|
acheten _forums _base plot for lazy-bums there is an island on which lives a people that are all different races, along with horses of all different breeds. they worship one god, a horse shifter named tennes, and also worship horses. some of the horses work for the people in exchange for food and a warm barn to sleep in when it's cold. but there is one man, quaeas, who does not believe in tennes or the horses. he leads the village to believe that they were misinterpretting what tennes was telling them, and that the horses are evil. tennes responds to the disrespect by moving the people to a valley in an unknown place, and there the people, now called lihen, discover two new races. an equine-like being with unbelievable grace and beauty, called wrigyn, and a people that live all on horseback.the people that live on horseback have a strange connection with their mounts, so that they are basically one being in two separate bodies. |
about the same time that columbus was 'discovering' america, a rivalry broke out on an ordinarily peaceful island located off the southeastern coast of nova scotia. the inhabitants of this island were of many different races, but all had the same beliefs that were pounded into them from birth. they worshipped one god, tennes (pronunciation ten-ace), who they believed possessed the form of a human, like them. but they were convinced that he, unlike them, had the uncanny ability to exchange forms at will with that of the wild ponies that roamed free about the island. these animals, like their fellow islanders, were all different; the huge draft grazed alongside the tiny miniature, while the lithe arabian raced the surefooted mustang. with the knowledge of their god's being, the people turned to the horse for worship. they lay offerings of food, drink, and creations on hillsides where they had spotted the equines, painted flattering artwork, and always mentioned the horses in their prayers to their god. they had always lived this way, for as long as any elder could remember with aid of ancient stories, and none thought to question it--that is, until quaeas (pronunciation kay-ace). he came unexpectedly in the middle of winter to the strange psychic woman and her husband. he seemed a little strange, but they couldn't put their finger on why, so they put it aside and forgot about it. at the age of five he was sent to live with the priest, who was, essentially, the leader of the village. he learned with him for 16 years, until one day when the priest was found, dead, on one of the sacred hilltops. the only sign of death was a lone hoofprint by his neck. the townspeople panicked, and only quaeas could hint at what had happened: he believed it to be the work of the horses, and forced the people to believe that the beings were evil. he proceeded to lead the city in a reconstruction, and a decade later the city was unrecognizable. they lived as savages, eating mainly horsemeat they hunted from the forest. they had no faith in their former god. but what happened next shook the townspeople so much that they would not even think to doubt their true leader again. tennes, from his home in the fields around, watched this gradual decay of the minds and bodies of his followers with saddened eyes. he knew who had killed thu he priest, and knew that quaeas had framed him. being a god did not mean that he had the power to kill, but now he wished he did. so he did the next best thing. one day, the townspeople woke up, ready to resume their everyday lives, and got the shock of their lives. they were no longer on the small island off the coast of nova scotia. everyone knew this, for the area looked nothing like they had ever seen before, but no-one knew where they really were. mountains rose up, very close, on all sides; they figured that they were in a sort of valley. everyone turned to ask quaeas what he thought, but he was nowhere to be found. he seemed to have vanished with their former home. without saying anything, all people knew that it was the work of tennes. their faith never wavered from that time on, and they began to rebuild their village with the comforting thought that he was watching over them. it was not long before they discovered the two strange beings that occupied their new home. a young girl was out hunting one day and encountered a beautiful stallion. she attempted to lasso the pony, but before the rope could land around his neck, the horse took off with unbelievably slow, graceful strides. the girl thought she could catch him, but she was wrong. the horse was going much, much faster than she even imagined possible. she ran straight home, shaken, and recounted her story to the village, who decided that it must have been tennes. they had found a new worship, and the worship was a specie called 'the wrigyn.' the second being was encountered first by a young man. he was gathering apples from the trees just outside the village when he realized that he was being watched. he could not see the watcher; the only animal in sight was a leggy chestnut pony grazing not too far away, but it wasn't looking at him, and he was used to the ponies anyway, so he didn't pay it any mind. he had nearly forgotten about the matter, and then he was hit from behind by an apple, which jogged his memory. rubbing the back of his neck, where it had come into contact with, he glanced around with a sour expression on his face. out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw a girl jump out of a tree and onto the horse's back, but when he turned for a better look, both had disappeared |
