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Emphyralis: Songs of Hope

Chapter 7.3: Ripples of Unrest

Chapter 7.3: Ripples of Unrest

Sep 12, 2025

New Bienskurr, Silubra

When the Earthborne arrived on Emphyralis, their landing point was an area of the Eternal Mountains in Silubra that was uninhabited. It closely resembled their homeland the way it was a thousand years ago. The forests surrounding were lush, the earth was rich, and the air was crisp and clean. It was wonderful. When they first arrived, the oldest of them broke down into tears at how wonderful their new home was.

They decided to make a home right where they landed, while they sent some of their hunters out to explore the area. Eventually they found other villages near the mountains. Some villages were humans, some Elves, some they had never even seen before. In the mountains, they even discovered Dwarf settlements nearby, but far enough that they wouldn't interfere with each other.

These explorations eventually connected them with the Dragons and they eventually met with Chrystianna Silvermoon. They were wary of her, but she was very welcoming to them. She merely registered their identities, helped them establish New Bienskurr and educated them on the laws of Emphyralis.

It was during this process that they learned about the Dragons' battle with the Hunters. Their young leader agreed to help them with this battle in repayment for the hospitality. Chrystianna had wanted to refuse, but the grateful Earthborne insisted. They were hunters themselves. Some may have regrets about coming to Emphyralis for various reasons, but no one regretted joining the battle against the Hunters, not even when their young leader was injured.

ZsaZsa's father, Niklaus Daratranzanoff, was one of the heroes of the Hunter Wars. He met her mother, Lorena Morningstorme during the war. She was something akin to an assassin. She was a Shroudweaver, her camouflage was nearly flawless. She was also a battle mage, except, unlike most battle mages who were ranged warriors, using their staffs to cast spells from a distance, Lorena was more like an assassin. 

When the war was winding down, Lorena decided to have a child while preparing their homestead. Every Earthborne that came over, were able to claim a section of land in New Bienskurr to live on. Lorena turned that wild mountainous land into a home, building a house, a workshop for herself after the war for Patternwoven crafts. She didn't intend to remain a battle mage after the war.

When the war was over, ZsaZsa's father came home. Trying to find his own path in this new world aside from hunting and fighting, he explored his own land, eventually finding a Draconite vein in his mountains. Learning from him, other Earthborne also found Draconite veins. If not Draconite, then precious metals or gemstones.

Now New Bienskurr was a rather rich settlement. The thousand or so people spread out over a large section of the Eternal Mountains. Though Raven didn't live full time in New Bienskurr, she also had her own settlement, but she gave her nephew the rights to oversee it because the two pieces were next to each other. She only had a small cottage she lived in when she visited.

ZsaZsa's parents, on the other hand, had a large villa. Lorena's family had been a rather ordinary Patternweaving family in an Amethyst village near the Eternal Mountains. However, only she and a few other orphans were left after the Plague. Ten children, the oldest barely eighteen, the youngest less than a year. They looked after each other and grew up alone. Now, these ten children called New Bienskurr home. Not all of them married an Earthborne, but several did. Those who didn't worked elsewhere, but there was always a place for them in Lorena's home.

When ZsaZsa arrived in her own living room, she saw an "aunt" and an "uncle" visiting her very pregnant mother. These two were members of her mother's workshop. Gruff and silent, Uncle Daroc Everdawn was a large man who was currently making a delicate length of lace, his needle glowing faintly as he wove magic into it. Meanwhile, delicate aunty Beryl Moonweaver was etching patterns into a bejeweled tiara. Her mother sat in front of a loom with a big belly as she wove a beautiful pale cloth with subtle patterns.

"ZsaZsa's here," Daroc boomed jovially.

ZsaZsa fluttered and turned into mist midair and returned to her humanoid form. "Uncle Daroc, Aunty Beryl. Mama, where's Papa?" she asked curiously.

Lorena glanced at her daughter. "He and Raven went to a meeting," she said flatly. Usually a rough, jovial woman, for her to speak so flatly indicated there was another problem.

ZsaZsa frowned. "What's wrong?" she asked, sitting on the sofa beside her mother.

Lorena shook her head. "I think there are some people demanding to return immediately. It's a bit of a headache for your father and the other elders," she answered. She didn't intend to hide the problems from her child. Despite falling in love with a warrior, her husband still had backwards views toward women. He preferred to coddle and protect their daughter like Earthborne men have been doing to their women for generations. Lorena, taking arms against her enemies when she was still a child, refused to do so. it was sometimes a source of friction.

ZsaZsa sighed. "Delaney is the only person at the moment who can even get us back to Cruinog. She has no obligation to do so. She's doing it because she wants to repay Aunt Raven and Britiana for helping create the Bridging Array to bring the witchborn over," she said sourly.

Beryl snorted but didn't say anything. As outsiders, it wasn't their place to criticize or judge the Earthborne for their internal struggles. 

ZsaZsa felt no such qualms. "Maybe I should go to the meeting," she said, jumping up. 

Her mother reached out to grab her arm immediately. "Sit. Raven and Niklaus know what they're doing. Don't get in the way," she scolded lightly.

ZsaZsa sat back down with a pout and put her face in her hands, elbows on her knees. "I know, but it's so annoying," she said. She tried not to be sad or angry, but she knew that the people clamoring to go back were the same people who saw her existence as something that was a threat to their existence. Even if she ignored it, it didn't feel pleasant knowing her kin could feel that way about her.

Finally, she stood. "I'll go start making dinner," she said. She couldn't think of anything else to do. At least cooking would keep her mind and hands occupied. Her father couldn't eat food, but ZsaZsa, her mother, and the other Dragons did. Still, her father enjoyed the smells as he drank bloodwyne with them. She began humming as she walked away.

Lorena glanced at her daughter's back. She shook her head and continued working.

--

thatJenniKaye
thatJenniKaye

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Chapter 7.3: Ripples of Unrest

Chapter 7.3: Ripples of Unrest

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