Syphon

Syphon by MythicalViper

Within the depths of the Starwood Strand lives the Starwood Guides. Mentioned in both whispers and frightened shrieks, the Guides were often likened to that of vampires - unsavory, dark, and liable to end your life while sparkling prettily. Though they certainly weren’t the most dangerous creatures that frequented the Arcane forest, they were indefinitely one of the more infamous ones. After all, the same magic that sustains each and every dragon is the very thing those Guides feed on. If that’s not enough to scare you… well, you either lack an impressive amount of survival instincts, or you’re an Arcanite.

However, even the normally foolhardy Arcanites fear the mention of glowing blue fireflies and the faint violet shadows that lurk in the branches of the Starwood Strand. (They have some common sense.) Both are signs of that a Starwood Guide is lurking nearby as well as a good reason to run away as fast as your legs can carry you. But sometimes, Starwood Guides don’t approach other dragons just to feed on their magic. Sometimes… well, sometimes, even the worst monsters want a friend.

Hatched alone in the outer reaches of the Strand, Syphon woke up alone among the shattered shards of his egg. His siblings and parents had long gone, Guides being nomadic creatures that wouldn’t stay in one place just to wait for a wayward egg to hatch. Left alone, with no dragon nearby that he could absorb magic from, it was almost certain that Syphon would die. However, his survival instincts as a Mirror, combined with the tact of a Guide, forced him from his nest and stumbling to one of the few roads that crisscrossed the Strand. There, he found a group of Arcane dragons proudly proclaiming to their non-Arcane companions about the exaggerated rumors of the Strand monsters and how nothing was really going to happen - after all, the legendary creatures like Starwood Guides are just myths and tales told to hatchlings to keep them on their toes. There’s nothing that big, strong adult dragons like them could possibly fear from the Strand!

Unfortunately for those scammers, that bravado lasted about as long as it took for a tiny Mirror hatchling to stumble out of the forest, accompanied by those glowing blue fireflies and a hungry expression. To be fair, Syphon had first started out absorbing their magic from a distance, picking on the Arcane dragons whose magical energies were far more vibrant, before the strain finally drove him to stagger right into their campsite. The big, strong adult dragons present screamed and ran for their lives, following the example of the scammers, while Syphon futilely chased after them. He managed to catch up to one of them, sink his fangs in, and began absorbing magic.

Being a young hatchling, Syphon couldn’t have known how much magic he or his victim needed to stay alive. He simply absorbed whatever he could get his tiny claws on. His victim flailed less and less as time passed, and soon fell asleep. Syphon, being a very concerned and innocent hatchling, dragged a bedding of branches and leaves over the dragon before returning to the Strand for a good, fulfilling nap. Even for a Guide, it’d been a tough first few hours.

The next day, the news that the Starwood Guides had taken yet another victim spread like wildfire.

From then on, Syphon’s already difficult life became even harder. After his presence in that stretch of the forest was made known, less and less dragons were willing to pass by. Syphon attempted to get along with other dragons or visit nearby clans and villages in order to sustain himself, but he was driven out no matter where he went. The few other Guides he met weren’t willing to share their food source either - it was hard enough for them to keep themselves fed, much less share with another Guide.

Due to the lack of magic he could get, Syphon grew up small and stunted. This kept him from being able to forcibly take his prey - not that he wanted to, anyway. For deep down inside, after being turned away so many times and hearing so many insults, he knew that absorbing magic was wrong, that taking what amounted to another dragon’s life force was wrong. But at the same time, that was exactly what he had to do to survive, and as a Mirror, he could not stop surviving.

Then, he met Glitch.

An Arcane Primal, Glitch was also shunned by the rest of the community, but for a reason that was completely opposite of Syphon’s problem - rather than needing to absorb magic, she had far too much and was prone to making things go berzerk unintentionally. Plants sped up their growth around her, and electronic devices went haywire, and chemicals decided that it’d be a great idea to explode around her. Driven out by clans and villages alike, Glitch had been forced into the Starwood Strand to hide from angry mobs. She did her best to suppress any sign of herself, dimming the glow of her eyes and everything else to a complete lightlessness.

But even if she could hide the light she shone with, what she could never hide was the same powerful magic that Syphon sensed as he passed by.

By this time, Syphon had already gone without eating for weeks, and even if he was in his right mind, the clamoring in his stomach rebelled at every opportunity. For Syphon, finding Glitch was like a thirsty dragon spotting an oasis in the middle of the desert. He couldn’t stop himself from ambushing her and absorbing all the magic he could.

Glitch, for her part, was not expecting what looked like a tiny Mirror hatchling to fly at her head and began chomping away at her magic with a desperado usually reserved for a dragon facing down a Stone Borer. She would have batted him away, if not for the fact that at the same time, both of them realized the same thing:

Glitch had excess magic, and Syphon needed magic to survive. If Syphon could siphon her extra magic, wouldn’t they be able to help each other and protect others at the same time?

And so began a sense of partnership. Syphon soon learned that no matter how much magic he absorbed from Glitch, she’d always still have just a bit too much. On the other hand, Glitch learned that Syphon could absorb just enough magic so things would stop going berserk. The two began travelling together, first out of the benefit of not destroying the world by just living, then as friends. After all, they were both outcasts, and as outcasts, they learned to bond.

A few months after their initial meeting, Glitch and Syphon were driven for cover by a storm and ended up at the entrance of what looked like an upside-down ship. Surprisingly, it was not empty, and unsurprisingly, it was occupied by a dragon named Starbrite. Unlike other dragons, Starbrite wasn’t at all terrified of a volatile Arcane Primal and parasitic Starwood Guide. In fact, she was fascinated and invited the two to stay.

One day lengthened into two, then three, then melded into weeks until Syphon could barely remember what it was like to be on the road. He’d never been in a clan before, and though he had Glitch, he still knew what other dragons thought of him, and so he was afraid to interact with others. But as time passed, he found that the other members of the Nebulae Pirates were slowly warming up to him. After all, they’d seen far stranger things, and Syphon was mostly harmless and adorable. Even if he was a Starwood Guide - so what? He was still a dragon, and they accepted him as one of their own.

And so, he accepted them, too.

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There are spectral lights dancing - Stars that’ll make your wishes come true They say if you desire something Those lights will come to you There are spectral lights dancing - They say those are fairies from the stars If you follow them into the forest You’ll find what makes you who you are So let the stars guide you Into the darkness of the night Are you brave enough to make true your wishes If it means abandoning all light? Let the stars guide you Into the depths of the trees You think you hear them whispering “This is where you’ll achieve your dreams.” Oh, but not one who has followed Has ever been seen to return Have they been lost, forgotten Among the trees, the grass, the ferns? Not one who has followed Has yet to find their way back Think carefully before you tread this road This journey may very well be your last. There are spectral lights dancing My dear, don’t follow like a moth to your demise The lights may grant your desires But don’t forget every wish has a price

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Origins of the Guides

There’s a spectral light that dances among the boughs of the Star Wood Strand. Some believe them to be pixies, other believe them ghosts. Whatever the case, most dragons stay far, far from them… and those who don’t never return. The ones who stay away are right to believe in their instincts, for strange entities haunt the Star Wood Strand. Some call them shapeshifters, others fairies, and still others call them… the Starwood Guides.

Born in the embrace of the Star Wood Strand, the Starwood Guides grow up in an environment of relative isolation, creating a curious, fiercely territorial subspecies that stays in the darkness and shies from the light. Once born, Guides immediately set out to feed. Their sustenance is magic, whether it be from the Strand or from other dragons.

The magic of every Guide will differ depending on the location they are born, and whose magic they drained during their first feeding. If they feed on the magic of an Arcane dragon, they become Arcane. If they feed on that of a Shadow dragon, they become Shadow. After their first feeding, the Guides will immediately only target that specific type of magic as their main food.

Like moths to a flame, Guides are drawn to the desires of other dragons, for wishes contain a magical energy that is considered a delicacy, not to mention the magic imbued within wishes is often enough to feed a Guide for several months. Thus, Guides will often approach other dragons from the darkness - close enough to attract attention, but too far to be deemed dangerous. After catching the attention of their prey with their flashing lights, the Guides lure unwary victims into the depths of the mother forest. There in the darkness, the poor dragon meets their doom, as the Guides feed on their essences, reducing their victims to an empty, babbling shell of themselves that is quickly devoured by the unsavoury monsters in the Star Wood Strand.

A dragon with a strong ambition will feed many eggs, so Starwood Guides seek out strong dragons. On the occasion that the Guides find a dragon too strong for their wily trick to fool, a flock of Guides will bond together to descend upon the unlucky victim, provoking them deeper into the forest and into an ambush.

Yet… the Guides aren’t necessarily evil. It is said that if you have lost all hope, following the Guide into the Star Wood Strand may rekindle your ambition. Souls who have forgotten their way are guided to safety by this subspecies, and the few who survive the feeding often find themselves with new magic that allows them to navigate the woods.

Speculations have been made about this: perhaps Guides only require a small amount of desire to survive. Perhaps they pave the way for the lost simply to provide a new food source. Maybe something divine whispers to them, bidding them to let certain dragons go, or lead others to their doom...

Or maybe, just maybe… the Guides just wish they had dreams of their own.

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Characteristics

While Guides originate in the Star Wood Strand, some clans are lucky enough to avoid being fed on and have been able to convince them to join as a new member. Few precautions should be taken when you have a Starwood Guide as a clanmate, though. First of all, do not let them near those sleeping. Starwood Guides are attracted to dreams, and falling asleep next to one will almost certainly end with you waking up with a Guide gnawing on your head. Secondly, the Guides should never be allowed to do any guarding. Or fighting, for that matter. When it comes to fight or flight, they’ve been wired to run first and ask questions later. Don’t ask them to stand their ground. They won’t do it.

Despite their subspecies habits, Starwood Guides are generally curious and eager to try out new things. They get along easily with new clanmates, though it pays to remind them again and again they’re not allowed to eat the magic of said new clanmates. Guides enjoy learning, and as they have no need to sleep, they have twice as much time as their clanmates to learn new things. It is advised to watch them during their learning process, however. Guides have a habit of testing out new things on the nearest living creature, and waking up to one of them setting off a nuclear spell probably isn’t a good start to a new day.

While they stay active and awake throughout most of the year, the Guides will hibernate two to six months annually, depending on their age. The reason for this is unknown, other than the fact that it’s to catch up on the sleep they’ve missed throughout the year. During the days leading up to their hibernation and the months throughout it, Guides become increasingly aggressive, lashing out at the nearest dragons. They will find the most heavily enchanted or magical place in the lair and settle down for a long nap. Dragons who disturb their sleep usually have their magic devoured on the spot, which isn’t quite the joyous news you’d want to receive.

Starwood Guides feed mainly on magical energy, so throw them a chunk of crystal from the Crystal Pools and you’ll be fine. You are not advised to feed them forbidden magic. Or spellbooks that contain forbidden magic. Smarter dragons than you have tried, and smarter dragons than you have died.

For dragons with excess magic, having a Starwood Guide is a boon. For the daily price of having a Guide stuck on your head, they’ll siphon your extra magic for you! No additional fee is required. Your magic levels go back to normal, and they get fed and happy. The perfect solution, if you don't mind walking around with an odd hat!