Personno says to you,"Now is not a good time, Gracious One. My best turban is in the laundry and I would not want you to be offended by my second-best attire. Please, return again later."
You say to Personno,"Of course."
"Ah, Gracious One! I am always pleased to see you. I believe you will find the tale of the Twin Dragons most pleasing."
You say to Personno,"Begin."
"We have always called them "Twin Dragons" though they are not twins but are betrothed to each other. They came to our lands when turmoil struck their chosen realm: the Plane of Sky."
You say to Personno,"Go on."
"Now, dragons are crafty beings that can influence others to do their will. These dragons influenced the djinn master to grant them the power to change shape. This power pleased them greatly."
You say to Personno,"Go on."
"In their greed, the dragons continued to change shape at will. Now, one is never sure whether one is speaking to a dragon or to a regular person. Some say they frequent Maj'Dul when not in dragon form."
You say to Personno,"Go on."
"Beware the dragons' voice, Gracious One. They will try to persuade you that they were wronged by the djinn! Such a thing would be laughable, would it not? That is the tale for now."
You say to Personno,"I shall return later."
"You will be happy to know, Gracious One, that I have remembered an old story about the djinn and how we first arrived here. Please be seated and I will share it with you."
You say to Personno,"Go on."
"Know that in ancient times, the djinn answered only to themselves and not as today, to any mortal holding their anchor. In order to create unity, several of our kin allied themselves into what you might consider a league: the Uruvanians. Thus, we were able to protect large holdings for ourselves and our followers."
You say to Personno,"Go on."
"Though we are by nature a peaceful folk, many sought to entrap us by capturing a part of our heritage in order to hold us hostage. As the changes were being wrought throughout our worlds, many djinn sought a place where we could continue our harmonic existences."
You say to Personno,"Go on."
"Alas, this was not to be, for as some of our kind arrived in these inhospitable lands, the Vizier sought to control us and bend us to his will. We are quite willing to serve where necessary, but the Vizier is a cruel being whose ache for power is boundless."
You say to Personno,"Go on."
"Be wary of him, Gracious One! Seek not to bring yourself to his attention lest he attempt to do wrong by you, as he has to those of us who escaped the collapsing Planes and made our home in the desert."
You say to Personno,"I will keep that in mind."
"Shall I tell you the story of seven bad crocodiles, Gracious One?"
You say to Personno,"Yes."
"Long ago, crocodiles threatened to overrun the lands, being prolific egg-layers whose nests were constantly replenished. Now, the crocodiles were almost all content to make do with what was available to them, yet seven young hatchlings found the overcrowding too much to bear."
You say to Personno,"Go on."
"These seven decided that they would much rather there be fewer crocodiles so that they would rise to the top of their peculiar hierarchy and eventually rule their kind. To that end, they plotted to remove one egg a night from each of their nests and destroy it, thus reducing the competition."
You say to Personno,"Go on."
"On the first night, each of the seven crocodiles waited until their parents had wandered away for a nap and then they selected one egg at the edge of each of their nests. Using their noses, the crocodiles pushed the chosen egg away from the nests where the harpies soon found them and feasted."
You say to Personno,"Go on."
"On the second night, each of the seven crocodiles waited until their parents had wandered away for a nap and then they selected one egg at the edge of each of their nests. Using their noses, the crocodiles pushed the chosen egg away from the nests where the harpies soon found them and feasted."
You say to Personno,"Go on."
"On the third night, each of the seven crocodiles waited until their parents had wandered away for a nap and then they selected one egg at the edge of each of their nests. Using their noses, the crocodiles pushed the chosen egg away from the nests where the harpies soon found them and feasted."
You say to Personno,"Wait a minute; this is sounding too familiar."
"My apologies, Gracious One! I forgot that you are not used to the Uruvan storytelling tradition. We djinn appreciate the spoken word and thus, enjoy a tale which does not skip such details. I will refrain from continuing in this manner. Suffice to say, the seven crocodiles ended up as the rulers of their kind due to their plan."
You say to Personno,"I appreciate it."
"Gracious One, today I am in the mind to tell you the story of the Silent City."
You say to Personno,"Go on."
"Now, in the desert there is a city of the undead, the Silent City. Once it was a city teeming with life, filled with every comfort imaginable. Sweet dates and figs, cakes of all sorts, roasted meats...everything you could wish for was available."
You say to Personno,"Go on."
"Some said a city so wondrous could not exist and was surely legendary. How could one place be both so beautiful and so filled with treasures and happiness? They say, Gracious One, that the gods do not like mortals to be happy. Perhaps that is why things happened this way."
You say to Personno,"Go on."
"For though the city had been beautiful and happy for many long years, there came a time when its forests lay in ruins and its walls were buried beneath the ever-changing sands. And so today, the city is not as it once was, but is as it is and its residents are restless. Curb your happiness in order to retain a measure of it, Gracious One."
You say to Personno,"I'll think about this."