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- Jun 29, 2012
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This is a Progression Story that largely takes place in an immaterial and non-physical vision, that may be different for every person. How Dragons engage in conclave is not clear, it is not in a physical sense in the way mortals can understand it, but a vision would construct something for them that they could grasp. Any Draconist technically perceives this through a religious vision, but any non-Draconist can just make up an excuse as to why they intercepted or also saw the vision. This can range from "My character is a Mage", to "My Character is an oracle/seer for a different Religion and got told this by their God", these are all fine, and more.
Death & Rebirth
Death would not come quickly for Caius, the void sickness that ailed him was more akin to death by a thousand cuts. With each resurgence of the Void Invasions, with each small spell used, the corruption grew and grew, until it covered nearly his entire body with demonic maws and spikes and horns. Caius lay dying, writing in pain, brought on by the corrosion of Magic on his body, but he would not die alone. Next to him sat Umbra, the contrast between them could be not stronger. Caius raged against the end, slamming his monstrous fists into the ground in grief, while Umbra was unphased in meditation or detachment from the events.
Where anger and grief had started, despair and anguish would eventually take hold. This would historically be moments where Dragons were the most vulnerable, and where the poisonous honeyed words of the Ordial entities would seep in to abuse their power for nefarious deeds, but not this time. For always, when Dragons died, they died alone. This time, Caius had at least his old companion present, even if he seemed to completely ignore him. At last, when the end seemed close, Umbra finally reached over to hold up Caius's wretched face, softly whispering the words "I know". And as if having been permitted to pass on, his body finally contorted and calcified as the life left his eyes.
The functional death of a Dragon has never been witnessed in time. True, some Dragons chose a reincarnation death, while others orchestrated their death, but there had always been something here. For the Songaskians there was the Great Storm that carried their souls out, for the Blue Dragons there were their reincarnations, and even for Aurora, there was the sudden arrival of Frisit while her soul drifted to the stars. For the first time in forever history, a Dragon passed away from causes completely outside of their control, from alien forces from an alien place of existence. There was no telling what would happen, and this fact seemed to fascinate Umbra.
Because Caius's body still moved, despite its calcification. The rows of glowing red teeth and tongues sprung from maws still gasped at the air, while more and more spikes protruded from his back as his remains lay curled up on the ground. These spikes rose further and further in ever greater number until they themselves appeared like a great big flower slowly opening up. And then violently and suddenly, Caius's back split open. Umbra reached in a hand, having his hand in turn taken by a blackened form that rose up out of the remains of Caius as if rising out of the ashes.
Umbra muttered "Welcome back my Tyrant", as the heat from the hand clawing onto his started singing his scaled flesh, and black tendrils of smoke surrounded them. The being that rose was immediately felt as Cinerius, a rebirth of Caius, but unlike Caius, this body could not be beholden by mortals. Even in their vision, those attempting to gaze more clearly at his features would feel a burning sensation in their eyes, and their mind flooded with such unpleasant self-reflections that they could not bear to look at him, only see him as a shadow person from the peripherals. Umbra helped him step out of the crumpled remains on the floor until he stood in full glory rising from the red glowing mass of protrusions below, like a king standing on crowned soil.
The Undying once more
As the vision of Cinerius passed, in view came the Draconic conclave, with each seat-filled bar for the Seat of Heaven, and the Seat of Reflection. Cinerius adorned the Seat of Life, but could still not be perceived beyond the blackened smoke that rose from him. Regulus spoke, and the Conclave listened. He spoke of the need for Dragons to come together, one and all at last to undo the Denial of Immortality. And to reinforce that point, Orion was called down from the stars, which even those who had not witnessed this vision, might have perceived as an iridescent bright comet flying across the horizon during the night, filling the sky with dancing lights. In the conclave, he slowly levitated down to the Seat of Heaven, the first time the Son of Heaven had come to the Terrasphere in thousands of years.
Then, Regulus called for a rescinding of the punishment of Nox, which Felicula gleefully and anxiously resounded. Aurora was quick to claim, with her typical cynicism, that Nox's punishment had been conveniently a blessing for his own work and cause, and that the true punishment of this transgression would be to act unpredictably and bind him again to a physical form, and so the Conclave agreed, and so Nox stepped forth from the Seat of Reflection, and the Convlave was complete. Every Dragon present, every Dragon lending their word, and every Dragon willing the end of the Denial of Immortality. The threads of reality were re-woven, and immortality returned to the world.
The Three ways
The final matter of the conclave, would not find nearly as much unity as the preceding topics. The matter was the Radicals, all having come about as a result of the inexperienced and chaotic leadership of Regulus, who had once failed to create unity and would do so again this time, with a silver lining. Daiana's voice, absent because of her physical condition, once again re-iterated her stance on boundless inclusion of Mages and Spirits, and that Nature Binding under the rules imposed by mortal Empires was still not good enough. Felicula immediately joined her as expected, but entirely unexpectedly, Cinerius broke with Caius's long tradition and joined Daiana. This, in turn, caused Umbra to yield, and join with the faction that would henceforth be called The Succession.
Aurora and Severena, shocked and perhaps a bit betrayed by Cinerius's swivel, held strong to their anti-Magical stance. With convincing from the moderates, they were willing to concede on some points but refused to accept Spirits outside of full neutering of Magical potency, which was supported by Nox who still considered Magical things tools, and Orion who was detached from the strife among mortals to see any other way. Their faction would henceforth be called The Annexation.
And finally, there was Regulus who reiterated his stance on the middle-ground approach, which found support from Marik and Gaia, and an unsurprising ally in Triton. With their side formed as The Consolidation, the Radicals had been reduced from 12 to 3, but not to a single policy as Regulus might have hoped. With the dissolution of the Conclave, the visions had come to an end, which would quickly be followed by the wide-spreading of new Draconism dogma.
The Dragons had vowed to take an active role in the lives of their faithful, to reward the faith with acknowledgment and support, and even Orion who always was so distant from mortal lives, committed to the eternity of faith in the stars by opening the afterlife for all to come, and all those who had come.
Death & Rebirth
Death would not come quickly for Caius, the void sickness that ailed him was more akin to death by a thousand cuts. With each resurgence of the Void Invasions, with each small spell used, the corruption grew and grew, until it covered nearly his entire body with demonic maws and spikes and horns. Caius lay dying, writing in pain, brought on by the corrosion of Magic on his body, but he would not die alone. Next to him sat Umbra, the contrast between them could be not stronger. Caius raged against the end, slamming his monstrous fists into the ground in grief, while Umbra was unphased in meditation or detachment from the events.
Where anger and grief had started, despair and anguish would eventually take hold. This would historically be moments where Dragons were the most vulnerable, and where the poisonous honeyed words of the Ordial entities would seep in to abuse their power for nefarious deeds, but not this time. For always, when Dragons died, they died alone. This time, Caius had at least his old companion present, even if he seemed to completely ignore him. At last, when the end seemed close, Umbra finally reached over to hold up Caius's wretched face, softly whispering the words "I know". And as if having been permitted to pass on, his body finally contorted and calcified as the life left his eyes.
The functional death of a Dragon has never been witnessed in time. True, some Dragons chose a reincarnation death, while others orchestrated their death, but there had always been something here. For the Songaskians there was the Great Storm that carried their souls out, for the Blue Dragons there were their reincarnations, and even for Aurora, there was the sudden arrival of Frisit while her soul drifted to the stars. For the first time in forever history, a Dragon passed away from causes completely outside of their control, from alien forces from an alien place of existence. There was no telling what would happen, and this fact seemed to fascinate Umbra.
Because Caius's body still moved, despite its calcification. The rows of glowing red teeth and tongues sprung from maws still gasped at the air, while more and more spikes protruded from his back as his remains lay curled up on the ground. These spikes rose further and further in ever greater number until they themselves appeared like a great big flower slowly opening up. And then violently and suddenly, Caius's back split open. Umbra reached in a hand, having his hand in turn taken by a blackened form that rose up out of the remains of Caius as if rising out of the ashes.
Umbra muttered "Welcome back my Tyrant", as the heat from the hand clawing onto his started singing his scaled flesh, and black tendrils of smoke surrounded them. The being that rose was immediately felt as Cinerius, a rebirth of Caius, but unlike Caius, this body could not be beholden by mortals. Even in their vision, those attempting to gaze more clearly at his features would feel a burning sensation in their eyes, and their mind flooded with such unpleasant self-reflections that they could not bear to look at him, only see him as a shadow person from the peripherals. Umbra helped him step out of the crumpled remains on the floor until he stood in full glory rising from the red glowing mass of protrusions below, like a king standing on crowned soil.
The Undying once more
As the vision of Cinerius passed, in view came the Draconic conclave, with each seat-filled bar for the Seat of Heaven, and the Seat of Reflection. Cinerius adorned the Seat of Life, but could still not be perceived beyond the blackened smoke that rose from him. Regulus spoke, and the Conclave listened. He spoke of the need for Dragons to come together, one and all at last to undo the Denial of Immortality. And to reinforce that point, Orion was called down from the stars, which even those who had not witnessed this vision, might have perceived as an iridescent bright comet flying across the horizon during the night, filling the sky with dancing lights. In the conclave, he slowly levitated down to the Seat of Heaven, the first time the Son of Heaven had come to the Terrasphere in thousands of years.
Then, Regulus called for a rescinding of the punishment of Nox, which Felicula gleefully and anxiously resounded. Aurora was quick to claim, with her typical cynicism, that Nox's punishment had been conveniently a blessing for his own work and cause, and that the true punishment of this transgression would be to act unpredictably and bind him again to a physical form, and so the Conclave agreed, and so Nox stepped forth from the Seat of Reflection, and the Convlave was complete. Every Dragon present, every Dragon lending their word, and every Dragon willing the end of the Denial of Immortality. The threads of reality were re-woven, and immortality returned to the world.
The Three ways
The final matter of the conclave, would not find nearly as much unity as the preceding topics. The matter was the Radicals, all having come about as a result of the inexperienced and chaotic leadership of Regulus, who had once failed to create unity and would do so again this time, with a silver lining. Daiana's voice, absent because of her physical condition, once again re-iterated her stance on boundless inclusion of Mages and Spirits, and that Nature Binding under the rules imposed by mortal Empires was still not good enough. Felicula immediately joined her as expected, but entirely unexpectedly, Cinerius broke with Caius's long tradition and joined Daiana. This, in turn, caused Umbra to yield, and join with the faction that would henceforth be called The Succession.
Aurora and Severena, shocked and perhaps a bit betrayed by Cinerius's swivel, held strong to their anti-Magical stance. With convincing from the moderates, they were willing to concede on some points but refused to accept Spirits outside of full neutering of Magical potency, which was supported by Nox who still considered Magical things tools, and Orion who was detached from the strife among mortals to see any other way. Their faction would henceforth be called The Annexation.
And finally, there was Regulus who reiterated his stance on the middle-ground approach, which found support from Marik and Gaia, and an unsurprising ally in Triton. With their side formed as The Consolidation, the Radicals had been reduced from 12 to 3, but not to a single policy as Regulus might have hoped. With the dissolution of the Conclave, the visions had come to an end, which would quickly be followed by the wide-spreading of new Draconism dogma.
The Dragons had vowed to take an active role in the lives of their faithful, to reward the faith with acknowledgment and support, and even Orion who always was so distant from mortal lives, committed to the eternity of faith in the stars by opening the afterlife for all to come, and all those who had come.