Madeline

there will be lore here eventually.

some notes/thoughts so i dont forget
- worships all of the deities equally
- tends to a temple where all deities are worshiped
- leads regular gatherings so all clan dragons and travelers can pay their respects to their own respective deities (or all if they wish)
- 12 shrines in the temple, each for a place to leave gifts and offerings to the deities; there are 12 so none of the 11 Flights are "center" (aka implying more importance), and one of the shrines is shady, empty, and ominous
- madeline does not talk about the Shade shrine, not even giving it a name when anyone asks; madeline places small offerings at the shrine once a week as if the Shade were a deity, hoping to keep the Shade placated and prevent another tragedy






below is WIP/coding + art etc

. . .Madeline "Mother Madeline"

etymology: "from Magdala" nickname: often referred to as Mother relations: single, childless skills: leading worship, performing religious rituals collects: objects of worship occupation: Home's priestess likes: teaching, offering prayers to the deities, hatchlings, reading dislikes: hostile beastclans, disruptions, disrespect towards the deities, dirt and messes

Madeline sat alone in the temple, polishing her pearl with a small dust cloth. All was quiet at the moment; the congregation having left for the day. Just a few hours ago, the temple was full of dragons – some she knew, and some she did not. Offerings had been left at the shrines and many more scattered around the temple. These were offerings to no one, and all at the same time. Madeline often used these scattered offerings as gifts for the needy. Madeline remembered few of the patrons that day, as it was a small Skydancer hatchling who got her attention that morning. It was a morning like any other, the dawn light peaking through the stained glass as the sun rose over the Sunbeam Ruins. Madeline had been hard at work lighting candles, dusting sculptures, and clearing the shrines of the offerings from the previous day. It always warmed her heart to see just as many offerings to the other ten gods as to the Lightweaver, whose territory the temple stood in. Even the shrine to the Shadowbinder was full – the alcove and dais covered in playing cards and sweets. As she worked, she began to hum a hymn of the gods, one she had learned herself as a hatchling in the Windswept Plateau. A knock and a creak of the door drove Madeline from her holy stupor. Madeline turned to see a tiny Skydancer hatchling paw his way into the temple, struggling with the heavy wooden door. Madeline let out a small chuckle and went to him, opening the door with ease to see the little Skydancer roll his way in. He landed ungracefully on his chin, wings splayed out on either side of his tiny body. Madeline regarded him with compassion, reaching to put him on his feet as she asked, “What brings you here, little one?” He looked up at her with large, purple eyes of a Shadow dragon. “To see the temple,” he said. “We’re staying in town a couple days and mommy said that you guys worship all the gods here!” “We do indeed. Would you like to see the shrines?” The hatchling nodded in excitement. They walked together, to the back of the temple where the shrines stood. Madeline turned to him and asked, “What is your name?” “Aeren,” the hatchling responded. He turned from her, excitement in his eyes, to the twelve shrines that stood before them. All were glorious – great depictions of the eleven gods in their full glory. Each was a full-body statue that sat in an alcove on the far wall, made of appropriate material. While the marble of the Lightweaver or brass of the Stormcatcher were simple enough to polish, tending to the ever-growing vines of the Gladekeeper or the radioactive Chalcedony of the Arcanist were difficult jobs in their own right. Aeren jumped ahead, drawn to the fungus-covered vines of his matron god – the Shadowbinder. “My mommy says that your goddess and my goddess aren’t friends. I hope someday that they will be.” “That’s very wise of you, Aeren, but the Lightweaver is not my goddess.” “But you live in the Sunbeam ruins. This is the Lightweaver’s land,” Aeren said, cocking his head to the side. Madeline approached the brambles of the Shadoweaver’s shrine, “Yes, I do live in the lands of Lightweaver. However, I was born in the Windsinger’s domain and have since decided on a life of worshiping all the deities equally.” “Are all Wind dragons like that?” “No, it is something that I chose for myself.” Aeren seemed to accept this answer, nodding with a big smile on his face. He scurried off, nearly hopping with excitement as he visited the shrines on by one. At each shrine he asked questions about the god it depicted, and at each question Madeline gave a fruitful answer. Madeline had always wanted hatchlings of her own – always bubbly, energetic, and curious. This one was no different. He jumped between shrines with his tiny wings flapping each time. It was clear that he had yet to learn flight but would be soon. Madeline felt for his parents, since a hatchling learning to fly signaled quite a stressful time for parents who now had to look for a wandering hatchling in the sky rather than just the ground. Madeline inhaled sharply, realizing what was to come. Aeren was at the second to the last shrine from the right – the Arcanist. As he stood before the large pink statue blabbing away what he knew of the god, Madeline realized that he would soon ask about the next shrine. The alcove sat empty and was almost always devoid of offerings. Few travelers regarded the shrine, and fewer still asked about it. Locals knew to not mention it. Aeren turned to her, “What is this one for?” “Um, that was just a mistake in planning when the temple was built, little one. We use it to place offerings to all the gods,” Madeline replied, satisfied with her quick lie. “Oh! That’s pretty cool!” Aeren stared up a the empty alcove for a while, and then shut his eyes tight. The gem on his forehead began to glow softly, his wispy antennae vibrating. They soon stopped vibrating, and the gem returned to its original state. He turned to Madeline, eyes bright with wonder. Madeline smiled at him and he giggled. “What were you doing, little one?” “Praying to the gods!” “Oh? And what were you praying about?” “I can’t tell you, it’s a secret,” he beamed. Madeline giggled. This was a funny little hatchling. She invited him to stay for the morning lesson with the other hatchlings. He was more than happy to, siting sandwiched between a Ridgeback and a Spiral. The Spiral leaned over and whispered in Aeren’s ear many times, and each time they giggled more than the last. Madeline was always happy to see hatchlings so interested in the gods. It warmed her heart to know that the nest generation would be so keen to carry on the traditions of their elders. Madeline returned to the present, her pearl polished to a shine. She placed it on the pillow she kept for it in the corner of the temple and reached down to pull a small pebble from her bag. Aeren had given it to her when he left, his mother thanking her for watching him for a few hours. She gingerly carried it to the shrine on the far right, placing it on the empty dais. She sat back on her hind legs, clasping her claws together. Silently, she whispered, “Please let this pebble appease you. It was a gift to me and now I give it to you. Please continue to give us peace. Amen.” Lore blurb written by ghostesez there will be lore here eventually. some notes/thoughts so i dont forget - worships all of the deities equally - tends to a temple where all deities are worshiped - leads regular gatherings so all clan dragons and travelers can pay their respects to their own respective deities (or all if they wish) - 12 shrines in the temple, each for a place to leave gifts and offerings to the deities; there are 12 so none of the 11 Flights are "center" (aka implying more importance), and one of the shrines is shady, empty, and ominous - madeline does not talk about the Shade shrine, not even giving it a name when anyone asks; madeline places small offerings at the shrine once a week as if the Shade were a deity, hoping to keep the Shade placated and prevent another tragedy code by epher #101073