The Dragon Highlands

"The Dragon Highlands," begins young Kiyoshi 'Nene' Sanada, the Seventh Spear of Beijio and the descendant of one of Lady Hiyori Busujima's 'Divine Blades', warrior retainers to the Thunder Beast of Beijio. "known for such given the number of iridescent sulfur fields which populate this stretch of land as far as the Amaine Woodlands..." The woman continued, as her horse neighed and the scene stretched out around her, giving her a full view of the terrain:



Following the neighing of her horse, Bahba, there was a tell tale roar which radiated from the canyons and sulfur pits. "...they also say real dragons live here as well. Only a fool travels through the Dragon Highlands unprepared." she says, petting her terrified horse in an effort to calm the beast.



Kiyoshi was young, but a well trained warrior and her title of 'Seventh Spear' wasn't just given to her without contest. She fought for her title, much like her ancestors did before her! She was a samurai from a medium ranking clan that always supported the Beijiosaki's and thus had similar colors to their clan. Though she was only 19, she was going on a journey to hunt down the cause of a famine further down river, and with no clan leader to pledge herself allegiance to since the Busujima family had all since been demoted and stricken from the Register of Noble Houses. She was doing what she could now to bring bread on the table, even if that mean traveling through dangerous territory.

Nene eased her horse through the flat, yet, mountainous landscape. I wonder if this place looks the same as it did for Lady Hiyori's Kiyoshi, my ancestral grandmother? After all, no one willingly traverses the Highlands despite it's flatter terrain and easy access to the Amaine Forest! Thanks to all the dangerous fumes and the fauna... Still impressive she somehow survived out here for nearly a year... Given how dangerous it is here, I hope I don't stay here longer than a night, this place is genuinely creepy... Nene thought worringly, having no patience to be in such a notorious valley of death and ill repute.



The woman kept her eyes and ears alert for any obvious signs for the water to be poisoned downstream- or any unfriendly fauna that would take advantage of the situation. If things progressed worse, given Bahba's skittish behavior to the area, she'd have to be careful, or she'd be forced to continue home on foot... Thankfully, her Scardian bred stallion was intelligent enough to know the safest way back to Beijio without her guidance, so that was at least one worry out of the way.

"Its okay Bahba... its just the wind..." She cooed to her stead, scanning the area around her path closely...

What the young Nene would find would be quite troubling as she continues further along the beaten pathways that darted every which way of these Dragon Highlands. I wouldn't say it was an easy home to live in, with its arid and featureless landscape, not to mention the odd fauna and flora you'd encounter simply flying along or swirling around the boiling hot rivers. The hot springs were nice, though. You may call me Kuraioji, the 'Dark Prince' mortal, and I am the prince of a decaying land. Such shame, such insolence! My kingdom limited to a vast land of nothingness between Beijio and the Amain woodlands! Whoever made the boundaries obviously weren't thinking straight; probably due to all the ammonia in the air or the sulfur.

Either way, I try and make the best of it! As of recent I created a dam made of large, dead trees and boulders, which... consequentially have flooded the lands in the valleys below. Some, poor, rice farm village or something, I really don't care as its an eyesore to my large lavender eyes anyway! So anyways, I've at least made a makeshift 'throne' if you could call what amounts to a couple of twigs and stones held together by mud in the middle of a river now turned reservoir a 'throne'. Ah yes... my princely domain, of which there are no subjects to my rule... shame, really. The green valley below my territory looks so unreasonably boring for my lovely eyes, I'd rather see it despoiled. Ironic, really, as I do have the capability to restore the ground and cultivate the land- bu, but why? Just for my own self amusement? Pfff, I've found Keropin playing in their own muddy filth more entertaining to watch and that, my mortal friends is saying A LOT.

So, when my greatness stirs and my precious gaze fell upon something far less ugly and boring to stare at riding up the valley, I began to move in earnest! All ten of my limbs scrambled from the home I've created and bring me to the edge of my dam, peering down at the delicious looking human woman riding a rather noble steed! Spear in one hand, bridle in the other, I find myself immediately amused and ecstatic-!



-and quite peckish, really!

I decided I'd best set the table, and bring things to proper order for my soon to be dinner guest~

Kiyoshi was ascending into the higher plains of the highlands when she realized the creak beside her was becoming dryer and muddier. Soon, it was simply barren and only smooth rocks remained on what was once the creek bed. "Hold, Bahba." she comments, descending the horse, walking the horse with one hand, holding her glaive in the other as she walked to the dried out creek. The horse got very spooked and pulled back on the reins, but the young Spear of Beijio looked about before turning back to the horse with a smile.



"Everything's fine, Bahba. See? Nothing but rocks and mud." Nene tried to calm her horse, but to no avail. She kept the facade of being calm, as it was clear her horse was very agitated. Something was wrong around here aside from the dried up creek, that was for sure. She decided to tie Bahba up to a log in a manner that if she was in danger she'd be able to slip away without being trapped, but if she remained calm wouldn't be able to wander off too far. "I'll be right back." She whispered to the Scardian Bred horse, before turning and making her way up the dry creek. She was going to get to the bottom of this, and sure enough, a massive dam stood in her path once she climbed some distance ahead. Lifeless logs that were once thriving trees along with massive boulders and mud blocked the stream's mouth, and she could see runoff waterfalls of the acrid water on either side, leading down into the valley where it had been mixing with the farmer's irrigation fields and causing an over flooding of water that was not only destroying crops but poisoning them with the pestilent, brackish water.



"Hmm... I'm going to have to find a way to get rid of this... I may have to head back to the village, and get someone with explosives training to help me remove this rubble..." she comments aloud, checking out the dam. Curious though, much of these items look like they've been dragged here... Nene mentally notes.

I spot this caped woman as she approaches my 'throne' and take a moment to admire her beauty. She is a tall one, slender but not a strip of meat, more like... an uneven kabab, really. All the more delicious~ I keep myself camouflaged amid the rocks, a simple illusionary spell we Guardian Dragons are capable of and naturally I'm very good at it! My large, purple eye glean over her well rounded rump~





She hunkered over, and gave me a more pleasing view of her delicious body when she mentions out loud how she may have to return to the village to get someone to destroy my throne!

"'Rubble'?? You DARE insult my throne, mortal child?!" I announced myself, loud enough to be heard as I disregard my cloaking illusion and serpentine my long, handsome body over to meet my prospective dinner guest! I snort thick smoke from my flared nostrils and loom over her with an angered look! My voice is dark, loud, beautiful but commanding as I let her know that she offended me:

"Is this how your kind address royalty? By insulting their throne by calling it nothing more than 'mere rubble', TUT! On top of that, threatening to destroy it soon after witnessing it's glory?! The NERVE!"

I continued to glare daggers into her as I swirl around her body with my own. I was nearly 50 feet of scales and fur, my serpentine body floating eerily off the ground, fully capable of coiling around her lithe body like a python should I chose to do so! "Are you an envoy of your mortal people's kingdom of Beijio? Or some agent of chaos sent here to try and subdue me, Mortal Child?" I interrogated, growling and showing off my gleaming ivory teeth as I do so!

"Huh??" Nene gasped, glancing over her shoulder as the dragon made its presence clear!



The creature was dark furred and scaled, slithering around her while hovering in the air. After listening to its banter, the spear woman's face became stern. "SO you're the cause for the famine down in the village below!" She barked angrily, and she began to flip her spear around her body:



Her cape fluttered as she swung the shaft and blade, in an attempt to keep the dragon from slithering any closer!



She got low to the ground, pointing her glaive's tip at the long and fearsome beast! "I am Kiyoshi Sanada the Seventh Spear of Beijio, and I was hired by the village down below to help with their famine problem, you're 'throne' is flooding the valley!" She exclaimed, her sharp green eyes glaring daggers back at him!