Kaien Re'iq's Story

Deep within the mountains, far from the eyes of even the most prying, Geron, the last city of the Raynor sat within the caverns. Hidden from the outside world, The Raynor live with a sense of peace and separation from others, set in their ways of tradition and isolation. Often called Mountain Folk in ancient legends, the Raynor have chosen to let themselves remain just that to what else remained within the larger world. The Beast King had destroyed most of their cities, crumbling ancient strongholds and decimating important figures to the Raynor. Content with slowly dying out over the next millennium, The Raynor have invested heavily in the preservation of what little they have left, in hopes that one day the Goddess shall show them mercy, and allow their people to return to this world once again.

The streets of Geron bustled as they usually do, the cold air from the outside gently blowing through the halls of Geron. Due to decreases in population, much of the city was now walled off, little to no use for it anymore. Most of what remained was the Main Hall, where stores and residents were located, and the Temple, a large structure at the end of the Main Hall that connected its passage to the rest of Geron. However, only the path to the Quilin's Chapel remained, the King and the Chronicler both making their residence within the Temple. Kaien Re'iq, a Raynor Warrior, was on his way from the Quilin Chapel to the Temple in order to receive his new orders from the Chronicler. Despite being regarded as the strongest of the Quilin, thus earning the name Re'iq, the truth was the Quilin numbered less than eighty, another entity likely to be closed off with the passage of time in the mountains. Despite their isolation, the Chronicler was versed in Common Language outside of Geron, the lessons being past down from each Chronicler to the next. For reasons unknown to him, Kaien had been taught Common from an early age, now being forced to speak it whenever he conversed with the Chronicler. It was not something he truly wanted to know, as he felt it was a trait that separated him from thee others, but he put up with it as was his duty.

Taking aa deep breath of the crisp mountain air, Kaien opened the large stone doors of the Temple, entering its Hallowed Halls with his head down and his eyes closed, as was customary. Raynor were taught from an early age to enter the Temple this way, yet still be able to navigate its passages. The reason was to instill a sense of knowing into the children, to make sure they remembered every inch of what the Raynor deemed most valuable. Due to his time with the Chronicler, Kaien learned that this was a practice that was not of their ancestors, but instead one created when Geron's Temple became the last known Raynor Temple. Kaien counted his steps under his breath, turning at the exact moment to be in front of the central chamber. Kneeling down and resting his hands on the ground in front of him, Kaien said a brief prayer under his breath;

"And A Shepherd I Will Be
For Thee, My Goddess, For Thee.
Power Has Been Given From Thy Hand
So My Sword May Swiftly Follow Thy Command
Forever The River Shall Flow, A River Teeming With Souls
Thy Justice is Absolute, And So Shall My River Be"

"Ato Valen." Kaien stood up and opened his eyes, looking up to the massive statue before him. Though made of stone, the Goddess radiated a sense of warmth and comfort to even the hardened warrior standing before it. Visually the statue was quite impressive. Though the actual structure was stone, the robes that covered the goddesses body were a bright marble. The eyes were slanted gems that glistened as brightly as diamonds, even in the dark halls of the mountain city. Beyond that, the Goddess was much like a Raynor in physical appearance, suggesting that the so-called Deity was likely just a Raynor who lived long ago and held incredible power, strong enough to confuse the Raynor around her into believing something greater was at work.

"Well, at least you said the Quilin Prayer in Common." Kaien turned around to see the Chronicler standing about thirty feet away from him, likely emerging from his own quarters in the Temple. "Master Hi'rn?" Kaien dropped to his knee once again, but quickly stood up as if it was just simply a formal greeting to his superior. "Sir Re'iq... its about time you began the conversation in Common. Nice to see fifteen plus years of practice are finally paying off." Kaien let out a small chuckle, walking over to the Chronicler. the Chronicler, or The Hi'rn, was the Spiritual Leader and Keeper of Raynor History. Often regarded as the most powerful member, not physically, of the Raynor Triumvirate, The Hi'rn was an old and wise Raynor, draped in white robes and caring a wood staff carved from the trees that grow near the tops of the Everfrost Mountains. Like many Raynor, he bore long white hair, but had an equally long beard to match. "Well, truthfully, you started the conversation, Master Hi'rn." The old Raynor let out a small laugh and sat down on one of the many pews, leaning his staff on the seat.

"Oh, did I now? Well, if you are so certain of yourself, you should have no problems then, hmm?" Kaien once again laughed a little, sitting down beside the old man.
"I've only ever ventured to the base of the mountains, and that was to catch my prey. I worry what it will be like when I leave. After we had my farewell party last night, I began to think about what could be out there that we don't know about? What if I leave and the humans are no longer there? What if the Lor're, sorry, Beast King has already returned and devastated the world? What if... Master Hi'rn? Mas-" Kaien stopped, hearing the soft sounds of snoring from the old man beside.
Kaien sat forward and let slip a small smile. "Well, I guess I'm off then." Standing up and throwing his hood over his head, he started making his way outside the Temple.
"Ato Valen." Kaien turned around to look back at the Hi'rn, who was still in much the same position. Kaien opened the door to the Temple. "May The Mountains Shield You, Master Hi'rn." Closing the Temple door behind him, Kaien made his way through the Main Hall, slipping by the others without causing a racket or drawing attention to himself. Before anyone realized he was even awake, Kaien Re'iq had left Geron, and his Enclave behind. He had a trek to make out of the mountains, that was for sure. but, he would soon venture further than any Raynor in a few hundred years, and the thought of that excited him to no end.

The sound of shouting rang through a small part of the mountains, as did the sound of running. Wearing a long, yet simple blue cloak to hide his "unique" features, Kaien hustled through the the wilderness, weaving between the trees to try and through off his pursuers. It had been a few hours since he left Geron, and already he was running into trouble he was specifically told to avoid. First off, he went the wrong direction out of the cave, even losing his map off the edge of a cliff as he navigated the narrow passes. Then, he tried to stop in a town for supplies, but kept his face hidden from view as he wasn't someone who was supposed to be still alive, and it would likely confuse the humans. In Geron, food and provisions aren't so much traded as much as they are given between each other for the betterment of the whole. Warriors hunt, others gather, and the rest provide the division of supplies in exchange for having to do neither. One of the last things Master Hi'rn told Kaien was that the human society does not operate this way, at least from what is said. In the human world, one must pay for such things, something that Kaien had forgotten. So, long story short, Kaien grabbed a few things from a small village, proceeded to try to leave with them without paying, and now here we are aimlessly running through greenery with no idea when the humans will give up the chase. Kaien dropped the stuff a ways back, but it seemed people out here weren't very forgiving when it came to thieves.

Kaien was quickly creating distance between himself and the humans, but his lack of knowledge about the world around him was keeping him from truly getting away. Picking up his pace, Kaien leaped at a tree and took several steps up it before grabbing a low hanging branch and pulling himself up. Continuing his climb, he made it to near the top of the tree and sat there, trying to be as quiet as possible. A few minutes later, the group from the town appeared, five in total, breathing heavily and looking in every direction. "I... I... too fast... never seen... anyone that fast," one person said, falling to the ground and taking deeper breaths. The leader, who was clearly just a farmer, leaned against the tree and fell straight down, looking at the others with worn eyes. "We've been chasing him for close to a half hour if my guess is right. Let's... let's just go pick up the stuff he dropped before we die from exhaustion." They all nodded in agreement and waited to catch their breath for a few. After close to ten minutes, the group started their walk back to the village, still a little tired from all the exercise.

Kaien dropped back down to the forest floor. He could hear a stream in the distance, knowing that if he followed it he would eventually make it out of the mountains... somewhere. "Well, at least I know there are still humans around." Kaien smirked before turning toward the river and continuing his journey. "Still though, they are awfully weird looking. Their hair was odd too. Mostly brown, black, and a weird looking yellow. I think that is what Master Hi'rn called blonde?" Kaien felt his own hair, running his hands down its length and smiling. "Do any humans have white, purple, or green hair like Raynor? What about the Co'va? I wonder." Kaien paused for a second, pondering his thoughts. If the Co'va were both human and dragon, then were they his enemy like the dragon? Despite the Beast King being rogue, it did not changed the fact it was a dragon, and in the eyes of the Raynor, they were all just as guilty. Raynor legend says a great dragon taught the Goddess magic. But when the Goddess wanted to teach the Raynor this magic, the dragon betrayed the Goddess. The Goddess used the magic to slay the dragon, forever sealing it in a glacier of ice. whether that was true or not, Kaien didn't care one way or the other. Singing an ancient tune to himself, Kaien continued down the river, planning on sticking to the bank until it came to an end.