Araenadirian

This wanderer wound up in the most unusual of places and found this carved cave winding down into the moss-covered chasms of below, upon which she encountered this clan. The caverns were lined with roots, bridges inside the chambers were formed by the roots of the forests, nature surrounded everything. Flowers grew in the dark, emitting a light similiar to those of stars. Her newfounded home took time getting used to her unique presence.

As all dragons, some are either adopted into the clan or raised. She was neither of those. Even at a young age she showed uncommon skills connecting to that of the primal energies within and around her. A scholar, going by the name, Essera, being far more experienced in studies of magic and ethereal realms took in Arae as her own. She showed Arae how to control her unbridled primal capabilities through training, meditation and reading. Thus gaining a greater understanding of what it consisted of.

Whenever asked of her origins she would shut down and never open up about it. She was somewhat traumatized, to what extent, nobody knew. It wasn't until one day she felt comfortable enough to trust Essera with the information. She explained as best as she could.

"A flash, a roar of thunder and everything went still. Reality shattered like glass. The world changed from pastel coloured skies to an eerie emerald-green darkness. The sun died out leaving the earth bare and scarce while plants withered, trees turned to dust and wind replaced with stillness. The summer air turned as stale as death as that of a cold winter’s breath. The sound of rustling leaves in the green canopy became a distant creaking and rumbling remain.

Creatures of the realm ceased to exist. Birds, critters and mammals alike, gone within a moment’s notice. What was once thought to be the mighty mountains were now remnants of a lost past. As the world slowly passed on to an unrecognizable dimension of its very own, it had suddenly lost it’s touch with the magic of the world before. The rules of physics began faltering, mountains floated like obsidian islands of rock, tumbling and twirling throughout the empty space of the darkness above, creating an abyssal maze of rock.

I could neither move nor speak. It was against my own will of an individual mind. Something had compelled me from being able to breathe or run, to be a witness of this horrid transition. Watching everything dissolve into nothingness. Unable to scream or cry I was left helpless in my own despair. Screeches started echoing throughout the warren landscape. Every creature bellowed in a ghoulish howl. The magic that had been set upon me had finally lost its hold. I fell to a hard-rocky surface, collapsing onto the cold earth. I could barely lift my chin off the ground to examine where I had wound up. I was alone in a crystalline chamber. Providing protection from the unworldly dangers of this strange realm."

The story continued in a tale of loss and pain. Arae was horribly confused, Essera even more so. Her origins are from another dimension of which she could not remember, hapless or responsible for her realm, she'll never truly know. Only that she had nowhere else to go. As she suffered the blighted lands, an ghostly dragon entity of life had come to her aid in her darkest moments. This entity wasn't like the other creatures who had no other intent but to harm, but quite the opposite. It was a quiet interaction between the two.

"It rested it's paw on my chest, chanting in a forgotten song. It had a tang of a flowery breeze and a gentle voice. I became disoriented and weak, giving in to the exhaustion. I fell asleep..."

A silence continued as Arae gathered her courage to continue her story.

"The next thing I knew, I was on grass and hearing echoes of birdsong in a forest. I slowly open my eyes, got up clumsily and found myself in complete awe. The entity was still watching over me, like how a mother watched over a hatchling. Once it realized I was conscious, it swiftly clambered down from a tree branch and loomed over me. This is when it had sunk in that it helped me escape my fate and all I could do was bow in respect to this creature. I'm not sure if it was the Gladekeeper herself or at least an image of her, but it bowed to me as well. I wonder wether it was in respect or friendliness, I'll never know. What I do know now is that I have a family and a home to defend."

Irene had been brutally injured by a beastclan ambush and could no longer be what the clan needed her to be. She's the founder of this place, the first and the eldest. Hearing of such a tale, she felt it in her right to appoint Arae as her heir. To rule the clan as she saw fit, there was much more to learn. Troubled times lie ahead and now the newly appointed leader of the clan she has more than she can bear. Someday it'll be nothing but a forgotten despair.