Drache

They Have Returned (Ebonfort)

The half-dragon's wings hugged awkwardly against either side of the wounded Keremis as Drache followed Sirik back to the surface, and the added weight slowed her normally nimble gait. But more than that, there was a weight on her mind that made it impossible to focus on anything other that Sirik's back as they hastened along. She winced hard at the voice, the sheer vile power behind it painful, and the promise it offered sliding through her insides like ice. Now and then she paused, the temptation nearly overwhelming.

A dragon. A dragon. A dragon.

What would life be like for her if she could cast off this weak, mis-shapen form and assumed something akin to what her father had been? She knew that Sgarsiathoryx had been phenominally large and mighty while he was alive, and it only stood to reason that his offspring should be similarly impressive. No longer would she be faced with all the hardships of being a monstrous freak in the eyes of...everyone.

It was only her memory of what Coria had done to Kraven, and the sensation of Raffey's heart pounding against his chest where he rested against her back, that she tore herself painfully and guiltily away. The scent of smoke and blood reached her nostrils and she emerged into the light, her tail swishing nervously, prepared for another fight. Luckily, it seemed that the skirmish was over, Coria's misled minions getting the worst of it.

"Tiichi apzen ihk sart totafitic," she muttered under her breath, which translated to "thank my luck for small favors."

When Raffey slid down to the ground, Drache kept a hand on him until he had himself balanced on a spear. Her ear-frills flexed as she tried to say something, but ultimately drooped and her eyes slid away so that she didn't have to watch him hobble off. If it hadn't been for her ineptitude, he wouldn't be injured at all, and it seemed unjust that she had come out relatively unscathed.

Upon looking away, she focused on the corpse of the dragon and her brows furrowed, her bare footsteps carrying her closer to the dwarf at the drake's head. She glanced at the lifeless wings to see if there was any laudii painted there, and wasn't sure she had ever met this dragon, though the dwarf looked like a Pyresian. "Who are you?"

There was so much loss. She glanced up at Sirik's outburst, watching her friend sob out his pain, and noticed Laurel folded in Raffey's arms, also crying. Her clawed hand curled into a fist, emotions boiling inside her. Kraven's death hurt. The pain of her friends hurt. But they didn't turn to her for comfort, and perhaps that was for the best. She didn't know how to cry.

Certain that her brief time among friends was at and end, that her welcome was worn out, Drachiathoryx decided that it was time to leave.

(Ebonfort) Strangers in a Strange Land

This RP is complete and needs a rewards review. @Rekaigan

[Ebonfort] A Little Bird

This RP is considered abandoned and I am unsubscribing. Your character will not receive and rewards for this RP. @RomanAria

[Ebonfort] Give a Leg Up

This RP is now considered abandoned and I am unsubscribing.
@Tuddums

Ebonfort

@7achary Welcome. If you need any help just let us know.

Ebonfort

@Letter Bee You don't need to post comments like that here. Please take that kind of thing to PM or Skype.

[Ebonfort] The Edge of the Map

The tall broad-shouldered Darfellan glanced up from the scrolled charter with an eyebrow lifting on his black and white face. In the space of a few mere moments the somewhat shabby-looking human youth standing before him had managed to spew out more words than he himself had uttered all morning. There was a large crowd gathered on the docks, and more than one set of eyes was curiously watching Par try to barter passage on the magnificent vessel.

Attention in Azure Strand was not a good thing. The gatekeeper Par had spoken to some hours ago, upon noticing that Par had called the city 'Azure Watch', had grown suspicious. And now Par was being followed.

"E'en if ye 'ad the money we're not taking on just any passengers, little fish. This'n 'ere's a trading vessel..." His tone was stern and he was shaking his head, the ponytail wagging at the back of his skull.

But Par's desperate prattling kept the frowning Darfallen from further elaborating on why the young human should move along. He was in no way moved by Par's sad story. Not because he didn't believe it, he did, but everyone in Azure Strand had a sad story, expecially these days.

Upon over-hearing Par's desperate pleas to be allowed on-board, a young Aenshi stepped out of the crowd. The fox-faced man was tall and thin and wore a pair of grubby pants and a vest with no shirt. "If you're interested in selling your horse I can buy him from you for thirty gold pieces." He didn't seem desperate, but did seem hurried, as though hoping Par would readily sell the animal for less than half of what it was worth.

Sighing, mighty Darshane found that he was pursuaded to help Par in spite of himself. "Loo' kid, I'll let you sign on as a passenger with the rest 'o the merchants. You'll have to stow your spices down in the 'old with the rest o' the cargo, and you'll 'ave to get rid 'o that 'orse. We're already stock wit' livestock. And I'll 'ave no trouble wit'choo during this trip or I'll t'row you in the brig mysel'. Aye?"

Both the Darfallen and the Aenshi looked at Par expectantly as the beautiful ship bobbed invitingly in the background. Gulls wheeled overhead, calling excitedly, as though they knew that the launch was imminent. There wasn't much time.

--

When the bosun was finished speaking to Par, he turned and almost put his hand down right on top of Dain before the diminutive voice made him pause. He added the name "Alexander Skye" on the scroll, shaking his head a little.

"Nay, Captain Blaine's up on deck. You mus' be Dain Cres'. Only got one fairy on my list. Your passage 'as already been paid for. Welcome aboard."

The darfellan eyed the tiny trunk, as well as the tiny winged man next to it, and frowned with displeasure. He preferred it when things went smoothly, and taking landlubbers never went smoothly.

"You'll know 'im when you see 'im," Darshane added unhelpfully, crossing one more name off his list.

As the fairy and his trunk made their way up to the main deck, a pair of wide yellow eyes set in the face of a sleek gray tabbycat followed closely behind. There were always cats on ships. Mainly because there were always rats on ships, because like thieves, they always managed to find their way in. But this cat was enthralled by the colourful flutter of Dain's wings and slinked after him like a shadow. But just as it was about to pounce, a white raven swooped down from nowhere and pecked a clump of silver hair from the tip of its tail. Humoured by its own joke, the bird cackled like a mad old washerwoman. "Ha ha haaaaw!" The cat, swearing vengeance, disappeared.

Donovan Blaine lounged on a pile of crates and barrels, one booted foot swinging free as he waited for the passengers to finish boarding. He trusted Darshane to keep the bulk of the troublemakers off of his new boat, because even though he didn't own it, he was her Captain now, but was still waiting for his First Mate. A woman, apparently. Old Cavendish had insisted on hiring his own crew.

The flying being who would eventually approach him was met with sparkling blue eyes and a curious grin. He didn't stand or bow or any of that nonsense, but moved his arm so that Dain could alight at head height on a crate.

"Good morrow, Mr. Crest. Usually any crewman who dared attack a passenger on my ship would win ten stripes and a bunk in the brig for the entire voyage, but I doubt even I could catch that cat."

He was grinning amusedly. "Is there some'mat I can do for you? We've set aside a cabin for you."

Captain Blaine seemed a cheerful sort and tossed some of his long blonde hair back while waiting for the fairy to speak. Even so, there was someting even in his apparent laziness that suggested the rapier on hip wasn't just for show.

Ebonfort

Yes, if anyone needs any information about events in Pyresia, please feel free to contact me. I am happy to GM for you to get your character introduced to the world.

Also, welcome @Visionaryness :)

They Have Returned (Ebonfort)

The white heat of the elemental fire was blinding, even to Drache. She felt the way it seemed to suck the moisture out of the air, turning her hair crisp and brittle. She poured everything she had into it, sure that at this point, with death oozing towards her and Raffey, that she had nothing to lose.

She was wrong.

"...what?" The fury of her magic fizzled out and her eyes widened with terror as the catastrophic damage was healed in the blink of an eye. "A true dragon...?"

The maw opened to exude the toxic miasma into the room and Drache stepped back, finding Raffey's fingers in her hand. She squeezed hard, the sensation of his scaleless skin keeping her grounded in reality. A gesture of shared doom. And then the implied offer came. A true dragon? What did it mean? Desperation made her guts sguirm. It had to be lying. It had to be some trick.

It was offering her the one thing she wanted most in the world.

Tilting her face down, she opened her mouth to say something to Raffey, perhaps her last words, and the barrier shattered. "Kraven?!" It couldn'd be. And then Sirik too? Hope flared bright and hot. The grip on Raffey's hand became a fierce tug as the half-dragon dragged him up to his feet, her eyes on Kraven and Sirik as she watched the human's shield go up and keep the foul fog at bay.

Drache hesitated, glancing from Kraven's straining back as he held the shield up against the full force of the God's breath to the awesome monstrosity. He'd never be able to hold out against it! Kraven glanced at Sirik next to her and she saw the resolute look on his face.

"No!"

Before she could do anything, however, Sirik's strong arm hooked around her waist and she could do little but cooperate with the drow as he rescued her and Raffey from the arena. Twisting back, clawing desperately at Sirik, she needed to see...

She would remember it for the rest of her life, however long that might be. Like the flay winds that supposedly swept lethal and unchecked through the desert, the half-dragon watched Kraven, a man she knew, crumble into nothingness, standing less than a single stride from where she had been moments before.

Something hot and vile twisted inside her. A hatred that was deeper than anything she'd ever felt before. Something that buried deep rather than blazing hot only to fizzle out shortly. And still...a dragon? Her?

"It's getting closer. We have to run." Her voice was harsh, dry. She tore her amber eyes from the monster and glanced at Sirik, seeing the devastation in his face. She knew that to the men her own face would look as it usually did, beastly and impassive. Good. No one needed to know what she was thinking.

Drache dragged her pack around to the front to settle over her belly and then beckoned to Raffey, her wings loosing from her back so that he could climb up piggy-back. "My magic is spent but I have strength enough to carry you. Please, I can't see another fr-... person die today." Her voice was an urgent hiss. And she hoped that the keremis would let her, if only in the interest of getting as far away from Coria as fast as they could.

Ebonfort

@Mag Lev
Please add alufiend racial powers to race sheet. Otherwise looks good to me.