Onimur

“If it is a dragon, as I have assumed, I would think it would be treated with more... respect.” Rylan spoke inquisitively. “Most places I’ve been, dragons are revered as the avatars and, occasionally, heralds of the gods. In one empire I’ve been, even the most tyrannical and hated of dragons are built grand tombs and mighty palaces. Rarely are they left dead on the ground...” Rylan turned to the dragon again, and spoke a short phrase in an alien tongue, nodding to the corpse when he finished. He turned to face Sef.

Rylan waved with a single hand, and spoke again in his Elvish, which was similar enough to the newcomer's own tongue. He spoke, making direct eye contact with the newcomer. "Greetings and salutations, I am Rylan Ryan the Seventh, but am known by many names. Lightsinger, Rivermaker, Dancer from beyond the Edge, Alaladiris, but Rylan will suffice. I arrived just recently, so I know none of these strangers here. I also speak many languages, likely none of which you will understand." Rylan paused for a moment before continuing. "Why is a creature such as this slain and left on the ground so carelessly?" He said, gesturing to the corpse a few feet from him.

Rylan watched the group of newcomers from where he stood, utterly confused. He thought they were saying something about a boat, he wasn't quite sure. "Owlson," he repeated, pointing to the speaker. "I think this is the language closest to the one you spoke." He turned to address the small crowd that had gathered at the base of the tower. "Can any of you understand me?"

Rylan nodded contemplatively, then pointed to himself, speaking in Shangrian elvish. "I'm not sure if you can understand, but I am called Rylan." @Tesh @Trutharchivist

Rylan stopped speaking altogether, and thought for a moment. He pointed his finger to the man who had just spoken, and nodded, then drew his finger from left to right across his neck, then pointed to the huge corpse beside him.

Rylan swept his hands outwards, seeing the confusion of the two before him. He spoke again in Alderin Dwarvish, hoping to find a language that would be similar enough to one the humanoids before him could understand. "As I feared, language will be a hinderance... does this make any more sense to you?"

Rylan stepped back warily, hearing the sound of footsteps grow closer from around the tower. He raised a curious brow as two figures emerged from the side of the tower. The first was tall, with short dark hair, wearing a large black coat, and the second pale with brown hair. Rylan spoke again in Faldaan, addressing the humanoid creatures before him. "Pardon my unexpected and uninvited arrival, this kind of thing happens far more often than you would think. Did either of you two slay this mighty beast here?" @Tesh @Trutharchivist

Rylan slowly stood, and instinctively took a step back when he saw the body of the dragon beside him. After being sure it wasn't moving, Rylan looked up towards the tower. Grimacing, he rubbed his cut wrist, and then called out in songlike Faldaan, "Is... Is anyone there? There's a dead dragon here and I don't remember killing it."

On the ground, Rylan stirred. He saw the face of Elara, heard her voice crying out to him in fear. He saw her body, bleeding and broken at his feet. A thousand images flooded his mind, a thousand melodies, each appearing for but a moment before vanishing. And then he heard a voice. Piercing, rumbling like thunder, shaking Rylan to his very core; "You cannot hide from me. You cannot run from me. I am the last face you shall ever see, the last voice you shall ever hear. I will watch you die, even as I watched her die." Rylan gasped awake, shuddering. He slowly sat up and calmed himself, before looking about to see where he was.

Exactly as the dragon released its final, dying breath, a bolt of pure black energy burst into existence, drawing in and absorbing the light in the surrounding area for a moment. The air cooled, and a sound like a high-pitched inhalation sounded as a figure appeared-standing-a few feet from Talnic. The dark bolt dissolved, fading from view, as soon as it had appeared, leaving the figure. The figure wore red and grey clothing, tattered and filthy. His right wrist was bleeding profusely, and he seemed to be cut and bruised in numerous other places. The man’s green eyes blazed with an otherworldly power, and his entire body was rimmed with black, pulsating energy. The effect faded after a moment, leaving the man looking exhausted and distressed. “Elara! Hel...” the man cried out, before toppling forward, unmoving.

Rylan waited until the guards had turned the corner, out of sight, before pulling the chipped piece of flint from his pocket. Whispering the incantation that Yrtrimn had taught him, he struck the flint against the cool steel bars of his cell. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, with a flash, the metal bars warmed, and began to glow with heat after but a moment. Rylan watched the red-hot metal for a moment that felt like an eternity. Steeling himself, he clenched his teeth, and grabbed the bars, wrenching them apart. His palms searing, the putrid scent of searing flesh filled his nostrils as the bars pulled apart, easily bent due to their heat. As soon as he was sure he could squeeze through, he let go, and stifled a scream. It took almost a full minute before he was able to remember the words to a spell to help his hands, which only reduced the pain slightly. He waited until after the metal bars were completely cooled before he slipped through, and quietly made his way down the prison hallway. He felt the cool stone against his bare feet, and tried to ignore the calls of the other prisoners as he walked past their cells. As he neared the guard barracks, he pulled another object from his pocket, a small, clear gem, and crushed it in his hands, immediately wincing afterwards. He muttered a short phrase, and suddenly blinked out of view, becoming invisible. He quietly made his way past the inky blue-skinned humanoid guards, being sure not to step into their path. Casting a final detection spell, Rylan quickly found the room where his boots, sword, and most importantly, his hat, were being held. In but a few minutes more, Rylan was back onto the street of Graazun, ducking past carts and horses, trying to be sure he wasn't seen by any more of those blue humanoids. It took nearly an hour of dodging and ducking, running from shadow to shadow, to make his way to the city gate. He crouched in the darkness, watching the gatehouse, trying to estimate when the best time to run past was, when he heard the skittering of stones behind him. Rylan turned, just in time to see an arrow streaking right towards his face. He raised his right arm, and felt the arrow graze across his wrist, tearing his skin open, exposing bone, and leaving the very tip of the arrow stuck inside his hand. He yelped in pain, but at least the arrow had been deflected. He looked down at his wrist to see the slash was bleeding profusely. He could just barely see the barbed Arratzzn-steel tip of the arrow keeping his wound open. He felt dizzy as his blood dripped down on to the ground. His vision was swirling, he couldn't see straight. Rylan could barely see as one of the blue skinned creatures from the prison approached him, its snarl exposing jagged yellow teeth, its red eyes blazing with the adrenaline of the hunt. Then he felt it. That familiar gut wrenching tug that he had felt thousands of times before. He was being Kicked. The creature raised its crossbow again, with another barbed arrow aimed at Rylan's heart. The creature curled its oily finger around the trigger, and then froze. A bolt of pure black energy shot down from the red sky above, sucking in all light around it, striking Rylan. All he could do was groan in agony as he was suddenly torn from his current reality. ... ... ... ... Darkness. Rylan slowly opened his eyes, but it made no difference. There was nothing to be seen, only the eternal darkness of the space betwixt the endless universes of the Multiverse. He floated there, unmoving for what could have been seconds, and what could have been years. He was used to this. It had happened thousands of times before, and quite possibly would continue to happen until the end of eternity. Then, he saw light. A small speck, growing closer. A new world, a new life, and yet another round of the meaningless torture that the mightiest of cosmic powers forced him to endure. The light grew closer and brighter, first like a candle, then like a bonfire, then blazing like a star looming over him. Time to put on a show, Rylan thought, as the light engulfed him.

You make that sound like its a drug... A pal of mine, and Sydney

Golly, uh... The Way of Kings. I haven't read too many Sanderson books, but my collection is steadily growing

I think I really love creating locations and places to explore, and then seeing those places through the eyes of my characters. I think that would be my favorite part

That I am

What is this for? I think its an introduction. Hi there! I'm a DM for D&D 5e, and I love to read fantasy of all sorts! I'm a worldbuilder and a huge nerd... thats everything worth saying I guess!

I'm not quite sure how this works, but I'm down. Tesh invited me. Is this the right place to even put this?