In a dragon-territory in the jungle, after patiently waiting for the better part of a day, an elf receives a visitor-dragon, heralded by a veritable cacophony of animal braying and other noises.

Behold! the rooster on the dragon's head crows - it is somehow obvious that the rooster and not anything else is initiating the telepathy here.

Our Benevolent Master Approaches You! The Greatness Of The Dragons Is Clear For All To See And We The Finest Specimens Of Good Beasts Selected As Few Among Many Are Humbled To Receive Their Wisdom And Guidance And We Provide Obeisance In Turn. The Speaker Of Many Ways, The One Who Will Truly Master The Great Green, The Windy And Earthen Magician, Has Claimed This Territory, Two-Legged One! They Were Previously Occupied Mediating A Dispute Among Bears, Creating Harmony With Careful Thought. They Communicate Silently With Me, The Herald, And Allow Me To Sing Their Praises And Make Their Intent Clear. The Woodsinger Has Divined A Trembling In The Spirits That Indicates A Great Change To Come, And Before Sun Rests A Strange Visitor Who Knows Proper Courtesy Arrives. The Verdant One Declares That You Have Something To Do With It And Requests That You Explain Yourself!

Hello, replies the Elf, yes, I'm a representative of Vanda Nossëo, a group of peoples from other suns and planets in other worlds, who have recently come here hoping to make things better for everyone.

Our Emerald Lord Proclaims That 'Better' Is A Broad Concept That Can Mean Many Things To Different Minds, And That 'Everyone' Cannot Oft Be Pleased, As The Fox's Survival Necessitates The Rabbit's Demise.

If there are foxes here who would go hungry if we protected the rabbits, we can provide them with meat that no rabbits had to die for. We find that's often possible.

If You Claim The Phenomenal Power To Create Sustenance From Nothing, The Forest Of Feathers Would See Such A Thing In Action Before Making Judgement.

I don't personally have this power but I can ask a colleague who does to come here, if your lord wishes.

The Beast-Lord, Curious About The Ways Of The Tailless Ones, Is Willing To Receive Further Guests If They Will Be Courteous.

Thank you, says the Elf, and a moment later a teleporter drops off a demon. The demon glances at the menagerie and produces something that will probably be appetizing to a member therof.

A pack of squirrels and two rams nibble at it.

This Is Indeed Sustenance From Nothing, Unless You Use The Very Same Method With Which You Appear Yourselves. The World Hesitates And The Wind Changes With Such Silent Magic. Whence, We All Ask As One, Does This Strange Power Come From?

(The demon and the teleporter leave.)

The magics of Vanda Nossëo come from many worlds; that one is from one called Hell, replies the Elf.

You Exhibit Mysterious Power Of At Least Two Entirely Separate Kinds, And Seem To Have The Intent To Meddle As Humans And The Like Do. Our Lord Would Warn You Against The Woe Of Underestimating The Power Of A Dragon!

I have no wish to antagonize your lord.

The Flowering Of Wisdom In Their Appreciation For The Diverse Beasts Of The World Would Be Content To Receive Tribute Of Flesh And Plantflesh Of Many Types As Well As Some Small Trinkets And Cease Their Own Hunting, Enforcing This Law Similarly Upon The Lesser Carnivores, If There Is Some Way To Ensure The Future Population Of The Jungle Remains Balanced When Food Is Plentiful And Predation Nonexistent.

It's possible to prevent the conception of new animals when there is no room for more, and we can provide the means to do so for most if not all species here, replies the Elf happily.

Our Benevolent Lord Celebrates Your Arrival And Announces That Their Claim To This Territory Is Strong, But Rejoices When The Meeting Of Two Leads To More Things That Both Want. The Menagerie-Crown Wishes To Hear How One Would Accompish This In Greater Detail, And Also Of The Lands From Which You Hail.

So the Elf can explain how various animal contraceptives work, and about various worlds in Vanda Nossëo (she herself is from Elentári).

This dragon (whose rooster seems to have run out of new titles for) asks more about Elentári and eventually does start 'speaking' for themself.

They are at at least half as dramatic as the rooster and have lots of questions about the wider world and other animals and offer to give the elf a tour of their territory (to show it off) and introduce them to a lot of animals and spirits. Some of their close menagerie has wandered off but there are still a couple dozen small rodents, a tusked boar, a large ram, some birds, and a black bear.

The Elf would love to be introduced.

The dragon settles down back a ways, sitting on their haunches with wings folded up at their sides and front 'claws' right under their neck, like an oversized cat.

These animals are much 'quieter' than most thinkers, but still discernable. The rodents are mostly concerned about food, nesting space, and snakes. Their Lord has apparently brokered an agreement between squirrels and birds to share treespace rather than fighting over it. The birds talk loudly about things they have seen recently and about how they are very smart. The boar, Quiet Tooth, asks if the Elf has any truffles. The bear is named Dusk and only sends back sleepy acknowledgement unless asked a question.

The Elf does not have any truffles on her but if that should be in the food shipments she will make a note of it! Are the snakes not part of the awakened community here, are they going to keep on trying to eat the rodents even given food from space?

(Elsewhere, the MO with dragons is gradually shifting frame to: Vanda Nossëo would like to offer dragons tribute to honor their benevolence with light nudging about what kind of benevolence they find worthy of honor.)

They shouldn't listen to those treacherous snakes! But with meat that doesn't run away available they'll probably be fine just being their usual lazy selves. Dusk the bear agrees; Hunting is tiring and stressful.

There are other animals to meet - eagles and owls, fish and badgers. There's a sliding scale here; The birds repeat things a lot and don't show much critical thinking or learning ability. When they decide the Elf is safe to approach and land on, they all seem to get the message at once through some invisible cue, but don't show any more overt signs of hivemind-ness. The rodents act similarly. The fish and snakes are pretty much limited to wanting food, a comfortable resting spot, and not wanting to get eaten. The pack of wolves bark and bray at the dragon to stay away but allow the elf to approach and are on the much smarter end of things. Wild horses and goats seem slightly more complicated than the fish and snakes but still very dim, and the tiger the dragon introduces cracks jokes about their menagerie, calling them a walking circus and laughing, before accepting the offer of food that it doesn't have to kill.

(Dragons vary a lot in how they respond to this, but 'slightly better' is the rule. More of them actually bother to answer if they are being complimented, some of them will show off magic powers to bait more compliments. A few will accept donations of food but many are very defensive about interference in their territory and quite a few completely reject the idea of not hunting, seemingly on a 'this is the way it has always been done' line of reasoning.)

The Elf rather likes having birds land on her, although she would prefer they not land on her hair.

Hopefully after enough dragons have taken them up on their offers it will be less obvious to other dragons that "this is the way it has always been done" is a good line of argument. Elves can be patient.

In a remote, hilly region claimed by a red dragon who wants nothing to do with Vanda Nossëo save warning them from intruding on its tunnel network, there is a Delver enclave, easily found once you know where to look. While they don't have a surface city, they do have a massive steel door, well maintained, carved into the hillside. There is a dirt trail leading off to the north and another to the east, both eventually leading to human-claimed lands but both only infrequently trafficked by armed caravans.

If an envoy knocks on the great vault door and remains nearby, they refuse to come out. Only once the envoy leaves a note or something and retreats away will they emerge to look at it.

Thanks to Solomon's information they will try that! It's a phone, not a note, they don't know any specific delvers to try aiming to be understood by in writing.

They seem to know what a phone is! They poke and prod it carefully for a bit, then turn it on and connect, still standing out in the open.

"Who or what is this communicator connected to?"