The Septarius Keys

[Emperor of shadows]

The Septarius Keys

The Septarius Keys is a direct translation from the Ancient Language for the number seven. This title is exemplified by seven of Eternum’s most powerful Island-Nations, each represented by a different vibrant color. The Septarius Keys boast a rare flower, specific to the religion. These flowers are quite special though. They contain the energies which give these places life, and yet they are fading away. Once thousands, only few now remain, and if they all die the Septarius keys will die with them. One must find these last flowers before the last one fades into nothingness, and the islands go with them.  

[Emperor of shadows]

"Tell me, Astraiseus, when you peer from the glass, what is it that you see?" The voice of the elder of the two spoke, a man of his older twenties, boasting the experience to harbor within his gaze and tone, grave.
The latter, and younger party looked him crystal in the eyes, his own brilliant silver eyes meeting with the serious, and oddly heavy- Violet eyes. For a moment, silence bloomed between the two, a memento of the graveness in the situation, but a moment later, Astraiseus spoke, his voice clear and rising above the silence.
"I see opportunity." He replied, a smile touching still lips. "I see the power to remake our flaws, Drakorros."
Drakorros turned his back away from the dusky portal before him and the ever-paling situation at each end of the horizon. The sky was fading into a grey dusk, and the Septarius Keys sprawled out in all directions, a wash of murky green waters touching and withdrawing from the tired sand shores. Each island in the wash was a fading beacon of color and ever fading was the life within it.
The room was a travel-tower, a small but fortified building meant for stocking travelers with the supplies necessary for any adventure, curtesty to the House where it was located. The room was sparsely furnished, a few woven chairs of dark woods were scattered around a series of floating shelves, each shelving useful magical paraphernalia, where at the top of the room floated several floating crystal orbs, each emitting a glow of varying intensity and color.
In Drakorros eyes was a great sadness, he, a dragon elder understood the nature of the problem, and like many others, pondered ways to solve it.
Of course, the nature of his companion, had given him a sort of ironic hope. The youthful were always their own luminaries.
He smiled as their eyes met-- a gesture that lit his face up; : he was a man that kept his facial hair at bay, with even trimmings to compliment a round face, where long, yet contained black--almost purple hair surrounded him, beset with intense and expressive violet eyes.
His eye color marked his Order, he was of the house of Atropureus, and his regalia matched the royal connotation with the House. He stood tall, dressed with the finest Drako-guard, his even frame complimented by the sophisticated cloth armor.
Astraiseus, on the other hand was of silver eyes; this was mysterious indeed. His house was of Argentiem, but his nature of neither here nor there-- elders were oft befuddled by the ambitious boy-- man, just recently aged 18, and with continence to reflect his age. He had naturally unkempt, medium-length white hair, complimented with a single pony tail to tame it, and surrounding a visage that was neither too youthful nor too aged, but at a medium. He was always asking questions, seeking, pressing, bounding ever-forward in a world that seemed to him to be moving in reverse.
"Why are the colors fading?"
This was a question that he and many others had asked for a very long while.
"Well I plan to figure it out. And turn this world around."
Astraiseus had been sitting, but he stood up and joined his friend next to the window. "Aye, the prognosis is not looking well." He paused, an evident motion of drama, "But we must weave our own fates."
Drakorros knew this statement to be correct, nodding in response. He had been staring at the room, and playing with spell Binding magics that kept him from feeling too unbalanced. The ribbon of glowing magics spun and hummed around his fingers, alive and reactive to every thought he sent it, every ancient syllable muttered under breath, every twitch of his fingers.
"Is the boat ready?" Astraiseus hastened to ask, his eyes open and eager for a positive response. Drakorros already knew that he would ask this, he gave a preemptive chuckle. "Patience. It has only been a few hours sent you've submitted your request-- and despite that, you've only just turned 18, my friend. Are you not clamoring for the torrid side of the youthful experience?"
"Torrid side?" Astrai replied, raising a skeptical brow. "If you mean the sexual side of it, then no, I'm not clamoring."
It was Korros's turn to be skeptical.
"Well, that is, I'm not clamoring /anymore/. I've set that behind me. And now all I wish is to discover the land's secrets. What haunts our beautiful islands, brother?"
"We shall soon discover."
A bell rang behind the two, and a stone door slid open to reveal the Envoy, a man who would give them the required documentation, clearance and supplied for the journey.
Astraiseus clicked his tongue in an act of strained annoyance. "Is this really all necessary? I'd be much better of packing some sac from home and marching off."
Korros knew his friend well, shaking his head. "Of course you would. These regulations, they're here for public benefit. Not everyone is as capable as you portend yourself to be." Korros grinned a grin of mischief at his light teasing and allowed the man to begin debriefing them.
This would be a long journey, but the two could feel confident that they were prepared for whatever fate could throw at them.
But no thoughts more naive were thought--- nothing could prepare them for the trials and tribulations yet to manifest above and below.


 

[Emperor of shadows]

Silence in the morning, indigo islands and flowered shores...

A pensive Korros arrived from the tower first, reflecting on the beauty of his islands, and the same dissolution that claimed them.

“Astriaseus, the gods are exercising their wrath.” Spoke he, in a quiet voice, each word a stone dropping into a fathomless well.

The younger looked to his companion with a raised brow and a question. “You are too worried of the Gods. We must take this into our own hands.” The youth had an undeniable effervescence about his convictions, like nothing could deter him from looking and moving forward.

Korros enjoyed the ambition, but he was in flux of worry and awe.

His woe and awe turned to the Septarius Keys, scanning the islands with wisdom beyond his years. It was during his gaze did he note a presence in the area-- he raised his head and took in the energies of the area-- he could feel a girl around, he took a few steps around the perimeter of the tower to place a locale on the energy, much to the dismay of a well, (Perhaps over-prepared Astrai); “Hey, where are you going?!”

The dragon continued walking until he saw her, rather smelled her, a sweet-salty scent that pervaded his mind, and made the dragon huff out smoke in response.

Then, as the smoke clear, his violet eyes captured into her hazels, a moment of unrestrained connection.
Korros blinked in surprise, breaking the connection and wondered why this foreign girl was at the base of the tower.

“Ah, hello there,” He spoke, his tones friendly and soft. The dragon had a soft spot for new faces, the life of Aeternum was always precious to him.

Finally, in a bout of vexation, Astraiseus pursued his companion around the tower, almost colliding with him in the back, before cathing himself and hastily straightening out, “Korros, why do you always run off like that?” He brushed off a minute amount of dirt on his lapels, continuing, “We have some flowers to restor-- Ah?”

At this he noticed the girl that Korros was speaking to, and the man straightened out even further if it were possible, and slicked back his unruly hair. “Why, hello pretty” He began, his own voice luxurious, trying to capture some amount of flirtatious suave that he had used in the past. “My name is--”

“That's quite enough, Astraiseus.” Korros interjected, casting a cool glance at his friend.
Astraiseus frowned, biting back his next words, and instead turned to listen to whatever the girl had to say to the abrupt meeting of Dragon Halfling and Human.  

[Emperor of shadows]

Astraiseus was upon the girl in an instant, giving her one of his winning smiles, and accepting her handshake with zeal, “Good, good to meet you,” He began, eliciting another incredulous stare from his comrade, “My name is Astraiseus Estael. And this is my good buddy Drakorros-- Korros, or just Drak-- Atroscale.”
Astraiseus was quick to bow, low and all-too respectful.

Korros rolled his eyes without actually having to, stepping beside his companion in an act of temperance, “You seem like a curious traveller.” He began, sounding intrigued, but not yet prepared to answer her question. His wise eyes stared at-- perhaps through-- the girl, and he choose his next words with care, “You know of the Septarius Key's plight?” He looked grim, his face curling around a frown.

Astrai seemed to know what Korros would say next, speaking in turn, “The flowers-- they give this region it's vitality-- and we're going to find what's been destroying them, then save our crumbling islands.”

Drakorros looked abashed by his companion, feeling for once, that his words were true, albeit a bit bragging.
“Astrai, we must take it one step at a time...” Began the dragon, then turning to the girl, a coy smile lighting up his face, “But yes, that is the general goal.”

He seemed proud, and for once in a long while Drakorros could say that he was proud of his friend, who's ambition gave the dragon hope.

“Now, if you don't mind /me/ being so forward,” Added Korros, raising an intrigued eyebrow, “But what brings you here to our home? By your scent I know that you've traveled far to get here.”  

[Emperor of shadows]

“The forest speaks to you,” Began Drakorros, in a hushed tone. Up until that point he did not realize the race of the girl-- Aredhel was most certainly elf. Korros gave a warm smile, “Well, the sky speaks to me. It says we're going to travel south, where the whispers of dissolution run. If you need an idea of where to start, I would suggest there...” Drakorros implicitly implied that the girl come with them, but he was much too subtle for this.

Astraiseus, however, was not, “Come with us.” Spoke the male, still smiling, he readjusted his bags, and turned on heel, away from the group and down the path.

Korros noted, with an earnest smile, that his companion was still as adamant as ever, a luminary for the journey.

“We're not getting younger-- let's do it!” Cried Astriseus, after reaching a suitable distance on one end of the gravel path.

Drakorros turned to Aredhel, with a sheepish look and beckoned her to come along, then. “We'll have to make it there before nightfall.”
His tone as he said this was stiff, he did not like the idea of being late, but the tone demanded more elaboration, “For, at night, Shadows roam. These aren't the dapper shadows either.” He looked unnerved, his violet eyes narrowed in calculation.

*~*~*~*

/The whispers of Dissolution scream./ Thought Korros at a later time, /We're going to have some hell before us.../  

[Emperor of shadows]

[ I just want to let you know that in posts, you, or myself can instigate a time-warp, as it were, just an explained jump between time to keep things moving. I'll do that in this post, and if you ever feel like you'd want to do that, go ahead.^
Your post is here! ^^ ]


Over crumbling stone bridges, and through violet barked woods, the group continued forward well into a third rotation. They were heading to where their boat would be located, a vessel that their Houses provided for them to locate the source of their destruction. Or so they despairingly hoped.

Spanning the Septarius Islands, they passed tower after tower, town after town-- small interdependent villages based in the various Orders--- here they spotted a district of Atropureus, later a house of Argentium, their colors flying on thin flags of fading colors.

/Just like the flowers./ Thought Astraiseus in sour respite. The human peered up at the sky of three moons and stormy temperament, to note that the rotation was nearly done, the dim sun, Oromis disappearing behind the vast grey sea with the lunar bodies to follow. As the male continued to study the sea and sky, he noted a single island between him and the former, marked by just a single arched bridge ahead.

The island shimmered with color in the distance, sails of all sorts rising, falling, oscillating in wind.

To Astraiseus's relief, the island was one of the four major ports of Septarius, a oval shaped rock rising above the relentless torrent of sea, chiseled flat by years of use, and in turn supporting vibrant pillars of all of the Houses lighthouses.
Fivehundred-step in width and ninehundred-step in length, the rock was the most active life that the Septarius could claim, it's ports were alive with movement and flurry, all of the Sea-sailors focused on one rather morbid goal-- survive the choking death of the islands.

“Look!” Cried Asrai, beaming towards the island and hurrying his step. “We're almost there, thank the /gods/.”

Drakorros smiled as well, turning to the elf beside him. “You see?” He made a gesture towards the island, “We've arranged for a boat so we can move from the islands to go to where we need to go next.”

The group soon arrived at the island before them, now immersed in the lively movement, but oddly displaced as their smiles were met by cold indifference.

Beneath the shadows of the towers, the group walked from one end of the port to the other, where, ninehundred-step later they found themselves in the presence of their boat.

“The Envoy explained that our boat is called 'The Aotora'. I think that's some astrological event up in Northern Auraxis-Azeron...” Korros trailed off in thought, stepping on the docks to get closer to their goal-- A wood and metal boat lined with two small masts, it appeared it would hold a maximum capacity of five before sinking beneath the achromatic depths.

“So, we begin humbly, Korros.” Spoke Astrai, with a snicker and jeer. The dragon frowned, turning back to the elf. “Shall we?”

As they situated themselves within the boat, placing any belongings below deck, the dragon took the helm, scanning forward at the sky, summoning up the seaman educate, eyes on safety.
Suddenly the dragon remembered a rhyme that his father taught him from the human sailors so long ago:

/Red sky at night, sailor's delight.
Red sky at morning, sailor take warning;/

As the dragon looked upon the sky to confirm this oddly accurate rhyme, he realized with a start that the storm clouds of the high distance were much closer now, looming black and ominous.

If the dragon knew anything he knew that, red sky or not, this storm would be something more colossal than any other phenomena that had breached the Septarius in years.

“If we're going to leave, we'd best do it soon,” He spoke, tone quivering. Astraiseus joined him in his gaze, legitimate worry crossing his brow. “Let's go, let's go, right now.”

Here, rolling thunder in the distance responded, a warning signal to the travelers.

He burst into motion, securing the last ropes into place, and double-checking all safety standards. In a moment, the boat was pulling away, caught by the sudden and wuthering wind to push them away from Septarius.

“We're going to have a rough ride ahead of us. Be ready!” This was the last thing that could be heard from Astraiseus as a series of bass explosions rocked their world, thunder stronger than ever, and the storm looming closer.