Of Dragons & Prophecies – Orianna Éirigh – 22.09.2022
Sept 29, 2022 18:10:55 GMT
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Post by Orianna Èirigh on Sept 29, 2022 18:10:55 GMT
OBSERVATIONS & EXCERPTS from the JOURNAL of SECOND ASSISTANT ARCHIVIST ORIANNA ÈIRIGH of ASHKHA
Speaking to Nessa was helpful if only because she made me realise something I should have considered before: Possession. I was so sure I was myself. But what if I had not been? That could have spelt danger for Gerhard, for my friends, for the Kundarians — everyone.
Father would be disappointed in me. Assuming is how true answers are missed. I must not do that. Keep both eyes open, look at what I have found, study it, analyse it. Find the connections. Answers are everywhere, we just have to be open to them.
With that reminder, I must prepare for my journey to visit Grougaloragran…
Gerhard asked Kavel and Derthaad to come with me. It was sweet, but I do wonder if he is more worried than he has said. Having two extremely capable people who are more experienced in combat than I, does make me wonder if I am not as prepared as I thought.
Our fourth member is a dwarven man by the name of Felix Gould, someone Kavel and Derthaad both knew. A bard by trade, and a well known one too, it seems. When I asked if he would join me he seemed a little hung over though. Too much merrymaking the night before when he wasn’t expecting to go on an excursion outside of the city. I’ll keep an eye on him. If he needs some restoration I can help with that.
The final and unexpected addition was Cechec, a gold dragonborn. He called Derthaad cousin, which the blue dragonborn seemed to find confusing, though I knew what he meant by it. I wonder though. How did he hear about where I wanted to go?…
This time the two day journey to the mountains went by fast. I made sure to tell them all about what has been happening in Kundar at both the Temple of Bahamut (both times) and the Dragonstone Academy. That was the easy part. I still struggled to tell them about the dream/vision I had. Luckily the practice with Nessa made it easier to anticipate their questions. Derthaad seemed to know a lot about metallic and chromatic dragons, but he knew next to nothing about gem dragons. Unsurprising, really, since the last time they had been seen anywhere was-… Where I cannot say, but that was well over-… Many many years ago.
(I do not miss this feeling…)
A landslide blocked our path up the mountain. That was the first sign that worried me. Studying it with Kavel’s help — His knowledge of stone is quite extensive! It’s very impressive — showed me where the rocks came from could only be from the area of the mountain that was hollowed out, closer to Grougaloragran’s cave. The amount of force required to push mountain rock out like that sent horrible scenarios through my mind that were too awful to linger on.
We were about to head in when I spotted it. A hand. A blackened and burned hand.
I knew right away what I saw.
Derthaad, in all his desire to help, would not listen to what I was trying to say. That the person, the dragonborn, was already long dead. That there was no saving them. Yet he tried. It was hard to watch.
This was the first time seeing these undead outside of Kundar. Somehow it made the threat ever more real to me, more present. That it wasn’t just happening in one area, it was also happening here, in a place that I was slowly becoming aware might not be the safe haven I had led myself to think it was after my last visit.
I said a prayer over each of them before I let the starlight I carry burn their bodies into ash…
More bodies, this time just outside of Grougaloragran’s entrance. And the crystals! All of them leading up towards the entrance after the landslide were cracked, with threads of darkness in them. It was Them. Their ‘dark radiance’. They were killing Grougaloragran by stealing his radiance, his crystal’s heart’s light. But why? I thought only the spark of the divine could feed his hunger? Unless Grougaloragran had something else to him he was not able to say?
Grougaloragran… Oh how I wish I could have saved you…
Grougaloragran is stretched out on his dais, the radiant light within him beating very slowly and getting weaker by the second. Orianna picks up the geode that had been used by the undead to syphon his radiance and then runs over to him, Felix and Derthaad hot on her heels. All three climb up and over the crystal lining the pedestal, as careful as they can be to not get cut.
Orianna’s hands are bleeding starlight by the time she reaches the gargantuan crystal dragon. She is saying something, but in her panicked state it doesn’t seem to be getting through to her companions. Their healing and restoration spells aren’t working. His age and the ordeal he went through, it is too much.
“It is fine, young one. This is my time.” Grougaloragran’s low rumbling voice clears the cotton from her ears. Orianna can hear it, the death rattle in his voice. He is very close to death.
He raises his head to look at her. In her starry chalice form she cries at how his eyes are glazed over. Her tears hit her skin, healing the scrapes on her legs and hands, but they fall without effect on him. She places a freshly healed hand on the side of his face.
“I had a vision of you, my dear,” the ancient crystal dragon says. “I saw you… wreathed in flame, held high on the pedestal of another. And yet… you were unbound to anyone. The vision fades. Something wants you.”
Orianna shudders. “I know. I know what it is. It is the same thing that was stealing your light.”
One extremely large eye blinks in assent. “It is from the prophecy. It is… the dead one.”
“Desathrax,” she whispers.
A rumble that shakes the whole platform emanates from Grougaloragran as he growls.
“They have awoken. I fear their power grows too quickly.”
“How are we going to stop them? You can’t leave us. You can’t leave me.”
A single claw gently nudges Orianna’s face and she wraps her arms around it, holding on to him.
“Find the root of its power. Find where it coalesces. The clues are hidden in the mountains.” He closes his eyes for a moment, his breath nearly stopping. Then, “I feel myself… fading. I ask a favour of you, young one.”
“Anything.”
“Take care of them.”
Finally the moment comes. As he lifts his head, Grougaloragran quickly solidifies into a gargantuan crystal statue before their very eyes. It stands for only a moment before shattering into a million shards of crystal.
At the centre of the platform sits a large crystalline egg. Orianna can feel it, the dragon inside it, aware of what happened and yet not. She feels a pull and follows it, her midnight blue form glowing to match its radiance with her hand unconsciously reaching for it. The moment her hand touches the dragon egg she feels another mind connect with hers…
I should have come sooner. I was nearly too late.
But I am glad I was not.
Your legacy will live on, Grougaloragran. This baby dragon, whenever they are ready to be born, will be taught everything I know — about everything.
May your radiance be undimmed by time and unbound by death as you walk amongst the stars in the Cosmos’ embrace…
Speaking to Nessa was helpful if only because she made me realise something I should have considered before: Possession. I was so sure I was myself. But what if I had not been? That could have spelt danger for Gerhard, for my friends, for the Kundarians — everyone.
Father would be disappointed in me. Assuming is how true answers are missed. I must not do that. Keep both eyes open, look at what I have found, study it, analyse it. Find the connections. Answers are everywhere, we just have to be open to them.
With that reminder, I must prepare for my journey to visit Grougaloragran…
Gerhard asked Kavel and Derthaad to come with me. It was sweet, but I do wonder if he is more worried than he has said. Having two extremely capable people who are more experienced in combat than I, does make me wonder if I am not as prepared as I thought.
Our fourth member is a dwarven man by the name of Felix Gould, someone Kavel and Derthaad both knew. A bard by trade, and a well known one too, it seems. When I asked if he would join me he seemed a little hung over though. Too much merrymaking the night before when he wasn’t expecting to go on an excursion outside of the city. I’ll keep an eye on him. If he needs some restoration I can help with that.
The final and unexpected addition was Cechec, a gold dragonborn. He called Derthaad cousin, which the blue dragonborn seemed to find confusing, though I knew what he meant by it. I wonder though. How did he hear about where I wanted to go?…
This time the two day journey to the mountains went by fast. I made sure to tell them all about what has been happening in Kundar at both the Temple of Bahamut (both times) and the Dragonstone Academy. That was the easy part. I still struggled to tell them about the dream/vision I had. Luckily the practice with Nessa made it easier to anticipate their questions. Derthaad seemed to know a lot about metallic and chromatic dragons, but he knew next to nothing about gem dragons. Unsurprising, really, since the last time they had been seen anywhere was-… Where I cannot say, but that was well over-… Many many years ago.
(I do not miss this feeling…)
A landslide blocked our path up the mountain. That was the first sign that worried me. Studying it with Kavel’s help — His knowledge of stone is quite extensive! It’s very impressive — showed me where the rocks came from could only be from the area of the mountain that was hollowed out, closer to Grougaloragran’s cave. The amount of force required to push mountain rock out like that sent horrible scenarios through my mind that were too awful to linger on.
We were about to head in when I spotted it. A hand. A blackened and burned hand.
I knew right away what I saw.
Derthaad, in all his desire to help, would not listen to what I was trying to say. That the person, the dragonborn, was already long dead. That there was no saving them. Yet he tried. It was hard to watch.
This was the first time seeing these undead outside of Kundar. Somehow it made the threat ever more real to me, more present. That it wasn’t just happening in one area, it was also happening here, in a place that I was slowly becoming aware might not be the safe haven I had led myself to think it was after my last visit.
I said a prayer over each of them before I let the starlight I carry burn their bodies into ash…
More bodies, this time just outside of Grougaloragran’s entrance. And the crystals! All of them leading up towards the entrance after the landslide were cracked, with threads of darkness in them. It was Them. Their ‘dark radiance’. They were killing Grougaloragran by stealing his radiance, his crystal’s heart’s light. But why? I thought only the spark of the divine could feed his hunger? Unless Grougaloragran had something else to him he was not able to say?
Grougaloragran… Oh how I wish I could have saved you…
Grougaloragran is stretched out on his dais, the radiant light within him beating very slowly and getting weaker by the second. Orianna picks up the geode that had been used by the undead to syphon his radiance and then runs over to him, Felix and Derthaad hot on her heels. All three climb up and over the crystal lining the pedestal, as careful as they can be to not get cut.
Orianna’s hands are bleeding starlight by the time she reaches the gargantuan crystal dragon. She is saying something, but in her panicked state it doesn’t seem to be getting through to her companions. Their healing and restoration spells aren’t working. His age and the ordeal he went through, it is too much.
“It is fine, young one. This is my time.” Grougaloragran’s low rumbling voice clears the cotton from her ears. Orianna can hear it, the death rattle in his voice. He is very close to death.
He raises his head to look at her. In her starry chalice form she cries at how his eyes are glazed over. Her tears hit her skin, healing the scrapes on her legs and hands, but they fall without effect on him. She places a freshly healed hand on the side of his face.
“I had a vision of you, my dear,” the ancient crystal dragon says. “I saw you… wreathed in flame, held high on the pedestal of another. And yet… you were unbound to anyone. The vision fades. Something wants you.”
Orianna shudders. “I know. I know what it is. It is the same thing that was stealing your light.”
One extremely large eye blinks in assent. “It is from the prophecy. It is… the dead one.”
“Desathrax,” she whispers.
A rumble that shakes the whole platform emanates from Grougaloragran as he growls.
“They have awoken. I fear their power grows too quickly.”
“How are we going to stop them? You can’t leave us. You can’t leave me.”
A single claw gently nudges Orianna’s face and she wraps her arms around it, holding on to him.
“Find the root of its power. Find where it coalesces. The clues are hidden in the mountains.” He closes his eyes for a moment, his breath nearly stopping. Then, “I feel myself… fading. I ask a favour of you, young one.”
“Anything.”
“Take care of them.”
Finally the moment comes. As he lifts his head, Grougaloragran quickly solidifies into a gargantuan crystal statue before their very eyes. It stands for only a moment before shattering into a million shards of crystal.
At the centre of the platform sits a large crystalline egg. Orianna can feel it, the dragon inside it, aware of what happened and yet not. She feels a pull and follows it, her midnight blue form glowing to match its radiance with her hand unconsciously reaching for it. The moment her hand touches the dragon egg she feels another mind connect with hers…
I should have come sooner. I was nearly too late.
But I am glad I was not.
Your legacy will live on, Grougaloragran. This baby dragon, whenever they are ready to be born, will be taught everything I know — about everything.
May your radiance be undimmed by time and unbound by death as you walk amongst the stars in the Cosmos’ embrace…