Raksaka

The shift of the world’s balance began with two young coatls.

Raksaka was a scholar in the Sunbeam Ruins working to solve an ancient mystery that had gone long undisturbed. He was good at his job and enjoyed it at times, but it always felt like something was missing to him. He truly believed like all the other members of his team that they were working to make Sornieth a better place, untarnished by the dark magics of the past.

Devaduta was a trickster of the Tangled Woods. Cast out by her clan at young age for her pale, sickly colors, she had spent her life living by her wits and taking things that didn’t belong to her. She was a member of a well known band of thieves, wanted throughout Sornieth. She was happy with her life the way it was, but change is often a patron unseen until it is ready to bare its fangs.

One day while on the site of the ruins, the scholars discovered a large artifact buried just beneath the surface. They decided to uncover it in the pursuit of knowledge, hoping to gain some insight into the answer to the puzzle. What they dug up was not an artifact at all, but rather something that should never have seen the light of day.

The thieves had been on a particularly good run lately. Their pockets were lined with silver and gold of the finest quality, a long way from the penniless state they had been in just a few weeks ago. It was at this time that a client came to them with the biggest offer yet, one that would ensure they never went hungry again.

It was not an artifact, but rather a living, breathing being. Its body was the color of smoke, its skin smooth and slimy. The creature slowly opened one huge, golden eye and trained it on the shocked scholar standing directly next to Raksaka. It opened its maw and emitted a shrieked, haunting roar as it lunged.

They accepted the deal, of course. It went almost suspiciously well at first. They slipped in and out of their target’s house like shadows, not once seen or heard. They planted the required evidence and snatched up what the client had required them to, along with a few extras. It wasn’t until they exited the house that the problem arose. A coatl hatchling, pale like Devaduta, had spotted them.

Without thinking, Raksaka stepped in front of the other dragon, flaring his crests at the beast. Suddenly, a herd of emotions flooded his head. Fury at being woken, fear of the strange creatures whom had done it, and most of all confusion. Emotions that definitely were not his. Unsure of what to do, the coatl followed his instinct. He thought soothing thoughts towards the beast, and after a minute or two it laid back down and shut its eyes once more. It left the coatl feeling a bit hollow, but he was mostly just happy that the scholars were fine.

Devaduta knew the rule by now. Anybody that interfered with the mission had to be eliminated. Still, it was just a hatchling, it didn’t know any better. She didn’t know what made her do it, but when their leader lunged she stepped in front of him, causing him to halt in his tracks. “Traitor,” the dragon snarled. “Dispose of her, too.” They didn’t need to be told twice. The dragons began to creep towards her, fangs bared and tails lashing. Just when she thought it was the end, however, the runes along her sides lit up. Letting instinct guide her, she grabbed at the shame she felt for what she had been wasting her life on and projected it at the other dragons. They halted, looking at the ground in embarrassment, leaving Devaduta and the hatchling to leave unharmed.

Nobody really knows for sure how the two met. Some say they discovered each other while trying to cross the border that separates light and shadow. Others state that they both went on a trip to the Shifting Expanse, found each other, and never left. There’s even a rumor that Devaduta returned to a life of thievery and ran into Raksaka while trying to rob him. No matter what disagreements there are on how the two befriended one another, everyone agrees that their hatchlings are some of the most magically gifted in Sornieth.