Post by AC Admin on Dec 11, 2007 13:14:40 GMT -5
Ardien Ciele
Famine and disease have torn through the Northern Continent leaving thousands dead. The Weyrs have come together in an emergency meeting for a quick solution to the ever worsening situation. Unfortunately debate does not go as planned, tensions and emotions are high within the group and when Benden begins to plan a solution High Reaches quickly accuses them of taking advantage of the other weyrs. Supported by Fort, Telgar, and Ista, High Reaches leaves the meeting with a promise to take by force anything it needs.
Many small occurrences start the outbreak of war; communication with the four weyrs ceased after each send a letter to Benden telling the weyr’s leaders of their withdrawal from any further negotiations. Small forces of dragonriders have begun taking supplies from small holds by force, holds that had looked to Benden for protection. In addition to the widespread disease and famine, fear has joined their number and the entire continent is set at unease. This unrest will last for a few years before anything erupts from it.
Ardien Ciele begins with a small exploration wing headed by V’dar, rider of Bronze Arauth and Katharina, rider of Gold Cyhiraeth. Riders of Benden and Igen joined to fly north to secretly found a new weyr. Since the land had not been explored before, betweening was risky at best and the wing headed along the mild shoreline in the dead of night. As they reached the small peninsula a strong storm pushed the exploration inward into the treacherous mountain range. Most the riders died from exposure and one or two were taken by unseen horrors in the darkness, Katharina, V’dar, and the remaining riders returned the coast where a massive volcano had erupted its last – leaving a sheer cliff face with a natural cave system. The team leaders decided to found the new weyr there and work began immediately with reinforcements of miners and other skilled workers loyal to Benden arriving to make the place livable. The weyr had yet to be named, but on the night of completion the sky lit up with a bright aurora and it was decided to name the weyr Ardien Ciele – a derivative of some of the ancient languages to mean “burning sky.”
The holds on the Eastern Ring Islands were established soon after the weyr. All who worked on the weyr were brought to the Eastern Ring Islands to inhabit along with their families, an escape from the inevitable war. Once completed, Benden and Igen burned all records of such places and stopped communication – Ardien Ciele and its holds knew their mission and when the time came it would be carried out.
Only a few weeks after completion Katharina’s gold, Cyhiraeth rose to be caught by V’dar’s Arauth and the clutch that followed was remarkable. To notify Benden and Igen of the good news the pair betweened to Benden. They had not planned to stay more than a day, but it only took an hour for tragedy to strike. A small force of riders appeared from between over Benden, arrows and fire rained down on all who were caught outside, V’dar and Katharina took to the skies with hopes of doing their part to save Benden. Other riders took the cue and rose to meet the wing. In the end, the invading wing fled when they were outnumbered but in the time that Benden took to scramble a force many of the riders had also fallen – including V’dar and Katharina.
Benden and Igen determined it best to send a new queenrider, one that had no name and no reputation among the weyrs. A strange mutated queen had appeared at Southern Weyr, after a brief meeting it was decided that the mutant dragon died suddely taking along with her her rider. A death was faked and the young queenrider transported to the far north where her future lay as Weyrwoman of Ardien Ciele Weyr.