by HopefulMonster » Fri Dec 14, 2018 10:59:03 pm
The little feline opened his mouth as if to respond to the newcomers questions, and suddenly froze in place, eyes seeming to glow with an unearthly light.
"What...... he whispered, seemingly to himself. "It's finally happening!?...."
Chuck seemed to shake himself out of the semi trance, and looked around at the gathered Handlers and their Wyrms. His fur almost appeared to have an aura of light emanating from it, and when he spoke, his voice boomed much louder and deeper than would seem possible for a Wyrm so small.
"Congratulations, Wyrm Handlers! Perhaps what I feared will not come to pass. Through your efforts, the very first Dreamcatcher eggs have come into being."
As he spoke, a soft, gentle glow began to pulse on the ground in front of him, and two incredibly beautiful, sparkling white eggs materialized in the lush grash. They glowed with an inner light and seemed to banish any shadows near them. Chuck's smile was almost paternal as he looked down at them, then his face grew grim as he looked back at the gathering.
"You could not possibly know how vital these bright lights are. I've spoken briefly of the Nightmare Gate, but have not told you everything. That ends tonight. You have a right to know exactly what you fight for."
As he spoke, shadows closed in around the edges of the Glade, almost as if they had some malevolent purpose. The lit runes on the gate marking the Nightmares that had been born glowed with a sickly hue. Chuck took a deep breath, and began to speak.
"The Abyssal Gate opening will create a wave of madness thats sweeps through the wyrm population. Anyone with a Wyrm that has the infection known as Pitch Black, or a nightmare wyrm in their squirm will have, in essence, a supernatural 'conduit' to the madness in their squirm. What this means is that for every single breeding season hereafter, there is a chance the madness will enter your homes. Of the three possible outcomes, none are good, and some will have horrific and lasting consequences.*
Should the madness not gain full access, your squirms will be plagued with horrible nightmares. Their deepest fears will haunt them, and will weaken their connection to the Earth energy that sustains them. Over time this will drain their spirit and they will become a shell of their former selves, unable to experience any kind of peace.
If the madness is able to infect parent wyrms, it will twist their natures and cause them to consume their eggs, destroying the next generation. The psychological repercussions of this would be considerable, and these poor wyrms would almost certainly be traumatized.
The worst outcome, however, would be madness fully infecting the egg of the young wyrm. Their spirit would become a warped and twisted thing, a gibbering creature of darkness and insanity. I have only had visions of such creatures, and I can promise you, they are nothing you would ever want to encounter. Like the Nightmares that enabled their spawning, they are unable to breed, and are incapablen of emotions such as joy, compassion, or kindness. They feed only on the madness and suffering they cause in others, and would destroy a squirm if not contained.
Clearly, this is a catastrophe to be avoided at all costs. The way to prevent the Gate from opening is difficult, but can be accomplished IF you all join the fight."
Taking a breath, Chuck continued.
"Leyline is the opposite of Nightmares, in every possible way. They are the light that fights back the shadows. As such, every Dreamcatcher bred will, in essence, 'cancel out' a Nightmares power. So since each common Type Nightmare is the key to a lock to open the gate, each Dreamcatcher hatched will neutralize a Nightmare 'Key'. The Nightmare locks cannot be reopened, so if enough Dreamcatchers are hatched to block all of the keys, the Gate closes. Permanantly. Our world is safe from elder horrors, and wyrms will live free of the madness it would have released."
The little feline wyrm looks over all the assembled Handlers and Wyrms, and heaves a gusty sigh.
"So now, my friends, the ball is in your court. You have to make a choice. Will you let the shadows open a gateway to darkness and horrors, or will you stand and fight for the Light?"
As Chuck's words sink in, the shadows that had been edging towards the center of the Glade seem to coalesce towards the small wyrm. He looks over his shoulder, and barely has time to utter the word "NO!" before the shadows whip around him in a fury. There is an angry feline yowl of rage and defiance, then the shadows clear...and the Gladekeeper is gone. The Dreamcatcher eggs begin to glow more brightly, chasing away what few lingering shadows remained, and you are all left with the echoing silence of the Glade, and the enormity of the choice you must make.
****By way of compensating Handlers who may have been working/wanting to get their hands on an Abyssal Wyrm. (And because fighting for the Light shouldn't be penalized) I will, if the door is shut, create a very limited number of Abyssal Wyrms. Plot wise, they snuck through a crack in the Gate, but because it closed their powers are void. They will simply be A Cool, Creepy Looking Wyrm to collect. They will be sold via a contest, wherein handlers will have to answer CDF story trivia to test their knowledge and how closely they were paying attention.****