Rory

The Beginning (Amyatzu):

Crow stared at the small hatchling that Onweder brought back to the camp.

"What?" he said frowning. The hatchling spread its tiny wings and made an anxious croak. Onweder nodded, smiling.

"I found him in the Permafrost," they whispered, grinning. The tiny dragon made a disgruntled snort and looked up at Crow. Crow shook his head.

"We're this hatchling's adoptive parents, I'm guessing," he rasped, frowning at the tiny creature. "You raise him. I have business to take care of, and I don't want a hatchling ending up like me. I can't stand children anyways," he said.

Onweder nodded. "I guess," and took off, their tail trailing behind them, leaving the hatchling next to Crow.

"Think of me like a sibling, little guy." he said, looking at the dissappearing mage. "They'll teach you magic. I'll teach you other kinds of magic," he mumbled, looking down at the small creature. The hatchling glanced around.

"Magic?" he said. Crow almost smiled.

"Your rescuer, Onweder, is a weather mage of sorts. They'll teach you how to do that kind of magic." he said. The hatchling tilted his had, confused. Crow let out an awkward, dry laugh.

"I'll teach you the fun kind of magic, the trickery side of things. Making a deck of cards disappear, making a watch disappear, maybe a diamond bangle or two." he said. The hatchling widened it's eyes.

"Really?" it said. Crow nodded, smiling at the little thing. So innocent.

"Yes, really." he said. "And I just know that Onweder will disapprove."

~

Clan Citrine (Bumbling), 4/21/17:

Rory had a great time at Clan Citrine. He became quick friends with Avaryu, and they really bonded over their love of magic and travelling. Everyone else was a bit wary of him, but neither the wildclaw or the skydancer knew why... when it was time to go, Rory waved goodbye to his friends (well, friend), and promised to return one day. (Oh, by the way, he was also donated a Windsinger puppet by Torte. She really needed to get rid of it.)

~

Clan Aceraceae (Dragimal), 4/21/17:

Wanderers were far from novel in that neck of the Labyrinth, and Rory was welcomed as warmly as any visitor before. He took surprisingly well to Kudzu, delighted by her complex aerial dance performances. She may have given off an air of Wind-born free-floating fancy, but her particular Plague intuition prevented Rory from nabbing an enchanted feather from Kudzu's ensemble.
Rather than reprimand the attempt, Kudzu merely chuckled and gifted Rory a pale cape for his trouble:




Rory left with a fresh cloak, and a new companion on his mind.

~

Serpentine Clan 4/22/17:

Rory crash landed in the mountains only to be attacked by an aggressive patrol. They brought him hostage to their camp, faced against their leader Prime. He explained how he was travelling around the world. Once sure that Rory wasn't a spy from the rival clan, they welcomed him in. He didn't stay long though, as he didn't want to catch the plague, infused with the clan's blood.

~

Nightshade Clan (Nightshades) 4/22/17:

Rory had travelled to the Southern Icefield in search of his next clan. When he arrived everything was going fine until he was caught in a blizzard. He was cold and frostbitten when Bella, a member of Nightshade Clan, found him and took him in. Rory was quickly patched up and sent to Nightshade. She allowed Rory to stay for a little while as he got ready for his next travels. He was given a scarf to keep him warm (as well as a cool hat!).

~

Cymatica (HalfMoonTheWolf) 4/22/17:

Rory was found lost and confused in a very murky part of the Tangled Wood by a scavenging team. He was brought back and introduced to the clan. The dragons were very warm and welcoming- Shey fixed up his scratches, England and China made their famous teas, and Cymascella and Aviermous told stories. After a while he Rory said his goodbyes and the scavenging team showed him how to navigate the Tangled Wood. Farewell Rory, good luck!

~

Clan Hisscale (Hisscale) 4/22/17:

Poor Rory can't catch a break. He got out of the Tangled Wood only to find himself lost in Plague territory. Traveling in a desert didn't seem promising at all and after only a few steps forward, he became deathly afraid - one couldn't hide from sickness, and a huge wind storm was offering all kinds of horrible smells. He flapped his wings, testing if he could fly in the windy conditions--not at all. The sand pelted him and burned his eyes.

Suddenly, a piece of parchment was blown past him and he swiftly stamped on it to catch it. It was brightly decorated and the text was enthusiastic. It was an advertisement.

"Come visit Clan Hisscale! Enjoy the best ale and leisure in the Oasis!"

Rory's eyes glazed over and grew wide. An oasis, you say? Rory found himself spurred on to continue his travels, and so he did, shortly. Fortunately for Rory, Clan Hisscale wasn't too far from the Tangled Wood and the oasis was found with ease--it was destiny, really. Rory decided to humor the life saving piece of parchment and he bought a pint of ale. It was lovely, and eventually Rory found himself continuing his journey.

~

Clan Prophecy (BlackJasper), 4/23/17:

Rory stepped into the waves, landing gracefully. 'What a curious place' he thought to himself, gliding deeper into the depths. Suddenly, losing his balance in the uneven, shifting sand underneath, he toppled...

And was swallowed.

Overhead, a gull circled, letting loose an eerie cry as the waves gently lapped over the spot where he disappeared, almost as if nothing happened.

Rory, in the meantime, was still well, although slightly disoriented. He opened his eyes to an underwater kingdom, like a piece of the world had fallen down into the depth. He marvelled at the scenery for a second before pursuing his way further. He followed a winding path down for a bit before a shadow fell and blocked his path.

The figure stared at him for a bit, sizing him up, and Rory's eyes immediately went to the graceful sword hanging by the stranger's side. Finally, in a mildly friendly - however, with a threatening undertone- the figure spoke. "And, who, are you?"

Before he could respond, a small female dropped in and turned to the stranger. The two bickered for some time before the female turned back to Rory. "You'll want to talk to Xinlan, he knows these things better than we can imagine." With a warm smile, she took him by the arm and vanished.

Indeed, he was introduced the the skydancer, who exchanged tales with him from when he had travelled the world himself, and met all the other clan members, who showed him their delights with a faintly mysterious but sweet smile. He was welcomed warmly and invited to feast. He noticed a curious lack of hatchlings in the lair but supposed it was just part of the clan.

At the end of the day, he was presented with a snug gloss and cover for his wings. "To give you the power to fly through the rain," one of the dragons remarked dryly, and everyone laughed. He took it with a grain of salt and a chuckle himself, before bidding farewell to the waters.

~

4/3/17 clw23's Lair
clw3 found a skydancer! His name was Rory! She put an invisibility cloak on him.
(Please return the invisibility cape to clw23 if you don't want it, thank you.)

~

4/23/17 LunaWard's Lair
The tired skydancer rested here and learned many secrets of life in the desolate Southern Icefield. A pirate taught him how to fight on snow, a spiral showed him how to fly without freezing up, and an imperial passed on techniques of keeping a lair warm even in the harshest storms. He spent only a short time with this small clan, but the skills he acquired will help him in his journeys to come.

~

4/24/17 FrozenBarioth's Lair
Rory was tired of swimming. He swam all day to celebrate the Wavecrest Saturnalia, and he needed a break. He then realized, he was lost. He perched on top of a rock and soared into the sky, and kept flying till nightfall. He reached an isle near the boundaries of Light, and met a massive black guardian and a sleek, tall imperial (with a nasty attitude). In order to help him swim in the rough currents of the ocean, a pretty skydancer let him borrow a trident, and had a spell that temporarily gave him fins. He liked the clan, but as always, he set off the next day to find a new one to raid, but, he was tired, so he decided to take a small rest at the clan. He was woken up and taught how to use a trident for fishing and hunting, and as a defensive weapon. He learned some valuable life skills like "don't get lost in the ocean near these freaks', and "never trust a grouchy imperial wizard."

~

The Safety of Romer (Cazrel) 25/4/17
Rory made his way from the Sea of a Thousand Currents, weary with travel. He still wanted to explore Sornieth, but prayed for a clan where he could just... relax, for a while. He narrowly avoided the Scarred Wasteland, sticking to the very edges of the Wandering Contagion, struggled through the Starwood Strand, and finally... collapsed.

He awoke in a cave, and immediately began to panic.

"I should have carried on until I found somewhere," he muttered to himself, cursing his own perceived weakness.

"Don't be ridiculous, dear," an awkward voice piped up from behind him, and he spun around. "You can't help being tired, now can you? I'm Morpa, scout for the Safety of Romer. I found you in the Strand and brought you here," the Coatl smiled.

After that, Rory met with the rest of the rather small clan. They had all assumed he was on the run from something terrible, and explained that their clan was a refuge of sorts, and that he was welcome to live there with them. Slightly stunned, he explained he was just travelling, and planned to return home soon - they treated him like one of their own, nonetheless. He trained with them, cultivated plants with Roont, danced with Treebeard and Psyche, pulled endless pranks with Grimme, and grew very close to the girl who saved him; Morpa.

But soon enough, he knew it was time for him to leave. He was sad to do so, and Romer was sad to see him go too. But he knew he had to, and so did they. Rory was gifted a satchel to safely store supplies during his long journey, the same design as Morpa's own, to remember the clan by.

He left with the fondest of memories.

~

April 25, 2017 - ShiraCheshire's Lair

Rory wandered far out over the gentle, sunlit fields. While this was much easier to travel over than some of the wind-torn skies and putrid deserts he had seen, his wings were growing tired regardless. He resisted the urge to rest, gliding with a warm breeze far over the grass. Though there were no dangers below, it would be difficult to regain his altitude if he landed so far down.

Luckily, Rory soon came across a twisting structure of Fae amber. Most Fae lairs were built on trees, but if there were any trees in this structure then they had long been lost from sight under the amber. The highest section, a small tower on the spine-like ridge across the lair's back, was tall enough that Rory might land without losing too much height. He settled carefully on top of it, folding his aching wings.

A shadow passed under him, seen through the translucent amber. A moment later, a thin Spiral with smooth green scales slithered out through a small ventilation shaft carved into the amber. The Spiral twisted over herself a few times, uncomfortable or maybe shy. Rory explained that he didn't mean to trespass, and only wished to rest his wings for a bit. The Spiral nodded and began to comment on mundane things: The grass, the wind, the texture of clouds.

Rory chatted for some time with the Spiral on the amber tower. The break did his wings good, each knotted muscle was soon relaxed and ready to fly again. He stretched, thanking the Spiral for her company. Just as he was about to take off, the Spiral threw a length of ribbon over his wings and disappeared back into the amber. A gift, he supposed.

Rory leapt from the tower, warm breeze flowing under his feathers, ready for wherever the wind would take him next.

~

April 28, 2017 - Dreamcoyote's Lair

After much traveling, Rory once again found himself lost. He figured he was in Viridian Labrynth seeing how many trees were around him, and as he traveled further and further, they became more twisted and dense. Twigs and shrubs clawed at his feathers and the sun was slowly setting, making the shadows long. He thought he heard a noise to his left, and panic started to set in. He sped up to a loping gallop, blindly running through the forest.

All of a sudden, he collided with another dragon. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you ok?" The stranger exclaimed. Rory looked up and saw that the dragon was a brown tundra, her eyes filled with concern. After convincing her that he was ok, she insisted that he visit their clan, and he was happy to accept. The tundra, called Autumn, led him through the forest to the clan she was from. She was very bubbly, friendly, and talked the entire way back.

Rory stayed with the clan for several days. Him and Autumn became quick friends, and he met many others. Mianu taught him about the flora and fauna, Zephyre lent him some books to read, and Sianni showed him a few tricks about navigating the dense forest. As much as he loved the clan and all the dragons, it was time to move on. He was itching for adventure once again. Autumn insisted on escorting him out of the forest, and while saying goodbye, gave him a small flower to remember his time there with the clan. Rory accepted the gift, and once again, he was off, looking forward to whatever the future may hold for him.

~

April 29, 2017 - FlufferLover's Lair


~

May 2, 2017 - Ichamo's Lair

"A newbie?!" a voice chirped from the darkness. Rory had no idea where he was. Last thing he remembered he was crashing face first into the Sea of a Thousand Currents. Wait-- had he drowned?!

"Now I know what you're thinking- did I drown? I can assure you, you did not," another voice said calmly. "Now for Tidelord's sake take the blindfold off of the newcomer! Do we really need to give such a bad impression?!"
"Fine."

Rory gazed out upon the newly revealed clan, nestled between huge, jagged rock spires. Hundreds of well-constructed homes and other buildings clung to the sides of the spires, muted light seeping from the windows. How was there electricity down here? Well... that's an issue for another time. A more pressing matter was those voices. He turned around and came face to face with three warriors: a Wildclaw, a Skydancer, and an Imperial, each of which was carrying a weapon- perhaps they were some kind of patrol?

The Imperial stepped forward, sheathing his sword. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is RE- these two next to me are Allen and Akijan. We are in charge of guarding the clan for the day, and we just happened to run into you after you apparently crashed right into our clan."

"Great job, by the way," Allen growled. "You're lucky we just happened to find you in time. And you're lucky that we have one of the best doctors here. Ugh... Now we have to fix up the barrier..."

"Geez- chill a bit M- Allen!! You're gonna make the newbie feel bad!!" Akijan chirped. "It's just a hole in the barrier- it's not like we're gonna drown!!"

"Yeah- YOU won't!!! You've been gifted by Tidlord himself so YOU can't. But I will. And so will RE. Not to mention plenty of other non-Water non-Tidelord-gifted dragons in the lair."

"Calm down you two." RE sighed, shaking his head. "I apologize for my companions' actions and attitudes. Please, follow me and I'll show you to a house- don't worry about payment, it's on us."

Rory's house was a cozy little house built into one of the spires. He had a quite a few... interesting neighbors- three of them insisted that they were dead and were actually ghosts. Rory didn't want to test that theory. Other`wise, his stay at the clan had been great! Despite crashing through the air barrier that kept the underwater city from actually being underwater, he was welcomed throughout the clan. In fact, the clan's resident shapeshifter, Shadowsong, even taught him how to shapeshift into a small bird! Not very helpful in any way, but still a fun thing to do.

May 21, 2017 The Pieces OSky

Though Rory enjoyed his time in the cozy house in the clan under the sea, he soon felt the itch to be on the move again. He left in bird form, just for the fun of it, and flew northwest, towards the border of the Starfall Isles and the Windswept plateau. He stopped to rest in a tree, and found company in a he form a small sky colored Fae.
“ Hi birdie”
She greeted.
He decided to play along, flying over and perching on her shoulder.
“Ohmygosh!” She squealed,
“Wanna come home, wanna be friends with me?!”
Before he could act, she zipped across the grassy plain and down into a cave, the mouth of which was decorated with beautiful landscaping.
“MMYYYRRRTTLLE!!!! I made a new FFRRIEENND!

Another Fae emerged from a doorway, identical to the one holding Rory.
“Oh? What is it now Turtle?”
Myrtle inspected her sister’s feathery find.
“I sense...an icy energy….. This is no bird!”
Myrtle began to channel her Breath, chanting and making sighs with her claws. Rory began to grow heavy, and Turtle dropped him. Soon, an embarrassed Rory was sprawled in the floor.
Myrtle chuckled.
“ it seems we have a visitor!”

Rory’s time with the clan of Adventurers known as the Pieces OSky was filled with merriment and energy! Everywhere, light blue and night-black dragons coming and going, and participating in all kinds of interesting occupations!
He met Coco ,the matriarch who seemed almost as old as the Eleven, the skilled and honorable Night Watch , the clan doctor who smelled suspiciously of electricity, was pranked mercilessly by Beans ,and even had his portrait done!

But finally, it was time for him to go, and though the Pieces OSky were sad to see him leave, they understood better than anyone what it is to feel the call of adventure, and Kitesoul the baker made sure he was well stocked with tasty things before he disappeared into the blue.

~

Wednesday, September 13, 2017. A New Beginning (DarknessReborn)
Rory was traveling once more, an avatar their destined for great things. Last time he had done this, users had accepted him as their avatar, but only for him to become obsolete again. His first clan to visit? The Clan of Fallen Dreams, where he had spent time before. It wasn't a long experience. Night greeted him with a calm flutter in his face. "Hey there. I see you're here to... um..." She glanced at writing on her claw. "Take our avatar. Well, that's fine. I needed a break anyway." Night pulled some apparel out of nowhere, presumably her cloak. Giving a sly smile, she thrust them in Night's way. "But first, you need to match my aesthetic." After throwing on the things given to him, Rory looked like Night but kinda redder, making the guardian smirk. "Good. I'll show you around. You'll love it here." Thus Rory was introduced to everyone for the second time. They were kind dragons who made peace with the Skydancer and gave him gifts that normal visitors would get on a day to day basis. After his meet and greet he was given the opportunity to steal the avatar. So he did. Night really wasn't all too protesting about it, so it was his for the taking.
Before he knew it, another call came to him via messenger bird. This visit was surprisingly short, making the greeting of others the only thing he was allowed to do. He needed to leave the Clan of Fallen Dreams to steal more avatars. This was only the beginning. Soon, Rory would be hailed by the whole of Sorneith, soon he would be nothing but a god.




Friday, September 15, 2017: NocturnistheDark

Keeping to the Tangled Woods, I very soon came across another clan, which I entered with a grin. The hospitality was good enough, evidently they hadn't heard of me yet. The current avatar dragon was a kitsune named Foxstar; I 'borrowed' (In Ridgeback speaking) the clan's invisibility cloak to help aid my cause. Before they knew it, it was my face plastered all over the forums. Once they found out, they acted a tad bemusedly. I guess they didn't hold the position in such a high esteem. No matter. It was another victory to add to my growing count of avatars stolen.

One day I was confronted by Foxstar, who accused me of stealing the avatar. I declined such silly notions. Nocturnis popped his head in to see what was going on, and left confused. The next day I moved on to another clan.

Monday, September 25: VioletEevee

I traveled far from The Tangled Woods to the Starfall Isles where I might another clan. They welcomed me with open claws (well, most of them. Some were suspicious of me but I didn't care). I quickly stole their avatar, but they didn't really seem to mind, only expressing slight disappointment in not being able to change it for the Starfall Celebration. And after that, I must admit, I stayed. I was happy and comfortable there, and I grew lazy, despite my journey had only just begun again. Thankfully, I was brought backed to my senses by a message from my clan of origins saying "HURRY UP", and with that, I said farewell, and moved onto a new place with a new avatar to steal.

Wednesday, October 4: firewyrm2018

I came across a clan living in an dormant volcano at the edge of the Ashfall Waste. They seemed pretty hostile at first, but when I explained I was a simple traveller looking for a place to stay, the guards let me in to have an audience with their leader. Life here at the Gilded Shadows clan is... interesting to say the least. I took the avatar of this clan on the sly, without mentioning it to any clan members. Something strange is happening here. The lair is a nigh unnavigate-able maze of tunnels, the members of the clan slink about as if walking on eggshells. There are rooms that I'm not allowed entry into, guarded for seemingly no purpose. I feel as if I should leave here as soon as possible, but I can't find my way out. I know I will eventually, and once I do, I'm going to put this clan behind me and try and forget the odd happenings here as soon as possible.

Saturday, October 7: sQld

The light is blinding.

The very scales of the Beacon's residents take on a menacing metallic sheen, the very shadows here are radiant, the imposing tower overlooking the lair is rivaled only by the Lightweaver Herself's monstrous form.

Dozens of golden eyes scrutinize me from under hoods. They're calling me "a bunch of..." pizzles? pixies? - I can't quite make out the word but it sounds like they're mocking me.

A Coatl that looks like a gilded statue shoves a black rectangular frame down upon my head. "This is what you came here for, isn't it, Thief? Now go."

I am feeling as homesick as ever. Is there still a refuge for me in the Southern Icefield?

Monday October 9th: Yagine

It took a bit of effort (and possibly stealing the identity of a boat captain), but Rory eventually found himself in the middle of the Cloudscrape Crags.
'What am I doing here?' The lone skydancer thought to himself as he wandered onward into the mountains, unaware that a blizzard followed close behind.

The bitter cold whipped around his body as the icy fingers of the wind pushed him back down to the ground. His uncovered body was quivering as it tried desperately to warm itself. Rory had tried stealing the faces of many creatures in order to keep warm; a ram from the mountainside, a strange orange bird, even going so far as to steal the identity of a lost poet, but he was still not warm.

Finally, just as his feet were going numb and he felt as though he would fall off the mountainside at any moment, he saw her. A wildclaw surrounded by wolves, her own face covered by the guise of a brown wolf's pelt.
'Maybe she's like me.' Rory thought hopefully. 'If that's the case she shouldn't mind me taking the face of one these wolves to stay warm!'

Carefully he managed to avoid her sharp senses and capture a weaker golden wolf, silently removing its face and transplanting it onto his own, Rory immediately felt warm fur surround him. It was his sigh of relief that betrayed his presence.

Whipping around with a snarl Shii slowly stalked towards him, gasping in horror at the faceless husk of a wolf he had left behind. It was then that he saw that the pelt was tied onto the wildclaw, she was not like him.
'No one will ever understand me.' He thought sadly. 'I must steal faces to survive, or else I will fade into nothing.'
He narrowly avoided her furious attack. "Thief! Murderer!" She screamed, relentlessly chasing and attacking him. Scrambling to get away, he saw dozens of eyes of all colors watching him from the mountain, seemingly undisturbed by the harsh wind. He tried to stay and explain that he meant no real harm, but all breath left him when he found pink Arcane eyes staring at him from a ledge.

Those eyes bore into him. Rory felt his pulse beat erratically as fear struck its way deep in his chest. He did not know that pearlcatcher, but he could tell that there was something very, very wrong with her. He had to get out, he had to get out right now.

In his distraction he had stopped, and Shii ripped the wolf from his body. Running as fast as he could, he rapidly shed his faces in an effort to appease them, but Shii chased him to the very edge of the landmass, only abating when he leapt into the freezing water. She gave one final shriek at him and he floated there limply and contemplated the poet's hat, the only face he had left....where shall I go now?

October 9th
The Breezeborn Serpents

An exhausted and bedraggled Rory collapsed on the beach. The Skydancer had fled the unforgiving Crags and the dragons within, crossing the narrow sea separating the realms of Ice and Wind in record time. He sighed and closed his eyes, savoring the sun's warmth.
"Hello! Are you alright?"
Rory looked up to see Chapoteo standing over him. The Wildclaw wore a look of concern as he prodded the wet bag of feathers laying before him. "Yes, I'm fine..." Rory groaned, rolling over.
Chapoteo took Rory to his Clan to meet the others. They were all very excited to hear about where he'd been, and threw a party in his honor. As a gift, he was given a brightly decorated headdress, a skull with pink feathers. The Clan Matriarch invited him to stay and rest for as long as he liked. As Rory looked around at the smiling faces, he thought he could manage that.

October 31st
Melohn Clan, Cult of Arenji
I barely escaped. I stumbled into this clan, a cult that worshipped a strange being named "Arenji". To disguise myself, I threw a cloak of invisibility on me. But then I realized, hey, I've picked up a lot of stuff over my time traveling the lands. Said stuff didn't turn invisible, as I discovered when the clan tried to kill me. Luckily I fled just in time, snagging a rose for the road.