Dreadiah of the Vorrayen

The origin story for Donha begins... In the twisted darkness, there is a lost forgotten place in between the borderlands and the Veil Mist. It was once a place of great beauty, life, and natural living things.

That was before the unbending which changed this place into a desolate wasteland. The surviving sential beings gathered together and rebuilt this civilization next to the sea of lost souls.

High up on the cliff is the sacred one. He offers the firstborn daughters to the sea. One by one they gather in the thousands, and one by one they are cast down into the waters below. The waters are toxic, they burn like acid.

Dreadiah watches from the crowds below. All of them are chanting, for this is a sacred moment amongst her kind. Her kind is known as the Vorrayen. She is humanoid with charcoal grey skin, yellow eyes, and dark red hair.

Since the time of the great unbending they have gathered here, offering the firstborn daughters to the sea of lost souls. It is rooted deep within their belief that about every one hundred years, the time of the great offering takes place.

Dreadiah watches as the sacred one casts the firstborn into the sea below. She rubs her hand across her stomach and says ‘I pray that you will be a son.’

Dreadiah’s lover had died not too long ago. He was executed for practices of what is called forbidden magic. Her lover, Tyhennen, believed that there was a place beyond their own, a place more natural, not like theirs which is a desolate wasteland.

He was searching for ways to take him and Dreadiah far from this place. He had learned that there was a way to open up portals and gateways that will lead to other realms, other existences where life flourishes.

Tyhennen also had a gift of divination. In his dreams, he saw that his love would give birth to a daughter, and in their customs the firstborn daughter is chosen to be sacrificed to the sea of lost souls.

Tyhennen did not wish this fate on his only child. He searched for a way for the three of them to escape until rumors began to spread of his practicing of the forbidden magic. He was arrested, tried, and executed.

In secret, Dreadiah has still practiced the forbidden magic, picking up where her husband had left off. Her husband’s sight and power within divination has never been wrong.

She fears that her child will be a firstborn daughter and would be given to the sacred one to be sacrificed into the sea of lost souls.

After the ceremony has ended, Dreadiah walks back to her dwellings. She opens the door and then closes it behind her, locking it securely with several locks.

She is wary of what she has just seen, and she is fearful for she can feel her child moving within her.

Dreadiah picks up the manuscripts that her husband has written. She begins to study them more, working on pronouncing the incantations, for the incantations come from a strange language.

It was said that before the time of the great unbending, when their realm was still full of the naturals, that there was a great prophet who brought forth a strange language that he found on a black tablet.

This prophet spoke of different places, other layers and existences, and of strange beings. The prophet predicted doom, and that the Vorrayen would come to a great peril and their realm would die.

The Vorrayen cast the prophet aside, throwing him into the sea of lost souls. Shortly after, the prophet’s predictions came true, and their realm died.

It was said that before the prophet died, he wrote down the inscriptions that he found upon the black stone. After many years of searching for it, her lover found the manuscript, and he wrote down the symbols upon it.

He began to study it, trying to form the strange language into words, along with other manuscripts of forbidden magic and incantations.

Dreadiah sits there and reads through the incantations, studying them, trying to form the language. She concentrates fully. She can feel strange energy flowing through her. As she opens her eyes, there is a strange small black swirling mist in front of her.

She focuses on it harder, working the incantations. The black small swirling mist begins to grow larger. Her concentration is suddenly broken by a loud bang at her door.

She steps away from the table and walks over to the door. She asks ‘Who is there?’

They reply ‘It is I, Uttowah, Chief Magistrate. Open the door.’ Uttowah is the Chief Magistrate. He is also known as an inquisitor, persecuting many for crimes that they have not committed.

Dreadiah quickly hides the manuscripts and returns to open the door. Uttowah steps inside.

Uttowah says ‘There have been rumors that you still carry on your former lover’s practices.’ Uttowah raises his hand. A strange light glows from it. He closes his eyes as if to sense the room.

Dreadiah responds ‘Rumors and gossip. I only wish to mourn in peace.’

Uttowah then finishes his scan. He says ‘It appears so. I do not sense that of the forbidden magic. But remember Dreadiah, you will be watched.’

Uttowah walks away. Dreadiah closes the door and locks it. Now more than ever, she fears that her life and that of her child is in jeopardy. She takes out the hidden manuscripts of her husband’s work and begins focusing again.

Then she feels a sharp pain within her stomach. She begins to panic for she feels that her child is coming.

She is unable to call for a midwife or any assistance so that evening, Dreadiah delivers her baby girl into her realm all on her own.

A few days pass, and Dreadiah now fears that her child will be discovered and will be sacrificed at the next great offering. She has decided to gather what she needs, and she and her child leave their home.

Until she can figure out the rest of the incantations to open what her husband called portals, they will not be safe. When she is strong enough, she gathers her child who she has named Tidreyen.

The two wander far off into the wastelands far away from the settlement and the sea of lost souls. As they travel they see nothing but barren scorched earth. Dreadiah wonders ‘What happened to this place? What caused this great unbending?’

She finds shelter within a cave. There she nurses and lays Tidreyen down to rest. She pulls from her traveling bag the manuscripts from her husband and begins to focus and study the incantations again.

She works on them late into the night, but unlike before, the strange small black swirling mist does not appear. She is tired from her long journey so she decides to rest.

Dreadiah falls fast asleep and begins to dream. Dreadiah is then awakened as she is lifted to her feet. There are two guards, and then she sees the face of Uttowah.

Uttowah says ‘You thought you could run. You thought you could hide. It is known that you gave birth, and you try to deny the sacrifice, the offering that all are permitted to do.’

Dreadiah says ‘Not all. Only who the sacred one chooses. Not the elite class. Your daughters are never thrown into the sea of lost souls. It is only us, the ones you consider lower.’

Uttowah says ‘You are the peasants. It is your duty to offer up the sacrifice. As it is the royal class whose duty is to govern everything and ensure the survival of our species.’

Dreadiah replies ‘Was it not the royal class who cast the great prophet aside, not heeding his warning?’

Uttowah says ‘That is no longer a concern. We are here now, and your child shall be offered as the sacrifice. And you shall be executed for your crimes.’

Uttowah holds up the bag full of the manuscripts and says ‘The forbidden magic, you lied to me. You also tried to flee. It has been decided for the survival of our species that the majority of the peasant class must be offered up for sacrifice. Our resources have been running low.’

Dreadiah spits at Uttowah and says ‘So this is how it shall be. Those of us who suffer under your rule shall now offer ourselves so that you and your royal class may survive.’ Dreadiah struggles.

Uttowah then chuckles and says ‘Struggle all you want. You will be executed. Now bring her.’

Dreadiah and her child are taken away. Dreadiah is placed within shackles and begins the voyage back to her species’ settlement. There most of the peasant class has gathered.

They begin a trek in a long line up to the hill to where the sacred one is waiting. One by one they jump down to the sea below, burning as they touch the waters.

The sacred one then notices Dreadiah and her child being brought forth. Uttowah is escorting them. The sacred one places his hand up, and one of the peasant class who is ready to jump stops and then kneels, bowing before the sacred one.

The sacred one then says to her ‘You have brought the criminal. Very good. Hand me the child.’

Dreadiah struggles and screams ‘Leave my child be. Leave her be! Take your filthy hands off her.’

The sacred one holds Dreadiah’s newborn daughter in his hands. He holds her up high for the crowd below, and then turns towards the edge of the cliff. Dreadiah struggles.

Uttowah turns and with a heavy blow strikes her. She falls to the ground as the guards hold her arms. They let her drop and begin mercilessly kicking her.

The sacred one then starts to chant. All the crowd below him also begins to chant in unison. Dreadiah screams in horror as the sacred one finishes chanting and casts her daughter to the waters below. Dreadiah then looks up with tears flowing from her eyes. She could not save her.

The sacred one looks down upon Dreadiah and says ‘You will be the last, and you will be sacrificed. Your head will be cut off, your body cast down to the sea below, and it will be a reminder to those who disobey the sacred laws of our kind.’

Dreadiah then looks in anger. Something inside her begins to grow. She can feel the empty black void. Her eyes then begin to turn black. She begins chanting in a strange language.

As the sacred one looks down upon her, he commands her, yelling at her ‘Stop!’

He kicks her in the face, but Dreadiah spits out blood and begins chanting again. Louder and stronger, she continues chanting. She can feel some dark energy grow within her. Her rage, her anger begins to fill every part of her.

Just then behind the chancellor, a strange diamond-shaped rift begins to open. Out steps a strange-looking being that is mutilated. One of the sacrificials screams in horror.

The sacred one turns around, coming face to face with this strange mutilated being. The mutilated being thrusts his hand through the sacred one’s chest. The sacred one begins to decay away.

Dreadiah stops chanting and watches as this strange being raises his hand. From within the diamond-shaped rift that it stepped out of come long black coils with sharp hooks on the end, piercing into many of the sacrificials and royal class alike. Down below screams are heard.

As Dreadiah looks down, other rifts begin to open. Other strange mutilated beings step through them. They begin killing all within the crowd. Many try to flee, but as they do they are struck down by coils.

Dreadiah notices that the strange mutilated being has stepped further away from the rift. She looks at him and gathers her strength.

With all her might she begins dashing towards the rift as many of her kind begin to fall around her.

The strange mutilated being has taken notice of this. He raises his hand towards her, and one of the sharp piercing coils comes from his hand. As Dreadiah jumps through the rift, she can feel it pierce through her chest.

She falls to the ground. She can feel the hole gaping in her chest, but there is no coil attached to it.

Behind her, she looks as the strange diamond rift closes. She is in a place of black and grey sand, and constant wind and black thunder all around her.

Dreadiah can feel her life force dying within her. The strange energy that she had upon the hill has dissipated. She feels as if she is withering away.

Dreadiah feels herself fainting when she hears footsteps. As she crawls through the sand, she raises her head.

There before her stand two strange mutilated beings, but holding the hand of one of them is a little girl, one of her kind. The little girl walks forward to her and kneels down placing her hands upon Dreadiah’s face.

A voice from one of the mutilated beings speaks from behind her. It is Amler. He asks ‘Is this her?’ The child turns back and nods her head in acknowledgement.

Xarsha says ‘She has led us to the fluctuation within the rift of the borderlands and the Veil Mist. There has been many of them come here, unfortunates sent by those who we have been searching for quite some time. And the piece, the sacred stone has been recovered.’

Amler nods his head in acknowledgement to Xarsha and says ‘This is true. She has.’

Xarsha says ‘This is worthy of making an executive judgement.’

Amler nods his head again and says ‘Agreed. Say goodbye to your mother, little one.’

The little girl turns her face back towards Dreadiah. She kisses her on the forehead and says ‘Everything’s going to be alright mother. Just close your eyes and sleep.’

Amler says to Xarsha ‘She will not remember. Not for a long time.’

Xarsha replies ‘But when that time comes, she will know the truth of where she came from, and she will come back seeking her child.’

Amler says ‘That she will, but that is far off from now. Until then...’ Amler steps forward. With the command of his hand, he seems to raise Dreadiah up into the air. She is floating.

Amler continues ‘She will go back to a different place. She will become someone else, but her origin will remain here.’

Dreadiah feels warmth growing within her. She begins to dissipate. Her body withers away and forms into energy.  Amler then gathers the energy in his hand. He turns his focus towards the athraanak behind him.

There coils come from his body up towards the athraanak. The core light in his hands disappears and flows through the coils. The athraanak glows brightly, and then fades.

Amler turns to Tidreyen and says ‘Come. Let us take you to a place where you will be safe until your mother returns.’ He takes Tidreyen by the hand, and they walk off into the distance of the borderlands.

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