Shard's Reserved Candidate Space

Forum for Shard's candis, ideas, etc

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Shard
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Shard's Reserved Candidate Space

Post by Shard »

Since my site will likely be either upended and wonky, or 'in progress and on the move' during a hosting switchover, I want to put some candidate info here and link to them, to have the text and some amount of images available to any site that's offering stuff. When my site is back up and running, I'll be re-linking properly and getting things off of here (or just shrunk and preserved for posterity just in case) to clean up.

Not expecting commentary aside from whoever is getting the candidates, tbh, just a spot that serves as a temporary candidate 'page'.
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Re: Shard's Reserved Candidate Space

Post by Shard »

*** Shepherd the Vort, and Pallienth, candidates for Refugium

Image

Name: Shepherd

Gender: Male, ??

Age/DOB: Unknown, probably around 1000?

Origin: Rookery Earth's Vortal refugees / Shorepoint scout

Family: All Vorts are his brothers and sisters, no known direct relatives

Other: Shep is literally the shepherd of the Shorepoint refugees, so most Humans and other Vorts that went through that coastal area know him directly

Height: 5'6" normally at eye height, 6'2" when fully standing and head raised

Weight: 170, compact and muscled, heavy bone structure

Hair: none

Eyes: Normally red as shown, his are a vibrant crimson with a bright orange-red center, often narrowed but always expressive

Appearance: As shown, a Vortigaunt with typically mottled slightly yellow skin, has a stripe of pink around neck - this is where a collar had been worn for decades on Xen; has prominent teeth, and his central hand is often gently waving to 'see' through the Vortessence

Genetic Abilities: As all Vortigaunts, Shep has an intimate tie to the Vortal realm, and he has a very keen sense of aura sight. This allows him to spot errant refugees or dangers at a greater distance than vision alone. He is also well versed in the art of Antlion wrangling, hunting, and stalking, as well as dealing directly with the Guardians and their pheropods. He prefers hunting to herding, though his name implies otherwise. He has deadly aim with his electrically charged blasts, and can 'see' the pheropod within the Guardian before he extracts it.

Icarus Processing: absolutely not, his time on Xen under Nihilanth's rule was bad enough, he's not about to have Humans experimenting on him too.

Skills or Profession: For many centuries, he was nameless and enjoyed hunting on Xen - he was born there, and expected to die there, but his skills in hunting and stalking distinguished him. Unfortunately, this also brought him to the attention of Nihilanth there, and he was subject to being commanded to fetch things, hunt and attack for the Nihilianth's whim, rather than his own people's. He has continued this trend of hunting, finding prey, but also helping to locate stray Humans and Vorts alike, in order to escort them to safety in the ruins of Shorepoint and its nearby environs. When that facility fell, he knew he could pick up this duty at the Rookery, with ease. He has good communication skills in both English and Vortigese, and doesn't hesitate to use 'big words' when describing things. He rarely uses his power to heal or charge batteries, preferring to reserve his Vortal energy to attack prey or keep an Antlion at bay. The range on his attack is around 10 meters, though he can push it to 20 for a pinpoint attack when needed. His Vortal sight extends nearly 10 miles in a broad sense, and he can focus on individual people, creatures, or events within half a mile or so.

Personality: Concerned with the safety of his kin and the Humans around them, Shepherd is aptly named. While cheerful for the most part, he does miss having family around him, and will continue to search for Vortigaunts beyond the veil until he finds his own. He will eagerly hunt, enjoying the thrill of chasing after smaller prey, and absolutely delighting in the defense and dodging in a fight with a Guardian or even the Combine. He practices his skills on headcrabs, and enjoys teaching such skills to the other Vorts if needed, and to Humans if they have the ability - or a gun to match his Vortal blasts.

Events or History: As with many of the Rookery-universe Vorts, his stint on Xen was angry and sullen, and he was one of the later Vorts teleported to Earth when Nihilanth invaded the world. He managed to maintain some amount of autonomy until the invasion was over with the death of Nihilanth, and weirdly was subsequently teleported by anothr Portal Storm to the European continent. He remained there for years, hiding and hunting as was his typical activity, until others began congregating nearby. He basically put himself in charge of the routing from dangerous sandbars and coast, to the facilities near Nova Prospekt. When that area became too dangerous, he and others moved to Shorepoint, and when that fell, he was eager to see this new Rookery place. It felt quite weird to him returning to Black Mesa, and particularly with Kallah-Vahh in charge? But he too sensed that this man was not the same as the one they'd entered their own contract with, and has never had much against him. In fact, when offered, he took up the mantle of protector and scout for Lane Mansion's grounds, interested to learn more about the history and art of this world, and he spends a bit of time in the library when he isn't needed outside.

He and Pallienth have a station at Dragon Tower 5, overlooking the Xenian Cluster and guarding the eastern border of the area, and they keep an eye out for refugees when they're not busy there.

*** Rookery Year 11 ***

With the Rookery's expansion into the Nexus, a dragon like Pallienth could tell that there were great things on the wind. With an ever-growing territory to defend, and a steady influx of alien creatures as well as the endless parade of Combine soldiers trying to retake the area around the Grounds, they had a decision to make. Certainly there were plenty of strong defenders and fighting dragons among the Rookery wings, but this place, the Mansion and the Grounds, they were meant to be safer than those front-line areas. After a particularly heated fight not more than 15 miles away from the Grounds, Pallienth suggested to her bond-friend Shepherd, that they go looking for more to reinforce their defenses.

Communicating deeply and Flux Shifting with their minds together, the Vortigaunt and dragoness fused into a brilliant Vortal lighthouse. But this lighthouse was not merely ready to attract or warn, it was instead seeking, searching for a place, or perhaps even a time, that would be right for them to start looking. Since Pallienth was quite capable of moving between dimensions, and had experience doing so, when they brought this up to Keenan - having found such a place - he appraised the situation and found them correct.

"Good luck there," he said, tilting his head toward them. It was odd seeing a Vort actively riding a large dragon like Pallienth, but in this case, he was safer there than running along side her, which was their typical method. Vorts could run for days on end, as could this dragoness. But they'd need to be together for their trip into the Nexus. The striped dragoness flapped strongly, this time unafraid of lifting high into the evening sky over the Grounds: the Combine were pushed back sufficiently far that she wouldn't be seen, they wouldn't be close enough again until reinforcements came, and that might be weeks, or even months. So they had a little time, they had some leeway.

Even so, she wasted no time in getting her bearings, and communicating once more on that deeply Vortal level with her bond. They had seen a place that was markedly similar in many ways to the refuge that Xen had offered the Vorts long ago. But this was a ship, serving a similar purpose to Kallah-Vahh's use of Xen. Keeping species from being entirely wiped out, or letting them live the last of their years in safety while being observed. The Refugium would be the right place to start. How did they know? Well, Pallienth had always seen well beyond her own timeline or essence. And Shepherd had seen connections between them already - drifting far into the void, past stars that could never be reached by flight. Pallienth reached the apogee of her flight, almost looked like she was about to start a steep dive, and vanished with an orange burst of energy that only those with Vortal eyes could detect.

On the ground, just outside his mansion, and with a group of people that he'd lovingly dubbed those hippies gawking upwards around him, Keenan slowly nodded and watched their progress. "Indeed," he whispered, "good luck, and come home."

**

The Vortal sight of the Nexus was both thrilling and unusually sobering to Shepherd. Here, none of his kind dwelled after their kallah, their bodies, had passed. None of their lih drifted, there was no all-in-one here. There were ghosts, to be sure. A great many. Dragons, children, concepts, universes. All those that had passed beyond their wakeful and tangible realms weakly shone here like yet another field of stars from a planet's view. But they were likely to come investigate, and also likely to be dangerous. Pallienth had already warned her bond: not to look at them too long. Closing his eyes to the chill of the Void already, the Vortigaunt shuttered the other eyes, with difficulty, while they travelled. His third arm, normally gently strumming the Vortal energy around him, was pressed firmly to his chest, and that chest was likewise huddled closely to the orange and black hide of his dragon friend. She escorted him like a winged Chiron, for that was exactly where they were, a dimensional Styx.

He carried a small satchel of goods - he was not certain how any trade might be arranged, but then he was used to living off the land. He knew they were going to be around 'people', but what kinds? They were heading to a brightly compelling location indeed, he saw it as they approached through the Nexus outside time and space. It was varied, busy, but it floated with purpose in its physical space. They arrived within the massive space station itself, it would be difficult to land outside it anyway: it almost had its own gravity well. They both felt the tendrils of those lost to the Void retreating, Shepherd steeled himself not to look at them as they did so, lest he too be lost to it.

At last, Shepherd opened his large eye, and the others squinted a bit at the sudden light change. It was nominally 'warm' in this vast room, at least compared to the Nexus, where temperature meant about as much as time or direction. Once Pallienth had settled to the floor to land, they both took a long look around themselves. There was so much activity, though not immediately pressing throngs of life. Large ships were docked near and far, but the obvious focal point of this area drew attention to itself, and without pause Pallienth began walking toward the big bright desk. It was clear that they were used to beings of all sizes and configurations here, particularly of note was that the attendants at this desk were... not even remotely what either Pallienth or Shepherd had expected.

Perhaps they had been among Humans too long, but they honestly both gave strangely surprised Vortal pings to each other's minds. What could be expected here? Well, a large map and a brightly crested shimmering dragon in front of it certainly gave them ideas. It looked super excitedly at them - both the dragon and Vort could tell purely by their eye widening and crest bobbing: they'd seen the pair, and was chattering loudly toward them. With some amount of hesitation, Shepherd dismounted from Pallienth's shoulders, and they walked together toward that desk.

Delicately, Pallienth's mind edged toward her friend's, she seems quite friendly, though that sentiment was tinged with amusement. And it was true, this tall long-necked draconic creature gestured with short forelimbs and drew them closer to the big desk. A large sign, dominated by numerous images all of which seemed to indicate 'hear/speak' had lit up when she waved at it: a communication terminal?

Pallienth took the initiative, if you show us how to use this, I'm sure we can get around a language barrier. We are both quite talented. Even Shep gave a Vortigrin at that. The contact from one dragon's mind to the other elicited a very excited series of chirps, she pulled out a dragon-sized data device, tapped onto it, and eventually that somehow gelled into speech.

"It's a pleasure to welcome you to the Refugium! I... didn't see you come with any of our local agents," she peered around them, tall pink crest bobbing, "so would you mind filling me in so I can... fill in our registration records?"

It was a Vortal speech - through a device? Or perhaps it was 'magic', or even just technology. Shepherd knew that plenty of advanced species could figure out brain waves. But this felt more intimate than that. Maybe it was just Pallienth. She had the gift, he was along for that ride eagerly. He still spoke in English rather than Vortigese, either way, because he knew full well that unless the dragoness was heavily telepathic, and willing to Flux Shift with him, all of the context of his native language would be lost.

"Just so," he said, waiting a moment to make sure that she heard and understood him. "We have arrived of our own accord, as necessity dictates. Our home suffers from invasion on all fronts," he said, knowing that Pallienth was helping him insert the images of their second-adopted-home on the Grounds into the welcome-dragon's mind. Her expressions and body language showed she did get that part loud and clear. "And thus knowing there are distant realms which might aid our cause, we sought a path toward that goal."

Where some might be short or put off by the rambling nature of his speech, this dragon seemed to relish it. She nodded toward them, eager to hear more.

This time, Pallienth tried it - again she spoke in the language most comfortable for her, which was English-from-another-dimension, "We can both sense such things, I know how to travel through dangerous locations. Something about this place called to us, we're looking for... well, is there anything here that would? Aid us, I mean?"

"Oh there is!" The dragon exclaimed, and quite shortly introduced herself as Bolbec, and the others nearby who had been taking care of other more conventionally-travelled arrivals, as Eukith and Tiax. They were led through a large set of corridors as Bolbec explained the space station's overall purpose and layout - they were correct when they'd 'seen' this place in their Vortal vision. It was indeed a refuge, aptly named, and they could quite possibly help a species they had recently encountered to regain a hold on their population.

She didn't really catch the deeply-sent Vortal emotion that Shepherd let off, Pallienth soaked it up a bit. To any observer, it would merely have seemed that the Vort stifled a little catch in his breath. To Pallienth, she knew: his species was also endangered - the world he was from still had some small number of female Vortigaunts, scattered around the world. But to those who had arrived from an alternate dimension, the one where Keenan hailed from... their entire breed was going to be extinct if they did not find willing females to help bolster that community. It was slow going, Vortigaunts were already scattered far and wide, few between on worlds that had anything worth living for. Such a brief contact, with so much power, Pallienth knew that edge of dispair.

Hush, my friend. Here we will find help, and when home, we will begin to build more. You will see.

The Vort gave a little head-jog, she knew that expression was resigned acknowledgement. But at least he did not fall into that pit that some had back home.

Over a few more minutes they were introduced to the lay of the land as it were. With displays of this massive space station, cutaways, maps, and even a model spinning slowly in one lobby area (with a gathering of varied people around it pointing and speaking in languages that their newly-found communication abilities had to work to keep up with), this was made easier. Shepherd was quite good at interpreting the maps, and when Bolbec indicated they should sign up for a specific Biome's nest, they perked up.

"You'll be able to comfortably spread your wings," the dragoness asserted to Pallienth, "though if your companion wants a room they're usually not easy to enter when you're - well," she seemed to catch herself before saying something embarrassing or insulting, "well, full sized dragons may have trouble reaching those rooms from their interiors. But I think we do have a setup with easy access to one of the flight levels near that nesting area." She tapped on that big data pad with equally big claws, "yes, if you wish, I can take you there." Obviously, they agreed - this would be an adventure, but there was no reason to think it couldn't also be a relaxing and educational trip to boot.

Bolbec showed the way, through large halls and occasionally having to open access hatches for Pallienth to scoot past the narrow ones. While there were certainly large creatures around, both of the visitors were used to seeing crowds of human-sized creatures, and only the rare case of a dragon too large to walk comfortably around. They had both visited locations in the Rookery's staked claims on Earth, after all - the Mesa itself was such a place, built for and by Humans, but made functional for some of the mid-sized dragons to move around more freely in certain places. Visibly however, this location bore more in common with the North Aperture site: the Shafts rebuilt and being fitted with habitable areas. It did actually look similar in ways to their Biomes here on this ship! Though nowhere near the scale!

Once they knew just where the Vort's temporary quarters sat in relation to the rest of the station, Bolbec asserted that she'd be available to help, and that the small electronic devices they had been given were able to tune to the nesting site's information feed once they were keyed to any given nest. So now it was time to find that nest.

"It's in one of the subterranean sites, I think you might have issues creeping through all the tunnels," she indicated Pallienth, "but they've got a large queen in there, so she has some room to move around. There is an upper level access spot, though!" Pallienth decided that she would remain on hand there, able to fly in the 'savannah' location shown on the map. Truth be told, Shepherd wanted to visit that spot as well - it superficially resembled the Vort homeworld, with tall spires of termite-hills and hazy 'sunlight' filtering down from a nebulous 'sky'.

Below, though, they discovered a complex nest of tunnels that had been dug out of the very ground. Pallienth declared that she would see through her bond's eyes, her Vortal presence and mind would be easily recognized by anyone he spoke to with his own mind. She knew this would work - and Shepherd was shortly to find out why.

The light here was dim, but the Vort had enough eyes to go around. He could tell as he and Bolbec made their way through the tunnels, that these had been carved out by scythe-shaped claws, by physically moving the soil and scraping the stone base. They were strong marks, the dirt compressed by limbs after being moved around: they knew what they were doing. It made him both sad and wistful, these creatures were markedly similar to Antlions, and his people had herded those beasts for millennia on their homeworld.

That he'd never set hoofed foot on that world was irrelevant. His people were joined Vortally, all in some way connected, even if distance separated them. They had shared memories that dated back literally millions of years, knowledge of his homeworld was spread even through those few who had been born on Earth. All Vortikind knew their language, their habits. They had new skills now, new words to speak among strange peoples.

He felt the queen before reaching the chamber she rested in. Just like he felt his draconic bond, above; just like he would have felt his kin had they been on this large space station. Shepherd did feel less lonely here than he expected to. A great number of sentient minds were around, not the least of which was this queen, Gleam. Closing his physical eyes and searching with his lih, Shepherd reached back to her.

Pallienth expressed a little surprise at the strength of the queen's mental aura, as she burst back a complicated greeting. It was not quite Flux Shifting, but it would do. Shepherd could tell that this greeting was edged with both pride and desperation, he'd felt that so many times before from his own kind. He also sensed that any lesser Vortal being might be blistered by the volume and strength of that mind. He held his own and reflected his response, which rippled in the Vortessence.

Given permission by her, he knew that her guardians would allow passage. How alike they were, to those Antilons - but these were intelligent in ways that those beasts could never be. An edge that the Rookery needed, then, was here on this station. Shepherd made his way through the dim tunnels, wishing that there were iztach, the light-bearing plants found on Xen, to illuminate the way. Perhaps that was only because he had lived there for so long. They were not native to Earth, but useful there as well.

At last, Shepherd reached a much wider and sturdier cavern than the tunnels behind him, and he halted in respect. The queen was there, nestled among hundreds of glimmering pods. It... made him wish that he had Human eyes: because the sight of it made him want to weep with joy. This was much like the Antlion Nectarium, but rather than merely eggs holding mindless but valuable extracts that intensified Vortal power, these held minds which could understand that concept. It reminded him, through the all-in-one, of his own kind's harvests, on a distant and dead world lost to the Combine more than twelve thousand years prior.

He expressed that thought directly to Gleam, with a verbal greeting added in his native tongue. "Esh joh'taa rahd, alla loom-xen kit-ting'qoi," adding the deeper context that only Vortal communion could offer. In so many words, he said, 'this habitation has been carefully crafted indeed, my peers in our adopted home would benefit greatly from such expert workmanship'. With the memory-images of the Grounds and its weird added-to-the-farm mountain, the ruined town's farmland beyond, and then a glimpse into the equally-not-normal Xenian caverns below, he added, "jurr-garrah hachra ahr'chackt razh'ahl-rum". Meaning, 'below the ground a carved area creates safety for those residing above'.

His own imagery afforded the queen all the information she needed to truly appreciate his entreaty. The Grounds looked a bit like those found on one or more of the inhabited biomes: providing food and some amount of workaday employment for those willing to till the soil or work with the land. That mountain looked very out of place indeed, more so with the Vortal aura that it always had - visible only to those sensitive to such things of course. The two glowing underground spots, Xenian connections leading directly to another dimension, equally out of place. And yet: also entirely appropriate given the taller emplacements that had been assembled or moved from other distant places, now in use as dragon towers where defensive riders and their dragons could roost on patrols. This farm land that the Vortigaunt and his dragon friend resided in, was hardly typical.

In kind, then, she replied with a burst of emotional static, your kin understand our methods, I would welcome such folk in my childrens' lives. She paused, and her insect-like head turned to look upwards at his unseen but very present draconic bond. And those as well who aid you in your task to keep those workers safe.

With that, he was made aware of a buzzing on the clutch-alert dongle he'd been given. It was now tuned to this frequency, and would alert him to any events there. Good, Pallienth exuded a sweet harmony of agreement. Finally: she would have a territory to guard and truly belong. The queen echoed this sentiment. Her brood would spread across the multiverse, not merely this one small worldlet.

**

As the multitude of pods affixed to the cavern floor and walls matured, both Pallienth and Shepherd entertained themselves on this massive space station. He did run beside her on that savannah, and she was finally able to just fly without worry that a Combine patrol would see her. They had a goal now, their 'second adopted home' of Earth would be this safe one day.

Shepherd took some time to explore the populated area itself, Janos City, and spent quite a bit of time examining the reconstructed ruins and historical data of distant planets, looking in awe at the ancient bones and skeletons assembled from them in the museums. He was more for the natural history museums and displays there, than the metropolitan libraries or downtown cafes. All he usually saw when he walked through those tall and busy blocks were 'future ruins'. He shook his head, he'd rather see how other worlds' natural wonders developed.

He spent hardly any time in the room he'd been given, preferring to fill his evenings with Pallienth in the wilderness, where they both felt much more at ease. While Human-style accommodations were the norm and indeed the Vorts had their own hive-like structures in times past, he would far rather enjoy the view and feel of air on his skin. He stood unafraid at the edges of the biodomes, staring out at the infinite sky. After all, he had spent his entire life before coming to Earth, on Xen: shattered floating islands in a sea of distant nebulas.

Now, he waited for that device to buzz... he would relish the hatching, and certainly what would come after.

** Candidates at the Refugium ** https://planetzar.com/nexus/refugium/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Dragon

Name: Pallienth
Gender: Female
Size/Shoulder/Length: Large, 15' s / 75' l / 85' ws
Colors: Tiger striped golden orange body and limbs, with narrow black stripes mostly on back and tail, fronts of limbs and wing fingers; wingsails, crest, and tail spade a mottled, cloudy dirt-brown tinted orange darker in some places; eyes blue
Features: Healing Den born Ryslen-Sapphire hybrid; four legs with heavy paws, 3 fingered with dewclaw fore; two leathery wings with single visible arm and finger and one internal finger; body is long and slender, tail slightly longer than 1/3 of total, hide skin which requires maintenance and sheds regularly; head is long and slender with headknobs, otherwise unadorned; neck bears a short Ryslenesque crest, tail has long diamond-shaped spade at the end; Since this dragon is techically mostly-Pernese, her name ends in -TH and her offspring may inherit that if there are naming conventions for the breed, or she chooses an old-world mate
Powers: Winged Flight, Pallienth is good in the air, but her decades of worrying about whether she's seen in bright blue skies means she is better on the ground. She can still spring into the air with ease, and maintain flight for hours on end. Also she is quite dramatic in the air if she wants to be, slithering around in the sky just as she would between trees or buildings below.
Teleportation and Nexus Navigation, because she was abandoned after bonding, her ability to move between worlds has been strongly aided with a very long stint at the Healing Den and other worlds. Her ability to teleport was developed before she learned to fly, actually, and move not only distances she could see, but to other worlds. Her exploration has been quite fruitful, but she doesn't know what ever happened to her own offspring - or even if they ever hatched.* She is quick to move between worlds as well as within line of sight, moving like a predator even without flexing a muscle. Her Nexus navigation skill is on par with Keenan's, though she is restricted to worlds with sentient life on them and has never accidentally wound up somewhere which cannot support life.
Communication, Pallienth is adept with both Vortal and Verbal communication skills, preferring to be silent with her bond when they're out on patrol, but enjoying animated discussions with him and dragons, humans, and whoever else when they're in the safety of the Mansion's courtyard. She is wise, careful with her words, and quick to the point when using Vortal speech.
Vortal Scrying, encompassing several aspects of Vortal sight, Pallienth can detect living things, and particularly read their history when they're a sentient creature, from their birth through perhaps their death? She can also touch objects that have been used by people of any kind, at any time, and understand their history or recent events, psychometry is a good skill to have in a world where anything might have been placed as a trap. She can see into the Vortessence and claims to be quite sad at the number of her relatives and extended family that are no longer in the realm of the physical.
Parentage: Orange Golonith (Hallith & ???) / Night-Brown Zujirth (Green Sxoith & Black Faloritoth) (Golonith and Faloritoth are 'clutch siblings')
*Pallienth had been in a successful flight at Holic, but that never finished? She would have had 3 offspring there with a poison 2-tailed male from Ryslen's dark sands. Her original Healing Den page is here.
Origin: Hatched at Healing Den Halloween 2001 clutch; Originally bonded to Fortune, but never arrived to her home.
Other Info: She is finally at ease. Pallienth's long life has been punctuated with change and loss, exploration and hardship. What she's always wanted was to be of use, to be herself wanted. The loss that she's sustained - her first bond refusing her a home, and the eventual blackness of the many worlds that had existed to explore - has been put behind her. Even though she put a brave face on at the Den, she was still lonely there, even when surrounded by others. Her heritage after all was bound to require a connection to a specific individual person. Well now she has one of those. Shepherd makes the ideal pair for her - he is bold, like she is, and enjoys exploring and hunting at least as much! And since she's quite the large dragoness, they can go out and rescue those in need after detecting them, which both of them can do Vortally. She is learning to sing in Vortigese, her great lungs can surely handle it, and her mind is clear and colorful to those who can sense it. She has had many escapades, and her bond enjoys listening to stories she has to tell. A happy ending? Well, that's what it feels like to Pallienth.
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Shard
Great Wyrm
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Temporary page: Castor the Vort

Post by Shard »

Castor's page will eventually be on my site proper, all their pages are, but he's going to want to host a Rukel! Links will be appropriate to Darkling Dawn!

Image

Name: Castor

Gender: Male

Age/DOB: <200, unknown dob

Origin: Rookery Earth's Xen, remained local at Black Mesa after arrival

Family: though all Vorts can be considered 'family' Castor and Pollux appear to be clutch mates, at the very least going through all their processing and training together since youth

Other: If it ever becomes possible to return to, or somehow recreate, the Vort homeworld, Castor wants to see it. He's ideally suited to it, his grand elders have told him he'd be excellent at herding as their own ancestors were

Height: 5'2" stretches to 5'9"

Weight: around 140, on the smaller and leaner side, for a Vort he's a bit wiry

Hair: none

Eyes: Vibrantly pink and melon-orange red, quite unusual and bright, often central pupil is nearly white

Appearance: overall a mottled green-grey with yellowish limbs and ear spouts, and pinkish scarring around his neck from early binding preparation; he seems shorter than some, as his posture is usually a bit hunched, he likes keeping low and his head is often sticking perpendicular from his body, rather than an upward neck

Icarus Processing: none, but he had gone through the first stages of Controller binding, which would have stuck a neck band and arm bracers on him to allow them to manipulate him Vortally

Genetic Abilities: As with most Vorts, he is able to sense Vortal auras and minds, communicate to other Vortigaunts with Flux Shifting, and produces a number of effects using that Vortessence. While he can aid in the healing that his friend Pollux does, it's much weaker than his main power of blasting with electric energy. He can produce sharp jolts that are precisely aimed, not necessarily to damage, but to guide and deter Antlions or enemies. They are enough to temporarily stun most Antlion-sized creatures, including humans, and kill small creatures like headcrabs. Accurate to around 30 meters, but best around 10. He can also producre a sort of shield of energy with this Vortessence, though it doesn't last very long it can withstand an Antlion Guardian's bull-rush and bullets, though not keep out energy beam fire. This will wear him out, so it's a last ditch effort rather than his strong point.

Skills or Profession: Defensive tactics, Antlion hunting and herding; once the Rookery was in full swing, his skills have been very much appreciated. Kicking headcrabs out or leaving them for others to pick up and throw into the cook pot, he is expert with tracking animals and rounding them up when needed. Though he doesn't reside with the Ranch Vorts, they always trust him to move any strays out from under the Rookery itself and into their territory so they can keep better tabs on their 'herds'. On very rare occasions he'll be asked to help transfer refugees from one location to another, and he uses his spotting skills to make sure the area is clear of any threats before moving through it. While he does enjoy the occasional fight with Combine, he much prefers the hunting and chasing of antlions and animals for food, being productive rather than destructive.

Personality: Energetic but a bit on the stand-offish side, he would rather hang out with other Vortigaunts and maybe some of the more animal-oriented Pantheon, than just in general anywhere. He will get twitchy if he's not requested to do anything, and is a self-starter for that reason, he always wants to be doing something, be it exploring or bringing in food. Not talkative except to the local dragons, his 'brother', and those in the Pantheon he looks to for orders overall.

Events or History: Continues to reside at the Rookery, occasionally chasing antlions through the tunnels all the way to the Ranch. He and Pollux are well suited to their duties, and he enjoys exploring and mapping out the 'underworld' below the New Mexico desert. He knows the twists and turns of those old caverns, and has made note of the presence of a few invasive Xenian spots - and he knows they're Xenian because one or both of the Lanes has told him so. He doesn't have any particular negative association with those weird Convocation people, being too young to have known anything different than Nihilanth and the Controllers brutalizing his people - he knows intellectually that Lane put them in that position in the first place, but doesn't really hold it against him.

Castor is hoping to be the caretaker of a Rukel! He isn't sure what that IS but at least a few riders from beyond the Rookery have suggested that since [Darkling Dawn] *page has a link I promise* has a new clutch, that he put in an application. As a herder of creatures, he knows just what to feed any given animal, or use which tactics to train them. He would never want harm to come to a pet, so it's possible that this little creature might wind up remaining in his quarters, rather than coming along on hunts or herding - but that remains to be seen, it will depend on the results of this egg!

Image

"She is quite Vortal," Castor said, voice lingering deeply as a rumbling tone, which the tan and cream Rukel seemed to like. Laying on her back, wings outstretched and paws in the air, she batted at his third hand, which in turn was allowing Castor to sense more about her than even his Vortessence might see. "The long connections between her aura and her home-place, do you see them?"

Lotus had put her head down and tilted it, so she could see this tiny new addition to their little group. "I do see," she crooned. "I wonder how quickly she will grow."

Pretty quickly, actually. He named her (how presumptive, but since he was not of the Repurposed dimension's Vortigaunts their customs from this one were slightly different) Beh'lah Razh'ahl - Bella to some who couldn't understand the deeper implications. She understood completely: 'she is the link to home'. Whether she would live up to this lofty name, who could say? Bella quickly became known for being a bit of a scamp, often lifting small shiny things from workshops or even dresser drawers - but out near the Ranch there are plenty of trinkets and items that have yet to be claimed by anyone else, so when she came back to Castor's rook in Black Mesa with a literal box full of costume jewelery, Castor knew what he needed to do. That would be 'let her get her ears pierced', and the moment the holes healed up she was allowed to choose whatever hoop or stud she liked, as long as someone else had already given it to her.

"Cannot have you showing off your new jewelry if it belongs in another, less furry, ear," Castor reminded her.

Bella was more quiet than some suggested Rukels got, but that was more because she liked being sneaky. However, one might occasionally hear the rustling of wings, tinkling of fallen items, and a delicate hissing laughter as she makes off with yet another bunch of someone else's belongings...

***

Image

Dragon

Name: Lotus
Gender: Female
Size/Shoulder/Length: Quite small for her breed, around 7'6" s / 33' l / 55' ws
Colors: Albino (*), most scales on face, neck, limbs, body, and tail, wingarms and the backs of wingsails, are quite white with no variation; armor scales are very faint pink on face, neck, body, limb armor, and tail; tear-shaped insets are reflective white; wingsails are brightly whtie on backs, but have a very faint amount of pink tint centered on the elbow, much more prominently underside stronger pink with tiny varied and clustered red star markings; horns and dorsal spikes and ridges are carnation pink, while claws on legs and wings are more mauve pink; eyes are two toned pink and brilliant red-pink
Features: Nightwing, variant albino with distinct teardrop shaped insets
Powers: Winged Flight and ground endurance, Lotus can fly pretty well, but only for short bursts, and prefers to be running or gliding. She is quite strong to be able to lift or bash things, she's no weakling just because of her small stature, but she tires in the air too quickly to be relied upon for long distance flights or extended combat. She's good with brief flights up to check the area around her, and then dropping back down. She can drag extremely heavy items provided there is a good harness for doing so, and with her aid a lot of rubble has been cleared from some of the caverns and even older constructed tunnels. Plenty of Portal Storms have broken up the natural caves, so they've been busy pushing rocks and fallen walls out of the way, creating new paths.
Communication, (*) Very strong Vortessence, because of her mutations Lotus is clearly well suited to be a Vortigaunt's bond. Her abilities to detect and communicate with Vortal minds is extremely strong, and she can communicate with non-Vortal human minds as well, though not as well as some Pernese or Old World dragons can. Her range to detect minds is around 15 miles, and to clearly communicate is 10. So she always knows whether they're under the Ranch or straying into Combine held territory, by the presence or lack of minds. Of note, she does know that there are a few stray dragons wandering around underground, but she actually is likely to give them the heads up when they're moving around - no fights needed, just passing through.
Blinding Fire, though not really 'fire' as much as 'hot brightness', Lotus can make a cloud of short-lived blindingly white particles. They are hot, but not hot enough to really burn anything, though certainly can ignite gasses so she's very careful about just where she's doing this. This stuff can permanently blind human eyes, and completely ruin Combine visual scanners, so if there are any humans or Vorts nearby she will warn them ahead of time. The amount can vary, but not the intensity, so she can fill a small cavern (around 20 meters across) with it, it's a two-part blast, the first expelling particles, then sparking them to life. Some of the scientists are trying to find ways that they can trigger the particles without her, so she could leave pockets of it without needing to remain, but usually the particles just wind up dissolving in about an hour if they're not ignited.
Parentage: Unknown Nightwings, full sister of Static
Origin: Adopted from GuildKnight (HH) on Deviantart, Wings of Fire by Tui Sutherland
Other Info: Because she was both very small and an albino, Lotus would have been thrown out of her clan, and her brother Static refused to leave her side. Also because she's small, she can often aid directly in the tunnels and caverns below Black Mesa and the Ranch, which she actually enjoys doing quite a bit. It's much easier on her very sensitive eyes.
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Shepherd and Pallienth's post-Refugium page

Post by Shard »

** this will be page 2 of ?? and will include proper images on my pages, but not here because that's kinda gotten annoying to keep track of. They are in a table format with info on left, and the appropriate image on right.
---- Bonded at the Refugium ----

Shepherd the Vortigaunt and Pallienth the dragoness have visited the Refugium, a massive space station and final refuge for many near-extinct species, in a distant realm of space-time. Having travelled there under their own power, they are now ready to see their goals completed: a Myrmex queen named Gleam has allowed them access to her many egg sacs, and it is certain that a number of them will want to come home with the pair.

A number of others have arrived to this massive station as well, intent on this clutch of odd creatures. Some are familiar species to Shep and Pallienth, while a few are decidedly not human nor other familiar types. One of those in particular was of interest to the Vort: Enebris Toniata showed such adoration and generosity toward the others - even the eggs with their unborn dragonets. Shepherd among others was gifted a long scarf that the Qrrlian claimed would respond to vibration.

On testing this out, Shepherd discovered that his low-frequency voice could elicit delightful shades that, apparently, Humans could not see. If he got to Flux Shifting with Pallienth, however, the strands of the yarn glowed in patterns of pale gold and bright blue, delightfully putting a visual to their words. It could hardly be said to be a 'translation', but a meaningful pattern might be worked out if they did it just right...

Practicing with this on and off while the clutch developed within their egg sacs, Shepherd and Pallienth explored the space station's biomes with curiosity and the intent to learn how best to work with their new potential friends.

Shepherd knew the Grounds had some small amount of deep-underground fracturing, but would the area support full tunnels and inhabitation zones? Perhaps. They would certainly find out. If not there, they might pop over to the Ranch, and the Rookery's extensive cave system to expand there. Their exploration was cut short one day, however, as their beepers went off. The clutch was ready! Both Shepherd and Pallienth gave off keening howls: this would be a momentous time! They hurried down toward the main lifts and made their way back into the biome 'below ground'. Though Pallienth was a touch on the uncomfortably-crouched side, she was able to attend properly, with her bond. Though they were not very near the eggs, they were close enough that no one would be very disturbed by either her size, or the Vort's odd appearance.

They watched with very different perspectives: Pallienth saw the wobbling sacs begin to tear and disgorge their contents, but Shep saw the life-force glow from each of them. His third arm gracefully waved a bit and teased Vortal vision into clarity, as he saw lines of energy from so very many of those eggs, to the people assembled around the area. Brightest among them were those that led to himself and Pallienth.

---- From the Hatching by Bug ----

Pallienth was likely the largest candidate in the cavern, and she shielded her bondmate Shepherd from view of the others with one partially extended wing. Several eggs touched their minds before the hatching had even begun, eager and joy-filled at the thought of being linked vortally to another. The pair had chosen a spot that was convenient for Pallienth's size and close to the eggs that reached out to them. A grubbling stirred inside its semi-translucent shell, dug its claws into the skin and ripped it open. A gleaming white fungus spilled onto Pallienth's paws in a puddle of ooze.

There were no words needed. This was Rahd and it linked itself to Pallienth and Shepherd immediately.

:: You won't go without me! :: a mind voice shouted across the cavern. A red-brown soil marched indeterminately toward the dragon and vort pair, and instantly its name became Ksaa . :: I will dig many tunnels! The best tunnels! You'll see! ::

Something nudged against Pallienth's wing and she opened it enough to reveal a bright yellow nectar grubbling, crawling across her tail to hunker beside Shepherd. Shepherd reached down to stroke its head and its mind voice shivered through both of them, shy and nervous. :: You're for me... and I am Darh , and we'll be good together, won't we?::

A fourth mind voice blasted through them all, ferocious as an antlion. :: I will keep us all safe forever!:: it was a brown soil, but the grubbling headed straight toward a pile of food, already filling its mouth with everything in reach. :: I'm Dara , and no one will ever hurt you again while I'm around. ::
----
They kept the information sheet and pamphlet from the clutch, to make sure that anyone they encountered back at home on the Grounds would know where they were from!
Species: Myrmex
Classification: Dragon, bonding-type
Homeworld: Attarmyx
Size: Varies
Clutch Style: Oviparous
Diet: Omnivorous
Info: Myrmex can sense their bonds' minds up to a few KM away, but can't actually project thoughts/communicate with them at that distance. Communication can occur within a 100ft radius, whether or not objects are blocking line of sight. For myrmex going through metamorphosis, closer is better but they can handle up to that 100ft range.
---
They did not really waste any time on the Refugium after the hatching: though they said their good-byes to the few people locally that they'd gotten a little familiar with, and 'checked out' leaving their beepers behind at the relevant offices. Proudly they did display their young charges to whoever asked - though some of these little Myrmex were rather shy about that! Thankfully they could all safely remain on Pallienth's capable shoulders, and it was a wonder that Enebris hadn't knitted them an entirely new harness with pockets for the journey... In fact what if-- no, no, Shepherd chuckled to himself, that entity had more than enough to do now that they too had their own colorful pair of bonds! Since they were all still quite small (though still bigger than a Vortigaunt child; Pallienth clamped down on Shepherd's mental state once again - they were now caring for their own little family, there would be more Vortigaunt offspring at some point! There would!) Shepherd gathered them near himself, and bundled the long knit scarf around all of them. It stretched a bit, but he did still keep his arms around the group just in case.

Their exit was as abrupt as their entrance had been several weeks before. They knew the way home, they knew just where to go, how to appear in the twilight-evening sky over the Grounds coffee mountain, on the west side of it 'just in case' they were to be seen by any errant Scanners. Shepherd hummed deeply, Flux Shifting with the children-Myrmex to keep their minds safe from harm as they journeyed through the endless black of the Nexus. Only Darh trembled, their ear bobs laying flat against their neck. Dara struggled against the yarn and Shep's arm but failed to 'get a look' at the Nexus's great void - which was probably for the best. Ksaa and Rahd nested their muzzles together, patiently, though Rahd did peek into Shepherd's mind to get a filtered view of that same Nexus. Was it unafraid? Or did it merely not comprehend the nothingness there?

It felt like the trip back was shorter and somehow brighter than their journey outward to the Refugium. Perhaps that Vortal ley-line of knowledge; they had laid Vortal breadcrumbs (where they each might have learned the phrase, if they even knew its origin, who could say?) to trace their path through the Nexus. And maybe others might follow it again at some point. If not for another Myrmex hatching, there was always the possibility of another event there! That excited both dragon and Vort, and thus also excited the Myrmex young.

There was little fanfare in the Grounds below, apparently it was a quiet evening there. No carnival or group events were going on near the big top that was hidden below the canopy of Vortally-shaped trees, it was fairly quiet. Though they did hear a few voices carrying, laughter and someone playing a tambourine in one of the inhabitants' caravans. It was acceptable to both dragon and Vort that no one was waiting, that there was no one awaiting them - these little Myrmex grubblings might be introduced to them once they had a place carved out to call their safe nesting home. And as for that...

"Welcome home," Keenan said, appearing with his traditional green-glowing Vortal teleport. It meant he had been on-site, possibly resting in his library in the Mansion, rather than anywhere more distant. Shepherd waited for Pallienth to lay more fully onto the ground so he could safely gather the grubblings and put them down, but the moment they hit the forest floor the four of them assembled into a diamond-pattern. Keenan looked on with a mixture of amusement and impressed surprise, they were clearly intelligent and obviously hive-minded. One of them, the more brown shaded with a creamy splash on its face and ... rump? stood at the forefront of that spearpoint, sniffing the air and adopting a guarded posture that the other three clumped in behind. The other brown-toned one, more nutmeg in color with a pair of stripes along its body, stood slightly higher with its head up; the very bright white and red shaded one beside it equally looking around carefully in the other direction - they had their patterns and they knew how to keep each others' back safe. The fourth was a lovely pastel peach and apricot color, and remained very much wedged in behind its siblings, peering out only after both Pallienth and Shepherd asserted it was safe to greet this new person.

Keenan felt the emotions off of these small creatures, and was actually surprised at its intensity. They clearly did not come from the same dimension as this one: any intelligent life form with this much energy spilling into the Vortessence would have attracted too much attention from the Combine's sensors. But they would blend in very well here, hidden as they would be between two intense pillars of Xenian interference, as well as surrounded by dozens of people with similar abilities. They were not yet ready to be integrated into the rest of the Rookery's dragons, but it was very clear they knew those existed already thanks to the Flux Shifted information that came out from Shepherd and Pallienth.

"This one is pleased to introduce our new hive," Shepherd said, and in turn showed off each of the little knee-high dragons. Keenan had to admit they were incredibly endearing, in addition to being remarkably powerful Vortally. "They will be of best use below ground," the Vort said, moving his two-fingered hand to point at the hill behind and beneath them. "Perhaps ... here?"

With an introspective middle-distance gaze, Keenan appraised the situation. The area below the hill that he and his local 'twin' had moved would be good to hide people, but it could also be of use to connect the two Xenian incursion points - with defensive areas to prevent any unwanted further aliens from drifting into their safe spot. He indicated that the Hill would be connected to those Xenian areas at their whim, and Shepherd nodded enthusiastically.

"The location is of prime value and will provide not only a secure habitat for our new hive, but for their sustenance and livelyhood." The Vort proclaimed, and 'translated' to the young Myrmex what exactly it meant to have this location. They could get to it when they were stronger, older, slightly bigger. But for the moment - they had other things on their collective minds!

One of those things was 'what to eat', because they were hungry. Even Keenan sensed their ravenous needs. Though they had eaten promptly at the end of their laborious hatching, they would want to have adequate food to grow now. There was more than enough to go around, quite frankly, because the surrounding farmland was heaped with remnants of both harvests and pests. So for the first few days they were treated to the very best remnant goods that the Grounds had to offer: from the fallen leaves and wet undergrowth near the Cafe, to a calf from the now-feral goat herd that wandered a little too close to them. They did not stop with those things, no. Pallienth was the one who explained, or perhaps imprinted upon them, that certain creatures were not to be touched as food. She gave them images of the felines, canines, houndeyes, flitters, and other such 'pets' that lived in the area: those were off limits. They understood implicitly that the humans, other Vorts, and bigger dragons were definitely 'friend' and part of the extended hive they were integrating with. But with the farmland also came 'food' animals: headcrabs mainly, but also rats, raccoons, birds, non-tamed hounds... they learned to sniff out whether a creature on one list might be edible: if it had the scent of their Human or Vort friends on it, it was 'friend'. If it lacked such a scent directly, it became 'food'.

After the initial rush of learning and eating, however, they did slow down a bit. Each of the personalities of the young Grubblings started to come through their initial stages. Perhaps this would cause amazing changes, according to the information given to them and swapped with Queen Gleam, they each had the potential to become something more than merely cute gobbling bins of hunger and curiosity.
---

Name: Dara (guard) of QueenGleam
Caste: unknown
Color: Soil (They are most at home underground and prefer damp, dark environments. Soils tend to be nurturing and kindly, but can often be overwhelming.) Brown, cream marked
Hatchling Height: 9" at shoulder
Personality: A passionate and outspoken soil, Dara cares immensely for his bonds and is quick to come to their defense, whether it's warranted or not. All it wants is to keep the people it loves safe, and it can be ferocious in trying to achieve this task. It is always direct and to the point, probably incapable of subterfuge. 
Abilities: Telepathy. (Others upon adulthood)

Dara is the one who would patrol with Pallienth the most often. Though tiny, it would ride on her head and learned the lay of this foreign land. Even if it would prefer to be underground, it knew that above was far more danger and adventure. It would always want to return to its snug dirt den, carved out by the others, and always enjoy that intimate contact and connection with Pallienth and Shepherd and its siblings. While it can certainly 'hear' and sense the rest of the Grounds' inhabitants, the extent that it utilizes this information is limited to 'is there fear in their mind'. And if there is? Its instinct is to head straight for it! Bold and somewhat intrusive, Dara occasionally interrupts sideshow practice with the Carnies... After all that Human woman is throwing knives at someone else! Dara definitely has had to be trained to pick out 'delighted fear' from 'real fear'...

When the time comes for it to metamorphose Dara just knows exactly what it will do. The best way to protect is to move quickly and act first - apologize later, if needed.

---
Name: Darh (light) of QueenGleam
Caste: unknown
Color: Nectar (They are industrious and hardworking, no matter the caste, and dedicate themselves fully to a single task before moving on. Nectars can also be somewhat shy and flighty when faced with new people and challenges.) Soft yellow-cream with pink markings
Hatchling Height: 1'2" at shoulder
Personality: Shy doesn't begin to describe how much of a wallflower Darh is. While myrmex are social, Darh prefers to stick to its bonds for company and gets rather flustered in the presence of strangers. It wants deeply to be protected and cared for, and in turn, Darh is endlessly loyal. 
Abilities: Telepathy. (Others upon adulthood)

A bit of an anomaly among the group, Darh would rather pick its way through a thicket or corn field and leave a trail of useful materials behind: that scarf that Shepherd wears is an example of what might come from their capable little claws. It doesn't need to be tearing through dirt unless there are shiny goodies to be found in it, and those are few and far between ... at least underground. But when Shepherd took it to one of the ruins surrounding the Grounds, it was fascinated by these human wares such as nets, fishing line, straw hats, and yarn... If only they'd had slightly closer contact with that being who created the scarf worn by their protector! But Darh would learn the ways of weaving and producing amazing work from one of the Pyrrhan dragons more easily after cocooning. Though they know they're a bit on the twitchy side around more than one or two people at a time, the Carnies, Hippies, and even the other dragons of the Grounds have become more family than strangers. It will always prefer the company of Shepherd and Pallienth over even other Vorts or dragons, but with all the people around... there will always be work to be done for them!

---
Name: Ksaa (confidence) of QueenGleam
Caste: unknown
Color: Soil (They are most at home underground and prefer damp, dark environments. Soils tend to be nurturing and kindly, but can often be overwhelming.) Nutmeg rust brown, dark brown, warm grey
Hatchling Height: 10" at shoulder
Personality: Ksaa is self-confident and demanding , willing to do whatever it takes to get what it wants. And mostly, it wants to have a job worth doing and a nice hive to do it for. Very little gets in the way of Ksaa's desire to get a job well done and it will preen endlessly when its goals are achieved. 
Abilities: Telepathy. (Others upon adulthood)

Once they knew the lay of this land included the underground passages glowing with odd semi-Vortal stones and plants that seemed to blink, Ksaa had it in its head to carve the connections between both east and west Xenian sites, and make the interior of the Hill livable for anyone that could fit. Of course, Pallienth was a bit too big to come inside, but she always was able to connect Vortally, her presence was always nestled warmly among the grubblings minds. It was already making plans, but needed the guidance of its sibling Rahd to figure out specifics. Even as a little one, Ksaa built out of the mud and dirt, creating spirals of soil that made Shepherd's heart ache for a homeworld he'd never seen with his own eyes. It would build those hive structures, it would tamp the dirt and reinforce with moved stones, even those ruins would help provide building materials, can they please visit again soon? Pallienth could take quite a lot of bricks, used rebar, all those things left over from invasions and Portal Storms, and... and they could make a new home below the ground with it!

---
Name: Rahd (beauty) of QueenGleam
Caste: unknown
Color: Fungus (They are adaptable, pragmatic, and dependable. Fungal-types can be clingy with their bonds and despise being on their own. They're communicative and intuitive.) Brilliant white, strong raspberry red
Hatchling Height: 10" at shoulder
Personality: A soft-spoken fungus who prefers to observe conversations than participate in them. Rahd is level-headed, if a bit clingy, and loves the challenge of a difficult task. It loves nothing more than being helpful to its bonds and thrives on praise.
Abilities: Telepathy. (Others upon adulthood)

Rahd would look over Shepherd's shoulder, perched and peering, as they traveled through the ruins, as well as spent days looking through Lane's extensive library for inspiration and information. Would it learn how to read English? Do advanced math? Perhaps! It wanted to make sure that the locations were secure, but also to make them pretty. For whose eyes? Well, there were plenty eyes to go around in their little hive! It knew from listening in on the Vortigaunts Flux Shifted communication that Shepherd was digging for visuals, for the look and feel of those old world structures. Fresher memories from the Refugium aside, anthills and Antlion networks alike contribute to their understanding of such a venture. Even the Carnies' tents: how they hold so many but are such simple creations of cloth and poles? Rahd knew that their sibling Darh would be able to pick up things they found to be colorful or texturally correct for this. Now to get it all organized... Now to make sure that the tunnels and inner spirals worked just... right...
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Winter's Dark Heart story for Darth Vahh and Pharoah

Post by Shard »

Winter's Dark Heart 2021

You'll want to read Ula'noh-vahh "Darth Vahh" first,
https://toyhou.se/9655894.ula-noh-darth-vahh" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Then this blurb, after this head over to Local Lane!
https://toyhou.se/9656012.local-lane" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If there's confusion... and there will be. ;)

*** On another slightly different dimension's Earth, in an office much too similar to one which Ula'noh-vahh would have inhabited had he been working a desk job...***

"You are aware that this would be... extraordinarily foolish, yes?" Keenan asked, flickering his gaze from the printed page he held carefully in one hand, and the trio of people across the desk. He'd seen this group before, he'd been part of two of their shenanigans, one even very recently. He just wasn't too sure about what they wanted to do next.

They wanted to bring another one of 'him', to a place called Akelara, to an event the likes of which made his skin crawl. "Winter's Dark Heart" it was called, and that certainly would bode appropriately dark for this man that they wanted him to fetch for them.

"Why can't you get him to do it?" Keenan glared at them, and they knew exactly who he meant: he meant the 'local to the Rookery dimension' Lane, who happened to be standing outside the office door grinning madly to himself about all of it already.

He took that moment to enter, in fact. But not doing it by teleporting - they would have all expected that. Rather, he shoved the door open so it clattered loudly, surprising Rita, Karen, and Arrisa in equal amounts, but for their different reactions. The fact that the Lane sitting behind the desk appreciated the amusement value of each of those reactions as much as the one doing the surprise entrance was not lost on either of those two men.

It took a little longer for the others to realize that he'd been listening in, when he spoke. "I might, but... I'm a touch on the busy side wrestling with the bitchy behemoth I'm bonded to," he quipped. "Getting him to do anything I want is like pulling teeth." He sounded absolutely casual, not at all like he hadn't just kicked in a door to startle everyone...

"Doc Sanger can arrange that," Rita muttered with a relieved chuckle, after settling back into her spot beside the desk. She'd instinctively teleported a foot or two to the right to avoid the door, something which would have normally helped her survive an encounter had it been an attack. Arrisa on the other hand had all but exploded psychically, though honestly most of the people in the room were immune to her attacks anyway. Karen merely rolled her eyes, shook her head, and waited for more of an explanation from the second Lane in the room. Her hand had not even budged toward her lightsaber.

"We all have our weights to bear," the man behind the desk smirked as the others stopped bristling with surprise, "what's Pharoah doing now?"

"Not cooperating," his doppelganger grumbled. "And before you say 'well, learn to control him', I will remind you that your delicate little dragon is possibly the same weight as Pharoah's foot, and could pose as a midnight-colored snack to him." He straightened his tie, looking as huffy as ever, slightly worried now, even if he'd been amused moments before. They all then realized: it was because that 'bitchy behemoth' had heard him.

"I'd like to avoid being that snack, myself." He sighed quietly and slumped a little, clean pressed red-tied black suit drooping a little, "if he had been a hatchling when I came across him it might be different, but he was a teenager, for all that's worth." The others - all professors in their own right, instructing teenagers at this school - gave the same knowing roll of eyes and slight nod. "While I suppose I could do it alone, the beast won't leave me alone."

Always quick on the draw, "why not go with them?" Rita stated. Behind-the-desk Keenan gave her a very worried look, which she took note of but held her hand up in defense. "No, really. At least that way we'd know where you all are."

"Are -" that Keenan said but was unable to say more before being interrupted.

"That... is true," his standing cohort nodded, "it might work, but we would still have to get-"

"Are you trying to say take Pharoah to the Dark Heart Frenzy TOO?" Keenan sputtered, for the first time perhaps in decades that he had been flustered at his own game of interruption.

"That is what she appears to be saying, yes," the other Lane said, assessing this now more reasonably. It was a mad idea, after all. And he was quite a bit more enamored of the chaotic part of chaotic neutral in his job description than even this present double was.

First things first though, the standing Lane said, "I suppose that if I can get him to go for it, a deal might be made to bring along this... what is he, a dark Jedi, or...?"

Karen gave a small shrug, "he's no Jedi, and though I know he registered with the name of 'Darth' Vahh," she saw the narrowing of seated-Keenan's eyes at that, "he's hardly a Sith either. They just don't behave like him. I think he's probably torn through several Sith apprentices back... well, 'home'," it was her own dimension, her own galaxy, so distant as to have no name here on Twoarth. She was from a disparate time, however, more 'recent' than this errant super-villain they had discovered on Paragon's dimension, and she found him oddly familiar - having looked up some historical documents she'd been impressed and shocked at what she found... As well as where she found him. "So he can't have been part of their training except maybe to learn how to handle a lightsaber. And even then," she gently touched her own at her side, "what I've seen of that thing is... not the same as this at all."

Though the office was nestled deeply within the Administrative Torus, and was shared by several of Keenan (himself, Nachos California, and Knot-Leaf Kale-Bahh) it still had a 'window' which became visible with a wave of his hand. The wall behind the desk seemingly lit up with an image: an outdoor angle atop dangerously peaked black-shingled roofs, high up over a very complicated mess of wires and cables. Deeply below, a more sedate cityscape could be seen. Clumps of soot-strewn snow gathered on most of those rooftops and lingered underneath the webbing of metal and wiring that decorated every part of the nearby building's balconies. A pigeon was dead and visible in the corner, a dusting of freshly dropped slush and a heavy half-melted icicle the only evidence that it might have escaped had it known to move... And the raven that fed upon its frozen meat was clearly the source of this vision's vantage point. Thankfully it was a stable view, the 'window' didn't focus on the bird's meal.

None of them in the room was surprised at this half-magical 'window': Arrisa worked with portal technology, Karen had access to Force-based view screens and distant technology, and even Rita had her own magical port-holes in her home at Paragon.

They all knew it was a view of an actual place, not merely a projection or show. However, and thankfully, this was hardly the view from the outside this office, which was technically some 30 feet above sea level if it weren't for the fact that it was in a mathematical construct. Winter break was in full swing, the holidays had barely passed, and the students among those chosen for a specific field trip were due back in about a week, just before the new semester started. There was no snow here in Crescent City, Carramba High's footpaths and grassy landscaping were as clean and clear as ever. At best, it might rain real hard, or perhaps hail on this coast. What they looked at through this window was most certainly not nearby. They all examined the view, familiar enough with it since they all had lived, worked in, or had current alternates in the area. Rita walked behind the desk, as Keenan there swiveled the chair to face the wall as well.

"What are we seeing," Arrisa asked, her voice as unnerving the hundredth time as it was the first, even for the Lanes. Robotic but sufficiently emulating a human woman, not-quite-well enough to pass. "Is that him? I've only spotted him once in Paragon." Though her face was plastic and effectively painted-on, she squinted digitally.

"Yeah... there," Rita said, pointing at a smudge that rested for a moment on one roof's corner, then moved when it appeared on another, then another; a humanoid form silhouetted against the almost-white sky and vanishing with a faintly teal-tinted haze. Bits of snow that had freshly fallen were kicked up behind his path, but there was nothing else to show for it: not even footprints lasted long in the windy area atop this massive building. "He's patrolling, though for what who even knows." She added a moment later in a mutter, "gods I hate Grandville. So high up, what bullshit for people who can't fly."

"Rita," Arrisa said, still a bit confused at all the fuss, "you can teleport, like he can." She didn't have a horse in this race: she could fly.

"Yeah but if you miss..." she fluttered her fingers and made a splatting smack on the desk with her hand. It was a well known fact that Rita could easily shrug off a fall from fifty floors up, less well known was her abject terror of heights. As a dragon rider. Who lived as a hero in a place with buildings that regularly reached 50 to 60 floors... Perhaps that was why she'd come back to the west coast to relax and teach: there were way fewer skyscrapers from which to fall...

"At any rate..." Keenan sighed, "if he can be... cornered?"

"That would be a mistake," Rita muttered, "but go on."

"... Indeed, yes, it would be a mistake to physically corner him?" He corrected himself, while his duplicate on the other side of the desk openly smirked. "If you could convince him to go with you..." But he paused again and pressed his fingers onto his forehead. "Why, though?"

"Because dragons need partnerships?" Karen suggested. "Because if he's taking care of a dragon in some way he'll be less likely to be rampaging on Paragon City or any other place for that matter." The former-Jedi shrugged and let Keenan or whoever else could pick up on it, have a mind-full of the images of her own dragon group at her central homestead. Though hers would mostly behave themselves if left to their own devices. Neither of the Lanes were all that certain it would go so smoothly with that version of them. "And if they're under our supevision at least we can mitigate things if they get out of hand."

Lane behind the desk looked at her. Karen was in her more sedate brown and black robes. Sometimes she could be seen walking the high school's halls in an incredibly tacky rainbow-flames outfit. She seemed to be content with the idea that this incredibly evil man having any kind of access to dragons, but she was apt to have thought it out carefully before hand. He was less certain about how Arrisa felt about anything, she was a robot and spawned from the Rookery's Aperture facilities long before they began reinhabiting them for their own purposes. Having sprung out of the abuse that GLaDOS cooked up, she had a good idea of the negative aspects, perhaps. And Rita, well, she had never shied away from being a villain, hero, or anything in between. His own double, well, that Lane was apt to go with whatever created the most chaos.

This certainly would qualify. Even more so if Pharoah and Local Lane were involved, which by this time he appeared to be thinking hard to his dragon, who must have found the idea absolutely fascinating.

So they set about preparing routes: they would first have to make sure that he would be taken off Prime and directly to Twoarth, where it was honestly safest for anyone with as much power as they had. Paragon's world was great for super-powers, but that was bad for dragons. Too many with itchy trigger fingers, or over-eager companies willing to capture and clone them. Sequestering him in a separate constructed realm would be wise, and as far as any of them could tell, this other Vahh lacked the ability to create those. He might worm his way out eventually, but if he didn't know where he was, he'd be less likely to find any Vortal paths. Then ... taking him to this nest of dangerous dark dragons. They did suppose that once that was said and done he ought to be on his own again, but they would all need to keep tabs. If he returned to Paragon, Arrisa would be there with Rita in tow. If he bled out into the wilderness near Crescent City there was always the pocket of highly powerful wizards nearby to keep them from doing too much harm.

Why though, just... why? Because dragons, that was apparently 'why'.
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