Maela

Maela fled her previous clan during signs of uncertainty. The last of the children by her two parents, as far as she knows, Maela knows to keep the memory of her mother's stories close to her heart. The winds of change blew over the Ashfall Waste... and Maela had no way of knowing whether, years later, her mother's mind would still be the one she knew. It was a story Maela knew well: a dragon named Xia, born a fae, struggling with her emotions, turned to a Skydancer. From there, touched by the Icewarden Himself and turned to an Imperial. It was a story Maela would keep in her heart... for her mother's body was pricelessly valuable, and many souls would wish to inhabit it.

Though she loved her mother with all her heart, Maela knew she would never see her again. She knew, with all the change going on, that it would likely not be Xia looking out of those eyes that'd seen so much. Maela had to let go... and let go she did.

Though they look fragile, Maela's wings are strong, befitting the child of one so God touched. Maela's body was strong, and her mind sharp... though thankfully, she is not so valuable as her mother. She made her living in the forges of her homeland, using her deep magics to infuse her work with protective spells. She heard tell of an elder sister who hunted the shade, and started tuning her magics in that direction.

Soon, Maela turned her claws to finer things: intricate filigree metalwork beset with precious stones, and crown jewels fit for royalty. She crafted no mere baubles, but wearable works of art, each finely detailed to its eventual wearer. Warriors came to her for adornments to their armor; they found that, after Maela had reworked a piece, it allowed them to resist the Shade's corrupting influence that much more. Maela's renown grew, not for her lineage, but for her skill and craftsmanship.

Of course someone had to come along and ruin her peace. Once her customer base found out who her mother was, they all seemed to have questions. And comments. Wedding proposals out of nowhere. Demons haunting her dreams, wishing to possess her for themselves. Maela grew terrified, and only then did she realize a fraction of what her mother must have gone through.

She heard of the might of Clan AXQU through the whisperings of an allied clan in the Ashfall Waste. She turned up two weeks later, flthy, penniless, and bearing two gifts for the clan leaders, each intricately worked to fit their unique shapes. Not her best work, she insisted. She didn't have their measurements, she blustered. But the items were absolutely gorgeous, and once they'd been tested for malicious magic, Maela was brought inside.

The clan leadership had questions. Maela answered and answered until she was completely spent, then rested and answered more. The Imperials were awkward around her, but after a few days, it faded. She fell in with Cooper and Emeriel, the clan's other two ex-Royals, and very eventually started to make friends. She started by reworking the filigree armor of the lair's Skydancer guard... which freed the clan blacksmith to focus on purely functional pieces.

Between the pretty metalwork, gemcutting, and stone setting around the lair, Maela finds herself very very busy. She is happy to be safe and to make friends in Clan AXQU. Maybe, just maybe, she'll be able to relax enough to finally heal.

When Wave came in out of the storm, with her special eyes, Maela knew that Wave understood what a burden it is to be born special. They grow closer day by day, and Maela reserves her finest silvers and blues for her new favorite. Wave lets Maela spoil her... but she knows Maela is spoiling her because Maela likes who she is, not because of her gift. Maela, in turn, knows that Wave courts her not for her heritage, but because Wave likes who she is. Both gals are absolutely giddy about each other, and nobody would be surprised if a marriage announcement were to come out...