Precious

As the clan's resident gadgeteer, there are few things Precious enjoys more than creating contraptions or modifying existing machines to make them as efficient as physically possible. His inventions can range from nearly useless to weapons of mass destruction, the latter of which his clanmates desperately try to discourage and convince him to dismantle. His most notable technological contributions include the vast network of lights which illuminate the March's caves, as well as his personal golem, which he uses as a messenger and to defend himself should he ever be in danger. No one can ever truly predict what his next creation will be, least of all Precious himself.

Precious is known throughout the clan for his many eccentricities. One day he could be excitedly chattering all about his latest inventions to every dragon within earshot, then spend all of the next holed up in his lair, refusing to even look at another dragon and forgetting to eat. A firm believer in science, he writes off anything that it or the inherent elemental magic in all dragons cannot explain as superstition or coincidence. He has some egotistical tendencies, which most often surface upon hearing a real or imagined insult regarding him or his work. His wife Wisteria is the world to him. While the two sometimes butt heads over each other's scientific greatness, he loves and supports her unconditionally, and wants only the best for her.

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Born to a prominent Ridgeback family in the Southern Icefield, Precious grew up quite comfortably with doting parents. He discovered an affinity for tinkering at a very early age, taking his toys apart to construct another, grander one out of the parts. His creations always delighted his friends and family, and he made sure to show them off now matter how strange or potentially dangerous they were.

But this carefree life was not meant to last. One day, when Precious was still a hatchling, a group of malicious pillagers from the Ashfall Waste confronted the clan, falsely accusing them of "borrowing" all of their food. When the clan leader denied this, the dragons attacked, quickly plunging the entire camp into chaos. Precious soon lost track of his parents in the confusion. As he fearfully looked around for them, one of the invading Spiral dragons knocked him out with a swift blow to the head. Everything went black.

When Precious awoke, he discovered that same Spiral had carried him all the way across the sea and to the Ashfall Waste, accompanied by their cohorts, some of whom were carrying his fellow clan members. Panicking, he began to thrash around, causing the Spiral to lose its grip on him, and the hatchling began plummeting to his death. Fortunately for him, a nearby Tundra foraging for food happened to look up when she heard the sound of beating wings as he fell. Without a moment's hesitation, she rose off the ground to safely catch him in midair. The pillager dragons continued on, seemingly unaware they'd lost a hatchling.

Back on the ground, Precious thanked his mysterious savior with a tight foreleg hug. Smiling warmly, she bent down to ask him who he was and how he'd fallen. Upon learning the hatchling was alone, the Tundra invited him to stay with his clan, at least until his parents came back for him. Not knowing what else to do, Precious agreed, and followed the other dragon to the March of the Profane.

The two arrived at the March's camp, a dismal clearing in the Scorched Forest populated with a few wayward dragons, most of whom were round Precious's age. The Tundra, whose name was Kelpi, introduced Precious to the others and explained his situation. A white Fae, who gave off an imposing air that unnerved the little Ridgeback, let out a resigned sigh at having to take care of yet another hatchling, but agreed that he could stay. Though initially unhappy with the camp as it paled in comparison to his old home, Precious grew accustomed to living there, as well as his new clanmates. He stayed within the March even after maturing, following his clan to its new location on the Rhyolite Terrace.

Despite growing so close to his adopted clan, Precious still dearly misses his old clan and family. Early into adulthood, he traveled to the Southern Icefield in an attempt to find them, but found nothing other than snow-covered, broken remnants of the clan's former camp. Though most have written off his parents as dead, imprisoned, or enslaved, Precious still faintly hopes they will someday return. Until then, he focuses on his inventions, hoping to make his new clan proud in their absence.

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