Alurayune » Lair » Asphodel

Asphodel

(#54147810)

He/Him|There is no shame in a love for happy endings.

Charon

Greybeak Reaper

Energy: 0/50

Personal Style

Apparel

Skin

Scene

Physical Attributes

Battle Stats

Measurements

Length

27.1 m

Wingspan

19.83 m

Weight

8696.3 kg

Genetics

Pink
Jaguar

Rose
Clouded

Soil
Filigree

Hatchday

Aug 04, 2019
(4 years)

Breed

Adult
Imperial

Eye Type

Light
Common

Level 1 Imperial

EXP: 0 / 245

STR

AGI

DEF

QCK

INT

VIT

MND

Lineage

Parents

Offspring

Biography

A S P H O D E L

He/Him|Storyteller

B I O G R A P H Y

Upon first meeting him, Asphodel appears to be a perfectly normal Imperial, working well with hatchlings and telling them all sorts of tales to keep them entertained. Dig a little deeper however, and Asphodel will be revealed to be quite the enigma. The dragons who were around when he joined the village will say that he simply appeared unconscious in its territory one day, with no explanation to how he got there. He asked to join the village shortly after regaining consciousness, claiming he had no place to go, and soon settled into the role of a storyteller, keeping the hatchlings entertained as well as putting up the occasional performance for the adults. Mysteriously, that’s where all knowledge of Asphodel ends. He sometimes goes missing without a trace, only to turn up a few days later, refusing to talk about where he’d been. No dragon knows whether or not he was part of another clan before he joined the village or whether he had a family. His eyes reveal that he was born in the Sunbeam Ruins, but absolutely no traces of him exist there, and Asphodel never talks about his time living in the Ruins, or any other region for that matter. In truth, Asphodel is a spirit given a second chance at life, although he also keeps his form as a spirit called the Guiding Light. The lanterns on his wings, only visible in the astral plane, serve to guide lost souls to the afterlife. He was killed by an Emperor and met the previous Guiding Light, who passed her duty on to him before choosing to move on herself. This fact is kept a secret from everyone in the village with his mate, Nogo, being the sole exception.

Asphodel is a quiet dragon, much like his mate. Not much for words, he usually only speaks at length when telling one of his stories, preferring to give short answers in conversations. However, every dragon who has gotten the chance to speak with him has found he’s rather pleasant to talk to, being a good listener and replying with his own opinion, although the reply is short. He’s also patient with hatchlings, rarely yelling at them no matter how much trouble they cause and always willing to share a story with them no matter how many times they have heard the story before. His patience also extends to his role as the Guiding Light, always making sure to allow the souls he guides a last chance to say goodbye to their loved ones, willing to wait for as long as it takes for the souls to finish.

B I O G R A P H Y

As Asphodel walked through the ruins of a city, a large burst of magic caught his eye. It was a large stream of fire shooting up into the air, and Asphodel could feel its power pressing down on him even though he was nowhere near it. His curiosity was piqued, and he debated what to do. He badly wanted to see what had produced the fire, and if it turned out to be a powerful mage, he definitely wanted to learn. On the other claw, there was also the possibility of it turning out to be a ferocious beast, one that would be difficult to escape alive. In the end, his curiosity won out as another stream of fire was produced, and he flew towards the stream of fire, eager to see what had caused it.

As Asphodel grew closer to the source of the magic, an unsettling sense of dread started to stir within him. His instincts were screaming at him to forget the magic and go back, and it only got stronger as he progressed towards it. As the feeling got too overwhelming to ignore, Asphodel finally listened and prepared to turn back, only to freeze in fear as he finally saw the abomination that had produced the stream of fire, the only thing keeping him in the air being his subconscious instinct to continue flapping his wings to stay in the air.

In front of him, Asphodel saw a massive, four-headed Imperial. All four of its heads immediately focused their eyes onto Asphodel, and it released a deafening roar, lunging towards the Imperial. It was then that Asphodel finally gained the sense to free, but as he tried to shoot upwards and fly away, one of the Emperor’s heads bit down and crushed his body, pulling him towards them as his eyes dimmed and he fell limp. Before he could be fused with the Emperor however, his body disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the Emperor growling in confusion as a curious Pearlcatcher observed the events from the astral plane. “Interesting…” She mused as her pearl flew out of her claws, shooting off into another direction and leaving the Pearlcatcher with no choice but to go after it.

When Asphodel regained consciousness, he found himself in the middle of the Hewn City. As the memories of what had happened to him slowly returned, he frowned in confusion. How did he avoid being absorbed into the Emperor? Either way, how did he end up in the Hewn City? He didn't recall being there when the Emperor had killed him. On that note, wasn't he supposed to be dead? Was he a spirit now?

Just then, Asphodel spotted a soft glow some distance away. Remembering how he encountered the Emperor in the first place, he tried to turn away and ignore it. There was something about it that called to his soul however, and before he knew it, he found himself drawn to the source of the light, making his way towards it as fast as he could.

The source of light eventually revealed itself to be a pearl in the claws of a Pearlcatcher, softly glowing with an ethereal light. The Pearlcatcher herself had a distinctly otherworldly air to her, her golden eyes having the look of a wizened dragon quite unfitting of the young adult that stood before Asphodel. "Greetings," the Pearlcatcher spoke, a soft smile on her face as she bowed slightly to Asphodel.

Quite confused now, Asphodel awkwardly bowed to the Pearlcatcher as well. He wasn't expecting the polite greeting from her, too used to stories of the feud between Pearlcatchers and Imperials. Bowing wasn't exactly a common form of greeting anymore either, mainly being used by older dragons. Just how old was this Pearlcatcher exactly? "Greetings to you too. If you don't mind me asking, who exactly are you?" He asked.

Upon hearing Asphodel's question, the Pearlcatcher's smile dimmed slightly. "I've long forgotten my name, but I suppose you can call me a Guiding Light." She replied. "You're quite the lucky dragon, aren't you? It's not often an Imperial manages to avoid being assimilated into an Emperor despite being killed by one," she remarked curiously. "A dragon like that, well...perhaps you could become the next Guiding Light," she mused wistfully, staring at her pearl.

”Wait, I don't understand," Asphodel interjected. "What's a Guiding Light? And do you know how I managed to avoid becoming part of the Emperor?" He asked. This Pearlcatcher was obviously not an ordinary dragon, so perhaps she might hold the answer to why he was able to avoid death.

”A Guiding Light is simply a title I made up for myself. I am a mortal dragon with access to the astral plane, in exchange for guiding souls to the afterlife. The light my pearl gives off attracts lost souls and serves as a beacon for them to follow. When they find me, I escort them to the afterlife. I'm sure you can tell how I came up with the title now," the Pearlcatcher chuckled sheepishly. "As for how you avoided assimilation, I'm not entirely sure, but my best guess is that you had a strong force of will." She replied.

As Asphodel processed this information, there was still one small detail he couldn't understand. "I understand what you are now, but what did you mean about me taking your place? I mean, how could you make me become like you, and why me in particular?” He asked.

As Asphodel processed this information, there was still one small detail he couldn't understand. "I understand what you are now, but what did you mean about me taking your place? I mean, how could you make me become like you, and why me in particular?” He asked.

As Asphodel asked his question, the Pearlcatcher fidgeted slightly. "When I find a dragon we deem worthy to be a Guiding Light, I have the ability to pass our skills to them, at the expense of no longer being a Guiding Light and having to choose between moving to the afterlife or becoming a living dragon again. I was chosen by the previous dragon as well, actually. As for why you in particular would make a good Guiding Light, it would be your ability to resist assimilation. We can still be forcefully merged into a hive mind or Emperor while keeping our abilities, and there can only be one Guiding Light at any time. To make matters worse, a new Guiding Light has to be appointed by the old one, and we obviously can't do that once we've been assimilated. I was chosen because of my ability to resist becoming part of a hive mind, and you'd likewise make a good candidate because you didn't assimilate into the Emperor. Of course, this is fully your choice. You don't have to take up the task if you don't want to," the Pearlcatcher assured, although the underlying hope in her eyes was plain to see.

Asphodel thought the proposal over. On one claw, he badly wanted to live once again. He may have lived a solitary life, but he truly did enjoy it, travelling throughout the Sunbeam Ruins and collecting tales from other travellers. There was so much more he could do, like become a storyteller himself, but all of that potential was gone the moment he made the careless decision to investigate the burst of magic. On the other claw, however...how long would he have to do this? The Pearlcatcher was obviously much older than she looked. Would he become immortal? It would be a huge burden that he'd have to undertake for possibly hundreds of years, and what if he joined a clan somewhere in that time? He'd have to guide them as well when they inevitably died. Was he really strong enough to handle this?

As he thought it over, his eyes strayed to the Pearlcatcher. She'd gone through this all for who knows how long now, right? She was obviously trying her best to stay nonchalant, but the resignation in her eyes coupled with a slight, underlying hope told Asphodel all he needed to know. Even if he wouldn't accept the task for his sake, he would do it for hers. She deserved the chance to rest after so long. His mind made up, Asphodel nodded to the Pearlcatcher. "I accept."

As the Pearlcatcher shut her eyes and started chanting an incantation, her pearl grew brighter and brighter before its glow suddenly faded completely. At the same time, Asphodel felt a sudden weight on his wings and turned to see what had happened, his eyes widening in surprise. A row of lanterns now hung on his wings, giving off a soft pink glow. Were these the lights that he would have? How would he hide them on the mortal plane?

It seemed the Pearlcatcher hadn't expected the lanterns on his wings either, judging by how she looked at them. "Interesting lights. Not what I'd have expected, but not bad looking," she decided, looking back up at Asphodel with a smile. "Oh, and don't worry about hiding them. They're only visible in the astral plane."

Well, that was relieving. Asphodel didn't really know how to properly hide those lanterns, so to know he wouldn't have to worry was relieving. Still, what would happen to the Pearlcatcher now that she was no longer a Guiding Light? "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what will you do now? Are you going to live again?" He asked curiously.

”No, I think it's time for me to go to the afterlife myself," the Pearlcatcher answered, her voice taking on a weary tone. "I've grown tired of living, to tell you the truth. I couldn't grow attached to any dragon after a while, I just couldn't handle it when they died. I've spent the past few years only on the astral plane, and I think it's finally time for me to rest. Oh, you don't need to guide me, by the way. I think I know the way quite well now, and it's time for you to wake up in any case. I hope one day we can meet again, as unlikely as it sounds."

Asphodel nodded in understanding. So it was true, the task had taken a toll on the Pearlcatcher, and would probably take the same toll on him. Still, he didn't regret alleviating her burden. She was due a break anyway, and he was relieved she wouldn't have to deal with it anymore. He nodded silently back to her and watched as she flew away as he started to grow drowsy. Was this what she meant by waking up? As she finally flew out of sight, he allowed himself to fall unconscious, waiting for when he'd wake up again.

”Hey, are you alright?" A feminine voice asked. Asphodel groaned slightly and slowly opened his eyes, seeing a Skydancer wearing a pink dress in front of him with a look of concern in her eyes. He groaned slightly, taking in his surroundings and his eyes widened in shock as he found himself in the middle of a clan in the Icefields. "Where am I?" He asked.

”You're in the territory of the Frostfall Village. Do you know how you got here? We just found you passed out and brought you back here, but no one here knows who you are." The Skydancer replied. "My name's Mela, by the way. What's yours?"

The Frostfall Village? Asphodel had never heard of it before. It seemed too big for a village, though. Was the name perhaps from an earlier time? "I'm not sure how I got here either, to be honest. I remember being in the Sunbeam Ruins before I got here." Still, perhaps this would work out. He'd gotten a second chance at life, it would be a waste not to make connections with others. Even if it might hurt when they die, it would at least be better than aimlessly wandering around. "My name is Asphodel, and I'm a travelling storyteller. Would you be willing to let me join the village?"

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Exalting Asphodel to the service of the Icewarden will remove them from your lair forever. They will leave behind a small sum of riches that they have accumulated. This action is irreversible.

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