the sea and the sky // legendary kalon tryout

[deerbroken]

making a thread so i can work on prettying up and organizing everything.
original contest.
do not post! thank you.

[deerbroken]

In the beginning, there was nothing. The earth lay bare, harsh crags and valleys filled with pouring magma. For years, this was the way the world remained; no life could thrive in this desolate place.

One day, however, it began to rain. It fell, unending, the land soon covered in a soft blue. This is when the first gods were born; where they came from is difficult to say, as even they cannot remember.

They grew in the empty waters, small animals and monsters forming alongside them. As the sea flourished, so did the land, and soon there were two clans: those who took to the skies, and those who lay in the waters. These clans did not agree on the fate the earth should take. Those of the sky sought for the earth to become as it was in its former glory, the land stretched far and wide for all creatures to survive upon. Those of the sea thought that the water should cover the entire earth; it was the blood of life that brought them all onto this planet, and without it they would surely perish. In the end, their dispute was settled with violent feuding; the first war, as myths call it. This war became the reason kalons fought over territory and mourned the death of their kin; many of the first gods were killed in the bloody battles, and by the end there were few remaining.

The gods of the sea whipped up terrible storms, thunder crashing down from the sky and torrential rain pelting the winged kalons above them. They launched great harpoons into the air when they saw the kalons above them, and when they flew too close to the water’s surface, the mer-kalons would drag the flying beasts below the surf. In return, those of the sky sent burning heat from beneath the earth, warming the oceans until they were scalding and unpleasant. The feathered beasts would pick the merkalons from the sea and drop them on land, where they would dry out and eventually die. They retaliated their lances with massive hooks, and would drag the kalons from their home by the fins. For hundreds of years they fought with tooth and claw at the borders of land and sea, each of the kalons losing fins and limbs in the process. Some kalons lost their ability to live in the sea, their bodies rejecting the water and their fins nonexistent. Other kalons lost their wings and feathers, and were bound to the land, never to soar the skies again.

Tiamat, one of the gods of the sea, despised the fighting as much as the kalons of the land. Bloody violence only brought more and more destruction, as time told them all. They were indifferent to the battle for quite some time, staying towards the lower parts of the ocean with their mate. Though they chose not to fight, their beloved often joined in the combat, coming back to the deep with cuts and missing fins. It brought them much sorrow to see their mate being hurt, and day after day they pleaded with him to stop. Both of them knew that they couldn’t stop the fighting, however; one of the clans would be triumphant, and if those of the sea stopped fighting, they would all be destroyed by their enemy. They could not trust them to show mercy. They could not stop defending their territory.

Tiamat was eventually forced to join the war. They fought beneath the waves, and though they were a fierce warrior they would remain close to assure themselves that their mate wasn’t injured. They patched his and other of the mer-kalons’ wounds, becoming one of the first medics of their clan. Years passed, yet there never came a sign of the war ending. At this rate, they would fight each other to extinction.

Tiamat had lost track of time after the first decade. Eventually the days and weeks blended together, and by the time the war seemed to be reaching an ending point, they had no idea what year it was or how long they had been fighting.

As the sun rose, the fighting began, and kalons who flew above the waters viciously attacked those who remained beneath. The winged creatures had planned a siege, and with thousands of massive hooks they dragged all the sea-faring kalons they could take, never to be seen again. Tiamat had managed to escape the enemy’s grasp, but their mate did not share the same fate. As the god realized their mate was nowhere to be seen, they rushed to the surface. They could do nothing but watch as their mate was flown away from them, dangling in the air by a hook.

They wanted to go to him. To save him. But what could they do to help? Terror ran through their veins. They could not survive on the land. They could not travel anywhere far beyond the shore. They would never see their husband again. They were terrified and grief stricken, and beneath that boiled a hateful rage.

They and their kin fought violently against the remaining winged beasts, and they took nearly as many lives as the kalons had taken just days before them. Everywhere the mer-creatures went the water was soaked and tainted with red, the blood of their kin mingling beneath the waves with the blood of their enemies. The sky and the sea were empty, for once in thousands of years. Tiamat, blinded by their anger, felt as if they had been sleeping. When they came back to reality, the waters were empty. They could not see hair nor fin of their fellow sea-creatures. All they saw before them was loss. The loss of their brothers. Of their friends. No one seemed to be left.

The god traversed the entire ocean, looking for more of their brethren. As far as they searched, however, they could find nothing. For weeks they swam, looking for something, anything to let them know that someone was left. Could they be the last kalon on earth? Was this the end?

As they approached the shore of the largest continent, they realized they saw smoke rising from the shore. They could see figures ahead of them. The beasts they had fought were celebrating their victory. A sour taste filled their mouth, and they swam closer, hidden beneath the water. As they approached, they realized that some of the kalons were lodged in the tide, their lower halves composed of fins and a massive tail. At this point they rose up, and they realized that the few kalons remaining were having a meeting of some sort. Curious and with nothing left to lose, they swam closer, and the remaining kin of theirs welcomed them into the impromptu circle. They relaxed and snacked on roasted fish as their fellow mer-kalons explained the situation they had found themselves in.

These were the only kalons left alive of their clans. The others of the flight clan and of the sea clan had been wiped out, and they had waited for days for more to return. Yet none came.

Tiamat did not understand how they could be at peace with each other now; but they were too tired to fight. They had lost so much already.

One of the flight clan spoke up, her voice quiet, and offered the mermaid an idea.

“We have discussed a truce between our clans. We do not have enough of us left to fight. If we continue to battle, we will all die.”

Tiamat nodded in agreement.

“What will we do now?”

“That is up to you,” the kalon responded. “I am going to join the kalons who live on the land, free from the strife of this war that we waged. These wingless beasts know nothing of the war we fought; they only seek to survive, and I intend to join them. Perhaps they can learn from our mistakes.”

The other kalons nodded. As Tiamat saw this, however, their kin shook their heads in disagreement.

“We cannot make peace with the kalons of the land. We will reside in the surf, where we can live without burden.”

“We will not intrude upon your territory,” the youthful kalon stated, “and you will not intrude upon ours. This seems like a fair agreement. Do all present here agree?”

Each of them nodded.

“Then we will mark today as the day of truce. It will be the first day in the new kalendar. We will work with the creatures of the land to establish a routine. We will share what we know with you.”

“I like that,” said one of the mer-kalons. “Perhaps we can have two ambassadors who meet on this shore each cycle of the year to discuss updates and information.”

“I would like that too.” For once in millennia, the kalons of the flight clan smiled towards their foes. Finally, after years of warring against each other, they had found peace.

“We bid you the best of luck in your new life,” the young winged kalon stated, and with that, the remaining trio turned their tails and walked into the underbrush of the surface. With the remaining few merkals all in one place, they travelled together to their old capitol, and from their began to rebuild. The depths of the ocean were dark, however, and aside from their ambassador the civilization kept to themselves. They adapted to the dark, many of them losing their sight or being incredibly sensitive to the sun. Many of the merkalons never revisited the surface, and eventually, after years of peace, the ambassadors of the clans did not meet. The shore remained lit with small bonfires, however; the smaller kalons that had managed to survive the turmoil seemed to have a ceremony dedicated to the start of the year, and when they saw the merkalon come to the shore, they offered to share their feast with him. No winged kalons were to be seen on that night; perhaps they had gone extinct, or perhaps they had found their own place in the world, away from the smaller creatures that remained. The ambassador did not know, and Tiamat could make no guesses when he returned and told them the news. After that, the merkalons who could still use their sight visited the shore from time to time. Tiamat begrudgingly joined their kin in visiting the surface, and though it was not something they would make a habit of, they enjoyed it.

---

On that first night, they swam slowly, allowing their eyes to adjust to the lighter waters. The group waited until sundown to travel to the surface; their eyes had adapted to the deep abysses of the ocean, and broad daylight would surely blind them. They climbed further and further through the waters, the soft glow of the moon illuminating the water along with the glint of their scales. To see the surface after so much time brought their heartbeat into their ears, and they had to breathe deeply to keep calm.

As their head rose above the water, they held their eyes closed, breathing carefully in attempt to keep calm. The waves gently passed them, the sea and the sky both completely clear. Their ears flicked as they finally looked towards the island, the tiny flames adorning the shore. They were hesitant, but their ambassador seemed perfectly calm. They took it as a good sign.

The night sky hung above them, perfectly clear with the twinkling stars above. The waters remained warm, though not nearly to the extent as they once were—the natural disasters that had heightened the intensity of the war had long since been calmed. Their mood lightened as the shore approached; the young kalons waved eagerly, their torsos free of wings and their expressions inviting.

As they came to the shore, the long-lived peace had allowed healthy vegetation to grow, the sandy beach covered in grass, shrubs, and palm trees. The young creatures ahead of them waded into the shallow water, with fishes strung on sticks and fruit in small bowls. For the first time in a long time, Tiamat ate with others. They enjoyed their feast, and the young people were eager to speak with them, curious about the other merkalons that existed. These people revered the kalons as gods, and their young, smiling faces instilled a sliver of hope in Tiamat’s heart. Things had changed. Things had drastically changed, and all for the better. Tiamat, after thousands of years of turmoil and misery, finally felt happy.

[deerbroken]

ｇｅｎｅｒａｌ -
name: Tiamat (sumerian goddess of chaos, creation, and the oceans)

occupation: junk collector

gender: non binary (any prns)

sexual identification: demisexual

romantic identification: panromantic

myers briggs type: istp

alignment: chaotic good

ｓｐｅｃｉｆｉｃｓ -
favorite food: fresh fish

favorite drink: coconut water(do fish drink even)

favorite hobbies: sand sculptures, underwater gardening

favorite scent: the smell of wet fur and seaweed after a long swim

favorite person: their mate (rip)

ｒａｎｄｏｍ –
list ten facts about your muse: 
1. They hold grudges.
2. They have a hard time communicating with others.
3. They’ve given up a lot to get where they are now.
4. They’ll fight like hell for the ones they love.
5. They love sea cucumbers.
6. They have a sea turtle companion. He likes to eat their kelp beds.
7. They love junk. They collect bits and baubles from the seashore.
8. They hate feathers and hooks.
9. They also hate eels.
10. They play piano.


common words / phrases that annoy them?: blood, wing, peripheral, nautical

mixtape

old god outfit or smth

[deerbroken]

[deerbroken]

[deerbroken]

To all life whom resides below the waves,

I extend my metaphorical paw in greeting to you all. It has been centuries since our clans were separated and signed a truce, one which forbid each other from entering foreign territory. However, years have passed since our feuding has ended, and I feel that now is the time to come together. Our citizens wish to explore further from our home borders by sea, and we are unable to venture far without fear of your kind or your fellow sea-dwelling companions meddling in our attempts.

I believe I speak for all of our kind when I say that we would like to propose a final truce, one that will bring permanent peace between all of us and remove any threats of a returning feud. Please write back at your earliest convenience.

I wish the best to you all and await your response eagerly.

-Elowyn Nazareth Trinity

And so it begins again. The empty sea holds few merkalons at this date, and the majority of them have all gone their separate ways. Why has this queen figure reached out to them? They have no interest in reuniting their people and returning to the surface. Frankly, they have little interest in anything involved with the surface.

As the kalon grips the soggy paper in their hands, they sigh deeply. What to do... They don't know.

[deerbroken]

the muse questions were from a rp blog! I'll link them if I can find them ;;
all art was drawn by me, except for the original ref of the merkalon tbh