Ayella

A Y E L L A

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Matriarch • Law-giver • Lady of the Glade • Member of the Old Council

B I O G R A P H Y

M E N T I O N E D B Y

E T Y M O L O G Y

L O R E

General History


Boran, Ayella, and their newly-emerged hatchlings first arrived in the quarry from their parents’ meeting place in the Shrieking Wilds. The couple built their home in the central cave, thought to be the main entrance to the quarry’s cave system. Their hatchlings grew up, and not much occurred for quite some time, other than a lot of farming.
Then, 9 months of defending the quarry from the forces of nature later, Dynas and a blue Nocturne by the name of Seze flew in under a truce from The Tangled Wood, and the two groups hesitantly tolerated one another, not having much choice due to the Beastclans and packs of Wildclaws occupying nearly everywhere else fertile in the Labyrinth.
Slowly but surely, they became allies. Dynas and Seze were incapable of taking Ayella on in a fight, so they deferred to her as pack leader. Boran rose to the occasion alongside his mate, understanding that if he wanted to settle himself in at her side, it would have to be now, when the ties were fresh.
Really, all that happened after that was born out of necessity and kind of predictable, so let's just say that the Clan grew. Ayella dubbed them the Dragons (or the Clan) of the Broken Valley, because the term “quarry” annoyed the nature dragons beyond belief. Everyone found it fittingly symbolic.
The Clan grew until it was coming on 70 strong, and were establishing themselves as a reliable ally (if nothing more) by forging alliances with other Nature Clans against the Beastclans, but sinister plans were never far from the minds of the wicked.

Some time passed, and several vicious wounds were inflicted upon our dear dragons. There was been a horrible massacre within the Clan as the Beastclans regrouped enough to recognize them as an unorganized target. The noble and renowned Cavemaster Phelga, graceful Timemaster Soie, healer Hirwiva, Weathermaster Telemna, and countless more lost their lives in the scrap.

Merely a few moons after, a great exodus took place, in which a Guardian called by Cireanach attempted to force the Clan southwards, to the watery kingdom of the Sea of a Thousand Currents. Under normal circumstances, the Old Council would've been able to strike down the rebellion, cast Cireanach out and be done with it. However, his adopted sister Muileag (who ironically hailed from the Sea) sought to take over the Clan from within just as Cireanach wished to ferry them away. On a morning where the sun shone exceptionally bright, the three conflicting forces struggled against each other, until the two insurgents were brought down. The losses were earth-shaking, and the Clan found that they could no longer defend their territory, so they were made into a traveling band.

The Old Council were supremely uncomfortable with the seemingly promiscuous nature of power, so they decided to hoard it for their own. This decision was not made lightly, nor was it received so. But it seemed to those elders that the free-flowing nature of the Council made it far too easy to strike at the belly of the Clan. So the Council was reduced to a modest number, and those among them made their nest in the cave system that the honorable Phelga had once excavated so skillfully, and declared that those who came uninvited would never return to the outside world. The rest of the Clan was sentenced to roam, with only Fedelm, Jahir, and Agrius’ late cousin, the Spiral Narfi permitted to enter the Council's palace.

The Clan, now 21 strong, wandered freely, hoping to break the curse of power and once again enter their ancestral haven. After Narfi’s death as a hostage in an enemy Clan that they were attempting to reclaim their abandoned territory from, Fedelm and Jahir staged a coup against the Old Council, making their own declaration that this set up was a strategic disaster. The Old Council agreed, and all decided that the thoughtless actions of the past had swelled up to an unfortunate level due to the grief in the tender old dragons’ hearts.

Needless to say, the Dragons of the Broken Valley had experienced their fill of drama. Many had already left while wandering the wilds, but some stayed to enact their revenge against the Council. Just as before, many died. It was a bloody and tiring ordeal; the circle of hate never seemed to slow.

However, several dragons slowly trickled back into the Clan as well, having gone to hide out the imbalance in their own private dens. Dragons such as Elphaba, Altair, Gwennol, and Dawnbreak returned with varying feelings of remorse and curiosity.

Now, there are several checks and balances of power set in place to steady any resurgences of a power craze. The Clan approaches 100 strong, and attempts to break into the merchant’s trade. The tunnels under the valley are being destabilized due to the earthquakes rocking Sornieth. Belegaer, Phelga’s old apprentice, has condemned them, and the eastern half of the valley has been sent to live in the trees while he works on them. The entire military power is dwelling up next to the sky, but there’s no opportunity to soak in the experience, as their Clan-born advantage has been stripped from them. The appearance of the Gaolers has complicated their movements further, but also brought them a solution in the form of collapsible Gaoler dens, taught to them by the Seeker Zveam.

The caves are a hot topic in the Clan, as many wonder why they had to live away from the open air in the first place, and think that the whole Valley should be taken over with plantlife, and that the Clan should nest in the surrounding trees.

The Gaolers themselves were met with warm welcome, as the first two to join, Kahu and Serif, just happened to be a perfect combination of passive and rule-bound to get the Clan to respect them, no matter their appearance. Since their joining, Serif, at least, has vouched for every single Gaoler who passes by just in case, because he’s come to know the wrath of the suspicious Clan through the tellings of his Clanmates, and how he was lucky to escape it.

Kahu didn't feel the same. She bided her time, trying (and failing as time wore on and Gaolers began to acquire modern sensibilities) to rally the Gaolers together, and wondering for what grand purpose the Icewarden sent them here and when he will summon them home. Over time, the Clan became further desensitized to the Ancient dragons and vice versa, and many rose to become trusted friends, even family. Kahu had a son, Bylden, with the Clan engineer, Mesmir, who became so trusted that Ayella made him her source of personal correspondence in her recent scheme, an Earth colony. Kahu eventually returned to Ice flight.

The Clan has been making a recent effort to increase the span and scope of their trade. Advancements include: a small herd of herbivores to watch over, more specialists, such as gem experts and sculptors, and a new Trademaster. Banescales have finally hit the Clan, more than two months after their miraculous rebirth, first in the form of Demyan, a Water Wizard, and second in a Light Tribe, looking for their place in the modern world.

As soon as word of the Banescales reached the Earth colony (Serif, a second generation from the Order system, let them know specifically), Ranier brought them back to the Valley. There's currently a heightened tension between the two groups. Serif, Ranier, Starling, and Leif are the only Gaolers who know the facts of the great division between the two species, and Elis, Lynne, Isle, and Vilde all have first hand experience of the events following the extinction.