Vancha

Vancha was an unexpected hatchling. His parents had preemptively given him the name Cantaloupe in hopes of a cheerful, sunny boy but instead they got Vancha–a dragon with strange swirled eyes and a goofy disposition. As most Ridgebacks do, Vancha's family had an intense dislike for water, but Vancha was fascinated by it. His parents first discovered this unfortunate trait when Vancha first saw the sea as a young hatchling and started to rush over to it before they picked him up and told him not to go near it. When not trying to make a beeline for any body of water, Vancha spent his hatchling days pranking others around his age and running around playing make-believe.

As he grew older, it was clear Cantaloupe was never going to be the son his parents had hoped for. He changed his (awful) name to Vancha, after the great hero of his favorite fantasy series, and began setting about finding a boat and a crew. Willow, the gloomwillow guide whom he met on a misty night a few years back, became his most trusted first mate. Although Vancha disliked getting submerged, he loved the sea and there was nothing better than the wind ripping across his wings as he sailed.

One fateful day, Vancha's ship capsized in a large storm and having never learned to swim, he started to drown. He was rescued by Octesian, who happened to have seen the incident and come to the crew's aid. He invited Vancha to the clan's lair to rest and recover. Vancha enjoyed Octesian's company and Octesian was amused by a Ridgeback who loved water, and eventually they became good friends.

Octesian taught him how to swim and now whenever Vancha gets tired of cavorting around above the surface, he swims down and spends time with the clan who accepted him as a member. Vancha enjoys spending time with the hatchlings and stresses them to be proud of who they are and to not let anyone tell them they aren't good enough. He'll even take the hatchlings on voyages aboard his ship if they are especially spirited.

Vancha fiercely battled in Water vs Ice (Aug 4-10 2019) and sent the enemies to swim with the fishes.