Leyline is one of the clan elders, and has taken on the burden of responsibility for those of the clan who fall. All return to nature’s embrace in the end, and it is Leyline who hands them over to her; who puts their bodies into the soil and performs the rituals to see their spirits safely home to the Behemoth.

He has another duty as well, not exactly secret, but never spoken of. That is to ensure that the Citadel Clan never gives rise to an Emperor. They are the ultimate grotesquery against nature, death rising up to consume life. All things in balance--but never that. Every Imperial that falls on Citadel territory is taken to the woods, well away from any others, and planted beneath a young ash tree. Leafstream and Sunglint call on their own magic and the favor of the Gladekeeper to make the tree grow tall and strong, and to bind its roots around the late Imperial, binding it fast in the soil. He tends on the trees and wards them from harm, and ties ribbons on the branches to warn off others. An Ash tree can live four hundred years, give or take, and Leyline has left meticulous instructions for whomever may follow in his footsteps: when an ash tree dies, it is to be burnt, for burning ash will ward off any ill that may linger in the earth below.

But Leyline knows that not all clans take such precautions--not all clans know well enough. He studies and practices every ritual and rite which could prevent a monstrous uprising. He has always been sensitive to the currents of power running through the world, and to the roots of the Gladekeeper’s might especially, and he has probed and manipulated these lines so constantly that they glow visible across his hide. He is certain that, somewhere in this web of power, is the secret to ending the threat of Emperors forever.

In the course of his investigations, it was he who summoned Glitch’s spirit into the automaton shell that Scholaris and Incarnadine created, and it was he who decreed that such a thing should never again be attempted. He has warded the Citadel and its lands with his shed antlers and his blood, activating the latent powers crossing their land. And though he is curiously (suspiciously) confident in his own longevity, he has taken secretive measures against his own danger. These rites have left him physically weak, and moving even slowly causes him considerable pain, but he never regrets them. His clan is safe, and those whose territories neighbor theirs. And never under his watch will the Gladekeeper be drawn forth to battle her own seeds.

Nature Runestone

Dragonmade

An ancient stone bearing the ancestral rune of the Gladekeeper. Such a find should be kept as a prized possession.

110

Seeker Orb

Dragonmade

Seeker eyes are desirable commodities; dragons believe that jewelry crafted from these smooth stones may provide insight into their dreams.

30

Unnatural Leg Bones

Organics

The anatomy is questionable.

35

Chimera Fangs

Organics

Said to have many mystical properties, Chimera Fangs are also good for a laugh.

15

Canopic Jar

Trinkets

A decorative jar that contains the remains of an ancestral dragon. It is a bad omen to touch, move, look at, or sell this type of artifact.

72

Painted Clay Pot

Organics

A small, painted clay pot that is perfect for storing herbs or spices.

72

Magnetite

Minerals & Ores

The engineers of Tempest Spire loathe this mineral.

48