Ess-Eschas

I'll see if I can put a set together, but it might take a little time. I'd need to put together a new tileset for this, since the one I have already uses the slightly different Exile II graphics. However, now that I've got a working system in place, it should be quicker than making the first set! Also, I took a quick wander around Exile to get those town entrances you were looking for:

It's nice to have that confirmed! I'd assumed that that was how the inner corner system worked, but I didn't have any way of knowing that for certain. I imagine that Blades of Exile does things in more or less the same way as the original trilogy. I was a little unclear in what I wrote, though. Those corner tiles I were referring to weren't the L shape tiles you get on an inner corner (which you can form from, say, combining I and _), but the outer corners. These corners are the little sections of frills that appear only in the very corner of the tile, and link together two edge-frill tiles on either side. So, for example, if you had a square of land in the middle of water, the corners of that square would be outer corners. That third square of pit frills has all four of those little blobs of frills in the corners. Still, I haven't yet experimented with using the frill tileset I've generated, so it's possible that the original game behaves in a different way from what I've assumed. I put together the complete set of frills just in case, but it's possible that they're not all used.

Hello nepenthe88, Crystal Souls behaves in a slightly different way to earlier Spiderweb games, as Randomizer says. The version available on the website is only a demo version, and the full version is an entirely separate file. This means that the demo version can't be unlocked using a registration code; instead, you'll need to download a new, complete version. If you bought the game from Spiderweb's website, you should have been sent an email that contains a download link for the full game. For me, this came from Humble Bundle rather than Spiderweb (since Jeff is using their technology for ordering). The best bet might be to have a look for that email, since the download link should still work. If you don't have the email anymore, I suggest contacting Spiderweb's support. They're very good with issues like this, and very understanding. If you send them your name and the email address you bought the game with, they should be able to confirm your transaction and send you a link themselves. Here's their address: support@spiderwebsoftware.com

Hello InfiniteArcanum, The answer to this question isn't straightforward, since there are some slightly different statements in several of the games. That's a nice dragon, by the way!

This is really great work, Galadrin! Well done for producing the full map! I'm sure that getting the map together into this format by hand must have taken a lot of time, and it's nice to see a map of the original caves in their full form (and in the first set of original graphics, too). I've also been working on making a map like this, and I've been using a slightly different approach. Because of this, I've done some thinking about the how the Exile games produce their graphics. There are a few complications that mean making a map like this is a little awkward. Unfortunately, if you want to make the map look like it does in the games, you'll need to make a few alterations in addition to correcting the walls. The exile games make use of terrain frilling at the borders of certain terrains. This means that the borders of areas of water, lava and pits look slightly different from the standard tiles: the borders include a little portion of the neighbouring grey land in a wavy pattern. This makes the border between the water, say, and the land look more natural, rather than being a straight line. For instance, here's an example showing how the frills work on water: https://lparchive.org/Exile-Escape-from-the-Pit/Update 33/1-029_exileLP_007.png This is in the newer graphics, I'm afraid, but it applies to the old ones too. The edges of the water are slightly wavy, rather than being straight lines. So, if you wanted to be purist about this, you'd need to put together frills for the edges of all the water, lava and pits. Having said that, though, I doubt anyone would much notice if they were missing! I say this because I've been worrying about this for my own map. I've put together a complete set of frills for the Exile 2 graphics for all tiles, including additional tiles such as bridges and rocks (which doesn't take as much time as it sounds). I should then be able to put together a map using some automated processes to generate the frills – at least partially at any rate. If I get it to work, I'll let you know! If you want to try running Exile I again, I'm using SheepShaver to run the game on Mac OS 7.5.5 (on a Mac), and it runs very nicely. It's a little bit of a pain to set up correctly to begin with, I'm afraid, but it's something you'd only need to really do once. In any case, sorry for nitpicking! I think you've got a great map here, and a really nice illustration of the caves! P. S. For those that are interested, I think that the early Exile games generate the frills automatically depending on which tiles border which tiles. If a terrain requires a frill, the appropriate frill of the pit tileset is overlaid over the bordering tile. You can see this most clearly in Exile 2, where the bridge tiles actually have land covering the end of the bridge if you look closely enough. The frilling is quite clever, since there are only 3 terrain frill tiles, both of which contain multiple sets of frills (west-east, north-south and corners).

Hello BetinaMod, I think what's happening here is that Avernum 5 is trying to find the save files you removed, and is giving you an error because it can't access them. Basically, the game will expect to see some save files, and is getting confused because they aren't there. From what you've said, it sounds like you still have your old save files. If you do, the best way to deal with this would probably be to make a copy of those files and then put the originals back in the place you originally found them. For me, this in a folder named 'Avernum 5 Saved Games' in the 'Documents' folder, but this may be different if you're using Windows (the little 'Tech Support' document in the Avernum 5 folder will tell you where this folder is for you if you're having problems). Avernum 5 should then be able to see those files, and the game should be able to save again as normal. You could then save over your old files with saves from your new team, confident that you have a copy of those saves somewhere else on your computer. If you don't have the files any more, you can still fix the problem. Find the file named 'Avernum 5 Prefs' and delete it (although I'd make a copy of it beforehand and store that copy elsewhere, just to be safe). This is the file that stores information about how the game runs on your computer. The next time you start Avernum 5, it will be as if you were starting the game again for the first time. The game will create new saved files for you from scratch, and you'll be up and running again!

Hello DonB, This is a strange problem, and I don't recall hearing about anything like this happening to anyone before. This isn't particularly novel advice, I'm afraid, but probably the best thing you could do would be to email Spiderweb and see what they say. Their support line is really very good, and they should be able to help you. No-one knows more about the inner workings of these games than Jeff does! You can email Spiderweb support here: support@spiderwebsoftware.com It's odd that the crash occurs in both versions of the game. The only idea I have on my end is this: if possible, try using the regular game and, before starting the sequence where you follow the scout, leave the zone and return. It's possible that some troublesome information is being stored in your save file. Given how Spiderweb games tend to work, this might be removed by forcing the area to reload, and that can be done by leaving and returning.

As it happens, the game did actually have a CD, although it wasn't really well advertised. I have one! Back when the game was first released, there was an option to also have the game sent on CD for a small extra cost. I imagine that's what you have, TJ Hedgescout. The CD was sent entirely as an extra, though. The original registration process still happened if you ordered a CD. That means that you still registered in the normal way, TJ Hedgescout, and were sent a registration code. It might be worth checking your emails to see if you can find one sent from Spiderweb at around that time. It should contain your registration key. That should allow you to download a new copy from Spiderweb's website and register it again. If you can't find that then, as Lilith suggested, you should try emailing support@spiderwebsoftware.com. Give them as much information as you can remember, and they should be able to sort you out. They're very good. There's even a special page for this if you'd be happier not emailing! http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/support/newkey.html

Hello General_Jah, I'm guessing from how you've phrased this that you're referring to Avernum: Escape from the Pit, and not to the Avadon games. The titles are pretty similar! There is nothing unique in any of the starting classes in Escape from the Pit. As you say, these classes simply assign some starting points in the character stats. The amount of stat increases is the same for all classes: three points in the primary stats (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence and Endurance), five points in the secondary stats (those on the righthand side of the training screen) and one trait. So, in terms of numbers, there's no particular advantage in choosing one class over any other. No class gets any unique skills or traits. The reason these classes are there, I feel, is to provide a starting point for building certain types of characters. Sure, you could customise every party member from scratch, but since most players will be playing a lot of the same sorts of characters (a priest, a mage, a melee pole-user etc.), it makes sense from a game-design perspective to include templates for them. So, think of the classes as a template for starting your character out. You could always start with a template and then develop the character into something completely different, but that could waste those initial few points. That might not sound like much, but it could make all the difference later on, especially on higher difficulties! P. S. This hasn't always been the case. In earlier Avernum games, some classes got more (or less!) skill point investment than others, and starting skills directly determined what spells you had access to at the start of the game. This isn't the case any more.

Hello Randy, Just to check, are you referring to the sentinel standing on the small hill in the southeastern section of Tranquility? This is the sentinel that Malachite is talking about. I ask because I don't think this sentinel should ever turn hostile unless you attack it directly and without provocation, and I wanted to make sure you weren't checking the wrong one! If you have destroyed the sentinel, there isn't an easy way to respawn the creature that I am aware of. If you still want to finish the quest, though, you could do so by editing the scripts. Here's one approach. 1. Go into the folder 'Avernum 5 Files' and then 'Scripts'. 2. Make a copy of 'z132tranqdlg.txt' and put it in a safe place. This is to make sure that nothing gets broken irreversibly, and so that you can restore the game to normal once you've finished! 3. In the z132tranqdlg.txt that's still in the Scripts folder, find the section of the file that says: begintalknode 2; state = -1; nextstate = -1; condition = get_sdf(41,4) == 0; question = "special"; text1 = "The scribe who lived here fled in panic. The door has several large gouges in it, probably left by an angry sentinel. That would explain the owner's absence."; action = SET_SDF 41 4 1; 4. Replace this section with: begintalknode 2; state = -1; nextstate = -1; condition = 1; question = "special"; text1 = "Debug. Starting sentinel test."; action = SET_SDF 41 4 1; code = sf(41,7,0); sf(41,6,1); set_attitude(30043,10); set_attitude(30044,10); set_attitude(30045,10); set_attitude(30046,10); break; 5. Launch Avernum 5. Go to the southeastern section of Tranquility and find the scribe's house on the western edge of that area. 6. Open the door and step inside. The test will commence as soon as you pass beyond the door. 7. Survive! This script alteration is very simple. Don't step on the squares inside the door again, or else the timer will be reset. The best way to do this would be to dart inside the house to trigger the sentinels, and then to run back outside (and probably somewhere else where it's easier to avoid them). 8. When you've finished, replace the modified z132tranqdlg.txt with the unchanged copy that you made.

Hello Gouresdo, What's happening here, as I understand it, is a result of how Geneforge treats your creations. Your creations are essentially friendly characters so, if you attack them, the game behaves in the same way as if you had attacked other friendly creatures in the zone: all friendly characters will become hostile to you. Essentially, there's a little toggle in the game that flips if you start attacking people, or if you steal objects, and this is also flipped if you attack your own creations. If Geneforge behaves in the same way as other Spiderweb games, zones made hostile like this will only remain hostile for a while. It's possible that, if you go through some other zones (about four) and then return, the servile will be friendly again. This might not be too much of a problem: chances are that you won't be able to enter the door the servile Sniff is guarding for a little while, although it depends on what order you're doing the zones in. You'll know when you're able to enter. However, if you want to reset using cheats, you'll need to flip that toggle again. Leave Wooded Valley and go to another zone. Then, press shift-D and type forgiveme into the input that appears. You should see a little bit of text come up in your log that says that your crimes have been forgotten. Now, return to Wooded Valley. The servile should be friendly again. The reason you need to take that longwinded route is that, as I understand it, the game only calculates if a zone is friendly when you enter it. If you typed the code in when in Wooded Valley, the servile would still be hostile, and would only become friendly again when you left and re-entered the zone.

I'm loving the name of the capital. Does the city by any chance have a grand library, one of the oldest and most extensive in Khitaloss? In any case, it's nice to see references to the famous sliths that are mentioned in Exodus. It's a great screenshot, too. The city looks suitably imposing with all the fortifications and many, many layers of walled defences. This is exactly what I would expect from an old and illustrious centre of power. It looks grand. Although all is perhaps not well at the southern gates, from the looks of things ... Keep up the good work!

That's strange. The links all seem to work for me now, and they didn't before Kel changed the permissions earlier, so something should have changed. Perhaps there's a problem with your browser cache, alhoon? If the file permissions have changed, it's possible your browser might not have registered that yet – doing something like logging out and logging back in again might change that. I can't think of a reason why some non-moderators could view the files but not others, although I might be missing something!

Hello, That's a strange error. It looks like the files were once stored on the forum itself, but I'm guessing something went a little awry when the forum software was recently updated. Given the error message, perhaps the files can only viewed by some members? In any case, the Geneforge 3 Editor can still be found on Slp006's website: http://slp006.tripod.com/gf3itemschars.txt http://slp006.tripod.com/z2southenddlg.txt Download these text files and follow the instructions in the post above, and everything should work out. Make sure to backup the originals!

Unfortunately, producing a map of Exile I like this isn't straightforward. To explain what's happening here, the information about the outdoors is stored in that outdoor.dat file. Perhaps the best way to think about how the information is stored is to go down the reverse route! Take the map of Exile and split it down into those chunks that you've seen in Duskwolf's files. Each section is a square of map tiles. Now, imagine taking one square and pulling it out so that all these tiles are strung along one line. Next, replace each type of tile with a set of numbers and letters that tells you what type of tile it is (for instance, say AA is 'cave floor' and BB is 'mushrooms'). What you end up with is essentially one portion your outdoor.dat file! What these programs of Duskwolf's do is to do the reverse: they take that list of identification markers and convert it back into a map. It might be possible to use a modified version of Duskwolf's code to extract the information from the original game, but that depends on what changes were made to the data files between Exile I and Exile II. A little work would need to be done to convert this code so that it would work on the different data files. I would offer to look into this for you, but I'm afraid that I can't do so right at this moment. Python is having some real issues on my machine right now, and I won't be able to run Duskwolf's code until I can fix those problems. That might take some time. I do have some other ideas about how this map could be created, though. They might not work out (and it might be a while before I can test them) but, if they do, I'll post something here.

Hello Galadrin, Quite a long time ago, I did a little mapping project of Exile II for my own personal use. Just to elaborate on what's been said above, the sections of the map that you're looking for are actually not present in the game. If you were to enter these sections in the game itself, all you would see would be mostly an empty expanse of cave floor (although there's an odd line of locked doors around where Spire would be, if memory serves). You could add the sections to your map, but they'd be mostly blank. From what I can tell, the map of exile wasn't simply imported from Exile I to Exile II, which is why these sections don't exist. This is most easy to see if you look side-by-side at a map of Exile I: http://www.harehunter.info/Exile1/images/Ex1Map.gif and Exile II: https://truesite4blades.com/SWArchive/Geocities/TimesSquare/Arena/3134/mapexile.gif The maps are similar on a large scale, but very different when you compare small details. So, in short, I'm afraid you can't complete the map of exile in Exile II - it's not complete in the game! If you want a complete map of exile like this, I'm afraid you'll need to do a similar process to Duskwolf, but using Exile I.

Hello Yanson, I had a quick trawl, and I think the update you want has been preserved on the Internet Archive. You can download it here: https://web.archive.org/web/20021006220405/http://www.dragonlore.com:80/files/Patch103m_103z.exe Spiderweb’s pages hosting the games have actually been preserved in quite some detail, too! Have a look here if you want to indulge in some nostalgia: https://web.archive.org/web/20020808075034/http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com:80/dragonlore/index.html

Hello Thralni, Kelandon beat me to this, but here's what I wrote anyway! The maximum number you can store in an SDF is 255. There's no mention of this in the main documentation, but there's a line about it hidden away in the appendix. It's in the section that looks at functions relating to SDFs. "void inc_flag(short a,short b,short how_much) - Changes SDF(a,b) by how_much (which can be negative). Note the legal range of values for a flag is 0..255." This limit is a very common one for small numbers in code. Limits are generally set by how much space is needed to store the number. Since computers store information in binary, that is, in blocks that can take one of two values, these limits are generally powers of 2. 256 is 2^8, and is so common that it gets its own terminology: a byte. That 32000 limit you mention is another power of two: 32768 is 2^15 (although the number is usually stored as 2^16 allowing for a positive and negative range). Most limits you will see are 255, 32767 or 'really big'. This means that you won't be able to put a number as big as 1021 into an SDF. However, and I should stress that I'm not very familiar with scripting in Avernum, you might be able to get the same effect by splitting the number up. For instance, you could use four SDFs to store each digit of 1021. You could then recreate the number by doing something like this: myhealth = sdf(a,1)*1000+sdf(a,2)*100+sdf(a,3)*10+sdf(a,4) where sdf(a,n) is the nth digit of the creature's health (e.g. the 3rd digit of 1021 is 2).

Just for the record, I've been running SheepShaver for a while now, and it runs the original BoE very nicely. The only problems I've come across are tiny little graphical glitches that don't really get in the way (such as the numbers showing how much damage is done during a combat move sometimes not displaying on the main screen, but still appearing in the log). I've also been able to emulate the three Exile games and Nethergate in the same way with no major issues! I was about to write a quick little guide about setting up Sheepshaver, since it can be relatively quick and painless with the right setup, but unfortunately there's one issue that has come up recently that makes it more difficult. In order to run the emulator, you need a copy of Mac OS. When I originally set up the emulator, Apple was freely giving away Mac OS 7.5.3. However, I'm unsure if that's currently still the case; Apple have removed the download from their website. If the system is no longer freely available, that's a shame. With it, it's possible to bundle everything needed for the emulator to run in the same place, effectively having a classic mac running straight out of the box. I actually original started using Sheepshaver using an 'out-of-the-box' emulator like this.

Hello Vee, I'm using a Mac, but I'm hoping that the approach is the same for Windows! If you click the 'Train' button for a character, there should be some text that reads 'Change Party Order' just under where their spell energy is displayed. Next to it should be buttons labelled 'Down' or 'Up' (depending on where the character is in your roster). By clicking on these, you can move this character around in your party. You'll need to move around each character individually for this game, rather than swapping them around as in some other Spiderweb titles. I see that Randomizer has just replied, but I'll leave this in!

Hello Thralni, I've just had a quick check, and apparently the maximum number of dialogue nodes is 200 per script. There's a comment about it in the editor documentation, although it's hidden away amongst other details. Here's a line from the section 'How a Dialogue Node Is Structured': "Each dialogue script can have up to 200 nodes, numbered 0 to 199." This was something I was interested in many years ago when I was tentatively designing a small scenario. This scenario involved one town with several slightly different copies of all of the town's characters, resulting in a very large number of dialogue nodes (probably pushing 200). However, I didn't get far enough to write the full dialogue, so I haven't actually tested this limit myself yet.

I’m happy to help! Don’t feel that you need to rush the update on my account, though. I’m happy to start playing whenever it’s ready. I’m looking forward to trying out a few different things this time around, and possibly attempting some of the alternative approaches to certain situations (such as actually fighting the one-eyed slime, which looks hard). This interaction between Kass and Ethass is one of my strongest memories of The Magic. It’s particularly poignant. At the time, I found it distinctly disconcerting that Ethass both refuses to speak about Kass and also implies that she will refuse to visit him (as she says she will visit Silthokh). I also felt that Kass’s refusal to acknowledge his past self was also pretty ominous, as if something happened that he did not want to acknowledge. However, it would also be quite in keeping with his character not to pay any heed to people talking about such things, so I’m not entirely sure on that point. As you say, something really very bad must happen in the Homeland for the two of them to behave in this way. I can’t quite figure out what that might be, and that’s great! I like the sense of mystery. I can think of situations where Kass severely damages the expedition, and I can think of ones where Kass seriously hurts Ethass, but they’re mostly mutually exclusive. I can’t quite figure out the chain of events that causes both things to happen. I suspect that it involves Phaedra (and, perhaps worse, Arcadia), but I can’t get much further than that. I believe we know that Ethass dies before Phaedra (and she seems a little surprised about Phaedra’s fate in my eyes), so Phaedra’s death can’t be directly involved. In any case, I’ll hopefully be able to see what happens with my own eyes eventually, and I look forward to it!

Uh oh. I get the feeling that’s not going to end well. I’ll hold out on going through Exodus again until you’ve put out the newer version. There’s no rush, and one reason I wanted to play through the scenario again was precisely because it had been updated, although I appreciate it’s probably entirely bug fixes. Thank you for your kind inclusion of me in the documentation, by the way. It’s much appreciated . I’ll tell you what, I’ll keep a deliberate eye out for any more bugs and typos when I go through Exodus this time around. I suspect there won’t be much (if anything) to find given Chessrook44’s recent playthrough, but there’s no harm looking. Bahssikava was great fun to go through again, by the way, and all the little changes you put in for an all-slith party really heightened the experience. It’s one thing to travel to the Homeland as outsiders, but quite another as sliths! Yeah, I think my experience of Avernum is oddly skewed compared to most. I played the Exile series way back in its infancy, and spent a long, long time playing BoE, but I only actually started playing Avernum when the second trilogy was being released. I played those three games first, then BoA, and then the original first trilogy. So I played Bahssikava before Avernum 1!

I realise I’ve been derailing this topic a little, so I’ll try to close this off briefly. I very much agree with you that it doesn’t make sense! I was just trying express my internal thoughts when I first played through Avernum, and my suspicions at the time that some people might interpret the portraits in masculine and feminine terms. I think I was a little more cynical back then! I do agree that Kass’s picture isn’t what a human would wear to cover the breast area, and on reflection wouldn’t be that effective for the purpose, but I think it could at least nominally and simply fulfil the required function, even without the analogue. I thought that might be enough to trigger an instinctive ‘this person is female’ response, but I’m no psychologist, and I’d be very happy to proved wrong on that point! After all, that wasn’t my own reaction! Perhaps I was over-thinking the issue? As for the second portrait I mentioned, I was referring to Ethass’s. I realised it contradicted my argument at the time, and I should have clarified on that point, but I didn’t want to be too longwinded! But that brevity cost me correctness in this instance. On the same lines, my feelings were that Ethass’s portrait could also have an instinctive implication of female characteristics, but on a much more superficial level. At least in my own culture, covering the head in certain circumstances, particularly in religious institutions, can have a broad (and now traditional and mostly outdated) association with female roles. Having said that, though, I can immediately discount that argument, too. If you look at Crystal Souls, Ethass’s potrait has been updated, and the result mixes in some strong characteristics I would be tempted to put in the masculine box. Oh well. I guess it just goes to show that judging characters this way isn’t the way to go! Honestly, I think I’m happier with that outcome. However, I do have one final comment on this, though. In Avernum 4, sliths and nephils have two character portraits each. It seems reasonable to assume that these are supposed to represent male or female characters. The two slith choices are Talas’s portrait and Kass’s, so I think at least in one instance that Kass’s portrait has been used to represent a generic female slith. Maybe that’s what I was thinking of at the time after all? I did play Avernum 4 before BoA. I also very much agree that Kass’s gender matters hugely! Because I realised my mistake at the start of Exodus, I in a sense played through the scenario with two versions in my head: one with a male and one with a female Kass. The dynamic of female Kass is hugely different, particularly with regards Ethass, as you say. The tension between Kass and Ethass has very different connotations depending on Kass’s gender, and the scenario overall sits most comfortably Kass is male. Which is as it should be, since that’s what you intended! As it happens, I’m about to play through Exodus again (with an all-slith party this time, who I’ve taken through Bahssikava too), so I’ll try to remove female Kass from my thinking entirely this time around. But that’s enough rambling theorising from me! Work on Homeland sounds like it’s going well, and it’s great to hear that Chapter 1 is getting closer to completion, and that you’re spilling over into Chapter 2 as well. Keep up the excellent work!

For the record, I have a pretty good idea why I initially thought that Kass was female; I think it’s different from the comment you gave about the gender of the name, although I suspect that contributed too. Unfortunately, I realised my mistake quite late on (a short way into Exodus), and it’s a little difficult to reprogram my initial reactions. I still lapse into thinking of him as female occasionally, as you can see! I think it’s interesting that I’m not the only one who’s made this mistake, too. Here’s my reasoning. The dialogue portrait used for Kass is one of the five BoA slith character portraits. Three of these show sliths with bare chests and two have sliths covering their upper chest. Now, as mammals, our society tends to associate a covering of the upper chest area as a female characteristic. I suspect that Kass’s portrait was intended to be a female slith by the artist, given the ratio. At first glance, I suspect that some people will instinctively associate that portrait with a female slith, given no other information. However, whatever was intended, there’s no reason for these portraits to actually show female sliths. Sliths aren’t mammals, so there’s no reason whatsoever to link femininity to an upper-body covering. Sliths could choose to wear a covering like that depending on their work or social situation. For instance, Ethass and Kass could wear such coverings as signs of priesthood/academia. That would fit with Pathass, too, who is male and yet still wears such a covering in Avernum 4. This mistake could be explained away for most parties, though. After all, it feels to me that it’s often hard for mammals to gauge the gender of non-mammals. Perhaps the humans and nephilim in some parties might come to the same false conclusion and accidentally speak to Kass as if he were female? Still, since I feel awkward about making a gender mistake in this way, I just want to point out that I try not to think about things that way (and I don’t want to imply that gender can be easily treated in such simple and concrete terms). My thought processes about the portrait would have been along the lines I wrote above, i.e. thinking that the portrait was intended to be female rather than actually showing a female. My portrait of Thissa shows a male slith wearing an upper-body covering, and I didn’t feel there was a need to make any comment about that in the following piece of fiction. Also, I had a thought about Motrax’s age as I was writing this. I’d forgotten about that comment of Sulfras’s about dragons ageing at different rates and, as you say, it seems unlikely to explain all the strange continuity. Still, my scientist side is tempted to interpret what Sulfras says slightly differently. If what she says is the case, perhaps there’s more to it than the dragons are aware? Suppose that there’s a recessive genetic trait in dragons, something equivalent to the nepharim for the nephilim. That trait might only cause some small physical differences, but it could mean that the lifespan of those dragons affected could be significantly altered. If it’s a rare difference, dragonkind might only be partially aware of it (hence Sulfras’s fairly general comment), particularly since Avernite dragons seem to be mostly isolated. That might explain why Motrax could be different in several areas from what might be his brethren, and why he could seem so much older while not actually being so.