Ilmari

This dragon's natural inborn element is Arcane.

Ilmari didn't exactly feel comfortable in his birth clan (#158838, sgkat), despite hearing his parents' love story from a young age. Though he enjoyed his brother's company, there was no one in the clan he felt truly close to. So he decided to seek his fortune...

This dragon's personal affinity is with Wind.


After much travel, many encounters, and a number of nests, Ilmari returned to his birth clan to discover that they had moved from the Starfall Isles to the Sunbeam Ruins. He didn't feel any more at home in Light territory, so he stayed only long enough to assure his parents that he was well.


He returned home for a second time to discover that the clan he had left was undergoing some sort of restructuring; he got the distinct impression, in fact, that the clan he had been born into would no longer exist when all was over.

The poor Wisk seemed at a loss as to how to stay out of the way and provoked the wrath of Vianne. Ilmari had never cared much for the Guardian (and perhaps that was part of the reason the clan had never felt like home): he intervened and hustled his fellow Pearlcatcher on his way.


Walking the warm dunes, Wisk and Ilmari made slow progress. Sand storms plagued the lands, and as they navigated the border between Light and Lightning, it their fortunes would only get worse. During one particularly miserable night, lightning struck their makeshift tent and scattered their belongings. Each chasing after his favourite item, they were soon irrevokably lost to one another...

Instead of finding Wisk again, Ilmari discovered a closed-off clan of Light dragons. They reviewed his pass carefully before letting him in, and he was assigned a guide, who accompanied him always. He wasn't allowed to speak to people other than those approved by his guide, and questions weren't tolerated at all. Upon exiting, he was made to take a test - at first he failed it, and was made to re-pass, which he had to do three times. State-truth, his guide told him, was the only truth, and the truth alone would set him free. He had to vow not to spread false propaganda about the State once he'd left, and he figured that it wasn't unlikely that they'd send someone after him, just to keep tabs on him. Way to make a dragon anxious.


He returned home once more, a stranger to those who had known him, for he had changed his genes. But then, so too had his brother. They had nothing to say to each other, and after only a short stay, Ilmari departed once more.


After taking a long vacation in a most pleasant lair, Ilmari braved the skies once more. He flew over the Shifting Expanse when his eye caught on something that surprised him: an Imperial he recognized. Rajni had been part of the totalitarian state in Light he'd once visited, and that she'd been allowed to leave seemed peculiar to him.

Upon approaching her, he learned that her clan had splintered, the State had fallen, and most of its inhabitants had come together in a silent pact to remain kin, but to wander the Lightning lands in fragmented parties, adopting a free and nomadic lifestyle. This was very different, Rajni told him, from how they had lived before, and the new freedom still frightened her a little. They wandered together for a while before parting ways, and Ilmari found himself hopeful for the future.


He visited the Plague Wastelands, hoping to encounter nomadic packs: savage, naturalistic dragons living free, going from place to place, never settling... the less authority, the more freedom. That's what freedom meant, right?

And he did find a Mirror pack.

He was rescued from them by the guards of a nearby city. They made light of his ideas: Yes, yes, packs are free. But the only rule they follow is strength. You would have been eaten.

And yes, maybe you are free to go from place to place, but at the end of the day, who is catching and cooking your food? Preparing your bed? Healing you if you get injured? Rescuing you from Mirror packs? Your freedom depends on the work of others, young wyrm. Freedom around here is freedom from the hostile lands and our inner, animal instincts. Freedom is building city walls and tools and cooking food. And we don't need extra mouthes to feed! So if you want to stay with us, work you will. Let you find a new kind a freedom along the way.

He called them totalitarian and left.


His wanderings brought him to Dragonhome, a great, mostly empty, stony expanse. After days of wandering, he was tired and glad when a clan took him in. He even met a pretty Guardian, Eoster, who was also new to the clan and learning their ways. They had a clutch of hatchlings together and he thought of settling down, but Eoster became more and more interested in religion and started talking of nothing but joining the ranks of the servants of the Earthfather. Ilmari would never join her there, too fond was he of his freedom. So he made sure two of the hatchlings would be taken in by other families once Eoster left. The third, Loja, was constantly lost in dreams and talking of strange places, so he knew he needed adoptive parents that would love her. Despite his estrangement from what had once been his home clan, he knew his parents would be the right choice, so he took Loja on the long trip to the Sunbeam Ruins...


Ilmari was dismayed to observe over the course of their journey that his daughter seemed to have his mother's Water heritage strong in her veins - like his brother. At least she would be well taken care of...

He reminded himself of his father's words, though they made his heart clench: I know that you have had many partners in your travels, and many hatchlings, but it seems to me that they have not brought you the happiness I would have expected. I do not know what you are looking for, but know always that I love you, and hope that one day you find what you seek.

So he steeled himself and presented his daughter to his parents and brother.

After that was done, Ilmari met fellow traveler Botany and in him recognized another discontented soul, though the Imperial seemed to find some sort of peace in the sundrenched meadow. Ilmari didn't feel it; he'd already been home longer than he intended.


After much travel, Ilmari found himself wandering into a strange cave system. He had thought that it was just one cave in the side of a cliff. He had gone in to seek shelter from a storm raging on the eastern coast of the Sunbeam Ruins. As he lit a fire, his eyes were drawn to immense shadows: they stretched on endlessly. Out of sheer curiosity, he grabbed a flaming branch out of his fire and began following the shadows through the cave.

There were so many twists and turns, Ilmari soon found himself unable to remember the way out. Seeing no way back, he pressed forward. That's when he heard the voices. They sounded like they were laughing and enjoying themselves. He continued down the path towards them. As he got closer, he could make out what they were saying... they seemed to be having some sort of discussion about an emperor, but not the one currently rampaging aboveground.

Finally, he made it to a sort of doorway. A thick cotton cloth hung in the space. He could distinctly make out the voices of lots of dragons. He doused his torch and carefully pulled the cloth door open.

Sitting in a sort of living room space were ten dragons. A large and wise looking Imperial was engaged in conversation with two Skydancers. The first held an air of warmth about him, but there was something strange and off-putting about his eyes. The second was brilliantly gold and radiated light. A tiny Nocturne was nestled in the paws of the Imperial, fast asleep.

The Imperial glanced at Ilmari. She examined him for a moment before standing, dumping the Nocturne to the ground, and crossing the room. She greeted Ilmari kindly and introduced herself simply as 'Mom'. She told Ilmari that he was free to stay in the caves as long as he wanted, whether that be a few days or forever. Ilmari thanked the Imperial for her kindness, but asked if she had a different name he could call her. She quirked an eyebrow at him and replied that he could call her 'Aevitas' if he wished.

Aevitas introduced Ilmari to the others she had been talking to. The dragon with the off-putting eyes was Quae. He was the healer and made quick work of inspecting every inch of Ilmari to make sure he wasn't injured. The gold Skydancer was named Deus and he informed Ilmari that his chakras were wonderfully open and it was no surprise that he was a traveler. Ilmari found it odd that Deus knew he was a traveler without even asking. He made a mental note to talk with him privately. The Nocturne was introduced as Novus. The tiny boy hid himself behind Aevitas' legs.

Ilmari spent about a week in the caves. Most of the dragons were very nice, but he certainly felt like an outsider: these ten dragons felt like a family, despite coming from all over Sornieth. All of them had made a point to speak to him, except for a surly Bogsneak that he never quite learned the name of.

On the day before he left, he was able to get a moment alone with Deus. He asked the radiant Skydancer what he had meant by his first statement. Deus repeated himself, saying that all of Ilmari's chakras were open and his spirit was free. With further prompting, Deus explained the chakras to Ilmari.

Deus tapped the base of Ilmari's spine. "This is the location of root chakra, or earth chakra. It deals with survival and is blocked by fear. You hold no fear in your heart and this allows you to survive and thrive."

Deus next tapped Ilmari's belly. "This is your sacral chakra, or water chakra. It deals with pleasure and is blocked by guilt. You don't feel guilty for anything, so you can enjoy the world around you. That's why you enjoy traveling."

He next tapped Ilmari's chest. "This is your solar plexus chakra, or fire chakra. It deals with willpower and is blocked by shame. You feel no shame and that makes you free to make decisions. This is why you find it so easy to stand up for who you are and what you do. You have no trouble making decisions."

He tapped Ilmari's heart. "This is your heart chakra, or air chakra. It deals with love and is blocked by grief. You have not experienced heartache nor loss, so you have the capacity to love in a way few others can."

Deus next tapped Ilmari's throat. "This is your throat chakra, or sound chakra. It deals with truth and is blocked by lies. This includes lies you tell yourself. You are true to yourself and accept yourself, so your chakra is open."

Deus tapped a claw directly in between Ilmari's eyes, causing him to go cross-eyed. "This is your third eye chakra, or light chakra. It deals with insight and is blocked by illusion. The biggest illusion in life is the separation of the elements. All of dragonkind is one and through your travels, you have seen this."

Finally, Deus rested a warm paw on top of Ilmari's head. "This is your crown chakra, or thought chakra. It deals with cosmic energy and is blocked by earthly attachments. You are neither attached to your family nor the world you live in. This allows you to have a greater cosmic perspective of the world we live in and to be a vessel for love and light."

Deus took his paw off of Ilmari. "How you choose to use your freedom is your choice entirely, but beware. By choosing to live selfishly and with ill intent, you will block your chakras and no longer be the force of nature you are."

Without further farewell, Deus disappeared back down the tunnels. Ilmari left the cave systems pondering what exactly Deus had meant. Perhaps some of what he had said was true, but Ilmari certainly didn't feel like a force of nature. As he flew away from the caves, Ilmari focused on the locations of his chakras... faintly, he could feel the power thrumming through him. What he could do with that power, he was curious to discover.


The more he pondered Deus's words, the more that Ilmari felt them for a lie. He agreed with the golden Skydancer that he excelled at survival, which argued that he did not feel fear, but... he had never really had a serious talk with his family about why he traveled. And, even though he was home, he was not inclined to initiate one. He didn't want to deal with the awkward questions; the letter his father had written him was hard enough to contemplate.

And that argued that he did feel some sort of guilt... and, perhaps, heartache. In the most private corner of his heart, Ilmari could admit to himself that sometimes it was very hard being estranged from his family.

But he was supremely good at not thinking about those things; Deus was certainly right about his willpower and ability to make decisions.

...Which meant that, to some extent, he was lying to himself. Even if he wholly accepted himself as a traveler, he did not accept his roots.

Maybe it didn't matter; he thought Deus was right about his lack of earthly attachments - though that didn't mean he felt at all compelled to serve one of the deities.

He decided to leave once more.

Before he could depart, however, he was approached by Peridot. He got the impression that the Tundra felt he'd made a mess of his traveling, but Ilmari didn't know what kind of advice he was looking for. But for a lack of a better alternative, Ilmari allowed Peridot to accompany him.


They crossed the strait north of the Ruins. The Aerborne Ambassador who welcomed them, Kit, said that the clan, once active in Ilmari's birthplace, had retired here, to the Labyrinth, but kept their alliance with a Clan of Odds & Ends of the Windswept Plateau. For the first time in a long time, excitement bloomed in his belly—after all, what better place to learn about freedom and joy than from a Wind clan?

When he requested an introduction, the matriarch, Tyrian, asked instead, "You say you do not want to serve the deities?"

The sheer audacity of her judgment ignited a rage in his chest. "No. I do not," he ground out.

She merely lifted a brow in response. His anger guttered out into a guilt in his belly. Indeed, he had misread her: "The Stormcatcher's magisters have accepted legion of interns from them for Thundercrack." She shook her head. "You don't want to get caught up in that chaos." She gestured to the lair. "You are welcome to stay here as long as you need, of course. I'll speak to them once things calm down, but." She held up a claw. "No guarantees. Their activity rarely slows, and they see lair space as a precious commodity, even for travelers bound to wanderlust like you." She then sent him off to Atropina to have his travel logs tidied.

As she updated (and fixed some of) the magical links to the various clans he had visited, Ilmari said, "The paper sign on your door." Flimsily tacked on with a strip of blue painter's tape. "It says, 'Unfettered.'" Scrawled in a blue pencil whose shade matched the tape. "What does that mean?"

"Dragons are deeply intertwined with the magic of Sornieth," she replied, "and often with Fate, the great driver of the cosmos." She turned a page and brushed the dust away. "I have untwisted myself from Fate."

Or she thinks she has. "Unfettered," Ilmari repeated instead.

Atropina nodded. "Fate often turns you away from a straight path to your heart's yearning." She propped herself up, elbows on desk. "But I am not free. From responsibility for my path, for my destination, for example. No pun intended." She winked. "Those now rest in my grasp and mine alone." She returned to clucking over the state of Ilmari's logs.

Freedom. Power. Responsibility. That night, Ilmari mulled over Atropina's words as the wind tousling the forest canopy lulled him to sleep.

The next morning, he returned to ask her more, but befitting her species' and her flight's reputations, she put him to work organizing the clan records. As the weeks passed, they continued working side-by-side. During breaks, they would share tea, swap tales and jokes over the riverbanks. He confided in her his fears. She confided in him her worries. And Ilmari could no longer ignore that the most recent layers of his pearl had all cured into a fluorescent aqua.

The color of Atropina's eyes.

When he showed her, heart in his throat, she pressed her snout to his. "I choose you, too, silly."

They had three hatchlings. Ilmari fretted about them, finding their place, their future, but Atropina simply kissed him and said, "I've learned from helping out in the crèches that they grow up so fast. Soon, they'll have to choose for themselves; we won't always be there to help them. Enjoy this while it lasts." She sighed.

He pressed his snout to hers. "A silly bit of wisdom from this old parent to a new one." He poked her, earning a giggle. "Fleeting joy is still joy." To his surprise, his own words gave him a measure of peace. Perhaps he'd needed them, too.

In the middle of a game of "Bear, Bear, Mimic!" with Atropina, the hatchlings, and others of the crèche, Tyrian sent for him. "I've managed to secure a narrow window of opportunity," she said, "You leave for the Plateau in three days."

Those Who Have Assisted Ilmari in His Travels:

1. 158838, sgkat
2. 90841, DoktorGilda
3. 114626, fanaticalferret
4. 130600, Kamaria
5. 159770, Kiaora
6. 213563, ButINEEDThatArm
7. 122060, Sharkbird
8. 37298, Ithaca
9. 64763, Amandaroleplayer
10. 61755, Pest
11. 257869, Fanartsy
12. 248594, Sinfony
13. 213804, Eeyorelvr
14. 158838, sgkat
15. 225019, WurldPeaz
16. 151841, Amandaroleplayer
17. 172210, Jennycatmystique
18. 413893, Nyebe
19. 158838, sgkat
20. 12962, Zikul
21. 94612, Evbay
22. 367605, CoralGay
23. 415597, Lockpulse
24. 53686, Aluna
25. 90682, Gilraenn
26. 319211, Elextra
27. 344596, Shirario
28. 291732, MythicalCookie
29. 212075, GrinningWolf24
30. 319885, Ecliptique
31. 28188, Hartling
32. 63676, sharkcola
33. 158838, sgkat
34. 12962, Zikul
35. 452562, Hyzenthlaay
36. 512916, Keiava
37. 12962, Zikul
38. 310038, VonGacy
39. 12962, Zikul
40. 483003, MapleMatcha
41. 220519 WurldPeaz
42. 519364, Krawald
43. 158838, sgkat
44. 442995, CalliopeVale
45. 291920, Reiyn
46. 158838, sgkat
47. 260252, nuttysaladtree
48. 279762, Katsuji

Possible scry: