The dragon turns its head away from you, and makes a deep rumbling sound, as if it is considering something. "Maybe... Ivesh will know... what to do... with you," it mumbles, the words barely audible beyond the groaning and shaking of the mountain as the dragon speaks. Then, it turns its head back to you, and grins - or rather, reveals its teeth, it doesn't look that much like a grin. "You can... wait here... for the moment..."

With that, it starts to retreat, its head seemingly sinking into the wall behind it. It is with surprise that you note the massive hole in the wall that the head had been occupying, now a gaping maw of blackness without the dragon taking up the space. From within the hole, you hear more rumbling. "Come now... human... the cold... not good for you..."

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=13#130 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 9/23/2021 at 2:52 PM After a few seconds, the woman in front straightens. One by one, the people around you rise. "Adjudicator Errant, Adjudicator Koshner," the woman speaks again, turning to address the people on the sides of the person sitting in the middle. She bows to them as well, but not as deeply as she had to the woman in the middle - Matriarch Ensanje, you assume. "Welcome back, Anlarke," the Matriarch speaks, and even if the room was already silent, the silence falls heavier. Her words carry through, every breath hanging, waiting for more. Her eyes come to rest on you for a second, then move on as she surveys the rest of the group, paying you no more special attention as if you were just another one in the crowd. "Report?" "The target airship has been seen and identified, roughly eighty degrees heading, going thirty-five knots." The woman in front, Anlarke, says, slipping into a stiff, military tone. "On our return journey, we encountered a cavewalker which we eliminated, as well as this traveller," she gestures at you. "She claims she was simply passing by in our territory." The matriarch leans forward in her seat, steepling her fingers and resting her elbows on the table. "Cavewalkers, hmm. We should look into that more. Errant?" The girl beside her perks up and pulls out a thick book, flipping it open with a thud. The silence is filled with scribbling as she begins to write. The Matriarch now turns to you, and you feel like cowering under her gaze. "How did you get here? Speak the truth. We have no patience for lies. None of that 'just passing through' nonesense."

"I honestly don't know how I got here. First I woke up in the middle of a field with no clue where I am then I followed the scouts on horseback to try and find a place that would let me rest there for the night. Then I ducked under that tree for some shelter because I thought the camp might be hostile if I just tried to approach. Then that cavewalker came after me," Crystal hopes that the council believes her because she telling the full truth, "I don't even have any weapons, food, or a type of shelter on me which had I left the city where I'm from knowingly I would have taken those items with me."

"It is," Baje agrees, and her voice grows soft, fond, lacking her earlier enthusiasm and loudness. "There is so much out there, quite a bit of world to explore. It's a shame few see it that way." Then, she is back to her old self. "Any plans for what you're gonna do? Maybe get a doctor to look at your head?"

The black cloud is growing closer, clogging up the sky like a malicious oil spill. You see small things flying in and out of the clouds, coughing and spewing even more dust and grime. Planes, much like the one Baje is flying, although they are in better shape despite all the dirt on them. Between the clouds hover massive airships, sails and envelopes billowing majestically, yet stained with smoke. Soon, you see the source of the black clouds. It is the city, coughing up pollution from a hundred different spires, towers, and smokestacks. It's busy down there, you can see even from a distance. There's people swarming the streets, pushing this way and that. Workshops glow with molten light, metal glints under oily lamps.

((Remember to quote!))

Other than the bit of sore skin on your face from where you fell, you don't identify any other injuries. When you try to remember, you feel like you're getting somewhere, until a sudden dizziness strikes you in the stomach, making you fold over and retch. Darkness swirls past a specific point in your mind, and you can't make beginning or end of it.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=14#134 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 9/23/2021 at 3:51 PM ((Remember to quote!)) Other than the bit of sore skin on your face from where you fell, you don't identify any other injuries. When you try to remember, you feel like you're getting somewhere, until a sudden dizziness strikes you in the stomach, making you fold over and retch. Darkness swirls past a specific point in your mind, and you can't make beginning or end of it.

(petition for a quote+ping button-)

Well then. No trying to think about that, then, pasisng out twice doesn't sound appealig. He waits for the dizzy spell to pass before atempting to to stand- maybe there'll be answers at the building-like things, he's pretty sure that he doesn't have any sentimental pieces of clothing on him though goodness knows that would be useful in figuring out what happened. Because no way he just slept on the road like that, he's much more civilized (and slightly paranoid about getting robbed0 to do that.

There is smoke in the air. When you breathe, an acrid, sharp smell spikes into your lungs, sending shudders through your already pained nerves. Everything around you is too much, overwhelming your brain like a dam bursting over a tiny village, crushing and sweeping away the buildings and villagers until there is nothing left. You flounder in agony for a while, and then it recedes.

Something hard presses against your back. You open your eyes and find that you are curled up in an alleyway, crammed into the corner; that explains the wall behind you. There's nobody around, and down the street where it opens up into a larger space, the buildings are dark and vacant, lit only by a wavering light coming from a source you can't see to the left. Crackling fills the air. A warm - hot - gust of wind lifts your hair.

Something crashes. Crumbles. You do not see it, since it is not in your alleyway, but you hear the creak of wood and the shriek of metal bending and grinding against itself. A loud, resounding boom echoes, and everything falls silent again, barring the ever constant whooshing and snapping.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=13#129 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 9/23/2021 at 11:59 AM She giggles, seeing the surprise across your face. "A little engineering on Seraphys' part," she grins proudly. "It really is not a big feat." The inside of the hallway is pristine, the walls etched with swirls of shimmering dust like someone had crushed a diamond into glitter and painted along the impressions. The space is lit by glass orbs that hold something glowing inside. Upon closer inspection, you notice that these orbs are not hanging from anything, but rather hovering in the air above you, unsuspended. The hallway is long and empty, and so quiet that every sound echoes and bounces like little whispers flitting back and forth. It should feel cold, desolate, the way it is made with its standoffish walls and unblinking lights, but it feels warm and welcoming instead. Eventually, the ground begins to slope upward.

If this isn't a big feat, Falcon struggles to comprehend what could possibly come next.

He considers the transforming door and the floating orbs and realises that the Course Forest actually may have been a magical, fairy-tale wood like it had looked at first. He can't remember if any of this is normal or not. He lifts his hands, turning them over as he looks at them pondering whether they hold the same glowing power as Chantille possesses.

He takes a second to trace his finger along the incriptions in the wall, wondering how much wealth Seraphys had to have to create this extravagant hallway which seemed so infrequently used. He looks up and down the silent corridor, not quite believing that such a place garnered little interest from its creators.

Self-conscious at the noise, he attempts to soften his footsteps. "Why is it so quiet?" he asks in a hushed tone. "You play down how imposing this architecture is. Surely as impressive a place as this would have swathes of people coming to see it? Those not in this vicinage, at least."

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=14#136 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 9/25/2021 at 6:50 AM There is smoke in the air. When you breathe, an acrid, sharp smell spikes into your lungs, sending shudders through your already pained nerves. Everything around you is too much, overwhelming your brain like a dam bursting over a tiny village, crushing and sweeping away the buildings and villagers until there is nothing left. You flounder in agony for a while, and then it recedes. Something hard presses against your back. You open your eyes and find that you are curled up in an alleyway, crammed into the corner; that explains the wall behind you. There's nobody around, and down the street where it opens up into a larger space, the buildings are dark and vacant, lit only by a wavering light coming from a source you can't see to the left. Crackling fills the air. A warm - hot - gust of wind lifts your hair. Something crashes. Crumbles. You do not see it, since it is not in your alleyway, but you hear the creak of wood and the shriek of metal bending and grinding against itself. A loud, resounding boom echoes, and everything falls silent again, barring the ever constant whooshing and snapping.

Gen coughs against the bitter smoke, curling further into herself and covering her face as she fights to regain her breath. The spasms of pain finally recede and she is able to gather what little she can see of her surroundings.

The light is really the only thing that really grabs her attention, and Gen starts to move towards it when the entire alley is pierced by the sounds of rending metal and splintering wood. She freezes a second, clutching her head as the loud noise reawakens her splitting headache.

Finally she gathers herself, and changes direction towards the source of the crash. At the very least there should be other people there, and its very possible they need help. As she goes, Gen keeps an eye out for any landmarks, street signs, or human beings she might encounter, trying to piece together where in the city she could possibly be and how she got here.

"So she knows what a cavewalker is," the man, Koshner, says.

The Matriarch nods in acknowledgement, then rests her chin on her hands. "Waking up in the middle of a field, following scouts, finding our camp. Very strange circumstances. I must say, you would have received a better reception if you had walked over to us like an honest, lost traveller." After a pause, she says, "let us make our oaths and pass judgement on this situation."

Errant slams the book shut, dropping her pen obnoxiously on the table. She looks like a child, acts like a child, yet nobody moves to reprimand her, and nobody so much as reacts when she leaps out of her chair and vaults over the table. She springs down the platform until she stands in front of you. With a click of her fingers, an inferno swirls inches before you, blazing heat drawing sweat to your skin.

You flinch, but Errant doesn't move at all.

"Swear that henceforth your words will be nothing but the truth," the Matriarch's voice rings over the blast of fire before you. "Else may the flames consume you whole."

((That would be nice))

You move toward the smudge of colours distinct from the nature around them. Soon, you get close, and you find that they are indeed buildings! A cluster of them, in fact. It's a small village. Strangely, it seems lifeless. Windows are shut and streets are dark. You see a few things move about slowly - maybe a person or two, but their movements are fearful and quick. Around the village is some sort of makeshift barrier, stacks of logs with sharpened sticks poking outward.