Dorin was an inhospitable place. With no oxygen in it's atmosphere, most races had little choice but to wear oxygen masks when they visited the world, and it was for that reason that very few who were not Kel'dor even bothered to step foot on the world. Barren lands of sand, red canyons and festering caves, poison blooms and bubbling water with a sickly hue. The landscape was harsh, the weather unforgiving, and the wilderness cruel. It was in this realm of desolation that the Kel'dor thrived.
Gnost left his small home with a skip in his step. He was meeting with two other friends of his, and together they would mount an expedition into the caves in the canyon nearby. The boy had been there before, but he had yet to explore every dark passageway. Of course, his mother often warned him not to play in such dangerous places, but the young Kel'dor was curious and rebellious, a potentially lethal combination. So off he went, Gnost and two other boys his age, striding through the canyon and avoiding the toxic waters wherever they could.
"It's up here, come on!" He smirks toward his companions, points with a talon up the rocky red wall where a small cliff hid a crag within the sandy rock. "Told you, I know where I'm going." So up he went, talons coiling against the sandstone as he hauls his way up the face of the rocky wall, his friends clambering up after him. It was easy enough to find hand-holds with claws like theirs. Surprisingly, there are no accidents as the trio stumble into the narrow maw of the shadowy cave. It was cooler within the depths, the drip of water heard above the outside wind.
"Alright, so look. I drew up a map from the last time we were here." An electric lantern flickers to life as Gnost removes it from his belt, pulls the folded contents of the clumsily drawn map from the pocket of his baggy pants to show the rest of the group. "Last week, we went into this passageway. There was that chasm that we couldn't cross. Remember?" Gnost pointed out in the Kel'dor language, and his friends leaned closer to peer at the map, offering their own opinions on where the group should explore next. Eventually, they seemed to come to an agreement.
One by one, each Kel'dor close behind the other, they headed deeper into the damp caverns, the howl of the wind becoming a distant whistle as they descended into hungry shadow.
Outside, the sun had begun to set, a chill crept through the air, and a violent storm lashed the distant horizon, moving closer as dusk creeped by. When Gnost, nor his friends, returned home that night, alarm swept through the families. The boys were old enough to be somewhat independent, but the dangerous landscapes of Dorin were no place for the inexperienced. By morning, when none of the boys had yet to arrive, Gnost's mother could wait no longer. While her husband went out to search the nearby companion, she reached out to local clans and security forces for help.
Soon enough, the news was prominent across the holonet, particularly in local articles. Three young boys missing for nearly twenty-four hours, and with so little traces in which to find them.
@Wit
Gnost left his small home with a skip in his step. He was meeting with two other friends of his, and together they would mount an expedition into the caves in the canyon nearby. The boy had been there before, but he had yet to explore every dark passageway. Of course, his mother often warned him not to play in such dangerous places, but the young Kel'dor was curious and rebellious, a potentially lethal combination. So off he went, Gnost and two other boys his age, striding through the canyon and avoiding the toxic waters wherever they could.
"It's up here, come on!" He smirks toward his companions, points with a talon up the rocky red wall where a small cliff hid a crag within the sandy rock. "Told you, I know where I'm going." So up he went, talons coiling against the sandstone as he hauls his way up the face of the rocky wall, his friends clambering up after him. It was easy enough to find hand-holds with claws like theirs. Surprisingly, there are no accidents as the trio stumble into the narrow maw of the shadowy cave. It was cooler within the depths, the drip of water heard above the outside wind.
"Alright, so look. I drew up a map from the last time we were here." An electric lantern flickers to life as Gnost removes it from his belt, pulls the folded contents of the clumsily drawn map from the pocket of his baggy pants to show the rest of the group. "Last week, we went into this passageway. There was that chasm that we couldn't cross. Remember?" Gnost pointed out in the Kel'dor language, and his friends leaned closer to peer at the map, offering their own opinions on where the group should explore next. Eventually, they seemed to come to an agreement.
One by one, each Kel'dor close behind the other, they headed deeper into the damp caverns, the howl of the wind becoming a distant whistle as they descended into hungry shadow.
Outside, the sun had begun to set, a chill crept through the air, and a violent storm lashed the distant horizon, moving closer as dusk creeped by. When Gnost, nor his friends, returned home that night, alarm swept through the families. The boys were old enough to be somewhat independent, but the dangerous landscapes of Dorin were no place for the inexperienced. By morning, when none of the boys had yet to arrive, Gnost's mother could wait no longer. While her husband went out to search the nearby companion, she reached out to local clans and security forces for help.
Soon enough, the news was prominent across the holonet, particularly in local articles. Three young boys missing for nearly twenty-four hours, and with so little traces in which to find them.
@Wit
