The Davirion Chronicles: Chapter 1 Part 3Sitting in the shade of a hollow, Razier watched as the surrounding stone lightened in color from shadowy blacks and blues to deep greys, reds and browns. Always an odd mix of color she thought. <i>‘Lava rock.’</i> She thought randomly, remembering a geology lesson from Clarissa. Extrusive igneous rock formed by long ago volcanic activity then broken and raised through the ground shakes that sometimes plagued the Burnis territories where she resided. <i>‘Tectonic plate activity.’</i> She recalled idly as the area suddenly brightened around her as the sun rose behind their shelter. Razier sighed. She missed Clarissa and the stern lectures when she questioned why she needed to study the things she was made too. She could only pray that the Queen was alright. Not for the first time she wished she had the ability to wield magic and was able to open a portal to return. She thought of following a hunting party back, or allowing herself to be captured, but her instincts told her it would be tantamount to suicide. She palmed the stone pendant beneath her dusty tunic. It warmed in her hand and the burning sting from her forearm eased. She didn’t understand how it eased her pain, but it is something she discovered shortly after arriving in the deserts of Burnis. Pulling it out from it’s confined in her clothing, she studied it. The translucent blues and deep obsidian veins glittered in the growing light. ‘What are you?’ She asked silently. As usual, there were no answers. She wished she had interrogated the Queen about the stone, but fourteen years of trusting her led to complete faith and unquestioning loyalty. Sighing again, she placed the pendant back under her tunic. She wished the Queen would reach out to her to indicate she was alright. Surely the betrayers would not have an easy time getting to her now that she knew who to watch out for. But what if there were others in the conspiracy to overthrow her? What if… Razier shook her head. These trains of thoughts never ended well. Getting to her feet, she stretched. It was best to return to the colony and the shelter of the caverns before the sun got any higher. Already her clothes were beginning to be drenched in sweat. She left the hollow and retraced her steps out from the rock formation she was in. She was just about to round a large boulder when instinct told her to stop. Caution to be heeded, she walked to the other side and peered around. ‘What the...?’ There was someone else here. From the clothing, it was one of the hunters. What were they still doing here? Were there others? Razier looked skyward as her head began to ache. This was a strange morning full of questions. After a brief moment, she focused on the threat at hand. They must have found new power source if they remained on the surface this long. If that was the case, she needed to change tactics. Picking up a fair-sized stone, she snuck up behind the blonde hunter.The Davirion Chronicles: Chapter 1 Part 2“Dammit Zenia, you missed! I thought you never missed! That’s why you are here!” A male voice snarled. “We should have never brought the brat.” Muttered a female. “At least I wounded her! That’s more than any of you can say.” The teenager growled at the others in the hunting party. There was grumbling among the others, but no one retorted. The male that spoke sent a blast at the rock pile their quarry hid behind, but it failed to flush her out. “Blast it all to the heavens! I can’t believe she’s evaded as again.” He curses under his breath as he looks to the east where brighter hues of a dingy orange sky with hint blue can be seen. A dust cloud was coming, as was the sun. Zenia was no paying attention, trying to think of a way to catch the elusive bitch. The hunt was clearly not going well, like all the others before. This time they came in force, all the best hunters, yet they were still failing to capture the traitor. She seemed to be a phantom. None could get close to her in the sands and when she was in the rocks, she seems to go behind one and appear from behind another. The quick little devil also seemed to know where a blast was going to hit right before it landed and dodged every time. Zenia had only managed to wound her by releasing a barrage of blasts from her staff. Zenia cursed the fact that they were limited with how many shots they could fire to try and slow the defector down to then capture them for the High Council. This full moon was the most powerful of the planetary year and so they brought a larger group to have more ammunition and still no one was able to succeed. Perhaps they truly were chasing a phantom. Who could live so long in this sandy waste land for so long? She was staring after where the woman had last disappeared when she registered that it had gone quiet. And the surroundings were getting brighter. ‘Oh shit!’ She thought as she whipped around to see the others vanishing into portals. The last on closed before she could reach it. With a huff and scowl, she chanted and spun her staff. Nothing happened. She chanted again and still the air before her lay still. Panic rose as she realized that she had used too much magic. She didn’t have enough to open a portal to get home. With this realization, she wanted to scrounge every once of power she had to try and open the portal, but without the others to assist, she’d be stranded if it should fail. Zenia began to pace as she tried to think of a solution in the brightening morn. She had resorted to praying that someone would come for her when she felt the first scorching rays of the sun as it breached the horizon. Panic rose even more as she understood just how screwed she was. This was a wasteland, nothing but sand and rock. The sun cooked everything under its intense rays. Swallowing hard, she wiped the sweat from her brow that had begun to gather with the increasing temperature. Shelter. She needed to find some place out of the sun. Then she could figure out her next steps. She looked to the rock out cropping that the phantom woman had disappeared behind. If she was still there, they would have come out by now, would they not? Either way, it was as good a place as any to start. Brandishing her staff, she stalked over to the rocks hoping to find shade and nothing else.The Davirion Chronicles: Chapter 1 Part 1The sand exploded behind her as Razier dodged another blast. From experience, she knew that their opponents only had a few charges left. She only prayed that the sun would soon rise, driving these fuckers back through the portal to Dilegend. Sweat dripped from her brow as the exertion and building heat began to get to her. An ache began to build in her legs as they began to tire. Her forearm burned from where a blast had grazed her. Controlling her breath so they didn't pant too hard in the arid air, she went over this latest encounter so far. Razier was lucky that these hunting parties only arrived every other full moon or so. It was during these times that the energy flows became the most stable, allowing for portals to be opened. They could technically also be opened during the new moon, but the energies were at their weakest. It took this group most of the night to find her, so they had full charges on their magical weapons. They've been blasting at her almost recklessly, not seeming to conserve their energy. The group also seemed larger. That took more energy to keep the portal open. Were they becoming despite? Or had they come across a new source of energy that allowed them to be less conservative? Hell, the main question she still had no answer for was why they were hunting her in the first place. Their target had been the Queen. If it was for the object that Queen Clarissa had given her then that would give a plausible explanation. And if that were the case, she could only hope the Queen was still alive. It took a moment to get through her thoughts, and when she did, it dawned on her that there were no further blasts. She gave a sigh of relief. They must be retreating for this cycle before it becomes impossible to open the portals to return. To be safe, Razier headed further into the rocks; she’d head back towards the caverns once the sun had broken the horizon. She could tolerate the heat long enough to make sure there were no pursuers to follow back to the colony.The Davirion Chronicles: PrologueThe room was dark. The only thing disturbing the air was bated breath as a youth faced the door to her queen's study. Behind them, Queen Clarissa was chanting soundlessly over an altar where the top looked like a crescent moon on its side. Beyond the door, life carried on as normal, the insidious plots of upcoming betrayal unknown to all. Except of course the lowly nobody that overheard the conspiracy; the nobody that the Queen considered their own child. "My Queen, please reconsider." the youth begged in hush whispers. "Hush my child, I cannot leave our people." the Queen replied in calm but regular tones, carrying on as if it were any other day. Of course, she believed her most trusted confidante, but she would not flee. "Your people are trying to kill you!" the youth continued in a harsh whisper still watching the door. They knew there were at least two betrayers, but there could be more. She didn't trust anyone at this point but the Queen who raised them. "And I'm not a child anymore." She couldn't help but mutter. Only with her did she speak so often; others would never hear mutterings coming from them. "My dear, you will always be my child, even when you're grey." The Queen responded with fondness in her voice. Maintaining a small smile, she returned to chanting, channeling energy into the altar. Between the two points of the sideways crescent, a line of iridescent light forms, writhing about until it stabilized to form a small oval. With the hand that wore the signet ring of her rank, she reached into the magical vault, ignoring the static vibrations up her arm. Without the ring, even if someone had managed to open it, they'd have been electrocuted. After nearly a minute, during which their young companion was growing more tense, the Queen pulled out a small item wrapped in cloth that was about half the size of her palm. She stares at a moment before speaking. "Razier, come here." The youth turned away from the door to face her Queen and without out hesitation she walked over. "Yes, my Queen." The Queen rolled her eyes not for the first time. "You wish not to be called child yet refuse to use my own name as requested." She sighs the old argument. She unwrapped the parcel, revealing a smooth oval stone of translucent blue grey with veins of obsidian black. Staring at it too long, one can imagine a silver core to the stone. It is bound tightly in silver wiring, forming a seven-pointed star design with one point longer than the others. It rests on a sturdy leather cord with an apparently seamless clasp. Chanting again softly, the entire cord and pendent begins to glow and the Queen holds it out towards Razier. "Take it." Razier stares at it a moment in wonder and hesitation. Magic radiating from the necklace seems to thicken the air around it. Before she need another prompt though, she gingerly lay her hand over it. The building tension in the air suddenly dissipates with a pop as the clasp separates. Without a beat. Razier brings the cord around her neck unquestionably where the clasp becomes seamless once more when it meets. "The stone is now tied to you. Only you can remove it. I believe you will know when the time for that comes." Razier looks questioningly at her but remains silent. And so does the Queen; not further explanation is given. Instead, she grips the stone and places it underneath Razier's tunic, out of sight. Wiping her hands on her skirts, she turns to the door. "Now we must get to the portal gates." Razier holds back a sigh of relief, believing that her Queen has finally realized that leaving is the only way to preserve her life at this time. Upon entering the halls, passersby bow at varying degrees as the Queen and her mongrel servant walk past. They make it to the port without hindrance, though Razier is concerned that they made their way straight there. It wouldn’t take much for someone to deduce where the two had headed, including the would-be assassins. The Queen heads to a small portal gate at the back, one that has not been operatable for ages. Yet it comes to life with a few frantic words. Razier stares in surprise and then realizes that her Queen is now apprehensive. Just as a loud bang is heard, the Queen grabs Razier by the shoulders and pushes them into the portal. The last thing she see is the Queen's tear-streaked face. "Queen Clarissa!" she cried out before a blackness takes over.The Davirion Chronicles: SummaryAt the peak of technology and magic, catastrophe struck as the environment collapsed. This left the world almost completely inhospitable. Mostly deserts of sand or snow and strong radiation penetrating a weakened atmosphere, pockets of people survive by venturing out at night. Water is a commodity. A few cities survive under tech domes powered by sun itself, darkening during the day and blocking most the radiation. Scattered populations survive in cave systems and underground structures left over from old cities of the past. Magic no longer has a hold here as the environment is too unstable. The energy that the planet does generate is lost to the greater beyond. Before the collapse had finalized its destruction, a pocket reality of magic was sealed off. Here magic thrives and the population sees themselves as superior to those outside the realm. When people from this realm venture to the planet surface, their magical items run on a charge, like a battery. The realm is self-sustaining by recycling energy, but not indefinitely. Most are in denial about this, believing their world is secure. Queen Clarissa Van Dessier is aware of the situation and has made it her goal to restore the environment where magic can occur naturally once again. However, the Martial leader Scout Kingsley from the city of Wasmoke, wants to create a world where tech prevails. And the Queen holds the key.