Reunions (closed)

[Warhaven]

"It was no design of mine," Spiritus said.

A flash.....

A younger, smaller Spiritus was following along behind a great onyx dragon.

"Master, you promised!" Spiritus whined.

"Oh very well. The Sacred Dragon forge emerged over time. At first, a perfectly ordinary forge used by anyone. But then, Archedru first of The Great Smiths came along. He worked over this one forge tirelessly, favoring its location and the roominess in which he could work. Daily it seemed he devised one improvement after another to the forge. He says he was inspired by Whovos, Grandfather of Worlds. I personally don't know, I know what he said though, and Archedru was an honest sort, so perhaps he really was divinely inspired. After a particularly nasty Wyvern Raid, he devised his final improvement, bringing it to the shape it's in today. That improvement was Royal Dragon Alloy. Alas, no matter how he labored, he could not create Royal Dragon Alloy. So he approached Androzani and Gallifrey for help. I know not what price Lady Gallifrey extracted from him for her help, and perhaps its better if we don't know. As for Androzani, he seemed to have anticipated Archedru's request and was ready to agree. Perhaps as a loyalty reward.

Together for thirty days and thirty nights, the trio worked over the forge, rebuilding it from the ground up, and imbuing it with their blessings. Finally, with a pulse of power that was felt around the world three times, The Sacred Dragon forge was created, and as proof of its existence, the first ingot of Royal Dragon Alloy was forged. That Ingot right there." The Onyx dragon said, pointing at an alcove in the wall.

A flash and they were returned to modern times.

"And I see, that very same Ingot still rests in its Alcove. You see Archetryx, that particular Ingot has a historic value greater than any other ingot here, for it was the first thing created by The Sacred Dragon Forge." Ray said.

He cracked his long sinewy neck.

"As for the dwarves, truth be told, only one of their forges can compete with this forge, The Great Central Forge. Now, I propose summoning Alfred Monk from Dragon God Temple and a team of monks to hand copy these scrolls. Their used to working with fragile ancient documents. They'll get them copied without damaging them. Of course, not every scroll needs copying. Steel was known of then, and it is known still today. The common metals are forged in exactly the same way now, as they were then. Only the more exotic metals like Elementarium. You can see it in action back at the entrance, just tell the sculpture to ignite while speaking Draconic, and it'll burst into flames momentarily. Elementarium of course can be changed to any Element, fire just seemed like a good demonstration while also being used as a cheat to clean it fast and easy." Ray said.

[The Floor Kippers]

"This all too much," Archetryx admitted, slumping next to the forge, "For centuries I have theorised what the Empire was like from scraps and trinkets, Now I have witnessed it first hand. This truely is a day of miracles, Androzani and Gallifrey be praised."

He began to scribble away on fresh scrolls, calling Lisa over every so often to show her what he'd written. Sketches of the forge, facts and figures, the history of the Royal Draogn Alloy ingot.

Victoria examined the Royal Dragon Alloy ingot. She touched is, and her scales lit up sequentially from the tip of her finger to the tip of her tail.

"That's some latent power," She said with shiver, "I'd like to work on some of that."

"Elementarium," Marshell whistled, "There are references to this in the fragments of stories."

"So what would we need to get this forge back into working order?" Spiridon asked, coming in behind the group

[Warhaven]

"Now, it's around here somewhere, where was it?" Ray asked walking around the room.

"AHA!" He exclaimed and moved the pedestal with the Blacksmith's hammer aside. Now unadorned, it was easy to see this one spot in the hall was softer than the rest, and into it Ray dug, hauling up a chest with considerable effort.

"Fortunatly, the great smiths before me had the foresight to realize The Sacred Forge might need fixing from time to time. But honestly, the same is true of any forge, a little maintenance now and then is required." Ray said, putting the dirt back and then putting the pedastal back.

He opened the chest.

"Honestly, I think we have everything here. Marshall, as The Great Smith of the modern world, pay attention, so you know how to maintain The Sacred Dragon Forge." Ray said.

Inside the dimensionally transcendent chest were rocks collected from various sights around the world.

"It's not where these rocks came from, it's what they are. Carefully harvested from Live Volcanos, these rocks have withstood incredible heat and pressure, making them perfect for the forge." Ray explained.

"As for the metal work, it's an alloy comprised of 25% Elementarium, 50% Steel, and 25% Dragonscale." He continued, and indeed there were bands of the Alloy ready to go.

"What's going to take awhile is unweaving the structure, repairing the base, for which we'll need a new cutting, and then re-weaving the sides. Androzani just went up and got it himself at the time." Ray said.

"A cutting of what, and from where?" Lisa asked helpfully.

"A cutting of moonstone, from The Moon. Specifically from the umbral ridge where the darkside meets the lightside." Ray said.

[The Floor Kippers]

"Well, we could ask him again," Spiridon suggested, "I know we have the moonbase now, but getting it shipped down from there would take ages"

"It would be fitting, complete the circle of history," Archetryx agreed.

"What would be fitting?" An apirition of Androzani asked, as if he didn't already know.

"We need a new cutting of Moonstone from the Umbral Ridge," Victoria explained.

"So we can repair the Sacred Forge," Marshell added.

"The Sacred Forge is unlost to time at last?" Androzani asked, "Very well, as I did before, you shall have your moonstone, Do not worry about the ill effects it may cause you, I will make it safe as I did before too."

And with that, maybe ten minutes later, Androzani himself appeared carrying a cutting of Moonstone.

[Warhaven]

"Exposed to the great cosmic energies, there is no finer base," Ray commented.

He set about carefully removing each bit of the forge, unweaving it layer by layer, directing everyone around him on how to pitch in and help When they got to the bottom ten days later, they discovered the old moonstone base had turned black as pitch.

"That's what happens if you don't maintain the Moonstone," Ray said sadly. He had it rolled away, then swept and purified the ground, then placed the new Moonstone base, purified and sanctified the moonstone.

"There is an important question to be answered BEFORE we continue. Back in the day, it was just Androzani and Gallifrey, because, it was just Androzani and Gallifrey. Whovos was a rare visitor, but not frequent enough to be included beyond inspiring its construction.

As part of upgrading the forge to The Modern World, do we now include the whole council, keep it as is, just go all dragon gods, and what of the other Guardians if so?" Ray asked.

[The Floor Kippers]

"At the time, the known gods of Earth freindly to the dragons were Whovos, Androzani and Gallifrey," Archetryx reasoned, "But these days, the Lygor, the Wyvern and the Eastern Dragons are our friends, as are their gods, as guardians of earth."

"That's a good idea," Marshell agreed, "And any children they have had that are divine, could surround them on either side."

"The expanded pantheon of old Earth's Dragon gods," Victoria agreed, "a fitting way to contrast the long we everything has come since the Dragon Empire"

Spiridon nodded in agreement.

"All of Earth's dragon gods, and the rest of the guardians of Earth," He confirmed.

[Warhaven]

"I would like to add the rest of the Dragon Gods to that by reason of family. Telos, Androzani's son is married to Diella of course and is father to Kastria, but Diella is the daughter of Bahamut and Tiamet, sister to Draconus, who is married to Castiel Ra." Ray put in.

He paused for a moment.

"Either way, the blessings come last. First comes the weaving, kind of like weaving a basket really, but this method is so tight, so strongly bound, that no form of Mortar is needed to hold things together." Ray said and began teaching them the weaving technique. Even with all of them working together, it'd take a full ten further days to finish re-weaving the forge, at which point it was time for the Altar.

[The Floor Kippers]

Time has clearly taken it's toll on Marshell Gartrell, but he worked as hard as he could.

Victoria was something else, she watched attentivly as Ray taught the weaving method, making detailed notes as she always did.

Ten Days later they stood looking upon what their labor had turned up so far.

"Quite amazing," Archetryx sayd, looking at the works, "What splendid work you've done."

"The best bit is yet to come from what Ray says," Victoria replied

[Warhaven]

"Again Victoria, that was just a dream you had. Reality is going to be far more disappointing. If anything, weaving it together WAS the most exciting part." Ray said.

Ray summoned an entire second forge and bowl. He cut open a foreleg and bled into the bowl then healed himself. Quickly while the blood was still warm he proceeds to mix in several measures of different types of dust. Normal dust, steel dust, coal dust, even the rare and hard to obtain Diamond Dust. This he mixes over the forge and proceeded to forge into a great tablet. In the nights leading up to completion, Ray had contacted all the guardian and Dragon Gods and let them know what was up, even including Nyx and Styx in the bunch.

Finished with the Tablet he set it into place at the top where the gods would be placed.

Then he got out a broom and completely swept the floor, cleaned it, washed it, carefully dried it, then drew a number of arcane symbols on and around the forge.

Finally he got out a piece that indicated Astal alignment, where the sun was in relation to the horizon, time of day, and local weather patterns. This he began to study with serious, quiet intent.

[The Floor Kippers]

One by one the gods arrived.
Androzani and Gallifrey were the first, Then Gryphox arrived with his daughter Gryphorae. Pelorum and Galador arrived together, Not long after them Auros arrived. Androzani's sons and Daughters were next along, Oberon, Othrys, Ranx, Exxilon, Bessan, Zygor, Vandos, Urbanka, Tigella and Tara. Telos would arrive with Diella presently.

"You can feel the divine energy here," Archetryx commented.

"Almost see it too," Victoria agreed, "It's like a heat haze, shimmering off the group"

[Warhaven]

Squeezing into the mix were Bahamut, Tiamet, Draconus, Castiel Ra, Nyx, and Styx.

"This time will be different from the original blessing," Ray remarked.

Ray stood and energy crackled off of him. Surrounding him were all The great Smiths of the Empire prior to Spiritus. Each one surrounded The Forge and drew power from all present. and channeled it into The Forge which filled like a basin and overflowed crawling upon the ceiling, walls, and floors. Dimensions seemed to pass through them all and the forge, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth. Briefly, it seemed made of Orange fire, and a Gallifrey head emerged on the left, then it shifted blue, and an Androzani head emerged on the right. These heads seemed to sway in sync with an unheard melody. Platnium overtook the forge and the sides became incased in platinum, from Bahamut. Going into a dark dimension, the flames turned Rainbow as Tiamet's mark appeared on the tablet. Winds blew them all about as Gryphox's seal appeared, followed by Pelorum's. Galado's soon followed and then the dark dimension vanished, replaced with the interior of a Tesseract, and it was here an image of Auros Ran all around the top of the forge. Jade and diamond set into place, followed by a white pearl and a black pearl.

The forge was glimmering with energy as Nyx and Styx's seals appeared.

Then with a flash the children appeared.

One by one The Great Smiths disappeared, as the area returned to normal.

"I, I live again!" The forge declared.

"Master Spiritus! It has been too long." The forge cried using the Androzani head to look at Ray.

"Aye, I am here to complete the Ceremony of Passing. I died lad, I came back to restore you, and pass you on to the modern world, via Marshall Gartrell, who is The Great Smith of Earth. At least these days he is. When he retires, he will pass you on to his chosen successor, and that person shall be Great Smith of Earth." Ray declared.

"Oh congratulations Marshall, being named Great Smith is quite an honor, it's like being Forgefather of Dwarvenholt, minus the dwarves." Bahamut said.

[The Floor Kippers]

Marshell's little glasses popped off his snout in surprise.

"I had no idea," He said modestly, "Thank you Ray, it's a great honour you bestow upon me."

"Congratulations Marshell," Victoria said, giving his hand a firm shake.

"A brand new era!" Archetryx exclaimed, taking in the majesty of the forge, "Heared in by the god as was done so many years ago!"

[Warhaven]

Ray turned Draco Sapien and had Marshall do the same. Coming together at the front of the forge, he had Marshall hold the hammer with him. With the two smiths holding the hammer, it seemed as if all fell in darkness, and in ever widening concentric circles formed out of a singular great spiral starting at the forge were all the Great Smiths to come before them.

"Only the one who welds the hammer controls the forge, only the smith whose skills are without compare, having no reason to believe their fate be down any other path, may weld The Sacred Forge Hammer. In service to those above, protecting those below, I do hearby name you Great Smith, and relinquish mastery of The Sacred Dragon Forge unto you." Ray said.

On by one, The Great Smiths of old bowed to Marshall Gartrell, Ray taking his place at the head of the line as the most recent Great Smith, and by the time he did so all the other Great Smiths had bowed to Marshall, and so too then did Ray also bow to Marshall.

"Master." The Forge said, dipping its heads slightly in acknowledgement.

Light returned, and all was normal. Ray came back over to Marshall's side.

"Now I meant it when I said the one who controls the hammer controls the forge. Think of it as a remote, except you can order the forge to do a variety of things while holding it. For example you can edit its self-defense parameters, you can decide who may or may not use the forge, you can order it to move, which coincidentally is how you're getting it back to Chesterfield Metalsmiths. Simply repeat after me. Forge, remove yourself from your foundations, it is time for you to move. Follow me." Ray said.

"It's true. I'll turn into a metal dragon and follow you home." The forge confirmed.

"Which reminds me, Intelligence of The Forge is always on, but it is also endowed with the essence of each Great Smith to come before it, so it can act as a sort of advisor. It does have some autonomous free-will, but not much. Which reminds me, Forge, Killing intruders in the modern world is unacceptable, capturing them is ok though." Ray said.

"Is this true?" The forge asked Marshall.

[The Floor Kippers]

"It is true," Marshell Confirmed, "Capture, detain and contact the Security team. I will give you a list later of who is authorised to use you. But while we're here, Victoria Dreadhammer is an authorised user."

"Truely this is a rediscovered wonder of the modern world," Archetryx said in awe.

[Warhaven]

"Who?" The forge asked.

"Her." Ray said, showing the forge a picture of Victora.

"I must have the essence of an owl, because again, who?" The forge asked.

"HER!" Ray shouted with exasperation pointing directly at Victoria.

"Yeah, I need direct personal introductions." The forge pointed out.

"WEll, other than copying all the scrolls, that's it. Shall I summon the monks of Dragon God Temple? As I said, their used to handling fragile ancient documents, the scrolls would be quite safe." Ray said.

"Meanwhile, give the command and I shall follow you home." The forge promised Marshall.

[The Floor Kippers]

"Follow me," Marshell instructed the forge, then he watched with amazment as it shifted into the form of a great metal dragon.

"I'd better get home too," Victoria declared, "I hadn't planned to be away from home this long, leaving poor Victor with the kids by himself."

And with that the great group that had gathered split apart, with the exception of Archetryx, who was excitedly outlining his new historic treatise on the structure of the crafting of the Dragon Empire to Lisa.

[Warhaven]

Alfred Monk and the monks of Dragon God Temple did indeed carefully gather the scrolls and hand copy them, returning the originals to Archetryx for their historic value, and delivering one complete set to Marshall, and one complete set to Victoria.

Victor and the kids had gotten on well. He'd entertained them with stories of their great-grandpa Bill's adventures, a notion that seemed to stick with the kids.

Meanwhile, King Matthew received a rare treat in the form of a personalized dream from Somnio, goddess of Dreams, and the mind. In this dream, he was a knight on horseback questing to rescue his love, Queen Adele, from an eldritch monster from beyond time and space. The dream ended with a victory, and a victor's kiss from Adele.

[The Floor Kippers]

It was such a pleasent dream that King Matthew woke with a contented smile on his face.
The Morning sun rose, and life In the Floor Kippers continued, not as it always had, for in the last few decades great changes had taken place, but as it always would now.

Magic and science living side by side. Trade across the mulitverse, a flow of visitors from beyond even the mind's imagining.

From the Royal Family and it's government in Bel-Gium all the way across the country to the dragons in Spiridon's Weyr, the day began.

Prince Arthur would watch as Princess Violet would run through flight drills with Aurum.

Quintus would wade through the political morass of another Prime Minister's Questions.

Bill would wake his wife on her birthday with a surprise breakfast in bed.

Douglas and Crissy would spend their morning, harmonising their minds and exploring the frequencies they created.

Life was good, and for once there was a quiet moment to appreciate it

[Warhaven]

One night, several nights later...

A small host found themselves seated in a replica of St. Bentons, Omni's light streaming out the windows. Except where the windows of Whovos were supposed to be were alcoves containing the actual incarnations of Whovos.

"And for today's topic, promises, and how I keep them. For starters, allow me to refresh your memories. Years ago, when The Planetary Barrier Shield was switched on, I promised among various things, that the total economic collapse of Earth had been averted. What I did not tell you was the shadow of the greater threat this alluded to." The incarnation of the old man said, having stepped down out of his Alcove.

In the audience were Quintus, but also all the ministers, and 80% of Parliament. Also present were Talia, Spiridon, The Dragonlords, and Aurum, The entire Lambert Family, the entire extended Council of Gods, including all the Greater Spirits from Harmony, and all the leaders of the different nations of Earth, plus the Ian, Moonbase, and EDF.

"You see, there exists among you lurking in the halls of Kipperese Parliament, a Traitor," Whovos said, to a collective gasp of surprise.

"Had I been more open with the truth, this traitor would've accelerated his plans and all would have been lost. I have been playing the long game, and now has arisen to remove this traitor, keeping my promise, and further enriching the world as a result. All are here because this traitor's machinations have extended unto every one of you, save the dragons, who were always wary with their hordes, and then protected with the introduction of the Dragon Bank. So here's what must happen, and if you do not follow, then you have chosen by your own free will the path of destruction and ruination.

It starts with Parliament. Taelia was about to begin offering government accounts. Quintus, you, and the other ministers will be the first to take her up on it. Have her review all financial records of the government, going back to four years before Carol went to meet Pondera. That's how far back, and how long this plot has been running. As Taelia begins discovering frightful things in the financial records, the news will undoubtedly leak, that's when all the rest of the world will join in, so as to be sure their records are safe, for the same time frame. Taelia, leading the bank, is but one half of my plan to defeat this traitor. She will of course be working through The Dragonlords who will be in turn working with local justice officials to dismantle one of the greatest conspiracies to ever turn its attention to the Earth.

The other half of my plan involves The House of Ianto-Phipps. Aylinn Ianto-Phipps, the eldest daughter of the house is young, full of energy and adventure. Phillip, when your daughter announces her plans to go adventuring, it is imperative that you agree to let her. She will be joined by Leslie Vexal, and Aylinn's own girlfriend Alice will join her as well, and through the Adventurer's Guild, they will embark on an incredible adventure, one that by my design and partly by chance, will bring them against this traitor's forces time and again.

ALL OF YOU BE VIGILANT! The Daughter of The House of Ianto-Phipps will send messages through many channels, bearing the older insignias of the houses that comprise her bloodline. These messages must be listened to, for if her adventure does not happen, if no one listens to her, then it doesn't matter how much progress the dragons make in the financial records, for an armada capable of overwhelming the gods themselves and annihilating the entire might of the armed forces of Earth and Warhaven is already at hand and waiting for the signal to attack. Yet, follow my plans, and all will be well." Whovos decreed.

"But, who is this traitor? How may we identify him?" Jack Vexal asked.

"You and the rest of Parliament will know him, for he will speak of charity as an investment, and yearn for a return on his investment, complaining about his view of the state of the world.

Yet here's the kicker, even when you know who it is, you cannot act directly, not until his plans are fully averted. You will know this has happened when Aylinn Ianto-Phipps fights this traitor to the death across the breast of The Multi-verse." Whovos declared.

He returned to his Alcove.

"Now, WAKE UP!" he commanded, and the dream ended...

.....

It was another fine day in The Floor Kippers, another session of Parliament. Moving through its halls was one of the most beloved figures in the nation, having been a large part of many young lives for multiple generations thanks to the children's shows he sponsored, a friend to the homeless and downtrodden, thanks to centers he funded to give them a hand up. Even Animals benefitted from his generosity as he worked to improve both zoos and existing wildlife habitats. That man hailed from the city of Belmouth, and carried its name as his own. Lord Alfred Belmouth, the nicest, friendliest noble anyone had ever met.

[The Floor Kippers]

Truly there was no man more smiled upon in the nation, even traffic wardens would smile and tear up the ticket they were writing if they discovered it was his car they were about to ticket. Lord Belmouth was a man who could count the royal family as very good freinds, he was even on their list for personal cards at the Festival of Whovos.

And so the counter measures began to play out.

At Prime Minister's Questions, Quintus had planted a question with a freindly opposition back bencher. Set to be asked when the chamber was at it's most full, at the very height of the session.

"Would the honorable prime minister tell the chamber, if on his moonlit flits, he discovered that one of the most stable and reliable banking systems exists in this very nation?" The MP began, shouting over the noise of the other members cheers and Jeers, "The Dragon Bank, run by the very dragons this nation adores and protects! And does the honorable prime minister know that the dragon bank does not allow non-dragon members to hold accounts? How does the honourable prime minister reconcile that fact with his, and his erstwhile successors legislation, forbidding descrimination of that type? Can we take it that the honorable prime minister's deeply held beliefs do not apply to dragons?"

A great cheer rose up from the opposition MPs, while those on Quintus's party jeered.

"I would like to thank the honorable Member for bringing that point up," Quintus replied, "I was aware of that fact. The honorable member should be aware that the Banking act of 1857 restricts banks on who it allows to open accounts for an initial period proportional to the amount of capital held within that bank on it's creation purely for the purposes of determining the financial soundness of that bank. The Dragon Bank is now nearing the end of that grace period, and myself, and my ministers will make all possible inroads to creating a smooth transition for this new bank to join the market."

He smiled to himself, there was a meeting with Taelia she'd booked not long after PMQs.
.....

He waited in the Cabinet room of 22 Wolverhampton Avenue with his ministers, waiting for Taelia to arrive at the appointed hour

[Warhaven]

Taelia arrived in Draco-Sapien form wearing a lovely business suit, Aurum off playing. She entered when appointed.

"For the record, I wasn't discriminating. Rather I was getting the financials of The Dragons in order, then of course there was the return of the wyverns, the lygor, the Eastern dragons, and I had to get them in order too. If I'd simply opened to everyone at once, it'd be chaos, and too many ships would be sinking under the sudden financial clout of the dragons. But now that everything is settled and calm, I've purchased a few smaller banks around the nation, starting next month, everyone can apply for an account." Taelia explained defensively.

Though she had been there in the dream too and suspected she knew what this meeting was really about.

[The Floor Kippers]

"It's fine," Quintus laughed, "It's just a little political drumbanging to set the scene for the meeting today. No-one thinks any the worse of you or your bank for it. As a nice little publicity piece, and a symbol of absolute faith in your bank, we'd like you to arrange for myself and my fellow cabinet ministers to open the first raft of new accounts in your bank as it enters the market."

Zoe Herriot, Minister for Scientific Development nodded, Sir Baron, Minister the Supernatural also nodded.
By Science, nor magic, could they be overheard.

"I'd also like you to take a look at the national accounts," He said, gesturing to his Chancellor to pass over a digital copy of the nation's accounts. Comb through our financial records, even if you have to go through the physical copies, you will be granted access to all areas under the Chancellor of the Exchanges."

[Warhaven]

"Very well, I will indeed be wanting access to the physical records as well. I shall leave no stone unturned." Taelia said.

She snapped and a pile of paperwork fluttered into being before them.

"But first things first, Government accounts work differently from Civilian accounts. Governments first require a master account, and can then open sub-accounts as they like. For the Master account, I advise joint ownership between the position of Prime Minister and The Royal Family. After you open your Master Account, you can open a sub-account for each ministry and any other area of government you feel deserves its own account. All accounts can be independently controlled, yet will remain subject to the final say of The Master Account, least the nation go astray or fight itself." Taelia explained.

She walked him through the first section, which was full of typical bank paperwork, then there was the second section.

"Being a member of The dragon Bank, you can have access to my vast network of trading partners. Need a rare resource? I've got you covered, wound up with too much of something? I know someone that needs it. All for a fair price of exchange, and a small fee for The Bank for arranging the trade." She explained.

Then there was the third section, which detailed the bank's financial advisory ability, and offered proof via several nations as to its success, the biggest of which was Warhaven, which seemed to have a never-ending supply of Wealth thanks to listening to The Dragon Bank's financial advisors.

Finally, they were almost done.

"One last question remains, official government debit cards, yes or no, and this question will be answered independently of both you and The Royal Family. If you say no and they say yes, they get cards and you don't, likewise if you say yes and they say no, no cards for them, but you'll get one. If no one says no, then no cards will be issued, and if everyone says yes, everyone gets a card, just make sure no one overdraws the account, or there will be penalties, as listed in the first section. Sub-accounts can have their own cards on an independent basis." Talia finished.

She hid financial records as she waited for Quintus to finish making up his mind.

[The Floor Kippers]

He cast around the room to the ministers to gauge their feelings. There were a sea of nods.

"I think we're agreed to have official cards for the accounts," He confirmed, "We can enact strict control over who has access to them at our end at the very least."

He slid a key across the table to Taelia.

"This is a master key for the Government Archives, Any physical records older than seven years are stored there, away from their respective ministries," He explained.
.....
Menwhile at Dawk Hall in Dawkshire, life was carrying on as normal for the Ianto-Phipps family, as normal as any family made up of vampire hunters, Amazons and Multiversal Troubleshooters could be anyway.

Phillip Ianto Phipps was on the main lawn, having had a pleasant afternoon tea with his gorgeous amazonian wife, Heather, he was now losing a game of Croquet to her. Badly.

[Warhaven]

Taelia printed a card on the spot, then put her equipment away.

"All subsequent government accounts can be made at will on The Hypernet," Taelia said, then walked the group through logging into the bank's website, logging into their own Master account, then choosing the option to make a sub-account, and set one up for The Ministry of Defense. Much like Quintus, General Ryan was able to choose the design on his card. There were thousands to choose from, or he could upload one of his own. The most popular design was a picture of Taelia glaring angrily at the cardholder for daring to spend money. The Hypernet printed General Ryan's card after he made his selections.

"Remember, the cards are tied to the position, not the person, so any changes in power, keep that in mind," Taelia warned.

Business done, she stopped by The Royal Palace where she sneakily left Aurum to play with Violet earlier and brought The Royal Family up to speed on the account opening and her opinion that the Master Account for The Floor Kippers should be jointly controlled between The Royal Family and The Prime Minister. Of course, the Royal Family could open their own accounts additionally, either as a sub-account or as separate private accounts since they were individuals and not elected officials.

Once she got that accomplished, and all their financial details, Taelia returned to the Weyr with Aurum, who was commandeered to be her assistant.

........

As Heather scored another victory, Aylinn approached her parents.

"Mom, Dad, I was thinking, I'm young, energetic, full of adventure, so why don't I go have one or two? I wouldn't be alone, I'd take my girlfriend Alice with me, and our good friend Leslie Vexal. We'd go through The Adventurer's Guild, take on a couple of low priority missions, high-safety. We'd have our fun and get some multi-versal experience under our belt." Aylinn asked.

"Gotta be careful about the low priority missions, sometimes they get out of hand and evolve into Epic once in a lifetime adventures. But otherwise, I don't see why not, what do you think dear? Aylinn and Alice are my two best students, able to handle Melee and ranged combat equally well, they've got a good sense for tactics, strategy, and a healthy dose of caution." Heather put in.