Post by DM-Chris on Feb 14, 2007 11:23:55 GMT -5
As Slaves
Like all the other enslaved men around the world at that time, the Masters were just as cruel to the Windkissed as others, using them as servants and hard manual laborers. Always free in spirit, like the wind they're named for, slavery was perhaps the hardest on these people. Their ancient tradition of simple fishing villagers was also put to use by the Masters. Hundreds of Windkissed lined the docks every day to fish from sunrise to sundown, while Masters and constructs patrolled the docks behind them.
They were kept in floating pens chained to the shores around the islands that ran for miles in some places. The cages rose a little more than half their full height above the water, and were made of latticed wood. At the end of each work day the laborers and fishermen were herded to these cages and forced to get into the saltwater where they slept, clinging to the bars, exhausted legs dangling in the tide. The cages would rise with the water during high tide, but it wasn't uncommon for weakened slaves to slip off during the night and drown. These individuals were considered lucky by the others to be freed and returned to the Sea Mother.
Each morning they were brought out, and with stiff legs and achy bodies, set to work immediately after a short meal of fish heads. Despite these miserable, squalid conditions, the Windkissed kept hope by their faith in a mythical being they called the Sea Mother. Their stories were inspired by the sightings of the different, wondrous creatures they saw living around the islands while they worked. They believed they were all children of the same Mother, and animals like dolphins and turtles were their kin. The Sea Mother would one day return and release them from the Masters so they could rejoin their kin and swim freely.
First Encounter
The western Archipelago received very little damage from the meteor shower that occured after Bahamat and Tiamat slew one another. Most of the shards of the fallen dragon deities plummeted into the ocean with a resounding boom, sending water and smoke into the air. The few that struck land in the area hit the smaller outlying islands, completely destroying some of them and turning others into island-craters.
When the dragons exploded from their watery birth place, the Masters were dumbfounded, and the slaves cheered wildly, thinking their Sea Mother had come at last. Several Reds were born in that cluster, and they turned their eyes towards the mountain in the center of the largest island, hoping to find an active volcano. When they saw it was dormant, they became enraged and began scorching the land. The Masters tried to fight back, but were no match for dragon fire that could melt stone, and the magic being used by the dragons terrified the Master's war mages. Thousands of Masters and slaves alike were killed in this initial assault, and when the Reds had their fun, they flew east in search of fiery mountains, leaving the island in smoldering ruins.
Like all the other enslaved men around the world at that time, the Masters were just as cruel to the Windkissed as others, using them as servants and hard manual laborers. Always free in spirit, like the wind they're named for, slavery was perhaps the hardest on these people. Their ancient tradition of simple fishing villagers was also put to use by the Masters. Hundreds of Windkissed lined the docks every day to fish from sunrise to sundown, while Masters and constructs patrolled the docks behind them.
They were kept in floating pens chained to the shores around the islands that ran for miles in some places. The cages rose a little more than half their full height above the water, and were made of latticed wood. At the end of each work day the laborers and fishermen were herded to these cages and forced to get into the saltwater where they slept, clinging to the bars, exhausted legs dangling in the tide. The cages would rise with the water during high tide, but it wasn't uncommon for weakened slaves to slip off during the night and drown. These individuals were considered lucky by the others to be freed and returned to the Sea Mother.
Each morning they were brought out, and with stiff legs and achy bodies, set to work immediately after a short meal of fish heads. Despite these miserable, squalid conditions, the Windkissed kept hope by their faith in a mythical being they called the Sea Mother. Their stories were inspired by the sightings of the different, wondrous creatures they saw living around the islands while they worked. They believed they were all children of the same Mother, and animals like dolphins and turtles were their kin. The Sea Mother would one day return and release them from the Masters so they could rejoin their kin and swim freely.
First Encounter
The western Archipelago received very little damage from the meteor shower that occured after Bahamat and Tiamat slew one another. Most of the shards of the fallen dragon deities plummeted into the ocean with a resounding boom, sending water and smoke into the air. The few that struck land in the area hit the smaller outlying islands, completely destroying some of them and turning others into island-craters.
When the dragons exploded from their watery birth place, the Masters were dumbfounded, and the slaves cheered wildly, thinking their Sea Mother had come at last. Several Reds were born in that cluster, and they turned their eyes towards the mountain in the center of the largest island, hoping to find an active volcano. When they saw it was dormant, they became enraged and began scorching the land. The Masters tried to fight back, but were no match for dragon fire that could melt stone, and the magic being used by the dragons terrified the Master's war mages. Thousands of Masters and slaves alike were killed in this initial assault, and when the Reds had their fun, they flew east in search of fiery mountains, leaving the island in smoldering ruins.