Post by Pine on May 20, 2014 0:15:18 GMT
ooc: Sam here, offering some additional input! As this thread will likely contain multiple roleplays-within-the roleplay (roleplay-ception?); don't bother waiting for EVERY other player to post before you post again. Use tags to signal who needs to know about your post if you like, and take it in turns amongst the people whose characters yours are actually interacting with. Make sense? Hope so. Anyway yeah, now back to Pine's regularly scheduled post:
Great torrents rose, waves rearing up and drawing massive in their size. They drew back from the land, water gathering until it could grow no more, then moved swiftly to the shore, slapping against the already deep sand before withdrawing, leaving foam that bubbled in its wake that eventually, too, resided back into the sea. With each thrash of the ocean, the leftover debris from the earthquake rolled around with it. When the land had crumbled, the great sea had swallowed it greedily, but there were still boulders from the great waterfall and some ancient willows that were more reluctant to leave their old home, and thus lingered at the edge of the mainland.
Icarus had never been one to linger around water for long. However, he had been spending more time around it in recent history. While nothing could compare to the sweet air in a canopy, lingering on the branch of a great spruce tree, he had to admit there was something soothing about the rhythm of the sea that he had never known - the gurgling in it's build up, then the hissing as it recedes. That was one bright side to all of this. After all, the events that had taken place most recently had been the greatest test to his optimism unlike anything he had faced before.
At first, the tremors were nothing that concerned him. Darkness had been enjoying the crisp morning air, feeling is the currents ripple the tips of his wings. Then the land had given a low growl, and just as the Elemental had turned his gaze down to the forest below, a crack was etched into the ground, and he bore witness to the first tree sinking into the ground below, the trunk splintering as it crashed against the edge of the hole that had been formed. A groan swept across the territory as he twisted his wings, the sudden halt pushing air up the and making them flare out even further.
"This can't-" a voice whispered close his ears, that of which were now standing fully erect, but whether the girl had been at a loss of words or her train of thought had been lost at the sound of the land below crumbling before them, she had never finished her sentence. Creations had taken wing, looking merely like dark dots rising into the air from the distance in his perspective. Suddenly, a horrifying thought occurred to him, and without warning, Icarus began a steep dive. Karma had been forced to swing one arm around his neck and the other slapping onto her head in an effort to keep her hat from flying into the air. The wreckage was flying into their vision, and as they had been about to slam into a trembling fissure, leathery wings unfurled, pulling them into a swift glide.
Darkness had still been flying about like this long after the earthquakes had been reduced to mere shivers of the broken land. An indeterminate amount of time had passed of the two sweeping over the territory, brushing past any Creation that attempted to converse, but Icarus had never found Raven. Still just a hatchling, there had been no way she could have escaped, unless some other Creation had assisted her. Exhausted, Icarus had found purchase where a slab of earth splintered the sky. With his wings still tucking into his sides, the paws that landed on the ground were forced to roll into a trot before he halted. Icarus's mouth was open, panting hot breaths. His entire body was quivering, and he had to stand there in silence for everything that had just happened to register in his mind.
His territory was gone. His daughter was gone. Everything was destroyed. He would never have his forest again. How had this happened? Natural cause? An earthquake? No, there had been earthquakes before, and his territory and all the others had remained largely unscathed.
Ysera.
Icarus's expression darkened, a cold fury taking over him and making the heat in him grow chilled. Karma had never witnessed the dragon so livid. She was thrown off him in a violent shake, the tired wobble of him turning into enraged shudders. Darkness stomped in place, unintelligible, angry syllables spitting from his mouth, ice crystals dancing where frozen huffs blossomed out of his maw. Then he took flight, completely disregarding her.
The Gathering had been the most immediate of any since the ages of war, and the Dark Elemental's fury had been hardly quelled at the sight of Tivialous's general avoidance of him, instead lingering closer to his mate. Had he been in a more proper state of mind, he would have been more understanding about the matter, but at the moment, he could not be. The first step to subduing his wrath had been when Eien revealed Raven had been safe within her own territory, which brought him immense relief. Having calmed somewhat, Icarus was able to acknowledge that Ysera's best consolation she could possibly give was what she had offered - Dragonsdeep.
Whether it was still lingering or it was just his imagination, the scent of dust overcame that of the salty sea. The memories, his fear, his rage, were all still very vivid, and the Dark Elemental was having difficulty keeping up his cheerful persona for the dragons before him. After the Gathering had concluded, the first thing he did was track down as many of his Creations as he could. His visits were brief, almost curt, but it did well to check that they were alright and to spread the word. Now they were among him, even dragons from other territories coming to see Dragonsdeep. Had it been another time, Icarus may have been even more angered to know that these tunnels had been used to spy on he and his allies throughout who knew how many wars, but it was his now. Not to mention the stone dragons.
He had awaited exploring the cavern for now, allowing the excitement to build up. One more thing to be happy about. He really needed it. The guardians of Dragonsdeep had been the best taste he had allowed himself of this gift. They were fascinating and could be useful, without a doubt. They were many times his size, and frankly, they might be able to stomp him to death if they so chose, and yet they obeyed his every whim. He had even slept on one of their heads the night before. Their own wings were simply for show, as he had already tested whether or not they could fly. Instead, they just sat or stood there, hunched and with an atrocious under bite, fangs hooking up above the lips. They were sluggish, yes, but they had enough power behind them that they did not even need to make direct contact with an enemy to do some damage. Icarus had some doubts of how useful they would be against the likes of Olorzxx or Izett, but that problem was trivial at the moment.
The Dark Elemental had not seen his Rider since he threw her off that day, but at the same time, he had been busy with preparations. In solemn moments, he had wondered where she could have gone, as she had been no where in sight when he returned to where he had left her. More than her, however, he wanted to see his children, but he hadn't even had time for that. Amidst the throng of dragons that were now crowded before him, he could not tell for the time being. After settling into his new Territory, however, he would make a point to find them, then Karma. His best guess was that she had went ahead into Dragonsdeep, though whether or not she had the challenge of passing by the guardians was a mystery to him, or she had fled to the Death Territory. He knew there had been some recent interaction between her and Death's Rider, but he wasn't clear on the details. All he knew was the girl had been a little more spacey than usual. Whether that meant it had gone well or horribly wrong, he knew better than to ask.
Icarus stood near the entrance now, paws sinking into the damp sand, the occasional wave managing to spray him from it's distance. The Dark Elemental looked to the sky now and judged that it was about time to begin, seeing the sun having well cleared ahead of the horizon. He turned to the dragons in company, the smile lifting the corner of his lips more labored than atypical, but what did they know? Looking out across his party, their forms seemed to blur together, not able to pick one out distinctly from another, memories instead swimming in his vision.
"Alright, I think it's been long enough," he said, loud enough that the individual conversations had begun to die down. "Feel free to wander about, but it'll be hard to navigate in such dark areas." Icarus decided to skip out on some long-winded explanation of how he could light up the area enough, essentially, by making the shadows recede toward him. He would just leave it as implied. After all, he was feeling less diplomatic than usual. "Stay within the Dark Territory-" rather, what was the Dark Territory "-I warn you, lest there be severe penalties." The last thing he wanted to deal with was Ysera if she found out he had let some Creation wander into her forbidden territory.
He perked then, head held high and spiked tail swaying. Icarus craned his neck over to the guardians. "Please inform me of anyone else who enters."
The stone creatures shifted only enough to bow their heads. He loved it when they did that.
"Now then," he chirped, before turning tail and taking bouncing steps into the gaping mouth of Drangsdeep.
Great torrents rose, waves rearing up and drawing massive in their size. They drew back from the land, water gathering until it could grow no more, then moved swiftly to the shore, slapping against the already deep sand before withdrawing, leaving foam that bubbled in its wake that eventually, too, resided back into the sea. With each thrash of the ocean, the leftover debris from the earthquake rolled around with it. When the land had crumbled, the great sea had swallowed it greedily, but there were still boulders from the great waterfall and some ancient willows that were more reluctant to leave their old home, and thus lingered at the edge of the mainland.
Icarus had never been one to linger around water for long. However, he had been spending more time around it in recent history. While nothing could compare to the sweet air in a canopy, lingering on the branch of a great spruce tree, he had to admit there was something soothing about the rhythm of the sea that he had never known - the gurgling in it's build up, then the hissing as it recedes. That was one bright side to all of this. After all, the events that had taken place most recently had been the greatest test to his optimism unlike anything he had faced before.
At first, the tremors were nothing that concerned him. Darkness had been enjoying the crisp morning air, feeling is the currents ripple the tips of his wings. Then the land had given a low growl, and just as the Elemental had turned his gaze down to the forest below, a crack was etched into the ground, and he bore witness to the first tree sinking into the ground below, the trunk splintering as it crashed against the edge of the hole that had been formed. A groan swept across the territory as he twisted his wings, the sudden halt pushing air up the and making them flare out even further.
"This can't-" a voice whispered close his ears, that of which were now standing fully erect, but whether the girl had been at a loss of words or her train of thought had been lost at the sound of the land below crumbling before them, she had never finished her sentence. Creations had taken wing, looking merely like dark dots rising into the air from the distance in his perspective. Suddenly, a horrifying thought occurred to him, and without warning, Icarus began a steep dive. Karma had been forced to swing one arm around his neck and the other slapping onto her head in an effort to keep her hat from flying into the air. The wreckage was flying into their vision, and as they had been about to slam into a trembling fissure, leathery wings unfurled, pulling them into a swift glide.
Darkness had still been flying about like this long after the earthquakes had been reduced to mere shivers of the broken land. An indeterminate amount of time had passed of the two sweeping over the territory, brushing past any Creation that attempted to converse, but Icarus had never found Raven. Still just a hatchling, there had been no way she could have escaped, unless some other Creation had assisted her. Exhausted, Icarus had found purchase where a slab of earth splintered the sky. With his wings still tucking into his sides, the paws that landed on the ground were forced to roll into a trot before he halted. Icarus's mouth was open, panting hot breaths. His entire body was quivering, and he had to stand there in silence for everything that had just happened to register in his mind.
His territory was gone. His daughter was gone. Everything was destroyed. He would never have his forest again. How had this happened? Natural cause? An earthquake? No, there had been earthquakes before, and his territory and all the others had remained largely unscathed.
Ysera.
Icarus's expression darkened, a cold fury taking over him and making the heat in him grow chilled. Karma had never witnessed the dragon so livid. She was thrown off him in a violent shake, the tired wobble of him turning into enraged shudders. Darkness stomped in place, unintelligible, angry syllables spitting from his mouth, ice crystals dancing where frozen huffs blossomed out of his maw. Then he took flight, completely disregarding her.
The Gathering had been the most immediate of any since the ages of war, and the Dark Elemental's fury had been hardly quelled at the sight of Tivialous's general avoidance of him, instead lingering closer to his mate. Had he been in a more proper state of mind, he would have been more understanding about the matter, but at the moment, he could not be. The first step to subduing his wrath had been when Eien revealed Raven had been safe within her own territory, which brought him immense relief. Having calmed somewhat, Icarus was able to acknowledge that Ysera's best consolation she could possibly give was what she had offered - Dragonsdeep.
Whether it was still lingering or it was just his imagination, the scent of dust overcame that of the salty sea. The memories, his fear, his rage, were all still very vivid, and the Dark Elemental was having difficulty keeping up his cheerful persona for the dragons before him. After the Gathering had concluded, the first thing he did was track down as many of his Creations as he could. His visits were brief, almost curt, but it did well to check that they were alright and to spread the word. Now they were among him, even dragons from other territories coming to see Dragonsdeep. Had it been another time, Icarus may have been even more angered to know that these tunnels had been used to spy on he and his allies throughout who knew how many wars, but it was his now. Not to mention the stone dragons.
He had awaited exploring the cavern for now, allowing the excitement to build up. One more thing to be happy about. He really needed it. The guardians of Dragonsdeep had been the best taste he had allowed himself of this gift. They were fascinating and could be useful, without a doubt. They were many times his size, and frankly, they might be able to stomp him to death if they so chose, and yet they obeyed his every whim. He had even slept on one of their heads the night before. Their own wings were simply for show, as he had already tested whether or not they could fly. Instead, they just sat or stood there, hunched and with an atrocious under bite, fangs hooking up above the lips. They were sluggish, yes, but they had enough power behind them that they did not even need to make direct contact with an enemy to do some damage. Icarus had some doubts of how useful they would be against the likes of Olorzxx or Izett, but that problem was trivial at the moment.
The Dark Elemental had not seen his Rider since he threw her off that day, but at the same time, he had been busy with preparations. In solemn moments, he had wondered where she could have gone, as she had been no where in sight when he returned to where he had left her. More than her, however, he wanted to see his children, but he hadn't even had time for that. Amidst the throng of dragons that were now crowded before him, he could not tell for the time being. After settling into his new Territory, however, he would make a point to find them, then Karma. His best guess was that she had went ahead into Dragonsdeep, though whether or not she had the challenge of passing by the guardians was a mystery to him, or she had fled to the Death Territory. He knew there had been some recent interaction between her and Death's Rider, but he wasn't clear on the details. All he knew was the girl had been a little more spacey than usual. Whether that meant it had gone well or horribly wrong, he knew better than to ask.
Icarus stood near the entrance now, paws sinking into the damp sand, the occasional wave managing to spray him from it's distance. The Dark Elemental looked to the sky now and judged that it was about time to begin, seeing the sun having well cleared ahead of the horizon. He turned to the dragons in company, the smile lifting the corner of his lips more labored than atypical, but what did they know? Looking out across his party, their forms seemed to blur together, not able to pick one out distinctly from another, memories instead swimming in his vision.
"Alright, I think it's been long enough," he said, loud enough that the individual conversations had begun to die down. "Feel free to wander about, but it'll be hard to navigate in such dark areas." Icarus decided to skip out on some long-winded explanation of how he could light up the area enough, essentially, by making the shadows recede toward him. He would just leave it as implied. After all, he was feeling less diplomatic than usual. "Stay within the Dark Territory-" rather, what was the Dark Territory "-I warn you, lest there be severe penalties." The last thing he wanted to deal with was Ysera if she found out he had let some Creation wander into her forbidden territory.
He perked then, head held high and spiked tail swaying. Icarus craned his neck over to the guardians. "Please inform me of anyone else who enters."
The stone creatures shifted only enough to bow their heads. He loved it when they did that.
"Now then," he chirped, before turning tail and taking bouncing steps into the gaping mouth of Drangsdeep.