Awakening

Twins with a shadowed past make their way in a world where they've never felt welcome by any save those who taught them what they know.

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Awakening

Post by Sylus Kurgen »

Darkness.......

Endless Darkness.....

This is how the universe began...in darkness.

There was not the slightest glimmer of light, no sparkle in the vast abyss that was the beginning in time.

There was nothing..only darkness and the beings that lived therein. One of those beings were the dragons.

Beings of magic embodied. Pure and whole.

There were other beings in that darkness as well. Beings of malevolence and power equal to the dragons. At the beginning of time this was the Age of Primordial Darkness.

The creatures that lived in the black primordial abyss drifted and lived in their own thoughts.....until......

In the center of that endless darkness a beacon appeared, a bright column of light that pierced the shadows, blinding all but hurting none. This column swirled and changed, it's blinding light flashed ominously in the void. It's light flashed and grew ever larger untill the beings that called the primordial darkness their home were illuminated and saw one another. The light grew and grew in size and brightness until it was larger than any sun in modern existance. Then the light just simply..blew up. A million pieces of light flew through the primordial darkness, scattering and growing as their original form did. Though the darkness still reigned supreme, the light had come to wait and grow. This was the birth of the stars.....and the planets.

On each point of light, fire and ash formed, solidifying in form. As the eons passed life formed on these planets. Creatures of wonder and fear came to awareness. In the vast waters on one planet grew, aquatic life formed. Beings as big as the largest barge swam beneathe the turmoiled surface of the forming seas and oceans. On land there were just as many wonders. Great scaled beings that rivaled the dragons in size though lacked their majesty and power. Creatures filled the sky, praying on those that lived beneath them. Underneath of the earth life existed, creatures never meant to know the light of day fought their way to the surface.

These subterrainina creatures remembered the beginning of time, they had been there. These beings were composed of magic and now they had someting of interest to look into. The new forms of life that had evolved......

More centuries past with the ancient beings melding with the new, creating hybrids of their original selves. Horses with wings, monstrocities that lived on land and in the waters...hunting all, and eventually...the dragons found thier way to these planets. At first..the dark dragons found these new beings. The red dragons scoured the planets with fire. The black dragons created massive caves with their acidic breath. The white dragons created the northern ice caps with thier icy wings and power. The blue dragons terrorized the sea's. For a millenia they ruled the creatures that came before them.

Then the other dragons found their way to these planets. The sun reflecting off of their metallic scales. Seeing what their dark cousins were up to, the good dragons acted swiftly.

The War of Dragons had begun.
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Post by Sylus Kurgen »

For an age the dragons fought. The gold dragons battling the red, the silver dragons fighting the black, the bronze dragons delved the deep seas seeking out the blue dragons, and the platinum dragons..they dealt with the white dragons.

Through it all the original life forms of these planets could do nothing but flee and die as the dragons fought above them. They could do naught but hide as the dragons warred around them. They could do nothing but dies as the great dragons battled beneath of them. All they knew was suffering. During it all, the being that had made that column of light, the being that had started it all....watched......and worried....and planned.

Knowing that if it did not do something soon, the dragons would inadvertantly destroy that which he had wraught. It was time for a new life to form...

Using it's power, the God of Gods summoned animals to him, animals...and two dragons. A Platinum and a Red. The dragons fought his summons, but the God was as old as they, if not older still. The animals it called were the Pegasii, the leopard, the wolf, the bull, the eagle, the bear, and the scorpian.

The God needed a way to bind the dragon's to his new forms of life, to insure their survival. From the Red dragon, he took it's ferocity, fire, and fangs. From the Platinum dragon, he took it's wisdom, magic, and torso. From the Pegasus, he took it's wings, soft as silk but strong as oak.

There the God rested.

When he regained his stength the first of the gods started again. From the wolf he took it's nobility, head, and sense of unity. From the leopard he took it's speed. From the bull, he took it's horns and legs and from the eagle, he took it's sight. Finishing off the creature to bind all creatures, he gave the being the claws of the bear and the tail and venom of the scorpian.

For the last time the God rested.
Last edited by Sylus Kurgen on Sat May 28, 2005 11:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Sylus Kurgen »

The First God's plan was carried swiftly and without mercy for the dragon's. It's new creation left nothing but dragonic bodies in it's wake...any dragons it found that were in the midst of combat....soon found themselves equals...
...Equally dead that is....

The creture's power was awesome to behold for those beings unlucky enough to cross the monster's path. It's speed was unreal. It's strength was callausal. The twin dragon spirits seemed to augment the natural abilities that had been borrowed from the other animals that constructed it's form and constitution.

Soon the once opposed dragon forces were compelled to unite against this new and common foe. The realization of what their age old war had done to the first inhabitants of the planet dawned on the dragon's. They had almost erradicated everylast being that was not dragon borne. They saw why this being had come into existance. It wasn't just killing the dragons, it was protecting the lives of the original inhabitants of the planet. The dragons that had vowed to stop their cousins from supressing these beings, had done nothing but help in bringing about their near destruction.

In a secret meeting, the wisest and strongest of the two dragon armies met. Long into the night they argued and bickered over how to deal with their common enemy. The great black dragon wished to slay the monster once and for all, the ancient platinum knew such a feat was beyond their forces, deminished as they were, so she offered to trap it. In trapping it the dragons could seal away the creature for all time. Or at least until a time when it's task was no longer required. Striking a bargain, the black and platinum dragon gathered together their generals and laid out a plan to trap the creture.

Using magic to hide thier most trusted lieutentants, the dragon generals set out to ambush the bane of their existance. While the dragon elders named the creature.

The called it...Chimara......
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Post by Sylus Kurgen »

For weeks the dragon forces watched Chimara. They watched it...and learned. They studied it's habits, learned it's weaknesses, and noted it's fiercest weapons through staged confrontations.

The information gathered, the plan devised, the location chosen, all that was required...was the bait......

The dragon's chosen knew their assigment and the fate that was laid before them. Though they knew that their death had come, the being that slew them would be forever locked away from the world. Roaring their loudest, and shooting flame and ice into the sky, the two dragons fought as if they were truly at odds with one another. Sensing a confrontation among the dragons..after weeks of peace...Chimara took flight.

The Dragon Generals watche from a distance as the great beast approached the ambush sight. With a howl that split the mountains and brought lightning from the heavens, Chimara descened upon the two dragons....and the trap was sprung.

Springing from their enspelled hiding places, ten dragons unleashed the greatest spells they knew. Like lightning, great chains with tensil strength greater than anything known to modern beings formed around the beast's limbs. A glowing green slime filled the creature's mouth, sealin git shut. Caught unawares as it was, Chimara could not bring its' own defenses up in time.

Chained and gagged, the creature gazed upon it's captors with icy contempt, hatred, and an almost fearful look. Thrashing to get free, Chimara opened it's jaws one last time. A roar unheared like never before erupted the night like a meteor storm. The chains started to dig into the animal's flesh, drops of blood splattering on the ground.

Stepping forward, the oldest of the surviving dragons laid a taloned claw upon Chimara's wolven brow. It chanted softly, putting the beast into a deep slumber.....with the last of the venerable dragon's lifeforce.

Chained, gagged, and now put to sleep, Chimara was locked away from the world, far under ground. It's existance known only to the dragon's, it was wiped from histories pages.
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Post by Sylus Kurgen »

The God did not weep for Chimara, for it had served it's purpose. The dragon forces were united, and actually trying to make amends for their selfish war.

However, he could not allow Chimara to be forgotten by the world. Such a creature COULD NOT be forgotten. Descending from on high, the immortal stood before the sleeping beast. Reaching out with a hand as soft as gossamer, it cast a spell of it's own. Slowly, softly, Chimara began to sink into the ground. With each foot that the slumbering creature slid into the ground, a stone structure began to rise from the earth.

Perfectly crafted, the stone blocks rose into a mighty tower. Higher and higher it rose, piercing the heavens. The great sructure projected a forboding feeling. Once the stone tower was in place, the First God scopped three drops of Chimara's blood from the ground into his hand.

"Now for his caretaker's...." The God's voice flowed into the air soft as fairy music but strong as dwarven steele. A faint glow began to emminate from within the blood droplets. Lifting into the air they began to grow and grow until three featureless bipedal beings stood before the god. Then something started to happen.

As if the three unfeatured creations had a will of their own, each of the beings began to change. Something in Chimara's blood had left a trace of the beasts that formed it's body.
Fur as soft as silk flowed from the largest of the three's skin like water. It's once blank eyes turned a dark amber as it grew a fanged muzzle.
Dropping to it's knees, the last of the three that had formed groaned in agony as the muscles in it's back rippled. Slowly, painfully, great white wings emerged from inside of it's body. The second being watched the pair with an icy gaze of deep emerald green. This being seemed differenct from the other two, colder, darker. Letting the change within itself happen. Once the change was complete, the three guardians looked at the god curiously.

Smiling gentle the First God told them what they were now required to do. Their family was to watch over the sleeping Chimara for all time. Watch over it and protect it. Then he gave the trio a familial name....

...Kurgen......
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Post by Sylus Kurgen »

The centuries seemed to pass in the twinkling of an eye as the Kurgen's lived and died, protecting and guarding the sleeping Chimara. As the times changed so to did the Kurgen's. Over time many races were brought into the fold of their bloodline. Elves, dwarves, humans, and even a few beings with fey blood coursing through their veins. A million lives and countless generations joined the Kurgen clan. Each new member adding to the geneticly magical gene pool of their unique bloodline.

Over the years the guardians of the sleeping Chimara slowly isolated themseves to one race that seemed to grow and multiply faster than the others.....human's.

With each new being born into their family the variety of animals that they could change into grew and grew, until any number of beastial transformations were possible.

AFter a while the clan started to dwindle in size until only a few remained. All that remains of the family today...are two brothers. They are twins in appearance, but they could never be more different.
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Post by Sylus Kurgen »

Sylus with hair as dark as a raven's feather and as soft as silk took the path of the blade early in life. Seeing the affinity he had for swords, Bremmen, his father, apprenticed him to one master after another. By the time he was in his middle teenage years he knew more about combat than any other person his age. Though he was taught to use all forms of weapon, he came to prefer the scimitar. However, not wanting him to be ignorant, his mother put him in the care of a local wizard to make sure that he knew not all battles could be fought with steele alone. It was evident he had a natural instinct and adeptness for spells as well. Taking on the belief that the future could take what you have away from you, Sylus lives his life from day to day, treasuring every waking moment. Like those that came before him, he too had an animality, the beast lurking within this knightly hearted man is the wolf.

Then there is the younger brother, Artemus. This blonde haired, gray eyed cynic was born two years to the day and time after Sylus. Unlike his brother who took the path of the blade, Artemus went the way of the mage. Though he was taught to use a sword, Art's true passion was manipulating the aether. It was evident in his childhood that he would be a spell caster, and not a sword slinger. He had a gift for sensing when disaster was approaching. Seeing his gift for magic and his attuned nature with the animals and the land, his mother apprenticed him to a druid of Mielikki, the goddess of the forest. He studied dilligently under the strict teachings of the druid. Using his own beast, the leopard, a creature of the forest, Artemus soon became quite proficient at tracking and following animals. He even tracked an elf by pure accident, a ranger no less. Sensing he was ready, his master annointed him in one of Mielikki's holiest groves. From then on he devoted his life to the goddess of the wood, he even met the goddess, though he knows not why she chose to show herself to him. Over the years, he became cold and calculating, despite the efforts of his family and teacher to keep him pure.

Though their minds were polar opposites, Sylus and Artemus were closer than they let on. Planning their own fates, the pair chose to go their separate ways for a time. Leaving their aging parents, the boys left for separate parts of the world. Sylus headed for the city of Kelvar to make a name for himself, and a name he made. His sword skill soon brought him into the attentions of the royal family. Doing their bidding, he did what his lord had not courage to do....he killed all who opposed Lord Anglemar.

Meanwhile Artemus traveled the world, learning its secrets and many of them he wished he had not. Through his many adventures Artemus' power grew as did the number of spells he had at his disposal. On one of his travels he came across an interesting felpur. His senses told him that this being was different from it's kin. It had an unusual jewel embedded into it's chest. For no reason at all the creature attacked Artemus. Tears in his eyes, the younger Kurgen slew the felpur and took the jewel from it's chest. Something told him it would be important in the future. How right he was.
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Post by Rhaine »

Memory comes to torture me every spare moment. Now as I work in the lab, I think of my past... of how I started to develop in the field that eventually led me into RhyDin, into constant attempts to escape from myself and my past. Shalafi and I left Clandestine, led by his ambitions and our mutual hunger for knowledge...

... I remember how my Shalafi and I met Darquan. We were in another world, travelling in search for knowledge. The world was a technology-oriented one, but there were still areas where nature remained untouched. We entered a such place and were surprised to find strange ruins...
A tall, dark-furred felpur rushed at us. Had we not been wearing mental shields, we would have been struck with a spell-like affect he seemed to have been using. However, our odd appearance did trigger his curiosity enough to stop the attack.

Darquan was a biodesigner. Initially he was a biochemist, and this smoothened the transition to the strange abilities he had come to possess. His initiation into binding was done by another biodesigner. And he initiated me. When the bindrune burned its way into my flesh, I screamed silently... the white gems pulsated like heartbeat. They will gain color when I become bound - that's how Darquan explained it.

Biodesigners are rare.... and our ability is our pain and our blessing. Gifted with understanding of Life, of its functionality and progress, we are bound to hunger for creation, for perfectioning and designing new forms. Darquan taught me the necessary skills, concepts that were strange for me - but needed if I wished to assist my Shalafi ... An explanation of what the binding is would take a long time, but it is necessary for a biodesigner activation.

Biodesigners advance as their skill increases with practice. Some of us remain in our natural bodies, and their experiments never lead to designing of magically active forms. Some of us modify ourselves to the point of unrecognizable, experiment with complex energy constructions - these start in magic-oriented worlds, and thus their minds are more open to such odd... concepts.

There are too few of us. The bonds of friendship between us are in the end the only thing that remains for us... Artemus Allon Kurgen murdered Darquan. I know now how it happened, Darquan didn't advance further and didn't drop the initial instincts of his race... he was territorial like all of his kind, he was protecting the gateway into his lab... Artemus happened to be lucky and have a spell that destroyed Darquan's bond to his corporeal form, Darquan exists now only as a print of his personality, and as he has never been into magic, he is unable to return.

I remember how Artemus came into the Adventurer Guild. I was discussing Vanion with Dimitri, and had little reason to talk to any of shifters... but that was not the case. "I know of biodesigners" he said. "Does this mean anything to you?"
He had green gemmed bindrune in his hand. Bindrune of Darquan.
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Post by Sylus Kurgen »

Strange events and vague rumors eventually pulled the brothers from their lives of darkness and misadventure to the land of Rhydin. Sylus, a quest... Artemus, a dark secret he learned of their family's shadow shrouded history. Neither knew of the other's presence in the city for many weeks. Not until Artemus made a vital mistake. He passed himself off as Sylus when he met the Queen of Eldicore.

The queen had all ready met Sylus but because of their identical looks she too had been fooled. Her anger made Sy chafe and put Artemus into hiding; they had both been banned from Eldicors borders. The wedge had been hammered into place and the cracks in their brotherly friendship began to spread.

For months they spoke to each other only once or twice. Sylus found respite in the Duel of Swords and the arms of a gray haired vampire for a time and Artemus was drawn to the Isle of Twighlight and to the place that called him to the land of Rhydin. Kurgen Keep. The power he felt resonate from that great stone structure made his knees weak and his mouth dry. Why had no one claimed this place as their home or fortress he wondered. From the look of the tower it had been abandoned for a long time. He approached tentatively...for an odd reason the wards about the door parted easily and he went inside.
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Post by QueenTeleperien »

Soft and balmy breezes waft in the window gently moving the gauzy curtains. Teleperien, the elven queen stands at the window gazing across the hills. Her mind is not on what she sees however, but on a happenstance a few nights before.

Her many duties eased and she was able to escape and sit with her friend Xenograg in the arena and just relax. The imp had greeted her with his usual tact and enthusiasm, but Tele found him rather enduring in spite of his the fact he picked his nose when he was bored.

The arena was scantily populated that evening; only a few was there to duel. Tele chatted with those in the arena, exchanging quips and a few jokes. This seemed to be the only area where she could laugh out loud. Her duties in the castle left her little time for levity.

To her surprise, Sylus Kurgen asked her to duel and to her greater surprise she accepted. It had been a long time since she crossed swords with anyone in the dueling arena. She had no time to devote to such a luxury but she felt the moves come back to her. Of course he won the duel but it seemed to relax the barrier that had been erected when she found she was deceived by Artemus. She was very angry when the deception was revealed. She didn’t know who to believe, so both were barred from Eldicor. She had sent instruction to the guards who patrolled the borders of her land not to allow any to cross unless they were of Eldicor or had specific permission. After the invasions in the past years she was very protective of the borders and of the people who depended upon her protection. Sylus brought this up.

“You said you would have me investigated.” He said to her.

“Aye, that I did.” Tele answered, nodding her head. She had. She had found nothing to worry her or anything that would bring trouble to Eldicor. So she lifted the ban and allowed Sylus to enter Eldicor.

“Lady.”

Tele turns from the window to see Gwindor and Tom the hobbit at her door. “Yes?” Tele answers quietly.

“The dwarves from Ravenswing are here.”

Tele sighs. “Of course. Make them comfortable I will be along presently.”

They disappear from the doorway and Tele drains the last of her tea. Sylus is now no longer fore-thought in her mind. Her mind is now turned to other matters and troubles of the realm.
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