its been...
a while since I posted one of these, about three years I think?
with the map getting an update and some places getting moved around I dun got bit by the Inspiration Bug having seen where I HC'd the lair to be has now been replaced by the fire sanctum and was like welp gotta share this on the lore thread
enjoy my fellow lore makers
Home Is Where The Hearth Is
“This is-
Utterly ridiculous and far beyond
insulting” the queen seethed. flames licking her teeth and jaws, simmering with fury like a pot of water seconds from boiling, her once calm demeanor melting like a bar of pure gold in a crucible.
“I understand beloved-“ Karos began trying to soothe his enraged mate “Who are those…! Those
SPELLCHUCKERS to demand we leave
our home?! All because they want to build some
Temple! in our
territory on our
Lair!” Kaya roared as she knocked over an unlit brazier, scattering ash and coal across their den’s floor “…for one that was a nomad you should be accustomed to travel by now” the flame king tried once more to calm her as he nuzzled into his queen.
“
'even lava from the volcano must one day take form'- I
know. I just-
ughhh….I had
hoped after our last Migration this would be our territory forever more…I…
I liked it here” Kaya admitted as she lent into her mate and took a breath to calm down, the queen gathered the dropped coals and tossed them into their roaring firepit “we will find somewhere even better, or if it hasn’t been reclaimed; we could Migrate back to the Annex Lair” Karos suggested as he laid down before the fire and warmed his gauntlet in the flames “but first we will have to convene with the rest of the council” the king groaned as he knew that it would be
hours of arguing before they came to a decision
“this is
preposterous! they can build their “sanctum”
elsewhere! They have
no right to exile us from our home!” Kentaurus snarled as he slammed an armoured paw onto the stone table, adding yet another chip in its beaten surface, rare as it was for the LightLord to be brought to rage.
“they
cannot, our territory is over a
Leyend, there is nowhere else they could build it where they could study what they need to” Krixis sighed in boredom as he read over the letter the Magisters of the seven had sent their clan, somehow still paying attention to the screaming match that their council meet had devolved into
“whos Side are you even
on Krixis!? This is practically a
hostile takeover! I’d sooner set the snowsquall to the torch than allow them to claim our territory!” Kyros Roared at his fellow Imperial, the ice coating his wings thickening into spikes at the tips in his anger
“maybe we should send out our scouts to have a look around for new lair locations- they won’t force us to leave until we find a new home…
right?” Kajin carefully suggested, he hated confrontation and with
Karvad busy helping the lairguards keep the peace with the clan he felt a bit unnerved with the lightning leaders absence
“Kajin makes a good point, the
sooner we start the migration the sooner we can
settle and just mark this off as another lair we
outgrew” Kirave shrugged, already mentally planning the architecture and layout of the new lair. A touch excited for some new ground to carve and chisel into structural perfection
“Kirave smart. Make new nest, make
better nest,
stronger nest” Killon nodded, he didn’t usually say much in these meetings as most of his inputs were yes’s or No’s to votes and the tally of how much food the clan needed, a need which their absent Water leader
Kokurond was seeing too
“yes. And
abandon the
home we
made ourselves because some
snobby arcanenites said so,
Fantastic Idea Killon” Kallia deadpanned sarcastically, the guardian had resisted the proposal of almost every migration so far, even if she agreed it was more a matter of tradition to resist at this point.
“I mean…I can’t be the
only one whos noticed that its kinda been getting…
tight in here? And then you have
that whole mess what with that snuffoo with them rebels in that new volcano and the anti-rebels who claimed the old hearth for that new shanty town nearby and those new banescales that were found…Maybe a fresh start would be
good for us? K-Karos? W-what do you think?” Kawain almost stuttered out, he
hated being the final word but often found himself as the voice of reason whenever arguments sprang up and almost always deflected to their Clanhead.
The flame king was silent for a moment as he thought over his decision before speaking what became the final words “though it took us longer than before, we have to admit we have
outgrown our Lair, those magisters will become more insistent the longer we delay this action. Kajin, send out your scouts to survey new potential territory for us” Karos then turned to his now quieted Ice leader “Kyros, have your Fighters and the Freelancer Guild ready themselves should we need to fend off any…
unpleasantries we may encounter when we seek to claim the territory when we find it”
“our lair has served us
well, it has sheltered us from the storms, given us safety in the night and held fast to the wealth we amassed within it, and now it will serve an even greater purpose, one we do not yet understand; let us send it off with the
dignity it
deserves” the flame king finished with a flare of his wings, effectively silencing any debates the others may have had.
The next weeks or so was a flurry of scouts leaving and returning to the lair with potential Spots marked out for survey where they were either Maybe’d or discarded due to one or more issues being had with it. all the while the magisters of the seven were breathing down their necks with increasingly less patient
“have you found a new hole to crawl into yet?” that were answered with increasingly more aggressive
“No, we’re still looking. it takes time to scout, you spellchucking snobs”
Some however, found the looming migration to be a chance for some well-meaning but excessive shenanigans.
Such as the Freelancers
Blowing up the subterrain cavern that was their -thankfully emptied and external- Guild hall and filling the hot spring with clay dust “for Science”
“that
boy is more like his
mother than he
cares to
admit” Krixis sighed to the flame king as he watched his Nephew
Kalanar and a handful of the other Freelancers angle a lava chute into the still smoking crater where their hall cave once was, slowly filling the hole with Lava as their Earth branch leader berated them for ruining some perfectly good floor tiles that she wanted to salvage in the upcoming migration.
Karos chuckled at the Arcane leader’s quip when Kajin landed nearby, a gleeful glow lit his green eyes as he unrolled a recently updated map and pointed to a circled area northwest of the furnace and within spitting distance to the windswept plateau
The fire and arcane dragons stared at the map for what felt like hours before they looked at the hopeful wind leader and nodding, they wanted to see this land for themselves. The trio then rallied the Ice and Earth leader to their outing and investigated their potential new territory, the cliff was as tall as it was wide and was dotted with the ruined echo's of a clan that seemed to have very recently left. Kyros seemed to catch a whiff of something familiar as he bent his armoured head down to sniff at a pile of abandoned, broken pottery.
“Smells like
friends” the ice Imperial huffed through the dust and ash as he carefully rolled the fragmented pot exposing a familiar symbol that was the mark of the Ghost Light Clan “some of our allies lived here once” “If I remember correctly, they migrated south to that new gas vent coastline near that new volcano not that long ago” Krixis nodded as he perched on a fallen basalt pillar
Kirave however was too busy taking measurements and marking down notes in a thick notebook as she practically pranced about the expanse of empty land, her apparel jingling and clanking like a harmonious discord of crystal encrusted bells.
“it’s
perfection!” the Earth dragon preached as she spread her wings “no matter how we carve it we’ll have enough excess space for…
hundreds of baby booms! or more storage, or a huge library, or more workshops
or more…” the sand-coloured guardian prattled off as her tail wiggled in rising excitement “it’s also not so far away from the lair, so we could probably migrate everyone and ship everything within a few weeks, maybe a couple months at most” Kajin carefully suggested, trying not to sound too eager about being so close to his birthland
Karos couldn’t help but agree, this place was the best option they had so far, the lack of obvious lava was a touch disconcerting but should they dig enough they’d be bound to find some or simply dig a channel to the back of the great furnace.
The group flew back to their lair with the news that they had found a new place to call their home.
It was time for their clan to take to the wing once more.
The migration was as
slow as it was
tedious, the magisters now paper-thin patience was being worn to its limits, but they waited still as the Blue flame clan began stripping their lair of all that they had.
Tiles and brickwork were ripped from the ground and steel chandeliers pulled from the ceilings. statues were carefully dismantled for transport and even the trees and flowerbeds of the peak were transplanted into wagons packed with fertile soil protected by arcane barriers.
Kirave and the Builders worked tirelessly to re-carve and dig out the cliff-face that would be their new lair, most travelers of the area just assumed it was yet another mine the fire flights were excavating, the dust and chunks were bashed down into a fine gravel and melted molten, molded into obsidian blocks, built back into the widening cavern as support pillars and small temporary shelters built atop the cliff.
Even a handful of curious young wind dragons watched the construction from across their deep river, occasionally tossing the helpful stick of bamboo or random snack, which -in true fire clan fashion- was repaid with the random gemstone or crystal found during their digging
To the glee of some and frustration of others a pool of lava was unearthed within what came to be the heart of their lair, the fresh source of lava sped the construction as the rock broken from the walls was merely tossed into the molten pool to melt into a more malleable state.
The new feasting cavern was far more spacious and grander than their last one, the joining food storage and kitchen larger than their previous ones. The Library was made far more expansive as well with enough space left if they needed to sculpt more bookshelves for their Lore Keeper’s endless seeking of tomes.
As was the Alchemist's laboratories and Healer's clinic dens, Clan Hoard chambers and Vaults. The wagons of plants were nestled at the rivers edge where they would drink freely of the abundant water and dig their roots deep in the malleable earth, easing the gardeners constant fussing to ensure they never wilted from thirst. The remaining wood hidden under the soil to rot into fertiliser.
The New Lairguard’s Garrison, Clan Fighters Barracks and Freelancers Guild Hall were followed by The smithy and forge which had a touch more care, but it was to be expected; Kirave was mated with the
Head Forgeclaw, it was only natural she’d leap on a chance to spoil him as he’d so often spoil her with trinkets and crafts he made for her.
The rest of the clans needed infrastructure was just finished as the builders set to work carving out the hive of personal dens. Expanses of hallways were carved and lined with light fixtures, each den both shared and solitary were carefully bored into the framework of hallways, vents to the clifftop where light and fresh air may find their way in. while the lower network of dens for those who sought shelter from the light and heat employed the use of some pipe’s leftover from the previous clan to channel water from the cool river, to flood into pools for some and freeze into ice for others.
Each den completed was coupled with an arriving Migration wagon laden with the contents of their hoard, from piles of ore and crystals, to just piles of random pretty stones, crates of apparel sets and armour of slain Beastclan that would not be able to fit even their smallest of hatchlings. As their compiled hoard was stored away -or utilised in building- the first handful of the clan began their full Migration, flanked by a few Lairguard’s and Clan Fighters, carrying the furnishings and contents of their personal hoards.
Slowly over the course of a few days the old lair was drained of dragons and became a little darker and quieter. As if the lair itself was slowly bleeding into a quiet death, with each dragon that migrated it lost a little more life. Kaya and Karos traversed the lair one last time -
along with a few builders who scoured it a couple times for anything they may have left behind-, the rest of their clan -and furnishings of their den- were waiting for them so they may migrate to their new location. the Magisters workers had already begun quarrying the peak, picking the mountain apart like vultures picking at a carcass.
“thank you…
old friend” Kaya murmured gently into an empty echoing hallway that once rang with the sound of hammers striking searing metal on anvils, the tolling bells of the smithy. The words of gratitude bounced through the empty tunnels and caves until they bounced their way back to the fire dragons, as if a phantom of the lair itself had thanked them for inhabiting it.
“come Beloved, let us go
home” Karos gently prompted as he began making his way out of the empty lair, the decorative Sacridite crystals that once glowed with soft yellows and gentle oranges slowly flickered out into a cold, veiny black that blended almost perfectly with the rest of the dark empty lair, signifying its abandonment.
The final few of the BlueFlame wrenched their clan banners from the entrance and rolled the dusty cloth around the tarnished poles, looking back at the eerily still mountain they had hollowed out into their hallowed home
Karos ran a paw over the arch of the entrance in quiet reverence as he turned back to his clanmates and spread his wings, one by one they leapt into the air and flew westward. pausing a moment to watch as the magisters ripped the mountain apart like a hatchling would a tear a flower that refused to bloom and melted the honeycombed fragments to flatten their old territory into the foundation of their sanctum.
With a sad shake of the head, they continued their flight as the final part of their migration.
The banners that had once flapped about the slopes of their mountain were now proudly staked into the basalt pillar that sat at the edge of their territory as well as the peak of the cliff they had built into.
Karos adjusted the last pelt into the plush bowl that made their nest and set to lighting the firepit in the middle of his den. Kirave and her builders had made all of the dens larger as they had the right amount of space, it was little more than a few feet outwards and some headspace but it was welcomed none the less
“I have to admit…this is
nice” Kaya said gently as she slowly made her way into their new den, ducking her head in habit to avoid hitting it on the archway that wasn’t there. “I just finished making the nest, now we just need to get comfortable with our new den” Karos purred as he stood to press his nose against hers which his queen eagerly nuzzled back into “such a good
hearth-tender, my mate is~” Kaya teased in a singsong as they parted giving her mate a cheeky nose bump as he stuck his tongue out at her is a short raspberry as she settled down by their fire pit
The two then whittled their evening away speaking of the places they had once been and those that had been lost to them as they settled into their new lair, cautious but optimistic about beginning a new era within their clan
