Aconitum

"You speak of honour and mercy, but war begets neither of those things. Step into the arena, and I'll show you why I've never lost."

---

...

INFO from the Greek ἀκόνιτον, meaning "without struggle" At an early age, Aconitum knew he had no one but himself to rely on. He lived by stealing what he didn't have, he learned how to escape from those he couldn't afford to run into, he learned how to take a hit and throw his own punches. It wasn't a good life, but it was the only one he knew, and for a while it was bearable. Then came the day he'd been handed over to strangers at his doors, no amount of struggling and calling out to his parents saved him from the knowledge that he'd been sold. They threw him into a cell dirtier than the streets he'd lived in, packed dozens of children like him, none sure of their fate but certain they all wouldn't make it alive. By whatever cruel fate he'd been handed, Aconitum lived to see his first arena fight, cheered and bet upon by an audience thirsting for their blood. To them, they were expendable; to them, he was nothing but entertainment. Aconitum learned to swallow his dignity and bend to whatever will his masters threw at him. He was their prized possession, had made a name for himself. His sponsors sent him medicine and clothes, weapons and food; sometimes they made him fight weaker opponents, as sign of their generosity, but other times they threw in the biggest, baddest thing they could find. Every time, Aconitum rose victorious. When the War grew closer, his masters had been called upon and Aconitum was sent to the battlefield. As luck would have it, that would be the last battle he would be forced to fight. Given the chance to start anew, Aconitum lives his life in Galla in relative peace. While he's often left alone, given his stand off-ish demeanor, he can often be found in the presence of Uriel. Their unique rivalry fuels their animosity towards one another, yet still they remain civil.

Companion piece (Uriel)

Two tacticians, two warriors, begot of the same war, are unlikely to become fast friends. It is in their nature to war and fight on until there is only one remaining. So it is ingrained into the very being of a warrior. Therefore, when two such beings from opposing sides find themselves finally at peace, it is hard to abandon the past. So it was for two such dragons following the end of the Great War.

Both are intelligent, well-practiced in the art of war. Each bear scars of experience, having done terrible deeds to achieve peace. But, that is where the similarities end.

Uriel is a proud dragon, born into an old family. Each predecessor for many generations had the pleasure of being called a knight. An ancient house that prided themselves on loyalty, honour, duty and mercy. Their crest was a bright golden sun on a duller golden backdrop. And so, Uriel followed in their footsteps, carrying his family’s crest into battle. It surprised none that Uriel upheld these traits without fault and led his side to victory during the war.

Aconitum did not have such a fortunate life. He did not get to remain with his family and those who purchased him were more interested in their own gain than his welfare. They saw a use for the young dragon and quickly turned him into a killer. Aconitum was not granted pleasant training and what he learned was not honour and mercy. But, he did learn loyalty and duty, though they were warped, designed to be upheld through fear, rather than pride. Despite that, he was as effective as Uriel, possibly more so, as mercy would not stop him from going in for the kill. So it was, that he carried his owner’s flag into the field: a silvery crescent moon standing alone in a black night.

Each dragon was brought up differently, but each fought in the same war.

However, when defeat seemed imminent, the losing side pulled Aconitum back. He was an asset and one they wished to pass over as neither a prisoner nor a body. So, they schemed to steal him away from their camp along with a few other assets. They remained behind to forfeit the battle and so they did not know their caravan was intercepted, did not know those they sought to hide had been hand delivered to their enemies.

Shortly thereafter, Uriel and Aconitum found themselves in the same clan. Each was brought in, separately by Polarlicht. Each recognized the other from the battle and animosity bubbled beneath the surface. Outwardly, they appear friendly enough, consulting to provide the best protection for their clan. But, Uriel could never forgive the dirty tricks Aconitum used in battle to kill many of the sun-crested dragon’s friends. And nor can Aconitum ever forgive the holier-than-thou attitude he perceives from Uriel. Aconitum still believes that if he had not been pulled from the field victory would have belonged to him.