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[Other FULL] Riders [M] [IC]

Jay

Jay

[font=Brawler][color=#91a8d4][i]Here comes the boi
    • 904
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    Years
    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]
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    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]


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    OOC​
    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]

    Nobilis. A land so very unlike our own and yet, in many ways the same. Today I will tell you the story of this great land, today I will recite to you the legend of dragon riders.

    In a year unknown to us, the world of Nobilis was ruled by the three great races, the elven, the dwarven and the human race as we ourselves know it to be. Groups of people with the ability to do great and ruinous things both, a collection of species outside of the natural order and capable of changing things for better or for worse. Unlike our world however, were the fantastical creatures that roamed alongside them. Beasts that we regard as nothing more than legend, powerful chimera, elegant pegasus, fierce griffin and monstrous demons among so many other things. Near every incredible piece of folklore and myth existed in these lands alongside the most common of insects that we see as nothing in our day and age.

    However, even in a world ridden with fantasy there are legends. Legends of mystical creatures said to represent and act as the ambassadors of the natural world. The dragons.

    They say that years ago, the dragons stood... each representing a facet of the World. To show the bond between the Earth and those whom walked upon it, each dragon would have a mortal partner. One whom would share their power, their mind and forge with them a bond that put any other to shame. These riders were respected, as their partners were, as the leaders and rulers of the land and under them came an age of prosperity and peace.

    Then one day, they vanished.

    Or so the legend goes... however such tales were regarded as naught but idle fancy by the people until very recently. For you see words and rumors are being spread. Talk of shining orbs of purest light, falling into the hand of the most unique and estranged individuals across the land. The people idly chatter of great wings upon the sky. Of strange happenings and tiding upon the wind.

    They say that the Riders now return... and that dragons once more walk upon this Earth.


    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]

    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]


    Enter you, the player. Living your normal every day life in this fantasy world you find yourself thrust into extraordinary circumstances when in a flash of blinding light an orb glowing with a strange and colorful light appears before you as if by magic. For your own reasons you take this orb into your possession and eventually it hatches into a young dragon. You find a way to hide it, keeping it away from the prying eyes of all but those you trust the most. After all, such a creature has not been seen in centuries.

    But three weeks later your dragon is fully grown, hiding it is not so easy and with it you share an unbreakable bond of unfathomable power. Thoughts, images and emotions... all of this and more you share with this incredible beast and it in turn shares with you. As if two minds become one, you foster a fledgling bond with your partner... and yes, I say partner for a good reason. The dragon has learned quickly and has personality, intelligence and wisdom to match and outclass most if not all mortal beings in Nobillis. One day the Dragon has an epiphany, it must travel to the center of the great plains of Nobilis. A massive expanse of grassland that holds at its core a grand ruin, a castle abandoned since ancient times known as Pharus. Through whatever reasoning or motives you may have, you agree to take your dragon to this place, this ruin, despite the fact that since you were a child you have heard stories of a ghostly and deadly knight whom lives there.

    As your journey begins, you and your Dragon companion arrive at the huge walls of this grand court. Bigger than any castle that still stands to this day, a massive portcullis stands before you and you feel as if this is the first step of a new life.

    So the story truly begins.


    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]




    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]


    1: Respect your fellow players and never bunny or god mod another players character unless given permission to do so.

    2: A minimum of one post every week is required for this RP. It may go somewhat slow, or rather quickly based on the players recruited. I have no major qualms with killing off a character if I need to, I have plans in the event of someone needing to be replaced.

    3: JPs are encouraged as this is a smaller RP, but be aware that if you wish to complete one that you still adhere yourself to the two week rule. Regular posting is also encouraged.

    4: Post here in the OOC if you have any pending questions, however a Discord channel will also be opened for convenience.

    5: Your character will be stronger than the common folk of Nobilis due to them having a dragon and magic. (Two very very uncommon things.) But they aren't invincible either. No god mode please.

    6: No reservations, if multiple people go for the same role then the best SU in my opinion will take the position.

    7: All normal RPT and PC rules apply.

    8: Have fun, as always.~


    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]


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    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]



    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]



    Prologue: Untold Destiny​

    Zile sat carefully upon Alyra's back as she flew gracefully through the air. He had always imagined that a dragons back would be rough and harsh to sit upon due to their abundant scales... However, while Alyra had these scales upon her form, the white feathers that covered her every inch cushioned Ziles legs and chest as she moved gently through the open sky.

    She must have sensed his thoughts on the matter, as Alyra soon spoke to him as she often did. Zile felt the presence of her mentality, of her very essence, push against and brush so closely to his own that he could feel her emotions and hear her thoughts. She was nervous, yet excited about this new adventure... Yet her immediate feelings were whimsical as she explained...

    "My kind generally are quite rough when ridden bare back, especially without some form of padded pants... You are rather lucky I turned out the way I did, Tyron."

    He smiled gently, the slightest tone of pride was evident in her voice which was something uncommon for Alyra. "I'm lucky for many a reason Alyra, your feathers being but a single factor. Tell me though, as it baffles me, how is it you know of the rest of your kind when I am the only living being you haven't simply hunted?"

    She wondered for a brief moment, Zile noticed, as she searched her mind for the appropriate wording. "Through your memories, Tyron, I know of the world, of language and of life... However there are other things I simply know by knowing, like ancestral memories burned into my very being. My instinct tells me what my kin were like."

    Tyron nodded gently and pondered with a gentle smile. "I wonder what else is stored away in that instinct of yours?"

    "Perhaps we are about to find out, dear one, for look below... Pharus Castle looms."

    ***​

    Looms had certainly been the appropriate term. Pharus Castle was a massive marvel of a structure. The lands it once ruled over rivalled any kingdom... And the ruined partitions for once thriving farmland had been visible since they had come within a few miles of the castle. Of brown and mottled stone was the grand citadel made... Patches of moss, lichen and vines growing along its walls.

    There had been two entrances, one through the ruined town that dwealt within the castle walls, however it was caved in upon inspection, and a second portcullis stretching over a moat. A large and old marble bridge crossed the lake to this entryway, however that same bridge ended in an ormately carved stump, with a huge wooden drawbridge drawn up and blocking the way.

    "This is troublesome..." Zile commented passively as he softly slid down Alyra's feathered side to land on the rather large bridge beside her.

    Indeed... What should we do? She asked and he pondered. "Can you break it down?"
    "I am not so brutish."
    "Then can you make it lower another way?"
    "Not presently."
    "Then maybe you should just be a little brutish after all."
    "There are surely more solutions to this problem than-"

    A deafening rumble cut off Alyra's train of thought as ancient gears did turn and forgotten chains creaked into life. As they had started to argue the problem solved itself, the portcullis grinded open as the drawbridge slowly creaked down... Until all that loomed before them was the darkness of the interior.

    "Well I suppose that will do."
    "Indeed. No need to be brutish, as I said."
    "Oh feh, come let us- Gack!"

    Zile fell to his knees, grasping his skull in pain, his vision went blurry and a strange presence overwhelmed his thoughts. It felt similar to Alyra's bond with him, but more forceful and uninvited. He was flooded with thoughts and the pain of the information overload felt as if his skull was going to burst.

    "TYRON!" Alyra cried out to him, she shuffled closer to his side and allowed a large feathered wing to envelop him, her head swivelling until her forehead touched to his. She opened her mind completely, mentally wincing as she took some of Ziles strain and pain into her own consciousness. With her help he could make sense of the images... And what he saw was a vision.

    A grand dining hall of the finest marble stone and woven tapestry. Sitting at the tables helm were elves, humans, dwarves... And dragons?! The vision quickly retreated outwards, it rushed backwards through the pristine and wide hallways, unnaturally large to accommodate the scaled creatures within. Servants and knights were passed on by... The vision moved faster and faster... Until daylight broke through and the unknown eyes looked towards the structure they had explored. Pharus Castle... Pristine and immaculate. The vision rested then upon the ground, the intricately carved bridge and it gazed into the darkness of the open portcullis. It spoke a single word softly then, a great care in its voice.

    "Come."

    Zile gasped for breath as his vision faded back in, he placed a hand to Alyra's face as she still held herself diligently against him. He softly rose, nudging her wing aside to be folded back against her side and smiling softly as she pulled her head away, large eyes blinking in concern.

    "I'm alright, Alyra."
    "Tyron... What was that just now?"

    He collected himself and patted her long neck gently before responding in a somewhat tired tone.

    "It seems you're not the only one with instinctual memories."

    ***​

    The hallways of the old castle were somewhat more ruined than Zile "remembered" but they were still more than intact enough to traverse. Alyra was a little offput as she realized that apart from Ziles memories, she had never actually been inside anywhere, though she quickly shook such thoughts from her mind as they reached their destination.

    Zile was agasp at what lay before him as he pushed the large doors to the dining hall open. Though empty it was exactly as in his vision. Tables full of food and drink lined openly and pristine, great indentations in the floor wherein dragons could sit, with some of the most comfortable looking dining chairs he had ever seen placed in between. The pure white walls of marble were covered in blazing red tapestries of epic battles between Dragon and beast... And the entire Hall was lit by a dangling gold chandelier.

    It was truly as if he had just walked into a totally different building.

    Not to mention that roast lamb, poultry and gargantuan boar lined the table alongside all manner of vegetables and soups. It was a feast fit for a king.

    "You there."

    Zile froze as the familiar voice from his vision echoed throughout his mind. Though its source could not be seen nor pinpointed through the mental link. It spoke again and Zile deigned to listen, rather than to inquire.

    "So destiny would choose, so life has decided. That you would enter here as a rider reborn. State your name, brave soul and mighty dragon both."

    Zile felt a sudden air of understanding and nervousness. He had many questions but for now he had to save face and act the part. He had known since Alyra's wish to come here... And his vision strengthened his resolve in the fact. He did not find Alyra's egg for no reason. This was real. The legends were true... He was a Dragon Rider.

    "I am Zile, son of none and he who bears no name." He spoke confidently and Alyra followed suit, delivering her thoughts as a broadcast to nearby minds.

    "And I am Alyra... Dragon of wind and speed."

    For a moment there was silence.

    "Be seated, Zile and Alyra... And await your kin."

    Zile procceded slowly into the Hall. Their kin? So there were others? He felt Alyra's heart race and her thoughts flood with nervous wonders. She was to meet another dragon so suddenly, multiple dragons perhaps, she was aflutter with worry and concern.

    They sat near near the top of the table, Zile resting in his indeed rather comfortable chair and Alyra sitting demurely beside him in her fitted groove. Her form rigid with worry. It seemed like an eternity before the doors opened again... and when they did Alyra and Zile quickly pivoted their heads with great interest. Both felt wonder race through them as another dragon and rider stood at the entrance to destiny.

    "You there." The voice repeated.

    "So destiny would choose, so life has decided. That you would enter here as a rider reborn. State your name, brave soul and mighty dragon both."


    Prologue​
    Player objectives:
    - Arrive at Pharus Castle.
    - Receive a vision of the dining room.
    - Procced there and state your names upon being asked.
    - Sit at the table and feel free to converse with other Riders and Dragons.
     
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    Lyra
    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]

    Castle Pharus… the small drawing, and brief description from her mother's lexicon were pitiful representations, and neither dragon nor rider were prepared for the grandeur of what they would soon descend upon. Lyra could not help but imagine the shadow cast by the magnificent building engulfing the entirety of her isle in darkness.

    'And here we thought I might have to wait outside.' Lorelai's calming voice echoes within her rider's mind as the great beast descends from the sky. What awaited the two inside the castle walls, neither knew. What purpose they would fulfill upon entering this place, that too remained a mystery, as neither were instructed in any known way to make this journey. A dream, shared by dragon and rider, brought them here: A powerful, repetitive dream that called out to the two night after night, refusing to be silenced. This castle…or something that resided inside, beckoned for their arrival.

    Lyra held tightly to her dragon's powerful neck as Lorelai's body lowered to the ground. The ride here had been surprisingly pleasant, considering she lacked a saddle for Lorelai, and was fairly certain the beast's thick scales would rip her legs apart during their long ride. Fortunately, Lyra's pants were made from a thick material, created for the purpose of surviving a colder climate. Even more fortunately (at least to Lyra's way of thinking) Lorelai's scales were not nearly as coarse as her mind had built up a dragon's hide to be. To the touch, her dragon is very smooth and cool; more so like a snake than a spike-ridden lizard.

    "…I think someone beat us here." Lyra thinks out loud as her dragon's feet make contact with the ground. The bridge before them is a draw bridge; likely only lowered when whoever lives within these walls is expecting company. Since it was still down, they could assume whoever crossed this bridge only did so moments ago. This would not be nearly so tension creating, if not for the look of the rope and the gears that pulled this bridge up and down. The gears (at least the visible ones) were rusted from a lack of use: This place was seldom visited, and yet at least two people had made their way to this foreboding castle in a span of several minutes. It would appear something big was in the making…huge, perhaps.

    Lyra's brows furrowed as she slid off Lorelai's back, ever so slightly surprised the dismount did not cause her to stumble forward. Due to the area's significantly warmer climate, Lyra decided it was worth attempting to travel barefoot, her shoes all being rather heavy (and clunky) to prevent frostbite. She had yet to fall once since departing for the castle, which was quite the record for her (although she had been sitting for most of this journey, so the success was hardly anything to write home about). Now that they've arrived, a question arises: Put them back on and risk falling in front of whatever powerful, commanding force beckoned them here, or walk in and look like a peasant…but a peasant that doesn't look miserably uncomfortable in her own skin. A peasant that could make a run for it if this turned out to be a trap, which…is something worth keeping in mind. Okay…dignified peasant it is.

    'Shall we?' Lorelai speaks after several seconds of stillness and silence. Seems her rider needed a metaphorical push to get moving.

    "We—shall." Lyra takes an uncertain step onto the bridge, immediately wavering upon contact with the ground. A searing pain begins to push through her, like a hot iron being tampered through her skull.

    "L-Lorelai…?" She asks quietly, though in her own mind it sounds like she's shrieking for her dragon. The pain intensifies after she speaks, quickly growing until the pain makes her legs buckle.

    The green beast releases a powerful roar as her rider falls, as if warning whatever had struck her. Her teeth bared, she leans forward and drapes her head over the lady elf's shoulder. Her mighty body sways uncomfortably as she opens the flood gate that is her link to her rider. Her intention was to use that link to trace the magic that was tormenting her rider, yet there was nothing to trace…only vibrant, dancing colors that, upon their combined focus, took shape into something else entirely. Much like their shared dreams, the sight that played before them was this very castle, although this was much more vibrant—more distinct, and they seemed to be moving. They were inside, walking through the halls, there were people, dragons, knights, moving faster, faster…and then it was gone…as quickly as it had appeared.

    "Is…that going to happen often?" Lyra asks in a breathless whisper. That was…unpleasant, to say the least.

    'I hope not.' Lorelai speaks, the faintest hint of a growl in her voice. The dragon lifts her head, delicately pressing her snout against Lyra's back in the most gentle of nudges. 'Come…we're being summoned.'

    There's a bit of reluctance in Lyra as she loops her arms around Lorelai's neck, slowly being hoisted back onto her feet. Whatever beckoned them inside used that vision to do so, right? Whatever used something so painful to communicate was not coming across as friendly, and yet…with that vision is a greatly strengthened desire to see what awaits them inside the castle walls.

    Together the duo step inside, Lyra's hand nervously pressed on Lorelai's powerful neck as they walk. Inside, while not as well kept…it is obviously the same hallway they had just seen with their shared mind's eye. It's jarring; walking through a place so far from home, yet feeling as if…this is home, as if she had walked these halls time and time again.

    They came upon the table, and the two froze instantaneously: Sitting there, only several feet away from them, was another dragon. A dragon…and a rider. They were not alone after all.

    "You there."

    That same voice that called them inside. Green eyes grow large as the booming voice continues to speak to them.

    "My name is Lyra. Daughter of Arret and Miridia, from the Isle of Rosaria."

    "My name is Lorelai, born of ice and water."

    A weight seemed to leave Lyra's shoulders when the voice told them to sit and wait. Their interrogation was over. Lyra walks on her toes towards the table, where she takes a seat beside the male rider (while not instructed to do so, it feels like she should sit close to her…kin). Lorelai follows and sits easily in her fitted groove. Her eyes are quick to glance towards her sister dragon, to whom she gives a delicate and demure nod. This act causes Lyra to smile to herself, as one could hardly suspect the excitement rushing through her darling dragon as she calmly and politely greets the first of her kind she has ever met.

    ​
     
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    Introductions

    Flynn Cooper

    "Hey, Ferrus?"

    "Mmh?" Came the rumbling, mental reply from the dragon cruising through the skies. Even his 'mind-voice', for the lack of a better term, was imposing.

    "Why exactly are we going to this ruin? I mean, there isn't just one ghost story, there are like... you could fill a book with stories about why you shouldn't go there. I was just wondering-"

    "We'll see." Came the short reply. Flynn sighed, keeping his arms wrapped around the dragon's scaley neck as the wind pulled and tugged on his clothes and hair. Flynn hadn't entirely gotten used to Ferrus not elaborating unless he felt like it. He had an inkling that this time, it was because the dragon had as little understanding of this 'need' as Flynn did. No reason to talk if you have nothing to say, right?

    The view from up above was, as always, breathtaking. Flynn quietly admired the scenery trailing by below. They were fairly high up, so that people on the ground would just mistake them for a roc or another large bird or monster. He did, however, make sure to keep a firm grip on Ferrus' neck, as he'd had another previous incident on their way out of the city, where he almost dropped to his untimely death.

    Suddenly, Ferrus began descending. Flynn shifted a little, wriggling in his uncomfortable seat on the dragon's back to peer ahead. His eyes widened as he saw the castle. Not that the term 'castle' did it any justice, mind you. It had a moat that was more like a lake and even a town almost surrounding it. The castle itself was enormous as well. "So this is where the riders lived...?"

    Flynn could feel Ferrus' curiosity sparking. Despite the two's emotions and thoughts being bonded, he didn't... -feel- all that much coming from the large drake. It was like a lid was being kept on a slow-cooking pot. "It's big, huh Ferrus? Think there's anyone living here?"

    "There was." He rumbled again as they circled the building slowly, coming down in front of the beautiful, if old marble bridge, on the dusty, un-maintained road. "It feels as if I am seeing it again... for the first time."

    Flynn gave the dragon a thoughtful glance as he slipped from the back, only to wince in pain, bouncing a little on the spot while rubbing his inner thighs.

    "Nngh, ow, ow, ow... it's -really- rough riding you, you know. We should walk more."

    The dragon let out a deep rumble from his chest, sounding amused over Flynn's misery. "Or you could grow your own wings and fly with me." Flynn was nudged by Ferrus' snout and let out a disgruntled "Oi!", stumbling before following the dragon's walk across the bridge.

    Everything was very quiet. Flynn hated it when things were too quiet. There was quiet, and then there was this, more... unnatural type of quiet. He glanced over his shoulder several times on their way over the bridge, peering out over the edge of it, down at the water.

    "The town on the other side must've been bustling with life. I've read alot about the riders before, but I don't think the books ever really touched on the people who lived with them..."

    This was an understatement. As a means to escape the reality he'd been put in, Flynn -loved- reading old legends and stories. He knew quite a bit about the beasts that roamed the lands, and had a fairly good grasp on the other cultures as well (Though that was mostly his father forcing him to learn so as to not offend his business partners).

    Ferrus wasn't as excited as Flynn, apparently. But then again, he also wasn't as worried, scared or anxious as he was. "Flynn." He rumbled, turning to glance at the human as the two walked, Flynn turning his head to glance at his companion after hopping up onto the side of the bridge to walk along it. "Relax. What happens, happens. We are on guard. There is little else we can do."

    It was difficult to argue with Ferrus' logic, most of the time at least. Flynn smiled and raised a hand to pat the tough hide on the dragon's neck. "I know. Thanks, Ferrus. You always know whaaAARRH?!"

    Flynn stumbled, his hands raising to clutch at his head, eyes clennching shut as a stinging pain shot through his head. It felt like it'd been cleaved like a melon.

    Ferrus roared in anger as he felt the pain shooting through his partner, raising himself onto his hind legs before slamming his claws into the bridge, causing the entire thing to briefly shake.

    It was as if Flynn had been slapped in the teeth with a blackjack ten times over. A feeling he could relate to, at least. But at the same time, he... remembered, or saw, Pharus as it once was. Pristine, life bustling in the castle and in the town, the road being traversed by hundreds of people in a day.

    For the longest time, it felt like he was hallucinating. The pain slowly faded and he watched the ghost-like people wander past on the bridge. A man caught his gaze, and everything seemed like it was moving ten times as slow as it should. The man smiled at him and said-

    "FLYNN!" Flynn snapped out of... whatever that was, blinking his eyes rapidly and rising to his feet, glancing around. Ferrus had pulled him onto the bridge proper and covered him with his wing. Flynn could feel the heat of the beast as his head was nearly pressed against him.

    "I'm... I'm okay. I don't- I think I had a... vision, or... or something." Lifting a hand, he rubbed the side of his head. Ferrus' wing moved back into position, the alarm and anger that had billowed through the connection quickly fading away, as the dragon let a puff of thick smog rise from his nostrils.

    Flynn rested a hand on his side and opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped as a voice spoke to them both as one. "Come."

    Glancing up at Ferrus, he could tell the dragon had heard the same voice. The curiosity he'd felt emanating from him before had grown ever so slightly. "... Looks like we're expected. For better or worse."

    The two of them proceeded across the bridge and into the castle, Flynn's neck nearly snapping as his head tilted back, peering into the giant archway. It was sad, seeing this place in such ruin after all the stories he'd read about it... and what he'd just seen, it seemed.

    After a relatively short walk, they found themselves in the grand hall. Flynn didn't even have time to gawk at the wonders, as his eyes were set on the two people... and dragons, already present.

    Ferrus' tail gave a small flick and Flynn could sense his interest rising again, but his exterior told nothing of his. The dragon gave Flynn a small nudge with his leg, to which the rider dug his heel in and muttered back at the drake. "You can't expect me to go in there! There's -actual- riders here! Why didn't you tell me there were more?!"

    "How could I tell you what I did not know?" It was hard to tell, but there was a cheeky undertone to Ferrus' voice, to which Flynn narrowed his eyes. He managed exactly two steps beforre he froze dead in his tracks, standing rigid.

    "You there."

    "So destiny would choose, so life has decided. That you would enter here as a rider reborn. State your name, brave soul and mighty dragon both."

    "I'm- uh." He cleared his throat, doing his best to relax, as Ferrus had urged him to earlier. "My name is Flynn- erh. Just Flynn, actually." Not the smoothest of entrances, but considering he'd basically just been called a dragon rider like the ones from the olden days, he felt more than a little nervous and overwhelmed.

    Ferrus took a step forwards, his form rising to its full size. A low, content rumble emitted from his chest as his golden eyes trailed across the room before his voice rang out through the minds of those nearby, not holding back on the sense of confidence he felt. "And I am Ferrus. Son of Iron and the Forge."

    After a more than awkward moment of silence and staring, the voice rang out again. "Be seated, Flynn and Ferrus.. and await your kin."

    "... Await your what? Are there -more-?!" Flynn exclaimed, glancing over his shoulder back at the entrance. "There's already -six- of us here, how many-...?"

    "We'll see." Ferrus rumbled and took the first step forwards. Flynn quickly picked up the mental nudge and moved over to take a seat on the other side of the older man already present. He glanced at the bountiful food on the table before glancing sideways at the other two, doing a bad job of sneaking peeks at the other (apparently) riders.

    "... Wait, why aren't you wearing any sh-"

    He was interrupted as Ferrus reached in over the table, grabbed one of the roast lambs and in one chomp swallowed it up before taking a seat behind Flynn, whom spun around in his chair, hissing out as quietly as possible. "Ferrus! You can't just- we need to show respect!"

    The dragon didn't seem to pay him any mind as he finished chewing, his rough tounge moving out and brushing across his maw to get the last, meaty juices, taking his time before responding. "It was a long trip. I was hungry."

    And with that, the dragon, rather than sitting in the incline in the floor, lowered himself down onto all fours, forelegs crossed and his head resting on top of them. Despite his laid-back attitude, his piercing gaze was still on the other riders and their dragons, a ferocious spark in otherwise dull-gold orbs.

    Flynn groaned and turned back in his seat, sending the other two riders a brief, apologetic smile, not even able to muster up a worded apology. Before he could wallow in his embarrasment any longer, the doors opened again, Flynn's brows raising as he glanced towards the entrance.

    ​
     
    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]



    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]



    Prologue: This guy has the right idea!​

    "Kin... Huh?" Zile spoke outwardly, though to nobody in general. He glanced between the four new arrivals. A big metal beast, a scale smooth sea monster, some elf chick with no shoes and a kid who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

    "Well hey, you guys don't have very high margins to meet, considering my last 'kin'"

    Alyra snorted her concern, as if telling Zile to remain quiet about such things with strangers, before she returned to a rigid state of nerves as the scaled dragon, Lorelai, bent her head in a nod of genuflection towards her. She was sure that if it were possible, she would have blushed at that moment. Bowing her head to both Lorelai and Ferrus in turn she hesitantly broadcasted a message to the other parties mentally. Doing her best to keep the contact brief to avoid being disrespectful.

    "Hello... Fellow dragons... And new riders too I should suppose. It would seem that we all arrived here through similar means."

    Zile scratched his stubbled chin and glanced between his new peers, his eyes wide with amusement and wonder.

    "Seems the dragons don't hold back when choosing their partners. No distinction between race or nobility, just like the legends." He sips gently from a goblet of wine, realizing that he'd have to make conversation with these two bundles of nerves.

    "Gotta admit, when Alyra and I walked in here first I didn't expect like minded company. Oh, yes, that reminds me. You weren't here so... Call me Zile. Nothing more or less."

    Alyra blinked quickly in realization before quickly popping in with; "I would be Alyra, daughter of wind and speed."

    Zile smiled wryly at the repeated introduction before looking on with great glee as the young man, Flynn, began to make conversation only to stumble awkwardly as his Dragon devoured a cooked lamb.

    Flynn made the effort to tell the unfazed dragon off and then nodded apologetically to the elf and Zile. But the older man just grinned stoically, grabbed a leg of Turkey and took a big, gaping bite.

    "Hey now, lighten up, we get presented with food and such..." He gulps. "We're probably expected to eat. This big guy has the right idea!"

    Alyra furrowed her brow at her partner's crass behavior, though she understood that he was just being himself... And diffusing a rather awkward atmosphere. As Zile took yet another gaping chomp, she herself delicately drew a plate of boar towards herself with a single tslon, before leaning down slowly to take a few small (by dragon standard) bites.

    She quickly drew herself upright however and nudged Zile with her snout, drawing his attention to the door that now opened once more.


    Prologue​
    Player objectives:
    - Arrive at Pharus Castle.
    - Receive a vision of the dining room.
    - Procced there and state your names upon being asked.
    - Sit at the table and feel free to converse with other Riders and Dragons.
     
    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]
    Princess Sol Laetanas​
    ​
    Pharus Castle​
    ​

    Sol sighed. "Khepri, this excursion had better be worth a ruined dress." she said, her voice showing a slight undertone of annoyance as she shifted slightly on the oversized pillow she was resting on. "I had to pull many strings for father to allow us to venture so far."

    The dragon, whose neck and back had been far too spiky for Sol to ride on, was carefully carrying the pillow using his front legs. "Khepri assures the young mistress that she can rest her mind and spirit!" he said smiling, lowering his head slightly to look down at her. "This trip is of utmost importance to both Khepri and yourself, miss Sol! I'm sure you can tell."

    Despite her slight scoff and air of discontent, Sol knew what he was talking about. The rider and dragon's thoughts and emotions were interconnected, intertwined as one - and she could feel Khepri's burning obligation to go to Pharus. It wasn't just a craving, or any other simple calling... it was an instinct. An itch. And it was partially why Sol had not been in the best of moods for most of the trip; it was an itch she couldn't get rid of. Let us hope the stories I have heard about the castle are untrue... she thought.

    Fear not, my dear! The name of Khepri himself shall be enough to fend off any dangers that would dare threaten your majesty. she heard Khepri's voice reassure her in mind.

    You do have quite the confidence, Khepri. Sol thought back, cracking a smile.

    Her (or rather, their) train of thought was cut short as a Halvira swooped down to their altitude, leveling itself with Sol - who was trying her best not to fall off her pillow. Riding the giant hawk-like creature was a red-headed elf about Sol's age, carrying a spyglass and a bow.

    "Your majesty, I have scouted ahead and we should be reaching Pharus Castle in a few moments now." he said, bowing as low as he possibly could while riding a massive bird.

    "Cyril, you do know you can call me by my first name around here." Sol said. "My father is not watching, and I doubt Khepri would say anything on the matter."

    "Oh, and what makes you think so, young mistress?" Khepri inquired teasingly.

    Cyril rubbed the back of his head apologetically. "Ah, sorry... My mind's been jumbled all day, I suppose I've just been stuck on job mode. It's just... this visit to Pharus Castle has me on edge. You've heard what they said about the place - it's haunted by an evil king, nobody who goes there ever returns..."

    "Khepri hears the words of a coward." the golden dragon noted, chuckling to himself.

    Cyril frowned. "I'm not a coward! All I'm trying to say, Sol, is that you and Khepri should be careful. Nobody knows anything about this place - not even the two of you, who had the urge to go in the first place - so we cannot take this lightly. Oh, and speaking of which-" He stopped, and looked through his spyglass. "We have a perfect view of the castle from here. Take a look."

    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]

    He tossed the spyglass at her. Sol caught it easily and looked through it. "My... it truly is a forgotten beauty..." she muttered.

    The clouds around the dragon and the two Halvira escorts soon parted, and the castle was in full view. Cyril re positioned himself on his mount. "Shall I order for Harwood to scout down below before we land? We can circle the castle for now while he's doing so."

    Sol sighed. "If it makes you feel better, then you may." she replied. As Cyril flew on ahead to instruct the second bodyguard, Sol felt Khepri shift uncomfortably.

    "Why must we go through all these precautions?" he complained. "One would think a mighty dragon and the finest of the royal guard would be enough to protect the delicate young mistress."

    "Yes, yes. I know you're itching to get down there - so am I. But Cyril has his orders. And better safe than sorry, no?" Sol comforted him, patting his leg. "For now, enjoy the view. They say each of the three major races contributed in building this fort; it truly is a marvel of Nobilian architecture."

    "Bah. Khepri has more interest in intact architecture." the dragon said puffed loudly through his nose.

    After a few more moments of circling around the castle, the two bodyguards returned. "We've scouted down below, and there seems to be no signs of visible danger. The drawbridge appears to have been recently lowered however, as it shows no signs of the moss that grows around the rest of the castle's front." Cyril said.

    "At last!" Khepri exclaimed triumphantly. "Let us descend."

    The small group began their descent to the front of the castle, where the drawbridge had been lowered and indeed showed some recent signs of activity around it. Khepri slowly began lowering himself down in front of the drawbridge, the two Halvira at his sides.

    "At any rate," Sol began, "if anything hap- GAAH!" she suddenly screamed out. The shaky descent to the ground, coupled with the disorienting burst of agony to her head, caused to stumble forward... and off her ride.

    "YOUR MAJESTY!" Cyril cried out. Without a moment's hesitation, the bodyguard leaped off of his Halvira, and shot downwards in an attempt to catch the princess.

    After a second of flapping idly, Khepri had regained his senses and realized what had just happened. He had also felt the pain - albeit less strong. Immediately sensing Sol's danger, his eyes flashed white as he looked down at the two elves. A large spherical structure instantly formed itself around Sol and Cyril, protecting them from impact mere seconds before they hit the ground and dissipating as soon as they had landed safely. Young mistress! Share your visions with Khepri, do not let your light fade! the dragon called out to his rider's mind. However, he realized there was nothing more to share. Sol was lying on the ground near the drawbridge, panting heavily and looking around in panic.

    "Heavens above..." Sol gasped, clutching her head as Cyril attempted his best to comfort her. "I... I saw... people..."

    "Harwood, prepare my Halvira! We are leaving this place!" Cyril called out to the second bodyguard that had joined them.

    "No!" Sol and Khepri exclaimed simultaneously, the latter having descended to the ground. The dragon quickly made his way over to her, resting his head lightly on her lap. "We cannot leave. You are safe now, young mistress. Tell Khepri what you saw." he reassured Sol.

    "I'm fine." Sol replied after a deep breath. "I received a vision of this castle... From the days it was populated and thriving. It almost felt real..."

    Suddenly, a voice called out from inside the castle. "Come." As Sol and Cyril both stood up and took a step forward, the young bodyguard suddenly felt himself freeze. "Only dragons and their riders may enter." he heard the voice call out.

    Sol took his hand and looked into his eyes. "Wait for me here, Cyril. I will be fine. I have Khepri." she comforted him, smiling.

    "Yes, young guard. The mistress has Khepri." the dragon echoed, the involuntary smile-like crack along his mouth appearing surprisingly fitting for the situation.

    "I- fine. Please... stay safe, Sol." Cyril replied, turning back to his fellow guard and the two birds as Sol and Khepri entered castle Pharus.

    --------​

    The second the dragon and rider stepped into the massive dining room, the first thing they noticed was that Cyril had been correct in his assumptions. There were other people inside - dragons and riders. Before either of them had the time to say anything, the voice called out yet again to them.

    "You there. So destiny would choose, so life has decided. That you would enter here as a rider reborn. State your name, brave soul and mighty dragon both."

    Sol had been prepared for something similar to this. Suddenly becoming very self-conscious about the state of her dusty, slightly torn dress, Sol did her best to fix her appearance before slightly raising the edges of her dress and bowing down. "Princess Sol Laetanas of the Reena Council, daughter of King Pywaln Laetanas, from the-"

    "And Khepri is my name." the dragon interrupted. "Knight and Protector of the Light, among many other things." he said, bowing as Sol shot him a glare that might as well have killed him on the spot.

    "Be seated, Sol and Khepri... and await your kin." the voice instructed.

    Khepri and Sol looked at each other, then back at the dining table where three other riders and their dragons were. The two took began walking down the row of seats at the dining table, when suddenly Khepri stopped right next to the white feathered dragon. Sol glared at him once more, before sighing and reluctantly taking a seat a few chairs away from the feathered dragon's rider.

    "That is quite the cast voice-man has set up for Khepri." the dragon thought, sending a message to Sol's mind.

    "You are positive we are in the right prophetic castle, yes?" Sol replied, her mental voice sounding a little anxious.

    "Khepri has never been as sure of himself."

    "Why did you have to stop here? This man smells unhygienically strange..."

    "I suppose this is a bad time for Khepri to mention the barefoot girl and the rogue-like boy with his elbows on the table."

    "Stop."

    Their mental conversation was cut short by the sound of the door opening again, letting in a new visitor.
    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]
     
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    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]
    Tamber & Pyra
    The Castle In A Dream


    Tamber smiled softly as she took in the sights around her. Traveling to new locations had always been something she extremely enjoyed in life. She supposed it came with territory of being a gypsy. When one lives life freely on the road, you find yourself with a roaming heart, never wanting to remain in one location very long before yearning to see what lies over that next mountain ridge. That said, the white-haired had to admit that it felt so different to be taking this lovely journey on her own, with only the company of her faithful dragon Pyra at her side. It was with no disrespect to her father or the rest of the troupe, but being able to make her own decisions on when to move on or when to just relax and take in the sights changed everything for her.

    "Tamber...? Is everything okay? You've been quiet for a great deal of time... Perhaps you would like another break? I know that riding on my scales is not the most comfortable choice around..."

    Tamber giggled, giving Pyra a small, comforting stroke along her red-scaled neck. "Not at all, Pyra. I was merely taking in the sights from being so far up. It's quite a bit different than riding in a carriage or walking. A breath-taking experience that many only get to dream about. I'm quite sure that this would not happen if I had not chanced upon your egg. If anything, I should be thanking you for granting me such a lovely gift."

    If Tamber could have seen Pyra's head, the gypsy woman would have noticed the faint appearance of a smile forming across her red-scaled features. There was more heat than that of the flames inside her that filled the dragon's heart as Tamber not only talked about the gift of being able to experience something so simple, but to actually go as far as to compliment and thank her for it as well. Pyra was truly thankful that it was someone like Tamber who had found her egg. Refocusing on the sky ahead, the fire dragon began to look around, her eyes narrowing as she spotted the sight of a castle down below.

    "I believe that I have located our destination, Tamber. I am going to start descending towards Pharus Castle. Please, brace yourself."

    Giving the dragon a soft nod, Tamber adjusted herself carefully on the back of Pyra before the dragon began her descent towards the castle below. She was quite careful as she did so, making sure that no discomfort or potential harm would come to the white-haired gypsy mounted on her back. While Tamber herself felt that the dragon could probably have gone a bit faster, she was quite appreciative of the fact that Pyra took such consideration of her throughout their journey to Pharus Castle. If anything, it gave her reassurance in the fact that she did not allow any of the troupe members to come along with her. While Tamber's mother seemed to be quite acceptable of only Pyra accompanying her, Tamber's father had not been so sure. He was a bit worried over the fact that a "wild beast" would be her only companion in the trek. Of course, Tamber was quick to come to Pyra's defense, letting him know that the dragon was not just some beast, but a part of her family.

    After all, why should appearance and classification have anything to do with whether someone was family or not?

    Gradually Pyra circled the castle as the duo descended, until she gracefully came to a stop on a long, wide, cobblestone bridge that stretched across a pristine, crystal-blue lake. The dragon knelt down to the ground, lowering herself enough so Tamber could slide off her backside and properly land on the ground without fear of hurting herself. The gypsy did just that, the sound of her bare feet padding against the stone bridge as she landed. She took a moment, giving Pyra a gentle stroke on the side of her cheek, before turning to look at the castle that had become known to both of them through dreams.

    To say that Tamber was surprised by the appearance of Pharus Castle would have been an understatement. When the gypsy and her dragon set off for the ruins of a castle ruled by the Riders, she had expected it to be just that, ruins. What lied before her though, was anything but. Of course, it did appear to be abandoned for the most part, but aside from that everything appeared to be rather upkept in terms of appearance. The cobblestones of the bridge were still quite smooth feeling against the soles of her feet. The castle itself seemed to shine in the early afternoon sun, giving the castle a look as if it was just recently constructed. The sounds of the rippling waves from the lake below them filled the air, mixing with the chirping of nearby robins and the gentle breeze to create a small symphony to welcome both the dragon and gypsy to their destination. It looked as if it were something taken right out of the storybooks that Elder Cloppin used to read to Tamber when she was but a child.

    "It's so beautiful..." Tamber whispered. She took a moment to glance back at Pyra, offering the fire dragon a quick smile. "I suppose we should take a look to see what we were being called here for."

    Offering Tamber a soft grunt, Pyra and the dancer made there way across the bridge. As they walked, the dragon's gaze quickly fell upon that of a red-haired elf and what appeared to be a griffin. As if by instinct, Pyra quickly stepped right up to Tamber's side, letting out a soft, but feral sounding growl as the faint scent of smoke could be detected in the air.

    "It seems that we are not the only ones to arrive here... Mayhaps others have been summoned through similar means? Or perhaps there are thieves about, coming to rob the castle of any treasures and relics that lie within... Tamber, I think that I should go in ahead first to make sure everything is safe before..."

    Tamber shook her head, offering the elf a small smile as they proceeded towards the castle. "That's not needed, Pyra," the white-haired dancer replied. "I'm sure whoever else is here came for a similar reason such as we did. After all, you can't be the only dragon in the country, yes?"

    Pyra merely grunted in response, giving Tamber a small nod as they continued on together. Truth be told, Tamber was not exactly sure herself. Before she had found Pyra's egg, she had never seen a dragon before. Even after her egg hatched, she had never seen another one. It was quite possible that Pyra was the only dragon in existence. She just hoped at the very least that Pyra was wrong about the thieves.

    Suddenly, Tamber's thoughts were cut short a wave of pain began to rush over her. She clutched her head in surprise as a soft whimper escaped her lips. Pyra was quick to Tamber's side as the woman fell to her knees, her body trembling as she tried to somehow regain her composure. The dragon was quick to try and comfort whatever was suddenly wrong with her, using her tail to gently soothe the girl as the pain gradually subsided.

    "Tamber? Is everything alright? Are you able to continue on? Perhaps we should leave this place..."

    "N-No... No, I'm alright Pyra," Tamber replied, slowly climbing back up to her feet. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as the lingering pain slowly faded away. "I saw... something... Something about the castle..."

    A look of concern graced Pyra's features, well as much as one could that of a dragon."The castle...? Whatever about, Tamber?"

    "There were people," Tamber answered, turning to face Pyra as she explained. "So many people, as if this whole place was at one point a grand, bustling city... There were shops and travelers... It felt so real, as if I was actually there, Pyra..."

    Before Tamber could give any more details about the vision, a loud voice seemed to ring out from within the castle. "Come... Come, dragon and rider..."

    Both Tamber and Pyra exchanged a momentary glance before they finished crossing the large bridge. Thankfully, the doors seemed to be large enough for the red dragon to pass through. A part of Tamber's (as well as Pyra's) concerns were that only the dancer would have been able to enter. Upon passing through the large and impressive doors, Tamber and Pyra were greeted with the sight of several others. There were two elven women, as well as two human men. However, what caught the attention of both Tamber and Pyra was the sight of four large and equally imposing dragons. Tamber found herself at a loss for words at the sight of them. On one hand, she supposed it would always be surprising to see such large and awe-inspiring creatures. Mostly though, she was glad to see that Pyra was not the only one of her kind. Before she had a moment to greet any of those gathered before her, the loud and booming voice returned once more.

    "You there. So destiny would choose, so life has decided. That you would enter here as a rider reborn. State your name, brave soul and mighty dragon both."

    Snapping back into reality, Tamber gave those gathered before her a warm smile. "I'm Tamber," the dancer replied as she placed a hand on her hip. Glancing at those gathered around her, she quickly noticed that she seemed to be extremely under-dressed, but the woman did not put much further thought into it. "And this Pyra, my hot-blooded, dragon companion."

    The smile on Tamber's lips shifted into a full smirk at the introduction of Pyra, mostly on account of the pun she got to slip into it. Pyra seemed to ignore this as she gave a small nod to those that were gathered. "Greetings... It is a pleasure to meet you all..."

    "Be seated, Tamber and Pyra... and await your kin."

    Pyra made her way towards the other dragons, while Tamber made her way to the table where all the others the voice dubbed as "riders" were gathered. She took note of them all, the elf who seemed to be dressed for a blizzard, the other who looked to be quite prim and proper, one of the humans looked to be quite flustered and embarrassed, while another seemed to be making himself quite at home by feasting on a turkey leg. Tamber decided to follow in his footsteps. The sound of her jewelry echoed through the room as her feet padded across the floor, taking a seat beside the prim and proper female elf. She offered her a rather sultry looking wink, before the sound of the door opening caught her attention.
     
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    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]



    Idora breathed in the cool night air. She didn't like the day, not only was the sun extremely bright which made stealth next to impossible, but even more so it was just so hot and humid most of the time. The night was much better, where her only company was the slight chill of damp sea air and the stars and moon to watch over her. Or even better when they weren't, such as tonight where clouds loomed overhead blocking out the sky, threatening to bring rain on the port town she had called home for almost a year now.

    She silently prayed the rain would hold out for a little longer, but it seemed the gods had a sense of humor, as the rain came only a few moments later. She wiped one hand on her cloak, then the other trying to dry them as much as possible from continuing. Looking up, the keep wall extended for another thirty feet above her, with just as much if not more below her. Serves you right, a voice echoed in her mind, feminine and surprisingly smooth despite the creature the voice came from. If you think the gods will help you now, especially after you turn your back to Niasis again.

    "Oh would you quit it," she grumbled under her breath. She knew she could communicate with simply her mind, but something just felt off just thinking things instead of speaking. "Just this one job, that's it. After that I can buy that saddle and we can get out of here once and for all." The dragon Morenth, the one who spoke in her mind whom she had become bonded with. "You're the one who insisted on that saddle in particular, so really this is your fault." She decided to ignore that only a saddle for a clydesdale would even fit Morenth. "Anyway, just leave me be for a bit, this is hard enough without having annoying voices distracting me."

    She sensed displeasure from the dragon, but thankfully Morenth remained silent. No doubt she would get an earful later, but for now it was blessedly quiet. She quickly scaled the rest of the wall, hand over hand pulling herself up the increasingly slippery wall to pull herself into a small window. She'd been in the castle enough times to know the window in particular, and it was by far her favorite way of entering the castle. The window was always shuttered but never bolted, and the room never had a lit torch in it. It was the perfect entrance in a quiet little corner of the keep, and she had made full use of it ever since.

    Placing her ear to the door she listened carefully, searching for any sound in the hallway outside, but there was only silence. She took from her pouch a small ball of pigs fat and quickly greased the hinges of the door, then cracked it open and slid out into the empty hallway. The door both opened and shut with barely a sound, and she allowed herself a small smile. Now free from the now steady rain, she stalked through the keep, making good time to the northeastern tower. Not a soul was seen throughout the floor, as her contact had promised would be the case.

    After a few stealthy minutes sneaking through the keep, she paused at the corner just before the northeast tower. Taking a small piece of glass, a mirror, from a pouch from within her cloak, she poked the mirror around the corner to check for any signs of life. The mirror had cost quite a bit, getting such a clear piece of glass and the metal required to make the piece. Despite the cost, it had saved her life on multiple occasions, and she thought of the tool as invaluable, as it did now. Just around the corner was a single man standing in front of the door she needed to access. To make matters worse, he was clad from neck to toe in heavy armor and a large sword was in its sheath on his side.

    The distance was too great for her to sneak up on him, and no weapons she had would be able to attack him at this range earlier. She could have thrown a dagger in his neck, both silencing and killing him, but her contact wanted minimal casualties. She needed to take the man out as quietly as possible, and so she decided to go with the simplest means of going about that. She lowered the hood to her cloak and hid all her weapons as best she could, then walked around the corner and towards the man.

    He noticed her at once, and immediately his hand went to his sword. "This floor is off limits ma'am, you'd best turn yourself around and make yourself scarce." He scowled slightly. His voice was deep and rumbling, like the thunder outside.

    "My apologies sir," she replied, trying to sound meek, "my master left some things and I was sent to retrieve them." She continued walking towards the man, although now more slowly than before, like she was hesitant. If she could just get past him, she would be able to take him out on her way past.

    The soldier would have none of it. "You must be mistaken, this area belongs solely to the royal family, and I know all the servants of the royal family. You must be los…" He cut off his words as his eyes opened wide. Something had betrayed her, perhaps he had glimpsed the flash of a weapon or some other tell, but her cover was blown. He pulled his sword free from it's scabbard and swung through the air, but Idora was already moving. Pulling her twin sabers out of their sheathes she dashed forward, rolling under his cut meaning to slash at the gap behind the man's knees. The man was good though and he lashed out with a well placed kick as Idora rolled past him. His armored boot connected solidly with her side and she was sent flying into the wall.

    She spun up in an instant holding her sabers before her to block any attacks, but the man seemed hesitant to attack, despite the now obvious threat before him. She felt her side bruising and breathing hurt, but she didn't think that she was severely injured. Her side ached, but she calmed herself and ignored the pain as best she could. Seizing the man's hesitation, she dashed forward, narrowly evaded another swing and now she was inside of the man's guard. He backpedaled as much as he could and swung another horizontal slice, trying to gain distance, but Idora allowed her cloak to billow with air, obscuring her movements. While the cloak made it look like just just barely ducked under the blow, in reality she dropped to the floor and lashing out with her foot took the man's feet out from under him. With a crash the armored man dropped to the floor, temporarily dazed from the impact. With one well placed kick, she knocked him out cold with a blow to the temple.

    Taking a moment to slump against the wall, she let out a breath. She hated armored enemies. Her side ached and her foot didn't feel much better from where she had kicked him. And if only she had been allowed to kill, that would have made the entire process that much easier. A single throwing knife or crossbow bolt to the neck would have sufficed. Instead she found herself battered, bruised, and irritable. You could have asked for my help, Morenth offered helpfully. One bite is all it would have taken instead of you getting yourself nearly killed.

    "You know what," she grumbled, her mood only worsening, "I'm getting sick of this. Don't tell me how to do my job, especially since ten minutes ago you were condemning me for it." Thankfully the dragon remained silent after that, and she pushed through the door to the tower room, leaving the crumpled guard outside. Inside the room was a single bed and an unlit lamp on a nightstand, and that was it. Within the bed was an old man, seemingly impossibly old. She almost pitied the man, the current Duke of Tarja. For years his health had become steadily worse and yet the man refused to die, nor let his descendants take his place in the political dealings of the city. No wonder his son had hired Idora to kill the man.

    "Nothing personal old man," she whispered, pulling a small flask from another pouch in her cloak, a small poison that would quickly stop the heart. One drop in the man's open and snoring mouth was all it took, and then Idora simply waited. Only a couple minutes later the man shuddered and breathed out, then not back in. The ancient duke, nearly pushing one hundred, would be found dead in his bed. Nobody would suspect a thing, for an old man like that to kick the bucket was nothing new.

    Exiting the room, closing the door behind her she felt a pang of regret. The man hadn't deserved to die, and although he had been a pain in her side with the obsessive amount of money he poured into the city guard as well as his paranoia about thieves in his walls, he had been a decent leader of the city. She refused to dwell on it though, pushing the thoughts back down as she had for so long. She set about picking the armored man, still sleeping, up and trying to prop him up. She wasn't weak, but it took all her strength to lift both man and armor up to a standing position. The armor helped him to keep him in a standing position, and she also placed his sword in his hands with the point on the ground, the hilt braced against his chest. Hopefully, the rest of the citizens of the castle would pass the man's stories about assassins in the night as a dream he had while guarding his aging patron.

    Smiling, she retraced her steps, making sure not to leave any evidence behind, then made her way out of the castle for hopefully the last time. Minutes later she was back down on the streets of the city, carefully making her way back to her hideout and to pack for her journey. Tomorrow's chores would be a short list. Collect her pay, buy a saddle for Morenth, and then leave this rotten city once and for all.





    It was two days later when Morenth finally came into sight of Pharus castle, the eerie ruins of what looked like had once been a beautiful castle. Morenth had tried to hold a conversation for a while, and for a while Idora had entertained her. But Idora lost patience within the first few hours of the journey and the rest was spent mostly in silence. The two mostly just enjoyed each other's company, not speaking but allowing their emotions to meld and feel as one.

    "There," Idora broke the silence and pointed. Although Morenth couldn't see where she was pointed, she got the meaning from their mental link. Strangely enough on one side of the castle the drawbridge was let down and the portcullis raised. "Let's be cautious here, yes?" The dragon agreed as they touched down a dozen feet from the drawbridge. Idora ungracefully dismounted, essentially falling out of the saddle and dropping to the ground. Immediately she froze, studying the ground. "There are others here, move carefully."

    How do you know? Morenth studied the same area of ground that she was but didn't understand.

    Idora shook her head, wondering how her dragon had inherited incredible wisdom from her kind, but not the common sense to see what was right in front of her. She was still inexperienced, so Idora pointed it out for her. "Look, the earth is churned up with large indentations, which look almost exactly similar to your tracks. We could be dealing with other dragons, or similar beasts. But over here...here...and here we have footprints. Four, perhaps five distinct tracks. Most with boots, one barefoot perhaps?" She studied the tracks a bit more, then shook her head. "In any case, there isn't anything we can do about it, just stay on edge for now. I trust you to protect us if need be."

    The dragon grunted a response and the two of them walked towards the castle over the drawbridge. Halfway across the bridge a mental blow hit Idora like a hammer, smashing through her defenses and completely surrounding her with pain. From a far away place she heard Morenth roar in anger, then her dragon's presence merged with her own mind, shielding her partly from the pain of the intrusion. After a few moments, or it could have been an eternity for all she could tell, her vision returned to her. She was lying curled in a ball surrounded by a world of teal. As her vision cleared and blinked away tears she hadn't realized she had been crying, she realized that Morenth had curled up around her, encircling her with her body and covering her with a feathered wing. After a few shaky breaths she steadied herself, wiped the tears from her face. She beat on Morenth's side grumbling, "Let me go you oversized lizard, I'm fine."

    Before Morenth could respond a voice filled with power boomed from within the castle, filling both their minds with just a single work, Come. The two looked at each other, then Morenth said somberly, It seems that we were expected, shall we meet our hosts? Idora just nodded, still slightly shaken by the intrusion of her mind. With that the two entered the dilapidated castle.

    Following the main hallway they came to what would be considered the main chamber, the banquet hall it seemed. Despite the state that the rest of the castle was in, the banquet chamber seemed to be in good condition. A giant chandelier dominated the space above the table, illuminating the room. Giant tapestries adorned the walls depicting legendary battles of long ago, and the table was set for a proper feast, piled high with foods of all kinds.

    But the most surprising aspect of the room was the other inhabitants. A total of ten other beings occupied the room, five dragons and five riders, the riders of varying races and the dragons of all colors. She felt Morenth hum in excitement beside him, although she was more wary of the others. Before she got a decent chance to study the others the same voice as before boomed in her head, So destiny would choose, so life has decided. That you would enter here as a rider reborn. State your name, brave soul and mighty dragon both.

    Glancing around at the other riders, she stated her name mentally to the voice. She wasn't about to hand her identity over to complete strangers. Idora Mhuire. she stated simply, stating nothing else about herself.

    Morenth took it upon herself to elaborate, not only broadcasting her thoughts to the peculiar voice but to the whole room. She is Idora Mhuire, daughter of Lord Dalien, Apprentice Watcher of the King. And I am Morenth, daughter of the forest, protector of the wild places and lifebringer. Idora briefly wondered where Morenth's other titles came from, whether she came up with them or if they were instinctual just like her knowing to come to this place. Regardless, she gave Morenth a dirty look, again, for not only revealing her name to the others in the room but also her lineage, the daughter of a traitor to the king.

    The voice came once again, apparently satisfied with the answer. Very well Idora Mhuire and Morenth, take your seat and await the rest of your kin. Idora was glad for the hood covering most of her face, and she made her way to the table, ignoring the glances from the rest of the dragons and riders. She chose a seat on the left side of the table, deliberately putting one chair of space between her and the next person at the table, a scantily dressed woman with white hair and a pure red dragon fitting nearly every stereotype of the species.

    Seating herself, Morenth taking a spot just behind her in an indentation in the floor, she took the opportunity to observe the rest of the riders and dragons. Glancing sideways from under her hood she got a better look at the woman she had sat nearest too. She was dressed like a nomad of the desert and Idora briefly wondered how the woman wasn't freezing. The location was warm enough, but wearing so little still seemed a bit absurd. Her dragon was imposing, intimidating in every way.

    Sitting next to her was an elf which fit every stereotype that Idora could think of pertaining to their kind. Her ears tapered off to pointed tips, and everything about her exuded grace and especially nobility. Well dressed and sitting all prim and proper, Idora wouldn't have been surprised if she belong to some sort of nobility. Then again, most elves radiated that sort of grace, but for her it seemed even more natural. Her golden bronze dragon seemed equally noble.

    The other side of the table seemed much less interesting, at least as far as uninteresting goes when you are speaking of dragon riders. Two of the inhabitants were men, both human. One had straighter hair with an intimidating look. He seemed older and more wary, and he reminded Idora of so many of the mercenaries she had worked with in the past. The other man was slightly younger, perhaps mid twenties. He was actually more interesting now that she got a good look at him. He seemed tense, his eyes constantly shifting. Idora pegged him immediately as a thief. She didn't notice any guild signs on his clothes, but she had seen enough thieves in the past to know one when she saw one.

    Their dragons were more interesting than the men at first glance. The first man's dragon was entirely white and covered in feathers rather than scales. She shouldn't have been so surprised, especially since her own dragon had feathered wings, but it seemed strange to see the dragon covered in the white sleek feathers. The other dragon was about as draconic as you could get. A deep grey, the dragon looked strong, powerful, and angry enough to tear apart an entire city. Of course appearances could be deceiving, but that was one beast Idora would be terrified to witness if she needed to fight it.

    Finally the last inhabitant of the table, an elven woman with a light blue hair color, the hair reaching down to her waist. Idora was not sure if the hair color was natural, or if there was some sort of dye, but it seemed strange nonetheless. She was wearing clothing that looked like it could be found farther north, although it seemed fine and well made, somehow looking both thin and warm at the same time. Her dragon was particularly interesting, color similar to her own dragons although slightly lighter. The dragon looked like it was built for the water, it's body looking sleek with fins running along the head and neck.

    Soon after assessing her apparent companions, the door opened once again. Apparently there were not the last ones to arrive, although she wondered just how many more were going to come.


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    New Faces

    Flynn Cooper

    At Zile's comment about his last 'kin', Flynn sent a glance his way. A moment or so later, he introduced himself as Zile. Flynn wasn't exactly sure what to make of him. He seemed… -sort of- thuggish, but at the same time, he clearly had his own standards and possibly even some type of code of honour. The important thing was, that he seemed like a fairly nice guy.

    Offering the man and the dragon now introduced as Alyra a smile, Flynn eased up a little, leaning his arms on the table. "It's… uh, a pleasure to meet you." He glanced across at the elf sitting on the opposite side of Zile, raising a hand slightly in greetings. "And you too! Sorry, I'm just.. a little overwhelmed. I've read so much about the riders, and the last few weeks have been a little… tumultuous, to say the least."

    Ferrus kept his head resting on his front legs, tail curled up along his side. Despite the fact that he stayed laying, he was still a fairly impressive size for his age. He didn't say anything, but the other dragons felt his acknowledgement of their introductions, along with a blink of his golden eye.

    "I… guess you're right, yeah." Flynn admitted, glancing at the food on the table. It'd been over a week since he'd had more than a barely cooked leg of a stag over a campfire. And the scent from the various dishes was almost enough to make his stomach growl. After looking longingly at the food for a few more moments, he overcame his wary instincts and quickly piled several lumps of pork, some bread and a bit of fruit onto his plate before shifting his chair closer to his table as he dug in, rather hungrily.

    "Mrgmh. Dif ifh… wheal goob. 'Oo dho yoh fhnk mhde eht?" he managed to blurb through the mouthful of food. He felt Ferrus hot breath against the back of his neck as the dragon let out a chuckle-like rumble, his voice entering Flynn's mind. "Good to see that you are still capable of unwinding."

    The young man felt his cheeks burn a little, but before he could respond, the doors opened again, causing him to turn. It was a bit of a rapid-fire entry, with only a few minutes between each new arrival. First came an elf in a slightly tattered dress. Flynn was partially through a bun when she introduced herself as the princess of the elves, causing Flynn to choke on the meal.

    After a firm smack on his back from Zile, Flynn gasped for air, having himself a large drink of water, swallowing down and whisper-hissing to Zile. "That's the- the –ACTUAL- princess of the elves?!" After studying her over his mug of water for another moment, Flynn diverted his eyes. "This is going to be… strange."

    Ferrus was more interested in the dragon, as you might expect. His head raised a little at the entry of the two, but soon lowered down again after a wide-mawed yawn. "Being a princess means little when you are a rider, first. Her priorities will determine what will happen in the future."

    Flynn gave a small nod as he went back to devouring a lump of pork, partially using a fork and partially his fingers to pull it off the bones. The doors opened again, and… well, Flynn wasn't sure what to call her. Prostitute? Gypsy? Maybe a mix of the two. She definitely had the complexion of someone travelling through the desert, or at least in the plains.

    The fact that she was the one introducing the dragon was interesting, to both Flynn and Ferrus. And considering everyone –else- were looking at the new arrival, Flynn didn't feel so bad for studying her.

    Flynn washed down his boar with another swig of water, quietly wishing it was something a bit more… tasting. But it was probably best to keep as clear a head for this as possible. The doors opened and a hooded woman, clothed in leathers entered, with –another- dragon with feathers. From Flynn's understanding of the stories of old, dragons came in the same general shape, but every one of them could have a little something special about them. Like the blue dragon's fins, for instance.

    The woman looked… shifty. Out of place. To anyone else, she might just seem unsure of where she were and what was going to happen, but Flynn noticed a certain… look in her eyes and in the way she was standing. It reminded him of some of his father's 'employees'. Picking up his mug again, he had himself another large sip as he watched the woman introduce herself… only for her dragon to –properly- introduce her.

    This made his eyes widen somewhat, keep the mug in place as if to give himself an excuse to get a slightly better look at her. This was –definitely- the same woman his father had been speaking of, the same one from certain wanted posters he'd seen. Having an assassin-turned-thief-turned-dragon rider was… worrying, to say the least. Not just for the fact that her skills in combat would be pretty scary, should she be here to attack them, but also for the fact that she might be able to point out who he was.

    "This is a… pretty broad group of people, isn't it…?" He murmured to Zile, as he kept leaning on the table, completely oblivious to the annoyed glances coming the princess across the table.

    Ferrus stirred behind Flynn. Glancing over his shoulder, the large dragon got up and slowly stepped around the table, tail swishing back and forth slowly, his eyes set on the two newcomers.
    "… Ferrus? What're you doing?" Flynn asked mentally"

    He received no answer as the dragon came to stop in front of the green, slightly smaller drake. Turning to Idora, he leaned his head in and took a deep sniff of the woman. For a moment, his golden eye rested on her, before performing the same sniff on Morenth. After another, quiet moment of his tail swishing back and forth, he emitted a small puff of smog through his nose, his voice rumbling out to those in the room. "Welcome, new riders and dragons."

    As if that was all they needed to know, he turned around again and slowly made his way over to lie down behind Flynn again. The confused boy kept staring at the dragon, half-draped over the back of his chair.

    "This will be… amusing." he murmured to Flynn, and he could feel the dragon's… well, amusement over the situation, though he couldn't figure out why he'd just done what he did. And from the glance Ferrus sent him, he wasn't going to get to know, either. At least not yet.

    With a helpless grunt, Flynn turned back to the table, leaning in to grab an apple, which he took a bite of before leaning back in his chair. Might as well make yourself comfortable while waiting for whoever had called them here, right?

    "So, uh. I figure there's a good amount of us who don't really want to start getting into where we're from and what we've been doing and all that. So why don't we agree to respect those who don't wish to delve into their background?" His eyes trailed from Zile on his left, around the table to finally end on Idora, sending them all a light, cheerful smile. "I just figure that… someone's called us here for –something-. Which might mean we have to be near each other for a little while yet."

    Everyone felt Ferrus' agreement with Flynn's statement as well as a low huff he emitted. That wasn't going to stop Ferrus from prying if he wanted to, though. "We are still missing a few, it seems." he commented, indicating the empty chairs with a flick of his tail. Flynn quietly wondered how much more diverse you could get than the son of a crime lord, an assassin, a gypsy and the literal heir to the elven throne.

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    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]
    Tamber & Pyra
    Curious Nature


    Tamber watched as the hooded woman made her presence known, followed by the younger looking of the two human males making some small talk, mostly seeming as if he did not want to delve too much information about himself to people he more or less only knew the names of. While a part of her could easily understand his caution in regards to that part of wanting to keep one's mystique, another part of Tamber felt that such desire only made the want to know more about those gathered in the room stronger. She remained quiet for a moment, taking the time to reach over and grab a piece of bread to nibble on.

    "Don't you think that's kind of a disappointing way to handle a gathering like this...?" Tamber mused, turning her focus to Flynn. A soft smile tugged at her lips as she leaned forward in her chair, her eyes staring intently into his own. "I can tell just from looking that everyone in here has to come from such a clearly unique background... I'd love to know more about what sort of places you all come from. Don't you think it would be fascinating...?"

    The gypsy took another bite of bread, savoring its light, fluffy texture in her mouth with delight before swallowing it slowly. She giggled softly in the direction of Flynn, following it up by giving the young man an alluring wink. This did not go unnoticed by her dragon. Pyra shifted ever so slightly in her place, glancing back and forth between the man and Tamber.

    "You're being a bit... forward, aren't you? Mayhaps you shouldn't be prying into their personal life... I mean, he did request it for a reason I'm sure..."

    "Don't worry about it, Pyra. I'm just having a little fun..."
     
    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]




    Idora made herself comfortable in her chair, at least as much comfort as the situation would allow. Despite the fact that they all seemed to be in the same situation there was a sense of tension in the air, an underlying sense of unease between them. It was to be expected she supposed, a half dozen complete strangers, accompanied by dragons, meeting for the very first time by what appeared to be brought about by power beyond their control. That being said, several of the table's guests seemed to be taking it better than the others. Both of the men, the humans, were already eating taking large bites of whatever was closest to them, and even the young looking elf with the aquatic looking dragon was eating as well. The gypsy or entertainer or whatever she was wasn't eating yet, but was eyeing the food nonetheless.

    She was about to reach for a piece of fruit when she froze as the dark grey dragon, the highly intimidating one, rose and and lumbered around the table, halting just before Morenth. The dragon swung it's head around and stopped just before Idora, the giant golden eye staring right at her, the smokey and wet breath on her face. One such breath blew the hood from her head, leaving her face bare. Despite hating it, she like the safety of her hood, she left it down in fear of what the dragon might do if provoked. Morenth… she called to her dragon cautiously.

    Just...just wait a moment. I don't think he means harm… The words weren't exactly comforting, Morenth didn't sound much more confident than she felt. After taking one particularly long sniff, the dragon raised his head again, then repeated the process with Morenth. Morenth even sniffed back a bit, returning the gesture of what Idora assumed to be a traditional dragon greeting. Or maybe not, who knew with these beasts.

    After a moment the dragon retreated saying, Welcome, new riders and dragons. And with that the dragon lumbered back to his place behind his rider. It was until the dragon had crossed to the other side of the table that Idora allowed herself to relax, and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. That was...interesting to say the least, and hopefully was not a process that would be repeated. She considered putting her hood back up, but decided to leave it down for now. Might as well try to gain their trust.

    After an awkward moment of silence the rider belonging to the ash gray dragon spoke up, "So, uh. I figure there's a good amount of us who don't really want to start getting into where we're from and what we've been doing and all that. So why don't we agree to respect those who don't wish to delve into their background?" His gaze ran across the entire table. Was it just her imagination? Or did his stare linger on her a hair longer than anyone else.... "I just figure that… someone's called us here for –something-. Which might mean we have to be near each other for a little while yet."

    The woman on the other side of the table, the gypsey responded, "Don't you think that's kind of a disappointing way to handle a gathering like this...?" She focused her gaze on the rogue as she spoke. "I can tell just from looking that everyone in here has to come from such a clearly unique background... I'd love to know more about what sort of places you all come from. Don't you think it would be fascinating...?"

    Idora spoke up, silently thanking Morenth for finding the right words. "Our pasts are irrelevant. Whoever we were before doesn't matter after all...this." She gestured to the dragons in general, then crossed her arms over her chest. "All this changed who we are, who we once were doesn't matter." Hopefully that would do for now. Some would share their past no doubt, but she didn't want to be forced to do that. If she spent a lot of time with the group, no doubt her past would come out, but she didn't trust any of them in the slightest yet.


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    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]



    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]



    Prologue: Subject Shifting​

    Zile grinned widely at Flynn's positive response, clapping the younger man on the shoulder he speaks.

    "Of course I'm right kid! You don't know me so I'll let it go... But I'm often the guy in the know about things like this. So go on, eat up." He casually ignored the muffled question that followed with a mouth full of food. Flynn seemed to have lightened up a bit, which was good for business progressing forward. Nerves and jittery behavior would make this all the more arduous a venture and introduction.

    Speaking of introductions, the next one made even Zile raise an eyebrow. Flynn almost choked on his food and Zile pat him harshly on the back as a result.

    "That's the- the –ACTUAL- princess of the elves?!"

    Zile frowned and interlaced his fingers, seemingly troubled by this new revelation. "Aye, I suppose it is." He spoke plainly. Her dress was damaged, but it was certainly that of Elven nobility judging by the make and refinements. He had seen many similar dresses at certain important events and political ego strokings. Elven coture had a simplistic yet refined sort of beauty. The elf made no further attempts at conversation, she possessed the familiar aura of judgment and arrogance that nobles wore... Zile turned up his nose despite himself as he looked away and Alyra lowered her head to his side slowly in response.

    "I know of your instinctual response but please, you mustn't be so quick to judge. Or at least be more subtle about it..."

    Zile grunted in gentle agreement before straightening himself, crunching a stick of celery in his mouth and downing another mouthful of wine. His table manners improved naught, despite the presence of royalty.

    Alyra cocked her head in a gentle sort of wonder at Khepri, whom seemed a little on the short side, before speaking up to quell the silence. She allowed all to hear but directed her thoughts to Khepri and Sol. "Welcome, new dragon of light and you too princess of elves. I am Alyra and this is Zile, it is our pleasure to meet you."

    The dancer entered next... Aye, he knew her for a dancer, his father had a penchant for women whom would spin around so elegantly, he knew them to wear even less still than this "Tamber"... But the similarities in design as far as clothing was concerned were undeniable in their relationship to the craft and caravans that followed suit with that line of work.

    She spoke for her dragon, odd, was the beast shy? Even shyer still than Alyra? Unlikely, it was probably just coincidence.

    He felt a slight sneer of annoyance flicker from Alyra to him after that thought.

    Just then Idora Mhuire and Morenth entered. He recognized her and her sires name, albeit very vaguely. Probably another noble house of Regalia. He had grown much gruffer over the past two years... So he hoped the woman would not recognize him for true name or title. She sat away from the group... Keeping to herself, until Ferrus stepped forth.

    Alyra watched Ferrus with great interest as he examined Idora, his breath knocking back her hood as the girl held ground. He then sniffed the dragon Morenth, whom had feathers just as she did, and she sniffed back. It made her wonder idly if that was a common thing for her kind to do... After all she had no way of knowing. As Ferrus passed her again she craned her neck towards him and sniffed, a coarse metallic scent ran over her... Laced with a remnant of soft, herbal tones which she assumed came from Morenth.

    She knew then that she could recognize them by scent almost as well as she could with Zile. An interesting and useful tidbit to learn.

    Zile finished his cup of wine and placed it aside. The warm concoction brewed in his gut, but one mug would hardly make him drunk. It merely took the edge off of things and allowed him relax further despite his initial worries.

    Flynn started to make small talk in his stead then... A position Zile was glad to give away for a moment or two. He spoke of pasts being kept locked away and while Zile could readily agree, he couldn't help but notice that the younger man's tact in making the statement was, well, non-existant.

    As if on queue, Tamber immediately questioned the iron Riders words and Zile mentally groaned. He wanted no part in this show and tell. Alyra remained silent, merely watching Ziles emotions carefully, ready to intervene should he over react, or respond to the wrong questions should they be asked.

    Thankfully, Miss Mhuire made good with a quick response to render his need for one moot. Their pasts were behind them, only their futures as Riders now mattered. It was strange to try and hold talk without proper introduction, but it was also necessary, he now realized, for himself and many others present.

    "You guys sure are getting into the nitty gritty without delay... We made our introductions right? If that's all the disembodied voice asked for then I think it'll do for now."

    He poured himself another mug.

    "Speaking of which... I for one am starting to wonder when the dragons are gonna stop pouring on in. I mean, the legends go on about the Riders going poof... Now suddenly we're practically turning legion... It'd be nice to get a bit of context soon. Though I expect it awaits us after our little family gathering is in full swing."

    He took a quick swig of the drink before holding the bottle out on offer.

    "Anybody wanna pour a glass? I cant be the only one who needs a drink."

    As her rider continued his charismatic rousing of conversation, Alyra kneaded the ground with her feet to get more comfortable, she eyed the doorway curiously after settling, wondering just what would walk through it next. Zile may have grown tired if waiting, but she was more than just a little interested in seeing further variations of her kind in the flesh.

    Prologue​
    Player objectives:
    - Arrive at Pharus Castle.
    - Receive a vision of the dining room.
    - Procced there and state your names upon being asked.
    - Sit at the table and feel free to converse with other Riders and Dragons.
     
    Lyra
    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]

    Which each new person-dragon-combination that walked through those doors, Lyra felt herself feeling more and more overwhelmed by the entirety of the situation. In only a matter of minutes, a princess, a mysterious-thief live figure, and a gypsy (something Lyra had only read about, and thought died off years ago) had wandered into the room. A room that she had just seen in a vision that hit her so strongly she nearly fell into a lake, before being instructed to go into said room by a disembodied voice that spoke through into her brain.

    Yes, this was…a lot to take in at once, and Lyra didn't much feel like helping herself to a heaping helping of ham (though she generally adores ham), which so much going on around her…and more to come, most likely. If they are the riders reborn, which sounds crazier than even her most imaginative day dreams, there were more of them…right? Still, with the boys closest to her piling food into their mouths like they haven't seen meat in weeks, it seems out of place for her not to reach for anything.
    After a moment, Lyra reaches for two rolls. She tosses one over her shoulder to Lorelai, who snatches it between her massive fangs and swallows it with ease. The sight causes the elven female to lighten up a bit: This is a pretty heavy situation, but not one she's being forced to sit through alone. Lorelai is here, and knowing Lorelai…if the situation gets too extreme, she'll smash a hole in the wall and they'll fly off together.

    Keeping that in mind, the elven girl's smile returns. She uses a knife to cut her remaining roll in two, and then spread a dab of butter on the bottom half. The man that came in after her…Flynn, Flynn was his name, he mumbled something along the lines of 'who do you think made this?'

    "I guess the man that spoke to us when we came in made it." Okay, that might be a long shot, they haven't so much as seen this man yet, and from the sound of his voice he's fairly old, and maybe not capable of making and carrying all these things to the table, but they've yet to see even a hint that someone else might be residing within these walls, so it's really the only logical thing to assume.

    There were so many of them now, people in all directions, and it seemed everyone had something to say. It was hard to keep up with, but due to their closeness, Zile's words came in loud and clear.

    I'm often the guy in the know about things like this.

    "Then I'm sticking close to you." She smiles a little brighter. This man has a confidence that makes her feel less weighed down with uncertainty, and while it might be because he was the first thing she saw upon arrival, she also felt an odd sense of security sitting beside him. It doesn't hurt his case that his dragon has feathers, as does the cloaked one's dragon (but she's yet to build up the nerve to speak to that particular pair), and in a less uncertain situation, Lyra would be nestling into those feathers.

    Feeling her rider's awe struck adoration for her feathery siblings, Lorelai releases a quiet puff of cold air against Lyra's shoulder. It might seem subtle to the others, but Lyra understood her loud and clear: Her darling partner is a little jealous that she's gazing so fondly at their new companions. Reaching over her rider's shoulder, the icy dragon reaches for the ham, which she snaps once again into her jaw. As she begins to retreat with her catch, she locks eyes with the fiery dragon in front of her.

    Would you like to split this, dragon of fire?


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    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]
    Princess Sol Laetanas​
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    Pharus Castle​
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    A few moments after Sol had sat down, the dragon who had attracted Khepri's attention and whose rider Sol had pleasantly labeled as "smelling unhygienically strange" spoke up.

    "Welcome, new dragon of light and you too princess of elves. I am Alyra and this is Zile, it is our pleasure to meet you."

    "The pleasure is all ours, madam Alyra." Khepri replied, bowing his head slightly in respect. He waited a few seconds in silence before gently flicking Sol's chair with his tail.

    Sol cleared her throat. "I- Thank you, we are extremely honored to be in your presence, your ma- ahem, miss Alyra." she droned, forcing a smile. "The feeling extends to all of you fellow guests. It truly is a pleasure to meet you all." The little 'speech' she gave was clearly practiced beforehand, and had obviously been repeated numerous times at whatever other gatherings she had attended - it was fairly standard really. Sol let out a mental sigh as she forced herself to keep the fake smile and took an apple from a dessert tray in front of her.

    Khepri expected the young Mistress to have put more effort in her welcome speech. Please spare them the words you reserve for those snooty nobles of your council. Khepri sneered, the thought obviously being directed to Sol. The latter bowed her head in shame as she took a weak bite from the apple.

    I'm sorry. This has all just... Oh for crying out loud. Sol thought to herself, burying her face in her hands as she noticed the next entrant. What sort of castle has Khepri brought me to?

    "Oh my. These two seem to have quite the fashion sense." Khepri chuckled as the scantily clad rider and her rider introduced themselves as Tamber and Pyra.

    "This is not funny, Khepri. What sort of brothel is this castle?" Sol hissed at him. At the very least, she felt safer on her part of table - nobody else was sitting on her side. That was, until the woman decided to take a seat right next to her. Sol watched stiffly and silently, trying to repress whatever urges she had to scream as the woman winked slyly at her and grabbed a piece of bread (and kept her elbows on the table). Sol immediately considered switching seats, and looked up pleadingly at Khepri - whose smiling mouth couldn't have been more fitting for the situation.

    "Do not judge a person by mere appearance, young mistress. We are not here as nobles, farmers or rogues; we are all gathered here as riders and dragons." he reminded her, whispering.

    Barely a few moments after the... underdressed woman took a seat, the door opened, another figure entered the room which Sol mistook for Cyril at first due to the rider wearing similar clothes. As she noticed the dragon however, she realized it wasn't him. She suddenly remembered that her two bodyguards and their rides were still waiting for them outside. What if they had tried to attack the other riders? What if the riders had attacked them, thinking they were enemies? Sol clenched her fists, attempting her best to eliminate these thoughts from her mind - she was in public after all.

    "Worry not, dear mistress. Khepri can feel master Cyril's light - he is safe." Khepri reassured her.

    Sol sighed. The two introduced themselves as Idora and Morenth, with Morenth being a nature dragon, which had gotten her attention. Sol couldn't see the rider's face very well due to the hood covering it, but a nature dragon and their rider would surely be the most virtuous among them - finally someone she could at least talk to properly. She frowned a little disappointedly as the pair decided to sit further away from her and Tamber. Oh god, I can feel myself starting to memorize their names already... Sol winced as Khepri looked on in amusement.

    "Something the young mistress is commendably talented at doing, might I say." Khepri complimented.

    Suddenly, the large, imposing dragon who seemed to be accompanying the young man sitting beside Zile, spoke up. "Welcome, new riders and dragons." he greeted. Sol wondered for a moment if he was their leader - his tone seemed quite assertive. As she pondered over this possibility, she suddenly noticed that a strange feeling was emanating from Khepri. The golden dragon was squinting strangely at the large, grey one...

    "Khepri, is anything wrong? Are you...?" Sol began, looking up at him in confusion.

    "Khepri dislikes this dragon's tone." the golden dragon muttered, his eyes glinting for a second.

    A few moments later, the grey dragon's rider spoke up. "So, uh. I figure there's a good amount of us who don't really want to start getting into where we're from and what we've been doing and all that. So why don't we agree to respect those who don't wish to delve into their background?"

    Tamber seemed slightly disappointed by that last sentence. "Don't you think that's kind of a disappointing way to handle a gathering like this...? I can tell just from looking that everyone in here has to come from such a clearly unique background... I'd love to know more about what sort of places you all come from. Don't you think it would be fascinating...?"

    "Our pasts are irrelevant. Whoever we were before doesn't matter after all...this." Idora - Sol was surprised she could remember the name - replied as she gestured to the dragons. All this changed who we are, who we once were doesn't matter."

    "You guys sure are getting into the nitty gritty without delay... We made our introductions right? If that's all the disembodied voice asked for then I think it'll do for now." Zile said as he drank from a bottle and poured himself a glass of... of...

    "Khepri, what is that liquid?" Sol whispered. "And why does it smell repentantly similar to the man drinking it?"

    "That, young mistress, is wine. Alcohol is a disgusting drink for us dragons anyway, albeit useful. Khepri would not advise you to drink it." Khepri replied.

    Following his advice, Sol politely shook her head at Zile's offer. "Sorry, I do not drink. As for your question... Is there any way we may contact the being who directed us here? No proper gathering can occur without meeting the host." she said, setting her half-eaten apple down.
    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]
     
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    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]
    Tamber & Pyra
    Social Experiment?


    Pyra glanced over in the direction of Lorelai, the faint appearance of what looked to be a smile forming across her snout. With a soft nod, the fire dragon accepted the offer to share some of the meat that the ice dragon had taken it upon herself to split with her. "Thank you... I appreciate the offer."

    Tamber smiled at the sight of her dragon, clearly pleased that she was managing to get along with one of the others that were present in the room. A part of the gypsy was worried that Pyra's rather quiet and backwards nature might have caused her to keep away from all of the others that had gathered in the room. Turning her attention back to the table, she watched as Zile offered the others some wine. Of course, the properly dressed elven girl turned the drink down. Tamber had to admit that she really was not too surprised about that. She had not been in the room that long, but the white-haired woman had a feeling that Sol had an air of self-imposed importance that she used to place herself above all the others gathered in the room. Perhaps it was the way that she was dressed. Maybe it had something to do with the way she kept whispering towards her dragon. Regardless, Tamber could tell that she was going to have fun around this one.

    Gladly accepting Zile's offer for a drink, Tamber took the bottle of wine and filled one of the glasses located on the table delicately. After placing the glass down on the table, the gypsy took a slow drink from the wine glass, licking her lips. Glancing over at Sol, she watched as the elven girl questioned about meeting the being who summoned them all here. Placing her glass down on the table, Tamber leaned forward and propped her elbows up on the table. Coming to rest her chin on her now folded hands, a smirk formed on the dark-skinned woman's lips.

    "Perhaps he's only going to do so once all have been gathered here?" Tamber mused. "Of course, that does mean we might have to wait a big longer... How dare those stragglers keep us waiting like this, am I right? Or perhaps it's the fault of the one who called us? He should be willing to repeat himself several times, in the event that others don't show up for a while longer."

    The meat that Pyra had been gnawing on almost fell out of her mouth as the red dragon stared at Tamber in disbelief. Tamber... W-What are you doing?"

    "Don't worry, Pyra... I'm merely... checking something, that's all..."

    Pyra did not seem to be too convinced on whatever it was that Tamber was checking. She had seen the gypsy do this sort of thing before. However, there were differences from the previous occurrences of the young woman's more harsh tongue. Generally, it was never done to people she may very well be spending an extended amount of time with. Returning her focus to the meat being shared with the ice dragon, Pyra could only hope that Tamber did not cross a line too far.
     
    Xander and Xaraho

    The dragon's mighty wings flapped, throwing around strong gusts of wind with each beat. Xaraho's body was less than comfortable, the dragon's body and hide both being mostly bone. A slender black head turned towards the dwarf on the creature's back as the crimson eye flashed open.

    "We're nearly there now, are you not curious? You know there are many things I could tell you to prepare for this occasion. Many secrets to share, knowledge to transfer, a lifetime of experiences..."

    "That you've yet to fully grasp, right?" Xander interjected.

    Xaraho's upper lip lifted, revealing a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. The dragon let out a deep sigh as it turned its head back towards the direction of the castle. "There's more already there. It seems we're late to the party."

    "I see." The dwarf lowered his head against the dragon's back, squinting his eyes at another mass on over in the other direction. "I suppose it's my fault, taking the time to say my farewells at the tavern and pay my respects to my brother."

    The dragon exhaled deeply once more. "It is a shame that your kind cannot be reborn like mine. Though if you could, I suppose that would put you in a certain ring similar to my own - no longer a mortal, no longer restrained by the laws and rules of mortality."

    "I prefer it this way. I'd rather have one set of special memories, one life to live and remember rather than a multitude. I can't imagine the pain such a thing would bring. Losing a brother and father has been hard enough on me, I doubt I could bear the weight of something similar a dozen times over."

    "I don't believe it'd be so bad my friend. Perhaps you would be so lucky as to be afflicted like me, unable to remember any death save but for your own." The dragon chuckled lightly as it flew down towards the ground - their destination nearly within reach.

    Two elves were pacing around the entrance, seemingly on edge. The dragon landed some ways off, startling them though not causing them to raise alarm quite yet. Xander leapt from the beast's back and waved at the two with a wide grin across his face.

    "How do you do my friends? Why are you waiting around? Are we not supposed to meet inside?"

    The two elves looked at each other, and then back to the short man.

    "Only dragons and their riders apparently. We are simply her majesty's guard."

    "Her majesty?" The dwarf cocked his head, slightly interested. "So then, there's some royalty in this old place?"

    The two nodded as the dwarf and dragon quickly entered the building. Their eyes followed the dragon as fumes of darkness blew from its nostrils. The beast turned its head back to look at them, its red eyes piercing their souls as it exhaled deeply.

    As Xander came in to the entrance room, his mind was attacked with visions of the past. Commoners, royalty and knights alike roamed the halls. His head ached a pain worse than any hangover. He slammed the palm of his hand against his temple several times in an attempt to ease the pain. Xaraho opened its maw wide, sharp teeth ripping into the air around him at an invisible enemy before falling over and letting out a gross screech.

    "Xaraho! Are you alright?" The dwarf placed his hands on the dragon's chest and head, using all of his strength to hold down and calm the beast.

    The dragon's eye darted wildly about before finally resting on its rider. "Xander." The beast rose slowly, its body shaking as it did. "I think I remembered something, but now it's gone. There were spears, swords and axes. Ropes had been thrown across my body and some regal appearing dwarf approached me. His hand was covered with a black glove and then... I'm not sure."

    "I believe we both shared some memories just then. I saw a city bustling with people of all walks. I believe t'was a memory I should not have had."

    "So destiny would choose, so life has decided. That you would enter here as a rider reborn. State your name, brave soul and mighty dragon both."

    Dragon and rider's conversation had been interrupted by a strangely familiar voice. They looked across the room, searching for whatever may have made the sound but finding nothing.

    "I am Xander, and my friend is the dragon of darkness and deception; Xaraho. What are we doing here? Why have you called for us? Are you, the one who called for us?"

    The voice did not respond for several seconds, seeming almost as if it had completely ignored the dwarf.

    "Be seated, Xander and Xaraho. Await your kin."

    "But what of my questions," Xander called out, once more receiving no reply.

    The dwarf looked to his companion before shrugging and making his way towards the hall. As he came closer to the room he began to hear the many voices of those gathered and arrived before them. There were many different dragons and different races in attendance, but what caught the duo's attention the most would have admittedly been the elf with the golden scaled companion.

    Though they didn't approach them directly, the two seated themselves within earshot and eye glance of their items of interest - completely disregarding the going ons between the others in attendance.
     
    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]


    Name: Maxwell Tybalt || Age: 14 || Rider Race: Human || Gender: Male

    Patient Scales

    "Easy girl, there's a lot there, no need to get excited." Zane reached for the reigns, in an attempt to calm the unrested mare that was carrying his younger brother. It was slightly concerning to him that the boy hadn't so much as flinched in response to the horses' sudden movements. Of course he understood that being told, by a dragon that abandoned you, to go to a castle renowned for being cursed you wasn't exactly the easiest situation to take in, but he felt disheartened seeing his brother like this nonetheless. "Max, you okay? Just a week ago you'dve pissed yourself if bessy were to even flick her mane."
    "Fine." The boy responded flatly. He'd had his eyes on the sky for a while now, but no signs of Taragon. They'd watched several riders and dragons pass by in the time they'd been waiting for their escort, and Max was still curious. If Taragon didn't show, he'd be going alone. The trio of Maxwell, Zane and Matthew had put much thought and discussion into how they'd approach the situation if they were to be without the dragon, but it seemed as if each new entrant brought a fresh reason as to why it might be a regrettable idea. The first seemed to have a crippling headache before being catered to by his dragon. The girl that followed came with two escorts, both of whom seemed to have been left behind, with only the girl and the dragon entering. Both she and the next girl seemed to be afflicted by the same headache that the first guy had come down with, only to be nursed back to health by their dragons. Needless to say, they were left with no choice but to wait for Taragon.

    It wasn't long, before Max began to grow unrest. They'd been sitting there for a while and the wait was agonising. He clutched the reigns, and kicked the horses' rear, causing her to bolt in the direction of pharus. He could hear his two companions calling out for him to stop, in the background, but he had no intention of heeding their call. He stopped her at the gate. He was now face to face with the castle he'd heard so much about from his brother, Matthew and of course Taragon. The former of whom weren't too far behind the young rider.

    "You shouldn't be entering this site, it's reserved for a special group of people." One of the two elven guards stepped forward, hand on sword, the man certainly didn't seem too keen on inviting the trio into the castle.

    "We're actually gonna do this?" Matthew replied, clutching onto the hilt of his own sword.

    "No. I have a dragon, he's just not here yet. There's no need for any fighting. I'm sorry for getting ahead of myself, we'll wait." Max interrupted with a small smirk glancing across his face. Shortly after he spoke, a large reptile gracefully swooped down, skidding slightly as he hit the floor. The large beast looked down at the beings beneath him. Ignoring those he saw no relevance in, he averted his gaze to Maxwell who was stood in awe at how big the baby he'd only recently hatched from an egg had become.

    "Y-you've g-grown so huge…" The boy bumbled awkwardly.

    "…and you…haven't."

    "I uh….I guess not." Max sighed. He had no idea what to expect from the returning dragon, but he certainly wasn't expecting to be treated with such disrespect.

    "Go ahead and dismiss these fools, we have things to do."

    "You guys should probably get back to Belle and Layla." The young lord wasn't used to being told what to do by those that weren't family, but somehow, part of him did consider Taragon family. He had hatched him from his egg, and though he was now unrecognisable from the hatchling he'd held in his arms only a handful of days ago, he still felt the same connection as when he'd found the corrosive purple egg in the Seryll ruins.

    "You'd better not get yourself killed in this mess." Zane's sentiment was abjectively disregarded by the rider, who was now shooing the two knights away. It was only once those two had gone, that Max began to realise just what he was about to do. He could finally feel his own nerves overwhelming him. The old castle seemed more like an artefact than it did a working space inhabited by people. In terms of grandeur, it dwarfed many of the larger castles and even structures in Valmere; if there was any doubt as to how a fully grown dragon would fit into a castle, this answered it.

    "Wait!" One of the elven guards blurted out, stopping Max and Taragon, who were about to continue onto the bridge. "Lady Sol, the scantily clad woman, the hooded person and the dwarf with the black dragon were all hit with heavy headaches when they got near to the door. You and your dragon should touch foreheads to stop it." Max wasn't sure what this information had to do with him, but he was assuming the strange man was insinuating he too would be afflicted by this serial headache. If so, how would he counter it? Maybe he and Taragon could walk in touching foreheads…though he doubted the dragon would be fond of the idea. With a sigh, he nodded and approached the door. Just like the elf had warned, a searing pain shot through his head and caused him to fall to his knees. He wasn't sure exactly what he was seeing, the pain was far too distracting for him to truly understand the message he was supposed to be receiving. All he could see for sure was dragons; lots of them.

    "Arent you going to help him?" The first of the two elves stepped forward. He wasn't impressed by Taragon's lack of action in response to Max's situation, but the dragon hardly seem to care for the intervention.

    "Fool. If every individual who passed through here experienced it, then it's clearly necess…Gyaaaahhh!" Taragon began before being hit with a sharp pain similar to what Max was suffering. Following his own affliction, the dragon was quick to make contact with his rider, which immediately soothed the pain. "What…is this place?" Taragon groaned, thankful to be rid of the draining pain that was plaguing his head.

    "Come."

    A strange voice demanded. It caused the teen, who had already made contact with the door, to consider his next action.

    "Please. We wanted to ask this to some of the others…but, please no matter what happens, protect Lady Sol." The elf's concern seemed deeper than just that of an average paid guard. Max saw that as a good sign. This lady Sol must've been worth protecting. He nodded, before continuing on his way.

    ***​

    "Do you even know this lady Sol? I don't see her in your memory."

    "Don't need to. Those people seemed nice, so if they want to protect her…"Max responded after giving it a moment's thought. He still wasn't used to this 'communication through thought' but he also felt strange verbally responding to Taragon when the dragon didn't speak himself.

    "You didn't seem so sure. If this…'lady' does need protecting, and has the means to gain the admiration of those who can protect her, then she could be someone you could use to your own advantage."

    While Maxwell had heard the beginning of Taragon's suggestion, the end had been lost on him, as the sight of where they were supposed to be was much more interesting. Chandelier, walls with illustrations of dragons, a table decorated with a feast, some…interesting looking people and of course the most eye catching of everything in the room; more dragons! He eagerly went to introduce himself before being halted by the same voice as before.

    "You there. So destiny would choose, so life has decided. That you would enter here as a rider reborn. State your name, brave soul and mighty dragon both."

    Max took a second to think, as though he'd forgotten his own name. Was he to use his real name to introduce himself to a stranger? Matthew had been lecturing him on the risks of becoming too friendly too quickly with strangers. He'd said it was completely possible he'd be the only one there his age. He didn't seem to be wrong. The way things had gone so far though, lying seemed more dangerous than telling the truth, it was they who reached out to him after all.

    "I am Lord Maxwell of house Tybalt." He bowed to no one in particular. "The third…" He paused for a second. "…second child of Lord Frederick and Lady Evelyn Tybalt of Valmere." He gestured towards Taragon, for the dragon to introduce himself, but he seemed preoccupied. He was flashing rather unwelcoming glances to each dragon and rider respectively. Making friends wouldn't be easy like this. "And this is Taragon, the-" He continued before being cut off.

    "I…" The dragon's gaze shot to Max at the mention of the name. Who did he think he was? To give him a name? While he was disgusted at the idea, he didn't exactly have anything to call himself. He hadn't considered it. "Taragon. Emperor of poison and toxicity."

    "Be seated, Maxwell and Taragon... And await your kin."

    With all that, it seemed that this introductory saga was over. His instinct at the mention of "kin" was to glance back at the door. He'd left his brother and sister behind to come here, and that was just a reminder. He'd have to get to know his new "kin" and here they were. He immediately noticed the dwarf with the dark dragon. He'd made a mental not to list off all the names mentioned by the two guards outside. After all, he'd never seen an elf or a dwarf in person before, and was too caught up in the moment to mention that to the two outside. He saw the scantily woman. He wasn't actually sure what scantily meant, he assumed it had something to do with all the jewellery she had on. Maybe her skin tone? Thankfully there was only one person with a hood, so they were easily identifiable. With the majority of the list eliminated, he could work out that Lady Sol was either the blue haired elf with the water dragon or the flowery one with the gold dragon. Well…gold and flowery seemed more likely. That left three. The one that he'd seen go in first, and the two he hadn't seen go in at all. The large man with the feathery dragon, the girl with the water dragon and the curly haired guy with the grey dragon.
    "Hi-gyuh!" He begun, as he approached the group seated at the table. As he began to do so however, he was promptly yanked by his cape, and dropped, rather callously next to the wall behind the door.

    "We don't know these people, we're not going to approach them yet."

    Taragon had a point, but still…they were going to have to interact with these people. "I wont exactly do them any favours poisoning the food." Max groaned in thought. As he tried to leave, the dragon slammed his large tail on the ground in front of the boy.

     


    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]
    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]

    Gamvar Ironfist
    &
    Grom-Duraz
    in


    Making an Entrance    ​
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    The sky was gray, and rain poured down from the overburdened clouds above. Most would take this as a sign to move indoors, however, a dwarf and a dragon had not.

    "GROM, DID YE REALLY HAVE TA FLY US THROUGH THE BLOODY RAINSTORM?" Gamvar shouted over the sound of the rain, in his usual fashion.

    Grom's deep, rumbling voice sounded in his mind. 'You do realize that I can hear your thoughts, dwarf, so you need not waste your breath.'

    "Aye, but I much prefer ta talk with me words. After all, what's a dwarf got a voice for if not to speak?"

    'Very well. It appears that we have almost passed the storm, and are approaching Castle Pharus.'

    Gamvar nodded, though his companion would not see him do so. It had been Grom's idea to come to the castle, which was an odd request, seeing as it had been abandoned for centuries. However, the dwarf knew dragons were instinctual creatures, and their perception often went beyond the scope of mere mortals. If Grom thought there would be something at Castle Pharus, Gamvar was sure as stone there would be.

    The rain suddenly stopped, as the pair flew out from under the dark clouds. Sunlight illuminated the Nobillian landscape once again, and a large structure in the distance began to grow larger. The stone walls of the castle were soon in view, bringing the pair of travelers closer to their destination.

    Landing in front of the open portcullis with a loud thud, Gamvar dismounted, and began to survey the surrroundings along with Grom.

    'I sense something. Something is different. ' The dragon's voice rumbled warily.

    "Well, out with it! We ma-....."

    The dwarf's retort was cut off, as a strange vision flashed before the mind's eye of both dragon and rider. A vision of Pharus castle, bustling with life. Images and scenery flew past, of knights and servants, decorated halls and tapestries, and... dragons. A voice spoke, like out of a dream:

    "Come."

    Then, as suddenly as it had come, the vision disappeared. Gamvar stumbled forward, before turning to face his companion.

    "Did... Did ye see that as well?"

    Grom-Duraz remained motionless. 'Yes. It something wanted to impart a memory of the past. '

    Gamvar, having regained his composure, picked himself up. "Well then, how about we go and take a closer look inside? Vision or not, I fear nae man nor spirit here, and I'd hope a mighty dragon wouldn't either.

    Grom snorted, showering the dwarf in pebbles and dust, and stomped through the portcullis and into the castle. Gamvar followed close behind.

    The interior castle was just as abandoned as the outside. However, upon entering the room that had been the dining hall, the pair of newcomers were taken aback. Like it had been in the vision, the room was fancily furnished, had tables piled with freshly-cooked food, and was lit by a golden chandelier hanging form above.

    The one thing that was lacking, however, was the bustling activity they had 'seen'. The only inhabitants of the hall were a group of dragons and a mix of humans, dwarves, and elves. Grom's pulse quickened as he saw there were indeed beings of his kind. Gamvar, on the other hand, seemed to be focused on a particularly tender-looking cut of meat sitting on the the table. Before either of them could react, however...

    "You there."

    The same voice from the vision earlier spoke again.

    "So destiny would choose, so life has decided. That you would enter here as a rider reborn. State your name, brave soul and mighty dragon both."

    Without hesitation, the dwarf responded loudly.

    "I be Gamvar Ironfist, son of Rongar Ironfist, best blacksmith livin' in this realm."

    The dragon, wariness overcome by curiosity, responded as well.

    'I am Grom-Duraz, Dragon of the mighty earth and unshakable strength.'

    "Be seated, Gamvar and Grom-Duraz... And await your kin."

    "Don't mind if I do!" The dwarf laughed heartily, and headed over to the table, grabbing the plate with his slab of meat on the way around. There were already quite a few people present, so after a quick search Gamvar plopped down into a seat in between a fellow kinsman and and an arrogant looking elf, across from a timid-looking human. "So lads, what brings ye to the castle?" he asked, ignoring the elf on his left, and digging in to his meal.

    Meanwhile, Grom-Duraz had followed, but his attention was on the other dragons.

    'Well met, friends. Who has brought us to this place?'

    It seemed they would find out soon.

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    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]




    Idora carefully eyed the food on the table. She had soon lost interest in the idle chit chat of the other riders at the table and turned her attention to more pressing issues, her nearly empty belly for example. There was a wide array of food from seemingly all three of the mortal races of the land. Rich meats, stews, and other human foods, tougher steaks that were popular among the dwarves, as well as the more leafy foods that the elves primarily ate. She took for herself some dried meat, beef if she tasted correctly, and allowed herself to simply empty her mind and let the conversation of the table wash over her. She had long since perfected the art of listening without hearing.

    Nonetheless, that didn't make the discussion any better. She poured herself a cup of dwarven ale and thought to herself, Gods, now I remember why I hate people. She had kept to herself for the most part in the last few years, and while the isolation had certainly been lonely, it was better than having to put up with the ignorant slack jaws who ran their mouths, saying many words without any meaning whatsoever.

    Patience Idora, Morenth chided. I know you dislike people, but it won't do any harm to bear with them for now. Besides, after we learn why we came here, we can just leave if that would make you feel any better. Morenth exhaled sharply, And you need to stop drinking that.

    Idora stared at the mug of ale in her hand, No, I think I'll keep it. She took another small drink from the mug, the alcohol slowly starting to dull the aching headache she had gotten from the strange vision on the bridge. Besides, I'm not that much of a lightweight.

    No, Morenth responded, but something important here is happening, and you cannot allow your judgement to be clouded at a time like this. Drink water, or if you must, something less strong than that dwarven piss water.

    Despite herself, Idora smiled slightly at her dragon's remark, remembering the time that she herself had called the drink by that name. Fine, I'll find some water I suppose.

    Morenth transmitted a satisfied feeling through their link. Good, thank you. Now pay attention, think of it like one of your missions, try to discover as much as you can about these people. Make a game of it, anything to keep you interested and less likely to cut their heads off if you get in a foul mood.

    She was slightly irritated at the dragon's remark, but in a way still grateful for it. Morenth was her balance in life, keeping her from plunging into the darkness of the underworld, and she loved her dragon for that. Tuning back into the discussion, she heard the gypsy speaking up once again. "Perhaps he's only going to do so once all have been gathered here? Of course, that does mean we might have to wait a bit longer... How dare those stragglers keep us waiting like this, am I right? Or perhaps it's the fault of the one who called us? He should be willing to repeat himself several times, in the event that others don't show up for a while longer."

    Idora almost groaned, and wished she had not pushed her ale away. "Please, no need to be rude," she directed at the gypsy. "I'm sure some of us have been waiting longer than others and are eager to find out exactly why we are here." Then she looked to the regal looking elf, "That being said, I'm sure our host, whoever they are, will address us as soon as they deem it appropriate. We will just have to be patient."

    Idora!, Morenth exclaimed, but both her and whatever comment the gypsy would have made were cut off by another dragon and rider entering the room. In fact, three pairs of riders and dragons all entered the room just within moments of each other. First a dwarf with a dragon introduced as the dragon and deception. Idora wondered for a moment what had happened for her not to receive that dragon instead of the dragon of healing, but she pushed the thought away, she was plenty thankful for Morenth. After them came another pair, a young boy, no older than fourteen or fifteen, accompanied by a particularly grumpy seeming dragon, tinged with purple and with large spines running down his spine.

    That pair was particularly interesting. The young boy walked over to the table, and even before he had sat down the dragon grabbed the boy by the collar in his jaws and swung the boy setting him gently down on the ground closer to the corner. The dragon promptly sat down, swinging his tail in front of the boy before he could move. That dragon looks like a bit of trouble…, Morenth mused with a tinge of humor in her voice.

    Then the doors opened once more, revealing a completely drenched dwarf and a stout but seemingly heavily armored dragon colored in earth tones. Idora wondered how they had gotten so wet. It had been a bit cloudy on the way here, but not threatening rain. Unless they happened to fly through a thundercloud, which was a mistake that Idora and Morenth had only made once. Idora memorized each name as they announced them to the room, Xander and Xaraho for the first dwarf, Maxwell Tybalt and Taragon for the young boy and grumpy dragon, and Gamvar Ironfist and Grom-Duraz for the other dwarf and equally stocky dragon. The dwarves she had never heard of before, as she had rarely had any dealings with dwarves or anywhere in the dwarven kingdom, but the Tybalt youth was familiar. She didn't know him personally, but she was aware of his family, Lord of the town Valmere. Idora briefly considered his risk of knowing who she might be, but dismissed it quickly. The boy would be a typical pampered son of a noble, naive and trusting. That being said, she could try to win him to her side to trust her, as he could potentially become the true Lord of Valmere himself...it was a thought worth considering she decided.

    And after that trio the doors remained silent once again. Yet still no host appeared after a minute or two, so she settled back to wait for whoever else still had to arrive.

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    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]



    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]



    Prologue: The Old Rider​

    "Then I'm sticking close to you."

    Lyra spoke softly and with a gentle note in her voice, even when speaking in other tones he could sense that underlying factor and he liked. He enjoyed the company of calmer and more collected people, they balanced him out. Alyra did it in the way she kept a level head, he felt like Lyra was the type of person whom could provide him something similar. Though, this was his base assumption, a first impression and nothing more.

    From that however, he liked her... And he felt a wave of approval from Alyra as well.

    Someone he didn't like however, was Sol. He recognized that practiced response. The posture, the movements, the forced smile. Ugh... She reminded him of his mother. He had always despised his mother.

    "I will agree that her pretense is rather falsified, based on your memories... But her companion seems rather pleasant!" Alyra was pleasantly optimistic as she engaged in a private conversation with her rider.

    "We will see, I can't read falseness in dragons yet."
    "And if you never can, Dear one?"
    "Then I'm sure you will... And through you I shall understand."

    She let out a gentle hum and nuzzled him softly in response to his confidence in her, much to his begrudgment, before he gently pushed her away.

    The conversation continued a little more, though Zile deigned to stay out of it, as the dark dragon Xaraho and his Dwarven rider Xander entered. Zile had begun to wonder if dwarves could really be Riders at that rate. It comforted him to see some living proof of equality.

    Zile took another swig of his drink when Alyra nudged him uncomfortably and gestured to yet another new arrival.

    "Tyron..."

    The purple dragon of poison was using another method of noble control, much to Ziles surprise, upon his own rider. He gripped him with fierce claws, held him against the wall and finally slammed his tail before the boy to Bloch his passage. It was a method of intimidation and fearful obedience, a boisterous show of power.

    Zile grit his teeth. The Rider was a young boy... And if the dragons truly chose their Riders as Alyra had implied... Then did that mean...?

    Another dwarf burst into the room, with his sticky dragon of earth and stone. Gamvar and Grom, clearly the stocky Dwarf had a good apprectiation of food and drink... Which Zile found very appealing.

    However this was not the time for merriment and socialization. Not when there was clearly someone bigging themselves up against a small child.

    "What will you do, Dear one?"
    "Use this to my advantage."
    "Do be careful..."
    "Always."

    Zile slammed his mug down on the table.

    He rose from his chair and shrugged his arms to shake the stiffness away before rubbing his neck and approaching the purple Goliath before him. Alyra cautiously traipsed behind him, waiting to protect him if things went wrong.

    "Hey Gecko." He didn't speak with a sharp tone, but more one of confidence and a relaxed sort of contemplation. Exuding a sense that he was in no danger at all.

    This was his response to nobles who tried to edge forward with intimidation. Direct and calm confrontation. Even if he didn't exactly threaten or force his opponent to back down... He made it clear that he wasn't about to take tripe from anyone. In the space of this dragons behavior, he was certain that it would also paint him to be in a position of authority and confidence. He didn't mind it when people looked up to and followed his character, he didn't relish in it but it was better than people ignoring your words entirely.

    "You know you're Riders like... Less than half my age probably right? I mean you've got his memories right?" He scratched his nose and sighed.

    "So you're picking on a kid. The kid who's supposed to be your partner? Or do you just not understand how this works?" He laughed sarcastically. "I mean it makes sense you'd **** it up in your head right? I'm guessing you're young, I'm guessing all the dragons are. It makes sense, us all being here and looking so confused."

    He shakes his head and grabs his mug from the table, taking another swig as he walks a little closer.

    "Though... You're the only one immature enough to show it."

    "Tyron enough..."

    He smirks a little before downing the last of his mug and going back to his seat.

    "No offense really, Gecko. But you've not made the best first impressions. You'd think you'd have a little more tact."

    *_"Perhaps so... But you're all a little on edge, no?"_*

    Before any more could be said... The mysterious clacking of a nobles boots came resounding from the other side if the Hall. All fell silent in an unspoken vow, none could truly understand why, but the sound seemed to command attention and respect.

    From behind a curtained arch on the side if the dining hall came an old human man. He looked to be in his mid sixties. Two identical scars across his eyes and a velvet nobles tunic accompanied by plain and multipurpose black leather hunting pants. Golden gauntlets and shining greives adorned his hands and legs, the loud steps emanating from the latter as well as a black cane in the man's left hand, mounted upin the top of said, was a silver dragons head with gleaming garnet eyes.

    [PokeCommunity.com] Riders [M] [IC]

    His white beard ruffked gently as he opened his mouth to speak, though no sound came out, he clutched his cane a little tighter as tears welled in his silver eyes... And finally the words came to him in bated breath.

    "Finally, near a millennium in waiting... But finally you have come... Finally you are here..." His voice was weary and emotional, yet gruff and carrying in its notes a sense if authority and experience.

    "Welcome home... Welcome home my Riders."


    After a moment of silence and awe the man spoke up once more and introduced himself as Krotan Durak. An ancient man of 896 years. He had been a rider once, however through a miracle of the land once his Dragon was slain, he was not. He survived the untold forces that brought an end to the last Riders, he had protected the eggs of the last of the dragon race for centuries before casting them out into the World and allowing them to fall into the right hands.

    And now they finally had.

    He spoke then with more authority and grandure, an air of Majesty in his voice.

    "The dreams and visions you had before and upon arriving here were the results of my magic. The legendary magic of the Riders. With it I tested your minds, your bond and your will and not a single pair here has disappointed me. By arriving here you claim your heritage and your right." He placed his hands upon the dragon head staff, standing at the head of the table he continued his address.

    "Your being here is not chance. It is fate. The eggs chose you, you are all the most suited choice for the dragon whom now stands before you... And hand in hand you walk towards an untold destiny." He smiled.

    "Great power and great duty to make it earned. You surely all understand that there is no going back. Now you will all rise as the legendary figures and rulers you are destined to be. Here in the ancient home of the Riders we will scult and rebuild, we will stand united and when you go to the people on soaring wings they shall herald you as Gods. Here for you, a room each fit for a king... Facilities for food, training and relaxation... For dragon and rider both." He smiles.

    "I am to be your mentor, for my final chapter in this take of legacy. I will bring you to be the gladiators of law and balance that Nobillis needs now in times of strife, poverty and politics. You are fates chosen, Rider and Dragon both. This Works future is now tied invariably to your fates. It is yours to shape and mold." He paused for a moment. His speech finally through, before abruptly waving his hand outwards towards them.

    "Any questions?" A barage of voices, dragon and mortal shot forward as the old rider spoke and responded.

    Even Alyra joined in... As Zile took a step back to formulate his thoughts.

    Was this really happening?

    Was he truly... A dragon Rider?

    A Lord?

    A definer of fate?

    Nothing was clear and yet everything was obvious. Information hurried back and forth between crowd and apparent mentor as the truth sunk just a little deeper in.

    Zile smiled incredulously... He had known all along but still he was surprised.

    Untold destiny indeed.

    Prologue​
    Player objectives:
    - Prologue Complete!
     
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