"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
08-19-2019, 02:26 AM (This post was last modified: 09-13-2019, 09:56 AM by Wysteria Fairy.)
This was starting to get exhausting, even though the golden stallion had made a trip up to the mountain twice before for this same dilemma. He would come to ask for their help once more, to help him acquire the gift he was in search of so that he could better defend himself and his loved ones in case disaster befell Taiga once again.
Autumn, like Spring and Summer, made climbing Beqanna's mountain much easier than winter, even though the signs of the impending cold season were growing intensely. The further up the mountain the stallion got, the colder Aten could feel it getting, and despite his winter coat already starting to grow, the chilled breeze ran right through and brushed his skin with a frigid touch.
Aten placed his hooves with care to avoid slipping on the moist rock as he made his journey up the mountain, sighing in relief when he finally reached the top. It wasn't yet freezing outside, but due to the low temperatures, when he breathed out, a soft cloud of frost formed around the stallion's nose.
But he was here, despite how it was already getting cold. The stallion felt the magic stirring in the air at the mountaintop, and, once again, he called out into the abyss, hoping that he would be heard.
"I have returned once again... and perhaps you have grown tired as I have... but I ask for your help... I have grown, accustomed, to how Taiga is run now, but I still fear for her safety... I sense a darkness brewing, brought on by the sadness in our leader's heart...
"I do not think she will act on it without rationale, but if that were to happen, I do not wish to see my friends suffer for it... or those I love... please, I ask that you bequeath me a quest, a task, anything... something that might provide the first step in proving my worth to receive a gift from the magical fairies that have been generous enough to hand down abilities to those before me..."
@[Officials] can I get a roll please?
Aten has come to the Mountain to petition for the 3-space trait Dragon Mimicry, with the characteristics of dragon scales, dragon claws, and firebreathing.
She does grow tired of him, though impressed too with the persistence that only creatures of such limited lives could truly possess. She appears this time, feeling rather sorry for him and his yearly trek up the mountain, even though she has no interest in listening to yet another pretend do-gooder claim they seek power for the “right reasons”. In the end, there is no right reason. They seek power simply because they want it, and the reason falls on deaf ears. She simply comes because it is her job, and sometimes she finds them worthy enough.
His persistence is worthy enough.
“Is if not your job to protect your land without powers? To help you leader as she needs it? Go back to Taiga and help her leader, if you can. What is causing that darkness, and what can you do to stop it? If you can’t do that, talk to two others and come up with an idea about how you can best protect your land even if your leader does not seem to have its best interests at heart. ” Perhaps he could do nothing, but perhaps he could change the course of history without anything else to aid him but himself. To prove himself, he has to try.
With that, she disappears.
***
You have been granted a quest. You have two choices:
1) Thread with the leader of Taiga and try to understand this darkness in her heart and see if you can help her without the aid of magic
2) Talk to two other horses (you may use the NPC account, but it must be two threads) and come up with ways to protect your land even if your leader acts against the best interests of Taiga
Come back and tell the faeries what you learn
He was finally back... the task had been long, more difficult than he'd thought, but he finally received a portion of what he'd gone back to Taiga to look for. And now he was ready to face the magic of the Mountain, Beqanna, again. And no matter what happened, he did feel he gained something out of this... something important, even if he didn't have the most descriptive word for it.
The air had gotten colder since his last time here, but the stallion trudged on up the Mountain again, being just as careful to avoid slipping and falling all the way back down. He took his tip as he neared the top so his lungs could adjust, feeling the air get a bit thin the higher he got. Every so often he would stop if need be, since this time, he was not in a huge hurry to get to his destination. He had to think of the right words to say; he didn't want it to be an excuse that he had failed, that he hadn't tried, but he didn't want to oversum his experiences either because that'd be false report.
When the stallion reached the top of the mountain, he called from the depths of his heart for the magic, for the fairies, of Beqanna to listen to what he had to say. He began in a calm tone, but as he went on, it took a turn from hopeful and soft, to regretful and failed.
"I have done as you requested of me, but, despite my best efforts, I feel as if it was not good enough," he said as his eyes went down. "I returned home with the intention of prying as much as I could out of Lepis, to find out what scars she has laying on her heart, and though she seemed to trust me enough with what she gave me, I still continued to push her, to discuss a topic that was so obviously painful for her to recall.
"For all I know she could still be hiding how she truly feels, but I no longer care for that. She experienced a tragedy that no mare should ever have to go through. Her meaning for Beqanna's lands, I cannot agree with fully yet, for I feel it seems a bit... misguided given how some horses may feel. However, my purpose was to understand why, not how, and now that I have heard what... struggles she endured, I have come to the conclusion that she is doing what she feels is necessary to protect others from the pain she felt.
"No dam should ever need to go through what she did... and though I will not resort to her methods, I wish to protect others from pain just as she does, and I feel this helped me to understand part of her plight. I may not always agree with her choice, but if it will benefit Taiga and those who live there, I will do what I can, including listening to her."
He took a moment to breath, "If you still choose me worthy enough to bestow a gift to assist me in this endeavor, I will never forget your generosity and understanding. But I see now why perhaps you denied me before, and what you said when I arrived before now. Perhaps I do not need a gift beyond what I possess to defend my home, and should that be the case, I will accept it.
"It could come in handy one day, to save those I love, but that choice lies entirely with you. I can only hope that what I have done according to your guidance is enough that you will not push me for trying to seek this out for what apparently was deemed a selfish reason."
@[Officials]
OOC: Apologies that this took so long; Lepis and I both had busy schedules so we had to wait for each other. If the statute of limitations has not passed that would be excellent.
She doesn’t bother to appear, but she has not reason to. He has learned what she sent him to learn, begun to understand that sometimes not all is quite as it first appears. The magic comes to him though, a strength and a fire flooding his body, infusing him with the power he seeks.
***
Congratulations, your quest is successful and you have received Dragon Mimicry. Please post in updates.
