You slowly enter the cave so your eyes can adjust, but there is no need. At regular intervals down the walls are burning torches, poked into convenient cracks. The air is warm and sweet smelling, and you can hear dripping water, and that bubbling sound. Khilandra ahead of you keeps blowing bubbles, and they float back towards you. They seem to glow themselves, and you are sure you can see a little flame inside each one, flickering, lighting your way as they dance around you.
The tunnel widens and begins to branch, and there are stalagmites and stalacites, like pillars holding up the maze of tunnels and caves. They glitter purple in the firelight. Khilandra appears beside you again. "Make sure you stay close, theres no main track here so you can get lost easily, but I know where I'm going"
She flutters off down one path, and you trot to keep up, while gazing around in awe and tripping over your own feet. You move away from the formations, and into a smaller tunnel. The ground under your feet, is now soft and springy, it seems to be covered with a lavender moss.
"This is where the hot swamps start. They are heated by the lava pools beneath the rock. In some places, these lava pools are seen on the surface..."
You suddenly come to the main chamber. You can barely see the other side, and looking up, far far up, you can see purple mist rising to the sky. It's night outside now, for you can see faraway stars. Looking back down, there is a rather large golden lava pool, swirling and bubbling away. Your mouth hangs open, and you just stare for a while. It must be 4 or 5 hundred metres across, and you can't imagine how deep. Purple fog is rising lazily off the surface, and curling round the mauve rock walls, looking for cracks to escape out of.
Khilandra smiles at your awe, and blows some more bubbles.
"WOW!" You manage to say. "What is this place?"
"Come, sit, and I will tell you the story of this place", she says. "This - the Pyran Mountains - are only a small part of the realm of Midnyte Shadow. She was exploring the mountains one day and found this chamber, and was so, captivated by it, she decided she was going to use it for something special. It's so spacious, seemed perfect for a dragon. She had just the place in mind to adopt one from. It is KelticRose Isle, a dragon adoption agency, always looking for special homes for their clutches of dragons. At present Midnyte Shadow is off to apply for one, and if she is successful and brings one back, I am here to bond to it, and look after any travellers that happen to pass this way."
"This place...this cavern...the hot swamps...the purpleness...the castle especially, how did this all happen?" you ask.
"Thats another story, maybe for later, but now let me show you where the egg will be kept if we are successful" You and Khilandra begin walking around the lava pool.
You come to a large shallow depression in the rock, lined with moss, and purple plants all around the rim, shading it. It looks perfect for a dragon, and you grin at Khilandra. She smiles back and continues explaining. "This particular hollow is heated from below - many parts of the rock here are like that - and will keep the egg warm until it hatches. There are many caves in the walls, some deep, some just ledges. The dragon will be able to make it's home in any of them when it hatches."
"Oh, and you might want to see this!" Khilandra pushes some of the thick bushes away from the nest to reveal a small purple egg. Its about as big as both of your fists together, and you reach out to touch it softly.
"Its about to hatch, any day now!" Shes very excited about this, you can tell. "Its a bation, adopted from KelticRose Isle. It will also be companion to the Glenn dragon if we are successful. Bations are a small reptilian race, but need other dragons as companions. The Isle of Mirrors is in need of many homes for them, and so this is a perfect mate for Glenn Dragon."
You continue to walk around the cave, marvelling at the lava pool and high rock walls.
You see Khilandra sitting down, and go over to talk to her. "Hello" She says. "Im just sorting out the books."
Before her are 4 large chests, wooden with gold edging, and big golden locks on the front. Each is different, as if made in far distant lands. Spread out over the rock and under the chests is a large carpet, with purple and black and gold patterns in heavy velvet. A scene from a battlefield is shown on the carpet, with swirls and smoke on the border.
Khilandra is kneeling in the middle, surrounded by books and parchments, sorting them into different chests. She smiles up at you as you come over. "These I have salvaged from the castle, and the surrounding lands. Though there are not many. They are stories, history, and records of these lands, poetry and art..." She points to a separate chest, bordered in silver. "...That chest is filled with tapestrys and paintings and carpet like this one I'm sitting on. I'm going to hang some up on the walls. There was much more to this kingdom, and I have only a little bit here. I am also adding writings, of information I've gathered from my observations, and of the inhabitants that will come to live here... if you want you can look. There is information on the bation race, and of the colour and type of Dragon that Midnyte Shadow is hoping to adopt. She gathered this information from the Isle of Mirrors. It is also so the dragon will be able to learn of its beginnings." She paused and laughed softly, "Am I boring you yet?"
"Oh no," you exclaim. "I love to learn about all this."
"Good then. Come, you will want to see the Bation... It's hatched. We have to decide on a name for her... its a her" Khilandra grinned, and jumped up. You walk over to the nest she showed you last time. As you walk over, the purple bushes rustle, and a snuffling-squeaking sound comes out. You cautiously walk closer and push aside the leaves. Lying on the moss is a small purple creature.
Her eyes are closed and her tail is curled up around her body. She is sleeping, and making the small snuffling noises. You move away, and join Khilandra, who is looking like a proud mother. "She spends most of her time sleeping, waking on the odd occasion to eat, and then sleeps again. She will move around more when she grows. I think her name should be Mhurr." She is pleased with her choice, and you both go back to sorting out the books.
Time passes, and you keep Khilandra and the quiet Mhurr company. Mhurr grows slowly, and as she reaches her teens, she begins to venture out of her nest and explore the area.
Her wings have grown slightly bigger, and she stretches them a lot, though never attempts to fly.
The chamber is starting to look homely now, with tapestrys on the walls, and chests in one corner, and a small alcove near the ground Khilandra uses as her room, and is richly carpeted, with a four poster bed, and soft chairs.
Mhurr seems taken to you, and will often come sit in your lap and go to sleep wile you're looking through parchments.
One day browsing, you find the parchment about the dragon Midnyte Shadow wants to adopt. You read what it says:
Glenn Dragons
Purple dragons like to live in the mountains, swamps and foggy areas, also around lots of purple as well.
Personality - These dragons are calm and introspective. They will spend long hours pondering the world and its nature. They can be scientific at times, but they have the capacity to appreciate art and creativity.
Fire Type - Fire dragons are the more legendary creatures of the bunch. They can fly, but not as well as their high-dwelling air cousins. They like warm, dark caves, volcanoes, fire and lava pits, and castle dungeons. They breath fire in many different colors, but never blue. Some have been known to breath hot coals or lava also.
|
You understand now why Midnyte Shadow chose this place for a dragon, it seems a good fit.
You stand up and brush yourself off, and wander over to find Mhurr, who has now at her last stage, adult. She loves Khilandra's bubbles, and will chase them all about the cave, fluttering and diving.
She talks now, in a purring voice, though she doesn't talk often, preferring to find a ledge somewhere and stare at a tapestry, or to sit and think. Now you're only waiting for the clutch to be closed, so you can find out if an egg will be living here!
Mhurr's Stats Table:
Name: Mhurr
Race: Bation
Gender: Female
Stage: Adult
Colour: Purple
Adopted from:
Isle of Mirrors
|
