Arguson Krass

***Arguson Krass*** is a novel written in 637 UA by Jonessen Argus. It is considered the first piece of fiction ever written, and sparked a worldwide revolution for creative writing in Ralanos. Argus is now regarded as the forefather of Ralanos fables, a genre that spans greatly and features sub-genres ranging from religious fiction to Wexlaren folklore.

Historians of Ralanos claim *Arguson Krass* to be a direct response to the Second Laren Wars, riddled with a variety of alludes to the war and explanations as to some of the underlying motives of the combatants. As it was written some thirty years after the war's end, the novel grew popular because of the relation.

## Summary

### **Act One: The Trial of the Roost**

*Arguson Krass* tells the story of a young human boy, Arguson Dieter Krass, and his adventures across a fictionalized Ralanos, with some cities controlled by anthropomorphized animals, "Kings with no heads", and colonies of living thrones.

The fable begins in Dupree, a city controlled by the "Shalkans", a race of human-like birds, in the Forest of Forbidden Sanctums. Arguson Krass is hunting for deer when he stumbles upon Dupree's entrance, a small hole embedded within a massive tree deep in the forest. He falls down a long hill into the city, which is completely isolated from the regular world, but features its own sky and atmosphere.

Arguson first comes across Delli, a falcon child who observed his tumble from afar. He asks how Arguson found his way into Dupree, and tells him that it is meant to be hidden from sight to prevent unwanted interaction with outside creatures. Arguson states he was hunting for deer, an act the Shalkans view as a punishable crime. Delli does not tell Arguson of this knowledge, and instead invites the boy to join him in a meeting with the head councilman, a vulture named Seedra Kondo.

Upon meeting Seedra, Delli immediately reveals Arguson's actions, and demands he be placed on the Trial of the Roost. The councilman initially agrees, but just before finalizing his decision, a tremendous screeching sound (a direct allude to the World's Cry), erupts throughout the city. The noise causes the birds to burst into chaos, flying frantically and wreaking havoc in the city's skies. They start to destroy buildings and structures, but are suddenly stopped when Arguson grows the size of three giants, and glows a bright whitened gold color. The screeching subsides, and the birds start to regain consciousness. By the time the birds are able to walk and think again, they see Arguson reform back into a small boy.

Seedra is the first to approach Arguson, who seems unfazed by the events. After he denies responsibility for the sounds, Arguson claims he doesn't recall ever growing or shrinking, and that his vision turned to green and only green. Seedra refuses to believe the boy's claims, and grows angry and aggressive. One bird in the gathering crowd, a purple winger named Renor, steps forward and claims to have been unaffected by the sounds as well. He challenges Seedra's punishment and claims that he saw the councilman also unaffected, and saw him walk into the city's bank during the chaos.

The crowd gasps at the statements and turns to Seedra, who is quick to defend himself, denying Renor's claims and threatening the winger's life. His statements are received poorly by the crowd, now growing more hostile toward the councilman. The human attempts to escape during the confrontation, but is stopped by Seedra, who grabs Arguson and pins him down.

Renor attacks Seedra, sparking some crowd members to attack the councilman's guards. During the fight, Arguson manages to break free and run toward the hill from where he entered. Before he reaches the hill, Renor is seen flying quickly down toward the boy. The winger picks up Arguson with its claws, and flies out of Dupree, back into Ralanos.