Eskame

Kindhearted ✦ Cautious ✦ Shy ✦ Loves to Swim

“To be careless in making decisions is to naively believe that a single decision impacts nothing more than that single decision, for a single decision can spawn a thousand others that were entirely unnecessary or it can bring peace to a thousand places we never knew existed.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

One out of five eggs in a nest, Eskame grew up understanding the importance of family. However, as his siblings reached adulthood, they yearned for adventure and wanted to see what lay beyond the boundaries of their home. Two of his siblings journeyed, strangely enough, from the Southern Icefield to the Ashfall Waste. One of his sisters travelled north to the Starfall Isles. One of his brothers remained closer to home, joining into a smaller nearby clan.

Unlike his siblings, Eskame, chose to spend the early years of his life living safely and comfortably close to home. As he watched his siblings trail off one by one, his feathers wilted in disappointment. He did not understand how they could have so little attachment to one another, their parents, and their icy home. It befuddled him for quite some time before, gradually, he began to accept it. He eventually realized that such was a common nature for Ice dragons - cold and disconnected.

Perhaps Eskame was simply a late bloomer, but eventually he, too, began to feel a desire to spread his wings. The frigid tundras of his home grew boring; the dragons he’d grown up around all too familiar to be considered as a romantic mate. His parents, though their nest remained empty, assured Eskme it was perfectly natural to wish to carve out his own place in the world. Near or far, they’d be but a letter, portal, or flight away.

The Skydancer spent several more weeks deliberating over his difficult decision. Many parts of him wanted to leave. He wanted to find new friends, see new lands, and meet a mate with whom he could produce offspring of his own. The part of him that fought anxiously against change and wept for broken family bonds grew quieter as the days grow on. The idea of striding out into the world became almost warm and cozy.

Finally, Eskame decided it was time. He was still a little apprehensive as he bid his family and friends farewell, but he set his jaw firmly and forced himself not to look back as he lept into the sky. He had no idea where he wanted to go, but let his wings choose a course of their own. He drifted slowly towards the inner realms. He was considering taking a path toward the lands of Light...or perhaps Earth. Both seemed like they might be a good fit for him.

However, zephyrs of the sky turned his wings toward the lands of Wind. His wings slowed and relaxed as he took up gliding on the gales and gusts that swirled above the realm. He felt rejuvenated by this chance to rest his weary wings, all the while he continued to glide faster and faster as the winds grew stronger. After some time, he was not quite sure what direction he was headed. It was possible the winds had been flying him in circles for hours, higher and higher and higher.

A sudden tempestuous gust sent him tumbling head over tail through the air, nearly causing his wings to become tangled. As the gust settled, he realized he was no longer over a green terrain but a wide expanse of sea. Terrified, he began to flap his wings with vigor, struggling to regain some momentum as the air currents fell dead around him. Despite his efforts, he felt himself diving down.

As he fell lower in the sky the ocean became clearer. He could see islands dotting the great abyss. From his vantage high above the world, they were speckles not unlike stars in a midnight sky. They grew as his flight path took him lower. His wings eventually steadied, drumming out a pace that matched the beating of his heart. With his safety ensured once again, Eskame began to feel a curiosity he’d never experienced before. What were the islands? What did they look like? Did dragons live there?

Down and down he flew, flapping wings eventually stretching flat as he let himself coast down on the light breezes dancing through the air. One island in particular caught his eye. It was a large island, but far from the largest. Its size was not what impressed him. What drew his attention was a towering spire stretching up from the island, seeming almost out of place. It was taller than many of the mountains of his home, yet much narrower. The spire cast a shadow across a thin strip of the island - he wondered if that was what the Tangled Wood would look like.

Eskame landed on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean depths, smiling happily to himself as he folded his pale wings against his back. Before him stretched a terrain like nothing he’d ever seen before. It had greenery without being too green, trees without being a dark forest, and rocks of every color one could imagine. Without knowing the name of this land or the dragons who lived here, Eskame felt a sense of contentment settle upon him. He was home.

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Eskame began to settle into Seiyssrial Spire with relative ease. He found the dragons mostly kind and accommodating. Those who did make him feel a little unsettled tended to keep to themselves anyway, so it was easy to fall into a pattern of peaceful existence with those around him. However, one thing quickly became a problem - so bothersome that he felt he would have to leave his new home if it continued.

He was too hot! Coming from a land of ice, his own hide covered in scales as frosty as his birthplace, the island’s mild climate was still too warm. The water along the beaches, soothing as it was supposed to be, made him feel like his glorious, shimmering feathers were melting right off his wings.

Just as he was beginning to give up hope that he’d ever find a solution to his problem, he saw a flyer tacked to a tree just outside one of the common feeding areas.


Protective skin paint? Yes, that was surely what Eskame needed! He set off with haste to find the cave listed on the flyer, feeling a spring to step he hadn’t experienced in days.

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Eskame was initially disappointed to learn, in his meeting with Steelspark, that he was not a good candidate for protective skin paint. Yet, much to his confusion, he was still poked, prodded, and measured more than he thought necessary.

“We can figure out something, don’t you worry!” Steelspark finally said, staring down at a list of things written upon a clipboard as he called in some of his associates. A Spiral, named Arc, and a female Skydancer, Roena, entered the room. They, too began tsking, tutting, and and hmming as they examined him from every angle.

“Ah-ha! I’ve got it!” Arc finally exclaimed as he snapped his fingers together. “You, sir, need a suit,” he proclaimed to Eskame.

“A suit?”

“Of course. A...hmm...what should we call it? Not a wetsuit, exactly, but a skin-like suit that will always keep you cool and will let the water roll right off your hide.”

“What an idea!” Steelspark chimed in. “Ingenious. I love it!”

“Oh, yes,” Roena added, her mind already imagining the possibilities. “We can rig up a cooling system in it. Of course it will be a challenge to keep it light and flexible, as something will need to be for everyday wear. Arc’s right - it must fit you just like a second skin.”

As the inventors chatted about the design of the suit, Eskame’s face broke into a grin. The more details he heard, the better the suit sounded. He listened eagerly, nodding his head here and shaking it there, all while letting them resume an excessive amount of poking and prodding, stretching and measuring.

“Um,” he finally dared to ask the question that had been forming in his mind. “What will the suit look like?” He imagined something bland - grey, dull. Even grey and shiny would be a disappointment. He’d spent years living as a plain, ice-colored dragon. It was excellent camouflage in his home, but it was utterly boring.

“Hmm…” Steelspark said, looking at the others. “We’ll need to make it of a flexible material, probably some alchemical creation Arc will whip up in his laboratory. I doubt it will be something that takes paint easily…”

“No,” Arc said. “But I already have some ideas in mind. Paint won't work - but dyes! I can dye it whatever color you’d like. Some of the materials I use might even be a little...er...reactive? Yeah, reactive. They might create sparks and shimmers here and there as you move. Harmless!”

Eskame felt a little nervous at the mention of sparks, but if Arc said it was harmless, he'd have to trust that it was, indeed, harmless. He nodded as his mind began to race through the possibilities of dyes. “So, it can be colorful, then? Not just a suit of grey?”

“Great stars, no!” Steelspark erupted with a laugh. “Your business is our pleasure - we always aim to create a true work of art. Whatever colors you can dream up, we’ll make it happen! If you want to look radioactive, we'll make you a suit that glows even in the darkest of night. If you want sparkle, we’ll glitter it up!”

Eskame nodded again. “I don’t know about glitter, exactly, but I’d like something… Well, radiant! I want to shimmer and shine. I want to look like I belong here - like a fish that isn’t out of water.”

“It’s settled, then,” Roena piped in. “We’ll create you a shimmering suit that catches the attention of every eligible lady around,” she said with a wink.

“And probably some that aren’t!” Steelspark added with a chuckle. He cast a sly glance at Roena, which, fortunately for him, went unnoticed by her.

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A few weeks later, Eskame’s suit was complete. It was glorious - a true rainbow that looked like it was begging for a dip in the sea. Better yet, it worked perfectly. Once it was properly fitted and every piece hooked up, Eskame felt his temperature cooling. So long as he wore the suit, he’d never have to worry about overheating in his new island home. With that problem out of the way, he could begin finding his place within Seiyssrial Spire.

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Fun Facts!
Suit is powered by little wells of 'cooling fluid' in decorative shapes along his legs. His body is not 100% covered by his suit, but the most important parts for keeping him cool are. This includes his core and entire underside, his legs, and his head. Wings are covered in a transitive substance that changes from gooey to stiff depending upon the temperature. They aren't directly hooked into the rest of the system, but are occasionally misted by cooling fluid through little jets on the arms of his wings. The belly portion of the suit attaches to his body with little glowing 'snaps' - one part embedded in his skin connects right into the snaps of the suit, holding it firmly in place.

He's a professional Bicorn tamer. He spends most of his days swimming the seas with the Bicorn, training them to perform tricks and other useful skills. He has a team of Bicorn that help with trade, pulling rafts or waterproofed packages across great distances in the sea.

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Connections!
Steelspark - Suit Designer
Arc - Suit Designer
Roena - Suit Designer