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Merlain was born in the Wild Oasis clan, but has had a fascination with all things Arcane for a very long time. One Starfall Celebration, he traveled to the Observatory to ask for advice. The Arcanist smiled on him, and marked Merlain as his chosen, an honorary Arcane dragon.
For those chosen by a deity, the magic of their encounter flows through them, mixing with and adding to their own. The other chosen have stronger magic than their clanmates. Their eyes glow bright with power. But for Merlain, the situation, as always, is different. Instead of arcane adding to arcane, his innate natural magic interacts with the Arcanist's gift in strange and unexpected ways. Instead of his eyes glowing brighter with extra power, their color has faded, the pink of arcane magic turning them toward brown.

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"Only the dragon who the Arcanist agreed to meet with can travel beyond this point."
Merlain nodded to the Exalted attendant and thanked Mandala, his clanmate who had escorted him in the long flight here. Mandala bowed her head respectfully and followed a different Exalted toward a waiting area.
The massive door, under magical influence, swung open.
Merlain, in what he had read to be the traditional gesture of respect, entered on foot. Behind him, the door near-soundlessly swung shut. He gazed around in awe at the even larger, domed inner chamber of the Observatory. Instruments of all sizes covered the walls and a few tables. And there, at the base of the Eye of Many Lenses, dominating the room with his presence... was the Arcanist himself. He turned to greet the tiny Fae.
Merlain knew the gods were all many times the size of the largest dragon, but the vastness of the deity before him was enough to make any dragon quiver in fear. He tried to at least keep his fins showing neutral, relaxed respect as he spoke: "O great Arcanist, I-"
"My child," the Arcanist interrupted, his great voice ringing with kind reserve, "I gave you fins for a purpose. Do not worry about showing your true emotions in my presence."
Merlain nodded timidly, letting his fins flare out. He was still nervous, but the Arcanist's kindly demeanor had quelled most of Merlain's fear.
"Not many request an audience with me as eagerly or bluntly as you," the Arcanist observed. "Even those who live here! So let me ask you my favorite question: Why? Specifically, why did you wish to be here, in this room, with me?"
Merlain fidgeted and hemmed and hawed for a moment before finally answering, "I don't know."
The Arcanist's smile grew. "My favorite answer! Tell me, Merlain, what is the best thing to do after admitting you do not know something?"
"Go find the information you didn't know, and learn it," Merlain responded dutifully.
The Arcanist clapped one pair of his hands. "Precisely! So now, Merlain, you are here. You have gotten what you wanted. Does that bring you closer to knowing why you wanted it?"
Merlain looked around, gathering his thoughts. His eyes passed over the instruments and tools - some clearly built for the Arcanist, others for his Exalted - and then over the Arcanist himself.
"Curiosity," Merlain finally answered, "I suppose. And hope... but I don't think I had anything specific I was hoping for. I must admit, I didn't really expect this meeting to be likely enough to plan any farther ahead..."
The Arcanist traced a shape in the air with one hand. "Merlain," he asked, "do you believe you are knowledgeable enough about these lands, this culture, and what we strive for that, but for your birthplace, you could live as an Arcane dragon?"
Merlain hesitated, then responded, "I have learned enough to dream of that possibility."
"Come. Look through the Eye."
Merlain reverently fluttered up to the massive telescope. He worked to keep his head steady and his wings flapping as he stared, but soon he felt a surface to land on beneath him, and he glimpsed the universe while sitting on the Arcanist's hand.
He might have stared forever if the Arcanist had not gently pulled him away. "Intoxicating, is it not?"
The Arcanist deposited Merlain back on the ground near the entrance to his chamber. "Now you have seen what I see, what we in the Starfall Isles dream of. You are now my chosen representative of the Isles to your clan." He snapped his claws. The symbol of the arcane appeared, glowing, above Merlain's head. Merlain felt new magic in his blood, radiating from his emblem.
"Your experience as my chosen will make you different from anyone else in your clan," the Arcanist warned. "Make use of your differences. Make the most of your experience. Spread your knowledge. Return to your clan, and represent me well."

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