Gawyn's Horus stories

[veluchami]

Originally Posted by Malik2

Out of the swamp without incident and into the desert proper, Ignis is an empty land, not particularly vast, but infinitely unexciting, bland, like a bowl of oatmeal without the raisons, the brown sugar, and also without the milk and water and lacking the actual bowl: a pile-of-horrible-gruel of a place. Past the tumbledown sandstone pillars and onto the beach, then up the incline and toward the black basalt walls of Shaanarid castle.

I beg to differ. Yes, we were banished to the barren lands of Ignis, to rot and to die, by the treacherous wood-elves. But we survived; not only did we survive, we made the dangerous desert land our home. And we thrived in our home.

Some wise old man said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Don't let your hatred of us shade your eyes from the beauty of our lands. There is beauty in the flawless curving sandy landscape of our deserts, with elegant ripples sculpted into them by the warm desert breeze. There is beauty in the lone venomous snake which slithers its way across our lands. What can be more elegant than the mighty desert eagle which swoops down on the unsuspecting snake, grabbing it with its ferocious claws, retreats back into the heavens it came from.

There is music in the rustle made by the cool night breeze embracing the fine sand glittering in the moonlight. What is more beautiful than the silhouette of our resilient women, walking on the pebble strewn pathway to fetch water from the oasis miles away. Nothing is more sensual than their shy smile barely visible through their veils with which they shade themselves from the fierce sand storms. What is more beautiful than our innocent children playing with their fathers' broken swords staging mock battles, unaware they would one day have to kill and die for real?

Is there a happier moment than when our warriors sit around the crackling camp fire, flames reflecting from their eyes, re-telling the legends of our great victories in battle and recalling tender moments with their sweethearts whose rights and honor they are fighting to defend. Their love keeping them going, fighting against out numbering odds with inferior weapons.

Yes, the desert is harsh. To equate it with ugliness is just you exposing your own wantonness. Just surviving in our lands is akin to war. War is child's play to us. The moment you cross into our lands, your fate is sealed. You would have signed your own death warrant.

The desert is beautiful, don't make us stain it with your blood !