Theophrastus awoke, his thirteenth day of waiting in the
Courtyard of Māt Akkadī. The cool night
air had given way to early morning humidity covering the wizard in a sheen of
sweat and dust due to his tent flap having blown open. Despite his long wait, Theophrastus used his
cantrips to quickly clean himself knowing he needed to be ready whenever the “Queen
of Earth” granted his audience.
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| Theophrastus |
Theophrastus had thought the cost to gain access to Māt
Akkadī had been expensive before learning from the vast numbers of petitioners
living in the courtyard how long the wait could be.
The Courtyard’s economy mixed with the
largess of the dragon blooded nobility had created an outlandish system of social
mores designed to show off wealth along with a skill of trade. Alcippus’ most recent message had assured the
wizard that this economy’s cost had been anticipated though Theophrastus
noticed that Alcippus no longer referred to him as Theo.
The Eye wizard Theophrastus
stepped out of his tent making his regular trek to the Magnificent Mausoleum to
see if his name had been added to the Queen’s daily schedule. The cost in bribes to see the “publically
displayed” schedule was steep enough that some petitioners would run out of
money or try to find others with similar problems to share in time and
cost. After paying his daily bribes and viewing
the schedule board, the wizard smiled and suspected that he would see a return
to the friendlier tones of Theo after his next message, for he was the first
petitioner on the schedule, a position that would see him before the Queen
shortly after her lunch. A well sated
Queen was certainly a comforting thought to Theophrastus whose magical protections
against fear did nothing to assuage his mind.
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| Māt Akkadī |
The Wizard was guided into opulent gardens where the immense
dragon lay within a massive spring fed pool of water that was said to be
enchanted by its physical contact with the god-queen. It was difficult for Theophrastus to focus on
anything other than the great wyrm however his senses told him of several of
the Queen’s half dragon guardians. The
Queen was obviously used to the effect her presence had upon petitioners; there
wasn’t a discomfort to Theo’s initial silence.
To the wizard’s great chagrin his meeting was interrupted before a word was uttered and he could offer the organization’s solution to Tiamat’s conundrum. Another great presence was felt and
Theophrastus was overcome with irrational desire, a part of his consciousness screaming in
terror, a mortal caught between Tiamat and her daughter, Concupiscentia.
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