Julianna

In exchange for coin, Julianna will detail accounts of battles from Sornieth's legendary history, or even battles she has participated in herself during her travels... but anything more personal, she refuses. Be it about her past outside of fighting, or why she is trekking across the continent, it soon becomes clear that she will only tell tales of her choosing. Thus she is often written off as a miserable old dragon, pitifully seeking attention in the towns and clans she passes through - and, as often as not, is hounded out when she has no answers to the locals' questions. If one is to tell stories, one must save them.
I'm just about ready to leave the small town that has been... home. They aren't bad folk, but more than one of them didn't know what to make of me. Such is life, I suppose; I won't be upset over their leeriness. I just need to keep moving. I wandered until I hit the sands of the Shifting Expanse. It's a strange place; the sky is filled with lightning and the ground lacks cover from the elements. Static crackles in the air. I didn't stop for a while. I trekked through the dunes, looking for any sort of clan. Many that I came across were unwelcome of strangers. But finally I reached a somewhat friendly clan. It was situated high up on a towering mesa overlooking the desert below. The dragons there called it the Sanctuary.
The dragons there were strange, but out of the corners of my eyes I saw an even stranger figure... but whenever I turned to get a better look, they were gone. I was sure they were following me.
In exchange for some stories from my travels, I was finally able to draw forth some information about the figure. A creepy Spiral told me that the figure was a guardian of the Sanctuary, a spirit of the desert. He told me that it must have a great interest in me to reveal itself so often. Whether that was good news or not... I wasn't certain I wanted to find out. I left the Sanctuary as soon as I could; I felt unwelcome under the spirit's gaze. It's quite the journey to reach the Arcanist's domain from the Shifting Expanse, yet here I am... and now that I am here, perhaps I can admit to myself that I was unable or unwilling to rest, still feeling the spirit's gaze upon me... but this clan took me in with surprisingly little trouble. It seems they make an enterprise out of freely boarding travelers such as myself so that we have more treasure to spend in their marketplace. Those stingy with their pockets are quietly pressured to leave. So I will state for the record: I have left of my own free will. At length, I reached the Ashfall Waste. Much to my delight, I found a clan full of Gaolers like myself! I thought I'd found my future home.
I was wrong.
True, they welcomed me with open arms. But the longer I spent among them, the more I realized that it was just a polite facade. Everyone in this clan was related. Brother, sister, cousin, parent... and I remained an outsider.
They say that family is who you choose. Perhaps this clan did not agree. Again I left of my own free will. I found myself back in the Starfall Isles, in the Starwood Strand. The clan there was kind enough to let me stay the night; I only needed a quick rest. In exchange, I shared my stories. The next morning, I thanked them for their hospitality and continued on. Electricity burned in the air and dark clouds swirled above, promising rain but not delivering... the Shifting Expanse greeted me with the familiar smell of vitrified sand.
Venturing deeper into the barren land, I felt a pull inside me. Through winding canyons lined with crooked cacti, through crackling lightning farms... to a decommissioned old spire this impulse led me. Looking up at the burnt copper tower, I felt a sense of rightness.
It was a clan of excited shouts and orders, of claws and metal clicking on slated rock, of magic and landbound thunder sizzling in the air. It was a vast training encampment, one which drew dragons flocking from all corners of the world to be prepared for exaltation. It was a clan where many entered and many left, faces ever-changing. It was a place where no one would get bored of my stories.
Moons passed, and my stay at Thunderclasp Point was pleasant... until I began to catch glimpses of a shadowy figure tracking me. I feared that the desert spirit had found me. But one of the residents was able to allay my fears - a stray golem, one that follows folks it likes.
With the help of some bored hatchlings, I was able to coax it into the open. Now it likes to curl up between my paws and purr while I tell stories to the dragonfolk.
They pay a pretty penny for tales here, especially since most of them are preparing to leave this realm for one where treasure has no use. My craft, however, is not without competition. There is a resident storyteller here. He charges no fee, but only holds audience on the dark of the moon. Curious, I decided to attend one night, lurking in the back rows, where the faint light of the clan's bottled fire-thunder did not reach.
He was... magnificent. His stories were powerful and captivating, his words echoing in the canyons below. Dragonfolk sat in awe. When his performance ended, I joined them in applauding a master of the craft. But I cannot imagine they had any idea... I knew - he was just like me. Each of his tales carried a piece of himself. I have traveled to many different clans, to many different regions, but this is my first visit to Windsinger's domain. It is with wonderment that I land in the Twisting Crescendo where resides the Clan of Cluemystery.
I was met by an elegant, soft-spoken Skydancer, whose gentle demeanor put me at ease immediately. She showed me a place to rest and clean myself after my long journey, and then gave me a tour of the clan, introducing me to those we came across. They were a friendly, open community.
I stayed through the New Year celebrations, with their fireworks, feasting, and dancing. (I did not share my stories. This celebration belonged to the future, not to the past.) Young and old filled the village, welcoming in the new possibilities that come with a new year. Bolstered by hope, I decided that it was time to resume my journey. I found myself at the Sunbeam Lanternhouse, whose residents were happy to offer me hospitality, and were happy to hear my fictional stories, but I did not find many there who were interested in true history. The exception to this was Seanan, but I am afraid that I was not of much help to him. I may be old, but even I was not around in the Second Age.
Nevertheless, he attended my nightly storytelling sessions. Another regular was the young Ethan. When he finally worked up the courage to ask to travel with me and learn the art of storytelling - I think he was a little star-struck - I wasn't much surprised. I'm not sure he has an aptitude for it, but what's the harm? My first day with Ethan as my protégé was eventful. I was attacked by a dragon in plague territory, and I quickly learned that Ethan will not be helping in any battles. He hid behind something as I battled. The plague dragon seemed crazed by something, not sure what though, but what I did know, it was very strong. Not too fast though. It got some big hits on me, but I managed to dodge most of them. It was a bad situation for me though, I couldn't do any significant damage to its rough scales. I thought it was going to be my last battle... but then, luckily, a small dragon popped up and slit the dragon's neck so fast that the dust stirred up along its path to the dragon. The plague dragon fell to the floor in a puddle of its own blood. The small fast dragon stared at me through empty, rose-quartz-colored eyes. It didn't speak but its eyes seemed to want me to follow it, so I did. It led me to its camp.
At camp, Ethan and I met up with the clan leader. He was very hospitable, and let us stay for a few days. He told us that the Bogsneak dragon that saved us is named Whisper and that she doesn't speak. The clan leader is named Nightlight, green and black Tundra dragon. During our stay here, I accidentally got pregnant and had two eggs with Ethan. Of course, after a few days of recovering and the eggs hatching, it was time for Ethan and me to head on our way. This small clan was just a pitstop to the next clan, our planned destination. Before leaving Ethan’s hometown for the Shadowflame lair, I corresponded extensively with their leader. It turned out that there has been a recent uprising within the clan, overthrowing the entirety of the previous nobility. It was now run by a new council whose power was still insecure, and who were struggling to keep order after a bloody coup. We would not be able to stay long… the Alpha warned us of this in his writings, but I did not truly understand the scale of upheaval that had gone on in the lair since I first made my plans to travel to it and settle. Dozens of battles were fought daily, scores of dragons were exalted at a time. This place is too eventful for the life of a simple storyteller. Why hear stories, when so much is going on right before our eyes? No, I must find another clan to board with — and quickly. Arriving in Wanderweg Wood, Ethan and I found ourselves welcomed by a brilliantly colored Gaoler named Tiarella. Her vibrant pelt was matched by her flashy, extroverted personality, and she quickly took it upon herself to show us around. We found ourselves amidst a wide variety of dragons, from all different walks of life. And all eager to welcome us. It was a lair where many came and went, as they hosted several different travelers at any given time, but rarely did anyone make their way to the deities. And when they did, it was always of their own free will.

We stayed with them for several days, resting after our travels, reveling in the stories of the clan members, and sharing our own tales. I found many eager minds willing to learn of history, from the clan matriarch Evernia to the small adventurer, Abba. Everyone treated us with the utmost respect, and I was almost pained to depart from their company. But Ethan and I had other places to be, and we bid them the kindest of farewells before returning to the long road ahead.

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Meta:
Uh-oh, looks like this ol' gal wandered a little too far from her home lair (WillowWisp64 #478951), and now she's off to see the world! If you ever feel the urge to exalt, she'd really appreciate it if you could just return her home instead, or to the 'Dragons Off to See the World' thread, here. If you don't want another traveler in return, you can also drop her off at the Traveling Dragon Rest Hub!

Ancestors:
Abellio #60606;
Hydra #13561 [exalted]

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