OCs and Fandragons are NOT part of this lore.
'A Safe Haven for all creatures of Sornieth'.
That is the message Juniper and Eurydice wanted to convey when they settled in the verdant embrace of the Behemoth. Labelled for its abundance of allusions to literature and other media and established by the naming of the Custom Progen, The Lair of Many References is located close to one of the many Behemoth roots on the very edge of the forested area. For the most part, their vision has come true. Many dragons from every corner of the Great Land have come to find solace and hope under the watchful eye of the Gladekeeper. There is no flight discrimination, and they are not pressured to find mates or produce offspring. It is a perfect utopia.
Of course, like many things in life, their world is not without conflict. Alduin has made this, and his intentions, perfectly clear. Named after the World Eater, the young Guardian male came to the Lair of Many References not long after it was set up. He was a child then, young, innocent, full of curiousity for the world around him. He had not had the best start in life- Juniper had found him in a subsection of the Auction House where fodder resided. The intelligent little thing managed to persuade the Fae to adopt him and take him home with relative ease. This was only the first of many red flags. Eurydice knew though. She prided herself on her judgement of character, if overly so to the point of cold indifference. She could tell that this small hatchling, barely bigger than Juniper, was trouble. Nevertheless, she would give him a chance. Juniper was her Mate and her Charge and he was still getting to grips with his responsibilities. They needed the members too. Despite this, Alduin was always surprising his elders. Some of the things he talked about were far, far too close to questioning how and why the deities existed.
When the time came for Ceres to take up the position of storyteller, Alduin was assigned to her as an apprentice. By this time, he had grown enormous in body and in mind, and his voice danced on the wind like silk. Eurydice thought this would curtail his charm and his...heretical turns of phrase. It served only to draw the Guardian deeper into lore and mythos. He devoured book after book with his eyes, memorising long passages and talking avidly with Ceres about it. The old Snapper merely smiled. It was rare to see the young take such an interest in literature past hatchlinghood.
It was around the time that Maat was born to Juniper and Eurydice that Alduin first discovered information about the Shade. It intrigued him, reading about the writhing mass of tendrils and darkness that once sought to engulf the land. And the more he read, the more he questioned why his old deity, the Shadowbinder, was distressed by it at all. After all, her element was shadow, shouldn't she have found kindship with the Shade? It was all very...interesting. He brought this up with Ceres, but the Snapper would hear none of it. She had so wanted him to stay away from the temptation of reading more about the Shade, but she could not stop him. He would convince her that he was into other things, and she made no moves to check on him.
As time progressed in the Lair of Many References, Alduin took to hiding himself away more and more at the fringes, near to the dwelling of Belladonna (the clan witch) and her daughter Amara. Amara was the Shadow Representative for the clan, given her affinity with the darker magics and the resistance to them she carried in her bloodline. Alduin begged her to impart her knowledge, but the Skydancer remained hesitant even after he tried to charm her. In retaliation, Alduin destroyed her private library and stole some of the books that contained darker themes. It was from these tomes that he developed his skills in manipulation, casting implicit spells with the words he spoke to gain any dragon's sympathy. Slowly, quietly, Alduin began to become more sinister. He mentally tortured his mate, a ridgeback named Ariadne, to test the waters of his new abilities. When she had fled his influence, muted and scarred, he found it easy to manipulate Zinnia, a much younger Ridgeback, into falling for him head over heels. When the THING known only as Contagion was not swayed to his side by his silver tongue, Alduin devoted himself to the Shade, finding it easier to worship a monster than any of the so-called gods. They may have made the land, but it was about time they learned how easily their society could crumble. It wouldn't take a monster to do that. As such, he dressed in his shadowy finery...and plotted.
However, Alduin's vision would never come to fruition. Maat grew up, learned in the ways of Lair lore, and condemned him to imprisonment following a vicious attempted coup by the Guardian. The key player in his downfall was a Fae named Brisby- she withstood his persuasive magic through sheer wit and determination, and whilst they were engaged in verbal warfare the warriors not hypnotised managed to corner and subdue him. Eurydice was not surprised by his fall into darkness and had the Ridgebacks Achilles and Larimar seal Alduin away in a small dwelling on the outskirts of the Lair. Juniper, saddened that one of his own had tried to stage a mutiny, especially one so full of promise, enlisted Belladonna and Amara as his watchers. The silver-tongued Shade worshipper was contained in body now...but not in spirit. He led dormant, counting the hours with his great head resting on his massive front legs, wings tucked around him like a blanket. He knew that though he was beaten but his time would come once again. He enlisted Fensalir, a dragon come Zalis due to Belladonna's meddling, as his informant. She would in turn spread the word, believing everything she was told wholeheartedly, and keeps him updated with many aspects of clan life. Zinnia remains loyal to him to this day, though she keeps her fanaticism wrapped tightly under the guise of model citizenship. There are a select few others to whom Alduin has promised great things to, and when the time comes, the Guardian is confident that they will spring him out of his confinement.
That was, of course, before Capone arrived. The young Tundra was (And still is) a gangster by name and a gangster by nature, all business and practicality. It did not take long for him to establish himself as a 'Don' of sorts, his connections all over Sorneith playing some in the Lair straight into his pockets. Juniper and Eurydice largely ignore his activities as long as they do not anger the gods or other Lairs, leaving Capone to set up his own mini-empire. He had little respect for Alduin when he was younger and even less now he is older...in his opinion, the Guardian is a product of a bygone age- vintage magic has no place in the new technological world. If there is to be another coup, Capone would head it, and he wouldn't rely on words alone. He's currently stockpiling weapons on the down low, waiting for the power vacuum that will open once Juniper and Eurydice are gone. He has not made any plans to 'whack' them though, that would draw too much attention.
And so, that is how the Lair of Many References is now. Instead of a perfect utopia, Juniper and Eurydice rule a Lair reeling from a terror that lingers still and a new criminal tyrant that exploits the needs of the dragons under his thumb. The future is not certain, but the ties that bind and the lines that divide are distinct enough for all to see.
'A Safe Haven for all creatures of Sornieth'.
That is the message Juniper and Eurydice wanted to convey when they settled in the verdant embrace of the Behemoth. Labelled for its abundance of allusions to literature and other media and established by the naming of the Custom Progen, The Lair of Many References is located close to one of the many Behemoth roots on the very edge of the forested area. For the most part, their vision has come true. Many dragons from every corner of the Great Land have come to find solace and hope under the watchful eye of the Gladekeeper. There is no flight discrimination, and they are not pressured to find mates or produce offspring. It is a perfect utopia.
Of course, like many things in life, their world is not without conflict. Alduin has made this, and his intentions, perfectly clear. Named after the World Eater, the young Guardian male came to the Lair of Many References not long after it was set up. He was a child then, young, innocent, full of curiousity for the world around him. He had not had the best start in life- Juniper had found him in a subsection of the Auction House where fodder resided. The intelligent little thing managed to persuade the Fae to adopt him and take him home with relative ease. This was only the first of many red flags. Eurydice knew though. She prided herself on her judgement of character, if overly so to the point of cold indifference. She could tell that this small hatchling, barely bigger than Juniper, was trouble. Nevertheless, she would give him a chance. Juniper was her Mate and her Charge and he was still getting to grips with his responsibilities. They needed the members too. Despite this, Alduin was always surprising his elders. Some of the things he talked about were far, far too close to questioning how and why the deities existed.
When the time came for Ceres to take up the position of storyteller, Alduin was assigned to her as an apprentice. By this time, he had grown enormous in body and in mind, and his voice danced on the wind like silk. Eurydice thought this would curtail his charm and his...heretical turns of phrase. It served only to draw the Guardian deeper into lore and mythos. He devoured book after book with his eyes, memorising long passages and talking avidly with Ceres about it. The old Snapper merely smiled. It was rare to see the young take such an interest in literature past hatchlinghood.
It was around the time that Maat was born to Juniper and Eurydice that Alduin first discovered information about the Shade. It intrigued him, reading about the writhing mass of tendrils and darkness that once sought to engulf the land. And the more he read, the more he questioned why his old deity, the Shadowbinder, was distressed by it at all. After all, her element was shadow, shouldn't she have found kindship with the Shade? It was all very...interesting. He brought this up with Ceres, but the Snapper would hear none of it. She had so wanted him to stay away from the temptation of reading more about the Shade, but she could not stop him. He would convince her that he was into other things, and she made no moves to check on him.
As time progressed in the Lair of Many References, Alduin took to hiding himself away more and more at the fringes, near to the dwelling of Belladonna (the clan witch) and her daughter Amara. Amara was the Shadow Representative for the clan, given her affinity with the darker magics and the resistance to them she carried in her bloodline. Alduin begged her to impart her knowledge, but the Skydancer remained hesitant even after he tried to charm her. In retaliation, Alduin destroyed her private library and stole some of the books that contained darker themes. It was from these tomes that he developed his skills in manipulation, casting implicit spells with the words he spoke to gain any dragon's sympathy. Slowly, quietly, Alduin began to become more sinister. He mentally tortured his mate, a ridgeback named Ariadne, to test the waters of his new abilities. When she had fled his influence, muted and scarred, he found it easy to manipulate Zinnia, a much younger Ridgeback, into falling for him head over heels. When the THING known only as Contagion was not swayed to his side by his silver tongue, Alduin devoted himself to the Shade, finding it easier to worship a monster than any of the so-called gods. They may have made the land, but it was about time they learned how easily their society could crumble. It wouldn't take a monster to do that. As such, he dressed in his shadowy finery...and plotted.
However, Alduin's vision would never come to fruition. Maat grew up, learned in the ways of Lair lore, and condemned him to imprisonment following a vicious attempted coup by the Guardian. The key player in his downfall was a Fae named Brisby- she withstood his persuasive magic through sheer wit and determination, and whilst they were engaged in verbal warfare the warriors not hypnotised managed to corner and subdue him. Eurydice was not surprised by his fall into darkness and had the Ridgebacks Achilles and Larimar seal Alduin away in a small dwelling on the outskirts of the Lair. Juniper, saddened that one of his own had tried to stage a mutiny, especially one so full of promise, enlisted Belladonna and Amara as his watchers. The silver-tongued Shade worshipper was contained in body now...but not in spirit. He led dormant, counting the hours with his great head resting on his massive front legs, wings tucked around him like a blanket. He knew that though he was beaten but his time would come once again. He enlisted Fensalir, a dragon come Zalis due to Belladonna's meddling, as his informant. She would in turn spread the word, believing everything she was told wholeheartedly, and keeps him updated with many aspects of clan life. Zinnia remains loyal to him to this day, though she keeps her fanaticism wrapped tightly under the guise of model citizenship. There are a select few others to whom Alduin has promised great things to, and when the time comes, the Guardian is confident that they will spring him out of his confinement.
That was, of course, before Capone arrived. The young Tundra was (And still is) a gangster by name and a gangster by nature, all business and practicality. It did not take long for him to establish himself as a 'Don' of sorts, his connections all over Sorneith playing some in the Lair straight into his pockets. Juniper and Eurydice largely ignore his activities as long as they do not anger the gods or other Lairs, leaving Capone to set up his own mini-empire. He had little respect for Alduin when he was younger and even less now he is older...in his opinion, the Guardian is a product of a bygone age- vintage magic has no place in the new technological world. If there is to be another coup, Capone would head it, and he wouldn't rely on words alone. He's currently stockpiling weapons on the down low, waiting for the power vacuum that will open once Juniper and Eurydice are gone. He has not made any plans to 'whack' them though, that would draw too much attention.
And so, that is how the Lair of Many References is now. Instead of a perfect utopia, Juniper and Eurydice rule a Lair reeling from a terror that lingers still and a new criminal tyrant that exploits the needs of the dragons under his thumb. The future is not certain, but the ties that bind and the lines that divide are distinct enough for all to see.
