#the teneborn

[goddesstrolls]

Sign of The Flock

[goddesstrolls]

Shavil Taraze, Okahni’s ancestor

[goddesstrolls]

“Well, you’re doing better.” Shavil remarked. Okahni relaxed his posture. The compliment was quite neutral considering he had just disarmed her of both weapons.

“You’re picking up wind dancer nicely. And you’re incorporating fire into it, making it your own, which is impressive. So, I think it’s time you learned the real wind dancer technique.”

Okahni looked to her, taking in her cloaked posture; She seemed resolute. “So, you feel I’m ready for the wind trial?”

“Do you feel you’re ready?”

“Yes.”

Now it was Shavil’s turn to study him, and then she tilted her head in her faceless way of indicating a smirk. “You’ve been ready since the fire trial, huh? I just had to teach you the sword work.”

Okahni didn’t respond. Shavil used her foot to dust off the ground and picked up a nearby rock, beginning to draw with it.

“The wind trial takes place on the wind plane, go figure. Like the fire trial, even if you make it back through brute force, that won’t necessarily be a success. Unlike the fire trial, if you succumb to the wind, your death won’t be an easy one. You’ll be falling endlessly until you starve to death, and then your body will keep falling until you rot- Well, you get it.”

Shavil waved a hand airily, before resuming to draw an arcane circle on the ground. She finished after a moment, and then straightened and stood back.

“I don’t think I have to give the same lecture as before.” Shavil clasped her hands together, bowing her head. The arcane circle on the ground lit up, and the inner ring vanished, replaced with an empty vastness extending downwards. Watery daylight shone through the portal, and the wind whistled eerily against its edges.

“This one only lasts as long as it takes you.” Shavil said. “The first challenge is landing on the right spot. Just jump in.”

Okahni leaned to peer into the portal. Through it, he saw nearly nothing but an endless expanse of pallid sky. Far below, he could see rocks seemingly floating in thin air, a trail of islands in a sea of mist.

Shavil seemed to be waiting. He paused to take a breath, and then moved to take his swords off his hips.

“If I don’t make it back, I’d like these to go to Villoh.” He said, going to hand them to Shavil.

“You really like that girl, don’t you?”

Okahni didn’t respond, instead setting his sights on the portal, and leapt in.

Gaze focused on the rocks below him, he plummeted downwards. The wind squalled around him, shrieking in his ears and threatening to throw off his downward path; He shifted his limbs to align himself so that he landed on one of the floating rocks. The fall wasn’t too hard despite the height, upwards gusts lessening his plummet, but the rocks weren’t as stable as he’d hoped. They wobbled and shifted as he landed on them, and he struggled to regain his balance.

He dared to glance upwards from where he’d fallen from, spying the small black hole floating a field of white that stretched into infinity.

Okahni took a breath, looking at the rocks trailing ahead of him. None of the jumps he needed to make looked impossible, even though the rocks were somewhat unsteady-

-Though as he gauged the next leap, a sudden gust of wind threatened to knock him off the rock he stood on. He wavered, nearly slipping off of it. It was slick with moss and moisture, and some stones scattered loose under his feet and fell into the empty whiteness below.

Hastily regaining his balance, Okahni took a breath and recalculated, trying to relax.

He took another breath, closing his eyes for a moment, taking in the movement and the whistling of the wind around him. And then he leapt, his feet landing on the next wobbling stone.

Okahni wavered slightly again, another gust threatening to push him off. He regained his balance easier this time, and leapt to the next stone, and then the next.

He slipped on the one after, a gust of wind nudging him to the side enough that his foot did not quite finding as solid purchase as he expected. His side grazed the stone as he dropped and he caught his arm on it, gripping the floating boulder with his other hand as his legs swung precariously beneath him.

Arms shaking, Okahni’s gaze flickered about as he searched for other grips with which to climb up, as this position was not stable. Realizing he’d have to push himself up, he put downward force on the stone and hoped it would hold.

He thanked the spirits that it did, clambering somewhat awkwardly back onto the stone and getting his feet back under him. Okahni took another breath, trying to take in the wind again and soothe his frazzled nerves before continuing.

Breathing carefully, evenly, he focused not only on his surroundings, but himself, and the wind around him.

As he moved, it began to feel like the wind was blowing through him, like he was part of it. He’d felt this with the trial of fire, slowly, once he’d managed to calm down.

Either the wind began to move with him, or he simply began to move with the wind, but each leap grew easier. The distance between the stones grew, and but the breeze carried his feet to each one.

It was a test of endurance, too, he realized, as the stones seemed to stretch on forever with no end. He would likely be doing this for hours.

Okahni knew without a shadow of a doubt, that he could. The wind was with him, now.

[goddesstrolls]

Shavil folded her arms under her long cloak.

“Well, it’s not working because your magic is weak, boy. Not that I blame you for it, all things considered.”

Okahni stared at the spirit of his ancestor, currently occupying empty garments as though there were a body within them. His expression was flat; Trying to mask his frustration. It sounded very much like she was blaming him.

“Don’t look at me like that. With my blood, you should have plenty of aptitude. You just need to awaken it.” Shavil grumbled.

“I think you would have a better idea of how to do that than I would.” Okahni said, trying to keep the exasperation from his tone.

“Yes, right. The awakening trials are... Difficult. Typically, you’d perform nightly rituals for sweeps and sweeps to increase your aptitude and then tackle the trial of your chosen element. But, I think you’ll be fine as you are. That’s impressive, you know!”

Her singular scrap of encouragement was not enough to outweigh the multiple insults she’d hurled at him in the two weeks since she’d started teaching him. Okahni stared coldly until she continued.

“We’ll begin with fire. What you need to do is embody the element of flame; Not just simply endure it, but take it within yourself. The trial is as much of a test of physical endurance as it is your knowledge of yourself, and your attunement to your element.”

“I understand.” Okahni nodded his head. Shavil looked him in the eye for a long moment. Her face was nothing but shadow, and a gleaming light indicating her one remaining eye.

“...Alright.” She yielded. “Come on.”

Shavil stepped out of her own tomb, and Okahni followed without a word. Silent, she lead him through the dark of the Tanakar tunnels. Gazes steeped in bloodlust followed them; The husks of fallen Garo warriors, reanimated in their regret, skulked in the shadows and watched them pass.

They passed twisted corpses, faces contorted in a terrible silent scream and eyes sunken into empty, endless sockets. They had already been felled by the very warriors that stalked them, conflicted in their desire to slaughter all, and to protect what little remained. The corpses would move again before long, resurrected again and again by the agonized souls haunting these caverns desperate for closure.

Shavil reached a doorway, on either side of which loomed decorated metal braziers. She snapped her fingers in the base of one, and flames sparked to life in both, illuminating the carving of a terrible demon’s face above the entrance. Shavil folded her arms, and fixed her gaze on him again for a long moment.

“This could kill you, Okahni.” She began. “And you and I both know what that means for the clan. I can only exist because you do. I know you’re ready for this, but...” Shavil heaved a sigh. “Don’t die, okay?”

Okahni swallowed hard, and closed his eyes. He had to muster himself to actually say what he needed to. “I won’t.”

“You’ll be closed in this room, the door won’t open until the sun sets again in a night and a day. Face your trial with honor and courage, Okahni. Remember: Don’t just endure the flame. Become one with it.”

Shavil gestured for Okahni to step inside. He did so, taking a breath as he passed under the threshold, and the face of the demon guarding it.

The stone door slammed shut behind him, plunging him into darkness. One by one, flames sparked to life in the room he was standing in; It was small, just a few feet across and a ceiling so low he could barely stand. A heart-shaped face with piercing eyes and no mouth stared through him, and beyond that, the room was empty.

Okahni seated himself in the center, and waited.

It didn’t take long for the trial to begin. The temperature in the room was steadily rising, growing thick with heat and seeming to sap the strength from Okahni’s chest. It wasn’t long before it was difficult- Then nearly impossible- To breathe, and the temperature only continued to climb.

Okahni closed his eyes, pulling his focus away from his panic at the dizziness and fear of suffocation, and turning it inwards.

It was going to be a long twenty-four hours.

[goddesstrolls]

Ancestors

The Huntress, Sarina Altair. Not terribly well-known but there are accounts of her. A mutant-hunter in the Fleet when it was first formed.

The Teneborn, Shavil Taraze. Known only by title in the Garo village, she was a highly skilled warrior.

The Pyreborn or The First Flame, Nasire Forrex. An incredibly powerful pyromancer, but likely only known among mages now.

The Defender or The Stormweaver, Fallas Hyderi. Also not very well known, but some stories of him survived in Anirus' village and the surrounding area.

Phiroe Melzau. Titleless, but is quite famous for hosting a nature docuseries that was incredibly popular among wrigglers, and has hosted a number of other well-known series.

The Unseized, Akidis Mitaze. There is some account of her story in the Empire Record, but it's been twisted.

The Wrathful, Ansera Vuipes. A known killer of highbloods, though she hasn't struck in recent sweeps.

The Leviathan Horror, Defira Kaivis. Known for sinking several notable ships and evading capture, before being forced into a circus sideshow.

Cataclysm or The Awakened, Nirael Mikari. He's been thoroughly scrubbed from the Empire Record, but anyone who was alive or knows the true history of Alternia would know his name. He was an absolute terror and nearly succeeded in conquering the entire planet- But HIC beat him to it.

The Inspired, Tosiol Hasiya. Partially responsible for the idea that jadebloods should be gentle, matronly caretakers of trollkind, she is revered as a saint in many caverns.

[goddesstrolls]

What do the ancestors do?

Welp, just going down the list of all my active muses' established ancestors:

The Huntress- Sarina Altair, ancestor of Herali (Hera) Altair. Sarina was staunchly pro-Fleet and hunted mutants on the Empire's behalf. Her final mark was The Wrathful.

The Teneborn- Shavil Taraze, ancestor of Okahni Taraze. The Teneborn was an exemplar Garo warrior who developed her own unique fighting style (as opposed to the Garo's traditional methods), aspects of which were incorporated into the Garo's general warrior training.

The Pyreborn, or The First Flame- Nasire Forrex, ancestor of Darric Forrex. He borders on a deity of balance (Such as Wildking and [REDACTED], or Ruin) and exemplifies the aspect of fire. One of the first mages of an elemental aspect.

Currently titleless, she'll get one eventually; But Variza Chibar is Aki's ancestor.

The Defender, or The Stormweaver- Fallas Hyderi, ancestor of Anirus (Ani) Hyderi. He founded and defended a small, tropical village near the sea.

The Champion- Rinkai Caukal, ancestor of Silans Caukal is a work in progress.

Rasira Larrum, or Raz, is an anomaly in that he is first and last in his line; While titleless and obviously with no descendants, his age merits being listed here.

The Wrathful- Ansera Vuipes, ancestor of Zarali Pharos, is a mutant who hunts slave-owners and mutant-killers.

Phiroe Melzau, ancestor of Ankiro Melzau, is currently titleless. The Melzau lineage is unusually closely-spaced, with ancestors and descendants often being less than a few hundred sweeps apart. Phiroe is well-known for hosting a wriggler's nature docuseries that aired about 10 sweeps prior.

The Bloodfey- Marzic Monair, with no current descendants. He is a monster hunter who was cursed with vampirism, though the curse was recently broken.

The Unseized- Akidis Mitaze, ancestor of Pheira Mitaze and Suhari (Paznic) Mitaze. She was the high priestess and leader of an ancient city-state which weathered many wars surrounding it, but eventually fell to Cataclysm.

The Deserter, or Stormward Moderator- Maerin Skargo, ancestor of Narisi (Nari) Skargo. He oversaw an early Fleet branch and was forced to flee when he tried to uncover corruption amongst his superiors.

The Leviathan Horror- Defira Kaivis, ancestor of Nebale Kaivis. A deep-seadweller whose abyssal settlement was unwittingly destroyed by surface-dwellers. In retaliation, he began sinking ships; Eventually he was caught and put on display in a circus.

Cataclysm, or The Awakened- Nirael Mikari, ancestor of Kairos Mikari and Ramira (Mira) Mikari. A conqueror in his time who nearly succeeded in taking hold of the entire planet, if not for Her Imperatorial Conqueration and the rise of the Empire.