The Rose Dragon
2010-03-23, 05:50 PM
Once there was a maiden...
...who knelt before the sun.
At dawn she was on her knees
And until the dusk she stood as such.
She prayed for a better world
Until her breath ran out.
She met the sun one day,
And asked why the world suffered so still.
"To love the world is to change it," he said.
_/_/_/_/
Kalan
At the first hour of daylight you wake up in the Jasmine of Dawn, a rather luxurious teahouse in the northern end of Dawn which offers rooms to certain wealthy guests. As such, it is certainly better than one can expect from such a small town, yet it still pales compared to the manors of Ragara on the Blessed Isle. As befitting the name of the teahouse, the room is full of jasmines, giving off a slight scent of tea.
Comparing the modest luxury of the room to the splendors of the Blessed Isle, you cannot help but realize how poor Dawn truly must be, if this is the best it can offer. It is not only Dawn, either - you recall that many places you passed on your way East were just as impecunious. You, as one of the quills of Heaven, could uplift these places if you wanted to, but would you stay long enough to wait for your work to be complete? After all, before you were Exalted, you were still a patrician of the Scarlet Dynasty, so these poor villages are hardly befitting of one of your stature.
Your thoughts are interrupted as there is a weak knock on the door. "Milady," a voice you recognize as Jarem, the owner of the teahouse, asks. "Are you suitable? I wanted to ask if you would like your breakfast brought up."
_/_/_/_/
Golden Saber
After spending a day at Dawn, you come to realize that the most the village has to offer to you is manpower. Dawn is small, isolated and impoverished; it has no one that would desire to conquer it, no Fair Folk seeking to feast upon the dreams of its people and no Dynasts harassing it because it makes their egos feel bigger. Yet its people are strong and honorable as far as you can tell. You've hardly heard a complaint about the poor conditions the village is in and they endure some of the harshest situations in the Scavenger Lands. There is potential for something in Dawn, yet there is no impetus driving it anywhere.
Currently, you are in the Jasmine of Dawn, sitting at the lower levels of the teahouse. As it is only soon after daybreak, the place is quite empty and quiet, making it suitable for contemplation and peaceful partaking in infusions of aromatic leaves. Yet you are a Lightbringer, and such peace is not in your destiny. You were Exalted to be a warrior, after all, and you cannot see much reason to stay much longer in the village unless something happens soon.
A young waitress, no older than 16, approaches you soon. "Is there something you would prefer, milady? We have a variety of teas and breakfast if you desire."
_/_/_/_/
Lotus
The smithy of Dawn is quite less than ideal. Everything is contained in a very small chamber which tends to heat up quite greatly for someone used to the gentle summers of the North. The tools Gentle Wolf uses are quite worn out and you are afraid that they might break if you use them. The steel and iron you get is of low quality, and even Gentle Wolf, a skilled smith of many years, is not quite capable of forging mortal-level wonders from what little he has. These are not obstacles before the skill of a Twilight, of course, but it does much to remind you that Dawn is far from being a wealthy village.
Yet such work does wonders in grounding you to reality and the mortal condition. The people of Dawn, you came to understand, embody some of the best traits that humans have: honesty, hard work, responsibility and self-reliance. Perhaps due to the simplicity of the lives of its people, Dawn lacks most vices save for the basest ones. Yet for all the good qualities it contains, Dawn is too small to hold the greatness of the Solar Exalted as it stands. You understand that you either have to change Dawn greatly in the coming days so it is more fitting a place for heroes, or leave it behind.
_/_/_/_/
Rai
You still remember some of the glory of Yu-Shan. You remember how even the slums were filled with riches beyond mortal reach. You recall the spirits that inhabited it with all their splendor and greatness and decadence and corruption. You remember a bureaucracy broken down almost beyond repair. You remember the spiritual might the Celestial gods held and used without concern for anything but the improvement of their selves.
Dawn is everything Yu-Shan is not.
Yu-Shan is the Celestial Bureaucracy at its grandest and most complex. Dawn, on the other hand, is mortality at its simplest. Deprived from the power of even the Dragon-blooded and Terrestrial spirits, Dawn is poor, small and stagnant, but its people are a fascinating kind rarely found in Creation in the Age of Sorrows. They are true Children of the Earth, never asking for more and never falling prey to their vices. Strength of body and spirit, as well as honesty and integrity, are almost pervasive in the folk of Dawn. Yet its potential is highly constrained within the boundaries of the village, as Dawn is a very poor cradle for heroism.
These thoughts occur to you as you browse the store of Gentle Wolf, the town's blacksmith. "You know, I don't really peg you for a fighter, so you might wanna look at the other side of the store," he informs you, as you look at the assorted weaponry. They show some fine craftsmanship, though the actual quality of the products are highly limited by the materials used. "I've got some fine sculptures and jewelry you could be interested in. Not any precious metals, but they look good just the same."
_/_/_/_/
Astrum
You had arrived at Dawn seven days ago after weeks of travel, in hopes of finding a place that you could champion and protect. You dreamed of a place of mortals in need of a defender, beset by armies of Fair Folk or Terrestrials. The truth, however, has been disappointing. Dawn does not need a champion, because it is too small to be threatened by anything. Yet the people, as you get to know them, give you hope. You feel that you could turn them into something great if you tried. You have seen a virtuous life in Dawn hard to find in the rest of Creation, and a strong people. All they need, you feel, is inspiration - inspiration that one of the Golden Bulls can grant them. So, despite your initial disappointment in the situation, you chose to remain for some time yet. After all, you are a Zenith Caste. You are Exalted to bring out the greatness in others and lead them in the name of the Unconquered Sun. It doesn't matter whether you lead man in Nexus or Dawn.
As such, you stand in the small square at the center of the town, speaking to anyone who will listen. You have not yet started trying yet, but even now you have a number of people that see you as some sort of prophet. A mad one, perhaps, but insanity does not exclude being inspirational, as a small child told you yesterday. Currently, the town is mostly asleep, but if the previous days are any indication, they do not like spending more time in bed than is necessary. Soon, they will come out, and some will listen again.
Hopefully, you think, you can effect the change you feel is necessary soon.
...who knelt before the sun.
At dawn she was on her knees
And until the dusk she stood as such.
She prayed for a better world
Until her breath ran out.
She met the sun one day,
And asked why the world suffered so still.
"To love the world is to change it," he said.
_/_/_/_/
Kalan
At the first hour of daylight you wake up in the Jasmine of Dawn, a rather luxurious teahouse in the northern end of Dawn which offers rooms to certain wealthy guests. As such, it is certainly better than one can expect from such a small town, yet it still pales compared to the manors of Ragara on the Blessed Isle. As befitting the name of the teahouse, the room is full of jasmines, giving off a slight scent of tea.
Comparing the modest luxury of the room to the splendors of the Blessed Isle, you cannot help but realize how poor Dawn truly must be, if this is the best it can offer. It is not only Dawn, either - you recall that many places you passed on your way East were just as impecunious. You, as one of the quills of Heaven, could uplift these places if you wanted to, but would you stay long enough to wait for your work to be complete? After all, before you were Exalted, you were still a patrician of the Scarlet Dynasty, so these poor villages are hardly befitting of one of your stature.
Your thoughts are interrupted as there is a weak knock on the door. "Milady," a voice you recognize as Jarem, the owner of the teahouse, asks. "Are you suitable? I wanted to ask if you would like your breakfast brought up."
_/_/_/_/
Golden Saber
After spending a day at Dawn, you come to realize that the most the village has to offer to you is manpower. Dawn is small, isolated and impoverished; it has no one that would desire to conquer it, no Fair Folk seeking to feast upon the dreams of its people and no Dynasts harassing it because it makes their egos feel bigger. Yet its people are strong and honorable as far as you can tell. You've hardly heard a complaint about the poor conditions the village is in and they endure some of the harshest situations in the Scavenger Lands. There is potential for something in Dawn, yet there is no impetus driving it anywhere.
Currently, you are in the Jasmine of Dawn, sitting at the lower levels of the teahouse. As it is only soon after daybreak, the place is quite empty and quiet, making it suitable for contemplation and peaceful partaking in infusions of aromatic leaves. Yet you are a Lightbringer, and such peace is not in your destiny. You were Exalted to be a warrior, after all, and you cannot see much reason to stay much longer in the village unless something happens soon.
A young waitress, no older than 16, approaches you soon. "Is there something you would prefer, milady? We have a variety of teas and breakfast if you desire."
_/_/_/_/
Lotus
The smithy of Dawn is quite less than ideal. Everything is contained in a very small chamber which tends to heat up quite greatly for someone used to the gentle summers of the North. The tools Gentle Wolf uses are quite worn out and you are afraid that they might break if you use them. The steel and iron you get is of low quality, and even Gentle Wolf, a skilled smith of many years, is not quite capable of forging mortal-level wonders from what little he has. These are not obstacles before the skill of a Twilight, of course, but it does much to remind you that Dawn is far from being a wealthy village.
Yet such work does wonders in grounding you to reality and the mortal condition. The people of Dawn, you came to understand, embody some of the best traits that humans have: honesty, hard work, responsibility and self-reliance. Perhaps due to the simplicity of the lives of its people, Dawn lacks most vices save for the basest ones. Yet for all the good qualities it contains, Dawn is too small to hold the greatness of the Solar Exalted as it stands. You understand that you either have to change Dawn greatly in the coming days so it is more fitting a place for heroes, or leave it behind.
_/_/_/_/
Rai
You still remember some of the glory of Yu-Shan. You remember how even the slums were filled with riches beyond mortal reach. You recall the spirits that inhabited it with all their splendor and greatness and decadence and corruption. You remember a bureaucracy broken down almost beyond repair. You remember the spiritual might the Celestial gods held and used without concern for anything but the improvement of their selves.
Dawn is everything Yu-Shan is not.
Yu-Shan is the Celestial Bureaucracy at its grandest and most complex. Dawn, on the other hand, is mortality at its simplest. Deprived from the power of even the Dragon-blooded and Terrestrial spirits, Dawn is poor, small and stagnant, but its people are a fascinating kind rarely found in Creation in the Age of Sorrows. They are true Children of the Earth, never asking for more and never falling prey to their vices. Strength of body and spirit, as well as honesty and integrity, are almost pervasive in the folk of Dawn. Yet its potential is highly constrained within the boundaries of the village, as Dawn is a very poor cradle for heroism.
These thoughts occur to you as you browse the store of Gentle Wolf, the town's blacksmith. "You know, I don't really peg you for a fighter, so you might wanna look at the other side of the store," he informs you, as you look at the assorted weaponry. They show some fine craftsmanship, though the actual quality of the products are highly limited by the materials used. "I've got some fine sculptures and jewelry you could be interested in. Not any precious metals, but they look good just the same."
_/_/_/_/
Astrum
You had arrived at Dawn seven days ago after weeks of travel, in hopes of finding a place that you could champion and protect. You dreamed of a place of mortals in need of a defender, beset by armies of Fair Folk or Terrestrials. The truth, however, has been disappointing. Dawn does not need a champion, because it is too small to be threatened by anything. Yet the people, as you get to know them, give you hope. You feel that you could turn them into something great if you tried. You have seen a virtuous life in Dawn hard to find in the rest of Creation, and a strong people. All they need, you feel, is inspiration - inspiration that one of the Golden Bulls can grant them. So, despite your initial disappointment in the situation, you chose to remain for some time yet. After all, you are a Zenith Caste. You are Exalted to bring out the greatness in others and lead them in the name of the Unconquered Sun. It doesn't matter whether you lead man in Nexus or Dawn.
As such, you stand in the small square at the center of the town, speaking to anyone who will listen. You have not yet started trying yet, but even now you have a number of people that see you as some sort of prophet. A mad one, perhaps, but insanity does not exclude being inspirational, as a small child told you yesterday. Currently, the town is mostly asleep, but if the previous days are any indication, they do not like spending more time in bed than is necessary. Soon, they will come out, and some will listen again.
Hopefully, you think, you can effect the change you feel is necessary soon.