Kookaburra's dragon Resplendent

Personal Style

Apparel

Skin

Scene

Physical Attributes

Battle Stats

Measurements

Length

27.51 m

Wingspan

20.8 m

Weight

8702.73 kg

Genetics

Maize
Piebald

Maize
Paint

Goldenrod
Glimmer

Hatchday

Jun 02, 2016
(7 years)

Breed

Adult
Imperial

Eye Type

Light
Glowing

Level 10 Imperial

EXP: 221 / 27676

STR

AGI

DEF

QCK

INT

VIT

MND

Lineage

Parents

Ammar
Jehane

Offspring

none

Biography

RESPLENDENT
the gilded beast
clan ambassador
{Observant • Charitable • Diplomatic • Apprehensive • Proud}

Living in the reborn temple claimed by Past's Echoes.

Dandelions, Imperial moths, dancing shadows.

He sees his first death when he’s a month old.

She is there and then she is gone, so quietly that it’s like she never was. But the rabid terror that rips through the clan breaks the silence. Mourning is pierced by whispers and fearful glances.

Is it sickness? If it’s sickness…

They should have cast that traveler out. Never trust a Plague dragon. Fear and anger rages through the clan like a fever. They salvage what they can as they tear apart his childhood home. Bonfires spring up in every den. He saves a small necklace from the fires, sneaks it out from under his mother’s claws. He isn’t supposed to. The stone at its center is yellow-gold, like the god’s eye. It’s a reminder that he can’t leave behind. The little imperial is buried deep, deep within the earth, in a grave ten times her size. They dig until their claws are bloody and broken. He sees his future as they heap heavy stones on her—if he’s lucky.

Then they take flight. Fear is infectious, he thinks. It jumps from dragon to dragon until they’re all sick with it. The journey kills the ones that the fear doesn’t. The heat blazes down on them as one after another collapses from the strain, unburied and forgotten. There’s no time, they say, but he knows better. Lightweaver’s judgement, says one elder imperial, her eyes wild with fear. It’s eating her alive; it’s eating them all alive. It’s a blessing, says another. For who? Are they outrunning death or running to it? He considers the depths of the sea as they pass over it.

How many monsters are forming in their wake?

He is so tired that when they land on the wind-blasted scree, he stumbles and falls. The cliff’s edge rears up before him and he barely stops himself from skidding over. The moon-tinged sea laps below him like a maw. He shudders. It’s hungry, he thinks irrationally. There are seven of them left, including him. Seven left, twelve gone. The smell of salt is the smell of blood.

But here on this lonely spur on the edge of the coastline, they are hidden from the lightmother’s searing gaze. The ruins on the horizon reach beseechingly towards the sun’s eye, obscuring Lightweaver’s tower. It feels fitting. They belong here with the ghosts of the past. Safe, in a way—nothing disturbs the dead, so nothing will disturb them. Nobody comes to this haunted, lonely promontory. He thinks again of the tiny imperial in her grave, marked with a warning that all imperials learn before they learn how to read.

Safe—until another one of them dies. And haunted until then.

What do you get when imperials move into cursed ruins? Dead imperials. Resplendent was terrified when he saw just that. They’d be deceased within a week, then they’d all come back as an Emperor and where would he be? Dead too, most likely, and another head on the beast. Tensions were high in his clan. They were too close to their new neighbors, right in the path of an emperor if one spawned. Lightweaver herself might have to descend from her tower to smite the malignant creature. Then who would she blame but them?

But the imperials didn’t die.

Months passed and the new clan was thriving. The ruins came alive with laughter, sound, and color. Resplendent was inexorably drawn to it. His clan was composed of imperials too, but they had always been sullen and fearful. Terrified of turning into Emperors, they had secluded themselves instead. Resplendent had learned early that they all carried the genes of monsters. They were Lightweaver’s shameful mistake; they had to do whatever it took to rectify it. The barren patch of land near the cursed ruins were supposed to be an assurance. No Light dragon would come out here. All of them knew that to risk one imperial’s life was to risk the death of the entire clan.

Visiting their new neighbors would be a daring act of rebellion. It was unlike him to do something so rash; Resplendent been raised to be cautious and to put others’ needs before his own. But the liveliness of the new clan had infected him. When he finally worked up the courage and left, he knew he could never return—and that they would be relieved by his disappearance, not worried. Years later, he would return to his former clan’s home to find it abandoned. Where his clan went and if they were still alive would remain a mystery.

On the day that Resplendent arrived at Past’s Echoes, they were already entertaining another traveler: a very large, very angry Lightning ridgeback. Furious over some slight, she was arguing with a blueish male pearlcatcher. Resplendent was sure it was about to come to blows when an arcane snapper appeared, followed closely by a wildclaw. As both joined in the conversation, the tension in the air slowly began to dissipate. Behind them, more dragons poked their heads out of the ruins. He couldn’t hear what they said, but they spoke in calm, level tones. Frightened by the clan's numbers but soothed by their calm words, the Lightning ridgeback eventually relaxed—and was then invited in for a bite to eat. Resplendent even saw her smile as the other clan members welcomed her.

He was amazed.

Resplendent introduced himself to the clan a couple hours later as a lost scout, though he was no such thing. He offered to stay and lend his talents to help further their knowledge of the lands they occupy, and the motley clan readily accepted his help. Thrilled by their attention, Resplendent soon discovered a talent for speeches. He had devoured the elders’ stories about everything Light, hungry for any scrap of a world he would never see. Now that someone was listening to him, he couldn’t stop himself from spilling it all. The clan learned everything from the nature of the Hewn City (“It’s awful. Don’t go there”) to why one should never start a debate when surrounded by Light dragons (“She still has the scars today”). He paraded around the ruins with a proud and all-knowing air, subjecting many unwitting dragons to his hours-long sermons of “helpful advice”. Though his newfound superiority complex drove more than one dragon to the end of their patience, his information was good. What Resplendent didn’t know from the stories, he picked up with observation and put into practice. Many awkward or dangerous situations were averted with his help—or with his example. Resplendent was an excellent Light dragon, for better or worse.

Resplendent’s long-winded speeches were good for more than information. Once the clan was settled in, Resplendent decided to reinvent himself once more as the clan’s ambassador. It’s a fitting position. He’s a persuasive talker and surprisingly level-minded, for all his pompousness. Though he isn’t fond of traveling, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make sure he has a permanent place in Past’s Echoes. The leaders don’t question him and he offers them no information; it’s better they don’t know about how some of their alliances have come to pass. Diplomacy is about making sacrifices, and Resplendent is willing to sacrifice anything to keep himself and his clan alive. His paralyzing fear of Emperors has never left him. If anything, it’s gotten stronger. He’s often seen as twitchy or high-strung. But with a place in a strong, thriving clan, he feels safer than he ever has. Still, he watches carefully and waits; even the strongest clans can fall in the end. If Past’s Echoes ever collapses, Resplendent will be ready.

In recognition of his service, the Lightweaver herself granted him a Light Sprite. Or so he says. Nobody knows if this is true, but the little creature does follow him everywhere. It’s often seen sitting atop his head or swinging from his antlers. He views it as a mark of his status and honor, and it’s done nothing but inflate his already inflated ego. Most of the clan simply rolls their eyes and plugs their ears when Resplendent starts preening. In truth, he’s more relieved than proud. If the Light Sprite really is Lightweaver’s gift, he’s been forgiven. Either way, he still keeps his gods-eye pendant close.

Born to a paranoid clan living on a windswept promontory near the Beacon of the Radiant Eye.

Storm clouds, sickle moons, beach weeds.

Bio and coding by Oceanas (43678). Divider image by Sleepy (#11365).

above artwork by @Pann #658 for my golden birthday. they're such a good human!!

Art Previews:

by JumpingLedges #28647, book adopt by FirozTaverbi #297392, Pinn #39131, poisonedpaper

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Exalting Resplendent to the service of the Lightweaver will remove them from your lair forever. They will leave behind a small sum of riches that they have accumulated. This action is irreversible.

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