Shamas

SHAMAS SERPENTSTONE THE SCRIBE intellectual · composed · cheeky · devoted Pronunciation: shay-mus Clan: Blackmoon Faction: The Awakened Occupation: Ambassador, Scribe God: Shadowbinder Place of Birth: The Obscured Crescent in the Tangled Wood Mate: None Offspring: None Allies: Austere Adversaries: None

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Shamas serves as the Blackmoon Clan's ambassador, as well as being the Overseer's scribe and a novice mage. He is a reliable, intelligent, and respectable dragon. Generally calm and composed, but will occasionally have bouts of crippling anxiety, seemingly due to a post-traumatic stress disorder. He's known for being quite well-manned but he loves to joke around with those he's closest to.

Shamas enjoys hot tea, writing, travelling, studying the cultures of other Flights, and meditating in the forests of the Tangled Wood. As the clan's Ambassador, Shamas is rarely found within it's caverns; he spends most of his time travelling and doing official business of behalf of the Blackmoon Clan.

Writing is his greatest passion. Every letter written by Shamas will have obvious signs of great care and precision; each character drawn in elegantly swirling calligraphy, with inspired words, flawless spelling, and not a smudge, stain, or wrinkle to be found on the paper.
His second passion is spirituality, which lead him to join the Awakened faction.

Shamas has devoted himself as a servant to his Overseer and mate, Sombre Blackmoon. Serving her is his greatest priority, though he seems to be forming some kind of dependency on her; if separated from her for extended periods of time, the imperial will become depressed and irritable.
He was the closest friend of the deceased Overseer Austere, and one of the few dragons to truly earn her trust. During her speeches the Overseer was always seen with Shamas, an ominous presence looming behind her like a shadow. With his enchanted quill he recorded her every word.

Shamas was once a runaway, but that's about as much as he'll tell about his past. Though he was born in a neighboring clan in the Forum of the Obscured Crescent, he was kidnapped soon after birth and sold to a clan in Dragonhome, which for him was a place filled only with pain and fear. He soon ran away from his master and spent many long years in the dry and barren Shattered Plains.
One day, a passing skydancer found him while she was passing through the area on a business venture. She invited him along on her journey and the two slowly started chatting and each realized that they were compatible. Sombre ended up taking him back to Blackmoon and gave him not only shelter, but a job. The young Overseer quickly decided that the imperial was hard-working and trustworthy so she appointed him to the position of scribe. From there he earned even more trust, and gained an additional job as ambassador. In his gratitude he is absolutely dedicated to his Mistress and will do anything she asks of him.
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Name: The Blackmoon Clan

Flight: Shadow (originally Arcane)

Reigning Dragon: Overseer Sombre Blackmoon
Next in Line: Underseer Lunate Blackmoon

Location: Beneath Foxfire Bramble in The Tangled Wood. The clan lives inside a city of caverns and tunnels, dug deep into the ground under the thorns and brush. The lair is illuminated by glowing mushrooms that have been planted on the earthen walls for light, and will-o-wisp lanterns as well in the busier areas.

Population: About 250 dragons

Main Characters
First Era: Babylon, Jericho, Roujia, Carsonai, Kaiyo, Kyomi, Azshar, Ylva, Mesmer, Salem
Second Era: Sombre, Shamas, Kaiyo, Chaotica, Quatre, Dammith, Umbryx
Third Era (present): Desde, Lunate, Raavyn, Arcana, Ming, Enochi, Tetmarzuk

Alliances: No particular clans. Blackmoon is not prejudiced against other flights in matters of business, but mainly allows only Shadow-born dragons to live in the clan. The Shadow and Arcane dragons within the clan have a natural alliance based on magic. The clan's Light and Nature dragons have also formed an alliance since the marriage of Light Master Quatre to the Nature-aligned Acaisha.

Enemies: Founders Carson and Roujia, who became corrupted by dark magic. Blackmoon also tends to be distrustful of Light dragons unless they know them personally.





There are ___ factions in Blackmoon:
- The Blood of Blackmoon is the most popular faction. Started by Sombre Blackmoon, a Shadow Skydancer and the clan's namesake, and her mother Raktah. It consists of mainly Shadow dragons. The members of this faction are devoted to the leaders of Blackmoon and the good of the clan, above all else.
- The Binder's Guild consists of dragons who are dedicated to the Shadowbinder alone, viewing Blackmoon's leaders as simply as a necessity that must be tolerated. They do obey the leaders (most of the time), but only because they want a place to live. This faction consists almost exclusively of Shadow dragons. It was founded by the Imperial Mesmer Darkheart, nicknamed "The Prince of Shadows". Dragons of the Binder's Guild are known for being shady and untrustworthy. Many of them have darker occupations such as thieves, assassins, and sorcerers.
- The Awakened believe that the only true path to peace and enlightenment lies within the use of magic. Most of them are Arcane dragons, though few of them actually worship the Arcanist. They are the most peaceful and quiet faction, often keeping to themselves while they do their research. They are respected for their wisdom and intense magical studies, but they're also known for screwing things up and misfiring spells. Most of The Awakened are mages or healers.
- The Vanquishers is lead by Light dragons, specifically Quatre Whitefang. It was created so that Quatre could gain more power, though he claims this faction was made to honor the Lightweaver and those who follow her, who may feel out of place in such a Shadow-based clan. This is the most elementally-diverse faction.
- The Seekers of the Essence are another Arcane-based clan. Unlike the Awakened, the Seekers are devotees of the Arcanist. They are power-hungry and obedient to their leaders, Roujia Nightshade and Carsonai Sunscorn. They are obsessed with finding sources of magic (like ley lines) and hoarding massive amounts of magical energy. Rumor has it that the Seekers are planning to overthrow the Blood of Blackmoon faction. They have a sub-faction called the Runeblades, Arcane worshipers who act as guards in the clan.
- The Freerunners answer to no one.




- Everything in the clan revolves around hierarchy, really. It's the only way to secure your life in the clan, by moving up the ranks. The lowest-ranking dragons live in day-to-day fear of getting kicked out. It happens often enough, though Overseer Sombre never forces dragons out with malicious intent. It is typically done as a means of conversing resources. Even a successful clan like Blackmoon can only provide for so many dragons.
- Thankfully, there are many opportunities to move up in hierarchy. (Though the High Council probably won't change anytime soon. The leaders are fairly set by now).
- Dragons can sense exactly where they stand in the clan. Dragons often target the next higher-up in rank in an attempt to assert themselves before the other, and the higher-ranking dragon will often attack back to keep them in their place. This fight-for-rank style of hierarchy can also be found in wolves (in real life). It can be a brutal process at times.

The Overseer is the ultimate leader of the clan. He or she makes all final decisions. It is a busy job and the Overseer rarely has time for socializing, so they interact almost exclusively with other members of the High Council. Important aspects of the job include deciding which dragons stay and which ones leave, and assigning breeding partners to every dragon under their rule. An Overseer is not chosen or elected, but rather must attain their position through force by defeating the current Overseer in battle.
The current Overseer is Sombre Blackmoon.
- The Underseer is the assistant and servant of the Overseer. Basically, their job is to do whatever the Overseer says without complaint.
The current Underseer is Shamas Serpentstone.

The King and Queen are the most respected pair in the Blackmoon Clan. They are the link between the clan members and the High Council and have a ton of social influence, but less governmental power than the Overseer.
Blackmoon law dictates that there must always be both a king and a queen in Blackmoon. They are typically mates, though close friends may also rule together. Extreme pressure is placed on the two, as they know they can be replaced at any moment. If the majority of the clan members are unhappy with the pair, the population will quickly choose a new king or queen in an event vaguely resembling an election but closer in nature to a riot.
The current King and Queen are Herryn Blackmoon and Raavyn Scarredlich.

The Matriarch or Patriarch (there may only be one or the other) is an elder dragon who has dedicated their entire life to loyally serving the clan. The matriarch/patriarch is chosen from the three oldest clan members. The chosen one enjoys a comfortable life supported by the High Council. Their job is to share their knowledge and wisdom with the Council and clan members.
The current Matriarch is Kaiyo Vulturehead.

The Lords and Ladies are specially-chosen from the pool of dragons whose bloodline has been in Blackmoon for at least three generations, or who have lived in the clan for at least three generations. Four lords/ladies may be chosen to rule, though their partner (if any) will also gain the title, meaning that up eight lords/ladies may share the position at one time.

The Masters and Mistresses are highly respected for their abilities and accomplishments in a specific field. This title includes additional words to describe what the dragon is known for (example: Battlemaster or Mistress of Shadow Magic).




Originally written by Kaiyo Vulturehead. Modified by Chaotica and perfected by Sombre Blackmoon.

1. To become Overseer you must first destroy, or otherwise dethrone, the current Overseer; or, the current Overseer must retire from their position.
2. Every Overseer must have a High Council of at least two, and no more than fourteen, chosen consorts.
3. The Overseer shall give commands to the High Council.
4. The High Council shall give commands to the lowers. (common-ranking dragons)
5. Every dragon must earn his stay in the Blackmoon Clan by taking a job or a duty.
6. Every dragon shall be compensated for their work for the Blackmoon Clan.
7. The Overseer shall decide which dragons are to stay and which are to leave.
8. The Overseer may banish any dragon, at any time, and for any reason.
9. No Blackmoon dragon is allowed to kill another Blackmoon dragon.
10. Dragons of the High Council may take as many mates and breeding partners as they desire.
11. Lowers may take a maximum of two mates and/or breeding partners.
12. The High Council may assign or unassign breeding partners to lowers.
13. No dragon shall take away another dragon's mate or life partner.
14. Every Blackmoon dragon shall be provided with food and shelter.
15. No dragon after Sombre Blackmoon shall be allowed to edit the Spirit of the Law.



The Blackmoon Seal is a long-used symbol of the Blackmoon Clan. It is seen throughout the hosting caverns, displayed on banners and carved into the armor of passing dragons.

The Seal was designed by the Artist ___ under the instruction of Sombre Blackmoon, who ordered the seal to be eye-shaped because "the moon is the eye of the night sky".

The eye in the center of the seal stands for the moon, of course. The three triangles above the eye represent the most important members of the High Council. The middle triangle stands for Chaotica -- the living essence of Blackmoon. The triangle on the right represents the Overseer and Underseer, a pair joined as one, with the left triangle representing the King and Queen in the same manner.



Age & Time:
One dragon years passes for every real-life day (so a dragon who is 1 year old would be 365 years in headcanon time). Many dragons are killed off within their first century of life, by enemies, disease, etc. Only the strongest will grow well into adulthood. The exact lifespan of a dragon is unknown. The oldest dragon in Blackmoon is Babylon Starspeaker, at about 900 years.

Genders:
Females are more aggressive and dominant, just like with real-life reptiles. They are more often seen as guards and combat warriors. So far the Overseer has always been female.
Males are often more gentle and submissive, and tend to go for intellectual, scholarly professions, such as mage or writer, or professions that involve working within the clan, such as architect or cook. Paired males will sometimes act as assistants for their more active female mates.

Breeds:
Guardians, Skydancers, and Imperials have traditionally held the most power in the clan; they are the most respected breeds here. Guardians are loved for their loyalty and strong personalities, Skydancers for their beauty and grace, and Imperials for their intelligent and scholarly natures.
Snappers, Ridgebacks, and Fae are most scarce within the clan, with no more than five members of each breed (out of ~250 dragons).
Due to language barriers, the clan's Coatls tend to keep company of their own breed. They interact mainly with each other, though Tundras are popular Coatl-friends too because of their nonjudgmental personalities.
White or grey Coatls, while considered unlucky in most places in Sornieth, are considered good luck in Blackmoon (by all except the other Coatls, who tend to harass the dull ones).

Breeding:
Breeding arrangements in the clan are usually decided by the High Council, though unpaired dragons will occasionally mate with each other. Dragons may also breed outside of their usual arrangements on occasion.

Death:
Death is not a negative concept in Blackmoon culture, unless a dragon dies in a dishonorable way (for example, death as a punishment for crime would be dishonorable; dying while protecting the clan is honorable). It is often thought of as a just another part of life that should be celebrated. It's the completion of this life and onto eternal peace in the afterlife. If a married dragon dies, their partner will often go to war so that they may die an honorable and swift death to join their partner in the afterlife.

Beastclans:
In general, Blackmoon has a mostly neutral relationship with the Beastclans. They were attacked by beasts many times over the years while the clan was still growing dramatically, causing them to have a hate for Beastclans for some time. Fortunately, Dragons such as Harmonis Runecarver, Indigia Brighthorn, and Acaisha Sweetscent have helped Blackmoon establish connections with their beastly brothers, and their clans have even helped each other out on occasion.

Longneck: No relationship; Blackmoon has not yet encountered a Longneck clan.
Harpy: Cooperative relationship.
Centaur: Very friendly, trade with each other on a regular basis.
Maren: Few interactions, mostly negative.
Talonok: Very friendly with Corven. Neutral with Raptorik. Enemies with Tengu.
Serthis: Enemies.

Titles:
A dragon's ranking, profession, or simply what they are known for. This last type of title is known as a "social title", which means it was given by other clan members. An "official title" is given to a dragon by one of the clan's thirteen leaders. Only the top three leaders are allowed to give titles to themselves and other leaders.

Common titles include:
-Mage - Master of any one type of magic
-High Mage - Master of two or more types of magic
-Warrior - Trained in physical combat & part of the clan's militia
-Battlemaster/mistress - High ranking physical combat warrior
-Guard - Protects the clan from threats; has taken an oath to protect the clan with his/her life.
-Hunter - Hunts for food for the clan. Will sometimes summoned to battle if the clan is attacked while low on warriors.
-Medic - Heals the physical wounds of other dragons
-Healer - Heals the emotional & spiritual wounds of other dragons
-Head ___ (Mage/Guard/etc.) - The chosen leader of a group of individuals in the clan under the same title.

Magic:
Levels of magic are (in order from lowest to highest) Novice, Advanced, Expert, and Master.

Fashion:
- It's very a popular style among the the clan's Shadow dragons to wear a hood. This, unfortunately, leaves few hoods for anyone else.
- The highest-ranking dragons will often wear with pride the emblem of their favored deity.
- Many older Shadow dragons use their inborn talent for magically creating illusions to make themselves appear younger. Sombre and Shamas are well-known for doing this.
- Silks, being as pricey as they are, are only available to the rich and higher-ranking dragons.
- Two dragons that are mates will often wear a piece of the same jewelry in different colors.
- Warriors and guards will often wear their armor when off-duty as a status symbol. They'll usually take a few pieces off though for comfort.
- Scars are a status symbol in the clan's warrior community.
- Very active dragons will often equip a second pair of mechanical wings (made by Grimish) to help them fly for longer periods of time without tiring.
- Imperials tend to have worse eyesight thanks to their love of reading - including the tiny script of other breeds - so many wear glasses.
- Blackmoon dragons wear bones (especially skulls) to show that they are aggressive and ready to fight at any given time, both for fun and dominance. A dragon who wears a skull is especially confident in their strength.
- Shade members wear crowns of bone.




The Blackmoon family is the largest in the clan. They are all considered royalty to some extent. Their breeds are Guardians, Skydancers, and Imperials. The colors between them vary, though they all tend to have darker shades. Dragons of the Blackmoon bloodline are known to be quite intelligent and strong leaders, though they have a harsh streak.
In the Clan: Raktah, Sombre, Azshar, Ylva, Hexodess, Desde, Xiorsaaj, Patchwork, Ankha, Kothisu

The Farstar family is a line of darkly-colored Skydancer priests and priestesses who worship the Shadowbinder. A few of them hate Overseer Sombre with a passion, and one can't help but wonder why they're still allowed to live here. They do have their uses, though; they tend to be great with politics. Unfortunately they also seem to suffer from magical addiction, and their elitist personalities are nearly unbearable.
In the Clan: Salem, Umbryx, Seance

The Shadehounds are a pack of vicious Mirror hunters who provide most of the meat for the clan, as well as bringing home quite a bit of treasure from bounty hunting. They get along fairly well with other clan members but to outsiders they are cruel and threatening. There is a tight bond between the Shadehounds, and they pledge absolute loyalty to their leader Dammith.
In the Clan: Dammith, Helsin, Abomnis

The
In the Clan: Fenrigarmir, Bandjiti, Rakshanti



Recorded by Kaiyo Vulturehead and Shamas Serpentstone.

Huge Work-in-Progress

Timeline of Events

First Era:
- Babylon and Jericho meet in the Arcanist's Observatory. They leave to journey together.
- Other dragons join them along the way, and they form a misfit band of travelers. The first to join are: Roujia Bloodrose, Carson Skullblade, and Kaiyo Vulturehead.
- Realizing that their followers would soon desire a home, Babylon and Jericho settle the travelers in the Starwood Strand. They call themselves The Tribe, and the clan is formed.
- The Tribe has little success, resources are hard to come by, and Babylon and Jericho are pained to see their followers suffering from malnutrition.
- The first to join the Tribe leaders on their journeys - an Arcane Pearlcatcher named Kaiyo Vulturehead with the gift of future-sight - has a vision of the Tribe moving to the Tangled Wood and having great success. She tells the leaders.
- Babylon and Jericho agree that Kaiyo is trustworthy, so they take her word and follow her to the Tangled Wood.
- The Tribe is reestablished in Foxfire Bramble; trade comes quickly and provides the Tribe with resources once again.
- A High Council is created to assist the leaders. Kaiyo is asked to join, along with two new Shadow dragons known as Salem Farstar and Mesmer Darkheart.
- Roujia and Carson learn the art of Shadow magic from Mesmer and Salem.
- Magic is used to make progress in clan architecture and trade.
- The Tribe's dragons rejoice in their success. Word spreads of the clan, and even more members join.
- Trade continues to increase, and the Tribe grows rich, but Roujia and Carson begin to rely too heavily on Shadow magic to support the clan.
- Roujia and Carson's reliance on Shadow magic slowly leads to heavy mental and emotional corruption for both of them. The Tribe takes notice of this, and dragons begin to feel uncomfortable, despite all their wealth. Kyomi Solemnwind, adopted daughter of Kaiyo, is especially concerned about the future of the clan.
- Kyomi finds three other dragons in protest of the actions of the leaders; a pair of Shadow Guardians called Azshar Blackmoon and Ylva Wolfmist, and Mesmer Darkheart, High Council member and Shadow mage. The four form The Underground, a rebel group created to plot the downfall of Roujia and Carson.
- All four dragons spread the word of rebellion and are soon supported by four-fifths of the clan.
-


Originally, the Blackmoon clan was a nameless gathering of misfits in the Arcanist's territory, lead by founders Roujia and Carson. The pair had not intended to form a clan; they simply wanted to live on together as newly-married mates, away from the rest of society. But as other dragons stumbled into their little den, sometimes friendly and sometimes dangerous, the clan begin growing in population and the founders realized that it needed to keep growing, if they were to survive out there on their own.

One of the first dragons to join them was Kaiyo, a pearlcatcher with the gift of future-sight. In a vision, she saw the clan moving to the Shadowbinder's territory and thriving. Kaiyo told the founders about her vision and, knowing that Kaiyo was a respectable and honest dragon, they considered the idea. Eventually, after much discussion between Carson and Roujia, they came to the conclusion that the oracle was right. The Tangled Wood was much better suited to the nature of their dragons. So the small clan packed up for its journey, with a few new dragons joining them along the way.

True to the Oracle's vision, the clan expanded and developed in their new habitat. More and more dragons joined, and their territory grew larger, and they had plenty of food and treasure and resources. As the clan thrived and the founders became more powerful, Kaiyo the Oracle began training an apprentice, another pearlcatcher by the name of Kyomi who also happen to have the ability to see the future. Kaiyo raised her as a daughter and motivated the apprentice to develop her powers while she was young, which she did very well.
Kyomi followed the elder's guidance for many years. Then, one day, the oracle-in-training had the most important vision of her life: she saw a Revolution, and she was the one leading it. This caught the young pearlcatcher off-guard, and so did her next vision: she saw a new leader hatching from an egg, a guardian as black as obsidian.

Kyomi knew intuitively that the Revolution must occur for this new leader to be born, but why would she want to dethrone King Carson and Queen Roujia? They were brilliant leaders. That is, they were until a few weeks after she had the vision; and though she didn't tell her mentor about the vision, Kaiyo too pointed out that she noticed a change in the clan. The clan's dragon's didn't seem as happy as they were before; every day there seemed to be less and less food; and treasure was going "missing" from the treasury. The leaders began punishing dragons for these crimes, though any evidence against them was, at best, a false confession in hopes of mercy. And as the leaders were punishing others, they and their close friends were eating more, and dressing nicer, and splurging treasure on luxuries like genes.

Kyomi stood back throughout all of this, a wallflower watching the world fall apart around her. She knew that something must be done, but she didn't have the courage or the power to start a revolution.... until it became personal.
Oracle Kaiyo held a public meeting and spoke out against the leaders, protesting their actions and encouraging the members of the clan to rise up in rebellion. The elderly dragon had barely started her speech when the guard Tate, son of Carson and Roujia, overheard the protest and intervened, running straight for Kaiyo and smacking her upside the head with his club. He beat her into the ground until she was a bloody pulp of torn skin.
Kyomi stood back throughout all of this, and watched in silent fear.
Something had to be done.
Now.

Being the smart girl she is, Kyomi managed to spread the word of revolution around the clan without the leaders or any of their followers noticing.

To be continued....




Secret File written by Patchwork Blackmoon, Assistant Editor.

Time for an Award Ceremony!

Biggest Dragon: Shamas Serpentstone the Imperial, at 31.95m.
Smallest Dragon: Nyx Shadewing the Nocturne, at 0.96m.
Nicest Dragon: None, they're all screwed up.
Most Evil Dragon: You'd think Chaotica, but something about Tharja Vilewing seems pretty suspicious.
Dragon Who Gives the Least F**ks: Avedha Echocry, who gives exactly zero f**ks, followed by Helsin Rottencore, who occasionally gives half a f**k.
Most Hated Dragon: Quatre Whitefang
Guard Most Likely to Report You: Hexodess Blackmoon
Biggest Rule-Breaker: I don't know a thing about that.
Smartest Dragon:
Dumbest Dragon:
Biggest Beastclan Sympathizer: Harmonis Runecutter ("They're just misunderstood!")
Best Cooks: Head Chef Dibbles, Guard Zazuulbi Blueflame, and Acaisha Sweetscent (she never turns down a visitor!)
Worst Cooks: Hexodess Blackmoon



More Shamas!


^{Adoptable by Itari10}