Act One, Scene Two, Yamat and the Mountains
Yamat had been drawn to these mountains sitting within the center of a continent, eager to leave the Prairies to their fate and avoid the wrath of Orealia, he had sought out another place to continue his playwriting and the power emanating from these marvels of stone was too good to pass up. Life here was not as abundant as the prairies but it was still noticeable, a massive forest stretched across the anchor, it was here Yamat had come to think and to ponder.
Above him, through the canopy of the great black trees, Yamat could see the mountains stretch further into the skies, he had sated himself with minor tragedies as he came here, nothing as destructive as the beauty he had unleashed upon the Prairie, the occasional fallen tree, minor storm, or well time predator, nothing that would stick. He knew he could not just leave this act with just one major description, and so, he set to climb one of the mountain peaks, the very center one, there he would give the mountains his gift.
The way was difficult, only through intense climbing could one truly make it to the top, this would not do for Yamat’s gift, and so, with burning sigils, Yamat created a pathway of stone steps emerging from the mountain, leading up to the top, each one was barely a foot’s length though and as he ascended his new path, he caused some steps to crumble away, and tightened the path in some places so that one could even barely walk, this was far more fun.
When he reached the peak, he extended the last step into a longer platform, barely enough for one to stand with both feet, but a platform nonetheless. Yamat gazed out towards the horizon, he could practically see nearly everything upon the continent, especially the form of a giant tree, its canopy wide and great, closer still were plains of bountiful growth, to the west stood strange isles, and northward again the prairies and its companion biomes, places yet untouched by his beautiful gift, but they would all get it in time, today, it was the mountain’s turn.
Yamat raised his hands once more, the sigils glowed and burnt once more, but this time, he let his arms jerk and move, if one were to see him they would relate it to a passionate composer, crafting the unseen music of tragedy in an empty theater, his one eye closed, leaving his mask pure gold and began to work. In front of him, stone and metal began to be pulled free from the mountain, the metal became red hot, shaped and fused into a pointed edge of beautiful brass and iron coloring, swirling into one another, the stone was shifted into a handle, beautiful and intricate designs were formed, giving it a design unlike any seen before. Yamat raised his hands higher, the sword, now complete, shined in the light of the sun.
CRACK
With a sudden drop of his arms, Yamat sent the sword deep into the peak, the mountain cracked at the sudden entrance and the blade stood stuck, only its handle and a small portion of its blade stood out from its new confinement. But he was far from finished. Conducting the song even further, Yamat did not let his hands or arms drop, instead, he held his right hand out, causing an unseen crescendo as his left hand continued its work.
The mountain began to shake.
A deep rumbling roar emanated from the mountain he stood upon, loose rock and stone fell from its placement, the stone pathway began to collapse even further, making the already treacherous path far greater, and it kept going. The woods down below felt it, trees collapsed as the mountain rained stone and boulders upon the region, even further beyond the roar of the earth shaking could be felt, the entire mountains felt it. Animals fled and hid from the rain of stones, it was as if the mountains themselves would crumble at any moment, rock slides formed, drowning sections of the woods in dust and dirt. Portions of unstable land collapsed in on itself, forming rifts and valleys leading to a shallow or deep grave for any creatures caught in them.
Yamat had raised both hands by now, a grand crescendo for a glorious song, the mountains continued to rumble and shake. In the flash of an eye, his hands whipped around, silencing the crescendo. The earth fell silent, his gift had been made. He finally opened his eye, taking in the sword that now stood there within the peak, one of his far better works. He descended the steps, coming to the base of the mountain, with another flash of runes he erected a stone pillar, there, written in strange glyphs, there was a message.
“The earth will quake and roar every 20 year, it will bring destruction to all around this mighty anchor of the world, the mountains will bring destruction upon the land surrounding them and the world will open up in great fissures. Only by climbing this mountain and reaching its peak will one be able to stop it, there sits a great sword and when pulled from its stone cell will the world finally fall silent and it will, ever grateful, give the hero who accomplished such a feat a great boon.”
This was sure to attract foolhardy adventurers and heros, wishing to do good for their people, only to either fall to their deaths or suffer that great boon. Yamat chuckled, he had seemed to have forgotten that little bit hadn’t he? Once pulled from the peak the sword would curse its wielder with great misfortune, brining plagues, war, famines, heartbreak, the likes to their life, and it would not stop, descending down the line of closest companion or relative unless put back into the stone, where the quakes would begin once more.
A quest that can never be truly completed, a beautiful work if he did say so himself, he was sure some lineage or order would come around, suffering the curse so that they may save the mountains and the lands around it, but no matter, they could be dealt with if they emerged. For now, there was still so much work to do, yet, he felt his power wanning, he had used a great deal to craft that sword and its effects. He turned to the south, seeing that great giant tree and its canopies, he could afford one last stop, it would not be a great tragedy, but he was sure it would be a nice entr'acte.