Chapter Twenty One Point Five : Dragonfirre Insights

So you might be wondering about the purpose of this entry well it had crossed my mind that while I have been in the past describing in perhaps a slightly slanted view of the events that have been transpiring since I arrived on Emerald. Now it might be a little confusing to some with my many different cover identities what with Markessa De’Mornae and Beauty the Brain to name a few well for the record my real name is Elysia Brenna. Well I figured an excellent way to start clearing up some of those potential descriptive issues would be to relate in more detail some of the insights into the characters I have been travelling with that now are part of the band called Dragonfirre. I will admit in advance that so far I have found it quite interesting that with such a diverse group of individuals that comprise our current band I actually like all of them. Well to be honest I more than like a few of them and no doubt due only partially to my caprice and lustful Sidhe nature. I will do my best to not be how shall we say biased and I will do my best to exclude my libido and focus more on my intellect. Now of course that being said if it seems that I have suddenly painted many of my fellow Dragonfirre members in a new light at least having mentioned in advance the propose of this entry into my Trails and Tribulations the clarity of our vision may become clear.

So perhaps I should begin this insightful dialog with a few thoughts and observations I have made about and The Associate of mine who I have been calling Alex the Blade. Now of course I should note for the six years we had known each other by our cover identities being Morgan the Nimble for Alex and of course Markessa De’Mornae for myself. Now ironically Morgan who as it would turn out was not an Elf at all but in reality a Changeling who was posing as an Elf. So that in and of itself poses some very interesting questions to be sure but I will get to those. Now I know a lot of people might very well be wondering what in the world is a Changeling and to be honest I only know because of my Mothers position with the Unseelie Court and because Morgan was not the first Changeling with which I had had the pleasure to meet. But suffice to say Alex the Blade can assume just about any humanoid form that he might chose be it male or female and will leave all the other opportunities that leaves open to the imagination. One might wonder how the man I had come to know as Morgan the Nimble a suave and eloquent Merchant of Hyboria had been somehow transformed into The Associate a figure designed to inspire fear and dread into those who would oppose Dragonfirre well I would have to agree that is a good question. Could it have had anything to do with many of our companions giving him the name Assassin or could it perhaps have something to do with unrequited love and green devourer of good known as jealousy. I know how is it possible for a Ninja who vanishes and reappears next to unarmed and helpless foes who fall like twigs to the ground lifeless be insulted when they are called an Assassin. Well this is what leads me to believe it has something in reality to do with the green devourer. Well as it would turn out Alex the Blade is actually in love with Beauty the Brain and therein lies perhaps the biggest part of the problem. Of course it did not help that a canny Fey Beguiler known as Drusilia Nailo who also so happened to be my Mentor as well as my Mother had for all intents and purposes bound Morgan the Nimble with magics and psionics that had made it all but impossible for him to be for lack of a better term sexually active with me. Does it matter that my Mother actually had the bindings performed in order to protect me and in order to place someone in my life that I would not end up seducing and binding to my will in order for me to learn the value of friendship and love. What I am unsure of was if my Mother had ever anticipated that Morgan would fall in love with me and find himself trapped by the bindings which only my Mother could safely remove in another time and world and how it might begin to effect his psyche. So while the others members of the band might see my beloved Alex’s actions being rash and odd they are actually starting to make perfect sense to me. I mean I can imagine what I would be like if someone as attractive and intelligent as me who I desired was within arm’s reach and I was unable to even touch them for but moments at a time. Now compound that with that same person flirting around sleeping with anyone they pleased with me being the only exception. Of course don’t forget that you would also have to believe in a outdated relationship model where one man is destined for one woman exclusively. When taken into perspective it is really not a mystery why The Associate has started to become one with the Plane of Shadow and begin to consider embracing the dark side. I will have to do my best to ensure that my beloved Alex the Blade while caressing the darkness remembers that his Beauty the Brain’s heart and soul remain in the light and be sure to remind him not to turn his back on love for Aphrodite will find a way.

Now while I will admit I am a true beauty not far behind me would be the charming, exotic and absolutely stunning Warlock Nialla of Iranastan who has adopted the guise of Dirty Anna on Emerald. Sadly I have become aware that my darling Dirty Anna who had fled Iranastan and the oppressive Mullahs had actually been fleeing something far more dangerous to her soul. I the smell of brimstone had not been enough of a clue as I was too soon find out she birth may have been more akin to my own. Sadly where I had the strong blood of a powerful Fey to protect me from my Fiendish nature in the end Dirty Anna was no doubt born of a mortal woman and if not who she calls the Dark One or for the love of Aphrodite forbid the Black Angel Asmodeus the Prince of Evil Himself. Well alright I heard her speaking of the Dark One the Black Angel and something about Father during one of her frightful nightmarish nights, but then I have yet to confront her about my suspicions as of yet. So while I had in my travels actually been to Iranastan and seen the Witch’s of her Clan before they never struck me as being that impressive but at the time I was of course posing as a diplomatic aid and being a woman the excessive amount of clothing I had been forced to wear by my Mother was one of the many reasons that stay in the country had been insightful but short one. Which was one of the many reasons as soon as I had the chance I had ripped the oppressive and sexist clothing from Dirty Anna’s body and she has been a more free and liberated woman ever since. Now any insight would be remise if I did not voice my concern about the retractable talons, fangs and that hideous brimstone tattoo that had been emblazed upon her forehead not to mention her appetite for flesh. I will admit I used to hang with so really dangerous individuals and during my time with the Cult of Loki I had acquired some shall we say liberated sexual appetites so to speak and yes bloodletting was sometimes involved. Let’s just say that is a part of my past since the return of Aphrodite to my life I try to leave behind me. Now of course with the change in Dirty Anna it is right in front of me again and I realize that she has developed an appetite that I realize may very well be hard to feed. I mean really how do you go about telling your fellow band members hold on a sec that Red Menace Agent we just slew is still fresh have at it Dirty Anna. I can just imagine how well that would play out and then of course there is that evil soul bound into a black crystal that I conceal with magic from Clean Eugene every day. Shall we say the temptation to consume the soul for power is something that Dirty Anna must eternally fight lest she succumb to dare I say it the dark side. Now of course that irritating Miracle Mike and the liquid darkness that had filled my beloved backed up by the power of two evil artifacts which seem to creating a environment of pure evil is something that my darling must also resist. You guessed it for while her soul is still currently good she actually needs an environment where evil is prevalent otherwise she suffers. No amount of makeup is sufficient to hide her bloodshot eyes and then haggard look she awakens with each morning but she had been enduring it as the price for the power she no doubt feels is necessary to make her dream to save Hyboria and perhaps even one day rule a plane of Hell. I thank Aphrodite every day for bringing Dirty Anna into my life and I am fortunate she was not immune to my charms and what I feel for her and she for me is love without price. I realize it will not be an easy task to protect her from the path she has started down but thank Aphrodite I won’t have to do it alone for Clean Eugene a bastion of good with the mental and physical fortitude of Hercules flowing thru his veins will be there to make sure that Dirty Anna prevails against the darkness that flows within her.
Could there be a more physically impressive and as well as angelically attractive Silverbrow that could have been chosen to become part of Dragonfirre than Erik Normash now know as Mickey the Torch perhaps the true fire and passion of our band than I would be amazed. Truly that is not an idle statement for in the guise of Astridr Hansen I had travelled the North of Hyboria and met many Silverbrow and truly Mickey the Torch was the first I had ever met or even heard of that bound himself to the path of the Gold Dragon. He was truly a rare find and I could tell having someone with the blood and morality of the most noble of dragon kind was truly something that my fellow members of Dragonfirre were unable to fully appreciate. To say it simply he embodies Honor and Goodness perhaps his only downfall is the taint of greed. Well no one ever said Dragons were perfect and perhaps Mickey the Torch sometimes might come off a harsh to some but I truly value the fact that he always tells it like he sees it free of the need for any deception. While it’s true he is cautious and not quick to trust like his people the Asgardians once his trust is gained one will never be able to say they have not found someone who will face any evil and hold it until it is defeated or the call to withdraw has been given and even then he will be the last to leave. He has the passion of warrior and a soulful heart always willing to show mercy. Perhaps that is why I have found myself so drawn to him or it could be the subtle flirtations that we share which I am sure are obvious to my fellow band members. It was Mickey the Torch that actually came up with the name of our group Dragonfirre and it is a name that I am completely comfortable building what I shall once day call our Hoard. I realize as of late that Mickey the Torch has started to become intolerant of the bloodthirsty nature of many of our band and in truth may cause him to make a mistake if he is not careful. I will do my best to watch over him and protect him well actually after we have rid him of the liquid darkness currently infecting him. Meanwhile the heart and soul of Dragonfirre Mickey the Torch I am sure will stand ready to defend us and make sure we are held accountable for our actions so that while we must combat the forces of darkness we do not succumb to the trap and become evil ourselves.

If one were to try to find the ultimate personification of harmony between mortal and nature yet somehow manage to be both judge, teacher as well as preserver than you might begin to understand a mere glimmer of the Elf known as Buerick of the High Forest and bastion of Obad-Hai who for lack better name that could truly encompass all he embodies I settled upon Slick Rick. The Elven Paragon and Guardian of the Stone of Tongues known on Emerald as Slick Rick is perhaps the most versatile and formidable weapon we could have been blessed by the Gods to have been blessed with. For one if not for his presence I would have never had the chance to find and embrace my Fey side which was a gift I had believed in the past I had forever forsaken. Second he has never failed when we needed it which has been often to save us from disaster before it had a chance to devour us. Third his faith and confidence in me and the acceptance of my Fey nature has made me loyal to him in a way that by Aphrodite I am unable to truly yet describe. To say I love him would not do it justice. To say that I want to make love with him would be obvious but for the first time in my life I wonder if I am truly yet worthy of the honor. I know it sounds weird coming from me I know and while it’s not that I don’t think I would utterly rock his world perhaps it more like I feel that I might corrupt him somehow and perhaps when he seeks me out on his own then the time will be right. While I realize Alex the Blade feels that Slick Rick owes him some kind of respect and I am sure some of the others sometimes fail to grasp his wisdom and depth and if anyone ever stood against him by all the powers at my command they would rue the day. That being said it is his belief in Lucky Ron who seems to have somehow gained his respect that truly amazes me and perhaps is the only reason why Lucky Ron and I have not had a more intriguing confrontation before now. I am not saying he is all knowing but he stands apart from the rest of us and has the wisdom gained from decades of life and therefore I will honor him and his wishes for if life is to be ever restored to the Realm within the Stone which I believe will be the key to saving what is left of Hyboria than Slick Rick the King of Fey of the Realm within the Stone has for now a willing servant.

He may be seem harsh at times having been forged in times of war but in truth if one truly looks into his soul than one would perceive a man who had given up much to acquire a serenity which could only be possible from one who had managed to forge body, mind, will and his magical katana which he has imbued with his own life force and thus transforming himself into an instrument of justice. Shiron the Kensai is just such a man and somehow he also seems often blessed with the first part of the name I chose for him and I feel Lucky Ron is truly fitting. It is sometimes easy for me to forget that he is actually human but I will admit it is a pleasure to watch his inner calm expand into the world in sometimes eloquent speech or even fierce physicality. Aright so perhaps a little hero worship for a man of small stature but then again my Mother often said big things often come in little packages. I mean truly the time he jumped into his backpack of holding in order to save himself from what would have been certain death was truly inspired. So if that was luck or just his training and from what I perceive as an ability to never see a no win scenario or a combination of other factors I could care less he has the qualities of a winner. I mean really in ever contest there are winners and losers and in truth if I was putting a team or a band like Dragonfirre together I would want a winner like Lucky Ron on my team. So while I prefer to let him be the verbal face of Dragonfirre when it seems that we are going to resort to physical means to solve the issue since if that fails I know that my superior diplomatic skills can then be brought to bear on the situation. We had spoke about in the past I had informed him when we are in situations where combat is expected the last thing I want to become is a target and as a warrior forged in combat and war I have found that Lucky Ron is well versed in adversity. Well yeah there is that ruthless part which of course lead to whole Miracle Mike situation but to be honest I was almost ready to kill the evil cretin myself. So while I had been thinking about it Lucky Ron had decided to do something about it. Never let it be said that Lucky Ron is not a man of action and if nothing else he has taught me that the elaborate planning and scheming methods that I had grown accustomed to perhaps might not be truly worthy of a band called Dragonfirre. Well that is going to be what the Hoard is going to be all about but then again that is another scheme in within my deck of plots which I shall leave under wraps for now. Lucky Ron and I have also come to another important understanding that of sometimes you can give someone to much information to deal with at one time. When I first joined the band I will be honest I can only say I had one true friend and that was Morgan. Now I have all of Dragonfirre who have become my family and I have had to realize that while in the past is was always my way with my lesser thralls. I tried so hard to prevent myself from by force of habit deceiving my friends that I often gave them to much information to try and digest at one time and therefore made them even less effective. Lucky Ron has helped me learn to keep things honest and open yet not manipulative. I have given my word to Lucky that I will never willing deceive him since I realize that while he often seems to act as if he is the law perhaps that is sometimes a good thing for if left to my own devices with my beauty and charm even I fear what might happen. So I take the good with the bad and while I don’t actually find him sexually attractive I would not be above sharing the bounty of my body with a winner like Lucky Ron for after all what better prize could a man hope for.

How we managed to be blessed with such a truly impulsive and hedonistic Paladin of Hercules such as Yussuf with an ego big enough to fit inside a Storm Giant only the Gods perhaps know the answer. But I will say this by Aphrodite I am thankful for his presence for his focus, pure heart and commitment to what is true and good in the world has become a true inspiration to me and somehow his Dragonfirre name Clean Eugene just seemed to be the perfect fit. So alright when he first arrived and Dirty Anna was stricken by his charisma and the pure emanation of good that literally flowed out of him I had been at first unaffected. It was not until I saw how he rhetoric and confidence in his abilities and the power of Hercules which had preserved him through the hardship of the journey to Emerald that I truly realized how the others might very well see me. I mean I realize that I am perhaps the most diplomatic actress and mistress of disguise many of my fellow band members have ever seen with a intellect to rival any Wizard and the charm any Bard would be envious of I have always just taken it for granted that everyone realized that fact. Well not Yussuf he saw me as a woman well alright a very sexy woman but actually he at first had seemed more attracted to Dirty Anna than myself. Which at the time I had found humorous for I realized what that had meant that I was taking it more than just a little over the top. The sexual banter and flirtations that had ensured had been the most fun I had had since the time I had visited the Seelie Court and surely something that I hadn’t even realized I had needed. I will admit while I had a feeling that my beloved Alex the Blade might not approve I knew even then that there was no way I was not going to find a way for Dirty Anna and myself to sample the power of Hercules. So while there have been some obstacles in the road I am confident in the abilities of Clean Eugene and the light within him which I know will never dim as the darkness tries to surround us on all sides. What a joy it is has been to wake with his light on one side and Dirty Anna’s darkness on the other it has truly been bliss. I will admit I have tried to get a group event together well alright they sometimes call it something else but I am striving to stay pure for Clean Eugene’s sake. I begin to wonder about the phrase we had to learn from the Stone of Tongues “In the brightest day, In the blackest night, No evil shall escape my sight, Let those who worship evils might, Beware my power…, Green Lanterns light!” while I don’t know what a Green Lantern is I wonder if they were speaking of the ideals upheld by Clean Eugene. Truly the addition of a hedonistic Green Lantern like Clean Eugene was just the right kind of injection that Dragonfirre needed and by Aphrodite it continues to be a pleasure.

So there you have it a little insight into my fellow band mates of Dragonfirre and the Hoard. While it true I am still working on the Hoard when I am done we will have an organization truly worthy enough to stand on its own right and meanwhile with the aid the Organization if the Red Menace continues to get in the way instead taking the time to listen to what we have to say they may soon find themselves burned to ash. Now you might be wondering where this leaves me well while we may seem to sometimes not get along I would still chose Dragonfirre as my family over my own of which I may actually highlight one of these days. Until then remember Dragonfirre Owns The Night.