Rider's Generation(CLOSED)

[qwill.]

Sarene//the Spine//talking to Ladrengilon

Sarene sat silently, taking in the wiser elf's words. Lately she had just been so confused. She didn't know what to do with herself now that she was finished training, and now that she was out of a marriage contract. Cairyn, am I a misfit of society? she asked the dragon, lazily picking at a weed in the grass.
Most definitely, 'Ene. The best of us are. It's how you choose to contribute to the society you have been placed in that defines what you become.
Sarene thought about that for a moment, considering her most recent contributions. I haven't done anything with my gift as a Rider, Cairyn. Does that make me selfish? Do I even deserve this life if I choose to spend it in solitude?
Like I have said many times, it is your choice to take a break that makes you the greatest contributor. Sure, there are others currently fighting, or teaching, or even still learning. But you broke the mold. There comes a time in every age when that which was once novel becomes rote. In the new age of riders, beings young and old are expected to follow aged traditions. By creating something new, you broke tradition, and have opened the path to others like you.
Thanks, Cairyn, Sarene said, rubbing the silver scales on the tip of his nose. So I can choose my own path?
You can always choose your own path.
A tear slid down Sarene's cheek. She was not one to cry, or even show emotion, but the single tear was not one of grief or anger. It was a display of the kind of happiness and peace that comes very rarely in one's life. After weeks of aimless wandering and misguided freedom, Sarene finally felt that she knew what she had to do. Cairyn, I think we need to go to Gil'ead.
I think that's an excellent idea.
Sarene turned to Ladrengilon, smiling broadly. "Thank you, Friend. You have shown me that which I could not have seen, even when it was directly in front of me. I hope you can someday be more than content in your solitary life, and I wish to know you more, for you seem to be full of wisdom that the world could use a little more of." Sarene picked up a pebble from the river bank, polishing it with her sleeve. Muttering a few words in the ancient language, she inscribed a glowing symbol into the surface of the stone. "It's my family seal," Sarene said, handing the stone to Ladrengilon. "Please use it if you find you ever need company or aid. I need to go to Gil'ead. I promise to visit! You have given me purpose, and for that eka elrun ono." Sarene couldn't have been happier in that moment, for she no longer felt sick to her stomach with conflicted emotions. She knew what she had to do to resolve her guilt.

Ren//Gil'ead//helping at the academy

What am I, their errand boy? Ren thought, taking the primitive club and turning it over in his hands. There were a few crude markings carved on the side, symbols from the ancient language.
Do what you're told, and don't complain. Just ring the bell, Ailla said, sounding exasperated.
Come, now. It's much too early for that tone of voice. And besides. I'll ring that bell like it's never been rung before. I'll ring the bell like--
Seriously, just go ring the bell.
Nodding to Sardonyx and Nazaroth, Ren mounted Ailla and flew up to the bell tower, where a large silver bell sat, silently waiting in the morning air. It had a small crack down the side like a spiderweb, and the metal was tarnished near the top and bottom.
This is supposed to call the trainees? Ren wondered, looking at the pathetic excuse for a bell. I've seen much better.
This bell is an ancient relic from the first age of riders. It's infused with magic. Can't you feel it?
Ren looked at the bell and something clicked. He could almost taste the power radiating from it's surface. The bell may be loud to a regular person's ears, but to a rider, the bell would sound like a calling, even from leagues away. Ren was about to meet his new students. Raising the club, Ren brought it down on the surface, creating a loud ring that leapt across the sky like an arc of lightning. The note carried on for what seemed like much longer than should be possible. Ren figured that was enough to call the riders, and flew back down to Sardonyx, handing her the club. "So how'd I do?" he asked, smirking.

[The BadWolf]

Harvey and Zar'roc had been nearing Gil'ead at a steady pace when a loud, crystal clear note sounded through the air. It was like a bell. Zar'roc stopped flying for a moment, diving to the ground sharply before leaping higher into the air at the last moment, as if searching for the source of the noise. Was that you? He asked, twisting his neck sharply to focus one large, black pupil on Harvey.
No. It wasn't. I don't even own a bell! Harvey mulled it over inside his head. It was so clear, like it was from right beside us...
Perhaps it was a bird?
Do you know any birds that sound like bells? That caused Zar'roc to fall quiet. After hearing the noise, the dragon felt more compelled to head to Gil'ead than earlier, and beat his wings faster so that he could get to the city sooner. Suddenly, his eyes widened.
It's the rider's bell! He said triumphantly, the city coming into clear view. Let's go check in!
Harvey licked his lips. Maybe it's not such a good idea...we've trained enough already. Let's- Zar'roc cut the rider off with a sharp nose dive, chuckling deep in his throat as he circled the rider's training camp, looking for a good place to land.
Come, now. They wouldn't call unless riders were needed. If they don't want us here, we can go, hmm?

[narwhallama]

LILLA
She scooped up Comet upon hearing the bells, and her hand burned and itched very suddenly. When she turned her palm over, she saw a silvery mark. A shining palm! she thoufght incrfedulously, almost dropping her dragon in astonishment, I'm a true Rider! She rushed in the direction of the bells and Comet jumped out of her arms to attempt flying.

[☾ ℜε∨αη ☽]

Sardonyx Crimson & Nazaroth

Nazaroth had already taken to the skies, greeting Zar'roc and Harvey with a tremendous roar. He circled downwards again, lighting down on his usual perch: the highest tower of the arena. The seven marble towers were arranged by height, forming a pyramid. The tower that Nazaroth had settled on had a rope ladder that was magically bound to the bottom and the top. All seven of the towers, which were large enough to support two dragons Nazaroth's size, were very useful during flight lessons. Nazaroth, of course, was always around to catch the flyers-in-training. At least until Sardonyx finished her project.

"You did stunningly, as far as bell-ringing goes." She replied, attempting to ignore the ringing in her ears caused by Nazaroth's roar. The shadow of Zar'roc and Harvey passed over her, and she glanced upwards. "Here comes two of our older trainees."

[CorvusSchnee]

Ladrengilon chuckled lightly, waving his hand as if dismissing a student from his classroom. "It was your own resolve that aided you in finding your way through the darkness of uncertainty. All I did was light the torch." Ladrengilon hefted his pole over a shoulder, resolving to return to his fishing at some later point in time. Using his free hand, the silver-haired male poked two fingers against Sarene's head. "Atra guliä un ilian tauthr ono un atra ono waíse sköliro fra rauthr. When we meet again, you will know that I have found my reason to return. Should you ever need me, you need only come to this river." Ladrengilon graciously took the stone from the female elf's hand, pocketing it in a swift motion before heading to meet with Maela at the treeline. "When you reach Gil'ead, inform the other Riders that my help is but a call away, and tell Sardonyx that I left because of a prophecy I was given. It was said that I would dwell in the peaks of death until evil threatened Alagaesia. Until that time, I was to be the torch-lighter, the guide to the right path. Come to the Spine when at last it is time for the white cloud to rain fire down on our enemies." In moments, Ladrengilon and Maela had disappeared into the woods, seeming to vanish as if merely apparitions of the past.

[qwill.]

Sarene//over the spine//talking to Cairyn

As Ladrengilon faded into the darkness, Sarene heard the all-too-familiar bell summoning riders to the academy. We need to get to Gil'ead, and quickly, she said, looking to the great dragon. Sardonyx has much to hear from Ellesméra. Sarene had never met the current director of the academy, but she had heard great things of the young woman.
I can get us over lake Isenstar in a matter of hours, if we fly fast. 'Ene, I promise you won't regret this, as you seemed to be doing lately.
I hope so, Cairyn. Perhaps I can act as a diplomat between Gil'ead and Ellesméra, where the rest of the riders are located. It seems news travels much too slowly, even with riders such as myself. Sarene climbed onto the silver dragon, settling into the ornate elven saddle. We should be off, she said as they took to the sky. I want to get to the academy by noon.

Ren//at the academy//meeting Harvey

Great! Fresh meat, Ren thought as he saw the young man and his dragon spiral in for a landing.
I must say, I actually agree with you on this one. It might actually be fun to be the teacher, Ailla said, watching the younger dragon with interest.
Ailla? Ren asked, a foreboding thought entering his mind. What if we're actually terrible at this?
Nonsense, Ren Teod. You are a great military leader. You can teach a few young people how to handle a sword on a dragon.
Ren nodded, encouraged. He turned to Sardonyx. "So, where do you usually start with this whole 'teaching' thing? Do you have specific classes, or is one session all-inclusive?" He looked at the trainee, inspecting his riding form. He seemed comfortable with his dragon, which was good. Ren didn't want soldiers who couldn't work with their partners. As for sword fighting...Ren was almost afraid to find out. As with any skill, swordsmanship could be taught, but it was definitely a skill that came more naturally to some than to others. Ren was one of the best swordsmen that century, and it was a skill he required all of his recruits to at least learn, if not master.

[narwhallama]

COMET AND LILLA
He managed to fly clumsily to the academy, watching Lilla run beside him. As the two of them burst into the academy, they realised that they were both useless- the Riders wouldn't want novices like them. Comet landed on Lilla's shoulder heavily, making her wince slightly. Maybe this isn't what I thought being a Rider would be.. Lilla thought sadly.

[HypnoticPanda]

((I hope it's not too late to join))

Username: HypnoticPanda
Name: Seraphine Masalha
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Rank: Soldier
Race: Human
Personality: Seraphine considers herself to be a fairly simple solider. She's masterfuly trained in the art of archery and wielding a magic-infused staff. Her swordsmanship however is embarrassingly lacking for one who takes her soldiering duties so seriously. When she isn't preforming her routine soldierly duties and is allowed leave, she enjoys the peacefulness of solitude, or as solitary as you can get with an ever-present dragon such as Elazar is. Her favorite place in the world are the mountains around The Spine. If you catch her off guard (pun very much intended) she'll respond with a sarcastic or amusing quip, proving that she does have some what of a personality beyond her career. When she's on duty, she ties her hair up in a rich purple ribbon, matching shades and hues of her dragon's feather-like scales. Her beautiful dragon Elazar is a knowledge seeker. Though he knows many things about the world and magics around them, he always digs for more, and pressures Seraphine to help him. He speaks many different languages that he attempts to teach to Seraphine, and feels as though it adds to their quality as soldiers. He too takes his duties seriously.
Dragon: Elazar
Other: Nasuada

[Cooluser1615]

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Name ➡ Eke Raibourg
Age ➡ 15 years old
Gender ➡ Female
Rank ➡ New Rider
Race ➡ Human
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Image courtesy of Rowan Saunders at flikr.com

Personality
Eke's a quiet child, the kind of person who can easily lose themselves in their thoughts. She is intelligent but inexperienced to life outside her village. It interests her, though. Eke isn't quite sure how she feels about becoming a Dragon Rider. However, if she had to put an emotion on her feelings, it would be confusion. What was she meant to do? What would she have to learn? There are still so many questions that Eke longs to know the answer to. She's hoping to find these answers at the Academy.
History
Raised in the village of Carvahall from an early age, Eke was not very different from the other children of the village, with her brown hair and freckled skin. The one thing that pulled Eke apart from the others was words. Words, makers of sentences, which in turn were shapers of stories. Such stories! Even as the years pasted and other children discarded the fireside tales as nothing but vain fantasy, they still enchanted Eke.
One day, Eke was walking alone on the road. She had strayed quite far from her home, which wasn't unusual for her when she was thinking of a story. Eke was musing on the beginning of Queen Nasuada's reign. It was renowned for its longevity but most for all for the prosperity and peacefulness which it brought to . However, its beginning had been anything but. Eke was so lost in her thoughts that she barely noticed a tall rider of pale complexion and long blonde hair streaming behind her as she urged her grey mare onwards. A tiny bag fell from the woman's belt. Eke looked at it. She'd always been an honest child, and that moment was no exception. "Wait miss! You dropped something!" Eke yelled to the figure on horseback, afraid that the woman won't hear her. Fortunately, her cry attracted the rider's attention. The woman's hands fumbled instinctively for a place on her belt that looked as if it had been the home of a securely-fastened object of a small size. Her face physically whitened when she felt that the space was empty. Eke raced up to the woman and opened her right hand, the hand which held the little beige pouch. As she did so, the pouch slipped off her hand to reveal a gleaming object of a brilliant golden hue. Eke picked up the bag and held out it and the gemstone-like object to the woman on horseback, who was muttering something about 'secure enchantments' and other words in a language that Eke couldn't decipher. "Thank you, child." she said to Eke, her relief so audible that Eke resisted snapping that she was a teenager. "You're welcome. Your stone seems to have cracked a little when it hit the road, though." Eke answered, pointing out a thin crack that wove its way across about half an inch of the gemstone's gleaming surface. "That shouldn't..." The woman's voice trailed off as she gazed at the stone. Then she looked at Eke, as though she was only seeing her for the first time. "Come with me." The woman ordered. What could Eke do but obey?
In an inn room, the woman sat down on the room's sole bed, a badly-built structure which trembled whenever one made the slightest movement. The inn was not noted for its wonderful standard of accommodation (or anything else, for that matter) but it was discrete, and that was what of primary importance. "How much do you know about dragons?" the woman asked Eke, who was standing in a corner of the room, as if the shadows which it cast could possibly conceal her tall, gangly figure. Immediately, Eke launched into a tirade of myths and stories which she had memorised of her own accord. She might have continued all through the night were it not for the woman's intervention. "Stop." the woman ordered. "Alright, you know something, at least, and not everyone can claim as much. But a lot of your facts and statements are terribly inaccurate." . Eke's face fell as the woman continued. "That object which you've been holding all day is no stone. It's a dragon egg.". Eke stared at the stone -no, egg- in astonishment. A delicate cobweb of cracks spiralled across the egg's surface. "Wow." Eke whispered. So that meant, she was-she could be... "A Dragon Rider." the woman announced. "That's what you are. Or rather, what the Academy will make you.". Eke cradled the egg in the palms of her hands with a newfound respect. One day, it would be the dragon carrying her, and not the other way around. She wondered about the mysterious Academy, but the events of the day had exhausted her, and she fell almost instantly into sleep.
" Wake up." Eke woke at dawn to feel a sharp pain in her side. The woman was prodding her, none too gently,with her foot. In one hand she held a slice of bread (origins unknown) and in the other she held a travelling cloak. "It should fit you." The woman said to Eke, shaking the cloak to show what she was talking about. Eke rose to her feet and shoved her long brown hair out of her eyes. Eke was convinced that when she'd become a teenager, her hair had gained a mind of its own and was intent on creating nothing but awkwardness for her. Eke sighed and moved to take the cloak which the woman was holding out for her, but was struck by a sudden attack of panic. She moved her hands across her clothing, inadvertently mimicking the woman's actions of the previous day. The woman rolled her eyes and stated "I took the egg.". Eke's eyes widened in shock. "You should have put it somewhere safe before you fell asleep. Here.". The woman, clearly fed up of Eke's presence, tossed the cloak, the egg and a chunk of grainy bread into Eke's hands. "Met me in the stables. And make it fast!" the woman ordered her. E groaned, but did as the woman asked. She shoved the egg in her pocket, the bread in her mouth and put on the warm, dull green cloak. It was of a cheap, coarse material, but it fitted her, as the woman had said. Eke dashed down to the stables to find that the woman had already tacked up her tall, grey mare. The yard seemed very empty. "The grooms are all sleeping at the moment. Useless lumps. Besides, I won't trust them to the care of Kveykva.". The woman seemed to have had read Eke's mind. Eke shook her head to rid it of such thoughts, and attributed them to lack of sleep. "Well, come on!" the woman ordered, jerking Eke out of her thoughts. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling of unease that weighed upon her shoulders like a sack.
Eke soon discovered that the grey mare was surprisingly capable of carrying two people on her back. The speeds which she reached were also strangely high. The horse didn't go tearing off down the lonely country roads which E and the woman travelled, but her canter, trot and even walk seemed faster than natural. It was therefore odd, though not hugely surprising, that the mare entered Gil'ead that night. Eke gazed at it in wonder for, although it was a sight to behold during the hours of daylight, the moon-touched darkness lent Gil'eead a surreal loveliness and a strange sense of calm. "It's so beautiful." Eke exclaimed in a soft voice. The woman snorted, almost as if she was laughing cynically. "It's not for me." She stated. Kveykva stopped moving and Eke realised that she had reached the Academy. The building towered over Eke, making her feel puny. She fumbled for the dragon egg and held it, as if it might give her strength. Before she dismounted, Eke turned her head towards the woman. "Um... I'd just like to thank you. Umm... What is your name?". It had struck that she didn't know the answer to that very simple question. The woman turned towards the girl, her dark blue eyes glinting in the moonlight. "That is not for you to know." She said. "But... but what are you? A thief?" Eke asked, wondering how someone could have come across a dragon egg. The woman frowned. "Certainly not. The Dragon Riders have learned at least one thing from their past failings. Besides, if I was a thief, would I really bring you here?". "I suppose..." Eke answered, embarrassed at having accused the woman. "It is alright, I guess." The woman answered. "Know this, though. I am a messenger, going everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I was given the task of delivering your egg to the coastal city of Teirm, where the Dragon Riders hoped that it would find a Rider. As events occurred, I hardly needed to travel that far.". When the woman finished speaking, Eke sensed that she needed to dismount, for some reason which she was unsure of. Once her two feet were on solid ground, she began to walk towards the Academy. Eke turned to wave goodbye to the woman and saw her speak softly to her mare. Eke couldn't hear the words, but the woman's lip movements were unfamiliar to her and she guessed that the woman was speaking in the same strange language which she had on the day Eke had found the dragon egg. A single lock of the woman's long, blond hair fell out of place and Eke caught a glimpse of a pointed ear. Then the woman raised her head and the horse raced off. Eke stood alone, but for the egg, and prepared herself to enter the Academy.
Dragon
Eke's dragon is still in this egg. He or she will be a golden colour, however, as that is the hue of the egg.
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[☾ ℜε∨αη ☽]

(Both accepted.)