous dark force is composed of numerous half-green dragons and evil creatures with green dragon veins at its core. The Bone-Gnawing Gang members around Waterdeep are all under Elentara's control; she can attack whomever she wants, until Goron turned the area around Waterdeep into a matchmaking agency.
As we all know, whether benevolent or malevolent, dragons have an insatiable pursuit of wealth. With dragons from all over the continent gathering around Waterdeep, how will these non-evil dragons, who prefer to hide in humanoid societies, expand their treasure troves?
The complete answer may only be known to the dragons themselves, but there is one path that is basically an open secret among the people of Deepwater City.
In short, if you hire a few unfamiliar female bards/adventures, charging slightly more than the market price, and exuding an artistic aura to protect your caravan, the safety of your transport will be greatly improved. This is because these "bards" who spend their time singing love songs are most likely dragons in disguise.
129. Each has its own difficulties.
With a few dragons guarding the caravan, how could it not be safe? What are half-dragons and dragon vein attackers compared to encountering a few real dragons?
So here's the question: now that the caravan is safe, how will Elentara continue to manipulate prices in Waterdeep? Faced with overwhelming power, schemes and tricks lose their effectiveness, and the business of the Bone Gnawing Gang's Waterdeep branch naturally shrinks significantly, making it difficult for this noblewoman to remain in her position.
Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents. Elentara wished she could tear the entire Goron outside the city apart with her bare hands, but unfortunately she didn't have the ability.
Hundreds of dragons!
Despite her delicate appearance, Elentara possesses a personal overall professional level of 16, which, if revealed, would place her among the top-tier powerhouses. However, what is that compared to hundreds of Song Dragons? Moreover, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that these hundreds of Song Dragons, originally hidden throughout the continent, are now living harmoniously outside Deepwater City because some terrifying force is controlling them from behind.
The lords of Waterdeep, including the sons of paladins with legendary martial prowess, have tacitly accepted the dragons' settlement; the dragon wizards now only dare to cower within the dragon-proof barrier, no longer daring to threaten the dragons hidden in the various dungeons of Waterdeep; and the Black Staff Tower, overseen by Lord Kelburn, now frequently receives visits from "bards"...
Elentara was powerless to change the situation; her already small legitimate business could only shrink further, which naturally made her unwilling to accept it. Dingdang knew that the more crucial reason was that the shrinking business had already threatened Elentara's life, and even her own.
Only core members like them knew that the Bone-Gnawing Gang truly served only one person: the "Madam," whom they had just praised with a derogatory term. The one who could readily accept such praise was undoubtedly Green Dragon.
The Primordial Green Dragon, "Old Bone Chewer" Claugelia Marta, is the true ruler of the Bone Gnawing Gang and the direct source of all the half-dragons and green dragon veins in the Bone Gnawing Gang.
The Elentara Merchant Guild and the pickpocket gang under Dingdang's command were merely Old Chewer's eyes and ears and tools for accumulating wealth within Waterdeep. The decline of Elentara's business meant a reduction in the wealth flowing into Old Chewer's treasury. At the same time, the pickpocket gang, whose operational funds were affected, was also experiencing a decline in its efficiency in gathering intelligence.
The Green Dragon Mistress is far from being associated with words like mercy and forgiveness. She would never sympathize with the plight and difficulties of Elentara and Dingdang. She would only treat her "incompetent" subordinates like snacks, chewing them up and slowly savoring the taste of fear flowing in their blood.
Elentara's business decline was pushing Old Bone Chewer to the brink of collapse; if she wanted to survive, she had to take action. Dingdang was in the same boat; the two high-ranking members from different "departments" within the Bone Chewer gang hit it off and decided to pull off something big.
There is a merchant guild... or rather, a merchant group, that never hires adventurers from Deepwater City for protection, and therefore its teams do not include any dragon adventurers disguised as humanoid adventurers.
Without a doubt, this merchant was the same otherworldly dragon merchant, Ratambirol, who had initially sparked the dragon gathering frenzy. Although he was also a dragon, he fled after triggering the gathering and never interacted with the dragons during his subsequent trade trips to Waterdeep. Clearly, he wasn't one of those dragons forming a social gathering outside. Dealing with him discreetly would avoid provoking the dragons' hatred. However, the goods he transported to Waterdeep were always exceptionally valuable; obtaining even a tenth of them would be enough to cover the shortfall in Elentara's funds flowing to the Matriarch over the next few years.
Moreover, as an interdimensional merchant, the only way for it to enter Waterdeep City is by sea, which has no connection with the merchant guilds that the Dragon Swarm disguised as adventurers would join. Elentara couldn't find a more suitable target.