Ladon

Ladon's parents are brilliant scholars of the Sunbeam Ruins, in a clan with a notably scholarly bent. They took it for granted that young Ladon would follow in their footsteps, and filled his younger days with countless lessons and required readings in all sorts of fields. At first, Ladon enjoyed some of his studies, for they were very fascinating, but years of having it practically shoved down his throat curdled his interest, and made him determined to do something else when he grew up.

His favorite subject was history- something he tried to conceal from his parents, lest they try to make him into a historian and foist history lectures on him until he hated it- for he adored reading grand accounts of momentous events, delving into epic literature, and listening to tellings of heroic sagas. He often concealed books of historical annals, or even of myths and fairy tales, inside of whatever text he was supposed to be reading, and daydreamed about being a part of one of those tales himself in the middle of lessons. Ladon often got in trouble for this habit and neglecting his studies, but that didn't stop him, only made him cleverer at hiding it.

It wasn't until he began secretly training himself to fight that he and his parents really started clashing. When they found out, they were furious at Ladon for squandering his time and getting distracted from his studies by something as crass as combat. But no matter how much they argued, or piled on more studies and chores, or tried to keep a close eye on him so he couldn't slip off, Ladon still managed to get out and keep practicing, even when it left him exhausted from how little time he had left to sleep. His parents' efforts to make him turn away from learning to fight to protect others just made him even more determined to pursue his dream.

His closest friend and confidante for most of his life was Jormung, from a clan just on the other side of the Lightning border that Ladon's clan frequently stayed at in the course of surveys and studies. Since they were about the same age and both dissatisfied with their lots in life, they bonded quickly in spite of their greatly different personalities and outlooks. Ladon supported Jormung's refusal to blindly follow the path his clan set for him, even if Ladon wished his friend was a bit more… proactive in finding an alternative. Whenever Ladon had a free moment on one of these visits he always made sure to drag Jormung into whatever he planned to do, mostly because he wanted to hang out, but also in the hopes that Jormung would find something he actually wanted to do.

Ladon knew exactly what he wanted his future to be. He wanted to be a hero! Defeating Shade-tainted monsters, fighting evildoers, or just protecting people in danger. That was the important thing, after all, making people safer, even if the process wasn't something spectacular. And he knew where he wanted to do it: Dragonhome. A place where history lived, and you didn't have to clinically scrutinize it. The name itself was enticing- the land of the first dragons, home of the most ancient draconic societies in all of Sornieth.

But he didn't want to go it alone. If he could, he'd take Jormung with him. Give him an excuse to get away from his workaholic clan and maybe give Ladon a chance to get him to find something to do with his life.
Ladon waited patiently for the hatchday that would make him an adult, and able to leave his own clan and set out to pursue his dream. Years of arguing with his parents, finding new ways to sneak in training, and planning for his journey out of the Sunbeam Ruins passed before he finally left. His first stop was the end of the Carrion Canyon on the other side of the border.

To his shock, when he reached Jormung's clan, there was no sign of his old friend, and his questions got him flat looks, shaking heads, and muttered complaints about young dragons these days. He quickly pieced together that Jormung had already left, but no one could tell Ladon where he'd gone. Ladon, quite worried, went from one small clan in the area to another, hoping that Jormung hadn't gone too far, but no one had any word. For a while Ladon despaired of ever seeing his friend again, or even knowing if he was safe.

Reluctantly, he began the trek to Dragonhome, his spirits sinking with every slow step. He stopped at a small border clan's to rest, keeping to himself, when a few wilderland scavengers wandered in. Whether it by pure luck or the intervention of the Stormcatcher to rid himself of a lazy employee, Ladon recognized one of the worn figures- finally, he'd found Jormung again. His immediate response was to fret over Jormung's gaunt state and drag his friend away from a nap to get a proper meal; his next response was to pitch his Dragonhome idea, and eventually convinced Jormung enough that the Spiral didn't protest much while being dragged along.

Between Ladon's exuberance and seemingly unlimited drive to do anything he could to help people, and Jormung's laziness and determination not to do anything he absolutely didn't have to, the duo stumbled into many misadventures before their journey happened to lead them to the Diabase Demesne, where they now live. Altena recruited Ladon to work under her in patrolling the lair to watch out for crime, and Ladon in turn recruited Jormung- partly so Jormung would actually do something and get out of his den once in a while, and partly so Ladon can keep an eye on him. Ladon quickly warmed to Zilant, Altena's collected and diligent deputy. But over time, his admiration gave way to concern over his friend's recklessness and dispassionate nature. Now, Ladon tries to include Zilant in just about everything he and Jormung do off-duty, to keep an eye on him and see if he can make Zilant show a genuine smile.