Aloysius' Clan

(currently saving for: tri-color scatterscroll for Hashi)

Windrover Clan

Comprised mainly of strays, outcasts, orphans, and misfits from other clans, the Windrover Clan is a nomadic tribe, with mostly footloose members; those who are not content to stay anywhere very long. They wander the outskirts of other clans' territories, hunting and gathering as needed, and occasionally clashing with other clans when the inhabitants of a territory object to their presence. With a few exceptions, most of the Windrover clan is perfectly willing to move on if they are unwelcome.

They range across all regions, though they return most often to the zephyr steppes where the hunting and foraging is good and the weather generally reasonably clement. Membership of the clan is fluid; some dragons stay with the group, others will come, stay for a few seasons or years then move on, and still others are seasonal, staying with Caoimhe's clan for a few seasons of the year, then returning to their birth clan or setting out on their own, only to travel with them again the next time the seasons roll around.

The Windrovers are ostensibly led by Caoimhe (pro. Kee-vah) the Tundra dragon, who is the founder of the clan, but because she is a bit silly and forgetful, the other dragons rarely actually follow her orders (most of which are arbitrary or obvious anyway). Kennar is her second-in-command, as well as her mate, and her enforcer (a self-appointed role). He will reinforce, change or modify Caoimhe's orders as needed, and make sure the others fall into line. That's not to say the others don't like Caoimhe; they're actually very fond of her and most of them will good-naturedly pretend to do exactly as she says while actually just getting on with business as usual. Caoimhe is, however, nearly always the one who calls for them to move on, as she is the one with the itchiest feet of them all.

Caoimhe is perfectly willing to welcome anyone into the group that would like to join, and is equally willing - though not exactly delighted - to let them leave again should they feel they need to.

Caoimhe's willingness to take all comers has once or twice gotten the clan into trouble when a dragon proved untrustworthy. Once when a pair of dragons stole their food stores during a particularly hard winter, and once when a lone dragon spy infiltrated their group for a warlike clan looking to increase their own population by attempting to kill off the adults and steal the hatchlings. A few dragons were badly hurt during this attempt, most notably Kennar, but the clan managed to scrape by. These few attempts at sabotage have not lessened Caoimhe's readiness to accept new dragons, though they have made Kennar more wary about them. He will occasionally advise against letting a dragon in, if he feels they may be a threat, (Xie, for example) but Caoimhe always overrules him. A few bad experiences, she says, should not make them harden their hearts toward dragons who need a clan, and she will remind him of his own past. He always gives in, because he does think she's right, deep down, and also because, although he never admits it aloud, he absolutely adores Caoimhe.

Though they stay together as a group when traveling, when they are camped somewhere, the clan will split off into smaller family or friend groups for the day-to-day activities. They nest near each other at night for safety reasons, but during the day will all go their separate ways, pursuing their own activities. Most will often come together in the evening for "clan share"; each dragon given time, if they wish, to tell each other stories of the day, relate legends, or address grievances.

Many of the dragons in the clan have unhappy or uncomfortable backgrounds that they might rather not speak of, but most of the others respect this and don't ask about other dragons' pasts if they seem unwilling to tell it.

While the majority of the Windrovers do not have a strong sense of unity as a clan - being brought together mainly by their mutual affection for Caoimhe and their desire to travel - if an outside threat comes, they will inevitably band together for the good of their tribe, which suddenly takes on a much more important meaning.