Tahi-shei Deimos had spread the word about this little event far and wide within the caves in the past few days. There were still a few Gembound he hadn't gotten the chance to talk to (Giggle, for example, who he just seemed to keep missing when he stopped by Canis, or Madhukar, who not even the Voidcrawlers had seen) and he was wary of his chances, but he was hoping that some of those he'd recruited thus far had spread the rumor. He was expecting a rather large turnout -- in fact, he was halfway expecting that one of the infected might turn up, and he'd been pacing the perimeter of the Forum for about twenty minutes now, altered to every slight shift of fungus and spore in the room. He'd spied a suspicious-looking rabbit earlier, but it had skittered away before he could get a close enough look to decide if the infection was caused by something else or not.

He drew in a deep breath to steady himself, shaking his head slightly. He paced around the outside of the Forum one last time before moving to stand near the entrance, waiting patiently to greet his guests. He was standing with his head tall, looking around over Orion calmly despite the barely-noticeable film covering his eyes. He hadn't even noticed his fading vision yet, though someone who hadn't seen him in quite some time might have been able to pick out the difference.

The crown sat proudly atop his head, though it wasn't as though he could remove it. One way or another, though, he was waiting. Hopefully, he'd have a largish turnout, and hopefully he could teach those receptive to learning. For now though, he was confident in the fact that no Mother-infected creature would be able to pass him undetected. For now, he would wait at the door and greet those who entered one by one. Mostly so that he could keep a tally of how many Gembound actually showed up.

Welcome to the Orion training thread! This is OPEN to anyone who wishes to learn the spells Gray Sense or Fungal Wake (keep in mind that you will have to purchase the spells yourself), but specifically this is for those interested in the War Prince plot. I've tagged those who I know already want to be involved, though in the case of overlapping characters, I've only tagged you once. The more the merrier!

Tahi-shei is happy to explain the whole plan to anyone who's out of the loop. No posting order; I will post again on Thanksgiving Day, a little more than a week from now. The thread will remain open to all throughout the entire process, though you're more than welcome to make offshoot thread where your character and one or two others go off from the group to practice or discuss.


@charon (james, arwen, carta) @temperantia @attikias @pride (giggle?) @twisted (binh?) @azrael (regalia?)

James had flown in a while ago, eager to support Tahi-shei. He slowly walked up to him and stood still, mane blowing in the gentle breeze. He breathed in and then out, eyes down.

"I mentioned to Pride once that I'd like to become a teacher," he mused, "Though... I didn't know I'd be preparing people for this."

His tail swished back and forth, his eyes down, ears perked forward. After a moment he turned to look at Tahi, eyes drifting, not-so-subtly checking him out a bit. His eyes lingered on the crown for only a moment before he sighed again, huffing.

"So, Mister Deimos," James said softly, laughing just a bit, eyes twinkling, "Who do you think will show up?"

Pride maybe? Some dragons? He was excited to see who would join this group. Hopefully not Comet or Peggy. He wouldn't dare risk their lives. If they did come he'd personally train them before escorting them right back home. Better to be prepared in case they failed, but they wouldn't be fighting in any war if he had a say in it.

Shaking his head, James stamped a foot and focused on the task at hand. Training.

James offers to train people as well! I might set up a off-shoot thread for a basic training/discussion thread if others would like one.

The Queen of Lies arrived soon enough, her curly hair pulled back and tied with twine, knotted and tied in a pretty bow with a flower stuck in it too. She wore her tooth necklace (Tahi's tooth carved into a crown, courtesy of his title), but aside from that, she had a rather plain appearance, though that was to change during her next molt.

She stopped before the two hooved creatures, looking back and forth, admiring the two. What a pair... a grand Fungal Prince with a crown to die for, with soft fur and a wreath of antlers, and a horse with mighty wings and feathers, so colorful and beautiful. An Arcane Prince.

"Is this your boyfriend?", the Queen asked bluntly, blinking innocently under her mask, "If not, my sincerest apologies, you two just look... beautiful together."

She plucked a feather from James' chest, ignoring him as he spooked, peering at it curiously, "They're stiffer than a bird's... probably to carry more weight. How marvelous~!!"

She was delighted at the fact that James was getting more and more flustered the more compliments she threw at him. Excellent~!

Carja was so excited that she'd barely let Attikias get strapped in before launching herself into the trees of Eridanus to make her way as fast as possible here, wanting to show off and to use her new saddle.

She couldn't help but let out a roar as they approached, wings beating the air as she circled and prepared to land, careful not to step on anyone as her paws touched down, her body lowering and her wings folding in. She shook out her head and snorted, smoke wafting upwards, her three pairs of eyes trained on the deer, then the entrance. She'd have to fly around and inside again.

"Hullo!", she said cheerily, lowering herself to her belly so that Attikias could dismount, her tail lashing behind her excitedly, "I'm Carja, hi James!!"

She waved at him enthusiastically and grinned, looking around at the others arriving curiously. What a nice crowd! A bug lady, her friend James, a deer, and of course, Attikias! She was so happy to be here! So many people- so many friends!!!

"This is great!", she said to Attikias, giggling softly to herself, "I forgot what we're doing here though-"

@Attikias

Pride came in quietly, offering a brief dip of his head in acknowledgment to each one there. Some he recognized; some he did not. The sweep of his silvered tines was followed by a murmured "Greetings," and then silence.

He'd wait to be acknowledged, rather than interrupt the slowly-swelling ranks of those attending; he was sure he'd be one of the rank and file here, and was curious to see what everyone would do. How they'd interact. Who they were... and why each of them had joined, and what they'd trained so far.

Despite test flights (and probably a couple of near-falls), Attikias had still found the sensation of flight purely exhilarating. He loved it. A chance meeting had turned into quite the partnership over the past few days, and Attikias had learned to lean as Carja did, following her motions in flight and naturalizing himself to it.

He ducked into her just a little at her roar, surprised by it but laughing anyways. You wouldn't think they'd be going to a battle training- Attikias's tail whipped from the wind and excitement. All those anxieties he placed on her wiped away up here, and nothing could touch them from so high up.

Eventually, all good things had to come to an end, unfortunately. He sighed as she laid down for him and he slid off, stepping wide- he was still getting used to holding his legs like that. At least the saddle helped and kept the both of them comfortable.

His armor gleamed minutely in the dim lights of Orion. His hands still hadn't lost their tinge- maybe he'd just... Need to give it time. It still concerned him, but at least, maybe, his hands were tougher? He hadn't tested that one yet.

Turning about before Carja could straighten up, Attikias unlatched a few of his effects. He'd tried not to bring much- just his metal spear, his bow, and a quiver full of a sheaf of arrows. The arrows weren't perfect- they didn't fly straight, not yet but they were still tipped with various gemstones compressed through his magic to create strong tips.

These swung over his back, over the knife and empty bag at his left and the thin blade at his right, the maximum he'd trusted himself to carry on Carja. Weighing her down weighed on his mind. Still, she flew just fine, and Attik smiled as he patted her shoulder. "I'm Attikias," he greeted, looking to James that Carja had spoken to. Might as well make friends of his firends, right?

He nodded to Tahi-shei once Carja was looking to him. "Training- that's Tahi-shei, that I told you about." The ribbon on his tail drifted through the air as he swayed it in thought, watching the others come in with his hand still on Carja's shoulder. He was quiet, watching- but he saw Pride, and seemed to brighten just a bit more.

"Pride! Good to see you," he greeted, dipping his head. After his greeting, he turned to Tahi, pulling out the sword with his other hand. "I didn't bring much- but, I can still train in blocking and stuff, too, if it comes to it."

He was glad to be of just any use. If all he was going to do here was learn some spells, then he'd be happy.

Plus, he did get to have a free flight with his friend.

Attikias will be available to create an off-shoot thread as well, in order to teach about physical combat.

Pallas had only heard snippets about this training exercise- or, he only retained a little bit of it. He didn’t remember where he heard it front, if someone had told him, if he’d had the thought of following someone- but he knew it involved Mother.

He had been looking for her. There was time when he had been idle, pacing about his destroyed home and contemplating returning to her. Even if he lacked individuality in her grasp, she was a home, a warm embrace that gave him purpose.

Without her, he was stagnant.

Partway through Orion, Pallas shut his eyes, sighing gently as he reminisced. Yes, there were problems with her. Aligning himself with her would destroy him, as she wished to corrupt the caves. But was it corruption, if they would all be pleased under her? His tail swayed with unease, head turning to the side.

If he joined this revolution, he would be able to find her. To be with her again. To save her from whatever they had planned.

The linsang’s claws flexed before he continued padding on, weaving into the Forum behind another form. He couldn’t let them know his plans- if he was even formulating any good ones, anyways. He could team up with those in Mother’s embrace. There was an opportunity to be an inside agent, as he didn’t carry Mother yet- would he carry her? It would be best. The feeling he had under her came to the forefront of his mind, the warmth and adoration only she and his family gave him. He drew in a deep breath again.

Right. The meeting. He trotted down the steps, his tail-tip twitching with anxiety as he took in everyone else around him. Wasn’t that deer at the destruction of his home? Unpleasant thoughts formed inside of him as he stewed, expressionless as he stared at Pride, tail twitching just a bit more.

No. They shouldn’t give reason to suspect anything. Shaking his head, Pallas huffed and looked up, watching for others coming in. Wasn’t this some training for magic..? Would he have to learn it? Pallas’s jaw worked as he ruminated, uncomfortable with the thought of casting things against those under Mother, much less casting at all. Perhaps he could find an excuse here to simply take in the information and join whatever war band they were creating.

For Mother.

CHARON

the very mountains whisper your name

Charon had finally arrived, his head hanging low, his spirit dampened. He wasn't meant to be alone, but with his family missing, he'd had no choice. But he wasn't expecting to see her here.

"Carja?", he asked, those horns unmistakable, the set of six eyes recognizable even from afar. Despite those painted scales... he knew his niece.

Waddling forward as fast as he could, the younger dragon thrust himself into Carja's side, seeking warmth, comfort, everything he'd been missing for so long. Carja was here. And it was going to be okay because now he had someone to protect.

"I'm here to train," he rumbled, eyeing what was on her back, "What is that? It's... weird. Smells weird."

Madhukar had heard.

Not from anybody she had known. Not from anybody she had been purposefully avoiding.

They had called him the "Fungal Prince". Madhukar had held it in at the time, but the moment she was confident none could hear, she had had a fit of laughter at that. Well, laughter, accompanied by some other things. Breathing had been hard in that moment. Moving had been hard in that moment. Everything had been hard... but only in that moment.

Now Madhukar was in the next moment, dressed as finely as she could manage. Which was actually much finer than usual. She couldn't spare a single thing out of place, couldn't stand the thought of leaving one clue about her identity due to her appearance. It was almost completely perfect.

That gave her the confidence to come sooner than she might have planned. Which was actually closer to "late". Fashionably late.

All that confidence got flung out the window the second Madhukar saw his face though.

He was at the entrance. GREETING NEWCOMERS.

Crap.

Madhukar tried her darndest to lie, lie, lie until she was someone entirely different, someone entirely new. She lied in her demeanor -- focused on keeping her bipedal balance, even if she felt way, way too shaky while doing so. She changed the pace of her stride -- slowed it, to look less rushed, hopefully less suspicious. She breathed in and out so deeply it almost hurt. Finally, when she came to the door, she didn't waste her breath by trying to speak. Madhukar simply nodded, wordlessly, right at Tahi-shei's face, and attempted to continue, praying that that was good enough.

Somehow this felt scarier than her trial. Somehow her heart was pounding like an earthquake, her swirling was flowing like a tsunami, her head was throwing thoughts around like a cyclone. WARNING, WARNING, PLEASE EVACUATE. Sans the professionalism that most natural disaster warnings have. Replace that detachedness with desperation.

Madhukar had been out of his presence for so long. It used to be refreshing, like putting your feet in a pool in the middle of Summer. Stepping back into it again, especially now when she was like THIS felt like going from the Winter snow into a jacuzzi. The fear and the panic was biting her flesh, tearing her to little bits. And the worst part: she couldn't let any of it show. Not a peep.

Her eyes felt wild with a flame Madhukar rarely ever felt and never understood. It wasn't the fires of ambition, or determination, or conviction. It was the opposite of all of those things, perhaps the opposite of fire itself. So perfect in its diametric opposition that it felt exactly the same.

Behind that rough-cut wooden mask, strapped to Madhukar's face with a vine, a storm was brewing in those light green eyes and the rain drops where falling from the tear ducts.

Think "Speak"

Madhukar is here to have an absolutely terrible time learn & possibly join the effort.

Well, here came the Cat.

Sleek black paws. Cream, slightly ruffled fur. Eyes clear. Broken tail swishing nonchalantly above her frame. To an outside observer Twisted looked like she was just going to an evening appointment, not a rally towards war. But hey, she liked war. Fighting. It entertained her long enough to forget how truly bored and alone she was.

The air here was different. Chillier, mellower, a bit less of that magical Polaris tang the cat was used to. Motes of dust drifted through the air. Instead of towering crystals the landscape was dominated by crumbling buildings, strange stone artifacts, and the occasional lone tree. It reminded her quite a lot of her home tunnel, just bigger and filled with more footsteps. It wasn't really Twisted's style. Too... tamed. Not enough free space, with everything being crowded up with towers and all. But hey, all she was here for was some training so it was no big deal. Not like she cared much about the landscape to begin with.

Her pawsteps led down a worn stone trail, ending at a strange, circular building that towered over the feline. Many other gembound were here: large and small, bipedal and quadruped, prey and predator. All looking at the Fungal Prince, waiting by the door. All so awfully... friendly with one another. But, once again, she didn't care that much. The stray just scratched at her side a bit, shook off a fly and settled down far from the crowd.

Her emerald eyes glanced around the crowd. One gembound was a bit... puzzling, to say the least, dressed up in all sorts of inorganic materials as they hunched on two legs. But the Cat was too apathetic to notice her old childhood rival, especially not with that garb.