Year of the Ram – Fourth Entry
Much time has passed since my last entry. My lord has
been wrestling with telling me about his brother's past for quite
some time, but in the end, I am most thankful that he has decided to
reveal to me the origins of Ghast, and many other secrets as well. I
was wrong to ever doubt that my lord had faith in me, however, what
he has told me weighs heavily. Such truths can drag down one's soul
and become a burden. I only hope that such information will one day
be of use to no one, and as such, I could be relieved of carrying
such a responsibility. My lord has made me swear to never reveal what
he has told me about Ghast and what happened over the remainder of
that fateful night. I have been tasked with composing the events to
paper with pen so that future generations may understand the
machinations of my lord's plan for the future of Ferus Mundus. My
lord fears that many Primerans will question his rise to power and
wishes for there to be evidence as to the reasoning of his methods. I
am to guard these written works of mine with my life and to ensure
that they never fall into the wrong hands. This, is a vow that I have
sealed with my own blood, a pact to ensure that I pay the ultimate
price should these documents be destroyed or taken by an enemy.
Now, to reveal the truth. My lord decided to accept
Wraith's offer and began to tell the story of Ghast's conception and
the origin of his quest for vengence. As you may know, my lord's
father was Agrond, a dragon clansman who was held in great esteem not
only among his fellow clansman, but with all Primerans. Our story
begins over five hundred years ago, during the final days of when
Primerans inhabited Earth. Agrond had recently concluded a series of
bloody wars in an unknown Earth country. He had been aiding a man
with whom he became close friends with over the course of these
violent conflicts. Agrond had pledged his loyalty to this man, but
when his dear friend had become the country's ruler, and all was
well, Agrond bid his farewell. Before he left Earth with the
remainder of his Primeran brothers, Agrond used a strand of silk
produced by Primeran spiders to link his life force with that of his
dear friend to ensure that his companion could live to see his
kingdom flourish and thrive for far longer than any human ever could.
With that, Agrond returned to the Primeran homeland of Ferus Mundus,
but his return was not a pleasant one, for the return of the dragons
renewed old prejudices that were not so easily forgotten by the rest
of the Primeran world.
For those of you who may not understand, dragons have
been met with a great deal of persecution for almost as long as they
have existed. Legends say that thousands of years ago, during the
great feudal era when Primeran clans violently went to war with one
another, dragons were treated as abominations and monsters - ,onsters
know to most Primerans as Chimeras. You see, Primerans are naturally
accustomed to seeing similarity in their own clans as well as in
others. Dragons, however, differ greatly in appearance from one
another, which in turn causes many Primerans to believe that Dragons
are created through a process of siring children with Primerans from
other clans, a well known Primeran taboo. Such an act is believed to
create creatures known as Chimeras, horrible and hideous creatures
composed of traits from several “pure” bloodlines that lack
reasoning and any sense of self awareness. The truth of the matter is
that the dragons are the oldest of all the Primeran clans and can
trace their lineage back the an age when Ferus Mundus was dominated
by ancient gods that freely sired offspring with one another. It was
not until the rise of the second generation of Primeran gods, and the
new clans they created from their own flesh, that dragons began to
diminish in number as their ancestors and progenitors were slain by
these new entities and their offspring. But as the new clans rose in
number, they looked upon the dragons' diversity and became confused,
as such, they also became fearful and lashed out upon the dragons,
eventually casting the majority of them out of Ferus Mundus to the
realm of Earth. For thousands of years, the majority of the dragons
lived on Earth and became an integral part of human culture and
legend.
Thousands of years past, and eventually, all Primerans,
including the dragons, were summoned back to the homeland of Ferus
Mundus, for human's had begun to change their lives in ways that
displeased them. Humanity favored an easy life, one that could be
granted with power of a magic called “science,” something
Primerans could not understand, for the thrill that came from the act
of surviving was the spice of life for them. In the time of the
dragon's absence from Ferus Mundus, ten of the strongest clans chose
leaders to represent them and banded together in what would become
called the Zodiac Ministry. The Ministry constructed a massive city
where their respective clans cold live together, a city now known as
Pandemonium. Over the years, the ministry saw the changes taking
place on Earth and issued a summons for Primerans to return to their
homeland, including the dragons, whom they claimed had been treated
unjustly in the past. So it was that Primerans left Earth in the
hopes that the Zodiac Ministry would lead them to a new era free from
conflict, and in the eyes of the dragons, free of persecution.
Upon their return, dragons, as well any any other
Primerans, whose clan were not represented by the Zodiac Ministry,
were not immediately welcomed to join Pandemonium as they had hoped.
Instead, they were asked to prove themselves of worth and value to
the ministry with the promise that if they could do so, the ministry
would would choose a single exemplary Primeran from such a clan to
join the other members of the Ministry. Agrond, who was born on
Earth, had a desire to see his people as content and happy as his
dear friend's. Agrond united his people under his banner and began a
century's worth of good deeds across Ferus Mundus. It was Agrond's
hope that his bravery, kindness, and passion would encourage the
Zodiac Ministry to annex his people into their city, which Agrond saw
as a place of equality. After many years, Agrond's dream eventually
became a reality, for he was chosen to represent his people as the
newest addition to the Zodiac Ministry, but ultimately, despite the
decades of servitude to Ferus Mundus and its people, the citizens of
Pandemonium would not let go of their archaic notions towards the
dragons.
Each member of the Zodiac Ministry governs a particular
aspect of Pandemonium's inner workings, Agrond and his dragons were
assigned to act as body guards to the ministry's members and ensure
the safety of all who lived and worked in the palace where the
ministry and their servants resided. In a few short years, Agrond
approached his fellow ministry members and asked for the opportunity
to lead an expedition into the foreign territories to not only
befriend clans not represented by the ministry, but to also hopefully
convince others of the dragons' conviction to serving the whole of
Ferus Mundus. The ministry did not hesitate to release Agrond from
his duties so that he may embark on his expedition, a fact that
puzzled him and made him question why they would be so willing to
allow him, their primary protector and most skilled warrior, to
leave. Hearing that Argond was to leave on a mission to approach
other clans beyond the walls of Pandemonium, the only daughter to the
leader of the Rat Clan, a Zodiac Minister, approached Agrond and
asked to join him on his quest. Her name was Shakti, and she had
never been beyond the walls of Pandemonium. Though her father was
hesitant, the remaining members of the ministry believed that her
presence at Agrond's side would display a sense of validity to their
promise of equality.
During their many years together attempting to pursued
other clans to approach the Zodiac Ministry, Agrond and Shakti grew
close to one another, so close in fact that they grew fearful of what
their feelings would lead to. But try as they might, they could not
stay away from one another, nor could they deny what burned in each
of them. They cared not for the old tales that warned of such a
pairing and pursued their feelings for one another passionately and
lovingly. Ultimately, Shakti admitted to Agrond that her greatest
desire was to sire a child of her own, but such a common thing was
lost to her, as she was sired into the world without such an ability.
Agrond approached his beloved and offered her the chance to sire a
child with him as the father, believing that he would find a way to
give her the child she always wanted. Agrond's declaration is
something that I believe must be explained for those that may not
understand. Primerans are not born from the same means as our lesser
Earth counterparts. In truth, there are two ways in which a Primeran
child may enter this world. First, a Primeran that is over one
hundred years of age will have the ability to sire a child alone at
the cost of one fifth of their remaining life expectancy. The
Primeran will enter a state in which the body takes on a glowing
translucent appearance and then produce an infant from their own
flesh. This child will grow to maturity in approximately eighteen to
twenty years and will physically resemble their sire completely.
Alternatively, a male and female Primeran may enter the same state
noted prior and sire a child together that contains traits from both
parent. These children are considered to be far stronger as they
contain traits from two sources rather than one. Additionally, such a
process does not diminish the life of either parent.
As they continued their journey, Agrond and Shakti were
introduced to a shadowy figure the guards had apprehended on the road
leading to their position. Agrond asked his guards to stand down and
inquired who the strange creature was and what was his intention. The
creature informed Agrond that it was a Primeran that he would not be
unaware of, a ghost. The ghost introduced himself as Wraith, and came
to present Agrond and Shakti with an offer on behalf of his master.
Agrond demanded that Wraith explain what his offer was and whom was
this master of his. Wraith calmly explained that his master has heard
of Agrond's quest to bring more clans into the city of Pandemonium,
and that he wishes for his master's clan to join. Agrond informed
Wraith that his lord must win favor with the Zodiac Ministry members
in order to join, to which Wraith replied that his master was fully
aware of. Wraith's master wished to provide a service to Agrond and
win his favor first in the hopes that he would speak well of him.
Agrond cautiously asked what service this Primeran wished to bestow.
Wraith's response was again clear, concise, and pleased Agrond
greatly. “In exchange for your blessing to join, my lord will heal
your companion so that she may sire a child. Now, does that not sound
fair?”
Wraith lead both Agrond and Shakti to a tribe of wolves
that had gathered together in only recent years. Wolves were
considered mostly solitary, existing in small roaming bands of five
to ten. But never did Agrond or Shakti hope to see so many of them
gathered in one place, much less united under a single lord. Wraith
introduced the couple to his master, a crimson haired wolf who spoke
with an otherworldly tone, one that both emboldened and frighten them
at the same time. The crimson wolf, who refused to give a name,
restated the offer that Wraith had presented earlier. Agrond asked
many questions, fearing that some trick may be hidden in the wolf's
words. He replied, savoring every word that passed between his teeth,
that they either had a deal, or they did not. But, once a healthy
child was sired, he would then reveal his name and would ask Agrond
for a favor. Agrond remained hesitant, but Shakti cared little for
the details of the wolf's demands. She was ready to accept the offer,
and soon enough, Agrond gave into her conviction and agreed. The wolf
leaped towards them with a sly grin and a hungry look in his eyes.
His clawed hands roamed around Shakti's form, never touching, but she
reacted as if she could indeed feel him. Seeing doubt in Agrond's
eyes, Wraith assured him the his master was well versed in a magic
that would be of great benefit to all Primerans should he become a
member of the Zodiac Ministry. The wolf stopped when his hands
converged above Shakti's stomach. “There we are...” the wolf said
with a hiss. Agrond inquired what was wrong, to which the wolf
explained that Shakti was the victim of a poison known to stunt the
maturity of the Primeran growth cycle, a poison that is normally
fatal if exposed to in a large dose, but slowly over time, could
prevent adequate maturity. Agrond asked Shakti if such a thing was
possible, but she could not say as servants provided her with all her
nourishment since she was a child. The wolf stated that it mattered
not and removing the collective poison in her would be simple. The
wolf provided the couple one last chance to decide on his conditions,
but with one look into each others eyes, Shakti and Agrond gave the
wolf their final answer.
The procedure was painful, but the wolf made good on
his promise and extracted the poison that had somehow been
administered to Shakti. He managed to also convert the poison into
its raw form, a slightly glowing yellow liquid, and presented it in a
vial for Agrond to use as he pleased in the hopes that he may
discover how it was administered to Shakti. When she was strong
again, Agrond thanked the wolf and promised to make good on their
agreement. The wolf bid them farewell and provided the location of an
abandoned Primeran den that they could use to raise the child in
secret. In a month's time, Agrond reported back to Pandemonium that
he had found a worthy Primeran to sit upon the Zodiac Council, but
unfortunately, Shakti's life was lost to bandits who raided in the
night. Shakti's father seemed ill fazed by this news and agreed along
with the other ministry members that Agrond be allowed to to grieve
the loss of his companion and prepare for the arrival of this new
ministry candidate. In truth, Shakti was alive and well raising a
young son that she had sired with Agrond. The child came to be known
as Ghast, who when sired took no physical traits from his father, as
was the hope. What little essence Agrond donated to the child was
done so to give Shakti the longest life possible with their child and
to ensure that he would not resemble a dragon and face persecution.
But on a cold night, a knock sounded from the door of the den. Agrond awoke and cautiously opened the door, ready to protect his family. Agrond peered into the darkness, but no one was there. Instead, a familiar voice sent a chill up his spine that hissed from behind him. Turning around, he could see Shakti terrified and the crimson wolf holding young Ghast so delicately in the center of the den. Agrond angrily demanded what the wolf was doing and to let his child go. The wolf replied, “This was part of our agreement my friend, I have come to ask you a favor.” Agrond informed the wolf that he already spoke on his behalf, that there business was done and what was left was entirely up to the remaining members of the ministry. Again the wolf spoke, “Oh that's all done now, I've already spoken with them and I'm to be given my place among the rest of you soon. I'm here to ask for my 'other' favor.” Agrond was furious and confused as to how this wolf could have won over over the ministry so quickly when it took him close a century to do the same. Seeing the fear in Shaki's eyes over what the wolf had in store for their son, Agrond calmly stated that he did remember that the wolf had a favor to ask, but he was to also give them his name as well. “Oh? Remembered that part did we? Very well, my favor is this. When little Ghast here has become of age, he is to join my court and assist me, simple enough yes? As for my name, well, I can't hide that much longer can I? Seeing as how we shall be working together. You may call me... Styx.”
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