Thread Closed
Eastern La Noscea: North of Costa Del Sol
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It was fortunate that the meeting had taken place in The Mists. Orrin was now close to a point of interest that he was meaning to visit. There was a cove, or so Orrin was told, a place with a waterfall that drained into it, pooling to knee height before flowing out into the ocean. Supposedly a Roegadyn of spectacular size and peculiar garb had spent many a day swinging his axe there and meditating.
If his thoughts were correct,that was none other than a member of the fabled mountain tribes, the Warriors, with capital w’s, marshals over something inside them called the inner beast, something the channeled and unleashed to terrible effect. More importantly, those Warriors knew how to chain up that great power once the battle had finished, they knew how to not let it consume them. For Orrin, he figured that if the place was suitable for a Warrior, it must be suitable for what he had hopes to do.
Lugging a bag over the shoulder of his blue yukata, Orrin made his way through a small stony underpass that channeled the echoing roar of the waterfall. A few startled Colibri take off in a flutter as he made his way through, edging closer to the fabled training ground. The narrow passage opened up before him and a small grin curled upon his lips. He feels the cool mist hanging low in the air, watching with a quiet awe at the pristine beauty of the tumbling waters he heard the sound of….girls?
His gaze turns towards his right and noticed, much to his chagrin, one of the many stilted bungalows that adorned the beach side of the Bloodsands in this supposedly secret grotto. Pat pat-pat pat, even against the noise of the waterfall he heard shuffling feat upon the wooden boards and the swaying form of scantily clad dancers moved through the motions of what could only be a routine of theirs. Orrin began to wonder if “swinging his axe†was a euphemism.
Regardless, the gray-white stones reminded him of his Ishgardian home and the waters, though not nearly as bitingly cold, reminded him of the conditioning done just outside of Camp Dragonhead. He started to strip down to just his small clothes and waded into the water, dipping his head underneath the cascade, letting it roll over the taut musculature of his war-forged body. His eyes closed and all sounds of the outside world began to become muddled and indistinct.
From the outside he was utterly motionless, catatonic almost, not even the blushing tittering of passing girls seemed to disturb him. Deep inhale, deep exhale, his fingers interlaced in front of him as he sat on his knees. He saw nothing but the blackness behind his eyelids, felt nothing but the pounding pressure of the waters above.
They say what each Dragoon saw was different, though the temptation was still all the same: a promise of terrible power, power to let them achieve whatever they desired. The Dragon’s blood that they had willingly took on through their blood-quenched armor would promise them anything, so long as they were to give in, to unfetter the roiling inferno that just needed to get out. Meditation, introspection, study of holy texts, and above all, an adherence to one’s sense of justice was what was taught to allow Dragoons to let that inner temptation stir but still maintain control. Just enough to maintain the unholy pact they made to give them ability to dance in the skies to vanquish their foes.
Orrin indeed sought more power,but not through the dragon’s blood, he sought the will to defy the void prince he had sworn to destroy and what better substitute than trying to let his inner dragon stretch its legs?
“You could have saved me, Orrinâ€a woman’s voice lamented “I did not need to die.â€
Orrin’s lip twitched ever so slightly
“you know that it could be reversed, those that drink of the blood need not be condemnedâ€Â
A flash of a painful memory crossed his mind, fiery red hair upon a slumped over body, mouth agape, eyes wide at the sight of a lance that had ran through her abdomen “you knew it was within you, you only had to call on that power, but you were a coward.†There was venom in those wordsÂ
“You killed me instead,  it came too easily didn’t it?â€
The roar of the waterfall seemed to swell, like a dragon’s call
“You want that power now?†she said in a sultry tone  “Found someone you care for more than me? I thought I was your only one…â€
Orrin felt a welling heat in his gut.
“It is all there, it really is,everything you need to stop anyone from suffering like you had.â€
Her arms open wide and there was the gaping bloody hole that he had left in her, within it was a fiery burning reptilian eye. He gazed upon the eye, each passing moment waves of power pulsed over his being.
“Just come to me, Orrin…â€
His breathing quickened, how long could he stare into that abyss, stare into that untapped fount of power before it drowned him? “Longer†he pushed himself, to focus, the woman’s words becoming gnashing, impatientÂ
“What is wrong? Can’t you see it’s within your grasp?â€
 His brows furrowed and as he gazed upon the eye, he felt as though something was staring back, something else. It was then the woman lunged at him
“He is mine! NOT YOURS!â€Â
In his mind’s eye he put his hands up to protect himself, massive, iron chains shot out and bound the spectral form and dragged her back down into the depths of his psyche with a banshee wail. When he opened his eyes, he was panting, a single trickle of blood running from one nostril that soon washed away with the water. That was not the presence he expected to feel, and in his distraction he was nearly claimed. His body began to shake, looking upon his hands that were clenched into tight fists. It had sensed the interloper too, and waited until he was distracted like a proper predator of the mind, but still he was able to shut it out in time.
              “Is the reach of Neruhm really so far as to reach me in Costa Del Sol?†He couldn’t believe it. Soon enough his breathing slows and rises to his feet beneath the waterfall. He turns his head up and closes his eyes to completely drench himself in, still feeling as though a dragon’s roar hid just behind the sound of rushing water. He pulls his head out along with the rest of him and fished for a towel in his bag. He wouldn’t dare try to test his will again until he found the source of the interference.
He watches the women dance and remembers he had someone to ask out on a date.
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It was fortunate that the meeting had taken place in The Mists. Orrin was now close to a point of interest that he was meaning to visit. There was a cove, or so Orrin was told, a place with a waterfall that drained into it, pooling to knee height before flowing out into the ocean. Supposedly a Roegadyn of spectacular size and peculiar garb had spent many a day swinging his axe there and meditating.
If his thoughts were correct,that was none other than a member of the fabled mountain tribes, the Warriors, with capital w’s, marshals over something inside them called the inner beast, something the channeled and unleashed to terrible effect. More importantly, those Warriors knew how to chain up that great power once the battle had finished, they knew how to not let it consume them. For Orrin, he figured that if the place was suitable for a Warrior, it must be suitable for what he had hopes to do.
Lugging a bag over the shoulder of his blue yukata, Orrin made his way through a small stony underpass that channeled the echoing roar of the waterfall. A few startled Colibri take off in a flutter as he made his way through, edging closer to the fabled training ground. The narrow passage opened up before him and a small grin curled upon his lips. He feels the cool mist hanging low in the air, watching with a quiet awe at the pristine beauty of the tumbling waters he heard the sound of….girls?
His gaze turns towards his right and noticed, much to his chagrin, one of the many stilted bungalows that adorned the beach side of the Bloodsands in this supposedly secret grotto. Pat pat-pat pat, even against the noise of the waterfall he heard shuffling feat upon the wooden boards and the swaying form of scantily clad dancers moved through the motions of what could only be a routine of theirs. Orrin began to wonder if “swinging his axe†was a euphemism.
Regardless, the gray-white stones reminded him of his Ishgardian home and the waters, though not nearly as bitingly cold, reminded him of the conditioning done just outside of Camp Dragonhead. He started to strip down to just his small clothes and waded into the water, dipping his head underneath the cascade, letting it roll over the taut musculature of his war-forged body. His eyes closed and all sounds of the outside world began to become muddled and indistinct.
From the outside he was utterly motionless, catatonic almost, not even the blushing tittering of passing girls seemed to disturb him. Deep inhale, deep exhale, his fingers interlaced in front of him as he sat on his knees. He saw nothing but the blackness behind his eyelids, felt nothing but the pounding pressure of the waters above.
They say what each Dragoon saw was different, though the temptation was still all the same: a promise of terrible power, power to let them achieve whatever they desired. The Dragon’s blood that they had willingly took on through their blood-quenched armor would promise them anything, so long as they were to give in, to unfetter the roiling inferno that just needed to get out. Meditation, introspection, study of holy texts, and above all, an adherence to one’s sense of justice was what was taught to allow Dragoons to let that inner temptation stir but still maintain control. Just enough to maintain the unholy pact they made to give them ability to dance in the skies to vanquish their foes.
Orrin indeed sought more power,but not through the dragon’s blood, he sought the will to defy the void prince he had sworn to destroy and what better substitute than trying to let his inner dragon stretch its legs?
“You could have saved me, Orrinâ€a woman’s voice lamented “I did not need to die.â€
Orrin’s lip twitched ever so slightly
“you know that it could be reversed, those that drink of the blood need not be condemnedâ€Â
A flash of a painful memory crossed his mind, fiery red hair upon a slumped over body, mouth agape, eyes wide at the sight of a lance that had ran through her abdomen “you knew it was within you, you only had to call on that power, but you were a coward.†There was venom in those wordsÂ
“You killed me instead,  it came too easily didn’t it?â€
The roar of the waterfall seemed to swell, like a dragon’s call
“You want that power now?†she said in a sultry tone  “Found someone you care for more than me? I thought I was your only one…â€
Orrin felt a welling heat in his gut.
“It is all there, it really is,everything you need to stop anyone from suffering like you had.â€
Her arms open wide and there was the gaping bloody hole that he had left in her, within it was a fiery burning reptilian eye. He gazed upon the eye, each passing moment waves of power pulsed over his being.
“Just come to me, Orrin…â€
His breathing quickened, how long could he stare into that abyss, stare into that untapped fount of power before it drowned him? “Longer†he pushed himself, to focus, the woman’s words becoming gnashing, impatientÂ
“What is wrong? Can’t you see it’s within your grasp?â€
 His brows furrowed and as he gazed upon the eye, he felt as though something was staring back, something else. It was then the woman lunged at him
“He is mine! NOT YOURS!â€Â
In his mind’s eye he put his hands up to protect himself, massive, iron chains shot out and bound the spectral form and dragged her back down into the depths of his psyche with a banshee wail. When he opened his eyes, he was panting, a single trickle of blood running from one nostril that soon washed away with the water. That was not the presence he expected to feel, and in his distraction he was nearly claimed. His body began to shake, looking upon his hands that were clenched into tight fists. It had sensed the interloper too, and waited until he was distracted like a proper predator of the mind, but still he was able to shut it out in time.
              “Is the reach of Neruhm really so far as to reach me in Costa Del Sol?†He couldn’t believe it. Soon enough his breathing slows and rises to his feet beneath the waterfall. He turns his head up and closes his eyes to completely drench himself in, still feeling as though a dragon’s roar hid just behind the sound of rushing water. He pulls his head out along with the rest of him and fished for a towel in his bag. He wouldn’t dare try to test his will again until he found the source of the interference.
He watches the women dance and remembers he had someone to ask out on a date.