darkSpyro

Take 2.

(This is not an entirely private RP. Anyone with a Flight Rising account can join.)

The world of Flight Rising may not be what you think it is. Instead of Flights, the dragons have decided to build off of the ruins of the ancient civilizations, to create kingdoms and queendoms of their own. Naturally, there is conflict over this, as some dragons still worship under the Flight system and want separation by Flight, by the 'true deities', though these conflicts are usually minor.

However, due to lack of belief in the deities, the lands and creatures have started to lose their connection to the elements. Unbeknownst to most dragons, the world is slowly withering. This has allowed the Shade to influence the world, continuing their quest to dominate and destroy the world of Flight Rising. Dragons who are corrupted by the Shade, or are believers in the Shade, are scattered everywhere across the lands -- and their numbers are increasing by the day.



1. You must have a Flight Rising account in order to join, so that you may use your own dragons.

2. As with typical RP rules, no god-modding or meta-gaming. You cannot take control of others characters without permission. Unless your character has a backstory with someone else's character, they will not know everything is to be about them, or know other characters' names before they are told. No character will have a complete idea of what is going on, as well, and have to learn more about the events as time goes on. No perfect characters, of course.

3. Please do not ignore other characters in the RP when they are near the character, unless that person is breaking the rules.

4. Please do not write using any "chat speak" and try your best with grammar, and spelling.

5. Do not mix in-character drama with out-of-character drama, and be respectful of other players.

6. Your character(s) will not be killed without permission, but PLEASE be 'realistic' in fights and wounds. Even if your character is a super tough dragon, they also have their limits.

7. Three characters per person.

8. Keep it clean... if you catch the drift.



Nostrum (Light/Shadow/Nature)
King: RumpleLover's Ranun
Major City: The Shining City of Near (Light)
An old territory, with high beliefs in that of bloodlines and separation by class. Due to conflicting opinions within the government, there are frequent assassination attempts on the monarch. Despite this unrest, many will claim that the economy is doing well at least, as Nostrum is a major source for food due to its plentiful forests, as well as... other business.

Near, The Shining City
Its major city is massive, and seemingly forever encrusted in gold. Near is home to one of the greatest libraries known, the library being one of the few places that was kept unchanged ever since the times of Flights. Though, some would prefer if the old library was made into something they deem more "productive". (Light)

Willowspur: The Dusk City. Thieves, tricksters, and more, oh my! This dark town tends to attract shady people that observe your every move from the shadows, so you better watch your satchels if you don't want to lose your precious treasure. Your life, too! (Shadow)
Avianda: The Wild City. A small town full of wildlife, stuck in the past. Many are secretly believers of the Flights and their deities. Even more were exiled from their former king/queendom, either by choice... or by force. Down to earth, some hope to start a peaceful change back to the Flights. Avianda is home to many shamans and skilled healers - as well as a few Shade corrupted dragons that practice dark magic and voodoo arts in secret... (Nature)



Elastrea (Arcane/Ice/Wind)
King: Cynderfyre's Auride
Major City: The Floating City of Solsicra (Arcane)
The western territories compose the vast nation of Elastrea. It's difficult to summarize the entirety of the land. From the knowledgeable Solsicra, the fun-loving Kezyl, and the distant, apathetic Winterstar, Elastrea has much variety. They tend to be a more peaceful, neutral nation than the other two.

Solsicra, The Floating City
Thanks to magical energies buried in the territory, the city of Solsicra hovers in the sky. While most dragons can flap their wings all the way to Solsicra, those who are unable to fly can take a hot air balloon or a flying ship, courtesy of Kezyl. Carved out of amethyst, it is considered one of the most beautiful cities. On the other hand, Solsicrans are stereotyped as being knowledgeable, yet highly paranoid and cowardly. Though not all are like this, some live in fear of the time when the world will end, when the deities will backlash... or even when the Shade will return. (Arcane)

Winterstar: The Bittercold City. A harsh, xenophobic land. Blizzards regularly fly in and out, but the native dragons have grown resistant to the cold. (Ice)
Kezyl: The Mistral City. Known for its festivals, parties, celebrations, soirees... oh, and hurricanes. (Wind)



Azorus (Water/Lightning/Fire)
Major City: The Coral City of Altera (Water)
A territory best known for the technology, weapons, and armors it produces. Azorus is a battle-hardened land, where many dragons are trained to fight and defend. If something, anything were to ever threaten the world of Flight Rising, the soldiers of Azorus would be the first on the front-lines, with their famed loyalty and courage at their sides.

Altera, The Coral City
Stone bridges from the surrounding cities of Kezyl, Darksteel, and Near lead to the city of Altera. Its central point in the land makes it a popular trading hub. Built upon the surface of the Sea of a Thousand Currents, the dragons of Altera channel the restoration powers of the water to heal their comrades. It is rumored that ancient, legendary treasures lurk in the mysterious waters beneath the city. However, only the most daring adventurers go in search of these treasures, as the aquatic world becomes increasingly dangerous as one ventures deeper. Altera is also home to many oracles, seers, and diviners, though some of the more cynical dragons believe that it's all just superstition. (Water)

Darksteel: The Mechanical City. A city built in the stormy desert, where modern wires and generators fill the landscape. The few non-scientists tend to live in the Highland Scrubs, away from the constant whirring of machines. (Lightning)
Zimogor: The Ebony City. The best place for an aspiring blacksmith. It supplies many cities with tools and weapons from the forge, as well as mass producing shipments from Darksteel. (Fire)



Dragon's Crest (Earth)
Where the shattered base of the pillar lies, is where the faithful dragons who still believe in the Deities lie as well. Dragon's Crest is the only place where Flights and deity worshiping are still openly practiced. Generally, these 'rebels' are largely ignored by the other nations... for now.

The Banished Lands (Plague)
The Scarred Wastelands serve as the prison of the traitorous, exiled dragons of the land. In a rotting, merciless territory where food is scarce, where diseased vermin roam freely, and where the sun never shines, only the strong survive.

IMPORTANT: Once we begin, all roleplayers must make introductory posts including their reactions to the dragon's sudden death. When we are all done, the roleplay will skip to two weeks after the attack, when all (or nearly all, if you wish for one of your characters to be alone) of our characters find themselves grouped together in the middle of the Viridian Labyrinth, having fled there after a major attack on their refuges.

Reserving this for characters and such.

Will edit as stuff comes to me.

Name: Reyna
Nicknames (if any): N/A
Link to Dragon:

Gender: Female
Skills/Powers:

• Freezing slash
  
• Frigid bolt
  
• Eliminate
  
• Basic scratch/bite
  

Weaknesses: Can become arrogant easily, and often will pursue something relentlessly until done, which can be both good and bad depending on the goal. Puts herself first, and worries about others later. Wears armor at all times to protect her scales, as the parts underneath her armor are weak and scarred from past fights. Her solution to injuries is "slap a piece of metal on it and you'll be fine", which leaves past wounds vulnerable when exposed.
Aligned With: Neutral
Personality: A bit bitter and arrogant, Reyna chooses to focus on problems at hand rather than things that could happen in the future. "Lives in the moment", you could say. Very self confident, relies on her brute strength to get through situations. Often jumps right into problems without thinking them through first.
History: Reyna hatched in Winterstar, but her family moved to Willowspur while she was very young. Her parents didn't hesitate to leave Reyna with relatives as they spent their time gambling and bartering with other dragons in the city. Being unable to stand her relatives nor her parents, Reyna ran away as soon as she learned to fly. She traveled around all the hotspots of Willowspur, stealing, pickpocketing, and gambling. Her unruly lifestyle made it easy for her to befriend the Ethereal Trickster that roamed the city. Naming the Ethereal Trickster Argentum, they became bonded and heavily reliant on each other. They both grew up with one another's company and they go everywhere together. The two often steal and con dragons together and they make a flawless team. Not quite an adult yet, Reyna still steals and gambles to make her treasure, as she refuses to go to any work to get something when she can just take it from others in mere moments. Reyna is becoming more eager to travel, as the citizens of Willowspur are now able to recognize and label Reyna as a con artist and thief.
Homeland: She hatched in Winterstar, but spent most of her life in Willowspur.
Familiar (optional): She has an Ethereal Trickster named Argentum.
Other: N/A

Name: Maya
Nicknames (if any): N/A
Link to Dragon:

Gender: Female
Skills/Powers:

• Sear
  
• Blazing slash
  
• Basic scratch/bite
  

Weaknesses: Feathery wings can be injured more easily, and she has skinny little stick legs.
Aligned With: Neutral
Personality: Very intelligent, but not very social. She prefers to stay quiet, unless the topic of the conversation interests her.
History: Born and raised in Zimogor, she has spent her entire life making transporting armor and weapons that her family makes for a living. She was born with distinct jaguar markings on her body that make her stand out in a crowd, when she absolutely despises being the center of attention. Her unusual looks made her a target for bullying in her younger years, and she has become very defensive because of it, and doesn't enjoy interaction with others. She moves around a lot, traveling from Zimogor, to Kezyl, to Near, and finally to Avianda where she lives currently. She travels frequently for reasons she keeps to herself.
Familiar (optional): She has a Golden Bantam Fangar kitten named Kimba. Kimba spends most of his time on Maya's back, as he is very small and can get lost easily. He is roughly the size of Maya's head.
Other: She'll be Fire Flight for this.

Um... I don't know if I should join yet, and if I do, this will be my character post. If I do join, my posts might be a little short and you might lose me later.

EDIT: Can I reserve a spot for a king/queen of Azorus?
If possible, could I actually join later and there be a temporary king/queen for this location till my joining?

SUBJECT TO CHANGE POTENTIALLY

Name: Auride
Nicknames (if any): Some may affectionately shorten his name to Auri
Link to Dragon:

Gender: Male
Skills/Powers: Some knowledge about magic and physical fighting, but not much in terms of combat (he can manipulate magic aesthetically though, e.g. surrounding the room in fog or projecting images of space everywhere).
Weaknesses: Not a great deal of strength in combat, and probably couldn't sustain much damage either. He is more reliant on his guards if someone tried to attack him.
Aligned With (Kingdom/Shade/Deity/Neutral): King of Elastrea
Personality: Known for being an extremely friendly, soft sort. He is highly sociable, and can be very sentimental; sadly his sentiment is in conflict with his typical Tundra poor memory, so he owns many items that should remind him of good times but often forgets why he owns them or what that day was like. And he loves to remember good days. He doesn't have much trouble remembering people, however. He also sometimes likes to wander out alone into the crystal mountains and dig around for minerals such as stone or crystals, gold or silver, as he is fascinated by them and their properties.
History: Born and raised a king. He inherited the throne when his parents passed away. There isn't much to say really.
Homeland: Solsicra, Elastrea
Familiar (optional): An specially-bred Golden breed of Bantam Fangar accompanies him at all times, even out into the mountains on his excavating trips. Its name is George.
Other: N/A

Name: Grga Jr.
Nicknames (if any): Just Grga
Link to Dragon:
(look at this the pinnacle of manliness)
Gender: Male
Skills/Powers: Grga is a physical fighter- he can use the likes of scratch, rune slashes, eliminate and such.
Weaknesses: Overbalances easily in a fight. Not magically powerful, so well-defended enemies can easily be challenging. While by no means deaf, he has a tendancy not to hear things coming unless they are really quite loud.
Aligned With (Kingdom/Shade/Deity/Neutral): Citizen of the kingdom of Elastrea; slightly in debate as to whether or not he should believe in the presence of the deities, but never intending to be a devout worshipper
Personality: Pretty chilled out most of the time. He knows when a situation needs to be serious, but aside from that, he enjoys just relaxing and doing what he wants to do. He has an adventurous side inherited from his father, and likes to travel a lot, or reminisce about those good times. Grga loves his family a lot- his parents, partner, and little Snapper kids. He is also quite social and enjoys meeting people and talking with them. And he may have a partner already, but he isn't beyond flirting with pretty much anyone.
History: Grga Jr. grew up in a cosy existance with his parents and brother, who moved away as an adolescent. His father, the original Grga, was a traveller in his youth, and inspired the curious younger Grga Jr. to go out and explore the world, and find out about new things. Grga Jr. ended up exploring a lot with a couple of friends- a spiral who lived near to him in Solsicra and an imperial who he met roaming in a mangrove swamp, as well as a stroppy Arcane sprite and a really slow, heavy Greatshell. After years of odd adventures with his group of friends, he settled down with his partner Stefica and they had kids. Then after the kids grew up and moved out, he took the opportunity to take a few more years exploring, which is why he is in Altera now. He also picked up Avenriel on the way, who was hopelessly lost. They are travelling around together until the Skydancer decides to just settle down somewhere.
Homeland: Solsicra, Elastrea
Familiar (optional): None
Other: He has a big, dramatic-looking scar on his eye. He got it in a fight with a couple of Cave Jewels. They were half his size and he had the advantage in every way. He prefers not to recall that incident.

Name: Avenriel
Nicknames (if any): Ave (pronounced with an "ay" sound like in "hay")
Link to Dragon:

Gender: Male
Skills/Powers: He has some limited fire powers, but they are weak and he isn't very good at controlling them (he sometimes ends up setting bushes on fire and stuff so he doesn't tend to try with them). Physically pretty weak.
Weaknesses: Can't physically injure. He just doesn't have the strength in him. Can't take a hit either- he's pretty much a hide-behind-the-nearest-rock guy. If he got a grip on his fire ability, he would probably be onto something.
Aligned With (Kingdom/Shade/Deity/Neutral): Now citizen of the kingdom of Elastrea
Personality: Quiet and reserved, and fairly anxious. Ave prefers not to talk too much, and gets flustered easily if someone starts talking to him. He is quite sentimental, and owns a few objects that were given to him by an old friend which he refuses to part with- including Pyja the 'killer Clouddancer' as Grga Jr. refers to it.
History: Ave came from a very large, pretty wealthy family in Zimogor. His anscestors had made their fortune forging weapons and left their descendants with a large sum of treasure. They had strongly believed in their deity, the Flamecaller, and very strongly praised and worshipped the fiery goddess, thinking it the key to their success. This tradition didn't last to modern day but to an extent, his parents still had a little curiosity as to whether or not faith in the gods was the way to go. For one reason or another, he didn't get along with the rest of his family and ended up storming out and moving away. He got hopelessly lost in the woods around Willowspur until he was picked up by Grga Jr. and his band of travelling companions, then taken to Solsicra, where Grga lived. He is travelling with Grga since he has nowhere better to be.
Homeland: From Zimogor originally, moved to Solsicra.
Familiar (optional): Sunspot Clouddancer named Pyja. He has a furious temper and nobody trusts him near hatchlings. Ave loves him to bits- he was a gift from a close friend some time ago.
Other: N/A (maybe I'll think of something for him and Auride later)

EDIT:

Name: Link.
Nicknames: (none)
Link to Dragon:

Gender: Female.
Skills/Powers: Scratch, Shred, Mana Bolt, Enfeeble.
Weaknesses: Her naive/stubborn nature, plus whatever Arcane Mirror Dragons are weak to. /sorry i'll fix this i promise
Aligned With: Deity (Arcanist, to be more exact).
Personality: She's generally quiet, but yet incredibly energetic and passionate. While often playful and cheerful most of the time, she can easily become very grim when faced with something horrible, causing her usual silence to become rather worrying. She believes in justice and can often do very stupid things in the defense of others, but she insists it's bravery rather than stupidity. Maybe it's both. Maybe to her they're the same thing.
History: Has believed in the Deities, and served the Arcanist in particular, for as long as she can remember. She has also been the leader of her clan (for lack of a better term idk what to call it aaaah) for some time now, vowing to give protection to those that are defenseless (even if this inevitably gets her into some mess or another).
Homeland: Dragon's Crest.
Familiar (optional): A Black Dwarf Unicorn by the name of Epona that has a tendency to give her looks that say 'When are you ever not an idiot?' Nonetheless is a loyal companion and also rather fond of making food mysteriously go missing. Is adored by Link.
Other: Sometimes when she does speak, she ends her sentence with the wrong word.

Name: Midna
Nicknames: (none)
Link to Dragon:

Gender: Female
Skills/Powers: Meditate, Contuse, Mana Bolt.
Weaknesses: Her obsession with her pearl can be life-threatening, and she's not the best at flying. Standard Arcane weaknesses apply.
Aligned With: Kingdom of Elastrea.
Personality: Cold, but not exactly emotionless. She spends most of her time being depressed for some reason or another, and tends to be easily annoyed. Rarely has fun, and also doesn't tolerate stupidity. Even so, she can be nice and (very rarely) happy. Sometimes. Pray you cherish that memory forever for you may not see it happen again. Perhaps a bit bossy on occasion, but does try to keep everyone's best interest to heart even if she happens to dislike everyone present.
History: Was found and raised by Link as a hatchling (with help from Link's mate, Zelda, of course), but doesn't remember what things were like prior to being found beyond never ending nightmares and sorrow. Despite growing up in a very pro-deity environment, she remained skeptic and eventually left for Elastrea, much to the heartbreak of her adopted mother, who hadn't wanted her to leave so soon (or at all, really). Upon settling in Solsicra, she found herself in a peaceful, if completely boring lifestyle.
Homeland: Well, she grew up in Dragon's Crest, but now lives in Solsicra.
Familiar (optional): Doesn't have one...yet.
Other: Still suffers from nightmares.

Name: Loki
Nicknames: (none)
Link to Dragon:
Gender: Female
Skills/Powers: Scratch, Shred, Mist Slash. Fond of random magic tricks and thus is fairly skilled with them. And if lying is a skill, she's good at that, too.
Weaknesses: Her arrogance tends to be her undoing in many cases. Also usual Shadow Dragon weaknesses.
Aligned With: Neutral. She is aligned with herself above all.
Personality: Mischievous and haughty, Loki spends her time manipulating and pulling pranks on other dragons for her own amusement. She thinks herself above any and all rules, and indeed likely thinks herself above all other dragons. Apathetic to the suffering of others for the most part, only taking concern if their pain can cause problems for her. If she has any redeeming qualities whatsoever, they're buried underneath all that is her.
History: Abandoned by her family at a young age, Loki spent the first few weeks confused and angry, before growing to embrace her 'freedom' and casting any idea of morals aside. It was with this she gained a talent for trickery, and she's spent most of her days hiding in the shadows, eagerly awaiting the next opportunity to take advantage of.
Homeland: Willowspur.
Familiar (optional): An Ethereal Trickster by the name of Reynard. He is mischievous and manipulative like Loki, and is probably the only being on the planet she loves besides herself.
Other: Obsessed with her gold apparel. Touch it and die.

EDIT: THE SEQUEL: Yeah I changed Midna's history a bit. And referenced Zelda which I assume is okay (I felt he needed to be referenced; it was weird that he wasn't beforehand).

EDIT:
Name: Sunny
Nicknames: N/A
Link to dragon:

Gender: Female
Skills/Powers: She doesn't know too much about fighting yet, but she is very agile and focuses more on her agility than fighting skills. She is also very stealthy.
Weaknesses: She is quite naive and will trust nearly anyone instantly, this often leads her into dangerous situations. Sunny also doesn't know when enough is enough, often getting seriously injured due to her not knowing her limits.
Aligned with: Neutral
Personality: Sunny is an extroverted dragon. She loves meeting new people and making friends, and cannot stand being lonely at any time. Sunny is also extremely trusting and will often blurt out her friends secrets which leads to her often losing friends much to her dismay.
History: Sunny has always lived with her parents. They were ridiculously over protective so she was barely allowed outside until she started sneaking out when her parents weren't around She finally decided to run away on the night of the mask festival.
Homeland: Near
Familiar: N/A
Other: N/A

Name: Graphite
Nicknames: N/A
Link to dragon:

Gender: Female
Skills/Powers: She is quite skilled with fighting as she has done it all her life. Graphite plans her attacks and knows her limits very well.
Weaknesses: Graphite is very slow, leaving her open for attack as she is planning her next move, she is often daydreaming at random times.
Aligned with: Neutral
Personality: Very serious. Graphite will very rarely show her fun side and has never been close to anyone. She often comes off as cold and has accidentally offended many.
History: Graphite has been an orphan since she can remember, always living off of anything she can find and fighting to survive.
Homeland: Darksteel
Familiar: N/A
Other: N/A

Name: Revolver
Nicknames: N/A
Link to dragon:

Gender: Male
Skills/Powers: Revolver isn't very good at fighting at all, and will freeze up when threatened constantly, despite this, he can still dish out weak ättacks. He makes up for this however with his intelligence.
Weaknesses: He often needs others to protect him due to his low strength.
Aligned with: Deity (Stormcatcher)
Personality: Revolver is a complete dork. He is very friendly and obsessed with technology, and relies VERY heavily on it. He constantly mentions the stormcatcher in conversation and will get very offended if anyone insults him. He doesn't have many friends and can appear awkward at times.
History: Revolver lived in Dragon's Crest for most of his life until he finally moved to Darksteel due to his obsession with technology.
Homeland: Darksteel
Familiar: N/A
Other: N/A

OOC: New characters, if no one's opposed, and one will be the king of Nostrum... (And that'll be in a post below...)



Name: Zolla
Nicknames (if any): N/A
Link to Dragon: Click Zolla's pretty picture above...
Gender: Female
Skills/Powers: Zolla is a very skilled fighter, physically, but she'd much rather prefer to ruin her enemy with words.
Weaknesses: Zolla keeps to herself, and doesn't do well with relying on others, so if she's with a group, she can slip up, as she doesn't do well with following plans, often doing her own thing. She ignores other allies, and so they can get in her way and throw her off. She's also quick to get angry and act rashly in such situations, letting her anger control her rather than any common sense. Her biggest weakness is the King of Nostrum, as he's the only real friend she's ever had.
Aligned With (Kingdom/Shade/Deity/Neutral): Neutral.
Personality: Zolla is hard and bitter, much like the cold lands she comes from. She's very hard to read and keeps to herself. She's very distrusting of others, and doesn't make friends easily, as she rarely smiles or has a good time.
History: Zolla grew up with her family in Winterstar, the youngest of three sisters. When their parents died when she was fairly young, her older siblings pretty much abandoned her. She grew tired of the atmosphere of not trusting others in her homeland, so decided to leave. She traveled the world, but it was hard to survive, despite meeting nice people. Because of the idea of not trusting anyone outside Winterstar that she was brought up believing and knowing dragons only as being cold and unforgiving such as her father, she couldn't bring herself to trust those who would offer help. She found herself in Willowspur where a group of thieves took her in. They reminded her much of her family, as they were out to protect and provide for only themselves, yet they still cared deeply for each other, like a family. Something about the group intrigued her enough that she accepted their invitation to join them. And she's been with them ever since. It was while she was among them that she met Ranun, who soon became her best friend. It was a sad day for her when he was taken to Near, though she was very happy for him. She still holds onto the hope that they both shared that the world can become a better place, though she'll admit this to no one, sometimes not even herself.
Homeland: Winterstar, now Willowspur
Familiar (optional): A Citrine Cave Jewel
Other: N/A




Name: Zelkov
Nicknames (if any): N/A
Link to Dragon: Click Zelkov's picture above...
Gender: Male
Skills/Powers: He prefers physical attacks with his claws and spines, but mostly relys on his wit, not wanting to get his claws dirty, and never really wanting to be bothered with a fight. The most fighting he's seen is a brawl here and there, and usually in such situations, he gets his familiar to fight for him.
Weaknesses: Not very skilled in battle, as he's never had to be. At times, if he really wants something, he can be a bit stubborn, too, which puts him at risk. He'll do anything to get what he wants, and sometimes doesn't think through what that could cost him. When his mind is set on obtaining something of value, he doesn't see anything else around him, which is very problematic in the long run.
Aligned With (Kingdom/Shade/Deity/Neutral): Neutral
Personality: Zelkov cares only for himself and what he can get for himself. He's all about making money and using everyone and everything to his advantage. He has a smooth tongue, and is pretty good at reading people, which, of course, plays to his advantage. He enjoys a good time, and is never very serious, unless he has his mind set on a mission to obtain an item. If you ever want a rare object found and obtained, he's the one to call on, as he never backs down from a challenge and is fueled most when someone tells him something is impossible. His determination is unmatched, when it's there. Between jobs and seeking the next greatest treasure, he lets his guard down to have fun and unwind, and to spend his well-earned treasure.
History: Zelkov grew up in Altera with his parents, though they were lost to him when he was young. He grew up on the streets, learning quickly how to survive on his own. A merchant couple took him in at one point, but he didn't stay with them long, only long enough to learn what he needed and move on. He traveled for awhile, but decided Altera was the best place for a business, and soon built one, gathering many rare items from around the world. He also built up his reputation for finding rare items.
Homeland: Altera
Familiar (optional): An Umbra Wolf from Willowspur named Amon, whom he treats more like a pet than a friend, though the wolf is as stubborn as Zelkov at times, and doesn't always let him get away with it. He has a backbone, and has, at times, left Zelkov. But he always returns. The two need each other, though neither one would ever admit it, both preferring to be loners and rely on no one but themselves, an odd thing for a wolf.
Other: N/A

All done. May add another character later in the RP


(pretend she is Shadow)

Name: Kaon
Nicknames: n/a
Link to Dragon: Link
Gender: Female
Skills/Powers: Despite her size, Kaon is sleek and agile, mostly because she is smaller than most Ridgebacks. She is a mix of rogue and a bit of warrior, able to use the powers from her Shadow ancestry to sneak behind the enemy, stab them from behind, and then continue fighting with tooth and claw. However, she is not very defensive against magic, particularly Light magic. She fights with vicious, relentless slashes of shadow.
- Mist Slash
- Shroud
- Rally
- Shred
Weaknesses: Impulsiveness and rebelliousness is already a deadly combination. Add in a lack of common sense, and it becomes ten times worse. Lucien says, "Don't push that button, Kaon, or else we'll all die." Kaon instantly pushes the button and everyone dies horribly. Thankfully, she has learned a few things about controlling her hastiness, though she still has her moments. She also has an aversion to the element of Light.
Aligned With: The King/Queendom of Nostrum, though she's more of a trouble-making citizen than anything.
Personality: The sly and sociable Kaon has all the time in the world for mischief and drama. While seeming friendly and outgoing at first glance, she is also cunning and unpredictable. Kaon is prone to fits of laughter, impishness, and... insanity? Indeed, she occasionally attracts the line "Are you insane/an idiot!?" from several dragons, mostly due to her crazy logic and theatrics. Truth is, she can be more treacherous than she appears - and much, much less friendlier than normal. Be cautious when it comes to putting your trust in her, for the deceitful Kaon can easily manipulate and twist it around to her own ends.
History: For Kaon, life started in poverty in the golden city of Near, where separation by class was and is everything. Being at the bottom of the barrel, it was up to Kaon to scrape up money by singing tales of bravery and weaving stories of adventure. As time passed, she discovered that she could not find any new fables to tell, not when she was stuck living in the backwater of some snobby city. Though she thirsted for adventure herself, Kaon couldn't just leave her parents behind and poor, so she resorted to petty thievery to get her way. All was well and dandy, at least until a certain black dragon caught her 'borrowing' some coins from him. With sheer quickness she never knew she had, Kaon was able to evade him - for a time. Inevitably, the Pearlcatcher had matched her speed and caught up to her, not angry, but instead impressed. His proposal was that they become partners of sorts, fending for one another while in search of adventures together. With nothing to lose, it was then that Kaon gave all her money to her family and departed Near, finding a home in Willowspur instead, and then finally setting off to scour the lands with Lucien for wealth and glory.
Homeland: Born in Near of Nostrum, moved to Willowspur
Familiar: n/a
Other: Having been a bard, she knows several things about the history of the world of Flight Rising. However, many elements of the story have been lost, kept secret to the ones who still practice the old ways. Because of this, she wishes to meet a Deity worshipper someday.




Name: Lucien
Nicknames: n/a
Link to Dragon: Link
Gender: Male
Skills/Powers: Much like Kaon, Lucien is swift and nimble, and uses this to his advantage for deadly sneak attacks. Unlike Kaon, he has access to Arcane magic, conjuring bolts of magic from his unusually sharp and honed horn - which he also conveniently uses for stabbing. Complementing her, he is more resilient to most types of magic.
- Mana Bolt
- Enfeeble
- Ward
- Sap
Weaknesses: ...and on the other hand, less resistant to physical attacks. Like most Pearlcatchers, he's kind of squishy, taking a lot of damage from frontal assaults. There are also a few times when his self-confidence gets the better of him, leading him to underestimate his prey too much.
Aligned With: Neutral. He doesn’t care much for politics, he just follows Kaon around.
Personality: Lucien regularly manages to maintain an affable, calm exterior. On the interior, while not generally unkind, his is a merciless soul, ruthless and vicious with any who dare defy him. He is usually a very civilized dragon, speaking in a respectful manner, yet at the same time sizing up the person he is talking to, searching for any signs of weakness in the case that they may have to battle someday. In the event that his patience and politeness finally break, you will know that the situation has become very, very dire.
History: There is not much known about the background of this character. Being a dragon native to Willowspur, Lucien always had his ways to receive treasure from others, usually by perpetrating "tragic accidents" that led to their enemies' untimely demise. He also had a partner-in-crime of sorts; a fair, white Wildclaw with a knack for eccentricity. After being caught in an act, Lucien and his partner fled Willowspur with only their lives and their satchels, before departing on their own separate ways. That was years ago, and since then he has decided to trail after Kaon on her grand adventures of potentially very lethal experiences - and lots of money, too.
Homeland: Willowspur of Nostrum
Familiar: n/a
Other: Unlike most dragons of his kind, Lucien does not have a pearl. It is unknown how he lost his pearl, as he refuses to speak about it, but he seems otherwise indifferent to it’s loss.

OOC: when is this planned to start? I work faster when given a deadline.

I'm not sure there should be a real deadline, since some are still working heavily on their character sheets (and not everyone has spring break like I do).
Although we probably shouldn't wait too long. Say, March 8, and we'll see how far we're at with our sheets?

Don't take this as an invitation to rush, though!

OOC: Crap... I'll be gone on the 8th-10th for my birthday...

This thing will start on Wednesday, March 19! If your character sheets aren't quite sparkling clean and ready to go, don't worry, you can always hop in anytime later.

If we get past the prologue/introductory posts and you still aren't finished your sheets, then you can just skip it when you join and go right to the second part (which is when our characters are gathered in the Viridian Labyrinth). We'll try not to get too far ahead.

are we starting today or what

sorry i had a tutor session

Anyways, anybody can start posting their introductory post. Doesn't have to be like 800 words long, just write as much as you can or want to. Somewhere in the middle of your post, you should incorporate the Shade dragon's death and your dragons' reactions to it - so basically, almost like merging the two posts you may have created on the last topic.

and no, you don't have to be done by today

OOC: I can add more if necessary but I've not gone as far as "the ground shattered like glass". Somebody else just kind of lead that on. Also sorry it's long.

The weather on the day of the festival could not have been finer. Sunlight beamed down through the coral city, glinting through the ice-blue crystals that decorated the golden king of Elastrea as his guards lead him down the cluttered, bustling streets. The king, in his usual manner, was chuckling and talkative, frequently pointing out items of interest or particularly pretty banners and stalls. Other dragons glanced on in awe as a member of royalty strode past; he made sure to smile broadly at the crowd, occasionally giving them a nod of his head as well.
"Well, I don't think I've felt this good in a long time," he chuckled to a guard, "there's a lovely atmosphere at festivals like these. Oh, and not long to the performances now, is it? I'm looking forward to them."
The guard nodded. King Auride rose one hand to adjust his mask- it was elegant, but nothing too flamboyant. Just a relatively simple golden decoration covered in the same crystals as those on his body. His companion, a Golden Bantam Fangar, was similarly decorated in pale blue gemstones and a tiny golden collar fit around its bursting mane.
Auride took in a deep sigh. He hummed quitely to himself, in time with the music that was playing a short distance away. A breeze brushed through his fur. He closed his eyes to take in the pleasant feeling of it.
Suddenly, the procession halted. The king opened his eyes once more, only to see guards turning around and ushering him backwards. Behind them he could hear shrieks of panic, and already there was a small crowd forcing their way into the street in a rush.
"What is happening?" He tried to ask, only to be practically shoved backwards by a guard- stoic and calm as guards ever were, but with a clear look of concern on his face. This troubled Auride. He'd never seen any of his guards look like that. Nothing that bad had ever happened to him at a public event like this before- only minor disturbances. Whatever this was, it was something much, much more worrying.

"Aw, come on then Ave. There's bound to be food stalls somewhere 'round about here."
"Oh, um... Do you think we'll still make the art performances?"
"Course we will, course we will! Hey, they're only around the corner from here anyway. So how'd you say about some local delicacies then?"
The skydancer nodded. His Snapper friend turned, with no hesitation, in the direction from which a delicious smell was coming. "Mmm... I haven't had a decent fish meal since I settled down, y'know. I love Stefica, I love her, I really do, but she can't sort out fish to save her life."
Grga Jr. went forth, with Avenriel cautiously following. Festivals were not Avenriel's thing at all. The crowds were making him feel extremely uncomfortable, with tens of thousands of pairs of eyes (even more if both pairs on Mirrors were counted) surrounding him that- despite his best attempts not to believe it- seemed to all be staring condescendingly at him.
But then again, there was nowhere better for him to be. Staying with Grga's family only ment he was taking up space in their home and getting in the way. Plus, he'd hoped this would be a good experience for him, considering he'd never been to a big festival before. And he did appreciate the art performances, and some of the beautiful wares on sale. A gorgeous sword display had caught his attention before, but he'd swiftly moved on after almost losing Grga to the crowd.
Half-way to the stall, Grga stopped. "You alright, hey, lad? I mean, I know crowd's aren't your thing and stuff, I don't want you to be staying here if you aren't comfortable with it."
"Oh... me? No, no, I'm alright. I suppose it's good for me to be here and... and have the experience."
"Alright, son, just as long as you-" Grga stopped mid-sentence. He sniffed the air, and a look of disgust crossed his face. "Eugh. Can y' smell that? That ain't fish anymore."
Both turned their heads in the direction of the smell. "Tha's probably one of them Plague believers. Now I got nothing wrong with bein' proud of your heritage but those Plague dragons ought to learn not to feel the need to bring out their boils in public, every event. I swear to the gods, I- oh."
He spotted it. A dragon, lying flat on the ground, in a hideous mess.
"By the king's mane, Ave. Go get a medic or something!" The instruction made Avenriel immediately tense. He glanced around, praying that there was someone close by who could help so that he would not have to stray far. He tried to speak to Grga but in the panic of all that was going on in that moment, he lost his voice.
The snapper strode up towards the injured dragon, stopping a few metres away. "Oh... This is awful, Ave. Just... Look at them. They're totally- wait, listen, they're trying to say something..."
He listened to the vague words that the injured dragon was spluttering. Grga tried to speak to them calmly: "Hey, hey... 'S okay, okay, we're getting help for you, a'right?" By now, there was a small crowd surrounding the scene, and others had joined Grga in trying to calm the injured individual, keeping a fair distance so not to alarm them. A medical dragon pushed through the gathering, seeming as shocked as everybody else upon seeing the gruesome state the dying dragon was in. After a few moments of examining the body, checking for pulses and open wounds, the medic shook their head, a signal to the rest that it was too late. Avenriel extended a hand and nudged Grga lightly, getting his attention.
"Grga... Can we go now? I... I feel sick... I have a really bad feeling..."

"Altera! Such a grand, glorious city, dontcha think?"

"Certainly."

"I mean, Nostrum is great and all, and so is Solsicra, but a city built upon the sea!" The Ridgeback flew through her words as she entered the gates, making sure to put emphasis on each and every syllable so that her partner would know just how genuine she was being. "The Coral City, the city of the seers, the heart of the land, the... the..."

The black-scaled Pearlcatcher beside Kaon pulled his head away as her one-sided conversation quickly lost steam. Unlike most of the dragons at the Festival, he did not have a mask - not like anyone would even see it under his shadowy hood, anyways. Kaon, on the other hand, proudly wore a silver, regal mask with intricate designs carved into it, topped with crimson plumage. As the two paused to take in their surroundings, she scanned the crowd of masked dragons, snorting as she compared her amazing, elegant mask to their obviously inferior ones.

Lucien exhaled as he sat down upon the patterned stone floors of Altera. A real artwork of a city, Kaon was right about that. After their latest trips, it was nice to sit down and get a breather, even if they had to leave the Festival a little earlier than expected. He watched the various dragons around them shuffle around and make small talk, the younglings playfully chase each other through the crowds, and the mischievous ones sneak delicacies into their pockets when the stallkeepers backs are turned. The sweet aroma of love filled the air... or was that fish? Probably fish, since Kaon seemed to be having the time of her life lavishly devouring a sunfish beside him. Lucien didn't really consider himself one for partying, but at least Kaon was enjoying herself.

With a satisfied slurp, Kaon finished off her snack of the day. "Only 100 coins for that one. What a steal! Say, do you want me to get something for you, 'Cien?"

"No need, Kaon. I'm fine." Lucien slowly rose to his paws and, contradicting his statement, a feeling of dread suddenly washed over him. Something cold ran down his spine and he flicked his tail uneasily. What was wrong? Everyone else seemed to be enjoying the festivities. And yet, there was something strange going on. He could tell. The scent of something horrible was in the air.

Kaon swallowed. "...Something the matter?" she quietly ventured. Her spines were recoiling in terror, and she had no idea why. "M-maybe we should take a walk. You know, catch some fresh air." Without even waiting for a reply, the Ridgeback got up and trudged past Lucien, who then nodded his head and followed.

She didn't get very far before Lucien pawed at her side and motioned his head to the side. "Look there. Something's happening." A crowd was steadily gathering in front of them, and the dragons approaching the scene were slowly growing mortified looks upon their faces. Though her instincts were begging her not to, Kaon walked over, Lucien quick at her tail. A putrid stench brimmed their nostrils, and both of them instantly recognized it as the scent of death.

And though the crying dragon lying in the middle of the scene looked, felt, and smelled like death, he hoarsely let out one last sentence before his body truly expired.

"I refuse you, I refuse you, I do not want this any longer...I-I'm not-"

Then the ground shattered, and tendrils of darkness reached out from the cracks.

"You're kidding with me, right?" the Guardian said with a frown, looking at the card in Loki's hand, which showed him that he had lost yet again.

"I'm afraid not, my good man," Loki said with a chuckle, pulling the deck of cards closer to herself and pocketing the coins he had given her, "Would you like to try again?"

"No, I don't think so. I have better things to do then blow all of my treasure on your game."

"Oh, that's a shame," Loki replied, putting her hands to her chest and pretending to be hurt, watching as Reynard proceeded to steal more treasure from the Guardian's bag while he was distracted. Reynard finished and looked to Loki, who grinned.

"Well, I wish you a wonderful day, sir!" Loki shouted with a toothy grin, as the Guardian walked off, none the wiser. Loki covered her mouth in laughter as Reynard snickered, then she pulled out her mask to put on. It was a very simple mask: Completely gold-coloured and not much else.

Reynard taking refuge in the empty part of Loki's bags, the two were off just as the Guardian realized what had happened.

"You little..." Loki heard him say, "I'll get you for that!"

But she was out of his sight, lost in the crowd. Loki allowed herself to laugh once she was 'safe', but her laughter was cut short by the sight of a bunch of dragons surrounding another dragon, who was on the ground and crying. There was a medic nearby, but it became obvious to Loki that the situation was hopeless.

Loki tried to get closer in order to better hear what the helpless dragon was saying, but then she jumped back as darkness shot out like arrows towards the crowd...

- - -

Midna looked over the mask she had made herself. It was a nice mask. Black with aqua green lines on it, resembling a Circuit dragon. Unfortunately, she hadn't quite made it the right size, so it continued to slide off of her head.

Sighing, she put the mask back on and continued to walk through the crowd, holding her pearl close. The art performances were about to start, and though she hadn't even wanted to come to the festival in the first place, this was something she didn't want to miss.

She had someone to meet, after all. The other dragon didn't know she was coming, of course, but yet she was sure she'd find them here. They were always fond of things like this... Hopefully, if she was right, finding them wouldn't be hard, even in this crowd which she grew to dislike more and more by the second.

"...Midna, is that you?"

Or the dragon could find her instead.

"Yes, it is," Midna replied as Link came into her view, Epona following, "Been awhile, hasn't it?"

"Yes!" was Link's only response, as she jumped and hugged Midna. Epona only stared at Midna in surprise. Midna herself slowly moved herself into a sitting position in order to properly hug Link back.

"I know this is going to sound weird, after the last time we saw each other, but... I actually missed you," Midna said with sincerity, finally starting to enjoy herself. The response she got was Link hugging her even tighter.

"Please tell me you aren't going to strangle me," Midna remarked dryly as Link let go of her, "Do you have a mask?"

"I lost it in the jungle," Link answered, and Midna took that time to wonder if she meant 'crowd' or if she was being serious about losing it in a jungle, "Wasn't able to find it..."

"Oh, well, we can just get another and...wait, what's going on over there?" Midna pointed to a bunch of dragons, but she couldn't see what was so interesting to them. She could, however, catch the scent of death, and she knew Link could smell it, too. Epona got behind Link in fear, her eyes wide.

Getting closer, they could see a dragon on the ground, black tears falling from his eyes as he spoke words Midna could not hear, but she assumed Link did, as Link's face paled and all her previous enthusiasm drained away in an instant. She began backing away along with Epona, motioning for Midna to do the same.

Midna never believed in the deities, or the Shade, or anything of that nature. But as the dragon's black tears sank into the ground, only for it to shatter and darkness to shoot out at the crowd like hungry beasts, she soon found herself wondering...

OOC: I'll probably edit this again but for now this is my complete post. I'm tired.

OOC: Sorry to put a character sheet here in the middle of intro posts.... Can someone please explain to me how I can be over the character limit when my post wasn't any longer than before?! All I did was substitute two characters for two others, and I actually feel like I wrote less about their personalities! Anyway, /end rant. Meet the King of Nostrum, if no one's opposed to the idea...



Name: Ranun (King of Nostrum)
Nicknames (if any): N/A
Link to Dragon: Click Ranun's picture above...
[b]Gender: Male
Skills/Powers: Ranun is a very physical fighter, using his spines, claws, and teeth to fight up close.
Weaknesses: Ranun is young and inexperienced in politics, so will rely on others for advice and counsel, not generally trusting himself. He hesitates to make decisions, so leaves himself vulnerable while arguing with himself over what his next move should be. He's a very fierce fighter, but isn't as strong as he could be, especially when he's distracted, which is often, especially as he tries to take on his new role as king. He can also, at times, let his emotions drive him, especially when it involves something or someone he cares deeply about.
Aligned With (Kingdom/Shade/Deity/Neutral): Kingdom of Nostrum, as he's the king.
Personality: Ranun is young and fun-loving, but has become serious and sad. He doubts himself and his decisions and often just relies on others. He loves people, and hates injustice. He's very cunning and clever, and has a brilliant mind, but none would know this, as he's recently become very closed and quiet. He's very passionate about the things he loves.
History: Ranun was forced to grow up quickly, as his parents died when he was young. He had one younger brother, whom he failed to protect. He was taken in by the king of Nostrum, and forced into new surroundings, which once again caused him to grow up quickly. He's very smart and cunning, but often doubts himself, as he very much wants to please everyone. He just recently became the king when his father died. Before this, he was very outspoken against the separation of bloodlines and class, but now that he's king, he's grown quiet and fearful that he'll fail the people. He wants not only to please the people, but to be the king his father would have wanted. He doesn't want to let him down, as he gave him this chance. This was a chance he never felt he deserved, and never really understood why the king would choose to adopt him, of all people. It's especially hard on him, now that his father's passed away, as he can no longer question him about it, and never had. Ranun grew up in Willowspur until the King of Nostrum found him and brought him to the brilliant city of Near.
Homeland: Willowspur, but now Near.
Familiar (optional): A Longneck Magi named Timothy, who has been with him since he became a prince by adoption. He's Ranun's aide and counselor. Ranun often asks much advice from the Magi, who is also much of a mentor to him.
Other: If you haven't figured it out yet, he's the King of Nostrum, and has had many assassination attempts on his life.

Zelkov was almost giddy. This festival was such a big deal. He couldn't even begin to wrap his head around how many dragons had actually shown up. All he had to do was turn up his charm, and he'd end the day with a ton of treasure. Grinning, as usual, he turned his attention toward the crowd of dragons making it's way nonchalantly through the market stalls. His was in a good location, he'd made sure of that. As he studied the dragons, trying to decide which one to draw in and tempt first, his thoughts were interrupted by a low growl. He turned toward the umbra wolf lying at his feet.
"Bored?" Zelkov asked him, already knowing the answer. He frowned. "Well, you could make yourself useful and go see if you can find my anything of value in this swelling crowd." The wolf only glared at him. Zelkov leaned down to him. "I'm not asking, Amon. Go! Now!" With a grunt, the wolf got up and left, mumbling as he did so. Zelkov knew he hated doing his grunt work, but he was perfect for the job. He was able to blend into the shadows with ease, and could move without being seen. He was the perfect set of eyes to keep an eye open for anything valuable, and today, of all days, Zelkov knew he'd find plenty. Grinning again, he turned his attention back to watching the crowds.

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Zolla hated crowds. And she hated cities. She'd much rather be alone somewhere by herself, taking in the beauty of nature. Instead she was stuck in a city and a swelling crowd which was only growing larger by the minute. She would just leave, but her brothers needed her. She was there go to for events such as this, and she'd never understand why. The others didn't hate crowds as she did, nor did they hate cities. In fact, they thrived in them, which was probably the reason she was chosen for the job. She almost smiled as she thought of the others getting distracted by feminine charms and rousing drinks and songs. She wouldn't be distracted by anything. She'd be the first to get in and get out as quickly as possible. She was also the most light-clawed of the group, and in such a large crowd, this would be simple. With a sigh of displeasure, she moved through the crowd, easily pickpocketing coins and valuables off of anyone she suspected wouldn't see her. She had a decent amount and was ready to leave when she stopped short, feeling like someone was watching her. She glanced discreetly around, but saw no one. Continuing on, she headed in the direction of the art performances. That would be a brilliant distraction, and she'd be able to grab a few more valuables before returning home to her brothers. Perhaps, too, she'd find whoever she felt sure was following her.

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Ranun moved through the crowd, his mask getting bumped and knocked askew. He didn't bother straightening it. It would only happen again in such a massive crowd. Beside him, his Longneck Magi friend, Timothy seemed uneasy. "My Lord, I really think we should leave. You shouldn't be here."
"Oh, come now, Timothy, I'm a king. Coming to such events is pretty much mandatory. At least, father always made a point of coming."
"Yes, but his life wasn't constantly being sought by those who disagreed with his ideals."
"You worry too much, Timothy. We're here to have a good time, so relax." He turned his attention toward the area where the art performances would soon be happening. He knew he was the last one to tell his friend to relax, as he was the last one to do so. It was the reason he'd wanted to come. He'd been so confused and burdened of late, he just wanted to get away for awhile, and go back to the way things used to be, before he was ever royalty at all. But he wasn't sure it would work. In fact, he was sure it wouldn't. He very much doubted he'd have a good time, or that art performances or anything else would distract his restless mind. Ever since his father died on that fateful night not so long ago, his mind was constantly on his duty to the people as king. He had many thoughts on the matter, but the one that was always forefront on his mind was not letting them down and failing as a king. His father had pulled him from the slums and hardships of life and given him a new chance, and Ranun didn't want to waste or ruin that. So it was with a heavy heart that he went on to the art performances.

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Zolla watched the crowd gathering. It promised to be a large one, and this pleased her. She'd be able to leave soon. As she watched, the feeling returned to her that she was being watched. She hadn't felt it in a while, but now it was back, and she couldn't ignore it. She glanced around slowly, but saw nothing out of the ordinary, at least not at first. Then her sharp eyes caught on a flicker of movement, barely noticeable. It was in the shadows and she felt sure she knew what it was. An Umbra Wolf. That had to have been what was watching her earlier, and why she hadn't seen it. The could easily blend into the shadows. She was ready to approach it and demand it's intentions when a Ridgeback was suddenly standing in front of her. She frowned up at his smiling face.
"Well, hello there," he said. "Aren't you gorgeous."
Her frown deepened. Right from the start, she knew what he was about. She was ready to tell him to save his breath when a sudden shout went up from those behind her. Worried she'd been discovered, she spun around, and horror filled her at the sight. A dragon was clearly dying in the center of the crowd, calling out with it's last breath, "I refuse you, I refuse you, I refuse..." Panic swept through the crowd as the ground shook violently and dark shadows shot out from the dead dragon.
Zolla managed to keep her footing despite the shake, but even so, the Ridgeback had his wing out to steady her in an instant. "Don't worry, I've got you." She glared at him, ready to shove him away, but he continued, grinning. "I don't think we've introduced ourselves. I'm Zelkov."
Sudden anger raged through her. "Are you kidding?! A dragon just died! How can you be so insensitive!" Now she did shove him away, still glaring at him. "If I ever see you again, I won't hesitate to use my claws!" She walked briskly past him without another word, giving him no room to speak. Glancing into the shadows as she left hastily, there was no sign of the Umbra Wolf, but it mattered little. Her mind was elsewhere, on the words of the dead dragon and everything surrounding it. It called to her, begging her to figure out what it all meant.

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Ranun stood in shock, unable to believe what he'd just witnessed. He wanted to rush out to the dragon and see if she was alright, but he knew she was dead. It was too late. Still, he wanted to help her. At least someone should figure out what had happened. If she had been killed, shouldn't they track down the murderer?
"No, Ranun," Timothy's voice floated through his racing thoughts. "If you go out there and make a scene, your identity will be discovered. Best to keep to the shadows, for your own safety. Blend into the panicked crowd." Much as he didn't want to agree, Ranun knew Timothy was right. It seemed like every other day there were attempts on his life, and he had the scars to prove it. They had no idea who was behind it, so even here, away from his own kingdom, his life could still be in danger. It wasn't a good idea to reveal himself. So he slowly pulled his eyes away from the horrifying scene before him and followed the chaotic crowd toward the exit of the once happy festival. He had been right. He wouldn't be enjoying himself this day. On top of his already troubled mind, there was something else to add.

OOC: it's alive

Looks like the only king/queen spot up for grabs now is Azorus, if anyone feels like adding a character later on.

Also, because this thing has a tendency to keep dying, I'm setting the deadline for intros this Sunday, after which we can start the RP normally. Which is only two days from now, but y'know, it kind of been a long time.

i might join.

Name: Tsunai
Nicknames (if any): Tsu (pronounced Sue)
Link to Dragon:
Gender: Female
Skills/Powers: Strong (very physical, likes to get up and personal in fights), Elemental Water Blasts, Very strong hide.
Weaknesses: Tends to underestimate smaller opponents, open to magic attacks.
Aligned With (Kingdom/Shade/Deity/Neutral): Somewhat neutral, prefers deity (Tidelord).
Personality: Very smart and funny, but somewhat serious (depends on situation), fun-loving, still somewhat young.
History: Tsunai was still very young when a strange disease gripped her parents, they died soon after. This left her all alone while still a youngling. She learned most of what she knows now through adventuring and her parents webwing, Juris. As she grew she learned of a deity called the Tidelord. She learned to worship and love him. She eventually met other dragons and slowly drifted into the culture and society of the city of Altera.
Homeland: Azorus
Familiar (optional): Emerald webwing named Juris, has been with her since her parent's death. Very helpful, good for scouting unfamiliar territories.
Other: N/A


Name: Olmc
Nicknames (if any): N/A
Link to Dragon:
Gender: Male
Skills/Powers: Not the most physical dragon, an adept at magic. Prefers range to up-close and personal.
Weaknesses: Not the strongest or experienced in physical combat, chance his wings could be damaged.
Aligned With (Kingdom/Shade/Deity/Neutral): Altera.
Personality: Young and likes to have fun. Doesn't take much serious and tends to cower when faced with danger.
History: He was born to his father Dalmar, King of Azorus, and mother RosePetals, queen of Azorus. Being arcane dragons they are very strong in magics, which Olmc has inherited. His parents raised him in Altera, where he was raised spoiled as prince, because of this he has a death-head's stag familiar.
Homeland: Azorus
Familiar (optional): Death-Head's Stag named Stagoris, normally charges while Olmc stays back.
Other: N/A


Name: Velociraz
Nicknames (if any): Vel
Link to Dragon:
Gender: Male
Skills/Powers: Super agile, uses dagger like claws for quick strikes. Not very advanced in magic, can use small water blasts. Uses speed and agility to quickly dispatch opponents. Experienced in combat.
Weaknesses: Not very strong, powerful blows can easily defeat him.
Personality: Somewhat older. Very serious, doesn't joke around. Is somewhat aloof from others. Adventurous.
History: He was born to a father he never knew, and a very caring mother who soon secluded herself from everyone. He grew up in Winterstar and made a small clan of other abandoned younglings. He soon set off for adventure and lived in Darksteel for years, until he left for Azorus......
Homeland: Winterstar
Familiar (optional): N/A
Other: N/A

Name: Uno
Nicknames (if any): none.
Link to Dragon:
Gender: Male
Skills/Powers: his strength comes from his startegy.
Weaknesses: isn't the best strength-wise
Aligned With (Kingdom/Shade/Deity/Neutral): neutral
Personality: for a youngster, he has a deep voice.
History: he was given away by his parents at a young age. since then, all the other siblings have died. that's why he calls himself Uno, because he's the one.
Homeland: The Floating City of Solsicra
Familiar (optional): none.
Other: N/A


Name: Saharia
Nicknames (if any): Sa
Link to Dragon:
Gender: Female
Skills/Powers: Powerful elemental breath.
Weaknesses: has very thin skin.
Aligned With (Kingdom/Shade/Deity/Neutral): neutral
Personality: caring, sweet, but will act when needed.
History: Saharia acts as a mother figure for Uno, and tries to help him out.
Homeland: Darksteel
Familiar (optional): none.
Other: N/A


Name: Otachi
Nicknames (if any): Ota (prtonaunced oat-a)
Link to Dragon:
Gender: Female (didn't expect that huh)
Skills/Powers: Strong. She's a snapper you know!
Weaknesses: Is very sensitive emotionally.
Aligned With (Kingdom/Shade/Deity/Neutral): neutral.
Personality: like dot from a bug's life. easygoing, but tries to help.
History: everyone thinks she's a he. and she DOES NOT like it.
Homeland: darksteel
Familiar (optional): none
Other: none

OOC: three characters only, brah

i cut it down to 3

((Might i be able to rp a dragon that is still a hatchling?))

OOC: perfect
You two don't need to make the introductory posts like everyone else did, so whenever you want, you can start two weeks after the events with your characters in Nature flight territory.

EDIT: Quote: prextail202

((Might i be able to rp a dragon that is still a hatchling?))

Hmm, I don't know. Hatchlings seem a little too young for the events of this RP (it could easily get killed, unless that was your intention). If you want, you can roleplay an adolescent instead.

If you mean that you want to roleplay a dragon in your lair that's currently a hatchling, but you want to roleplay it as an adult, then of course you can.

Added more dragons Darkrai.

EDIT: Are we going to keep going with this or what?

Sorry for double post but I wanted this to be bumped to the top.

((He just grew up So i'll still be RPing the same one however.))

Name: Pit
Nicknames (if any): Sometimes called Icarus
Link to Dragon:
Gender: Male
Skills/Powers: Knows how to use the element of light to his advantage, A little faster than average dragons, able to breath fire like most dragons but the flame is a light blue
Weaknesses: Cant fly for too long, its a shorter duration of flight than most dragons
Aligned With (Kingdom/Shade/Deity/Neutral):
Personality:
History:
Homeland:
Familiar (optional):
Other:

WIP

OOC: oh wait nevermind I'm free now

It was at the break of dawn when the two dragons scoured through the foliage of the Viridian Labyrinth. Just two weeks earlier, there had been a massive disaster at the 53rd anniversary of the renowned Mask Festival in Altera. Tens of dozens of dragons were killed, and even more were injured by the arms of darkness surging from the cracks of the earth. They relentlessly pierced into the bodies of dragons and sucked on their life force like colossal black leeches. Kaon was only thankful that the two of them had managed to escape with their lives, especially since Lucien had nearly gotten himself killed in that fiasco.

Now, the duo were headed into the maze that was the Viridian Labyrinth. It was a quaint and isolated city, Avianda. Hardly even a city due to it’s size. But, the smaller the better, as that'd generally mean that whatever was attacking the land would probably overlook it for now. (Though Kaon, being more of a social butterfly, was quick to protest at first.)

“See anything?” she asked, keeping her voice as low as possible so as not to attract attention.

Lucien prowled through the depths of the forest, his body close to the ground like he were about to pounce something at any moment. He twitched his ears and scanned the area carefully, before standing up straight and turning back to the shrubbery where Kaon was hiding. “No, nothing. We should be safe, for now.”

“Alright, I’ll take your word on that. But I’m going to blame you if one of us ends up dying.”

A few days after King Auride had returned to his home city, he had made a public speech in memoriam of those killed and injured in Altera. He kept a steady voice and a tall posture, but as soon as he was behind closed doors again he was restless- pacing up and down endlessly, trying to grasp what had happened.
Days had gone by, and plans had been made to begin moving the King away from Solsicra, into a more isolated hiding place. This made him even more ill at ease. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before, nor any monarchs of Elastrea in recent memory. He wondered where the other kings were now- if he might have to join them in hiding, or if they were to stay close to their own territories and defend. Which, truth be told, was what he felt he should be doing.

---

As soon as Grga was back in Solsicra, he began to move his family out. He wanted them to get anywhere. As far from the big city as they could go. His beloved mate and children, and his parents, were all herded out to take refuge in the low-lying land some distance from the floating crystal mountains.
Avenriel's nerves were in tatters. He had barely spoken or eaten since before the festival. He was still staying with Grga's family, and had practically glued himself to Grga's side. It had been the Snapper who had dragged him to safety before, when he froze in terror at the sight of that... thing, whatever horror it was.
"Viridian Labyrinth," Grga suddenly said one evening as they were finishing their last meal of the day (though Avenriel seemed to be examining and idly rotating the meat in his claws more than actually eating it) "Do you know anything about that?"
Avenriel shook his head.
"Big forest. I've been there a few times. There's a city there, Avianda. It's part of Nostrum. Seems a quiet enough place, so we're heading off there tomorrow. You coming?"
Avenriel nodded. After another very unsettled sleep, Grga, his family and the young Skydancer set off for the Wild City, praying they would find shelter there.

"If you don't get up, I'm going without you," Zelkov called to Amon, who was sleeping in the shadows. It was early, much earlier than he usually got up, but he was excited and ready to get going. It had been several days since the incident at the festival, but it had given him an idea. He knew panic had entered the entire realm, everyone reeling from what had happened and wanting answers. Most would flee out of fear, and he had a hunch he knew where they were going. He would be there to meet all their needs with his many wares. He'd spent the days since the festival packing everything up and preparing for the trip. Now he was ready. Viridian Labyrinth was waiting for him, and he wanted to get there as soon as he could, so as not to miss anyone arriving. It was time for him to move his shop of wares outside of Altera.

--------

Zolla stared into space, not hearing one of her brothers asking her if she was ready to go. Only when they stuck their face in front of hers, calling her name, did she realize she was missing something. Pulling herself from her thought, she turned to the Skydancer. "Huh?"
"Are you ready to go? We're about to start 'Mission Seafood,' he replied. She nodded, though she had no idea what he was taking about, and knew she'd be a liability on this mission because of that.
Her brother must have seen her lost look, as his brow furrowed. "Are you sure?" She nodded again, but he pressed. "You know, you've seemed a bit off ever since you returned from your mission at the festival..."
Zolla took in his words. He was right. She had been off since then. She couldn't get the image of the dying dragon out of her head, and it's words haunted her, day and night. It just wouldn't leave her alone, and she couldn't explain why. "Don't you worry about it?" She asked her brother, then turned to the rest of them. "What happened there. I mean, shouldn't we be hiding like everyone else? Our lives could be in danger."
"Oh, come on, Zol, when do we ever worry for our lives? Who could take us, anyway? We're the best of the best, and we've got each others' backs. We hide in the shadows and strike when no one's looking." A grin spread across his face as he finished.
Zolla couldn't help but smile, though her thoughts were far from happy. "I know, but..." She paused, sighing. "This is concerning. Don't you at least want to know what's going on?"
"The only thing I care to know is what rich and fancy merchant is making his way through Nostrum next." The others nodded their agreement. "We belong in Willowspur, Zol, and if we're not being bothered, we need to leave well enough alone." With that he turned and headed off to their mission. One by one, their brothers followed. She watched them go, making no move to follow. Her brother was right. That had always been their way of life. Don't focus on anything that doesn't concern you. But she couldn't shake the thought that this did concern them. It might seem like it now, but the way it haunted her... She took a deep breath, watching her brothers disappear into the shadows. They might not be her real brothers, but they were as good as, and she'd hate to lose any of them. With that thought in mind, she made her choice. She had to find out what was going on, for the sake of her family. Even if she stayed, she'd be no use to them, not while these incisive nightmares plagued her mind. She'd heard others talking about going to Avianda as they were leaving the festival, calling it 'somewhere safe.' She figured that was her best bet. So without a good-bye to her brothers, she started off.

--------

Ranun turned away from Timothy, not liking his words.
"My Lord, it's for your own good," Timothy continued. "You know how many times your life has been threatened, and with the attempt on your life at your return from the festival, it remains obvious that you should go through with this."
Ranun turned to him. "I don't like running. My father never ran, nor did he hide. He faced his problems head on."
"Yes, but his life wasn't constantly threatened, as I've told you often."
Ranun sighed, turning away again. Timothy wanted him to go to Avianda, where he claimed he'd be safe. Ranun knew he would be, as he'd taken up residence there once before after an attempt on his life. Still, he hated running. It made him feel cowardly and inadequate.
"It's what's best for your kingdom and those in it," Timothy said, as if reading his mind. He often had a way of doing that. Ranun turned to him, waiting to hear more. "Many from Nostrum have probably already fled there, knowing it to be safe, and your presence can ease their worries."
"If so many know it's safe," Ranun replied after a short time thinking, "then why are we going? Won't it be a logical target to whoever's behind all of this?"
Timothy nodded. "So you would think." He paused, turning to Ranun. A grin crept slowly onto his face. "Which is another reason you should go. Any who are there won't know the danger they could be in. You can warn them, and if it comes to it, protect them."
It was a rare thing to see Timothy grin, and Ranun almost wanted to join him because of that. He had to admit, he couldn't argue with the Magi's logic. He made it sound less like running and more like standing and fighting. Finally, Ranun nodded, giving in. "Viridian Labyrinth it is, then."

Tsunai was scared. Just two weeks ago those vicious black things attacked Altera. She had made a hasty retreat. She was hoping she could hide in Avianda from them. It seemed far enough away.
As she walked through a town on the outskirts someone ran into her. It was a wildclaw. "Watch it!" He murmured. "You ran into me!" She fired back. He stepped back, "Sorry, didn't mean to tick you off. Names Velociraz. You can call me Vel." "Well Vel," she responded, "My names Tsunai, Tsu for short."
"You look like your from Altera." Vel said. "How'd you know?" Tsu asked. "I was there for the festival." As they talked they discovered they both were there when the black tendrils attacked, and as they walked away, an idea occurred to them. Not a very big idea, but in time it would grow, into a full out revolution against the Shade.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Olmc scowled. He parents had sent him, the prince of Azorus, to Avianda. They said that he needed to stay safe but that they needed to stay and rule. At first he objected, but when he realized there was no changing their minds, he reluctantly took off for Avianda. He had hoped to lead a war against the tendrils, but here was probably out of their reach. Why did he have to leave!! As he wondered to himself he noticed two dragons talking in a small town. He flew down, figuring he could ask them where he could bunk for the night. As he approached the Wildclaw and Guardian glanced over. All of a sudden the Guardian yelled, "PRINCE OLMC!!!!! What in carnation are you doing here?" After telling his tale to the other two, and hearing their's in return, they all decided to hit the sack in a nearby cave. During the following days they made their way to the Viridian Labyrinth, figuring they could camp out in the middle.....

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I stink at this. Where are we starting next, when they all meet each other in the middle?

OOC: Nah, no more random jumpstarts for now. We'll just keep roleplaying and build up until some of our dragons meet each other.

They set back off on their journey, trailing through the tranquil forest. The sound of trickling water met their ears as they soon came upon a stream in their path. Immediately, Lucien took a moment to bend down and lap up the water, as he had not done so since the start of their departure from Willowspur. Kaon stayed back and waited, fidgeting around uncharacteristically silently. Quiet places like these always made the Ridgeback rather agitated.

“What’s wrong?” asked Lucien suddenly, raising his head up as cool water dripped from his face. “You seem awfully nervous. Do you hear something?”

“That’s the problem,” she answered, shifting her eyes back and forth, “I don’t hear anything, aside from this stream here. Not even the sound of twigs snapping, or animals walking through the forest, or birds chirping.” Kaon lowered her head, planted her face against Lucien, and whispered spookily, “It’s like everyone’s dead.”

Lucien recoiled from Kaon and batted at the air in front of him to get the smell of fish breath away. “If anything, perhaps the animals fled.”

“From what?”

“I have no answer to that. Maybe they sensed the shade beings as well.”

“So the shade things are here!? Then everyone IS dead!”

Lucien sighed. “Maybe we should move on already.”

Grga had been to the forests once before. In his youth, he had traveled and trained along a path between the Viridian Labyrinth, Tangled Wood and Sunbeam Ruins. It was eerily silent now. The dryads, the natives of this little area, were nowhere to be seen. He saw a few Stranglers, but all seemed to be sleeping, or possibly dead. After crossing over the water into the Viridian Labyrinth, he managed to find a small cave. His family stayed hidden there- fitting four adult Snappers into a small cave was an achievement in itself, and doing so without squashing the two dainty Skydancers was even more of an accomplishment.

Meanwhile, Grga had gone to scout ahead. Everything was unnaturally still. Even he, normally able to keep a cool head, was starting to feel unnerved. He remembered it back in the past, when he and a few friends had been here, scouring the bushes for berries and birds. He remembered fishing in the water, and the kindly Dryads who had helped them to gather what they needed. He remembered the energy of the area, the vivid dragonflies darting across the path, Croakers gliding from branch to branch overhead, Podids clambering up the banks of the river...

Something grabbed his wing.

"Grga... Sorry, I'm sorry, I just-"
"Lords almighty, Ave! I thought'cher were a Toridae or somethin'!" Grga spluttered. Avenriel looked down at the ground, muttering another quiet apology.
"Sorry... I just... We heard noises and... I think the others have gone off to see... It might be someone..."
"Well alrighty, then, a simple sayin' my name wouldn't have gone amiss there!"
"...I was trying to be quiet."
Grga muttered something else, then looked back at Avenriel, and grinned.
"Well, if there might be somethin' or someone out there, how about we go have a look, eh?" He began to walk in that direction before Avenriel had time to protest.

“It’s such a shame, you know. This place used to be quite lively during this time of the day.” Lucien’s voice was the only thing that filled the air nearby, and thus Kaon was forced to listen to him for as long as they were here. As he paused, she thought back on the events that had passed recently. It had already been three days since they left their homes in Willowspur to find a safer place - just being in Willowspur was dangerous, considering it’s proximity to Altera. Though really, it seemed nowadays that being anywhere in the land was dangerous.

Lucien, not hearing any response from his companion, continued on. “You are right to say that it’s more than a little suspicious that all life here has gone and left. Imagine, a plethora of various species of animals and dragons - vanished, without a single trace.”

“It’s boring.” stated Kaon blandly and sharply. “We should have gone to Azorus, or something. They have a huge military force, we would’ve been safe there.”

“Yes, of course we would have,” he responded as he leaped onto a boulder and looked down at Kaon, his tone becoming icy all of a sudden. “After all, the guards did such a fantastic job in defending Altera, did they not?”

Kaon stopped and pondered over this information for a moment. She opened her mouth to speak, closed it and pondered some more - since Kaon occasionally needed to ponder a lot in order understand some things - and then she opened her mouth again. “...You know, I like you better when you’re not being sarcastic.”

She spread her wings and clambered up onto a ledge after Lucien, who offered a paw to (somewhat) help the small Ridgeback up. Though when she stood up on all four legs and raised her head up high, something caught the attention of her magenta eyes. Through the bushes, she saw a golden, feathered crest bob down out of her sight as soon as she laid her eyes upon it. A bird, or maybe even another dragon? Kaon clenched her teeth and stayed rooted deathly still to her spot. Lucien, seeming to read her mind, did the same as he instinctively perked his ears up to listen.

Grga suddenly came to a stop. Avenriel crashed into him, having not been looking because he was so busy glancing at the treetops every time he thought he heard a rustling.
"I definitely heard something, Grga." The Skydancer whispered to his companion. "Just now. Just this way of the hiding place."
"Pipe down a sec, Ave." Grga lowered his body to the ground, turning his head so that his ears were against the forest floor, and listened. After a few moments, he hauled his head back up.
"Couldn't hear anything."
"Well your entire family and myself could." Avenriel responded firmly.
"I never said there wasn't anything, just that it wasn't moving or talking right now, a'right?" Grga put his ear to the ground once more. His expression changed quickly.
"Wait a minute, there's somethin' alright. A familiar somethin' too. Yeah, I know about these things. Saw plenty of them back in the day. Sounds pretty agitated though."
Avenriel heard it too- not footsteps, but a long, continuous rustling, getting louder and louder very quickly. The next thing Avenriel spotted was that the root of a nearby tree- partially coated in a thick layer of twigs, leaves and soil- was moving.
"Hey, Ave. Where's your bird?"
"Pyja? He's- he's flying on ahead. Why?"
"Shame, he woulda been useful right now."
A vivid crimson eye appeared through the dirt. The 'root' began to rise, causing dust and debris to tumble off and reveal what was underneath- a Strangler, in bloom, with leaves beginning to tarnish and turn golden as it came to the peak of its lifecycle.
"Stay absolutely still, Ave," Grga instructed, "These things can be real vicious in the wild."
The Strangler weighed up its opponents for a moment, then began to sway side-to-side in a threat motion. Slowly, Grga moved forwards in front of Avenriel, who was staring intently at the thing- trying not to take his eyes off it in case it attacked, but in the process causing it to become more agitated and irate.
"Well. Judging on what we've seen of the local Strangler population, this thing probably doesn't have a wide selection of mates this time round. No wonder it's a bit more territorial than the- AGH!" The Strangler lunged forwards, nearly grasping Grga's chin but failing and sliding back instead. Avenriel stumbled backwards in a panic, and tripped sideways over a thick root- which then began to stir.
"H-h-how big do these things get, Grga?"
"Eh. Not long I think. Just a couple' metres at most. No need to panic."
"A couple of- Grga, there's-"
Something hissed loudly next to Avenriel's ear. He turned around, only to come face-to-face with a THIRD Strangler, dangling down from the branches above. Words didn't come out of his mouth as he tried to tell Grga about the new Strangler pair.
Grga himself was now on top of the first one, pinning it to the ground as it tried to snap at him. It took him a moment to realise the position Avenriel was in- trapped, terrified, and unable to move.

OOC: yay action

OOC: whoa all these huge posts /intimidated

Midna felt a chill as she stared at the wasteland before her. She couldn't tell if it was night or day because a cloud of shadow blocked out any sunlight or moonlight that would attempt to shine on the ruined land. The trees were like twisted and charred, and the ground felt like ash as she walked.

The silence was suffocating, but Midna didn't dare to say a word, instead finding even her own breathing too loud. She felt as if hundreds of evil eyes were upon her, and that no matter where she went, there was no escape.

She stopped when she saw two glowing red orbs in the distance in front of her. She slowly began to back away, but found herself up against a stone wall that wasn't there before. The red orbs came closer, revealing themselves to be the eyes of a...thing. It looked like a charred dragon skeleton, and its face was contorted into a manic grin.

Midna didn't scream, but found herself unable to breathe at the sight of its eyes, and pushed back against the wall, falling through it as if it wasn't even there. The creature jumped through and she scrambled to her feet and ran, the world around her spinning until she found herself slamming into the ground...

- - -

Midna's eyes snapped open and she was greeted by the much more welcoming sight of the Viridian Labyrinth. Epona looked up from the grass to stare at her, then snorted and went back to eating. Link was staring into the lake nearby, occasionally swatting at something in there. Midna shrugged and stood up, grabbing her pearl.

"Mornin'," Midna mumbled, wincing at an injury in her right wing that hadn't yet finished healing. Link heard her and stepped away from the water, reaching into her bag and retrieving an apple, which she tossed in Midna's direction. Midna caught it and sat down, ignoring the stare Epona was giving her.

Midna ignored the silence between her and Link, instead listening to the sounds of nature around her, trying to drown out thoughts of both her nightmare and what had happened at the festival. It wasn't working, as her mind continued to drift back to those things.

- - -

"Oh, what do we have here?" Loki said to herself and Reynard, looking out from with the sheltering leaves of a large tree, eyes on Link and Midna as they began to have a conversation, "More lucky souls who got away, hm?"

Link suddenly moved her head to look up towards the trees, and Loki ducked out of sight, backing further into the leaves. Reynard didn't move from his spot, but he was where no one could see him to begin with. When Loki took a peek again, Link had resumed trying to have a discussion with Midna.

"This... I think we can use..." Loki said with a smile, and Reynard smiled back.

OOC: i have no idea if i will edit this later

Vel paused, he was almost certain he had heard it that time. He was on watch duty while the others slept, but he had heard something and went to investigate.
There it was again!
He sprinted off in the direction he heard it.
Through twists and turns he kept after the sound.
Wait. Is that...... water! He then stopped as he noticed a small bunny squirming through the wall. He tore through the labyrinth wall, sure enough, a small stream coming from a small monument of some kind. On closer inspection it seemed to be a statue of a great dragon. The Tidelord. It was a small gold pedestal with the sapphire statue mounted on it. The water was being emitted from the Tidelord's mouth. He saw the bunny lapping up water from the stream. He had to get the others.

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Will continue soon. It was all I had time for right now. I think I'm getting better.

Bumpity bump.

Must I bump again?

OOC: Actually, Willster, I'm gonna bump today.

Zolla moved through the thick growth. It would have been confusing if she'd not been to Avianda before. Fortunately, she'd been here on a mission before. She wasn't sure where exactly to go, so she just kept moving, keeping her eyes open for other dragons. Sensing movement behind her, she suddenly ducked behind a tree, watching as two dragons moved by. She hesitated. That's what she had wanted, wasn't it. To find someone - anyone - and see if they knew the answers to what was going on. Still, it was in her nature to hide and remain unseen. It was hard to strike up a conversation with someone, especially a stranger. Not that she was shy, she just wasn't very trusting. Debating with herself about what she should do, she finally made the decision that she would just stay in the shadows and watch. She could get answers that way as easily as talking to the dragons. Besides, this way she'd avoid trouble if any of the dragons she came across weren't what the seemed. Letting the dragons she'd just spotted go on, she continued her trek through the forests of Avianda.

-------

Zelkov stayed back, allowing Amon to pick there path through Avianda. The wolf was good for it, as he was very observant. Zelkov had him leading them to the Behemoth as it was the heart of Avianda and many were probably seeking shelter in it's roots. It could be seen from many corners of the world, and would call out as a place of shelter from the strange and terrifying events that were happening.
"You know," Umbra said, shocking Zelkov, as he was usually very quiet. "Some say the behemoth is part of the Gladekeeper herself."
Zelkov frowned. "You're point?"
"What do you think?"
"I think we're going to make a killing, and if the behemoth is indeed part of the Gladekeeper, then all the better. Let's take some of her 'deity' branches and sell them to the poor saps who'll pay for such sacred treasures."
"Then, you do believe in the deities?"
Zelkov shrugged. "I believe in them if my customer does, and if they believe in the Shade, I believe in him. I do what I can to relate to my customers and sell them whatever they're willing to buy!" He laughed as he finished, loving how obsessive some dragons could be when it came to what they believed in. "If deity worshipers wanna buy a 'sacred branch' of the behemoth, I'm certainly not gonna stop them." His grin widened, as he thought about the prospect. Now he was even more eager to get to the behemoth.
In contrast, and unnoticed by him, Amon hung his head sadly, his pace slowing a bit.

-------

Ranun followed Timothy through the trees, and it brought back memories from the last time he'd been here. He'd just fled for his life, and had barely escaped. It was one of the closest calls he'd ever had, and he hadn't been sure then that he was going to make it. It was the only reason that he'd agreed at the time to go to Avianda. He'd been welcomed warmly by the local inhabitants and given lodging until Timothy called him home again when he was sure things were safe. Apparently they weren't as safe as he would've liked, as there had been many more attempts on Ranun's life since then. He just lived with it now, almost expecting it. The hardest part was not knowing why it was always happening. Not knowing what he'd done to offend or upset someone.
Such thoughts made his steps heavy, and he tried to pull himself out of them, focusing on the beauty all around him. "It's so quiet," he observed, comparing it to the last time he was there.
Timothy nodded. "Indeed. Perhaps it's not as safe as we thought."
Ranun turned to him. "Wasn't it your idea to come? What happened to 'if we do run into trouble, you can help?'" He grinned as Timothy frowned, shaking his head, at a loss for words. Ranun enjoyed leaving the Magi with such reactions.
After a short bit of silence, Ranun continued, explaining his plan. "We should head to the Behemoth, as that's most likely were everyone will be. It's probably just quiet because even the locals have gone there, seeking shelter, and perhaps even direction..." His voice trailed off as he looked to the great tree in the distance. What if that last bit were true? Would they all look to him when he arrived? Of course they would, he was their king. The question was, what direction would he give them?

OOC: Whoops I didn't even realise how many people had posted since my last one

Somehow, as several Stranglers lunged in his direction, Avenriel managed to escape.
More of the beasts seemed to be creeping in now. Whatever their reason for being so violent, they were becoming more and more vicious in their attempts to bring down either of the two dragons in their way. It was pure luck that allowed the Skydancer to slip between their snapping heads. Grga, on the other hand, was now entangled in a mass of them, trying to fight his way out from under the pile.
"Don't just stand there, Ave! Go get help or something!"
Avenriel ran into the open. None of the Stranglers were fast enough to follow him, but at every turn there seemed to be something rustling in the bushes- prey or predator, it was impossible to tell, but Avenriel wasn't taking any chances. He didn't stop once until he found himself in a small clearing, entirely alone and lost.
Moments after he stopped, he heard voices. Other dragons, maybe, or their companions perhaps. He couldn't tell. He couldn't distinguish whether the voices were male or female, dragon or not dragon, nor the accent that might indicate where they were from. He felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach with nerves, but at the same time, he knew this could be his only opportunity to find someone and rescue Grga from the Stranglers.
Avenriel tried to call for help, but the words seemed to get stuck in his throat, and only a feeble, quiet yelp came out.

One tentative step forward. Kaon outstretched her neck and ruffled her wings as she wandered from the thistle branches, out into the open. She inched over to the top of the cliff and slowly peered over the edge, the sun’s rays now beaming down on her and forcing her to squint her eyes. The stillness of the place was getting to her - the silence was making her want to scream. As she looked on, tightening her jaws, she saw yet another endless array of healthy, yet vacant green trees. She saw wide, clear blue rivers, snaking through the forest towards the massive Behemoth in the distance. Even more, when she lowered her head to look directly below the cliff, she saw a small clearing in the middle of the trees and... wait, was that another dragon down there?

“Watch out!”

His voice being the only warning, Lucien burst out of the bushes behind Kaon and leaped towards her. Kaon let out a surprised shriek as the force from Lucien pushed her over the edge and sent the two of them tumbling down the cliff, into the trees below. With a loud ‘thump’, Kaon landed on her plated belly, Lucien quickly joining her afterwards on his side. Kaon groaned - the landing was far too hard for her liking, and she ached all over from the cuts and bruises it gave her. Trying to ignore it, she began to painfully stand up, though not without giving the Pearlcatcher beside her a dirty look. “You - you feather-brained idiot! What, pray tell me, oh great and mighty Lucien, was THAT necessary for!?”

Lucien rose up to his feet soon after, flapping his wings to get the rocks and dust off of them. He turned to Kaon, who was now standing over him with a clearly angry face. “There was a Strangler beside you," he said calmly. "It would have attacked you, had I not intervened.”

Oh. Kaon blinked, her expression softening. She paused for a moment, then opened her mouth to say something, but Lucien interrupted her by motioning his head forward. “And, there’s someone there.”

The Skydancer suddenly heard something crash down behind him. Instantly his feathers stood up on end. He swiped his tail round instinctively, as if trying to knock something away, though whatever had caused the noise was a significant distance from himself.
For a moment, he was almost too frightened to turn around. If this was a Strangler, or a Toridae, or pretty much anything else with a set of sharp teeth, he knew he was probably done for. He took a few steps forward, away from the source of the noise, and dared to look around.
Then, Avenriel spotted them- two other dragons, one a Ridgeback and the other a Pearlcatcher, standing just through the bush. He caught a little of their conversation. At first he hesitated, but knowing the severity of the situation, he knew he had to at least try to get help.
"Um, excuse me?" Avenriel stepped towards the two. "Hello, s-sorry. I couldn't help but overhear you just said something about Stranglers? Please, I really need your help- you see, my friend, well both of us were looking for someone else, and, you see, we got attacked, and now there's Stranglers, a group of Stranglers, they-" he stopped babbling, caught his breath and continued, a bit more calmly and quietly, "He's being attacked and, well, I can't really help him..."

OOC: helloooo anyone there

Kaon's head turned slowly and almost mechanically to face the new dragon in front of her. Her first instinct was to eye over the Skydancer calculatingly, a trait that she had picked up from Lucien. Small, light blue, lean. Probably couldn't last long in a real fight - no wonder his friend sent him to find another dragon.

With a neutral expression, Lucien lifted his head to glance at his companion. "Seems like this place is swarming with even more Stranglers. Very aggressive ones. I wonder why."

He straightened his back and, unconsciously playing with his pearl with his tail, turned away from the Skydancer and prepared to go the other way. Kaon, her mouth hanging upon as she was about to respond to the new dragon, blinked at Lucien. "Where do you think you're going?"

Lucien stopped abruptly and offered her a small, polite smile. "Away. To find a safer area, as this one seems to be home to a nest of Stranglers." He turned up his head and snorted out bouts of pink Arcane mist. "I suggest you come with me."

Kaon huffed. Was that really how her friend would react? To decide to just dawdle off like a... a coward! And suggest that she join him in his cowardliness? The nerve! Way to show that he really did have Pearlcatcher blood in him. "And leave these two in the forest to fend off the snakes by themselves? Pfah, I think not!" Without waiting for a response, she span around to respond to the Skydancer. "I don't know about him, but you can count me in. I'm already thirsting for Stranger blood! Well, assuming they have blood, I mean."

Avenriel's head feathers twitched downwards. He had been quite taken aback by the Pearlcatcher's response, but, thank the gods, the Ridgeback was willing to help. Although her final sentence made him ever so slightly uncomfortable.
"Thirsting for...? I, I mean, great! I mean, thanks, I really... You know..." His sentence trailed off. He cleared his throat and tried to speak again, but only ended up bobbing his head in the direction from which he had come, the motion accompanied by a feeble "ehm". In all honesty, he wasn't quite sure how to get back to Grga from here, considering he had just bolted out of the fight and run without taking any notice of anything along the way. Following the path back seemed most likely to get them there.
He began to walk in that direction, hesitating to make sure the other dragon was still going to follow him.