Malady

Malady was born Malenthia, to a clan of Arcane dragons that lived on Focal Point. She was a precocious young Imperial hatchling who loved the treacherous landscape of the Starfall Isles and listening to the tales of the many Plague dragons who lived in the clan. She was fascinated by scary stories of the Abiding Boneyard, where hatchlings might lose their way for centuries; and tales of the horrors that stir in the depths of the Wyrmwound. While other youngsters shied away, Mal leaned in with eyes wide. Eventually she pestered her elders into teaching her some combat moves, which she practiced with unusual zeal, when she wasn't off riding the winds and daring her friends to touch the meteors as they fell to earth (Only Mal herself ever dared to do so).

Her colors were not the purples, pinks, or pastels of classical Arcane, but rather patterns of green and red – Plague colors. She was somewhat distressed by her far-below-average size for her breed, but thought that she would become a masterful fighter in spite of it all. And so as Mal grew and her wings strengthened, she turned her eyes to the land beyond the horizon and she began to wonder what adventures were in store.

Her first goal was the Scarred Wasteland, but a sudden storm blew her off course and she wound up in Dragonhome. There, she coaxed a band of Snappers into letting her follow them on their wanderings until they reached the Pillar of the World. Fascinated, Mal flew up as high as her wings would take her, but she could never even glimpse the top of the pillar, broken though it was. She called out to the Arcanist in case he was back visiting an old haunt up there, but if he truly had come to the World Pillar he declined to answer. Mal had a grand time digging around in Cairnstone Rest, and was thrilled when she was called on to help re-bury some dracoliches that had come up from deep beneath the earth. Undead did not frighten her in the least.

When she'd had enough fun rummaging around Dragonhome, Mal followed an easterly wind to the Viridian Labyrinth. She trekked inland through the jungle to the Behemoth and flew in a great circle around its trunk, after she heard that doing so would bring her good luck. She had to use every ounce of her Imperial stamina to manage it in one trip. Mal recovered for a short while with some Wildclaws, then passed on through the Gladeveins.

She stopped in at the Beacon of the Radiant Eye and tried to learn as much as she could about the origins of her breed, and of course, about the Emperor. But she found the Light dragons too scholarly for her taste – although she was very intelligent, Mal never much took to books or quiet contemplation. So she headed due West and enjoyed her time in Shadow much better. Mal turned out to be quite good at games of chance and skill. She liked the mystery and darkness of the Tangled Wood, and she liked the quick-witted dragons who lived there. She attended circuses and masquerades, but for once she decided she didn't much care for her Imperial size, which made maneuvering in the forest a sometimes-vexing task.

But her wanderlust kicked in once more, and Mal found herself heading west again, back to her original destination. She was alive with excitement to finally see the mouth of the Wyrmwound, to test herself against the Abiding Boneyard, to scarper around on all fours like a Mirror if she could, never mind that Imperials aren't built for long-distance land travel. She crossed the borders and headed due west towards the heart of the Plaguelands. This place seemed to go on forever, much more so than anywhere else she'd ever been. And there were more challenges here, from savage Mirror packs to poisonous fumes to places where the land itself seemed carnivorous. The wildlife was twisted and strange, the water tasted foul, every day brought some new and exciting deadly peril to her – in short, Mal was happy as she'd never been before.

She finally ended up encountering Inoculix, as he was traveling to the rim of the Wyrmwound on one of his annual treks. He took an instant liking to the young Imperial, and she to him. The two of them became great friends and when they reached the Wyrmwound, Mal said it was better and more terrifying than anything she could have imagined. And just like that, she knew she would always return to the Wasteland, because she'd finally found the place where she belonged.

Inoculix offered to show her the way back to the Chaos Star clan, as he had an idea that Ashtoreth and Reaper would take a liking to such a bold and vivacious dragon. He was right. Mal was required to pledge herself to serve the Plaguebringer, which she did eagerly. As a token of her oath she changed her full name from Malenthia to Malady, though everyone still called her Mal. She began taking intensive fighting lessons from Skuld and Inoculix, who had nothing but praise for her rapid progress. Soon, she was the equal of almost any Chaos Star dragon in battle, and she, Skuld, and Inoculix became official battle-partners.

Malady is one of the friendliest to the Sunforger clan out of all the Chaos Star dragons. Though part of her misses life in the Wasteland, she is fascinated by the Hewn City and all its hidden dangers.