Alsike

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Water and Ice The storms had only just begun to settle after the waxing of Lighting's power, but the summer seas still churned and the dragons in the far south stirred. The elemental forces of Ice and Water were set against each other. So the Clan of Singing Blood allied themselves with the dragons of Ice against the Scarred Wasteland's southeastern neighbor. They sent their forces to support the dragons of the Southern Icefield. On the eve of his departure, the Unnamed Captain went to his new mate, as she was one of the few pleasures he was permitted. In the morning he was to go to the Sea and summon from the depths his cursed ship and conduct various raids and attacks against those dragons who gathered in support of Water. His mate said to him that morning that he must promise to return because the Seer said that a daughter would be waiting for him.

The Captain swore that he would return to his mate and to his daughter. He then set out for the cliffs where the Scarred Wasteland gave way to the Sea of a Thousand Currents. The edge bespoiled by the reach of the Wandering Contagion, its continuous growth kept in check by the erosion of the Sea.

The battle for elemental dominance between Ice and Water was not in the Bloodsinger's favor, and the Captain was faced with repeated disaster. For every victory, two losses.

Children of Strife

His mate's nest hatched in the final days, and as part of a desperate gambit, one of the three hatchlings from this nest was sent alongside a score of others to the Southern Icefield to participate in some unknown magical ritual. It is unknown if the spellwork was a failure, or simply not enough. The eldest of the nest was offered to the Queen and High Priestess; Coppercoil wished to participate in the old traditions of the clan, wherein the firstborn was given over to service to the Plaguebringer as a show of their bloodline's strength and so that the Plaguebringer might grant their family further success. It was her hope that in doing so she might be able to gain favor for her small family within the clan. The final hatchling was named Alsike and waited with her mother for her father's return. She was the color and pattern of deep, rich earth and had wings with bloodstained feathers, favored of Plague.

Coppercoil told Alsike stories of her father. Many of these were old stories from before he was bound to serve the Clan's King. The young skydancer had a wild imagination and a deep desire for knowledge. She could scrap and fight as well as any of the other children, but often focused her attention on building things and on learning about the natural forces which drove the world and all that was in it. She also had dreams about her father, but she did not tell her mother about them, because she feared that Coppercoil would worry. The dreams were often worrisome.

Among the children, she was often called Ali. Young plague dragons often have little patience for long words. She preferred the company of adults most of the time. Particularly the Seer, Raldin, and his partner Loughrey. The pair were quite influential in reminding her that just because Ice and Water might have been fighting for elemental dominance while she was going up, it did not mean that Ice and Water dragons did not get along. Loughrey also had significant knowledge about Wind, and this was of great interest to Ali since Wind and Water are key components of seafaring. Raldin also suspected that Ali had a touch of Sight as well, though he never suggested it to her, and only offered gentle comforts about the contents of particular dreams.

Misfortune's Fortune Raldin could have spoken also of the perils and horrors of the depths of the sea and done so without the use of any supernatural Sight. With the swell of Elemental power in the region, such threats were multiplied tenfold. While the captain's own ship might have been considered such a horror by enemies which encountered it, a sea storm or leviathan is unlikely to have that perspective. But the Unnamed Captain swore that he would return to Coppercoil and see their new Daughter, and he was true to his word. When the battles were lost and the cursed ship sank back into the frothing fetid waters at the edge of the Wandering Contagion he dragged himself, wounded and ruined across the Boneyard to home, navigating over unforgiving land in much the same way he navigated across the sea.

When he reached home he found Alsike and blessed her and thanked her for helping him return. After he recovered and rested awhile in the company of his family, he declared that Alsike with her bloodstained wings was a dragon who brings good fortune to warriors at sea, and he expanded her name to Alsike Seascourge.

Following Currents

Plague children being true to their nature found new and interesting ways to shorten this as well. First using her initials AS, and this was used to such a degree that many younger or less observant dragons have come to think her name is Ace. She never minded much the nicknames, but growing older and knowing that she would one day leave the clan of her birth in search of new fortunes elsewhere, she might suppose that it will need some consideration among new friends and family.

The Clan of Singing Blood lies behind her now, part of history. She stretches her bloodstained wings like sails and follows those aerial currents on to fortune.

• Bio References Ice v Water Aug 4-10, 2019
  
  
• Formatting by Minstri
  
  
• Lore Chapters "Water and Ice", "Children of Strife", "Misfortune's Fortune", and "Following Currents" by Minstri
  
  
• Please feel free to change, add to, or remove any of the existing lore or formatting as you see fit. Contact and things like Hatchling Letters are welcome. If you decide you no longer wish to keep Alsike, please consider contacting me, as I would be happy to buy her back and send her on to a new loving home.
  - Minstri