The Secrets of DAelorios Island (Open to all)

DAelorios Island -- Located in the Valoras Sea at a distance from the mainland that the former EarthWing territory is from the NightWing territory. It has been forgotten by the tribes, only a myth now. It is said to have been the place where Dragons first appeared after the world's creation. Known as the ElderWings, these Dragons resembled in appearance all of the Dragons seen today. When overcrowding threatened them, they migrated to the mainland which was much larger. Overtime they would evolve into the seven species seen today and eventually form tribes. The ElderWings left the island deserted, nothing but simple prey animals remaining... Or so it was thought.
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//As mentioned above, this is an island that as been lost to time. So maybe your character heard a myth about it from their tribe's Scholar who discovered some vague writing about it. Or maybe you saw Baldirak heading out across the ocean and decided to follow him. Whatever your reason to going to the island, once there, you'll eventually encounter an NPC ElderWing--played by yours truly. And then you'll be led to the ElderWing's city. For more info on the ElderWing's history, read The History of Daelorios Island.//

Baldirak had ventured to the northernmost edge of the old EarthWing territory. When this place still belonged to his tribe, he would come here to gaze at the ocean. He sat now doing that very thing, inhaling the wonderfully salty air as waves rolled and crashed against the coast. In his youth, Baldirak had traveled across Pyrria, seeing as much as he could. He'd visited most of the small islands in the Crystal Sea and seen some islands elsewhere that he hadn't visited. One such island was just in front of him, though a good distance away. At the moment, Baldirak had absolutely nothing to do; his fellow EarthWings didn't require his services. So why couldn't visit that island for a little while? The more he sat there thinking about it, the more tempting it seemed. Opening his wings as he stood, Baldirak stepped off the cliff into a short dive before ascending to the sky. He smiled lightly as the cool ocean breeze hit him and the sun warmed his back. It was such a pleasant day. For about ten minutes, there was nothing to gaze upon but the ocean and the sky, neither of which had anything interesting in them. There were a few clouds dotting the robin egg blue sky. Some were thin wispy things that might fade to non-existence if the winds suddenly decided to change direction. Others were thick fluffy mounds of rabbit fur that cast shadows on the ground and covered the sun. But soon the EarthWing was able to see the coast of the island on the horizon. The coast was composed of rocks rather than sand, yet was still nice to look at. From his place in the sky, Baldirak could see that the island was covered in trees, the only noticeable clearing being a large lake at the center. But rather than going there, Baldirak landed on the rocky shore. He would work his way to the center of the island.

Calemvir had.....taken a slight dayoff from his duties since his Repto-ants are low maintanence and can generally be left alone without his supervision. As he walked among what hes heard is the northern edge of the old Earthwing territory, such visits are of course done in secret since....such actions are frowned upon, and as such is why he is walking instead of flying. By chance he nearly revealed himself to Baldirak who stood on the cliff edge and the small Firewing hid himself away easily. He shouldn't be so surprised since he was in what was once Earthwing territory...but such a situation seemed almost beneficial in his case.

He knew it....and felt it to....his age is starting to finally catch up with him now. That only meant he would have to cocoon himself sometime later on....something he did not look forward to at all. To be so feeble....weak....barely able to even move and so vulnerable, it gave him shivers just thinking about it. He shook his to clear his thoughts and focus on the opportunity on hand in front of him. To keep himself from going soft early....killing this Earthwing should help stave it off, waiting for the right moment and then snap his neck....easy enough, until he noticed the old Earthwing fly off into the distance. "Damnit." He said to himself harshly and soon flew after him with slight difficulty.

After sometime of flying he finally saw the island and Baldirak go land on its rocky shoreline. "Getting real tired of this getting older crap while trying to kill another dragon." He mumbled to himself before going into a landing not far from where Baldirak landed, but the landing was far from graceful. Calemvir cursed as he rolled into a ball to minimize the impact and turned into a small cannonball as he broke through much of the larger rocks and finally coming to rest as he uncurled on his back, panting he looked over to the Earthwing, "Oh....hey there....nice meeting you here." He fell back in pure exhaustion from the flight.

Pyrrhus ran through the old Earthwing territory jumping over rocks and fallen trees. He ran down onto the coast where a small square sailed dingy like vessel was waiting. He grabbed onto the stern and pushed it off into the ocean, sailing off on to open waters as a crowd of angry humans finally made it on the shore where he once was.

Pyrrhus went downwind for a bit, the shore coming out of view for several hours before he saw an island in the far distance. He was out on the ocean to get away from the angry villagers he'd just messed with. This would all be explained later.

All was well until about one thousand feet from shore a giant Earth Wing swooped overhead, the wind sending his small vessel rocketing forward and rocking side to side, almost capsizing. Then a FireWing swooped overhead in pursuit of the Earth Wing, the wind disturbance too much for the small boat. Pyrrhus's vessel capsized as the mast snapped. He ditched it to be drift wood in the water.

He swam to mainland as fast as he could. He didn't pay attention to who was in front of him. He swam and swam as fast as he could until he came upon the rocky shore, collapsing as he gasped for air from swimming so far at such a fast rate.

Then he looked up to realize he wasn't alone...

He was with the EarthWing and FireWing from earlier...

(Pretend that I am Barracuda.)

Barracuda slid through the tides. She had found this neat little island a while ago and was enjoying the hunting there. Mostly, she went after big fish, but there were none there, so instead, she hunted minnows. Of course, minnows were nothing like sharks, so instead of grabbing them in her claws, she swam through great shoals of them, swallowing them whole. This was one of the very few things she actually enjoyed. They seemed to swim into her mouth! Hearing a sudden whoosh overhead, she turned, just as the minnows shot away. With a snarl, she cursed under her breath and ascended to the surface. Angrily, she pounced ashore, only to find the tiny firewing vulcan on his back and the Earthwing king. Huh, not the everyday party over here. She thought, looking them up and down. She lashed her tail and glared. "You blundering idiots scared away my prey!" She snapped, flexing her muscles threateningly. The strange, ebony, plates and abnormal sea-green gems glinting in the sun. Her fish-hook claws digging threateningly into the soil. She arched her back and narrowed her indigo eyes.

Baldirak heard a crashing behind him and turned to see a FireWing on the ground. "I'm sure it is..." he answered in response to the FireWing's claim. "Are you alright?" His moving over to the FireWing was slow, given he had to limp due to his right foreleg, but he made it over and offered his paw to help the Dragon up. And as he stood there waiting for his help to be accepted or denied, Baldirak then heard another voice. His head turned and his eyes fell on a SeaWing, who seemed upset about something, only to reveal what it was before he could ask. "Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was hunting. I could catch something for you to make up for it, if you'd like." Something soon occurred to the EarthWing. This SeaWing was here hunting... and he was here to explore the island... but why was the FireWing here? His gaze fell on the small FireWing again. "What brings you here?"

How have I not been seen? Pyrrhus ran into the dense forest thinking that. He sprawled through the air and into a deep puddle of mud. After rolling around a bit he managed to get himself completely covered. After this he rolled around in the dead leaves on the forest floor, perfectly masking his scent and camouflaging himself. Every so quietly he made his way back to the trio. Laying on the ground and looking through the foliage that provided him the perfect cover he waited. He couldn't wait for them to leave so he could get back to the mainland, if he could find a way. He had just run into this land by accident and was already stranded. Ah crap... The only comfort he had was the cover he was given and the hope he wasn't spotted.

Being only a foot tall for a Firewing, as he was apparently labeled, he was about to reply to the way bigger Earthwing when he caught sight of something disappear into the forest. Before he could process it more, Baldirak asked his question to which Calemvir hopped up and landed on his winged forelimb claws. Shaking himself of debris he gave a glare, "What I'm doing here? Obviously the same reason you are....exploring." He lied for his excuse, slight benefit for this aging thing...made him more....mellow. Yes mellow, thats the correct term he believed and....the small wyvern cringed slightly but quickly shook it off. With the aches as well....not important now at the moment as he turned around towards the forest, "If you'll excuse me....I'll be looking for a....suitable den for myself." he said before walking off into the dense forest ahead of him.

After some distance away, he dug a small hole into some dirt and coughed/vomited up a small orangish glob into the hole with some effort. Covering it up, he proceeded to climb up into a tree an rest from his....what some would call his strange action. After some few moments passed, the small almost hidden mound began to shake and slowly grow bigger into an anthill as a small stream of red insects climbed out. Giving quiet whistles and his antennae standing straight up, the stream spilt into many smaller ones as the Repto-ants, as he called them, began digging underground forming tunnels and chambers beneath the ground big enough only for him and his miniature army. His antennae perked as a silent message relayed to him from one of the many ants of a hidden being that wasn't dragon or prey animal nearby. He chuckled silently to himself as he jumped from tree to tree and soon reached a overhanging branch over the hidden Reptillian. Plucking a acorn, he dropped it over where the hidden Pyrrhus was, smirking to himself.

"Alright then," the EarthWing replied as he watched the tiny FireWing walk off into the forest. He then looked at the SeaWing, wondering if she was just going to go back to hunting or look around here. Either way, Baldirak turned and started off into the forest himself. There was a peculiar mound of leaves that went unnoticed by the EarthWing as he walked along. His left forepaw came down mere inches from the hidden Reptilian. But the biped wouldn't go completely unscathed, such is the unfortunate outcome for a creature who could hide so perfectly and choose a very bad spot in which to do so. Assuming that no attempt to move in fear of being crushed to death as he escaped was to be made, the claw of Baldirak's hind paw caught the back of the Reptilian's clothing. So now the poor creature would be lifted several feet over the ground, flung about every which-way until the cloth finally ripped and allowed him to be tossed in some random direction. The oblivious Dragon, in the meantime, would be looking about the forest through which he walked, taking in all the smells. The trouble with being so tall, Baldirak had observed, was being unable to see things which were very small compared to him and especially things that didn't move. So he lowered his head to the canopy every once in awhile--doing it all the time, as one might imagine, would become somewhat uncomfortable.

A loud cracking beneath him caused Baldirak to stop. His head lowered and left forepaw lifted to reveal some wood. It was rotting and covered in moss and foliage, not unlike the rest of the wreckage around it. With a curios growl, he looked at what looked like a Human house. Of course he had no care for Humans, but for as long as he'd been on the island, he had yet to see any and this structure was obviously centuries old. He used his paw to move the wood about, but the building held nothing within it. At least nothing that would interest a Dragon. So he went on his way again, deeper into the forest. And naturally, he wondered how many of these Human dens were here, and why there didn't appear to be any Humans around. Not that he was complaining. In the distance, yet unseen by Baldirak, was a much bigger dwelling. It was like the one which sat on the lake, but smaller. It too housed only plant life and small animals now, concealed by trees and vines and moss. Beneath the vegetation, the stone walls were ornately decorated with strange carvings depicting equally strange scenes. The only thing that might be familiar to the EarthWing, if the growth covering it wasn't there, was what appeared to be a wingless Dragon. Inside, scattered on the ground--aside from the stones of the ceiling which one might expect to find there--were the illegible, burnt remains of scrolls. There was broken pottery, rotted wood, pieces of silver and gold beneath the dirt. Perhaps it had been some kind of temple or palace, no rival of a Dragon's same construct, but admirable all the same. It would be some time before the EarthWing reached this place, as he was moving slowly. For the time being, the forgotten wonder would hold on to its secrets a little longer.

Barracuda decided that maybe it would be best to explore the minnows were long gone by now. She flexed her back and slid through the trees, her small size and light-weight armor allowing her to move easily between them. Passing the Earthwing, she came to a small clearing on a hill. Cuda had to admit, it was a little pretty. Kind of. Then she saw, over the trees, a small, protruding mountain. Arching her spine again, she set off towards it. As the mountain drew nearer, it began to look more like a castle than anything else. Tilting her head, she realized it was a ruined palace, not a mountain. Setting off at a faster pace, she slid quickly through the trees. It vanished from view as she exited the clearing, but she was heading in the right direction. It wouldn't be long before she reached her destination.

Pyrrhus laid still on the ground as the oddly small dragon dropped an acorn on him. Why they did it he didn't know. Then he looked up, staying dead still. The giant EarthWing was coming toward him. He'd either be crushed, or eaten. Most dragons would do the same. The immense dragon stepped right next to him, catching his cloths and sending him flying into a small river delta. The mud and leaves washing off instantly. Ah crap, Im an open target now...

Pyrrhus swam to shore and followed the EarthWing, which was now being followed by the SeaWing. He followed close and quietly, not to be seen. One of them were his only hopes back to mainland and the EarthWing had helped in the breaking of his vessel.

He noticed they came up upon a castle-mountain sort of thing. Pyrrhus ran toward the peculiar thing to see exactly what it was. The dragons obviously going to be there before him.

In the depths of the lake, a creature stirred from deep slumber. Bubbles rose to the surface as nostrils flared and released a breath. His eyelids lifted halfway, fighting to remain closed for they did not wish to rise. But the brain held a power which could not be resisted, and so they opened completely. Amber irises were immediately greeted with a flash of silver as a fish swam past. And something else--sunlight, more than what there should be for dusk. The groggy creature then realized the time of day. Noon, if that--far too early for him to be awake. An unseen force had roused him from sleep, a force above. With a simple spell which took centuries to learn, a mirror was conjured. From within the mirror, the creature could see that the island now hosted visitors from the mainland, three Dragons and some odd sort of biped. He wondered why they were here, what their intentions might be. The lake dweller had be curled in sleep but now he rose and began to swim for the surface. As he ascended, the light became brighter to reveal his features. His body was serpentine. Most of his scales were smoky grey, though they changed color on occasion. Along his body were seven small patches, each one of seven colors: light blue, dark blue, light beige, red, yellow, black, and green. Instead of spines, there was plated armor on his back. His wings were feathered, the feathers being light beige and yellow. Gills adorned his neck for a life in water, while a broad tail allowed for optimal swimming. His eyes were conditioned perfected for the darkness. If ever he found himself in a climate of extreme hot or cold, he could survive in both. His chest wore a peculiar symbol in the same seven colors that adorned his sides. It was a series of dots creating a dragon-like image which seemed to fly through a setting sun. The Dragon finally breached the surface and slipped into the ruined palace before him. He sat as the sun warmed his scales and took a deep breath. Now he would be seen by the visitors when they arrived.
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The SeaWing moved past Baldirak rather quickly, leaving him to wonder where she was going. His eyes followed an assumed path and caught site of some ruins in the distance. That must be where the SeaWing is headed.. Baldirak thought. He decided he too, would go there, since he was moving in that direction anyway. His pace would be slower, of course, given his impairment. The EarthWing continued to find small Human houses. Most were nothing more than piles of debris and rotting wood, others had only foundations remaining. A rare few were still intact, but no doubt would fall if a single leaf touched it in just the right place. He found two other structures as well: one was a Dragon-made building, perhaps a temple. The other was a forge. Eventually, Baldirak came to the clearing that the SeaWing had paused in. He stood there and took advantage of the winds, inhaling the scent of the ocean, the lake, the trees. There was also a light floral scent, though Baldirak had not seen any flowers around. With a sigh he opened his eyes, which he had closed while smelling the air, and made the final leg to the ruins. As he drew nearer, he could see the site was covered in foliage.

Bump

((Is the palace thing built in a lake?))

((Well there's two palaces. The one Baldirak is heading for, in the forest. And the one you're heading which on top of the lake.))

((okay))

Cuda stopped at the shores of a large lack, where, in the center, stood a huge palace, towering over everything else. ((currently seeing the disney palace XD. Since I doubt that this was what you imagined, I won't describe it.)) It was really cool-looking. Cuda jumped into the lake, heading straight towards it, she soon acsended onto the area where the entrance was and sniffed inside. It didn't seem inhabited... or did it?

The female SeaWing was silently following the other SeaWing by the name of Barracuda. She was a far bit behind her, but was still enough to be in sight of her. She silently walked closer, seeing another dragon up there she froze, wondering if it had sensed her. Non the less, the female continued, her nose twitching and taking in the scents of the dragon, him seeming old and distance, his hissing wind sounding with the chirping of the birds around. Walking closer yet she stood, taking in the sight of the surrounding area and the palace. She hasn't been to this place, maybe they had new herbs and new materials, maybe this place to be a blessing, or a curse.

Barracudda jumped when the strange voice spoke and swiveled towards the noise. Snarling, she she dug her claws into the Earth and growled, "What you doing here? More importantly, what are you? And why would I care about this pile of fish feed? It is only good for hunting unless chum-buckets like that one come careening out of the sky." She indicated Baldi's head above the trees. She stuck her tail straight out and suddenly swished it, making a snapping sound. Cuda tensed, ready to lunge forward in case this newcomer turned out to be hostile.

The Dragon seemed unfazed by the newcomer's response. She was right to be defensive. After all, he had, to her, appeared from nowhere. He noticed that yet another SeaWing, again a female, came up behind the one who now questioned him. He gave her a nod in greeting before replying to the first SeaWing. His tone was calm, "My name is Siris. I live here, in this lake. I am an ElderWing and you should care about this... pile of fish feed... because this is your birthplace." Siris gestured to the island by opening his wings. They were folded against his sides once more as he continued speaking. "I can answer all your questions, but first you must relax. You are in no danger here." He looked at the other SeaWing again as his own question would be directed at her as well. "Might I ask what your names are?"
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Baldirak had finally reached the hidden ruins in the forest. He walked around the foundation. The building seemed large enough to house hundreds of Humans, and it was even tall enough to house the EarthWing. So, Baldirak stepped inside. From what he could see already, the ceiling was dotted with holes, places where the stone had fallen. Sunlight filtered in, illuminating the area the beam was concentrated in. Vines ran down the walls and onto the ground. Baldirak began walking further into the palace. He could see now that it was a palace: no temple was as large as this, and he had yet to see any sort of alter to identify it as such. On the walls, at equidistant intervals, were iron rings to hold torches. If only I were a Firewing, or half one, he thought, when he noticed there were still a few torches left. When he looked at the ground, he saw pieces of clay, small disks of gold and silver. He came to a stop at what he figured was the center of this main hall (about 50ft from the entrance) and looked to his right. There was a door, but it was blocked by stone and wood. He could remove the debris, of course, but he wasn't sure of the soundness of these ruins. Moving something might cause a collapse. So instead, Baldirak went through the passage on his left.

The water dragon listened to his words, talking about how this was was their birthplace even though she was born in the SeaWing territory. He also said they would answer all of their questions and what her name was. She spoke, her voice calm but with a sense of pride in her voice, "I am Shore Line, Healer for the SeaWings. Who may you be?" She thought for a moment before asking again, "May you know of any herbs around here, maybe ones that are not on the main land?"

Cuda snarled at him. "So? That doesn't matter, not to me, anyway. As for me, I'm Barracuda, Seawing vulcan, and grudging mentor to a pile of chum." She dug her claws into the soil. "So, how come no one has ever bothered to explore this dump anyway? Not that I particularly care, but whatever." She snorted and glared around. Spotting Shoreline, her eyes widened in anger and her nostrils flared. "Why did YOU follow me? You herb-obsessed WORM." Cuda was getting angrier and angrier, mainly because this was going to vacuum up all her time. This sucked, withering old dragons blithering how important their worthless island was. Honestly! A waste of time that could be spent in Seawing territory, which was adding to her normal grumpyness. She brightened a little when she thought about how this meant no Dinnozo at least for a little while.

Stellarus wandered around the island, quickening her steps. She felt some weird feeling like she was being watched; around the island. She soon saw dragons gathered and, recognized Draco in the distance, she had fallowed him to this place. wondering what he was up to. She felt weird about the SeaWings, since there were plentiful. Stella did not want to expose herself yet hiding in the foliage.

There was a long corridor, with doorways on either side, likely Human dens. At the corridor's end was a pair of large oak doors. When this place thrived, these doors must have been a marvel to look upon. Now they were covered in dust, there carvings worn away by time. Baldirak very gently pushed the door open with his right forepaw. The food creaked and groaned, seemed unwilling to reveal their secrets, for they gave some resistance. But finally, the EarthWing got them open and lowered his head--not that he needed to, for the doorway as tall enough to accommodate him--inside. The first thing to catch his pale eyes was the light that filled the room. The ceiling had a hole in it, and the fluttering of wings told him that birds now lived here. Baldirak ventured inside the room and was surprised. He had assumed this would be yet another Human abode, as everything else he had yet discovered on this island was Human in origin. But this old, forgotten room before him had clearly been a Dragon's dwelling. Unlike the rest of the palace floor which had been paved with stone, this room had been left bare, grass was free to grow unhindered. In one corner of the room, there was a sizeable pile of those gold and silver disks Baldirak had found earlier. In another corner was a shallow pit, big enough for a NightWing-sized Dragon. The room was quite large, as would be discovered when Baldirak walked further into it. And soon, he found more of those shallow pits. Perhaps a family of Dragons had lived here. At the very back wall, a piece of parchment hung. It appeared perfectly preserved, yet for all the holes that riddled it, so very frail at the same time. There was writing on it, but in a language Baldirak had not seen. Not that it mattered, of course, because the writing was so faded and the holes had removed some words. The EarthWing turned away from the wall and sat down. He wondered how this place must have looked before time ravaged it. There was a puddle of water beneath the hole in the ceiling, so after sitting awhile, Baldirak stood and went over to it. He lowered his head and lapped at the cool water then lowered his right paw into it. The mud that had been made by the water was even cooler and felt wonderful on his aching paw. He removed it then made his way out of the room, using his tail to close the oak doors behind him. He followed the corridor back to the hallway he had been in to continue on toward another set of large and ornate doors.
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Siris didn't seem to mind Barracuda's harsh words and tone. He did wonder why she had come here... and perhaps even she didn't know. But she had come for a reason, he as sure of that. With a light sigh and a sympathetic look to Shore Line, the ElderWing replied to Barracuda, "Well Barracuda, your ancestors had no reason to return here, after the migration. And as time passed, future generations forgot about Daelorios, because they were not told of it. You are the first visitors we have had since the seven species rose." Siris stood, slipping past Barracuda and Shore Line to get to the lake. With a flick of his tail to beckon them to follow, he went into the lake and swam down to the bottom. Where he had slept before, which cold be seen now as one made their descent to the bottom, was a somewhat out-of-place rock. The ElderWing pushed the rock from where it rested, to reveal a tunnel entrance. The tunnel, as the two SeaWing would discover--assuming both of them had followed--fed into a second lake. And this lake was inside the palace the EarthWing now explored. Siris slipped into the tunnel, riding the current across the island to its end. He emerged from the lake into a cave-like room. Before sitting to wait for the SeaWings, Siris shook the water from his scales and feathered wings.

Stellarus Looked at a building her eyes widened at the architecture seeing the island had been unknown for many years she wiped some ivy off the wall and read some letters but didn't understand the saying completely.