"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
He had waited, -patiently- through the heat and dust, rain and mud. It was an ever changing world, spinning on a delicate axel, and it slowed for no one.
When a pinto equine showed, on the blood stained lands, he did not know her. Never having laid eyes upon her, he is shocked when she spits accusations in his face as though she knew him. Deeming him not a Tephran. He had called it home once, just as history will have it written of hers -theirs. If she had been such a paragon of the word Tephran, then where had she been when family was disappearing.
Dying.
He allows her leave, clearly she had no more to say, and he had no malice for her. Let her believe what she shall think to be truth, but there are none in her words.
Of him.
Revealing that Warrick has fallen ill causes the slightest frown on his face. The cobalt tinted stallion had been a friend, a mentor even. Once upon a time. He did not wish to rip a kingdom from beneath him, but perhaps he was not suited to rule any longer. Maybe this was Warrick’s chance to heal and escape the burdens of which the title King bestows upon those who carry it. If anything, he was doing him a favor. It is their choice not to accept opportunity when it presents itself.
The world slows for no one.
So, he had gathered his sisters from the forest of redwoods. Told them of what happened and that they have a home again. Though, they had always had a home, as long as they were together. Escorting them from Taiga to Tephra takes only a full day and by sundown they have reached their destination.
They step back onto the land where earth meets sky, where fire and water live in an intricate balance. The ashy soil clings to his wetted iron hooves, emerald gaze scans over the island. The tropical flora lacing the edges of the rocky shores is bright, even as winter threatens to consume the other lands once again. He was grateful to not have to spend another cold season in the Taiga. His face outstretches to feel the warmth of a sulfur breeze.
Home.
@[Ketzia] Karat Kove This is just an arrival and not an announcement. Any are invited to interact with them
howling ghosts, they reappear in mountains that are stacked with fear
Time is fluid for Magnus, an ever-changing and ever-rippling thing. It does not have the same concrete realness that grounds so many. Instead, it becomes something that bend and melts away, leaving him to jump through it, from one year to another—sometimes losing them entirely in the process. He fights against this, the vague and flimsy reality leaving him with holes in his understanding and perception, but there’s only so much he can do to hold it together.
Death and life and immortality have stripped so much away.
All of this to say that Magnus has little feel on the pulse of current events.
He does not know this son of iron. He does not know the recent tragedies that have plagued this land that Magnus helped build. He does not know the death that rattles in Warrick’s lungs.
Still, Magnus is born from kingdom blood. He had lived and served in four prior to the Reckoning and he helped others in the molding of this land. Duty runs deep within his bones along with a sense of responsibility that he could not shake if he tried. He also has painful scars from the mismanaged and forced overtaking of a kingdom, and thus suspicion runs deep.
Of course, he has no idea what has transpired or that the shifting of leadership is soon. He just sees what, to him, is a stranger’s face, a stallion that carries with him the distinct scent of Taiga who now rests on Tephra’s borders. So he does what he has always and will always do: he makes his way toward he border to meet the unknown, his handsome golden face neutral.
“Hello, there,” his whiskey voice hangs in the air between them, the curiosity clear in the burning of his gold-flecked eyes. “My name is Magnus.” He doesn’t assume that the other will know who he is, but neither does he assume that the other is a stranger here (although the rich smell of another land seems to suggest that he doesn’t call the volcanic land home).
Unsure of how to proceed without know if the stallion lives here or not, Magnus just waits, the edge of a sun-bleached tail flicking at his war-scarred hide. The air is heavy with unspoken words and change and thus he gives himself time to unwind the threads that make up this moment. He hopes the stallion is friend and not foe, but he is prepared for the worst.
Krom is patient, always has been. He is also a defender, of his family and his home. So when they arrive on these not-so-foreign lands, he is prepared if the worst should happen. Not all would greet the successor with such pleasantries. He hopes they will learn to trust him, but he knows this is earned as well.
Patience
His sisters rest quietly beside him. The younger pair curiously looking about as memories fill their minds again of this place. Ketzia always the more cautious, Kove the eternal child, he smiles kindly at them before looking to Karat -his other half. She is forever his equal and ready to fight for what they believe in. It saddens them all to think their father may never see this day. Klaudius would be proud of all they have become...
Emerald eyes flicker from his lavender family to that of a golden figure moving in on their arrival. Ears pricked upwards when he takes a step to greet the stranger. Listening to the stallions introduction, his head dips out of politeness. "Good evening Magnus," his voice is kind, but strong all meshed into one, "This is my family, Karat, Ketzia and Kove... My sisters." He acknowledges each of them with a tip of his ironclad skull, "And I am Kromium." He allows a heartbeat to pass and gauge if the stallion knows anything of them. Finding no recognition in the golden stags eyes, he continues, "We are glad to be home once again."
His gaze is focused on each twitch of movement from the stallion before him. There is no hostility in the stallions stance and so he assumes Magnus is unaware of why they had left and now have returned. Being the honest man he is, he informs Magnus of current events, "Warrick had failed to complete my challenge for Tephras rule... I hear he has fallen ill... It is most unfortunate and I, we, wish him a speedy recovery." His body shifts weight slightly from one hip to the other. Allowing the information to be processed by the golden one...
@[magnus] I will write the others in the background but they will not chime in unless prompted
08-31-2018, 11:13 PM (This post was last modified: 09-02-2018, 09:21 PM by magnus.)
magnus
howling ghosts, they reappear in mountains that are stacked with fear
Were Magnus the kind to have an ego, he may bristle at this brash man’s lack of recognition. He would grow angry at the young stallion’s nerve to talk about claiming and taking over land that Magnus had helped build. He had been there to climb the Mountain when Beqanna had split and reformed. He had been there to brave the heights and cold to petition the faeries for this volcanic land. He had been there amongst his allies to shape it into the vision of their own making, creating a haven within the chaos.
But Magnus has relatively little ego, perhaps surprising for a man made King twice over, and thus he only watches with his carefully neutral gaze. The mans’s words cause a knot to form in his stomach, the concern for Warrick (he still remembers when the stallion arrived) growing alongside worry for Tephra.
It is difficult to not think of the turmoil in Heaven’s Gates during more than one changing of crowns. The raids. The fights. The wounds. During the last, it had driven him from the kingdom entirely, following the pale gold mare who’d been exiled for daring to voice an opinion. So he cannot help but be wary. He cannot help but feel a certain immediate distrust for a stallion bold enough to challenge for a crown at all.
Still, he reminds himself that he has been gone, and he doesn’t truly know the young man before him at all. So he bites back the growing venom in his throat, the shadows beginning to churn in his belly—instead choosing to give him the slightest benefit of a doubt, a chance to prove himself.
“Kromium,” he says, weighing the name on his tongue before nodding, turning his attention to those who surround him. “Pleasure,” he greets in his whiskey voice, dipping his chin before drawing his gaze back to the man of iron. “It is a drastic measure to challenge for leadership,” he says, his words carefully measured, gold-flecked eyes burning into him. “It’s a violent decision that I’ve seen often end in nothing but turmoil for a land, for the families that reside within it.” A pause. “I should hope there was good reason for you to choose such a path for a place that you call home and not simply selfish ambition.”
Perhaps strong words, but he doesn’t back down from them, doesn’t back down from the clear way that he measures the stallion before him—waiting to see how he answers and waiting to finalize his opinion.
09-02-2018, 05:17 PM (This post was last modified: 09-03-2018, 10:38 AM by Lucrezia.)
Here it comes with no warning; capsize, i'm first in the water
Lucrezia knew within time the verdict would be known whether or not the iron stallion had successfully won the crown of the volcanic kingdom. It is with the familiar scent of him, having previously met Krom within the meadow, and the other unfamiliar scents that he has won. There is a strange feeling brewing within her stomach at the thought of that. What exactly would be the fate of Tephra?
She is not surprised to see that Magnus has already greeted Krom and his family. He always been the one to ensure the safety of their home, even before she had ever called Tephra hers. But there is something within Magnus, she knows just by their relationship and conversations, that he cares deeply for ensuring the peace and livelihood of Tephra despite no longer wearing the crown.
The multi-colored winged mare made her way quickly to the group. She can only imagine the sort of trouble her golden friend is causing. Lucrezia also had struggled with the fact that a stranger had challenged their dear friend for the crown and now their home was under the rule of stranger. Change was on the horizon, for better or worse she does not know.
“Magnus, Krom, and Krom’s family,” she greets when arriving to the group of horses, “Welcome to Tephra.” She slides to a comfortable stance next to Magnus. The mare catches the last of his words; already she knows he is making his stance clear on such matters. She is clearly not surprised, and nudges him softly. “I hope you have been nothing but pleasant,” she says with a warm smile.
Lucrezia would be the one to patch up the storm that was likely to be created here. “I actually had the pleasure of meeting Krom beforehand.” She doesn't feel the need to mention him taking the crown or even the challenge. The wound was still fresh and she tried to not see it as a negative event for the future of her home and those she cared for in Tephra. “I can ensure you he is not here for power,” Lucrezia can only hope Magnus will understand, “But for the good of all of us and his own family.” Protection is what Krom wanted, and she could not blame him for wanting something so.
“I promise you wont regret it if you give him a chance.” There is hope in her words to Magnus. She then turns to Krom, “Isn’t that right?” She trusted that he meant well.
It had been a long journey from Taiga and he can feel the restlessness beside him in his sisters. Mostly the youngest pairing and so he makes note to excuse them shortly. He allows the man before him to voice his opinion, and though it is strong krom does not waiver. Emerald eyes never leave the gold gaze of his company and so he regards him with a dip of his head before voicing his own, though the presence of yet another silences him.
This one he recognizes -not that he has met her here before-, Lucreiza the brilliantly colored mare from the meadow. His crown acknowledges her with a slight dip as it had that previous meeting. It does not surprise him that she arrives swiftly and seats herself next to the elder stallion. Kind words following, as she greets them and Magnus.
He smiles kindly at her, emerald eyes shifting from one to the other as seen fit for conversation. It is when she questions his intentions that he finally speaks, "That is right. I want only the best for Tephra and its people... A home for all who wish to call it one. A safe-haven, without ambitions for domination and greed." He straightens his position, as he recalls his intentions. He had no care to take over lands, stretching his reign for more power or demanding others to act for him. He does not believe this had been Warrick's wishes either, but one could not help but notice the absence of the once Overseer...
In the moment, he had forgotten to introduce his family to Lucrezia, so he takes this time to do so and to send them off to the thicket they once occupied here, "Lucrezia, this is my twin sister Karat." Looking to the grey lavender mare at his side, before directing his eyes to his younger sisters, "And my younger twin sisters Ketzia and Kove." Emerald eyes return to Karats lavender as his muzzle reaches to press into her cheek, "Karat, would you please take Ketzia and Kove to the thicket... I will join you soon."
Karat looks to the gathering and bids them farewell, "Pleasure to meet you all... Ketzia. Kove. Let's go find a place to rest." The lavender pointed mare exits with a smile to the pair of Tephrans.
The trio leaves and Krom can't help but watch them fade into the shadows of the setting sun. Once far from his vision, his gaze returns to his company, "I hope, in time, you will come to trust my word." His voice is nothing but sincere, "Who all remains in Tephra? I would like to meet with everyone and discuss the matter of Tephras ranks and my proposition." It was a simple enough concept and so he doesn't believe it should take too much time to discuss...
howling ghosts, they reappear in mountains that are stacked with fear
Lucrezia comes, and it softens Magnus.
Enough that he can feel the immediate anger in him dissolving, at least slightly. The familiar feel of the winged mare by his side is enough for him to take a deep breath, turning toward her and touching the curve of her neck, grounding himself in her calming force. It takes the sizzle out of his blood and although there are demons beneath the surface that turn him dark and furious, it’s enough for him to hold them at bay, his gold-flecked eyes less immediately distrustful, his stance not one looking for a fight.
It’s enough that he even forces a laugh, shaking his head.
“I am always pleasant,” he reaches over and tugs her forelock before giving her a wink. “You know that.”
Such warmth bleeds slightly out of his expression when he turns it square on the new leader, but it is not as harsh as before—and the iron stallion has the winged mare to thank for it. Instead, Magnus gives him the time to answer, and he listens, truly listens. Giving him the chance he had promised himself he would.
The stallion speaks of a haven, mirroring the same words Magnus had often repeated in the volcanic land’s youth, and he nods. Not quite folding the subject entirely, but at least giving him some leeway. “It at least sounds like your heart is in the right place,” he finally says before falling silent, watching with thoughtful eyes as the family is introduced and then given leave, drawing together and moving away.
When Kromium turns back to them, Magnus gives a crooked ghost of a smile, “Trust is earned.” He has been around too long for his trust, his respect, to be given freely. He has seen too much, been surprised by those with honeyed tongues, to hand it over. It is a commodity and one that can only be bought by blood, sweat, and tears. “You seem to want honorable things, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re still a stranger to me, to many here I wager, and you still have taken the mantle of leader upon yourself. It will take time and effort and sacrifice to prove you’re worthy of it. Such things cannot just be handed over.”
He gives a sideways glance to the mare at his side and he sighs, rolling his eyes.
“But I will at least give you a chance,” his whiskey voice is tinted with equal parts exasperation and steel. If this coltish stallion was to be this land’s leader, Magnus would at least give him time to prove he could handle it. He would at least give him time to find his footing before he wrote him off completely. But, and this is where the steel was unwavering, he would not hesitate to stand up should he falter—should Kromium prove to have less than honorable intentions. Magnus did not tolerate the weak or the cruel.
“And I will do what I can to help you.”
At the stallion’s inquiry, Magnus looks off into the distance, just the barest hint of a smile shadowing around his inky lips. “This time of day, everyone is usually relaxing around the land.” It was not the same bustling land it had been when he had left, but there was still life here—still families and love—and Magnus had spent too much days walking the borders and watching over them to not know where they settled. “I am sure it will not take everyone long to congregate should you choose to call them.”
Another pause before he shrugs.
“I can show you the best place to do that. It’s where you’ll be heard the easiest.”
09-13-2018, 11:15 PM (This post was last modified: 09-14-2018, 08:54 AM by Lucrezia.)
Here it comes with no warning; capsize, i'm first in the water
Lucrezia can feel the mood changing around the group at her arrival. She has known the buckskin stallion long enough to realize and understand when he is fighting the dark force that brews beneath him. Their demons haunt them in many different ways, but it was those demons that she had been able to share with him at one time. It was those demons that they had wished to fight away and create a place that held them at bay.
She does not blame him for the way he reacts to the new leadership. Tephra had been his establishment, along with a few others, and she knew he would ensure it did not fall. He would be the iron stallion and fight for Tephra with everything he had she knew. Just as she would fight for her last breath for this place. She would stand at his side doing so without question too.
The mare rolls her nutmeg eyes at his words and tugging at her forelock. “Right you are,” she replies with an amusing smile.
She is glad to see the way he changes and gives the green and grey young stallion a chance. Her gaze turns back to Krom when he speaks about his vision for Tephra. It is a vision she wishes to see herself to last forever. There was no doubt in her mind she would allow someone to change the very thing that others had built Tephra to stand and be within the land of Beqanna. She would see to it with blood and sweat in fact.
At Magnus words, she nods her head in agreement. “I knew your heart was in it when we had met,” she adds before turning to meet Krom’s family. “A pleasure to meet all of you. Please let me know if you need anything and do make yourself comfortable. Tephra is much of yours as it has been mine.” A warm smile appears on her lips as she watches the family move off into the distance.
Her gaze then returns to the two stallions. She allows herself to remain silent as Krom and Magnus speak to each other. There are a handful of things Magnus mentions that she agrees with also. Trust indeed needed to be earned. It would take time and effort for Krom to gain the respect of being a leader of Tephra and those who remained. She has already found some respect for the young stallion in fighting for a home to protect his family even when his had been overtaken. It is her only hope that Krom will stick with the vision he has proposed to both Magnus and her.
Lucrezia cannot help but give Magnus a smirk at his sideways glance. She read his expression with ease, and the buckskin already knew without asking what she had hoped for. The mare had wanted to ensure Magnus would give their new leader a chance, to see that he had the same vision almost as the one Magnus had told her when she first arrived back into Beqanna.
She knew without a doubt that Magnus would be true to his words in giving Krom a chance just as she was in giving him one too. While she might have failed as a leader, she knew what good leadership was like and even what Tephra deserved. However, she is even more pleased to see just how willing Magnus is in helping Krom fit into his role. It was more than a gesture she had anticipated, but she is glad to see Magnus has stepped up and filling in the position he had once held within this land. While he might not be a leader, he could help influence Krom in a positive way.
“I believe everyone is looking forward to meeting you as well,” she finally says after remaining silent during their small talk. “There is a lot of changes happening I am sure some of them are eager to know what they are.” A meeting would need to be called, but she allows the new leader to make the shot. She was only here to help where she could and be an encouragement to Krom and the others in Tephra.
![[Image: gqYjsHr.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/KjqNDKxc/gqYjsHr.png)
