Adrika
Queen of Clan Yonder/Head of the Council of Twelve
Subclan: Clan Yonder
Subclan: Clan Yonder
A beautiful queen, in all her splendor
solemn and wise, yet kind and tender
in spite of all the blood that's been spilled
and friends she's seen killed
she remains steadfast and just
and one day far away when she's gone
and even her crown has begun to rust
they'll still remember her name
the queen that conquered with wits and not fang
and they'll quietly ponder
if there'll ever be a better Queen
than Adrika who ruled over Clan Yonder.
-Written by Celesol (#164375)
solemn and wise, yet kind and tender
in spite of all the blood that's been spilled
and friends she's seen killed
she remains steadfast and just
and one day far away when she's gone
and even her crown has begun to rust
they'll still remember her name
the queen that conquered with wits and not fang
and they'll quietly ponder
if there'll ever be a better Queen
than Adrika who ruled over Clan Yonder.
-Written by Celesol (#164375)
Adrika was born into chaos. Azra had recently taken over Clan Yonder and was turning everything on its head. The moment she could walk and fly, she was assimilated into her brutal training program. She was the only one of her siblings to pass the testing, the others were forced to leave and were left for dead.
She began to form close ties with the other Azra trained warriors, whom she had been training alongside since childhood. These dragons included Carmen, Raven, Cody, Cawthorne and Oriso. As her grandmother's disappearance and her uncle's death had caused great rifts in the family, she didn't spend much time with her cousin, Faran. Little did she know he too was being trained, but for a different purpose.
Though she was one of the strongest warriors in the clan after Azra's training, things were difficult, and not without loss. Oriso and Cody were killed when battling each other in a training session, and it was Adrika who watched Raven fall apart from losing her brother. She saw the suffering of her clanmates, and all the hatchlings that went out for testing and never came back. Some, she hoped, survived to find new clans.
One day, however, everything changed. Her grandmother, Fenn, was rescued and returned, and a rebellion sparked. It took Adrika by surprise. Azra's reign was all she had ever known, and she had not been included in the rebellion. Still, seeing her clanmates' bravery, she knew what side to fight on. She betrayed Azra and fought against her and the Death Howlers who backed her up. It was a fearsome and difficult battle, but the rebellion succeeded.
Though they had achieved their goal, the cost was great. Everything was destroyed, not a single structure was left intact. Many dragons died fighting, including Adrika's own mother. The dragons that survived were disheartened and broken, despite their victory, at what Clan Yonder had become and at all they had lost. Many dragons left the clan, unable to stay in the place that had caused them so much pain. Adrika watched them go.
It was the leaving of Faran and Raven that affected her most in the mass exodus from Clan Yonder. Raven, because she was one of the few friends she had left, and after losing so much. It was hard to watch another friend go. Faran, because though she did not know her cousin well, he had been the symbol of the revolution set up to be king as the rightful heir. With him leaving, Adrika was next in line.
She accepted her role as queen, and immediately set to work fixing the clan she loved. She had not been alive when Fenn was ruling, but she had heard talk of what the clan had been like before Azra, and she strove to re-achieve that ideal. She also desired to make the clan stronger and more secure so that nothing like Azra's reign could happen ever again. One of her methods for doing this was to create the Council of Twelve, a council which included the current leader and a representative from each flight. The purpose of the Council was simple: limit the power of the leader and ensure the wellbeing of every dragon in the clan. Though she chose not to revoke the tradition of heirs, she also wanted to make sure the Council could disband a leader that was unsuitable for the throne.
Though she was very young when she took on leadership, she quickly became a well loved and respected leader. She hopes that in the years to come, even after she no longer holds her position, that her time as Queen of Clan Yonder leaves a benevolent mark on the clan. Little does she know that she has become one of the most influential leaders of the clan, in the past, present and future.
Of her close group of friends, only Carmen and Cawthorne remain. What they have been through has created a bond that will never be broken. Carmen helps her out in any way she can, and to this day is the dragon Adrika considers her best friend. Cawthorne travels often, but he has unwavering loyalty to Adrika and Clan Yonder, and he has become her mate.