Paradise Within the Wastes ((OPEN!!!))

[Anonymous]

The wastelands...a barren region of venomous winds, skeletal forests, and poisonous streams. Aside from the mutant creatures that adapted to life in this region, the area is uninhabitable and lifeless, bringing only death upon the unprepared traveler.

However, in an area surrounded by jagged mountains, there exists a paradise within the wastes...the BioSphere. Stretching up to thirty miles in diameter and fifteen miles high, the BioSphere is nothing more than a force field that gives life and prosperity. It has been in existence for centuries, and it still runs to this day. The generators that create this BioSphere gain their energy from the toxic atmosphere on the outside, and convert that energy into purified, breathable oxygen.

Because of this, the area inside the BioSphere is a true paradise, filled with lush forests, clean water, warm plains, and unaltered life. Here, the skies are always blue on cloudless days, and on the cloudy days, rain falls instead of acid. During winter, the snow is free of radiation. For centuries, this BioSphere has existed in seclusion, but it is not rare for the occasional outsider to step into the forcefield that protects this lush utopia from the outside elements.

A tribe of leonine people numbering only a few hundred souls dwell within this BioSphere's epicenter. They are a very protective and secretive tribe, as they do not like outsiders. However, one person of the tribe, different from the rest, welcomed people who came in peace or have simply lost their way.

Her name was Kyra, and she now wanders the plains of the BioSphere, her rust-red tail swaying with each step, her cat-ears perking at the many sounds of nature. But she didn't like wandering alone. She wished for some pleasant company.

[Anonymous]

Humph. Uninhabitable indeed! The wastes were tough sure, but surviving only took a little mettle.

The Arrast naga had lived here since the earth was reborn and serpents fused with men to form their mighty race. Mere poisons and predatory beasts could not drive them out.

Faust son of Isht son of Surn slithered along, humming to himself and enjoying the morning heat on his tail. He was supposed to be hunting, but hunting was so boring! Chasing waste rats was much more fun. He never caught one, no one ever caught one, they were too fast, but chasing them was still good fun.

Naga weren’t the stealthiest creatures, and though the sandy brown of his tail blended reasonably well with the surrounds Faust still stuck out like a sore thumb. At his hips scale became skin, snake became man. The skin on his torso was a mild brown, matching the tail that propelled him.

Naga had no need for tools or covering, so he meandered along without clothes or weapons. His bite was weapon enough for hunting, his tail all muscle to choke the strongest foe. The BioSphere loomed to his left. Silly name for the thing, it wasn’t even a sphere.

The naga didn’t stray in that place, the creatures that dwelled there had tools for killing, and while they made good eating, it wasn’t worth the effort. Still, he was thirsty, and water was hard to come by out here.

Passing through the field of the great dome felt like stepping through a wall of cold water that penetrated the body. Faust shuddered at the feeling. He moved carefully, wary of his surroundings. Nothing stirred; the world in the dome was still and cool, unlike the windswept heat of the wastes.

Following the sound of splashing water lead Faust to a small stream. Well, small for another planet, on earth fresh water this large would be considered a river. He slid into the water, the coolness washing over him, cleaning away dirt and sand. He drank in long, gulping mouthfuls, his very long tongue flicking out to gather in more. His hair, black and long, kept getting in the damn way, forcing him to push it back repeatedly.

With the cool water running over him, Faust utterly forgot that he was trying to go unnoticed.

[Anonymous]

Kyra wandered this way and that, looking for someone friendly that she could talk to. She felt so sad and lonely since her last acquaintance had been chased out by her tribe. Why did her tribe despise outsiders so much? Why did they have to be so selfish? Why couldn't they just be more generous and kind like she is to the unfortunate folks who happen to get caught in the outside world? Just why?

Her reasoning and way of thinking was probably one of the reasons why she was so different from the rest of her tribe. In fact, this way of thinking is because of her blood. She had nephilim (souled angel) blood coursing through her veins. The two scars on her shoulder blades help to justify this claim; they house her fully retractable wings, which she now keeps inside her back. Thanks to her wings, nephilim blood, great strength, and her leonine reflexes, grace, and appearance, Kyra dubbed herself as a Sphinx...the same name as the winged lion of many myths past.

The sphinx continued to wander through the plains, her quarterstaff firmly in hand, ready to spring into a fight should anyone hostile attack her. She then heard the sound of something big slip into a nearby stream. She ducked down in the tall grass and moved cautiously towards the stream. She then saw that a black-haired man was bathing in the water. He looked human, but the prescence of scales from the hips down made her think differently. Was he some form of lizard-man? He seemed to be enjoying himself. But still...he seemed as one to be avoided. She didn't know why...instinct probably told her so.

With that, Kyra quietly slinked away through the grass. And thus, she was once again on a journey for a friend.