Beyond Chaos – A DiceRPG
[1274] – Y06.174 – The Mountain of Gold I

As the rays of the sun bore down upon the capital, it was a young fool’s smile which burned the brightest. Adam had spent such little time within Aswadasad and yet the Gaks had gained so much recognition from quite a large number of figures already. As he followed behind the small group ahead, of the Order members, guards, and the Gaks, his eyes scanned across the large city. The area reminded him of Arisa, in some ways, the sandy gold buildings, most rectangular or square, but sometimes they came across a circular area, a park that allowed one to switch paths comfortably, others small market places, district squares, or circles he supposed, and each comforting to his heart.

“Admittedly, I didn’t expect this place to have so much… green,” Adam said, for though he saw all the golds, bronzes, coppers in the world around this area, there were equally as many greens, not from their clothing, but from the lush growth all around.

“It is Aswadasad,” Jurot replied, as though that explained everything.

“What does that mean?” Adam asked, walking across the bridge, not the first bridge, but as he stepped over the bridge, glancing towards the canal. ‘A lot of water considering I thought this place was meant to be all sandy.’

“Gardens,” Jurot replied. “Aswadasad is known by three colours. Gold. Green. Grey.”

“Grey?”

“The mountains,” Jurot said.

“Yeah, but like, Aldland has all three of those too, so why does Aswadasad have those three in particular?”

“We of the Iyr live within the mountains,” Jurot began. “Our mountains are comparable to that of Black Mountain. When we were in West Port, you saw the start of the main mountains in Aldland. The Lightning Dragon Mountain Range, it is thin, and ten to twenty miles until the two prongs join together, then they are twenty to thirty miles wide, continuing up and beyond North Amber, all the way to Drakehome.”

“Drakehome?”

“It is what we call the capital of the North, which is further north, bordering Drakkenlan,” Jurot explained. “It is seven hundred miles long, if you follow it from the eastern side, and cut through where it meets The Fin.”

“Are you speaking of the Lightning Dragon Mountains?” Mork asked, stepping closer.

“Yes.”

“The Fin is taken by the Tribesfolk,” Mork said, letting out a soft sigh. “You must take great care when passing that way. It is safer on the mountains than it is in the hills.”

“So the mountains are seven hundred miles from West Port to Drakehome?” Adam asked, glancing between the pair.

“Yes,” Jurot said.

Mork narrowed his eyes. “Aye, if you cut through The Fin.”

“Oh, so yeah, big mountains, right?”

“Not compared to Aswadasad,” Mork said.

“Wow,” Adam said, raising his brows to Mork, for if Mork was admitting it, it must be big.

“They say that the Lord of Earth formed the mountains in Aswadasad,” Mork said. “Half of them at least.”

“Yeah, apparently so.”

“In Aldland, the mountains split the North and West. In Aswadasad, the mountains would be larger than the North and West.”

“Damn!” Adam raised his brows, trying to imagine how large that would be. He had spent some time in the west, oh, no, the east, not the west, right. “Yeah, okay, grey for sure.”

“Aswadasad has gold which comes from their mountains, their deserts, their hills, and even their forests,” Jurot said, while Adam furrowed his brows at his words. “Gardens are popular in Aswadasad, due to Lord Noor’s influence. Ever Green and Red Oak are green for Aldland, but they are the standard within Aswadasad.”

“How do they get all this water for the gardens? It’s so hot and dry!” ‘Thank the Divine for my resistance to the heat these days, literally.’

“There are many streams which flow through the capital, and the two largest rivers nearby merge in the capital. One is from Black Mountain, Dunes’ Order is built around the source, and the other from the hills south. The rain, the snow, the elementals, the dragons, the Priests, the Druids, all bring forth the water required for the land. There are also many other unspoken beings and magics.”

“Now that you mention elementals, I expected more inasir,” Adam admitted.

“They are further east, in the Confederacy.”

“Ah,” Adam replied, slowly nodding his head, narrowing his eyes as he recalled something. “Drakken too?”

“Drakken too.”

“Ah,” Adam replied, slowly nodding his head, narrowing his eyes as he recalled something else. “You know, just to remind me, Aswadasad is like Aldland in that it had its fair share of genocide, right?”

“Yes.”

“Right, well, I mean, what country hasn’t? You know?” Adam smiled awkwardly, a guilty smile upon his face. “Recently?”

“Yes.”

“Damn it!” Adam grumbled. ‘I wanted to love you, Aswadasad! Why would you do this to me?’

“Aldland is currently partaking in such upon the islands to the south,” Jurot reminded the half elf, who let out a soft sigh, steeling his heart. Jurot wondered if Adam would want to go there to stop it, since it would be a great fight, but he thought of his son’s smile, and his heart trembled. ‘In the future, when we are stronger.’

“Yeah, I forgot about that…”

“It is also in the process of forming an army to deal with the Reavers, which it will then turn about the Tribesfolk,” Jurot added.

“Alright, well, makes me feel a little bit better about preferring Aswadasad, although… I’d rather it didn’t do it.”

“We could stop it,” Jurot offered.

“We could?”

“We could assist the Tribesfolk by arming them with great weapons,” Jurot began, blinking. “No. Kitool.”

Kitool approached to the duo, who were speaking of sedition so casually in the busy road of the capital of Aswadasad.

“How could we stop the army of Aldland from destroying the Tribesfolk?” Jurot asked.

“Hypothetically,” Adam said. “We definitely have no intention of doing such a thing, at this moment.”

Mork blinked, glancing between the trio, his eyes darting to Tork, who had made the wise decision of pulling away to the back of the group to talk to John, not wanting anything to do with such insanity.

“We would need to communicate with all the Tribesfolk, arm their greatest warriors to defend themselves against the armies, and as the armies attack their villages, we would need to create greater trouble for Aldland, but it would be difficult, for the Tribesfolk would not unite unless it was the Iyr which were assisting them, and some would refuse, leading to their demise, or a few would make their way to the Iyr to give themselves to our ways in order to survive,” Kitool stated simply.

“Yeah, I expected as much,” Adam replied, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m sure there are other ways too, but unfortunately…”

Jurot noted how quiet the half elf became. “Okay?”

“Yeah,” Adam replied, with a tone that implied he had forced away the shameful thoughts. “Kizwolima, you okay?”

“Okay, mister Adam!” Kizwolima said, rushing up to him from Bael’s side, her eyes scanning the entire area. “Mister Adam?”

“Yeah?”

“Does the Shen eat children?”

“What?”

“Mam always says that if I’m naughty the Shen will catch me and roast me and eat me with all the spices,” the girl said, pouting slightly.

“I don’t think he does that,” Adam replied, chuckling. “Jurot, did you hear that?”

“Yes, but I did not understand it,” Jurot replied, causing the half elf to stop laughing.

“Kizwolima asked if the Shen catches naughty children and eats them with spices,” Adam said, chuckling again.

“Adam…” Jurot replied, causing the half elf’s smile to drop, his eyes growing wide in alarm. “We are almost at the temple.”

Adam choked on his thoughts, letting out a sigh of relief. “That timing was awful.”

Jurot’s lips twitched slightly.

“You did that on purpose,” the half elf accused.

Jurot turned to Mork, doing something which utterly terrified the Priest, tapping his elbow in a friendly manner. “A half elf asked me of the Shen eating people.”

Mork’s eyes grew wide, the Priest reaching up to his amulet as his eyes watered, his throat aching as he tried not to burst out into laughter.

“What? What’s so funny?” Adam asked.

“Elves eat people.”

“Sorry, what the fu-, oh, actually, I feel like you told me this before,” Adam said, vaguely recalling hearing about elf cannibalism. “You know what? I don’t want to know anything else about this place. Kizwolima, when we get to the temple I’ll make sure to donate a lot for some fruit, alright?”

“Okay,” Kizwolima replied, also feeling like she didn’t want to eat any fish in that moment. “Can I eat goat?”

“Yeah, sure,” Adam replied.

Tork finally worked up the courage to step forward again, tapping his brother on the elbow lightly. “In Aldland, they’re as pale as porridge. Here? They’re as colourful as curry.”

“Blessed be the Lady,” Mork agreed, his eyes darting about to the women, before noting Adam’s eyes peering at the pair quizzically. “Executive?”

“Nothing,” Adam said, furrowing his brows, before glancing aside. He did notice the varying dark skins of the Aswadians, from black, to black, to dark brown, to lighter brown, some paler, but there were also a few who were slightly red tinted, and then he’d spot a devilkin that was a deeper red or a purple. “I don’t know what kind of curry you are eating that’s purple, but…”

“Bengun,” Tork replied.

“Baingan?” Adam asked. “Oh! Aubergine? You know what, fair, you got me there.”

“Executive,” Tork called, motioning with his head, pulling Adam aside as they approached the temple. “Yer a welcoming sort. You, uh, got any trouble with Aswadians?”

“No trouble at all, why?”

“You… keep lookin’ at me funny when I call them pretty.”

“No, no, it’s not that, just…” Adam cleared his throat. “Normally, from where I’m from, describing people’s skin colour is sensitive.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. It’s a cultural thing from my end, you’re not doing anything,” Adam said. “Although, obviously, when the other people complain, it’s them being sensitive, but when it’s the majority complaining, it’s about maintaining dignity and-,”

Tork’s confused eyes stopped the half elf.

“Just a joke from my… doesn’t matter,” Adam said, smiling to himself. “Actually, uh, you’d get it if I did it the other way, actually, wait. You know how when a horc complains about being harassed, you’re seen as difficult, but when it’s an Aldishman complaining about being harassed, it’s seen as injustice?”

“Ah!” Tork replied, flashing a wide grin towards his brother. “See?”

“I have always taken your side!” Mork replied, his eyes growing wide.

“Always?”

“Most of the time!” Mork replied, though sometimes, his brother really did deserve it.

Tork laughed, winking towards the Executive, while they approached the large temple complex, blissfully unaware of the shadowy figure that stared at them from almost a half mile away, though they slipped behind the tower as Bael’s eyes wandered over towards them.

‘What is that?’ the figure thought.

‘Hmm?’ Bael thought, fairly certain he had sensed something.

“Bael?” Adam called, noting Bael’s glare of annoyance.

“How many half dragons make their home in this city?” Bael complained, trying to focus upon his scent.

“You okay?”

Bael nodded. “Will you explain to me your joke?”

“If I explain it, it won’t be funny.”

“It is not an issue with you, then.”

Adam frowned. “I guess you’re right, but that still stung.”

“You are too strong to be pouting like that.”

“I’m strong so I can pout without criticism,” Adam replied.

Bael remained quiet for a moment. He nodded.

Adam picking half elf for the bonuses, not realising they have their own crazy lore will always be a source of hilarity. 

Also, wow. I didn't realise we'd get to the capital in this chapter until I checked. This arc is pretty slow, but it isn't all slow.