Luferio
06-04-09, 07:19 AM
Luferio was an enthusiastic, but curious explorer. Since the arrival through the webway gate of both himself and his small cadre of Lufayne, the zealous Zydoss and more reserved Razzick, he had spent most of his time taking in his surroundings and studying what he saw, watching with curiosity as all manner of races, creatures and animals passed through the forest, oblivious to the observations they were under. He had found a fine, dry cove deep in the thick of the Underwood ruffage from which to operate from, and it was an excellent place for a band of Lufayne to live, with plenty of fresh water running in crystal streams, ones that forked their way through thick blankets of lush forest floor foliage, and an abundance of small prey to hunt and eat. His circumstances would be comfortable enough for executing the task he had been given by The Valnyd, and when darkness fell, Luferio, Zydoss and Razzick would once again leave the cove and set out their pickets, attempting to learn more about the humans who populated the village of Underwood.
It was truly an honour that The Valnyd had given him this task, but it wasn’t just the prestige alone that made up Luferio’s reasons for agreeing to the mission. Riias, the Lufayne homeworld, had little going forward that would help lay foundations for a better life for the Lufayne people. No longer could the planet viably bear the burden of its inhabitants with its natural resources having mostly been consumed by war with the Tal’Set. Prospects for expansion and repopulation across the continents had dwindled as post-war famine and ruin swept across the once lively hive colonies, forcing the fifty thousand or so inhabitants to take refuge in the only suitable location on Riias, Domesca, the city of The Valnyd and the last stronghold for the Lufayne. Their world was dying, Domesca would not support its people forever, and so the choice was simple: search for another home, or face a slow extinction.
Luferio wondered how it was that the mighty Lufayne had dwindled to its current predicament. He stood at the mouth of his cave, flanked by hoverflies and mosquitos, and rested a forearm against the cold bevelled stone surface. He was dressed in his Lufayne Caste robes, a brown toga clipped at the shoulder with a single silver pin. It was emblazoned with the Crest of the Lufayne, a crossed pair of daggers on top of a twin moon formation. The edges of the silver were beginning to wear, and it was only now that Luferio noticed this, rubbing a stiff leathery finger down the thin gritty edges of the crest.
“It looks like it needs filing, Luferio. You know, to smooth the edges a bit.”
Zydoss emerged into the light, and stood beside Luferio, leaning against the inner right of the wall with his shoulder. His Lufayne Caste war axe never left his side, and today was no different. The shaft scraped against the wall and lodged in a small pocket of stone, to which Zydoss snorted at violently and quickly snatched the iron pole from within its grasp. Always irritable, thought Luferio as he cast a golden eye to his right, and nodded to acknowledge his friend.
“Any luck with Domesca yet?”
Zydoss shook his head, his quills bustling back and worth with the motion. He let out an animalistic grunt, and placed his heel up against the wall, perched on one leg with his arms crossed.
“Nothing. Razzick has, as of yet, been unable to open a webway. The magic field here is strange. It is not like anything we have encountered on Riias, but that is not to say we won’t be able to.”
Luferio nodded slowly, casting his gaze back out into the light of the forest, and watched as the mosqitos swooped and darted amongst the leaves and branches of the magnificent trees.
“This is a beautiful place, Zydoss, this forest. It reminds me of the Shinga Forest near the old farming colony on the edge of Domesca, before the Tal’Set laid siege.”
Zydoss let out another snort, this time exhaling a cloud of vapour.
“Trecherous vermin! They stand accountable for a great deal of our suffering. Ever since they set foot on Riias, nothing has been the same. Our once great nation crumbles to mere pockets of survivors, of true Lufayne. Those who do not run off to seek their own miserable fortunes and sever their ties with us suffer as we do in the belly of a dying beast.”
Luferio knew all too well the hatred Zydoss held for the Tal’Set, and even more for those of the Lufayne who had abandoned their kind to seek their own selfish rewards in ignorance of the greater good. Zydoss had always been a proud warrior, and an even prouder Tal’Set Caste member, a descendant of the soldiers who had first protected the motherland of Riias from the Tal’Set intruders and had devoured them after their defeat in battle. It was through this method that the Tal’Set Caste had learned their mystical warping abilities, not something that Luferio had the ability to do, being a pureblood Lufayne. Zydoss had rued the day when he finally had to accept Riias was soon to be a dead planet, and had swallowed his pride to accompany his friend, accepting that they needed a new home.
“That, Zydoss, is why we are here, doing what we are doing. For the good of the people of Riias, and for us.”
Zydoss was silent. He nodded, snorted again, and headed back inside the cave, his weapon shaft scraping once again against the inside of the cavern wall.
“I’ll check on Razzick, and we’ll see if we can get that webway open.”
It was truly an honour that The Valnyd had given him this task, but it wasn’t just the prestige alone that made up Luferio’s reasons for agreeing to the mission. Riias, the Lufayne homeworld, had little going forward that would help lay foundations for a better life for the Lufayne people. No longer could the planet viably bear the burden of its inhabitants with its natural resources having mostly been consumed by war with the Tal’Set. Prospects for expansion and repopulation across the continents had dwindled as post-war famine and ruin swept across the once lively hive colonies, forcing the fifty thousand or so inhabitants to take refuge in the only suitable location on Riias, Domesca, the city of The Valnyd and the last stronghold for the Lufayne. Their world was dying, Domesca would not support its people forever, and so the choice was simple: search for another home, or face a slow extinction.
Luferio wondered how it was that the mighty Lufayne had dwindled to its current predicament. He stood at the mouth of his cave, flanked by hoverflies and mosquitos, and rested a forearm against the cold bevelled stone surface. He was dressed in his Lufayne Caste robes, a brown toga clipped at the shoulder with a single silver pin. It was emblazoned with the Crest of the Lufayne, a crossed pair of daggers on top of a twin moon formation. The edges of the silver were beginning to wear, and it was only now that Luferio noticed this, rubbing a stiff leathery finger down the thin gritty edges of the crest.
“It looks like it needs filing, Luferio. You know, to smooth the edges a bit.”
Zydoss emerged into the light, and stood beside Luferio, leaning against the inner right of the wall with his shoulder. His Lufayne Caste war axe never left his side, and today was no different. The shaft scraped against the wall and lodged in a small pocket of stone, to which Zydoss snorted at violently and quickly snatched the iron pole from within its grasp. Always irritable, thought Luferio as he cast a golden eye to his right, and nodded to acknowledge his friend.
“Any luck with Domesca yet?”
Zydoss shook his head, his quills bustling back and worth with the motion. He let out an animalistic grunt, and placed his heel up against the wall, perched on one leg with his arms crossed.
“Nothing. Razzick has, as of yet, been unable to open a webway. The magic field here is strange. It is not like anything we have encountered on Riias, but that is not to say we won’t be able to.”
Luferio nodded slowly, casting his gaze back out into the light of the forest, and watched as the mosqitos swooped and darted amongst the leaves and branches of the magnificent trees.
“This is a beautiful place, Zydoss, this forest. It reminds me of the Shinga Forest near the old farming colony on the edge of Domesca, before the Tal’Set laid siege.”
Zydoss let out another snort, this time exhaling a cloud of vapour.
“Trecherous vermin! They stand accountable for a great deal of our suffering. Ever since they set foot on Riias, nothing has been the same. Our once great nation crumbles to mere pockets of survivors, of true Lufayne. Those who do not run off to seek their own miserable fortunes and sever their ties with us suffer as we do in the belly of a dying beast.”
Luferio knew all too well the hatred Zydoss held for the Tal’Set, and even more for those of the Lufayne who had abandoned their kind to seek their own selfish rewards in ignorance of the greater good. Zydoss had always been a proud warrior, and an even prouder Tal’Set Caste member, a descendant of the soldiers who had first protected the motherland of Riias from the Tal’Set intruders and had devoured them after their defeat in battle. It was through this method that the Tal’Set Caste had learned their mystical warping abilities, not something that Luferio had the ability to do, being a pureblood Lufayne. Zydoss had rued the day when he finally had to accept Riias was soon to be a dead planet, and had swallowed his pride to accompany his friend, accepting that they needed a new home.
“That, Zydoss, is why we are here, doing what we are doing. For the good of the people of Riias, and for us.”
Zydoss was silent. He nodded, snorted again, and headed back inside the cave, his weapon shaft scraping once again against the inside of the cavern wall.
“I’ll check on Razzick, and we’ll see if we can get that webway open.”