Ampulex
The Secret-Seer
For @
Hideki
"In my life, I have met many a scholar focused upon the ancient and arcane. Very few were not mad. I can see that this small thing here is one of the countless gatekeepers to madness."
-
Sovri, King of Cursed Light
Dawn
Ampulex and
his sister were born on the dawn of the Brightshine Jubilee, in the month which marked the waxing of the Lightweaver's power. It was no coincidence, and
their father did his best to ensure that as much light as he could gather would be poured into the two small, red-eyed hatchlings. Ritual objects, tablets, and sacred marks all laid out and upon the makeshift nest which Sahko had prepared, and their first sight was that of the glittering and vibrant dawn which pierced the miasma of gases and cloud cover around the Wyrmwound stronghold.
To call Sahko a father, however, is something of a mistake. A mistake which both Amp and Isma made. He was first and foremost, a researcher on elemental origins and interactions, and the two children which were inflicted upon him by his prime research subject were no more than extended experiments. Fitting he thought, for Light is bound up in the pursuit of truth and knowledge. Those scholars in their marble halls might not feel the same way about his work.
The birth, though, was the last experience they were allotted with the sunlight. They soon accompanied Sahko back into the depths of his lab in the cliffs of rotrock, and all three were not seen by anyone for a very long time.
Far-Seeing
Sahko became obsessed with the notion of sight, spurred on by the strange revelations offered to him by his subject
Amanita, and the gift she had granted him in her children. To unlock this would grant him a deeper understanding of the fundamental nature of creation, some sliver of which was embedded in Amanita's bloodline. Echoes of Outsiders, which might observe in fullness the creation of this realm and others, simply by virtue of having taken a step back.
Ampulex and Ismarinae were subject to his meddling, as he sought to unlock these secrets. Ampulex found his head slowly filled with all manner of madness and visions and otherworldly voices. Isma sat by and watched her brother's descent. As she observed, she knew he was a willing participant, but only because he had fooled himself into loving the spiral dragon as a father. For a time she had felt that way too, but her love dried up as she witnessed her brother's madness bloom into a wicked flower. She instead turned to the visions they had for her own answers and found them.
She reached out to her brother and, as Sahko was working, turned Ampulex's madness upon the arcane dragon. If the far-seeing was what he sought, then he could have it. Carefully she plucked her eyes from her own head and set them upon Sahko's scales, then did the same with her brothers. But these, not true eyes, but ideas, and ideas she had plenty. So once her brothers were in place, she removed another set of eyes from herself and laid them down again. That is what the visions taught her to do. The world was no more than an idea, and she could make those ideas real.
She showed her brother, and once he learned it, he repeated the action himself, still, Sahko's wings were laden with these eyes, like crimson drops of dew, or decorative rubies. These crystallized into a glittering purple-pink after a few moments. With each placed idea, Ampulex was able to rid himself of another facet of madness which had been inflicted upon him, and set it instead upon Sahko, until eventually the dragon was disabled by their work. Isma would have gone further and driven Sahko into truer madness, but, Amp stopped her, still having felt no ire for his father, and still not drained of love for him. Still, Amp knew they couldn't remain here any longer, and now would be their only chance to slip away.
Flight
The pair fled largely unchallenged by anyone within the winding lair under Rotrock, nor by anyone in Clifftown. This because no alarm had been raised, and no one would be checking on Sahko anytime soon.
When they reached the outer territory, they encountered a
strange eldritch spiral. It was faceless, having nothing more than a bared skull there, and ancient weapons were embedded along its length, courtesy of the local beast clan. It did not speak, but rather, seemed to sing and whisper. Isma went to follow it, but Ampulex could feel something ruinous in that path, and he wanted little to do with that creature. The two argued and fought. Isma could not believe that her brother wouldn't trust her, after she had saved him and secured their freedom. And this spiral was clearly a friend. It would help them and they had nowhere else to turn. More than anything though, she was hurt by the lack of trust, and in her anger, she left her brother alone in the wasteland. She regretted the decision quickly, but when she returned to search for him, she could no longer find him.
Caged by Beasts
Ampulex had set to wandering, but not too far. He had, after all, no destination in mind, and was thinking that he had perhaps been foolish to turn away from the aid that had been offered. The tiny fae could hardly have been considered an adult and had no skills with which to survive, and though no one ever told him, he had the idea that this was a very poor thing for a Plague dragon to suffer.
He was, therefore, an easy target for the small beast clan raiding party which spotted him in the distance. Dragons were if handled carefully, very valuable acquisitions. For this group, Ampulex was valuable indeed, as a strange shade-touched cult paid handsomely for him in the following week.
Once again, Ampulex was captive and at the mercy of those who would use him. His treatment at the hands of this shade-touched beastclan cult finally allowed him to see the abuses of his father for what they had been. It had not really been so different there than it was here. But, it still could not stop him from loving his father, or even from being able to accept that Sahko had been no father at all.
But Ampulex felt no inclination towards mercy when the encampment which he was captive was attacked and razed.
Clan Refugiu
Ampulex was released from captivity by a patrol from Clan Refugiu, in whose territory the cult had the misfortune of settling. Though it was
Lon'Qu who broke the cage, and for whom Ampulex felt an immediate and overwhelming gratitude and affection. From between the legs of the imposing and armored ridgeback came
Aedinious who quickly and gently set to looking the fae over for injuries, of which there were only a few. Amp's injuries may have been numerous and deep, but they were, for the most part, the sort that cannot be seen. The two of them had already laid the plan to take the little dragon back home with them and were therefore surprised when an objection was raised by the mystic which accompanied the group.
Lunar spoke low and quiet of the little fae's unsettling nature, an aura of some dark unknown taint. He was wrapped in an unclean shadow with countless eyes. Taking that little fae in would be to invite something else along as well. Something with very keen vision. Aedinius dismissed his concerns. "This entire land is unclean and filthy, in multiple ways."
Amuplex felt his heart sink. He did not want to be left behind. He did not think there was anything so wrong with him. He had beaten and survived so much. He wanted to raise a word in his defense, but the sight of a fourth dragon closed tight his throat.
Adaeghor had slid around from behind the mystic and was looking at Ampulex. A black spiral, whose wings were adorned with a thousand cursed eyes, just like the ones he and his sister had set upon their father. Red eyes. Ampulex choked on regret like vomit. He wanted to go home. He could hear the others were still talking, but he didn't catch any of their words.
Adaeghor spoke then, cutting through the conversation. Adaeghor's mouth never moved, but Ampulex had grown up hearing voices in his head and was not surprised by this. Indeed, it didn't seem all that odd to him. "We should not bring him home." The words cut at the little fae. He wanted to be angry for being so judged, but he couldn't quite manage it. It was probably what he deserved.
Aedinius put an end to the argument, invoking
Shikai's name to do so. Shikai would be unlikely to accept their decision to abandon a dragon in the ruins of the beast clan camp or the wastelands, and some punishment would surely befall them for such a disgraceful action.
Amp stayed very near to Lon'Qu as the group returned home and brought him into their clan.
