Trash Panda

The Hive

Alrighty, the IC is up! :)

Don't worry about posting anything nearly as long as mine. I spent most of my post setting the scene for how this RP is going to play out

The Hive

The crunch of gravel was the only sound to be heard as the hunting party moved silently through the trees. The thirty men were weary, having travelled a vast distance across treacherous paths to reach the famous Drake Nest of Erith. They were covered with cuts and gashes, but that only increased their resolve to return home with something to show for their efforts. The poachers would either slay a dragon, or die trying.

Up ahead, they saw the edge of the forest. Excitement surpassed caution as the men broke into a sprint to witness the legendary home of the dragons. What they saw took their breaths away. The forest sloped down a hill that sat next to a rolling river. Beyond that, there was a great sea of emerald green grass, rippling in the breeze. But the most astounding thing of all was the mountain. Its jagged peaks rose like a set of fangs out of the green plains and reached high into the clouds above. The sloping sides were peppered with a multitude of cave mouths, where the men guessed the dragons made their homes.

The sun was setting. It was now or never. The poachers scrambled down the hillside as quietly as they could and swam across the river. The grass on the other side was long enough to conceal them if they crouched, so they made a beeline for the mountain, moving briskly and praying that no dragons spotted them. The men had their pick of the caves, and many of them agreed to target one of the smaller caverns near the base. However, their leader was arrogant and prideful. He had spotted an immense opening behind a rocky outcropping. Wanting to prove himself as the greatest dragon slayer, he led his men up the mountain to enter the gaping cave.

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SoNem drifted over the Eastern forest on the peninsula, turning lazy circles as he scanned the ground below for elk. It was his turn to attend the Queen, and she was hungry. Thus, he was out late looking for something to feed her. If it had been any other dragon, SoNem would have grumbled to no end, but the Queen was special. He always felt at peace in her presence and was eager to please her.

SoNem’s sharp eyes caught sight of a herd of elk in a small clearing. One of the bucks noticed him as well. Its head shot up from grazing and its ears swiveled, listening for the sound of dragon wings beating the air. No point in wasting time, now. He tucked his wings in close and dropped into a rapid dive. The elk scattered, but it was too late. Sii outstretched, SoNem plucked a cow from the herd by its back and rose up above the trees. He reached his neck down to deliver a swift, fatal bite to the throat and felt the warm blood flow into his mouth. It was delicious. He began to salivate and had to remind himself that this elk was for the Queen.

He flew back to the Queen’s cave and dropped to the ground just past the entrance. As soon as he landed he felt an instinctive urge to flee, although he wasn’t quite sure why. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. He sniffed the dank cavern air and that was when he realized what had set him on edge: humans. He let out an anxious hiss. The humans had been appearing every once in a while lately, but none had ever come this far before.

A deep roar echoed through the cavern, jarring SoNem from his thoughts. The Queen! The humans must be attacking her. He charged deeper into the cave without hesitation. He found the Queen in her sleeping chamber. He also found the humans. They were everywhere, a score of them at least. They had bound the Queen in steel trapping nets and gouged her vulnerable underbelly, impaling her through her fire gland so she couldn’t burn them. SoNem stopped abruptly and stared at the scene in horror. His mind reeled. How could this have happened? The Queen was the oldest and most powerful dragonelle alive! How could the humans be overpowering her so easily?

SoNem was suddenly overcome with a blinding rage. He rattled his griff and lowered his head, letting out a throaty roar. The humans turned to look at him in surprise. They didn’t seem to be expecting a second dragon to appear. Their shock disappeared quickly though, and they began to circle him, armed with nets and dragon-bone weapons. He hugged the ground to protect his belly and lashed his tail, backing up slowly. The rational part of him knew he could never defeat so many humans all at once, but he had to protect the Queen.

Fly.

The urgent voice in his head took him by surprise. SoNem looked up at the Queen to see her staring back at him in terror. She didn’t want to see any other dragon get hurt at her expense. He couldn’t just abandon her though. He turned back at the humans, rattling his griff menacingly. He spit a torf of fire at them, hoping to stall them. The flames put a wall between him and the humans, but he knew it wouldn’t last very long.

You fool! Hurry! Get away from here!!

The Queen’s voice practically shrieked in his mind. She lashed her head, trying to break free from her bondage. This got the humans’ attention. They turned away from SoNem to tighten the nets they had on her. One of the humans – a particularly large male, from what SoNem knew about the species – approached her slowly, a dragon-bone-forged blade in his hand. SoNem couldn’t move. He stood rooted in horror as the man walked up to the Queen’s head and slit her throat. Dark crimson blood gushed out as the dragonelle’s life ebbed from her eyes. She used her last bit of strength to mind-speak one final message.

Leave. Never return.

SoNem managed to gather his wits enough to force his limbs to move. He fled to the edge of the cave, snapped his wings open, and flew off into the night; the image of the Queen’s dying moments burned into his mind forever.

---

Istaria lay curled with her nose tucked beneath her tail. She had taken to sleeping with one eye open since the humans began invading. As an Erithian serf, she had a small cave as the base of the mountains, where the humans could easily get to her. She had considered asking SoNem, her master, if she could sleep in a nook in his cave, but she didn’t want to risk sounding like a coward in front of him. He was known to tease her when she had moments of weakness like this.

An odd feeling began to creep over her. It was different from the usual nervousness she felt when going to sleep at night. It was almost like a hopeless despair, but she wasn’t sure where it was coming from. Its randomness frightened her. She woke up and lifted her head, looking around the dark cave. There was nothing strange or relatively dangerous, so why the sudden sense of deep sorrow and melancholy?

Leave. Never return.

The impelling voice rang in her mind, and Istaria suddenly understood why she felt such anguish. The Queen was dying. This place was no longer safe. She felt a flutter of panic in her chest and raced for the entrance of her cave, spreading her wings to fly. She had to escape. Once in the open air, she saw that all the other dragons must have heard the same dying message. The stars were blotted out by the forms of hundreds of dragons taking to the sky. Istaria rose up to join the ranks, wondering where they could possibly go.

The Hive

I'll try to get the first IC post up tonight, then we can start!

The Hive

Pyro V: RoShan is accepted :)

The Hive

Would you guys prefer to start or wait for more people to join? We have enough to get it off the ground now if we really want to

The Hive (Fantasy/Adventure)

zaga2575 just go ahead to the ooc link in my last post and add your CS :)

The Hive

enkas: Ignasius is accepted

The Hive

All are accepted :) Welcome aboard, everybody!

The Hive (Fantasy/Adventure)

Surprise~! :D

The Hive

Dragons.

Everyone has heard of the legendary beasts of old: their massive stature, their leathery wings, their fiery breaths. They were both heroes and villains in ancient tales. Every culture has its own idea of what a dragon was and looked like. However, no one knows for sure. Why? Because dragons are extinct.

Two centuries ago, the entire race just vanished, leaving not a trace to their name. As time went on, the humans eventually forgot about the stories, or dismissed them as legends. They moved on to build up their own societies, letting the glory of the dragons fade away. Statues of famous dragon riders were taken down and ancient stories were lost.

Fast forward to the year 921A.E. In the land of Erith, there was a peninsula that was impossible to reach. The weather was perilous, the path was treacherous, and the waters around it were never without heavy storms. However, a group of foolhardy young men dared to do the impossible: they crossed the deadly boundary. On the other side they were astonished to see dragons. Hundreds of them; all hidden away in this little haven where no human could ever previously reach them. Eager to prove their findings to the rest of their village, the men captured and slayed a young drake and brought the carcass back with them.

The village discovered that every part of the drake’s body was useful. The meat was delicious, the scales were impenetrable, the bones were tough, and witchdoctors believed certain organs could cure illnesses. Now, with a way to reach the dragons’ nest, the humans could go back to slay more.

Thus began the new age of dragon poaching.

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Dragon Mythology Applicable to This RP

The Hierarchy

The Queen

The dragons had built up a large nest that functions in a similar fashion as a bee hive. There is a queen that rules over and protects all the other dragons on the peninsula. They work to feed and care for her in return, bringing her wild pigs, deer, horses, and anything else they can get ahold of without appearing to the humans. It is not a dictatorship by any means. The queen merely maintains the peace, and her mountainous stature provides the others with a sense of comfort.

Hunter/Gatherers

Moving down the hierarchy, there are the hunter/gatherer dragons. They make up the majority, typically consisting of creatures the size of anything from horses to humpback whales. These dragons are free to live their own lives, apart from spending one day each month tending to the queen. The dragons in this class all originated from Far Water, Wimborne, Mirfield, Irragin, Aramoor, and Ecrin.

Serfs

At the bottom of the chain are the serfs. These dragons are about the size of a pony and they serve the hunter/gatherer dragons. There are very few of them in number, totaling at about fifty. This is because their eggs are fragile and often don’t survive the harsh weather of the peninsula, which makes reproduction difficult to accomplish. The serf dragons were the original dragons of the land of Erith.

Dragon Language: “Drakkin”

Names

Male dragon names are a bit peculiar. A male hatchling takes on the first syllable of his father’s name. For example: SoRuu is the father of SoNem. There is one other detail. The second syllable remains lower case until the hatchling reaches dragonhood. Example: Sonem (Sah-nehm) becomes SoNem (Soh-nehm). The pronunciation also differs slightly with the change.

Female hatchlings do not follow this pattern.

Basic Vocabulary

Foua – Liquid product of the fire gland
Torf – A small amount of foua used to provide a few moments of illumination
Griff – Armored fans that descend from the forehead and jaw to protect throat pulse-points in battle.
Pruum – A low thrumming sound dragons make when pleased or content
Saa – The rear legs of a dragon
Sii – The forelegs of a dragon

Dragon Life Cycle

Hatchling

Hatchlings are as defenseless as it gets. They have no wings or flame and the only protection they have for their bodies is a coat of flimsy scales. Upon birth, if there is more than one male hatchling, they will instinctively duel each other to the death so claim dominance over the nest. Because of this, there are about half as many male dragons as there are females.

Drake/Drakka

When a hatchling breathes its first flame, it enters into drakehood (females are known as drakkas). Drakes and drakkas have stronger scales and are about the size of a small horse (hunter/gatherers) or a big dog (serfs). It is at this time that the young dragon is kicked out of the nest by its parents so they can have another batch of eggs. Drakes and drakkas often suffer from wanderlust and find it difficult to stay in the same place for very long. As they age, two long bulges appear on their backs. These are the sacks that protect their developing wings until they are ready for use. The cases begin to itch as the wings get close to maturity.

Dragon/Dragonelle

When a drake reaches the age of approximately thirty years, its wing cases burst, and it becomes an official dragon (dragonelle, if female). At this time, the body is fully developed, but the dragon will never stop growing. To the well-trained eye, the size of a dragon can be a good indicator of how old it is. Most dragons live to be about five or six centuries old, however some – like the queen – survive longer than ten.

Dragon Fire and Anatomy

Fire

Dragons produce a liquid in a special gland that ignites when it touches oxygen. This liquid is not endless, so dragons have a limited supply of fire. The gland refills itself when the dragon eats, converting certain compounds into the aforementioned flammable fluid.

Hearts

Dragons have three hearts. Two are located in the chest and one in the neck. Because of this, they are extremely difficult to kill, as they can repair the damage if one heart gets injured.

Scales

Dragon scales are notoriously tough, but the dragons do not develop them like this naturally. To get the thickness and bright colors, dragons consume precious metals. There is a special pouch in their stomachs that convert the metals into components for their scales. When a dragon hasn’t eaten metal for a long period of time, its scales thin out and turn dull.

Male and Female Distinctions

Male dragons can be identified by the crests on their heads, while females have fringes running down their backs. Also, male dragons tend to have more horns, spines, and other defensive weaponry.

Dragon Ancestry

Far Water

Dragons from the region of Far Water have longer, lankier builds. They are the best fishers and swimmers, able to hold their breaths for up to twenty minutes. Their scales range in shades of blue, green, and yellow.

Wimborne

Dragons from Wimborne have massive wings and slightly smaller frames than other dragons. They are built for speed, and can be matched by no other species. Their scales are either silver or black.

Mirfield

Dragons hailing from Mirfield are more muscular. They are the most powerful species, and the biggest. Their scale colors consist of gold and bronze.

Irragin

Irraginean dragons have the thickest scales. While they might not be as strong as the Mirfielders, they closely rival them in size. These dragons are always white.

Aramoor

These dragons have the thinnest scales, but their fire glands are the largest. They are the fastest dragons on land, as well. They range in colors of red and copper.

Ecrin

Ecrinese dragons may be the oddest of all. They have no scales. Instead, they have skin that can change color like an overgrown chameleon. Thus, they are physically defenseless, but are the stealthiest dragons. Their skin’s natural hue is a stony gray.

Erith

The serfs of the dragon kingdom, Erithian dragons are smallest. They are quick, but they tired easily and can’t cover long distances by flight. Their scales are often a multitude of colors.

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Map

This RP will take place from the dragons’ perspective as they fight to survive and migrate to a new home where the humans can never reach them. Some people could potentially RP as a poacher or a dragon sympathizer (there are a few humans who want to bring back the old ways of the dragon riders), but I want a majority of people willing to play as the dragons.

Rules

1. All standard RPG rules apply
2. You may make no more than two CS's
3. Romance is fine, but please keep it PG-13
4. No OOC posts in the IC
5. No supernatural powers. All dragon abilities are explained above, and humans have no special abilities
6. Each post should have a minimum of two good paragraphs
7. Post at least once every two weeks, unless you pm me ahead of time to tell me if you can't

Dragon CS

Name:
Gender:
Stage: (Hatchling, Drake, or Dragon?)
Ancestry: (Where did your dragon come from before they all migrated to the peninsula? If under two centuries old, where did his/her parents come from?)
Appearance: (Picture or description. Be sure to fit the proper ancestry descriptions above)
Personality:

Human CS

Name:
Age:
Appearance: (picture or description)
Stance: (Is your character for or against killing the dragons? Explain.)
Personality:
Weapons: (most people carry at least one)

Accepted Characters
1. SoNem – Summer
2. Istaria – Summer
3. Feneya – Sheikarah
4. Seulki – CoyoteKisses
5. NeDro – LowKey123
6. Ignasius Permato – enkas
7. RoShan – Pyro V
8. Dovah – Charter
9. E – Skepic
10.

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My CS

SoNem

Name: SoNem

Gender: Male

Stage: Dragon

Ancestry: Far Water

Appearance:


Personality: SoNem is very full of himself, to say the least. He always wants to be the best in everything and as a result, he is extremely competitive with the other dragons – especially if there is a dragonelle involved. He is a fairly young dragon, so his mind is always focused on finding a mate. However, none of the dragonelles are interested in his haughty attitude. They ignore him when he attempts to court, but he is oblivious to their rejection so he never gives up.

While SoNem is inept in the ways of romance, he has a sharp mind where it counts. There was a reason he defeated his two brothers in the hatchling duel. He isn’t completely ignorant. He is tactical and quick-witted in battle, able to outsmart the dragon poachers that were invading Drake Nest and even kill two of them. He follows his instincts, and his instincts are telling him the worst is yet to come.

Istaria

Name: Istaria

Gender: Female

Stage: Dragonelle

Ancestry: Erith

Appearance:


Personality: Istaria is everything a serf is supposed to be: quiet, submissive, and attentive to instructions. She never speaks her own opinion to the dragon she serves (SoNem), and rarely does so even with the other Erithian dragons. Instead, she is a silent observer, listening and taking in a situation to assess in the privacy of her own mind. Because she is so quiet, none of the other dragons know much about her. She is a mystery in every way.