Image- Gilbo Toggins and the Cloud Kingdom
In the background a strange looking castle blends into a cumulonimbus cloud formation, with multiple levels of giant billowy clouds.
The sky besides that is clear and light blue.
There are distant mountains and lands in the distance, all solid shades of light brown.
In the middle ground, set a great distance away, is a black mountain. Ominous black liquid flows from the mountain.
The sun is setting, shining brightly but not changing the color of the horizon just yet, and is partly covered by the black mountain.
Distinct and separate from the mountain, casting a shadow in the circle of the sun, a mysterious figure clings to its peak, scrambling backwards.
At the base of the mountain, a gigantic bright red goblinish dragon breathes a huge plume of fire up the mountainside.
In the foreground, on the black rock sand, next to a brook of ominous looking black liquid, is a cat humanoid standing on its hind legs.
The cat humanoid has its back turned and is looking towards the mountain, wearing a leafy and green cape, and holding a very suspicious walking stick.
The walking stick very much resembles a mummy's petrified arm.
Lore to unpack, told as if from Gilbo's memory:
The castle is huge, has no banners, patterns, jewels or distinguishing features beyond its basic architecture. The towers seem to lean a bit. It is far above the highest mountain, and is definitely only resting on the clouds.
Is it safe to assume that its abandoned? It has no guards.
Is it safe to assume that nobody lives there? It has no markings.
It seems desolate, but confident. Alone, but happy just to simply ponder its existence.
Perhaps it is the sad result of some massive spell that had unintended consequences?
The clouds stick together as if they were solid, but float as clouds do. They do not rise or fall in the air. Other clouds sometimes float around them, but do not join them. They form one cohesive mass without any breaks. The tall black mountain reaches the lowest cloud, but it may simply scrape past it.
Is it safe to assume that any creature could walk safely on them?
Is it safe to assume that the clouds aren't magical creatures, or sentient?
Perhaps they are connected to the castle itself? As if they are the same material?
The sky is empty. As is usual for the sky.
The lands surrounding the black mountain in all visible range are light brown. They have no green, yellow, gray, or similar color. They have no valleys or crests that cast a shadow.
Perhaps they are conical in nature, not truly mountains but giant peaks of pure brown sand?
Maybe there are bugs and animals precisely suited for this environment and they simply eat away all the green.
Maybe the colors just meshed together too much in the distance.
The mountain is clearly a different color than anything else around it. It must be made of a different material. It has a river of black oozing out of it, so maybe it was once the brown landscape, but was turned black by the ooze?
Or perhaps scorched black by the dragon? How it got so tall is a mystery.
The ooze is thick, but not oily. It clumps, but is still goopy. Its sticky, but at the same time slimy. It smells like burnt grass and sugar. It ignites quickly and burns for a long time, but if the material that is aflame is dunked into it, the flame goes out.
Even if its on your hands, the liquid is too thick for the flame to burn your hands for at least an hour. Its not really possible for the dragon to have not set it all aflame by now, but as it rushes it snuffs the flame with each new wave. It seems to move slowly, but its force in truth reveals that its viscosity is merely very thick. It moves about as fast as 6mph, and pushes with the force of a strong horse. It would be very useful for hydroelectricity if it didn't take the structure with it. Which it probably would. No. It definitely would.
If you get any in your mouth you dry heave. Its inevitable. Its taste is horrid and strong. Don't bother remembering it. Eugh.
The sun is a bright luminous yellow casting a similar lighter yellow shine around it in all directions. At some point the yellow turns back to the skys blue though. It isn't really moving away from the mountain, but more sinking into it.
The mysterious figure must be huge to be able to see the sun shining through as its legs propel it further up the slope. Especially compared to the size of the dragon. Still, it is very small comparatively to the dragon. It has no weapon, shield, projectile, hope or sanity it seems. It is only scrambling away from the fire, not standing up or running. It seems to only have 2 legs, and 1 head. Most likely a very humanoid creature. It is going to run into the cloud structure very soon.
The bright red goblinish dragon has a very pointed nose, huge pointed ears, appears to open its mouth in a beak-like way, and bat like wings, which have no other distinguishing feature other than they are bright red. Its eyes are a dark brown. They must be huge eyes.
It seems to propel itself forward by grappling with something on the upper undersides of its wings, pulling. The fire it spews is simply orange, solid looking too. But it behaves and disappears like regular fire.
The cat humanoid’s name is Gilbo Toggins. He uses male pronouns. His cape is incredibly green, stark against the landscape. Its tied with a green rope around his neck, and ends much like a windsock does. He is an orange based, brown striped tabby cat with brown socks markings. It is unclear what his next actions might be, but his calm stance indicates that he might proceed towards the mountain. Assuming that that is the goal that brought him to this sight.
The stick-arm is a pale sickly brown, but looks incredibly sturdy. The fused hand's knuckles are eye level with Gilbo. The pivoting bones which might be an elbow are sternum level with Gilbo. He grabs and holds it just above the “elbow” bones. The end of it splits slightly. It has patterns as if it were made of wood. There is nothing seemingly special about it, but its origins are probably fascinating.
Lore finished. Short summary complete.
Gilbo has finally reached a viewpoint of his destination, the black mountain. But a strange sight, a glimpse into the frantic tale of another greets him like witnessing a shooting star. A terrible dragon, and a towering castle present themselves, as challenges and opportunities that could not have been prepared for, or expected.
What plan could Gilbo Toggins possibly be thinking up? What power does he possess that leaves him so confident? Is he going to save that strange traveller?
I think stories told only from my perspective are a little boring. So I'm going to tell my version, but If you (READER) want to tell your own, go ahead. ^▪︎
Gilbo Toggins, Second head of House Hydragongea and Eldest brother to the three sisters in law of legend, does not scream like a little kitten when he sees a spider. He does not groan, grumble and squeak all day if his socks get wet, and he DOES NOT want several severely strange people to accompany him. But today is the days of strange people desperately forming weirdly balanced groups. It was one of the several signs of the times.
Trekking through the gravelly sand of The Dunes of Despair and Weird Beetles was not the best fourth proving mission to get, but the Great Doofus decrees, and the Great Doofus apologizes profusely afterwards.. with money, hopefully. Responsibility pays usually, with money, food, safety, glow resonance, cool clothes and all that.
Gilbo would just have to keep walking. It is his only job for the next 2 months. His and several other infuriatingly strange people with such conflicting cultures and customs that more often than not, while finally at rest in camp, leaves his underwear not in his pack. His UNDERWEAR. WHO STEALS FREAKING UNDERWEAR EVERYDAY!?!? And to wash it along with everything else he owns apparently. While he buries himself in the sand to hide his shame. He is so incredibly lucky that they bought the sand bath thing. And at least the food is good. Who knew hammer throwing, four armed bunny humanoids, who only ever talk about forging could cook. Not Gilbo before the 32nd cycle of giant deer. Certainly not Gilbo.
But as luck would have it, Gilbo might just convince his strange compatriots to leave, as the beautiful sight of the biggest, ugliest, meanest looking dragon Gilbo has ever seen, or even thought of, graces his crusty eyes as he crests a dune. No one on this side of the seventh moon would willingly walk any closer to the death and torture trap the black mountain had become now. Probably.
Gilbo was a little too excited to go turn the sight down though. Besiiides.. that giant mecha golem needs his help. Yeah. It definitely needs his help. Its scrambling back like a giant baby who hadn't yet learned how to use its legs. And towards a towering cloud town's castle too. Those useless gust enchants would be pulling their weight fourfold today. If they worked.
Maybe the golem can even revive Sandra.. But probably not if it asks for more than an arm and a leg for it. Gilbo may have an extra arm, but he does not own Sandra's missing leg.
I do not take critiques of any kind. I am merely in it to win my own enjoyment of the subject, thank you.
I hope that this was fun!
