A very strange place indeed, this Shrine to the Holy Triumvirate is nestled within the icy peaks of the Fe'gan Mountains. You will find the warmth of spirituality here, together with works of great sculptural design based on the Holy Triumvirate religion. (+2 Fame)

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From Stranger to Savior [Self] [Slight A/R]

Postby Thunder » 11/27/2016 3:59 AM

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Asydel shoved the last of the rocky debris to the side and sighed. His entire body was sore, from his limbs to his shoulders and neck, and whenever he moved, he felt pain. Though they had made good progress, he and the other tunnel diggers had been working far too long. For six days on end now, they had started their duties shortly after noon and dug into the night without any semblance of a break. Why their schedule had become so intense, they did not know.
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"If everyone is one, none will be afraid."

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Re: Stranger to Savior [Private] [Slight A/R]

Postby Thunder » 11/27/2016 4:00 AM

He plodded out of the winding tunnel they were excavating, wincing with each step. The tunnel hadn't seemed so long when he walked inside, but now, with his exhaustion, it felt as if it was double its actual length. His stomach growled, and the sound echoed faintly off the stone. In his mind, he pictured himself biting into a freshly killed elk, its warm blood running down his chin.

When he finally reached the end of the tunnel and stepped outside, he was greeted by a blast of cold wind. Normally Asydel hated the frigid gusts that blew through the Metal Tribe lands during the middle of winter, but the air in the tunnel was so stale that he couldn't resist raising his face into the tempest, breathing deeply. The moon was half full, partially obscured by dark clouds that heralded heavy snowstorms. Sighing, the Frost realized hunting was not a good idea tonight; he was far too tired, and the weather did not look promising. He would have to settle for something less than fresh from the tribe's storage.
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Re: Stranger to Savior [Private] [Slight A/R]

Postby Thunder » 11/27/2016 4:00 AM

The tunnel was situated partway up a mountain. Asydel carefully climbed down the rocky slope, feeling as if his legs would give out at any moment and send him rolling down into the fir trees below. With patience, he eventually reached the bottom. The storage was not far away; he would only have to walk through the forest a bit to get there.

As he ventured on, he listened to sound of the wind blowing through the trees, shaking their needles—the death toll of winter. He wondered how many dragon lives would be lost this season to the bitter cold and lower prey levels. For centuries, the Metal Tribe had endured harsh conditions, but this year, things were different. Dragons were going hungry, getting desperate, and the constant, tiresome work in the tunnels were draining them of their strength.

Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of pale color and heard rustling amid the firs. Asydel stopped in his tracks, but whatever it was had disappeared as quickly as it came. Was it an animal? Another dragon? Somehow, he had an uneasy feeling in his gut. He narrowed his eyes and changed course, following it as quietly as he could manage.
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"If everyone is one, none will be afraid."

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Re: Stranger to Savior [Private] [Slight A/R]

Postby Thunder » 11/27/2016 4:01 AM

~*~*~
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The first time Utaka saw the mysterious Paragon was after the first snowfall of the year.

On that night, Kartoum had fallen asleep early, leaving his harem some time to finally do whatever they pleased. Utaka decided to take a walk around the territory and visit the places she did not often see while being preoccupied with serving Kartoum. The cool, soft snow felt good on her claws after treading on hard, rocky ground for so long. The enormous mountains and dense forests of her home, covered in white and bathed in moonlight, looked peaceful. She barely paid attention to the cold air nipping at her scales.
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"If everyone is one, none will be afraid."

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Re: From Stranger to Savior [Self] [Slight A/R]

Postby Thunder » 11/27/2016 4:03 AM

She made her way to one of the few rivers that flowed through the territory and followed its curves. It was so cold that its surface had frozen over, though if Utaka put her ear close to the ice, she could hear water continuing to flow underneath. The river wound past the Stone Hill, the sight of which gave Utaka a pang in her heart. She had not forgotten poor Ellor, poisoned by Kartoum behind everyone's backs. She knew she had to say something, but every time she thought of breaking the truth to someone, terror would wrap its claws around her throat, keeping her silent. She remembered how it felt when Kartoum forced himself inside her; she could not imagine what other vile things he'd do if he found out she had spilled his secret.
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Re: From Stranger to Savior [Self] [Slight A/R]

Postby Thunder » 11/27/2016 4:04 AM

The Placid turned her gaze away from the Stone Hill—which looked more like a massive mound of snow now—and that was when she saw the stranger. Utaka startled and froze in her tracks. It was a male Frost with gleaming yellow scales and messy black and red markings all over his body. He looked extremely fit, and instead of wings, he had large spines with red webbing in between them growing from his back. He had not been there a moment ago, nor had he made any noise. Or perhaps he had, and Utaka had simply been so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed.
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His colors seemed to suggest danger, with how bright they were. But when he saw her, he just smiled and chuckled. “Oh, hello,” he greeted, in a low, soft voice. “I didn't see you there.”
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Re: From Stranger to Savior [Self] [Slight A/R]

Postby Thunder » 11/27/2016 4:05 AM

He stepped up to the riverbank and pushed his palm down on the ice. The frozen surface crackled and then shattered easily under his weight. With a contented sigh, the Frost lowered his head to the hole he made and lapped up the revealed water. All the while, Utaka couldn't move. She had no idea what this Paragon was doing here. She knew it would be wise to inform someone that there was a foreign dragon on Metal Tribe lands, in case he had ill intent. And yet she couldn't move, transfixed by the odd ease with which the stranger carried himself. It was as if he did not know the meaning of fear.

“Who...who are you?” Utaka finally managed, her voice quavering. Then, it struck her. Hadn't Kartoum mentioned that there was a Frost Paragon going around and conquering all the tribes?

The Frost raised his head and looked her straight in the eyes, still smiling. “You're shaking,” he laughed. “I think you already know.”
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Re: From Stranger to Savior [Self] [Slight A/R]

Postby Thunder » 11/27/2016 4:05 AM

Utaka glanced down at her legs. Indeed, she was shaking. Her instincts were screaming at her to back off and get ready to fly away. Who knew if there was an army of dragons hiding in the trees up ahead, waiting for the perfect time to strike?

But she couldn't run. This was the moment she had been waiting for. In spite of his apparent nonchalance, she knew the Frost had to be a fearsome, brave, and intelligent individual in order to conquer the tribes. She took a deep breath and stopped herself from trembling. Instead of going back, she stepped forth.

“My name...is Utaka,” she said. “As you've guessed, I've heard of you before. I'm not sure why you're here on our lands right now, but regardless, I want to ask you for your help.”

The Frost's eyes seemed to glimmer. He leaned forward ever so slightly. “Intriguing... My name is Trattam. What is your proposition, Utaka?”
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"If everyone is one, none will be afraid."

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Re: From Stranger to Savior [Self] [Slight A/R]

Postby Thunder » 11/27/2016 4:07 AM

The Placid took a deep breath. She had never told anyone else the things she was about to say. The fact that Trattam would be the first to hear when she barely even knew him felt odd to her, yet someone had to know. “We...are under the rule of a tyrant and murderer,” she began, her voice trembling again. “Kartoum, our current leader, murdered the previous one in secret. I believe I'm the only one who knows. I overheard him talking to a stranger about poisonous seeds. But I...I haven't told anyone else. Because he... He's done things to me...”

She choked, and in spite of her efforts to resist crying in front of this near-stranger, tears started leaking from Utaka's eyes. She wiped them away and shook her head. Come now, she scolded herself. Keep your composure.

Trattam's gaze softened. “It's all right,” he said. “I will not judge you for crying. What he did to you must have been terrible. I know we have only just met, but would you like to sit next to me and talk? I will not hurt you. You have my word.”
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Re: From Stranger to Savior [Self] [Slight A/R]

Postby Thunder » 11/27/2016 4:12 AM

Utaka hesitated. After her experience with Kartoum, she had become nervous about approaching any male, even perfectly kind ones she had known before her assault. She was not sure if Trattam would truly keep his word; for all she knew, he could take advantage of her as soon as she neared. She stood in place, watching the Frost carefully. After a long silence, Trattam lowered himself into the snow, tucking his front claws close to his belly.

“If I wanted to attack you,” he said, “then I would be at a disadvantage in this position. I would have to first rise to my feet. You'd have plenty of time to get away. I know you do not trust me fully, but I promise, Utaka, I am only here to listen.”
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"If everyone is one, none will be afraid."

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Re: From Stranger to Savior [Self] [Slight A/R]

Postby Thunder » 11/27/2016 4:14 AM

Utaka. Somehow, the way he said her name sounded so tender. Perhaps it was the consonants, and how he softened them when others made them hard and sharp. Or maybe it was the way he breathed a little after the last a. Utaka felt some of the tension leave her body. After one more moment of observing Trattam, she finally walked over and lay to his left, blinking down at the crack he had made in the ice.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “It has been...difficult keeping all of this inside me.”

“I can only imagine,” he murmured. “Speak as much or as little as you want. My ears are yours for the night.”
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Re: From Stranger to Savior [Self] [Slight A/R]

Postby Thunder » 11/28/2016 2:08 PM

Utaka took a deep breath and everything came pouring out from within her. Her words ran from her jaws as swiftly as the river ran beneath the ice. She told him about her life before she was forced to join Kartoum's harem, how content she was to simply pass the day hunting and doing work for the tribe. She told him how all that was destroyed as soon as she caught the Metal Tribe leader redhanded, and how she subsequently became his slave, his prisoner. She made Trattam look at the numerous scars and patches of missing scales on her body. She revealed how Kartoum was starting to make the tunnel diggers work longer and longer hours, pushing dragons to their physical limits.

By the time it all came out, the Placid was breathless. “And that is why,” she said, “I want you to overthrow Kartoum. I know you have the power to do it. Keep our lands if that is what you want in return. I only ask that you spare our lives while taking his.”
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Re: From Stranger to Savior [Self] [Slight A/R]

Postby Thunder » 11/28/2016 2:09 PM

Trattam shut his eyes as if deep in thought. Utaka felt her heart racing; she thought she could practically hear her pulse in her ears. After another long silence, Trattam looked at her again and nodded. “That could be arranged,” he said. “However, you must tell me two things. What does Kartoum look like, and what are these tunnels you speak of?”

Utaka thought she would faint with relief. Her head was so light; she had not imagined that she'd win this Frost over so quickly. “Kartoum is a Grim Paragon,” she replied. “He's gray all over, with bands of brown and these wings that look like stone. As for the tunnels, they are a system of passages that run throughout the mountains in the entire territory. We use them to get travel without having to step outside into the cold, and as places of storage and shelter.”

“Do you perhaps have a diagram of these tunnels? Something that might show their layout?”

Utaka frowned. “No. We do not have any record of what the tunnels look like. They are constantly being expanded, and sometimes tremors in the earth cause rubble to block certain pathways until we clear them out. Most of our dragons just know them by heart. In fact...I now recall that Kartoum had been planning to use the tunnels against you. He knew you would come soon, after hearing what happened to the other tribes. He was hoping to use the layout of the tunnels to surprise you, or trap your dragons within them.”
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Re: From Stranger to Savior [Self] [Slight A/R]

Postby Thunder » 09/11/2017 2:10 PM

Trattam paused to think. "How much of the tunnels do you know, then?"

"Mostly the area around the Stone Hill over there," Utaka replied, pointing at the snow covered mountain. "That is where Kartoum and the harem live. We of the harem are...not usually permitted to wander around much. So I must admit that I am not as familiar with some of the tunnel systems as I'd like to be..."

The Frost gazed at the Stone Hill, and as he looked upon it, Utaka thought she could see a glimmer in his eye. After a moment of silence, he turned back to her. "Let us do this, then," he said. "Tell me as much as you can right now. I will return in two nights and wait for you right here, in this same spot, at this same time. If you can learn more of the tunnels, come back and let me know. If you cannot, don't risk it. I will simply come again the night after. Does that sound like a task you can do?"

Utaka took a deep breath. Part of her was terrified of what would happen if someone found out she was leaking such information to this Paragon, but her desire to free the tribe of its suffering overrode any fear she had. "I...I will do it," she declared. "You have my word."

Trattam smiled. "Good."
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