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"Sometimes life play’s tricks on you, so be prepared to trick the trickster!"
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B I O G R A P H Y
______ An impish little trickster who spends most of his time hanging out with the grove pipers of the Tangled Wood, together they play pranks on unaware travelers and sow discord among the local clans. Tales of this little Fae drift throughout all corners of the Shadowbinders realm, and most shadow dragons have started believing him to be an actual spirit, for no dragon has ever caught a glimpse of this crafty and illusive Fae. Getting extremely cocky due to his rising fame in the region, Shadowsong would later boast that he could trick even the Shadowbinder herself; a claim that he would later come to regret. Deciding to give this conceited Fae a lesson in humility, the Shadowbinder used her immeasurable power to turn him into a shade, forever bound to the shadows he once found solace in, never to be touched by the light again.
Horrorstricken at what he had been turned into, Shadowsong desperately pleads for forgiveness at the Shadowbinders Alter, but his apologies fall on deaf ears as the great dragon coldly disregards the young Fae. Crying profusely and oozing regret, Shadowsong slowly trudges out of the blackened forest, his unwanted presence made clear. Spending the rainy night under a rotting log, the young Fae lies awake trying to figure out what he should do. Deciding to head to the Scarred Wasteland, a land notorious for the dreadful curses and diseases clouding the air, Shadowsong is certain that if there were any dragons who knew of a cure for the affliction that plagues him, they would be from the land of affliction itself.
A few days had passed since Shadowsong first arrived at The Scarred Wasteland, and during his time here he had begun to notice something quite peculiar. A tiny Fae such as himself would probably seem like nothing more than a walking buffet to the denizens that call The Abiding Boneyard their home, and yet as he cautiously traipsed about the barren wasteland neither the carnivorous familiars nor the feral packs of ravenous dragons had even spared him so much as a second glance. Attributing this strange occurrence to a side effect to the curse, Shadowsong had very mixed feelings about this new predicament. On one hand, he didn’t have to worry about getting mauled to death during his journey, yay! But on the other hand... if nothing can see him, how can anyone help him? Anxiously wringing his claws together, Shadowsong gazes up at the starry night sky in ponderation. After a brief moment of thinking the little dragon suddenly lets out a victorious yip, eyes shining with the hopes of a new plan! Just because nobody can see him doesn’t mean that they can’t still inadvertently help him, right? Having successfully quelled his oncoming depression, the high-spirited Fae heads out under the cover of the obsidian sky, eager to come across a clan of dragons. These high spirits did not last long however, for with each clan he went to, a little spark of happiness and hope was taken from him in return. Countless dead ends and failures. He even tried so many different approaches! Sneaking into the quarters of mages and alchemists, he took to immersing himself in their journals and scrolls. The only thing this amounted to however, was a waste of time. He even went so far as to scribble down a plea for help upon a yellowing piece of parchment paper, but alas, the will of the Shadowbinder is absolute, and just as how he is now nothing more than an intangible shadow invisible to the world, so to are his actions likened to nothing more than a dream upon reality. Trudging tiredly across the sun-scorched and bone-strewn earth, eyes brimming with unshed tears, Shadowsong wordlessly stops and stares at the massive towers of bones crowded around the entrance of the clan he had just visited.
“Another failure, what a surprise.” He thought numbly, shaking his head. Fixing his gaze westward the Fae continues on, following the scent of another clan of dragons carried on by the wind.
Tucking his paws neatly below him, a young Fae gazes curiously at the dragons milling about below from his position at the top of the gorge. “This is quite the large clan” he mumbles to himself before raking his gaze over the dragons once more. “And from what I can tell, it seems like there’s quite a few mages living here as well!” He chirps happily, tail twitching in excitement. “Better not get too excited though. More likely than not this will just end up as another dead end.” With a pouty huff the shadow-clad dragon digs his talons into the cracked earth and begins climbing down the side of the gorge, taking care to avoid any loose rocks or sharp corners. (For his sake of course! Don’t want to plummet to his death or get a nasty cut or anything!) Weaving through the shadows dancing along the walls, more out of habit than anything, the Fae quickly reaches the bottom of the gorge and settles down atop a large rock near the center of camp. Mindlessly filtering through the idle chatter and gossip of the few dragons still milling about at this hour of the night, the young dragon suddenly angles his ears in interest at the discussion a wiry Wildclaw and demure-looking Skydancer were currently having.
“— Well did you try asking Nightshade about it?”
“ I haven’t gotten around to it yet. Besides, you know as well as I do that she doesn’t like others pestering her about her hexes.”
“Hmm... that is true. But technically you’re not pestering her about her hexes, are you? I’d say it’s worth a shot, the worst she can do is say no.”
“Or fire a bolt of lightning at my face...” the Fae heard the Skydancer mutter sarcastically, almost too low to hear.
“Pfft, you really think so? Well, whatever you decide to do, you still have some time to decide. Last I heard she was still outside gathering materials for her magecraft.”
“... I’ll —”
Whatever was said next went unheard by the little Fae, for he was already scrambling off the rock and darting towards the cluster of dens nestled within the alcoves of the gorge.
“So this Nightshade is apparently a sorceress and a witch? Or is she an alchemist?” He murmured to himself as he poked his head into the 4th den lining the wall. “Well whatever she is, I just hope she has some scrolls that can help me!” He said as he darted towards the 7th den. “Nope, not in here.... Why the heck are there wires hanging from every surface area of this den?” Confused, the Fae stumbled out of the bizarre den and made his way to a den nestled particularly high up the wall. Entering the den, his eyes light up in triumph at the sight of musty old spellbooks and scrolls laying on bookshelves and vials of... something placed carefully atop a desk. In the corner was an intricately carved magic sigil - the mana pulsing through it indicating its frequent use, and there were also what appeared to be capsules of poison stashed inside a cleft in the wall. Paying no mind to the weird magical vials and alchemy stuff, the young dragon quickly walks over to the bookcase and snatches a few books off the shelves before settling down on the floor to pour through them. Spending hours sifting through the various books and scrolls, the Fae was so immersed in the current book held in his talons, “A Study of the Flight Deities and Their Relations to Magic”, that he was completely heedless to the mottled black and white figure walking into the room. Letting out a shrill scream at the feeling of his blood starting to boil, the anguished Fae curls in on himself and lets out a pitiful whimper. Struggling to turn his head, the pained dragon widens his eyes in shock and fear at the sight of a large Skydancer standing above him. No, not just that. She was staring. Right. At. Him. “W-wha-“ he chokes.
“I’m going to stop you right there.” The old dragon growls. “You’re not in any position to be asking the questions here. Now, it’s fairly obvious you’re not a member of our clan, so why exactly are you here, hiding in my den and looking through my stuff? I’d advise you to choose your words carefully.”
Standing over the trembling dragon, the Skydancer sighs as she watches him struggle to even breathe. With a flick of her wrist the strange sensation of burning blood leaves the little dragon, and trembling, he struggles to sit up and face her.
“I-I’m sorry for *cough* trespassing into your den, but please trust me when I say that I mean no harm to your *wheeze* clanmates.” Struggling to catch his breath, the Fae continues, “As for why I’m here, that answer lies in how I was able to get in here so easily. Surely y-you’ve wondered why none of your other clanmates even noticed me?” Panicking at the Skydancer’s impatient glare, the little Fae starts to sniffle, tears welling up at the corner of his eyes.
“I don’t even know how you can see me! I’m cursed by the Shadowbinder! It was a stupid mistake, I tried to apologize but she wouldn’t listen! I’m only in here because I’m trying to find a way out of this hell, please believe me!” With a hiccup he gazes pleadingly up at the Skydancer, who had remained impassive throughout the entire explanation. After a few tense minutes the Skydancer wordlessly walks past him and begins shuffling through a drawer in her desk. To terrified to even blink, the little Fae remains frozen in place, internally wincing at the sharp clash of objects hitting each other in the drawer. Yelping at the sudden feeling of cold metal on his skin, he glances back to see the Skydancer fastening a choker around his neck.
“Huh. Seems you were telling the truth. Looks like a high level enchantment has been cast on you, but it’s nothing I can’t fix.” She murmured, more to herself than him, as she finished fastening the chain.
“H-how can you say that so easily?” The trembling Fae asked in astonishment.
“Hmph. Because I’m a child of the Plaguebringer. The Shadowbinder may control the shadows, but at the end of the day that’s all they are; shadows. Frail tendrils that can only lurk in the darkness, and are easily broken by light. Meanwhile the plague is an all reaching, all consuming, destructive force. Say what you will about us, but we are known for our tenacity. At the end of the day the Plague will always remain, constantly adapting and accumulating to the world around us. On that note, I have imbuned this choker with the essence of the Lightweaver’s magic - a dear gift from an old friend - it should counteract the curse for as long as you wear it.”
“Thank you,” He mumbles quietly,
“But I don’t understand why you’d just give this to me? You were prepared to kill me a second ago!” He chokes out.
“If I thought you were actually a threat, you wouldn’t be alive right now,” she tells him bluntly. “I do apologize for binding you with my blood magic, but you must understand that everything I do is for the safety of the clan, I could not afford even the slightest risk.”
Humming in thought, the Skydancer strolls around to sit in front of the Fae. “Now, onto the matter of payment regarding that choker!” She says with an amused glint in her eye.
“P-payment??” The Fae stutters - mind flashing with horrible thoughts of what this payment could be.
“Relax. I’m not going to ask you to sell your soul to me or anything, well, not on that scale at least. I merely require a temporary helper with my studies while my familiar is away. And before you ask, no I did not sacrifice her. She’s delivering something to a clan in the Wyrmwound and won’t be back for a few months.”
“So, all I have to do is help you for a few months? Then I’m off the hook?” He glanced up at her skeptically.
“Yes. Of course, if you grow to like it here after your time with me is up then I won’t stop you from staying. That’s how many dragons ended up living here, after all.” Rising off the floor, the Skydancer beckons the Fae to do the same. Holding out her paw she looks at him expectantly. “Do you agree to these terms?”
With shaky legs the Fae hobbles over to the outstretched limb, hesitantly grasping one claw with his paws, “y-yes. I accept!”
“Very well. The deal has been sealed.” Eyes suddenly lighting up in realization, the Skydancer quickly apologizes. “I’m sorry. I never did introduce myself, did I? The name’s Nightshade, pleasure to meet you.” With a gentle smile she releases the Fae’s hand and pulls back, looking at him expectantly.
“Ah, sorry! And my name is Shadowsong, nice to meet you as well!”
“Hello Shadowsong,” she said with a smile, “I look forward to working with you”.
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