Scouting for a New Home – Orianna Èirigh – 19.10.2023
Jan 21, 2024 17:33:39 GMT
Andy D and Lucky like this
Post by Orianna Èirigh on Jan 21, 2024 17:33:39 GMT
OBSERVATIONS & EXCERPTS from the JOURNAL of SECOND ASSISTANT ARCHIVIST ORIANNA ÈIRIGH of ASHKHA
It is a rare and wonderful thing when I get to bring Valethra with me on my excursions. Still, this one did not start at my behest, but hers!
She woke us up really early, before the sun had even risen. She kept sending me images of a clutch of dragon eggs in a grassy field. It looked to be anywhere, yet the feeling I got from her was that it was close. Not in Daring Heights close, but enough so that a day’s walk would see us there in no time. Valethra was worried about these eggs, that something would happen to them. I was too, and so with a quick kiss to Gerhard I got ready, left a note for my fathers, saying where I was off to in as many details as I could, and we were on our way.
Valethra’s impatience at my slower walking pace was clear. She really is quite something when she gets petulant. Adorable still, because she is small. That won’t be the case when she is the same size as the house we currently call home. So in order to stave off her impatience and to help train her some more, we flew, Valethra in the lead, me helping to guide her if she was uncertain, though I did not know exactly where we were going.
That was until I recognised the small village of New Hillborrow. Strange. I know of the halfling called Jacinta and her flower dragon scouts but I did not think a village of this size and people would be the type to have a clutch of eggs kept in their farming fields. But Valethra grew only more certain the closer we got and so we descended down and entered the village.
What fortuitous happenstance that we crossed paths with a kobold named Frigus and his companion dragon named Waffles…
The situation was thus: Frigus and Waffles had been wandering around the Dawnlands looking for a place to call home when Waffles, a young white dragon, caught the scent of these dragon eggs. The very same ones Valethra kept showing me. The two followed the wyrmling’s tracks towards the village but that was where they divided. Now we — the fairy beetle Beets, a goliath with a habit of saying my name incorrectly named Ronkk, a human man with a touch of nature’s affinity named Haranis, Frigus, Waffles, Valethra, and myself— were going to try to find them. There were five: one bronze, one red, one black, and two white.
I have not ever adhered to the often stigmatised views that chromatic and metallic dragons seem to have. Dealing in absolutes such as “good and bad” are where we get preconceived notions from. That said, it calls into question the thought of history and how it can dictate our current views, for where do we find our knowledge and understanding if not from our collective and recorded pasts? My fathers have always encouraged me to question the status quo, to form my own opinions on what I see and hear rather than taking on another’s and calling it my own. I do not wish to sound like I ever know the absolute truth, ever. Certainly, there are many forward thinking people in these lands which makes such concepts of Good and Evil interesting topics of discussion from time to time at our weekly Family gatherings. If I or any of the people who were at my home a few days ago can attest, it is that people change from their experiences more so than they ever do with written words…
We were able to find the little ones through our combined efforts. The baby red dragon (who Frigus named Rose) we found in the flower fields of BBBBBBB, the baby black dragon (who Ronkk named Reginald) was found behind the Communal Hall of Council Elders, the baby bronze dragon (who Beets named Volts) was hidden away by the village’s Water Wheel, and the two baby white dragons in the trees to the east of the Cat & Badger.
That was also where we met Anacostia…
She hailed from the Feywild, from a place called the Court of Dragons, a vassal court of Spring. It serves as a hatchery and nursery for the young and lost dragons across the realms, and was formed by the Great Mother, Thalistrasza.
I did not mention this before but from our first meeting, I was wondering if there wasn’t some other guiding hand that put Frigus and Waffles on this path that day. Of course, I could be wrong. My prediction could be entirely inaccurate, but I suspect that this pair may be connected to this strange and beautiful Family I have been discovering…
The Court of Dragons, Feywild
Entrance in the Feythorn, just south of the village New Hillborrow.
A large tree with hidden carvings of dragons on it. Speak, “I open the way, the way of the dragon,” in Sylvan and enter…
Valethra was absolutely ecstatic to see Minerva again, who, as it turns out, is Anacostia’s mother!
If I were one to believe in coincidences I would think my life since coming to the Dawnlands has been full of them. But I do not. It is still no less surprising when a connection is revealed to be deeper and more entwined in your path than you had anticipated. That is why we must tread lightly, else we crush those fragile branches that have yet to bud and bloom.
Ronkk seemed the most reluctant to let Reginald go. The two had formed quite the attachment. Beets was in pure awe. I do not know her well, but she seems to have been through many trials and tribulations that have seen her lose much and often. Still, I wonder if she realises how connected she is to the community she is in, how her strength is a focal point by which some use to navigate their own lives? Haranis and his baby dragon kept having a contest of who could keep the other tied up in knotts. To my estimation, the latter seemed to be winning.
As for Frigus, well, we learned that he had found Waffles’ egg and the two’s relationship was that of a parent and child. For helping Anacostia bring the baby wyrmlings to safety we were each allowed a boon. And so we were brought to see their Queen, Ophelia…
I remembered Calla’s words of warning when it came to dealing with any fey and anyone from the Feywild. Letting the others speak first, I did not wish to bring down the elation all were feeling, especially Frigus as my request could potentially lead to more serious questions than it seemed any of the party might be willing to deal with.
For Haranis’ boon, he asked to be able to stay. Perhaps he could have, but the Queen said he could not. Beets’ ask was to be able to come back, which Queen Ophelia did say she would permit, and so seemed to satisfy Haranis’ ask. Ronkk did not seem to want to ask for anything, at first but after some time, and to no great surprise, he asked about the Queen’s intention for Reginald. She assured him that Reginald will be given the chance to grow, to learn how to be a dragon, and when he is ready to leave and find his place in the world. Ronkk then asked if Reginald wanted to stay and the baby black drake said, in his own way, that he wanted to.
As for Frigus, he asked to be taught how to be a good mother, so he could be a better parent for Waffles as he continued to grow. It was here that I stepped forward and asked my boon of this dragon-fey queen…
“I would seek an audience with Thalistrasza, as Herald of the Wyrm Queen.”
Queen Ophelia went still and there was a moment where Orianna thought perhaps she had overstepped herself. But she stood firm and did her best to not let any of this show on her face. Valethra, who was draped across her neck, gave a shower of sparks and a little cry, her own way of adding to the gravity of the request.
Queen Ophelia inclines her head. “Of course, Herald.”
There’s a rustle from those in the room, a note of surprise undercurrenting it. The Queen steps aside and behind her throne is an egg, perfectly white and pristine. Queen Ophelia says something in Draconic that none of them quite catch and then the egg, so smooth and undefined, gets a fissure in it. It grows longer, cracking across the sides, spreading and branching. Then it shatters and the shadow of the form within is released.
The egg shells upon breaking do not fall to the ground. Instead they rise up becoming perfectly white feathers. As the draconic form unfolds, these feathers slowly begin to descend down towards them, brushing their hair, cheeks, clothes, and feet. Everywhere they touch, Orianna feels like a warm caress, a gentle hug, a tender touch. She never had a mother, only fathers, but there was something different about this. Her fathers held her, they sang to her, read to her, and taught her well… but these were like the caresses of every mother who ever was and ever will be all in one moment.
It brought tears to her eyes.
She caught sight of Frigus and he was in awe. How could he not be, when what hovered before them was the most angelic in appearance, pearlescent, and pure with scales like feathers was the Pearl Dragon, the Great Mother herself, the Protector of Hatchlings.
Thalistrasza.
It was easy to catch Thalistrasza up on all she had missed whilst in her slumber. All she needed to do was take a moment to communicate with something other than herself — what I assume to be Stellarum and the other Archwryms who are awake — and she knew enough to understand why I asked to speak to her. In part, at least. The other reason was I wanted her to meet Frigus and Waffles.
Again, I cannot say why I felt they were meant to meet and perhaps I will be proven wrong. But what greater opportunity for Frigus to learn how to be a better mother than from the Protector of Hatchlings herself?
After he had asked a whole bunch of questions of Thalistrasza — whilst the rest of us spent time helping the newest hatchlings settle into their new home — Frigus was given a pearlescent egg. He was told that wherever he places it, a home befitting a protector of hatchlings will grow.
It came as no surprise to any of us that upon our return to the Prime Material, Frigus chose New Hillborrow as their home…
It is a rare and wonderful thing when I get to bring Valethra with me on my excursions. Still, this one did not start at my behest, but hers!
She woke us up really early, before the sun had even risen. She kept sending me images of a clutch of dragon eggs in a grassy field. It looked to be anywhere, yet the feeling I got from her was that it was close. Not in Daring Heights close, but enough so that a day’s walk would see us there in no time. Valethra was worried about these eggs, that something would happen to them. I was too, and so with a quick kiss to Gerhard I got ready, left a note for my fathers, saying where I was off to in as many details as I could, and we were on our way.
Valethra’s impatience at my slower walking pace was clear. She really is quite something when she gets petulant. Adorable still, because she is small. That won’t be the case when she is the same size as the house we currently call home. So in order to stave off her impatience and to help train her some more, we flew, Valethra in the lead, me helping to guide her if she was uncertain, though I did not know exactly where we were going.
That was until I recognised the small village of New Hillborrow. Strange. I know of the halfling called Jacinta and her flower dragon scouts but I did not think a village of this size and people would be the type to have a clutch of eggs kept in their farming fields. But Valethra grew only more certain the closer we got and so we descended down and entered the village.
What fortuitous happenstance that we crossed paths with a kobold named Frigus and his companion dragon named Waffles…
The situation was thus: Frigus and Waffles had been wandering around the Dawnlands looking for a place to call home when Waffles, a young white dragon, caught the scent of these dragon eggs. The very same ones Valethra kept showing me. The two followed the wyrmling’s tracks towards the village but that was where they divided. Now we — the fairy beetle Beets, a goliath with a habit of saying my name incorrectly named Ronkk, a human man with a touch of nature’s affinity named Haranis, Frigus, Waffles, Valethra, and myself— were going to try to find them. There were five: one bronze, one red, one black, and two white.
I have not ever adhered to the often stigmatised views that chromatic and metallic dragons seem to have. Dealing in absolutes such as “good and bad” are where we get preconceived notions from. That said, it calls into question the thought of history and how it can dictate our current views, for where do we find our knowledge and understanding if not from our collective and recorded pasts? My fathers have always encouraged me to question the status quo, to form my own opinions on what I see and hear rather than taking on another’s and calling it my own. I do not wish to sound like I ever know the absolute truth, ever. Certainly, there are many forward thinking people in these lands which makes such concepts of Good and Evil interesting topics of discussion from time to time at our weekly Family gatherings. If I or any of the people who were at my home a few days ago can attest, it is that people change from their experiences more so than they ever do with written words…
We were able to find the little ones through our combined efforts. The baby red dragon (who Frigus named Rose) we found in the flower fields of BBBBBBB, the baby black dragon (who Ronkk named Reginald) was found behind the Communal Hall of Council Elders, the baby bronze dragon (who Beets named Volts) was hidden away by the village’s Water Wheel, and the two baby white dragons in the trees to the east of the Cat & Badger.
That was also where we met Anacostia…
She hailed from the Feywild, from a place called the Court of Dragons, a vassal court of Spring. It serves as a hatchery and nursery for the young and lost dragons across the realms, and was formed by the Great Mother, Thalistrasza.
I did not mention this before but from our first meeting, I was wondering if there wasn’t some other guiding hand that put Frigus and Waffles on this path that day. Of course, I could be wrong. My prediction could be entirely inaccurate, but I suspect that this pair may be connected to this strange and beautiful Family I have been discovering…
The Court of Dragons, Feywild
Entrance in the Feythorn, just south of the village New Hillborrow.
A large tree with hidden carvings of dragons on it. Speak, “I open the way, the way of the dragon,” in Sylvan and enter…
Valethra was absolutely ecstatic to see Minerva again, who, as it turns out, is Anacostia’s mother!
If I were one to believe in coincidences I would think my life since coming to the Dawnlands has been full of them. But I do not. It is still no less surprising when a connection is revealed to be deeper and more entwined in your path than you had anticipated. That is why we must tread lightly, else we crush those fragile branches that have yet to bud and bloom.
Ronkk seemed the most reluctant to let Reginald go. The two had formed quite the attachment. Beets was in pure awe. I do not know her well, but she seems to have been through many trials and tribulations that have seen her lose much and often. Still, I wonder if she realises how connected she is to the community she is in, how her strength is a focal point by which some use to navigate their own lives? Haranis and his baby dragon kept having a contest of who could keep the other tied up in knotts. To my estimation, the latter seemed to be winning.
As for Frigus, well, we learned that he had found Waffles’ egg and the two’s relationship was that of a parent and child. For helping Anacostia bring the baby wyrmlings to safety we were each allowed a boon. And so we were brought to see their Queen, Ophelia…
I remembered Calla’s words of warning when it came to dealing with any fey and anyone from the Feywild. Letting the others speak first, I did not wish to bring down the elation all were feeling, especially Frigus as my request could potentially lead to more serious questions than it seemed any of the party might be willing to deal with.
For Haranis’ boon, he asked to be able to stay. Perhaps he could have, but the Queen said he could not. Beets’ ask was to be able to come back, which Queen Ophelia did say she would permit, and so seemed to satisfy Haranis’ ask. Ronkk did not seem to want to ask for anything, at first but after some time, and to no great surprise, he asked about the Queen’s intention for Reginald. She assured him that Reginald will be given the chance to grow, to learn how to be a dragon, and when he is ready to leave and find his place in the world. Ronkk then asked if Reginald wanted to stay and the baby black drake said, in his own way, that he wanted to.
As for Frigus, he asked to be taught how to be a good mother, so he could be a better parent for Waffles as he continued to grow. It was here that I stepped forward and asked my boon of this dragon-fey queen…
“I would seek an audience with Thalistrasza, as Herald of the Wyrm Queen.”
Queen Ophelia went still and there was a moment where Orianna thought perhaps she had overstepped herself. But she stood firm and did her best to not let any of this show on her face. Valethra, who was draped across her neck, gave a shower of sparks and a little cry, her own way of adding to the gravity of the request.
Queen Ophelia inclines her head. “Of course, Herald.”
There’s a rustle from those in the room, a note of surprise undercurrenting it. The Queen steps aside and behind her throne is an egg, perfectly white and pristine. Queen Ophelia says something in Draconic that none of them quite catch and then the egg, so smooth and undefined, gets a fissure in it. It grows longer, cracking across the sides, spreading and branching. Then it shatters and the shadow of the form within is released.
The egg shells upon breaking do not fall to the ground. Instead they rise up becoming perfectly white feathers. As the draconic form unfolds, these feathers slowly begin to descend down towards them, brushing their hair, cheeks, clothes, and feet. Everywhere they touch, Orianna feels like a warm caress, a gentle hug, a tender touch. She never had a mother, only fathers, but there was something different about this. Her fathers held her, they sang to her, read to her, and taught her well… but these were like the caresses of every mother who ever was and ever will be all in one moment.
It brought tears to her eyes.
She caught sight of Frigus and he was in awe. How could he not be, when what hovered before them was the most angelic in appearance, pearlescent, and pure with scales like feathers was the Pearl Dragon, the Great Mother herself, the Protector of Hatchlings.
Thalistrasza.
It was easy to catch Thalistrasza up on all she had missed whilst in her slumber. All she needed to do was take a moment to communicate with something other than herself — what I assume to be Stellarum and the other Archwryms who are awake — and she knew enough to understand why I asked to speak to her. In part, at least. The other reason was I wanted her to meet Frigus and Waffles.
Again, I cannot say why I felt they were meant to meet and perhaps I will be proven wrong. But what greater opportunity for Frigus to learn how to be a better mother than from the Protector of Hatchlings herself?
After he had asked a whole bunch of questions of Thalistrasza — whilst the rest of us spent time helping the newest hatchlings settle into their new home — Frigus was given a pearlescent egg. He was told that wherever he places it, a home befitting a protector of hatchlings will grow.
It came as no surprise to any of us that upon our return to the Prime Material, Frigus chose New Hillborrow as their home…