Astralis: 1- Eltanin
The first part of my story for the Sornieth Zodiac Event!
Even in the early morning, the Clan Tempestas Clamanti was a flurry of activity.
Loched
When the Gaolers first broached the surface and left their icy prisons, it brought a wave of excitement and intrigue. What change would they bring with them? What tales of ancient times— passed down among their generations and uncorrupted due to self-imposed isolation— would they tell? How long would it be until another one of the deities' eldest children began to stir?
But the buzz was soon quelled.
Ancient Packs Begin to Roam And Still Water Spirits Stir Iru wkh Gdunhqhg Rqh'v Zlqjv wr Fols, dqg Wudgh d Show iru Ixu
Tempestas Clamanti
The rolled parchment in Persephus’ claws rustled as he picked his way down the corridors of the Lair. If all went according to plan, this would be his first officially recorded edict since he decided to become the Clan’s recordkeeper (Or, as he preferred the title to be, historian). But with his young age and the ideas penned down being his own, he was worried that the proposal would be only half-considered and then tossed.
(Mis)Fortune
so i had started this a year ago and pretty thoroughly lost my groove for it by the end. take that as you will yeehaw
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It seemed to have been one of those exceedingly rare days in her life, where what she thought was impossible wandered up before her and the best thing to do would be to stand back and enjoy it. And that was exactly what Ciphers was planning to do.
consider: tundras being something more akin to opportunistic omnivores
as in, while tundras have an overall preference towards consuming plant material, it is not unheard of for individuals to eat meat/insects/seafood during times of famine/drought/etc. or when in need of certain nutrients
Rime Fever
Strange things happen in the Clan of the Screaming Storm whenever the Crystalline Gala rolls around. It seems almost as though the dragons of the Clan return to their basest forms, acting on impulse; whether it be envy, or rage, or lust. All too often do they make choices that reverberate their effects for years. Thankfully, there has yet to be anything that could have dire consequences for the Clan.
Regrets, however, are abound.
Amusingly dubbed “Rime Fever,” nobody is quite sure of the origin for this phenomenon nor the “requirements” to be affected by it. Any dragon passing though the Clan during the Gala seems unaffected. But as soon as someone becomes a permanent member of the ranks, the next rolling of the Ice season spells their catch of the Fever.
Perhaps it is caused by a waning influence of the Stormcatcher-- the Thundercrack Carnivale (AKA the pinnacle of Lightning’s power) is at the polar opposite point of Sornieth’s year. And so the lessening of the elemental magic causes the dragons of the Clan to somehow become more primal. Perhaps it is just a simple dip in morale caused some sort of Flight apoapsis, the distant loom of the Lightning Flight’s peak making them stir-crazy.
But without any means of obtaining confirmation or denial from their deity, nor any knowledge of any other clan that experiences anything similar, the Clan will never know.
aka I tend to get major lore-changing ideas around the Crystalline Gala and I though it was kinda interesting that it’s the opposing point of the year from the time for the Thundercrack Carnivale
While Serendipitously Named His Luck, It Does Thaw Eurxjkw Lq eb wkh Ohwwhu Wzlvwhu'v Fodz
Creeping
“Has there been any news of it?”
Still Waters
Surge dipped one claw into the pool that lapped in the corner of his room. Beyond the fluttering of his school of fish, the cool water was much too still. It was fed straight from the Sea of a Thousand Currents, but did not churn and roil with the bubbling lifeblood of the pelagic Territory.
Though, frankly, nothing really was these days.
Broken Bonds
Rosetta worried on the petals of a tulip, the velvety soft plant smooth between her claws. It had been months since she had last heard from any of her friends and family in the Verdant Labyrinth-- at least, those who continued to associate with her after her announcement of mating to a Plague dragon-- and the dragoness was practically chomping at the bit.
ciphers-fr reblogged
staff, on the Shade
“Shade is a roving, mostly-disembodied force of darkness that collectively feeds on magical energy. It is said that the only remnants of the Shade in the current age are millions of fragmented wisps and tendrils that have very minor influence over the flora and fauna of Sornieth. Dragons are still not entirely sure just what the Shade is or what its goals are beyond feeding on magical energy, but it is agreed there’s a sort of intelligence, even if it’s not fully understood.” x
“Part of the reason why the Shade incursion was taken seriously by the gods was that the Shade consume and destroy magic at a faster rate than it can be replenished.” x
“Not all enemies in the Coliseum are Shade-touched, but a fair amount do harbor very insignificant/residual amounts of Shade influence, deep within them. It’s as if all creatures in Sornieth have a small peppering of Shade since it dissipated at the shattering of the Pillar of the World, but not enough to send them over some evil precipice. …We hope, anyway… The dragons are working to heal their territories and the Shade influence within it.” x
“Familiar eye color is just that - the eye color of the creature, which has no relation to magic. The flora and fauna may learn to harness the magic around them if they are sentient, or they may begin using it if they are possessed by a feeding fragment of the Shade.” x
“By their very nature, dragons are deeply elemental creatures, so physically attuning oneself to the Shade–which itself is the absence and inverse of all elements–would likely not be possible.
However: fanatics, heretics, and cultists exist in any society, and Sornieth is no different. Rare individuals like this might be ostracized or not taken very seriously, considering that the Shade’s lingering presence in the realm has been weak to negligible for thousands and thousands of years.” x
“The Shade is still present in Sornieth and many of its creatures. Millennia have passed since the Shade was a powerful force, and over time it has to all appearances infested the flora and fauna. Many dragons believe that it is no longer the threat that it once was… others fear that neglecting to finish off this enemy will lead to destruction.” x
Heavy Heart
… The truth…
Darkened figures tore through the landscape, sand and soil kicking up in their wake. Their screeches and howls pierced the still air. They seemed to be running… but from what? The sun rose, illuminating the land. Ah, that’s it. The shredded ruins of the Hewn City peaked from the horizon, and from the Light lands pulsed a strange energy.
… I see it, the energy whispered. How it wounds me. I must rectify them… My first children...
My Imperials.
The figures clawed at the earth, desperate to flee the energy. Cries sounded over the deep ethereal thumping, blending and blurring into words.
A mistake.
The figures tore at the ground.
Mistake.
The figures tore at the air.
Mistake.
The figures tore at each other.
Mistake.
The figures tore at themselves.
Mistake.
MISTAKES.
The Imperial jolted from her dream, heart pounding against her chest. She tried to heave air back into her lungs, but ragged cries ripped from her throat. A sense of foreboding pierced her gut.
The dragoness knew what this was about-- the Emperor that ravaged the Hewn City. The Lightweaver had taken Her notice.
Imperials were dragons no longer.
They were mistakes to be fixed.
Shock Run
Thump.
Ciphers blinked away the sleep in her eyes and squinted at the bright lights glaring in her room. Through the haze of her lashes, the Imperial could just barely make out the tail end of Alexia stalking back up the corridor of the Lair. She frowned, confused over what just happened.
What was that for…? She wondered to herself as she picked herself up out of her nest of pelts. Ciphers arched her back in a stretch, wings flared out. Taking a step forward, one paw crunched something and she jumped back.
“A scroll?” She unfurled the flattened parchment. Her heart dropped at the Lightning insignia at the top of the scroll, good things never seemed to come from that. Still, she scanned the writing scrawled across the page. Ciphers let out a low groan.
She was being work-drafted.
Shifts
Persephus reluctantly wandered into the Vault. At the moment, the young Wildclaw would have much rathered to be outside, but strange things have been happening. First and foremost, it was becoming almost unbearably stormy. Lightning struck fast and often, and the older dragons deemed it too dangerous for him to be spending any extended amount of time in the open air. He was a young boy! He had energy to burn!
It also didn’t help when news came from other Flights about odd events (Not including the Gaolers… But he was just keeping that between himself, Hylla, and the figures). Like in Arcane, where the Lightning magic lines apparently shortwired their observation tools. Or when his father rushed off early one morning to tend to something in Fire-- he still hadn’t returned, now that Persephus thought about it. But things really started getting weird when Eulalia and Stratos trotted back from the Wind lands telling how the Twisting Crescendo had died for a month, but came back spinning the other way!
He now stood in front of the statue of Kaliga, the dark Raptorik looming imposing as ever. Persephus frowned up at the figure. An excited energy buzzed through the air, and quick, incomprehensible chatter fluttered back and forth.
“Wh-what is going on?” Persephus asked, more to himself than to anyone-- or anything, to be particular.
Heed me, Boy, the deep voice of Kaliga answered anyways. The great Raptorik’s voice almost seemed jovial. Things are stirring deep beneath the Earth. They seem to be taking revenge. Perhaps… perhaps I was wrong, in the best way.
The dragon didn’t quite comprehend. “So this is a-a-a good thing?”
Yes, Young One, it is.
For us.
Penumbra
All too unwillingly, Pandora slowly cracked open her eyes. She yawned as she took in the land around her--
Wait a minute.
Tradewinds
Stratos exhaled heavily through his nose.
For the past few weeks his world had felt inexplicably off, and as a result, the Fae had been notably lethargic. It had gotten to the point where he had been barred from fighting in the various venues of the Coliseum system. And now he was just utterly, undeniably bored.