Rylen

Dragons born in Lightbringer’s territory are dragons the seek knowledge at every turn. They yearn to know more about the world around them, understand their own history, the history of Sornieth, and anything else that could be recorded and learned of. The search for knowledge is what gave them purpose. Rylen was born into one such a clan, a clan of dragons that sought to know everything that the world had to offer. As a child, he too yearned for this. Every waking moment he was pouring over ancients texts, words in so ancient a language that no one but a light dragon could interpret it. He enjoyed this life of his, the security and safety that the scrolls and tomes of knowledge offered him.

As a teenager, this all changed. When reading a book, one he’d found when rifling through piles of abandoned books, he found a world unlike any he’d read over before. His life was changed. This book told of adventures that dragons had out in the world, others that they met, dragons they fell in love with. It was so unlike the tomes of ancient text he’d spent the entirety of his life reading that he instantly yearned to read more. In secret, Rylen searched for more of these books. They were not based on facts, held no ancient knowledge that would benefit his clan, but his heart ached as he devoured the words.

It didn’t take long for the imperial’s parents to find out about his search. Instead of being angered by his sudden change of heart, they rejoiced. Each dragon, they said, had to learn for themselves what their heart wanted to learn. The mind could attain any knowledge but the heart always wanted something different than everyone else. Rylen was relieved to know that his parents supported his search and when he asked to leave the clan for a time to have his own adventure, they did so with their blessing. He left and flew around the world of Sornieth. The dragon met others that were so unlike himself they may as well have been aliens. He learned of dragons who fought against beasts, dragons who yearned to leave this land behind and search among the stars for other worlds, and dragons who cared for others so intently they seemed to ignore their own needs completely.

With this knowledge Rylen returned to his birth clan, eager to share everything he had learned. As his claws touched down in his homeland, however, his heart shattered. The land was bare and desolate, the existence of his clan long since gone. He had been gone for years but at the time of his departure, the clan had been thriving. Dragons from all over would flock to them with the intent to learn more about the world around them. Now, papers lay scattered, blowing in the silent wind. Buildings that had once housed nests and hatchlings were now vacant, the materials strewn about. There was no sign of any battle, no proof of bloodshed, no sign of where they had gone. Everyone had just… disappeared.

Pain stabbed through every fiber of Rylen’s being and he could no longer reside in that land. As he flew away from the home that had once been his he vowed never to return. The pain was too great and not knowing where his family was only served to make it all the more painful. Of all the lands he had been to, the land of the Shadowbinder and been the most comforting and he soon found himself in that territory, meandering with no purpose through the dark woods. He became silent, not speaking to any dragon whose path he crossed, eating only when his body demanded it. The ache in his heart had not subsided, and over the years it did nothing both grow. Rylen felt that it would never be filled.

And then Mordeyrin came into his life. The imperial had gone through trials just as he had. Her parents had banished her from her clan because of who she was and she had nowhere else to go. Though he knew he could provide little, he offered her a friendly face and before long the two became close. They shared their past with each other, their hopes for the future, their regrets… their dreams. Though he knew the empty void in his very soul could never be filled, he knew that he had found something that his heart had searched for. It was the reason he had left his home in the first place: love. Rylen wished to have a companion with which he could share himself with and call them his mate. When he proposed his idea, Mordeyrin accepted happily.

Eventually, the two created a clan together, a clan in which any dragon could join regardless of their past. Rylen eagerly followed his mate, supporting her as she led the clan. They grew quickly, amassing dragons who were more than eager follow someone who cared not for who they had been. They were loyal to the dragon who accepted who they were now. As the clan grew, Rylen’s mate felt a growing need to see how her family was. She wanted to know if they regretted their decision to banish her if any part of them missed her if they would be proud of who she was now. Knowing that she needed this, he offered to take over the clan so that she might journey to her family. She left with a smile and a hope.

The dragon that returned was weak, her heart broken from what she had seen. Rylen was quick to console his mate, telling her that everything had to change at some time, that it was the way the world worked. She knew he was right but her heart still hurt. Unfortunately for the pair, clan life was about to get much more difficult as well. A dragon by the name of Widow had joined the clan a short while ago and now she spread rumors that Mordeyrin was no longer strong enough to lead, weakened by what she had gone through. The white and blood-stained imperial told the clan members that she would make a better leader, that she could protect them.

Realizing that their once-peaceful clan was now in danger, the two mates gathered together those most loyal to them and began to devise a plan to take down their enemy. They knew little of what and who Widow had been before joining their clan, but they knew enough to know that she would not lead. She would command everyone to treat her as a queen and she would treat each dragon as a servant. Rylen and his mate plotted against her, hoping that whatever plan they came up with would be enough to stop her. As the planned, so did their enemy. A war was brewing and it would only be a matter of time before it broke out.


Amazing art done by Ratvork!