Void

Void Gatekeeper | Descendant of Naomi, the First Gatekeeper Arcane Runestone Dragonmade An ancient stone bearing the ancestral rune of the Arcanist. Such a find should be kept as a prized possession. 110

Like all descendants of Naomi (the First Gatekeeper), Void has a power strong enough to rival a deity's. However, he also shares the curse that was set upon his bloodline during Naomi's time. Each descendant is destined to have a unique curse which helps to balance their power. Void's curse is to be forever haunted by the spirit of Naomi herself.

Void has had many hatchlings in the past, but each time he sent them away in an attempt to protect them from the curse of Naomi. However, after Azaran and Araora's nest hatched, Void realized his attempts to protect his children by sending them away were in vain. He needed another way to protect his hatchlings, and founded the Gatekeeper's Guild.

The Gatekeeper's Guild is a sort of mini-clan consisting of all the descendants of Naomi in the clan. Led by Void, the group is dedicated to teaching young hatchlings how to harness their powers and survive with their curse. The Gatekeeper's Guild is currently located at the Gates. (The Gates are a pair of large, gate-shaped rock formations located on the edge of the clan's territory.) While the dragons of the Gatekeeper's Guild are still a part of the Clan of Shattered Beginnings, they choose to live on the edges of the territory, away from the rest of the clan.

Ghostly Aura Trinkets Some say that you can't put a price on a soul. Others say 'I'll pay 47 treasure for that!' 47

Haunted

"Void," the strange whisper echoed through the darkness again. A chill shivered over the Spiral's scales. He looked around nervously.

"Void, my darling, come here." This time the voice came from a nearby tree. Or was it just a tall bush? It was nearly impossible to see in the darkness. Something rustled through the leaves nearby, making him jump.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Void snarled at the surrounding darkness. The shadows seemed to be closing in around him. He conjured up a sphere of pure crystalline magic and hurled it at the nearest thing in frustration. The force caused a tree to crash to the earth.

A flutter of wings echoed through the air, and then he heard it again. "Void," the voice whispered. It seemed to come from everywhere at once.

"Who are you?" Void roared. He glared at the surrounding darkness.

A Fae appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. There was an eerie, colorless glow around her blue and white scales that seemed to hypnotize Void. Her bright pink eyes held him captive. He couldn't look away. Void could feel sweat crystals beginning to gather at the edges of his scales.

"You wish to know who I am," she said. Her voice was soft, musical as a wind chime. Nothing like the usual monotonous tone of a Fae.

"What do you want from me?" Void demanded.

The mysterious Fae flicked a wing to silence him, then continued on in her strange voice. "I am the one. The one they call the Shadeborn. The one they call the Cursed. I am the Gatekeeper. I am... Naomi."

The Spiral was stunned to silence for a moment. "Y-you're Naomi?" Void finally managed to say.

"Yes," she replied. She rose up in front of him suddenly, growing larger and darker by the second.

Void crouched low to the ground, terrified. The Fae had grown to be almost fifty times larger than the biggest dragon he had ever seen. Her scales were darker than an eternal abyss.

"And you," she howled, her voice echoing like a thousand robotic dragons. She flared her wings, eyes glowing a pink so bright it was almost as blinding as the sun. "You are my Descendant!"

The Fae turned into a cloud of wispy black smoke. The smoke fell rapidly to the ground, racing toward the cowering Spiral at unimaginable speed.

The last thing Void remembered was a pair of glowing eyes, and a thousand razor-sharp teeth coming toward his throat.

Void woke suddenly, covered in sweat. He was in his cave again, in his clan's territory. He closed his eyes tightly for a moment, shaking his head rapidly from side to side.

He knew there were enchantments on the portal that connected his clan to the rest of Sornieth, enchantments that prevented any evil or Shadeborn creature from entering the territory without being vaporized first.

He reached out with his spiritual talons, feeling along the walls of his cave, refusing to open his eyes until he felt sunlight on his face. He pushed back the moss curtains that separated his den from the rest of the clan's territory. The sun was just rising, beautiful and gold in a crystal blue sky.

He opened his eyes and shook his head again. Just a dream...

He stopped for a moment, noticing a trail of Fae footprints that seemingly came from his cave. Probably someone in the clan, he thought.

Well, at least that's what he thought until he saw the small white scale in the center of his cave, glittering ominously like a tiny silver moon and emitting a strange, colorless glow.

Spoiled Landscape Trinkets To the undiscerning eye, it's ruined. To a critic, it's a commentary on impermanence. (Special thanks to Raskies.) 81

Art