Wintermoor

Disclaimer: I OWN THE WORLD, nah I’m just joking… actually I own the world you are about to read about; you see I created it. So anyway, the only things I need to add a disclaimer for are for the possible creatures that are the property of someone else.

Notes: For the first part of this I need to give you a quick lay out of where we are about to go, it is a confusing trip and it builds to be very complex as it goes on. Welcome to the plane called Winter, creation of the powerful Wizard named Vintener. Vintener hasn’t been seen on the plane for quite some time (thousands of year), but that does not mean the old bugger isn’t around to meddle as he pleases.
Winter is nestled in between the Prime Elemental Plane of Water and the Elemental Plane of Ice (hence it’s name). Though Winter itself is a copy of the Prime Material planes that exist further along in the multiverse.
We now take you to Winter’s largest city, the sprawling streets of Wintermoor.

Welcome to Wintermoor.

The air was crisp and clean, the smell of the forges some blocks away was being cleansed from the air by a stiff northern breeze. Silver Lane was busy like it always was, creatures of all kinds bustled about their daily lives. As usual there were two lanes of traffic, one side always seemed to have people moving south along the paved sidewalks and the other always seemed to be moving to the north. Silver Lane was known for its merchants, these merchants had more permanent housing unlike those in the Città di Commerciante. The merchants of the Silver Lane catered to the wealthy and powerful of the city and the buildings they had showed that easily in the detailed façade’s they possessed.
As the citizens bustled on, a sound began to reach the ground from the sky. Several looked up and saw the silhouette of a humanoid getting larger and larger as it fell toward the pavement screaming the entire time. In a matter of seconds the keen eyes of one of the onlookers perceived that the falling being was a human, but his eyes could not make out anything remotely near that could have dropped him from such a height. His brilliant mind pondered for a moment before it hit a sudden conclusion… ‘Yes you idiot he is going to go splat in a few seconds… DO SOMETHING!’

~Minutes before~

Destin Fireflinger worked in his laboratory as usual, surrounded by the myriad of spell casting components and alchemical equipment. He hummed a tune he learned on one of his many voyages through the planes as he levitated a small vial containing his latest experimental potion into his open hand. He closely examined the yellowy viscous liquid inside the glass tube. “Yes the consistency is perfect, but the color is still off… definitely do not want to confuse this with my potion of electrical resistance…” Destin continued to hum at this point and sought out another component.
Outside a weird electrical storm began to rage, clouds formed in a matter of seconds and bolts of eerie green lightning arced between the newly formed thunderheads. A sudden crack of lightning blasted through an open window on the bottom level of the tower Destin called home. Completely defying physics the bolt raced up the circular stairway that led to the upper levels, twisting and turning as it reached the door to his lab.
“There.” Destin muttered as the liquid in the vial turned a milky white color with flecks of green floating about, “That makes this one stand out.” Destin stood up from the table he was working at and stoppered the vial with a flick of his wrist. He walked over to a leather carrying case about two feet long, one foot wide, and the depth of the vial he was now holding. He carefully placed the vial in a pre-marked spot, and closed the case. As he lifted the case it grew smaller, in less than ten seconds the case was small enough to be confused with a wallet. He dropped the case into one of the many pouches that hung from his simple leather belt.
A sudden explosion caught his attention; splinters of oak flew throughout the room, several small shards pounded into his left arm and shoulder. He felt the sharp pains then the dullness of shock, ‘Damnit’ the thought, ‘something just blew up my heavily enchanted indestructible door… yeah indestructible my ass.’
The green bolt of lightning came to a stop, hovering as if it was waiting for something to appear. Destin slowly pushed himself off of the floor, as he stood he saw the green bolt of lightning hanging in the spot his door once stood.
The bolt arced wildly at him and he nimbly stepped out of the way. The bolt blasted into a bookshelf, sending its contents rocketing through out the room. A large tome, one he recognized a rather in depth index on the prime elemental planes, glanced off his temple. The world went spinning, sparkles of white and gold blasted across his vision and he couldn’t see anything around him. He felt his back hit the floor and several of the wooden splinters drive further into his back, a groan of pain escaped his lips. ‘Ignore the pain…you’re better than this, FOCUS!’ He focused on his hearing, listening to the sounds of the now still room.
The lightning bolt arced for him once more, and this time he was just a hair too slow… The bolt smacked into his right shoulder and sent him spinning; he felt a mildly familiar lack of contact. He focused his senses trying to remember what this feeling was. His vision began to refocus and he realized that he was in a planar portal, traveling to some unknown destination in the multiverse.
A sense of disorientation accompanied the blast of light and color that marked his arrival into the plane. He focused and began to chant a mantra that always helped him deal with the sickness and disorientation of translocational magics. He felt another odd sensation and quickly opened his eyes to see that he was now some six hundred feet in the air above a very large city. “Well shit…” he muttered then screamed as the ground began to rush up to meet him.

He knew he could save the human, but only if he acted quickly. “Portare per fermarsi la Caduta improvvisa” he muttered has his scaled hands quickly formed magical symbols in the air. He felt the rush of power, the buzz of energy flooded his senses and he saw the human began to float the last ten or so feet to the ground.
As the human floated to the ground the curious onlookers began moving once again, only one being approached the new arrival and this being was the caster of the spell that saved his life.
Destin looked up to see what had to be the largest Silver Dragon he had ever seen, this dragon had to have a wingspan around two-hundred feet or so and must have been at least two-hundred and thirty feet in length. One other odd aspect of the dragon caught Destin’s attention; the massive beast had black wings and two rather large black horns that gave it a demonic countenance.
“Ah, my spell worked just in time. Are you alright?” the dragon asked casually.
“Um…” Destin did a mental evaluation of himself, his left arm and shoulder was still injured from the destruction of his door; otherwise he felt fine. “Yeah, I feel fine all points considered. I have a question to ask though...”
“Take it slow, little one, you can be calm here. Welcome to Wintermoor the capital city of Winter. I hate to be rude and cut you short, but I sir am in a bit of a hurry. I am late for the council, and I hate to be late.” With that the dragon scooped up the human in one hand and began to take long strides down the wide avenue of Silver Lane.
“Woah! Hey, slow down big guy… Where are you taking me?”
“I am taking you *huff* to the *huff* council hall with me.” The dragon sped up to a brisk canter, the city streets seemed to blur by as the beast jogged down the lane. “My name is *huff* Equifax, *huff* Equifax; The Blessed *huff* Brother, Slayer *huff* of Ascalern, Son *huff* of Baelgothern, Counciler *huff* for the Brotherhood of *huff* Galadriel, Father of *huff* Taskelion the Bleak, and *huff* Son of Crissenthuluxuthis.”
Destin sighed, he hated dragons for that reason… they never could have short names, they had to have some long ass stream of titles, lineage, and crap to make themselves feel more important. This one had the shortest ‘name’ he had heard in a long time, maybe Equifax used the shortened title so he wouldn’t hyperventilate while running. “Well met Equifax, I am Destin Fireflinger, mage of no small worth and maker of potions and salves.”
“Nice *wheeze* to meet you.” Equifax began slowing his pace as he neared the largest single building Destin had ever set eyes upon. The building was some four-hundred feet tall and wider than Destin could guess at. The pair swiftly ran into a wide door startling several smaller folk who rushed madly to get out of the way of the speeding dragon.
The dragon wheeled to a halt and stood before a massive stone door. Equifax spoke in an unknown tongue and the door slowly was pulled to the side. The image before Destin boggled his mind, never before had he seen such a myriad of creatures in the same room without them trying to kill each other. Equifax said another unintelligible phrase, lowered to half a bow, then scurried up to a large open area beside a huge red dragon.
Destin’s mind just about shut down when he realized that this silver dragon had just sat down beside a red dragon of approximately the same size as him, he knew red dragons and silver dragons were mortal enemies… Neither one should be within one hundred miles of each other, much less so than in the same room sitting next to each other. Destin studied the huge dragon beside him, his scales were the deep crimson of the eldest red dragons he knew, the beast was by far larger than any he had seen, but one facet of the dragon’s countenance confounded him. The red dragon had gold scales, deep golden eyes, and white wings; Destin stared in utter confusion at the odd creature before him.
A voice permeated Destin’s mind ~It is not polite to stare young mage, be glad that I unlike the rest of my kin have patience~. Destin blinked, the red dragon merely grinned at him ~pick your jaw up before you drool on poor Equifax’s hand~. Destin shook his head to attempt to clear his thoughts then settled down to listen to this council meeting.
The council meeting droned on for three more hours, covering topics as simple as farming techniques to discussing the action the people of some place called Scorchedale were taking against something called the Kaeldorn. Destin nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt Equifax growl and call for the opportunity to speak.
“Fellow Councilors,” Equifax bored his eyes down on a poor Mercane who has just suggested they seek to compromise with the invaders, “The Kaeldorn are just as we are, not native to this world. They have no right to claim the land that the people of Scorchedale have occupied for over two-thousand years. I speak from experience, I remember when Scorchedale was settled and the Dragons of Flame took up their homes in the many caves of the surrounding hills. My messengers have already delivered a note from the Kaeldorn, and I am afraid you will not like the tidings I bring.”
A hushed murmur broke out around the council hall; many councilors had a look of dread upon their faces as Equifax breathed in to continue. “The message they sent was addressed to me, I am to read their will to the council. ‘People of the Council of Elders, Inhabitants of Winter; let this be known that the Kaeldorn have come. Subjugate yourselves to us and share in our glory, stand against us and die the most painful deaths you can comprehend. We know your measure, you cannot defeat us, and our victory is pre-ordained.’”
This time it was no hushed murmur, the council literally broke out into all out arguments between varying factions. One of the High Councilors stood and spoke a word in the same inhuman tongue that Destin had heard Equifax speak in, he really must find out what language that is. The room came to a complete silence once more, the High Councilor, a human man wearing the robes of a priest, spoke in a voice that only could belong to a parishioner. “My brothers and sisters, be calm. These beings can not know the truth of this world yet, they are still new arrivals. We must prepare to defend Scorchedale, and for the war that will come.”
Equifax cleared his throat and the High Councilor nodded to him once again, “I have sent three of my best information gatherers to the base camp of the Kaeldorn. Before three suns have risen we will know of their numbers and strength. In the mean time I suggest we call this Council Meeting to an end, and go home to our families. Soon enough we will be at war.”
The priest rose again “Very well, I shall second Councilor Equifax’ movement to adjourn. We shall meet again in three days to disseminate the knowledge Equifax gains, until that time may the grace of the gods be with you.”

I figure that is a good enough spot to end this chapter at, I will get more up as quickly as I can get it germinate and spawn from my mind. Surprises a plenty in the next chapter as poor Destin finds out more about where the lightning bolt brought him.