and horror in the halls of stone
Jahin, a seasoned warrior, finds the trees the most unnerving, abhorrent aspect of Delumine. Never mind the multitude of questionable creatures that might lurk within the forest, it is the trees themselves that put Jahin on edge.
The trees spread like cancer through Delumine--suffocating and seemingly as endless as the sands of Solterra. He recalls the wrongness of the transition from blistering hot sand to cushioned, velvet carpet of the forest’s green undergrowth and how utterly alien the shade dappling his back feels instead of the relentless rays of the unforgiving Solterra sun. Even little Sahar, curled tensely on his back, hisses in distaste, flaring her scaled hood menacingly at the birds that flutter overhead.
The gnarled limbs of ancient trees and lush foliage grasp at his hocks constantly. The feeling of the undergrowth scratching at his flanks and snagging in his sun-bleached, windswept hair seems unspeakably invasive. But worse than anything, he cannot see the sun. The forest holds him captive; he can only glimpse his beloved Solterra sun through the shifting of creaking limbs overhead in the occasional breeze that whispers hauntingly through the leaves.
Until now, Jahin realizes he never truly understood the color green. His senses are overwhelmed--lilting birdsong carried on a whimsical breeze; the perfume of a thousand flowers, none of which Jahin knows the name of; and the ultra vivid saturation of colors Jahin has never even seen before, except perhaps in the fleeting rainbow after a brutal desert storm.
There is a presence here, ancient and knowing. Jahin feels naked and vulnerable in the forest, surrounded by an alien landscape. The Davke warrior feels deep shame as he realizes how truly little of the world he knows. He possesses some knowledge of the other Courts, of course, but Dawn, Dusk, and Night seemed so far removed from Solterra, as if the other three Courts reside on different planets rather than different realms.
Even though he is stationed with the remainder of Orestes’ guard that escorted the Solterran King to Delumine, Jahin doesn’t feel secure in the slightest. Orestes' detail have set up camp on the outskirts of the Delumine capitol. While they seem fairly relaxed, drinking and laughing 'round a merry fire, Jahin can't unwind enough to join them. He stands with his jaw clenched on the outer perimeter of their small camp, ears flickering to and fro as he listens intently to the steady thrum of the forest. The ancientness of the forest and the way the forest pulses with life haunts him in a way he didn't know was possible. His spear is strapped to his side, ready to wield at a moment’s notice.
J A H I N
look at last on meadows green
and trees and hills they long have known
The trees spread like cancer through Delumine--suffocating and seemingly as endless as the sands of Solterra. He recalls the wrongness of the transition from blistering hot sand to cushioned, velvet carpet of the forest’s green undergrowth and how utterly alien the shade dappling his back feels instead of the relentless rays of the unforgiving Solterra sun. Even little Sahar, curled tensely on his back, hisses in distaste, flaring her scaled hood menacingly at the birds that flutter overhead.
The gnarled limbs of ancient trees and lush foliage grasp at his hocks constantly. The feeling of the undergrowth scratching at his flanks and snagging in his sun-bleached, windswept hair seems unspeakably invasive. But worse than anything, he cannot see the sun. The forest holds him captive; he can only glimpse his beloved Solterra sun through the shifting of creaking limbs overhead in the occasional breeze that whispers hauntingly through the leaves.
Until now, Jahin realizes he never truly understood the color green. His senses are overwhelmed--lilting birdsong carried on a whimsical breeze; the perfume of a thousand flowers, none of which Jahin knows the name of; and the ultra vivid saturation of colors Jahin has never even seen before, except perhaps in the fleeting rainbow after a brutal desert storm.
There is a presence here, ancient and knowing. Jahin feels naked and vulnerable in the forest, surrounded by an alien landscape. The Davke warrior feels deep shame as he realizes how truly little of the world he knows. He possesses some knowledge of the other Courts, of course, but Dawn, Dusk, and Night seemed so far removed from Solterra, as if the other three Courts reside on different planets rather than different realms.
Even though he is stationed with the remainder of Orestes’ guard that escorted the Solterran King to Delumine, Jahin doesn’t feel secure in the slightest. Orestes' detail have set up camp on the outskirts of the Delumine capitol. While they seem fairly relaxed, drinking and laughing 'round a merry fire, Jahin can't unwind enough to join them. He stands with his jaw clenched on the outer perimeter of their small camp, ears flickering to and fro as he listens intently to the steady thrum of the forest. The ancientness of the forest and the way the forest pulses with life haunts him in a way he didn't know was possible. His spear is strapped to his side, ready to wield at a moment’s notice.
look at last on meadows green
and trees and hills they long have known
@
