Maudit: The Beginning wrote:
In the beginning, there was nothing. Just a hole going down and down and down into the earth, eventually spanning out underground into a system of caves that are now populated by hundreds of dragons. But then, one night, something changed.
It all started on a stormy night when two then-faes would meet by accident. Both leaving their old, original clans (one fleeing, the other sent away), and both huddled for warmth. Meenah had fallen asleep first, but since she was so small (and so, so fragile), Kankri healed her curses and soon passed around near her.
From there, things continued on. Meenah and Kankri became mates (lovers, but they rarely nested together), and they founded Maudit (the name feeling like ashes in their mouths). A sanctuary for all of those afflicted by curses or hunted by the Deities. For at this point, Meenah and Kankri had Taken and Healed from and to each other so much they could not be considered mortal dragons.
Things would continue, but in a worse way. The earth itself became cursed, not cracked but there was something wrong about it. Something wrong wrong wrong wrong as new eggs hatched in the territory (whether found by Retrievers or the result of nests) gained curses. From the land, from angry Deities furious that their prisoners or curses had been liberated. But as long as Meenah was there to take the curses, and as long as Kankri was there to heal them, the clan would continue.
There was some places above, mainly alcoves dug out to shelter scared dragons that could be calmed down in the mornings. A tribute to Meenah and Kankri’s beginning here. Of course, with the anger that had been earned, above ground was no longer safe. But to expand was to leave needy dragons in the open.
It slowly grew, expanding underground to stay safe from angry dragons. The sprawling cave system would hold many different types and sizes of rooms.
Communal dens, purposefully made for dragons to comfort each other and get used to the clan instead of spending their first nights alone. These dens are always prepared, whether or not they are in use. Fresh bedding laid down every month, lights and soft things from all territories to keep them comfort. Some dragons are always in the communal dens, preferring to sleep next to others, just for the comfort gained.
Hoarding rooms stored coins. Most of them were gotten through regular trips to the market, selling off everything the Trainers had retrieved from venues. There were also those that stored gems, sparkling and shining. The gem rooms always have one dragon watching over them at one time. Of course, there’s another type of hoarding room. The room that keeps all of the loot gained from venues. Useless or useful, there is a dragon looking over it. Separating it all out into two main groups: marketed and hoarded. You see, some of the dragons had their own personal hoards that they kept in their rooms or pockets. Some loved feathers, other loved bones. Whatever it was, none of it mattered to Erah. She just wanted to know what to give to the merchants, and what to deliver to their rooms.
Personal dens were the other option for dragons to sleep in. Usually coming in two varieties (those special cases could arise), single and double nested. Single nests are for dragons who prefer to not sleep next to anyone (though in the cave system, one is never far from a friendly ear). There is plentiful space for both a familiar and a few stacks of whatever they liked to hoard. Double nests are for couples or close friends who hate to be seperated (but also dislike being in an exposed area with other dragons). Due to the nature of having to fit two dragons (all nests are by base imperial sized but will be resized upon arrival of new dragons), the double nest den is larger. More room to store two dragon’s hoards and two familiars.
Fodder dens are always there, a place to hold fodder that are currently being trained to send off to Flamecaller. In an effort to try to solve the plague...plaguing their land, Meenah and Kankri commonly picked up dragons that wanted to serve a higher power, and sent them off to Her Magnificence. They were set up more like communal dens, everyone staying together for the night or two that they were in Maudit before Aradia would take them off to their final destination.
There were the underground lava pits, thankfully further down than a ledge of rock. In these lava pits, eggs were stored. Maudit-born eggs were nested together, usually gently marked with whose they were to make sure the parents would be there to watch. Found eggs would be enchanted before being put into the pit (after all, once the egg hatches, someone must be there to help them).
The final type is less of a type and more of a catch-all. Miscellaneous rooms were common, sometimes used to hold spare familiars that no one had bonded with. Bloodmoon herself has a two cave system to herself, all for her prophecy methods. There were more caves than had been used or even explored. No end to the system (or a cause of it) had been found so far, but teams of dragons continue to look.
Every dragon has a story, and every story must be told. To do otherwise would be a discount to the past. Here is the tale of Maudit, here is the tale of the dragons that make it up.
It all started on a stormy night when two then-faes would meet by accident. Both leaving their old, original clans (one fleeing, the other sent away), and both huddled for warmth. Meenah had fallen asleep first, but since she was so small (and so, so fragile), Kankri healed her curses and soon passed around near her.
From there, things continued on. Meenah and Kankri became mates (lovers, but they rarely nested together), and they founded Maudit (the name feeling like ashes in their mouths). A sanctuary for all of those afflicted by curses or hunted by the Deities. For at this point, Meenah and Kankri had Taken and Healed from and to each other so much they could not be considered mortal dragons.
Things would continue, but in a worse way. The earth itself became cursed, not cracked but there was something wrong about it. Something wrong wrong wrong wrong as new eggs hatched in the territory (whether found by Retrievers or the result of nests) gained curses. From the land, from angry Deities furious that their prisoners or curses had been liberated. But as long as Meenah was there to take the curses, and as long as Kankri was there to heal them, the clan would continue.
There was some places above, mainly alcoves dug out to shelter scared dragons that could be calmed down in the mornings. A tribute to Meenah and Kankri’s beginning here. Of course, with the anger that had been earned, above ground was no longer safe. But to expand was to leave needy dragons in the open.
It slowly grew, expanding underground to stay safe from angry dragons. The sprawling cave system would hold many different types and sizes of rooms.
Communal dens, purposefully made for dragons to comfort each other and get used to the clan instead of spending their first nights alone. These dens are always prepared, whether or not they are in use. Fresh bedding laid down every month, lights and soft things from all territories to keep them comfort. Some dragons are always in the communal dens, preferring to sleep next to others, just for the comfort gained.
Hoarding rooms stored coins. Most of them were gotten through regular trips to the market, selling off everything the Trainers had retrieved from venues. There were also those that stored gems, sparkling and shining. The gem rooms always have one dragon watching over them at one time. Of course, there’s another type of hoarding room. The room that keeps all of the loot gained from venues. Useless or useful, there is a dragon looking over it. Separating it all out into two main groups: marketed and hoarded. You see, some of the dragons had their own personal hoards that they kept in their rooms or pockets. Some loved feathers, other loved bones. Whatever it was, none of it mattered to Erah. She just wanted to know what to give to the merchants, and what to deliver to their rooms.
Personal dens were the other option for dragons to sleep in. Usually coming in two varieties (those special cases could arise), single and double nested. Single nests are for dragons who prefer to not sleep next to anyone (though in the cave system, one is never far from a friendly ear). There is plentiful space for both a familiar and a few stacks of whatever they liked to hoard. Double nests are for couples or close friends who hate to be seperated (but also dislike being in an exposed area with other dragons). Due to the nature of having to fit two dragons (all nests are by base imperial sized but will be resized upon arrival of new dragons), the double nest den is larger. More room to store two dragon’s hoards and two familiars.
Fodder dens are always there, a place to hold fodder that are currently being trained to send off to Flamecaller. In an effort to try to solve the plague...plaguing their land, Meenah and Kankri commonly picked up dragons that wanted to serve a higher power, and sent them off to Her Magnificence. They were set up more like communal dens, everyone staying together for the night or two that they were in Maudit before Aradia would take them off to their final destination.
There were the underground lava pits, thankfully further down than a ledge of rock. In these lava pits, eggs were stored. Maudit-born eggs were nested together, usually gently marked with whose they were to make sure the parents would be there to watch. Found eggs would be enchanted before being put into the pit (after all, once the egg hatches, someone must be there to help them).
The final type is less of a type and more of a catch-all. Miscellaneous rooms were common, sometimes used to hold spare familiars that no one had bonded with. Bloodmoon herself has a two cave system to herself, all for her prophecy methods. There were more caves than had been used or even explored. No end to the system (or a cause of it) had been found so far, but teams of dragons continue to look.
Every dragon has a story, and every story must be told. To do otherwise would be a discount to the past. Here is the tale of Maudit, here is the tale of the dragons that make it up.