If Solterra was to be restored to its former glory, or rather to a glory it was capable of (and not the kind ruled by evil dictators), there was a whole range of improvements that had to be made in order to make the court inhabitable first of all, and then prosperous. Already Maxence had begun the garden preparations in order to create a vast field of food for the pilgrims who came to call the new Solterra home, and now he would put his back into the first improvement given to their troops.
It was easy to ascertain that the warriors of the sun were at a disadvantage to any other in Novus - they lived where plants did not grow and thus eat only where and when they could, they toiled in thick and relentless heat, in sand, on stone, in scrub. While other courts train upon luscious flat prairies or padded fields, Maxence's forces made do with the crumbling sand dunes of the Mors - perhaps the only place soft enough against a fall to train in all of the kingdom, but most of the time spent training is trying to keep your feet in one place.
It was for this reason that he had set his plans of a training ground into motion. It would be a hard days work, and a full day of work at that, but it would be more than worth it when it was the Solterrans who always had the upper hand against the other courts. The commander had begun by marking the border in the dirt with his hoof, the vast and empty space in the south side of the court (which was still speckled with boulders) soon to become the Solterran army's training ground. It was at least eighty feet wide on both axis, with ample room for training exercises and multiple opponents.
It would be a great improvement to the troop, yet a great curse upon their rivals. There was nothing Maxence liked better.
WARRIORS, YOUTHS and REGIME lettuce get these boulders moving and make our training arena! This thread definitely isn't compulsory but it'll be fun I hope :D
@Leviathan @Eden @Eik @Serein @Avdotya @Seraphina @aryel @Victorina
In his chest there dwelt an unquenchable thirst. It was the kind that water could not satisfy, nor the kind that food would sate. It was a wanderlust that itched at his skin; a wish to see more of his world and the lands he ruled.
To the Oasis he had flown, dreams of fruits and palms filling his dreams and desires as he imagined what it might look like. Was it truly a haven? If so, why had the Day Court fortress been built so far from it?
Soaring above like an eagle stalking prey, Maxence searched the ground below with keen eyes for any indication of a water source. There was nothing - no elevation, no hills, no sudden gullies. The relentless Mors would not give up it's secret so easily.
Swooping in closer, the new sovereign aimed to land upon an outcrop of rocks, his eyes scanning the sand-stained landscape ahead. It was then that he heard that familiar, beautiful hiss of a waterfall.
Ears swivelling backward, Maxence soon romped atop the large expanse of rocks in order to find the shaded water beneath, breaths still hot and heavy from flight. One step after the other, rummaging his way through thick pleats of vines, Maxence was soon met with an awe inspiring view of crystaline pools and an endless waterfall. It was perhaps one of the most beautiful places he'd seen in Novus, or ever seen period. These secret nooks did not exist in his homeland of swamps and forests, so as he tread carefully through the sparkling pool he began to wonder if this was even real. The flowers that bloomed could put him in a trance if he stayed admiring thier scent much longer, and the water tasted far sweeter than the dirty kind they wrenched from the ground in the fortress.
Part of him wished to bring his fellow comrades here to cherish and marvell at it like he was, though he knew that one hour in here with the whole day court and the place would be ruined.
For now it was a secret he'd keep to himself.
@Eden <3
eady?" the sovereign called down to the priestess, securing the torn curtain in his harness. He intended to use it as a sling; how else were they going to transport fertile soil home to Solterra? In a few trips they'd have enough, and Maxence knew he could carry a great deal while flying; roughly three quarters of his own body weight to be exact. The king would not wait for Inkheart's answer, and instead took off in the direction of the sunset, using Solis's light as a guide for the land of dawn.
The king always flew above the clouds; it was his untouchable realm where none would bother him or knew to find him, and until the time came to land Maxence stayed above the cloud cover in his own starlit realm. It was there he could admire the sunset's colours best and how they washed over the land below, observe every star, and perhaps for a moment wish that this kind of peace existed for those left in toil in his homeland. Still when he drifted below the clouds Ves and Wolfgang were gone still, and spoils of war would remain.
Finding ample room to land was a challenge along the banks of the Rapax where the earthy soil was slick and soft, though still Maxence managed by landing in the shallows. Turning his nose skyward, he waited for a sign of Inkheart's safe arrival before he began digging into the bank with his hooves in a stamping, pushing motion.
Hopefully no flower pickers would notice them.
Maxence and Inkheart have come to borrom some soil from the banks of the Rapax. You can try to stop them...
It was an ocean of grass and it stretched on endlessly in every direction. No matter how he turned, left or right, round and round until the scenery blurred into a haze of blue and green, of earth and sky, of wind and grass and the fragrance of summer fading, the horizon was all he could see. It was an exhilarating sensation, as daunting as it was humbling, and the urge to run came over him with inescapable intensity. With no reason to refuse, Finnian laughed out loud and obliged, digging hard black hooves deep into the dry earth as he heaved himself forth.
There was something extremely pleasant about pushing his body to the limit. The sensation of his own muscles bunching and extending, the burn of hot air rushing through the wind-pipes, the sweet ache as stiff muscles and joints began to loosen up and feel the strain of the run... It was addictive, a constant craving that old age or infirmity would never take away, a hallmark of youth and independence that no one could take away, that was a part of his very essence. Finnian laughed again as he ran, a fierce wild laughter of sheer joy that celebrated life after his near escape from death... but when he finally slowed down, winded and sweaty, with green in the hair and blue in the eyes, the jubilant smile slowly began to fade from his lips.
The past was, alas, rarely far from his thoughts. It was well and good that he had found a nice place to rest and recuperate from his ordeals, good to have found friends already in this foreign land, but it did little to soothe the deep loneliness within him. Folding the legs beneath him to revel in the emerald sea, the young stallion thought of home, his thoughts going out to the ones he had left behind. Good friends, familiar vistas, the graves of his parents... All lay far to the south now, unreachable unless he found some way of walking on water or managed to grow wings. Never would he try to cross that ocean again; drowning had carved a deep fear of the salty desert into his mind, and he would be hard pressed to even wade out into the cold blue again. It should make him feel safe. If he couldn't get to them, then surely no one would be able to get to him either...
But Finnian did not feel safe. Merely angry, and sad, and haunted by the same questions he had chewed over and over since the day his father had been killed.
Who had done it? Why had they attacked? And, most importantly for him, how was he going to find the answers to his questions?
The notion that he might have to live with these questions for the rest of his life had touched him, but Finnian did not find it appealing. He wanted to know who had destroyed his life, and make them pay for every tear he'd ever shed.
Staring up into the sky from where he lay on the ground, he sighed at the drifting clouds and let the blue envelop him, sending his thoughts all a whirl across the universe.
Posted by: Mila - 08-31-2017, 07:07 AM - Forum: Archives
- Replies (6)
I
vy. Wolfbane. Nightshade.
With sure-fire focus, the youngling of red and gold whispered the long list of poisonous flora in her head and under her breath. She worked with a sharpness that was honed over her time being smacked and prodded for picking the plants wrong; grinding them and mixing them in the opposite order; all done by the crone from a life long ago. Thinking of this, Mila snickered, the golden trinkets woven into her thick hair jingling as she shook her head.
Foxglove. Belladonna. Moonflower.
Moving with a dancer's grace, she worked; using the outreaches of her mind to pick the herbs she needed from the weeds along the shores of the lake. A couple leaves here, a couple stems there, as she piled them into the wicker basket sitting on a boulder beside her. She continued to whisper the names from her past — the ringleader, the crone, the goons — and when she was at the list's tail end, she would repeat the practice. Forever immortalized and doomed to die, should she ever cross paths with them again.
Hemlock.
Yes. Her plans fell together with a satisfying click as she remembered the missing piece of her puzzle. A wicked little smile tugged at her supple lips at the thought.. oh Calligo help anyone who dared become a nuisance to her now.
@Lavinia + anyone welcome ❤️
super short post, I'm sorry dearie! still getting used to her.
Here you will find information on each individual resident of Denocte! You can read about where they spend their time, what they do and where to look if your character wants to find them!
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<b>Other info:</b>
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It had taken the flaxen doe some time to wander from the border of her new home. The safety snugness that the Arma mountaints had provided her since she first set foot through them with Reichenbach had scared her out of leaving them, fearful that she would not be bale to find her way back or that somehow the mountains that protected her would close and leave her to the world alone once again.
Margot had ventured to the neighbouring land of Terrastella, her anxious feet and curious eyes drifting over the fields she soon found herself ambling across. Little was known to her of the creatures and beings that dwelled in this lands, particularly the exquisite prairie she had found herself a speck in the center of.
It was then as her nsoe cast daintily over the sea of grass that she heard the grass swish behind her, the ground disturbed by a frightfulyl peculiar individual. Skittering sideways, the young doe spooked at the sight of what appeared to be a calloused, long-legged deer. His antlers were perhaps as long as her entire body and his shoulders were not much lower than her own, and the most disturbing elemnt to his approach was the territorial grunt he gave her in warning. "oh!" Margot uttered, scrambling away from the antlered fellow just in time for the beast to charge.
A silent and purposeful journey was the kind Maxence preferred, and while he did opt for the occasional comment about the scenery (like the Teryr's sinking corpse) or how splendidly the recovery of the old day court fort was coming along, he remained for the most part quite hushed in his endeavour to reach the court before sundown was upon them. They both could have easily flown there in no time, though again Maxence much prefered to walk - if he spent all his time flying short distances rather than walking he would surely not be the pinnacle of physical prowess.
Thinking on what Florentine had said upon her exit of the canyon, Maxence finally gave his response. "In regards to Rannveig-" he began, pace slowing in order for his companion to catch up or step beside him. It was wise not to talk so loud in the Day Court where patriot ears hid around every corner. "No, she is not my lady just as I am not your King. She surely is a strong leader, but a strong defender? I do not know. Of course this does not mean I do not respect her. Lions do not tremble at sheep, but they do for other lions. It is this mutual respect that Day and Dusk must foster"
It was as he spoke these words that his hooves took him up the sand swept steps to the courtyard, the fortifications and towers of the Day Court rising around him. Glancing from each wall of the court and he plants that thrived upon it, Maxence then took his sights back to Florentine with his perpetual forwn relaxed for the time being. "Welcome to the Day Court"
@Florentine ! and any from the day court who might like to say hello
The Solterran sun beat out a furious, vicious rhythm upon the Crow’s back. The sky, cerulean blue, stretched on and on, higher and higher. There were no clouds to offer respite from the unrelenting summer sun.
In the stark heat of the day the denizens of Solterra toiled. Raum’s skin drenched iron grey as he wove his way slowly back toward the Rapax river. Sweat beaded across his skin turning it slick and warm.
There were no shadows here to bask in, except for the meager spattering of thin, scanty trees that rose here and there. Their shade was paltry and never had Raum yearned more for the cool of Calligo’s shadows. He was as far from her magic and her influence, as he could ever hope to find himself. Where Rhoswen may have found the sun, so he only lost the thrall of night.
Blue eyes scan the dusty landscape of rolling dunes. It glowed gold beneath the sun and with disdain the Denocte boy wondered if there was any place here that was not a lustrous gold colour.
The Denocte Ghost moves with grace, even as his muscles labour and his body grows weary. It was a blessing to have this natural strength from his days as a spy with the Crows… Not that those days were over now, they were just changed. He was here, not for money, but to help his brethren Crows. If there were secrets to be found, he would find them and return them to Denocte.
Blue eyes, as piercing as the sky overhead, take in the line of trees that bordered the river, carrying the desert from a parched and barren world, into one of lush grasses upon the banks of the river. Slowly he lowered himself into the waters. They were cool, blissfully so, resisting the heat of the sun as they drifted idly by.
In the midst of the river, with the waters licking at his abdomen, he cannot stop his gaze from passing, just once, to the south flowing waters and the mountains that rise beside them. Even here he could see Calligo’s shadows and his skin craves their cool, cool touch. Homesickness was a pang he had never had before, but suddenly it strikes deep, twisting into his abdomen. Regrettably, ignoring the aching pain, Raum lowers his parched lips to the water and he drinks and drinks and drinks.
@Rhoswen – holy moly this is the /worst/ ever! I am so, so sorry :(
