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To Reforge a Kingdom From the Past, One Looks to the Future (Open)

Started by Marakai Trin, December 11, 2016, 08:44:08 AM

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Marakai Trin

It was cold, up on that broken mountain. The wind whistled, the late morning sun beating down mercilessly yet uselessly on these lofty environs.

A monolithic spire of stone and ancient pride, once radiating with a nobility that few could hope to achieve, rose with staggering height above the crags around it. The top of it appeared as though something within had collapsed, a great crater of strewn rock and ancient brick. There was something here, one.

A sudden gust of wind stirred a lock of black hair off a pale face, a pair of crimson eyes surveying the scene before him. This gaze was stalwart, hard, revealing only an inkling of the broken pride within as he looked at the broken stones beneath him. Memories of an age long dead flew through his mind, memories of happiness. Sadness. Great pride, and those of failure.

An epic betrayal.

Death, blood everywhere. The final clash that destroyed this mountaintop so long ago.

With a sigh, Marakai closed his eyes, hiding his wounded pride, and turned away to face the vista before him, looking down upon the craggy peaks around him. He had alot of work ahead of him if he ever wanted to rebuild his father's kingdom, make it his own.

But he would, somehow. Someday. He would again raise the Aerie from this shattered peak. He would reforge the kingdom that was rightfully his, give it its rebirth from the mists of time and legend, show the people of this world the splendor of the Dragon Kingdom, raise the Blackfire banner high into the sky.

"I promise. Father. Mother. Sister. I will reforge our home with your memory." He then looked up into the sky, the light of the sun reflecting in his eyes, giving it a golden hue.

"I swear it."

Bunbun

It had been a little while, now, since Axia had departed from her home in search of... something. She had no idea what she was looking for specifically, just that it was supposed to be something of worth. Searching for something so incredibly vague had been a source of much frustration, but it had never been enough to make her give up completely. Not like she could go back, anyways; according to tradition, she wouldn't be allowed to return to her home until she'd finished her task. Kind of a dumb rule, in her opinion, but it was a rule nonetheless.

Just because she hadn't given up on the task, though, didn't mean that refused to take a break every now and then. In fact, she probably spent more time exploring the world and doing things that she actually enjoyed then doing what she was supposed to be doing. It was a bad habit of hers, and not one that she was particularly inclined to break. Today was one of those days where she found herself spending time on her own terms, taking to practicing her flying. The mountain ranges made a good training ground; people in more populated areas didn't tend to take kindly to dragons crash landing next to them, even one of Axia's size.

Eventually, the dragon found herself gliding over an area that had some peculiar qualities to it. The peaks and crags had a sense of unity to them, as opposed to the seemingly random rocks that could be seen elsewhere. They were too orderly to be completely natural, yet there was no sign of people having lived there for years. It felt like there used to be something here, and something had caused it to collapse, along with any signs of life.

Intrigued by the strange rock formations, Axia decided to move closer to the ground so she could get a better look. She dove towards a peak and landed rather haphazardly on it a few seconds later, sending rocks and pebbles tumbling down as she brought herself to a halt. It definitely wasn't a graceful landing, but it was still better then what happened most of the time. Shifting around a little to balance herself, she slowly observed the landscape until a figure in the distance caught her eye. It looked human- or at least humanoid- from where she was sitting. It also appeared to be alone, which spurred the dragon's curiosity even further. What would a human be doing all the way out here by themselves?

Gawfy

Alder had been having a blast. With all of these Deep valleys and jumps he had been Jumping around These mountains with the help of a jumping augment. He also took note of the lack of people around which made it very quiet, but however he did also note the abundance of those winged lizards? Snakes? Damn alder couldn't remember the name of em. Alder was starting to slow down He then noted a spire not too far so he planned on using it to Keep his speed up. However when he Landed he saw a man? saying somthing. Adler's Eyes met with the mans for a split second. He then rocketed away with glowing body and limbs.

Marakai Trin

That crimson eyed gaze flicked sideways as Marakai heard the sounds of a dragon landing, rather clumsily - clacking sounds of small stones and pebbles sliding together, relatively heavy footfalls behind him. He turned his head to look over his shoulder, spotting the rather small creature some distance away.

".....hello, little one," he said, despite the fact that the creature was actually taller than him. He gave a small smile, and took a few steps toward her, walking past the crystalline, black bladed sword he had shoved in the earth (and previously forgot to mention, damn me).

"Your scent isn't familiar to this area. Are you far from home?" he said, eyes flashing red for a moment, even as a small smile cracked his otherwise stoic face.

And then, a man landed within his field of view, not far from the other dragon before him. His crimson-eyed gaze locked with the others for a moment, before the other bounded away.

He watched a brow, but said nothing, glancing back to the dragon before him.

"I mean you no harm. I am Marakai Trin, and like you, I am also a dragon. I simply prefer this form at the moment."

Gawfy

Alder couldn't believe it! A sky lizard that wasn't paying attention Landed behind the angry looking guy on the spire. He wanted to get a better look but didnt want to spook it so he Circled the Area while keeping up his speed talking glaces at it every time he went airborne

Bunbun

As the strange man started making his way towards her, Axia could start making about a few details about him that she'd previously missed. Most notably, there were his gleaming red eyes, his massive blade, and his black armour which appeared to be made out of a dragon's hide. She was a little intimidated by this, understandably, and this was reflected in her posture. Her body sunk lower towards the ground as she dug her claws into the earth, putting her in a good position to pounce should the need arise. However, her muscles began to relax as the man started to walk past the sword, leaving himself unarmed. If he intended to fight her, then he was putting himself at a severe disadvantage. Deciding that she wasn't in any immediate danger, the dragon decided that it would be okay to answer the question posed to her.

"O-oh, yes. Very far. I'm from up north."

Her tail shifted around nervously as the man's eyes started to glow a bright red, before dying out as quickly as it had started. She was, however, rather curious as to how he knew that her scent wasn't common around this place. This question was quickly answered by the man, who claimed that he was also a dragon. A dragon that could change forms... Axia had heard of that being possible before, and even seen it happen a few times herself. It made her a little jealous, in all honesty. She'd been forbidden from attempting to do so in the past, with the reason being that she could end up 'hurting herself'. Frowning, (at least, as much as a dragon could frown) she tilted her head to the side and spoke, apparently oblivious to the other man that had briefly appeared.

"...Oh. Um, hi. My name is... Axia."

If she had a last name, she was apparently unwilling to disclose it.

Marakai Trin

Marakai's smile grew a little. Wonderful - he'd met with several dragons since his awakening, but most of them appeared to be wild, feral things. No more than beasts, really. To meet another whom could actually speak the common tongue was a very welcome change.

"Well, Axia, I am pleased to meet your.... acquaintance...." he trailed off, then, as the man from before began flying around the broken top of the Aerie. In circles.

"...by Tiamats cursed breath, what is that man doing? Hey!!! Little man, are you going to stare, or have you got anything to say?"

He muttered under his breath then, and looked back to the dragon before him. "I apologize, friend. Humanity baffles me with its continued oddities. So, what brings you here, to the site of my shattered kingdom? And what clan are you from? I've not seen one of your kind in my travels....and I suppose you could say I've been around for a very long time."

I've slept through the birth and death of a civilization, and now apparently the rise of an entire race of Dragons... apparently, ten thousand years can change much... he thought to himself, inwardly cursing but not allowing his face to show it.

Gawfy

Alder heard some one yelling. There wasnt supposed to be any humans around these parts so who could call out to him? He then Killed all of his speed and Landed on Far off spire of his own and stared at the pair. "Sky lizards cant talk right?" He thought as he opened his ears to hear any more speech.

Bunbun

Slowly but surely, Axia would return to a more neutral posture as she warmed up to the other dragon. That was, of course, until he started yelling at someone that she had no idea was even present. While that did an excellent job of getting the newcomer to stop jumping around like a maniac, it also had the unfortunate side effect of scaring Axia half to death. Her reflexes kicked in immediately, causing her to shut her eyes and hold her front leg in front of her face in order to protect it. She would stay in this position until Marakai started to speak again, indicating that he didn't intend on hurting her. Even then, she seemed a little on edge as she gingerly let down her guard. The sudden appearance of a new person intrigued her, but really didn't want to annoy Marakai by leaving his questions unanswered.

"I'm... just looking around. I thought this place looked a little different from everything else, so I came down for a closer look."

She decided not to explain that she was currently blowing off her responsibilities as a member of her species.

"As for a clan... I don't have one? Not that I know of, at least. I don't think any crystal-backs have clans. I wouldn't really know about that, though."

A hint of sadness seeped into her voice at the last part. Obviously a little uncomfortable, the dragon shifted around as she took in her surroundings.

"This place used to be a kingdom?"

Marakai Trin

She's alone... he thought. Like me....

"I'm very sorry, little one....and yes. This is...was...a kingdom...A very, very long time ago, this entire mountain was our...my home." He turned away, crossing his arms over his chest as he walked a few steps, back towards his sword.

"This was the Aerie, home of dragons of all colors, all species. My father, Baalroth the Blackfire, was king. Then..well, the rest is tragedy that I won't bore you with." He stopped, looking up to see that man from before, still some distance away. "....I'm not sure about him... we'll have to keep an eye on him."

Turning around again, he leaned on the massive great sword embedded in the ground with one hand.

"So, Axia of None. You have no Clan. No home, no family? ....you are far from home, and I would be a horrible man indeed to not offer it, but the lower reaches of the Aerie are still very much intact. If you can transform, I can offer you a bed. If not, there would be room for the night in the hatchery, or perhaps the Commons. I swear no harm would come to you."

Ice

There was anouther being nearby. She was not often seen by the living. In fact most thought that those like her did not exist. But they were wrong. Very very wrong. The dead walked among the living. She was proof of this. She looked up wondering who or what was out here. She heard a loud voice nearby. But surely they did not see her. Right?

She paused looked around. Then she cast her gaze upwards. She thought she could feel the presence of something powerful here. Then it stuck her. She was in the land of dragons. Maybe that is what she had heard. If that was the case then she would need to be careful. No need to stir up trouble with one of those things.  With a soft sigh she floated onwards in her endless wandering.

She didn't notice the other man who was near her. In fact she thought that she was a lone her. She moved almost frighteningly close but yet still didn't feel his presence. Something was off about her today. Though she didn't know what that was.

Gawfy

Alder was feeling rather conflicted. He wanted to get a closer look, maybe even draw a picture of the creature. But he saw the man talking to her had a sword, and he did not want anything to mess up his outfit today as he just restored them. As he was thinking he could feel his hairs stand up. He couldn't put his finger on it but he was getting more uneasy. He then shrugged and dug around in his bag for a snack while he spied

Bunbun

"I'm sorry, too... about your clan, I mean."

Although Marakai hadn't specifically stated it, it seemed pretty clear from the context he provided that he was the last living member of his clan. Axia was tempted to ask what exactly happened to the rest of them, but she ultimately decided not to pry any further than she had to, at least not right now. The other dragon seemed pained enough to tell her what he already had, let alone going into specific details.

Axia stared down at her claws as she considered Marakai's offer. While it wasn't entirely accurate to say that she had no home, the statement was effectively true when it came to having a place to sleep at night. There was that, and also the fact that while she'd grown up around others of her species, she'd always been decidedly different from the others. She was treated the same, but she'd never felt the same. Could a place like that really be considered her 'home'? Well, she couldn't really answer that question, but she could answer a different question.

"Well, I don't know if I can transform...but yeah, that'd be nice. Thank you."

The dragon gave a small nod before finally turning her attention to the other man. Marakai seemed pretty suspicious of him, but Axia was simply curious. Slowly wandering over to where he was sitting, she called over to him.

"Hey, who are you?"

Marakai Trin

To her first comment, he shook his head slightly - the memories did indeed still sting, but he had grown above the hurt. It was time now to rebuild, if he could. Put the Aerie back together again, as it were. Gather some to his cause.

If he could.

He then raised an eyebrow at her comment about not transforming, but still offered a smile and a nod. "My home is yours for as long as you need it, and so long as you are comfortable. God's know, I certainly have the space...."

His gaze followed her as she moved toward the man, and...what was that?

His red eyes flared brightly like two twin flames, illuminating his face even in the light of day.

Just there, near the man, he could see a wavering, as if something was there yet at the same time not, an ethereal blur on reality. In the past, dealing with his thrice-blasted brothers necromancy, he'd seen this phenomenon before. Focusing all his senses, he was able to see it, in a sense.

A ghost, a spirit of some kind, a specter from beyond the veil of mortality.

"..... while I don't fear that man, Axia, there is another presence next to him that, were I you, I would be more wary of. Do be careful, please."

Gawfy

Alder's Ears perked up when he heard yelling again. This time it was a softer voice. He looked over and either his eyes were playing tricks on him or the Sky lizard was getting closer. Some one who is in the right place at the right time, Or the wrong place at the wrong time,ill have a consensus on that if i dont get eaten or killed today He wasn't sure if it could hear him or not.  Meanwhile completely  oblivious to the entity that was near him already. 

Bunbun

Perplexed by the man's rather ambiguous answer to her question, Axia tilted her head to the side in confusion. From what she could tell, she hadn't exactly been threatening with her questioning. If she had been, then she certainly hadn't intended to be. In any case, the dragon wasn't going to settle for such a plain answer that easily. Shaking her head, she once again started to approach the man, and could very well have walked to the point where she would be within arm's length if the other dragon hadn't spoke up. He warned of another being in close proximity of the man, which, frankly, was a little hard to believe. There wasn't a single sign of life other than those she had already seen and acknowledged. Regardless, she reluctantly decided to start backing away from the strange man and the 'presence', eventually finding herself sitting next to Marakai.

"...Where is it? What is it? I don't see anything else over there."

Subconsciously, Axia's wings began to expand and stretch. It didn't hurt to be prepared in case of an emergency, and being able to take flight quickly might end up being a necessity. In all honesty, though, she wasn't exactly known for her stellar takeoffs or landings. Still, being slightly prepared was better than not being prepared at all.

Gawfy

Alder did a quick hand motion that resulted with him pointing at himself. Im some one who hasnt seen a sky lizard till today, And lucky me I met one that talks! He said As she got closer. Who are you? He asked as she started to trail off speaking bout ""It"" Alder thought a little more of himself than a it but they could call him what ever they wanted.

Marakai Trin

"....I am going to do something that will allow you to see as I do. Just trust me, little one." Still keeping his crimson eyed gaze on the subtle ethereal haze before him, Marakai reached a hand upwards, toward the younger Dragons head. Laying an open palm on her pearlescent scales, noting their rather sharp, brittle feel.

His eyes began to glow eerily, flickering as he sought a power he rarely used. He closed them, concentrating hard.

He spoke into her mind, and his mental voice echoed and boomed, hinting of an ancient, primal power.

I apologize if this is a little overwhelming at first. I am going to share with you a piece of my power. Hone and sharpen your senses, and see the world as I do...

He then let memories flow forth. The repeated encounters with his brother, Kranath. Detecting and fighting creatures of the other plane, banishing to the darkness they crawled from. Blades clashing with extreme force, one recognized as Marakai's massive sword, the other a wicked daikatana of the same make. Feeling, emotion. Memory.

Far more than he wanted to.

With a groan, he wrenched his hand away, this same hand pressing against his temple.

".....I apologize, I apparently shared with you more than I had intended...."

One eye remained closed, and he could feel the oncoming headache in the back of his mind.

"... this spirit may not be malicious, at least not yet, but you should now be aware of her presence....I'm sorry about.... everything else."

He then looked to the man across the way.

"I am Marakai. My friend here can introduce herself when she's comfortable, but you need to be very careful."

Gawfy

Alder turned his face to the direction of the sound. Yeah ive about fallen off the mountain a few times I would do careful but ive been doing that for years.  He said as he finished the bread he was eating. Whats a person doing out here anyway? he said at the man with the sword

Bunbun

Axia seemed a little confused as the older dragon told her to trust him, extending a hand towards her and resting it on her head. Despite this, she still trusted him not to do anything dangerous, even as his eyes gave off that signature red glow that she'd seen earlier. She closed her own eyes as he did, but didn't attempt to give any response when his voice swam through her mind- partially because she didn't have much to say, but also because she didn't know how. All she did was wait, wait for whatever it was that Marakai was planning to do.

And sure enough, it did happen. Soon enough, the dragon found herself experiencing several scenes from the recesses of Marakai's memory. They were intense, vivid enough to make her feel as if she was actually there whenever the memories took place despite the fact that she was nowhere near old enough for that to be true. And the things she saw... there was the part about detecting extraplanar entities, which was no doubt what the other dragon had intended to show her, but there were other things too. Most notably, the appearance of a certain creature, one that had long since succumbed to their own dark tendencies. It was like staring into the eyes of the embodiment of terror itself.

'Overwhelming' was an understatement.

As soon as the mental link between the two dragon's broke, the younger one instinctively jerked her head away and stumbled backwards. Her eyes remained shut, but her breathing had escalated significantly as if she had just been awoken from a nightmare. The foreign visions fought to claim a place within Axia's own memories, resulting in a massive headache as well as a feeling of nausea. Eventually, she would begin to hear the muddled voices of those she had met just a few minutes ago, but she wouldn't expend the energy necessary to make out exactly what they were saying. Right now, it took everything she had just to keep herself from fainting.

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