Chalce

The tale of Chalcedony the Terrible rings loudly across storytellers of the Shifting Expanse; a warrior so strong the world lived in horror.

As an adolescent Chalcedony was always getting into some form of trouble with his clans leaders. Most of his early days were spent undergoing menial labor as punishment for his actions. While it bored Chalcedony beyond belief it did nothing to alter his behavior and as time went on he got into more fights against others. What was childish spats became battles covered in blood, open wounds, and the bite-marks of the dragons unfortunate enough to be at the opposing end of the field. Chalcedony was a brute but he was strong.

His clan put him to work in a new way: while others tinkered at their machines or conducted electronic incantations Chalcedony was ebbing at the background and waiting for permission to strike. He was a fighter, a guard, and a gambler who bet his life if it meant he got a chance in the arena. He refused to back down from a challenge no matter how badly the odds were stacked against him. For a time this worked well--until the foes in the Shifting Expanse ran out and Chalcedony's spirit was once more at unrest. His clan leaders decided that another change in fields was required and they began to employ him as the clan mercenary.

Opposing clans and rivals were quickly dispatched. Whether it be by teeth, claws, guns, or sword Chalcedony did not hesitate at his assignments. He was experienced, cunning, and undefeated--in his eyes that him invincible. He could not lose. He was too powerful for his own clan and he was a monster of Lightning. The tempest storms bid his name and he called on his god for the power to move mountains and break through his enemies without ever drawing his sword or gun. Word of him began to spread to the farthest reaches of Sornieth. His name instilled terror. The very thought of him was rumored to invoke his wrath and--!

---

"What a load of bull." The Ridgeback grunts from behind the campfire.

The other dragons jump up, startled.

"The hell you lying around for then, Chase? Get outta here--this pretty lady's telling me a thing or two and I'm not one for a fool like you to kill the mood." A large Guardian hisses from the side. His red eyes are flashing and serious but they soon turn sweet and soft as he looks to the gorgeous Pearlcatcher on his lap and smirks. "What were you saying, lady? Tell me all about this Chalcedony the Terrible. Indulge me in all the secrets you have to give."

"Still bull." The Ridgeback leans back in his spot. He ignores the glares others throw his way and offers nothing more than the meager gesture of picking up his sword and withdrawing it from the its sheathe. He takes the end of his cloak and uses it to wipe grime off the blade.

"As you were saying, doll. Speak." The Guardian grunts.

"--Acacia."

The Pearlcatcher's given a laugh as the Guardian grins. "Acacia, doll, whatever you like I like."

"Well..." Acacia's ears pin back against her head. The dragon reaches a tender paw up and strokes the Guardian's face gently. She accompanies the motion with a tender smile. "As I saying--the strong and mighty Chalcedony was given his title for the terrible power preceding him. But fortune could not smile on him forever. Seeds of spite were planted in the hearts of his enemies, his clan members... Even his own parents. The Stormcatcher had blessed him with strength but now even the God of Lightning turned and looked the other way."

Acacia's brilliant orange eyes look to the fire. The Guardian under her follows her gaze.

"When the great and terrible Chalcedony thought he had it all... he lost it. Like a tree set aflame." Acacia's voice falls to no more than a whisper. The dragons around her hush to listen as she declares, "He was taken by surprise. The very dragons who raised him looked on and pointed at him, 'he is the one.' Betrayed and exposed to the cruelties of the world right before they took a sword and cleaved it through his head."

"Bet he still handled a stick better than Chase handles swords!" One of the Tundra's nearby chimes in loudly.

Several members of the group break into spiels of laughter.

As the chuckles fade away and the dragons are lulled back into a more serious atmosphere Acacia raises her head and looks at the Ridgeback sitting across the fire. Her eyes appear to glow in the light of the dancing flames.

"He was a terrible dragon. Do you not agree, Chase? That Chalcedony the Terrible deserved his end?" The Pearlcatcher inquires.

The rest of the group watches the Ridgeback pause.

His blue eyes look back down to the sword in his hands. "Your story's nothing but bull scrapped in the fields and used for manure."

"Don't be like that, Chase!" The Guardian snaps. "Just answer the damn question so me and this gorgeous gal can get some shut-eye after."

The remaining dragons around the fire nod in agreement to the Guardian's words. Acacia's eyes never leave the Ridgeback--she stares directly at him and eyes him in earnest.

"I think..." The Ridgeback pauses; his blue eyes dim. "Chalcedony's story has got a lot more going on than what she's willing to share."

The statement is met with sharp retorts and criticisms. It soon follows with laughter and jokes aimed at him but the Ridgeback sees no reason to respond. His mind is distant and focused primarily on the knowing gaze of the Pearlcatcher across the fire.

He does not need to look up to feel Acacia's burning smile on his back. He knows she can see through his magic. He imagines his dozen glowing eyes and flickering apparition is a pitiful sight to the Pearlcatcher. In Chalce's mind she is but another dragon reminding him of the day he lost his head; the truly terrible one.

---

when he looks down at the clear lake waters chalcedony finds himself staring at a shattered reflection of himself. the waters are cruel and give him the notion that the dozens of glowing blue orbs flickering around his head and neck are actually his skull, that the grisly scar where his head was cleaved off is nothing more than faded memories, and that the translucent nature of his body is all in his imagination.

the little blue orbs begin to look less like lights and more like eyes the more he gazes into the waters depths. dozens and dozens of eyes staring back at him that are not quite him but taunt him with the idea he was once actually a dragon. the spirit cannot tear himself away from the image. it is not until a nearby crow croons loudly that chalcedony finds himself snapping back to the present and turning away from the waters alluring dream.

---

Attempting to navigate a world that is no longer as it once was is a problem for Chalce. The years have not been kind and the sudden switch from older traditions to the present way of thinking was nothing less than a culture shock when the dragon's spirit first stirred from its grave. His memory is marred and missing in places but despite the fragments permanently lost to history Chalce retains enough to know that in the present age of Sornieth he is very, very angry.

The story of his past has been misconstrued over the centuries by different storytellers and drakes looking to shut up hatchlings by tales of his supposed terror. The Ridgeback finds the utter lack of disrespect held for the dead-him-is asinine, livid, and spurns his spirit to hold on to the mortal realm almost as much as hate for his clan does. His current goals in this world intertwine two things: righting those who have wronged his name and story and hunting down descendants of the ******** who beheaded him and conducting his own form of justice. Finding his skull is optional.

Given Chalce lacks a consistently physical form this often proves itself difficult to make any strides in. Dragons are not willing to part with information without reason or motive and he has none to his name. Those who recognize him are quick to use his identify as leverage in coercing him to fighting on their behalf. In attempt to bypass this Chalce often offers services as a mercenary to dragons he believes have potential information regarding the ones he is after. Storytellers who spew lies of his past are typically not granted the mercy of living long enough to talk things out.

One of the things Chalce was known for in his past life was raw talent, skill, and experience he had in fighting. This is a trait that has carried on past death. If the spirit is able to take physical manifestation in the presence of a weapon Chalce will quickly use it the best way he knows how: killing. His offers of assassination in exchange for information are backed by the heads he brings back as proof the deed is done. More rarely--Chalce may offer to bring a dragon back alive but under acknowledgement the dragon may be returned in more than one piece.

Being a ghost presents its own set of problems that surface at any given moment. Chalce is constantly using his energy to take on the form of an apparition. From there he expels more energy to manifest himself physically for a fight or to use what little magic he knows to cast the illusion he is alive and possessing a head. He is also extremely susceptible to the magic of others. Due to his inability to defend himself from the spells and hexes of opposing mages and sorcerers Chalce has found himself being controlled and used as a puppet on more than one occasion by dragons wishing to exploit his ability in combat.

---

"A strange one but... perhaps we can make use of you." The Fae is soft-spoken but her eyes tell everything Chalce needs to know. Empty and dead--like him.

He looks to the side and imagines his illusionary self gritting its teeth.

The Skydancer taps a foot to the ground, wings shifting behind layers of clothes that hide his features. If not for the crown resting on his head Chalce would never have guessed the Skydancer to be of any importance at all. "Minerva. This is not one of those matters."

"My matters are my children's matters, always, Nyx," the Fae goes on, "You are so young... you don't understand even when they live in you, breathe in you--are you. This will help all of us."

"Whatever he is you are not permitted to expose him to your Shade. He has given us the privilege of explaining his... situation and as such we must extend enough respect in that he is not to be taken into quarantine and possessed by your rowdy kids. Do you understand, Minerva? Minerva-!" Nyx groans audibly and lurches forward enough to yank the Fae away from Chalcedony's head.

Where his head was supposed to be, anyways.

"They want friends, Nyx." Minerva pleads. Her eyes are Wind's sage-hue but they look more and more contrived with each passing second. "He's perfect to further the way you and Angel understand my children! Candor said so himself that tainting such an entity would further his own research by miles--!"

"I said no."

"...Yes, your highness." The Fae's voice is respectful. Courteous. No hint of sarcasm yet ever bit deceiving as a flame to a moth.

"Chase, you said your name was?" Nyx clears his throat.

Chalce blinks. He had already forgotten his alias and it hadn't been two minutes.

"Yes, majesty?" While Minerva's voice featured no sarcastic inflection Chalce is not able to restrain himself. The idea of royalty and monarchs on its own was frivolous enough. He straightens upright and grunts loudly. "What?"

"I believe we have a job offer for you." Nyx smiles behind his mask. "Or shall I say--welcome to Pendulum."

---

Currently working as a mercenary conducting miscellaneous jobs for Pendulum and other clans in the area. Chalce uses the not-so-original alias Chase in order to avoid bringing attention back to his actual identify. This in of itself is often irrelevant given any dragon with knowledge of Shifting Expanse's folklore and the ability to see past Chalce's weak magic can recognize who he is.

Outside of work Chalce takes to keeping to himself and plotting his next move. He does not like staying in any particular lair and travels in attempt to gather more information about the domains as they are in present day. A random dragon who greets him in passing will note his intolerance for "bull" and his refusal to put up with artificial or fake personalities. Exceptionally attentive dragons will find that Chalce is able to multi-task avidly and keep as much a tab on them as they may on him. Chalce is known to reject advances of dragons wishing to win his illusion's affections--primarily out of annoyance as he finds such feelings akin to 'irrelevant mortal drama' in addition to posing its own set of complications given he is a ghost and not a dragon.

---

chalce is short for chalcedony.
he uses the name chase as an alias for his mercenary jobs.
he/him. nonbinary.
appears forties but exact age unknown.
not interested in relationships outside work.
we'll see how that goes, chalcedony.
he fell in love with the night's bride, the only one to extend a hand where others turned away.
he might not believe he deserves her company but he loves her all the same.
theme song: under the water by the pretty reckless
notable lyrics: i've never been free