GildedMaelstrom » Clan | Lair | Nesting Grounds

GildedMaelstrom's Clan

Burn the map, for its giver did not walk your path

Venerable Lair

on the coast of

Churnscar Wharf

Clan Info

Pardon the messy lore. It's a work in progress.

To have no roots is to be given the gift to wander.

The Clans of the Stray is not one clan but many scattered among the different elements. Having started as a lone ship wandering the waves of Water, some of the strays—ever restless—moved farther into the lands of Sornieth. These separate clans remain in loose touch, many dragons wandering between them at their whims.

Perhaps best described as an oxymoron, the Clans of the Stray are a waypoint home for the lonely, wandering, and the outliers. Those belonging to none find solace among each other, at least until they're called to a new Stray faction.

The ever-shifting dynamics provide an opportunity for those who never fit in. Everyone here accepts the stranger without expecting them to conform or belong in their entirety. Those who return are always different from the journey they took elsewhere and when they come back, they are not met with years of shared memories they missed out on, but simply to a place that restarts itself so often that they can restart with ease too.

Each clan has unique features and cultures that provide different things. The hope is that dragons can fulfill their soul's needs by moving to a clan that aligns with their desires. Many things can be learned by visiting each clan, and it is not uncommon for a dragon to have lived in each element by the end of their life.

Rest nomad
Your footsteps tread deep, your trail stretches long
If by stars, wind, compass, map, or intuition
You were led here
Then remain until they lead you further

What would a home for wanderers be if the home did not wander? Every Stray clan exists in a nomadic state, the only confining borders being the elemental boundaries.

The roamer does not roam in any particular direction, and so it's often happenstance that leads dragons to the clan. It's rare for the one seeking adventure to find the Stray Clans, but many with no direction stumble upon it. This has led most to believe it's destiny that brings them to this transient place of belonging—especially considering the Clans of the Stray do not advertise their presence.

There is one thing of permanence in the Stray Clans: the ledger. Each clan keeps a shared journal, where departing dragons can write their stories to be left behind for the next. Some entries hold little more than a name and date, others detail entire lives. Either way, it is a steady chronicle of history in a shifting world.

The Stray Clan of Open Sails

The Stray Clan of Open Sails is the oldest of the Stray Clans. The ship the clan resides on has gone through numerous changes over the years, with decades of storms taking their toll. A large galleon currently houses the clan. Her wood is weathered and flecked with barnacles that bely her strength and sturdiness. Captained by a crew with steel in their scales and maelstroms in their soul, she is a ship that has and will take many more storms to come.

The clan sails wherever the wind blows. Sometimes that is to port. Sometimes that means being anchored in the middle of nowhere so dragons can continue their journey underwater.

O Wanderer,
Do you come to lose yourself in the omnipresent blue?
Tell me your lone soul does not call out
To such empty vastness,
And to the flow of the currents.
To drift through nothing,
With only the fate of the waters to take you.

The Clan of Open Sails is a place of contemplation. Indeed, it is its defining trait—the reason dragons come here. The clan members exist in quiet ponderance, using the waves, deep waters, and horizon to provoke thought. It is a place to be as reflective as the sea that surrounds them and to reach a clarity that is comparable to transparent water.

As is the way of Water, rarely are such thoughts shared. Insights about the past, present, or future are usually kept to self. This is expected when everyone is on their own journey; what works for one dragon is unlikely to work for the other.

The Stray Clan of Wandering Roots

The Stray Clan of Wandering Roots traverses the canopy, constructing and taking down temporary wooden treehouses as they go. The treehouses are adaptable, capable of becoming small houses on ground, or little boats for flowing down Nature's many rivers. Most often though, they are spread out in the trees. Twisting yards of rope connect the houses and provide bridges between abodes. Many of the treehouses are painted bright colors like blossoming flowers, while others are coated with moss to blend in.

Dear Stranger,
Do you come to lose yourself in the endless green?
Tell me such life does not spark your soul to sprout
And climb to tower over the highest trees.
To reach out along the roots,
And follow their growth to guide you.

The Clan of Wandering Roots is a place of growth. The dragons here come with the aspirations of becoming what they dream to one day be. The clan offers a starting ground for ascension, away from the prying eyes or expectations of others. Here, it is just dragon and nature. Their ambitions are given time to be planted and to bloom. Deep into the jungle, there is only the connection between a dragon, their longings, and the environment. There is nothing to hide behind, and no one to help. They must use themselves and only themselves to overcome the trials around them to reach what they want.

The Stray Clan of Running Sun

The Stray Clan of Running Sun consists of a wayfaring series of covered carts. Each dragon is given a cart that shambles along in a line, led by the clan leader to wherever the light lands. From above, the progression looks like a large, multi-colored snake that twists its way around the hills and plains. Familiars and dragons run or fly beside it, sometimes returning to their wagon for a break.

Greetings rambler,
Do you come to lose yourself in the brilliant day?
Tell me such brightness does not warm your heart and mind,
And that it does not illuminate the road
That you've been looking for,
To follow the sun's journey through the sky.

The Clan of Running Sun is a place of wisdom. Unlike some of the other Stray Clans, the focus is not on learning about one's self, but the natural world. Running Sun aims to shine a light on the ignorance of its members who may wander less from wanderlust but from an inability to read the way stones. The travels of the Clan are more for exploration and adventure than to satisfy restlessness, as the world is out there with much to teach.

Running Sun was founded by dragons from Open Sails after they realized the gift of contemplation could only be accepted as far as one's ability to look within extended. They felt like a foundation was needed for many dragons—an open plain where they could bask in the sun and let the light show them what they struggled to reach.

And so this Stray Clan was made, operating under the philosophy that if you do not understand the forces that drive this universe, how could you claim to have free will? One cannot understand the deepest parts of one's soul when they do not get what is on the surface. Running Sun hopes that by teaching its members the principal rules and ways of the world, they will be able to benefit from the other Stray Clans considerably more.

The Stray Clan of Flickering Night

The Stray Clan of Flickering Night is easy to miss. Composed of a group of dragons that slink their way through the region and use the elements as shelter, there is little to give away their position. With only the few possessions dragons can carry on their backs, they are often mistaken for a band of beings on their way for a simple walk or hunt. In truth, they are a whole clan who have learned to exist with the barest. They do not want to draw attention, and the best way to prevent one's presence from being known is to have little of anything to notice.

Alas you who are astray,
Do you come to lose yourself in what is not seen?
Tell me your hunted heart does not seek refuge
In eternal gloom,
And bramble shields.
To slink where the shadows do,
With the night to cloak your escape.

The Stray Clan of Flickering Night is a place of respite. Those who wander to escape often find themselves among this clan. Whether they run from the past, present, or future; themselves or others; or their nightmares or dreams, this is a place of safety.

The Shadow Stray clan is the most transient. It does not often seem that way, with many of the dragons here clinging desperately to the hope they can hide forever. They will move on though eventually—it is the nature of Flickering Night. It is meant as a place to rest and regain the strength lost from one's previous battles, so they can fight them again. When they are ready, they will go. Until then, they wander with the clan in ghost-like peace.

The Stray Clan of Trekking Bones

The Stray Clan of Trekking Bones are as bleached and hardened as the skeletons that litter the landscape. They are the most active of the Stray Clans, covering vast distances every day for no other reason than to prove they can. Tents are constructed for the brief hours they rest at night, and then they are on the move again, seeking the harshest regions of Plague in their voyage.