Roleplay

I fourth a time skip! @Dyrim @Firien @LizRosethorn @Akyrawolf @Serph @Frozenbullies))

((@Frozenbullies My favorite kind of storytime!!

[rant]

The Inheritance Cycle details the journeys of Eragon and his dragon Saphira across the land of Alagaesia. I thought about writing a summary of the books, but I realized you could just read the wiki summaries which are much better than mine.

Besides, this rp barely touches on that time period; instead it occurs about one hundred years before all that, during the dragon purge. The seven years during which Galbatorix murdered everyone has been extended for our purposes to a period of more like 40 years (which honestly makes more sense in-story but whatever). Galbatorix made his mark on the world by slaughtering all the wild dragons and nearly all of the dragons with riders, keeping all of their Eldunari (magic heart-gems which store their consciousness and magical energy) for himself. This was how he was able to kill everyone with impunity and generally install himself as ruler.

However, he's not there yet! Right now Galbatorix is sort of a nebulous power that the riders still believe they can defeat. I don't believe his hideout's location was mentioned, but it could have been the Spine, Helgrind (creepy mountain near Dras-Leona, a city near where this RP is currently), the mountains in the center of the Hadarac desert, or someplace off the map. His 13 followers, the Forsworn, did a significant amount of the killing, but it was Galbatorix himself that really broke the Riders.

Our characters here have a multitude of backstories. @Serph 's characters, Salt and Einsel, appear to have come together after Einsel's original rider was killed. He's also a little crazy in the head, some of which is directly related to Galbatorix. @LizRosethorn 's characters, Helix and Azzuna, appear to be relatively normal Dragon Riders for all purposes. @Firien 's characters are also in league with the Riders, as well as @Akyawolf 's characters, @dragonfly 's characters, and @Fayman666 's characters. My own characters are servants of the Forsworn, though unwillingly.

Several people have started being here but never really followed up. My characters entered the story by following @ElectricLeech 's characters, but they have been missing for a few days real-time. Several folk put in characters but haven't yet jumped into the story, among them @NovaSeton, @WildDragonFlying, and @Sheerivory. Several people have also expressed interest but never sent in characters, including @MewFanGirl, @Masquerade, @KarrinBlue, and @Ragnaroc (the plot is starting to form! join now and have a part in determining its progression).

What has happened so far: ElectricLeech's Henrik and Breen were having dinner at their camp in the forests near Leona Lake. My characters, Ellerin and Kadjarti, were hovering way up high, following them and attempting to ascertain their loyalties. Breen startled Salt, who called Einsel from where he was busy destroying a caravan. At once, several dragons came flying in from different directions, of various colors and carrying various riders. Einsel interpreted the sudden gathering as a threat to his person, and became enraged. As Kadjarti descended to a lower altitude to get a better picture of the action, Einsel and Menako (with Halonus on his back) fought, culminating in Einsel's wing being torn. Some of the other dragons, including Azzuna and Masquerade, laid low for the time, other, like Alduin, attempted to join in on the action against Einsel. Kadjarti and Ellerin eventually broke it up, Kadjarti especially giving out several bruises and broken bones, but not before Einsel recognized Kadjarti's mind as being under the Forsworn's interference. When Einsel consented to land and quit the fight, Ellerin began to give out free healings to those injured in the altercation. Kadjarti brought him one and a half gazelles, but he was already asleep; she delivered her message instead to Salt. Helix and Azzuna recognized Ellerin as a servant of the Forsworn, but have not revealed this to the rest of the group; Ellerin for now is going under the name Jordan, and Kadjarti is going by Abrosha.

We are currently at the point where everyone has retired to their own little camps for the night. Loose ends so far: Where Breen and Henrik went, when Einsel's wing is going to be healed and by who, whether Helix and Azzuna are going to call Ellerin out on their deception, and whether Einsel and Salt will do the same. Also, whether everyone is going to get along, and why everyone was in that vicinity anyway. And! Ellerin and Kadjarti are fealty-bound to end the life of any Rider-allied forces, should it not endanger their own lives. Don't go alone with Ellerin into the woods.

[/rant]))

((@Dyrim *thumbs up* this is like the recap that plays before every episode in some shows! Well done! Pretty sure you covered all our bases!))

@Firien @dragonfly @ElectricLeech @AkyaWolf @Fayman666 @LizRosethorn @WildDragonFlying @Dyrim @Frozenbullies

-Time Skip-

Salt groggily rubbed at her eyes as she began to sit up. To her surprise, the cave walls were a lot smoother and warmer than she remembered. Despite the chirping of birds that sang for her to rouse, she found herself burrowing further into the heat. She received a smack on the leg as punishment.

["Weren't you suppose to be on guard?"]

Salt would have flown up in her surprise had it not been for the scaled tail weighing her down. Her body stiffened as she eyed the sedimentary surroundings in both confusion and shock.

"I... I fell asleep...?"

["Oh, what an observant girl you are! I believe a reward is in order!"]

Despite the sarcasm dripping heavily from his words, Einsel dropped a gazelle haunch beside her. Salt carefully pushed his tail from her midsection before slowly reaching out for it, noting in curiosity how it had been roasted just the way she liked it. She hesitated, hand a mere inch away, and looked up at the black beast.

"I-I'm sorry."

Einsel did not even spare her a glance.

["What are you babbling about now?"]

'I swear, I didn't mean to fall asleep!' she thought hurriedly. 'I remember seeing the sun peak over the horizon just as the fire was dying! I even thought about rekindling the camp! Perhaps someone cast a spell-'

["Calm yourself, child."] he cut in easily, swallowing what remained of his meal. ["I awoke just as you began to doze and decided to allow you some time to rest. Now eat before your meal grows cold."]

He brought his head closer, lips curling over pearly fangs in a predatory smile.

["Or I will eat it for you."]

Without another moment's hesitation, Salt grabbed the leg and sank her own pearly whites into the flesh.

'...Is there something wrong?'

Einsel sighed in exasperation.

["What [i]now[/i]?"]

'It's just... you don't usually share your meals with me...'

["I will if they come from an enemy. It might be poisoned; I don't intend to go alone."]

Salt nearly choked on the mouthful she'd been in the process of swallowing.

"D-don't joke like that!" she cried, tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes.

Einsel chuckled darkly, but did not reply. Instead, he looked towards the horizon, taking in the heat that was beginning to soak into his scales. Salt watched him with concern, but otherwise finished her meal in silence.

'The Pale Dragon may likely return,' she thought in mild irritation.

["And?"]

'We should leave! She doesn't understand what their presence does to you.'

["My wing is torn; we will not get far if she pursues us."]

'Einsel, I'm serious... even the faintest hint of that man is enough to destroy the walls you've built around your mind. You've already sunk so far into the darkness-'

Einsel gave her a resounding smack on the thigh that had her hunching forward. He chuckled darkly as he pulled her closer. Expecting to be hit again, she was pleasantly surprised to find herself tucked into his side under the protective veil of his wing.

["You fret too much, my child. I don't remember raising you to be so fearful."] he hummed thoughtfully.

["But it is as I said before, we won't get far."]

Salt pursed her lips petulantly, eyeing the stream of light pouring through the tear.

'I'm just being cautious. Besides...' she trailed off, palm reaching up toward the thin membrane. 'I learned new words yesterday.'

["From the rider?"]

Salt hummed in affirmation, the words beginning to weave themselves together on her tongue.

"Waise heill," she whispered.

Though the light was not as strong as the Pale Rider's had been, it was there all the same. The process was slow and drawn out, her body not yet used to such a spell. By the time she was finished, she was left panting and even then, the tear hadn't been completely healed. There was still a faint silhouette where the mar had been and the bottom appeared lightly nicked. In a moment of perfect synchronicity, both dragon and rider clicked their tongues in dissatisfaction.

["A rather poor job, but I suppose it'll heal over in time."] he mumbled, giving his wing a little stretch. ["I suppose it's not bad for a first time."]

Salt gave a small smile of appreciation at his words.

'I'll do better next time.'

((Sorry for all the dialogue! It just got away from me and I really wanted to give them a nice father/daughter moment in the early morning...))

((No shhh @Firien, I care. That really is a significant improvement! I love the new detail you've put in there, but I honestly liked the cel shading on the first one! It gave it a sort of weight that this version lacks. The first one looks like a candid during a dungeon crawl, this one looks like a professional photoshoot. Both good, different objectives.

Also thanks for saying my summary was nice C:

And don't be sorry, @Serph, at least you can write dialogue, my forte is scenery porn.))

Serph Firien @Fayman666 @Akyawolf @LizRosethorn @Frozenbullies @dragonfly

Ellerin and Kadjarti had made camp by a small pool. The pool was formed from a small offshoot of a tiny brook. A rivulet of water from the stream entered the pool at the uphill side and a tiny drip left it to rejoin the brook, downhill. The pool was only about four feet across, roughly circular, and a foot deep at the most, but it was clean and rocky at the bottom, without leaves. The spring rains probably washed away the leaves every year, the trees replacing them in the fall.

Ellerin was engaged in a discussion with the water's surface, quietly as they could, while Kadjarti gazed over their shoulder. The dragon wrinkled up her nose, expelling air in a draconic sigh. The water's surface rippled, distorting the vision strangely upon it. Ellerin narrowed their eyes and internally rebuked the impatient and arrogant dragon for interrupting.

"Yes, Master, I understand that we are at war with the Riders." The reflection nodded. "And that they have been corrupt and the perpetrators of wrongdoing..." It smiled.

Ellerin gathered in a breath, eye closed, trying to draw in some patience along with the air. "What I'm trying to say is that I would be more help right now if I could hide my loyalties and infiltrate their ranks. Give me leave to ignore my oath in this circumstance. Allow me to lie about my oath. I can give you information no one else can."

The reflection laughed, piercingly high and suddenly very loud in the pre-dawn blue. Ellerin muted the reflection for a second, and Kadjarti held her head high, listening for listeners. None stirred.

"Need more? This black drake, Einsel, he can be turned against the Riders. He fears and hates Galbatorix, and he clearly cannot beg succor from the Riders. He's gone against their moral code, I believe he stole a child and used an act of dragon magic to bond himself to her." The reflection leaned in, interested despite themselves. "I can try to turn him against the Riders, but I cannot do that with my oath clamoring in my veins for dragon's blood."

After a moment, the reflection snapped for Ellerin and Kadjarti to repeat their words. Mouths and mind hardly their own, Ellerin spoke the words in the ancient language, Kadjarti repeating them in the quietness of their two minds, that let them make a one-time exception to their bloody oath.

When it was done, their master cut the scrying off sharply, causing Ellerin to go limp and dizzy with the sudden release of power. They narrowly avoided dipping their face in the water, and instead fell supine on the loamy dirt until the spots stopped skittering across their vision.

That treacherous, evil, egg-smashing little pink meat sack, swore Kadjarti, lashing her tail back and forth and shredding the topsoil with her claws.

Hey, at least he granted us an exception. Better than becoming murderers, Ellerin responded.

Kadjarti was silent for a few minutes, considering something. Ellerin pulled themself from the dirt, going to sit on her foreleg, in the crook of her elbow. They opened their minds and enjoyed the untroubled thoughts of the early morning creatures. Birds in their nests woke, stridently proclaiming their ownership of a tree branch, or their availability to the opposite sex. The trees and plants themselves, a wholly different and less understandable group, called their diffused nebulae of awareness together to greet the sun.

Am I a murderer? I killed those two men-- Kadjarti flashed an image of those two city men, in nice dyed-cotton tunics -- who wished to attack you.

No, dear. It's called manslaughter if it was an accident.

It wasn't an accident, Kadjarti admitted. I wished them dead.

Ellerin recalled the incident, and sighed a little bit to ease the tension in their muscles. They'd reported it as an attempted r*pe, but the two men hadn't escalated to that point before a younger Kadjarti had intervened. "Oh, d'you think that one's a girl? What's between her legs?," and dirtier things they'd said.

A little bit of smoke was filtering from between Kadjarti's teeth. Don't worry about that, it was deserved.

Ellerin stood again, busying themselves with some morning routine.

((Oops I hit the curse filter :PP))

((@Firien I'm not much of an artist, like... at all, so my words probably don't carry much weight, but I rather like that picture. To me, she looks more mature in this new one and her expression has a certain fierceness to it that makes me remember what you'd said in a previous post- how she's protective of Loisto.

@Dyrim My goodness... That scenery is a little too graphic; Imma need to see some ID. Are you aware that writing such compelling detail is against the law? I'm sorry, I don't make the rules. One million years dungeon!))