Carmenta

Name meaning: The name Carmenta is derived from Latin carmen, meaning a magic spell, oracle, or song, and also the root of the English word charm. Carmenta was a Roman goddess of childbirth and prophecy, associated with technological innovation as well as the protection of mothers and children, and a patron of midwives. She was also said to have invented the Latin alphabet.

ROLE: Alchemic Healer. MATE: Caelus and Elio are the closest she's ever had to mates FAMILIAR: Nightmare NOTABLE RELATIVES: Note: "Kira has a particular bias towards Imperial dragons, and insists that he's taken enough precautions that it's safe for them to live together in his clan in numbers. The specifics of these precautions are known only to the Imperials themselves and to Dorian and Matt. Unfortunately, he has a corresponding disdain for Pearlcatchers, which, over time, has spread and become a clanwide prejudice."

Carmenta came from the Hewn City with two of her clanmates, Caelus and Elio, who were her playmates growing up and remain her closest friends.


Growing up in the New Moon Enclave, she was not ignorant of her birth clan's particular prejudices. Imperials were seen as the better of the Lightweaver's children - perfection in a bottle, so to speak - and Pearlcatchers were the inferior imitations who should never have been born. Her father had explained to her how the creation of the Pearlcatchers was a sign that their patron deity had rejected them in favor of a lesser model, which is why Kira had structured the Enclave to support large numbers of their kind with the strict rule that no Pearlcatcher should ever enter their sanctuary. And so, Carmenta hadn't grown up with any Pearlcatcher friends to be able to verify that information for herself. But despite practically every grown dragon in the Enclave confirming it, she couldn't stop thinking about whether or not it was true. After all, did they really know what the Lightweaver was thinking? Wasn't their job here to seek the truth, whatever the cost, whatever the answer? Surely, if there was anyone here with a direct line of contact to the Lightweaver, they would have asked her already...

Still, she wondered what Pearlcatchers were really like. Or if she would meet one someday and feel deep in her bones the betrayal of the Lightweaver for herself. Could the Lightweaver's feelings even be considered the Pearlcatchers' fault? After all, the actions of a parent wouldn't be blamed on the offspring.

It was when she was finally old enough to visit the Trading Post that she met Baldwin the alchemist. She had never seen anyone like him before and, in fact, he seemed to be a newer addition to the traveling caravan of traders, which made him quite the popular topic of conversation. He was a Pearlcatcher, she was told, though a very old one and he looked as though he had been through some terrible experiences that left him with broken horns. Naturally, her curiosity got the better of her and she worked up the courage to ask him what exactly it was that he was brewing in his cauldron; and, with a whimsical smile and a warning about lab safety, he invited her to see for herself.

Almost instantly, she found herself mesmerized by the idea that one piece of basic matter could be transformed into another substance entirely. This meant that, as long as a material was on hand, any and all materials could be acquired. Working in tandem with alchemy, the careful combination of magic and science, even the limitations of physical medicine could be broken, couldn't they? If one could analyze the source of an ailment or injury, one could possibly work to alchemically alter it. Disease could be used against itself to directly concoct a cure on the spot and spread repairs throughout the infected area without surgical interference. And if the genetic makeup of a dragon could be altered, life preserved... Her mind wandered back to Kira's precautions that allowed Imperials to live safely together in large groups. Well, it would seem that the fear of raising Emperors could be kept at bay as well, so who knew what good she might be able to discover if she were to learn what alchemy had to offer?

Carmenta was far from the only dragon in Sornieth who waited in anticipation to study under Baldwin when the Trading Post was in town, so she had plenty of company in being captivated by his knowledge. Dragons came to his workshop from all over with stories and perspectives of their own to share, treating her to new insights about how other clans lived and understood their position in this world. It was in getting to know Baldwin and his apprentices that she felt confident in her idea that her clan was misguided in their prejudice. She wished so much that she could enlighten them to everything she had been able to learn, but she knew that Kira's beliefs ran too deep to ever truly be changed. Instead, she took comfort in the fact that at least her dear friends had been willing to listen to her. Caelus always had his head too high up in the clouds and Elio tended to prioritize quality in all matters (of structure, of character) over mere talk, so they hadn't exactly bought into the clan beliefs anyway. They would often accompany her to the Trading Post when they had their own errands to run, which provided plenty of opportunities to get them acquainted with the colleagues of her chosen profession.

Though she loves the Enclave for all its beauty as much as its flaws, she eventually decided that the scholars' arm wasn't enough to keep her there anymore. She greatly admired their pursuit of knowledge for the sake of knowledge and appreciated that they allowed her to make her own mistakes... even if those mistakes resulted in less than savory results... but she felt like exploring more of what Sornieth had to offer and settling in another environment would help her to take those next few steps towards coming into her own in her studies. So, when several other dragons from the clan decided it was time they moved on to new prospects, Carmenta took the chance to announce her own intentions as well. Caelus and Elio deciding to go with her only helped to strengthen her resolve, and she took the council's blessing gracefully with the promise to write back as soon as they found another clan to settle with. The Enclave had always maintained a diplomatic role in forging territorial alliances with other clans and she very much believed in that practice.


It was Caelus' idea to come to the Windswept Plateau and it was possibly by a stroke of good fortune that they had landed in the Zephyr Steppes where they came across a small, still-growing clan nestled amongst the bamboo. They were welcomed immediately and treated with such warm hospitality that anyone would have thought they were old friends reuniting after an extended time apart. Fittingly enough, she thought, the dragons of this clan seemed to call their home Haven and she could see why.

As an alchemic healer, she found herself in a unique position to help this group that appeared to have only three healers and no alchemists to speak of. Sylph and Rui had been doing their best to assist KioKyo in tending to the clan's physical health needs, but their skills leaned more heavily towards battle healing and emergency first aid. And after learning about the difficulty Sylph and Rosette had had in their attempt to heal En's leg, Carmenta was more than willing to fill this niche in their clan. And so, she and her companions settled into this next chapter of their lives, bonding their birth clan to this diverse little corner of the world.

The bloodied keloid scars on her legs are the result of experiments gone wrong. They constantly bleed and will not heal and she has been unable to develop a cure for them, so she keeps them bandaged so as not to frighten the others. She tends to wear gloves and bandages on her forelegs to cover those bleeding scars as well. At first, she worried that she would bleed out, but it seems that the alchemical changes to her limbs cause her blood to reproduce at almost the same rate as the "decay" of her tissue so that she is hardly losing any at all. Certainly not enough for her to suffer any of the usual symptoms at least. Though, she does experience the occasional discomfort and pain from her scars. "Decay" might not be the most accurate word to describe the breakdown of scar tissue that prevents her from healing, but it is the closest word she has.


Years later, when Itura was brought to Haven with a plea from Xanthias to keep her safe, Carmenta became very intrigued by the child who caused things to decay around her. Sure, the child's affliction wasn't alchemical like her own, but it appeared close enough that she had hoped to make a breakthrough for both of their sakes with the child's help. What she would eventually discover is that the small Fae's DNA appeared to be altered. It didn't act in the way most dragon DNA would. In fact, it seemed to most closely mimic bacteria.

She had heard whispers, mere rumors, that Fae colonies in the Scarred Wasteland had evolved to more closely mimic the climate they survived in. The concept intrigued her, but it also raised many questions and concerns regarding how a Fae from the Viridian Labyrinth could display such symptoms.

News of what had happened to the Viridian Labyrinth's ambassador in the Scarred Wasteland the previous year had made its way across Sornieth and it was clear to anyone looking at the facts that it was an act of sabotage. Carmenta couldn't shake the feeling that this was a similar case. Beastclans wanting to stir up trouble, dragons with a vendetta against the Labyrinth and its call for peace, or just someone with a mean menacing streak - whoever the culprit(s) might be, this was unmistakably a sign that someone had intentionally infected this child with a new and likely specifically cultivated strain of plague with the goal of having her take out as many unsuspecting Labyrinth-dwelling dragons as possible.

Thankfully, the protection rite performed on her by the Glade's dragons had been able to prevent her from actually succumbing to illness herself beyond the strange decay of her wings and facial tissue. Whatever those magics had been must have been mighty powerful if they were able to circumvent the disease tearing her apart and translate it into the structure of her DNA.

When she was sure of these findings, Carmenta sent the results back to the Glade for review along with a warning to keep their eyes out for any unexpected visitors with ill intentions and a promise to keep searching for answers as to whether or not the effects could be reversed or at least controlled.


When Salieri joined Haven, he took a casual interest in her research into this phenomenon, confiding in her that his parents were the Plague Representatives of his birth clan and very skilled at what they do. Carmenta was simply thrilled to have access to someone who seemed more knowledgeable on the subject and he seemed glad to offer assistance to her cause.

Unfortunately, when Mozart fell ill, there was suddenly a rumor circulating that Salieri had caused it because "well, considering who his parents were, he'd know how to do it" and Carmenta realized that someone must have been privy to their conversation and misused what they had learned to spread doubt about their newest clanmate. And when the situation worsened, Salieri disappeared to the Glade to seek peace of mind while Panacea came to Haven's aid as the healers worked around the clock to diagnose Mozart's condition.

Partially out of a sense of guilt for having unintentionally contributed to the plot (even though it was silly, she still felt responsible for their conversation falling on unkind ears) and mostly out of a sense of duty to Salieri's health, Carmenta managed to track the rumors back to none other than George. She never liked to assume the worst in others, but she honestly should have suspected him to be involved somehow. Wherever there was drama, George would find a way into it.

Maybe because he feared her... maybe because he knew that answering to her would be the safer option than having to answer to Queenie... or maybe because he was hoping to woo her... George openly admitted that he hadn't intended his little rumor to escalate to the extent that it had.

"Really, it just started as a query - a mere speculation! How was I supposed to know that they would eat the poor fellow alive over it? Some people just like to gossip and I thought, why not?"

She didn't need to explain to him why that was a dangerous game to play, but she did anyway. She also didn't need to warn him that the next time he acted before thinking of the consequences it would be Queenie who dealt with him first and not her, but she reiterated that again for him too lest he forget.

As Panacea had taken over the primary duties of managing the belligerent patient, Carmenta made the executive decision to not inform him of this discovery. She was well-informed enough to know that the Glade's head healer and Haven's self-proclaimed "king" had a rather rocky history and this knowledge would only make matters worse. So, as long as George promised to apologize properly to Salieri upon his return, Carmenta would keep this secret between them for now.

It was several weeks before the healers had finally stabilized Mozart to a point where his health was starting to improve rather than stagnate. It had taken much persuasion from Marie and Panacea to convince him to sit still and cease his work, but once they had... the results were clear.

"Can you imagine that? If I had died, you would have had to write on my grave marker that I worked myself to death. Me! Died of exhaustion!" Mozart was cackling far more than he should have at that, but at least it was reassuring to see him in better spirits.

Carmenta was mostly relieved that his illness had been a passive effect of exposure to latent powerful Plague magic and not an act of malicious intent - news she was sure Salieri would be just as relieved to hear - but there was still something niggling at the back of her mind.

"What I would like to know is how Marie managed to remain unaffected by Salieri's innate magic despite having the same level of exposure to it." The effects had been increased because the stress from overwork had been enough to weaken Mozart's immune system, but it wasn't as though Marie didn't work hard either.

"Oh!" Marie, who hadn't left Mozart's side throughout the entire ordeal, placed a hand over her necklace. "When I left home, I spent a lot of time in the Scarred Wasteland and my lovers gave me a good luck charm to keep me safe while I was there. I never got sick even once."

"May I see?" Suddenly, Eris was at Marie's side as though she had been there all along - and maybe she had been - but before anyone could question her about it, Marie was allowing her to inspect the trinket hanging around her neck. "Thank you~ I can work with that."

The next thing Carmenta knew, Eris was requesting the use of her cauldron and pulling alchemical ingredients from... somewhere she couldn't see. And, in the end, the invisible entity had constructed an amulet with a sigil uniquely tailored to recognize Salieri's magic and aid him in controlling it.

"Now," she said, sounding quite proud of herself, "it's about time we brought him home, don't you think?"

Regardless of how strange it was that they had reached this point, Carmenta couldn't agree more.

Getting Salieri to come back to Haven turned out to be just about as difficult as it had been to convince him to leave in the first place, but Carmenta did her best to help him with the readjustment period and eventually he did manage to settle back in right where he belonged. George also managed an apology (in his own way) which Salieri politely accepted for the sake of keeping up formalities, she was sure, and so she kept her promise to not inform anyone else of who had started the whole debacle. Of course... she had never promised that Salieri wouldn't tell anyone if he so chose to, and she figured it was only a matter of time before Mozart and Marie got it out of him.

And though she had neither asked for nor expected it, Salieri made sure to take the time to reassure her that he hadn't blamed her for their conversation, not even one second of it. In fact, he wanted her to know that he was more than open to discussing the subject again if it would help her with her research. Naturally, she was thrilled, but it soon became clear that the Glade would not be as willing to let Salieri stay away for very long, as he would mysteriously go "missing" on occasion and wind up (so she heard) performing for the hatchlings and falling conveniently into Panacea's path. The sneaky little Fae, she had to admire him. She supposed she could share the resident disease expert for now.