Creative Corner

Hey there! Wow Japan! I hope everything went well :)
And don't worry about it, that's absolutely understandable.

@Drachenschwinge thank you! it's going alright, i'm settling in!! how have you been? :D

[center][font=Georgia][color=104984][b][size=5]Day 48[/size][/b][/color][/font] [font=Georgia][size=4][b]No Roll[/b][/size][/font] As planned before my unannounced hiatus, we're taking a short break from rolling to post some pre-locke lore. The sad thing is, I've had this written out since June! I just never got a moment to post things later in the summer. Anyway, a refresher of the latest events: Aster left the borders of the Clan's lands, having followed Veritas, the Imperial tailor, on his way home. She got lost and hunted down by strange mechanical creatures. Cedar, her brother, found her and helped her get away while Aleksei distracted the machines. Both Cedar and Aleksei perished, creating a tense atmosphere back home. Bronte, the controversial adoptive sister of the Mirror siblings, asked Rin, the Clan healer, to teach her magic. Spindle was encouraged by her friend Asher to question why the Clan's lands are as safe as they are, considering how dangerous the Underice clearly is everywhere else. Determined to find out more, Spindle decides to hold a Clan gathering and question the dragon whose home the land had been originally - Moroz, the elusive Skydancer. [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] With everyone gathered inside the main chamber of the house, things were even more cramped than usual. Normally Spindle would've insisted to keep the hatchlings out of it, but Harper convinced her they were getting old enough to be involved with Clan matters. So everyone, hatchlings included, sat side-by-side in a semi-circle, except for Spindle who was standing in front of them. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=50944153] [img]http://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/dressing-room/dragon?did=50944153&skin=0&apparel=20556,20555,20550,20552,20610,20551&xt=dressing.png[/img] [/url][/center] And except for Moroz, who had been the last to join them. She unhurriedly placed her basket of plants aside and then walked up to them. Her eyes swept over the dragons, then rested on the Mirror. "What is the meaning of this, Spindle?" [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=50830543] [img]http://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/dressing-room/dragon?did=50830543&skin=0&apparel=26541,26542,26543,26546,26547,29067&xt=dressing.png[/img] [/url][/center] "Well," Spindle said, her voice momentarily shaking. She was certain of her actions, but it was still difficult to stand up to someone who she respected so much. But she gathered her inner strength, and went on, more evenly this time. "I decided to call a meeting. I think we all deserve an explanation." Moroz looked mildly curious. "An explanation? Whatever of?" Spindle now addressed both her and the rest of her audience, lifting her voice. "When Harper and I first got here, you told us how dangerous the Underice was. You spoke of many horrors, predators lurking everywhere, and dragons killing and eating each other, just to survive out here." "But for as long as we've been here, nothing of the sort has happened. You mentioned we were safe if we didn't stray far from the cave, and that seems to hold up. But dangers still lurk outside of our lands. We all know this by now." Spindle paused, the heavy silence filling in the deaths that she left unmentioned. "My question to you is, [i]why[/i]? Why are these lands - [i]your[/i] lands - so safe? It can't be a coincidence." "I agree," Asher spoke up right away. "I don't think I've ever gone for this long without being attacked by something. It's frankly peculiar." "I have also wondered," Mara murmured, more quietly than the other two. "I feel like... With all the bad things out there, we deserve to know the truth. Maybe we can do something with it." "So you see," Spindle said, staring at Moroz expectantly. The Skydancer remained quiet for a long moment. Nobody else said a word, waiting with baited breath for what her answer would be. Finally, she looked up at them with a kind of resolve Spindle hadn't seen in her expression before. "Very well. Allow me to tell you then... As many of you may know, the Underice has existed for many centuries, though no-one truly knows how it has come to be. That is the common tale." She paused. "But I was there. I was there when it all began. I was one of the first victims of this land, and I have been trapped here ever since." There was a stunned silence. Spindle gaped at Moroz, then her eyes found Harper in the crowd. He was staring back at her, looking just as shocked as she felt. As the Mirror slowly turned back to Moroz, the Skydancer gave a quiet sigh. "I suggest you all get comfortable. It is a bit of a tale, I'm afraid." [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img] [size=2]@Rebbawskaced @Drachenschwinge @SpiceCookie @catmeow1 @Everburn @windhound For today, a short update to get the ball rolling again![/center]

@demitri I'm a bit jealous, now you can eat all the onigiri you want[emoji=coatl star size=1] There aren't any japanese restaurants where I live so I only get those on special occasions T-T I'm fine, just the normal every day stress life is never short on xD My Pinkerlocke has been on hiatus for a few weeks too (due to a lack of motivation) and I'm currently considering to just start over >.>

@Drachenschwinge indeed, and for nowhere near as much money as back home!

ah yeah i get that. might be best to do that, a fresh start is always good for getting that inspiration back! let me know if you do that and i'll tune in!

[center][font=Georgia][color=104984][b][size=5]Day 49[/size][/b][/color][/font] [font=Georgia][size=4][b]No Roll[/b][/size][/font] [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=6] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/1/6_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] The ice first cracked nearly five hundred years ago. It had been at the behest of the Icewarden, for he could feel how deep the ice reached below, and decided to give his subjects a new place to roam. He hand-picked a team of twelve dragons, all born of the Icefields, each an exemplary user of ice magic, and blessed them with seeds of his own power. The appointed leader of this group was a Coatl by the name of Ferrah. While not the most powerful, she was the perfect reflection on an Ice dragon: unemotional, analytical, and ready to carry out her duties, whatever the cost. The Icewarden created the first chamber himself. With a single smash of his foot, the ice sunk and gave way to a space the size of a small mountain. At his order, the twelve dragons dove inside, and carried out a magic ritual to dig further, and chip away at the walls to widen the space. "Stop only when you feel the land worthy of the Icewarden's subjects," the god had said, and then he was gone. The dragons worked tirelessly. They cast until their magic was exhausted away, then fall asleep standing still like statues. Thanks to the Icewarden's blessing, their magic replenished quickly, and they continued to dig for days, weeks, months. Yet as the underground world grew larger, and fell ever deeper, the Icewarden's influence caused the ever-present ice to cover up the original entrance. A sheet of thick ice had left the dragons trapped below it like fish caught under a winter lake. [center][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/portraits/8713/871275p.png[/img][/center] Unrest divided the dragon team into two groups: one, lead by Ferrah, which wanted to continue the work, unsatisfied still at its present state, believing the Icewarden expected better of them. [center][img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/portraits/257596/25759504p.png[/img][/center] The second, lead by a Mirror named Beryl, argued the work had been done and they should focus on finding a way out. After all, if they couldn't leave, how could any of the Icewarden's subjects get [i]in[/i]? What started as a disagreement lead to a fight, and eventually the two teams separated permanently. Ferrah's team continued casting and digging, while Beryl's team turned their heads skywards. ** "What team were [i]you[/i] on?" Delphine asked, her eyes wide with the thrill of the story. "Beryl's, right? I'd be on his team," Emil declared. Moroz closed her eyes for a moment, and Spindle looked at her worriedly. "No," she finally said. "I supported Ferrah's beliefs, and it was her I chose to follow." [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img] [size=2]@Rebbawskaced @Drachenschwinge @SpiceCookie @catmeow1 @Everburn @windhound I've done this in my other locke, but for anyone unawares: the small dragon images used in this update are of exalted dragons! I like to do that for short-term NPCs.[/center]

@demitri Oh, Underice lore! Nice.

And I will, thank you :)

[center][font=Georgia][color=104984][b][size=5]Day 50[/size][/b][/color][/font] [font=Georgia][size=4][b]No Roll[/b][/size][/font] [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] Even the Icewarden's blessing wasn't eternal, it seemed. As Ferrah's team worked, exhaustion seeped away more and more of their energy, and their magic took longer to replenish than before. Things might have gone differently, had they not come across the crystals. When they first dug them up out of the ice, it was clear they were magical and seemed to brim with a life of their own. Marvelling at them and declaring them another of the Icewarden's creations, the dragons tried using them to harness their magic. And it worked. As they sapped their magic, the crystals grew dull and lifeless, but the dragons were filled with renewed energy. They continued their work at double the speed, certain they were making the Icewarden proud. Yet as they dug, they came across a hollow chamber below. Landing inside, they were shocked to discover a whole world of ice not of their own creation, with hundreds of colourful crystal growths stretching in every direction. [center][img]http://flightrising.com/html5/coliseum/images/venue/crystalspine_pools/_back_day.png[/img][/center] They quickly discovered that there were crystalline statues too, of powerful creatures dwarfing all but the biggest of them in size, and seemingly frozen in time. [center][img]http://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=1&body=3&bodygene=37&breed=17&element=6&eyetype=7&gender=0&tert=3&tertgene=26&winggene=37&wings=3&auth=52e0647505d56f81f3d245cf19c6a05a76c57695&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/center] Although some more disputes broke among them now, Ferrah was convinced the creatures had been made by the Icewarden, and left here for them to discover. At her order, the dragons worked together to free the beasts from their trappings with their magic. But as the first creature cracked to life, crystals falling away from its skin, they realised they made a mistake. The thing they uncovered resembled a strange mix of dragon and gargoyle, with hollow eyes and lipless jaws full of sharp teeth. ** "Hollow eyes?" Spindle interrupted, her heart pounding in her chest. "That's... That's them! They took me!" Everyone turned to her in surprise, and Moroz gave her a sad look. When someone from the crowd asked her to explain, Spindle blurted out: "I was taken from my Clan as a hatchling, me and my brothers, by some strange creatures with hollow eyes. I didn't get a good look at them, but I'll never forget their empty stares..." "Yes," Moroz said quietly. "It was us who unleashed them on the world above." "But how?" Spindle asked, now even more desperate for answers. "And why would they... kidnap dragons?" "I will get there, I promise. For now, please listen to the rest of my tale..." [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img] [size=2]@Rebbawskaced @Drachenschwinge @SpiceCookie @catmeow1 @Everburn @windhound I haven't decided if I officially want to implement Gaolers into the story, or if this was just a one-off because I needed a visual representation for the creatures. If I ever have the time to doodle them down, I'll replace the image in this post![/center]

[center][font=Georgia][color=104984][b][size=5]Day 51[/size][/b][/color][/font] [font=Georgia][size=4][b]No Roll[/b][/size][/font] [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] It only took one creature for havoc to reign. It blasted them with a powerful spray of ice shards from its giant hand, then charged off to free its kin. Some of the dragons desperately tried to stop it, including Ferrah, who charged at it, demanding its obedience. The creature caught her in its hands with ease, then seemed to suck her life energy into itself. Seconds later, the Coatl's limp body was tossed away, and then panic broke loose among the rest. They ran, escaping back up the way they had come. They knew their only chance of standing up against the creatures was to find the only other dragons in the lands with them. But by the time they found Beryl's group, half of them were already dead. And not from the creatures, but the [i]crystals[/i]. Though only a dozen of them had been found, the growths had already spread all over the other chambers like a rash. And the crystals that had been emptied of their magic found a way to gain it back by sucking in the life force of a dragon, much like the creatures they had freed had done. Upon hearing about what happened, Beryl's decision was swift: they couldn't risk such creatures being unleashed on the rest of the Icefields, or indeed the world. Their priority was to ensure the creatures remained trapped right where they were. As many of the dragons were weakened from the battle and their constant work, they had no choice but to rely on the crystals once again. Despite knowing the risks, the dragons gathered together and borrowed the energy from the crystals, using that to replenish their magic as before. The spell they indented to cast would envelop all the lands they had worked so hard to create for the Icewarden, and make escape from them impossible. Any living creature down below would remain trapped here forever, including the very dragons who built it. But the crystals wouldn't let them do so without a fight - somehow, the borrowed magic influenced the dragons' spell. Though they managed to cast it successfully, and a powerful sphere of magic engulfed the lands, a few loose pockets were made along with them. No creature could leave as desired, but those who stumbled upon the pockets from the outside would fall right through, never to return again. The spell cast, the dragons knew they had little time before the crystals would get to work once again and seep away at their lives. Running was no option - the creatures were nearing them by now, and it would only delay the inevitable. In a last ditch effort at self-defence, Beryl came up with another idea. "If we are to lose our lives anyway, let it to be for a cause worthy," he had said. They picked out the most able of their casters left: a Skydancer by the name of Moroz, the youngest of the group, but with a great gift for magic. She was to try and cast one last spell at the creatures, in hopes of destroying or at least delaying them. And her source of magic? The lives of her fellow companions. So the dragons stood bravely side by side as the rabid crystalline creatures charged right at them. As their thundering footsteps grew louder, Moroz cried out in despair, filled with regret for following Ferrah, and now forced to cast a dreadful spell at the cost of everyone's lives though she'd rather do anything but. Beryl's gaze was stern ahead as he watched the approaching horde. "We are Ice dragons. We do not feel. We simply do what we must," he had told her, and those were the last words Moroz would ever hear him utter. When the creatures were just a few feet away, Moroz gathered her willpower and started the spell. She pulled on her own reserves of magic, and when those gave out, she pulled instead at the lives of the dragons around her. Though a swarm of massive creatures was right in front of them, the life force of a dragon is no small thing. Moroz's spell was filled with overwhelming power, and an icy white light filled the entirety of the lands they had all dedicated themselves to creating. When the light finally died away, half the creatures had disintegrated, while many others had been crystallised once more. The few left alive had diminished in size greatly, and in fear and confusion, they scrambled away into the shadows. The Skydancer was left all on her own, for even her companion's bodies had been destroyed by the spell, and nothing of them was left except for fine, small, snow-like powder. ** There was a long stretch of silence following Moroz's story. Spindle stared at her, trying to imagine what it must have been like for the Skydancer all those years ago. She couldn't, and the best she could do was say: "I'm so sorry, Moroz. That's... That's awful." "Yeah... That really sucks," Harper added, and Spindle threw him a half-hearted glare. "It's alright," Moroz assured. "It happened a very long time ago." "But... If you've trapped them in here, how did they get out anyway?" Spindle asked slowly. "I'm afraid I do not know the answer. I suppose in the last few centuries, they have certainly gotten up to something. I had hoped they'd simply rot away with time, but I see now that I was wrong to think so," Moroz sighed. "They must have found some way to reach the surface. But I have reasons to believe they are still weakened, or they would be much more of a problem, both here and up above." "But why would they [i]kidnap[/i] me?" Spindle asked with a frown. "I have some theories," Moroz said. "As far as I know, the crystals are something that was born from them. Both seem to be able to steal the life energy of living creatures. If I had to guess, I'd say they are gathering their strength, and looking for ways to get their power back. Dragon lives carry much power, but the beasts are severely weakened. Perhaps that's why they target hatchlings." Spindle felt a deep upset rising in her heart. "So... my brothers are..." Moroz seemed remorseful, and Spindle fell silent. "Okay, uh... Everything I'm learning about these crystals is kind of the worst," Harper said. "First some disease, and now this? Are you sure they're not super evil and dangerous?" "They are dangerous, but only if you try to steal their magic," Moroz clarified. "Left alone, they seem to emanate some of it naturally, and small things like plants and insects are safe to feed off of that. The disease I've known about for a long time too, but I can't tell you what causes it. I'm afraid I do not have all the answers, though I wish I did." "Grand," Asher said. "But one last thing remains: why exactly is this place so safe, compared to all the rest?" "That is simply the nature of my magic," Moroz replied. "The Icewarden's blessing still persists somewhere within me, and my magic has reached a new level ever since..." she trailed off, then shrugged. "I've lived here for a long time. I think my magic has naturally created a kind of safety barrier over the nearby lands." Over the next few moments, no one said anything as they processed all of this new information. Spindle was mainly thinking about her brothers: she always knew in the back of her mind the chances they were alive were slim, but having their deaths confirmed was still painful. Finally, she found it in herself to turn everything back to the reason she had called this meeting in the first place. "I see now why leaving your lands is a bad idea. But we [i]need[/i] the resources." Moroz nodded. "I know. I have been thinking about it, too. Perhaps... We should opt for a move." "[i]Move?[/i]" Vannifer asked, incredulous. "We-- I've only just settled in! I've had enough of moving about for all my life, thank you very much." "Will this barrier follow you if we move?" Spindle asked. Moroz shook her head. "No. At least not right away. It might take years to build it up again in a new place. But I am not sure what else we can do." Another stretch of silence. Spindle racked her brain, but she wasn't an expert on magical things. Her rational mind told her the best option was to move. Then, a shy voice spoke up. "Magic... Helps?" Spindle found Rin in the crowd. "What was that, Rin?" Rin, feeling encouraged, spoke a little louder. "Barrier. Magic. Rin helps." She thrust her hands forward, a faint light rising from them. "Barrier, big. More. Helps." Spindle gasped. Then she whipped around to face Moroz. "Is that possible? If you combine your magic with Rin's, could you consciously extend the barrier to cover more land?" Moroz looked a little stunned at the idea, but slowly nodded. "It... sounds plausible, at least." "Well, phew!" Harper laughed. "I really didn't wanna move! My birth Clan did that all the time, and it's always such a hassle. You two should do that right now, and then problem solved!" "It's not that easy," Moroz said. "Rin still needs more training. Her magic is strong, but she needs to get better at controlling it before we can safely attempt such a thing. I do not wish to risk rupturing the barrier by accident." Harper slumped. "Oh, well. But you can do it eventually, right? Til then we just gotta hold on, that's all." That's all, indeed. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img] [size=2]@Rebbawskaced @Drachenschwinge @SpiceCookie @catmeow1 @Everburn @windhound Final background lore update, and tomorrow back to rolling we go![/center]

@demitri

Hey! This story is really cool, could you add me to the pinglist? Thanks :3