The Past & The Future [c]

[Eirlys]

Eirlys had managed to pick up some rumors after reaching the central portion of Ylisse. Tales of a group called the Knights of Cydonia, or rather they were previously called that. They seemed to go by the "Shepards" now. The name change seemed to come with a change in leader as well. Apparently the previous one was some brat of a lordling who got dragged home by his brother and the new leader was, if rumor was true, a Manakete. Rumor didn't say what tribe, but that was simply to be expected. If Eirlys had to guess though, she'd be placing a bet upon the Manakete being of a Tribe very familiar to the Dragon.

She was just north of Ylisse's capitol, Yloo... Ylis... Something or another that she'd ask someone else about later. It was the last sighting of the Shepards that someone could tell her, so hopefully they were either here or at least close by. Even if they weren't, the ivory haired woman was sure she'd be able to find someone to ask where they went. The white garbed woman began to fly lower to the ground, her feathery wings beating slightly faster as she moved to land near a large campsite. It didn't look like a bandit grouping, they flew some sigil that Eirlys didn't recognize and generally all seemed nicer kept compared to the usual rabble.

"Ah! Excuse me! Where can I find your leader?"

Eirlys called out to someone nearby, just trying to catch someone's attention. No doubt she already had without realizing it though given a white furry thing with feathered wings just landed outside of the Shepards' camp.

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Tags: Nascha

[Nascha]

It was rather noisy all of a sudden. Nascha had hoped that she would get a chance to relax after trying to do some recruiting. (With only marginal success - it was clear that the nobility of Ylisse thought even less of them than they did Dorian's Knights and that she got more respect in the other nations. Maybe they needed a new place.) But she hadn't had much time before she heard some commotion outside, It was the kind of commotion that accompanied someone approaching unannounced, but fortunately no one sounded hostile yet. Sighing, Nascha stepped outside to find a truly strange sight at the edge of the camp. There was a woman cloaked in fur with white wings who had just landed there.

She saw one of her recruits approach the fur-covered woman and say something, probably to the effect of saying where to find Nascha from the way he pointed directly at her after a few seconds. Probably asking after the leader of their little group, then. That was...unexpected and a little bothersome. With how poorly recruiting was going so far, Nascha wasn't expecting anyone to show up out of the blue wanting to join the Shepherds, so she probably had some other purpose.

That...or they were after her specifically. Nascha could only think of one group of people who would potentially have feathery wings: divine dragons. To say that divine dragons and earth dragons had a history would be quite an understatement, although that was long in the past, before even Nascha's birth. If someone was coming back to settle an old grudge, they would have to have been asleep for more than two millennia.

But she'd indulge them for the moment, at least. Making her way to the edge of camp, she addressed the winged woman. "I am Nascha, leader of the Shepherds. What is your business here?"

[Eirlys]

One of the bewildered recruits approached Eirlys after a moment, stuttering slightly before coughing and speaking with a more firm voice as he pointed out the commander's location. Eirlys thanked the human man before looking over towards where he had indicated, spying a blonde haired girl approaching them now. When she spoke, it was quite obvious that this was the one she'd been looking for. There was no outward signs of what her Tribe may be, but Eirlys could see the familiar pointed ears. She let her wings fade away, walking over slightly and letting the recruit make a solid get away. After a moment she paused and bowed to Nascha.

"A pleasure to meet you Nascha, I am Eirlys. Your group here means to thing this thing called... Grima, yes? I must admit, I have only recently awoken from a long slumber. I was hoping that another Manakete could properly fill me in on what is occurring in this era."

She straightened up once more, Nascha's close proximity allowing her to see the odd traits of Eirlys' humanoid form that seemed to defy the usual conventions of a Manakete's appearance. The bone-like protrusions of white and the scales that showed at her collarbone. "Is it true that this Grima creature is an Earth Dragon?"

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Tags: Nascha

[Nascha]

The fur-dressed woman's wings faded as Nascha approached, but Nascha could still pick out tell-tale signs that she wasn't quite human. She had the same pointed ears as any Manakete, but there were also small, bone-like protrusions and scales at her collarbone, almost as though the human form wasn't quite perfect. Nascha couldn't be sure of why, but there was one possibility that stood out: she was very, very old, and had taken human form back when the concept was still new. Only a theory, of course, but it was better than anything else she had to go on.

She introduced herself as Eirlys, then immediately jumped to her business as asked. Apparently she was informed, at least somewhat, of the Shepherd's purpose, although she could just as easily have taken that from the group Nascha had named them after. But then again, she had also known that Nascha, a fellow manakete, led them this time. There wasn't much getting out of this then, not that Nascha had as much inclination to when speaking with another of her kind.

"That's...a long story, and I only know parts of it. Maybe you should come in and sit down. If you really want me to 'fill you in', as it were, you'll want to get comfortable. It may take awhile."

[Eirlys]

Eirlys nodded as Nascha spoke once more. "Yes, that sounds better than standing around." She let Nascha take the lead in guiding her to the blonde's tent, taking a seat once inside. "If you do not mind my asking, what Tribe are you part of, Nascha?" Eirlys was curious to know. She half expected her to be of the Divine Dragons, given they had a penchant for getting drawn to causes like this. But at this point, it was just conjecture. Nascha could very well be part of the Fire or Ice Tribes as well. Perhaps even one of the Magic Dragons. At any rate, guessing wouldn't get her anywhere, so hopefully Nascha wouldn't mind the question.

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Tags: Nascha

[Nascha]

Nodding, Nascha led the way back to her tent and invited Eirlys inside. It was a larger tent, with plenty of room for the two of them and with a few wooden chairs set up for small meetings. In fact, most of the space inside seemed to be dedicated to that rather than living space, with the only indication that it was living space being a bedroll rolled up to one side.

Once Eirlys took a seat, Nascha did so as well. She did a double take at Eirlys's question, wondering for a moment if she should just lie or take the easy answer. No, probably not. The option to just not talk about certain things wasn't as much present in this situation as when dealing with humans, and it would make it easier to understand why she was here if she was honest. "I have both Magic and Earth Dragon ancestry. Given my lineage, I'd call myself one of the Earth Dragons."

[Eirlys]

To say Eirlys was surprised was... well, a very very big understatement. The look on her face was one of complete shock and, if the Dragon could seem even whiter, it certainly seemed possible as her face paled. "Earth... Dragon...?" She took a moment to process this. No, there was still a good chance the seal wasn't actually broken. Should it have been, this whole continent would likely have been destroyed or facing much worse than the standard chaos that humans seemed to favor.

"I... I see. You must be of Medeus' line then. How fares the Prince these days?" She recovered after a moment though, thankfully. It was certainly unexpected to say the least, but perhaps now Eirlys could finally figure out what happened to the Table's guardian. If he still lived, Medeus would make for one mighty ally. If he didn't... Well, it would certainly speak for the power of whoever had managed to best him.

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Tags: Nascha

[Nascha]

The Prince? The Prince?! Now it was Nascha's turn to be surprised. Not that someone knew him as such, Nascha knew her history quite well, but to still refer to him as such, with no knowledge of what had happened since that time, made this woman well over twice her age. Not only that, but asleep and out of the loop for well over twice her age. She was speaking with someone who could very well be the oldest living dragon, rivaling even Naga in lifespan.

"Ah...y-yeah, about that," Nascha said, stammering slightly. "The 'Prince' as you called him is my grandfather, yes. He's dead, three times over. He...as far as I've been told, after our kin started taking human form, humans started looking down on them, treating them as outcasts, even attacking them in human form. Medeus was outraged by this, and formed an empire to enslave and oppress humanity. He was later struck down by a human hero wielding a blade forged from one of Naga's fangs. That was three thousand years ago, now. Then a thousand years later a sorcerer named Gharnef resurrected hum and his empire. Twice."

[Eirlys]

Three... Three thousand years? Had Eirlys truly been asleep for that long? How had she not known- No. No, Eirlys knew how she had missed such tragic events. Her own cowardice was to blame. Afraid to step back out into the world, it was Eirlys' own fault. And now she needed to make up for it. What she was doing now would be a start at least. Nonetheless, her expression turned sorrowful. It was not only because of her realization, but also for the madness that had consumed a once great man. Medeus had been the only Earth Dragon to see the light in that terrible situation so long ago and now he had fallen to a deep darkness. It truly was a great pity.

"I am truly sorry for your family's situation. He was a great man before the madness. It is a great sorrow that such events have come to pass." Eirlys took a deep breathe before sighing heavily. "I dread to ask, but how is the Dragon's Table? Has it been compromised? With Medeus' turn and this Grima loose, I dread to hear of it."

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Tags: Nascha

[Nascha]

Nascha closed her eyes and sighed softly. It was strange, in a way, hearing her grandfather spoken of in a positive light. Past tense, naturally, but it was strange nonetheless. Humans, with their short lives and shorter memories, only ever remembered the Dolhr Empire, if even that much. Even her father was still young when he fell into darkness. "These are ancient events now, before even my time. There's no need to apologize," Nascha said, although her tone had softened a little from the stern, all-business stance she had taken up to this point.

"As far as I or anyone here knows, the seal on the Earth Dragons is still intact. I would have to go to the Dragon's Table myself to be sure, though, and it's currently in the hands of Grima's cult. I did infiltrate them for a few centuries, but I was never able to investigate the Table properly. All I know is that none of the Earth Dragons sealed within have shown themselves. To answer your earlier question, I couldn't say if Grima is one of them. The one time I was in its presence it...felt similar, and my parents believed so as well. But if you were to lay eyes on it, it doesn't look anything like an Earth Dragon, or anything from any other tribe. It was...huge. My true form doesn't even compare. And it flew effortlessly, on six massive wings." Nascha looked downcast for a moment, now reminded of how insignificant she'd felt just looking at the Fell Dragon.

"At any rate, that's just one of many things I'm hoping to find out along the way. There's too much we don't know and need to know. This band I've started gathering here, we're dedicated to defeating Grima, but if it can be brought back like last time, we won't have done our jobs right."

[Eirlys]

Hm... This was all getting quite confusing. Grima sounded like no Dragon she'd seen before and that was when her race had pretty much roamed all over the planet. And not only that, but if he was an Earth Dragon, then he shouldn't be able to fly. None of their kind, even the rarer breeds, were ever capable of flight unless it was assisted via a Mage Dragon's spells. Infact, magic was definitely written all over this. Some kind of extremely powerful magic. Whatever this Grima was, he had access to something that simply screamed that it shouldn't exist within the realm of possibility. She needed to know more. But who would actually know about this beast?

"Nascha, about how long ago did Grima appear? He was definitely not part of my era, that I can say for sure. I want to look into him more. Something about this is wrong, horribly wrong. And we need to figure out what." Eirlys paused for a moment. "Are there any other abilities of his that I should know of?" If Grima had access to powerful magic, then it would be best to get as much info on what he could do as possible.

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Tags: Nascha

[Nascha]

Eirlys seemed troubled. Hardly surprising, given the situation she had woken up to. Neither of them knew much of anything about what was going on, and they needed to. With that in mind, there was something the Shepherds needed that Dorian's Knights lacked and that Nascha had yet to think of before now. They needed information, and they needed people able to gather it. There had to be someone alive, a lorekeeper or even a fellow Manakete, who could tell them more. Whatever had happened to the Voice of Naga, or to the White Sage her father once spoke of? Could either of them still be alive, somewhere?

"It must have been a thousand years ago now," Nascha answered. "I agree, something about his very existence is horribly wrong. Whatever Grima is, it's something that shouldn't exist." She sighed again, during which time Eirlys asked if the Fell Dragon had any other abilities of note. "Necromancy?" Nascha offered. "The Risen seem to be Grima's doing."

[Eirlys]

Necromancy? Now that was a power only the oldest and darkest of Elder Magic could facilitate. And while others might think it slightly insignificant, it did offer a hint to the type of magic that Grima could use. And potentially what magic he drew his strength from. Elder Magic was risky and dangerous, but it did offer much in the way of power. If he had found some way to tap into ancient magics even for Dragons, it could explain how Grima was apparently able to wield such might. But right now, this was all purely conjecture.

"I see... I did spot these strange sort of creatures on occasion as I flew, but I didn't bother with stopping to investigate. I suppose that would be these "Risen" that Grima is able to create. Hrm..." Eirlys paused in a brief bit of thought once more. "I must go to Pel... Plegia. Yes, I must go to Plegia. It seems like it will offer more answers than anywhere else. I must dig up what I can about this monster. Hopefully it will actually be useful. The Dragon's Table is in the hands of his cult, yes? What other locations are in his hands?" She paused a moment and then shook her head. Given how long it had been, no doubt Nascha wouldn't be sure of what she meant. "What of Thabes?"

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Tags: Nascha

[Nascha]

"Most of Plegia is in Grimleal hands. The country's leadership opposes them, surprisingly, but most of its people still belong to the cult. If you're going to go there, be very careful about who you talk to and how open you are about what you are. I spent a long time fighting them before I tried infiltrating them, and I lost a lot more than I gained." Nascha sighed. If there was anything she really, genuinely regretted about that whole escapade, it was that she took too long to resort to subterfuge. Had she done so sooner, she might still have had a home to go back to. One that could be expanded on and fashioned into a new base for the Shepherds, if it came to that.

She put a hand to her chin as Eirlys mentioned Thabes. The name rung familiar, but she was having trouble placing it. It certainly wasn't anywhere she'd been, but she was sure she'd heard and read plenty about it.

Ah, that was right. Khadein. The 'Desert of Death'. Anri's Road. All things that no longer existed in the modern world. But Thabes was even older than that. By the time Gharnef occupied it, it had already been a ruin, half-buried under the desert. "Lost to time," Nascha answered. "By the time I was born, all but the tower were sunken under desert. Now, even the desert's gone. The ruins may still be there, but most of them are probably buried pretty deep."

[Eirlys]

Even Thabes...?

It had lasted for thousands of years and now it was ruins buried beneath the land. Was there... was there truly nothing left of her era? This land... She did not know this land. It was strange, it was foreign, and all in all, it felt like she just didn't belong. Eirlys wanted to go back to her own underground chamber. She wanted to curl up and waste away in silence once more. The Dragon did not belong here. She didn't belong anywhere now. Time had left her behind. All of the world had left her behind.

What else changed? What else was so different and foreign that she'd never be able to look at it the same? Eirlys' mind began to thunder inside of her head like a warhammer. Her heart beat in her chest like a drum, her stomach felt both empty and queasy at the same time. She wanted to cry, she wanted to go back. Eirlys was a stranger in a strange land. Nothing of her past remained. All that she'd ever known was different and foreign and it was all so very painful.

"I.. I see..." Her tone was one of defeat as she spoke again. Her expression looked utterly pained and all the mental anguish she felt threatened to overflow. This world was not her's. This world didn't even need her. She was nothing more than a weak coward. No. Eirlys was nothing. The white clad Dragon held back the bitter tears, held back the feeling in her gut that made her feel like she was going to throw up and the feeling that made her feel like she was going to pass out.

"Nothing is left... I'm... Just a relic..."

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Tags: Nascha