Backstory & Plot
The Aershaa have their legend, but in reality, it’s another story…
2,000 years ago, the humans came to this new world of Dreyrull after completely destroying their own. It was named Terrak in the human tongue, literally meaning “this land” – Dreyrull is the Aershaa name for the world. When they arrived, the world was inhabited by animal creatures of all kinds, and, to their surprise, a creature nearly identical to the Earthen wolf. Their dogs were all gone by now, and so the humans worked to “improve” the wolflike creatures for their own purposes – service, defense, and of course, companionship. They did the same with other animals, and at first, this worked – they had recreated the dog, and had domesticated all sorts of animals into housepets – the rikkita, a form of long-eared rodent resembling a cross between a rabbit and a squirrel, the fliger, a very large breed of cat that resembled the tabby, and the ordo, a large flightless bird used for riding are just a few worth mentioning.
A few hundred years passed and it had all gone smoothly, until a man by the name of Fredrick Arla decided to take in the domesticated animals and improve upon them further. His dream was to create an entire military of strong, fast, intelligent, and fierce creatures. Through gene splicing, genetic mutation, and years of failure, he eventually humanized what were once house pets, amongst other captured wild creatures of the world. The earliest successes weren’t exactly fierce or strong, and instead became “helpers” to the humans – essentially, slaves. Even the later experiments that had the qualities of warriors were put into servitude. This was a time of peace and new revelations on Terrak.
The dogs, however, had taken a very different path. It was years later before the “new” dogs had taken on any successful form. Arla’s idea was to create, essentially, an air-army that could both attack from the sky and on land. He was a brilliant man, and had finally discovered how a heavy-boned species could fly, though this secret was lost with him, and humans to this day still wonder upon it. He called them Airla – simply a mutation on his own last name mixed with the word “Air” for such flighted creatures.
The first of these skyborn military dogs was named Khan after one of the great leaders of the world at the time. But he was out of control – too fierce to command, to violent to approach, and so he remained cage as Arla continued to experiment.
Khan’s sibling was the next to be worked on, who was known as Athena (later called S’feena in the Aershaa tongue.) She was just the opposite – far too timid, peaceful, and loving for anything to be found on a battlefield. But she was obedient, and soon became his faithful lab assistant. She’d often seem to disappear, however, before Arla discovered that it was a mutation in her DNA that allowed her to do so. This was a valued trait, and so he used her DNA to clone his next airla experiments.
There were 5 of them, each named for the qualities they had and the abilities they held – Fire, Water, Air, Ice, and Stone. These were the first successful airla, or so he thought. They were loyal, strong, and he had even created one for battles in the sea by accidental mutation in the cloning process. Thrilled with his discovery, Doctor Arla released the information to scientists around the world.
But this was a time of darkness for the airla. They were moved to a larger facility, force-bred, experimented on, put through rigorous training and experiments to the breaking point. And it was one night in their caged pens that they had enough.
“It’s time we left this place,” announced Athena in the darkness, “And made lives of our own away from the scourge of the white coats.”
Cheers arose from Fire, Water, and Air, whom had become close companions of Athena in the months that had passed. But a growl arose from Khan, who had since gone through shock treatment and heavy obedience training like one could never imagine.
“No! It will only make the white coats angrier. Even if we can get out, they’ll track us down and double – no, triple our routines. This will only end in pain.”
Growls of agreement came from Ice and Stone, both endlessly loyal to Khan. But if Athena was anything, she was dedicated to her ideas, and soon she phased right through the bars. The other stared in awe – even Khan – for none of them had known that it was possible for her. They assumed the same as the white coats had – that she could merely appear invisible. But despite being mutated from her DNA, the others could not push themselves through the bars.
Athena thought quickly. Airla could understand and speak English perfectly after the multitudes of experiments performed on them, and had picked up on facts that they wouldn’t otherwise know themselves. The one that came to mind was a type of acid that typically melted metal didn’t effect them, and was kept on hand for experimentation in a container in the room they were stored in. Apparently it was the base for a lot of various substances they used. Everything was stored in there – they were just equipment to the humans like anything else in there. What she hadn’t heard, however, was that it did effect one of the 7 – Khan. Without a word spoken or a moment’s hesitation, she rushed to the containment unit.
It was too heavy and enormous to budge, but there was a pressure gauge attached. She had assisted Arla for long enough to know how to work it, and quickly turned it up, striking the side of the container with her tailblade. She didn’t consider that the blade itself was made of metal, and when the container finally began to crack, the blade was gone in the blink of an eye.
A crack – another crack – and then a loud bang was the signal that the container had burst. The sloped floors carried the acidic substance to the cages, and one by one each of the airla leapt out. All but Khan. As the others ran, Athena turned back and called to Khan, getting a yelp in return. She bounded over the acidic pavement, and stared in horror at the bleeding form laying at the bottom of the cage. But she’d gotten there too late – only a glance at his glossed over eyes told her that he was already gone.
Though she and the rest weren’t effected easily by this acid, it wasn’t comfortable to stand in for long period of time, so with a heavy heart, she bounded off after the others.
She, the other airla, and the clones and pups they’d released on their way, had made it out with only a moment to spare. The earth shook as the lab erupted behind them from the collision of all the chemicals stored in that room.
They dashed into the woodlands – ran, and ran, and ran, until they were sure that they were far from civilization. As they rested, one remained standing, growling as he stepped over to Athena, bearing his fangs and hovering over her panting form.
“You’re a FOOL! You’ve killed him!”
It was Kriir, an exact clone of Khan and his most loyal companion. The only thing differing between the two was Kriir was far, far more organized.
Athena shook her head softly. “I didn’t know… I did try to say him, but it was too late. All I can do is beg for your forgiveness.”
She submit beneath him, only to be raked across the throat by his massive claws. Fire, Air, and Water, along with their clones and kin, leapt infront of her in her defense. Stone, Ice, and their kin arose in response. Hackles were raised and growls rumbled like thunder in this long moment. There were so many of them, kin and clones alike, that one listening would truly mistake them for just that – thunder. Near 200 of them had fit into and run from that facility.
And then, they sprung. They ran. They flew. Right into the human cities. Right into the belly of a battle that changed human and airla history alike. There were the humans that fought alongside them to protect their rights to be free creatures, and then the humans that wished to destroy them, for the airla had turned their anger onto the humans as well as each other once they hit their cities. They all mutually decided that it was as much of their fault as anyone else’s for the death caused, and their bloodlust turned them down from the skies and to the earth. They rejected the name airla, and became their own race – the Aershaa, the first word created in their own tongue, meaning warriors of the sky.
When the furs – that is, the first experimental creatures that had now spread across the world as the human’s slaves – witnessed the Aershaa’s revolt, they joined them against the humans. It was at this time that the discovery was made of what light’s energy-and-form-manipulating DNA had truly done for the Aershaa. Over the years, Aershaa, furs, and the humans that sided with them were able to band together in a unique bond, making them yet stronger than they were, and driving back the forces that opposed.
It took 100 years before the wars died down, and a time of quiet was brought upon them. But it was costly – the world became barren of the old technologies, used up and destroyed in the revolts. It became a more simple place like Earth had been hundreds, maybe thousands of years before its destruction.
But it only seemed to be a dead war. 1,000 years passed in this cold silence between Aershaa and man, and sure as anything, history was bound to repeat itself.
---------
It is now 2,138 AS (after settlement) in the human calendar, and the year 1,000 AF (after freedom) to the Aershaa and fur-kind. Tensions are rising again, and the humans long for the power over the world they once had. There are the Aershaa that have sided with the humans ideas of a cold, steel world, with them side by side. Other Aershaa – Loyal Servants of Khan – follow in the path of the legends of the great Khan, warped by storytellers and time into religious lore. They wish to create a world void of humans, S’feena’s followers, and all means of life other than Aer-kind to worship Khan “as it was meant to be.” The final side are the humans, furs, and Aershaa that follow Athena’s – now S’feena’s – dream of a peaceful, healthy world without war.
The Aershaa have their legend, but in reality, it’s another story…
2,000 years ago, the humans came to this new world of Dreyrull after completely destroying their own. It was named Terrak in the human tongue, literally meaning “this land” – Dreyrull is the Aershaa name for the world. When they arrived, the world was inhabited by animal creatures of all kinds, and, to their surprise, a creature nearly identical to the Earthen wolf. Their dogs were all gone by now, and so the humans worked to “improve” the wolflike creatures for their own purposes – service, defense, and of course, companionship. They did the same with other animals, and at first, this worked – they had recreated the dog, and had domesticated all sorts of animals into housepets – the rikkita, a form of long-eared rodent resembling a cross between a rabbit and a squirrel, the fliger, a very large breed of cat that resembled the tabby, and the ordo, a large flightless bird used for riding are just a few worth mentioning.
A few hundred years passed and it had all gone smoothly, until a man by the name of Fredrick Arla decided to take in the domesticated animals and improve upon them further. His dream was to create an entire military of strong, fast, intelligent, and fierce creatures. Through gene splicing, genetic mutation, and years of failure, he eventually humanized what were once house pets, amongst other captured wild creatures of the world. The earliest successes weren’t exactly fierce or strong, and instead became “helpers” to the humans – essentially, slaves. Even the later experiments that had the qualities of warriors were put into servitude. This was a time of peace and new revelations on Terrak.
The dogs, however, had taken a very different path. It was years later before the “new” dogs had taken on any successful form. Arla’s idea was to create, essentially, an air-army that could both attack from the sky and on land. He was a brilliant man, and had finally discovered how a heavy-boned species could fly, though this secret was lost with him, and humans to this day still wonder upon it. He called them Airla – simply a mutation on his own last name mixed with the word “Air” for such flighted creatures.
The first of these skyborn military dogs was named Khan after one of the great leaders of the world at the time. But he was out of control – too fierce to command, to violent to approach, and so he remained cage as Arla continued to experiment.
Khan’s sibling was the next to be worked on, who was known as Athena (later called S’feena in the Aershaa tongue.) She was just the opposite – far too timid, peaceful, and loving for anything to be found on a battlefield. But she was obedient, and soon became his faithful lab assistant. She’d often seem to disappear, however, before Arla discovered that it was a mutation in her DNA that allowed her to do so. This was a valued trait, and so he used her DNA to clone his next airla experiments.
There were 5 of them, each named for the qualities they had and the abilities they held – Fire, Water, Air, Ice, and Stone. These were the first successful airla, or so he thought. They were loyal, strong, and he had even created one for battles in the sea by accidental mutation in the cloning process. Thrilled with his discovery, Doctor Arla released the information to scientists around the world.
But this was a time of darkness for the airla. They were moved to a larger facility, force-bred, experimented on, put through rigorous training and experiments to the breaking point. And it was one night in their caged pens that they had enough.
“It’s time we left this place,” announced Athena in the darkness, “And made lives of our own away from the scourge of the white coats.”
Cheers arose from Fire, Water, and Air, whom had become close companions of Athena in the months that had passed. But a growl arose from Khan, who had since gone through shock treatment and heavy obedience training like one could never imagine.
“No! It will only make the white coats angrier. Even if we can get out, they’ll track us down and double – no, triple our routines. This will only end in pain.”
Growls of agreement came from Ice and Stone, both endlessly loyal to Khan. But if Athena was anything, she was dedicated to her ideas, and soon she phased right through the bars. The other stared in awe – even Khan – for none of them had known that it was possible for her. They assumed the same as the white coats had – that she could merely appear invisible. But despite being mutated from her DNA, the others could not push themselves through the bars.
Athena thought quickly. Airla could understand and speak English perfectly after the multitudes of experiments performed on them, and had picked up on facts that they wouldn’t otherwise know themselves. The one that came to mind was a type of acid that typically melted metal didn’t effect them, and was kept on hand for experimentation in a container in the room they were stored in. Apparently it was the base for a lot of various substances they used. Everything was stored in there – they were just equipment to the humans like anything else in there. What she hadn’t heard, however, was that it did effect one of the 7 – Khan. Without a word spoken or a moment’s hesitation, she rushed to the containment unit.
It was too heavy and enormous to budge, but there was a pressure gauge attached. She had assisted Arla for long enough to know how to work it, and quickly turned it up, striking the side of the container with her tailblade. She didn’t consider that the blade itself was made of metal, and when the container finally began to crack, the blade was gone in the blink of an eye.
A crack – another crack – and then a loud bang was the signal that the container had burst. The sloped floors carried the acidic substance to the cages, and one by one each of the airla leapt out. All but Khan. As the others ran, Athena turned back and called to Khan, getting a yelp in return. She bounded over the acidic pavement, and stared in horror at the bleeding form laying at the bottom of the cage. But she’d gotten there too late – only a glance at his glossed over eyes told her that he was already gone.
Though she and the rest weren’t effected easily by this acid, it wasn’t comfortable to stand in for long period of time, so with a heavy heart, she bounded off after the others.
She, the other airla, and the clones and pups they’d released on their way, had made it out with only a moment to spare. The earth shook as the lab erupted behind them from the collision of all the chemicals stored in that room.
They dashed into the woodlands – ran, and ran, and ran, until they were sure that they were far from civilization. As they rested, one remained standing, growling as he stepped over to Athena, bearing his fangs and hovering over her panting form.
“You’re a FOOL! You’ve killed him!”
It was Kriir, an exact clone of Khan and his most loyal companion. The only thing differing between the two was Kriir was far, far more organized.
Athena shook her head softly. “I didn’t know… I did try to say him, but it was too late. All I can do is beg for your forgiveness.”
She submit beneath him, only to be raked across the throat by his massive claws. Fire, Air, and Water, along with their clones and kin, leapt infront of her in her defense. Stone, Ice, and their kin arose in response. Hackles were raised and growls rumbled like thunder in this long moment. There were so many of them, kin and clones alike, that one listening would truly mistake them for just that – thunder. Near 200 of them had fit into and run from that facility.
And then, they sprung. They ran. They flew. Right into the human cities. Right into the belly of a battle that changed human and airla history alike. There were the humans that fought alongside them to protect their rights to be free creatures, and then the humans that wished to destroy them, for the airla had turned their anger onto the humans as well as each other once they hit their cities. They all mutually decided that it was as much of their fault as anyone else’s for the death caused, and their bloodlust turned them down from the skies and to the earth. They rejected the name airla, and became their own race – the Aershaa, the first word created in their own tongue, meaning warriors of the sky.
When the furs – that is, the first experimental creatures that had now spread across the world as the human’s slaves – witnessed the Aershaa’s revolt, they joined them against the humans. It was at this time that the discovery was made of what light’s energy-and-form-manipulating DNA had truly done for the Aershaa. Over the years, Aershaa, furs, and the humans that sided with them were able to band together in a unique bond, making them yet stronger than they were, and driving back the forces that opposed.
It took 100 years before the wars died down, and a time of quiet was brought upon them. But it was costly – the world became barren of the old technologies, used up and destroyed in the revolts. It became a more simple place like Earth had been hundreds, maybe thousands of years before its destruction.
But it only seemed to be a dead war. 1,000 years passed in this cold silence between Aershaa and man, and sure as anything, history was bound to repeat itself.
---------
It is now 2,138 AS (after settlement) in the human calendar, and the year 1,000 AF (after freedom) to the Aershaa and fur-kind. Tensions are rising again, and the humans long for the power over the world they once had. There are the Aershaa that have sided with the humans ideas of a cold, steel world, with them side by side. Other Aershaa – Loyal Servants of Khan – follow in the path of the legends of the great Khan, warped by storytellers and time into religious lore. They wish to create a world void of humans, S’feena’s followers, and all means of life other than Aer-kind to worship Khan “as it was meant to be.” The final side are the humans, furs, and Aershaa that follow Athena’s – now S’feena’s – dream of a peaceful, healthy world without war.
