HOME | DD

Description

- Annual Dragon Hunt 2019 -

Nordanners:

The Fabulous Mother-Son duo....

9621 Champagne Celebration
and
A2855 Vernacular

Detail of Progress: Progress: Dragon Hunt 2019
Horse Reference 1: Horse Stock 12. by BillTokioHotel
Horse Reference 2: Grazing 27 by FantasyDesignStock
**No background or dragon references used other than the Nordanner - Gemstone Dragons and Nordanner - Wood Dragon from official Nordanner lore.

There was supposed to be another horse...and another dragon...buuuuttt I didn't have enough time so...YAY
Shouldve started a few days earlier
Oh yes! There is a rider...veerrryyy far in the background because I cant people.
p.s. download for full res
More infos on the way in the next few hours, for now, enjoy the image!

Also the image seems...blurry? any suggestions on why this may be the case on deviantart? Cause in full res the image is definitely not blurry Fixed.

Story: Embarking on an Adventure
1715 words total

“Ah hell, you have Nordanners out, you must be taking another trip to Aleria. No wonder you called me.” Mira put her hands on her hips, frowning at Leanna. She paused, then sighed and gave Vernacular a pat before setting his brush aside.

“Yes, and? It’s the dragon hunt. I’ve wanted to go since we brought Nordanners to the stables. Its in their blood, they were made to hunt dragons. Plus, I’m taking the three that have dragon hunter training. And well…Aleria’s magic is different than here, and they’ve been in a war lately. I feel bad about not helping. It’s the least I can do to participate in the dragon hunt this year. ”

Mira glared at her, then sighed heavily. “Fine. Your right. Lumos does get boring after a while. The Taigons are peaceful as always, and we have nothing to worry about from my people.”

Leanna snorted, “My people have no idea your people even exist. I’m the only one.”

“Precisely.” Mira paused, “You know…you did say you pulled out three Nordanners…”

“Yes, because I wanted to take you with me. It would be a lot easier than my previous trips to Aleria. If you’re with me, you can open the portal home when we’re done. After all, I don’t know how long a dragon hunt will take.”

“True…true…but…what are we going to do about the fact that none of the horses even have a full set of armor?”

“Oh yes! I thought that through already.” Leanna fished in her pocket, pulling out several wadded-up pages and tossing them aside, grumbling to herself. At last, she pulled out a neatly folded piece of parchment, holding it out to Mira. “I picked a task that might be a bit easier for us. It’s a stealth mission of sorts. It should be easy for us to go in, take what we need to get, and get out---hopefully without disturbing a dragon.”

“Oh great…dragons. Something we definitely don’t have here on Lumos. You’re sure you want to risk the horses lives?”

“Hey! Like I said, it’ll be a stealth mission. We will go in, grab what we need, and get out without ever finding a dragon…I hope.”

“What even is the mission?”

“Well, why don’t you take the task and read it?”

“I don’t read Alerian.”

“It’s in English.”

Mira huffed, then took the folded piece of parchment, gingerly unfolding it to read the text written neatly within. ‘Gemstone dragons shed their gems each breeding season. Their lairs are riddled with gems. Venture into a gemstone’s lair and fetch a bag of gems to present them to the Queen. Be careful, they’re extra feisty this season.’ She frowned,

“Oh yes. Sounds totally safe.”

“Actually—they have a species of gemstone dragons that resides in the woodlands. The stables here is in the woodlands. The horses are used to wooded areas, and traversing them. So…It shouldn’t be too difficult for them, and for us. We’re used to be stealthy in the woods. Oh yes, and if we get into trouble, the horses know how to bail out safely.”

Mira shook her head, folding the piece of parchment again. “You’re crazy. But…I’ll go.”

“Awesome!”

Leanna jumped to her feet, walking over to Champagne. “I planned on using our lovely lady here to pack. I’d use Vern of Merle, but…both of them are too sensitive to handle it. So Cham it is.” She bent over, picking up the pack saddle and setting it across the broad mare’s back. Mira rolled her eyes, walking over to Vernacular, setting the Alerian-style hand stitched pad across his back and smoothing it.

“It’s a good plan, but make sure to take either the canvas or leather pack bags.”

Leanna paused, “Why’s that? It shouldn’t matter, right?”

“Stop and think…”

“Oh. Oh. I get it. That’s right. Aleria might not have these materials available yet.”

“Correct.”

“Good thinking. I’ll go dig out the leather ones. I think I know where they’re stashed. Do you mind saddling up the boys while I do?”

“Yeah sure. But you’re putting the bridle on that hellion called Merle. You are the only one who can get near his face.”

“Deal.”

***

Leanna took in a deep breath, letting it out in the crisp morning air.

“Ah…Aleria is different than Lumos, but it sure is beautiful. It’s nice to see something other than rugged mountains for once.”

Mira laughed, “If you traveled with me more, you’d see more than mountains. Lumos has different terrain too. You just haven’t explored enough.”

Leanna frowned, then patted Vernacular’s neck. “Well, the Nordanners enjoy coming home every once in a while. They were born in Aleria. Lumos is…different. Especially magic-wise. None of the Alerian potions and magic work there. Only in Aleria.”

“Speaking of, should we pick some up? Extra defense for the horses?”

“No. We should be fine, stealth mission, remember? What we will need is a map, and some information about the dragons we’re after. I don’t spend enough time in Aleria to know everything. We should find what we need near the castle.”

“Castle?”

Leanna laughed, then pointed as the horses plodded around a bend in the steep trail, the spires of the castle reached for the sky below them, the town sprawled out around it.

“There. That’s where we’re going. To prepare for the dragon hunt. Where we will be searching, however, might be a little closer to where we are now.”

Mira leaned back in her saddle, stopping Merle. “Then why don’t we just get searching?”

“Uh…because we don’t know where we’re going.”

“You said a type of woodland dragon, right? This is woodlands. And a dragon can’t be that hard to find.”

“Mira—”

“Do what you will, but I’m gonna go find a dragon and get this over with.”

    Mira spun Merle around, and urged him up the steep slope beside them. The stallion eagerly climbed the slope, and the pair were soon out of sight. Leanna sighed, reaching over and scratching Champagne between the ears. She looked down at the castle below them, then back up at the overturned earth left behind by Merle and Mira.

“Mira! Now you’re being unreasonable! Come back!”

            Her words echoed off the mountains around them, ringing back to her ears. She waited for several long seconds, holding her breath and waiting for a reply. After the echoes of her own voice faded, she waited some more. After almost a full minute, there was no response. She bit her lip, then sighed, yanking a hairband out of her pocket, sweeping her curly red hair into a quick ponytail.

“Ah hell. Now I’ve gotta go after her.”

            She finished adjusting her hair, then reached down and checked Vernacular’s cinch, reaching over to check the pack saddle on Champagne before facing the trail turned up by Merle’s hooves. As she picked up on the reins, she could feel the stallion tense beneath her, his head lifting as he nickered and stepped sideways. She settled him and patted his neck.

“Whoah boy. We cant take both of you up that steep of a trail. We will have to double back and find something that’s not as steep.”

            The stallion eagerly leapt into an easy lope as she urged him back up the trail the way they came, champagne following willingly behind on a loose lead. Leanna kept her eyes on the steep mountainside, searching for a trail of any kind to take up the mountain. As she came around a long, shallow bend, she spotted a ravine, and leaned back, pulling the stallion and Champagne to a halt as she examined the ravine. She frowned, then slid off Vernacular’s back, walking forward to examine for a possible trail. After some searching behind bushes, she finally spotted some old stag tracks in the soil. She whistled for Vernacular, mounting him again as he stopped a few feet short of her. She leaned forward slightly to cue him forward, then let him pick his way up the mountain.

“Mira!”

            Again, her voice echoed around her, and again, there was no response. She fell silent then, letting Vernacular pick his way up the mountainside. If there were dragons nearby, she didn’t want to alert them. As the trio plodded along, the terrain slowly began to change, morphing from moss-covered pines, ferns, and rock-studded mulched ground, to softer green grass and leafy trees as they descended the mountain on the other side. She stroked some of the long hanging moss from a tree branch as the trio strolled past, smiling a little at how quickly the terrain could change. As they continued downward, a faint glittering could be seen through the trees.

            As they drew closer to the strange sparkling, Vernacular slowed, dropping his muzzle to the ground, lipping at something there. Leanna dismounted, gently pushing the stallion back to investigate. She swept the dirt back where he had been nuzzling, finding a bright sapphire under a thin covering of dirt. She stifled her giggle of joy, tousling his forelock,

“Good boy Vern!” She paused, looking toward the taunting sparkle in the trees. “But…it also means we are really close to a dragon. We should tread carefully from now on.” She slipped the small sapphire into her pocket, then grabbed the stallion’s reins, leading him forward into the trees. The deeper they went, the more colors of gems appeared scattered along the ground, glittering sapphires, bright topazes, and luminous rose quartzes studded the ground. Some were tiny, the size that would fit in a ring or necklace, others the size of a palm, and even much larger stones almost the size of a horse.

            She would occasionally bend and pick up the stones, stuffing them in a canvas bag that she carried, or in the pack bags on Champagne’s back. She finally came to a stop as more of the stones became larger than she could carry. She left the horses there and wandered on alone, searching for smaller stones…

***

Alone, the big stallion became nervous as the smell of singed wood gathered in his nostrils. He whinnied after Leanna, trying to warn her of the danger. When she didn’t return, he stamped nervously, scanning the area for any signs of dragons hidden nearby….

Additional Credit Goes to:

Art by: horserider201
Arrow divider by: xVanyx
***more here latterrrrr

Description

- Annual Dragon Hunt 2019 -

Nordanners:

The Fabulous Mother-Son duo....

9621 Champagne Celebration
and
A2855 Vernacular

Detail of Progress: Progress: Dragon Hunt 2019
Horse Reference 1: Horse Stock 12. by BillTokioHotel
Horse Reference 2: Grazing 27 by FantasyDesignStock
**No background or dragon references used other than the Nordanner - Gemstone Dragons and Nordanner - Wood Dragon from official Nordanner lore.

There was supposed to be another horse...and another dragon...buuuuttt I didn't have enough time so...YAY
Shouldve started a few days earlier
Oh yes! There is a rider...veerrryyy far in the background because I cant people.
p.s. download for full res
More infos on the way in the next few hours, for now, enjoy the image!

Also the image seems...blurry? any suggestions on why this may be the case on deviantart? Cause in full res the image is definitely not blurry Fixed.

Story: Embarking on an Adventure
1715 words total

“Ah hell, you have Nordanners out, you must be taking another trip to Aleria. No wonder you called me.” Mira put her hands on her hips, frowning at Leanna. She paused, then sighed and gave Vernacular a pat before setting his brush aside.

“Yes, and? It’s the dragon hunt. I’ve wanted to go since we brought Nordanners to the stables. Its in their blood, they were made to hunt dragons. Plus, I’m taking the three that have dragon hunter training. And well…Aleria’s magic is different than here, and they’ve been in a war lately. I feel bad about not helping. It’s the least I can do to participate in the dragon hunt this year. ”

Mira glared at her, then sighed heavily. “Fine. Your right. Lumos does get boring after a while. The Taigons are peaceful as always, and we have nothing to worry about from my people.”

Leanna snorted, “My people have no idea your people even exist. I’m the only one.”

“Precisely.” Mira paused, “You know…you did say you pulled out three Nordanners…”

“Yes, because I wanted to take you with me. It would be a lot easier than my previous trips to Aleria. If you’re with me, you can open the portal home when we’re done. After all, I don’t know how long a dragon hunt will take.”

“True…true…but…what are we going to do about the fact that none of the horses even have a full set of armor?”

“Oh yes! I thought that through already.” Leanna fished in her pocket, pulling out several wadded-up pages and tossing them aside, grumbling to herself. At last, she pulled out a neatly folded piece of parchment, holding it out to Mira. “I picked a task that might be a bit easier for us. It’s a stealth mission of sorts. It should be easy for us to go in, take what we need to get, and get out---hopefully without disturbing a dragon.”

“Oh great…dragons. Something we definitely don’t have here on Lumos. You’re sure you want to risk the horses lives?”

“Hey! Like I said, it’ll be a stealth mission. We will go in, grab what we need, and get out without ever finding a dragon…I hope.”

“What even is the mission?”

“Well, why don’t you take the task and read it?”

“I don’t read Alerian.”

“It’s in English.”

Mira huffed, then took the folded piece of parchment, gingerly unfolding it to read the text written neatly within. ‘Gemstone dragons shed their gems each breeding season. Their lairs are riddled with gems. Venture into a gemstone’s lair and fetch a bag of gems to present them to the Queen. Be careful, they’re extra feisty this season.’ She frowned,

“Oh yes. Sounds totally safe.”

“Actually—they have a species of gemstone dragons that resides in the woodlands. The stables here is in the woodlands. The horses are used to wooded areas, and traversing them. So…It shouldn’t be too difficult for them, and for us. We’re used to be stealthy in the woods. Oh yes, and if we get into trouble, the horses know how to bail out safely.”

Mira shook her head, folding the piece of parchment again. “You’re crazy. But…I’ll go.”

“Awesome!”

Leanna jumped to her feet, walking over to Champagne. “I planned on using our lovely lady here to pack. I’d use Vern of Merle, but…both of them are too sensitive to handle it. So Cham it is.” She bent over, picking up the pack saddle and setting it across the broad mare’s back. Mira rolled her eyes, walking over to Vernacular, setting the Alerian-style hand stitched pad across his back and smoothing it.

“It’s a good plan, but make sure to take either the canvas or leather pack bags.”

Leanna paused, “Why’s that? It shouldn’t matter, right?”

“Stop and think…”

“Oh. Oh. I get it. That’s right. Aleria might not have these materials available yet.”

“Correct.”

“Good thinking. I’ll go dig out the leather ones. I think I know where they’re stashed. Do you mind saddling up the boys while I do?”

“Yeah sure. But you’re putting the bridle on that hellion called Merle. You are the only one who can get near his face.”

“Deal.”

***

Leanna took in a deep breath, letting it out in the crisp morning air.

“Ah…Aleria is different than Lumos, but it sure is beautiful. It’s nice to see something other than rugged mountains for once.”

Mira laughed, “If you traveled with me more, you’d see more than mountains. Lumos has different terrain too. You just haven’t explored enough.”

Leanna frowned, then patted Vernacular’s neck. “Well, the Nordanners enjoy coming home every once in a while. They were born in Aleria. Lumos is…different. Especially magic-wise. None of the Alerian potions and magic work there. Only in Aleria.”

“Speaking of, should we pick some up? Extra defense for the horses?”

“No. We should be fine, stealth mission, remember? What we will need is a map, and some information about the dragons we’re after. I don’t spend enough time in Aleria to know everything. We should find what we need near the castle.”

“Castle?”

Leanna laughed, then pointed as the horses plodded around a bend in the steep trail, the spires of the castle reached for the sky below them, the town sprawled out around it.

“There. That’s where we’re going. To prepare for the dragon hunt. Where we will be searching, however, might be a little closer to where we are now.”

Mira leaned back in her saddle, stopping Merle. “Then why don’t we just get searching?”

“Uh…because we don’t know where we’re going.”

“You said a type of woodland dragon, right? This is woodlands. And a dragon can’t be that hard to find.”

“Mira—”

“Do what you will, but I’m gonna go find a dragon and get this over with.”

    Mira spun Merle around, and urged him up the steep slope beside them. The stallion eagerly climbed the slope, and the pair were soon out of sight. Leanna sighed, reaching over and scratching Champagne between the ears. She looked down at the castle below them, then back up at the overturned earth left behind by Merle and Mira.

“Mira! Now you’re being unreasonable! Come back!”

            Her words echoed off the mountains around them, ringing back to her ears. She waited for several long seconds, holding her breath and waiting for a reply. After the echoes of her own voice faded, she waited some more. After almost a full minute, there was no response. She bit her lip, then sighed, yanking a hairband out of her pocket, sweeping her curly red hair into a quick ponytail.

“Ah hell. Now I’ve gotta go after her.”

            She finished adjusting her hair, then reached down and checked Vernacular’s cinch, reaching over to check the pack saddle on Champagne before facing the trail turned up by Merle’s hooves. As she picked up on the reins, she could feel the stallion tense beneath her, his head lifting as he nickered and stepped sideways. She settled him and patted his neck.

“Whoah boy. We cant take both of you up that steep of a trail. We will have to double back and find something that’s not as steep.”

            The stallion eagerly leapt into an easy lope as she urged him back up the trail the way they came, champagne following willingly behind on a loose lead. Leanna kept her eyes on the steep mountainside, searching for a trail of any kind to take up the mountain. As she came around a long, shallow bend, she spotted a ravine, and leaned back, pulling the stallion and Champagne to a halt as she examined the ravine. She frowned, then slid off Vernacular’s back, walking forward to examine for a possible trail. After some searching behind bushes, she finally spotted some old stag tracks in the soil. She whistled for Vernacular, mounting him again as he stopped a few feet short of her. She leaned forward slightly to cue him forward, then let him pick his way up the mountain.

“Mira!”

            Again, her voice echoed around her, and again, there was no response. She fell silent then, letting Vernacular pick his way up the mountainside. If there were dragons nearby, she didn’t want to alert them. As the trio plodded along, the terrain slowly began to change, morphing from moss-covered pines, ferns, and rock-studded mulched ground, to softer green grass and leafy trees as they descended the mountain on the other side. She stroked some of the long hanging moss from a tree branch as the trio strolled past, smiling a little at how quickly the terrain could change. As they continued downward, a faint glittering could be seen through the trees.

            As they drew closer to the strange sparkling, Vernacular slowed, dropping his muzzle to the ground, lipping at something there. Leanna dismounted, gently pushing the stallion back to investigate. She swept the dirt back where he had been nuzzling, finding a bright sapphire under a thin covering of dirt. She stifled her giggle of joy, tousling his forelock,

“Good boy Vern!” She paused, looking toward the taunting sparkle in the trees. “But…it also means we are really close to a dragon. We should tread carefully from now on.” She slipped the small sapphire into her pocket, then grabbed the stallion’s reins, leading him forward into the trees. The deeper they went, the more colors of gems appeared scattered along the ground, glittering sapphires, bright topazes, and luminous rose quartzes studded the ground. Some were tiny, the size that would fit in a ring or necklace, others the size of a palm, and even much larger stones almost the size of a horse.

            She would occasionally bend and pick up the stones, stuffing them in a canvas bag that she carried, or in the pack bags on Champagne’s back. She finally came to a stop as more of the stones became larger than she could carry. She left the horses there and wandered on alone, searching for smaller stones…

***

Alone, the big stallion became nervous as the smell of singed wood gathered in his nostrils. He whinnied after Leanna, trying to warn her of the danger. When she didn’t return, he stamped nervously, scanning the area for any signs of dragons hidden nearby….

Additional Credit Goes to:

Art by: horserider201
Arrow divider by: xVanyx
***more here latterrrrr