Quests & Challenges

@Mutation
Hi! I'm not sure if this is still active since the last post was a while ago, but if it is I'd love to be on the giveaway and update pinglists.

@Dachshund59 Hi! This is not discontinued, but I suffered a bit of a depressive crash since the last post [emoji=banescale sad size=1] I can't guarantee it will be soon, but I will come back to writing this. Thank you for the interest!

@Mutation -- I'm sorry about what happened! I hope you feel better soon and I'm happy this is still going, though I don't mind waiting. <3

[center][size=6][color=#2b67b3][b][font=Georgia]Post twelve, chapter II:[/font][/b] [font=Georgia][i]The move to new horizons[/i][/font][/color][/size] [img]https://i.imgur.com/wQS70u9.png[/img] [/center] [center][size=2][url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/2792593#post_41582670]Jump to table of contents[/url][/size][/center] [center][color=#69462b][i]Dear Lightweaver, it’s been a while since I had any opportunity to write down my findings and experiences. My magic clings tightly to my writing tool as I put these words on the page. To catch this travel journal up with recent events... I’ll start at the biggest change: our location. We suffered an attack a while ago. A gigantic, earthen serpent sunk almost the entirety of our humble little home down its’ tunnel. [center][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/static/cms/familiar/art/21430.png[/img][/center] [center][color=#69462b][i]Seghunin had [b]told [/b]us days before that she felt uneasy about something, and now we know we should have listened to her when she first raised concerns. Fortunately we all made it out alive. Serge and Willow helped run the hatchlings to safety whilst I managed to snatch some food scraps after blinding the enormous beast. Once we had fled far enough away from the site, we set up a temporary camp to catch our breaths. Binthrahl and Ebhaal desperately wanted to go back to see what more we could salvage, but Seghunin reminded them that there was likely little left of our main clearing now. In just one event, our tiny clan had been displaced. It was a rude awakening... but a necessary lesson in how dangerous this land was. We couldn’t get too comfortable until we got more advanced means of defense. After the escape we drifted through the overgrowth for a few days, sleeping wherever we could hide and avoiding anything dragonlike now that we had no safe refuge. I still had the territory maps, and charted an estimate of how far away we got from our ravaged clan site. From this point we could make it back there with a day of uninterrupted flight, but right in that moment I was determined to err on the side of caution. That Hydra could still be in the area, it would be best to give it a few more days to move on before we even considered scouting the region. We set out to find ourselves a new place to settle, instead. With the majority of our collected materials gone, it wasn’t hard to find temporary spots to store the meagre amount stuff we managed to save. [center][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/static/map/icons/nature_2.png[/img][/center] [center][color=#69462b][i]We ventured deeper into the Labyrinth, with ever larger, unquestionably ancient trees dominating the landscape. There were no clearings to be found, but the canopy was so high above us that even Seghunin struggled to get stuck anywhere. Instead of having to build up from nothing again, we blessedly stumbled upon what looked to be the abandoned remains of a clan, vacant burrows dug under trees and sleeping platforms woven into the abundantly sprawling branches. None of us could find any worthwhile materials to scavenge, nor any signs of struggle or violence, so Ebhaal and I had chosen to hope this was simply the skeleton of a clan that outgrew its’ own territory and moved out. I truly felt dwarfed by the environment, but the thick network of tree roots below our claws made the ground incredibly sturdy. It’s unlikely the serpent would have followed us this deep into the woods. There are wild creatures abound everywhere in this area, but so long as it wasn't going to be another titanic snake-creature, we were confident we could handle things. As days passed, many of our tame animals thankfully found us again. Inavhi and Bayun are in perfect health, bright and cheerful as ever. Although we are still rattled, we made it out unharmed, and best of all, this place has proven secure enough to be worth claiming. Considering everything that happened, we were in an excellent position now. We still had enough food for several days, and it’s not as if this area was a barren wasteland, quite the opposite in fact. It was heart-breaking for I and Eb to be separated from our daughter’s burial site, but we promised each other that we would visit it from time to time. Determined to make this settlement last longer, I had scoured the area with Binthrahl. Incredibly, we revealed an entire underground nesting site, complete with not one but [b]three[/b] nests. Restoring them was a simple affair, the cobwebs dusted off to welcome back the fireflies, and the rich soil irrigated to bring fresh greenery to the little nurseries. All that they lacked now were new dragon eggs. I'll come back to that subject later. A lot more has happened since we settled here. Of course us moving in wasn't likely to go completely unnoticed. Ebhaal, vigilant as ever, could sense someone else was sneaking about the edges of our new spot. A rogue dragon? A hunting party? We were planning to confront it, but another one of us took the initiative of his own accord. In the dead of night, there was an awful ruckus from the trees. Racing out of the burrow Eb and I had claimed, we were outside just in time to see a big lump fall from the canopy. Thinking it was some wild beast, I cast a spell of illumination… Only to see Binthrahl, on his back, entangled with a colourful dragon just like him. The two disengaged from each other in a flurry of short, pointy-clawed limbs and Binthrahl growled lowly, moving to stand in front of us to guard his foster family. The other dragon, brightly-coloured in the magical light, hissed back defensively but didn't show any signs of being malicious. Their dark blue eyes swirled in a bizarre manner, and I realized they had to be a dragon of Water. A natural enemy of our fiery roots they may have been, but they weren't like the depth-dwelling leviathans I remembered from any flickers of the past. [center][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=1&body=42&bodygene=0&breed=11&element=4&eyetype=10&gender=1&tert=98&tertgene=0&winggene=0&wings=168&auth=b83ab6b75de77a83be466662504fe3c0552cf17c&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/center] [center][color=#69462b][i]"Friendly," I suddenly heard them call, in [b]our [/b]language, and a collective breath of relief seemed to come from the three of us. Binthrahl was tense still, but it was clear to us that this confrontation perhaps had not been an intentional one. Ebhaal asked for an explanation, and our adopted son responded that he thought the dragon was spying on us while he wandered the grounds at night. He attacked them in a bid to drive them off, but they had defended themselves expertly. "Curious," The stranger told. "Not many Ancients." Their speech was imperfect, clearly not used to our tongue. Had they not been raised to speak? Did they only speak the peculiar Draconic we heard from the strangers we always avoided? Ancients, was that what dragonkind called us? It would make sense, the world certainly wasn't the same as we remembered from our ancestors' eyes… Had so much time come to pass, to make our kind [b]ancient[/b]? "Talk tomorrow?" Binthrahl cautiously offered, easing out of his protective stance. "Sorry if I wounded you. We have supplies." The other dragon shook their head, but a careful hint of cheer seemed to come upon them at the offer to talk, their voice suddenly chipper and bright. "Have friends. Can heal. Back tomorrow!" Before any of us could get a word more in, the stranger had flitted away like a butterfly, back into the trees above. So, that happened two weeks ago. Meyayuma lives with us, now, as a new clan member. She indeed came back the very next day following our first meeting, bearing a gift of food and prized objects. [Item=flamecaller terracotta figure] [center][color=#69462b][i]She was fascinated by us, and very interested in Binthrahl as well, being of the same species. Though we initially had some trouble communicating, daily visits from her went well, and her 'ancient Fire-speak' as she named it was better every time. She even helped Binthrahl learn some of her language, apparently a sort of "universal Draconic", used by all elemental lands, with few clans still dutifully preserving the older tongues and scripts. Binthrahl, a "Nocturne" as Meyayuma explained, is apparently adept at mimicry, just as she is. It seems to be their species' most unique trait, an uncanny ability to parrot back and even quickly understand the meaning of initially alien words. No wonder they learned from each other so fast. After two weeks of regular visits, Meyayuma had asked, in perfect "Fire-speak", if she could stay. Her own clan was a big one, grown over generations from just two Nature dragons, into a sprawling community of over a hundred. That was hard for us to believe at first, especially when she explained there were dragons of all species and Eleven Elements there. Weren't there any fights? How did the people keep track? Apparently, her clan used to live right here, and now wanted to reach out to us by sending her to us with her big question. So long as it meant peace between our communities, we were happy to accept. She was eager to help us rebuild upon hearing why we moved here, and we all agreed it would be good to have a local as a friend and clan member. Seghunin, though initially a bit cautious, did warm up to Meyayuma, and the hatchlings adored her cheerful nature. She was a seer, she told. An occupation markedly more common for Water dragons, yes, but even so very valuable indeed. She was only an apprentice still, but she promised to practice every day, hoping to help us protect our small clan by seeing into the could-be. Besides helping out when building new structures and explaining more about the 'new world', she also aided in scavenging and even hunting wildlife. Binthrahl, though he was not very open to us about it, liked her company a lot. Seeing as how they were the same species, it was only logical for there to be a connection. Seghunin once quietly chuckled to us about the possibility of the two Nocturnes having feelings for one another. On top of Meyayuma's arrival, a further expansion also took place just over a week following her joining the clan. More confident about our new position in the world, Ebhaal and I had decided to nest again. This time, the deities blessed us with three eggs, and Meyayuma brought enchanted water in the hopes of bettering their chances. We had not told her about the death of our first, but we did pay a nightly visit to the precious girl's grave after our new nest was blessed. Not to omit anything from this journal… A lot has changed about the both of us in the last couple of weeks. Our wings, once a single colour, have taken on strange new patterns. Even colours we never saw on our scales before have come forth. A dark, reddish brown trim has come to grace many of the edges of my scales, and it even exists on my wings as a neat line at the trailing end. Ebhaal says they like the look a lot. [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=2633&tab=dragon&did=57431433][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=1&body=163&bodygene=50&breed=18&element=8&eyetype=0&gender=0&tert=106&tertgene=39&winggene=50&wings=95&auth=17cd3cab72bff791488ee0e45758dd2f8d7cbfe7&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/url] Changes to their appearance have been more… drastic, but [b]gorgeous[/b] in my eyes. Their wings have gained a spectacular arrow-like pattern, the bright orange we were so familiar with now sharing the stage with a radiant dawnbreak-yellow. Interestingly enough, the exact same clay colour I discovered on my scales days before has come to grace their beautiful self as well, though once again in a much more dramatic fashion. Their head, feet, tail and wingtips have turned a dark brown, and a strange though harmless smoke rises continuously from these areas, as if they smolder with Ebhaal’s might. Their incredible genes must truly be a blessing from the deities, a testament to their power and spirit. While I admit I feel a little bit bland in comparison, I truly adore my mate's new form. They were always just a little tougher than I am, and I am happy that the Gods clearly recognized this. I could stare in awe of their beauty for eons, but Eb would just huff and say I'm exaggerating. [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&tab=dragon&id=2633&did=57383717][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=1&body=174&bodygene=56&breed=18&element=6&eyetype=0&gender=1&tert=106&tertgene=48&winggene=54&wings=47&auth=3f65830dd794d6f826f28cc5a6a2697b83b33f98&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/url] I'm not. I love them more than the warm morning sunlight. Us being a pair started as a mutual agreement about it being the logical next step for our clan, proof of our close bond, but they have not rejected any of my recent romantic gestures. I don't mind that they show their love in different ways because Ice dragons think not about the frills and silly little things. I know they love me back, and I feel so blessed. --- The eggs hatched today. Much to our grief, we had a silent bud once more. The middle egg, though rocked by the lively ones to either side of it, did not move of its' own accord. Meyayuma was in tears when she realized the blessing hadn't reached every egg. Ebhaal somberly cradled the lifeless egg, holding it away from the two purple hatchlings that wanted to see what their parent held. We had another boy live, and a daughter as well. The girl was almost the same shade of purple as her big brother Bayun, whom was of course immensely eager to meet the new arrivals. Inavhi too couldn't wait to see what all this commotion was about, and the newborns immediately learned they loved her fluffiness. Seghunin gingerly took the silent egg from Ebhaal, and the two of us returned to the nest to bond with our remaining newborns for the day. We named the boy [b]Byrlig[/b], meaning "Second prince", and his twin sister [b]Sihiloung[/b], meaning "Long-awaited princess". [url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=2633&tab=dragon&did=60613090][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=0&body=127&bodygene=50&breed=18&element=10&eyetype=2&gender=0&tert=106&tertgene=39&winggene=50&wings=50&auth=52e3e2924fcf5885e01932c2482838b26bea1ee3&dummyext=prev.png[/img][/url][url=https://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&tab=dragon&id=2633&did=60613092][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=0&body=114&bodygene=50&breed=18&element=10&eyetype=0&gender=1&tert=106&tertgene=39&winggene=50&wings=49&auth=dcd52883420bd72868f30855f4b92de3feef2c21&dummyext=prev.png[/img] [/url] They had inherited my patterns, - even the more recent additions - but the lovely purple of my mate's scales seemed to be as determined as ever to be passed down to both hatchlings. When we later showed our stillborn to those adult clan members who wished to look, Meyayuma asked if we would name [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=0&body=2&bodygene=50&breed=18&element=10&eyetype=0&gender=1&tert=106&tertgene=39&winggene=50&wings=76&auth=6514f7a792e7c1491bd0c232bde8d57b8d77451f&dummyext=prev.png][u]the girl[/u][/url]. Looking Ebhaal in the eyes and seeing their deep grief, I told her no. We had not named our first daughter, and we thought it best to leave that task to the deities who would take the two little ones under their divine wings because we could not do so, ourselves. We returned to our daughter's meadow early the next morning, and worked for hours to bury her younger sister next to her. When we returned to the clan, Seghunin told us that Meyayuma had left to talk to her previous clan, though what about she didn't say. We didn't have the emotional energy to get worried about that for now.[/color] ------------------------------------------- [center][Permafrost Blight RNG: 9 (no level 25 death) To make up for my inexcusably long and unannounced absence, I will be adding some valuable items to this update's end-of-day giveaway. Stay tuned! [b]Remember - stay home as much as possible, get your regular exercise locally and practice social distancing when in public. Stay safe![/b]][/center] [size=2]Regular update pings: @KairiDragoness @Thulcandran @Pastie @secretlylying @DragonPrincess27 @bonesdarling @euphonies @Rosesinger @Font @banii @Frionivalis @Aurellyn @Amantius @EmeraldJubilee @SpaceSnake @amoo101 @Rowan00 @FlamingDragon02 @Samidare @Zwitterion @Dragonfruiteen @CyanYume @Bxy26 @GlitchedFox @DracoDiscovery @Hisscale @Soupalicious @Tune @slothfulMutt @Snaphance @Sefaro @Leafsongs @Xeriau @Dachshund59[/size]

May I be added to the ping lists? I'm not 100% caught up on lore, but I am in love with the story.

@Saphira455 Major updates (nests, unhatched eggs, deaths) only, all updates, or all updates and giveaways? [emoji=banescale happy size=1] Thanks for the interest!

Updates and giveaways please~

@Saphira455 Added!

Thank you!

Glad to have you back and congrats on two hatchlings!