Ten thousand years ago, when the World of Finq' Shret was young, Mortals (for even elves have a natural lifespan) and Dragons were strong allies in the war against the Dark Empire. The strongest example were the Shindochai (pronounced Shin-dock-eye), the mortal/dragon pairs that-time after time-became the fiercest fighters and wisest leaders. The Shindochai brought Finq' Shret victory against the invading techno-kingdom that was the Dark Empire. As each year grew into the next, peace settled over the races of Finq' Shret, and one by one the once revered Shindochai came to believe that they were no longer necessary. And as the years grew into centuries, and centuries into millenia, the bond and alliance between Mortals and their guardian Dragons dwindled.

But peace, as all things do, cycles, and once more the world of Finq' Shret is threatened-by a darkness that now grows within its heart.

The Shindochai are needed once more, and Dragons yet again choose their Mortal allies....



Glossary:

Finq' Shret-Old Elvish for Five Moons. (from Finqua, meaning moon, and Shret, meaning five. the -qua suffix denotes minor noun, shortened to just -q' when plural.)

Shindochai-War'ven for "Winged Warrior", a sacred title to them. (prounounced shin-doe-kai)

Mowari-Foegren for City. It is smooshed with the elven plural for moon and only then does it translate as "City of the-"

Places:

Finq' Shret-a world much like earth, with vast oceans and continents and climates. It has the ruling Council of Kingdoms. Although given title of Viceroy, council members often have more authority than the monarchs who remain within their borders.

Dark Empire-once a planet full of exotic beauty, it had become corrupt and polluted by the proliferation of rampant technology. Now, it is a ghost planet, devoid of all life; Towers of gleaming alloys are the only forests, glassy ribbons of sludge rivers.

Zurach'belnaifinqua-roughly translates to Zone of the Dead Moon, where the Shindochai and their warriros finally defeated the Dark Empire's technomancers.

Finq Mowari-The city-state where the Council of Kingdoms meet.

Races:

Human-many of those that live on Finq' Shret are descendants of refugees from the Dark Empire, though there were several small cities before.

War'ven-wolflike nomads who do not claim a kindom of their own. They do, as a culture, respect the others needs for them.

Elves-similar in looks to humans, they tend to be more fine-boned. They are great mages, though not as fine in a physical fight. Their natural lifespan ranges between 3000 and 5000 years, reaching adult hood around 300.

Foegren-avian race who resemble bipedal gryffins. They are fierce hunters, and the only race fully able to master air magic and weather magic. They prefer deserts, where as the rest of their allies could care less.

Dragons-have no natural lifespan and reach maturity fairly quickly (average age of 23), and only die when they think they are ready or if slain. Though they continue to watch over mortals, they have chosen to blend into the fauna of Finq' Shret. That is, until a few expectant dragonesses ally themselves with mortal mothers...

Shindochai-considered their own race. Mothers of the old Shindochai knew that their children would become such, as mothers of the Dragon half of the pair would nest as close as they could-sometimes even building the nest around the house. The mothers of the new Shindochai mortals (mortal here used loosely, as those partnered with a Dragon have a much greater lifespan) do not remember the tales, but gratefully acknowledge the protection or companionship of the dragoness. Note: opposite-sex pairings (female dragon, male mortal and vice versa) are not common. They do happen, and maybe will happen as more Shindochai come to light.

Characters:

Kailey Mornrush, 22. Young, feisty, and independant, this girl will only laugh at you if you chalenge her. This fiery blond, though short (and admittedly curvy), has every reason to be confident. She's got Jarquenail' on her side.

Jarquenail', 22. This Dragon means bussiness-especially if you threaten Kai. His cool head balances her out as much as he keeps her from trouble. The size of a very large draft horse, you never see the pair apart-even when they fight, as they often do. Truth be told, they can't stand the thought of being seperated, indeed they have nightmares about it.

Marliein Mornrush, 39. Kai's mother.

Samyne Freeman, 37. Street thief turned warrior.

Karn, 19. Storyteller.

Powers Shindochai have that mages (no matter the rank) don't:

Telepathy-direct, effortless communication with their partner and other Shindochai they've met. Mages achieve a similar effect, though they get unclear, blurry images rather than cohesive thought.

True Resurection-bringing back dead comrades. This taxes them immensely, draining them of half their life energy. There have been only two times in ancient Shindochai history where it was performed.