Song

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= = Song = = Matriarch "Calling it the Shade is misleading. It's really more of a void." Song was born a Fae in a primarily Fae clan in the Starwood Strand. As any proper Arcane dragon, she displayed an unquenchable thirst for knowledge from a young age. Song, however, was not satisfied by what she could glean from her clan's library, prodigious though it was; there were too many blank spots on the map, too many untested hypotheses, too many subjects characterized only by a patchwork of rumors and speculation. Song sent for books from other clans, from the Observatory, even from lands far beyond the Starfall Isles. She compiled and cross-referenced even the most dubious resources she could find, looking for anything that might provide answers to the world's mysteries. And she found answers--many of them, in fact. She slotted together puzzle piece after puzzle piece. She solved any number of mysteries, confirmed or discredited any number of legends. By the time she reached adulthood, Song's encyclopedia of Sornieth rivaled even the Observatory's in both breadth and accuracy. But for all the progress she'd made, the puzzle was still woefully incomplete. For a time, Song despaired; she had scoured every library within her reach. If a book had been written on the geography or history of Sornieth, she had read it. What else was left? Books that had not been written? How was she to learn anything from those?

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And then Song realized: If she wanted to read those books, she would have to write them.

Once this epiphany hit her, she could not long resist the call of adventure. Song and her best friend, the odd Coatl Dimitrios, struck out to learn all they could of the world.

Along their many journeys, they made any number of friends, some of whom traveled home with them. When Song realized (or, rather, when it was pointed out to her) that her collection of misfits was beginning to overtake the rest of the clan, she moved them deeper into the Starwood Strand to carve out their own lair.

Song, in her curiosity, has worn many looks throughout her life, but she has only changed her species once. She decided to try being a Skydancer. She remains curious what it's like to be any other sort of dragon, but she has settled as a Skydancer, mostly because she found the process of changing species too inconvenient--it was costly, difficult to get used to, and distracted her from (in her opinion) more important things. As she was born a Fae, her body language and tone are somewhat odd for a Skydancer. She is sometimes perceived as stoic or "off" somehow. However, the practice of changing one's species is common enough, and most dragons quickly grow used to her mannerisms.

Song takes a rather laissez-faire attitude toward her clan. Though she is technically its leader, she is generally content to let its members sort things out amongst themselves, particularly because she is often away adventuring. She can be firm when necessary, but she doesn't make a habit of taking in dragons who are likely to disturb the peace, least of all to resort to violence.

Song is also a noted beastclan ally. She has drawn up (and held to) several treaties with local beastclans, and it is clan policy not to attack members of any sapient species unless they strike first. In particular, bonds between nearby serthis clans and Song's own are quite strong. This has caused some friction between her clan and other dragons, but so far it has not escalated beyond snide remarks.

Outsiders might be concerned by the clan's lack of an apparent second-in-command or successor to Song's position--or enticed, if they are the antagonistic sort. This is mostly misguided. The clan is quite democratic in its decision-making, and Song has bowed to group consensus more than once. They are also used to managing themselves, as she is frequently off adventuring or treating with faraway clans. In fact, some might argue that she is its leader in name only, and would be more properly referred to as the clan's founder.

Her beloved thornhide floron can often be found prowling at her side. When she was small, she would sleep curled up next to him, encased in his protective thorns. He is perhaps her only friend older than Dimitrios.

Though Song's clan resides in arcane territory, their acceptance policy is flight-neutral. All dragons are to be considered friends until proven otherwise, and all may claim allegiance to whichever gods they please. In Song's travels, she has met enough dragons of all flights to dispel the stereotypes surrounding even the most hated flights. (Besides, any disciple of the Arcanist should be glad to mingle with foreigners. How else will they slake their curiosity?)

Song has a particular fascination with the Shade and eagerly conducts research into it whenever the opportunity arises. She is always swift to investigate rumors of Shade-touched beings cropping up in any corner of the world. (Should the rumors prove true, she and her most trusted battle companions will usually take on the work of dispatching them, as well.) Song has published a variety of works on the nature of the Shade. These have been generally well received by other Arcane dragons, but less curious flights--particularly those who remember that it was the Arcanist who instigated the Shade's return--view Song and her research with significantly more hostility. However, as she is arguably one of Sornieth's foremost experts on the Shade, even those who look on her with suspicion are sometimes forced to call upon her expertise.

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