Legend of Ransera

Posted: **Wed Sep 08, 2021 9:30 pm**

8 Ash 121
Low-City, Kalzasi

The cooler winds of the changing season ghosted over Talon’s wings. He tucked them in closer, feeling the cold much more heavily than he normally would have. He could not place it but it hung about him more than usual. Perhaps it was a portent of things to come. Perhaps it was just his imagination. The cold was chased away easily enough as he felt another step closer into his orbit. The warmth of Aoren’s presence both mentally and physically helped to ease the tension in Talon’s shoulders. As his bondmate’s arm wrapped around his waist, he felt Aoren press his brow into the crook of his neck. He let the moment wash over him. He let the warmth of that gentle embrace course its way through his body. It helped to soothe some of the uncertainties that clung to his weary mind.

“You are afraid.” Talon did not answer. Not aloud. His bondmate continued to give voice to the thoughts swirling through his head. “You worry that they will see you differently. Do they hate you? Do they fear you? Most of all, do they believe in you?”

“Everything has changed.” Talon looked out over the people going about their daily lives. He looked upon the denizens of the Low City with apprehension. Searing, Talon had been summoned before the Council. He had stood to give testimony to the events that had transpired in Zaichaer and the failed diplomatic errand he had been sent on. It had not been a pleasant experience. It had not been completely painful either. It had simply been what it was and he had known it would be coming. What he had not anticipated was being forced to reveal the truth of everything that had happened to him but it had happened. He was now faced with the reality that people outside of his family circle and close friends knew what had become of him.

Before the Searing season, he had only heard his name invoked on the lips of those who bore the mark of his divinity. Now, he could hear prayers of truth faith being sent to him on the lips of more than just Dawnmartyrs in hiding or those he personally knew. He had heard his name on the lips of an Avialae Sky Guard as the man faced off against a creature from the Warrens. Talon could feel the warrior’s fear. In that moment he had felt as though there were a phantasmal hand reaching for him. He could almost see it. Thin and shaking. In his mind, Talon had reached out to take that hand in order to steady it. What he had witnessed as the warrior firming his stance and facing off against the creature.

When the moment had passed, Talon felt as though he had given something of himself to the man. It was not quite an Emblem, he knew what that felt like. This felt smaller but more significant somehow. He could not yet place it but afterwards he had felt himself grow a tad fatigued and at the same time he felt…

Talon searched for the right word in his thoughts.

Elevated.

It was an odd sensation but he recovered from it in a few breaths.

The following day the same thing happened with more of the Sky Guard that he could sense. It was not a large number of the warriors but it was a handful of them. The day after that, he had found his attention briefly drawn to a woman standing before the steps of the High Court. She had called to him and as before, Talon had felt what he could only describe was a hand reaching out to him. He had taken that hand as he had with the others and the woman had let out a breath then started taking the steps to the court.

Those small moments, lasting no more than a second or two, had been becoming more frequent. They were still not in large numbers but it was becoming often enough that he was gaining an awareness that people, even if just a handful of them, had taken what had transpired in Searing and chosen to believe it.

They believed in him.

But just as there were those who believed in him, there were those who were skeptical of him. Talon did not blame them. He did not judge them either. They were right to be skeptical.

“I do not even know what all of this means, Aoren.” He gestured to himself vaguely. “I had one conversation with a past incarnation of myself and then…”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“I get glimpses. I get feelings. But I do not know what...what has truly become of me. What is to say that I truly became a demigod? What is to say that I did not simply awaken to strange powers after being exposed to the dark flow of the Warrens?” Talon shook his head. He felt as though he was a marionette being danced about on a string. The Dawnmartyrs believed him to be the reincarnation of Arcas, the mythical hero god of ages past and the patron of their order. Lyra and her Other Self, had acknowledged him as this ancient deity reborn. But what did all of that really mean? He had gained new powers and abilities but what was to say he had not just seen some evolution of the powers he already commanded? Talon was not ignorant to the fact that he was a prolific and powerful sorcerer. He spent many days of his life working with powerful manifestations of aether. He was just about to run his hands through his hair when Aoren caught his hands and brought them to his lap. He ran his thumbs of Talon’s palms soothing away some of the tension.

“If you are going to ask me what to do, you already know my answer.” Aoren smiled and the two of them shared a small moment of humor. Talon watched as Aoren brought his hands to his face. He ran his fingers over the line of Aoren’s jaw as the man kissed his palms.

“I am just a warrior. I am not a philosopher. I’m not even that good of a bodyguard.” Talon chuckled and shoved his beloved bondmate. Aoren responded with a playful flinch before tugging him into his arms. “I would fight every battle for you if I could but this is one battle that this soldier has not the skills to fight.”

Talon sighed. He stared out into the crowd of people going about their daily lives. It was almost overwhelming. Aoren grasped his chin, turning his face so that they were staring each other in the eyes.

“Hey,” He touched their brows together. “Iki tình thương.”

The words in Synskrit comforted him. It was not often that Aoren chose to speak in the Synnekar tongue. His Kathalan accent and dialect made forming some of the words difficult but when he did speak, it always made Talon smile. When they pulled back, he kissed his bondmate softly.

“You are getting better.” That made the raven winged warrior grin.

“I know.” Talon laughed with a shake of his head. He looked down to the people going about their lives below one more time. With a deep breath, he nodded to himself. On the edges of his awareness he could still feel the presence of the one who had invoked his name. It had been a moment of true faith, not merely spoken in conversation. He was finding that those were the moments sticking out to him, the things his awareness picked up on. People who truly needed him or something close to a confirmation of his acknowledgement. Instead of choosing to simply take the hand offered in his mind, Talon chose to visit this person in the flesh.

“Come.” Talon pushed himself off the ledge. He drifted down to the street and was soon joined by Aoren. Together, the two of them made their way toward the one who had called for him.

Posted: **Wed Sep 08, 2021 11:10 pm**

8 Ash 121

Pahoran was out and about enjoying the a chance to fly during the changing season. There was something relaxing as one enjoyed floating on the breeze and just being one with the world at large. The young man looked down at the city not far below him as he moved. He could feel a sense of change. The knighthood was begging to rebuild and soon it would be possible for others to start showing up.

His family was still trying to refund its new footing as the began to transition to less secrecy. For over a decade their mission had been to hide and preserve. Now it was to grow with out brining attention to itself.

Beyond that there were things going on in the world that hinted at change. The return of their patron being one. Pahoran felt his grandfather was right that the world tended to bring him back into the cycle when the world needed his help and when it was being threatened. What could possible be coming. The knight wondered.

As if his thoughts summoned him the Avialae saw Talon and his mate settle on the ground. Pahoran expression pondered for a moment before he decided this meeting was meant to be and he pulled his wings for a glide to the ground. This was always a thrilling experience as the ground came up towards you but yet you knew you were in control. At the last minute he righted him self so he landed on his feet and was firmly on the earth.

Pahoran pulled in his wings and setting a quick pace moved towards where the two were walking. Talon was also Pahoran’s friend and today felt like a friend day. He wasn’t sure why it was a friend day but maybe it had to do with part of what Talon needed his family was in worship of the you g prince but Pahoran remembered him as a friend first.

“Talon, Aoren.” He called as he came up.

Posted: **Thu Sep 09, 2021 10:28 pm**

Sivan was minding his own business. He made a habit of minding his own business. When he didn't, he ended up responsible for other people. It was an actual thing now. After actually bonding with his previous master, that master died and left him in charge of a rapidly degrading Awoken, whose decline must have been his fault. When engaging with a persistent spirit on the road to Kalzasi, he hadn't been able to just say no to helping a cursed fae'ethalan who was now hibernating in a tree that he had grown in his yard to prevent the curse from killing him before he could find a cure or some way to dispel it. Go for a walk to meditate through some insomnia? He became the new friend for a clanless, orphaned fae'ethalan who now spent a great deal of time in his back yard because the spirits liked Sivan and congregated there. Allow a customer to engage with him about one of the projects he was working on? All right, having Torin as a friend was a good thing. And he liked Destyn. At least those two hadn't fallen into comas that were probably his fault.

Kalzasi was turning out to be all right. He hadn't settled anywhere for this long in a long while. A part of him wanted to depart as soon as he completed his apprenticeship with Master Jacun. He knew Destyn would be keen to travel. Torin wouldn't, though, and Flower and IX weren't so easy to transport anymore. Relationships were bonds, whether welcome or unwelcome.

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, glancing about. The Low-City wasn't unknown to him. This wasn't the first time he was returning to the shop after making a delivery. If he hadn't found such a good deal near to where he planned to work, he might be living down here. Spirits in a city were strange, though. The green spaces were more welcoming, though they weren't natural. The city had seemed more in balance during the Searing months, the summer fire pulling the Air and Earth and Water of Kalzasi into a more perfect union. He didn't know what Ash would bring.

When he turned a corner, he saw two Avialae landing and a third walking up to join them. That was a strange convergence down here. He opened his senses through his rune, which he often did when confronted by something strange. His curious mind always wanted to know how strange a thing was. This time, it proved to be a mistake.

Though Semblance wasn't truly sight or sound or any of the mundane senses, the mind translated much of what it gathered through the rune into the more familiar senses just to have a working vocabulary. Sivan stumbled, then righted himself, and then stood awkwardly half-crouched as he realized he was blind.

And deaf.

And he couldn't smell anything...

His skin was numb, yet tingling. No, he could still smell, but it was as if his nose couldn't differentiate one thing from another, as if from a surfeit of sensations. He could hear, but it was as if his ears were full of water, blocking out the rush of sound. And he was blind, but everything was white rather than darkness, and in that light, he saw the vague impression of an Avialae.

He began to curse in Mythrasi, and it was likely louder than he intended because he couldn't gauge the volume of his own voice.

Posted: **Sat Nov 13, 2021 6:09 pm**

Before Talon could respond to Pahoran, their reunion was interrupted by a string of curses being uttered in a musical language. From years of hearing and speaking with both his mother and her attendants, Talon immediately identified it as some form of elvish tongue. He turned his head to see a young elf half-crouching and standing as though he was unable to see. Talon opened his senses, peering through the veil and beholding the world through the lens of Semblance. As soon as he did, he witnessed what could only be described as what appeared to be a muffling of the young man’s presence. He quirked a brow as the string of loud cursing indicated both confusion and some measure of pain.

“Talon.” Aoren spoke. There was the hint of amusement on his lips as he struggled not to smirk. That was when it dawned on him. Talon focused a bit more closely on the young elf’s aura and beheld the channeling of aether. It shifted and swirled within him revealing the presence of a magic he knew all too well.

“Ah.” It was still something that he was getting accustomed to. It was not a matter that he had really had to be consciously aware of until more recent times and especially since the events of Searing. Talon took hold of his aura. Carefully he set about pulling his aetheric impression back. He drew it toward himself, winnowing down his presence so as not to overwhelm the people around him. Moving toward the young man who was struggling, Talon continued the work of masking his own aura. He stepped up to the young man, extending a hand as a means of offering to help steady him.

“Apologies, sir. I forget myself sometimes. Please, let me help you.” Talon offered the elf a smile along with his steadying hand. Behind him, Aoren had folded his arms over his chest and was watching Sivan curiously.

Posted: **Sat Nov 13, 2021 6:48 pm**

"A thousand apologies, Holy One!" he exclaimed in Mythrasi.

It was like the worst of migraines, though the pain suddenly receded and his senses returned to him, albeit with strange echoes, afterimages of auras, and strange scents. With enough self-awareness to cease the flow of aether into his rune, things calmed down a bit further, though he found himself holding hands with a God, which was new. He didn't know whether he should be on his knees or not, but if He was lifting him up, it was probably best to stand.

"S-sorry," he managed in Common. "I was wondering what three noble Avialae were doing in the Low-City and my curiosity got the better of me. I wasn't expecting a... a God. An indirect smiting..." He was blinking, swaying a bit on his feet, but he didn't fall down. "Thank you."

He didn't think Jacun was counting down the minutes until he returned from his delivery, and from what he understood, Jacun worked with Lyra of Ale'Ephirium, who worked with Talon Novalys at the Skyforge, so it was best to be polite and make a good impression as his apprentice just in case that came up. Or perhaps it were better not to let that come up given how embarrassing this situation was. Now all the attention was on him.

"I should be fine," he managed. "More harm to my pride than to my mind, I think. Thank you." He realized he was repeating himself a bit, but then he didn't know how to act around royalty or divinity. His mother might have, given her time working in the diplomatic corps, but that was not a skill set he had inherited.

Posted: **Sun Dec 05, 2021 10:16 pm**

T A L O N

Talon worried his lip as it was clear that peering into the weave of his aura had caused a significant level of discomfort for the elf. As much as Talon often thought that he was getting the hang of what and how to conduct himself as a divine power, there were moments like this that showed him just how much he did not know.

“There is no need to apologize. I should be more conscious of my…my presence.” It was still something that he was getting accustomed to. It was one thing to have grown up being told that he was the Heir of the Shokaze. Talon accepted that. Often people acknowledged him because of his position and less because of who he was. It was a wholly different matter when he was now faced with the reality that people worshipped him. They gave their Faith to him. They prayed to him. And he could hear them. On some level, Talon touched those who reached out to him genuinely. He felt some measure of his influence in the Aetherium flow through him and brush upon their souls whenever he made the conscious effort to acknowledge a genuine need for his attention.

“Where are you headed, sir? Will you allow myself and my partner to escort you there? It is the least I can do for causing you such discomfort.” Seeing the elf wobble slightly on his feet had Talon’s brow furrowing in concern. He really needed to learn how to better mask his presence so as not to harm mages and other beings around him. Not for the first time he considered making a piece of Semblance enchanted jewelry that masked his aura so that he did not have to constantly concentrate on it. He could not spend all of his days wearing the Skyforge Raiment but an earring or a bracelet would perhaps suffice. He felt Aoren’s silent amusement as the man suppressed a snicker.

“I am Talon but, you already knew that, I think.” He smiled. Gesturing to the raven winged man beside him, Aoren inclined his head. “This is my bondmate, Aoren.”

Once he was certain that the elf was not going to topple over, Talon took a step back to give him some space.

“May I have your name?”

Posted: **Fri Dec 10, 2021 12:13 pm**

Sivan bowed to both of them with a strange sort of bow, the sort learned from a mother who had spent some time as a diplomat from Dalquor to Silfanore.

"Your Highness. My lord." He included Aoren in his respects, of course. "I'm Sivan—Sunrunner in Dalquia, Len'Myren in Sol'Valen." While his mother wasn't noble, she had risen high on merit, and her children were granted a modicum of respect in deference to her work for the Dratori nation. His father had no real status among the Hytori, but Sivan's former master had chosen him out of so many, and that had given him a bit of status. He didn't know what it would be like if he returned to either of his homelands now. He was a more accomplished mage, but he hadn't truly earned any respect for himself.

The bow hadn't put him off balance again. He seemed to be stable enough, and he wondered what Master Jacun would say if he returned to work with such august personages.

"Ah, I'm Master Jacun's apprentice in alchemical studies. I was just returning after making a delivery. If you really want to..." He shrugged, diffident. "But I should be able to make it. I was just surprised is all. No harm done, I think."

Then again, Master Jacun might be pleased for an opportunity to speak to the Shinsei. Talon Novalys was a renowned runeforger, and while Sivan knew little of that discipline, he knew that Jacun would be only too pleased to upsell the man on more alchemical creations to improve his work. If they did accompany him back to the shop, he might casually ask questions about how alchemy might make runeforging more powerful or efficient; learning it from a runeforger's perspective would be interesting from a professional standpoint.

Sometimes Sivan was less stilted when talking about magic.

Posted: **Wed Mar 09, 2022 6:54 pm**

8 Ash 121

Pahoran was just as surprised as Talon and Aoren when the elf suddenly joined them. The ice blue eyes youth took in the poor elf stubbling around and heard his call. Pah’s understand of the language could be better put it was enough to get the gist of where the man was going with his cry. Pahoran was farther back so it he was behind the other two as they spoke.

Pahoran remained quiet as he watch what was going on. Both Talon’s divinity and position in the city always but him at the forefront of any situation. The young man thought about that fore a moment. He had always been raised to keep more to the background and the shadows and not to put himself in the lime light. He completely understood that sometimes that wasn’t possible and who Talon was born to made that hard even before he was awaken. Pah was also willing to admit that his clan had been in hiding, but there was more to it. He was still taught to live up to the ideals of the knights, and one of those ideals was to give thankless services.

He looked at the group again and listen as Talon apologies for his presences and its overwhelming factor. Pahoran wasn’t exactly sure but he was willing to guess it had to do with arcane and one of the fields he was proficient in. It left the young man thinking as well.

Pahoran at this point interjected and said. “My name is Pahoran I believe we have meet before.” He smiled at the elf and looked at all of them. “I am glad to hear that you are okay. I don’t know much about alchemy myself. I understand it often involves explosions, or at least that’s what I was told when I ever I tried to mix things as a child.” He grinned at them trying to lighten the situation. “I would be interested in learning more.” His eyes showed his interest. It was also something he had been taught to bring the conversation back to others.

Posted: **Tue Jan 24, 2023 4:36 pm**

R E W A R D S

Name: Sivan
XP: +10 XP
Requested Lore: +8 Lores

Name: Pahoran
XP: +10 XP
Requested Lore: +8 Lores

Name: Talon
XP: +10 XP
Requested Lore: +8 Lores

Note(s): This is a very old thread and I do believe it has petered off. Pahoran is, for all intents and purposes, no longer active. Thank you for the opportunity and for participating!

Legend of Ransera

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