sometimes you can't make it

[modforged]

Who: Alexstrasza, Krasus/Korialstrasz, and the Redsworn
What: Successful retreat into the Ruby Sanctum
Where: Ruby Sanctum
When: After a long, grueling battle near the borders of Suramar
Warnings: Please PM the mods if any warnings are needed

[The Ruby Sanctum is a flurry of activity. This becomes clear within two seconds of stepping through the portal. The wounded are guided over to a grassy clearing surrounded by saplings and adolescent trees, bade to lay down and receive healing from other dragonkin. Some of the trees are years old, while a few look to have shot up recently. If you watch, vines engulf one fallen warrior; the body sinks into the ground, and a tiny sapling appears in its place.

Despite the war going on outside, the sanctum is less of a cavern and more like a self-contained dimension. Ample sunlight drifts down through scarlet leaves, which are occasionally home to the crimson scales of a whelpling. There is life everywhere: insects on twigs, birds chirping overhead, flowers at your feet. Dragon eggs lay nestled in the nooks and crannies offered by the tranquil forest. There is a decently-sized spring filled with fresh, pure water, as well as some small rocky outcroppings to sleep in. It's warm and comfortable enough to rest out in the open, too.

The cloaked and ever-mysterious Krasus stands watching the dispersing redsworn, his back against the massive oak in the center of the sanctum.

Occasionally, one may glimpse a beautiful red-haired woman with copper skin winding through the copse.]

[ooc: Mingle log for redsworn!]

Comments

[lifeforged]

[ The talk of politics is something she's not ready to share with a newcomer yet, but there's no way to dismiss the topic without coming off as rude. ]

Not for now. [ That's as polite as a dismissal as she can muster. ]

Amane, there is not much we can do between ourselves while those demons roam free. That battle must be conquered first for everyone's sake.

[seesbosscrotch]

[Oh boy, a question he can answer! Mar folds his hands behind his back.]

Ages ago, when the Titans left Azeroth, they chose the five dragonflights as their stewards to protect Kalimdor, and bequeathed upon them a portion of the Titan's power. That created the five Aspects. Alexstraza, the Life-Binder, is the Dragon Queen and leader of the Red flight, whose sanctum we're now in.

[No matter the zeal with which he serves as a Blood Knight, the truth is he had trained to be a scholar and historian much longer.]

[seesbosscrotch]

She was still an Aspect, here. Of course she didn't remember him -- she no longer was one in the Azeroth he knew. Remembering that made everything much clearer.

"There's nothing to remember. Our meetings were in my past but your future, I'm sure of it. Looks like someone broke time again..." He sighed, glancing around as if he expected some of the random people standing around to suddenly cast aside their concealing illusions and reveal themselves to be members of the Infinite. "If you tell me what is going on, I can perhaps at least figure out when I am."

[guerriera]

[ Gaze sharpens at the casual joke, not entirely certain he isn't telling the truth.

Then again, isn't all of this some grand temporal experiment of some kind? A brow arched back at Kaneis. ]

By all means, after you.

[guerriera]

[ Her armor had multiple functions, though one of its primary functions was certainly developed to defend her in battle. Pity the shielding was null and void without her helmet to monitor and control it.

Vegeta's approach was noted, but she doesn't turn until she's finished wiping now-bare hands on one of the cloths she borrowed. ]

Make it 'worlds', and you'd be on the right track.

[guerriera]

The light tread was appreciated. Attempting deliberate silence would have set her nerves further on edge, even with the somewhat relaxed atmosphere within the sanctum. Carolina had just finished eashing her face when the question was asked, and though she froze, did not allow any further outward sign of unease. At least, she hoped she wasn't. She still felt out of sorts here.

"No." ..A little abrupt. She cleared her throat, wiping her face quickly with one of the cloths before turning to face the stranger. "Thanks. But I don't need any...thing.." Her voice trailed off, and Carolina stared. Though she'd met the draenei Vastania, this woman's horns weren't remotely draenei-like.

It would occur to her later to apologise for staring so, but in Carolina's defense, it's been a really long day.

[mortalforged]

[He could've used dragon telepathy but oops.]

I believe so. Draenei are the disciples of the Naaru-- beings of pure light. I would not have chosen her otherwise.

[Future knowledge comes in handy once again.]

[guerriera]

"How were you doing that?"

Once flat out on his back, Bariyan would likely note the heavy mag boots first, the primary aqua colour of the suit bright against matt black. There was a hint of puzzlement in Carolina's voice, both her brows furrowed together - it wasn't clear how long she'd been there, observing, but it was clearly long enough to see the flickering of light.

[bloodpainter]

"She really did! Pounce was the best caretaker a troll could ask for."

Nepeta didn't seem aware that Alexstrasza was at all nervous about her, simply smiling giddily at the memory of her mother-figure. Certainly in her mind there was no reason for concern.

She shrugged at the question. "Well, of course I do, but we all have to move on sometime. You can't stay a wriggler furever. I just hope she'd be purroud of me."

That, however, was about as far into that subject as she was willing to delve with a stranger. Time to change the topic, and maybe get some questions answered. "So... can you tell me why we were brought here? I mean... I could tell you could use some help against those... monsters, but I don't think any of us could take a whole army on. I'm not really sure what we can do to help."

The question of why she should help went unasked because she'd already answered it for herself. Those monstrosities rampaging through her afterlife as they seemed to be right before she was whisked away if she remembered correctly, was something she didn't really want to consider.

[bloodpainter]

"That's the spurrit! We made a diffurence out there, and maybe it'll help turn things around!"

Nepeta wasn't entirely certain that this was the case, given how many demons there had been and how vicious the battle had been, but she rather wanted to believe it, at least.

"And maybe we can do it again, somehow. I mean, we have to have been brought here fur a reason, right?"

[kingdomofsaints]

[That answer is okay to her, actually. She's had to deal with a fair share of... unsavory details before.]

The demons... [This really is familiar, isn't it? Trying to compete against Chaos, the War of Bel, dragging Kazuya up to Messiah status... trying to implement her own plan, while everyone fought against each other, when they still shared a common enemy with the demons.

Alignment wars.]

I see. Do we know anything about where they come from?

[kingdomofsaints]

[Alexstrasza is the Dragon Que-

WELL THEN] The five Dragonflights... Titans, like in Greek mythology... [Mumble mumble.] What are the remaining Dragonflights and their aspects?

[kingdomofsaints]

They definitely have power in numbers compared to the rest.

"Yes... we have to lend our power in stopping the demons." That's all she's really gathered, or really had imprinted in her head- fight the demons. They fight amongst each other, too, but... fight the demons.

Again, and again, and again- "...May I ask something? Did you know about the demons before arriving here, Nepeta?"

[bloodpainter]

"No, I've nefur fought demons befur. Why, have you?"

Curiosity filled her voice. Any information about how to fight them could be useful, so if Amane had experience, this would be a good chance to glean a few things.

[kingdomofsaints]

"Yes, I have... though, the demons here seem different from what I'm used to."

Demons in her world could be bought over with Macca. That's one main difference. "In my homeworld, my magic originates from the power of demons. But I doubt it's the same here."

Different demons means different ways magic flows, right? "By the way, were there demons in your world?"

[bloodpainter]

"Wait, demons were responsible fur all magic?" Granted, whether magic even existed in her world was debatable. Psionics? Sure. Strange role-and-personality-based SGRUB powers? You bet. But magic? Iffy.

"Um, no. There were no demons on Alternia. Maybe that's why we didn't have magic?" They had referred to Jack as a "demon" at times, but that was just shorthand for "super-prototyped-pissed-off-dog-man-with-a-link-to-a-sun-of-incredible-power".

It was pretty obvious why they needed a shorter term.

GOD FUCKING DAMMIT I MEANT HUMANS NOT DEMONS GG TIMPENI PRETEND THAT NEVER HAPPENED

[kingdomofsaints]

"Only in my world." Alternia, hm... not Earth. A different species in another universe? They're quite... human, though- as human-centric as a comparison like that is.

"No demons... what about humans?"

[wilder]

Alexstrasza...okay. [That name is a mouthful, but how much worse can it be than Tethe'alla and Yggdrasil really]

Are you some kind of authority figure here? People don't usually give someone multiple names unless they're important.

[wilder]

[Wow. Tough crowd]

Hah- hey! I was just joking! Jeez...

[But fine. He'll grab a small bit of meat and pop it in his mouth. See? He's not dead!]

[misterbrief]

[It's not that bad, but he'll never tell poor Zelos that!]

Tell me. Have you ever eaten the remains of a rotten corpse before?

[Oh no did you use diseased bear Zelos]

[telaari]

Vas lowers the rack of bear ribs, pondering his question. "I've never really thought about that. Dragons, though," she makes a face, like she needs a moment to find the right words. "Dragons are smart. Wicked smart, even. A mushan is maybe as smart as a talbuk at its best.

"I've seen Pandaren use them to pull carts or ploughs. If you tried to get a dragon to do that, they'd probably get offended."

[guerriera]

[ She's built up something of an immunity.

She does watch and wait as Zelos makes a point to eat a piece, that eyebrow still arched, before the faintest smile cracks at the corners of her mouth. ]

How's it taste, then?

[ Cooks always have an opinion on that sort of thing, after all. She does, however, carefuly pull free a piece of meat for herself. ]

[telaari]

Vas takes a swig from the waterskin, then offers it back to Amane. She can't be the only one here who was exhausted by the battle and, besides, it's just polite.

"Mhm. You know, when my people first came to Azeroth, we were grateful that the local wildlife wasn't incompatible with our needs. I'm too young to have run into it myself, but apparently there were a few worlds my people touched on that weren't all that good." She looks down for a moment as a grasshopper lands on her knee, and she shoos it away. "It's not Draenor, but it's a good world."

[wilder]

Uh....no?

Have you?

[telaari]

Her pointed ears are hardly for decoration. She's heard enough of this woman's conversation with Krasus to know now that she's wary of her and her unfortunate relationship with the Burning Legion. Even if she hadn't overheard "eredar", it wouldn't be difficult to follow this woman's thought process. She's seen that same look on the faces of more than a few night elves in her version of Azeroth to know what it means.

She sits up on her knees, tucking her hooves behind her and out of sight. Her tail involuntarily curls up close to her body, as if out of shame. But she still looks up, still looks this stranger in the eye. "Vastania. You may call me Vastania."