Polly

Polly

Vanyel raised his golden voice and sang of life and light,
Of the first cry of a baby, of the silver stars of night.
Herald Vanyel sang of wisdom, sang of courage, sang of love,
Of the earth's sweet soil beneath him, of the vaulting sky above,
Sang of healing, sang of growing, sang of joy and hope and dreams,
And the Singer Of The Shadows felt the death of all her schemes.
-Shadow Stalker




Although coatls are known for their tendency to hum, most of them have a reputation for being unmusical. Their different way of speaking and hearing means that they can hit jarring notes and frequencies in casual conversation that make other dragons wince. However, it's not so with Polly. He is a great lover of music, and a talented musician besides. He often puts on performances and concerts for the clan, in which he invites anyone to come and showcase their musical talent along with him. During rainy days when the clan is stuck inside the lair, his performances are especially popular, and can sometimes stretch on for hours, as members of the clan both join him, and call him back for encores. He never refuses one, as he loves an audience almost as much as he loves music, and is always coming up with new songs and ideas to amuse them.

Polly had always loved music, even as young hatchling, and would be drawn to anyone playing or singing it. It didn't matter to him whether it was a talented professional performing a traditional ballad, or merely a bored dragon playing a simple tune on a wooden flute to pass the time. He loved all the different types of music he heard. He was dismayed when he learned that coatl voices are not to the taste of most other dragons. He still practiced by himself, when no one was around to hear it. Although he couldn't afford a fine instrument like he'd seen some musicians carry, he experimented with making his own, carving flutes from reeds, and making simple drums from stretched hides and wooden frames. Although his instruments were crude, and his music unpolished, it still made him happy. So he persisted, teaching himself in bits and pieces.

When a pair of wandering bards passed through the area, stopping at his lair and playing in return for dinner and a place to spend the night, he was glued to them the whole time they played. It was beautiful, but he still couldn't help feeling a little sad as he listened. The two played and sang so skillfully that it seemed to weave a spell over the audience, who didn't make a single sound until the song was over and they burst into applause. He wanted to one day make an audience that size clap and cheer for him as enthusiastically as they did now. Their instruments, though worn with age and loving care, were still finely made. He wondered if he would ever be good enough to make music like that, or if he would ever own any instruments fine enough to do so. How could he become truly skilled if he had no one to teach him, and nothing to learn on?

However, later that night while he was lost in thought, the two approached him. They had seen how closely he had watched their performance, how his eyes lit up at every new song, and how longingly he glanced at their instruments. The two of them could see that he was someone who loved music as much as they did, with the potential and the passion to dedicate himself to it. They asked him if he was interested in learning from them, to his enthusiastic agreement. They lent him a small harp, and taught how to pluck out scales, at first then simple songs, then more complex ones. They showed him how to read music, so that he could learn new songs even if there was no one to play them for him. They taught him how to use the notes of the harp to train his voice, matching the notes he sung to the notes he played. They also taught him some of the few traditional coatl songs they knew, but had never had the right vocal range to perform, songs that were hummed in crooning descants that no other breed of dragon could imitate.

Polly absorbed all that they taught him like dry ground absorbing rain. By the time they left, he was on his way to becoming a skilled musician. When they did leave, much to his dismay, it was without a word to him so as to avoid a sad goodbye. But they left a small package behind for him, the harp he had learned on, with a note encouraging to keep playing and performing, and to someday write his own songs for others to admire. He took it to heart, and continued to learn. Those who watched him perform always came away happy, because even though he wasn't yet an expert, he still played with enough joy that it left everyone who heard it happy too.

When the time came for him to seek his own home, he knew that the place for him was the Windswept Plateau. After all, where better for a musician than the place where wind chimes hung from the trees, where the breeze carried soft music, a place that was presided over by a deity named the Windsinger? The Wind flight seemed to embody a carefree sense of joy that was unique to them and them alone, and it was one he hoped to be a part of. His arrival there was all that he had hoped for, and for a time he took on the role of a wandering musician, just like his teachers had been. The weather was balmy and the grass was soft enough that it was no hardship to sleep under the stars, and he met many dragons eager to invite him in to perform for them. One clan he met there gave him an especially warm welcome. They were celebrating the anniversary of their clan's founding, and the arrival of a musician to play for the festivities seemed like particularly good fortune. Polly had never felt so welcomed or immediately at home amongst any other group of dragons. When one of the three clan leaders, Nocti, asked if he would like to join them and be their clan musician, he was only too happy to accept it.

Polly continues to find great joy in his music, and never stops learning new things. Since arriving in Wind flight, he has been especially interested in learning how to play the instruments native to the flight, like their famous panpipes, and learn their traditional songs. He also encourages others if they seem interested in learning, making it a point to always be positive and never tell them that they're not suited to it, just like his old teachers did for him such a long time ago. He plays music for parties and celebrations, for impromptu dances when everyone just feels like having fun, and to lift the spirits of any dragons hard at work. He also puts on larger performances, where he invites anyone who wishes to join him on stage, and to sing or play along with him. No matter how skilled or amateur their performance may be, he always has something complimentary to say about it, and warmly encourages them to continue doing it.

Because he loves an audience, and he loves their applause and admiration just as much, he often plays to it, and his exuberant personality is a little larger than life. He likes to be in the spotlight, and will strive to keep it if he has it. Although he can sometimes be a little bit of a primadonna, his mate, Dreamcatcher, always gently brings him back down to earth again with a quiet word. And despite that, he never tries to get attention by acting out, and while he might be a little melodramatic, he's never nasty. His mate, Dreamcatcher, is a quiet dragon, and spends much of her time sleeping, but Polly is still as fond of her as can be, and has written several love songs for her so that everyone who hears him sing them knows how he feels. Those who have seen his quiet concentration when he's learning a new song can see that he and Dreamcatcher are more alike than they seem. If he can't be found, then it's a good bet that he might be found by Dreamcatcher's bedside, napping along with her, or softly singing lullabies to ease her slumber.