Ascent of a Dragon

Several days pass with the group traversing rocky terrain, scaling and descending small mountains, trudging through bogs, and gliding across canyons. Laying in rest by a horizon spanning canyon, Aleph chokes down an almost perfectly spherical bird whole. "So good!" "Well of course. Orbids go perfectly with red pyre leaf, and the burn-root I used as stuffing really brings out the cold oils from the bird." Fluffy declares, his pectorals threatening to burst from the fabric of his shirt as he puffs up with pride. "What do you guys think?" Aleph asks, already finished her portion. "Glorious! I have much to learn!" "Eh, I could do just as well with the same ingredients."

Aleph prods idly at the campfire as the others eat, her eyes occasionally drawn to the misty canyon below. "Say... What makes this canyon any more special than the others we passed by? Hardly seems worth the effort to come all this way." Fluffy finishes chewing, wiping away the oil clinging to his scraggle before responding. "This canyon has routes which lead all the way to the magma floor. The floors between are covered in thick layers of fog, making them hard to traverse, even for me." "I'll have to teach you ae'othas I suppose. And ae'loyo." "Eye sphere and up? Strange names..."

Once Lyly finishes her portion, Aleph stands to get a better look down the canyon. Focusing her Aether she begins mapping the walls, searching for a way down. "Looks like it'll be easiest to just-" Swoosh! "Iiii! Not again! Why meee..." Aleph leaps back, unable to catch the bird which just made off with Lyly.

Through the eyes of bird food

"Stupid bird! Why does this happen every time I come here?! When will you morons learn I'm not food?!" Lyla writhes within the grasp of a raptor-like bird, adorned in red and black feathers and armed with sharp claws it fails to sink into her. Landing on a nearby cliff ledge, the bird pins her to the ground and begins pecking. "Unhand me fool! My body can't be injured by the likes of you!" Clearly perplexed by the impossibly hard carapice, the bird picks up a rock with its other leg and begins slamming it into her. "Release me or face my wrath!" She wriggles her legs within its grasp, hoping to at least unnerve it if nothing else.

Thoom! A distant burst of sound catches the bird's attention, prompting it to take off once again with Lyla in tow. Seriously... This kind of thing never happens on other floors, so why do I seem so much more appetising here? I'm sure I taste great, but you'd have better luck eating the rock between layers. Wind rushes by as they soar away from the oncoming sound, Mana beginning to pool around the bird to increase its speed even more. Are we being chased? They do care! Or at least the dragon does. I still can't actually turn to see them. Maybe I can help...

Lyla releases a stream of thread, hoping to let it catch on terrain or be caught by her companions, yet an unfortunately timed turn around a pillar leads to her ending up tangled tightly within the bird's grasp. "Shit." The bird dives, gaining speed as it dips into a canyon below. "Hold on!" A distant voice echoes through the wind. Is she talking to me? Or-

Thoom!

Gravity takes over, her body spinning wildly as she falls into the misty canyon below. Thonk! Tumble, tumble. Splat! Tumble, thud! Wriggling herself free from the bird's grasp, and her threads, Lyla takes a step back from the remains. Blood pools from the lower half of the bird, the upper having vanished entirely. You know... I'm glad she's not my enemy. Skittering around the area aimlessly she takes in her surroundings. All around her is a complex network of organic structures spreading out in a three-dimensional web-like pattern, and covered in a thick layer of moss.

Should I stay in place or try find my way out? If I stay, how long until I'm found? And isn't this one of the layers I've been eaten on? But if I move, what happens if they find this place and I'm not here?

They won't leave without me... right?

Through the eyes of an ecstatic elf

Wind rushes past the adventurer, rattling the paper in his hand as he scribbles a tick into his journal. Never thought I'd be able to mark off breaking the sound barrier while riding a dragon from my bucket list. What a day! Landing at the canyon edge, Teacher looks around in search of the fallen spider. "Either of you see where she fell?" "Ah, no sorry. I was otherwise preoccupied." "I witneshed her fall into the mist below." "That's no good... Your Aoan is coming along nicely though." "Aoan is musch easier than Englin."

Teacher glides down, light from above fading into dark-brown, and then into uniform white as they plunge into the mist. She weaves around pillars and roots, deftly swooping under and over as they grow steadily more dense, alongside an ever-thickening fog. Reaching the ground they land, dense fog blocking their sight in all directions. "Say, how can you see so well in here?" The elf asks, stepping off the dragon's back and onto the thick carpet of moss coating the floor. "I'm using Ae'othas. You can try it too, you just spread a thin layer of Aether everywhere and feel how much resistance is put forward." "I'll give it a go."

Aether pools around him, green bubbles forming around his body as he pushes the energy outward. "Too much. You're forming Ae'osa." This is trickier than it sounds. He thins his Aether, spreading it wider only for it to pass through fog and stone uncontested. "Thinner still. With this much density your will simply overrides any resistance ambient material can put up." "Perhaps this is too advanced for me." "We can always try again later when we're not stressed." She turns away, setting off into the fog as the elf and Muscles follow behind. Now that I think about it... I can't feel her Aether around me at all. Is it even thinner than the ambient rock?

Through the eyes of a thoughtful monkey

Gol Dhee walks beside the warrior of green, a hesitant confidence within his gait. To be walking beside the warrior of green himself! To even understand his tongue! Coming here was no mistake. "Everything okay buddy?" The warrior asks, giving him a light thud on the shoulder. "All is fine friend." I shall never cleanse this patch of fur again!

His gaze washes over their surroundings. Silence permeates the cavern, only broken by the steady thuds of the emissary's heavy footfalls. Heat and humidity coats them, condensation dripping from Gol Dhee's fur as his feet brush against damp moss. Coating... They coat themselves in a cowl of Aether, yes? I wonder... Gol Dhee slows his gait, focusing on his essence as he allows it to pool around his hand, coating his fur in energy. As his essence wraps around him he feels a slight shift, patches of fur turning white and forming a line before he dispels the essence, returning his fur to its golden luster. This is... I wonder...

Through the eyes of a worried dragon

Am I going the right way? Did we go past her? I been with her since... Since I was born, pretty much. It feels wrong now without her on my head. There's gotta be something in my memories to help find her... Something... To do with true names? I know her name is Lyla. I should have enough... have enough to... her name? Um... Aleph slows to a stop, Goldy swiftly catching up behind her as Fluffy regards her quizzically. What was I thinking about? "Is something wrong Teacher? Your Aether is acting strange." "Even I feel an odd presence." "Ah, sorry." With a deep breath Aleph calms her stirring Aether, allowing the agitated lights around her to fade. "I just got distracted for a moment."

Goldy shares a sympathetic look with Fluffy, stepping forward to rest atop her. "She shall be found." "Maybe a plan could help. Do we know which way we're going?" "Oh, I was following you guys." Both give her an incredulous look. "You were walking ahead of us though." "Eh, directions are weird. Up and down make sense. Everything else is kinda wibbly." "Perhaps Ho'mah is correct and you are an elderrich." "Hey, not you too..." Aleph pouts, lightly slapping the offending fool. "But yea, a plan would be nice. Any ideas?"

"We make noise? Call Ho'mah to us?" "We would only attract predators. This general area is teeming with large beasts, well adapted to the low visibility." Aleph lowers her snout to the ground, idly scratching at the moss. "We could split up? Cover a wide area then circle back." "I don't know about Muscles, but I have almost no visibility here. This is one of the floors I've spent the least time on because of how easy it is to get lost." "Hm... Goldy, how about you?" "I can grasp the winds, sense her essence and that of any interlopers."

Aleph stands, beckoning Goldy onto her back. "You keep searching while I walk. Fluffy can keep track of where we've been so we don't get lost." "We're already lost." He responds, self-consciously brushing his beard. "Ah... Then you can just ride and practice with your Aether." "Works for me." The trio set off, utilising advanced heuristic-based Brownian motion to determine their direction. Violet Aether spreads wide, feeling out every nook in the surrounding roots and crevice in the rocky floor while green Aether clumsily warps in imitation.

"Hinya." Goldy beckons from her back, his palms bending the fog in a slow dance. "How do your kind determine age?" Is he trying to distract me from getting stressed? Well, he could just be curious, but it's still sweet. "I haven't been to the surface of this world, but if it's like most others I've been to it'll be based on years. How long the planet takes to orbit its star." "You're not from this world? One of the summoned I take it?" Fluffy queries, his Aether snapping back into his body the moment he loses focus. "Don't think it counts as summoning. I reincarnated of my own volition to a degree, though my soul was placed in this body rather than infusing naturally."

The web of roots around them grows thicker, moss dangling down in curtains all around them. "How did you die?" Goldy shoots a worried look between Fluffy and Aleph, calming as she responds. "You want a list?" The pair share a glance from atop her back. "Highlights?" "Hmm... I was once eaten by a dragon. Twice." "The same beast in different lives?" "Same dragon, same life. I only died the second time. I'm still a bit salty about that one actually..." "How? How do you survive being eaten? And then get eaten again anyway?" "Trust me. You don't want to know."

Goldy narrows his focus, his fingertips delicately brushing the air as he tightens his legs around Aleph's back. "See something?" "Hmm... Hinya, how does one speak this direction in Aoan?" He asks, pointing left. "That's lo'o eyoloyo." "..." "If it helps, even the oldest beings I've spoken to simply call it ley." Fluffy chimes in. "I sense a presence ley." I don't see the issue with lo'o eyoloyo... It's perfectly descriptive... Aleph directs her focus left, picking up the pace as she coats the world in Aether, searching for any trace of Lyly. "I see something!" She declares. "I sense her essence ahead. She is near." Goldy confirms.

Walk turns to sprint as Aleph approaches the razor thin threads strung between the webs of roots, following a jagged line and leading in random directions. Reaching the threads, she places a claw against one and plucks, the fibre showing no sign of snapping. "Yep. That's hers. Which way should we-" "Iiiiiiii!" Thonk! The world returns to its natural order as Lyly lands upon her perch, comfortably snuggling into place. "Lyly!" "You guys came for me!" "Um... Should you two really be yelling like that?" "It's fine, I almost never encounter predators here." The fog opens its eyes. "Fuck."

Mashu Soso'ayo

In the heart of the northern continent of Mashulasloyun lies the largest mountain range in Magnus Mundus. Most well known for its lush greenery and beautiful landscapes, this tropical mountain range is a common tourist destination. Especially so for Maolas due to the rich history and culture relating to their kind. It is for this reason that despite generally high tensions with the outer continents, people from the central continent are still allowed passage to see the mountains.

There are many myths relating to Mashu Soso'ayo and the surrounding lands, several of which depict the origin of the Maolas and their god Aoi. Unfortunately due to a long history of conflict, and the four great wars, many of these myths have been lost or degraded to time. Additionally, since the ancients consider the topic of old gods taboo we cannot rely on their testimony to fill the gaps either.

One of the more popular stories originating from this region is that of Laleus Aoi'sho, though this has no Englin translation I know of. The crux of the story is the god Aoi's search for a place to call home, and their long journey around the world. Mashu Soso'ayo features in this story as the location in which they create the first of the Maolas and discover the answer to where home is.

If you have any interest in history or culture I can't recommend visiting Mashu Soso'ayo enough. Even the views are breathtaking enough to be worth the trip.

-Excerpt from Anya Chiff's 'Shape of the World'