Illidari

Illidari is a herald.

Shadow progenitors are all sculpted from the secretions that drip from the Shadowbinder's mouth. As such, his earliest memory is opening his eyes, feeling the viscous ooze that he was made from sliding off his wings. All made for Clan Kidash's Benefactor... and the Shadowbinder was speaking to Them as he stretched his newly made limbs.

"Does he please you?" She asked. The Shadowbinder's voice seemed to echo in itself, like She were multiple dragons speaking at once.

"He's perfect, my lady." Came the awed response after a moment. The figure was small, the size of a large Fae, though looking nothing like one. They were a wispy blue, like the mushrooms that dotted the land. Hip-length hair as black as the Shadowbinder's scales was braided neatly with golden ribbons. Their horns swept back from Their upper forehead, long ears twitching occasionally. They had a long tail, and Their digitigrade legs ended in four long, draconic claws.

His Benefactor.

And more importantly, his Charge.

Every clan has a Benefactor. Some of these entities are more involved in the shaping of their clan than others, choosing to be seen by all of the members. Others simply start their clan and erase themselves subtly from all of the history.

Takaska... Illidari's Benefactor, and his Charge... They were in the middle. They showed themselves to Their dragons, marking several of them with Talonclasp Pendants. The Talonclasp Pendants, of varying colors, signified to everyone else that the dragon wearing the pendant was special to the Benefactor; typically due to a significant discovery or act of honor in the name of the clan.

In the very early days, when Illidari's scales were still bare, and when his first mate Maiev was around, Takaska worked closely and tirelessly with Their dragons. Working hard to make money, train several warriors, and most importantly, fixing the living area.

The Shadowbinder gave them a small parcel of land near the crux of the boundaries of the Tangled Wood, the Sunbeam Ruins, and the Sea of a Thousand Currents. She entrusted Takaska to keep the peace, since a few skirmishes kept breaking out in the area. The respective deities knew their boundaries well enough, but several clans still fought anyway.

So, Illidari, Maiev, and Takaska set up their clan in the ruins of an ancient castle. It was enormous, even to Illidari, so to Maiev and Takaska it must've been even larger. Takaska could not fly, and so They rode on Illidari's back for the flight to their new home.


Illidari lowered his neck to the floor to allow Takaska to slide off easier, and his Charge immediately began surveying every nook and cranny the area had to offer. Maiev followed suit, flying to the ceiling while Takaska stuck to the ground. Illidari watched them both scurrying about when he was certain there were no hostile creatures nearby.

"The first thing we ought to do is clean, no?" Takaska spoke, Their quiet voice projecting and echoing off the corners that had just been surveyed.

"You are correct, I fear. This place needs to be cleaned, and done up with more colors and... well, more life I suppose," Maiev piped up, the small Fae already brushing away cobwebs that had gathered on the ceiling. Her voice was monotone, like all Faes, but her gently fluttering frills suggested she was resigned to do the work, taxing though it may be.

"More life..." Takaska whispered. They looked thoughtful, a light shining in Their eyes.

"What are you thinking of, my Charge?" Illidari asked.

"More life, Illidari! More dragons to join us here!" Takaska laughed, twirling in the middle of the decrepit... throne room, perhaps, this once had been?

They smiled, and Illidari saw that his Charge was caught in a daydream as They continued.

"Dozens of dragons... All breeds, sizes, colors, and combinations! Flying around the castle grounds outside, lounging in here to rest, burrowing into underground lairs that have entrances hidden from non-clan members! Clan Kidash will be a vibrant, thriving community!"

"You certainly have lofty goals, Benefactor. Right now, it's just us three..." Maiev pointed out, gliding to the ground beside Takaska.

"For now, yes! But in time... this place will become a paradise!" Takaska exclaimed, grasping Maiev's front claws in Their own small hands. They turned to Illidari, and smiled, "Can't you see it Illidari? Close your eyes, and think of what this place could become!"

He did as he was told. He closed his eyes, and tried to picture what this clan could be. He pictured himself standing beside Takaska through everything imaginable, seeing the ghosts of dragons coming and going through these lands. Imagining his children growing up to serve the Shadowbinder, or traveling lands he would never see.

He opened his eyes to see Takaska standing right in front of him, staring up into his face with Their eyes bright with Their own daydreams.

"I will do everything I can to make those dreams a reality, my Charge." Illidari responded, dipping his head low to the ground in deference. Takaska laughed, and placed a small hand on his snout.

"It's just as I told the Shadowbinder. You're perfect, Illidari."


Their clan had grown slowly at first, then had a population boom. Now the clan was slowly getting into a stable period of breeding, training, and improving existing members.

Illidari now sported the genes Bar, Seraph, and Spines- a courtesy of his Charge.

Maiev had been gone for some time. Once the clan was stabilized, she had left to go back to serve the Shadowbinder. Not long after she left, Illidari found himself the Charge of a young Guardian named Aaliyah. She was the child of William, a great warrior-prince of the clan.

He had helped in much of the restoration, the hunting, and had been instrumental in keeping a rogue pack of Light dragons from destroying much of the progress made towards restoring one of the towers.

Aaliyah's father was, at first, against Illidari becoming Aaliyah's mate. After all, she was his daughter. She was persistent, however. She was an adult, she argued, and could make her own decisions.

Even the fact that he was less than half his size didn't stop William from cornering Illidari behind her back. If Illidari hurt her, he would not hesitate to bring down the entire clan to get revenge.

Illidari agreed. He understood very well what being protective was like, though his protectiveness was slightly different. He would see the entire clan's lands burn before letting any harm befall Takaska or Aaliyah.

Of course, at first, when he did not know Aaliyah terribly well, he was sure to put Takaska first. But as time wore on, as it tends to do, he grew to fall further in love with his mate. She was headstrong, and cared for Takaska's safety as much as Illidari did. She was simultaneously trying to protect them both, and Illidari and Takaska both admired her.

They had several children, and Illidari's appearance changed once more as the history of the clan continued, and new genes and magics evolved.


Clan Kidash was beautiful.

Dozens of dragons- all breeds, sizes, colors, and combinations.

Many flew around the castle grounds outside, or lounged inside to rest, and some burrowed into underground lairs- the entrances carefully hidden from non-clan members.

Takaska's dreams had come true, and more.

Through it all, Illidari had stuck by Their side.

There was nowhere else he would rather be.