Creative Corner

Deep within the Tangled Wood lay a clan made purely of Fae. At its start, it was a union between a Guardian and a Fae. Now it is under the rule of one Fae, the matriarch of the clan and its frightening leader.

Created on the sixth day of the second month of the fourth year...

These are their stories: http://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/2035415

What lies below...are their very lives...

[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=20835115] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/208352/20835115_350.png[/img] [/url] Manic, the matriarch and undisputed leader of the lair, mate of King and mother of many. At the beginning, Manic was good and kind. She befriended outsiders and brought in young dragons from the Auction House and beyond to make a family. She and King, her loyal Guardian mate, were very happy. They even had their first nest on the way. Then, two days before the nest would hatch, Manic was struck by a terrible darkness and fell ill. Her mind splintered and her heart shattered. She became corrupt, driven to purification. Fae were the epitome of goodness while other dragons represented destruction. She had to remove them all! She began to lash out at Nara and her mate, to the other non-Fae dragons in her clan. When her nest hatched, two were Fae and one was a Guardian. Manic, driven made by the supposed corruption of her very bloodline, brutally attacked the helpless Guardian hatchling in front of his siblings. King managed to pull her away and cast the hatchling out to the care of friends ( @animatedrose ). As the months went by, her obsession grew. Manic began to learn alchemy and learned of the existence of magical scrolls that could change a dragon's breed. Using these, she turned many of her non-Fae clanmates into Fae against their will. Nara fled in terror, as did Aphrodite. Many other newcomers, blinded by Manic's sweet demeanor, lost their true selves forever through her trickery. Even helpless hatchlings, fresh from scavenged eggs, were not exempt from this manipulation. Even King, her precious mate, could not escape. Despite Manic's madness, her mate remains by her side. This angers her and she moodily swings between loving him and hating him. Regardless, they still continue to lay nests and raise hatchlings together. Manic is also the sacrifice maker, the lone guardian of the Soul Tree. The Soul Tree lies deep within the Tangled Wood and lives off of the lives of dragons sacrificed to it. These dragons do not die. They are absorbed into the Soul Tree, their souls trapped and providing a brilliant fire that lets the Soul Tree be seen for miles in the dark forest. This task is why Manic is most feared for in her clan. Any hatchlings born to a nest in their clan is destined to encounter this fate. Even her own hatchlings are not safe. Manic sees this sacrifice as good, for she will never let any of her precious clanmates free from her grasp. This act of hers is in direct defiance of the Shadowbinder, the deity that gave her life so long ago. Thus far, the Shadowbinder has made no move to punish Manic for her crimes... Manic currently focuses her efforts in alchemy and battling in the Coliseum. In her nearly one year of life, she has raised twenty-nine biological children, all to King. Every member of the clan has been recruited or rescued by her in some manner or form. Her favorite child is AngelOfDeath.

[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=20835117] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/208352/20835117_350.png[/img] [/url] King, the patriarch and overall guardian of the clan, mate of Manic and father to many. King was originally a Guardian, roaming the Tangled Wood aimlessly as he searched for a purpose. He encountered Manic and they fell in love, settling down to raise a family. King never argued against the many homeless Fae hatchlings that Manic brought home during their first few days. He was grateful to have Nara around to help him raise the mass amounts of newborns that Manic brought home. He didn't notice Manic's change in behavior until their first nest hatched. King was proud to see a Guardian among the hatchlings. He was horrified when Manic brutally attacked the hatchling and proceeded to drag his mate away from the area. When he returned, he was sad to hear that his only Guardian child had fled for the safety of a friend's ( @animatedrose ) to avoid Manic. Things went downhill from there. King rapidly found his role changing from loyal mate to desperate guardian, his loyalty shifting from his mate to the rest of the clan. It was he that urged Nara and Aphrodite to flee when Manic came with breed-change scrolls. It was he who desperately fought his mate tooth and nail that day when their clan became purely Fae. In the end, he surrendered to the change...but his spirit remained Guardian and he accepted that role fully. King's main jobs include keeping Manic occupied, caring for their clanmates, and trying to hide hatchlings from the Soul Tree. So far, only one attempt succeeded in young Gloria. The rest have been failures. The rest of the clan hold favorable loyalty to him and he is seen as the last hope for freedom from Manic. He is seen as a father figure to Petunia.

[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=17272526] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/172726/17272526_350.png[/img] [/url] Jet, a child born to the @animatedrose clan, son of Basil and Oceania. Jet was born five months before the creation of the @ManicMagistrate clan, one of three born in his nest. Upon the meeting of his clan leader with Manic and King, the rambunctious youth decided to move lairs. He left his mate Holly and three children behind in pursuit of what he decided must be freedom from the oppressing rules of his birth clan. Later he would tempt his friends, Rusty and Claude, to join him in Manic's clan. He would quickly come to regret his choice. Manic showed no mercy to anyone in her lair when she darkened, even striking out at Jet. Jet, valiant as he was, cowered beneath her might. He suddenly longed for home, for the oppression beneath Mossbeard and his parents. But there was no escape for him. He soon fell for Shade, a pretty young Fae that had been taken in shortly after the clan's creation. They became mates and have reared two nests together. Despite their harrowing matriarch and the life they must endure, Jet stays loyal to Shade and has yet to attempt escape from the lair. He will not leave without her by his side. A month after he joined the lair, his father came seeking him out. There had been no communication and the bond between their clans was strained. Basil quickly was captured and submitted to Manic. He chose to stay, sending his farwells to Oceania and remaining near his son. Jet was grateful for the company and his hatred of Manic only grew from this act. Unfortunately, Jet was the first victim of AngelOfDeath's flirtatious nesting habits once she was grown. He fell for her spell and was left alone with a nest of three young Fae. Though Jet wanted to, he could not hate these hatchlings. He wanted to protect them. Manic could not be convinced to spare them and all three were sent to the Soul Tree when they were grown. Jet focuses mainly on avoiding AngelOfDeath, warning his fellow men of her acts, and planning out a future with Shade. He is willing to run home if need be. He is glad for the support of his father and mate. He wants to live a life where his progeny will not need to fear being sacrificed for a deranged Fae's urge to control everything.

[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=20721753] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/207218/20721753_350.png[/img] [/url] Shade, Jet's mate and the first newborn hatchling to join the lair from the Auction House. Shade was a newborn when she met Manic and King. She was in the Auction House, waiting to be sold for 5000 treasure. Manic, sweet and kind still, took the hatchling in without much thought. Shade did not complain. She just wanted a home. She became fond of Jet shortly after meeting him, despite the age difference. When she was grown, they became mates and reared a nest of four hatchlings together. She was happy. She was loved. Then Manic became cruel and violent. The matriarch ripped Shade's children from her, casting them into the Soul Tree. Shade was devastated and withdrew for a long time. Even Jet could not reach her. That is when Chamo moved in. He promised he could make her happy, drive away Manic, keep her future young safe. Shade, desperate, believed him. They had a nest together...and Chamo left for the nest heartbroken girl in the clan. Shade soon realized that an identical trap was played on Jet and she grew to hate AngelOfDeath and Chamo. She swore never to fall for their whims. She accepted the fact that she could not keep any children she hatched in this lair. In this environment, there can be no happy endings. So she is working with Jet and Basil to devise a grand escape. Her primary hope lays in King finally rising up against Manic but as time passed, that hope began to dwindle... Shade performs mostly reconnaissance between Coliseum bouts. She seeks and reports any information she finds back to Basil, hoping to find alternative ways to leave the clan should King fail. She is prepared for a grand escape, even if it's just to Jet's birth clan. At this point, she'll take anything that isn't Manic.

[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=20765950] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/207660/20765950_350.png[/img] [/url] Granite, the second hatchling to join Manic's lair from the Auction House. Granite was a newborn being sold at the Auction House for 500 treasure. As she did for Shade, Manic plucked him up and took him home without much pre-planning. Granite was content with this. Anything that wasn't the noisy Auction House block. As long as he had space to stretch his wings and play, he didn't care where it was. He quickly learned to care when Manic changed. Unlike most members of the clan, Granite has had it easy. He took an obvious path for his situation--he simply never took a mate. That way, he'd never have to deal with the heartbreak that many others suffered from when Manic threw the ensuing hatchlings into the Soul Tree. AngelOfDeath attempted to change this, bearing a nest with him due to her flirtatious magic. Granite, once he recovered, withdrew from the nest. He would not be swayed or emotionally controlled like that. He rejected the two hatchlings and forced himself to abandon them. He was disgusted when King took them in his stead, naming and raising them. Granite denied feeling any pain or sadness when Manic took the duo away to the Soul Tree. Granite remains alone, rarely interacting with other clan members. He sees no real exit and has chosen to play the endurance game. The Coliseum is a good time waster, granted. This doesn't stop him from listening in, from gleaning info when he sees King and the others speak privately. His coloring is good for camouflage and nobody is ever the wiser from his eavesdropping.

[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=20726206] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/207263/20726206_350.png[/img] [/url] Val, the third hatchling to join Manic's lair from the Auction House. Like Shade and Granite, Val too was being sold at the Auction House when she encountered Manic. The white Fae paid the 5000 treasure to purchase Val and brought her home with the rest. Val was happy, eager to earn the love of somebody. She didn't want to go back to the Auction House. She did not understand why her parents sent her there to begin with. Manic's change in behavior was like a stab in the back to Val, who had loved and adored her mother figure. Val withdrew from her and for many months, she kept to herself. That changed six months later with Rich joined the clan and wooed her. Rich drew Val from her hidey hole and brought her back to life with smiles and bountiful play. In all the darkness around her, Rich was like a beacon of sunshine. Val did not want to lose that sunshine. She and Rich became mates and had a nest with two children in it. Despite their knowledge of the Soul Tree, they risked it anyways. They had hoped King would step in and defend them. They were wrong. Their children paid the price. Val withdrew again before being drawn out by the sly Chamo, promising her safety and happiness. She bought into it, deaf to Shade's cries. Val was quickly left alone with four young hatchlings, abandoned to relive the horrors of her losing her hatchlings. Or she would've been, had she not been so clever. Val knew what was coming. She knew what to do. She could not do much but information held power. She warned her hatchlings, told them what to expect when Manic came for them. Her young learned to support and defend each other. And when Manic came home that glorious day, cursing and spitting about one escaping her, Val was forever pleased. Her daughter Gloria had escaped, forever free from Manic's hold. Val plans to continue this trend. She will warn her future progeny. She will train them. And when the times comes, her hatchlings will spring free of this trap of a lair. She will not submit. She will not lose anymore. If she cannot be free, then she will ensure her children's freedom. Manic cannot hope to stop her.

[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=20723011] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/207231/20723011_350.png[/img] [/url] Crescent, the fourth hatchling to join Manic's lair from the Auction House. Crescent was a clever hatchling, exceptionally bright for her age. She knew the ins and outs of being purchased. Whether that had a hand in Manic's decision to bring her home, Crescent would tell you yes. In reality, it probably did not. Manic would've brought her home regardless, were she 5000 treasure or not. Crescent was the first to spot the signs of Manic's rapid descent, though she could not tell you how it happened. Only that Manic seemed more focused on their non-Fae clanmates suddenly. That Manic had grown more distant, more cold. That Manic's eyes suddenly seemed much harder, her stance rigid, her wings flared perpetually in dominance. If Crescent were older and stronger, perhaps she could've done something to prevent it all. Would she have succeeded? Probably not. Much like Granite, Crescent withdrew from the urge to mate and bear young. She resisted the call of the Nesting Grounds. She lived a solitary life, occasionally accompanying Granite in his seclusion. Was there the potential for romance there with them? Crescent would say no, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach. When Chamo arrived and began wooing females with his lies, Crescent ignored him at first. Then she grew curious. The butterflies had been talking. She took Chamo on, knowing what to expect. She knew what the end result would be. And she still did it. Her two daughters went to the Soul Tree, as every other hatchling born in the lair did. Crescent did not mourn externally. She accompanied Granite and watched as the violence in Manic only escalated as time went on. She waited to see if King would ever defy her enough to warrant complete destruction, whether of Manic, of himself, or of them both. Crescent plays the role of silent observer. She is a distant, cold figure of apathy. She serves as a shadow for Granite, watching and waiting for the future to unfold. Whether in freedom or destruction, Crescent will not fight. She cannot. The butterflies tell her to wait for Granite. Wait for what, Crescent does not know. But she waits for Granite and hopes that is the right choice.

[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=20497627] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/204977/20497627_350.png[/img] [/url] Nara, the first and only Imperial to join the clan at its very start, also among the first to leave the clan. She was present in the clan after Jet but before the Auction House hatchlings were brought in. She was gained from a lair looking to lessen its numbers. Manic took Nara in exchange for 1 treasure. Though King was wary of her at first, Nara proved her passiveness and was soon welcomed warmly by the patriarch. She quickly became the clan babysitter, watching over the Fae hatchlings while Manic and King were out and about. Nara was among the first of Manic's victims. She was hounded relentlessly for her size and breed by the ruthless white Fae. Nara was confused and afraid for a long time, trying to keep little Ash out of harm's way. She did not understand why Manic had suddenly changed. She kept herself busy with babysitting and fighting in the Coliseum, trying to stay out of the matriarch's way. Not even two weeks later, Nara saw an escape. She fled from the clan during a visit by a clan that had befriended Manic ( @animatedrose ) and returned to Arcane territory with them. She feels guilty for leaving everyone else behind, but the fear was too much and she needed to leave the clan ASAP. She dared not look back for fear of being pulled back to Manic and her madness. Nara soon met and fell in love with a Spiral named Ciel. They have currently clutched many nests of eggs together. None of the hatchlings know about Nara's previous clan or her nervous fear-fueled defense tendencies. Though she wishes to return to the Coliseum one day and get stronger, the memories of her time doing so with King and Manic make her nervous. She hopes frequently for King and the others' safety. She is the denier, the hider. She does not wish to go back...

[url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=20569687] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/205697/20569687_350.png[/img] [/url] Depth, a hatchling that joined the clan from a fellow lair in exchange for 10 treasure. Depth was no older than the other hatchling Fae when Manic took him in. He did not complain and was a truly quiet young dragon. He certainly was not mute. He just had little to say. This made most forget about him. But not King. King never forgot him. On scavenging trips, Depth would go with the patriarch and learn how to survive. Depth liked his new father figure. King was a very king Guardian. Manic's suddenly behavioral change was devastating. King and Manic had loved each other. Now all Manic did was attack and abuse her mate. Depth did not understand. He wanted it to stop. He wanted the happy mates he'd been brought home by. It only got worse when Manic brought home those horrible breed change scrolls. Watching his father figure twist and change from a mighty Guardian to a tiny Fae hurt Depth inside. He had taken comfort from his much larger father. Now that comfort was gone, robbed by his crazed mother figure. The sight of the Soul Tree made Depth swear off of nesting. He followed Granite's footsteps in that. ...Or tried to... AngelOfDeath is a crafty Fae. She tempted Depth with her magic and bore a nest with him containing three lovely hatchlings. Depth loved them despite the circumstances. He tried to fight Manic when she came to take them away from him. Depth lost horribly. His children were taken and sacrificed in front of him. Bitter and angry, he withdrew completely from his mother figure. He fell into supporting King and their allies. He works with Shade in search of escape routes, though he mostly focuses on watching Manic, scoping out her weak points. If King cannot land the finishing blow on her, then Depth will be too happy to do it himself.