The blizzard was harsh as the snow was thrown about so thick not even a elf could stand against it, and no man could see beyond their own face. Remnants of structures where scattered all around, much of it was covered and topped with snow, still standing these walls, roofs and fences where all that was remained in the harsh lands of ice and snow.
Stranded a hooded figure struggled though the harsh winds their black cloak being pulled back by the wind, their hands gripped it tight to keep it wrapped around their body. Their claw like hands dug in deep to the fabric, as they moved slowly though the snow, hunched over they peeked up and their eyes peered out. A white pupil was balanced out with a blue iris and coated in black that embodied the rest of the eye.
Pushing on they soon came to a stop having reached an impasse, reaching out a scale riddled hand they touched the stone. They had reached the side of the mountain range that spanned of as far as the even the far sighted could see.
"Yes, I am near." they said. Reaching out they scanned around feeling the stone.
They began to move along the rock until their hand found a gap, their fingers passed over the sharp turn in the rock's service.
"Yes, I'm here."
Moving closer to the gap, they stepped in found them selves in cave of sorts, the stone was smooth and the wind blew in pushing them forward causing them to collide with another wall. Following the wall it made a curve shape as it worked it's way around, the wind and snow was unable to follow thought and it made it easier and safer place to be.
Pulling back their hood, they revealed their scaly head, light blue scales covered them all over with white dotted pattern trailing down form their head. These are the colours of the Dragon-Kinn. The earliest Dragon-Kinn date back to the second age, where they first began to sprout up in the frozen north. Their early settlements made use to snow and ice, forging igloos and cutting holes in the ice to hunt for fish. The harsh and voracious winds made it hard for them in survive.
Looking onward torches know aligned the walls as the smooth stone like tunnel carried on, for what seemed like an eternity. Walking down the hall, their tail fell down form their cloak and trailed behind, it slimmed out to a tip and fell just short of the floor. After a long of enough trip, the torches on the wall where gone and a new source of light shone in to the tunnel at the far end. As they got closer to the light they came closer to the end of the tunnel and closer to the end of their journey. Coming out the tunnel the Dragon-Kinn stepped in to a city built of snow, ice and stone.
The great spectacle of the city was built in to large circular area created by the mountains that had formed around it. Building's sprung form the ground in a whole manner of shapes and angles, giving way to many an off shaped paths that led though the chaotic streets. Stone seemed to bee pulled form mountain as buildings that sat on the side, seemed to apart of the cliff face it self. This seemed to continue though the city as the stone moved and entangled it self in to the ground and sprouted up to form the foundations of most the buildings. Sitting a top this was layers of ice carved into buildings, they seemed to fade in to and form the stone beneath, and created marvellous structures that towered up high. Sitting atop the ice, sat layers of snow forged in to creating roofs and balconies, that coated the many tops of the city's buildings.
Looking over the city the Dragon-Kinn stepped back as a trader walked past, they stood on raised path under an over hang of a building above. Soon they took their leave as they wandered in, for this was Snegurochka city, it was built over the many years on clearing snow and mining in to mountain for stone.
The many resources that created the city had been used to aid in the growth of the people, as they worked for one the united goal, their own growth. The city was slow at first but grew with time as the people of Snegurochka worked hard to build and fortify their home.
The hustle and bustle of inhabitants made the great expanse of Snegurochka city seem smaller and more crowed then it really was. It was home to only one species that know though common tongue as Dragon-Kinn, these scales beings lived only in the harsh snow isolated in their captive city.
Little is know of this spices by that of Man, Elf and Dwarf, as these scaled creatures where not common in middle earth, and are manly found in the far north of the cold wastelands. Few who have seen them know of their blue and white scales that done their bodies in replace of skin, and their human like hounds that often act like attack dogs.
Moving though the city the Dragon-Kinn stopped and started to let others pass her by, before she carried on passing though the city.
As she came up to a fishery another Dragon-Kinn, with purple scales was cutting and gutting fish, next a small ice porch. Slightly above him where a child with light blue scales watched form above.
"Daddy look." called the girl.
Looking up the Purple Dragon-Kinn saw the newcomer approached them, and he brought down his blade and hit his hand. Dropping he blade he pulled his hand away as he held it close in his other hand.
Making her way over she bent down and put the knife back on the table and reached out to see the man's hands.
"It's all right, that blade was to blunt to even pierce my scales." said the purple Dragon-Kinn "Just painful is all."
"Make sure to rest it and come back to this later." she replied "We can't have our people's secondary source of food be in peril."
Nodding he moved around to the stairs close by that led up to the porch, she looked on as he smiled picking up his daughter and taking her inside. Seeing what little fish was left out, she made a quick tidy before carrying on.
Climbing a icy stair case, she looked up as a set of young Dragon-Kinn, sat on the short balcony hanging their legs though the railings.
"Look, look." they called. "It's her again."
"You'd better go in, your scales can't keep all the cold out, it's warmer inside." she warned.
The three boys all got up and went inside closing the door behind them, and she hurried on her way.
In the centre of the city was large round building with short domed roof, all around the main structure was smaller but taller towers. Each was topped with slightly larger sphere that sported a swirling like pattern in the ice layers at the top, before it capped off and made tall cone. At stone level it was raised of the ground with support pillars keeping it of the ground with help form the towers which where also used to raise it up, making use of arches.
The Dragon-Kinn arrived out side and hurried up the steps to be greeted by a set of guards who stepped aside for her, as they opened the doors. Stepping inside, she was soon showered in great design's of walls made of green and gold that coated the walls in the hall, she removed her black cloak for lighter tanned one, and tied it on, she hung up the black one behind her. After shaking off the cold she moved in to the next room to be greeted by the main chamber.
It's pattern was largely the same, embodied with gold and green colours, with curling golden pillars that where spaced about the room. A section of the wall was used as a book shelf, with another holding a roaring fireplace where another Dragon-Kinn sat looking deep in to the flame where their wooden staff sat besides them.
"So the queen, returns to her domain." he said.
His face and scales darkened behind his clothes, with the only light the room being the light of the fire, which his figure blocked only allowing the fire to cast out darkness in to the room.
"Why are you so dramatic Alistair." she said making her way over the small bed that made up the third main area of the room.
It's small dimension did little to hide it's status as four poster bed.
"Because." he said looking back at her "You are our queen." he spun around grabbing his staff "The queen of the people."
She watched as she lay side ways as he made his approach.
"It is not wise Elizabeth, to venture out side the city alone."
"I had Snarlg with me."
Alistair spun around. "And where is your Gnarg?" he asked.
She looked over at the fire to see he had been curled up at Alistair's feet.
"Never lie to me, I'm only looking out for you best interests." he grumbled.
"And that is what I was doing."
"How is getting your self killed going to help the food crisis!" he shouted becoming heated.
"It's better to go out there and looked though what ever is left instead of staying here and doing nothing!" she shouted becoming enraged.
Alastair stepped away form the glowing fire as he retreated to the shelf, his scales timed and wiry, as the colour was fading away leaving only grey behind. He pulled a book off and looked though it's pages.
"You where such a happy child." he said running his hands over the pages of the paintings.
"Well, know I can't have the luxuries that come with being a child."
Sighing he put the book back "Shall we discuss the growing issues we face."
"Yes,let us meet me in the great hall." she said getting up "Snarlg." she called.
Sitting up the swamp green creature peeked up his face only carrying a mouth and nostril holes, droll leaked form it's mouth as it raised it self of the ground and stood hunched over.
"Come." she called as she left towards the door.
Snarlg raced over moving similarly to animal. Alistair moved back to the fire and look in to it's embers.
Gnarg's are a humanoid spices with skin made up of dark green's and browns, with no eyes to speak of, these beings have a sixth sense of sorts to see. Born from slime pits deep underground in the mountains, these begins where discovered in the latter half of the first age by the Dragon-Kinn. It was wile they mining they came across a under ground cave that was lavished in moisture, the cave was linked with large geysers that shot hot air and ooze in the cave system.
The Dragon-Kinn used them cattle for establishing settlements out side the city, they were also farmed form the pits but the Dragon-Kinn for food. But soon found they could be trained as well, this lead to them being kept like pets and the Gnarg's where trained to use basic weapons and where kept us body guards and in some cases pets.
Deep in the cave's and tunnels of the mountains, the smoothed out triangular stone path ways created a maze to those unfamiliar to it's many passage ways. Two Dragon-Kinn each with their own variant of blue scales, one dark blue and other a pale light blue where making their way though the tunnels.
"I don't know why you still where your coat this far down." said the dark blue one.
"I know the slime pits are warm, but it's been feeling colder lately." said the light blue one in response.
"Your just light scaled, shed your skin a few times in the cold and then you'll strengthen them up."
"That's only a myth."
"Is it." he said flexing.
"Next time keep your shirt on." he laughed.
The two rounded a bend to large cavern, with large geysers spewing steam. They where filled with slimy goo, that bubbled up an popped. They spanned for miles, as the cavern grew and shrunk, showing how much they dug up to make use of them all. This meant some walls where smoother then others, with arches and pillars been erected in some places to strengthen the cave.
"Still feels warm to me." Chuckled the dark blue Dragon Kin.
Shaking his head the light blue Dragon-Kinn gave way to his coat leaving both him and his friend in a set of under garments. The two trudged in to the pits of slime and waded though to find pods forming in the goo, they began to pluck Gnarg's no bigger then them form the pits and carried them over to the stone's edge.
"Make sure to keep an eye for the small ones." called the light blue Dragon-Kinn.
"I know, I don't know why we can't just harvest the small ones."
"We get more meat when they grow fully, and they only need to gestate in their pods."
"Fair enough."
The two carried on pulling more Gnarg's on to the stone side, many began to move braking though the thin layer of their oozing pod as they began to find their footing.
"Looks like one's waking up." called over the light blue Dragon-Kinn.
"I guess it means we can get some cheep labour." laughed the other.
"The Queen's been quite strict on cutting back on the unnecessary Gnarg's we already have."
"Really."
"Yeah."
"Then you better make sure no more get up and leave."
"We have guards on duty."
"No, we have Theodore."
"He means well."
"The snake's a screw up."
"Aren't we all when we where new hatches."
"Well he's to still to old to be a screw up. I heard he hasn't had his first shed yet."
"Don't be so venomous." he said getting up to stoop the Grung's, twisting their necks.
"Davin, stop bothering with them." he laughed.
Davin got back to work as his light blue scales became entrench in the slime form the pit, pushing away the growing slag of old pods that gathered in the pools blocking sight of the pit below. He yanked it at the slag as it broke apart and he began to slip down, not being able to see to far below Davin noticed something in the slime, reaching in he puled out a pod, no bigger then his palm. Inside the Gnarg seemed of colour.
"Daven." he called to his brother in a worried cry.
Looking over still smiling Daven's face sank seeing what his brother was holding.
"No, it can't."
"The Queen must see this."
Moving though the caves in hurried state they carried the still born Gnarg in their hands, the two brothers still dripping slime and covered in goo. They soon came up to set of large triangular doors and pushed the thick door open and hurried on though them. The guard on duty was dressed in golden chest plat and helmet, with a dark green under clothes. The door's abrasion opening forced him forward and he stumbled over his own feet as he fell to the ground, looking up Theodore saw the two brothers had raced past in a hurried walk.
"Hay wait." he called scrambling to the get up.
The brothers pushed past and nudged and knocked their fellow Dragon-Kinn as they made their made dash though the cave tunnels.
"Hay wait, stop." called Theodore as he struggled to keep up with the two larger brothers.
"Go shed some scales." called back Daven, using a weak willed insult.
"If you don't go back to work, I will be forced to report you to the queen." he insisted as he began to catch up.
"That's where we're going." added Davin.
"Wait, what?" Questioned Theodore. "Your going to see the queen ." And he made chase to catch up to them.