Samson

Samson
Story of the Stone-Seer
For @MadmDragonfly


From Strange Roots Sprouted
Samson was but one of a multitude of children born to Elessar and Osha within the grim expanse of the Scarred Wasteland. Each a jewel of brilliance perhaps scarcely seen in the Plagebringer's domain. But within that glittering collective, Samson was of very little note. He would not be able to aspire to high rank and favor or gain much wealth within his large family and clan. Indeed, throughout his childhood, he has not even a formalized name. None of his brothers and sisters had names either, those were things to be earned, and not many did, it seemed. So as quickly as he was able, he slipped away from his family and searched throughout the farther reaches of his homeland. It was only with the new perspective gained from the outside that he discovered what a strange enclave his family had been. His departure itself was not without consequences, and he got out at a good time, as the organization within that territory dissolved and his parents relocated to the distant ruins of Light to begin anew.

He did not think to concern himself with those things. The history of his family and how they came to live where they did mattered nothing to the handsome, jeweled Coatl in a newer and wider world.

History Neglected
Samson spent his time as a wanderer. He had few skills of value but was smart and strong enough to get by on odd jobs and basic hunting skills. He took on many names as he traveled until one stuck suitably well - Samson. He had just begun to get used to that being his name and having a name when trouble caught him up.

He had met a jeweler, a pearlcatcher named Shul who lived in a small clan. For Shul, Samson ran deliveries, as Shul was skilled in his craft and could make a fair living selling his goods. But Shul was old and ugly and not disposed to travel. So Samson sold the jewelry and craft on his behalf. In return, Shul taught Samson some of his craft and gave the young coatl a small cut of the profits. While traveling out to the market one morning, Samson stopped. He had felt a sudden and strange sense of dread. He unslung his pack and checked within to look upon Shul's goods, feeling certain that they had been stolen, but they were not stolen, all were there and accounted for. He shrugged this off and proceeded on with his business. When he returned to Shul a few days later, however, he found the workshop ransacked, and the old jeweler was gone, as were all his most precious stones. Samson set out immediately to try and find Shul, but the rest of his clan seemed to think it was a lost cause, and none cared to venture into the Boneyard for fear of something unknown. Samson never found Shul, but did find the old dragon's pearl.

Samson found the pearl and the jewels all strewn across the ground in a haphazard way. When he reached them and began to pick them up, he felt another wave of dread and recognized the way the stones were scattered. The same as stars in one singular season, same as a map on the ceiling of the brood chambers where he was born. An instant later he was fighting for his life against a phantom thing which came upon him then. Each time it moved between the stones it became visible briefly. It did not seem able to cope with being seen and was run off quickly because of this.

Once all was settled, Samson gathered the jewels and the old pearl to take back to Shul's family. As he did, counting each like counting stars, he knew Shul had seen the thing before, and come out here to set a trap for it. He counted stars and glints in the jewels and thought they looked familiar to him. That was the same familiarity he had known when the phantom thing attacked him. It had followed him. But he did not know what it was or why or even how he knew these things. He could never know because he had left it all behind and never concerned himself with it.

Colorburst Seer
Shul's tribe did not take the jewels when Samson tried to return them, not even the craftsman's pearl. They said the jewels were cursed, and it was Samson's task to take them as far away as possible. He was not so certain about their judgment upon the stones but took them anyway. He found he liked having them. As time went on he traded and collected for more. Each one seemed to open a tiny window through which he could peer and see unknown things. New things only, he could never divine the past. Sometimes he thought he caught glimpses of the Phantom Thief, and sometimes gemstones and jewels did go missing.

Samson kept the Pearl for a long time and found that by studying it, he could study Shul's craft, and mastered the cutting, shaping, and artistry which the jewelry had possessed. Each alteration Samson made to a stone could change its power and meaning and the secrets it contained. With them he learned to craft not only beautiful apparel but powerful auguries of color and light.

Jeweled Dragonfly
Of course, he did not learn all of this while a wanderer on the road, though he remained that way for quite some time. He was only able to truly come into his craft once he managed to claim a home for himself. His future secure, even if his past could never be.

He came of course, to the place where all wanderers do, as the Windsinger adores those who walk the winding roads and flit through the endless sky. For their stories create the most colorful and glittering tapestry. He came to settle within the territory of the Dragonfly Clan. His creations are of great use to Sunrise in their most mundane application, but they are also imbued with subtle magics capable of bestowing boons of Knowing and limited foresight. He can craft trades tools for mages and other seers as well.

Still, there is always the nagging things which he can never know, and the strange thief which follows behind him.

Gemstone Blossoms
Samson crafted himself a rose made from rose quartz, and in it he saw a wilting and withering garden. The vision had for him an urgency which he could not ignore, and he sought through his craft to divine more, to find the place he had seen.

He learned though, it was no place, but a dragon who was withered and would perish before long. With the knowledge he gained, he penned a letter of gentle inquiry to the clan at the center of this particular vision and quickly received a response from a terrible courier made from blood, bone, and some demonic engine. The response was from Nuodai, the desperate mate of the diminishing dragon Samson had seen.

The two shared correspondence for only a brief period, as the dire circumstance was quickly made apparent, and Nuodai sought a place of refuge and life for his mate, and as soon as possible. Samson was quick to extend an invitation to her, and arrangements were made for Erytheia to come to their territory to settle.