Aten returned the smile with a friendly one, in the hopes that the mare's own shyness would start to disappear when she was around him. Aten didn't think it was due to being flustered that Lilliana showed a bit of hesitance in that display of gratitude, and he wanted to help her conquer whatever block she had that caused her to still exhibit some shyness here and there.
She had no need to do so around him.
Lilliana thanked the golden stallion, to which Aten nodded since it seemed she had more to say. He had to ponder her words for a moment, for what she was asking could become quite complicated. After all, hierarchies here in Beqanna could be all over the place due to marriages between royal bloodlines or those who had staged a coup and taken over the throne which led to unknown lineages that could be from another land entirely or stretching far back into Beqanna's earliest days.
While Aten was giving this some thought, Lilliana brought up a topic he'd mentioned. She had clearly heard him say he'd spent years alone in the forest, and her eyes almost seemed to soften at that. Aten understood that most likely she wasn't offering her pity; merely her concern, her wish to be there for him perhaps, since she might not know what an experience like that had been like and all she could do was offer a shoulder to lean on.
He watched as Lilliana looked towards the tree tops, perhaps looking for the raptor she'd mentioned by name, and Aten began again, "No. I met Turul shortly after I was asked to take over Taiga's leadership. My years in the forest were in isolation except for the occasions I ventured just outside it's borders to collect the information I share.
"As for the information about the Forbidden Dale, your best bet would be to seek out any descendants of the leaders. I recall the first one was a mare named Ryatah, and to my knowledge, she is still alive as an immortal. I last heard from horses in the Field that she lived in Tephra, but I can't confirm it since I have not been there myself, nor has Turul. If she is not located there, I do not know where she is now. One of her colts has an indirect tie to myself; he goes by the name of Raed. I know of his existence through Lethia; she encountered him and conceived a foal with him. I don't know where Raed would be, and I haven't seen him around Taiga, so I am not sure Lethia would know. You could get what he looks like out of her, if anything.
"Charlemagne was another ruler, but I have not met any of her offspring. Her daughter Alayne passed the throne down to a mare named Delicate instead of her only son, a colt named Mano I believe. Delicate herself raised two foals sired by Fenrir, Charlemagne's mate. Her line ended with the three of them.
"There is a possibility you could get some information about the Dale out of Magnus. He lives out in Tephra as well last I heard; he sired a filly through Katana, who was the Dale's leader after Delicate. He lived in the Dale for quite some time as well.
"The descendants from each of these rulers number many, and while I have some names, I do not know all of their exact locations. Your best option, if you want to risk it, is to seek out either Ryatah or Magnus in Tephra. If you choose not too, you'll have to do some searching to see if any of Charlemagne's, Delicate's, or Katana's foals are still out there, or their grand foals, who may know information their parents gave them. There is much more I could tell you about the Dale, but that's not what you came here for."
There was one horse Aten had withheld information about from Lilliana for her own protection; that a stallion named Carnage had ties to the Forbidden Dale as well. He did not wish for her to know about him, the dark history that surrounded that creature. Lilliana would be much safer not knowing all he had done.
@[lilliana] not a problem. We'll just assume at some point Aten told her Turul's name.
She had no need to do so around him.
Lilliana thanked the golden stallion, to which Aten nodded since it seemed she had more to say. He had to ponder her words for a moment, for what she was asking could become quite complicated. After all, hierarchies here in Beqanna could be all over the place due to marriages between royal bloodlines or those who had staged a coup and taken over the throne which led to unknown lineages that could be from another land entirely or stretching far back into Beqanna's earliest days.
While Aten was giving this some thought, Lilliana brought up a topic he'd mentioned. She had clearly heard him say he'd spent years alone in the forest, and her eyes almost seemed to soften at that. Aten understood that most likely she wasn't offering her pity; merely her concern, her wish to be there for him perhaps, since she might not know what an experience like that had been like and all she could do was offer a shoulder to lean on.
He watched as Lilliana looked towards the tree tops, perhaps looking for the raptor she'd mentioned by name, and Aten began again, "No. I met Turul shortly after I was asked to take over Taiga's leadership. My years in the forest were in isolation except for the occasions I ventured just outside it's borders to collect the information I share.
"As for the information about the Forbidden Dale, your best bet would be to seek out any descendants of the leaders. I recall the first one was a mare named Ryatah, and to my knowledge, she is still alive as an immortal. I last heard from horses in the Field that she lived in Tephra, but I can't confirm it since I have not been there myself, nor has Turul. If she is not located there, I do not know where she is now. One of her colts has an indirect tie to myself; he goes by the name of Raed. I know of his existence through Lethia; she encountered him and conceived a foal with him. I don't know where Raed would be, and I haven't seen him around Taiga, so I am not sure Lethia would know. You could get what he looks like out of her, if anything.
"Charlemagne was another ruler, but I have not met any of her offspring. Her daughter Alayne passed the throne down to a mare named Delicate instead of her only son, a colt named Mano I believe. Delicate herself raised two foals sired by Fenrir, Charlemagne's mate. Her line ended with the three of them.
"There is a possibility you could get some information about the Dale out of Magnus. He lives out in Tephra as well last I heard; he sired a filly through Katana, who was the Dale's leader after Delicate. He lived in the Dale for quite some time as well.
"The descendants from each of these rulers number many, and while I have some names, I do not know all of their exact locations. Your best option, if you want to risk it, is to seek out either Ryatah or Magnus in Tephra. If you choose not too, you'll have to do some searching to see if any of Charlemagne's, Delicate's, or Katana's foals are still out there, or their grand foals, who may know information their parents gave them. There is much more I could tell you about the Dale, but that's not what you came here for."
There was one horse Aten had withheld information about from Lilliana for her own protection; that a stallion named Carnage had ties to the Forbidden Dale as well. He did not wish for her to know about him, the dark history that surrounded that creature. Lilliana would be much safer not knowing all he had done.
@[lilliana] not a problem. We'll just assume at some point Aten told her Turul's name.