Thale
Thale was a continent that cupped the south pole. It was known as the Bottom of the World. Despite its cold temperatures, it was necessarily a land made of ice and snow. Aside from the southern ice caps located at the exact south pole, most of Thale was arid. Aside from where the Eternal Mountains passed though, it would have been a white sand desert.
Thale was once a whole landmass, but a crisis several ages ago caused the entire continent to be broken into islands. The largest landmass remaining was the area around the south pole, which was inhospitable, even with domes because of the thick ice.
Domes were the solution to make Thale inhabitable. They were powered by magic and created different climates within them for different purposes. Many Domes were used for agriculture and livestock rearing with small villages overseeing operations therein. Each island in Thale could usually only accommodate one Dome.
Icestorme was located on the largest remaining island, near the south pole. Only half of it was domed. The main reason for this is because Platinum Dragons did not need to live in the Domes. If it weren't for their inability to grow most plants, raise many animals, or house other races, they wouldn't live in the domes at all. Platinum Dragons had the ability to change their body physiology. They could lower their body temperatures to adapt to the coldest climate.
Other native races, such as Lyods, or Ice Elementals, and Frost Giants can also live without the need of the Domes. Denizens of Thale have always utilized Domes, even before the continent was broken into islands. But there were always places for those who didn't need to. There were animals and plants that thrived in the harsh conditions.
Still, Thale wasn't self-sufficient. It was a harsh place. It depended on trade from the other continents for many things. That all changed when the Siege began. When the Plague began to appear, the former Countess decided to close off Thale in an effort to save more people.
It was already too late. And, just when Thale was at its most vulnerable, ocean-born enemies decided to attack. Thale, already not the most populous, devastated by the Plague, now had to fend against enemies at its doorstep. They managed to drive them back into the ocean but, ever since, they've been under a Siege. No other nation could come to their aid by sea or by air without facing enemy attacks. Only a few races were able to travel freely to and from Thale, like the Topaz Dragons. They have their own underground network of tunnels that connect all over the world. Or the Aquamarine Dragons that have their own ways to travel through water.
Only through this grace was the cure to the Plague able to be taken to Thale or else there may have been no Dragons left.
In the Icestorme Dome, in Icestorme Hall, Morganna Icestorme read a report with cold eyes. She wasn't cold by nature. It was because the contents of the report were so ridiculous. With a sneer and a scoff, she threw the report aside and stood up. As she moved the sound of clinking came from the metal and beads that adorned her long black hair, and draped her body. The loose, flowing clothes shimmered like her insect-esque wings. Icy turquoise eyes looked out the large window overlooking the central courtyard of Icestorme Hall.
People came and went. Although they weren't in dire straits, thanks to the occasional Topaz or Aquamarine merchant that was able to come through, bringing much needed supplies they couldn't produce. Still, it wasn't enough and many small villages suffered, especially when it came to medicinal supplies.
Now, they were close to finally being able to facilitate large scale trade again, Parliament had nothing better to do than worry about the witchborn? For a hundred years the priority has been a way to break the Siege and reestablish contact with the rest of the world. But all of a sudden, ministers were worried about refugees that had almost nothing to do with Thale at all?
She wondered if anyone thought she was that foolish. If she didn't sense a hidden hand behind this, then she really would be a fool. She turned back to her desk. There was a stone sitting on it and she touched it. "Sonja Starshadow," she said.
The stone glowed slightly a few times before the visage of another woman appeared above the stone. Dark hair in a severe bun, dark blue eyes, strong features, and pale olive skin, Sonja Starshadow looked at Morganna. "What can I do for you, Morri?" she asked.
Morganna tapped her fingers against her desk. "Can you get me in touch with Dahlia Blackheart?" she asked. "If you aren't utilizing her services, that is," she added with a slight smile.
Sonja raised a brow. "I'll let her know to expect your call," she said, without prying.
Morganna didn't feel there was anything to hide. "I can understand politicians vying for power in other places making waves over the witchborn refugees. Baseless arguments, but not surprising. But here? The main topic has always been breaking the Siege and finding new ways to get supplies. Why would there be such a big wave over the witchborn? Until a week ago, no one knew we would be able to open a pathway to Silvermoon, so it's not as if they could relax and look for something new to argue over," she said aloud, as if musing.
Sonja listened quietly. She tilted her head. "To what purpose?" she asked, not expecting an answer.
"That's part of what I want to find out. I've already tasked the Frostguard to investigate, but I think an outsider perspective is necessary," Morganna said. She sighed. "Well, thank you, Sonja, for your help," she said.
Sonja waved a dismissive hand. "If you need anything else, just ask. I'll let Dahlia know," she said. The communication cut-off.
Morganna was left in contemplation. She only came out of it when a knock sounded on the door. "Come in," she said.
Her assistant came in. "My lady, the site has been prepared, would you like to see it?" she asked. "The City Planner is waiting for your approval," she explained.
Morganna stood. "Yes. It's better if I see it in person," she answered. She left her office. Calling Dahlia Blackheart can wait. She needed to see where the Bridging Array was going to be placed herself.
--
Silvermoon
At the home of the First Knight, the three-way Dragon battle finally came to a conclusion. Being less experienced in Dragon form than the other two, Darius found himself at a disadvantage. The two older Dragons didn't go all out against him, but they didn't hold back either. They systematically introduced him to various challenges when fighting against Dragons, or Dragon-like creatures.
There were other dragon-like creatures on Emphyralis besides Drakes, but they weren't intelligent. More like cunning wild animals. There were two types. Wyverns were slightly smaller than Dragons, with only two hind legs, more like birds. They were typically less aggressive unless their territories were encroached or their eggs were disturbed. They were also solitary, living alone or in pairs. They didn't reproduce much and they were typically left to themselves. Only wild Drakes were typically allowed to live in their territories.
The other creature was much more dangerous and much closer to Emphyralian Dragons in size and shape, except their scales lacked the metallic or gemlike scales, appearing much more reptilian. They were referred to as Wyrms. They had four legs, two wings, and longer necks and tails like the Emphyralian Dragons, but they had no gifts or high intelligence. They were aggressive and hunted and lived in groups. They had various colors adapted to their environments. They, however, were cunning enough to make enemies and allies.
Wyrms were a major force in the Siege of Thale, allying with the sea-faring races for benefits. They were brutal and savage. But, they were also targets of the Dragon Hunters. The Plague didn't affect them, because they weren't the same as Emphyralian Dragons, but they were hunted on a large scale alongside the Dragons. A few groups chose to ally with the Emphyralian Dragons to fight against them.
Wyrms were not a united force. They mostly acted by instinct and for their own benefits. The Wyrms that were fighting alongside Dragons one minute, could turn around and attack them the next.
It was unknown when Wyverns and Wyrms came to Emphyralis, but they'd been there a long time. The Wyverns were basically left alone to their own territories unless they became a threat. The Wyrms were another story. They could be harmless or the biggest threat to a community. The rulers of Emphyralis had mixed opinions. Some wanted to completely exterminate the Wyrms and get rid of the danger once and for all. Others objected. For the most part, Wyrms were treated as any other group. Left alone until they became a threat.
Darius had never faced a Wyrm, but Lazarus and Amadeus had. Not long after Amadeus joined the army, Wyrms began attacking a fishing village in the Shattered Straits; they had to team up with the Isazian Sentry Corps to battle against a group of Wyrms. So, during their three-way battle, they used tactics that mimicked their previous battle with the Wyrms.
As a young, inexperienced Dragon, Darius was, in surprisingly, defeated. He was pushed down by Lazarus, wings twisted under his back. One leg was on his neck, and another on his chest with Amadeus in a position to land the final blow. The position of the claw on his neck was tricky. It wasn't a killing blow, but it cut off his ability to take a breath and counter-attack with his psionic fire. At his age, it would also be hard, in an already weakened state, to move a larger, older Dragon with his telepathic ability. "I concede," he managed to say.
Laz moved back and Amadeus backed off as well. "Not bad, my lord," Laz said as he began to shift back to his humanoid form. Amadeus shifted back as well.
Darius rolled to his feet and shook out his wings. "It could have been better," he said as he began to transform as well. The two older men watched him transform but remained mostly covered in fine silver scales. Darius made a slight face and concentrated on completing the transformation. The scales slowly receded. "One would think of it as a magical race, needing five years to adapt to switching forms would be unnecessary," he complained slightly.
Amadeus snickered. He clapped his cousin on the shoulder. "That wasn't too bad. Laz once had Dragon eyes for almost two days. No matter how many times he transformed, they wouldn't go away," he readily sold out his family member.
Lazarus only rolled his eyes slightly at him, but didn't get mad at him for revealing his embarrassing moments. "It's a process everyone has to go through. I once heard my mom talk about stories she heard from her elders about a Dragon who didn't transform at all during their Changing Age," he said.
Curious, Darius glanced at him. "What happened to that Dragon?" he asked. He'd heard that some Dragons preferred to live and travel in their humanoid forms, but even then, he'd never heard of someone refusing to transform at all.
"From the story she told, that Dragon lived almost two hundred years without ever transforming after the first time. But during a crisis, they had no choice. When they attempted to transform, not only was it painful, nearly ripping apart their humanoid body, but they were unable to transform back for another two hundred years."
Two pairs of eyes looked at him in some shock. Laz shrugged. "I don't know if it's true. It could just be an old wives tale to scare children into practicing their transformations in their Changing Age," he said.
Amadeus shook his head, unable to imagine it. "Glad I practiced," he said and looked at Darius. "Don't slack off, my lord," he said in encouragement.
Darius nodded. True or not, just the idea was horrifying. All in all, this interlude achieves his purpose of letting off steam after the annoyance of the Parliament testimony.
He patted his stomach. "Want to head to Crowley House? I'm famished," he declared.
Lazarus suddenly brightened up. "Wait! Let's drive there," he suggested and suddenly brought something out from his storage ring. It landed in the middle of the training grounds. When the other two saw it they looked back and forth between the object and the unusually spirited Lazarus with complex expressions.
--
In the upstairs living quarters of Crowley House, four women were currently in residence there. They were all part of one family, the Crowleys of the planet Terranthea. The oldest was Amalthea Crowley. She was currently in residence. Along with two of her younger sisters and her niece.
Amalthea was a darker skinned woman with long black hair and golden eyes. She adapted well to Emphyralis in less than a month. She wore a long skirt and a simple shirt. Her hair was braided and pulled into a bun. She, as the representative of her family, had testified the most before Upper Parliament. She didn't complain much since they were the ones that needed help.
She was currently in the living room of the top floor reading a magic book she'd borrowed from the Mage's Tower.
Honora and Helena were the third and fourth oldest sisters. Honora, also called Nora by her friends and family, had much lighter skin than Amalthea and her hair was golden blonde. Helena, also known as Lena, was nearly identical to Honora but her hair was a deep auburn. Both had hazel eyes. They were also reading magic books.
The sisters weren't completely human. Their father was a fallen cat deity. This unusual parentage not only granted them more powerful magic, but also the ability to shapeshift into cats.
The niece in residence was the daughter of the second oldest sister, Deinira. Delaney Crowley was not only part witchborn and deity, but also part Shadow Demon, which granted her the ability to move through the Shadow Dimension. This allowed her to traverse multiple worlds, realities, and planes of existence. Delaney's skin tone was somewhere between her oldest aunt and younger aunts with deep red hair and green eyes. It was thanks to her that they were able to come to Emphyralis because she met up with Britiana and Darius. She had the most involvement, so she had to testify to the Upper Parliament as well.
She wasn't reading magic books. She'd scoured the library looking for any information on Shadow Demons and the Shadow Dimension. There actually wasn't much information beyond what they already knew. Shadow Demons were beings from the Shadow Dimension, a hellish place. They could travel anywhere to make mischief. They were unlike the demons of the Lower Realm Terranthea.
Amalthea took a break from her book and decided to make some tea. "I'm making sweet iced tea, anybody want some?" she asked.
Delaney glanced at the time. "It's lunch time. How about we make brunch?" she suggested. "Pancakes, sausage and eggs?"
Nora perked up. "Waffles," she declared. Lena nodded to agree with her twin.
Amalthea chuckled. "Alright. Y'all come help. I ain't making it all by my lonesome," she instructed.
The younger sisters and niece obediently put down their books and headed to the kitchen. "You heard from your momma, Delaney?" Lena suddenly asked. Deinira had been invited to visit Treestar a few weeks ago, and she was still there.
Deleny snorted. "She's having a blast. She even said she might bring me home a Bronze step-daddy," she complained good naturedly. Her aunts giggled at that.
"I've seen Bronze Dragons. I wouldn't blame her," Thea said, tutting slightly as they busied themselves in the kitchen.
Helena poked Nora's side. "When the time comes, what kind of step-daddy you thinking about bringing Phryne?" she asked.
Honora was the only one of the five sisters to get married. Her husband had been a witchborne man named Clancey Kyteler. They had a daughter together, Phryne. However, due to the conflicts on Terranthea, Clancey had been killed a year ago. It had been hard on both of them, especially Phryne. They knew it would probably be a long time before she sought another relationship, but teasing and joking around were fine.
"Oh, girl, have you seen Amber Dragon men? I ain't talkin about li'l Quinlan. I mean real men," Nora suddenly said. "I was down in the taproom the other day and this big, tall, fine brother came in to order some neckbones, greens, black eyed peas, and cornbread to go. I asked around and found out he comes by often to take food back to his sister," she said, eyes sparkling briefly.
Her sisters glanced at her. "Who is he? How do you know he's an Amber Dragon? And why you ain't told me about him?" Lena grumbled.
"Just because we're twins don't mean we gotta share everything," Nora replied smartly. "Anyway, I asked around about him. He's from Myrkir. His sister is the Amber representative in the Conclave of Scales. She's also the steward of the Amber Dragon Territory in the Desolate Rises. He's the sherriff there. Jasper Flamespirit. They once stopped by the House after giving testimony a couple weeks ago and decided to try some food and fell in love with southern soul food. Since then, they've been coming to get some every few days," she explained. "That man has been put in my back pocket for now. When I feel single again, I'll strike up a conversation," she declared.
Lena laughed slightly. "Well, you keep an eye on him. Maybe I'll check out his sister," she said thoughtfully.
Nora snorted. "We ain't gotta keep it that much in the family," she scolded lightly.
Delaney listened to her aunts banter with a slight smile as she was making waffle batter. "What about you, Aunt Thea? What kinda uncle you bringing me and Phryne?" she asked teasingly.
Thea gave her a glare as she was boiling water for tea. For now they were using things from Terranthea, but there were already plans to grow Terranthea produce on Emphyralis if there weren't alternatives. There were readily available types of tea but for the Crowleys, nothing was quite right when it came to the basic black tea for southern sweet tea, so they had to stock up from Terranthea until the tea trees were analyzed and studied and brought over to grow.
"I don't have a preference. Let's just say I ain't seen an unattractive Dragon yet," she finally answered.
Nora made a face. "Boring," she and Lena declared at the same time.
Delaney laughed.
Thea snorted. "Anyway, it won't be the same as anyone else," she declared as she poured the boiling water in a pitcher and put the tea bags to steep. "Besides, there's so much variety, why limit oneself?" she said.
The others laughed at her. Delaney shook her head. Once she had the batter finished she handed it off to one of her aunts to cook. A chime sounded from the other room. "Looks like someone's calling," she said and went to the living room where she was working. A semi-translucent green stone was glowing in tune to the chiming. She touched the stone and her mothers face was projected above the stone. "Hang on a minute, momma," she said, and grabbed the stone and went to her bedroom to take the call in private.
--