Gulrang & Tocsin
Lore
February 12th, 2024
Reading time
She could see them parading through the streets of the First City when she accompanied her mother to the factory. They were proud, and their armor gleamed beautifully under the sunlight. Even though she was pregnant with her yet-to-be-born brother, her mother continued to work. Sometimes, she would show her how she worked with wood using Alteration, seeking to instill in her the necessary knowledge to take over the factory. But as soon as the sound of boots echoed in the street, she would rush to the window to see the Aegis sentinels depart on patrol.
Sometimes, when evening fell, Venka would come over and stay for dinner. The veteran would then tell her countless anecdotes from his time with the Bravos. He had been injured fighting the Tumult, evidenced by a permanent limp and a pained expression when making certain abrupt movements. But that didn't stop Gulrang from eagerly soaking in his words, despite her parents' polite reprimands. The Aegis sentinels were there to help the population, to defend them against all threats. That's what she wanted to do. At just twelve years old, she had already found her calling. By fourteen, this dream had turned into certainty.
The bells rang out in the city, and the crowd gathered in the city squares. Holding her barely two-year-old brother in her arms, she sat next to an old statue of Rune to listen to what the street criers had to say. It was there that she first heard about the Expeditionary Corps and the Rediscovery Endeavor. Of course, the Ordis soldiers would be mobilized to venture into the Terra Incognita. They would ensure the safety of humanity's greatest venture…
In the evening, when Kojo was already in bed, she tried to convince her parents. Gulrang couldn't see herself working ebony like her mother, let alone running a neighborhood grocery store. When she was old enough, she would join the Aegis, whether they liked it or not. She wanted to climb the ranks of the Ordis and become an Aegis Paladin. She listened attentively to her parents' desperate sermons, trying to persuade her to change her mind. Yes, the life of a soldier would be dangerous, and yes, this existence would be hard. But that's what she wanted to do, and nothing would dissuade her…
In return, for the next four years, they would be able to rely on her completely. She would take care of the house, take Kojo to and from school, help him with his homework, prepare meals... But once she was old enough, she would join the capital's law enforcement. She stood firm against her bewildered parents; a rock that nothing would move. Faced with this stubbornness, Yawo and Tehea were at a loss. Their daughter was determined, but it just showed how much perseverance she could muster for something she wanted from the bottom of her heart.
Eventually, they relented. And as if to punish him for putting this fixed idea in their daughter's head, they asked Venka to prepare her to join the Aegis ranks. The weathered veteran could only give in to Tehea's insistence, feeling guilty, of course, for having tempted her with this complicated life. Thus began a busy daily routine for the young girl. Rising at dawn to build muscle and endurance, then preparing breakfast and escorting Kojo to school. This was followed by her own classes and homework, before managing evening meals and putting her brother to bed. Then, what she eagerly awaited each day came: Venka teaching her what she needed to know to be worthy of joining the armed forces of the Ordis.
If her parents wanted to deter her with this intense schedule, they failed, for she showed exemplary perseverance, unwavering dedication. Even Venka was surprised to see such determination in someone so young. She increased her muscle mass and endurance, trained in weapon handling. She diligently studied laws, even the most tedious ones, learned the Heka Glyphs to discover the basics of Ordis Alteration. Over time, her parents came to accept that they were wrong to try to discourage her. Gulrang was meant to embrace this life of trials.
During her leaves, Gul returned home. She watched Kojo grow and become a proud young man, probably as stubborn as she was. But while she was stoic and martial, he was exuberant and boastful. She had tried to bring discipline to him when she took care of him, but he must not have retained much from their time together. Or perhaps she had emphasized her lessons too much, and in return, he had become casual and overexcited? Each time she put down her bundle for a few days, it was the same uninterrupted ritual of bickering and cocky teasing. And after this interlude, she was more than happy to return to the barracks.
Her trajectory within the Ordis hierarchy was spectacular. From a simple cadet, she became a recruit in just a few months. Venka's training and Gulrang's diligence had paid off. It took her only two years to become an official Trooper. On this occasion, she was marked between the shoulder blades with the Faction's Diamond, endorsing her membership in the Ordis and opening to her the Hive Mind that linked all its members together. The experience was overwhelming, as her mind awakened to the presence of others, on the edge of her consciousness. With a caress, she could call one of them. With a simple act of will, she could summon the presence of another…
Officially a full member of the Ordis, she continued to distinguish herself, to the point of being assigned to Asgartha's most perilous position: guarding the peninsula's borders against the Tumult spreading outside. When she first looked out from the Rampart, overlooking the Tumult expanse of Caer Oorun, she saw the next step of her ambition. That was where she wanted to go to bring Asgartha's security to that still hostile and unknown place.
But the hostile and unknown came to her instead of waiting quietly. The alarm rang in her barracks, and she quickly dressed. Arriving at the battlements, she saw the cause of all the commotion: an iridescent glow shimmered in the distance, announcing that a Tumult flow was about to surge toward the peninsula. Already, the Kelon generators were humming, shaping a shield against the Tumult, soldiers and Alterers rushing to the parapets to repel the chaotic effluents. With hearts pounding, the soldiers took their positions, ready to face the danger…
The wave crashed against the Rampart. Fortunately, the wave didn't have the power of the tsunami that had swept over Asgartha at the beginning of the century. But this time, the Tumult had brought Chimeras, which suddenly materialized on the magical wall's serrations. Two of them landed not far from Gulrang. One of them infused into a stone statue, which suddenly came to life, and the other took the form of a griffin with blue feathers. The two creatures lunged at each other, and in the crash of their battle, columns and stone bulwarks were overturned.
In the terrible confusion, the soldiers scattered, breaking ranks. Stone blocks fell and shattered on the ground. The entities jostled, charged, collided in a world-ending cacophony. The griffin pushed the Golem, which violently collided with a marble wall. The wall toppled backward, but one of the rock blocks detached from the edifice and hurtled toward Gulrang. She saw the wall fragment falling toward her, and she raised her shield, knowing the gesture would be in vain. She closed her eyes, expecting to be crushed.
But the animated statue had managed to raise its arm to protect the Ordis Trooper. The Golem seemed to look her in the eyes, as if to make sure she was okay. Disoriented, stunned to have survived, she struggled to understand what had just happened. A Chimera had saved her life? But the griffin had not been idle. It had taken advantage of the distraction to pounce on the stone creature, absorbing its Mana as if it were a life-giving breath. And it probably was…
Without thinking much further, Gulrang placed her hands on the ground, calling upon Heka to inscribe into the stone the concepts that would help her triumph. Where she traced Glyphs on the ground, prodigious spikes sprang forth. Instinctively, the griffin spread its wings to escape the marble spikes, but it was too late. Two spikes pierced its flank, and it tumbled over the battlements, inert and lifeless. The Golem, meanwhile, struggled to rise, weakened, but still acknowledging the soldier's presence, as if thanking her in return. But the other sentinels surrounded it, threatening it with their halberds.
Without strength, the creature allowed itself to be captured without offering any resistance. Gulrang, on the other hand, was taken to the infirmary, although her wounds turned out to be superficial in the end. But despite the adrenaline, or because of it, Gul couldn't find sleep that night. She went to see the Chimera, who was waiting in its cell. She wanted to know why it had saved her. But communicating with it was another matter entirely. Nevertheless, by using the Heka Glyphs, the soldier and the sentient statue managed to initiate a conversation, expressing and deciphering ideas.
She visited it several times. The Golem was intelligent and proved to be almost good company. They began a laborious conversation, contenting themselves with small victories when they managed to understand each other. The Chimera had been attacked by the griffin within a Tumult hurricane. It had been driven by hunger and a quick need for Mana. That was how one could survive in the Tumult, by siphoning Mana where it was present. And it amalgamated a great deal of it within itself…
Gulrang's superiors watched her antics. They allowed her to continue conversing like this to learn more about what lurked beyond Asgartha's borders. And after weeks of dialogue, Gul and the Chimera had developed a puzzling rapport. The Golem was unable to express itself using sounds and could only breathe silently from an orifice located at its face level. But when Gulrang brought it a trumpet, the Chimera managed to produce cacophonous yet powerful notes. The soldier burst out laughing at the puzzled then euphoric expression of the stone monster, and it seemed to her that it was also laughing heartily, in its own way. It was on this occasion that she gave it the name Tocsin, and the Golem seemed delighted with this name, as it had never had one before.
When they were sure the creature posed no danger, they allowed it to leave its cell. Gul was tasked with showing it around Arkaster and the lives of its inhabitants. Since the announcement of the launch of the Rediscovery Endeavor, the Faction had been looking for people who could bond with a Chimera, and the opportunity was too good to pass up. But surprisingly, when she introduced Tocsin to her family, she discovered that Kojo had also taken in a Chimera. The young boy had stumbled upon a creature from the Tumult that had washed ashore on the grassy foothills of the capital, probably at the same time as the surge that had brought Tocsin.
Over time, she and Tocsin increasingly aspired to understand each other. Communicating with Glyphs was a tedious and frustrating process. The Musubi naturally imposed itself on them, and when she mentioned it to the Golem, it accepted without any hesitation. Through the Hive Mind, others could converse with it. Tocsin could make itself understood and understand in return... It could become a serious asset for the Faction when the Expeditionary Corps set out. But more than that, it and she could finally exchange fully, like the friends they had become.