Galespeaker

The Galespeaker is the Emerald Court's powerful high priestess. She interprets the will of the winds for a variety of purposes: giving dragons ceremonial names on their hatching day, foretelling future events, and advising important figures about whether or not their choices will be auspicious. Though she does not appear to have exceeded late middle age, she is in fact the oldest member of the court and none remember a time in which she was not present.

Little is known about the Galespeaker's origins, but her qualifications are clear for all to see. When called upon she can summon raging storms and packs of gale wolves that act on her command. She regularly inhales a vapor made of powdered dreameater tusks and hallowed ivy to enhance her abilities, and often sleeps or goes without eating for days at a time. Her hut, located on a small island in the Valley of Spirit's permanent lake, is curiously difficult to reach. Dragons find themselves unable to locate it from the sky, and may only visit it by hopping along the mostly-submerged pillars of the ancient ruin sunk beneath the lake until they stumble upon the island seemingly by accident. Some believe that the island is actually the back of a gigantic wave sweeper, and does indeed move or even vanish beneath the water according to the Galespeaker's whims.

If the Galespeaker has anyone that might be called a friend it is the court fool Jin, who sometimes spends time in her hut — an odd association the rest of the court finds inexplicable.


Dragons of the Emerald Court have two different names: ceremonial names, which might also accurately be called public titles, and personal/private names. The former is chosen by the Galespeaker on the day of the dragon’s birth while the latter is given to the dragon by its parents.

Ceremonial names: On the day of a dragon’s hatching, the Galespeaker reads the winds to determine its title. Though simple, these names are laden with history and meaning, and have usually belonged to many deceased dragons before the present individual using it. A ceremonial name that has never been used before is considered a troubling sign, as it is believed to be precursor to change: a threat the rigidly tradition-bound court fears and despises.

Personal names: Bestowed by its parents, a dragon’s personal name is a secret to be closely kept. A personal name becoming public knowledge is a source of immense shame for the dragon it belongs to, and revealing one’s personal name to another dragon is an intimate gesture practiced only by committed lovers or close friends. Personal names are exclusively spoken in private. The court often has difficulty interacting with outside clans owing to their casual use of personal names, since this is regarded as a discomfiting, even taboo act.