Anders

Needs: Crystal, Alloy, Runes
Lightning Representative


Anders was always a reckless child. He would drag his older brother Aiden with him on his adventures, constantly testing his limits and exploring the far reaches of their home in the Emberglow Hearth. Anders always scoffed at Cedric’s warning of the Lightning dragons, who raided the Fire hunting grounds regularly. It would be foolish of them to attack one of the Flamecaller’s subjects. One border raid would turn into all out war, one which the Stormcatcher could not afford. So Anders and Aiden ran free, often going to the edge of the Ashfall Waste to look out upon the Shifting Expanse, Anders mesmerized and staring ahead, Aiden worried and glancing warily behind.

There came the time when Cassandra brought her clan to Dragonhome to celebrate the Earthshaker Ceremony, and Anders saw his chance. He longed to see the wires and spires of the Lightning Farm, to go to the cliffsides by the famed Tempest Spire, and this was his oppurtunity to do it. Aiden was in on his plan - how could he not be - and he would cover for Anders long enough to get out from under the watchful eye of Cedric and Corbin - not to mention their mother, Albarra.

Before he left, he could not help but notice how his brother was faring, and no one was less surprised than Anders when Aiden joined the ranks of the Earthshaker’s Guard. He knew his brother had his heart set on the history of Dragonkind, and had been subject to more than one long-winded, enthusiastic rant about the whens and wherefores of this or that movement or place or flight, and the doings of the Gods. And more often than not, those rants would lead back to Dragonhome. Anders was glad to see Aiden fulfilling his dream - it gave him hope for his own quest to see the Spire.

Donning a pair of silver goggles to hide the orange fire of his eyes, Anders snuck away at the end of the Ceremony with a sympathetic clan from Lightning. They were able to take him as far as the Highland Scrub, where they made their home, and gave him supplies and advice for the rest of his journey. Thanking them, he bid them goodbye and started his trek across the Shifting Expanse, making his way to the cliffs of the Tempest Spire.

He set off into the desert, buffeted by the swirling sands and harsh glare of the sun on his blood-red wings. The icy tone of his scales helped reflect the light and keep him from overheating, but he soon found himself tested by the sands.

After several days trekking across the desert, he found himself on the edge of Carrion Canyon. The bones of dragons and creatures alike who had failed to cross littered the bottom, and Anders steeled himself before continuing on. He had been lucky so far, managing to avoid confrontation with other clans, and he hoped his luck would hold until he reached the Tempest Spire.
As he crossed the canyon, Anders made the mistake of stumbling across a Harpy nest. Had he not been alone, dealing with the sudden flurry of aggressive Harpies would have been easy, but as it was, Anders faced little chance of survival.

He fought them off as best he could, batting at the smaller creatures in the air, but he was overwhelmed. The Harpies converged on him, forcing him to the ground, raking him with their claws and blasts of magical energy. But just as he thought himself lost, an electrical surge blazed through the throng of Harpies, killing many of them, and sending the rest squawking for their nest. Anders lifted his head wearily from the sandy, rocky floor of the canyon to greet his rescuer, but the world faded around him.

When he came to, it was night, his wounds were cleansed and bandaged, and a small fire crackled merrily beside him on the canyon floor. He lifted his head again, this time without passing out, and came face to face with a Lightning Sprite. He didn't know what a member of the Stormcatcher's entourage was doing so far from the Spire, but he owed her his life. If she hadn't come, he'd be Harpy food right now, just another skeleton on the floor of the Canyon.

The two of them became fast friends. The Lightning Sprite didn't have a name, since they were meant only to be the messengers of their God, and Anders thought that was stupid. Everyone should have a name. He told her to pick one, but she was too startled by the notion to think of one, so if it was alright with her, Anders would pick one for her. He called her Anielka - Annie for short.

Anders told her about his personal mission, and his desire to see the Tempest Spire. She had some bitter things to say about it, but she respected his dream, and his resolve to see it come true. She would help him reach the Spire, and the cliffs overlooking the sea, but he would have to appeal to the Stormcatcher on his own. Anders was glad of her help, and they agreed to set out in the morning.

The two of them set off across the sands, Annie sitting on Anders back as they traversed the rest of the Canyon, and helping him avoid the Harpy nests and Serthis clans. Climbing out of the Canyon was a victory in itself, and Anders took a moment to shake out his wings and have a miniature celebration, jostling Annie on his back. She scolded him good-naturedly, and the continued on, into the Lightning Farms.

After several days, and a few trials and tribulations, they found themselves at edge of the Shifting Expanse, looking out at the ocean as it crashed against the rocky cliffs. Spires sat tall atop the crags, towers of lightning-catchers, wires criss-crossing on the rock and sand, cables hanging heavily over the bay. Spirals and mirrors and pearlcatchers and all sorts of dragons dove in and out of the water, catching fish and hunting for food over the tumultuous waves, their clanhomes carved into the cliffsides and dug out of the rock. It was beautiful. Annie had seen it all, but it was her home, and she was as enraptured by the sight as Anders.

At first Annie absolutely refused to come with Anders to see the Stormcatcher. There was bad blood there. But Anders needed Annie with him - she was his friend, and she knew how things worked at the Tempest Spire. It wasn't until after Anders told her that, fine, he wouldn't go see the Stormcatcher, not if he had so wronged her, that Annie broke down and told him why she didn't want to see the God.

Annie had been a part of the entourage of sprites which flocked about the Stormcatcher, harnessing lightning in their bodies and expelling it at the right times and in the right amounts to aid the Stormcatcher in his experiments. During one such experiment, Annie had failed in her work, and mistimed the output of electricity. The experiment was ruined, and Annie knew it was her fault. Rather than face the Stormcatcher's disappointment, she fled the Tempest Spire, and wound up in the bowels of Carrion Canyon to live the rest of her life there in shame. Anders insisted that she come with him after that, for it was better to face the deity rather then let it fester. And if the Stormcatcher would not forgive her, then Anders would not forgive him, and that was that.

Anders presented himself to the Stormcatcher with Annie, unable to provide a resume, but willing and ready to swear fealty and beg a place in his lands. When he presented himself with Annie by his side, the Stormcatcher's harsh face seemed to soften just the slightest bit. He had missed Annie, and he explained what happened after Annie left.

While Annie had indeed mistimed her strike, it had actually resulted in some interesting outputs, which the Stormcatcher used to find some rather marvelous breakthroughs. Annie needn't have run at all - her mistake had been a happy one. Thus she and the Stormcatcher were reconciled.

And yet the Stormcatcher had no land for a dragon whose soul still burned with the heat of Fire, but he did have a place for a dragon whose body, heart, and mind were willing to answer the call of Lightning. Anders could not ignore his clan forever, but he would have a place in the Stormcatcher's employ - Annie is all the reference he needs.
So Anders was employed by the Stormcatcher, finding his place among the other Guardians who came to bear the Tempest Spire as their Charge, Annie at his side.

Eventually Anders came back to his clan - at least, for a short while. During the Crystalline Gala, he left with the other members of Lightning to the lands of the Icewarden, and there he reunited with his brother. Aiden was pleased for Anders, and relieved to see him - it had been too long since he had seen him last. They were happy for each other, knowing that they both had found where they belonged.

Anders recieved a scolding from his mother, as well as Cedric and Corbin, who had been frantic at his disappearance. But all were happy to see him, and it was decided that he would return to the Ashfall Waste with his clan to collect his belongings before leaving for his new home, the one he had made for himself on the seaside cliffs of the Shifting Expanse.