[Book 2] Chapter 02: Ascension Festival (Part 2)
[Clock - 12:03 | 12:03 AM]
[Calendar - 05/05/2010]
[Location - Beastialis Empire - Skypelago, Menagerie Island, Central Region, Isis Fountain Park]
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Warning: Info Dump ahead! Lore drop too :3
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3rd Person POV
Walking through a beautiful and decorated street, an enormous crocodile the size of a car stepped carefully to avoid hurting anyone that opened for him to step by. His enormous paddle-like tail swayed softly from side to side as his stubby legs pushed him forward. It was clear that he was better suited for aquatic movement than earthly movement— as he pushed his way through the crowd, he found his destination: One of the many artificial rivers that flowed through the streets of the Menagerie Island, serving as its own way of transportation for the massive crocodiles that worked like busses and other modes of transportation for the small children and worked to keep the peace as did the Croc Guard. On the back of this Cricosaurus Bambergensis, the children that wore seatbelts all smiled as the ancient crocodile lowered and dove into the river, only to resurface and follow along its course.
Crossing the bride of this same river above, a couple of artists held onto their utensils- one, a particularly short Homo Beastialis Felinae with soft grey fur and small ears, had a rock chisel on his paws. A sculptor that gazed upon the masterpiece that was the Isis Statue in all its glory, seeking the inspiration that might have hit the Empress when he created such a beautiful masterpiece. The waters of the fountain flowed out of its boundaries and created this beautiful veil that surrounded the statue. Children would throw small coins into the waters to watch as they hit the bottom of the fountain, bubbled and exploded out with the strength of a simple flick of a finger before they reached abouy 30 or so feet above the statue as they popped into this small firework. No firework had the same color, and it was awesome to watch the magic written on the rock of the fountain make its work as the children threw out copper and silver coins to the fountain, and occasionally an adult would consider before throwing a golden coin to the fountain, which would then create this enormous and beautiful vibrant firework that exploded into magical glitter that faded 5 seconds after hitting the ground.
Further down the road, you'd be blind not to see this massive and beautiful tower, embroidered with several precious stones on the walls and pillars, with intricate carvings of animals, plants, flowers, and even magical beasts thay were rarely seen by the students of this place. This was none other than the first and only (for now, at least) magical school of the Beastialis Empire: The Learning Palace of Thoth. Here, children from all the islands would come and learn about the wonderful, wondrous, and wary world of magic. They would learn about the basics mostly because they're small children, but the older ones have learned to cast a few Cantrips at least! The teenagers that have joined some classe, however, are taught the grim reality of magic and its serious dangers, alongside history, politics, survival skills, combat skills, and any other skills that would help them thrive and survive in another world... A world where the Beastialis Empire was slowly seeking ways to establish itself. As that may be, these teenagers were taught just enough to get them curious about what more they could learn about magic, and that was what trapped their minds into studying and becoming a great asset and citizen to the Beastialis Empire.
Within this tower, on the 7th floor, stood an enormous classroom. The dimensions of this classroom was way bigger than what it should have been when taking the size of the tower in consideration, but such a trivial matter would not stop the Empress with his magical prowess. This classroom, as many would assume, was not empty! Today was a holiday for the Beastialis Empire, yes, but there were many who were eager to learn about the world of magic and its secrets, so a smaller class with excited students were gathered as they took notes on paper and eagerly asked questions to the large teacher, a beautiful Cloud Giantess known as Lady Iżvir Glażar. "-and, with a flourish of intent and incantation, you can bend clouds just like this." The beautiful pearl necklace that dangled from her neck had this soft glow in some of the pearls, a powerful and permanent [Tongues] spell alongside a [Comprehend Languages] spell were attached to the necklace that allowed the giant woman to speak and read in the foreign language of this world and Empire- English. "And that is how you cast the [Skywrite] spell. Any questions, children?" Iżvir was quite excited when she was offered at job at teaching magic to children by the Empress Atlas, to learn that the friend she had made turned out to be the Empress of an empire in the clouds? That was amazing! It is rare to meet Archmages that can rise even a single mountain to the skies, and this one have risen even more.
One of the children raised her hand- a small child that she'd call a Tabaxi, but here they were called Homo Beastialis Felinae, which was a mouthful -and asked with a bright smile in her kitten-like face: "Lady Iżvir, is it true that you know the Empress?" The excitement in her voice was due to the stories she grew up listening to... It wasn't exactly propaganda, since it was all true, but stories tend to exaggerate the truth to make themselves better, and such a thing has happened a lot in this empire. The admiration that the citizens had for the Emperor and Empress fed their wonder and stories, making them sound more extraordinary than they first were. "I heard he was the one to make the Skyfall Plaza? And that he was the one to bring Mr. Breeze to the Empire! I love Mr. Breeze's Musical Week, my sister is playing Veronica Sawyer in Heathers this weekend-" Ah, the Skyfall Plaza was a amphitheater that was open to the sky, whereupon plays and musicals would be enacted every week by the will and desire of the one and only Mr. Breeze, also known as Machosia Ventus, a Feather Dragon.
Often associated with phoenixes and other mythical birds more often than dragons, Feather Dragons are a special species of dragon almost exclusively found in the Elemental Plane of Air. Their feathered wings, talons, and beak-like muzzles resemble features of a bird. Likewise, their energetic, lively personality also matches that of a songbird's. They revel in absolute freedom, letting the wind guide them throughout their lives. Because the majority of a Feather Dragon's lifetime is spent airborne, they are easily the fastest species of dragon. While they may be kind-hearted to sentient creatures, their dragon blood still gives them a carnivorous appetite. They primarily feed on Griffons, Hippogriffs, and in rare cases, large birds of prey, especially those that are members of invasive species from the Material Plane. They easily out-speed every species of dragon, let alone the creatures they hunt, so a Feather Dragon's chase for food ends as quickly as it begins. When hunting their prey, they usually charge head-on, swooping down and snatching their prey in mid-flight or from the ground. As soon as they lock their talons into their prey, they use rapid movements in the air to kill their prey, much like an alligator does when taking its prey underwater. Feather Dragons find it far easier to befriend creatures they encounter rather than fighting them. They view every creature they come across as a friend, often acting as guides and protectors to newcomers in the Elemental Plane of Air. Many creatures regard them as naive or just downright stupid because of this, but it is nearly impossible to change a Feather Dragon's mind on anything, especially when it comes to the way they act. The friendships that Feather Dragons make establish them as the primary protectors of the Elemental Plane of Air. If intruders from the Material Plane or the Elemental Plane of Earth attempt to invade, Feather Dragons are the first to wipe them out. For their loyalty and bravery, Feather Dragons are often given huge amounts of space for their lairs.
And Mr. Breeze (Marchosia Ventus), was one of the Empress friends! He loved theater and musicals, so the Empress created the Skyfall Plaza for him, to honour their friendship and to influence the artists and musicians of the Beastialis Empire, empowering the artists.
"Well, little one, I am a friend of the Empress yes." With a bright smile on her lips, Lady Iżvir chuckled as she remembered the first time they met- It was adorable to see the Empress and Emperor in their early romance days! "But today's lecture is about clouds and how the spell [Skywrite] can change them, little one. Please do not change the subject so radically..." Even though she was a good teacher, she was a strict one too- she understood that with the Festival of the Day of Ascension happening this entire week, the children would be excited to hear about the Empress and Emperor, but she can answer those words after today's lecture!
We leave the class room with a rush of wind and a smile, going through this open window that leads to the outside world. The breeze drags along pale green magical glitter from an explosion of magical fireworks, dragging the glitter through the sky and spreading it out and about. The glitter fades as we see in the horizon this floating, 8 sided pyramid, the Imperial Pyramid Palace of Cycles. It was called that because the lower portion of the palace used to be underground before the Ascension Day, and the upper portion was built after the Ascension Day, metaphorically unifying the past and present of the Beastialis. On the sides of the "pyramid", two spheres moved in tandem in a slow cycle, one was bright gold while the other was pale silver, representing the sun and moon that moved around the "world". Below the "pyramid", you could periodically see these egyptian lotus flowers floating up to this platform at the bottom of the pyramid where they would enter through this grand door made of pure gold with white marble stones as pillars of both sides.
Going up through the various floors of the pyramid- the bottom floors where visitors were allowed to roam, the middle floors where only the employees of the palace could roam, and the upper floors where only the Council of Beasts and the royal family could roam free -we reach the upper floors, or more precisely, the tip of the top of the upper pyramid. Deep within it, a beautiful and regal room could be seen, with a bed made out literal clouds and sheets made out of mist, the lights in the room were these beautiful shining stars, and the ceiling did not exist, being instead a beautiful cloudless open sky. Sitting on a small mound of earth, the Empress Atlas crossed his silver legs, looking down at the little one before him: "Hum... Nope." With a flick of his finger, the clothes covering the little miniature little baby dragon simply changed from a pale green color to a soft blue color: "Huh, it looks better now." With a soft touch, the floating baby was simply lowered to the ground and joined his siblings—
Before you ask, no, these weren't his children. These were Mr. Breeze's children! They looked like adorable little chicks, but with the ability to kill a human within seconds.
In fact, he and Waylon don't have any children, and they won't be having any for a while at least. Sure, the empire was prosperous, but there was a little apprehension in Atlas' mind whenever he thought of bringing life into this world... Well, the reason for such was simple; He didn't want his children to grow in times of war.
Well, it's better for me to show you.
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World Book - Stories of a Future Never Here and a Past Long Gone.
Inevitable Threat
Date: 31/12/2010 — ??/??/???
Description: Darkseid. He is coming. He wants earth.
Advice: Run. Escape. Or die fighting.
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He has been preparing ever since he got this ability, and with each passing day, he feels like Beastialis might endure, but will they win?
Only one way to find out.