My humble progress
Here's my humble story sofar! :3
Chapter One
In the land of Ord, there are all sorts of enchanting creatures. There are creatures of great size and ponderous strength, of diminutive stature and meek disposition, of vast intellect and timeless wisdom, and creatures as old as the land or Ord itself. Ord exists in a place no human will ever achieve the ability to which to travel. You see, Ord actually exists in a universe where no human footsteps have ever been set. The land rolls with lush grasses and prosperous hamlets, towering snow-capped peaks and verdant pools from which to drink. The inhabitants of Ord are peaceful and gladly coexist in accord, despite their vast differences. Well, most of them. As it is with all things, there are exceptions. And the exception to this rule is the disharmony between the Sekth and the Bas, two races of Ordites that begrudgingly share the Baskth Valley, so named because neither race would allow the other to name the valley. Both, however, blame the other for the silly current name, though it was actually created by a young Sekth with non-confrontational tendencies and a liking for the Bas, but that is neither here nor there.
The Sekth are a proud people, with serpentine, tiled bodies ranging in various shades of silvery-green with deep blue scales along their spines. Rather than slithering like the snakes of our world, they glide upon a row of small legs running the length of their lower bodies. Their upper bodies are sleek and beautiful with dragonlike faces and narrow, suspicious eyes. When a Sekth is born its skin is nearly pitch-black, and as it ages and sheds, its scales grow lighter in color and in their final days, their scales are entirely silver. As it would happen, the current leader of the Sekth was very silver indeed as she had lived through watching generations of her people grow and flourish. Her hair was white with wisdom and hung in an ornamented braid over one shoulder, nearly touching the ground as she sat. Aged One’s second-in-command was her nephew, who was muscular with brilliant blue eyes and a kind heart. His name was Esteemed One and he was not relishing the impending death of his beloved aunt, who had raised him from birth as his parents had both died of an unfortunate disease soon after he came into the world. Aged one had devoted her life to working toward peace with the Bas, but she had yet to completely convince her people of the merits of a truce. The dispute began thousands of years before and though no one truly knew the real story (though most had their own version and stuck to it with die-hard fervor), they were reluctant to give to much as an inch to the insufferable Bas. Ancient grudges die hardest.
The “insufferable Bas”, as it were, inhabit the higher crests of the Western ridge of the valley all the way down to the valley floor, while the Sekth claim the East. The valley floor was off-limits to children to keep them safe; only the strongest warriors and hunters dared venture into the open fields. On what began as an ordinary day, one of the greatest warriors was out with his bow and arrow, checking his snares as he did every morning. They were mostly a defensive measure but every now and then, he’d catch a poor little Gnerb or Yovgu and set them free, as the Bas are herbivorous and gentle in nature unless roused. Bas resemble satyrs in that they are mostly humanlike from the waist up, their legs ending in powerful hooves as strong as, say, our titanium. Bas have deeply tan skin and healthy muscle tone from their active outdoor lifestyles and seldom have any body fat. This particular brave’s physique was particularly powerful, and crowning his head were two great curled horns that began at his temples and arched along the sides of his heads in a backward circles and stopped at his jaw line, then had begun to point downward. The point of the left horn was broken off from a dispute over a female. That female was now his beautiful wife, Delich-e, who was currently in their hut, weaving a carrier for the child she had recently discovered that she was bearing. She was just beginning to show and had already made more clothing for the little one than it could ever wear in a lifetime. He was indeed a proud father-to-be, as his own father’s dying wish was to have the family’s fighting prowess carried on through grandchildren.
The brave was checking his last snare when he heard his wife’s voice calling.
“Nesheeeeebtiiiiii!”
He rose and smiled to himself, striding back to the village along a path of empty snares and yawned lazily. Things had been calm for months so he had finally been able to relax. Small wildlife were all his snares had caught in at least a year but he always checked them out of habit. As he entered the village gates he was cheerfully greeted by the other Bas, children scuttling around his hooves and various others carrying on life as usual. The little old lady that sold necklaces always waved to him as her ni,ble fingers toiled away on another lovely creation. He walked into his hut and, noticing it was empty, grimaced. He was sure she’d called her. A small finger tapped his shoulder and he yelped, stumbling forward. A beautiful female behind him laughed, covering her mouth politely. She was draped in an intricately beaded poncho and matching loincloth and her hair was a chestnut sheet to her hips. Her slim wrists jingled with bracelets of varying sizes. Neshebti turned around and heaved a sigh of relief, then embraced her with a kiss to the cheek. “Good morning." He said with a smile, his dimples prominent and his facial markings twisting upward.
“Hello, love.” Delich-e purred. Her voice was delicate ans almost girlish. “Catch anything?”
“Nope. As usual, my traps are thankfully undisturbed.”
“Why do you keep them?”
“Because I never underestimate calm times. For your sake and my son’s, I remain vigilant. I see you’ve been knitting again.” He quipped. There were more baby clothes in the corner.
“I must pass the time until my daughter arrives, afterall!” She giggled again and Neshebti turned her around so they were nose to nose.
“Still in this argument are we?”
“Of course. When I get my daughter, I’ll start brewing up a son for you.”
“We shall see, Delich-e. In the mean time, keep making my son loincloths. He’ll need them ad he trains to become a warrior like his papa.”
“If you insist, love.”
“I do indeed. But you would bear me an incredibly gorgeous daughter. To that I must concede.”
“Ha.” Delich-e sauntered away and began nonchalantly folding her increasing little pile of clothes.
“HA? HA what?!”
“You admit she’ll be beautiful!”
“I-…wait! You-!” Neshebti sputtered. He had been bested. “Grrrr… either way. Either way, we’re having a baby.”
“Yes. And she’ll be spoiled rotten.”
“…have you made lunch yet?!”
Another giggle from Delich-e.
Chapter Two
Esteemed One sat aside his aunt, brushing her hair out straight. Tradition dictated that the next-in-line to rule the Bas was to prepare the outgoing leader for their funereal rites. This included arranging their hair in a ceremonial knot, which would be cut off upon their passing and placed in the Hall of Past. It was a sad duty, but he had accepted it with honor, knowing the same would be done for him by someone he appointed with great love and trust. He was having difficulty fighting back tears, as he did not want Aged One to see him in a moment of weakness. Unfortunately for him, her reputed intuition kicked in.
“I hear you sniffling, darling…” she shispered in a wise, understanding tone. Her bony hand rested upon his knee, glittering with slender silver rings on three fingers. “Your tears are not a sign of weakness, but of strength, for you continue despite them. You will lead the people well, Esteemed One. Why else would I have chosen you?”
He smiled to himself with this sentiment and sighed. “But that will not change how much I will miss you.” His claws clicked together as he began to braid. “You made me the leader I am. And after you pass… I will have no one.”
“But darling, you still have your uncle.”
This sent a chill along Esteemed One’s spine and his fingers stopped. “As I said… I have no one.”
“I wish you would reconsider him as your successor, love. He is a strong leader.”
“He is a menace! You know how much blood he has spilt!”
“It does not change the fact that his blood is also mine. I trust him.”
“Then… then perhaps your time is indeed coming, because your judgement seems weak.” The hut was silent for a moment, then Aged One spoke.
“I will not be with you all much longer, so I will not live with your decision. I have no choice but to trust your judgement. And I do. But please… at least consider him, darling.”
“Nepotism does not necessarily guarantee peace. You know he harbors ill will toward the Bas. He will undo all of your hard work toward peace.”
“He has told me that he has accepted the peace and will follow your rule without question.”
“He has not told me this. He has told me all he needs to by the way he looks at me.I just don’t want your rule to have been in vain.”
“That noble heart is why you are braiding my funeral knot. As I said, you have earned my trust.”
“I certainly hope your trust is right.” He finished her hair in silence and took his leave, making sure to wipe his tears before being seen by his people. As he entered his own hut, a hissing noise from within halted his steps.
“Essssteemed One,” said the voice. “Has my little nephew lost his nerve?”
“Uncle…” Esteemed One snarled. A slimmer, lighter-skinned Sekth wearing grandiose black armor made from the hides of those he’d slain and slocked-back grey hair stepped into the light, arms folded smugly behind his back. He began to circle Esteemed one, looking him up and down. “You forget my hearing is second to none.” Esteened One gulped. He’d forgotten how well his uncle could hear even the faintest of sounds. “A menace, am I?! Well… should you underestimate me… you will know a true menace. I am willing to accept peace… but I do not recommend it. They are waiting for the right toime to kill us. Spare our village’s children and eliminate them while they are off their guard! You could either be a hero now… or a warlord with bloody hands later.”
“We have a treaty.”
“You have the words of a bunch of filthy savages! At least kill the strong. Once they are weakened, they will obey us without hesitation.”
“You just have a grudge against Broken-Horn.”
“You would too if you lost feeling in an arm because of him. My right arm is useless to me.”
Chapter One
In the land of Ord, there are all sorts of enchanting creatures. There are creatures of great size and ponderous strength, of diminutive stature and meek disposition, of vast intellect and timeless wisdom, and creatures as old as the land or Ord itself. Ord exists in a place no human will ever achieve the ability to which to travel. You see, Ord actually exists in a universe where no human footsteps have ever been set. The land rolls with lush grasses and prosperous hamlets, towering snow-capped peaks and verdant pools from which to drink. The inhabitants of Ord are peaceful and gladly coexist in accord, despite their vast differences. Well, most of them. As it is with all things, there are exceptions. And the exception to this rule is the disharmony between the Sekth and the Bas, two races of Ordites that begrudgingly share the Baskth Valley, so named because neither race would allow the other to name the valley. Both, however, blame the other for the silly current name, though it was actually created by a young Sekth with non-confrontational tendencies and a liking for the Bas, but that is neither here nor there.
The Sekth are a proud people, with serpentine, tiled bodies ranging in various shades of silvery-green with deep blue scales along their spines. Rather than slithering like the snakes of our world, they glide upon a row of small legs running the length of their lower bodies. Their upper bodies are sleek and beautiful with dragonlike faces and narrow, suspicious eyes. When a Sekth is born its skin is nearly pitch-black, and as it ages and sheds, its scales grow lighter in color and in their final days, their scales are entirely silver. As it would happen, the current leader of the Sekth was very silver indeed as she had lived through watching generations of her people grow and flourish. Her hair was white with wisdom and hung in an ornamented braid over one shoulder, nearly touching the ground as she sat. Aged One’s second-in-command was her nephew, who was muscular with brilliant blue eyes and a kind heart. His name was Esteemed One and he was not relishing the impending death of his beloved aunt, who had raised him from birth as his parents had both died of an unfortunate disease soon after he came into the world. Aged one had devoted her life to working toward peace with the Bas, but she had yet to completely convince her people of the merits of a truce. The dispute began thousands of years before and though no one truly knew the real story (though most had their own version and stuck to it with die-hard fervor), they were reluctant to give to much as an inch to the insufferable Bas. Ancient grudges die hardest.
The “insufferable Bas”, as it were, inhabit the higher crests of the Western ridge of the valley all the way down to the valley floor, while the Sekth claim the East. The valley floor was off-limits to children to keep them safe; only the strongest warriors and hunters dared venture into the open fields. On what began as an ordinary day, one of the greatest warriors was out with his bow and arrow, checking his snares as he did every morning. They were mostly a defensive measure but every now and then, he’d catch a poor little Gnerb or Yovgu and set them free, as the Bas are herbivorous and gentle in nature unless roused. Bas resemble satyrs in that they are mostly humanlike from the waist up, their legs ending in powerful hooves as strong as, say, our titanium. Bas have deeply tan skin and healthy muscle tone from their active outdoor lifestyles and seldom have any body fat. This particular brave’s physique was particularly powerful, and crowning his head were two great curled horns that began at his temples and arched along the sides of his heads in a backward circles and stopped at his jaw line, then had begun to point downward. The point of the left horn was broken off from a dispute over a female. That female was now his beautiful wife, Delich-e, who was currently in their hut, weaving a carrier for the child she had recently discovered that she was bearing. She was just beginning to show and had already made more clothing for the little one than it could ever wear in a lifetime. He was indeed a proud father-to-be, as his own father’s dying wish was to have the family’s fighting prowess carried on through grandchildren.
The brave was checking his last snare when he heard his wife’s voice calling.
“Nesheeeeebtiiiiii!”
He rose and smiled to himself, striding back to the village along a path of empty snares and yawned lazily. Things had been calm for months so he had finally been able to relax. Small wildlife were all his snares had caught in at least a year but he always checked them out of habit. As he entered the village gates he was cheerfully greeted by the other Bas, children scuttling around his hooves and various others carrying on life as usual. The little old lady that sold necklaces always waved to him as her ni,ble fingers toiled away on another lovely creation. He walked into his hut and, noticing it was empty, grimaced. He was sure she’d called her. A small finger tapped his shoulder and he yelped, stumbling forward. A beautiful female behind him laughed, covering her mouth politely. She was draped in an intricately beaded poncho and matching loincloth and her hair was a chestnut sheet to her hips. Her slim wrists jingled with bracelets of varying sizes. Neshebti turned around and heaved a sigh of relief, then embraced her with a kiss to the cheek. “Good morning." He said with a smile, his dimples prominent and his facial markings twisting upward.
“Hello, love.” Delich-e purred. Her voice was delicate ans almost girlish. “Catch anything?”
“Nope. As usual, my traps are thankfully undisturbed.”
“Why do you keep them?”
“Because I never underestimate calm times. For your sake and my son’s, I remain vigilant. I see you’ve been knitting again.” He quipped. There were more baby clothes in the corner.
“I must pass the time until my daughter arrives, afterall!” She giggled again and Neshebti turned her around so they were nose to nose.
“Still in this argument are we?”
“Of course. When I get my daughter, I’ll start brewing up a son for you.”
“We shall see, Delich-e. In the mean time, keep making my son loincloths. He’ll need them ad he trains to become a warrior like his papa.”
“If you insist, love.”
“I do indeed. But you would bear me an incredibly gorgeous daughter. To that I must concede.”
“Ha.” Delich-e sauntered away and began nonchalantly folding her increasing little pile of clothes.
“HA? HA what?!”
“You admit she’ll be beautiful!”
“I-…wait! You-!” Neshebti sputtered. He had been bested. “Grrrr… either way. Either way, we’re having a baby.”
“Yes. And she’ll be spoiled rotten.”
“…have you made lunch yet?!”
Another giggle from Delich-e.
Chapter Two
Esteemed One sat aside his aunt, brushing her hair out straight. Tradition dictated that the next-in-line to rule the Bas was to prepare the outgoing leader for their funereal rites. This included arranging their hair in a ceremonial knot, which would be cut off upon their passing and placed in the Hall of Past. It was a sad duty, but he had accepted it with honor, knowing the same would be done for him by someone he appointed with great love and trust. He was having difficulty fighting back tears, as he did not want Aged One to see him in a moment of weakness. Unfortunately for him, her reputed intuition kicked in.
“I hear you sniffling, darling…” she shispered in a wise, understanding tone. Her bony hand rested upon his knee, glittering with slender silver rings on three fingers. “Your tears are not a sign of weakness, but of strength, for you continue despite them. You will lead the people well, Esteemed One. Why else would I have chosen you?”
He smiled to himself with this sentiment and sighed. “But that will not change how much I will miss you.” His claws clicked together as he began to braid. “You made me the leader I am. And after you pass… I will have no one.”
“But darling, you still have your uncle.”
This sent a chill along Esteemed One’s spine and his fingers stopped. “As I said… I have no one.”
“I wish you would reconsider him as your successor, love. He is a strong leader.”
“He is a menace! You know how much blood he has spilt!”
“It does not change the fact that his blood is also mine. I trust him.”
“Then… then perhaps your time is indeed coming, because your judgement seems weak.” The hut was silent for a moment, then Aged One spoke.
“I will not be with you all much longer, so I will not live with your decision. I have no choice but to trust your judgement. And I do. But please… at least consider him, darling.”
“Nepotism does not necessarily guarantee peace. You know he harbors ill will toward the Bas. He will undo all of your hard work toward peace.”
“He has told me that he has accepted the peace and will follow your rule without question.”
“He has not told me this. He has told me all he needs to by the way he looks at me.I just don’t want your rule to have been in vain.”
“That noble heart is why you are braiding my funeral knot. As I said, you have earned my trust.”
“I certainly hope your trust is right.” He finished her hair in silence and took his leave, making sure to wipe his tears before being seen by his people. As he entered his own hut, a hissing noise from within halted his steps.
“Essssteemed One,” said the voice. “Has my little nephew lost his nerve?”
“Uncle…” Esteemed One snarled. A slimmer, lighter-skinned Sekth wearing grandiose black armor made from the hides of those he’d slain and slocked-back grey hair stepped into the light, arms folded smugly behind his back. He began to circle Esteemed one, looking him up and down. “You forget my hearing is second to none.” Esteened One gulped. He’d forgotten how well his uncle could hear even the faintest of sounds. “A menace, am I?! Well… should you underestimate me… you will know a true menace. I am willing to accept peace… but I do not recommend it. They are waiting for the right toime to kill us. Spare our village’s children and eliminate them while they are off their guard! You could either be a hero now… or a warlord with bloody hands later.”
“We have a treaty.”
“You have the words of a bunch of filthy savages! At least kill the strong. Once they are weakened, they will obey us without hesitation.”
“You just have a grudge against Broken-Horn.”
“You would too if you lost feeling in an arm because of him. My right arm is useless to me.”