Vivarium - Smoldering Wastes

I HAVE NO CASH FOR TIP, I SPENT ALL CANDIAN BILLL AT GENTLEMEN CLUB

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 16:51:00 -0400

The evening sky hung beneath a blanket of thin, wandering clouds, their pale undersides stained gold and rose by the dying sun. Across the Endless Plains, dry grasses swayed in long, whispering waves, stretching so far in every direction that the world seemed to have forgotten where it ended. Here and there, lonely copses of trees stood like islands in a sea of amber.

Fairytale wandered through it all.

The Vampire Princess moved at an unhurried pace, midnight-blue fur catching the last rays of daylight while her nose remained lifted to the breeze. Her stomach had been growling for the better part of an hour, and at this point she was willing to eat just about anything.

Anything except another bug. That had been a mistake. A deeply crunchy mistake.

The Rose Bride trudged over the crest of a small knoll and paused there, silhouetted against the setting sun. Her cloudy blue eyes, seeing little more than blurs and shifting shapes, swept across the endless grasslands before her. No deer. No rabbits. No NOTHIN'.

Not even one of those weird long-legged birds she'd chased three days ago. Fairytale sighed dramatically.

This place is conspiring against me. Her tail flicked behind her. I swear to God, every time I'm hungry, the entire ecosystem collectively decides to go into hiding. A breeze rolled through the plains, carrying with it a hundred different scents—dry grass, wildflowers, distant water and something else. Something faint.

Her ears perked immediately.

Oh? The princess inhaled deeply. Again and again. Something alive. Something nearby. A grin slowly spread across her face. Well now. Suddenly, the hunger in her stomach didn't seem nearly as unbearable. Curiosity was a powerful thing, after all. Fairytale stepped down from the knoll and began moving through the tall grass, each paw placed carefully as the clouds overhead drifted lazily across the darkening sky.

Maybe she'd find dinner, or maybe she'd find trouble. Honestly, she wasn't particularly picky about which one it ended up being.

[TT] honey, i've seen worse

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 16:18:46 -0400

At long last, Tianlong’s tour through Mythris begins! This will be stop #2 of the journey and takes place on 6/17.

Tagging those currently traveling with Tianlong so everyone knows who may be present for this part of the procession: Lanyi

There is no pressure or requirement to respond to this thread! Anyone who would like to reply is more than welcome to do so. Please note somewhere in your post whether your character is skippable so the thread can move along smoothly. Members are also more than welcome to start their own side threads in non-claimed territories around this same time frame! If you do, please use the prefix TT (Tianlong Tour) in the title.

The time spent with Satriya and Jakten had been informative, to say the least. These experiences had activated several things within Yue that were difficult to balance – curiosity and anxiety, the desire for answers, yet an unending fountain of questions.

When the Empress presented her Imperial Husband with a confounding mixture of emotions, he presented her with a simple, yet grandiose plan: to instead of continuing their northwestern directive, they first return to Verdant’s Grace, settle their affairs within the jungle, and then continue onwards using the nearby tunnel to hasten their pace.

One might think that a pregnant woman, especially one who experienced a certain fragility when gravid, would go directly home and perhaps stay there, propped up on pelts and pillows. However, nothing would please the Orchid less.

Much like the matter with the runes, this was something she did not trust with an envoy or diplomat. It must be her, and Shenlei, and those who had sworn them obeisance. Yue must lay her eyes upon the packs and roving bands that made up this continent, and then she must weigh in her lunar intuition how the relationship must proceed.

This sense of inner knowing, combined with his Imperial Majesty’s practical fortitude, had proved to be a winning combination before. So, the Eastern Embassy made their way homeward, only to be distracted by the presence of a claimed piece of land to the south.

Once, Yue had known the Oasis. Once, Yue had thought to take a formal vacation there, perhaps after the birth of the heir. Now the presence of a group was too noticeable to ignore, and she could no longer consider the falls hers no longer.

When one shared a border, it made the relationship all the more important.

The land itself was beautiful, especially in the heat of summer, but this was not what preoccupied Yue. The Empress was most interested in meeting those who resided here, but with Verdant’s Grace so close, she found a desire to be amongst the familiarity of her own claim. At least for a night or two (or three), before she must spend the next months abroad.

Her caravan included her husband, her servants, her court, her paramour, and her guards – but even the sum of these souls could not replicate the peace she felt within her own palace.

Taking in a profound breath, the Empress sang a call, requesting the attendance of those within.

༻❁༺

at the laundromat, they’re whispering of war

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 16:03:05 -0400

There is familiarity in these fields.

He knows it will never be the same as his homeland. The peaks of the mountains do not loom above the plains. There are no taiga or red stags to dot the fields. Yet with the arrival of the kin of the clan of Nazgur the land here develops a heartbeat of its own. It pulses with the thunder of Tengri’s breath, it sends horses scattering into a herd. They will be reborn anew;

and still, his boyish heart hopes for peace for his people.

He huffs, walking a brisk pace under the glow of a crescent moon, a sliver in the sky. It illuminates him in a silver glow, and he is not the only one. She stands not too far in the distance. Once betrothed, a worthy match eej told him and kissed his crown. Was it because she saw the young girl as a worthy daughter, more robust than he?

Oyun, he calls out. Dark guard hairs are stiff. She is no longer a pup. She is formidable, eyes intense. And how would those eyes seek to judge him?

[aw] Roebuck moon

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 15:07:46 -0400

claiming the steppe! welcome too <3 single replies welcome, batu will be leaving with the tianlong travelling party & oyun is in charge!

Manifest is the vigor of the khaan under open sky, through greening sea and lures of tall altargana. The long river valley is hemmed by hills, blocking the bulk of harsh windstreak. Driving the herd to a muster, Batu raises a rough howl, saturating the soil with his stream.

“Camp will be made here until the season turns.” In the vale, against the side-winding river. “Mark it well. Let all who cross the steppe know mongolia has come home.”

He waits for the return of others. He waits for . A counsel of heaven and earth deems their awakening here. 's arrival confirms this, for the khagan's gifted physician would have been dismissed only for a grave cause. Seven months would find the steppe mourning their dead. But grief cannot ensue; there is only the work of rebuilding.

Eye is kept for and , the widowed noyakin. They have no harem to dig their shelter, no nokud to ride out and bring back game. These things he must do before returning to the tianlong— to be trapped in place, amid excess of ponderous possessions and pounded-wall pavilions.

In his absence, “Khatun, is to be heeded.” Only to his sister does the khaan speak of this relationship with the han. “The royal party is travelling. Their land will be under lighter guard for some months. Learn its entry points, but do not rush. We must not tread the same road which buried Nazgur.”

Light Divine

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 04:38:32 -0400

Not quite present dated but takes place after the wedding!

returned with the golden bloom. Several, in fact, to see whether it could be cultivated in the Skyspear and what ways it might be dried or applied to other ailments. Setemhotep was grateful. , he suspected, would be more appreciate still. For with this blossom, she would be free once and for all of the curse which ravaged her.

The blue turtlehead gave her back her faculties. But without frequent infusion, its effects faded. She could not leave Satriya, or she would succumb again to the influence of chaos. She had not seen her sons, and for this, Setemhotep ached.

He was glad to be a vessel by which true healing might at last be offered. It was prepared in a tincture with honey and white fish, for no other reason than he thought the ordeal deserved some celebratory pomp.

I think, He even suggested, sliding the delicacy toward her, We might even have reason to break into the wine.

heart sick

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 18:42:54 -0400

red flowers for summer events

Softness warms her frame, and there is nothing stopping her as she lopes amongst the wildflowers. Dotted across the field, it is the red blossoms she is drawn to, burrowing her face within their centers as if she is a bee in search of pollen.

Their scent is unfamiliar, belonging to no flower she can recall. Not that she has ever been knowledgeable in such things, of course. Nonetheless, they calm her mind all the same, and leave her feeling almost weightless.

Feelings of grief, of anger, of resentment—they are feelings of another woman. They are certainly not feelings that belong to her!

A chuff leaves her, and she rolls onto her side in one breath, cheek pressing against warm, sun-heated grass and into crushed red petals, nostrils flaring. She breathes in slow, deep breaths, tail thudding happily against the ground beside her.

The flowers smell wonderful. Everything smells wonderful. Would they taste wonderful? Considering, her tongue slides across scarred lips, and her eyes widen.

And for perhaps the first time in her life, Tselmuun finds herself considering whether she ought to eat one.

I met you by surprise

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 17:51:18 -0400

located at little lake! territory points perhaps
perhaps?

A statue beneath the setting sun, Tselmuun sits with her eyes closed, face upturned toward the sky. The air smells of wild grass and fresh water, and the steady thunder of the waterfall fills the valley below. The air is hot and sticky, a gift from summer come anew, and she finds herself uncertain if she enjoys or hates the way heat dances across her skin.

An unknown amount of time passes, her mind blissfully quiet for once, until finally the heat grows unbearable. She is panting, tongue lolling from scarred lips, pupils dilated. Her fur feels warm, and her thoughts sluggish. Lazily, her eyes drift toward the tall trees concealing the water from view, and a decision is made before she can change her mind.

Rising to her feet, she sets off on stalking steps, seeking refuge past the towering trees from the relentless heat.

The moment she reaches the water's edge and presses a paw into the dark pool, a sigh escapes her. She takes little notice of the waterfall ahead, the towering cliff boxing it in, or creatures darting beneath the surface, too busy soaking up the sudden chill.

It is wonderful! Cold sprays from the falls, and she can finally breathe again.

Her body, tense with old grief and emotions long left unsorted, begins to loosen beneath the feel of cooling water. Unconcerned with dignity and caring little for caution, Tselmuun picks her way across the slick stones, steps pressing firmly, fighting the urge to throw herself within it! She can only laugh when she nearly falls, water sloshing as she slides forward on wobbly steps.

The new rigme

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 17:35:27 -0400

Down south there would be music and glory, heartbreak and heart’s ease, claws or fang drawn sometimes in the lower chamberways and alleys. And come morning, power and passion and celebration all over again, jostling each other in the Pharaoh’s halls— narrowed for furtive love or quick bloodshed. So it goes also into bedchambers and planted courtyards, where flowering hedges droop over springs and deep-dredged artificial pools.

Horselord retreats.

He remembers plains like these. Remembers with whom he’d been there last, in tiger-iris time, before their fathers had died.

The waif aspired to be one of the khagan’s civil servants then, with access to the court. To Jochi and Tselmuun, Oyun and Rasha.

The steppe shimmers. Batu lopes his way northward.

IV

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 09:15:18 -0400

previously...

she scoff at his dull-witted moan. imenet decides he is not worthy of discourse or explanation. a decorated beast, yes, but she'd never engaged in conversation with even the finest chariot horse.

the migraine. again. she sets fingers to skull, hunches over in the water. damn this. damn all of this. damn him, especially.

imenet dives under the water. it is cooling. overwhelming.

does not see her resurface.

she breaks the surface with a gasp. eyes closed, she breathes heavy, face to the sun.

when she opens them, she flinches.

the oasis is gone. her captor & companion too. imenet twists her neck to see if she'd looked the wrong way.

no. in place of the lake, is a much vaster spread of water. it goes to a distant, unknown shore.

she looks back at what had her aghast.

a great pyramid looms in the distance. not that distant. and it brings great comfort. for she knows it was made.

a buzz at the nape of her neck, threatening to build up to pain, but already she is splashing for the shore. imenet's eyes are still on the construction as she wrings the water out her fur.

how fast could she reach it? half an hour? less? more? she'd try all the same.

while to her it might seem like moments have passed, it is currently the date of posting, and imenet has aged eight months

Beauty Hidden in the Shadows

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:28:53 -0400

Time seemed to just run together as the she-wolf ventured forward. Whether it be through divine intervention, or perhaps even luck, she had not caused herself to fall through any cracks, crevices, or stumbled into any formidable foes. For the most part, the dame would consider such a venture a win. But, one thing was for certain: the heat from the dunes had sucked up any remaining water supply within her system. Without such nourishment, her luck could possibly be running dry (no pun intended). Every step she took was a gamble. Her ears would shift in various directions, catching anything that could aid her on her adventure to wherever her mate, or perhaps even water, could be.

Sounds of birds and the rustling of leaves from trees was a good sign. Wherever life was, there was bound to be some form of way she could replenish her water supply. Her paws crunched against the ground. Some of the wildlife would watch her, unbeknownst to her, wondering why she was walking the way she was. Well, for starters, it was to make sure nothing would reach out and grab her. Or, to also make sure she didn't wander right into a tree like she'd done on numerous occasions in her old life. Perdita would chuckle, remembering Malakor would always run to check up on her; even though it was he who was supposed to make sure didn't embarrass herself in such a fashion. But, his heart was in the right place... for the most part.

She felt the coolness of shade from one of the trees. She'd been moving for quite some time, perhaps a rest was definitely in order. The shade from the trees made things feel a lot cooler and calming to the woman. It was nice to get out of the blistering heat and regain her strength in some way. Her body collapsed onto the ground, catching her breath as she did. She was thankful that throughout her time coming here, things have been going in her favor. But, also wasn't going to count her chickens before they hatched; one could never tell what could happen within the next couple minutes... And she was certainly a woman to know such thoughts. From being attacked in the walls of her old home, to being tossed into a world she didn't even have the chance of seeing... Life surely had a twisted sense of humor, that was for certain.

[wp] destiny, guard our girls

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 23:50:57 -0400

takes place directly after this thread

Late into the night, after completing her circuit with the Emperor around the dance floor, Yue found herself winded. Cheeks flushed, she excused herself and desired, for a moment, to retire. For that moment, the Empress found herself standing off to the side, giving the festivities one final look –

and then she crossed the crowd that remained, seeking the freshness of the outdoor air.

In truth, she had been suddenly overtaken by a wave of anxiety. How foolish she had been! If it were true that she had achieved the first part of her divine duty, that of conceiving the Emperor’s progeny, then she should have stayed sidelined.

She felt, in a way, terribly disappointed in herself.

If there was anything she knew, it was that exerting herself in the first few weeks could be disastrous. The healers might blame the heat, saying that young fetuses were exceedingly sensitive to such things, but the result was the same.

Despite how confident she had felt about the healer’s song, suddenly Yue felt certain that her actions would soon thrust her into a familiar sort of discomfort. She grimaced and quickened her pace. However, before the Empress could reach the outdoors, she caught a glimpse of .

Almost instantaneously, Yue had decided that she would rather be with her, than be alone. The young rested drowsily beside the woman. It only took seconds for the ivory queen to settle in next to Lady Kaede, wordless, and reset her gaze back on the festivities, where the energy was similarly dwindling.

She watched, and she said nothing, feigning distraction.

༻❁༺

hibiscus

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 20:13:00 -0400

1/5 | herbalist

News gets around, and the princess's ears are always pricked to hear it. Even the smallest shift in harmony can lead to great turmoil and calamity. A teahouse isn't going to fell the Great Dragon's blood, but it is wise to be cautious. Or so Lian would safely advise if anyone probed for her reasoning.

Tea! How long had it been?! Too long by far since the soothing notes have graced her royal tongue. The days are warm and humid in the thickly forested valley of the Tianlong, but Lian seems to float on air as she winds the path to the little shop. She is undeterred by summer's warmth and most impressively of all, her fur remains silky and sleek instead of a frizz-fest.

The lotus sweeps into the shop, pristine as porcelain as her eyes flit from one detail to the next. The teahouse is small, but the space is well-utilized and doesn't feel cramped. In the princess's jaws is clamped a bundle of chamomile. She isn't sure what kind of payment may be best received but felt additional product for the shop was a safe bet.

Myrrh has always been such a quiet presence in the Tianlong, but Lian is glad to see whatever ambitions she has still managed to be realized. Such is the glory of the Tianlong.

With a sweep of her tail, the princess draws close to the proprietor of the teahouse, a warm smile upon her features. Good afternoon!

best wishes

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 19:51:03 -0400

[ ]

Iero was still feeling...off.

He'd been oh so very careful to not so much as step on any more of those wretched, red flowers scattered about the Wastes. He was not entirely keen on experiencing another episode and, during the last few days, so far, so good.

Currently, he was mostly sticking towards the water. Any water he could find. Those heat flashes were still up and down, but were continuous still, and the cool of the water helped keep him from having a heat induced stroke. The days were a nightmare, nights only bringing some relief.

The boy was in the shallows, head pillowed against the gritty sand while his entire body was as submerged as he could get it. He'd dug a hole in the grime of the lake's edge to make a sort of bed to lay in without the slime of the underwater plants, and thankfully his travel partner had left him to it with little fuss.

Blue eyes fluttered between the sleepy heaviness and the instinct to stay alert while he was alone, but he was exhausted. That treacherous body of his and the symptoms of his condition were taking a toll.

A few minutes wouldn't hurt. Probably.

I wear my bomb near to my chest, Is it ticking?

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 19:03:26 -0400

Skill: Ranger

"We are following the moon for the morning star
Guided by the crow
We are following our Lord, through the evil dark
For the gift of being chosen”

He didn't enjoy the endless plains. There was next to no shade and it felt like Hell itself with the sweltering heat that was brought down upon Mythris. Astarot could feel the sun beating down on his back like a whipping after hours, dull and hot, the way it beat him he groaned and padded paws through the desert. He could feel the sizzling sands beneath his pads and he growled a little as he winced here and there from the ache they were feeling.

After a while Az didn't notice the heat, nor the burning in his paws, he merely just noticed how thirsty he had become. His tongue fell from his onyx lips, a salmon appendage that lolled and rolled in the dry winds that pushed through. The occasional copse of trees offered a reprieve to the Duke, but he pressed on, trying to head back towards the Mire area. Astarot grew irritated at himself for traveling so far into the dry plains..

Finally the man found a small oasis. A pond surrounded by large trees of some sort, what he didn't know, but he was thankful for the shade they offered at the edges of the water. Az dipped his head down to lap at the warmed waters, he grimaced at the warmth that flowed through his body, wishing for a cool drink not piss warm water.

The man kept eyes vigilant on his surroundings, staring to the left and the right to keep an eye open for others.

heartsticky!

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 19:18:32 -0400

There's something up with Iero and he can't figure out what the fuck it is. They'd been traveling together long enough for Dominic to be confident in this assessment. A result of this very things leads a little bit of him to kinda think maybe the bastard was getting tired of traveling or, worse, getting tired of traveling with him which isn't really great when this stupid fucking desert gets cold as shit at night and they gotta sleep close-ish. Freak shit.

What the hell would he do if Iero decided to fuck off?

Whatever. Whatever, it didn't matter!

He didn't need Iero.

Just to prove how much he doesn't, Dominic leads the way over dusty terrain, gabbing, "Ierooooooo, you gotta keep up, dude, I don't wanna be sleepin' out in the open again like a loser. We need, like, a cave or some shit. Dude!" He stops just enough to watch the other's wandering gaze. "What the fuck are you lookin' at?" He follows grey eyes. Blinks. "Flowers? Out here of all places?"