Heir Somnambulist Inspired by The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Initial lore by Unknown Writer Shadow Runestone Dragonmade An ancient stone bearing the ancestral rune of the Shadowbinder. Such a find should be kept as a prized possession. 110

Quiet by day, deadly by night. His faceted eyes mark him as one not to be trusted, yet it is by his eyes that many are hypnotized. Or is it the bright stripes along his legs and tail that other dragons find so riveting? Deep purple galaxies seem to swirl across the shimmering surface of his tailcoat, and strange glowing runes appear to be etched into his sides. His seemingly charming personality is irresistible.

Like any other somnambulist, Heir sleeps during the day, as he has done for nearly every day of his life. It is a very deep sleep, deeper than the darkest abyss, yet grants him an infinite knowledge that rivals the deities; those who manage to wake him under the sun's light will be allowed one question about their future.

These requests, however, always come with consequences — under the light of the stars and moon, Heir wakes of his own accord to wreak havoc on those who would have their futures foretold by him. Nobody sees him coming, nobody sees him leaving; many dragons would take the blame themselves before anyone even suspected that Heir was the one behind these unspeakable acts, and Heir is often long gone before anyone can uncover the truth.

Despite the warnings of ancient legends and rumors of what Heir has done, the temptation of knowing just one thing about their future continues to lead many dragons (and even some Beastclans) to tragic ends.

Approach him, if you dare. Just know that you might never again see the brilliant golden light of another sunlit day....

Shadowbinder Onyx Idol Trinkets A razor-sharp onyx idol fashioned to resemble the Shadowbinder. The chiseled surface appears to completely absorb and obscure light. 105

A Dark Future

Frell ran through the carnival, her older sister Vetri chasing after her. "Bet you can't catch me!"

"Frell! Stop that! Come back here!" Vetri gasped, trying to catch her breath. "Mother said we have to stay together! Be careful!"

"Come on!" Frell darted ahead.

"Frell!" Vetri landed, rubbing her sore shoulders. She might have been the older sister, but it was hard for a Fae to keep up with a Mirror like Frell.

"Vetri!" Frell appeared next to her. "Come on! You can't possibly be tired already."

"I'm not!" Vetri protested. That was how it always was between the two of them: Frell would run for hours at a time with seemingly unending energy, and Vetri would nearly kill herself trying to fly for even half that time, all because she didn't want her younger sister to have the satisfaction of being right.

"Come on! I found something cool," Frell said excitedly. The Mirror took off before her sister could say anything.

"Wait for me," Vetri muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes. She sighed and forced her wings open again, flying after her sister.

Frell stopped suddenly, and pointed. "Look!"

A bright teal Skydancer lay curled around a large wooden sign, sleeping deeply. Runes were carved sloppy and deep into the sign, as if whoever had engraved them was either angry or nervous about something.

"'Free fortune tellings'," Vetri read. She squinted at the sign, trying to decipher the crude writing. "'Wake me up to hear your future'."

"Cool, right? Let's try it!" Frell jumped up and down in excitement.

"Well," Vetri hesitated. There was something about the Skydancer, something she couldn't understand. It was almost like she wanted to trust him, like she would be willing to do anything for him even though she'd never even seen him before. He was beautiful — almost too beautiful, as if he was made from some sort of celestial stardust.

"Come on!" Frell ran toward to the Skydancer.

"Frell, no!" Vetri grabbed her sister's tail and flapped her wings as hard as she could, trying to pull the Mirror back or even make her slow down, but of course she wasn't strong enough.

Frell stopped in front of the Skydancer, prancing in place excitedly. "Ahem. Excuse me! Can you tell me my future?"

Nothing happened for a moment, then the Skydancer's wing moved slightly. His eyes flew open and he sat up slowly. He looked around for a moment, as if confused, then his gaze landed on the pair of hatchlings in front of him. "What is it you wish to know?"

"Frell, we shouldn't —"

"I wish to know my future," Frell said, staring into the Skydancer's faceted eyes.

"Very well," the Skydancer spoke in an eerie, almost monotonous voice. "I will tell you."


The moon had risen high in the sky when Heir finally managed to open his eyes. He uncurled slowly, stretching his wings. He turned his faceted eyes toward the sky for a moment, studying the stars, then turned and slipped between the now-empty carnival tents under the cover of darkness. He knew what he had to do.

He would be back by sunrise.


It was late morning when Vetri woke. She opened her eyes and stretched, realizing she had slept in, then crawled slowly out of her nest and into the main cavern.

Her parents had long since left to continue their duties within the clan; they had left their usual note along with a small pile of food for the two sisters. Frell hadn't touched her food yet.

Vetri ate, then decided to wake her sister. Their parents had said they could go back to the carnival again, if they were ready in time.

Vetri jumped into the still air, flying down the tunnel to Frell's nest. But it was empty. "Frell?" Vetri called, fear creeping into her voice. "Frell? Frell, come on! This isn't funny!"

The Fae searched the entire den, but there was no sign of her sister. Confused, she stepped outside. But there was nothing. Only the chattering of insects and the warmth of the late morning sun greeted her.