Steem Monsters Origins Story: Talia

Talia is an unreleased character. She'll be coming in the next batch or two. She's based on my second baby. Here's the start of her origin story. Kiara is the rainbow warrior, Talia is the dragonish kid, Scavin is the impish demon, and we'll see who the character below the imp is later.

Fire Moon

Aggroedius was looking forward to today. The fire moon would be full tonight and nearly all people of all cities and towns would hold festivals. There's likely to be drinking and often brawling. The brawling could be tournaments, duels, or frankly just drunken debauchery. Even the University and the University professors would sometimes engage. While magic and alchemy are to be studied what good are they if they can't be used for some fun too.

Also important to note is that Lyanna's mother was at the high tower as well. That meant she could take Kiara. That meant he could finally get some alone time with Lyanna again. His first challenge was that Lyanna looked tired. Kiara refused to sleep at normal intervals. She seemed to pick her sleeping habits based on when Lyanna couldn't sleep.

Aggroedius asked his wife "when do you think your mom will be around? I'm looking forward to the fire moon festivals."

Lyanna said "Sometime around mid day."

Aggroedius swept up Kiara. "Get some sleep Ly. We'll have fun tonight."

He felt a little sheepish not working that much today. He'd been creating some contact with a small impish demon named Scalvin. Sometimes you have to consult bizarre allies in the world of magic to make progress. Some people had recently started succumbing to plague many were calling "the burn." It felt weird to take a day off of research, but it was much needed rest.

HIs mother's side of the family was rumored to be long distant relatives of dragons and lava elementals. The dragons would say "tomorrow can wait." Though... even they may feel different if everyone starts feeling the burn.

---

The morning passed easily. Watching Kiara walking was fun. It's a pretty normal activity, but it seemed very special when she did it. He was happy to watch her explore the world. He took her outside to the market. She kept trying to touch everything, and when she wasn't touching things she was still trying to put them in her mouth. As a parent he was always careful to keep the magical things away and high up on shelves in the house, but in the markets the traders weren't always so careful. He basically spent the morning hunched over running after a toddler.

He came back home to a well rested Lyanna talking to her mother. "How was the market she asked? Could you get a good deal with fish trader Jararal?" Aggroedius was proud of the fact that Kiara came back without injury. He hadn't been thinking about fish. "No dear, we were wandering. I didn't get any food while there."

Lyanna, looked briefly annoyed, but her mother stepped in. "It's ok Ly, I'll go back to the market with Kiara and we'll find something for today. "Whose grandma's darling?" She inquired of Kiara. "It's good to see you Aggroedius."

Aggroedius liked Lyanna's mother Wynne. She motioned to take Kiara. He passed her over. Grandma and baby looked happy. Wynne got ready to head out.

When she finally did leave Aggroedius didn't waste time. He wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her neck. "Aggroedius, the fire moon celebrations are later tonight..." She said.

Aggroedius told her "I think we should start them early..." He started firmly caressing her body with his strong hands. "Aggroedius, it's a fire moon. I'm not carrying a fire child in my belly nor do I want to risk that. You've said before that you come from efreets, and elementals, and dragons on your mothers side."

Aggroedius was undaunted. "My mother dyed her hair and I never saw no truth in those tales." It was mostly true... "If true they are 400 yeas old. The blood is thin. We'll be fine my dear." She didn't quite agree with his assessment, but the fire moon energy was in her too. She felt rested finally, and this would be nice. She gave into his embrace.

---

Seven months later and she burned in agony. She would sit in the lake all day pulsing her healing magic all over her own body, but it was getting worse. She was with child, but this was no ordinary child. She could feel the magical heat emanating from her womb. As the child grew larger it grew hotter.

Aggroedius did the best he could to keep protection spells on his wife, take kiara whenever possible, keep working on his research with Scalvin, and try not to be murdered by his unhappily pregnant wife. It was understandable. She was of the earth and occasionally would belch fire. Acid reflux be damned spitting fire is a million times worse.

Though sleeping was becoming a problem. She's frequently waking up with a fever and screaming in pain. The healers swear the baby is fine, but the mother is not. Lyanna is a powerful healer, but it's different when the infection causing the trouble is your own child.

When she awoke last night in pure agony that seemed to rattle the whole city Aggroedius had had enough. The spells weren't working. His own protection magic wasn't working. He wasn't willing to use experimental alchemy on them. The healers had nothing else to offer... Aggroedius knew without help she would die. It was time to go within.

Aggroedius set off to the lab while his wife and unborn were at the lake. She can be ok for a day there. He lit all of burners and set them at maximum. He closed all the doors so no one would see what he was doing. It wasn't quite forbidden... but Aggroedius knew he may need to go farther than one should because the line was so far back. The heat was getting to him already. He stripped off his robe and sat bare chested cross legged and prepared for astral travel.

First he cleared his mind and let the wandering thoughts of his wife and baby come and go as they needed. He let the pressures of teaching the young summoners what he's learned enter his thoughts and leave. He simply breathed. Calming breaths. And as they came in he would soak in the energy of the planet below, and he would funnel in the energy of the sun and sky from above. His body became a great conductor of al things magic. From his heart he produced a single golden thread of magic. Pure in essence with a touch of it's own spirit and he breathed life into it.

The golden thread barely eeked out of him, but as his channelling grew it thickened and a golden chord wrapped in a white protective lace like energy flowed from his chest. It travelled directly above him and created a golden orb. The orb was as small as a pea at first, but as he pumped this golden energy into it it expanded and filled the room and completely encompassed him.

Inside this orb he lost track of himself, of time, of thoughts, of space, of being a physical being. All he felt was the great connection to the all eternal. The golden light sensing his intention felt pulled to Ferexia, The Burning Lands. The golden light felt the pull and shot out. It passed through walls, doors, windows and people. Neither flesh nor quartz would stop it. The golden light travelled not just through space but time as well.

It went straight across the great Fissure, through the embered lands travelling above the small fire beetles and great rocs alike. It moved to Talithianna, the Great Volanco. There it stopped by the home of essence of lava herself. While no being in it's journey could see this golden light the lava soul turned her eyes and gazed straight at it. She waited patiently as Aggroedius brought himself behind his golden light in his golden orb and brought his astral self to join her.

"Aggroedius... to what do I owe this unexpected visit?" she asked him telepathically.

To Aggroedius the sudden onslaught of the mental strength of this great essence was almost more than he could bear. The voice in his head sounded like a thousand thunderstorms crashing in the sky at once. The golden orb istelf wavered and nearly disappated. If not for years of training and a will to see it done no matter the cost for his wife. The storm passed nearly as quickly as it hit. Sweat dripped out of every pour of his body in his lab, and the temperature of the room grew hot. He calmed his breathing and steadied himself before the great lava essence.

The heat of the room not only effected him, but began to heat the glassware, quartz, and dragon glass of his lab. The bottle he used to call forth Scalvin started building pressure, and a barely audible hiss started leaking.

"My lady" he started. "It is with dire haste that I come to you. Though the magic of efreet, lava and phoenix lie in my ancestry it would seem to be hundreds of years back. My wife is with child and only through the rarest of portals on a full fire moon has a spirit been pulled from that line. My wife is human and life bonded to the path of nature. I call the world of spirit and alchemy my home. Neither of us is prepared for this. I beg you, as your distant son, spirit father to one of your brood, and desparate man wishing life for mother and child. Help us, please."

The Spirit of Lava let the words echo through her. She felt for the baby's spirit. She let her own mind wander to touch upon the soul of the child and smiled. Oh yes... she thought. Woah, she thought as the depth of the moment dawned on her. This has been foretold and she let out a slight laugh.

The laugh sounded like thunder straight into his ears. The gloden globe around him expanded as if it were a balloon heated. The light flickered on and off and nearly burst. He was filled with pain. His ears started bleeding, his head felt like it was on fire, parts of his flesh suddenly starting to burn and sear. In the tiny window he forced his soul to exist all he could see was Lyanna. He had fallen deeply in love at first sight. He told his friends he would marry her the day they met and they all had laughed at him, but this was written in the stars and eternal history of the grand creator. He saw his wife nearly dying and writing in agony of birth. Through the pain and agony of the laugh he steadied his breathing and readied himself for her words.

Inside his lab the alchemical amalagram would tolerate no more heat. The bottle in the plain black glass broke and the mixture fell on the floor. Scalvin started to take shape.

The esssence of Lava looked at Aggroedius in pain and determination. She knew the spirit well that he had called forth into the world. Perhaps he was a man and a family worth saving. "I shall spare her life, but the child will come here for a time" she whispered so she wouldn't shatter the man.

Blood burst from his ears and nose and burned as it travelled down his skin. More fissures ripped apart his skin and burning wounds appeared across his body. "I accept." For a just a beat he saw a little red girl staring at him too from the base of the volcano. Then with little motion the Essence of Lava cast a spell and Aggroedius found himself flying through space and time faster than he'd ever dreamt possible. The universe passed around him and through in in the blink of an eye. It moved so fast he missed nearly all of it, but swore a golden pheonix brushed past him and bowed if only for the briefest of moments. Then he opened his eyes.

In his hand he held a small jar that he knew would save his wife's life, and above him he saw the demon Scalvin seared from the heat but grinning ear to ear. In any other state on any other day Aggroedius could have crushed this spirit and blinded him or splattered him with light so intense it would cease to exist, but on this day none of that was possible. Scalvin intertwined his spirit with the broken and weakened body and soul of Aggroedius.

When Aggroedius woke he felt different. His body was in pain. He was covered in blood. He could feel a strange voice in his head and the memory of his voyage stirred him some. He looked at his hand and saw a small jar. It was worth it.

He sat up slowly. The first thing the do was wash off. He looked like he'd been in a war. He was covered in cuts and blood. He stood under the safety shower and pulled the cord. He instantly regretted it. Every part of his body lit up in pain as the water touched him. It was agony, but after a second or two his body calmed slightly by the touch of the water and the blood ran down into the drain. He started to feel slightly more like himself.

He found some towels above the safety shower and wrapped himself part as towell and part as bandage. The turned red quickly, but it didn't look like he was still bleeding anywhere. He looked in the mirror and for a second thought he saw not only himself, but Scavin still in the room. He turned around, but saw no one there. He could swear he heard mocking laughter.

He gave himself a few minutes to dry and then pulled the bandages off. He looked ugly. He had cuts over his body, and dried blood still in places, but he was ok. He grabbed his clothes and opened the door to his lab.

He did his best as he struggled to walk to the lake. The path itself would be a light, enjoyable, and refreshing walk on any other day. Today it was arduous. His muscles ached. Trying to go up a stair was like climbing a mountain. He would lean his arms into his legs to help push them he could climb, but it was opening up the cuts on his legs again. He wanted to rest, but he could hear his wife howling in agony. A voice in his head she'll die no matter what you do.

When he got to the lake she was half in and out of consciousness. The in consciousness part was pain. Her whole body was red with heat even as she was in the lake. He approached past the healers. Some could sense he wasn't well, but he was determined. He sat beside his wife, procured the bottle, and said drink.

The salty and ashy drink was gross. It was like drinking burnt eggs. She coughed and spattered. When it hit her stomach though it was as if her baby finally had something it needed. Almost immediately the child stopped producing heat, and soon her skin went back to flesh toned from red. She awoke some and as she looked at her husband could see a changed man and upon further inspection saw fresh blood leaking from different parts of his outfit. "What have you done?"

Part Two will be entitled Talons