Welcome!

This is the intro to my application for Talort. It's a little interactive adventure that will
introduce you to the character I have in mind for Talort and (hopefully) set the mood for the rest of the application. However, you don't need to read this in order to understand the actual app, so if you're short on time you're free to skip it.

Have fun reading!

~ Marjo


Continue intro - Skip to application

Aah, a nice warm day in Shenkuu!
This certainly is a great spot to spend your summer holiday! You arrived yesterday evening in this
little village up in the mountains, and today you're planning to take a long hike through the
beautiful nature that surrounds it. You swing your backpack on your back, grab your compass and
start walking.

-"Young one, you're not planning on going south, are you?"

You turn around and see an old Ixi standing in the doorway of one of the small huts. She's probably over 100 years old, as her face is covered in deep wrinkles and her back is very curved. Her hands are clasping an old, but sturdy looking stick. Despite all these obvious signs of her old age, her eyes twinkle with intelligence. This Ixi probably still has many years ahead of her. Nevertheless, her eyes look worried.

- "Actually I was," you answer.

- "My child, if you value your life, stay away from the south, for it is the domain of the Draik, protector and destroyer of life."

Protector and destroyer of life? Maybe this old Ixi is getting a bit senile anyway. The Ixi must've spotted your skepticism, because she looks at you in a strict way.

- "You don't believe me, do you my child? Yet, all I say is true, any villager will tell you – if they are brave enough to speak about him, that is."

Alright, now you're curious. You ask the Ixi to tell you a bit more about this Draik. She nods and looks up at the sky, seemingly lost in thought. Then she finally begins to speak.

- "We don't know how he came into existence, but when I was a little girl, my great-grandmother already told me to avoid the lands south of our mountains. He's been around for as long as anyone can remember. Some even say he created this very world, the whole world of Neopia, and will one day destroy it as well."

The Draik is a beautiful, but very powerful and dangerous creature. Fire burns on his arms, legs, tail and wings, and ash covers his chest and stomach. He has the power to make the earth tremble or to make the wind howl, the power to make fire devour an entire forest, or to make the river swallow a mountain and even the power to let the sun shine for days and nights without end, or to make it disappear."

Hmm, sounds a bit over the top, no? A neopet with the power to cause earthquakes, storms, floods, fires and eclipses? The Ixi continues:

- "The Draik is not entirely evil, however. He also protects us against intruders like Dr. Sloth, and for that we are grateful. Once a month, a person is chosen from among our people and ordered to bring our offerings of our finest food and jewelry to the border of his domain. We keep hoping it will make him stop the disasters terrorizing this village, but so far to no avail. When we see him flying close to the southern horizon - a magnificent creature of red fire against a blue sky – we know we have to call our children inside and gather all the food and valuables we can, before disaster strikes. Not once has the Draik ever ended a flight without showing his powers."

The Ixi is silent – apparently she ended her story. You wait a while, to see if she's going to say something else, but then you notice she's simply fallen asleep, like old neopets do.

***

So, what are you going to do? Head south anyway, or turn around and head north, away from the Draik?


Head north - Head south

You decide to listen to the Ixi's warning and head north.
You walk. And walk. And walk. Aaaand walk. Okay, this is getting a bit boring, there's not much to do here after all. Seems like you don't have many options: you can either keep walking around until it gets dark, or you can turn towards the south and hope that it won't be just as boring.


Head south anyway

You ignore the Ixi's warning and head towards the south. After a while, you notice
the nature around you is changing. You can't hear any birds and you don't see as many spyders
crawling around. After a few hours, it's completely silent around you; nothing dares to make
a sound, nothing dares to move. Instinctively you realize that you've reached the border of
the Draik's domain. You hesitate for a moment, but then decide to keep moving forward.

Not long after you've crossed the infamous border, you spot a cave. It's big – probably big enough to house a large Grarrl. You see that the ground in front of the cave is horribly abused: it's charred, withered and soaked all at once. Okay, now this is scary. It matches the Ixi's story completely! You try to swallow, but it feels like there's a Geraptiku snowglobe stuck in your throat.

Suddenly, you hear something moving inside the cave. Something big. You hear the metallic sound of bracelets and necklaces scraping against each other and against the walls of the cave. A large shadow emerges and heads towards the exit of the cave - towards you. You hold your breath as the giant creature appears: it's an enormous Fire Draik. He doesn't seem to have noticed you yet, but the sight of this huge beast terrifies you so much that you emit a high-pitched, shrieking sound. The Draik perks his ears, then slowly turns his head and looks straight at you. Oh dear, this is not good!


Run awaaaay!!! - Freeze in place

You scream out in fear and finally regain the control over your muscles. You turn around and dash back to the village, running as fast as your legs can carry you. Panic-stricken, you start packing your bags as quickly as you can and jump on the first boat away from this place. You vow to never return to Shenkuu again.


How boring! I want to go back to the cave.

You stay exactly where you are, as if someone glued you to the ground. Unable to move,
you see the Draik getting closer and closer. Even though the Ixi said he's ancient – and he
probably is, judging by his size – he doesn't look like it. His body is that of a healthy young Draik,
only much bigger. The Draik stops right in front of you and bends his head so that it hangs
right in front of your face. His black eyes pierce into yours. Then, he opens his mouth, and in a calm, low but pleasant voice he says:

- "I am Talort, guardian of these mountains. What has brought you to my domain, young one?"

Why does everyone keep calling you "young one"? You have a name, remember…
You try to reply, but all you manage to get out is a flood of words, without any sentences or syntax. However, the Draik catches the words "townspeople", "old Ixi", "legend", "dangerous", "earthquakes" and "destruction". He nods.

- "The townspeople are right: these mountains have been my home for eons, and I indeed have the power to control all elements and all natural phenomena connected to them."

Another peeping sound comes from your throat and you start shivering in fear. The Ixi was right, this Draik is going to kill you! You're doomed, so irrevocably doomed! Why did you have to go south, huh? Why? Oh, if only…
The dragon interrupts your thoughts of doom by continuing his explanation.

- "However, I do not cause the disasters that torment these people. My sole purpose is to protect them, and I will never harm anyone if I can help it." He pauses, looking at you without blinking his eyes. "And that includes you."

You finally stop your shivering and look up at the Draik. You open your mouth, but before you can say anything, the Draik turns around and walks back to the cave. Once he reaches the entrance, he looks over his shoulder.

- "You are most welcome to come in if you want to know more about me and my history, young one. However, do not come in if you're not prepared for the things I will say – it may change your view on this world forever..."

The Draik disappears in his cave. You hesitate a little; how do you know whether you are prepared or not? If you want to make a run for it back to the village, this is your chance! On the other hand... you've become quite curious about all of this.


Go back to the village - Follow the Draik inside

Back in the village, you tell the Ixi about what happened. She stares at you with a worried look
on her face, clearly thinking you're crazy.

- "My dear child, if the Draik doesn't cause those awful things, then how come we always see him flying around right before disaster strikes?"

You want to add more, but all of a sudden two neopets grab your arms. "Everything is going to be fine," they say in a soothing voice. Now why doesn't that sound reassuring? Before you realize it, you find yourself in a straitjacket in the Meepit Oaks Sanitorium for the Psychologically Fragile…


Errr, can I change my mind and go into the cave after all?