With a shake of my head I forced myself to focus. I still hadn’t figured out just how Thelvadore had been destroyed, and I felt it unlikely that I was going to be able to deduce that any time soon. But I, at least, could try and figure out what version of Thelvadore this city was based on.
Taking a deep breath, I nodded to myself. That would probably be the easiest to confirm right now. And the best way to go about it would be an aerial view. Despite the strange mix of emotion simmering inside of me, I couldn’t help a bit of giddiness at the thought.
Vuthe, as a dragon, was obviously capable of flight. Given the presence of a tail, I was already in my hybrid form, which meant that accessing my wings should be relatively easy. At least that was the hope, although I was rather optimistic given my earlier success with the mirror.
On paper, changing my form should be as easy as thinking about it. Which, as it turns out, was exactly the case. It was actually so easy that for a moment I didn’t even realise when the wings formed behind me, the wing claws gently taking their spot on my shoulders. Only a moment after I felt the strangely familiar weight of those claws settling, did I realise that it had worked.
I nodded to myself, trying to keep myself calm at the prospect of actual flight. It was harder than it should have been.
With nary a thought I flexed my muscles, my wings, which had taken on the form of a cape on my back–a design choice I had taken from a certain flagship monster from one of my favourite video games of all time–spreading immediately. I craned my neck to get a better view, although it was hard to make anything out. I cursed myself for leaving the mirror in the throne room.
Then almost mentally slapped myself when I realised retrieving it shouldn’t be too hard. And it would allow me to experiment with my magick some more.
Drawing upon the same instinctual knowledge I had relied on earlier, I envisioned myself simply appearing where I had left the mirror, using its, admittedly faint, shadow to translocate myself. Almost immediately I felt a strangely familiar tugging from the shadows at my feet, a feeling I fully embraced. Taking a single step I simply emerged from the shadows cast by the dim light of the throne room, finding myself standing behind the mirror I had left floating a decimeter off the ground right next to the throne.
I had to exercise all my self control to not go jumping around in joy yet again. Mostly because it wouldn’t be becoming of Vuthe, a being who had spent millennia perfecting her magick and used teleportations such as these on the daily.
Granted, I probably could’ve been forgiven, since despite her having been an Arch-Sorceress, this was my first time magically teleporting. But I digress.
The teleportation itself felt almost too easy. Translocation of any variety was a rather difficult feat to accomplish, but that was spoken from the perspective of a ‘normal’ person. A member of the humanoid races. Not for a dragon, who should be capable of utilising their primary element for transportation purposes instinctually before even fully maturing.
Another idle thought struck me, wondering which version of maturation this world would’ve settled on. I had a few different ideas in that regard, from just a bit longer than humans needed, to a couple of centuries for dragons to fully mature.
Oh well, I’d figure that one out eventually.
Turning to the mirror, I repeated the same motion I had used to summon it up, watching it plummet into its own shadow a moment later, vanishing back into my storage without so much as a complaint. The more magick I used, the more I felt like cheating. This was supposed to be insanely difficult for mortals, yet here I was, using high class magick like it was nothing.
I shook my head.
Returning to my previous location with the same ease with which I had arrived back in the throne room, I resummoned the mirror yet again. Taking a step back, I took a long moment to admire the sight of my wings, and how well they fit the rest of her armor.
Technically this armor was nothing more than her scales, something dragons could form into clothing while they were in their humanoid forms, either full human or hybrid, which meant I should be able to change the design however I wanted. Giddy as I was, I decided to indulge myself a little, and started experimenting.
First a set of casual clothes as you would’ve found on earth. Sneakers, jeans, a slightly oversized hoodie. I had expected the colour scheme to remain, with the logic being that the scales themselves were obsidian coloured. Given that I hadn’t bothered envisioning the colours as all obsidian, simply settling on the first image that came to mind, which retained more natural colours with some dark reds, the blue of the jeans, and some white on the sneakers.
I blinked at that, before I narrowed my eyes. This wasn’t quite what I had expected. Although, on second thought, perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised. Originally dragons, or any draconic beings, were supposed to have only three forms: human, hybrid, and their true form. They could switch between, but were unable to change the appearance of their individual forms.
When I started reworking them, however, many of the finer details also changed, which also included the way their inherent magick worked. Draconic beings are, at the end of the day, magickal in nature. As thaumavores they persisted on magick, which meant that, outside of places with very little magic, they didn’t have to eat or drink, and even sleep was something they needed very little of.
That magickal nature had been the basis from which I started when reworking their lore. In that vein I changed quite a few things, from how draconic beings came to be, to what they were capable of. The details themselves didn’t matter too much right now, but the end result was that they became true shapeshifters, capable of not only switching between their various forms, but also changing the appearance of their various forms freely. And that also included a change to the way their scales worked when shifting them into armor or clothing.
The reason they had been monochromatic before, had been the fact that the colour of the scales had depended on their true form, their draconic form, which they couldn’t change. With the rework in place, though, that restriction had vanished, allowing for full colour customisation of their scales as well.
As I said, there were a few other rather important changes that I had made with that rework, although I doubted many of them would matter to my current situation. Really, the only other item of import I could think of was the changes I had made in regards to their origins. Depending on how those changes had been translated, it might impact Vuthe and her origin story as well.
Which, in turn, might change the way people would look at me once they learned who I was.
The reason for that was that, while draconic beings were still capable of sexual reproduction, many would also be born by magick itself. In cases where there was a sufficient conflux of magickal energies, and enough Intent impressed onto the world either by the surrounding area, or beings living nearby, it could result in the birth of a draconic being. The circumstances of said birth would also influence their original appearance, their elemental alignment, and the knowledge and instincts they were born with.
And that was relevant, because depending on how that changed lore might have influenced things, it might mean that Vuthe wasn’t, in fact, a reincarnated girl from earth, but a dragon born from the Intent bleeding over from Earth into Satien. Which in turn might also change the way the rest of her friends have ended up here.
It had only been a single revision of the story that had quickly ended up nowhere, but it was a distinct possibility for all I knew. Not something I could check right now, but something to keep in mind for the future.
I shook my head, trying to get back on topic. It appeared that even being reborn in the body of one of my characters hadn’t changed my bad habit of going off on random tangents.
Focusing back on the reflection in front of me, I contemplated how this new discovery might impact me going forward. It may seem like a minor change, and in the grand scheme of things it was, but considering the importance of Intent, even those minor details could impact me in ways I couldn’t yet foresee.
There was a distinct possibility of me potentially changing my identity and leaving Vuthe’s life behind. That said, I doubted that things would be that easy. At least in the long term.
Even if I were to pretend to be someone else, it was unlikely that I would be able to keep the identity of this body hidden forever. Magick was a fickle thing, and even with physical changes to my body, the sheer importance Vuthe played in local politics and the magickal confluxes of this continent made it rather likely that the truth would be revealed eventually.
She was, after all, the Queen of a Kingdom that had spent millennia at odds with most of the continent, and had earned herself a seat among the divine. The title ‘Goddess of the Shadow Armory’ wasn’t just a fancy moniker. It held actual divine authority.
And that was ignoring the fact that anyone who knew Vuthe personally would immediately be able to see through my disguise if they were capable of aura perception. A feat that was virtually guaranteed given that those who knew her were likely to belong to longer lived and more magically powerful races, and thus trained in that particular aspect of magickal education.
I sighed, rubbing my temples as I stood in the middle of the plaza, still clad in the casual clothes I had picked out for myself. This was going to be a massive headache in the future, I just knew it. For the time being I should consider myself lucky, since this would enable me to at least lay low for a little while. Get my bearings, learn about the world I found myself in, to prepare myself for the inevitable reveal of the truth.
Focusing my attention back to my reflection, I played around with my clothes a bit more. From casual clothes, I switched to an elaborate evening dress, one that, in the story, was designed by Tizanta. I had to admit, it looked amazing, and I did a little spin. Not something I would ever wear if I could avoid it, but if–or rather, when–I would need to appear in a more noble setting, I at least had something suitable.
Next up was the assassins uniform that I had envisioned Vuthe wearing so many times before. It was a rather simple design, a mix between various assassin style armors from different games I had played, made up mostly of reinforced leather armor with a long cape and deep hood. The colour scheme was all in dark greys, blacks, and deep, dark reds bordering on black. Very edgy, and very much following the stereotype. I giggled at the sight, equal parts embarrassed at how chuuni it was, and giddy at finally seeing this vision in the flesh.
Finally, I drew inspiration from the very first version of Vuthe I had ever properly described. My scales shifted effortlessly, settling into place without issue. I frowned. I had expected that this one was probably a bit over the top. After all, this specific design had been written by teenage-me, so some cringe was to be expected. To my surprise, though, the sight I found myself looking at wasn’t so much cringe as it was… sad.
My scales had shifted to form a modest bra and pair of panties, with metallic looking heavy armor parts around my arms and heavy boots that reached all the up towards my thighs. Definitely the result of a horny teenager designing ‘cool’ armor more than anything else, yet despite this, I found my embarrassment of ever having put that to paper overshadowed by something else entirely.
Because this ‘outfit’–if you even wanted to call it that–revealed the sheer number of scars that this body was littered in. Something that hadn’t yet been the case back when I had first come up with this affront to fashion design. In a way, this combination of outfit and the rest of my appearance, was a perfect visualisation of the development Vuthe had made over the years.
And I wasn’t sure if I should be proud for how much time and effort I had put into it, regardless of if it had gotten me anywhere, or worried about what Vuthe’s tortured soul implied about my own mental well being. Because these scars weren’t just a physical phenomenon. Dragons were magickal beings, and shapeshifters no less. They could make any physical wounds disappear almost instantly, if they had magick to draw on.
No, these scars weren’t left on her body. They were left on her soul. And I wouldn’t be surprised to learn if some of them might be the result of my own subconscious effort to work through some of my issues.
After all, when you created something, no matter if it was a piece of art, a book, a song, or whatever other creative outlet you might have, a part of you would always end up in the final work, even if you didn’t realise it at the time.
I stood there for a long moment, inspecting myself, turning this way and that, really taking in the sheer number of scars this body was littered in. I hadn’t ever truly decided on the placements, apart from a few more notable ones, but it still looked pretty close to what I had envisioned.
My frown deepened at the thought, interlocking my hands behind the small of my back as I began pacing, somewhat lost in thoughts.
The idea of soul scars wasn’t revolutionary in any way, of course. There was a certain story about an interdimensional ninja warlock of mystery, which had been a major inspiration for Satien, and to an extent, Vuthe and her tale. There were quite a few minor items in the lore of said story that had eventually ended up in the lore for Satien as well. It was just that I, in typical fashion, had taken things to an extreme.
And now that I had that extreme on full display, I finally, properly, for the first time realised, just how much hell I had put Vuthe through. A character I, so far, had treated as simply a figment of my imagination, but one that I, now, finally really realised to be real. At least in this world.
I wasn’t quite ready yet to tackle the possibility that all fictional worlds might be real, and what that said about anyone who created them. There were just way too many implications in that thought, and I had enough of my plate already. For the time being, I decided that my present experience was, hopefully at least, an outlier.
Not that that made it any better for me.
Still, I couldn’t help but worry about the more personal implications of that truth, and what it would mean for my future.
If, somehow, Vuthe managed to return from the dead, a feat I wouldn’t even consider improbable, considering that she’s told Altis to fuck off twice in the lore already, I wouldn’t blame her if she was going to be very pissy with me. If–or rather when–she realised who I was.
I sighed again, rubbing my face before turning back to the mirror.
There was nothing I could do about that right now, so perhaps I should shelf it for later and stop worrying about it.
“Easier said than done, though…”
Honestly, I would have expected that I would be jumping for joy, having the opportunity to explore a world I had been working on for years. But, strangely, the more I learned about it, and the more I thought about all the implications, the less I actually looked forward to it. There were simply too many things that could become problematic in one way or another. Or perhaps I was just pessimistic and defeatist. Wouldn’t be out of character.
Okay, I needed a distraction, before my gremlin ADHD brain would spiral into even more worry and anxiety.
With an unnecessary dismissal wave of my hand, I returned the outfit to the battle armor I had worn when I had woken up; Vuthe’s typical outfit while in her role as queen. My scales hadn’t yet finished settling when I dismissed the mirror back into the storage, raised my gaze towards the sky, and knelt.
With a powerful leap I catapulted myself into the air, eyes going wide when I realised just how high I was able to jump with the assistance of my wings. Almost immediately instincts took over, and I found my wings beat twice, bringing me up even higher, until I was high up in the sky, the ruined city of Thelvadore stretching out below me.
Taking a long moment I slowly turned in place, taking in every part of the city, before I let my gaze wander outward. As with the city itself, I had never specifically described the surrounding area, nor had I ever put much thought into the details of the world in general. I had put together a vague map at one point, although that had been years ago. At this point I couldn’t even remember where exactly I had saved it. Or if I even still had it anymore.
That said, I had a rough idea of the layout, even if the details were beyond me. I could still remember central cities and major landmarks, as well as areas with more or less people around. Thelvadore itself was located relatively central on the continent, towards the eastern coast. It wasn’t the last city before the coastline, that honour belonged to two cities I had never named as far as I could remember.
Towards the north stretched the Dragonfang Mountains, a truly gargantuan mountain range which, as the name implied, led towards the lands ruled by the various draconic species. That was one of the most powerful countries on Satien, although not necessarily the largest. Within the draconic lands lay the Infinite Forest, a magickal phenomena that housed one of Satien’s most ancient libraries.
Thanks to that, it was a rather common target for pilgrims on their search of enlightenment, but that didn’t mean it was an easy one. The forest it was in wasn’t called the Infinite Forest for nothing.
From my current vantage point I could only barely see the last hints of the infinite forest at the very western edge of the Dragonfang Mountains, but nothing else.
West of Thelvadore were the plains, mostly hidden by Adulesei Jaxo–the Serpent’s Tail–a part of the Dragonfang Mountains cutting through the lands towards the south. Past that mountain range would be the most important cities of the human kingdoms that Thelvadore had been at war with for the past… two millennia or so.
I had never fully settled on how long the war had lasted. Even the term war was kind of misleading, since it wasn’t two millennia spent constantly fighting. But hostilities had never truly died down, and border skirmishes had been common, even between the major battles.
South of Adulesei Jaxo a river cut through the land from west to east, separating the mountain range from the forested reaches of the southern half of the continent. The forest itself was mostly unexplored, although the occasional village and small city had formed along the forest's edge. Mostly made up by those that wished to keep their distance from everything else, and the pioneers who wanted to explore the ruins found within the forest.
I frowned at the thought. The ruins were another thing I had never fully explored, nor even properly described. In fact, they had only ever been added during my brief time trying to adapt the lore of Satien for a DnD5e game I wanted to DM. I wondered if they were even present in this interpretation of Satien, since they shouldn’t have been in any of the actual revisions of the story. Something worth investigating eventually.
Even further south were the mountains that separated the continent of Fendalyr from the orcish tribes. These mountains were tall enough to make even the Dragonfang mountains look small, the largest mountain range on Satien. At least originally. Who knew how things looked here.
The thought of exploring the world finally drew me out of the funk from earlier. Outside of Fendalyr I hadn’t thought that much about the exact geography, since it hadn’t ever truly mattered, and I was curious as to how that vagueness had been translated. But that had to wait. There were quite a lot of things I had to go through before I had the time to go exploring that far.
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