dragoncalled | Welcome, New Scions.

Entry tags:

!introduction

Welcome, New Scions.

Here, There Be Dragons

New arrivals:
The dream you wake from is an unsettling one that feels like a memory. It sits out of place and too far forward in your mind, yet feels as real and clear as any other could be. It's the shadow of a massive creature blocking out the sun, skyline, or similar entity. A roar that shakes you to the core and and a feeling of dread and loss weighing heavy on you. Whatever the feeling or vision that comes across, it brings with it a sense that your world is no more.

A voice, reassuring and almost motherly in nature urges you gently to wake from your sleep. Rise from the ashes, little one, The voice calls in a whisper of wind and crackling fire, There is need of you, yet.

As the voice fades and the world of the waking returns to you, you are greeted with the sounds of faint bustling and the bounce of wooden wheels on stone or the sight of Upper Nuren's winding streets and open squares. A cloud passes by slowly near one of the stone pathway ledges and the sounds of nearby Touched and Remnants at work or leisure filter through the calm, cool air.

Whatever you had previously been wearing or carrying has been replaced. You might now find yourself garbed in a cloth tunic, pants or shorts, robe, dress or skirt, and sandals or boots if you wore clothing. A sash around your shoulders or a belt at your waist contains a small but weighted purse of gold coins, enough to acquire some materials, new clothing or food from the market and craftsmen in the city.

Current Scions:
Concern over the mild Winter has begun to spread through the city. The chill air should have come with the nearing end of the harvest, and so far the weather remains only pleasantly cool. The air barely passes the gentle cool of Autumn.

Nuren's citizens are spreading rumors that mountaintop ice and snow have begun to thaw, causing mudslides in the mountains. The thaw has displaced the Ice and mountain creatures, leaving them irritable and unpredictable. The sailors mention that the Frozen Shore has also begun to melt, and the waters around the Frozen Shore and the mountain areas have grown treacherous and unseasonably cold.

Throughout the city, activity springs to more vibrant life, with Scholars of the Cycle of Life and Scholars of Knowledge claiming that Benra has blessed the city again, bringing more Scions to help protect the great city. The rumors put the city's citizens into higher spirits, and music fills the cool air, spreading from Lower Nuren both up and down the mountain.

The Heart of Nuren

After waking, a pull starts from within your chest, growing stronger with each passing moment until it becomes the only focus. It tugs insistently once, then twice. A need to follow the pull curls around and through you, urging you toward a wide and torch lit staircase that leads down into the heart of the mountain. The steps are wide and sturdy, and the further down them you travel, the clearer the call becomes until you can almost hear it.

At the bottom of the steps, the large cavern beneath the city is revealed. The floor beneath your feet is warm to the touch, and the magic in the air calms your mind and fills you with a strange sense of safety and peace. No magic or harm can be done within the cavern. The cavern's floor is covered in circles of runes carved into the stone that surround small depressions in varying sizes, from a coffee cup's rim to that of a small circular table. Some of the depressions contain dormant dragon eggs of various colors, shapes and sizes. The runes surrounding them glow faintly with a magical light. Only the Scion who is bonded to the dragon within the egg can pass the runes.

Upper and Lower Nuren

Once you emerge from the cavern, the strange spell that fell over you fades. The bond between you and your egg or hatchling remains but your command of your own decisions and actions return and you are now free to explore, question and move about.

The streets of Upper Nuren are sparsely populated with Remnants, Touched and other scions with their eggs or dragons. Questioning any of the citizens leads to a variety of answers. You are a Scion of the Great Beasts. You were brought to the city from the ashes of time and space by the Great Phoenix known as Benra and the Great Serpent known as Mouros.

Pressing for more information will reveal that there are five Great Beasts. They are Benra the Phoenix, Chelba the Stone Giant, Renzu the Griffin, Mouros the Serpent, and Lysheu the Chimera. They are said to represent Mortality, Order, Knowledge, Time and Chaos.

You are in the great Mountain City known as Nuren, and its people are the last remaining vestige of civilization on this wild and dangerous planet. The Touched and the Remnants share an alliance and work together to keep the city protected and its citizens alive and fed. According to these citizens of Nuren, you are here to help them defend the city, unite the remaining races and restore balance to the elements.

Soon after the first Scions awake, the city begins to buzz with the news and gossip that more scions have arrived. The curious and braver citizens make their way to Upper Nuren to get a look, and the rumors spread like wildfire through the city that Benra has come again.

Outer Nuren

Although those rumors make their way to Outer Nuren, the citizens there show far less interest in making the long trek up to Upper Nuren. The unseasonably warm winter has done wonders for the fishing in the bay, and the docks are alive with intrepid fishermen and ship crews interested in making extra gold while the fishing is still good.

The taverns fill with activity and the markets are livelier than ever in the hopes of selling more of their wares and merchandise before Winter's chill catches up with the passing seasons.

Evening

When night settles on the city, the taverns, inns and squares fill with curious citizens hoping to meet the new Scions or catch a glimpse of the Scions they have already managed to glimpse a few times before. Food is offered freely, as well as blankets to guard against the cool night air.

The night sky fills with beautiful displays of magic from the Fire, Light and Energy Mages, the Osaaru equivalent of fireworks, though far quieter. Several Scholars in bright and colorful robes can be found approaching the new scions and older ones alike, offering to tell them more about the city, Osaaru and the Great Beasts. Mages of similar garb guide scions to the cavern homes, and help where they can in making the scions more comfortable.

Small comforts of food, pillows, decorative crafts and other small tokens are offered to visible Scions by the citizens of Nuren in hopes of earning their favor and friendship.

Notes

Please direct Introduction questions to the Plotting Post Q&A
As a Reminder: Bahemait is not one of the Great Beasts openly discussed or mentioned by the Citizens of Nuren who believe the Great Dragon is little more than an old legend.

We would also like to emphasize that the Spirit energy within every resurrected character is required to use all magic in Osaaru, even that which is brought from their own world. The drain of powerful or excessive use of magic will lead to exhaustion.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She's spent her entire day asking questions, exploring the city, doing just about everything you can do when you're new in town and have no where to go, but she hadn't seen a single familiar face. Which, while it was kind of nice not to have anyone nagging at her about who knows what, as things started to wind down and the weight of her situation really started to settle...it bothered her. She'd almost say it scared her some, knowing everything that would apparently befall her home world and everyone she knew. Almost, but she believes more strongly in her family than that. No matter what, they'd make it through, even if this Great Bird Brain didn't bring them too...

Later into the evening she's looking for a spot to do much what Fuyuhiko himself is currently doing, her satchel now held in her arms rather than hanging at her side. Turning a corner and spotting a familiar buzzed head though changes everything. Baby face? Check. Dumb swoops shaved into short blond hair? Check. The same rosy cheeks and golden eyes she's used to seeing when she's looking in a mirror? Check! That can't be anyone else!]

Oniichan!

[Hey big bro, you don't mind if she jogs over and just plops down right next to you, huh? Conveniently on your left side, because we can't spoil too much just yet.]

So that big bird brought you here too? I knew I couldn't be the only one around!

[Well the spoilers are coming pretty quick. Because having someone plop down next to him definitely tears Fuyuhiko's attention away from the sky. And then everything seems to stop. Seeing Chiaki alive again had thrown him for a loop, but to see his own sister...]

[He hadn't expected this. Not even remotely. She's been dead for three years, after all. And even seeing Chiaki here hadn't been enough to make him consider this as a possibility.]

N...Natsumi? [When he finally speaks, his voice is quiet and strained. Like maybe he's not breathing as he says it. Big bro is definitely in shock here...it's a good shock though, promise.] You...you're...

[Alive? Here? ALIVE??? He reaches up, brushing his fingers hesitantly against her cheek as though half-expecting them not to meet solid flesh. Of course, they do. Because this isn't a dream. This is real as every other impossibility he's seen today. Don't mind the fact that his eye is already getting a little glassy. That's definitely just the magic fireworks making it LOOK that way. Not actually happening though.]

Yeah, I'm what? Here? [This is said in reply as he reaches up, because really she had started to think no one else had been brought here, so the idea that Fuyuhiko might have thought the same seems pretty plausible! That's obviously what he's so shocked about. Except then he's touching her cheek? Like super soft, as if she'd just disappear or something. And that's---

Whoa whoa whoa hold the fuck up.]

Wh...oniichan what's with the eye patch? Ha, is that part of the dumb outfit they gave you?

[You look like a nerd! Of course, ignore the fact that she's clearly kind of worried about it. He'd get way too fed up to just wear that around all day for no reason, after all, so why...but maybe he didn't arrive at the same time as her? Maybe he just got here. No, that contradicts the whole thing with thinking that no one else was here...

What in the world is going on?

We're not talking about the glassy eye just yet, because her big brother? Crying? No way. That MUST be the fireworks.]

[He swallows hard, nodding as he pulls his hand away.]

Yeah. Here. I... [Hold on, his eye is itchy. Okay. Deep breath. Oh man. She doesn't know she's dead, does she? This is like his earlier conversation with Hajime only a million times worse. How to break this to her.] I woke up in it, yeah, but...it's not like they gave it to me for no reason. I've had to wear one for a while now.

["They" being the magic bird, maybe? Or the natives? Who the fuck dressed them, he's really not sure.]

[Who the fuck dressed them is right. Something she kind of doesn't want to think about. Ew, a bunch of native people got her naked and then dressed her up...or worse, she arrived naked. Was she just like...laying on the floor? With nothing on? Like that's just awful to think about...

But, thankfully, nothing she's thinking about right now. He's had to wear one.

For a while now. Natsumi immediately looks a mixture of both concerned and irritated.]

Wha--what the fuck, no you haven't! If you're trying to improve your shitty sense of humor you're doing a really bad job of it!

[And she's just going to prove it! By reaching up to try and snatch the eye patch and take it off. She's sure he'll just laugh her off because haha, you totally fell for it, my eyes are just fine. There's nothing wrong with this one and there definitely hasn't been anything wrong with it for. A. While.]

H-Hey! [Haha, joke's on you, little sis. Because when she pulls the patch away, she'll immediately see that he's not joking. There's definitely something wrong with his eye, namely the fact that the socket appears to be empty underneath the closed eyelid. And there's a long, vertical scar running down the center of it.]

[Whatever she was going to follow that up with catches in her throat immediately and she fumbles with the patch a little. She's just staring as if she can't believe what she's seeing.

Which is funny because she can't.]

Wh...wh-what...your eye...

[No, it definitely wasn't like that the last time he saw her. She knows it wasn't. They were both functioning, there was no scar. She almost reaches up to touch the eye itself, but hesitates, expecting it to be a fresh wound.]

Oniichan what happened to your eye? What the hell, it wasn't...did that...did someone here attack you?

[Fuyuhiko sighs, taking advantage of Natsumi's shock to take the patch back and hurriedly tie it back around his head. Stupid ye olde eyepatches and their non-elastic straps...]

No, nobody here attacked me. I told you, it's been like this for a while now. This happened back home. [Definitely not a fresh wound, don't worry. If they were in proper lighting, that probably would have been more obvious.] Natsumi...what's the last thing you remember happening before you woke up here?

[She looks so lost at that answer, eyes searching his face as if that alone would help make sense of everything. She doesn't understand. What's going on...?]

What? Why does that matter? What does that have to do with anything! How could that have happened back home? There's no way, it wasn't like that when I last saw you!

[We're talking about your eye right now! That sounds like a really stupid and pointless question! But...she'll answer it anyway after a moment, a hand reaching up to rest on her throat subconsciously.]

...I was in a fight with some bitch from school...I don't remember a whole lot from the fight though, it's kind of just a blur...she was choking me though, I know that.

[It's not stupid and pointless! It'll all make sense in a minute, just have some patience!]

And then you passed out and woke up here, right?

I...I guess?

[She doesn't really remember passing out honestly, but it's a logical conclusion. And then yeah, she woke up here.]

[Fuyuhiko sighs, running a hand through his short hair. Definitely...not the first conversation he wanted to be having with his sister. But it's only natural it would go this way.]

You...didn't wake up from that, Natsumi. And it's been three years since then. A lot can happen in that amount of time...

[And boy does he mean A Lot. That's a conversation for another time though. No way is he going to drop that bomb and the "you're dead" bomb at the same time.]

[Now do you see why that was an important and relevant question, though?]

[Man what a bomb that is. Man does that mean A Lot. And she's absolutely silent in reply, scarcely even breathing from the looks of things as she's once again just searching his face for an answer. What answer she's looking for she's not even sure this time. Maybe it's not an answer. Maybe she's hoping that this is still just a joke. That he'll laugh cruelly, really rub her nose in the fact that she's obviously falling for something that can't be true. After all, if she never woke up from something like that, how is she here? Very much alive and breathing and awake?]

...what...do you mean I didn't wake up...? What do you mean it's been three years...?

[Her voice is very quiet and there's the slightest hint of a tremble in it, but she's doing her best to keep it steady. It's not that she's on the verge of tears, more like ready to start screaming. If that really means what she thinks it means?

She'll be pissed.]

[Unfortunately, it means exactly what she thinks it means. Fuyuhiko takes a deep breath, clearly steeling himself for the answer he's about to give her.]

She killed you, sis. That's what I mean. You've been dead for three years.

[Surely, she must know that he wouldn't joke about something like this. He can be an asshole sometimes, but he would never say something so cruel. Besides, who could find something like this even remotely humorous?]

[It's exactly what she thought it'd be, and at first all she does is hold her breath. It feels as though she'd just been punched in the gut. She's dead? She's been dead for three years? And what's worse, her killer...

She stands up, satchel clutched tight in her hands as she glares down at her brother. She's not angry at him but unfortunately he's the only one around that can really accept any of the backlash from an answer like that.]

No! That's wrong! That has to be wrong!

[Her volume is as loud as ever, as if yelling will get her point across and make what he just said untrue.]

There's no way that bitch Sato could kill me! No fucking way, you're lying! Or you have it wrong!

[Fuyuhiko stands up as well, fixing her with a stern and serious look. She's probably too upset to notice right now, but it doesn't seem as though her brother has grown much at all, despite supposedly being three years older.]

Would I lie to you about something like this? Would I lie to you about anything? [He places his hands firmly on her shoulders, looking her dead in the eyes. Come on, stop yelling...you're making a scene...] I'm sorry, Natsumi, but that's what happened. That crazy bitch got desperate and lucky, I wish that wasn't the truth, but it is.

No, she... [No, he wouldn't lie to her. Not about anything, but definitely not about something like this. But she just can't accept it. There has to be something wrong here, something that changes the outcome! Swallowing hard, she takes a deep breath and blinks back tears that are threatening at the corner of her eyes before going back at it. At least at a somewhat more normal volume, but no less aggressive in tone.]

You wouldn't lie, but that doesn't mean you're right! Maybe something else happened...were you there? Did you see her kill me? If you weren't, then how do you know that's what happened!

[It's not even the death thing that's bothering her much, though that sure as hell isn't fun to think about.]

I'm not that weak! Someone like her couldn't...she couldn't get me! I'm not that weak!

No I...I wasn't there. [Not a day has passed where he hasn't wished he WAS though. Maybe if he'd been there, he could have stopped Sato...] But it's like I said, Natsumi. She got lucky. That's the only way a bitch like that could've managed it. Because you're not weak. You're the strongest in the clan, everyone knows it.

[His own voice remains low and firm, and he keeps his hands on her shoulders. That's it...just calm down. You're alright now. The past is the past.]

[...she still can't accept it. But there's nothing left for her to really argue with. If he's really this sure...then that's what happened. And isn't that just another blow to her ego she really never needed. She's calming down at least though, all of the wind leaving her sails. The worst part is she can't even do anything about it. Revenge is the first thing that sprung up in her mind once she finally accepted that he was right, but it's not like she could actually get any sort of revenge. Dead people can't do that. And that just makes this whole thing frustrating on top of everything else that it is.

She moves a hand to furiously wipe at her eyes after a moment. No. Eyes stop, she's not going to cry over this, that's stupid. If she died it's her own damn fault and she has no right to cry over it! And yet her shoulders are starting to tremble now too.]

Dammit...

[Fuyuhiko has never been the type for hugs, but this moment is one of those very rare exceptions. Because even with only one eye, he can tell how upset she is. Who wouldn't be? He's not sure there's anyone who could recieve news like this and be completely okay with it.]

[So once her shoulders start trembling, Fuyuhiko pulls her into a tight hug, placing a hand at the back of her head to try and guider her to his shoulder. There, there. Cry into oniichan's shoulder so nobody will see. It's okay. You're okay now.]

[Dammit oniichan, she was trying to stop crying! Hugging her and letting her use your shoulder like this doesn't help that endeavor at all!

Meaning, while there's a little resistance at first, it doesn't last long and she accepts the invitation pretty quickly, hiding her face against his shoulder. Crying without anyone being able to see her gross face? That sounds pretty good to her... And while one hand remains holding her bag, the other finds the front of his tunic, clutching the fabric of it tight. You may be here a while Fuyuhiko.]

[It's alright, you take as long as you need...good thing he picked an out of the way spot for watching fireworks, huh?]

[He keeps a hand on the back of her head, stroking her hair a little as he feels wet spots on the shoulder of his tunic. Get it all out, little sis. He's not going anywhere till you do.]

[She's definitely letting it all out, as much as she doesn't want to. She feels so pathetic but it's apparently not something she can help as easily as she wishes she could. But she also refuses to let it go on for too long. She's tougher than that...she doesn't need to sit her and cling to her brother and cry like a baby over this.

So after a little bit she starts trying to untangle herself from him, still sniffling miserably with a hiccup or two, but she's okay. She's fine.]

Y-you're gonna crush my egg...

[That's still a thing she's holding between the two of you! Though it's really more of an excuse than an actual worry.]

[He chuckles softly.]

You callin' me fat? Trust me, if anything crushes it now, it's gonna be you, not me. [But he gets what she really means, he loosens his grip enough to let her pull away and stand up. He COULD wipe some of her tears away for her, but he's pretty sure she's embarrassed enough already from the hugging. So, instead, he turns to pick up his own egg, which he'd set down in his spot when he stood up.]

[Good, it's still there and it didn't roll away or get sat on or anything. He slips it gingerly back into his pocket before turning back to face Natsumi.]

[All better now? You wanna keep talking about this, or is it time to move on to something else and pretend this didn't happen? He's good with either.]

[There's a snort in reply as she starts wiping at her eyes and nose, keeping her head ducked down some so any passing locals don't get good look at her face.]

Not fat. Just getting a little overly sentimental there. You haven't grown even a little so there's no way you could crush anything.

[How about we pick fun at Fuyuhiko for a distraction?]

Y-you sure it's been three years? You still look thirteen to me.

C!

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