[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

Going back to the topic of Charring Cross...Nathan starts reading from his journal.

"Charring Cross is called such for two reasons: the large number of Charmander, Charmeleon, and Charizard that live in the area, and its position as a crossroads of sort.  From the city, you can head in three directions: into the desert in the west, towards the volcano in the east, or through the mountains to the south.  Earthstar Forest is nearby, too, and the roads through it are well traveled.  'Charring' wasn't originally in the city's name, even.  It used to only be famous for being a popular crossroads in Northwestern Creshire.  It wasn't until after the League's establishment that it came to be known for the large concentration of fiery lizards and noble blooded folks alike.  It's a common theory that Sarimanok hails from this city.  

"Creshirean nobility tends to get along well with dragons and draconic pokemon, which is why it's traditional for young men and women to search the Divide for a Charmander.  Well, that, and it's usually recommended to leave wild Charmeleon and Charizard alone for obvious reasons.  Those who can't find a Charmander...well, they'll usually head into the desert to try and find a Helioptile next, another pokemon well liked by the populace.  Some lucky few will rarely find Dratini in the Great Divide, though they usually only reside in the purest waters of the mountain tarns at higher (usually highest) elevations.  The residents think one of Sarimanok's pseudo-legendary dragons might even be living in the general area, though there's been little to no concrete proof of that so far...oh, and there's no rules on who can and can't train the Charmander line and other dragons.  Those with noble blood just tend to have the easiest time training them.

"Ironically, despite bordering the Great Divide and the Camas Desert, Charring Cross sits at the lowest elevation in the entirety of Creshire.  And unfortunately, despite being a crossroads at one point, it's more of a dead end presently.  After the League was established, many of the HMs in Sarimanok's posession were either lost or scattered.  The League did have a single Rock Smash HM...but they broke it while trying to replicate it.  That eventually lead to Captain Bridge starving in Mt. Sentry's tunnels while fleeing from ghosts from the Ruins and the passage from Liverwort to Charring Cross being unable to be cleared when it caved in...if someone were to find another Rock Smash HM or pokemon that knows the move, though, the path could be reopened rather easily..."

*Looks fascinated by the entire account, silent as he absorbs all the details, before replying in an almost nostalgic tone*

"So the city's name is dual meaning, as it was once a mecca for travel like Stair City is today before tragedy and unfortunate circumstances rendered it. Home to nobility and Dragons alike, both living harmony and thriving one another's influence, prestige, and power, its people respecting the tradition of yore......it reminds me so very much of Opelucid, almost uncannily so. Once the matter of the Anthenum is settled, I have to make a pilgrimage to Charring Cross. Not only in my capacity as a Pokémon Researcher and Sociologist, but also because I must see for myself what it and its people are like, and fully explore their culture and the bonds they share with their Dragons. Thank you for filling me, Nathan....."