#travels with talonok

[flightdescending]

Pages 19 and 20 of Travels with Talonok - [read more]

[clya-lyren]

Id love to learn about Inexperta and Exeratia! How did they meet? What do they love about each other :o and whatever else you'd like to say about them!

*cue chanting about my lovely lesbian ladies*

Okay, so Inexperta’s profession is, well, she kills undead monsters. 

Exeratia however, she’s kinda of... she’s a necromancer.

Inexperta lost her family when an Emperor attacked their home. Undead monster-hunting had been in her family for generations oh her father’s side, but her father taught her mother and they, in turn, taught her at a very young age.

Exeratia never really had a family. She hatched out of her egg all alone one night. Later in life she ended up getting mixed up into some pretty dark things and started utilizing necromancy. She ended up not trusting anyone and lived a life of solitude. 

So you can sort of imagine how they met. Inexperta got reports of a necromancer who was summoning ancient Talonok and went to investigate. She traveled through the Shrieking Wilds for a long time before she stumbled upon Exeratia. Despite being raised as an undead killer and having this job for about her whole life, there was something that entranced her as soon as she set eyes on this Nocturne. To this day, she still isn’t quite sure what it was. Maybe it was the way she was dressed. Maybe it was how she held herself strongly. Or maybe it was something she ate that made her crazy and forget the years of pain she had suffered. 

So, Inexperta approached the necromancer surrounded by skeletal Talonok, rather than attack on sight like she asked to. Like she was trained to. They were both extremely warry of each other. For good reason! They were each other’s enemy. Both thought that the either couldn’t ever understand. Inexperta thought that the Nocturne in front of her could never understand her reason for wanting to avenge and respect her family. Exeratia thought that the Mirror who snuck up on her couldn’t ever feel the same lonely pain that she had and wouldn’t understand her use for the undead was not an evil one... just selfish one. She was so alone 

And oh my gosh this is getting long as hell. They eventually came to a sort of understanding. Exeratia promised to stop sending out undead to complete her tasks, as it scared the dragons living in the towns, but she made Inexperta agree to come again and visit her so she wouldn’t be lonely. 

Eventually, it morphed into a joint business. Inexperta removed violent undead beasts and evil necromancers that Exeratia learned of. This joint business expenditure eventually morphed into more and well, the lovely ladies got married (*audience awwwws*) once they moved into Meridon.

Okay okay so what they love about each other:

Inexperta really really loves Exeratia’s poise. She’s the one to go gushing about “oh my gosh look how regal my girlfriend is, she’s so graceful, she’s so elegant and pretty and has the grace of a cat and-”.  Exeratia also can be a little clingy when in public or around a lot of other dragons, but Inexperta doesn’t mind. She not-so-secretly loves it. 

Exeratia really admires Inexperta’s strength. But honestly she really loves Inexperta’s cooking. Like, she’s not a great cook but to Exeratia she’s a 5 Star chef that could make Gordon Ramsay look bad and be nicer while doing it. 

[emordnilap-fr]

19 & 20 for the ask meme

nitty gritty asks

19. If your clan has a diverse number of dragons of different elements, how does that affect society? Are some dragons prejudiced against certain elements/breeds? How does the clan handle this?

for the keepers, it doesn’t affect much, though it can definitely influence what jobs they may be assigned. earth and water dragons are generally looked towards for helping with lair construction and maintenance, and they’re in demand for a nature dragon as a healer. they haven’t had an official healer in quite a while. 

some dragons are definitely prejudiced. the most notable example is Oceana, who is wary and distrustful of most imperials. she’s gotten better over the years while they’ve been in earth flight, but it’s a constant presence. it’s usually dealt with by her: she doesn’t interact with them often. (in all honesty though, she’s not the only one with this distrust; given multiple events with emperors, many in the clan are suspicious of imperials.) otherwise, i can’t think of other prejudices; i’ll have to think more about it!

tzaphi port is less diverse, and is generally more accepting of dragons who are more fitted to withstand the area’s climate. the most common elements are ice, water, and wind, in that order of occurrence. fae, tundras, and imperials will find little to no work in the town due to their sizes, as well as smaller individuals of other breeds. ridgebacks and guardians are the dragons who perform the most manual labor.

the enclave doesn’t care. if you can kill, you’re useful.

20. Are there Beast Clans near your clan? How does your clan interact with the Beast Clans?

both the keepers and tzaphi port have issues with local harpy settlements, though it’s more of an issue near the keepers where the weather is more in the harpies’ favor. the keepers are also hostile towards talonok and serthis, though those tribes are farther away and not in much contact with the clan. they’re usually encountered if and when the harpy settlements recruit talonok and serthis fighters.

tzaphi port has a mutually beneficial relationship with the maren in the bay. the maren protect the ships from water-borne dangers while the dragons of the port provide goods - such as food and quality tools - to the maren. outside of the maren and harpies, tzaphi port doesn’t interact with the other tribes often.

there are a few longneck settlements near the keepers, and the clan is allied with them. they’re welcomed within the clan as though they’re fellow dragons and participate greatly in the clan’s market. they’re often hired as messengers and guides. miths are welcomed in the same way, though there are no settlements nearby; rather, many miths have taken up permanent residence within the clan, and the occasional travelling mith passes through.

[tomswifty-fr]

(Explanation: this was for a forum thread where you were supposed to have your dragons tell stories to a story-ghost, but the original poster stopped responding and I’m not about to let 2300+ words of dumb teen adventures go to waste.) 

(My greatest apologies to mobile readers)

“Well, it started with me and Ithaca. We were bored. Square Toe is a dumb place to live, y’know? It’s so small and there’s nothing to do! They won’t let us into Habitat or Leo’s, ‘cuz we’re too young. The desert is just the desert. It’s boring and hot and everyone says it’s full of ghosts, but I’ve never seen one. I wish I had. Ithaca wanted to go flying, but I’m bad at flying. My wings are too short.” She stretches one out to prove it. “My uncle says they’ll get bigger, but I don’t think so. Everything else on me stopped growing a long time ago.

“Ithaca’s my best friend, by the way. She’s good at everything, and she’s really brave and stuff…. We spend a lot of time together. I told her I didn’t want to fly, and she suggested some other stuff. Hang out at the library, sneak into Tom’s workshop, go over to the orchard and climb trees until we got caught and chased out. I guess I was in kind of a crummy mood and kept saying no, I don’t want to do that, that’s dumb. I felt bad about it, but I kept saying no. I could tell she was getting annoyed too, so when she said we should go explore the old part of town I said yes, even though we’ve done it a jillion times before.

“Okay so, Square Toe’s a really weird town. I said it was small but there’s actually a lot of it. I guess there used to be a bunch more dragons living here a long time ago, so the city itself is really big and there’s a lot of empty buildings and stuff. Everyone lives close together though, so the old town is empty and really worn out. I used to think it was creepy until I started going there. You can find cool stuff sometimes, like old graffiti, and once I found a little carved hainu. Ithaca heard there was an old statue garden with lots of weird sculptures and that’s what she wanted to go see…”

Riley sneezed again. It was cooler in this cellar, sure, but there was so much dust it was impossible to see anything. She guessed Ithaca had given up on the statues by now; there’s no way they’d be someone’s old basement.

“Hey, check this out!” Ithaca was bent over the remains of a desiccated wooden crate, her feathered tail wagging fiercely and raising even more piles of dust. Riley stifled another sneeze and came over to look.

It was full of paper masks. Tundras with furry fringe, Guardians with drooping horns, Imperials with yarn whiskers, and even a Talonok with cutout beak. “That one looks like you!” Ithaca laughed, pointing to a Mirror mask with four eyes but only two eyeholes. “I could wear it to the library and check out books on your account.”

“And stick me with all the late fees? No way! I should pretend to be you, so I can eat at your house every night. Harry’s a lousy cook.” Riley snatched for a Wildclaw mask in faded purple, intending to hold it up and perform a scathing imitation of her friend, but the ancient paper crumbled in her claws. “Ugh.”

Ithaca made a half-hearted attempt to force the crate closed, giving up with the lid still open at an awkward angle. “Okay, one more basement? If we don’t find anything good, we’ll give up.”

Riley nodded. “Sure, next building?”

“I was thinking that.” Ithaca pointed, drawing Riley’s attention to an empty doorway on the other side of the room.

“That’s just a closet.”

“No, I bet it’s a connected basement. Feel? There’s air!”

Riley concentrated, then gave up. “I don’t feel anything, but I believe you. What are we gonna do about- ” She instinctively caught the small object Ithaca tossed her, then looked down. “Oh. Where’d you get these?”

Ithaca waved her own small lantern and stuck out her tongue mischievously. “Borrowed them from my mom. I told her we were going camping tonight. They’re magic, so we don’t have to worry about them going out. Don’t drop yours though, okay?” There was just a tinge of worry in her otherwise carefree tone; magic items were expensive.

“What do you think I am, a hatchie? I’m not gonna drop it.” She switched hers on with a sigh. “Let’s go.”

*

“How far apart are these basements supposed to be?”

“I don’t know.”

“Shouldn’t we turn around?”

“You can if you want.”

Riley turned her head, looked at the black tunnel behind her, and turned it back to look at the black tunnel and snappish friend in front of her, who was just as nervous but trying to hide it. “Nah, I’ll stay.”

The so-called ‘connected basement’ had turned into a too-long trek down a crumbling stone tunnel. It wasn’t quite cramped, but she and Ithaca were travelling single file. The only saving grace was that there didn’t seem to be any spiderwebs or even a lot of dust, but the slight dampness under Riley’s feet took away any reassurance she could have got from that fact. Flash floods were a fact of Highland Scrub life; thunderstorms were more common further south in Lightning territory, but rushing water could travel miles and miles and be just as violent with the distance.

Wouldn’t that be a stupid way to die, she thought. Drowned in a stupid tunnel with my stupid friend. At least we won’t have to pay for ruining the lanterns.

After another little distance of silence and worrying, the corridor opened up into another chamber. The two teens almost breathed sighs of relief, before noticing one crucial fact.

“Ithaca? This isn’t a basement.”

It was a large, natural looking cavern, with a ceiling towering dozens of feet above them (Riley realized, a little too late, that the tunnel they’d been going through had been a downward slope). Their lanterns didn’t illuminate very far but were able to reveal a few details: stalagmites jutting up from the floor, water droplets sparkling on the walls, and scuff marks on the ground behind them. The humidity was much higher than either of the desert-dwellers were used to; Riley’s scales itched, and she could see Ithaca’s headfeathers starting to poof up.

Ithaca reached up to scratch her feathers, her eyes getting bigger all the time. “This is so cool.”

“What?”

“No, it’s really cool! It’s a whole cave! And we found it! Do you think it’s connected to Square Toe Cave?”

There was a slightly manic tone to Ithaca’s voice, as if she were overcome by the potential of their discovery. It made sense; Square Toe Cave was the life of Square Toe; almost literally. The underground reservoir was the only thing that had let the original inhabitants build everything they did. Even in its diminished present state, it was all that let the current residents live lives of (relative) comfort in the desert.

“If it is, we didn’t really discover it though, we just found another entrance. They’ll close it off and put another guard up.”

“Ok, so we don’t tell anyone. We keep quiet and have our own cave.”

Riley was trying to match her friend’s enthusiasm, but it was hard. “We’d better not tell anyone. We’d get in trouble just for going through that tunnel.” She mimicked an adult voice, deep and monotone. “Stay out of the tunnels, they’re dangerous, they’re unexplored, they’ve got mimics in them- ”

“That’s for the tunnels in the library. And they just do that because they think they connect to Square Toe Cave.”

“They won’t care. I mean, your dad works in the Cave and he’s always going on about how dangerous it is underground, with floods and stuff and the risk of it collapsing and everything.”

“Yeah, but- ” A scraping sound stopped the argument in its tracks. Suddenly, both teens were extremely aware that they were in a weird cave they didn’t know anything about. Nobody knew they were here. There was something in here with them.

“A mimic?” Ithaca whispered.

“Probably.” Riley breathed back.

It made sense. Mimics lived anywhere they could. The library would have been infested with them, if it wasn’t for constant searching and pest control. This place? Dark, quiet, empty? It would be perfect for them. Mimics were harmless anyway. If you tried to open a mimic book you might get your claws nipped, but that was all. They were scared of dragons. Kimball even kept one as a pet. If it was mimics, it was fine.

The scraping sound appeared again.

They froze.

They waited.

They relaxed.

And suddenly a shape loomed up in front of them. It was large and dark and blue, and smelled like metal and water. Riley didn’t know any more details because by the time she registered the thing, she was already running back up the tunnel, the lantern beam bouncing wildly, strobing the blank walls. Something was running behind her, and she hoped hoped hoped to the Eleven that it was Ithaca.

After what seemed like a long time, too long, she emerged from the tunnel. It was Ithaca behind her. Immediately, in an unspoken agreement, they grabbed the crate of masks and pulled it to the opening, tipping it over and scattering masks across the floor. Neither paid attention to the paper disintegrating under their claws or the sequins and yarn bits bouncing around their claws. It didn’t block the entrance perfectly, but having it there made them both feel a little better.

Outside, Riley wrote ‘BEWARE’ on the building front with a piece of chalk Ithaca found in some pocket of hers. “What do you- what do you think that was?” She was babbling, but tried to concentrate on thinking and writing to soothe her pounding heart. “I’ve never heard of a mimic that big, and it couldn’t have been a dragon. It didn’t- I mean- ” Instead of talking, she pointed to her front eyes, the heat-seeing ones. “It was cold. It didn’t smell like a dragon either. I don’t know what it could be.” Turning to give back the chalk, she saw Ithaca, pale behind her feathers. She was shaking.

“Hey, hey?” Riley took her claw as she handed the chalk back. “We’re okay, right? It didn’t follow us.”

“No, it’s not that.” Ithaca looked sick. “I lost my light.”

“Oh.” Riley paused. “That sucks.” It seemed inadequate.

“Yeah.”

“Let’s head back.”

“And it really just seemed dumb. We just escaped some kind of cave monster and it’s still there under the old city and we can’t tell anyone, or we’ll get in big trouble. I know we should, but I don’t want to. What if we just imagined it? But even if we imagined it, there’s still a cave down there. And losing the light was stupid too. It almost felt worse than, than, whatever happened down there. I mean, it felt more real, you know? But that’s not the weirdest part.

“Ithaca slept over with me that night, because it was already late, and she told her parents we were going camping anyway and she didn’t want to tell her mom she lost one of her lanterns. When she went back the next morning there wasn’t anyone home- she told me this part, I wasn’t there. I guess her dad was at work and her mom and her sister were somewhere, which is pretty normal. But the lantern was lying on the kitchen table. It wasn’t broken or anything. So she gave them both back and didn’t get in trouble, but it was really weird. The whole thing is just weird.

“Anyway, that’s what happened. I guess nothing really bad came out of it, but it was a couple of weeks ago and it’s still weird. Creepy, even. I’m gonna be thinking about it for a long time. She gets up, stretching her legs. “I just wanted to get that off my chest. Thanks for uh, thanks for listening, I guess.” She leaves, in that same loping run as before, not bothering to wait for a response.

*

Some time passes, and another form fades into view. This one is paler and transparent, and if it ever was a dragon, it sure isn’t anymore. “This isn’t even a story, but something strange happened to an acquaintance of mine a little while ago.”

“His name is Davy, and he was alive until very recently. Death’s been a hard adjustment for him, especially since the person he’s haunting moved very recently, so he has to get used to a whole new place as well. He likes to stay underground, in caverns and cellars and so forth. I think he finds the darkness comforting.

“Well, he told me that the other day he finds a couple of kids spelunking, goes over to say hello, and they start screaming like they’ve seen a ghost- which I suppose they had!” She laughs. “He noticed one of them dropped something, so he went to ask if I could return it since I’m more familiar with the town. Been around it longer, so to speak. Well, I recognized the description, there’s not that many kids around that age in town, so I returned it.

“Later, Ripper tells me- he’s another, well he’s not quite a ghost.” A frown. “Well, we stick together, all us not-quite-dragons-anymore. The one kid, the feathery one, has started asking Vince about ghosts. She didn’t tell him what happened, just acting curious, but I just had to laugh. Vince calls himself a ghost hunter, but his idea of trying to catch us is a propped-up box with a string and a peanut butter sandwich! And all the while she’s sitting there, soaking all his nonsense in, Mike is puttering by right in asking distance. Mike knows miles more about ghosts that Vince does; he’s dating one!”

She shakes her head. “Well, maybe that’s not funny either. Time can warp your sense of humor, I’ve heard. I just think it goes to show. I’m not sure what it shows, but it shows something.”

[shardclan]

Labrusca was still in the pre-dawn gloom of Bramble Step. Her figure blended in with the obscuring fog, but her golden eyes stood out sharp as the cinders of a burned love letter in the dark. Though she could never have denied that she loved Bramble Step and still aspired to the seat of its power that her mother occupied, it was proving to be a difficult path. She was shadow-raised, but light-born, and while there wasn't a soul who would say it aloud for fear of Caress, an acolight was not welcome as a proprietress to shadowlings. 

Not that any of that slowed her down in the slightest. It merely gave her things to think about as she observed the coming dawn. Like how fortuitous it had turned out to be that Eos had stolen the pearlcatcher scroll meant  for her. She had been too optimistic as a child to think a light pearlcatcher running Bramble Step would have been even remotely accepted. But the fact stood that she was light on her father's side and shadow on her mother's and just like Caress would crush anyone stupid enough to challenge her over marrying an acolight, Labrusca had no intention of entertaining any foolishness about her birth element when she was proprietress.

A young guardian materialized as a blurred splotch vaguely outlined by the sultry violet glow of a street lamp. She had spoken to him, once. When he had come there too young for even the lightest daytime activities the Step offered. Ever since, she had a certain affinity for Apokathisto. He lived in the sunlight, but he took comfort in obscurity, and not even because he wanted to do anything questionable. Labrusca had never met someone who craved to be no one the way Apokathisto did; who went into the fog and darkness the way dragons who wanted to forget went into their cups or into the nothingness of sleep.

Only problem was he had been born a somebody, and worse still, he was very good at it. He was out of breath today, and stopped short of her, dropping to hold onto his knees as he gasped for a second wind.

"Is he here?" he finally wheezed.

Labrusca examined her nails. They were immaculate, as usual. "Information isn't free."

"Then make a favor of it," he snapped.

"I'll do that," she purred, and tossed her head toward an alley. "Residential quarter or the Descent." Both destinations, while close together, were far deeper into shadow territory than Apokathisto usually went. While the whole borderland was in a constant bronze and brandywine twilight, the resident sector was firmly in the realm of black firs and bramble and shadow so deep it was practically solid. It was easy to get lost in. "Would you like a guide?" she asked with a grin.

"I would," Apokathisto answered with an expectant stare. "And since citizens of Aphaster are sacrosanct by Bramble Step laws, you are obligated to provide that guidance. Without extorting me this time."

Labrusca smiled approvingly and signaled for him to follow her. 

"You sure now is really the best time?" Carnelian asked. "Given the Hihi'o thing?"

"I asked you to look into it and you did," Arcanus answered, rolling a small map into a case. "I will trust Azricai with rest."

The edge of Carnelian's cigarette glowed hot for several seconds. "Was your family okay with that flimsy, non-specific answer?"

"They wouldn't have been pleased even if I said I was going out to finally end our conflict with the Talonok." He checked a vial with a hasty but still visibly painful sniff of the contents and corked it quickly. "There is nothing I can do about their displeasure. Nor yours."

"Who said I was displeased?"

"You did," Arcanus said, with a knowing look at the cigarette hanging from Carnelians mouth. "You've had 5 of those since I arrived."

Carnelian hissed smoke through a deeply unpleasant sneer. "Got dumped and now you know it all don't you."

Arcanus stiffened and shot back, "Better than you who found someone to love and is still no better at being honest with his feelings."

The cigarette burned down, leaving a precarious pillar of ash that seemed suspended by the tension between them. Carnelian sighed, and dropped the stub, grinding it out with his feet. "You're right." Sourly, he pulled out another cigarette, rummaging irritably but with genuine shame for his matches. "Sorry."

"I know," Arcanus said, and patted Carnerlian's shoulder forgivingly. "I'll miss you too, Carnelian."

"Don't," Carnelian growled. "Don't say my words for me. I won't let Atsushi do it, so you can bet your goody-goody guardian ass I'm not gonna let you do it either." He sighed, giving up on the search for his matches. He hadn't been prepared to be chain-smoking so early in the morning. So the cigarette hung unlit as he clumsily returned Arcanus' gesture. "Take care of yourself."

Arcanus nodded slowly, smiling as he lifted his bags up over his shoulders. "I will."

He looked down the great stairway that was the Descent. At it's bottom, the fog was so thick and the black junipers so oppressive that it was impossible to see what or who might be waiting there. It would have been simpler and safer to travel Trader's Walk, but Arcanus' mission was one of secrecy. While the ShadowBinder had sent an emissary of her displeasure with Aphaster, there was no way to tell if the debt they had incurred had truly been paid. So Arcanus would take the dark way to his eventual destination, and whisper at the Obscured Cresecent and nowhere else just what Telos had asked of him. If that did not put the clan back in Her Obscurity's grace, nothing would.

"Wait!"

Apokathisto came at him so quickly he almost sent the both of them tumbling down the steps. Had Arcanus been a smaller build, he very well might have. While he caught his breath in Arcanus' arms, Carnelian quietly excused himself. The last either of them heard was a faint 'got a light?' as he pulled Labrusca away with him.

Arcanus dropped his bags, and the two guardians sat together at the top of the stair. Apokathisto looked at him with watery eyes, and turned away. "You're not wearing your armor," he said in a thick, choked up voice.

"...I'm no longer Queen's Knight," Arcanus told him honestly.

The young guardian whirled back to him, eyes frantic with guilt. "Was it my fault? Was it because you told me to talk to Azricai?"

"There you are again, making all the world your trouble." Arcanus offered his hand. "It had nothing to do with you. If anything, I should be apologizing to you. If my eyes were not so clouded by personal affairs, I would have realized sooner. Maybe I could have done something that would have given you more comfort."

Apokathisto squeezed the older guardian's hand and shook his head. "You don't have to say that. Telos said it. Azricai said it. And I already know you did everything you could." He laughed, but it was obvious how much effort it took. "And I know the whole history of the clan already so I already know how easy it is to--to try to do a good thing and make mistakes you didn't mean to. Since I get to say no without any kind of penalty, I've been a lot calmer lately. I actually feel at ease, the way they wanted me to. So it's been easy to forgive it all."

"I'm glad to hear that." He leaned down, peeking at Apokathisto's face. "So why the tears?"

"Because you know I get anxious when I don't understand--" Apokathisto's breath hitched, and he held on tighter to Arcanus' hand. "And I don't! You left me a letter and all it said was that you had to go away and you wouldn't be back for a long time!" He leaned into Arcanus, weeping miserably. "I still haven't told Rebis, I don't know how. And what will I do if she accepts? What will the clan do if neither of us accept? Are you disappointed I won't take the responsibility--"

"Poka..." Arcanus interrupted, hugging him close. "I have raised dozens of offspring, and you are the only one who has been a son to me. As long as you follow your principles and do your best, there is nothing you could do that would disappoint me."

The words changed the tone of Apokathisto's tears. From the nickname to the open, confident admittance of something they had awkwardly and wordlessly affirmed when Arcanus let him sip his first taste of alcohol from his cup only barely half an eon ago, the whiplash was enough to leave him silent; caught up in both heart-fluttering joy and a bitter sadness that the one he could call father was leaving only now that he could truly enjoy it.

"Where are you going," he cried pitifully. "Why are you going?"

"To protect my current charge. And prepare for the next. That's all I can say."

The answer only made Apokathisto cling tighter to Arcanus. "I don't want you to go. I feel like... I still need help."

"There is nothing I can help you with that Hart cannot just as well," Arcanus assured him. "And you have always been the independant sort, you never trusted much of anything. What's changed that you're crying so much over me?"

"Everything!" Apokathisto sniffed heartily, backing away to wipe his face and try to articulate himself. The past week of his life had been a lot off his shoulders, but a lot more on his mind. "I just... I'm finally past it all. And I am a grown wyrm. I wanted to know you more. Like...like a.." The word tumbled giddily from his mouth in an embarrassing break of his voice. "--father... But like a person too."

Arcanus smiled, and now it was his turn to tear up. "It is unfair how much like me you are... I cannot abandon my task, but I will offer you this: If you cannot wait to find out who I am, go to Carnelian. Tell him I asked for him to buy you a Starmoss Mead, and he will tell you everything. If you can wait, I will share a Starmoss Mead with you--the ones I tasted when I was your age. And since we will have some catching up to do by then...we can get to know each other."

"I'll wait," Apokathisto said earnestly. "I promise, I'll wait! And I'll have great things to tell you."

"I hope so." Arcanus stood, bringing Apokathisto with him. They stood nearly eye to eye--Apokathisto might very well be taller by the next time they saw one another. "I have never been idealistic with you, Poka. Only truthful. So as father to son, please hear me that life is hard. Any number of painful things have the potential to happen at any time, and you may not have good things to tell me when I return. Even if I were to stay, I know I could not protect you from it all."

He clasped the younger guardian's shoulders. "You are already strong. But you are lonesome at times. I was like that too. And then my way of life was pulled from under me, and I met Carnelian in the aftermath. My first...and best, friend. And somehow being friends with that insufferable, chain-smoking melprin’s ass changed me into the kind of person you found worthy to see as a father. Before him, and before the painful things that brought us together, I cared, but didn't love. And love has brought its own pains on me, but has also given me much in the way of honesty and sensitivity. Do you understand?"

"I think so..."

"Good. I love you, Apokathisto." He pressed a kiss to Apokathisto's forehead. Though it brought a lump to his throat, he smiled warmly. "It has been a long road for me to become the kind of person who can say that so openly. And every bit has been worth it."

"I," Apokathisto stammered, red up to the very tips of his curling fins. "I-I... l-l--"

"Don't force yourself," Arcanus soothed, and gave him a final, fond ruffle. "I already know. And even if you're struggling when I return, I hope you'll be able say it then. In your own way, in your own time. Until then."

Apokathisto stood at the top of the stair as Arcanus descended. His tears were all cried, so he watched dry-eyed as Arcanus grew further and further away. Things to say kept rising to the top of his mind, but each one vanished like a popped bubble, silent and insubstantial. In the end, Arcanus melted into the deep shadow of the Tangled Wood. He didn't look back.

When Apokathisto finally turned and left the lofty first step of the Decent, he didn't look back either.

[yellingdragon-fr]

Writing some clan lore. This is mostly for my own reference and is subject to change

--

The pillar Devas occupies has a small piece of the World Pillar in it and that’s why it’s infused with magic. There are other pillars like his located all around Sorneith. They normally don’t have concentrated magic and can barely be used in normal circumstances.

However, Devas’s pillar was altered with a complex rune, and the cost of a life (Xivanna’s life, Devas’s caretaker when he was a hatchling) to keep magic concentrated at the top. The amount of concentrated magic would make most dragons feel dizzy and nauseated, and for some it could be lethal to absorb so much magic in one sitting.

Devas is afflicted with an unknown ailment that causes him to unintentionally drain magic from other dragons around him. Newly laid eggs/hatched hatchlings and dragons with weak constitutions are most at risk of being drained to death. With the pillar supplying him, he’s become the most powerful magic user in the Clan. The main issue is that he can’t stray far from the pillar.

Beastclan aren’t affected by the concentrated magic around Devas’s pillar and they can technically settle safely around the pillar. It’s typically the Talonok Raptoriks that try to make their outposts/roosts on the pillar when Devas retreats to his private Lair. They will flee when the giant Imperial returns, though. They don’t want to risk being attacked by his Plague magic and dying in agony nor do they want to be captured and sold into servitude to other dragons.

Other dragons flying by could also settle on the pillar when he isn’t present, but as previously noted, they could be badly affected. It’s become common knowledge to avoid resting on this particular pillar when traveling across the Scarred Wasteland.

Since the pillar has the rune that keeps the magic concentrated, it also has a safety net for when Shade-affected beings try to collect the magic. When a Shade-being comes close/touches the pillar, the rune will activate and scatter the magic, leaving the pillar as high and dry as any pillar around Sornieth. Of course, this will both affect and alert Devas to the presence of a Shade-being, and he will not hesitate to obliterate it on the spot (esp since he’ll be at full power if and when it happens).

[xhellflower]

Architecture. The buildings here vary depending on the role and status. For the majority of the village, however, it is mostly simple huts and houses that aren’t too fancy. They are enough to give shelter and hold all of their basic needs and then some. The market holds mostly tents as many of the shops come and go, so the area looks different almost daily. It is mostly the temple that looks fit for a king. The temple is quite large but isn’t quite isolated from the rest of the village. Societal Structure. The structure is that similar to a kingdom. There are rules, but despite the personality of their lord, the structure seems a bit laid back and the majority seem to be on equal terms. Since many of them come from a dark background that either go against authority or not, they are ruled under rules that try to make things fair.  Religion. It isn’t quite a set religion towards any of the gods. Many do respect the Plaguebringer the most as they are on her lands; but they do not go out of their way for praises and such. However, that is not to say there isn’t any dragons that do follow a certain god, and no one shall be judged for it. Language. Though a quiet village, it is very communicative with one another. The spoken language is common, but there have been few that have learned the languages of other breeds, becoming quite useful during trades either in the market place or during their own travels.  Imports and Exports. Because of their trading system (shady or not), they get business from quite a few clans and businesses. This does include beast clans, as well.

Export Goods. Meat, fruit & vegetables, fish, jewelry, spices, medicines & poisons, weapons

Import Goods. Metals, exotic fruit and plants, jewelry and gems, medicine, exotic weapons and technology and anything else they would find useful at the time

Festivals. Just like any other village, there are activities and festivals that are celebrated in Flos est Infernum. Many of these activities occur annually with a rare few occurring a few times a year.

The Bloom (June 22). Though it is a festival that lasts for about a week, the village celebrates this day to remember how far they have come. It is unsure to the village why it was this day that began it all, but none question it. It is a time where dragons of all types party together, tell stories and even duel one another to show off their skills. This is also the only day where Atrox will be among his people and give fortunes freely. The Hunt (???). When a dragon (whether Crow, Raven, or another citizen) feels confident enough to show off their skills, veterans will often set up an area where the dragon will have a few days to a week to hunt for a kill, mostly from the bounty board. They succeed when they have returned with their trophy’s head hanging at their side. If they do not return after a week, they are considered dead at that time, even if they are still alive. The quicker the dragon does their job on the more challenging hunts, the better they are to impress Atrox and even receive his blessing. Flight Festivals (monthly). During each festival, that week, the dragons would celebrate almost similarly to how they do at The Bloom. Many of those dragons would even travel to those lands to celebrate properly - however, the favorite is Riot of Rot.

Beastclans. The two beast clans that are near Flos est Infernum are Talonok and Serthis. Both provide potential help that are useful to the village, ranging from information through scouting or trades. The village takes advantage of these allies just as they are sure the beast clans take advantage of them. It’s a common sight to see either one roaming the streets, living or visiting.

[snastle]

Does Snastle have any favourite and least favourite flights in particular? (except Plague which I see has been mentioned!) and have the hatchlings been on any super cool missions or adventures lately? c:

She doesn’t feel strongly about the flights themselves, but the vastly different territories mean she does have preferences about which biomes to hang out in!She’s never been to the Southern Icefield, way too cold for her tastes and there’s no way you’d get her to even try crossing salt water on unsteady ice. Plague territory has a gross taste to it, and Fire lands dry her out very quickly so she doesn’t spend much time there either. She likes the Starwood Strand, the plants there are all Arcane-infused and really fun to eat, but she hasn’t seen any more of arcane territory because the seawater blocks her off completely.The Shifting Expanse she finds worth visiting every once in a while for the limestone deposits, and though there isn’t a heap of water, she can keep moist by eating tasty succulents. Her favorite regions are Nature territory, which can be difficult to move in because of the dense vegetation but is an absolute buffet of good food. The Sea of a Thousand Currents is a conveniently placed freshwater body she visits often, and if she can persuade the locals to drag her up some kelp, she’s a happy snail. Dragonhome is where her home nesting ground is located, so she’s very nostalgic for it, and Light and Wind lands she visits from time to time, there is good grazing from grasses and shrubs but the bamboo of wind is difficult to eat, and the pine trees of Light have a really strong flavour that sticks in her tentacles for ages. She absolutely adores Shadow territory because of all the fungi that grow there, and she’ll often stop by and gorge herself on tasty mushrooms before visiting one of the more sparse regions.

~

As for the hatchlings…Those tiny fruit and veg babies have been having an absolute blast traveling around on Snastle with their new adoptive mummy, Peony. They’ve been rather well behaved in terms of ‘adventuring’ lately, to Peony’s infinite relief, but that had such a great time at the Festival of Snails.

They’re all orphans, most of them abandoned for being eternal hatchlings, so none of them have really ever experienced being part of the ‘cool group’, y’know? Their own peers grew up and left them behind very quickly. But when thier own clan hosted a festival? Hoo boy. Hatchlings visited from every region with their parents, and getting to talk about actually LIVING in the huge snail, these babies were like the kid that brings a puppy in to show and tell.

They even brought a heap of their new friends into Snastle’s nursery, (with permission of course, not even Squish would be that naughty. Well, she would, but Awwberry talked her out of it.) the visiting hatchlings got to meet and talk with the baby Snailiths, which was a great and enriching experience on both sides, and hearing about all the different lifestyles and regions greatly helped the baby Snailiths choose a form for their shells.

When they weren’t leading a merry band of visiting hatchlings on adventures through the chaos of the Festival, they enjoyed the stalls themselves. Squish set up a stall selling Snails she’d stolen from Indicolite’s stores of collected festival currency, until Hauynite caught her and she spent a whole day grounded, miserably watching the festival below from a window in the castle.Plumpkin ate so much festival food that his belly started rubbing on the ground when he walked, little stumpy legged fellow. Awwberry made a few new friends and managed to avoid the crowds, and she got a good chance to practice the breathing techniques Cymophane has been showing her to help deal with her anxiety. She did really well and she’s proud of herself. Funngi didn’t bite anyone, which is a win for all involved, Happley got to catch up with a few of her adult sisters from back home on The Cloudsong, who were thoroughly impressed. Passion painted a lot, and Adaubergine hung around Indicolite and helped run the numbers for the festival. Kiwhee and her Foo, Sashee, raced around meeting as many Talonok as she could, and had a very emotional reunion with her parents Daashik the Corven and Akree the Raptorik, who surprised her with a visit. Everyone cried, it was very beautiful. Daashik and Akree hadn’t visited before, but the Beastclan defenders managed to find thier flock at long last and invite them just in time. They’ve shared the location with Snastle and Howlite the navigator, and Kiwhee will be seeing a lot more of them in the future.(Thank you for asking!

[maned-cerdae]

hello hello yes ok unicorns.

This is a map of the current known wetland unicorn herds in the Viridian Labyrinth. The one almost smack dab in the middle is the one my unicorn Sianna is the leader of. Any other herds are either too small to truly be called a herd, or so well hidden no one has come across them yet.

Between poaching and the rate of cerdae births increasing, herds have shrunk dramatically in the last couple hundred years. Where there were once many giant herds that wandered the marshes of the Labyrinth, now only a few small herds still roam free. The remaining herds are either protected by something or someone powerful, like how Sianna’s is protected by the Mother and the nearby Fae, or incredibly hard to reach, like the herd on those two really tall islands on the far right. If you don’t have protection, you have to make it yourself, and easily defensible territory has become prime herd real estate. Between how the herds have been pushed apart and separated and poaching making it extremely risky to travel outside of territory you know is somewhat safe, herds have been almost completely cut off from one another. It’s reached a point where Sianna’s herd hasn’t interacted with other herds for so long they’ve near completely forgotten the proper way to greet a member of a different herd, as the unicorns have complicated rituals and stuff related to giving your name to others and stuff, which if I write about will be in a different post.

While quite a few different beastclans live nearby(centaurs, talonok, serthis, and then maren off the coast all live in or around where the remaining unicorn herds in the Labyrinth are), the beastclans are more focused on saving themselves from dragons than helping the unicorns. Except then if a herd works with dragons in order to protect themselves like Sianna’s has done, the beastclans who are at war with dragonkind obviously doesn’t want to help them even more. It sucks; it really, really sucks. That’s why the mossy cerdae info box mentions that some dragons wonder if the unicorns might be dying out. It’s because they are. In, oh, maybe a thousand years or so, they might just be part of a fairy tale mothers tell their hatchlings at night.

At the very least, wetland unicorns are dying out. Carrioncorns might be doing just swell as they run around in the Abiding Boneyard and dwarf unicorns will continue on as long as royal dragons like to breed them and show them off, as I headcanon dwarf unicorns are like the show dogs of FR, but without the usefulness of a dog. They’re the chihuahua of unicorns. Sorry Undel.

[amezrou]

Anomaly

"Wake up," someone hissed in Sebastian's ear, urgent and... frightened? He roused himself, lifting his head to look around. Clove was standing at his side--likely the one who'd woken him--with Ramedar and Tea close by, along with a few other dragons. The rest of the band, he supposed, the ones who he hadn't met yet. All of them looked... well, small, to put it bluntly. It didn't help that most of them were crouched down, clustered together. Then he noticed the trees. Not the broken ones laying on the ground from whatever had brought him to this place--the still-standing ones, across the clearing. They were shaking violently, like a storm wind was approaching... but the sky was clear. A low, soft sound reached him then. "Music?" he whispered, glancing down at the group. "It's... this isn't natural," Ramedar said, brisk despite her obvious nervousness. "I know what magical disasters feel like, I can sense when a catastrophe has recently occurred or will occur soon. But this... I've never felt anything like this." Sebastian's eyes widened. He didn't like the Pearlcatcher much, perhaps, but already he'd come to trust that she knew what she was talking about. And if even she had no clue what was going on.... Were they in serious trouble?

A disturbance near the trees caught Sebastian's gaze. Dark shapes fluttered around, darting up above the canopy, diving back down erratically. "What's that?" he muttered, coaxing his limbs forward. Tea swooped up from the ground, eyes narrowing as he watched. "Looks like some sort of fight, maybe? I'm pretty sure those're Talonok--too small for Harpies--but what are they after?" Talonok. Sebastian shivered at the mention of the winged Beastclan. He'd had a few run-ins with them before, in the body of his smaller, better, dragon form; most encounters had been... decent, but there'd been times where he had been lucky to get out unscathed. Still, though. His body was that of an Imperial's, tough and strong and huge, and surely that counted for something. And he was curious. Had these Talonok somehow made the trees shake so violently? Were they the cause of the unearthly music? "Well, let's go check it out," he said finally, relieved that his limbs seemed to be far more controllable than last night. "Tea, you with me?" The Nocturne hesitated, glancing back down at his group, then at the Beastclan fight, but eventually decided to perch on Sebastian's head. It took only a few minutes to reach the trees, and Sebastian cautiously made his way in, lamenting the loss of his slenderness and agility as he pushed through the undergrowth. The higher branches were whipped into a frenzy, lashing out every whichway, but underneath that chaos, nothing seemed odd or out of place. "Talonok!" he called out, scanning the gloom. "Did you cause this?" Heartbeats passed by, full of silence. Tea hunkered down a little more, digging into Sebastian's mane. "Talonok!" he tried again. "I saw your group above the tree line; I know you're somewhere in here! We just want to stop whatever these weird stuff is that's happening, I promise!" Eventually a shape fluttered out of the darkness, ghostly white. But... it wasn't a Talonok. Tea shifted position, leaning down to whisper "Fae" in Sebastian's ear. A dragon, then... the Talonoks' quarry, perhaps? Before Sebastian could speak, the little Fae darted over, wings flapping frantically, and shot onto the Imperial's head. The music picked up then, getting louder and louder--and more and more chaotic. Sebastian tilted his head, carefully, hoping to get an angle to see his second rider. "Who are you? Do you know what's going on?" The Fae hissed, "We need to get out of here. Now." Her paws tugged uselessly at his mane, as if he could be guided. Sebastian bristled, giving up on trying to see her--she sounded feminine, anyways. "Tell me what's going on first." "Oh, I can do that for you, Imperial," a voice seethed, and Sebastian once again felt a ripple of annoyance at being called what he wasn't. A single Talonok flew towards him, gripping daggers in their claws. "She's what made the trees move. She's upset our young and the Corven, with this... magic she has," they spat. "And so soon after the night of the eclipse, too." "Nothing would've happened if you hadn't started chasing me!" the Fae retorted, pulling harder at a lock of mane. "Your warriors were threatening to kill me!" "We protect our own," the Talonok snarled, lifting up a dagger. "We do what we must to survive, against you foul creatures." "Enough!" Tea broke in, slamming a paw down. Sebastian winced--did both of them really have to treat him so? "I understand your concerns, Talonok, but I'm sure this Fae meant no harm to you or your people. As for me and my friend, we only wanted to investigate the strange occurrence here. We will go in peace." "See that you do," they answered, glaring. "The little dragon may have been lucky enough to escape once, but she will not do so again. We will not show mercy to one whose magic disturbs our way of life." The Talonok swept back in the direction they'd come, calling out to their brethren. Sebastian huffed a sigh, edging backwards until he could easily turn around and return to the clearing. The music had quieted down, back to the soft tune he'd heard earlier, and the trees seemed to be calmer. The group gathered around him immediately, pestering the Fae with questions. "Leave her be," Tea commanded, but she protested, flying down into the group. "It's alright--I'll answer your questions and then be on my way. I was only passing through the area," she explained. "My name is Naomi, and yes, I was the one that affected the trees and made the music. Odd things often happen around me--I call them 'anomalies', and they get worse if, say, a group of Talonok wants me dead. But once I leave, things should go back to normal." She smiled, turning to Sebastian. "Thank you for saving me. I'll remember your help today." Tea called over a Nocturne, who flew off moments later to the small building that was the group's sleeping quarters. "I'll give you a gift, to keep you well-fed on your travels," he said, offering a hastily-wrapped parcel to her. She took it, turning it over in her hands. "Thank you!" she said, surprised. "I don't have far to go, but... this is nice. Thanks." She beat her wings, hard, soaring up into the sky. Sebastian watched her go, blowing a gentle stream of air her way to aid her ascent. As promised, the trees had entirely stilled. Sebastian mulled the experience over, wondering what about her made such anomalies... what magic caused them. He was sure Ramedar was probably thinking the same thing, probably wanting to analyze it all. Maybe they'd meet up again, some day--although hopefully under better circumstances.

Featuring Naomi of Clan Madrigal: http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&tab=userpage&id=353509

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Pages 11 and 12 of Travels with Talonok - [read more]

[samaralee-rising]

61, 71, 90?

Thanks for asking anon! These were fun to do, since I’ve never thought about any of these things for my clan! :D

61. Are there any rivals in your clan? Are theyfriendly rivals or bitter enemies?

           Ageric has a tendency to see anywarrior or fighter of any kind as a rival, though most generally don’t feel thesame towards him. He is always challenging the clan warriors to fights, despitehaving no formal training, and often challenges those who are considered thetop fighters in the clan. In this case, everyone including Ageric himselfconsiders these rivalries to be friendly, as it is well known that he challengesothers only to improve his own skills and learn from the best (although thatdoesn’t mean his constant attempts at duels are considered mildly annoying attimes)

           Zida and Joiera are considered byothers to be somewhere between friendly rivals and bitter enemies. Both withstrong, slightly aggressive, and take-no-shit-from-nobody kind of personalities,they easily get into arguments over things like battle strategies, sentryrotations, weapon or armor distribution, and training schedules. Despite thefrequent verbal fights, they have yet to get into any physical altercations andgenerally act amiably towards each other even after the whole clan has heard theirseveral very loud “discussions.”

           Few dragons within the clan are knownto be truly bitter enemies at the moment. However, Atlas has recently stoppedtalking entirely to one of the newer imperials of the Clan, Saithor. Althougheveryone knew the two imperials were never great friends, Atlas had alwaystreated him with respect and civility. But lately, Atlas seems to be activelyavoiding Saithor and even refuses to be in the same room as the youngerimperial. Saithor acts as if he hasn’t even noticed the change in his elder’sattitude, and acts rather confused whenever others point it out.

The rest is under the read-more, because apparently I don’t know how to shut up when I write haha

71. How are the Beast Clans seen in your clan?A nuisance? Trade partners? Servants?

           Livingin the Windswept Plateau, clans of Talonok can be found in abundance around theclan’s lairs. If for no other reason but necessity, both the Talonok and the clanhave developed a very stable relationship with each other.  Trade is frequent, and some dragons have becomesuch good friends with individual Talonok that they reside permanently in theirlair and considered part of the clan. There have been several times where onehas gone to the aid of the other when attacked by other Beast Clans or DragonClans. Talonok leaders frequently sit in on council meetings and groups of ambassadorTalonok often roam the main cities of the clan’s territory.

           Maren aren’t quite as friendly towardsthe clan as the Talonok, but neither are they enemies. Officially, the Marenclan leaders currently consider them “at peace” with one another, and mighttrade on occasion. However, there are some rogue groups of Maren who considerany dragon an enemy, and while they won’t leave the water to sabotage the clan,they may attack a lone dragon swimming too far from shore.

           The Longneck Clans, on the otherhand, are a completely different story. The clan suffers from Longneck attacksmore often than any other Beast Clans. Longnecks will ambush dragons travelingto and from the clan, attack lairs on the outskirts of the territory, and haveeven stolen eggs straight from their nests. They disrupt trade caravans, stealfrom gatherers, and destroyed many sentry towers on the clan’s borders. The clanhas tried to initiate trade every now and then, but the Longnecks seem to haveno interest in dealing with the dragons peacefully.  

90. How strict do your dragons stick to thebreed stereotypes? Flight Stereotypes?

           Very rarely do dragons stick tobreed stereotypes in my clan. Mostly ‘cause I can’t seem to remember what theyare and end up just doing whatever I feel like with them. I am far less likelyto stick to dragon breed stereotypes than I am to flight stereotypes. SometimesI seem to stick to some Flight stereotypes, but sometimes I don’t. It reallyall depends on what kind of feel I’m getting from the dragon, and theirpersonality just kind of develops from there.

[emordnilap-fr]

Age of Darkness

(1. Age of Prosperity) (2. Age of Fracturing) (3. Age of Turmoil)

Mmmm yeah kids it’s the fourth age now, an Even More Interesting™ (imo) age. And, it’s the age right before the current age, so it’s very very new stuff! **tiny warning: small nsfw reference, not much but i might as well mention it?

The Keepers - Vrensai The effects of the unseen magic around the clan began slowly at first. Tiny changes in behavior, some dragons becoming colder, or snappish, or gradually isolating themselves from others emotionally. Quiet manipulation of those close to them, nearly-unnoticeable changes in some dragons’ appearances, bouts of violence and anger. Most dragons brushed this off as stress from adjusting to the City, but eventually the events of the previous age couldn’t be to blame. Something was wrong, but it was too late to change anything.

Suddenly, the magic revealed itself in the form of possessing Zenturio and driving him mad, causing him to viciously attack fellow dragons (killing Geode in the process). He was imprisoned in the sewers under the City as had been done with Oceana, where he’d be left to descend further into madness. With this development, the clan realised that the “magic” in the clan was, in fact, the Shade. It didn’t take long for deep divides to form after this realisation, as the Shade started taking further control of the dragons affected by Its presence.

Sunset, a highly-affected dragon, drastically changed the clan’s government. The Sects were disbanded and Eiszapfen was removed as Sunset’s advisor, as she made herself the monarch of the clan. She very quickly lost the support of the unaffected dragons, while those Shade-touched dragons now held her in the highest regard. Feuerstern, previously a priest for the clan, became the Shade’s voice, allowing It to use the imperial to preach to the Shade-touched dragons and intensify It’s influence. Eventually, he would take Eiszapfen’s place as Sunset’s advisor. Tension between Sunset and Flechte escalates to the point of violence at times, the two no longer being mates. Sunset and Feuerstern become mates soon after.

Oceana, trapped under the City, becomes Shade-touched herself. Her broken mind is easily controlled by It, and It begins to mutate her body, but her imprisonment restricts her. All she can do is wordlessly call and roar and cry out from her cell. Zenturio had always been Shade-touched, but managed to stay out of Its control until now. It mutates his body as well, though far more drastically than Oceana.

Wren has been living in the shrouded ruins around the clan, where she has indeed be touched by the Shade. However, she can avoid Its influence and instead channels It for her own use. She begins to act as a guardian angel of sorts to the clan, guiding dragons back to the clan and killing the Shade-mutated creatures out hidden in the shadows. Her use of the Shade heavily changes her appearance, and she continues to mutate the more she uses It. 

Fizz tries to find an old friend who’d gone missing, but ended up being caught by a Shade-mutated skydancer. Wren managed to kill the creature and took Fizz under her wing, teaching the fae how to use the Shade without corruption. Fizz undergoes an accidental breed change, while the Shade alters her colors and mutates her. The two continue to act as guardian angels.

The clan’s market area is bustling, and the clan’s wealth grows immensely. The merchants keep a larger portion for themselves than before, while Sunset keeps the rest of the wealth for her own use (”for the clan”). Food is only slightly less scarce. While outsiders are around, the division between dragons are hidden, but outside of the market, tension an hatred grows. Many times, it leads to outright violence. No nests are laid during this age.

Sunset breaks all alliances with other clans, dragon and Beastclan alike. While enemies within the clan are everywhere, outside of the clan, the only enemies are the mutated creatures around their area of settlement. The name of the clan is changed to Vrensai, and the clan’s official symbol is altered.

As time progresses, there becomes a clear divide between “factions”. The corrupted clan members are loyal to Sunset and Feuerstern, while those not corrupted have either become loners (such as Mangrove) or have secretly begun to support Eiszapfen. Uncorrupted dragons plan a coup d’etat of sorts, and some pretend to be corrupted to avoid suspicion. Maelstrom is among these dragons.

Near the end of this age, Flechte, Spiegel, Chance, Feuer, Lehrer, and Soleil are imprisoned in the large communal workshop building, largely out of Sunset’s contempt for Flechte but unwillingness to kill him or allow him any chance to leave the clan. Most of the other industrial workers were imprisoned simply due to the fact that, well, they were in the building. They can still be of use, however, in the form of being made to build things. Maelstrom guards the building. Seven is kept inside as well by Maelstrom, though this is meant to keep her safe.

The Shade is not content; It wants full control over the clan. Sunset’s faction support this. Eiszapfen’s faction plans to revolt. Tension and violence rules. Now, this can’t end well, can it... 

The Enclave

During this age is when the Enclave earns most of its infamy. They carry out operations all around Sornieth, though they remain based in the Shadowbinder’s Forum. What started as a drug ring has grown to include mercenary work, prostitution, mass gambling, organised thieving, and extortion, among things. Allies can be assured safety, while enemies of the Enclave will surely have Hell to pay.

During the previous age, several members of the Enclave left the organisation. This age brings a few new faces to the ring: Stolz, Sucht, and Thebain. The arrival of dragons unaffiliated with the Keepers/Vrensai encouraged the old members, so sure of themselves that they were indeed the best illicit organisation on the continent.

They grow stronger.

The Gravewatchers

Theta is less a leader or ruler, and more simply a kind source of unity. He helps the dragons who’ve come with him deal with their problems, and keeps them all together. The hope that the Keepers would eventually return was a uniting thought among them.

The local Talonok are still a severe problem for the Gravewatchers. Luckily, Bast, Shadow, and a few other fighters could manage to keep them at bay. It was difficult work... but they managed. Void is... occasionally an issue, though she tends to keep herself in the area on the other side of the old lair. Run-ins are relatively rare.

Small-scale trade with other nearby clans helps this clan hold a small amount of wealth. They remain allied with the Secrets. Food is not an issue, though despite a surplus, no new dragons have joined the clan. (Although there have been sightings of, seemingly, a ghost...) Overall, they’re doing well to sustain themselves.

Geheimnisvoll

Nothing much happens with the clan aside from the joining of Entropy and Manganate. They’re all bitches engaging in illicit activities and doing research. They do a small amount of specialised trade.

Loners

Well... nothing much happens with these guys. There’s a few notable dragons who have or eventually will cross paths with other loners or clans: Valkyrie and Kriegsflotte (two pirates in rival ships), Relay and Jetta (time-travelling Shade-hunters), Heilig (paladin of the Arcanist), and Glory (a lone assassin). 

Side notes!  - i was/am listening to history of the entire world i guess on loop while writing this. it will haunt my dreams. it looped at least 15 times. help.  - ehehEHEHEHE NEXT AGE IS THE CURRENT AGE  - i edited the previous post but i’ll put it as a note here too: the clans are nocturnal! (aside from some loners and Geheimnisvoll) aside from some “daybirds” (like “night owls”), guards, and merchants, the dragons sleep during the day.  - i don’t think i explained something else about the previous post: the toolti for Dayglo Thresh say: “this plant flares to a brilliant glow when magics are worked in its vicinity.” this alludes to the Shade!  - this thing’s like... 1.3k words. end me.   - let me know if something doesn’t make sense or if you have a question! i don’t proofread these, and i’m not usually the best at explaining things ;o;

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Title Page, Pages 1 and 2 of Travels with Talonok - [read more]

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