Durlac

Meet Durlac, the Cold Gambler.

Durlac is a bit of a loner, who keeps to himself, and cares only for himself, believing the world to be a place where everyone only looks after and cares for themselves. He's taken on that mantra to survive, and has become cold and distant because of it. Though that doesn't mean he won't enjoy a good time when it's presented to him. Nor does it mean he completely avoids others. In fact, he lives to be around others, for he can get many things from them, being the smooth-talking and crafty, cunning dragon that he is. He stays to himself only in the sense that he won't open up to anyone else. Why? Perhaps a look at his past will explain it.

Durlac was born into a Light clan, where his family valued knowledge and truth above all else. Durlac, however, was never interested in knowledge. He tried his hand at learning, but it never came naturally to him, not like it did to his brother. His parents constantly compared him to his brother, and forced him to study, though it was torturous and boring for him. He often found ways to sneak out of his studies to enjoy himself. When it became obvious he wasn't doing enough to join the rest of his clan mates around his age in prospering in the highly esteemed Academy of Knowledge, his parents had a very serious talk with him. It resulted in him finally opening up to them about his hatred for knowledge, telling them he didn't fit in the clan and may as well have been born in the Tangled Wood.

He could never know how true his words would be. It was at this same time that it came to light that his brother was not as studious and successful as everyone thought. When Durlac discovered his secret, he was shocked and confused, his whole world being flipped upside down as it became clear that he was actually the more successful of the two of them in learning and study. As his brother confided in him honestly for the first time, the two of them bonded as they had never done before. Durlac learned much from his older brother in the way of being sneaky and cunning, especially about getting what he wanted, but he could never convince his parents to let him leave the clan and live the sort of life he wanted, away from all the knowledge. So the two brothers helped each other get by to please their parents, enjoying each others' company, and the times when they could get away to enjoy themselves. Then the day of the tests came, when the young dragons of the clan would be inducted into the Academy if they were worthy. It would be a day Durlac would never forget. Not because he failed his tests, but because his brother used him to pass his own, throwing Durlac to the Elders with accusations of cheating and causing him to lose his knowledge of his previous years of study. Durlac was horrified as the Elders sympathized with his brother, allowing him into the Academy without taking a single test. He melted beneath their hateful glares as they turned to bind and punish him for his atrocious behavior, not even his parents standing to defend him.

Durlac managed to flee and to escape, finding his way into the Tangled Wood, where he soon learned much more about being tricky to survive. With a broken heart, he became cold and hard, surviving on his own and making a living for himself, vowing never to trust another dragon again, nor to get close to one. That was how Domax found him. When he invited the lone Wildclaw to become part of his clan, seeing something more in him than his cold, rough exterior, Durlac hesitated, but eventually followed the caring Skydancer. He couldn't say why he did, and still can't, but he's found a new clan, and is at least somewhat happier than he was in his original clan, though he still sticks to himself, unable to trust.

A Tall Tale

Durlac looked to the dragon across from him with a straight face, pushing a mammertee plushie forward.

"A mammertee plushie?!" The Wildclaw shouted, outraged. "What do you think this is, a hatchling's game? I'm here to play for treasure, not... toys!" He snorted.

Durlac continued to watch him, unflinching. "As am I, and I assure you, this is worth more than the amount of gems you can hold in one claw."

The other Wildclaw snorted again, doubtful. "Sounds like you're trying to pull one over on me."

Durlac leaned forward. "Sounds like you're a coward." He shrugged. "But if you want to walk away from the greatest amount of treasure you're likely to ever see, that's fine by me."

He pulled the plushie back toward himself, ready to stand.

"Wait!"

He grinned as he looked back to the agitated Wildclaw. "Yes?"

"Why should I believe that you're telling the truth?"

"Because I've got the scars to prove it," Durlac replied, nodding toward the scars on his leg. He leaned back, calm and cool, ready to tell the skeptical Wildclaw his story.

"You see, not so long ago a band of dragons from the Water flight stumbled upon something so valuable, they weren't entirely sure what to do with it. They would have been the wealthiest dragons in all of Sorinth, if greed hadn't torn them apart. They were a fun-loving group, who loved to explore, and soon found the great mysteries of the Leviathan Trench irresistible. So they set off.

Their journey was not without danger and peril, but they prevailed, and were soon rewarded. They happened upon perhaps the greatest discovery known to dragonkind. Gems. But not just any gems. Gems so large it would take twelve dragons to haul them away. This didn't dissuade the small band, however. They quickly set to work transforming the gems into something so light that it would easily float to the top of the trench. This resulted in a very soft and squishy material. A material that can be found within mammertee plushies. For that is exactly what the band of dragons did with it.

They needed to keep it hidden when it reached the surface, so that others wouldn't steal their wealth. So they created mammertee plushies, stuffing them full with their new form of gems.

When they had finally gotten the last possible trace of the large, valuable gems transformed into mammertee plushie stuffing, the great exodus of plushies to the surface was to begin. However, a fight broke out among the band of dragons. Who would stay and release the plushies at a sporadic rate to avoid unwanted attention, and who would gather the plushies as they reached the surface? Naturally, distrust formed, none wanting to remain in the trench and risk the others running off with all the wealth.

During the heated fight, all the plushies were released accidentally, drifting to the surface in one giant wave. By the time the band realized what had happened, it was too late. The dragons on the surface had already laid claim to the mysterious plushies, not knowing the great wealth they embraced as a soft toy.

Since then the band of dragons formed a pact to stay together until they'd reclaimed all of their plushies. They became a band of pirates, stealing every plushie they could find. And that is how I learned the secret of the plushies.

One evening, the pirates found my clan and laid waste to it. I survived and escaped with but the scar on my leg. Still, I would never forget the look on one of the dragons' faces when they triumphantly held up a mammertee plushie from the ruins. Soon, I realized that's all they had taken, and it roused my curiosity. So I set forth to discover why a soft toy would be so intriguing. Wealth is what I found. Wealth more than any dragon could ever dream..."

Durlac allowed his voice to trail off as he took in the expression of the Wildclaw still sitting across from him. "You don't believe me," he stated more than asked.

After a beat, he shook his head. "It's a shame. The most valuable treasure in the world is sitting right in front of you, and all that's stopping you from getting it is a choice of whether you want to believe me or not."

He gave it a few moments for the story and its insinuations to work it's way through the Wildclaw's mind.

With a frustrated growl, the Wildclaw finally nodded. "I'm in!"

Durlac grinned, pushing the plushie forward once more. "Smart choice. Just think, what if your lair was full of hundreds of these?"