Valeryn » Lair » Garlan

Garlan

(#12510796)

Level 4 Tundra

Familiar

Golden Porpoise

Energy: 0/50

Personal Style

Apparel

Skin

Scene

Physical Attributes

Battle Stats

Measurements

Length

3.62 m

Wingspan

3.91 m

Weight

325.39 kg

Genetics

Avocado
Basic

Gold
Basic

Shadow
Basic

Hatchday

Apr 20, 2015
(9 years)

Breed

Adult
Tundra

Eye Type

Nature
Common

Level 4 Tundra

EXP: 369 / 4027

STR

AGI

DEF

QCK

INT

VIT

MND

Lineage

Parents

none

Offspring

Redspirit

Biography

GARLAN
Natural Sciences Director

Garlan is the gregarious and perky Natural Sciences director, as much at home on the edge of a mountain precipice as he is in the Cloisters' massive arboretum. Hailing from the verdant expanses of the Viridian Labyrinth, he is positively infatuated with any and all things having to do with the natural world. He has travelled extensively across Sornieth, gathering specimens of rare plants and minerals wherever he goes. In fact, the majority of the arboretum's catalog of flora comes directly from him. In addition, he loves to teach others who are eager to learn about the wonders of nature, and serves as mentor to both Nikandreos and Indira. His extroverted manner has made him very popular among the clan, and he is often accompanied by throngs of acquaintances wherever he goes. However, things were not always this way for him. As a hatchling, he was largely destitute, with no clan to attach himself to. It was these days that sparked his fascination with nature, as he was forced to learn to subside off of nothing more than the plants around him. These formative years molded how he would approach life in the future - by living it to the fullest, no matter how hard times got.

Destitute.
Hopeless.
Alone.
These were the only words Garlan could think of to apply to his life.
He aimlessly wandered through the woods, eyes flicking over the nearby plants to see which ones he could possibly use to satiate the pangs of hunger that wracked his gut. A list of them ran through his mind as he looked.
Orange flowers with blue spots.
Poisonous.
A tree growing a cluster of very inviting round fruits.
Poisonous.
A giant, colorful fern that reached several feet above his head.
Poisonous.
He sighed.
Why did everything have to be poisonous?
But it was in that moment that he spotted a cluster of dark flowers sprouting from the soil next to a nearby tree trunk.
Black tulips.
Not exactly a delicacy, but not poisonous.
Clamping down on the ebony blossoms with his jaw, he ripped them from the dirt - root, stem, and all. He munched absentmindedly as he pulled up more of them with his foreleg. He should have been feeling something akin to relief, but the only thing such emotions had done to him so far was drag him even further down into the depths of sorrow. Gulping down the last of the little black flowers, he sighed once more. The pain in his gut was still there, and would likely remain forever. Because he was a castaway. Unwanted, in a world of greed. All other dragons seemed to see him as was a bottom-feeder, a pest subsiding off of the scraps of the superior. At this point, whenever he saw another dragon, all he did was hide as best he could, especially after the incident... a month ago? time had lost all meaning... when a pack of Mirrors had set upon him, chasing him through the forest for what seemed like hours, hissing and cackling, taunting him. "Wastrel," they had said. "Worthless little pest." They had only left after he had hidden himself away in a small hole, where they were unable to find him. "Waste of our bloody time," one of them had said as they left. He had stayed in that hole through the night, crying softly. The mere memory of it made him choke up. But he was broken out of his reverie suddenly when he heard the sharp snap of a breaking branch off to his right, followed by a wordless exclamation of surprise. Panicked, he lunged into a large bramble-bush, the spiny protrusions snagging at his fur. Trying to move, he realized with dismay that he was stuck, and in anger let out a growl.
A moment later, he realized his mistake, and went dead silent.
He heard the rustling of branches, coming from the same direction as before. "Hello? a voice called out. He was puzzled - it was sonorous and gentle, an antithesis to the hissing tones of the Mirrors. "Is someone there?"
Cursing softly, he tried again to pull himself free from the bush, but he was stuck fast.
He saw a large grey shadow moving towards him. "Hello? I'm not here to hurt you, whoever you are," the voice called once more. Despite the kind words, Garlan's instincts made him wary. How do I know I can trust them? he thought. In one last desperate attempt, he strained against the entangling thorns.
He felt them give way, but an instant later his senses were blinded by pain.
As he tore free from the bush, the thorns ripped out huge clumps of his fur, and raked into the sensitive skin beneath. Crying out, he splayed into the dirt, grimacing as his wounds stung fiercely. He swore, though it came out as more of a whimper than an angry outburst. "Oh no," the voice cried, as he heard something massive careening towards him. The rays of the sun were blocked out as the other approached him. He strained to open his eyes, his head throbbing. Standing above him was the massive frame of a Guardian, female judging from the first look. She lowered her head to examine him, an expression of extreme worry on her face. "Are you okay?"
He would have said something snarky, but he blacked out before he had the chance.

~

Slowly, Garlan emerged from the void of unconsciousness. He still ached, but he immediately noticed just how much the pain had subsided. Opening his eyes tentatively, he saw the Guardian sitting serenely beside a small creek, staring off into the distance. Glancing down at his own body, he saw that his wounds had been bandaged neatly, though the bare patches where his fur had been ripped away in huge clumps were still painfully obvious. Sitting up, a wave of pain rolled through his body, and he laid back down with a whimper. This caught the attention of the Guardian, who hurried over to his side. "You're finally awake," she said, looking him over. "Good. I hope the poultices are helping. Are you still feeling any pain?"
"..Yes," he managed to say, "but it's not nearly as bad as before."
She looked concerned. "Hopefully you didn't get lacerated too badly. Why in the world would you go diving into a Serthis Thorn Bush?"
The listing popped up in his head instantly.
Serthis Thorn Bush.
Poisonous.
Oops.
"I was, uh... hiding," he admitted, his face flushing in embarrassment.
This made her even more concerned. "Hiding from what?"
He paused. "You."
She was puzzled. "Why would you be hiding from me?"
"I was afraid," he told her, "afraid that you would treat me like everyone else does."
She sat down. "What do you mean?"
Before he could stop himself, the words came flooding out of his mouth, painting the story of his past for this total stranger. He told her about the aimless wandering, the harassment, the incidents like the encounter with the Mirrors - everything. As he gushed, she listened carefully, sometimes nodding or widening her eyes in surprise. By the time he was finished, she was gazing at him with an expression full of pity and caring.
"The fact that you've been able to endure all of this... Garlan, it's amazing," she told him. "I doubt that even I could have been so strong."
He shrugged. "It's all I've ever known," he replied, "so I guess I don't see myself as strong. Just a weakling. A coward."
She shook her head. "No, Garlan. You are incredibly strong. There are very few dragons that I know who could have endured the hardships that you have and still maintain their strength of will like you."
He didn't know how to reply. "Um... thanks?" He suddenly realized that this was his first true, full conversation with another dragon. He felt very out of place.
She looked at him. "I noticed that you said you've never been with a clan before. Why?"
Pondering for a moment, he said, "After how I saw others treat me, I guess I just assumed that all other dragons were jerks."
She laughed. "Not all of them, I suppose. There are many unkind dragons out there, but thankfully, there are also many who believe in the virtue of kindness." All of a sudden, she looked as if she had experienced a cataclysmic realization of some sort. "You know," she said slowly, "my clan has a policy of maintaining an open door to others who need a good home, as long as they don't mind living in the middle of the woods with a bunch of nerds." She chuckled. "I'm sure they would love to have you."
He perked up instantly. "M-me?" he said, stuttering in his eagerness. "In my own clan?" For a moment, he felt a veil of doubt creep over him, but it was immediately cast away by his feeling of sheer happiness. Maybe if they're all as nice as - oh, wait.
"I'm sorry, but I just realized I haven't even asked your name."
"Oh!" she exclaimed, laughing in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry! It's Velaena."
Maybe if they're all as nice as Velaena, I suppose it won't be too terribly bad, he thought.
"Thank you, Velaena," he said sheepishly. "No one has ever shown me any sort of kindness before, especially not to the extent that you have. It would mean more to me than anything if I could go with you." He looked up, grinning expectantly.
She smiled also. "Well, then, let's get going." She reached out her foreleg to him, although this puzzled him for a moment. "You won't be flying halfway across Sornieth in your current state," she explained. "Now come on."
He allowed himself to be picked up and placed on her back. It felt slightly humiliating.
"Hold on," she advised, and moments later she alighted into the great blue expanse above them, angling towards the west.

~

One long flight later, the two of them set down in the midst of an enormous bastion situated in the heart of the Starwood Strand. He looked about in wonder at the soaring towers that now surrounded them. It was all so huge and intimidating, he couldn't help but feel a bit afraid.
"Welcome to the Starwood Cloisters," Velaena mockingly announced. "All passengers, please disembark at this time." Garlan felt himself being lifted into the air, and set down again on the leaf-strewn cobbles. Before he could get his bearings, a high-pitched voice invaded the space.
"Velaena! Who have you brought this time?" it called mockingly. Garlan saw a flash of color dart by him, which he quickly realized was a Fae, flitting towards Velaena.
"Leave him be, Onika," Velaena grumbled. "He's hurt, and quite malnourished."
The brightly coloured Fae turned around to look at him, and gasped. "Oh my! What did you do to yourself?" she cried, zipping over to where he stood. She flitted around him, examining all of his bandages. "Well, at least V did a good job patching you up. What did you get yourself into?" Her large, shining green eyes stared at him.
"Serthis Thorn Bush," Velaena explained before he could summon the words. "Wasn't pretty."
Onika gasped dramatically. "Oh boy. I should probably take you into the clinic and have a look at you." She looked him up and down. "Have a few looks at you, in fact."
He suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed and wished that he was once again alone in the forest.
"Oh, hush now, Onika," Velaena scolded. "The poor child is injured. At least wait until he's feeling better before you needlessly flirt with him."
The Fae sighed. "Fiiiiine." She gestured to Garlan. "Come on, this way to the clinic." She went on her way before he could even reply.
Garlan looked back at Velaena. "Thanks," he said. "I guess I'd better go."
She smiled. "Just be careful, Garlan." As she spoke, they could here Onika yelling at an acolyte to go fetch some food for her new patient. Velaena shook her head. "Be careful."
He chuckled, and chased after the quickly departing Fae.

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Exalting Garlan to the service of the Lightweaver will remove them from your lair forever. They will leave behind a small sum of riches that they have accumulated. This action is irreversible.

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