John finds himself being throw to the floor by the guards after being dragged for some distance to a new building. He looks up to see an older Lamia woman lying on a platform with a gold necklace that covers her shoulders. John can with a quick glance see Nasha and her mother are nearby. The older Lamia says to the guards “Who is this stranger?”

One of the guards approaches her bowing quickly before speaking “The Mother, He…is…Human and…he had this on him” she hands the older Lamia the amulet that seems bound to John.

The Mother takes the amulet from the guard and looks it over with wide eyes and says “Is this The Traveler’s Amulet? Are you he?”

John gets the nerve to stand up and says “That’s what I’ve been told.” The guards seem stunned by his attitude towards her “Look, I’m going to be up front with you. I went through some strange portal and landed here.” He motions to Nasha saying “Nasha fond me and brought me here to find out more. Do you know more about this Traveler?”

The Mother looks at the amulet says “Not much is known about The Traveler.  He comes at times of need. You could say he is a bad omen that trouble is near.” She holds the amulet in both hands and brings it to her lips as she looks John with an intense stare as if she is thinking about something deep. John stares right back at her. The Mother pulls the amulet away from her mouth and says “though having a human male as a lover and a communal husband for my Daughters would make me the envy of my Sisters.  I dare not to offend The All Mother. For The Traveler has a greater purpose than being a simple mate for me and my Daughters.” John is not sure how to respond to her statement. The Mother says “As such I will let you go. If you want answers to you question about The Traveler and your purpose. I suggest you seek out a greater being than me.” She hands the amulet back to the guard who takes it back to John.

John says “and what being would that be?” as he puts the amulet back on.

The Mother says “A Dragon. I know of one to the east of here. It is a long journey that will take months for you to make. I will provide you with what you need to start this journey. As such, I would be fool to send you alone. So you make take my Daughter Nasha with you.”

Both Nasha and her mother look shocked at the statement with Nasha’s mother saying in protest “But, The Mother…” The Mother slaps her tail on the ground and gives Nasha’s mother a quick stern look and Nasha’s mother lowers her head and says in softer voice “Your will be done.” John can almost see her holding back tears.

The Mother continues by saying “I also don’t think it is wise to have you walking around as you are. So I suggest my spell casters make you a mask to hide your true identity.”

John looks towards Nasha for a moment and see that she looks a little scared. He then says to The Mother “Thank you for your wisdom and compassion.”

John and Nasha are preparing to leave. They haven’t spoken a word since leaving the The Mother. John is almost done packing the bag they have provided for him when Nasha’s mother enters the room. She hands John what looks like a simple brown half face masquerade mask. She says to him “wear this and the illusion will make you look like a race similar in shape and form to you.”

John puts it on and looks at Nasha and says “how do I look?”

Nasha’s mother says before giving Nasha a chance to speak “It will not work on her, for she already knows what you look like.” Nasha’s mother then puts a cloak on him.

John says “Does this also have magic to help be hide my identity?”

Nasha’s mother says “No, it just helps the illusion the less people see of you…and to keep you dry.”

John slings the bag over his shoulder and walks out to give Nasha and her mother sometime alone. John stands outside the room and listens to them talk. Nasha’s mother says to her “You be careful out there. I know The Mother has wisdom in her decision to send you with him. Even if we don’t see it right now.”

Nasha says “I will. I love you mother.” They hug and then Nasha leaves to room to meet up with John.

After John and Nasha leave the village they head towards the forest. John decides to try and break the awkward silence between them by asking Nasha a little bit about what happened back there. He says “Why did you all refer to that older Lamia as mother?”

Nasha says “The Mother is the title we give to leader of our village. The reason we call her that is because we are all related to her. I am her granddaughter.”

John says “Woah, so everyone back there was your family.”

Nasha says “Most were, some were adopted from other families.  They still refer to The Mother as The Mother out of respect for her taking them in.”

John says “she mentioned having a sister.  Were they there as well?”

Nasha says “No. It is rare to have two or more The Mothers in a village. Conflict arises between them. So in order to keep the peace. When The Mother dies, her direct daughters do a count of family members directly related to them. The one with the most stays in the village, while the others leave to form new villages.”

John says “What if one of the direct daughters passes before The Mother passes? What happens to their children?”

Nasha says “They typically align with one of the surviving daughters.  Many will actually choose to leave with one of the smaller families to help make sure that they can survive.”

John says “and who is the All Mother?”

Nasha says “The All Mother is our chief deity.  It is said that she is the one that birthed the Lamia race. She has a daughter that represent each of the different Lamia races. You should save your strength for the travel ahead.”

John says “I think I can manage.”