Jade_Tarem
2020-09-10, 11:40 PM
For the entirety of the False dawn, the people of Clann Solais, the Children of Light, had wondered what lay beyond the mountains. They lived in the mountains, to be sure, but there was always a higher peak to the south and west, always a blocked pass, always a part that was too cold, too high, too airless. They'd told stories of what lay beyond, of fertile fields and gardens, lush plains and shores, and all manner of fantastic creatures. But no matter how many imaginations were sparked, visiting had always been a pipe dream - until now. Rauri had ventured far and wide, and finally, finally reached a point where the mountains receded into a truly expansive pass. Far to the southeast she had seen more mountains still, but for the first time in her people's memory she got to see what lay beyond.
And it was beautiful, though not quite so fantastic as the stories held. There was somewhat less of it than she'd imagined, since it seemed that a coastline had the sea pacing its mountains in a tremendous arc, but there was still a substantial amount of land to travel. It was gorgeous, more temperate than Star's End, with creatures and plants she'd never seen before - similar to home, but not quite the same. Some of the fruits were downright exotic, and she'd made herself sick gorging on one before she could stop herself.
The most shocking discovery of all, though, was that she hadn't gotten there first. Not even close, in fact. In all the generations of campfire stories, not once had it occurred to the Children that someone else might live on the other side of the mountains. In hindsight it seemed obvious, but it was the kind of hindsight only available from the years since the end of the False Dawn. Even now, Rauri suspected that many of her kin didn't understand how big the world was. She had explored for four or five Star's Ends in any direction and there was no end of new land in sight, to say nothing of the many cultures she'd met at the gathering right after the Phoenix made its appearance. She hadn't even found all of them yet.
Still, no one had attacked her at that meeting, which gave her hope that these people were friendly. They looked familiar - and it was entirely possible that they'd been represented at the same meeting that had put her in touch with the Dannu-Gaon and Hiverness. So it was that she approached the largest settlement she could find, openly, and waited to be noticed as was custom among the Clan of the Wind.
And it was beautiful, though not quite so fantastic as the stories held. There was somewhat less of it than she'd imagined, since it seemed that a coastline had the sea pacing its mountains in a tremendous arc, but there was still a substantial amount of land to travel. It was gorgeous, more temperate than Star's End, with creatures and plants she'd never seen before - similar to home, but not quite the same. Some of the fruits were downright exotic, and she'd made herself sick gorging on one before she could stop herself.
The most shocking discovery of all, though, was that she hadn't gotten there first. Not even close, in fact. In all the generations of campfire stories, not once had it occurred to the Children that someone else might live on the other side of the mountains. In hindsight it seemed obvious, but it was the kind of hindsight only available from the years since the end of the False Dawn. Even now, Rauri suspected that many of her kin didn't understand how big the world was. She had explored for four or five Star's Ends in any direction and there was no end of new land in sight, to say nothing of the many cultures she'd met at the gathering right after the Phoenix made its appearance. She hadn't even found all of them yet.
Still, no one had attacked her at that meeting, which gave her hope that these people were friendly. They looked familiar - and it was entirely possible that they'd been represented at the same meeting that had put her in touch with the Dannu-Gaon and Hiverness. So it was that she approached the largest settlement she could find, openly, and waited to be noticed as was custom among the Clan of the Wind.