Raffles & Giveaways

@onemessyperson added!

@MermaidLorelei I hope this works. If it doesn't, let me know and I'll write something else. I enjoy writing but I haven't done much on FR. The handful of lore I've written was on Coli teams I raffled off for the Gene Pool bank I run. This is still a WIP because I almost always find places where I repeat myself, have a run on sentence or [i]something[/i] has to be fixed. Sorry about the text wall. What is short? [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=48576017] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/485761/48576017_350.png[/img] [/url] [quote]The Mayura is a sacred bird, created from the feathers of the demi-god Garuda, who killed the serpent controlling the cycle of time. What sort of role does this Mayura fill?[/quote] “Guttural chanting throbbed through the dimly lit cavern. The orange fire which bled across the rough, volcanic walls began to flicker, altering into a malevolent red. It fell across the links of giant chains embedded into one wall. Fire hissed in concert with the undulating bodies of serthis as they circled a massive crater brimming with boiling water. As coils clenched and glistened with powerful muscles, their deft fingers uncorked potion beakers. One by one, they ritualistically poured viscous, foul smelling concoctions into the water, never breaking the ominous rhythm of their low voices. Globs of liquid splattered over a limp, coiled body of a colossal hydra. It’s eyes were dim, exhausted slits. If it wasn’t for slow heaving sides and the odd bubble from a submerged nostril, the monster might have been mistaken for dead. The Serthis’ chanting rose to a crescendo as their bottles were emptied and potions instantly absorbed through the hydra’s tough scales. Imbibed oices wound through the air like living tendrils and sparked the potion into life. It flared sickly crimson and the hydra’s eyes snapped open with dilated pupils. Rearing back its many heads, some of its jaws opened in a baleful hiss and its sinuous body began to push itself clear of the crater. Serthis immediately slithered forward. Working in pairs, they sought to clamp massive collars imbued with arcane symbols around the many necks of their creation. Glyphs glowed as they drove the pins home around one collar and the heavy chain bound the hydra to the wall. The beastmen secured a second and third with lightning dexterity and purpose before the hydra’s eyes cleared with dawning intelligence. Chaotic screeches of pain replaced the chant as serthis failed their ritual in such a way that none lived to ever repeat their mistakes. What remained of them was ground to dust beneath the heavy body of the hydra as it snapped its chains, escaped the ritual chamber and began to tunnel through the skin of the world. The demented abomination rose as a plague upon both life and time itself. In their mad hubris and desire to create a foe worthy of any Guardian dragon, the serthis unleashed something to make even the gods shudder. The many headed serpent had been granted the power to control the cycle of time. Within days of its escape, the seasons began to cycle too quickly. Plants no longer had time to grow before frost withered their leaves. The beasts which dragonkind relied on to feed their clans scorched in summer sun when it should have been the birthing time or shriveled from hunger when the plants became scarce. Verdent fields became wastelands and floods crashed over unsuspecting Earth lairs. The Windswept Plateau wasn’t exempt from the creature’s curse, and it was one of Windsinger’s first children who stood up in battle against it. Garuda was unlike dragonkind as it would come to be known. His body was long and serpentine like Windsinger, but favored with feathers and wings. In the Wind diety’s love of color, Garuda’s voluminous plumage was painted in bright, colorful bands to mimic a rainbow. Magestic, wise and fierce, Garuda knew the hydra abomination must be stopped before its tampering destroyed all life. Feathered serpent locked talon, tooth, magic and might with the serthis monster. Such a battle had not been seen since the skirmishes between Tidelord and Windsinger themselves. Mountains quaked and rivers were diverted as the very moon was eclipsed. It was in that shadow that mingled draconic and magical hydra blood gave birth to Sköll and Hati. For this, the twin wolves hated him. They were unable to alter the course of time, but they would seek to devour the sun and moon evermore. After forty one days, Garuda was mortally wounded, but not before the hydra was slain. Time and seasons were balanced again almost immediately, but Garuda’s heart was heavy in spite of victory. The feathered serpent had no mate or hatchlings. There would be no one to carry his legacy in either tale or bloodline. With the last of his dwindling magic, he plucked two feathers from his grand plumage. A blue one floated on the breeze, lifted by one of Windsinger’s gusts before it gently came to the earth. Garuda’s failing breath enchanted the feather. It shined bright as the reflection of the sun on a still pond and turned into an egg. From it hatched one of Windsinger’s chosen children. On her wings were the markings of an eclipse. She would grow to be lithe and long limbed grace rather than the feathered coils of her predecessor, but Garuda was well pleased. The second feather was yellow, and Garuda transferred his memories to it so the story of his battle might never be lost. In the moments before he died, Garuda gave his child a name. She would be called Mayura, and she would be tasked to remember. There would never be another rainbow serpent like her father, and only through memory and history would he continue to live.” The Pearlcatcher tightened his tail reflexively around his pearl as he sat on his haunches. Mayura blinked blue eyes up at him as something glittered between his claws. A golden chain with a small, ancient hourglass tumbled in front of her nose for a moment. The elder dragon smiled down at her, then slipped the necklace over her head. “Every generation one Skydancer is born during the week of the shadowed sun. She bears the Mayura's markings and is named after her. The story is given to her so she can carry it and Garuda’s sacrifice is never forgotten. This necklace was worn by the last Mayura, the one before that, and all the way back to the first. It is a symbol of your legacy and will remind you.” It was curious the hatchling was one of the Tidelord’s, considering how he and Windsinger clashed in the distant past. Perhaps she was a sign of things to come in other ways beside the legend of her namesake. With the Beastclans on the rise, Tidelord missing and so many other catastrophic things happening across the realms, her her timely birth could mean more than becoming a mere traveling storyteller. “Windsinger and Tidelord are sure to expect great things from you, Youngling.” Mayura had no pearl to record her memories, but she nodded solemnly. She would never forget. Outfit: [outfit=678695] In case anyone catches this and wonders - The Rainbow Serpent and Feathered Serpent are from completely different folklore, legend and traditions in the real world. I knew that when writing this, but it's Sornieth. I took some liberties.