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  • Beqanna

    COTY

    Assailant -- Year 226

    QOTY

    "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


    Ascending to the Stars as one | The Great Accord
    #1
    Her business in the North concluded, Cheri returned home to Loess with a flourishing sigh of happiness. It felt good to be back where she was needed most, returning to a place that’d once been so alien turned comforting. She swept out of the sky and passed through the unpatrolled borderlands of her Kingdom, flying low between a pair of opposing rock spires that rose into the sky like a nature-formed gate, and swept back up to to the clouds so she could finally perch at the ledge of a cliff. It was early dawn, still frosty, so the pegasus shook out her cold wings once or twice before folding them neatly at her sides.

    From her viewpoint Cheri could see Loess spread out in front of and behind her. The mesas, the vermillion cliffs, red rock canyons and flatland scrub all blended seamlessly together, so inconceivably beautiful and raw that she couldn’t help but to think about its potential creation. She knew the way a river could wear out its banks and smooth out its stones, and in the same way she pictured this land - her eventual dominion - as it’d been when the hills were once completely submerged by an ancient ocean.

    To think that after all this time and change, the result would be so stunning.

    The dark pegasus huffed a breathy, forbearing snort of cold mist into the dawn and lifted her nose to the northern winds. It was time.
    Breeding season had officially convened and plenty of days afterward had been given to her relatives for their affairs to be put into order; Cheri took her sentry watch without an ounce of doubt that today would mark their slow arrival. She could almost claim that she felt their energies converging toward this place, but to do so would be admitting to herself that she was experiencing inexplicable surges of random power. Cheri wasn’t quite ready to open those shrouded windows just yet, so she pushed the intrusive possibilities away instead.

    It was just intuition, she told herself. A gut feeling.

    Her ears turned instinctively toward the sound of another approaching pegasus and she turned to look, distracted from her thoughts by the surprise of seeing a familiar shape taking form on the distant horizon. Her mouth parted to whicker a singular tune at the other flying horse, (perhaps the only rare vestige of greeting their earlier ancestors had used, still remaining in this new age) and Cheri welcomed Oceane to land alongside her by shuffling to make room for the Queen Regnant.


    @Oceane has dibs on the first reply <3

    @Obscene
    @Reave
    @Nashua
    And any affiliated characters welcome afterwards
    #2

    oceane
    a little white light
    in a sea gone black

    Oceane had intended to give Cheri more time before she handed over the weighty crown of the South. But there would never truly be a perfect time, regardless of how hard they both tried to make a seamless transition. And with the sudden disappearance of Sabra from the helm of Sylva, the Loessian Queen could not dawdle in her plans. Ledger, ever the faithful partner, had agreed to seize the golden forest with her promise that she would soon follow in his wake, once she and Cheri both felt comfortable with the black appaloosa's rise to the solitary throne.

    She knows that she will never be more comfortable than she is now, despite the bittersweet way she yearns to cling to the foothills and canyons of this place that has been her home, her sanctum, for a decade. And she knows, in her heart of hearts, that Cheri is, and has been, the only option to ever grace her doorstep. The time is now.

    With far-flung wings, the opalescent Queen glides in the autumn air above Cheri and the cliff she has settled herself upon. It's a spectacular perch; there is, perhaps, few other places within Loess that offer such a widespread view of the kingdom, plus the golden forest and pampas beyond ─ a fitting place for a coronation, Oceane finds herself thinking with mounting melancholy.

    “Cheri,” the Southern Queen greets her successor warmly, the respect and care she feels for the younger woman apparent in the twist of her smile and the light in her amber eyes. “Are you ready?” she asks conspiratorially, forcing away any sadness she may feel in the moment to make way for the exciting new chapter that is about to unfold.




    @ All
    “”

    n | v
    i must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
    and all i ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by
    #3
    I can see through you, see your true colors
    Cause inside you're ugly, you're ugly like me
    For the first time in a long time, he steps out of the Pampas on kingdom business. Alone.

    He had left the door open to the golden Seneschal if she wished to attend but he had not seen her this morning and so he made the trek through the flower fields into the winding canyons with only Light for company. His promise to her to protect her from Nashua still stood, regardless if everything else had changed. The Wisp hides itself beneath the long lanky threads of black and gold, a faint glow appearing beneath his mane where it rests. The sun was still beginning to crest over the horizon and he pauses for a moment, stopping just where that invisible border separates what’s his from what’s theirs.

    He takes a moment to glance at the frozen dew clinging to the tips of petals. He catches rays of orange and blue and pink swirling in the dawn (and he thinks of Skandar as he takes in those colors). And naturally his thoughts turn to Aela and his gaze darkens as every inch of himself becomes something harder. Sharper. There has been a bitter taste on his tongue ever since he had truly seen himself the way she did. All those restrictions, all those barriers. And as much as he wished he could say he would never hold her back, he couldn’t lie to her. By choice or by tongue. Because he could see a day when she crossed a line he couldn’t follow. The star-studded skinwalker was made of stuff of dreams and he can no longer ignore what’s been so clear all along. How perfect he was for an endless visionary. And he finally admits that he still cares for them both. He cares for the Pampas and all those within it more than he’s ever cared about anything. He’s still not sure why.

    He looks at the rising sun, brilliant like the mare he has left behind, and thinks of Revelrie, of his son (refusing to think of the light going out of a pair of small red eyes), of Wherewolf and the spotted boy Fyr. He thinks of Sickle and her questionable father. He thinks of the Queens he’s about to meet. He thinks of his unicorn sister and the jaguar mare in the volcanic jungle. He thinks of the Pampas and suddenly has a vision of the idyllic beauty burned to nothing but cinders and ash. He thinks he can taste soot in the air. 

    Ash. Ash.

    The serpent within is calm, calmer than usual. He had lost a few more days after the birth of his son but whatever had happened in that time had been enough to keep the creature quiet for a moment. Ever since his talk with Aela, ever since he had touched the surface of unyielding grief, he had seemed to be permanently covered in a layer of scales that just refused to fade. They ran down his spine, scattered across his haunches like the constellation glittering across his chest, wrapped around his sturdy limbs. He never noticed, he hadn’t cared.

    Everything he touches turns to ash.
    What was the point of turning away from destiny anymore?

    He adjusts his crown. He schools his mask into the perfect mixture of boredom and indifference. And then he steps into Loess, the cruel Prince in all his glory. He seems a little extra sharp around his edges but for all the world he is still the same insensitive bastard he has always been.

    The one-eyed grizzled stallion finds him first. Ledger, he recalls. The golden stallion greets him politely but he doesn’t miss the wariness in that single eye. For his part he drawls a quick greeting and then falls into step with the other. It is quiet for a moment and then the other speaks. “You’re from Tephra aren’t you?” Ask’s the shifter pleasantly and the Dark Fae says nothing, focusing on not letting his jaw visibly tighten. “I knew your father, served for him once. Offspring.” The Fae’s red eyes blaze for a moment too as a few more scales scatter across his ebony skin. He still says nothing. Ledger is quiet for a moment, perhaps considering the slick patterns rippling across his pelt. “He was a good Overseer. He would be proud of you, I think.” He finally offers quietly and before Obscene can look at him, the stallion picks up his pace and rounds a corner.

    He pauses for a moment, staring at the place Ledger had once been. Unaware that the shifter had only spoken to him words that he had once hoped to hear himself. Thinking maybe the Prince could use those words as well. His breath mists around him and he inhales sharply, letting the barbs of early winter cut into his lungs and wake him up. He is still just as indifferent when he finally finds the others. A nod is all he offers to the two Queens on the cliff (and a familiar stallion hanging to the back) as he leans into the shade towards the back of where this little ensemble would happen. Quiet, watchful, waiting for destiny.

    obscene
    [Image: Obscene-Pixel.png]
    #4

    i am the mace, the map, the fall and the high

    Destiny is a funny thing. It implies a lack of choice in one's actions, only an inevitable future. Reave has never believed in destiny. Even before the endless possibilities of the future had roared to life inside his skull, he hadn’t believed. Now, with all that plays before him, he knows it is a maze rather than the unpredictable rattle of dice in a can. Each twist and turn and dead end is a choice. A choice made by others.

    And choice is the hardest thing to predict, isn’t it?

    So he comes because he is a curious creature. Because he wants to see the way these choices play out. Cheri had asked him about his own choices not so long ago, and he had answered her honestly. But she had asked the wrong questions.

    Rune is with him, as he always is. The eagle does not land, not today. Instead he glides in the thermals overhead, his panoramic view of this meeting sweeping briefly through Reave’s vision as he approaches. His features are unschooled as they always are, grin sweeping across his lips as his glittering gaze surveys the small group that had already arrived. His brother would not be far behind. Or perhaps he would be. His brother has been rather… distracted of late. Still, they had had a long overdue conversation, and if anyone had hoped to find the Northern kingdom weakened by it, they would be sorely disappointed.

    There is very little Reave has left to chance lately.

    His grin widens briefly as he glances at Obscene, though the expression is far more provocative than pleasant. The sharp blue of his gaze pauses thoughtfully on the blue and purple pegasus for a long moment before sweeping to Cheri’s familiar features. His lips twitch before he settles, taking his place among the group, exuding the confidence of one who does not doubt his place. With the bone that slashes with such rawness over his skin, he appears every inch the northern barbarian his cousin once imagined him.

    “Yes Cheri, are you ready?” He repeats the words spoken in confidence, but he is genuinely curious. As the threads of the future unfold, he has to wonder if his childhood friend is truly ready for what is to come. She had asked all of the wrong questions of him in the North. Would she ask the right ones today?

    reave

    #5

    He hasn't been here since the day that Celina (and others) had burned along with Loess.

    It's been years since the fire had razed this place, and as Nashua arcs towards the Southern kingdom, he finds little trace that it ever happened. New growth has emerged, and the places that his memory had filled with smoke were suddenly clear. From where Nashua flies above, the canyons and steppes of the South sprawled out below him. The old desire for adventure flares in his wandering blood, and his green eyes take in views that they hadn't been able to last time.

    When he does land, he is greeted by a gray stallion draped with a pair of silver wings and several scars. "I've come for the coronation of Queen Cheri," says one pegasus to the other, and Tarian regards the striped one with familiar blue eyes. "I know," says the Loessian, as he peers at the striped stallion with a searching gaze. What he is looking for makes Nash feel uneasy as he glances back to the other - who introduces himself as Tarian - as he steps aside to allow him into Loess. The short trek that ensues reveals many things: this is a cousin, he learns. Born from the same land that his mother had fled.

    Like Nashua, he is a grandson of Valerio and Aletta.

    "We will talk after," the stoic horse tells him, and Nashua curious to know more, agrees.

    Their is a small group gathered to witness the ascension of his niece to the throne of Loess. Some of the faces Nashua recognizes, despite the length of time since he has last seen them. Lady Oceane, he remembers from the Forest, when he had still been a colt. It had been the first time that he had encountered his mentor, Leilan, as well. Reave - his youngest brother - is among the crowd and the glittering onyx horse is a face that Nashua recalls from the Isle. Obscene, the leader of the Pampas (and too close to his conniving sister for him to truly get comfortable), the one who had healed his Thane. The silver warrior who had greeted him stands nearby.

    They all seem to have questions for his niece, but Nashua, has none.

    Nash settles himself among the crowd of horses, and then looks for Cheri. She - the girl born in a great wood - has always been destined for greater things. Nashua smiles softly, feeling a surge of pride for the daughter of his brother, and waits quietly, ready to bear witness to them.

    NASHUA
    [Image: jCdBK6.png]
    #6
    Every single one of her invitees had come to Loess. Guardian Reave, Prince Obscene, King Nashua and his southern monarch Queen Oceane. Even a few important faces from Cheri’s early years in the red rock country showed up: Tarian, who’d taught her that being strong didn’t necessarily equate to being bad, and Ledger - the one-eyed bear shifter who’d counseled Cheri in the arts of diplomatic nuances. In the smallest corners of her heart Cheri felt the painful absence of her parents, siblings, and friends, but she had a firm belief in their unspoken support even if those she cherished most were not here to speak it.

    Aloft, she replied to both Oceane and Reave’s mirror questions. “Beyond the shadow of a doubt.” She looked amused.

    They could keep their concerns. Cheri had cast her own aside long ago, knowing that if she wanted to be perceived as the leader they all expected her to be, she’d have to continue forward with the same confidence Reave exuded along with the natural grace and poise Oceane was renowned for. Apprehension had no place at this gathered round table; one way or another she would leave this summoning as a changed mare.

    Quickly, she turned and stretched out her nose to plant a swift kiss of goodwill upon Oceane’s cheek. “You will always be my Queen and sovereign Lady.” She whispered a promise, then pulled back. In a few steps she leapt from the cliff, fluttering down to the level countryside where the majority of her guests had gathered.

    “My friends,” She called them, “having you here for my rite of passage is overwhelming. Thank you.” Cheri landed and folded her wings away, intent on mingling with the grounded herd of mostly stallions. Obscene had kept to the shadowy fringes of the canyon wall, Nashua had found her looking for him and his warm, familial smile relayed the pride he left unsaid. Cheri smiled back. “But there are larger things at play for us to discuss first, I think. Pressing concerns that’ve been voiced by all of you.” She swept her gaze across them one by one, including the others still on high, and found herself amazed at the contrast of powerful elites holding court at her behest.

    Cheri inhaled a long breath.

    “In order to combat these worldly evils, I propose two plans: we combine the northern and southern territories in order to create a larger united front, or we attempt to create a new Kingdom seat and make it more difficult for our combined alliances to be split.” The black and white spotted pegasus proposed. Of the two ideas, only one had been at the forefront of Cheri’s mind. The other had been a fallback in the circumstance of any one horse disagreeing to be absorbed and possibly losing their title.

    The fact was, she and the other court members knew that chaos in the Eastern lands wouldn’t be kept at bay for much longer. Pandemonium like the kind she was hearing about lately had a tendency to spread, and she assumed they’d all had enough of dealing with that alone. One way or another, Cheri expected anarchy to come knocking. Her fear was that it would come raining down like hellfire instead.

    “The empty seat in Taiga leaves us vulnerable to outside infiltration.” She turned thoughtful. “I’d personally rather see it dissolved or shuffled around before I see it used against us.” Cheri concluded. Pausing, she took a breath before opening the floor for discussion. “I know this might not be to everyone’s taste, so I'm going to start by opening the floor on the matter.” The young monarch deferred to her elders, silencing herself thereafter.


    @Oceane
    @Obscene
    @Reave
    @Nashua
    #7
    Toskr
    The North's magician is not invited, or that is, not that he knows. Perhaps he was expected to magically know - pun intended - to come, or perhaps to know to not come. Perhaps he had been considered a liability. Perhaps they hadn't wanted to bother him. The fact is, he hasn't been invited, not physically anyway.

    Therefore, he is not, physically, coming. He cannot help but listen in though. It's the future of the north that this is about, and he's well-invested in that north. Ingrained, so to speak.

    It is the white gyrfalcon then, who makes the trek south. Nashua is a good flyer, but the striped pegasus' hawk wings aren't any faster or slower than the white falcon's, and so Toskr (Toski for insiders) hasn't got any trouble following. At a reasonable distance, of course. The bird has his own interests, resulting in him landing in a tree with a small hare in his claws, only half listening to the greetings that take place. The bigger part of his soul however does want to know what's going on, so by the time the crystal-growing mare starts her speech, even the bird is paying attention.

    He shuffles his feathers as the horses turn to the other mare present - another feathered one. The bird makes a rasping sound and tilts his head in the same way a certain stallion usually would, but then, they are bound by a magic stronger even than the magician is in his icy home. A bird normally doesn't care about politics and neither does his horse companion care much. But he does have a question now. Or perhaps, the uninvited magician has questions. But he doesn't think his opinion is asked. The striped pegasus will have to represent them.
    everything that drowns me
    makes me wanna fly

    Photo through Pxfuel

    @all y'all since it seemed fun to 'spy' but go ahead and ignore me for post order bc I'm too slow for that (but if your character or a companion wants to interact please tag me)
    Two things I know I can make: pretty kids, and people mad.
    |
    #8
    I can see through you, see your true colors
    Cause inside you're ugly, you're ugly like me
    The Shield of Justice.

    That was what she had called herself when she had floated before him, her hair dripping and as serpentine as the thing whose scales he currently wore. He had not forgotten her unearthly voice or her brilliant light. Just as he had not forgotten the way she had crumpled and the golden thread that had, for a moment, ran between them.

    He had been glancing around those assembled, (matching Reave’s grin with a provocative one of his own, sending a baiting smirk to the old gray pegasus Tarian before shifting to Nashua with an unreadable expression) when she stepped forward and called all of their attention by gracefully leaping off the cliff and landing before them.

    “Friends.” She addresses them and he can’t help the small snort of amusement that escapes him from his place in the shadows. Were they friends? He’s not really sure what they actually were now that he comes to think of it. Something to speculate on later as she quickly plunged into her ideas. One that makes his gaze sparkle and his smirk curl into something darker. Merge the North and South? An interesting concept to be sure, but who truly benefitted from it? He can only see one who would, the green and onyx mare before him. For who would sit on this newly merged throne but she?

    A bold move. One he hadn’t expected from her. It makes his eyes glitter with approval despite his own misgivings.

    He’s not sure what he truly thinks on the matter. Nor is he sure how such an act would do anything to stop Hyaline and their current tour of chaos. Then there was the Pampas themselves, a land he had no intention of giving up easily. He glances at Reave, not expecting the bone-clad stallion to give up his seat willingly either but the young stallion was full of surprises. He wouldn’t doubt that he had one up his sleeve. He didn’t know much of Nashua except for his brief encounter on the Isle and what Aela had told him. There is no warmth in his gaze when he looks at the Northern ruler and considers him. A man that claimed loyalty to family while doing what he had done to his own flesh and blood left little to respect from the obsidian and gold stallion.

    There are many questions on his mind but for now he stays silent in the shadows, waiting to see what the others would say first before voicing his own opinion on the matter.


    obscene


    OOC: Tangi is gonna jump in where she can, in the meantime we can start moving forward <3

    @Cheri
    @Oceane
    @Reave
    @Nashua
    @Leilan
    [Image: Obscene-Pixel.png]
    #9

    i am the mace, the map, the fall and the high

    It does not take long for Nashua to arrive in the company of another pale pegasus, and with those final additions, it appears their group is complete. Or nearly, though the bird who had followed Nash had arrived inconspicuously and settled itself into a nearby tree. It is Rune who had alerted him to his presence from where he drifts above. But then, it seems creatures like him have a curious way of picking out those who are similar.

    Reave isn’t terribly concerned about it however. If it's attached equine wishes to spy, who is he to tattle?

    Cheri greets them with confidence wrapped around her like the mantle she has taken on. It brings a small, brief smile to his lips. He had encouraged her to step into it after all, and he is pleased to see her taking that advice.

    He had wondered if she would ask the right questions of them today, but it seems she would not be asking questions at all. A pity. Still, it would not stop him from addressing them. Very little would stop him from addressing them. Obscene had assumed correctly when he had surmised that Reave would not bend beneath these edicts. His desire for Cheri’s success had not been feigned. She is one of only a few who can claim a spot in his fickle affections. Even so, he would not sacrifice his own ambitions in the face of hers.

    When Cheri finishes her speech, Reave glances only briefly at his brother, a wry grin on his lips. Perhaps the pegasus has a better understanding now of why Reave had been so demanding in their earlier conversation.

    Shifting the sharp clarity of his gaze to the woman heading the meeting, he lifts his head slightly and speaks. “Taiga is the North’s problem to deal with,” he replies firmly, a dangerous smile edging onto his mouth. Perhaps he should have let Nashua handle this one, but a part of him sincerely doubts his brother would eliminate speculation on the territory quite so firmly. Though he's positive Nash wouldn't want the territory dissolved, he would want to think about it first, and as far as Reave is concerned, there is nothing to think about. “And it’s being dealt with, I assure you.”

    “As for the rest…” Reave’s piercing blue eyes sweep the assemblage in assessment before returning to his cousin. “You imagine we would be strengthened by turning our two forces into one.” Any lingering smile slips completely from his lips then. “You’re wrong. One well aimed strike to lop off the head, and the rest would crumble. As two, our enemies are forced to divide their attention.” Perhaps enemy is a strong word. Nothing has been declared yet, but Reave would not demure now. “We are much better served finding ways to solidify an alliance and using our strength to crush them between us.”

    Reave is no older than Cheri, so perhaps not the elder she had been looking to for advice. But Reave has spent his life ruminating in volatile situations. He has come to this meeting well prepared to get what he wishes from it.

    reave



    @Nashua
    #10

    He had been content to stand amongst the crowd, his gleaming stripes hidden by the bodies of others and the way that his wings dipped a little towards the red-clay ground. Nashua had been more prepared for a coronation than a conversation, and he basks longer in the first, trying to absorb (and hold on to) a memory that he thinks his mother and Yanhua would have been proud of.

    They would have, he thinks with swelling pride. It surges to have Reave nearby, and for a moment, he envisions what a future might look like with the pair of them taking control of half of Beqanna through their respective kingdoms. What it might look like if they could forge them into one. Those thoughts occupy most of his mind, and the Northern leader almost misses the way that the gray stallion flicks his ears sharply back in a silent message of open dislike to the large black one.

    Obscene, he remembered. The Pampas Prince.

    His green eyes catch on his glittering scales, but Nash doesn't keep his gaze there long. The Prince seems to be assessing him as well, and so the Freyr gives a polite nod of his blazed head in polite acknowledgment. Until Cheri begins to speak again, and the older chestnut turns his attention back towards his niece. The appaloosa speaks of two possible plans: to combine both kingdoms or to create a new kingdom seat, creating an alliance that went deeper than mere words and empty promises.

    (Many of the leaders here are bound by blood, but as Nashua turns to look at his relations, he wonders what it might mean to each of them.)

    Taiga - both an open wound in his heart and in his kingdom - is addressed by the young Queen first. He schools his expression, and continues to listen quietly as Reave explains that Taiga was already being dealt with. Nashua had heard that was a new arrival in the Redwoods, and as he holds his brother's piercing stare, he conveys a clear message: that if the Northern forest was not being dealt with to his liking, he wouldn't hesitate to deal with it himself.

    Nashua frowns slightly as Reave mentions decapitation.

    "Alliances are easily broken," he finally says, speaking a truth that they all knew very well. Kingdom politics changed quicker than the seasons in Beqanna. "And while there is merit in combining the North and South, the Northerners still harbor a deep mistrust towards outsiders." Especially the South, given the history that the two kingdoms shared, but Nashua didn't think that the respected rulers here needed a history lesson on their territories. "That is something that will take time, and a continued effort from both realms." Nashua tells them all, though his gaze lingers between Cheri and Reave.

    "Have you heard of a thing called a Hydra, brother?" the Freyr continues, recalling a story that had been carried by their maternal granddam, Aletta. There had been very little love lost between the famed storyteller of Beyond and her striped grandson (she had made it abudantly clear she preferred Yanhua, anyway, saying how much he reminded her of their esteemed grandsire, Valerio). But he remembered the tale easily enough, "Chop off it's head and three more grow in its place."

    "So what I propose is this: North and South work together to campaign to take new territories. Many have fallen quiet across Beqanna, and we can use that to our advantage. Take one at a time, foster and develop ties that bind them to us both until eventually, we come together as one kingdom."

    NASHUA


    @Cheri
    [Image: jCdBK6.png]




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