A History

Eloise is usually found sitting in an ancient wooden rocker near the fire in her tiny cottage. The one room home is chock full of books and papers. There are shelves of old ancient texts, and mountains of papers so old and fragile, one is almost afraid to breathe too hard for fear that they would crumble into dust with the force. It is here that Eloise stays, surrounded by the histories and tales of old, writing laboriously in a blank book nearly the size of the table upon which it sits.

Eloise. What is there to be said of Eloise. She is ancient, nearly as ancient as the papers she keeps. Her skin is like that of those papers- transparent, fragile, soft. Whispery. Her face is a roadmap of wrinkles. Smile and laugh lines surround her eyes, her mouth. Her hair is white as snow, thin yet soft. Her hands, curled with arthritis, clutch a quillpen gently. She is tiny. A tiny old woman in this tiny cottage, dwarfed by the silent company she keeps. She is always cold, and so buries herself in layers of bulky clothing. A wool shawl, a kerchief around her head. The fire roaring. She seems so breakable. But her eyes are clear. A brilliant jade green, they are not cloudy or milky in any way. They are sharp and alert. As is her wit. Sahryn was once, like many worlds, a happy one. A peaceful one. People lived in harmony with each other, with the animals, with the earth. But this never lasts. And as the people advanced and grew and changed, so did the relationships.

One man, a huge towering man, known as Keenes the Dark decided that he deserved more than his quiet life. Recruiting his many brothers and cousins, he established a new city, took a wife or three, and set a terrible plan in motion. He sent his armies forth to provide him with more land, more slaves, and more wives. He had more than any man could ever need, and yet he wanted more. Keenes the Dark had the blood of many on his hands before his armies even left the surrounding lands.

Soon enough, there was war across the lands. Keenes' arm stretched across the entire land, and nobody was safe. Prejudices ruled the land. Greed, corruption. An endless search for power and domination. Soldiers invaded peaceful villages, quiet villages. They tore through, destroying everything. Taking whatever they wanted and leaving nothing for the survivors. Children abandoned. Women left sobbing shells of their former selves. Men shackled and forced into slavery. Or battle. Fighting for a cause about which they knew nothing. Brave men tried to overthrow Keenes and his army, but all failed. Fear, fire and famine swept the lands. Life was a downward spiral, and there was no hope.

The abandoned children, the broken mothers. They found each other, banded together. Trailing behind the warriors, they gathered whatever they could find. Food. More sick, injured, terrified people. They nursed the wounds of those soldiers left behind. And together the sought a place of refuge.

That place turned out to be Moonsong Hide. Tucked away, far away from the reaches of the acidic kingdoms, the abandoned, beaten, betrayed individuals gathered. For years they had lived as nomads, wandering farther and farther from the populated areas of their world. To the complete outskirts of the lands, where animals ran wild and held no fear towards humans. The land was unaffected, untouched by human hands. It was a place where your motives were not questioned. A safe place. Deserters from the war were able to find peace here. Families would never be torn apart. Life could continue as it had before the wars.

But these things never last forever. The community continues to grow and expand. People come from all over the world, and from other worlds as well. Someday they will be discovered. Unless a miracle happens, and peace is brought to the land, they will always have to live with a dark cloud over their heads. Until that miracle happens. A hope came the day the Dragons did. Something so rare and beautiful as a Dragon, if they were to come to this war-torn world, perhaps a change would come about. One could hope that the Dragons showing up would be enough to stop the wars, all the senseless fighting. There is a thought that the villagers have, holding their breath and hoping against hope that the outcome could be so simple- that when the leaders of the people see the Dragon approaching, they will lay down their swords and peace will sweep the land. It is a hope against hope. But one that the younger generations embrace. The arrival of J'haya Houten was the biggest celebration in Moonsong's history. They had very little to celebrate normally. But J'haya was the first dragon to reside in the community. She showed up quite by happenstance early one morning- one moment she wasn't there, the next she was. And she stayed. Our beloved J'haya.
After J'haya, it was as if a door opened up. Dragons began coming to Moonsong, and many stayed. A handful from a dead world showed up* and made a home atop a mountain summmit, and found they needed human companionship to thrive in this world- thus allowing residents in Moonsong to bond, or find others who would make idealistic bonders.
And then of course there was the night that Puck let in the Hell-creatures. A few ghosts, a demoness, a few imps and a fiend. But they hang out kind of by themselves over at the base of the mountain in a ball of molten rock and fire.
Oh and I guess I should mention the Departed. That Demon girl, Naamah, bless her strange, demonic little heart.. She was talking to some of the Dragons up on the Summit about their deceased friends and relatives back on their home planet... And what the heck did that girl do but some sort of voodoo and brought some of those critters back from the DEAD. Of course she thought she did something great, and everyone else sort of freaked out for a little bit- but things are a little better now- those Departed dragons hang out at the base of the mountain, near that fiery stone home that the demon-creatures live in. I've heard word that they have even started breeding.. and that maybe they will be mating with the IVE dragons from the Summit! Can you imagine?!
There are rumors that Kennes the Dark has heard word of the comings-and-goings of dragons in this tiny corner of the world. It makes the threat of discovery ever more imminent. While some leaders discuss ways to peacefully negotiate with Keenes, others come up with plans of defense and attack should there be an outbreak of war in Moonsong.
Moonsong Glade is in a silent uproar. The incoming fluctuation of off-worlders, travelers, dragons, refugees... the amount of people fleeing the cities and heading for the hideout had attracted the attention of Keenes the Dark. Messengers and rogueish spies bring word that Keenes and his massive armies are planning and building up their numbers in order to crush the tiny glimmer of hope that is Moonsong Glade. Some members of the community want to stand and fight. Some want to find a way to hide, or a new place to call home. Whatever they decide, they must act soon, for Moonsong is a greedy sparkle in Keenes' eye.

Poor Verilee. She made the decision that made some people hate her, others love her. It was an impossible choice, but it was Verilee who had to make it. And the people needed her to make it.
Verilee called in the mages. A hundred or so came tromping into the Glade one day, wearing their colorful robes. They conferred with Verilee at the edge of the forest, High Mage Iaov and a handful of others. And when all was said and done, after hours of intense conversation, Verilee gathered the people. All of them, including the demons and dragons. She told them what would be happening. Some were terrified. Some excited. Some shouted that this was the easy way out, the weak way out, that they should be standing and fighting instead of running. But Verilee stood her ground, and With High Mage Iaov's stern face next to hers, it happened.
The mages made a perimeter around the area. They marked the area with magic. And all night they chanted and waved their wands and staves. And with a huge quake ((that caused quite a lot of damage to houses)), the entire area broke apart and was suddenly elsewhere.
And that's about it. Keenes can try to attack and destroy, but he will be shocked to find that the refuge is no longer there. And he will never be able to find this place, on a tiny tiny moon far away.
Of course there are still problems, as there always are. Some people are still disgruntled about the move. Some hate the mages. Though Keenes cannot get in, the residents can get out- and they continue to bring back an influx of newcomers. The city on the ground continues to grow, but there are beginning to be signs of poverty. We are no longer this tiny, tight-knit community. And that is a shame.

* more information on the Portal

Explore

Main

A History