Tales of the Briars (Sabatea's Hexes)

[Sabatea]

Please do not post

This will be a place for me to store stories and various writings for my hexes, The Blighted Briars.

[Sabatea]

Bane's Development
6 small prompts, 1 large prompt

Why did he choose his rank?: Bane chose his rank because he feels that he is stronger and more durable than other hexes. He wanted to become a fighter in order to show them that he wasn't weak because he wasn't a mage, and those that worked hard could achieve as much or even more than those that chose to work with the mana around them. Bane is hellbent on being the strongest hex, and he intends to prove it. He wants other to regard him as a mighty warrior, who fights with tooth and claw, and he wants the ladies to think of him as a guardian. Truthfully, he chose his rank because he's afraid of not becoming anything grand at all. A protector, who others count on and who leaps into the fray of battle, seemed the best way to ensure that he wouldn't become boring.
142/50

What Personality Type is he?: Bane is ESTJ-A. He is very extroverted, and he is absolutely willing to meet new people and talk to them. He is not shy in the least, and he certainly isn't afraid to talk to the ladies. However, he isn't the most tactful hex. He struggles to catch emotions, both in himself and in others. Though he knows what he wants, he struggles to find the means to obtain it, and he struggles to plan accordingly. While he has airs of confidence he can become quite broken down over time, and he loses his way rather easily. He wants so badly to be impressive that he hinges on every scrap of praise, and he seeks acknowledgement from those around him rather than from himself. If the response isn't what he wanted, he can become a little lost, and he loses a lot of confidence.
145/50

What does his name mean?: Bane's name comes from his ability to protect the Briars. He took the name because he felt he was a "bane" against his enemies. He believes he's strong enough that even the stonehounds know who he is, and they should know to avoid him. His name is a great source of pride for him, and even though others may consider the name dark or distasteful, he truly believes it is "an epic name, which [he] is most definitely worthy of".
80/50

What does Bane smell like?: Even the hexes that don't tend to be swayed by Bane's attempts at wooing find that he has a very pleasant scent. It has an earthly, masculine quality to it, with a hint of mysterious. Bane smells like a gently smoked slab of honey-laden cedar. While an odd scent for sure, and likely not one any of the hexes could describe, it's certainly noticeable. Hexes tend to be very calm around him, and that is certainly attributed to his distracting scent.
82/50

What is his favorite food?: Out in the forest, the hexes of the Briars rarely get fish. Bane absolutely adores carp though, and he always trades for it when travelers come by who recently visited the larger lakes. Bane enjoys to eat his fish whole, bones and all. Some more refined hexes tend to pick out the bones and each just the tender flesh, but Bane isn't picky. He eats the bones, scales, and fins. The young hexes are always excited when Bane gets a fish, and they make bets and dares out of how fast he can eat it, or whether the fin will scratch his throat again. If he can't get a carp, Bane quite enjoys rabbit meat. And... Though he'll swallow a fish whole, he often complains about the fur of forest animals.
131/50

3 random facts:

• Bane is oddly fascinated by small things, like how rivers polish rocks to a smooth surface. He loves to find new things to think about and mull over while he's on guard duty.
• Bane prefers females with long tails. He's always dreamed of having his mate wrap her tail around him, and he has a massive thing for long, fluffy tails.
• He loves listening to stories. When the elders tell the young hexes stories of the old days, he's always close by, listening intently. He especially loves stories of battles.

33/20 | 28/20 | 29/20

A common nightmare:
It usually started out of nowhere... I never remember any other dreams from the same night, the nightmare always drowned them out. I would wake up in a cold sweat, panting and shaking, and it would all flood over me again...

I was circling the Briars, ears pricked and eyes wide to catch any signs of intruders. I had no intention of letting anything near these Briars. My home was here, and many hexes came here for protection. I would pace around and around the briar patch, keeping well away from the thorns and the vines that wrapped around them. I had been told very early on of how poisonous they were, and that if I cut myself and any leaves I was likely to need the healers to work on me immediately. I shuddered just a little at the thought, determined to never embarrass myself like that. I'd certainly never hear the end of that one.

As my mind wandered, I began hearing a faint beating sound. Thump, thump, thump. A low, rhythmic sound from far away. I would shrug it off at first, expecting some storm or strong gust of wind to hit before long. But the sound would keep getting louder, and rapidly getting closer. By the time I realized my mistake, it was upon us.

"Run!!" I would scream, but it was too late. I was too late. The dragon burst over the canopy, as large as the scattered bones many of them told tales of seeing across Helgrim. The dragon was a shiny, glossy red, like crimson blood as it descended over the Briars. While the thorny projections provided much-needed protection from stonehounds and other enemies, it couldn't protect against an attack from above.

I would race forward, screaming at the top of my lungs. I raced around the briars, desperately seeking the entrance. I was shaking, and though adrenaline kept me going I was genuinely terrified of falling over. Hexes were screaming in terror, and here I was floundering around on the outside. I was so scared, but I found the entrance and forced my way under.

What greeted me was worse than I thought. At first I thought the dragon must have been more massive than I had thought, and my vision was almost entirely filled with red when I burst through the entrance. No, no, it was blood. The dragon was 10 feet tall, towering over the clearing as it lunged at the hexes that were in the clearing. The healers were trying to gather the injured, but in just a short amount of time so many had already fallen.

My friends, my family. I saw them all wailing, and some staring aimlessly at the sky. I was terrified as I looked around at the carnage. The dragon was slashing and biting, and more and more hexes were falling under its terrifying strength. I forced myself to move forward, to stand beside my brothers who were doing their best to keep the beast at bay. They swiped futilely at it, and magic was whizzing around at an alarming rate. Everyone knew this battle was helpless, but like me they all wanted to protect what was theirs.

I launched myself at the beast, clawing at its hard scales. My claws glanced off their surface, but I rebounded harder. I dug in, wedging my teeth under the scales of its leg and biting hard. I was more than satisfied to hear the dragon shriek in pain, and begin batting at me. I clung on desperately, gripping its leg with my claws as I dug my deep in as hard as I could.

The dragon was angry now, and it roared ferociously as it unfurled its wings. The other fighters lunged at it harder, desperately trying to give one last good show that the hexes here weren't worth fighting. I clung on, even as the dragon took one big push and launched itself into the air. The hexes cried out, yelling at me to let go.

I tried to extricate myself, but the dragon was gaining height fast. I clung on desperately now, but there was little hope for me. We were so high now, already over the canopy. I had protected my friends though, and hopefully the healers could get to the others before long. I held my hope close to me as the dragon turned its head, its sharp eyes locked on me. With one back leg, it reached up and clawed me, dislodging my teeth from its leg.

I could almost hear it laughing as I plummeted down, down, down...
773/500