Iluso

Iluso is an academic who toils day and night researching the magic associated with stars, dreams and alternate dimensions. He practically lives within his observatory, rarely leaving but for a moment to gather supplies or necessities for his work.

Before Gaolers were unearthed from the depths of the world, before they took flight across the earth and rivers and winds, Iluso always had visions and dreams of a life not surrounded by dirt and stone and darkness. In his dreams, he saw crystal spires, floating cities, lush green grasses and plantlife that were foreign to his kin. He would explore these dreams, entering a meditative trance and sleeping for weeks on end. He swears that he had made a friend, a guide who took him through journeys across this dreamscape and showed him wonders he would never have otherwise fathomed existed.

And then, it all became true. Gaolers stepped out of the earth for the first time in a millennia, and he was among the first few. Everything he had seen, all the fantastic lands and magic and creatures were real!

But that left him to wonder, were his dreams prophetic? If his dreams proved to be real, does that mean that the friend he had made was out there somewhere as well? Ever since he had come to the surface, the dreams had ceased. Most days, he awakens from light slumber, thoughts and memories devoid of any evidence of dreams. Why?

He sorely missed his friend. He hadn't seen them since the dreams they had once guided him through became reality. Iluso was certain that his friend was not actually a part of Sornieth. How else would he have had such wisdom, such knowledge to exist within Iluso's dreams? The creature was never a part of the scene, but rather something removed, something more understanding, a life form not connected to the planes of existence it walked through.

One long night after an exhaustive and lengthy bout of failed research, Iluso strolled the darkness of the Starwood Strand, the soft glow of the trees and stars above bringing him some comfort as he collected his thoughts. Without noticing it, he became more and more tired, before he collapsed along an isolated trail.

And then he awoke. Groggy and disorientated, he awoke under the same stars he had trailed under, except... they seemed much closer now? Iluso stretched out an arm to paw at one of the stars before his face, and jerked back in alarm when he actually touched it. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he regained his depth perception, suddenly he was looking up, and up, and up...

It was a another dragon. The stars were merely patterns that danced across her crystal wings, and she was very close, very large, and very... intimidating.

They talked, about wondrous things. She explained to him that she was becoming weaker as the years passed, cut off from her realm in the heavens. He had carried a scent, a mark, some aura that reminded her of magic unattainable on Sornieth. So, as he was walking alone, she descended upon him, putting him in a trance and feeding off of this aura that he carried.

Rude.

She had apologized, but clarified that it brought no harm to him, and she was desperate for sustenance. The dragon, named Nova, explained how the aura he carried was likely due to some interaction he had with a creature from another plane of existence like her. While it was not the same as hers, it was powerful enough to rejuvinate her form.

Suddenly it all made sense. His dream friend really wasn't a creature of Sornieth! They continued to discuss several topics, for hours. Alternate dimensions, the realm of the stars that she had come from, how dragons used to be something... other. Of course, they also discussed what Iluso had experienced all those years ago in his dreams.

Nova informed Iluso of a realm called the Dreamscape, an ever-changing plane that mirrors Sornieth. A place where thought and illusions and dreams feed into reality, becoming true, and vice versa. She mentioned that it was unusual for creatures of other realms to interact with Sornieth's peoples, but it was not an unprecedented occurence. She herself had landed here from the heavens above for someone long ago...

Ever since, Iluso has spent his years researching and seeking to unravel the mysteries of the mysterious Dreamscape, and how it interacts with Sornieth's plane. Nova routinely meets him in the starry woods to discuss his findings and illuminate him on any topics of confusion, and the two enjoy the others company.

While she wasn't his original cross-dimensional friend, he was thankful to have her, and to call her one of his closest companions. Without Nova's insight, Iluso never would have breached that barrier of understanding he needed to overcome to continue his research. Originally, the terms for their visits were purely business-like. Nova would feed off his residual Dreamscape aura, and Iluso would find answers to any questions his research produced. Eventually, it became more. The two are now close friends, helping one another simply because they want to. Nova is a neverending font of inspiration and knowledge, and Iluso is one of the very few that can understand her nature, which brings her comfort and reminds her of home.