Creative Corner

[columns][img]https://orig02.deviantart.net/9eb0/f/2017/248/f/4/blindsiders_emblem_150_by_rexcaliburr-dbmj28j.png[/img] [nextcol][center][font=courier][size=7]Tales from the Undercity[/size] stories and logs from the agents of the Blindsiders[/center][/columns] [font=courier]Hailing from all sorts of lands and all sorts of backgrounds, the members of the underground society will definitely have some interesting stories to tell. From backstories to wild chases and missions, and simple days in the dusty underground city, these strange dragons have tales to tell, but only if you're interested in listening. Regardless, you're welcome to ask around and see who has tales to tell. Perhaps some of them might be busy, but there will definitely be a few willing to entertain your questions, as long as you don't have any bad intentions. Remember: The Blindsiders and its territory is heavily guarded, and eyes are always watching you.

[columns][img]https://orig09.deviantart.net/7edd/f/2017/248/e/6/blindsiders_emblem_100_by_rexcaliburr-dbmj28n.png[/img] [nextcol][center][indent][indent][font=courier][size=7]The Archive[/size] stories and logs from the agents of the Blindsiders [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2274700#post_29331025]The Last Frontier[/url] [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2274700#post_29348173]A Long Road Travelled[/url] [url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2274700#post_29387240]Risk and Reward[/url] [/columns]

[columns][img]https://orig09.deviantart.net/7edd/f/2017/248/e/6/blindsiders_emblem_100_by_rexcaliburr-dbmj28n.png[/img] [nextcol][center][indent][indent][font=courier][size=7]The Last Frontier[/size] The Console & The Professor[/center][/columns] [font=courier]Humanity was at its last stretch. For years a war had raged on Earth, countries going against each other in all out nuclear warfare. Whole societies had been wiped out, millions of people dying every day as part of collateral damage or in the war itself. People were forced to enlist, women and children having nowhere to hide. Lands were destroyed, the Earth slowly crumbling apart beneath the surface. And yet, far away in a remote cliffside was a small laboratory, that housed a single lonely Professor and his only companion - a supercomputer he had built and named the Console. Despite being wholly machine, she was considered a sentient being due to her intelligence and capability to express and experience the same things a human could. And she spent her lonely days in the laboratory. She spent her first few days learning everything she could. Every language, every culture, every bit of scientific knowledge the Internet had to offer her. She learned everything there was to know. She learned about the stars, the universe, the arts, the sciences, mathematics, philosophy, everything. And then the day came that the war became intense. The first nuclear missile launched, immediately destroying part of West Europe. Finland and Norway disappeared almost overnight, the islands breaking up following the blast. Hundreds of thousands of people died that day in one fell swoop. It was then that the governments began to approach the Professor, demanding to know what the Console was capable of. Reluctantly, the Professor admitted that with her extensive knowledge on anything that was asked of her, she held a lot of power. It was only under extreme pressure that the Professor allowed her to be weaponised. She was turned into a super weapon after that. The government made a whole scheme to weaponise her, linking her to an unstable crystal known as the Ark. It was placed in a secure underground facility, requiring the activation of three Terminal Points that were placed in another colonised planet for security. The Console was the only one capable of detonating it, and in doing so would destroy all of Earth. Armed with her new knowledge, the Console became quieter, more hesitant to answer questions, and more hateful of the fact that she knew everything. In the wake of the growing war, she had to monitor the war for the sake of the Professor. Day by day, more countries became wiped out. And every day, the war inched closer to the laboratory as countries and rebel groups began to realise that the Console had become weaponised When the war finally reached the laboratory's doorstep, the Console insisted that the Professor needed to leave, but he refused to leave his prized creation. In trying to defend her, he was shot down by a rebel group that stormed the facility. In order to prevent her systems from being taken over and the Ark from falling into the wrong hands, the Console issued a self-destruct sequence and caused her own destruction. In the wake of her destruction, she released hundreds of little drones into space, all of which contained parts of her data. She released every bit of her data, except for one drone containing her knowledge of the Ark and the Terminal Points. The only way to retrieve the one drone not ejected was to retrieve the 6 Oracles and 4 Charges that were also ejected onto the border planets and attach them to the Terminal Points offworld. The Console could only hope that no one would ever find the last bits of her data. The drones, launched onto other planets, would eventually come across other intelligent life forms it could integrate with. And such was the birth of what would be known as Code dragons when several drones landed on Sornieth. Integrated drones would leave an imprint on Code dragons that would allow them to access the Console's data, binding them to their creator forever.

[columns][img]https://orig09.deviantart.net/7edd/f/2017/248/e/6/blindsiders_emblem_100_by_rexcaliburr-dbmj28n.png[/img] [nextcol][center][indent][indent][font=courier][size=7]A Long Road Travelled[/size] As told by Kanrik[/center][/columns] [font=courier][i]Kanrik: What? Who's there? Oh, the new guy. I heard about you coming in with all your questions. Young dragons always wanting to know things. Well, I don't suppose it will hurt to tell you the history of the Blindsiders if that's what you're after. Come in, it's brighter in here. My name's Kanrik. And I guess everything began with me.[/i] You see, I started this clan many years ago. I was only a young guardian in the midst of the Wispwillow Grove, just having left my family to go on the Search. You know what that is, right? Where Guardians look for their charge and all? Well, my parents told me I'd know my charge when I found it, so I just wandered off. I walked, and I walked. And one day, I came across an Imperial. Her name was Elpis, she told me, and right from looking at her I knew she was something special. At first, in my eagerness, I thought she was my charge, and I vowed to protect her. She didn't have a clan either, having just left her old one, and I proposed the idea of making one with her. Something new and fresh, and it could be whatever she wanted it to be. She thought it was a good idea and we did it, making a clan right where we stood under the canopy of dark pine trees. Well, word about this new clan sprouted somehow. Elpis had friends, and she told her friends who told their friends. Very slowly but surely, more dragons began to join us. I met Antares very early on. Back then, he wasn't all too talkative and I noticed he had a scar on his chest. I didn't ask - it wasn't my place to pry. Many dragons came and left the clan, but Antares stayed the whole course. I realised he was also highly efficient in strategy and battle, and I asked that he follow in my footsteps should I ever leave the clan. Elpis left too, and I realised that perhaps it wasn't her who was my charge, but the clan we had forged together. Still, I missed her when she left. I didn't expect the time to come so soon, but barely a year later I realised it was indeed my time to go. The Shadowbinder was calling to me, and how could I say no to her call? So I left the clan in the hands of Antares, and I trusted him greatly. He was reluctant to take on the leadership role at first, but I assured him he'd be fine. [i]Antares: Heh, what are you doing, Kanrik? Sharing stories with the new guy? Kanrik: Oh, just telling them about the history of the clan right from the beginning. I was just getting to the part about you. Antares: Well there isn't much to talk about me. I wasn't holding the crown for too long. Kanrik: And that's when things got interesting. Care to join us? Antares: No thanks. I got a bounty to fill. I'll catch you around later Kanrik. Kanrik: And there he goes again. Antares doesn't fancy hearing about his history too much. I keep telling him he can't run away from it, but he tries anyway. Now, where was I? Oh yes, the move.[/i] After Antares took the crown from me, a few dragons who didn't trust his leadership left the clan and moved on elsewhere. Seeing this, he handed the crown over to the eager Rinor, who decided that it was best that the clan move to the Sunbeam Ruins where commerce was far more abundant and the clan could grow itself more. Despite being king then, Rinor still continued to consult Antares as his advisor because he wasn't too good with the politics of being king. All he knew was how to win over the favour of his court. The clan was happy for awhile, growing greatly as Rinor had promised with commerce flooding through the clan. Other clans visited, traded, and made allies. And for awhile, all was right. But Antares came back one day warning Rinor that a clan from the Tangled Wood was out for their blood, angered at the betrayal. Sad to say, that clan was led by someone I once called a friend. It was my fault the war happened on the clan because I had broken a promise to him. Rinor ignored Antares's warnings, insisting that the clan was well protected with its few guards, and being such a popular trade port, to attack it would cause its allies to come to its aid if needed and drive out any intruders. Unfortunately, Rinor's judgement was poor and the attack did happen, and all he thought were his allies fled until after the war. Many good dragons died there. Ashamed by his actions, Rinor decided he was no longer fit for the crown and attempted to hand it back to Antares, though the ex-veteran, angered and terrified because the war reflected his own mistakes, had already fled, only followed by a few dragons who still trusted and believed in him. Rinor disappeared after that. Antares and his followers disappeared to the Shifting Expanse, Antares desperate to get away from the horrors that reminded him of the very history he was trying to run from. He eventually came across an abandoned citadel near the shore of the Shifting Expanse, and took shelter in it from the coming storm. A lot of the city was abandoned, the only other life there being a silver Skydancer who was also seeking refuge from the storm. They remained apart for days, Antares and his group keeping to their own and the Skydancer staying on the other side of the city while they waited for the storm above to blow over. They began to talk one day when they ran into each other on the same hunting ground. The Skydancer, whom we now know as Consoleglitch, asked Antares what he was running from. Something about her he could trust, and he told her. She explained that she too was a soldier of sorts, though not the usual kind. She proposed that they begin a clan right in that city, though their doors would only be open to those who could defend themselves. Reluctantly, Antares agreed, only under the notion of safety in numbers. Despite being leader, Antares let Consoleglitch lead the clan most of the time. Under her rule, the clan began to flourish, but not as a typical clan. Instead, it became a vague group of dragons with similar criminal backgrounds seeking refuge. Antares met up with some old friends including the field medic he served with Dr. Malakai, while Consoleglitch continued to meet with her lover from another clan in the Sunbeam Ruins. The clan became prosperous and I returned, because the Shadowbinder decided I was needed more there with my clan than I was needed with her. It took time for me to adjust, because Consoleglitch ran things so differently. Now I know the Consoleglitch had been working on something before. Something about a code, but I never bothered to ask. And it must have really mattered to her, because one day she decided the clan needed to return to the Tangled Wood. While her pitch to the clan was because she had a different vision for the clan, I know the reality was that she was searching for something. But no one really had a problem with it, so we moved out from that city to another in Foxfire Bramble. She found a dusty, half-buried town with a portal in its church. Going through that portal, there was another city in a cavern, deep below Sornieth's surface. The clan remained the same down there for some time, but things eventually began to change under her rule. Mercenaries of all sorts were using the Overcity to meet with each other or with clients, frequenting so often that they became permanent residents. Old clan members began to leave to move on to other places. Word of the new society of mercenaries spread. More and more came. And today, the Blindsiders has transformed from a clan of dragons to a society of mercenaries, guards and assassins. Roamers, dragons that never stay too long in the Undercity before leaving for assignments again. And yet, despite these changes, this appears to be the happiest we've been.

[columns][img]https://orig09.deviantart.net/7edd/f/2017/248/e/6/blindsiders_emblem_100_by_rexcaliburr-dbmj28n.png[/img] [nextcol][center][indent][indent][font=courier][size=7]Risk and Reward[/size] The Medic's Tale[/center][/columns] [font=courier]Being a medic was no easy task. Not in the middle of a raging battlefield where both your life and your patient's life were at risk, where spells and bolts of pure magical energy flew overhead, screams and shouts erupting all around, explosions rocking the ground with tremendous force, and time was not on your side; and most definitely not in an underground city filled with mercenaries. Unfortunately for Dr. Malakai, he was just drawn to this sort of gruesome work. It was what he was good at. No matter how much he tried not to get back into the bloody sort of work, still found himself drawn back. After meeting with Antares again years after the war on Windstar Bay, it seemed that he would find himself forever in that line of work. He kept a journal of everything he did. And it would just so happen that he left it out today. Maybe just to prevent you from asking him questions personally. But if it's just a medic's logs of his work, perhaps there's no harm in looking, right? [i]DATE: UNKNOWN. LOCATION: ZEPHYR CAMPSITE. 1820 HOURS. Antares has just left the operating room and he is in rest. Things did not go as well as expected. I suspect it was both a misjudgement on his part, and also unpredictable enemy movement. The 19th Battalion led by Antares ran into an enemy platoon. According to the commander, neither platoon was expecting to meet each other, but the Arcane platoon was far larger and managed to overpower us. Heavy losses suffered. I managed to bring back anyone who was still alive when we found them, but a lot of them were already dead at the field, or they died after getting back. The Arcane platoon was still there when we arrived, but the general instructed us to take our wounded and leave. Arcane has since taken over the shore and are pushing Wind further back. Thankfully Antares is still alive. He suffered a strike to the chest with a Light-empowered blade which could have been fatal if we had not been allowed to take him back. I expect him to wake up within the next few hours and I will continue to check on him. DATE: FLAMEFORGER'S, DAY 4. LOCATION: ZEPHYR CAMPSITE. 1200 HOURS. The war is over. Unfortunately, Arcane has taken the bay and the Windsinger does not want further casualties or damages. So we can all go home. Antares has for the most part healed thanks to the powerful Wind energy in the area, but is still weak. He's told me that he's going to leave. I asked him where he would go, but he can't answer me. I think it's time I move on too, now that this war is over.[/i] In between the logs you find a lot of pages ripped out. The next entry begins way further down in the book. [i]DATE: SHADOWBINDER'S, DAY 21. LOCATION: THE UNDERCITY. 1535 HOURS. The new campsite is strange. I don't know why the Commander wanted us to live in a dust-covered underground city, but she insists that it is and will be safe from the prying eyes of everyone else as long as we keep the Overcity guarded. My new office will need some work before it's fully stocked and equipped for work, so I hope no one gets into too much trouble before I'm ready. DATE: WINDSINGER'S, DAY 6. LOCATION: THE UNDERCITY. 0916 HOURS. Already someone's come in after a bad scuffle. Nothing too difficult to handle, just a little bleeding and bruising. These mercenaries are significantly easier to handle than soldiers because for some weird reason they seem highly familiar with medical procedures and know what to do so that both of us can be done faster. Perhaps it's because they're so used to doing work like this. I'm not saying soldiers aren't experienced, but they only go through the real thing a few times in their lives. These guys do it every day. DATE: WINDSINGER'S, DAY 15. LOCATION: THE UNDERCITY. 1320 HOURS. Just had a first serious case. Blake had a rather bad accident with his mech that resulted in him being thrown out of the cockpit and headfirst into a rock. I don't expect that he'll be too affected, but he might be out for a few days. Navire must be quite concerned for him - she hasn't slept well the last few days. I've given her sleeping pills to help since her mood is significantly changing with the lack of sleep.[/i]