Creative Corner

Library Pixel Books, by Naakka

5342

March 22, 2018 20:41:48

Welcome!

I have done some work on my thread! I am trying to write more regularly now, feel free to post and comment here!

I welcome constructive criticism if you have it. I have always wanted to do creative writing as a hobby or maybe write books someday, and until I have time to really work on anything like that, if I ever do, FR is where I am working to develop my skills.

I tried to link this all up so that you do not have to leave this thread to read my lore, but you can view the dragon's pages or my various project threads if you wanted to. I reserved a ton of posts at the very beginning so that each different section of my lore should be pretty contiguous, but if it gets to be a lot, that may be out the window later on.

Ping me if you want to be pinged for anything, I can always make pinglists!

Thank you if you have bothered to read any of this!

The Lore

From the Notebook of Tryl, Bronze Willow's Librarian and Storyteller.

Irrisea was a large city in the heart of the Shrieking Wilds. Tall buildings in the city center broke through the canopy of the dense forest and let some light fall on the bustling streets below. Shops, restaurants, and offices buzzed with activity at all times of day. Most dragons of this city lived either in homes resembling townhouses that were built on the outskirts, or in more traditional single houses or dens further out into the surrounding forest in small communities. Irrisea is the largest city in all of the Viridian Labyrinth, with the exception of Timbershade built in the shadow of the Great Behemoth.

This is where the three founders of Faint Grove originated. A tailor named Odem, a blacksmith named Cadryss, and a carpenter named Kynenteirth. The three of them were tired of the big city. It was too loud, too crowded, and too confining. They all wished for a place where they could be free to explore, shape their own surroundings, and be closer to the essence of the Gladekeeper.

Led by Odem, the three families left Irrisea on a quest to find a new home.

Wishing to be further away from the towns and cities that lay closer to the Behemoth and the center of the Viridian Labyrinth, the group traveled west towards the edge of the Shrieking Wilds. The towns they passed through became smaller and farther apart, and the road they followed became less traveled and more overgrown, until finally there were no more towns and the road disappeared. The travelers continued still into the wilderness where dragons seldom traveled.

Despite the occasional signs of Beastclans and more dangerous creatures having crossed their path, they felt an inner peace that they had never experienced before. Almost all dragons could do magic in some form, but large cities and their distractions tend to dampen these abilities in their inhabitants. As the group continued deeper into the wild, they began to feel a new energy flowing through them and a deeper connection to the forest that surrounded them. Each of them felt that when they found the right place, their new home, they would know.

They traveled almost to the edge of the Shrieking Wilds, almost as far from Irrisea as they could without leaving the great forested region of the Viridian Labyrinth. It was close to the border with Dragonhome that Odem and the others emerged from the thick forest to find a large lake nestled in between the hills. Standing alone against the lake was an old willow tree. None of them had ever seen one so grand. Tall, with branches that seemed to reach out for its companions in the forest before falling gracefully toward the ground, swaying gently in the breeze. It was nearing winter, and the narrow leaves of the willow were a beautiful hue of deep orange.

This was it. This was their new home. They called it, and their new clan, Bronze Willow.

Stories

Chapter 1: Meilu
Chapter 2: Rovas
Chapter 3: Ervor

Cedric's Lineage

Cedric: The Filigree

A Gladeling's Legacy

Aspen: A Gladeling
Birch
Malachite

Random Dragon Bios

Subspecies Lore

Maledictus
Sea Floor Guardians
Lily Pad Faes

Last edited on Nov 16, 2019 05:28:19 by Kaliqo

Background Information, Mostly for Me

Bronze Willow is a town that lies close to the edge of the Shrieking Wilds, near the border between the Viridian Labyrinth and Dragonhome. It was founded by a small group of dragons looking to escape the more populous regions of the Viridian Labyrinth and live closer to the untamed wilderness that the Shrieking Wilds were known for. Over time, more dragons traveling in search of a simpler life came across the small gathering of shacks in the wilderness, and what began as a small commune became a town.

Most dragons in Bronze Willow practice some sort of trade, and it is a tradition in the town that hatchlings learn the trade of their parents, or occasionally a neighbor instead. Most also practice some sort of magic, and all of the hatchlings learn different types of magic from members of the community in addition to their trade.

The town has been led by one family since its founding, and the oldest male has traditionally inherited the role of Clan Leader. This involves meditating disputes amongst clan members, upholding the law, and consulting with key members of the community when necessary to make large decisions.

Kaliqo

5342

June 01, 2018 15:01:09

Background Information, Mostly for Me

Bronze Willow is a town that lies close to the edge of the Shrieking Wilds, near the border between the Viridian Labyrinth and Dragonhome. It was founded by a small group of dragons looking to escape the more populous regions of the Viridian Labyrinth and live closer to the untamed wilderness that the Shrieking Wilds were known for. Over time, more dragons traveling in search of a simpler life came across the small gathering of shacks in the wilderness, and what began as a small commune became a town.

Most dragons in Bronze Willow practice some sort of trade, and it is a tradition in the town that hatchlings learn the trade of their parents, or occasionally a neighbor instead. Most also practice some sort of magic, and all of the hatchlings learn different types of magic from members of the community in addition to their trade.

The town has been led by one family since its founding, and the oldest male has traditionally inherited the role of Clan Leader. This involves meditating disputes amongst clan members, upholding the law, and consulting with key members of the community when necessary to make large decisions.

Last edited on Nov 15, 2018 01:26:04 by Kaliqo

[center][size=7][color=466353][b][i]Bronze Willow[/i][/b][/color][/size][/center] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=21009922] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/210100/21009922_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] [center][size=5][color=466353][b][i]Chapter One: Meilu[/i][/b][/color][/size][/center] [color=#466353][i]Meilu was floating, like a dandelion seed in the wind, through memories. They were a blur of places and people she had once known. A town on a lake. Casting her first spell. Her farewell to her family. A tavern. A hatchling. Ervor. Fluttering amongst the trees of the forest, trying to catch fireflies for Ervor to play with. Coming to rest in the shoulder of her loved one, placing a hand on his neck. Telling him that she would try again the next night, maybe the fireflies would take pity on her and cooperate. Telling him how happy she was to have found this place. My Rovas.[/i] And then, it was as if her thoughts crystallized, and Meilu was herself again, fluttering in the breeze. In these moments, she knew. Her body had failed her. And she was now untethered, free to move on. She could simply allow her essence to dissipate and join the final ranks of the Gladekeeper. Her memories, her wishes, her essence would become one with all those who had served in Her name and then passed. But something kept her here. Meilu turned to the scene below her. She was unaware of the passage of time, but she knew somehow that it had been a while since she was last herself. Even so, the scene beneath her was the same. A patch of grass amongst the thick underbrush of the Shrieking Wilds. A small stone engraved with her name. And before the place her body had been buried, a Guardian lay on the ground, forever watching over her final resting place. [i]My Rovas.[/i] Meilu had heard tales of Guardians who had lost their Charge. They all ended with the Guardian, consumed by grief and their failure to protect their loved one, losing hope. Losing their will to live. Their bodies turned to stone as they lay unmoving, wishing to die rather than continue on without the thing they vowed to protect. [i]My Rovas.[/i] The stone had spread. His limbs had already become one with the earth beneath him, and much of his skin had become dry and cracked. In the aggressive wilderness of the surrounding forest, vines and small saplings were beginning to take root in what was once his flesh. [i]My Rovas. [/i] Meilu fluttered down to him, and perched on his shoulder as she often did in life. She placed a tender hand on his neck. She spoke to him, she told him again not to give up. Her fate was not his fault, he had protected her the best he could. Continue living, for the clan. For Ervor. For her. He could not see her, nor feel her presence. Though sometimes, she thought that maybe he had heard her. The effort of staying together was becoming too great, and Meilu felt herself slipping away. But she would be back, she would keep trying. [i]My Rovas. Please don't give up. My Rovas.[/i] [center][size=2][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2402118/1#post_2402118]Back to Top[/url][/size][/center]

Kaliqo

5342

June 01, 2018 15:01:13

Bronze Willow

Chapter One: Meilu

Meilu was floating, like a dandelion seed in the wind, through memories. They were a blur of places and people she had once known. A town on a lake. Casting her first spell. Her farewell to her family. A tavern.

A hatchling. Ervor.

Fluttering amongst the trees of the forest, trying to catch fireflies for Ervor to play with. Coming to rest in the shoulder of her loved one, placing a hand on his neck. Telling him that she would try again the next night, maybe the fireflies would take pity on her and cooperate. Telling him how happy she was to have found this place.

My Rovas.

And then, it was as if her thoughts crystallized, and Meilu was herself again, fluttering in the breeze.

In these moments, she knew. Her body had failed her. And she was now untethered, free to move on. She could simply allow her essence to dissipate and join the final ranks of the Gladekeeper. Her memories, her wishes, her essence would become one with all those who had served in Her name and then passed.

But something kept her here.

Meilu turned to the scene below her. She was unaware of the passage of time, but she knew somehow that it had been a while since she was last herself. Even so, the scene beneath her was the same.

A patch of grass amongst the thick underbrush of the Shrieking Wilds. A small stone engraved with her name. And before the place her body had been buried, a Guardian lay on the ground, forever watching over her final resting place.

My Rovas.

Meilu had heard tales of Guardians who had lost their Charge. They all ended with the Guardian, consumed by grief and their failure to protect their loved one, losing hope. Losing their will to live. Their bodies turned to stone as they lay unmoving, wishing to die rather than continue on without the thing they vowed to protect.

My Rovas.

The stone had spread. His limbs had already become one with the earth beneath him, and much of his skin had become dry and cracked. In the aggressive wilderness of the surrounding forest, vines and small saplings were beginning to take root in what was once his flesh.

My Rovas.

Meilu fluttered down to him, and perched on his shoulder as she often did in life. She placed a tender hand on his neck. She spoke to him, she told him again not to give up. Her fate was not his fault, he had protected her the best he could. Continue living, for the clan. For Ervor. For her.

He could not see her, nor feel her presence. Though sometimes, she thought that maybe he had heard her.

The effort of staying together was becoming too great, and Meilu felt herself slipping away. But she would be back, she would keep trying.

My Rovas.

Please don't give up.

My Rovas.

Back to Top

Last edited on May 23, 2019 12:59:57 by Kaliqo

[center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=32416279] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/324163/32416279_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] [center][size=5][color=466353][b][i]Chapter Two: Rovas[/i][/b][/color][/size][/center] [color=#466353][i]Rovas sat in the shade of an ancient oak, watching Meilu flutter amongst the branches after fireflies. After a while, she came to rest perched on his shoulder and he felt the soft caress of her hand on his neck. He could not make out the words she said now, but her voice was a soft monotone hum that soothed his ears like the first sip of water on parched lips. She did not smile, but he knew from the movements of her crest that, at that moment, she was happy...[/i] Rovas's eyes slowly opened, focusing on the tombstone in front of him. It was small, and simple. There was just one word carved into it. Meilu. [i]My Meilu.[/i] Rovas felt a small sigh escape his lips. His limbs had turned to stone as he lay in the grass in front of her grave. There was no feeling there anymore, but he could feel the dryness of the stone slowly spreading. He could feel the vines and the roots of small seedlings creeping into the cracks of his hardened skin. He could feel, at least for now, the soft breeze that moved the grass around him, and always seemed to carry her voice. [i]My Meilu.[/i] They had been young when they had fallen in love. She was a tiny, energetic Fae, just passing through Faint Grove on her journey to find herself. He remembered seeing her first at the town's tavern, sipping her drink alone at the bar. Many might say it was love at first sight, though for Rovas, it was not just love. She was his Charge, the one he was bound to protect for the rest of his life. But there are things teeth and claws cannot protect against. They had discovered pretty early that she was infertile. The healers said that it was a genetic disorder. They could live with that. They adopted a hatchling, whom they called Ervor, to raise as their own. But as time went on, Meilu became weak. She was constantly tired, she could hardly eat, and she could not use magic anymore. The town's healer wrote letters to anyone they could think of, but no one knew what could cause this. Rovas could only watch as his love, his Charge, wasted away. One day, she did not wake up. Rovas did his best to carry on. His blood had claimed the title of Clan Leader since Faint Grove was founded, and this responsibility was passed on from father to son. In the absence of a blood descendant, he guided Ervor as he learned to take on the responsibilities of a clan leader. But his grief, and the weight of his failure as a Guardian, consumed him. He could not protect her. He was powerless to save her. Surely there was something he could have, should have, done, if only he had known. He had failed her, and himself. As he was needed less by Ervor and the town, he began to spend more and more time in this very spot where his Charge, his Meilu, was buried. Until one day, he did not leave. He could not remember the last time he consumed food or water. It was only the magic that was stored in his body, that flowed through the land he was slowly becoming a part of, that kept him alive. When the last of his magic was gone, when he was finally completely turned to stone, he could be with her again. He lifted his head briefly, hearing her voice on the wind, before letting it rest again on the ground in front of him. [i]My Meilu. I'll be with you soon. My Meilu. [/i] [center][size=2][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2402118/1#post_2402118]Back to Top[/url][/size][/center]

Kaliqo

5342

June 01, 2018 15:01:16

Chapter Two: Rovas

Rovas sat in the shade of an ancient oak, watching Meilu flutter amongst the branches after fireflies. After a while, she came to rest perched on his shoulder and he felt the soft caress of her hand on his neck. He could not make out the words she said now, but her voice was a soft monotone hum that soothed his ears like the first sip of water on parched lips. She did not smile, but he knew from the movements of her crest that, at that moment, she was happy...

Rovas's eyes slowly opened, focusing on the tombstone in front of him. It was small, and simple. There was just one word carved into it. Meilu.

My Meilu.

Rovas felt a small sigh escape his lips. His limbs had turned to stone as he lay in the grass in front of her grave. There was no feeling there anymore, but he could feel the dryness of the stone slowly spreading. He could feel the vines and the roots of small seedlings creeping into the cracks of his hardened skin. He could feel, at least for now, the soft breeze that moved the grass around him, and always seemed to carry her voice.

My Meilu.

They had been young when they had fallen in love. She was a tiny, energetic Fae, just passing through Faint Grove on her journey to find herself. He remembered seeing her first at the town's tavern, sipping her drink alone at the bar. Many might say it was love at first sight, though for Rovas, it was not just love. She was his Charge, the one he was bound to protect for the rest of his life.

But there are things teeth and claws cannot protect against.

They had discovered pretty early that she was infertile. The healers said that it was a genetic disorder. They could live with that. They adopted a hatchling, whom they called Ervor, to raise as their own.

But as time went on, Meilu became weak. She was constantly tired, she could hardly eat, and she could not use magic anymore. The town's healer wrote letters to anyone they could think of, but no one knew what could cause this. Rovas could only watch as his love, his Charge, wasted away.

One day, she did not wake up.

Rovas did his best to carry on. His blood had claimed the title of Clan Leader since Faint Grove was founded, and this responsibility was passed on from father to son. In the absence of a blood descendant, he guided Ervor as he learned to take on the responsibilities of a clan leader.

But his grief, and the weight of his failure as a Guardian, consumed him. He could not protect her. He was powerless to save her. Surely there was something he could have, should have, done, if only he had known. He had failed her, and himself.

As he was needed less by Ervor and the town, he began to spend more and more time in this very spot where his Charge, his Meilu, was buried.

Until one day, he did not leave.

He could not remember the last time he consumed food or water. It was only the magic that was stored in his body, that flowed through the land he was slowly becoming a part of, that kept him alive. When the last of his magic was gone, when he was finally completely turned to stone, he could be with her again.

He lifted his head briefly, hearing her voice on the wind, before letting it rest again on the ground in front of him.

My Meilu.

I'll be with you soon.

My Meilu.

Back to Top

Last edited on May 23, 2019 12:56:10 by Kaliqo

[center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=37910879] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/379109/37910879_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] [center][size=5][color=466353][b][i]Chapter Three: Ervor[/i][/b][/color][/size][/center] [color=#466353]Ervor sat in the Clan Leader's office, his office, the desk in front of him cluttered with books and papers. To anyone who might peek through the small crack in his door or look in through the large open window, he may have appeared to be reading, but in reality, he was not seeing anything in front of him. It had been so hard to focus recently. His mother's passing had left a considerable emptiness in the town and in his heart, but it was nothing like the weight left by his father's fate. He could not remember much of his very early life. An orphanage, a large, noisy city. There were several other hatchlings, though he could no longer remember their names or faces. He was not there for more than a few weeks. Then a foster home in a smaller, quieter city, Hearthill. His foster parents did the best they could, but their attention was spread thin between their jobs and the rest of his 'siblings'. Outside of lessons from the town's teacher, Ervor spent a large amount of time alone, wandering the forest just outside the city. Though he realized he had things much better than some others in his situation, it was not the same as having a real family. Ervor was still rather young when his life changed for the better. His foster mother was one of the town's healers, and she was visited one day by a couple from another town far from Hearthill called Bronze Willow. He distinctly remembered being confused when his foster parents made time to have them over for dinner, as social events of any kind were very rare for them, and even more confused when they returned the next day specifically to meet with him. No one was ever really interested in him. But this little Fae and her much larger Guardian asked him all kinds of questions about his likes and dislikes and about school. He told them all about his insect collection, and pulled the jars where he kept his most recent catches from his shelf to show them. But it was only when they started telling him about themselves and where they were from that he thought maybe, like a couple of the others who had passed through, he would get to go to a real home. The thought kept him awake most of the night. The very next morning, Ervor's foster mother told him that instead of going to class, he was to go to the park in the middle of the city and spend some more time with their visitors. He had seen this happen for some of his older 'siblings' on occasion, and he knew that sometimes they packed up and left to go home with their new parents afterward. But not every time. He never heard what had happened at those meetings. Was there a test he had to pass? Would there me math? Numbers were his worst subject in school, what if the test to be adopted was nothing but math? Questions like this swam around in his head the whole journey to the park. Meilu and Rovas were waiting for him at a large picnic table. Ervor was normally a very easygoing youngling, but as he approached them his heart rate skyrocketed. His nerves almost made him want to turn and run away, but he took a deep breath to steady himself, and sat across from them. Rovas seemed a little nervous as well, but Meilu greeted him excitedly before fluttering down from Rovas's shoulder and presenting him with a large caterpillar she had found only moments before his arrival. He remembered her very eagerly telling him about where she had found it, and then almost as if in the same sentence like she could not stop herself, she asked, "Do you want to come home with us?" Ervor answered in the affirmative almost immediately, and his nervousness was suddenly replaced by excitement to match Meilu's. Ervor's memories seemed to jumped forward as he remembered first learning that he would one day be responsible for leading the town. It was only a few weeks after he had first arrived in Bronze Willow. He had begun taking lessons along with the few other hatchlings his age in the town, and he had found that lessons here were far different. They were taught by different members of the town in turn, and Ervor was delighted to find that his least favorite subject was only a minuscule part of the curriculum. But on this day, he had asked to see what Rovas did, so he had allowed Ervor to skip his lessons and see what leading the town was like. The two of them sat in this very office in Town Hall, at this very desk, and Rovas had told Evor about the founding of their town. That his bloodline began with the leading founder, and that the position of town leader had been handed down from father to son every generation since. And since Ervor was now his son, he would take over when it was his turn. Ervor had felt very proud to be a part of something so grand, and he was eager to learn everything he needed to know. Starting on that day, he spent time every afternoon after his classes ended with Rovas at Town Hall. He even spent some time during his weekends with the librarian's young assistant, Tryl, learning what was able to teach about the town's history, and then about the history of the Viridian Labyrinth and Sornieth, in the hopes that this one day make him a better clan leader. He wanted more than anything to help the people in the town and to make his new family proud. Ervor, for the first time in his life, began to make friends. He found that he had a hard time revealing much about himself unprompted, but he loved listening to others and finding shared experiences and interests. Even though he was not readily accepted by everyone, as even those who were not born in the Bronze Willow sometimes had this weird way of becoming reclusive, he spent as much time as he could trying to meet people in the town and get to know them. Outside of all of this, he spent time with Meilu. She was bright and energetic, and she had seemed to make it her mission to teach Evor how to have fun. His best memories of Meilu were the moments he could recall chasing dragonflies together, exploring the forest outside of Bronze Willow, playing board or card games, and occasionally playing practical jokes on Rovas. Despite his reputation as a rather serious dragon most of the time, Rovas was a good sport, and these pranks most often ended in everyone laughing together. Things continued like this for quite some time. It was as Ervor approached adulthood that Meilu began to change. She began to sleep more, she had less energy than she had had before. She could not cast spells quite like she used to. They thought that maybe she was just ill at first, but the town's healer was stumped. Her condition got gradually worse over a period of time, and though Rovas did his best to appear calm and collected, he was beside himself. He spent more time with her at home, more time writing letters, more time pacing or standing watch over her while she slept instead of sleeping himself. Ervor worried deeply about both of them, but he struggled to express his emotions to anyone. He had always just kept his feelings to himself when he was young, and that habit made it even more difficult to start opening up now. The only person he really spoke to about any of this was Tryl. The now Town Historian was a very good listener and his advice was extremely wise for his relatively young age. He was much more soft-spoken than Rovas had been, but talking to him felt much to Ervor like talking to an older brother. Tryl and his mate, Lioska, helped as much as they could as Ervor tried to deal with his emotions and support his parents, and pick up the slack at Town Hall. One day, Meilu simply did not wake up. Ervor was devastated of course, but even worse than his mother's death was what happened to Rovas. It was as if something inside him had died. Only once, he had confided to Ervor that Meilu had been his Charge, and with her gone, his eyes had no life behind them. Rovas returned to work, he helped Ervor prepare to really take over as Clan Leader the best he could, but he seemed to be barely present. Every night, instead of going home, he went back to the little grave he had dug for his Charge at the top of a hill outside of town. And then one day, Rovas simply did not leave his spot there in front of Meilu's headstone. Very slowly, as all Guardians did when they lost their Charge and their will to live, he began to turn to stone. [center][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/gde/2255172/1][img]https://i.imgur.com/cai1vom.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/cIPYjmQ.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/cai1vom.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/cai1vom.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/cai1vom.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/cai1vom.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/cai1vom.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/cIPYjmQ.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/cai1vom.png[/img][/url][/center] [color=#466353]Ervor was startled by a touch on his arm. The beam of sun coming in through the window had moved quite a bit since he had first sat down. He briefly wondered how long he had been sitting there before there was another more persistent tap on his arm. It was a little Flower Nymph who stood on his desk, holding out to him a single deep crimson rose with a tiny caterpillar perched on the highest petals. While Flower Nymphs normally only bring flowers to their companions, this one had learned that Ervor enjoyed his flowers most when they were accompanied by a bug friend. She had been Rovas's grandfather's Charge, and had stayed with their family ever since, flittering in and out of their house and offices as she pleased. She was very adept at bringing flowers to match Ervor's mood, and somehow always knew when he needed a little cheering up. As soon as Ervor took the rose from her, she smiled and flitted once again out the window. Ervor placed the rose in a vase on his bookshelf along with the marigold from the previous day, and had only a moment to watch the caterpillar crawl across his hand before his door was pushed swiftly open. Lioska, a rather fastidiously dressed Nocturne with large round glasses, entered the room. She walked purposefully to his desk and swept the cluttered mess aside to make room for the stack of spreadsheets she carried in her arm. "You're early," Evor stated. Lioska's eyes moved over the clutter she had just pushed aside and then to the caterpillar that was now crawling up toward Ervor's shoulder before coming back to rest on Ervor's again. "I can come back in ten minutes if you like, but it doesn't look like I'm interrupting anything important," she said in a rather matter-of-fact tone. Ervor sighed, placed the caterpillar on the windowsill where he could escape if he wished, and then sat down at his desk. Lioska took the chair across from him. "Okay," Ervor started, trying to get his head in the right place. "You've been in Bronze Willow for a few years now. You keep town records, as well as managing accounting for the town and now all of its businesses. I've asked you to compile data on our financial situation. Were you able to find the information you needed?" Lioska thought for a moment, looking as if she were trying to think of a way to be diplomatic in her response, before abandoning the attempt. "Kind of? If I recall correctly, you and Rovas were trying to keep books on your own for the town as a whole, but neither of you are accountants and you appear to have had too much on your respective plates to have kept records as detailed or as consistent as perhaps you should have. And most of the town's businesses were doing about the same. It's all well and good to know how much money you have, but if you don't know exactly where it is coming from and how it is being spent, then you really don't have a clear picture. Combined with the fact that your general record-keeping had also been sub-par, there isn't really a picture at all of what was happening before I arrived. "Not that I blame you!" she added quickly. "You have had plenty to worry about. Just that this hasn't made my job easier." She looked vaguely uncomfortable, as most people did when mentioning Rovas in front of Ervor. He found this almost annoying now, and he thought about trying to tell her to relax or something, but he would not have known what to say anyway. He made the decision to just move past it. "And since you arrived?" Ervor had gotten periodic updates from Lioska, as part of her duties were reporting to him about expenditures and the like, but he knew that she did a lot more work than just what she reported. She was also completely right in her assessment of Bronze Willow's record-keeping; the town had been growing slowly but steadily for generations, and not enough had been done to account for this in their administrative methods. "Since I arrived, I have completed a census so we know who lives here, when they moved here if they were not born here, and some other basic details about everyone in town. I have records of major events and town expenses since I started, as well as some rough estimates of these before I arrived in town. I cannot release much detail on the financials of the businesses as part of our confidentiality agreement, but there are statistics that they are required to report to Town Hall, and I have compiled as much of that information as I was able to gather from past years in addition to during my time in office. I have also been requesting to release additional details to your office in order to conduct a more thorough analysis of our town's financial position, and I am under the impression that most of the townspeople would gladly give you their left foot if you asked nicely." "So if we skip the part where you point to numbers on your sheets here and assume I know what they mean, which I don't, what is our situation?" Ervor had known for a while that something needed to change without knowing what. Lioska painted him that picture in much more detail than he really needed, and there was still a lot of pointing to spreadsheets, but it really boiled down to one fact. While Bronze Willow was not in immediate danger and may be able to coast for several years, the town needed money, and it needed to bring in money from trade. There was an excess of certain kinds of goods in town and a deficit of others. There were skilled craftsmen in town, but they were struggling either because there was not enough demand in town for their services, or because they did not have the materials needed to meet demands. And some materials were hard to purchase because they had to be brought in from the outside, requiring travel to Hearthill or further, which in turn was difficult because Bronze Willow did not have the means to transport goods in large enough quantities to make such a trip worthwhile. They had survived so far by purchasing goods and materials from the occasional salesdragon who came through, but the cost of doing so was going up and the amount of money within Bronze Willow was static. But how would the town be able to engage in trade with other towns regularly enough to solve the problem? After what seemed like a very long time, but in reality was less than a couple of hours, Lioska stood up and gathered her spreadsheets. "To speak quite boldly," she said on the way out the door, "you look like you need some tea and perhaps some food. You will meet Tryl and I at the cafe at seven." She did not give him a chance to either accept or deny this invitation before leaving. Just as Lioska left, a female Wildclaw burst through the open door saying, "I need to make a complaint about my neighbor!" "Alright, have a seat," Ervor intoned, taking his place again on his side of the desk. He loved interacting with the townspeople and helping to solve their issues, but on that particular day, all he wanted was some peace and quiet. He would deal with this and then go home. He could always make up for skipping tea another time. [center][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/gde/2255172/1][img]https://i.imgur.com/cai1vom.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/cIPYjmQ.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/cai1vom.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/cai1vom.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/cai1vom.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/cai1vom.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/cai1vom.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/cIPYjmQ.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/cai1vom.png[/img][/url][/center] [color=#466353]The next morning, Ervor went into his office only to place a sign on his door stating that he would not be in that day. He then began the short journey up the hill on the Northern edge of Bronze Willow. The wilderness came in very close to the town itself. There was only the one road out that led out of Bronze Willow, but there a few small trails formed by the trampling of underbrush as the town's inhabitants went about their hunting and gathering in the surrounding area. Ervor chose one of the newest trails, made in part by his own feet, that went in a different direction from the rest of them. It wound up the hill, around large trees and dense clumps of bushes, and stopped at a small clearing in the shadow of a large oak. Underneath the tree was a small headstone, and in front of it was Rovas. The pang of sorrow Ervor felt upon approaching this scene had not lessened over the months. Everytime he returned, the stone had crept further, the plants taking root in his father's scales had grown and spread. The only family Ervor had ever had was here under this tree. Ervor sat on the ground next to Rovas and wiped a small tear from his eye. "You don't have to come here," Rovas said softly, turning his head to look at Ervor. "It would be easier on you to stay away." They had had this conversation several times already. Ervor knew that Rovas was only concerned for his well-being, not wanting him to draw out his own sorrow. And he supposed that Rovas was right. He missed Meilu, and the hole she had left in his heart would never truly be filled, but he managed to get past her death. Every time he came back to see Rovas, however, it was as if the anguish he felt at understanding his father's fate was renewed. Any healing that had taken place was undone. But he was still just barely considered an adult, and the stresses of running a town were overwhelming. He could not do it alone, and Rovas had always been the one he turned to for advice. He was lost if he stayed away, but perpetually in mourning because he kept returning. "I can't do this by myself." Tears fell now from Rovas's eyes. "No more advice. You have others who want to help you. Trust them." It was a moment before he continued as if he were planning his next words. When he spoke again, his voice was not the same gentle, reassuring tone that Ervor had always been accustomed to. It was full of sorrow and regret. "You're not eating, and you're not sleeping. I can see it. I'm sorry for what I'm putting you through, and I love you too much to keep doing this. You can stay today. But then I want you to live your life." "What about you? I can't just leave you here alone." "I'm not alone." There was such finality to that statement that Ervor did not reply. He simply lay in the grass next to Rovas, and the two of them listened to the wind whistling through the trees. It was not until the sun grew closer again to the horizon that Ervor stood up. Rovas gave him one last reassuring smile, which Ervor did his best to return, and then he left. Listening to the wind in that clearing had somehow left Ervor feeling more at peace than he had felt for some time. His heart was heavy, but he thought that maybe he could live it with now. Maybe he could stay away, one day at a time. Ervor knew that if he returned to the Library at Town Hall, Tryl would still be there, and Lioska would likely be there waiting for him to finish up for the day. He was still not really in the mood for tea, but he knew that he had not been putting his heart into those friendships the way he should be. Rovas was right. He needed to trust them to help. Returning home later that night, Ervor found a single sprig of almond blossoms awaiting him in the otherwise empty vase he left by his window. [center][size=2][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2402118/1#post_2402118]Back to Top[/url][/size][/center]

Kaliqo

5342

June 01, 2018 15:01:22

Chapter Three: Ervor

Ervor sat in the Clan Leader's office, his office, the desk in front of him cluttered with books and papers. To anyone who might peek through the small crack in his door or look in through the large open window, he may have appeared to be reading, but in reality, he was not seeing anything in front of him. It had been so hard to focus recently. His mother's passing had left a considerable emptiness in the town and in his heart, but it was nothing like the weight left by his father's fate.

He could not remember much of his very early life. An orphanage, a large, noisy city. There were several other hatchlings, though he could no longer remember their names or faces. He was not there for more than a few weeks. Then a foster home in a smaller, quieter city, Hearthill. His foster parents did the best they could, but their attention was spread thin between their jobs and the rest of his 'siblings'. Outside of lessons from the town's teacher, Ervor spent a large amount of time alone, wandering the forest just outside the city. Though he realized he had things much better than some others in his situation, it was not the same as having a real family.

Ervor was still rather young when his life changed for the better. His foster mother was one of the town's healers, and she was visited one day by a couple from another town far from Hearthill called Bronze Willow. He distinctly remembered being confused when his foster parents made time to have them over for dinner, as social events of any kind were very rare for them, and even more confused when they returned the next day specifically to meet with him. No one was ever really interested in him. But this little Fae and her much larger Guardian asked him all kinds of questions about his likes and dislikes and about school. He told them all about his insect collection, and pulled the jars where he kept his most recent catches from his shelf to show them. But it was only when they started telling him about themselves and where they were from that he thought maybe, like a couple of the others who had passed through, he would get to go to a real home. The thought kept him awake most of the night.

The very next morning, Ervor's foster mother told him that instead of going to class, he was to go to the park in the middle of the city and spend some more time with their visitors. He had seen this happen for some of his older 'siblings' on occasion, and he knew that sometimes they packed up and left to go home with their new parents afterward. But not every time. He never heard what had happened at those meetings. Was there a test he had to pass? Would there me math? Numbers were his worst subject in school, what if the test to be adopted was nothing but math? Questions like this swam around in his head the whole journey to the park.

Meilu and Rovas were waiting for him at a large picnic table. Ervor was normally a very easygoing youngling, but as he approached them his heart rate skyrocketed. His nerves almost made him want to turn and run away, but he took a deep breath to steady himself, and sat across from them. Rovas seemed a little nervous as well, but Meilu greeted him excitedly before fluttering down from Rovas's shoulder and presenting him with a large caterpillar she had found only moments before his arrival. He remembered her very eagerly telling him about where she had found it, and then almost as if in the same sentence like she could not stop herself, she asked, "Do you want to come home with us?" Ervor answered in the affirmative almost immediately, and his nervousness was suddenly replaced by excitement to match Meilu's.

Ervor's memories seemed to jumped forward as he remembered first learning that he would one day be responsible for leading the town. It was only a few weeks after he had first arrived in Bronze Willow. He had begun taking lessons along with the few other hatchlings his age in the town, and he had found that lessons here were far different. They were taught by different members of the town in turn, and Ervor was delighted to find that his least favorite subject was only a minuscule part of the curriculum. But on this day, he had asked to see what Rovas did, so he had allowed Ervor to skip his lessons and see what leading the town was like.

The two of them sat in this very office in Town Hall, at this very desk, and Rovas had told Evor about the founding of their town. That his bloodline began with the leading founder, and that the position of town leader had been handed down from father to son every generation since. And since Ervor was now his son, he would take over when it was his turn. Ervor had felt very proud to be a part of something so grand, and he was eager to learn everything he needed to know. Starting on that day, he spent time every afternoon after his classes ended with Rovas at Town Hall. He even spent some time during his weekends with the librarian's young assistant, Tryl, learning what was able to teach about the town's history, and then about the history of the Viridian Labyrinth and Sornieth, in the hopes that this one day make him a better clan leader. He wanted more than anything to help the people in the town and to make his new family proud.

Ervor, for the first time in his life, began to make friends. He found that he had a hard time revealing much about himself unprompted, but he loved listening to others and finding shared experiences and interests. Even though he was not readily accepted by everyone, as even those who were not born in the Bronze Willow sometimes had this weird way of becoming reclusive, he spent as much time as he could trying to meet people in the town and get to know them.

Outside of all of this, he spent time with Meilu. She was bright and energetic, and she had seemed to make it her mission to teach Evor how to have fun. His best memories of Meilu were the moments he could recall chasing dragonflies together, exploring the forest outside of Bronze Willow, playing board or card games, and occasionally playing practical jokes on Rovas. Despite his reputation as a rather serious dragon most of the time, Rovas was a good sport, and these pranks most often ended in everyone laughing together.

Things continued like this for quite some time.

It was as Ervor approached adulthood that Meilu began to change. She began to sleep more, she had less energy than she had had before. She could not cast spells quite like she used to. They thought that maybe she was just ill at first, but the town's healer was stumped. Her condition got gradually worse over a period of time, and though Rovas did his best to appear calm and collected, he was beside himself. He spent more time with her at home, more time writing letters, more time pacing or standing watch over her while she slept instead of sleeping himself.

Ervor worried deeply about both of them, but he struggled to express his emotions to anyone. He had always just kept his feelings to himself when he was young, and that habit made it even more difficult to start opening up now. The only person he really spoke to about any of this was Tryl. The now Town Historian was a very good listener and his advice was extremely wise for his relatively young age. He was much more soft-spoken than Rovas had been, but talking to him felt much to Ervor like talking to an older brother. Tryl and his mate, Lioska, helped as much as they could as Ervor tried to deal with his emotions and support his parents, and pick up the slack at Town Hall.

One day, Meilu simply did not wake up. Ervor was devastated of course, but even worse than his mother's death was what happened to Rovas. It was as if something inside him had died. Only once, he had confided to Ervor that Meilu had been his Charge, and with her gone, his eyes had no life behind them. Rovas returned to work, he helped Ervor prepare to really take over as Clan Leader the best he could, but he seemed to be barely present. Every night, instead of going home, he went back to the little grave he had dug for his Charge at the top of a hill outside of town.

And then one day, Rovas simply did not leave his spot there in front of Meilu's headstone. Very slowly, as all Guardians did when they lost their Charge and their will to live, he began to turn to stone.

Ervor was startled by a touch on his arm. The beam of sun coming in through the window had moved quite a bit since he had first sat down. He briefly wondered how long he had been sitting there before there was another more persistent tap on his arm. It was a little Flower Nymph who stood on his desk, holding out to him a single deep crimson rose with a tiny caterpillar perched on the highest petals. While Flower Nymphs normally only bring flowers to their companions, this one had learned that Ervor enjoyed his flowers most when they were accompanied by a bug friend. She had been Rovas's grandfather's Charge, and had stayed with their family ever since, flittering in and out of their house and offices as she pleased. She was very adept at bringing flowers to match Ervor's mood, and somehow always knew when he needed a little cheering up. As soon as Ervor took the rose from her, she smiled and flitted once again out the window.

Ervor placed the rose in a vase on his bookshelf along with the marigold from the previous day, and had only a moment to watch the caterpillar crawl across his hand before his door was pushed swiftly open. Lioska, a rather fastidiously dressed Nocturne with large round glasses, entered the room. She walked purposefully to his desk and swept the cluttered mess aside to make room for the stack of spreadsheets she carried in her arm.

"You're early," Evor stated.

Lioska's eyes moved over the clutter she had just pushed aside and then to the caterpillar that was now crawling up toward Ervor's shoulder before coming back to rest on Ervor's again. "I can come back in ten minutes if you like, but it doesn't look like I'm interrupting anything important," she said in a rather matter-of-fact tone.

Ervor sighed, placed the caterpillar on the windowsill where he could escape if he wished, and then sat down at his desk. Lioska took the chair across from him. "Okay," Ervor started, trying to get his head in the right place. "You've been in Bronze Willow for a few years now. You keep town records, as well as managing accounting for the town and now all of its businesses. I've asked you to compile data on our financial situation. Were you able to find the information you needed?"

Lioska thought for a moment, looking as if she were trying to think of a way to be diplomatic in her response, before abandoning the attempt. "Kind of? If I recall correctly, you and Rovas were trying to keep books on your own for the town as a whole, but neither of you are accountants and you appear to have had too much on your respective plates to have kept records as detailed or as consistent as perhaps you should have. And most of the town's businesses were doing about the same. It's all well and good to know how much money you have, but if you don't know exactly where it is coming from and how it is being spent, then you really don't have a clear picture. Combined with the fact that your general record-keeping had also been sub-par, there isn't really a picture at all of what was happening before I arrived.

"Not that I blame you!" she added quickly. "You have had plenty to worry about. Just that this hasn't made my job easier."

She looked vaguely uncomfortable, as most people did when mentioning Rovas in front of Ervor. He found this almost annoying now, and he thought about trying to tell her to relax or something, but he would not have known what to say anyway. He made the decision to just move past it.

"And since you arrived?" Ervor had gotten periodic updates from Lioska, as part of her duties were reporting to him about expenditures and the like, but he knew that she did a lot more work than just what she reported. She was also completely right in her assessment of Bronze Willow's record-keeping; the town had been growing slowly but steadily for generations, and not enough had been done to account for this in their administrative methods.

"Since I arrived, I have completed a census so we know who lives here, when they moved here if they were not born here, and some other basic details about everyone in town. I have records of major events and town expenses since I started, as well as some rough estimates of these before I arrived in town. I cannot release much detail on the financials of the businesses as part of our confidentiality agreement, but there are statistics that they are required to report to Town Hall, and I have compiled as much of that information as I was able to gather from past years in addition to during my time in office. I have also been requesting to release additional details to your office in order to conduct a more thorough analysis of our town's financial position, and I am under the impression that most of the townspeople would gladly give you their left foot if you asked nicely."

"So if we skip the part where you point to numbers on your sheets here and assume I know what they mean, which I don't, what is our situation?"

Ervor had known for a while that something needed to change without knowing what. Lioska painted him that picture in much more detail than he really needed, and there was still a lot of pointing to spreadsheets, but it really boiled down to one fact. While Bronze Willow was not in immediate danger and may be able to coast for several years, the town needed money, and it needed to bring in money from trade. There was an excess of certain kinds of goods in town and a deficit of others. There were skilled craftsmen in town, but they were struggling either because there was not enough demand in town for their services, or because they did not have the materials needed to meet demands. And some materials were hard to purchase because they had to be brought in from the outside, requiring travel to Hearthill or further, which in turn was difficult because Bronze Willow did not have the means to transport goods in large enough quantities to make such a trip worthwhile. They had survived so far by purchasing goods and materials from the occasional salesdragon who came through, but the cost of doing so was going up and the amount of money within Bronze Willow was static.

But how would the town be able to engage in trade with other towns regularly enough to solve the problem?

After what seemed like a very long time, but in reality was less than a couple of hours, Lioska stood up and gathered her spreadsheets. "To speak quite boldly," she said on the way out the door, "you look like you need some tea and perhaps some food. You will meet Tryl and I at the cafe at seven." She did not give him a chance to either accept or deny this invitation before leaving.

Just as Lioska left, a female Wildclaw burst through the open door saying, "I need to make a complaint about my neighbor!"

"Alright, have a seat," Ervor intoned, taking his place again on his side of the desk. He loved interacting with the townspeople and helping to solve their issues, but on that particular day, all he wanted was some peace and quiet. He would deal with this and then go home. He could always make up for skipping tea another time.

The next morning, Ervor went into his office only to place a sign on his door stating that he would not be in that day. He then began the short journey up the hill on the Northern edge of Bronze Willow. The wilderness came in very close to the town itself. There was only the one road out that led out of Bronze Willow, but there a few small trails formed by the trampling of underbrush as the town's inhabitants went about their hunting and gathering in the surrounding area. Ervor chose one of the newest trails, made in part by his own feet, that went in a different direction from the rest of them. It wound up the hill, around large trees and dense clumps of bushes, and stopped at a small clearing in the shadow of a large oak.

Underneath the tree was a small headstone, and in front of it was Rovas. The pang of sorrow Ervor felt upon approaching this scene had not lessened over the months. Everytime he returned, the stone had crept further, the plants taking root in his father's scales had grown and spread. The only family Ervor had ever had was here under this tree.

Ervor sat on the ground next to Rovas and wiped a small tear from his eye.

"You don't have to come here," Rovas said softly, turning his head to look at Ervor. "It would be easier on you to stay away."

They had had this conversation several times already. Ervor knew that Rovas was only concerned for his well-being, not wanting him to draw out his own sorrow. And he supposed that Rovas was right. He missed Meilu, and the hole she had left in his heart would never truly be filled, but he managed to get past her death. Every time he came back to see Rovas, however, it was as if the anguish he felt at understanding his father's fate was renewed. Any healing that had taken place was undone. But he was still just barely considered an adult, and the stresses of running a town were overwhelming. He could not do it alone, and Rovas had always been the one he turned to for advice. He was lost if he stayed away, but perpetually in mourning because he kept returning.

"I can't do this by myself."

Tears fell now from Rovas's eyes. "No more advice. You have others who want to help you. Trust them." It was a moment before he continued as if he were planning his next words. When he spoke again, his voice was not the same gentle, reassuring tone that Ervor had always been accustomed to. It was full of sorrow and regret. "You're not eating, and you're not sleeping. I can see it. I'm sorry for what I'm putting you through, and I love you too much to keep doing this. You can stay today. But then I want you to live your life."

"What about you? I can't just leave you here alone."

"I'm not alone." There was such finality to that statement that Ervor did not reply. He simply lay in the grass next to Rovas, and the two of them listened to the wind whistling through the trees.

It was not until the sun grew closer again to the horizon that Ervor stood up. Rovas gave him one last reassuring smile, which Ervor did his best to return, and then he left. Listening to the wind in that clearing had somehow left Ervor feeling more at peace than he had felt for some time. His heart was heavy, but he thought that maybe he could live it with now. Maybe he could stay away, one day at a time.

Ervor knew that if he returned to the Library at Town Hall, Tryl would still be there, and Lioska would likely be there waiting for him to finish up for the day. He was still not really in the mood for tea, but he knew that he had not been putting his heart into those friendships the way he should be. Rovas was right. He needed to trust them to help.

Returning home later that night, Ervor found a single sprig of almond blossoms awaiting him in the otherwise empty vase he left by his window.

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