dragoncalled | Welcome, New Scions.

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!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

[That's exactly what she's expecting, so it all works out in the end.]

You may be an adult but you're still my oniichan. I'll listen to you the same as I always do. I mean, it's not like I ever listened to mom or dad one hundred percent of the time either.

[Sorry big bro.]

[Fuyuhiko sighs, giving her a flat look.]

And that's exactly the attitude that always got you into trouble, now wasn't it? I'm not saying you gotta do everything I say or treat me like mom or the old man, but you gotta at least listen to me all of the time. Got it?

[He's serious, Natsumi. You can't just keep being a wild, disagreeable force of nature, that's kinda what got your ass killed in the first place.]

Where's the fun in life if there isn't a little bit of trouble to go with it?

[That's...well. Half of what got her killed. Who knows how much anyone knew about her idea of joining the Main Course, and therefor if anyone told her to stop or gave her the chance to be a wild, disagreeable force of nature. At least in the sense they're talking here. But she can't just change who she is over night mister!]

Soooo then as long as I listen to whatever boring lecture you give me, I can still do whatever I want? Guess that sounds like a good deal to me.

No, that's not what I-- [UGH, YOU ARE SUCH AN AGGRAVATING LITTLE SHIT SOMETIMES!!! Fuyuhiko groans, pulling at the left side of his face.] First off, I'm not planning on lecturing you. And I'd like it if you at least considered whatever I tell you and maybe decided to do it. Not just ignore it and do whatever you want anyway.

[Grow up u little brat!]

It's not that hard to understand, dumbass.

[Her Bocchan senses are tingling. Something has happened to the bocchan--

No, not exactly. She'd left to find them something warm to eat, and that's how she comes back with two blankets thrown over one arm, an earthenware pitcher of warm tea dangling from one wrist, and a plate of unidentified little cakes that smell vaguely like honey in her other hand.

Oh, and a tiny palm-sized dragon seated on her shoulder, covered in soft, black downy fuzz not unlike a duckling.]

Young master, I've--

[And that's when she stops short at the sight of Natsumi, every muscles going tense as her jaw drops. And she very nearly drops the plate, too, which would have been a tragedy.]

That still sounds like I can do whatever--

[Wait, hold on. Pause this very likely soon to be argument, oniichan, we've got a visitor. One that brings a bright grin to Natsumi's face as she abandons her brother for the moment.]

Peko-chan!

[Hey gurl, hey! You know, she looked like she was about to tackle the taller girl, maybe give her a hug or a friendly punch in the arm or something, but man. She looks a little too weighed down with stuff for that. So thankfully the blonde thinks better and just stops in front of her instead.]

Wow, need some help with all that? Oniichan how could you make her carry all this on her own, huh?

[She 100% knows that the swordswoman decided to bring all of this back on her own. Maybe with or without Fuyuhiko actually asking for any of it. But gotta pick on him for it anyway as she offers two open hands to help. Come on, let her take some of that for you Peko. It'd be awful if you spilled any of it.]

[Perfect timing, Peko. He really didn't want to get into an argument right now, but things were definitely heading that way. He smiles a little as he watches Natsumi bound over to the taller girl, but stays where he is.]

[Can you believe it, Peko? Isn't this The Best? Hey, wait a sec...]

H-Hey, I didn't even know she was coming out here! I didn't make her do anything!

[What the fuck, Natsumi. How could you drag him like this?]

Natsumi-sama...

[She hands the plate of cakes over, less out of a real need to free her hands and more from the surprise of having the other girl bounding in front of her, seemingly no worse for the wear for having been dead for three years.]

I apologize, I... did not expect to see you here.

[And she looks back to Fuyuhiko, eyes wide in a nonverbal scream of what's going on is this real?!]

[She's dragging you because you deserve it. You also deserve the tongue she's turning to stick out at you in reply before taking the plate from Peko. Even if the woman doesn't need any help, she's still happy to lighten her load at least a little.]

What're you sorry for? I wouldn't expect to see me either.

[She's been dead for three years after all. She turns around and starts heading back towards Fuyuhiko, expecting her to follow.]

These look really good, did some of the locals give them to you? This nice old man gave me a bun earlier that was really sweet! Though then again he wasn't one of the citizens, he was a scion like us, but they've been giving me gifts too. You're gonna come sit down with us right?

[He offers Peko a helpless half-shrug. He couldn't tell you if he wanted to, Peko. He doesn't have a clue what's going on here either. Though he's certainly not complaining about this turn of events. The former heir hasn't looked this happy since Peko woke up on the real Jabberwock Island.]

[Which...okay, wasn't all that long ago, but still. You get the idea.]

[He takes a seat, clearly waiting for the other two to join him. Since apparently that's what Natsumi wants to do now. Sit down and eat cakes and drink tea and watch weird magic fireworks. Again, not something he's complaining about in the slightest.]

Ah... yes.

[To both questions in that rush of words. Peko's swept up in her wake, following helplessly behind the shorter girl even as a tiny smile curves her lips.]

I am... very happy to see you, Natsumi-sama, [she adds quietly, fishing two teacups out of her tunic pocket and offering one to each of the Kuzuryus. She'd only gotten two cups because of course she did?? Just like of course there's no question that with Natsumi's arrival, she doesn't get any tea for herself. That's how it works.] It sounds like you've been treated well.

Edited 2016-11-07 20:45 (UTC)

[Sitting down with her two favorite people in the world, eating cakes and drinking tea, watching fireworks...yup. You're right, Fuyuhiko, that's exactly what she wants to do. She declines her offered cup, taking a seat beside her brother.]

You want tea too don't you? I can share with you guys.

[That's fine with her. Normally she probably would have been happy to have her own cup and let Fuyuhiko deal with figuring out tea for him and his hitman, but right now she's just???? Happy to be with the two of them???? She'll share. Sharing is okay.]

And yeah, I have been. Everyone's way too excited for us, and they've just been handing out gifts left and right, or telling me how great it is that I'm here, or any other number of things. In the upper parts of the city anyway.

[The people out at the dock treated her like she was pretty much just anyone else, and that was fine with her honestly.]

[That seems like all she's gonna say at first, but then after a moment quickly adds:]

Oh, and you better know that I'm happy to see you too. I shouldn't even have to say this. That goes for you too oniichan.

[She wasn't going to actually say that out loud, assuming they would know but...just in case. After learning about the whole death thing, suddenly making sure they know something small like that seems a lot more important.]

[Fuyuhiko takes the cup from Peko but then gives it to Natsumi because apparently we're playing musical teacups. You two should get the tea, he's fine. He'll just eat some of the cakes.]

Yeah, yeah, of course. I could tell by the way you screamed "oniichan, oniichan!" like a little kid.

[IT IS ONIICHAN'S TURN TO TEASE NOW, HAHA. TAKE THAT.]

[It's just like home, listening to them bicker. Before everything had fallen apart.

When Fuyuhiko hands Natsumi his cup, Peko doesn't miss a beat, pouring some of the tea from the pitcher into Natsumi's cup now that she has it. And then pouring tea into the second cup, she kneels beside them both.

And promptly holds the cup out to Fuyuhiko without a word. He should know that she's not going to stop holding it out for him until he takes it.

Or well, that was the plan, anyway. Instead, now that there's a cup of warm, steaming liquid close by, her dragon lets out a tiny growl of a chirp and leans forward, clearly trying to get a better whiff. It might be difficult for the two yakuza to see the little thing perched on her shoulder, but she's definitely making her presence known.]

That is not for you, [she admonishes gently. And a little helplessly, because she doesn't... really know what to do?? Can dragons drink tea??]

Edited 2016-11-08 00:43 (UTC)

[She was going to rag on him a little for that comment, or tell him that she's not giving him the cup back, but then there's tea in her cup and there's a dragon making sound. One that she saw earlier, but hadn't wanted to comment on just yet because she didn't want to stand around and talk when they could be sitting down and talking instead.]

It should be for him. Not like oniichan deserves it, picking on me like that when I was just happy to see him. After walking around this big city all on my own, no family or anything with me.

[There's a pout in her voice, but it's a playful one. Though hold on...]

Or is it a her?

If she's thirsty, let her have it, Peko. Seriously, I'm fine.

[Can dragons drink tea? Only one way to find out. He IS going to sneak one of those cakes though.]

I think it's a her, [Peko answers, though it's not without uncertainty. She's... pretty sure it's a girl, anyway? That seems right.

But she sighs quietly and props the pitcher upright on the ground to free up one of her hands, switching the cup to that one so she can hold it up near the little creature. Who promptly and without hesitation dunks her nose in it. It's a good thing it's warm tea and not boiling, because earthenware pitchers aren't THAT good at holding in heat.

She's. She's not even drinking it. She's just blowing bubbles through her nose with obvious pleasure.

Why this.]

[Well at least she's not the only one enjoying those bubbles. Natsumi's laughing almost immediately once the dragon starts playing...]

She didn't even want to drink it!

[What a little dumbass...]

[...fucking incredible.]

Well at...least she's enjoying herself?

[Look, he honestly thought she was thirsty, okay? He didn't realize she just wanted to be a boat...]

By the way, you figure out a name for her yet?

[He feels like the answer is no, but...hey. May as well ask.]

[How could this be. Peko has not raised you to be this dumb in the past. couple hours?? she's had you, little dragon.

All she can do is stare down with some pained disbelief before answering,] Ah... no, I have not yet, young master. I had thought perhaps to name her after a female samurai, however...

[She's. Kind of rethinking that now.

Especially considering the dragon is starting to reach forward with her little claws, scrabbling at the edges of the cup and looking like she wants nothing better than to climb right in.]

No! That is not what this is for!

[Oh my god. Natsumi's just going to be over here in stitches, this just gets better and better. Sorry Peko, she doesn't mean to laugh but...

Well, no, she absolutely means to laugh this is hilarious.]

M-maybe you should let her swim in the p-pitcher.

[Since she apparently wants to swim so bad.]

She might fit better in there!

[Fuyuhiko stifles a laugh through his nose. It's true, she's not...super samurai-ish right now. But that could change! Then he leans over and scratches gently under the dragon's chin.]

C'mon, there's barely enough room for you in there, anyway. You'll just make a mess and be really uncomfortable. It won't be any fun for anybody.

[He shoots Natsumi A Look. Don't give her ideas...]

[Her fur is wet from its dip in the tea, but chin scratches. Fuck. Yes. She all but purrs in contentment, slitted reptilian eyes half-closing in happiness.]

She will not be permitted to swim in the pitcher. [That gently-scolding tone turns to Natsumi for just a moment, because really, Natsumi-sama?? Don't encourage this!] She needs to learn that is not for swimming.

[Except both Kuzuryus are laughing and Peko can't help but smile. It's tiny, but her smile is definitely there.]

[There's a snort in reply to both the tone from Peko and the Look from Fuyuhiko, but she does her best to calm her laughter down.]

Hey, supposedly bathing in tea is good for you. I don't know why you guys are scolding me.

[Sure that's just...one of those old wives tales you hear from old wives but still! It could be true! Hey, can she just reach around Fuyuhiko and pet her a little too?]

She's cute though, really...at least Peko-chan's hatched first, so we know what to look out for when ours hatch, huh oniichan?

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impheired - 2016-11-08 01:59 (UTC) - Expand

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Welcome, New Scions.

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