Bonus Chapter 1: Sariya's Travels Boarding the Airship
Silvermoon, Silubra
Golgfelaket Sariya woke early. She was sleeping in a guest room on the third floor in Crowley House. It was a spacious, Dragon-sized room with simple furniture that was left over from the original owners. She didn't really care where she slept. Compared to the small room in the group home she grew up in on Thelessia, a Dragon sized room was an absurd luxury.
Sariya had grown up among other "foundlings" of the Eoduun of Thelessia in a small building. The foundlings were collectively cared for by the entire population of the Dark Forest until they were old enough to take care of themselves. Foundlings are orphaned children that were found orphaned. There weren't many foundlings. Just a few and she wasn't particularly close to any of them.
She wasn't from the Dark Forest. Her parents were from elsewhere. All the other children and Eoduun knew that. They didn't abandon her after her parents were killed and she still appreciated that. Still, the room she occupied was tiny.
She didn't know what would await her in Myrkir and Undirheim.
She crawled out of bed and went to wash up. She dressed, made the bed and went downstairs. She was debating whether or not to have breakfast or just sneak out now and avoid tearful farewells. She didn't particularly like farewells.
The choice was taken out of her hands when Britiana and Darius Silvermoon and Delaney Crowley were waiting for her downstairs despite the early hour. Britiana beamed up at her. "I knew you'd try to sneak out," she said.
Sariya stiffened. "I wasn't," she denied indignantly, completely ignoring the fact that she had indeed been contemplating that very thing.
Delaney chuckled. "We'll pretend to believe that," she said. "Come, at least have breakfast before you go. We promise not to get sappy," she said.
Sariya sighed with a slight chuckle. Maybe it wasn't them being sappy that she was worried about. Still, she didn't deny the request. They ate breakfast together for the last time in a while.
Sariya didn't know when she'd be back, but she was sure she would be. Eoduun and Dragons lived a long time. Not to mention, Britiana and Darius would be her child's godparents and Delaney was her child's aunt.
She appreciated them all. Even though it had been slightly shocking that Delaney turned out to be her husband's half sister, she quickly grew to appreciate her. The breakfast didn't linger. They agreed to keep in touch via letter and call stone.
Sariya was hugged by each of them and left the Crowley House. Walking through the city was a pleasant experience. The early spring chill was slowly being replaced by gentle warmth. The sky was slightly cloudy and the sun peeked around the clouds occasionally.
She went to the transportation station and hopped on a trolley heading to the air station. Aside from a few polite smiles from morning commuters, no one bothered her or paid her much attention. They didn't even blink at an Eoduun in their midst.
It was a different experience than in Thelessia. Eoduun rarely left the Dark Forest there. So when one settled amidst them, they were wary at first. Only the boisterous Moira of Tarrytown's Oxhead Tavern and Inn took the chance to buy meat from her. After that, a few rich folk in town also bought from her. She, naturally, never really fit in there.
She couldn't say she fit in here either, but it was still more pleasant than Thelessia.
She shook off her thoughts as the trolley arrived at the air station. The air station was massive with airships large and small coming and going. Many of them carried goods. A few of them naturally carried people. There were also people who had private airships.
She stood in a line for a ticket counter. She had money. Chrystianna had given it to her for "taking care of her children". She tried to deny it. They took care of each other. Chrystianna insisted. She was a soft spoken, soft hearted woman, but she was extraordinarily stubborn. So, Sariya took it. She was now, technically, among the rich. She didn't know what it meant to be rich on Emphyralis. She didn't know if she would be considered rich in Undirheim.
The money of Emphyralis was straightforward and simple. There were three small round, flat coins made of the lowest level Draconite. Stamped on the backs of each was the crest of the continent on which they were produced, and on the front was the face of a past member of the Dracosenati corresponding to the continent on which it was produced.
The smallest was about the size of an acorn. It shimmered with a red, coppery tone. It was called a drakkip. The next was the size of a hazelnut and shimmered with a greenish hue. It was worth five drakkip. It was called a drakkel. The last round coin was about the size of a walnut and shimmered a yellowish hue. It was worth ten drakkip. It was called a drakkin.
Then there were three larger coins, but they were flat rectangles. They were made of slightly better Draconite than the round coins. They were all roughly the same size, about the size of a playing card. They, too, were stamped with the crests and rulers from which they were produced. The lowest denomination was worth one hundred drakkip, or ten drakkin. It shimmered with a bluish hue and was called a drakkore. The next was worth five drakkore, shimmered rose gold, and was called a drakkon. The last was worth ten drakkore, shimmered purple, and was called a drakkest.
There was a final coin. It was made of a medium level Draconite and was worth a hundred drakkest. It was about the size of a palm, hexagonal in shape with slightly longer in the middle. All of them were shimmery white-silver, and were stamped with the faces of the sitting Dracosenati from the year they were made as well as the crest of emphyralis. It was called a drakkoth, and far more valuable than the smaller coins. People rarely carried them.
Sariya even had a handful, but the ticket wouldn't cost more than a couple of drakkon and some change. She made it to the ticket clerk and discussed the best options for traveling to Myrkir. She bought a ticket to the air station nearest the entrance to Undirheim.
The entrance to Undirheim was located in the southern foothills on the western face of the western mountain range on Myrkir called the Desolate Rises. The Desolate Rises were named for the vast ocean that took up nearly half the planet that was referred to as the Desolate Expanse. The Desolate Rises were semi-volcanic. It was also home to a large population of Amber Dragons, but they lived more to the north.
The area near the entrance of Undirheim was fairly isolated. There was only one village where Eoduun interacted with the rest of the world. Few outsiders were allowed in Undirheim. The town was a small trade hub because of its uniqueness. It was home to a melting pot of peoples and races, all looking to make a drakkore.
There were many half-ish in the township, as well. It's not that half-ish were shunned from the Undirheim, it was mostly that they preferred the surface rather than Undirheim. The township did have a name. It was Weston. They were one of the most western towns on the planet.
The largest close town with an air station was the town of Nightfall. She'd learned she didn't have to go to Starshadow to change her temporary identity token. She could do it in Nightfall's magistrate's office.
Her plan was to stay the night in Nightfall, have her token updated for her residency in Myrkir. Organizing her thoughts as she waited to board the airship. The station was enormous on the inside, like most things she'd encountered on Emphyralis.
There were a lot of people bustling around, preparing to travel. Some were dressed in uniforms, possibly crew for various airships. Looking out windows at the actual airship docks, they came in a variety of shapes and sizes. Many looked like they'd be at home in the sea as much as the air, with their billowing sails and enchanting figureheads. Others were made of metal, very regal and streamlined. Some of the newer styles were similar to the Dragon Hunter spaceship she'd seen, with aerodynamics as the forefront of their design.
She was going to board an airship called the Lady Orianna. It was a cargo and passenger vessel that specifically traveled to and from Nightfall in order to trade with Weston. Many independent sales people also went to Weston to hawk their wares.
An announcement rang through the air. "Lady Orianna now boarding on dock 19. Lady Orianna is now boarding on dock 19."
Sariya stood and made her way to a large archway labeled as Dock 19. Other people joined her in the queue that formed at the archway. An attendant was checking tickets boredly. They'd take a look at the ticket, punch a hole in it and gesture to go through the door.
In this way the queue moved quickly. The attendant barely glanced at her when it was her turn and ushered her through. She followed the crowd, walking up some steps to board the airship. The ship only carried a hundred or so people, and a lot of cargo, so it wasn't the largest. Shaped roughly like a riverboat without paddles.