Incardia

Great Granddaughter of Naomi
Incardia - Liminal Keeper
Incardia has never met her Great-Grandmother, but she has always known her name. Ever since she was a hatchling, the whispers would follow her, and at first she could not understand why everyone feared and respected her, especially because of an ancestor she had never known. As she grew older, however, she began to realise that Naomi’s legacy was something that would follow her forever. She left her original clan in the Southern Icefields because it was impossible to avoid the prying eyes of those who knew who she was, and travelled tirelessly until she came to the Tangled Wood, a dark home where dragons did not pry into others’ secrets.

With time to herself, Incardia was able to pursue her own curiosities. She had always been drawn to dragons designated for Exaltation, despite warnings across Sornieth that they should be avoided. Though exaltation is an honorable fate, dragons whose duty it was to go straight to their deity were regarded as a bad omen on this plane, and it is thought that spending too much time with them would loosen your ties to this realm. Still, Incardia found herself forming tight bonds with these outcasts, caring for them when no one else would, and as such she ended up becoming something of an outsider herself. If Incardia looks your way, the dragons of the Tangled Wood whisper, then your time on this plane will be over sooner than you would expect. At first, Incardia was resentful. She didn’t ask for this destiny, and she only cared for these dragons because no one else would, and no one deserved to meet their Maker in a state of fear and loneliness. That no one could see this frustrated her, and she blamed her heritage for her isolation, desperately searching for the truth that would set her free and allow herself to truly become a part of the clan she had made her home in.

Her fate became clear when she received a letter from her Great-Grandmother, a message passed through the door to exaltation in the brief moment when the two planes connect. She thought she had imagined the fae on the other side, but the parchment left in the exalted dragon’s place was certainly real. She bent to pick it up with trembling hands, reading it over and over until the words were imprinted on her eyes, and everything changed. Incardia no longer regards herself as an outsider, but as an integral part of the clan, and of the exaltation process, knowing that without her care many dragons would end up lost and alone. Sharing the wisdom from her Great-Grandmother, Incardia is able to ease the fears of dragons who are destined to be exalted; she knows that there is someone waiting on the other side to guide them, and that that someone is as compassionate as herself. It isn’t often that Naomi is able to send letters, for it takes great power and intricate timing to pass a message between realms, but Incardia awaits them all with a restless eagerness, memorising them before destroying them so that no one else can learn the deepest secrets of exaltation.

No one but the Exalted know that she is in contact with her Great-Grandmother. Her family has a dark history, and the magic that is passed between them is greatly desired; whilst dragons in the Tangled Wood don’t ask too many questions, the knowledge that she possesses would surely be enough to get her captured if anyone else knew. All her clan knows is that after Incardia arrived, the exalted dragons became much happier, and those who left under her care left behind greater and more mysterious rewards. Thus, even though Incardia is feared, she is greatly respected, and no one will risk angering her and losing the favour of their deity, who they believe to be in contact with Incardia.

Though she was born under the Icewarden, Incardia has made her home in the Tangled Wood, and she shares the Shadowbinder’s mischievous heart. After making peace with her ancestry, she has fully embraced it, and will sometimes play on the fears of her companions, much to the amusement of hatchlings destined to be exalted. Some days Incardia will pretend that she has the power to choose the next exaltation, berating those who bring the hatchlings poor food with threats that send them scurrying for more treats, and sometimes she will pretend that she can see the future, carrying messages that the Shadowbinder has stolen from the Tidelord. Only the Exalted know the truth, as they would never betray her trust even if they had the chance, and they are grateful for her care as well as her pranks, which keep them entertained and keep their fear at bay.

One day, Incardia hopes to join Naomi in guiding dragons from the other side. She longs to see the realms spoken of in her Great-Grandmother’s letters, which seem filled with a beautiful and dark magic, and to care for every exalted dragon, not just those that she can reach with her small hands. Until then, though, she contents herself by doing what she can, and by writing replies that she hopes will make it through to the other side when she sends them.