Gale

Gale's Thoughts: Gale

I don't think anything I've done has ever felt weirder than writing information about myself down in my own record book, but for anyone who reads this, yes, I am that Gale. Full-time leader of Clan Chiaroscuro, surprisingly small for a mirror dragon, and the one who had it all wrong, but sort of ended up getting it all right anyway.

I'll admit, aside from the fact that I have accumulated an inordinate number of strange, fabulous, and dangerous dragons to fill the most morally varied and controversial clan on the east side of Sornieth (probably), I don't think I'm all that interesting, to be quite frank. I'm a bit abnormal, perhaps, but not fascinating.

At the time I'm writing this, I am three hundred ninety-six years old, the mother of twenty-eight children (four of whom still reside in the clan today), a mate to Zev, ruler of a significant amount of territory, and a provider of homes for those from all walks of life.

My life was very, very lonely before I founded Chiaroscuro way back when; I was born alone in the middle of the Sundial Terrace, no parents or siblings to speak of, and I lived as an outcast and nomad for a solid half-century. I had no pack, no particular inclination towards savagery, and I spent more time in the air than on the ground, alienating myself from most of my own kind that I came across. Most of my young life was spent doing odd jobs for various merchants and farmers and absorbing as much knowledge as I could about the world and the dragons I came across. If I couldn't have a home of my own, I figured I'd better at least have some good stories to tell and the smarts to back them up, right?

I think the most important thing I learned in all that time was that while it's important to have morals, every single dragon in Sornieth will have a different stance on the world than you do, will have grown up to make their own decisions about life, and that sometimes even the ones who have done terrible things deserve to have a place. Because quite honestly, Sornieth couldn't function without both sides of that coin, and it would be so much more boring besides. I don't have to condone everything everyone's ever done, or even trust them, for that matter, but as someone who was a social outcast for so long solely by circumstance, I think that most deserve another chance.

Will that mindset get me killed someday? Probably, but I've already lived twice as long as the average mirror, so I figure when my time comes, my time comes. I've been at the brink of death three times already, so I've probably overstayed my welcome as-is.

And so, after the Lightweaver came to me in a dream one night, didn't say anything, and never showed her face to me ever again, I took it as a sign, built the start of a clan's lair in a small cliff face in the Sundial Terrace, met Keiro the next morning, and the rest is history. Despite the trials and tribulations we've faced together, my clan is strong and our ties to each other are devout ones for the most part; there's a surprisingly powerful sense of loyalty between us for a group of largely disconnected individuals.

And I'm happy. My life is scary sometimes, and overwhelming, but now I have a dysfunctional family with ridiculous backstories, and that's a lot more than I had before, so I say it was all worth it. I try to rule with a kind heart and wise words, and I have a lot of good dragons at my side to match all the bad in this world, even the bad I've invited in.

So... yeah. That's me. Literally everyone in my clan is more interesting than me, probably. Go read about them instead. Enjoy your time in Clan Chiaroscuro. If Chiaroscuro's long gone, then enjoy reading about the crazy individuals that once were.

No, I will not elaborate on the Lightweaver dream; it was probably just a hallucination and even more proof that I was just insane and lonely and decided to make a decision I'll never be able to take back



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Baseline Stats

Note from Gale: I've asked Keiro, my record-keeper, to be as honest as possible with these statistics, since I'm sure I would paint myself as doing better or worse in certain areas than I actually am.



There's a reason you've managed to be so successful at running a home for so many different kinds of dragons, Gale, and it's certainly thanks in no small part to your continued insistence on involvement in everybody's lives. Whether that's for better or worse when it comes to you personally, I can't say, but you certainly know how to be nosy and charming.



You're more than capable of fighting when need be, and while you'll never be at the level of any of our finest warriors or assassins, it's nice to know you've got some physical prowess to back all those nice words up.



You're certainly not dumb, or you'd be long-dead and buried by now. It takes a special kind of brain to keep as many weirdos in check as you do, and you do your job well with mostly intelligent decision-making.



Maybe in the early days when I first knew you there was more luck involved with your exploits, but over the past couple of centuries, you've had more skill on your side than blind luck, both from yourself and your allies.



You can hurl a bolt of light at anyone with relative ease, and that's more than enough for me. In all seriousness, though, you're more versatile than most dragons I know, using magic and physical prowess in pretty much equal measure, even if your emphasis lies slightly more on the physical side.



Physically, I'd say you're a beacon of health most of the time. Mentally, I think you take on a bit too much baggage to be completely sane ever again, but I trust you'll step down from your position of power if you ever need to in order to save your soul. We as your friends and family can't let our own fears for you get in the way of what you do better than anyone else here ever could. You juggle your personal health with your responsibilities remarkably well, all things considered.

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Art by: Calavir