Notes~ ~The world of the Shalants is named Shalan-Cie, which means "shifting key" [shalan means "shifting" and cie means "key"] ~Shalants is the real name of the true-born shapeshifter race, as it literally means "shapeshifters" ~Shalantee ["shifting tongue"] is the name of their language, and it can only be spoken by shapeshifters as one must literally shapeshift ones tongue to speak it ~Shalan is also the name of the most powerful family in all of Shalan-Cie, as they descend from the man whom created the dimension - Lord Shalan ~It's not common for Shalants to form family ties, and actually breed, as exchanging blood makes them related to eachother
The aging of a Shalant:
~The average lifespan of a Shalant is aproximately a thousand years old - their powers start to burn them up when they reach that age The age of a Shalant is counted in cycles, and one cycle is basically the same as a year as it relates to the cycle the sun makes around Shalan-Cie. 9 is an important number to the Shalants - when they reach 9 cycles (nine years old) they are considered old enough to run around without supervision. (a 9 year old Shalant is at the same level as a 11-12 year old human, and a 14 year old Shalant is considered the same as a 16-17 year old human) When Shalants reach 18 cycles, they are considered adults and are sent off to work or to school (basic schooling is done at home up until that age), and their aging starts slowing down (an 18 year old Shalant is at the same level as a 20-21 year old human) Once a Shalant passes 18 cycles, their aging is significantly slowed, almost stopped, and they stay looking the same until they reach 90 cycles (a shalant between 18 and 90 years old is the same as a human in their early twenties) (a Shalant between 90 and 270 years old is the same as a human in their early thirties) (between 270 and 810 years old, they are considered the same as a human in their late forties to early fifties) Once a Shalant passes 810 cycles, their life force starts to be drained by their powers, and their aging starts to go faster.
Although one year in Shalan-Cie is longer than a normal year on earth, Shalants have a different relationship to time and aren't as affected by it as humans are. A decade to them is nothing, really, and it's almost like a couple of years to their senses.
~All the cities/towns/villages in Shalan-Cie are considered nations of their own, and has a city leader - titled High Lord - that is almost considered a king ~The High Ruler rules over Shalan-Cie as a whole, with the High Lords as his/her councils ~Spira is the name of the capial city in Shalan-Cie, and is where the High Ruler and the entrance to the Palace of Souls can be found ~The Source is where all energy and souls come from, and the closest the Shalants come to a religion ~The title Carajin literally means "Sacred Guardian of the Palace of Souls" and is the most honoured title in all of Shalan-Cie
~the race known as Magi is a race that was born from magic itself, and their origin is in the 1st world
Characters~
Lord Erian Shalan, Lady Cyraina Shalan, and Caerin Shalan
(clickable tekteks will lead to either artwork or a dollmaker image)
Ciero of the Descendant and Cain of the Dragonkin
[coming soon...]
Margo of the 1st World Magi and Saveros of the Air
(clickable tekteks will lead to either artwork or a dollmaker image)
Posted: Thu May 15, 2014 3:21 am
The Fall of Shalan-Cie
His home. His everything. He watched as people died around him, completely stunned by it all, and uncapable of moving even an inch. He could hardly breathe, the pain inside him making him completely numb, and he just stared at the inevitable destruction. They were losing. Their world, was falling.
~
They had come in the middle of the night, and entire army unlike anything they had ever seen before. The world of Shalan-Cie was a mighty world, despite its remarkably small size, and never before had they ever been threatened by outsiders. They were true-borns, the first real shapeshifters of the third world, and unmatched in power, so it was only natural that no one would ever dare attack them. But of late, a woman, and her allies, had begun threatening to enter their world, and destroy it, if they did not all give up their powers to her. This woman, this manipulating sorceress, was a dangerous one, that much the people in charge had known - They had, after all, witnessed her destroy worlds, and entire races, before - and yet they refused to give in to her. Their powers were what made them true-borns, and without them they would be nothing, Their race would be no more. And so they had decided to make a stand against her. To refuse her. And by doing so, they had caused the end of all that they knew.
The sun was what gave Shalan-Cie it's strength. The radiant sun that would shine endlessly, only dropping beyond the horizon a couple of hours to cause night before reappearing again, was what fed the people with their powers. It gave life to every living creature within Shalan-Cie, and allowed its inhabitants to exist. To them, the sun was everything. And during those hours, when the sun was not in the sky, they were at their most vulnerable.
*
As the sun dropped beyond the horizon, bathing the entire world in shadows, she gazed out from the balcony she was standing on and took in the sight of the city beneath her. The capital city of Shalan-Cie, Spira, was a vast and magnificent city, but Stoshan could by far outshine it. She felt pride in being a citizen of Stoshan, despite it not even being her birthplace, as it was well known throughout all of Shalan-Cie as the mightiest city in the entire dimension. It was in Stoshan that the portal leading out of the dimension could be found, and it was in Stoshan that the mightiest and most powerful families in all of Shalan-Cie made their home. And, it was in Stoshan that Shalan-Cie's main army had their primary station.
She sighed and took a firmer grip around the wand in her hand, then turned around and gasped as she met the eyes of a man standing in the doorway. His eyes were a deep sapphire blue, and his gaze intense as he looked at her, but the smile his lips formed was a loving one that made her warm to her heart. "Erian, beloved. You startled me." She smiled in return, her own icy blue eyes gaining a shine to them that only he could bring out, and she rushed into his arms. He held her tightly, as if letting go of her would bring about the end of the world, and looked down on her. "My beautiful Cyraina. How your smile ease my worries." Their eyes met, and for a moment the rest of the world did not exist, as all they could see were eachother. He leaned down to kiss her, warmly, before finally releasing his grip on her and allowing her to fold her arm around his as they looked out over the city. "What did the council say? Did they heed your words?" She turned to look at him, inspecting his face as he pondered on her question before answering. "Luckily, they did. I've already commanded the army to stand ready, and word have been sent to the other cities. The High Ruler himself is planning to travel here from Spira, to form a High Meeting. If this woman truly plans to invade us, we will be ready for her." He nodded, as if to confirm his words, then looked down at the woman beside him, taking in her beauty. Her crystal clear eyes, as blue as the ice that which covered her birth home, and her soft light blue hair that framed her pale face just perfectly. She was well known in all of Stoshan for her beauty, and many men and women had envied him when he had brought her with him to his home to wed her all those years ago. Back then she had only known for her amazing abilities with her ice magic - which were unmatched in all of Shalan-Cie - but now she was the wife of Lord Erian Shalan, commander of the army of Shalan-Cie and the most powerful noble in all of Stoshan - with the title of High Lord. His family line could be traced all the way back to the origin of the entire world that was Shalan-Cie, and the blood that ran through his veins were almost purer than that of the High Ruler. Lady Cyraina herself did not possess such a powerful family line, as her mother had been an unknown Shalant that had appeared out of nowhere and given birth to her before dying, and her father was unknown. What she did possess, however, was the blood of a third world Magi inside her - the blood of her deceased mother - which made her magical abilities something every mage out there envied. Together, Lord Erian and Lady Cyraina were a powerful couple, well known in all of Shalan-Cie, and one of the few families that were exactly that; a family.
Cyraina looked back at her husband and smiled as she found him staring at her. Even after 67 years of marriage, they were still as newlyweds that had just fallen in love with eachother. Their love were, without a doubt, one of a kind in all of Shalan-Cie. "And what of...?" She cocked her head to the side, a teasing smile over her lips, and almost laughed as Erian sighed and rolled his eyes. "You know him. Always doing his very best to avoid anything that can even resemble authorities and important meetings. I've been sending for him all day, and yet not a word have I received in return. Sometimes I think he only does it to spite me." He grumbled and shook his head, while Cyraina let out a light chuckle. Yes, she did know him. All too well, in fact, and in her mind she counted down the seconds before... "It's because you're always nagging me, father." Lord Erian nearly jumped as the young man suddenly appeared out of nowhere, balancing in a crouching position on the railing of the balcony. His sapphire blue eyes - inherited from his father - held a slight teasing spark to them, despite his mouth remaining serious. "In the name of the Sources, boy! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" Erian clutched his chest and let out a frustrated sigh as the young man jumped down from the railing and walked up to the couple. "Would that help me be rid of your nagging, maybe?" His words sounded cruel, but the tone of his voice was playful, clearly stating that he was only teasing his father, and Erian just rolled his eyes. "In your dreams, boy. Not even my death will rid you of my nagging, I can assure you of that." Cyraina laughed at them both, finding their playful little arguing as amusing as ever. It helped make their situation a little less serious, and a little less threatening. The young man walked up to her and took her hand in his, kissing it on the back. "Mother. Forgive me for taking so long. I was just... Training." He nodded, pleased with his explanation, and Cyraina rolled her eyes with a smile. "As if I would believe that, my dear son. I know you too well. You can not lie to me, how many times must I tell you that?" She tried to give him a stern look, but failed as the side of her mouth twitched up in a smile, and he just smiled back at her. "At least a dozen times more." The three of them all laughed, the perfect picture of a perfect family, and for a moment, all was well with the world.
~
In the middle of the Fields of Aisha
The air rippled for a moment, then slowly opened up into a portal from which a strangely clad woman came walking through, followed by several beings of pure light. Her golden eyes scanned the area, a cruel smile playing over her lips, before turning to the creatures now pouring out of the portal. "Destroy everything. Leave no sign of life behind."
All over Shalan-Cie, similar portals opened up and creatures of light came pouring out of them in numbers unlike anything anyone had seen before. For each person in Shalan-Cie, there was at least ten of these creatures, leaving the entire dimension hopelessly outnumbered. Though none knew it at that time, this was the end of the true-borns and their world.
~
A sudden siren sounded through the city, and the three of them froze as they heard it. Cyraina quickly turned to her husband, fear in her eyes, and swallowed as she met the same fear in his. "They're evading." He grinded his teeth as he looked away from her and up at the sky, seeing nothing but stars that told him that morning was still a couple of hours away. "By the Source, they know our weakness!" He let out a frustrated groan, then turned to his wife and looked he deeply in her eyes. Not a word passed between them, yet they managed to say everything that needed to be said in that moment, and with a nod to his son he was out the door. Her eyes followed him as he left, praying that this was not the last time she'd ever see him, before she turned around and saw the young boy standing on the railing and looking down. "I must find the other mages. Darling, please, do not do anything stupid. Just help defend the city, as a member of the city guard, and nothing else." Her eyes were pleading, and he looked back at her, silent for a long moment. Then he nodded and jumped down, spreading a pair of black feather wings with light blue tips, and flew down towards the city. She sighed, fearing for his safety, before turning around and heading out the door herself. She hoped so dearly that all would be well, but a dreadful feeling cluthced the bottom of her stomach, telling her that this was their last night together as a family.
*
Even as the sun rose high in the sky, the defeat of the true-borns was inevitable. All over Shalan-Cie, men, women and children were being slaughtered without mercy, and the cities were slowly crumbling as the creatures of light sweeped over them and destroyed everything in sight. The main army, led by Lord Erian Shalan himself, had met the largest portion of these creatures on the Fields of Aisha, where the leader of the invasion was said to be, and had been defeated on the spot. None had been left alive.
Cyraina was running down the streets, heart racing as her eyes searched for that which she was looking for, and her hands firmly gripping around her wand. He was gone. Her husband, her mate for life, was dead. She had just received word from one of the many carriers that were desperately making their way between the cities in a hopeless attempt to gather Shalan-Cie in a last battle to stop these merciless invaders, and she was choking back tears as she ran. The army had stood no chance against the invaders. This woman, this dangerous and evil woman, had brought with her their destruction. Oh, how she hated her. How she despised her. "Mother!" She stopped as she heard a familiar voice, and she spun around and looked at her son, covered in blood with his sword in hand. His eyes told of the same sorrow that she herself felt within her heart, and she knew that he had heard. She rushed to him, and they embraced as their shared pain became nearly impossible to bear, before she looked at him, her eyes as cold as the ice magic within her. "Take me out there. I will meet this abomination of a woman, and destroy her." He started on an objection, not wanting her to face this seemingly all powerful invader, but were quickly silenced by the determination on her face. He knew there was nothing he could say or do to stop her. "The blood of a Magi runs through my veins. My magic will be powerful enough to stop her!" He nodded, not daring to argue with her, and wrapped his arms around her. Envisioning the vast, green fields to the north of the largest lake in Shalan-Cie, and closed his eyes and felt the air around them change as they quickly teleported to the Fields of Aisha.
The place was a chaotic mess of blood and death. Bodies were everywhere, and the strange creatures of light were swarming all over them. He felt sick to his stomach by the sight before him, and the knowledge that the body of his father was somewhere to be found on this battlefield nearly took his breath away. Cyraina just stared, horrified by the sight that had met them upon their arrival, before slowly turning to face the large lake behind them. She was there, far out on the lake, sitting on a strange throne hovering above it, the woman who was the cause of all this. The woman who was the cause of her husband's death. Leaving the side of her son, she walked up to the shore line and slowly stepped out on the lake, the surface freezing as soon as her feet touched it. The cold hatred she felt was visible in her eyes as she started walking on the freezing surface and made her way towards the hovering throne. Not for a single moment did she hestitate, hands firmly grasped around her wand, as they always were when she was seeking strength, and she did not stop before she was facing the woman sitting on top of the throne. Her golden eyes glowed as she smiled a cruel smile down at the ice mage, not even bothering to lift her head from the hand it was resting on. "So, this is the last attempt to bite back, sent by the powerful Shalants. I can not say that I am impressed. For years I've been told that no race is more powerful than the Shalants themselves, and if that is true then taking the remaining races will be as simple as a light breeze." She chuckled, clearly amused by the sight of the woman before her, and clearly not impressed by the small resistance she had met so far. Upon seeing the cold hatred in the eyes of the pale woman that had come to face her, her eyes lowered in satisfaction. "This is personal. I have clearly stolen something of value from you. Judging by the look in your eyes, I'd say a loved one. Probably the one you love the most. Am I correct?" Cyraina glared back at the woman on the throne, refusing to say even a single word, then called forth the magic within her, using the water beneath them, and sent a wave of ice flying towards the throne with the wave of her wand. Not even waiting to see if the wave hit its target, she called forth even more ice to form massive icicles all around and sent them, too, flying towards the throne. She would not let this invader have even the smallest chance to protect herself against Cyraina's attacks.
She froze as she heard the woman laugh, and looked up to see that the ice had been stopped a few feet away from her, and that she was now holding it all at bay with just one hand. "No..." She whispered, meeting the golden eyes of the woman on the throne, now knowing that there was no way she would be able to stop her. This woman was too powerful. Too dangerous. And as the realization of it hit her, a pain shot through her brain and she fell to her knees on the frozen surface, her hands clutching her head as she screamed in pain.
He had done nothing to stop her, knowing all too well the stubborness of his mother, and instead he had attempted to take on these light creatures on his own. He was angry, frustrated, and in pain, and this strengthened him as he swung his blade of ice around and cut through the creatures as they came at him. But he soon realized that he could not hurt these creatures of light, no matter how powerful his blade was, and was struggling desperately to keep them at bay. He could not let them win. He could not let them take his world, his home. The more he fought, the more he saw that he stood no chance against them, and the more desperate he became. In a last attempt to keep them back, he sought out his telekinetic abilities, untrained as they were, and desperately threw them out at the creatures around him. It helped, if only for a moment, and he released his blade to gain the use of both of his hands to strengthen himself. Never before had he seen creatures such as these, made of pure light, so he had no knowledge of how to fight them. The only thing that came to mind, was dark magic. But where could he get it? Which form could he take on to obtain such powers?
Then the blood in his veins froze as he heard his mother scream, and he spun around to see her falling to her knees. "Mother!" He wanted to go to her, but he could not release the grip he had on the creatures around him without risking that they jumped at his throat. All he could do was stare out on the lake and pray that she would be all right. After a moment, she slowly got to her feet again, and he sighed with relief and turned his attention back on the creatures of light. He needed to think up a good form that would allow him to access magic of the dark element, to give him an upper hand in this fight with these creatures. But before he could form as much as a single thought, the ground below his feet froze as a thick layer of ice suddenly covered it, and the creatures around him. He blinked, confused, and turned around to see his mother walking towards him with a strange, dazed look in her eyes. "Mother...?" She did not respond, and instead she waved her wand and created several large icicles that she let form a circle around him, keeping him trapped. He looked around at the icicles, then back at his mother, fear and confusion in his eyes. "Mother, what are you doing?" His voice was pleading, and yet she showed no signs of responding.
Out on the lake, the woman on the throne smiled a wicked smile as she saw the icicles form around the young man out there. "Yes. Kill him, and give me full entrance to your mind. I've always wanted an ice mage of my own."
She raised her wand, and he could feel that a vibration spread through the icicles around him, and in that moment he resigned to the fact that his death would come by the hands of the woman that had first given him life. He just looked at her, sorrow in his eyes, and held his breath as he made himself ready to face his end. She trembled, and the icicles trembled with her, as tears formed in her eyes and she let her hand fall down. "NO!" He stared in horror as all but one of the icicles fell to the ground, and that last remaining one pierced the chest of his mother, all in the blink of an eye. Then, as she could not stand on her feet any longer, he rushed forward and catched her in his arms. "Mother! What did you do? Why?!" He had to blink away the tears that formed in his eyes, blurring his vision, and he looked down at her as she just smiled back at him. "Forgive me, my sweet darling... She's inside my head. She wanted me to kill you, my own son. I can not let her gain that control. I... Forgive me. I did not mean to..." She choked on her words, blood spilling from the side of her mouth, and her eyes started to glaze over. "Forgive me, Cie. Forgive me..." And with those words, her last breath left her as her life slipped away.
