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[Dissident]

Excerpt from Kele-De's Jounal:

Year 4388 of the 3rd Era

Freedom. The wind sent my head fur whipping about as I’d intentionally left the hood to my cloak down. I hadn’t bothered to saddle my scarhawk, Novantco as I enjoyed the feeling of his muscles rippling beneath his feathers and my leather clad legs. We had an understanding: an unspoken communication. I didn’t need the saddle, a shift of my body weight, a kick of my leg, or a yank on the downy feathers at his neck was enough for him to understand what I wanted. It was a rather straight course though so I wasn’t worried about him straying from the path. It was spring so the clan was on the Eastern side of Tigath. So long as we kept the morning sun to our left and a bit behind us, we would reach the Pillars of Grak’thar in a few more days.

I was nervous with anticipation. Mathair and Athair hadn’t wanted me to go but they could not deny me. It was a great honor to be an acolyte. They had no idea that if I passed the trials I had no intention of returning to the clan or perhaps they had and that was why they didn’t want me to go. I had no desire to be the next Matriarch of our clan. There was something inside that called to me. Later, I would learn from Bryanna that it was destiny. For now though all that mattered was getting to the city of Tigath.

It seems strange for such nomadic furres to have a city but this is where the market is held and in times of great need the mountain shelters and protects our people, at least those who aren’t fighting.

I have digressed though. It was a beautiful day. The sun was rising and just beginning to hit the hills, leaving hazy blue and purple shadows about. It had rained and so the sun glinted off the drops as I took my first glimpse of the city of Tigath.

It wasn’t very large; of course most of our people prefer the life of the nomad. There were houses and shops along the side of the mountain and what looked like a smooth path that led to a large building. This building appeared to have been carved out of the mountain itself. Behind or rather perhaps above this building the path continued along until it reached the top. Two pillars stood at the peak testament to the reason for the city: training Seal Acolytes.

Once, long ago when the Empire of Taigorr still reigned Tigath was the northern most city within its realm. Perhaps that is why the city survived so long: that and the tunnels within the mountain.

I brought my mount down from the sky to the beginning of the path. I took his lead, merely a rope around his neck and began walking toward the building carved into the mountain. Along the way I found a paddock for Novantco and bartered for his keeping. I didn’t worry much about him as he was quite resourceful.

I continued on my journey up the mountain path. As I looked about all I could think about was how old the city looked up close. Even the newer buildings at the base looked old. The wood was warped and seemed as though the mud inside used to hole up the cracks had been replaced thousands of times. The thatch upon the roofs appeared to have weathered more seasons than was natural; it wasn’t so much moldy as sun bleached from a beautiful golden to a pale yellow. There was still life within though. The ringing of a hammer from the smithy, the scent of animals, the trails of smoke from fireplaces, and the furres who were working small plots of land at the base of the mountain were all evidences of a thriving community.

The path, which from above looked to be smooth, turned out to be anything but. It was definitely well traveled upon as the stone beneath my booted hind paws was smooth, but it certainly had not weathered the traveling evenly as evidenced by the divots, small holes and stones covering it. There were other paths off the main one though they appeared not as well traveled. They were narrow and rough, evidence once more that the building built into the mountain had been there and the city had been built because of it, though it was clear that even those paths had been there for a very long time.

As I neared the largest building, near the top of the mountain where the acolytes studied I noticed how ancient it appeared. It had been carved out of the mountain, more accurately it had been carved into the mountain and I suspect at one point when it had first been built it had looked quite beautiful. Now however, cracks some of them quite large in fact marred its surface. The intricate patterns of elements were so cracked and worn down by the very elements they depicted that it was difficult to tell the difference between fire and water. The large formidable doors stood wide open and even those appeared weathered down. There was a fresh coating of pitch upon them as they were shiny and the stench still hung in the air, but the color was off. Pitch is usually a deep black like onyx and this paled in comparison. These doors had stood a long time and even fresh pitch took on a grey pallor upon them.

Stepping within those doors however was like entering a different world. As weathered and old as the outside appeared the inside exhibited meticulous care. While it didn’t appear new the cracks in the walls had been repaired nearly seamlessly. The colors were a vibrant contrast compared to the washed out façade of the outside of the building. From the outside, the city almost appeared as if it were a ruin, the inside however gave testament to a vibrantly alive society teeming with rich history. Almost all of which was held in this building whose entrance I stood within.
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Dalin Kayde, Veudir X'Tare, Cerris T'Kel, Paran Narel, etc.
"Ansteorra is as high as what I get for being a pelican."

[Dissident]

Original Topic
_________________
Dalin Kayde, Veudir X'Tare, Cerris T'Kel, Paran Narel, etc.
"Ansteorra is as high as what I get for being a pelican."