Quests & Challenges

[quote name="NewmoonWasTaken" date="2022-08-25 18:03:10" ] @HowDoiInternet Hello! I have a question. Am I allowed to submit an entry that makes use of multiple types of media? E.g. a poem with a piece of art of one or more of the characters in the poem? Thank you! [/quote] You're more than welcome to if you like! Also, in case it wasn't clear, you can submit as many entries as you want. There's still only one prize, but I'm definitely never going to turn away creative efforts!

[quote name="Gethsemane" date="2022-08-25 21:55:11" ] @HowDoiInternet Just a couple questions, is it one entry per user? Or can one user submit multiple entries? [/quote] Infinite entries per user! I'd never want to get in the way of someone's creative liberties. Since I'm only offering one grand prize, I figured it shouldn't matter how many times someone enters.

Ok, here's my entry! [quote=The First-Primal Bane] Hear ye the tale of the First-Primal Bane! Watch over us, burn away all our fears! For days without sorrow or envy or tears! For this year’s Flameforger’s, let the Fire Flight reign! For back in the days when dragons were new, And spluttering flames recovered from Shade, With magic abundant and history made, One little hatchling saw the world through. A Banescale was she, with fire in her heart, The tips of her foreclaws made volcanoes hiss, Her magic was powerful, causing great bliss, But that would someday cause a great war to start. A mighty Coatl let his envy reign, Flashing his feathers, he said with a hum, “This little hatchling, so small and so dumb, Has no use for this magic, and causes us pain.” Partially true! Accidents did exist, No dragon saw she was noble and true, Rumours were started, and shook the world through: The Coatl made sure the Bane would not be missed. The dragons were angry and chased her away, Right into the grasp of the great jealous wyrm*, And oh! How then did she wriggle and squirm, Unsure whether she would see another day! The Coatl said: “Young Bane, don’t you see? All magic belongs to the strongest who rule! You may have great power, but you are a fool, For your fiery might shall now belong to me!” But the Hatchling was cunning! She stood in her cage, She looked with great wisdom, wings out and unfurled, Poised there to fly, she then summoned and hurled A fireball, incarnate of her latent rage! She flew for the exit, she soared past the wall, She swooped through the cavern, she leapt out the cave, And yet, straight and clear like a musical stave, The Coatl caught her, just then as she stalled! But the Flamecaller watched! And there, she then said To the Bane: “T’is unfair that the villain must win! So let me now bless you; go on, make a din! Show them the flames of orange and red!” And how the bane leapt! Her great wings arched, Her claws lashed with speed, but oh! What else came? Her eyes burned so bright with unquenchable flame! She left her ex-captor bloodied and parched. The dragons then saw the power she could wield! “A blessing!” they said. “Oh, the greatest we’ve seen!” They too saw how wicked the Coatl had been, “Begone,” they told him, “to the Southern Icefield!”** A banquet was ordered, to celebrate her! Of oarfish and starfish and sandy-shore bass, Potashes with wartoad, stingray and seagrass, An annual tradition, for things as they were!*** To this day that Coatl waits in the snow, Aching from dissonance, feeble and weak, And meanwhile, old Flameforger’s is at its peak, With bright blessed Primals all letting it go. So sing with me now! Oh, the First-Primal Bane! Watch over us, burn away all our fears! For days without sorrow or envy or tears! For this year’s Flameforger’s, let the Fire Flight reign! * The term “wyrm” was taken from the language of the now-extinct Human Beastclan to represent an evil dragon. It fell out of common use approximately a millennium ago. ** Banishment from the Ashfall Waste was a common punishment at the time of creation of this rhyme. The Southern Icefield was known to fire dragons at the time as a cold, barren wasteland full of enemies, and thus banishment there was considered the worst form of punishment possible. I, however, have many affiliates from that region who can confirm that this is not the case. *** See Addendum for information on this verse. Addendum (By Historian Goldenrod of the Southern Mill) This rhyme has existed for an extremely long time, with the first record of its existence dating back to the year 100. Records from then indicate that dragons of the Fire Flight would sing through this rhyme while forging crude tools such as hammers and anvils. Around the year 1000, banquets became part of annual Flameforger’s tradition, held on the second day of the week and consisting primarily of large seafood. At this time, the third-last verse was added. The tradition of singing this song has remained largely intact recently, apart from the addition of inter-Flight delegations introduced in the year 4486, which forced the banquet to be moved to the third day of the week. The Banescale in this rhyme is largely represented as a small hatchling, no larger than the average Fae, in similar colours to the Flamecaller. She is often shown to have stripes, and her webbed foreclaws seem to model the modern-day Glider adaptation. The Coatl is shown as a brighter orange, sometimes with a dark red Gembond. This rhyme’s implication is that Primal-eyed fire dragons have great destinies, due to having been blessed by the Flamecaller. The validity of this is debated, especially with stray magical energies from the Starfall Isles dramatically increasing the ratio of Primal-eyed dragons to others. It is certain, however, that those with Primal eyes usually have significantly stronger magic than their brethren. The earliest recorded Primal-eyed specimen was in the location that would later be the Oculus of the Eleven. The dragon in question was a Fae, who hatched sometime around the year 20, as indicated by a tablet recovered and dated by the researchers at Terraclae. The identity of the first Fire Primal, however, is hotly debated. The first recorded one came as late as 750, written to be “a Coatl with the brightest eyes we have ever seen, searing hot and filled with fiery passion”. Records indicate that this Coatl (who went by the name of Smolder) went on to oversee the Great Furnace and those who forged there, before unfortunately being slain by a Dreadram. However, this was long after this rhyme, the first recorded mention of a Primal in this Flight, was invented. This leads me to believe that either there was a Fire Primal before this, or the legend was passed on from a neighbouring territory which had already seen a Primal. The latter is likely the case, as records of a Primal-eyed Skydancer in the eastern Zephyr Steppes came from around the same time. Regardless of this history, this rhyme has survived the long years of the Ashfall Waste’s history. Any hatchling over the age of 5 can be reasonably expected to know it by heart, and hatchlings as young as 1 can be heard crudely articulating various fragments of it. It is a simple and well-loved story with a hero and villain. Every Flameforger’s to this day, many allied Clans gather to have a feast and sing this song. Recent developments from the Lightning Flight have allowed music to be recorded, and many talented bards across Sornieth have attempted to create covers of this song, with… varying degrees of success. In conclusion, I believe that, as long as the Fire Flight exists, this song will too, as one of the many things that stay with us in the current, turbulent and technological age. [/quote]

[center][item=basalt vent hop] [size=5][b]How The Basalt Vent Hop* Got Its Stripes[/b][/size] [size=4]translated with notes by [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/50335703]Cepheus[/url][/center] A long time ago, before Dragons ruled the lands, the mythical beasts and wild animals could speak. As the dragon gods formed and battled over the lands, these creatures took claim of the territory left behind. And so, the creatures lived in the bountiful wilderness that was left upon them, as the dragon gods fought their battles for dominance. In this time, the Basalt Vent Hop was a very proud creature. He was one of the only creatures that had strong scales to run across the molten lava where he lived. He was nimble and smart, too. But most of all, he was proud of his bright yellow skin. As a result, he loved to brag about himself. Usually, this got Basalt Vent Hop into lots of trouble. One day, Basalt Vent Hop was bragging to his friends. “I am the FASTEST beast in the Volcanic Vents!*” he boasted. The other creatures were tired of hearing Basalt Vent Hop’s crowing. He only talked about himself. So, the Ignited Imp* challenged Basalt Vent Hop. “You say you are the fastest in these lands,” she purred, “but I believe the rest of us are just as good as you are. I say, all the creatures of the Volcanic Vents should have a race with you. If you win, then you will very well prove that you are in fact the fastest on the lava flats. If you lose, however… you must consent to the victor, and do whatever they say.” Basalt Vent Hop laughed. He could never refuse a challenge, especially one that would affect his reputation. “I accept!” he crowed. “Tomorrow at the crack of dawn, let us race from here to the top of Fiendcat’s Fang.** For a judge, I believe Ultraram can officiate. Good luck to any who oppose me!” And with a cackle, Basalt Vent Hop jumped away. The other beasts all wondered where he went off to, but soon they decided to train. All except for Basalt Vent Hop himself! “I am much more swift than the rest of them,” he thought, “so I don’t need to do anything else but show up!” And with that, Basalt Vent Hop leaped home and dreamed about winning his race. The next morning, while the sky was still dark, all the beasts lined up at the starting place. Dreadram was there to watch at the start, while Ultraram was at the top of Fiendcat’s Fang** as promised. All the beasts were waiting… for Basalt Vent Hop! Right before the sun’s light came into view, he dashed onto the starting line. “Are you all ready?” bleated Dreadram. All of the animals cried out in response, and got into running positions. As the sun’s first rays began to shine, Dreadram yelled “GO!” And at once, all of the beasts took off! The Manticores and the Fiendcats pounced into action, the Duskflappers swept up and away. And ahead of them all was Basalt Vent Hop, who crowed in front of them all, before hopping away as fast as possible. Basalt Vent Hop ran as quickly as he could, and soon he could see the volcano getting closer and closer. Eventually, he had to come to a stop. He was tired, having spent most of his initial energy on his takeoff. He did a double take to make sure no one was gaining on him, and then he stopped upon some black rocks to rest. The stones were nice and warm, and he needed to rest. He laid back for a few moments, but soon fell asleep in the gentle heat. Meanwhile, the other creatures were still fighting for their positions in the race. While all the beasts were above, running on the hot stones and lava, the Hydra* was tunneling underneath, with its many heads working together. Although the Hydra could travel faster this way, it did not know what was going on above it. So when Hydra dug past Basalt Vent Hop’s napping place, it had no idea that its greatest competitor was right above. As the Hydra moved, it shook the earth around it. And so, a lava pool quaked in its wake, and it leaked out on the land above. Basalt Vent Hop was still sleeping, so he didn’t know… until the hot lava burned his skin! Basalt Vent Hop leaped awake, and ran as fast as he could to escape the sudden flow. That’s when he remembered – the race! He shook some ash off himself and dashed forwards, hoping that he would still have time to make it. By the time that Basalt Vent Hop made it, he saw that Hydra crossed the finish line first. Basalt Vent Hop was furious! One by one, the other creatures eventually crossed the line, and were surprised to see that Hydra had won. “All right, I know what I promised.” grumbled Basalt Vent Hop. “Hydra, what can I do for you?” Hydra’s many faces smiled. “We don’t have any desire, for now,” spoke the Hydra, “But when we think of something, we will tell you for sure.”*** Then, Dreadram gently climbed down from his perch to speak. “More importantly… Basalt Vent Hop… you look so different than before! Why, your scales have never been so dark.” Basalt Vent Hop was surprised to hear this! In shock, he looked down at himself, and his pelt was covered in dark scales. “Drat!” he yelled, “This must be my punishment for slacking off! I sat down to rest by the lava floes, but it turns out I got burned.” “Then let this be a lesson to you,” spoke Dreadram, “That your pride has left a scathing mark behind.” And to this day, the Basalt Vent Hop has black scales along its back. -------- *: In the days when this story was told, the names for all the creatures and locations were different. I have replaced the names of both with those used in Draconic, in the modern day. ** The Fiendcat’s Fang is the largest volcano seen in the Volcanic Vents area. *** Hydra’s request to Basalt Vent Hop is told in another story.

This is really neat - giving this a bump while I ponder what to write! :)

[quote name="Farore" date="2022-08-29 08:34:35" ] This is really neat - giving this a bump while I ponder what to write! :) [/quote]

[quote name="gn0me" date="2022-08-29 14:26:38" ] [quote name="Farore" date="2022-08-29 08:34:35" ] This is really neat - giving this a bump while I ponder what to write! :) [/quote] [/quote] PS: Loving all the stories so far!

Ember Thread and Will O' the Ember by: Medievalredragon User ID: 470795 [center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/658784940153896960/1015478906754711594/unknown.png[/img][/center] [center][b]Will O' the Ember Apparel introduced Flameforger's Festival 2015[/b][/center] [center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/658784940153896960/1013688814365057034/unknown.png[/img][/center] center][b]Jimmy the Zombebe (fire subspecies) wearing will o'the ember apparel and telling the story below[/b][/center] [quote][b]This is the story that explains how the Will O’ the Ember came to be, and in fact how all Fireforger’s Festival apparel made from cloth came to be made by Flambébés. I am telling you this story as it was told to me as a very young Flambébé. Part of this story you may know, but I am sure that there is a good portion with which you are not familiar and I plan to remedy that. As you may know, back when the Ashfall Wastes were new and FlameMother had recently made her children, she also called those with a heart of flame and bravery to her. In answer to her call there came a group of dragons from the icy wastes of the Icewarden’s Snowsquall Tundra that sought sanctuary with her. They were tundras covered in thick white fur that was not an asset in the hot environs of the Ashfall Waste. Once in her hot and arid lands the tundra refugees became so overcome by the heat of the Wastes such that their fur turned a deep blue as if melting back to water. Overheated and exhausted, but determined to stay in this new land, they were in grave danger of dying. Flamecaller sees all that happens in her lands and sent a minion to determine why these furry tundras not suited to this climate had come and placed themselves into such great peril. The minion told Flamecaller, after meeting with the refugee tundras, that the now blue colored tundras said that they were looking for a new type of life and that the Wastes smelled like hope. So impressed was Flamecaller with their brave hearts and hot determination, that she blessed them with the gift of a spark from the great volcanoes of the Wastes such that they were shielded from both fire and ice elements and could now thrive in the Wastes (or the Ice Fields should they desire to return there). Thus is the origin of the Flambébés. What most dragons do not know is that there was a second gift associated with Flamecaller’s blessing. Before I can discuss this gift, I must tell you more of what happened when the refugee tundras entered the Flamecaller’s lands. Before Flamecaller bestowed upon them the blessing of immunity to fire and ice, the heat of the Wastes caused the heavy fur of the many tundras to immediately shed. Such was the amount of it that it could be found everywhere in the Wastes and because of the heat and constant fire there, this shed fur burned causing a terrible stench, smoke, and fire embers to fly about and burn things the other residents did not want burned, including their own skin, clothing, fur and feathers, as well as that of their familiars. In fact, Fire historians speculate that the complaints and petitions of the dragons already living in the Waste to the Flamecaller about this problem may have spurred her initial interest in these "invading" tundras. It is also important to note that Fire culture recognizes that Flamecaller has a trickster sense of humor. When Flamecaller set the spark in the tundra’s hearts making them her Flamebébés, she also bestowed upon them the ability to create fire embers from their spun fur at will and not by accident. Thus the Flambébés were able to create fire embers without the heat, smoke, stench and random fly-aways of true embers. Moreover, those that touched the magic Ember Threads spun from tundra fur were spared from becoming burned or singed - essentially allowing the Flambébés to create a hologram of fire, ember, or flames in thread thus its name "Ember Thread"). If using a special flame-retardant drop spindle and/or spinning wheel, a Flambébé spins their fur into thread and uses their special breath magic to breath upon the thread while keeping in mind their gratitude to and the glory of Flamecaller, then they will be able to create the Ember Thread that is woven into the Ember Cloth of all of the Fire Flight festival apparel that contains cloth. The first and most famous of such cloth made from Ember Threads that was then woven into Flameforger Festival apparel was the Will O’ the Embers apparel. This made the new subspecies very valuable to the Fire Flight. It also made all the fire flight wear the very fur they complained about, Mather’s little joke. Thereafter, every Flambébé hatchling is taught the skill of spinning from an early age though they mostly do this to avoid large piles of shed fur flying everywhere. The fur that is spun into thread that is not Ember-touched can be used for apparel that is impervious to fire and ice. The most skilled of the Flambébés also take on the weaving of the Ember Threads into the Ember Cloth that is used in the Flameforger’s Festival apparel. Because Flambébés are skilled spinners and weavers they are welcomed into many lairs and flights, however all Flambébés’ hearts belong to FlameMother and they only leave the Wastes at her instruction or with her permission. Oh by the way, you should never forget that Flambébés are true children of the Flamecaller and thus share her sense of humor. The reason you should never follow a Will o’ the Ember is that is could be a trickster Flambébé wearing a cloak of invisibility and the Will O’ the Embers apparel with the intent to lead you astray. Or, it could just be that all Flambébés have a bad sense of direction so they got lost easily. [/b][/quote] [center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/658784940153896960/1015481797485789274/unknown.png[/img][/center] [b]Thread spun from dyed Flambebe fur and transformed in Ember Thread for use in Ember Cloth for Flameforger Festival cloth apparel[b]

[center][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/static/cms/familiar/art/16480.png[/img][/center] [columns][color=transparent]__________________________[/color][nextcol] [size=5][u]The Little Nightmare[/u][/size] [i]A lullaby for hatchlings in times of grief[/i] Hush little one, come over here, I know you're full of fright but settle down and lean in close and we'll get through this night Oh little one, my little dear there's something you must know in times like this when life is hard, and hearts are full of woe The dark is sometimes lonely, and hardest to endure but in your sleep she'll find you, Night's kindly visitor Her curling mane is full of flame, her streaming tail alight, the clatter of her little hooves, goes tripping through the night Now snuggle down and close your eyes, your blanket to your chin breath in deep and off to sleep, your dreams will let her in I know she seems, in dark of dreams, a strange and eerie sight but have no fear for I am here, my arms will hold you tight She'll blow a sweet and horsey breath so you'll be toasty warm and hold aloft her twisting horn to ward off any harm Now flicker go her great soft eyes, with shining fire's light, she's come to see both you, and me, and guard us through the night.