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The Kástro Elénchou
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The Kástro Elénchou
The Kástro Elénchou RP!
Oh, I'm so glad I can finally make it. I've been doing so much worldbuilding, so trust me, this is a very well-done post. AKA, it'll be about five feet long. But all of it's important, so please make sure you read it through.
Kástro Elénchou is a mythical world that houses four major species: the Elves, Dwarves, Fairies, and Dragons. It's small and cut off from whatever lies beyond; adventurers have tried to see, but none have returned. That's not what the RP is about, though.
Kástro Elénchou also has five major landmarks: The woods, mountains, field, caves, and Cliffs. The woods have two parts to it, as the Elves and Fairies share it. A perfectly pruned, endless hedge rises at the border, with wooden doors at certain checkpoints. It's all identification and whatnot to get through. They aren't fantastically strict, or they weren't, at least. Anyway, the woods are called Fyrelor.
The caves are called Erimer. They're the home of the dwarves, and mostly lead underground. They're rich with minerals and have dwarf-made paths strewn all through them, lighted by torches hung on the walls.
The mountains are called Vainquear. They're the home of the dragons, and they're craggy, with sudden drops and rises of atmosphere and temperature all through them. Only the dragons know all of them.
The field is called Vara, and it's a wasteland. It separates Fyrelor and the Erimer from Vainquear, and it's frightening. It's full of dangers (ie quicksand and poisonous snakes), but over the years travellers created paths through it. They're tedious and long, though, and some try to go the uncharted way straight over Vara. Barely any survive.
Lastly, the Cliffs. They're officially called Merrow, but no one says that-- they're simply the Cliffs. These are the end of the world, and they ring around the edges of Vara, Fyrelor, Erimer, and Vainquear. They're pretty much a straight drop down. Every place except Vara has some sort of border so people don't fall into the unknown.
Here's some slight imagery to help you picture Kástro Elénchou better:
First, imagine a rectangle. Then make it 3-D, with straight drops all around the edges. Add a range of mountains on the left side and put a rushing river surrounding it. Then put some fields. After that comes the woods, whose back faces the right side of the rectangle, and the caves next to it, whose back face the far side of the rectangle.
Each race has its own language, but they also have a Common Tongue which is usually, if not always, the first language. Most species learn their own language at some point, though, except for the dragons, who only learn it if they join the military-- they treat it as a code, and not even the other citizens can be trusted with it. All of the species are ruled by a monarchy, and once a year all the monarchs meet, a different spot each year, and discuss development, trade, etc. They all have their own type of magic.
THE SPECIES
1. Dwarves
Dwarves are short and stumpy, with an average height of about 4'8" fully grown, although they can get taller. They're born muscular and all have dark skin. They aren't much for speed or agility, but their strength is very close to the dragons'. A dwarf's lifespan is a bit longer than a human's, but not by much.
Their magic isn't showy or pretty. They have the magic of the earth. They can sense minerals in the ground, and they can, to some extent, control the soil itself, but it has to be taught. Most other species call them slow; they aren't. They're ponderous, and very wise. They can consider any aspect of a situation and find the right solution for it. However, they aren't the best in terms of speed descisions.
Their occupations are mostly limited to mining, as they live in caves. But this is a very valuable skill, because all the other species love the gems they produce, and thus they have a rich empire.
A bit like the Hammerlings from Castle Waiting, the Dwarves have one problem: they don't have many women-folk. About seven boys are born for one girl, so their population can get rather low.
2. Elves
The Elves from Kástro Elénchou are a bit like the ones from LotR, but don't worry, they aren't exactly the same. For one, they're most surely the most prideful species, and don't deny any praise that comes at them. They're the quickest thinkers of the species, although their thoughts may have flaws.
An elf's maximum height is 4'8", and even that's unusual. They're very lean and light, which makes them naturally fantastically agile. All elves have very long lifespans, but eighteen is still considered adulthood, and twenty-four is considered the human twenty-four, if you see what I mean. However, they stay younger longer, so a sixty-year-old may look like they're really in their early forties. There are two types of elves:
Light Elves: The Light Elves should really be called Dark Elves, because that's pretty much what they practice: darkness. But it's more the manipulation of light; their magic is camoflage/invisibility (depending on your degree of experience). They all have pretty much silver hair, although it would be identified as blond on Wikepedia, and the same color eyes that seem to glow in the dark. All elves have deathly pale skin.
Dark Elves: Their powers really have nothing to do with darkness, but who will criticize the Founders? Dark Elves have the power of the elements, excluding Earth: Fire, Wind, and Water. Most Dark Elves are trained to hone their abilities on one of these elements, but a special few, especially royalty, can be trained in more than one. Dark Elves have hair the color of midnight and the same color eyes.
The elves live in treehouses connected by bridges that are not built to support the weight of anything heavier than an elf, so dwarven and dragon ambassadors usually have problems. The two types of elves aren't exactly forced to stay apart, but they don't really mingle, either. Each type has a royal family that meets up with the other's on a regular basis.
3. Fairies
The elves call fairy magic frilly and showy, but fairies dissagree. Naturally snooty, they think of their magic as the most useful, as they control nature, particularly plants. They can make things grow, and the more experienced make things shrink. All fairies can fly, but not all have wings.
There are so many different types of fairies it's impossible to list them, but they all have a certain focus of magic that determines their type. Most focuses stay the same down a family line, but some change.
Fairies are the smallest of the species naturally, but using their powers of growth they can grow to an average human size. They vary in race and appearance greatly. They have short lifespans and usually don't live over fifty.
Fairies live more on the ground, making little houses between tree roots. Have you ever seen a Fairy House, or made one? They're actually quite accurate; fairies usually scavenge for or grow their own material naturally.
4. Dragons
The dragons are by far the largest race and the most war-prone. All dragons have wings covered with scales on both sides that they can easily fold into their bodies, and are very, very heavy. These scales are large and practically impenetrable; in order to strike a dragon via scales, you'd have to pry the scale off of its skin and stick something pointy under it, which would a) not kill a dragon and b) be almost suicidal. Dragons have very quick necks and sharp pointy teeth and talons and, yes, can breathe fire from age five. All of this species, however, has one weak spot not covered by scales. Scales stop growing in at about age two, so they soon know where this weak spot is and will quite literally protect it or die, for obvious reasons. The only other vulnerable part of a dragon is its eyes, which are not guaranteed to kill it (but the odds would be in your favor). Dragons have a lifespan a bit longer than a human's.
Besides fire-breathing and flight, which are mostly biological anyway, select dragons practice dark magic. This is the most dangerous and possessive type of magic, and only the most powerful are allowed to try it.
The dragon ruling system is rather like England's: the royal family is really just a figurehead that goes to meetings and repeats what other people have told them. The real people in control are the generals of the military.
Most dragons have black, purple, or dark blue scales, excepting the royal family, who always have golden scales. Generals use this scale polish daily that makes their scales a dark green.
Also, dragons are probably the most gruesome of the species. Each ones have their own servants (mainly animals-- ie the elves horses, dwarves foxes), but dragons take it to another level: they'll kidnap people of other species, brand them with the mark of a dragon (simply a claw, usually placed on the right bicep), and name them slaves.
There! That's the species information.
Finally we can get on to the good stuff!, you might be saying.
Not quite. I'm not done.
*groans*
Here's the plot.
The dwarves, elves, and fairies are currently at war with the dragons. They're tired of their lot-- a particularly nasty general by the name of Plutarch has decided he wants to eliminate the other species entirely, making Kástro Elénchou a world of dragons. Obviously, the othes wouldn't stand for that. This RP starts a few months after war is officially declared and the three species have made an alliance.
Is that it?
Just rules and charrie sheet now.
1. Please, no OP charries. I encourage creativity, but be realistic. A peasant dragon is not going to know Dark Magic, and an eleven-year-old Dark Elf is not going to be a master of all three elements.
2. Let's have some variety. Your dragon doesn't have to be completely evil, and not all fairies are stuck-up pretty people-- you can do fantastic stuff with all four species. Likewise, let's not have four Light Elves and one Dark one.
3. War is war. I'm not saying charries will be dying left and right, but please be prepared to sacrifice yours if need be. You can always come back with another.
4. Have fun!
Now do we finally get to just make our charries, St.?
After you read through the elaborate and detailed charrie sheet and its explination, yes!
AGH!
Name:
Age: Take your species' lifespans into account here
Species:
Type: Only if applicable. This includes fairies-- you can make up a type, if you'd like.
Status:
Appearance:
Personality:
Magic: If applicable. Remember to make it realistic.
Magical Item(s): Again, if applicable, and it has to be realistic. A peasant fairy will probably have, if anything, some sort of hand-made, hand-enchanted artifact, not something that would cost a million dollars.
Position in War:
Other:
Before I make my charrie, here's a little test to make sure you read over all the information... no, just kidding. Here's my charrie.
Name: Selene Lupin
Age: 18
Species: Elf
Type: Light
Status: Princess
Appearance: The customary silvery-blond hair, long and straight and left loose. At about 4'5", she's about average for elven height and probably won't grow any more. She usually wears long pants and shirts with long sleeves, usually with light mail over the latter. She wears a belt carrying a single knife and often wears a black cloak (but rarely puts up the hood).
Personality: Rash but quick-thinking, Selene is a bit different than most princesses, even the cliché "rebellious" ones. She's usually obedient and has a lot of free time spent practicing fighting manouvers. At eighteen, she's mostly matured, although elves don't have nearly as crazy teenage years as humans do. She's serious, speaks rather softly, and is very quick to defend herself.
Magic: Because of her occupation (see "Position in War"), she's more than average is most stealth magic, including invisibility and silence (which is not that difficult, considering and elves' average weight).
Magical Item(s): As a princess, she wears the crown that is passed down throughout the royal family. It has the same build as Thorn's crown from Bone, except made of white metal with a single opal pressed at the center of the forehead. The crown is said to enhance magical ability.
Position in War: Assassin and spy. Her position as an assassin was decided very early on in her life, whith her a part of the discussion. She was built for it, and is now an official one in the elven military.
But why a spy? She's being blackmailed, although by now it isn't blackmail as much as ownership. A few years ago, as war was being threatened, she recieved a message from the dragons. She has the brand mark, but being an expert at deception (you have to be, to be an assassin), it was never revealed. She tries to give away as little as possible, because she is fiercly loyal to her species.
Other: One, she owns a horse the same color as her eyes. His name is Lux, and he was gifted to her during her first birthday.
Also, I've got a request: could someone make a crush for Selene? I feel we really don't usually have a lot of romance plots in the CB, and if played out correctly they serve as good subplots. You don't have to, but it would be great if there was one.
submitted by St.Owl, age Recarnated, Everywhere
(May 6, 2016 - 3:34 pm)
(May 6, 2016 - 3:34 pm)
~|Nessa|~ I would have much preferred being a military strategist over a politician. I'm supposed to lie, appear to agree to a fairy diplomat without actually promising her anything, and to agree to a good marriage, so that it may benefit my country, not me.
I clench my anger and thrust it down for the tenth time today. My younger sister, Alianora, is the military strategist. And my youngest sister, little Nerilana is to be a great warlord.
Alianora doesn't have much of head for thinking; she would much rather do something which she's told to do, rather than make the desicion herself.
And Nerilana doesn't like strategy games one bit. She prefers commiting things to memory. Which, drives my brain insane. I'm supposed to act witty around the dwarves, but speak slowly, Nessa! As well as act like I have no brains around faires so 'that way they'll understand you'.
Honestly. Only one person around here is sane. My cousin, Helios. He's a nice chap, but I'm afraid he toys around with too many ladies.
Then there's my brother, Ilaran. He's a fool. I swear, he has to be Light elf. Alright, I know he's not, but honestly, I know he hates me. 'Don't do this, don't do that, do this, do that.' All. Day. Long. We're twins, but just because he's a few minutes older than me doesn't mean he's King!
Yet. He's being groomed to be the next king. If I can't be strategist, to ensure he isn't constantly throwing our people into jeopardy, then I want to be Queen.
I know I can't, after all it's 'the first-born' who is to be the next ruler, but what if the next in line is going to destroy our kingdom? What then?
One can only ponder.
(May 15, 2016 - 2:41 pm)
This is what I really want Nessara to look like. (I'm making Nassara her real name, alright? But everybody calls her Nessa.)
(May 15, 2016 - 3:29 pm)
Mordir~
Sometimes things don't always work out the way you planned.
In battle, that is unacceptable.
A plan is completely necessary, and all of the possiblities must be thought out and eliminated. Plans can be complicated, with branches that go off in different directions for each different possibilty. They can be simple too, with a sappy order to fight your best.
In the history of all great battles, so many fearless warriors have lost their lives, and their wars, because of too much confidence. Their numbers may have been great, but a small army with a great plan can easily overcome the better.
In war, there are many battles, some wins and some losses. Without effective plans, it could all be over in days.
That's my job.
Coming up with plans along with the other generals. We each have our own squadron of warriors, and the plan often relies on the other generals and their group's.
Which is why I hate war. So many things can go wrong.
But sometimes people make stupid descisions, which is what leads to the war in the first place.
It gets really stressful, so I can be usualy found in random fields, gazing up at the sky.
I sighed, doing just that.
The clouds covered the sun for the most part, hovering over the earth with a forboding demeanor.
My thoughts would not stray from the battle, however. I couldn't bring myself to stop thinking about each one. I couldn't bring myself to think about my future, nothing but the war. Because I wasn't about to let us loose.
The grass flowed soflty in the wind, occasionaly ticking my skin and bringing me back to reality before I got too engulfed in my thoughts.
~~~~~~~
I have to go. This may be pretty bad, and I'll fix it later!
(May 15, 2016 - 7:50 pm)
-()--()- Cheling
I stood in the stables, gawking at the injured otter before me.
"What happened?" I snarled at the nervous-looking fairy-boy before me.
"The- The dragons attacked us!" he squealed. Honestly, for the crown-prince of all Rimbriding fairies, Jraing wasn't very brave. Even though he was at least a year older than me, he still cowered as my wings began to hum, lifting me off the floor.
I zipped around the otter, taking in the extent of his injuries. Reafal was a good boy, always calm and cool with any rider, but he looked very bad. His little head was drooped as he lay breathing heavily on the dusty floor, and blood was oozing out of a long gash down his belly.
"Go," I said to Jraing. He wasn't a bad-looking fairy I suppose, with deep red hair and tan skin (Everyone always said that the Rimbriding royals had some Frimidinge blood in them), but the terror in his flaming eyes and the otter blood smeared down his fine clothes ruined the image of calm, collected prince. "Feal will be fine. Go up to the castle and report this. There is no way that the dragons are here without reason."
He certainly didn't need to be told twice. Whirling around on his heel, Jraing's wings flash out behind him, and he left with a swoop and a swish of wind. I turned back to Reafal, still lying on the floor.
"C'mon boy," I whispered, pushing him up to his feet and helping him to his stall. I start to clean the gash in his belly, and wind bandages on the rest of his scrapes.
"They'll need you soon," I murmured as I left the stable an hour later.
The rumors were true. The dragons were closing in on the Rimbriding Palace.
(May 15, 2016 - 9:06 pm)
Nightlock
~~
I paced around the war table, my tail lashing back and forth. The dragons around me had equally annoyed expressions on their faces. I spun around to face a silvery-blue she-dragon sitting a few places away from me. "SearingSpear!" i snarled, getting close to her. "Answer me this: while we are still closing in on Rimbriding Palace, why in the name of Plutarch have we not taken control of it yet." SearingSpear, a normally brave and fierce dragon, seemed cowed when I was as furious as this. My ice-blue eyes were burning with cold fire, and all the spines on my back bristled in anger.
"W-Well, the fairies are putting up more of a resistance than we expected. Ma'am," she hastily added. Good, I thought. I may be no princess, but I'm high up in the ranks of war, SearingSpear. It'd be best not to let anything slip around Plutarch's best soldier.
"Well, then," I said, feigning calmness when inside I was stewing. "What shall we do about it? Perhaps Princess Silveth could tell us?" The shimmering golden dragon, too busy preening her scales, looked up in surprise.
"Me?" she asked, astounded at being called upon. "Yes, you," I hissed, struggling not to let my anger out on this dithering royal fool. It was so much easier on the battlefield, when you fought for one side, and one only. No worrying about who was being crushed, slashed, and battered, just the clang of steel and the roar of war.
"Oh, well, gosh, I dunno," said Silveth, fluttering her iridescent silver wings. "I never gave it much thought. I mean, we've got the thing already, why not just leave it at that?" The assembly gasped, all quickly stifled. I could feel rage building under my scales. This pretty little fool, swayed by sparkling objects, never meant to feel the glory of victory, though we should just leave it at THAT?! By now Silveth had realized she'd said something wrong, and seemed at least a bit scared. But still that look of impetuous look of silly bravery stuck to her face. My rage was not unknown, my love for blood not unheard of.
And if General Plutarch hadn't entered at that very moment, we could have witnessed a deep scarring of a pretty princess's face. Quickly I sat back down, my tail slithering on the ground like a violet snake. The general enetered the war chamber and took his seat at the head of the table, his dark green scales like pine leaves, his scanning sapphire eyes menacing.
"What is this," he said in a tone of controlled anger. All present could still tell someone would be hurt as Silveth almost was just now. "Do I hear about Rimbriding Palace?"
(May 15, 2016 - 10:36 pm)
Hi!
I'm Icy, and I have a few questions...
1. Is it too late to join?
2. WHERE DO YOU GET THOSE AWESOME-POSSUM ANIME CREATOR PICTURES!?
Thanks in advance :p -Icy
(May 16, 2016 - 9:29 am)
@Icy:
1. I'm sorry, it is. We've already started and the RP is already rather overcrowded.
2. I'd suggest googling "Mega Anime Avatar Creator." That should work. I used a creator especially for elves, though.
(May 16, 2016 - 3:57 pm)
(May 16, 2016 - 11:01 am)
Yeaahh, I'm rewriting that BIG time.
Mordir Laputa~
"Each squadron much know exactly what we are going to do! If we can create an organized war front, with strategies to resort too, we can win this war!"
The generals exhanged glances.
"We have always resorted to just going all out on the battlefield! Only a few decades ago we didn't even have organized sections! A chaotic mass will not win this war!" I tried to protest, standing before the large council.
A mix of light and dark elves, each on with cold, dissaproving eyes. I was, after all, younger then all of them. Why should they listen to me?
Because I was right.
"Mordir, we have won our battles this way! Nobody can win all of the battles, but with our experienced fighters we can take our enemies down!" One of the oldest, more traditional light elves finally spoke.
"But this is one of the biggest wars. Our race has advanced from years ago, but so have the dragons and out enemies! Strategy is the key to this war! I know you are all used to each elf using their own skills and powers to defeat as many men as possible. But in this war, we must fight as a whole!"
I shook my head, running my fingers through the long slick black hair that identified me as a Dark Elf. "Strategy. We have squadrons, each general, including me, has our own group of a hundred men. If we can coordinate and drill our warriors to know how to form a wall of their sheilds at a command, for example, we could be impenetrable! Imagine a feild of scattered elf warriors!
"The dragons could scortch us!"
A murmer of realization rippled throughout the men and woman.
"With the special fireproof sheilds we have been learning to reproduce, a simple command could form this barrier! What would be scarrier, a wall of elves moving in coordination, or a jumbled mass?!?"
"Mordir, please stop. We understand at this point." Jayer, a highly respected elf general, let out a sigh. "We will consider it, but it's different."
It was then that I let out a swear. "....tradition." Elves have exception hearing, and I got several harsh glares. And trust me, for I know, there is nothing like an elf's glare.
"You are dismissed, Mordir Laputa. We shall discuss your propostions and take them seriously. Our final descision should be reached by the sun's set."
I nodded curtly, following it with a small bow before backing out. As soon as the large, oakwood doors shut behind me, I lost my composure and clenched my fists.
I could feel a slight breeze from my anger, and took a couple deep breaths to calm my temper.
I may be young, but I know how to win this war. Apparently, however, negotiating isn't my strong suite.
Eventually I started continuing on my way, silently praying that the council would agree with me.
It didn't take long for me to find the nearest grassy field. Usually I wandered farther into the distance, but I wanted to be near in case their descision was made sooner, and didn't feel like walking.
I wanted to get right to thinking, so that was what I did.
I collapsed in the field, the grass collapsing under my body as I stared up the grey sky, which gave the world a gloomy, foreboding feel.
I could still vaugely hear noise coming from the main building, and could see it if I twisted around.
But I didn't want to focus on the world around me. I just tried to focus on the wind and about the war. The war controlled my life. I was always constantly thinking about it, developing strategies, practicing with my squadron.
It was why they elected me to be a general.
Smart descision on their part. We would win this thing if I had any part of it.
~~~~~~~~~
Okay, there y'all go! I'm still working on his picture!
(May 16, 2016 - 1:36 am)
Selene~
"So, what news?"
The king and queen of the Light Elves look up from their undisturbed plates; apparently they weren't expecting me to talk to them, which is understandable considering their earlier decision. But they aren't eating, and they believe in three healthy meals every day during a war, so something is up.
"Rimbriding Palace is being attacked," my father replies. Rimbriding, I recall, is a type of water fairy. "It's a rather vicious onslaught; we're trying to decide if we should send reinforcements, and if so, how many."
"I'm sure they'd love all the help they can get," I reply.
"Yes," my mother says, "except we also need all our forces here. The dragons are unpredictable and dangerous. For all we know, this could simply be a lure to make us vulnerable."
"Well, you have to send someone. The fairies aren't going to last forever."
My parents exchange glances. My reasoning is logical! I simply don't understand it.
It suddenly comes to light that I'm not hungry, and I excuse myself. I need to go for another ride.
***
My eyesight and hearing are sharp even by elf standards-- all my training wasn't for naught. So therefore I have plenty of notice that I will come across Mordir, staring at the sky.
I know him well, and I see him often. The general is very curteous and I do admire him. Tying Lux to a nearby tree, I decide to test a manouver.
Lux has seen me turn invisible so many times it's no longer a shock to him, but it's still rather strange for me to not see myself in the flesh. Without making a sound, I walk to the edge of the field he lies on.
"Rough day?"
He starts slightly. I've surprised him! That's good; it means I have been successful with the development of this strategy. I walk towards him and sit down, cross-legged.
He stands and bows, as he always does. With him up and me down, it reminds me just how much larger he is than me. It's like some sort of mountain that I'm supposed to climb.
Of course, when a royal sits, you sit, and he follows the unspoken rule. After a smile, a "Good afternoon, Princess Lupin", and another "Rough day?" by me, he replies, "A little tough, yes."
"How?"
He tells me about his new idea for strategy on the field, and how it's much more likely to be successful than our original battle plans. Then he explains his meeting with the other generals, and how their reaction wasn't promising.
The answer seems obvious to me. "Why can't you do both? Move in a military fashion, but use your attributed powers to your advantage? That way, we'd be an ordered, coordinated powerhouse."
___
I'm going to stop there because I'm not sure how Mordir would respond. Let me know if anything I did was wrong, Katy!
(May 16, 2016 - 3:55 pm)
Mordir~
I furrowed my brows and pursed my lips at her proposition. "It could work. My idea did not exclude magic, but didn't include it either."
"Then it excluded magic."
I raised an eyebrow at the princess, smirking slightly. "I suppose it did. You could say the magic was optional. Elves could use magic if they wished. But maybe we could incorporate it..."
The princess looked deep in thought now as well, and I watched her for a while, silently taking her in. She was very pretty. But I didn't have time for things like that now, so I tried to focus on things like the battle as well.
"We could have special forces made just for using magic. Elves with wind power especially could help direct the general's voices to their own groups, though our hearing helps with that."
"True..." she nodded. "Maybe if we take your idea, we could build off of it?"
She posed it as a question, maybe asking for permission. I nodded: she didn't need permission. "So take the special magic forces, and use them to strengthen our groups, as well as attack. They could possibly reinforce the sheilds as well."
"But those are just small things we can do with our magic..."
Slowly, we both got engulfed in the conversation. An hour or two passed as we brainstormed and thought out possiblities.
I looked down at her with an approving nod several times. This was how war should be thought out. Now I just had to bring the other general's into it.
"Brilliant!" she finally exclaimed.
I raised my eyebrow again, intrigued.
"I think we've done it! Found the perfect way to make the council happy."
"Definitely."
~~~~~~~
I got the point across, at least.
(May 16, 2016 - 6:17 pm)
Nightlock
~~
Soft scratches came from the parchment as I traced out the path our army would take from Rimbriding Palace to the land of the elves. My claw, dipped in ink, also sketched out the symbols for notes on the side. Taking a moment to look up and smile, I recalled the past events with a grin. After Plutarch found out about Rimbriding Palce, and SearingSpear was Cast down, it was I who took control of the job. Finally, after years of tireless work fighting for the noble dragons, I am the one who is in charge, not that blithering blue-scaled idiot SearingSpear. Glancing out the window of my study, I see the very dragon walking past. Except this was not the audacious and bold dragon I once knew, merely a pitiful shell of her former self.
Her face was marred by a terrible wound that exposed the red, raw skin of half of her face. Her tail dragged in the dust, and her eyes were a dull, unseeing gray. As she plodded down the street, all other common dragons averted their eyes from the sad sight. Shaking my head and turning away, I continued to plan the final attack on Rimbriding Palace in my war study, a single candle flickering beside me. Suddenly, the door creaked. I looked up expectantly, and was not disappointed. General Plutarch stood there, his deep-green scales even darker in the dim light.
"Hello, Nighlock," he said in his deep voice. "Hard at work, I see?" I nodded, my wings rustling beside me.
"I've planned it out, sir. This time, Rimbriding Palace shall be ours." He slowly steps towards my desk, his eyes flashing, but I feel no fear. I'm sure the general will approve of my plan. We both have the same cunning, the same want for war. He surveys it carefully, finally giving a nod of assent.
"Very good. I see you're nothing like SearingSpear. As you said, Rimbriding Palace wil surely fall with this final blow." Flicking his tail, he left my study, but not before calling out a few important words:
"We strike at dawn. I'll be expecting you on the front lines."
Yesss! I could barely contain my joy. Finally, after sitting in a dusty study for so long, I could leave this place and fight! At dawn, I thought. At dawn.
(May 17, 2016 - 3:28 pm)
-()--()- Cheling
I ran though the castle corridors, ignoring the servants, noblefairies, and pretty much everything else as I streaked through the halls. Finally, after about ten minutes of hard running, I reached the queen's chambers, where she asked to talk to me. There was no one outside the door, so I took a minute to rearrange my dress, twisting the fabric back into position. Rumors about my alterations to my uniform had spread all throughout Rimbriding Palace, and since I didn't know what the queen might have heard, I needed to look my best.
The grand oaken door opened, and I slipped through into Queen Camila's private chambers. She sat at a large table in the corner of her sitting room, writing what appeared to be a letter with an old quill pen. Her golden hair flashed in the light from large windows lining the room. I cleared my throat respectfully, not wanting to interrupt her.
The queen turned and rose from her desk. "Ah, Cheling," she said, striding over to an overstuffed sofa in the center of the room. A small table before it held a plate of cakes and pastries. "I need you to help me with something. Come, sit." I obliged, and snatched up the largest cake from the top of the tray. Queen Camila sat and laughed before continuing.
"As I understand it, my son had a bit of an adventure this morning." I nodded, stuffing a second cake into my mouth. I didn't care if it was proper or not, I had spent my entire morning cleaning Reafal up, and until the queen scolded me I would eat what I liked. "I feared as much. Though he is a good storyteller, I'm afraid that Jraing does not have much of an imagination. From the descriptions he gave us, we have identified several important Dragon leaders, whose names I have been instructed not to reveal.
"The Council of Elders (The big fairy council) disagrees with me, but I believe that Jraing was targeted specifically. He is the only heir to the Rimbriding throne, and as such, he is, in a sense, our only hope. We have enough problems with this war already, and we cannot afford to be squabbling amongst ourselves as to who the rightful ruler of the Rimbriding clan is, in the event that Charime and I die."
Throughout all this I had been silent, amazed at the calmness in the queen's tone as she discussed the possibility of her own demise (Ok, and maybe marveling at the sheer deliciousness of the cakes as well), but now I was confused.
"But Your Majesty, what does all this have to do with me? I mean, I'm only the Fish-And-Otter-Stablegirl!"
"Ah, but it has everything to do with you. I need you to get Jraing out of Rimbriding territory, in fact, I need you to get him out fairy lands altogether. I need you to get him to the Elevenshine."
I gaped at her for a moment before I remember who it is that I'm gaping at. "The Elvenshine? What? Why?"
"It is the only place where he will ever be truly safe. The elven leaders are mostly there already, they will protect him. But also," she said, glancing over at me, "I know that I can trust you to keep him safe."
I opened my mouth to say more, but a guard burst in at that very moment, gasping: "Your Majesty, the dragons are here!"
The queen grabbed my arm and looked straight into my eyes. "Get him out. The fate of the clan depends upon it."
With that, I whirled around and bolted out the door.
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So, I'm gonna take Jraing on as a second charrie if that's ok with y'all, and I'll get the two of them to the Elvenshine in one piece! Also, I might make pics of them...
(May 17, 2016 - 4:40 pm)
Ok, Cheling... (pretend there are fairy wings, not angel wings)
(May 17, 2016 - 5:37 pm)
Selene~
I suppose I feel better now. Of course, my own problem was not resolved, and I will still be stuck in Fyrelor forever. But I helped Mordir, and for some reason helping him resolve his own problem feels really, really good.
Especially because it gives us an advantage on the battlefield. And if we have an advantage, we might even win. And if we win this war, maybe-- just MAYBE-- I will be allowed to assassinate Plutarch.
He's the one I care about. That Silveth? She's just a figure; nothing will happen if she dies. Yes, it would give me great satisfaction to see her dead by my hand. Yes, it would be an honor to get to her and kill her, which this new assassin will not be able to do. But the generals are idiots. Assassinating her will not get them anywhere; she may be a puppet of Plutarch, but she has no power whatsoever.
If they sent us off to kill someone with real power...
Like Nightlock. Nightlock is actually a danger, and I know her only because of my contact with Plutarch. She is, apparently, a major general now. I don't know what happened to SearingSpear and I don't want to; all I know is that Nightlock has taken her place, and to assassinate Nightlock would be an honor I most surely deserve.
But Plutarch...
All I want to do is kill Plutarch.
And now that I have acknowledged this, if only in my head, I can finally understand everything. I can understand my motives and my reasons and I can understand myself, at last, because I am very, very difficult to dicipher.
I say goodbye to Mordir, my mind straying elsewhere.
Why did I only just realize this thirst for murder? I understand now I have been feeling this for quite a while. So why did it just come to light?
Because I let it. Because yet another job slipped through my fingers and I've lost my temper. I want to kill Plutarch with all my heart and all my soul, because of this horrid war, because of the mark on my arm, because of the death of my brother. Because everything that made my life horrible can be traced back to him.
And I want him dead.
___
Not my best. I may re-write this later if I read over it and deem it unworthy.
Also, Admins--if I stray too far from the CB regulations, just let me know.
(May 20, 2016 - 7:03 pm)