Sylv

Sylv is a bit of a recluse— he spends his days wandering the forest, collecting herbs and plants for his hoard, and enjoying the beauty of nature. Many travelers have mistaken him for a forest spirit, a ghost whispering between the trees... and frankly, Sylv doesn’t really have the heart to correct them, so he lets them believe what they will.

Although Sylv lives alone in the forest, he often has visitors— dragons from all around the continent have come to see him for his healing prowess and rumored wisdom. He enjoys these visits— not because he necessarily needs the company, but because he enjoys seeing a multitude of dragons, big and small, and hearing the riveting stories they have to tell.

For the most part, these dragons would come, take his advice or be healed, and they would leave. They didn’t often return... but there was one dragon who would come to see Sylv just about every week. A wealthy, powerful dragon, he assumed— her garb was fancy, even if she herself tried to downplay her apparent status. She never imparted upon him her name— so he took to affectionately calling her “Lady”.
The first time she visited, she had a grievous wound in her side, a horrific gash.
He healed her, and sent her on her way.
The second time she visited, it was for a thorn in her paw. Sylv was a bit confused that she would visit for something so trivial, but he obliged her and removed the thorn, again sending her on her way.
The third time she visited, she complained of a sore shoulder. He could find nothing wrong with her, but he gave her a cooling salve anyways.
The fourth time she visited, she brought a gift— several pouches of rare tea leaves and a shiny tail tassel. He was a bit confused— he’d been given gifts before, but they hadn’t been the sole cause for a visit before.
He found himself rather attached to the tail tassel, not taking it off ever since he first tried it on.
The fifth time she visited, she brought more tea leaves and an offer— an offer to join her clan.

Sylv told her he couldn’t leave the forest— as its protector and with an important job to do in healing other dragons, he couldn’t just up and leave.
She told him she respected his answer, and before leaving, she finally told him her name— Chromata.

After that, she would visit once a week, bringing Sylv gifts and chatting with him for hours. He found that he enjoyed these visits greatly, and he would often prepare his best stories for her throughout the week while waiting for her to visit.
Chromata didn’t bring up joining her clan again.
This pattern continued for two years, until one day, Chromata came bearing a proposal— asking Sylv if he would take her as a mate.

He was naturally startled by this, but after some thought, he decided that he would take her up on her offer.
Sylv told her she deserved someone who could visit her more, but she declined. He told her that she would be better off with another dragon who could actually leave the forest, but she declined that as well.

Although Sylv and Chromata can’t stay with each other often or for very long— Sylv is a free spirit with duties to attend to, and Chromata is busy leading a clan— they have stayed together for many, many years, and they are rather content with their situation.

—

Sylv met his familiar— a sharp-tongued and quick-witted Opheodrys Serthis named Balthazar— when the Serthis had wandered into the forest, severely wounded and on the brink of death. After being healed, Balthazar had irritably slunk off, grumbling something about not needing help... but he would soon return. After weeks of gaining each other’s trust and sharing riddles, jokes, and stories, Balthazar finally asked Sylv if he could live in the forest, alongside his dragon companion. He had been kicked out of his clan, and therefore had nowhere to go otherwise.

Sylv agreed.

Now, the two are close friends, sharing banter and stories on a regular basis— Balthazar has even begun to learn the art of healing from Sylv, and although he isn’t as magically-inclined as his Arcane-born, forest-marked friend, he’s developed quite the knack for picking out just the right healing herbs for the job.