Lama

Name meaning: Lama (Arabic: لمى ,لما ,lamá) is a common Arabic name that has its roots in Arabic poetry. The specific definition of it is debated and the word itself is not a synonym to any other Arabic word. One definition is "lips that are dark like the color of a sunset", which has been used in old Arabic poetry to refer to the lips of the beloved.

ROLE: Geologist, Pirate Crew Member of the SS Maris. MATE: N/A (the pirate squad is a literal and figurative love puddle) FAMILIAR: Tricky Telescope (helps her with her search for and observation of rocks) NOTABLE RELATIVES: Sveta (adoptive grandmother), Maris (adoptive sister), Pebble (sister), Pinja (sister, deceased), Mawar (sister, off to war), Damaris (brother, deceased) Note: Writing about her arrival by Solarfox123. Outfit by Rinny with slight adjustments inspired by TxTiger's Desert Scavenger: Thief.

A small Fae approaches the clan in a flurry of leaves, two hatchlings clinging to his shoulders. He doesn't say anything, preferring instead to gently nudge the two baby Faes forward. The white and pink one goes happily, hopping up to the clan and peeping out a squeak, but the vibrant green Fae clings to the older Fae. He says something that seems to calm her, and she hops after the other Fae, turning to wave goodbye as the older Fae flutters away.

Io sends a pouch of treasure back with a note attached via Suteki's airship: "Once again, please accept this token of our appreciation. And would you also please tell Ryuu that I am NOT stingy. I am practical. Thank you. -Io, Treasurer"

A note folded into a paper airplane lands in front of the lair several days later. It reads "Stig ny." and is signed with a very odd-shaped print...almost like that of a rat.



Lama came from the Shrieking Wilds with Mazu. Both of them were raised by Mazu's grandmother Sveta. Because of this, Lama got into the habit of referring to Sveta as her grandmother and subsequently began to call Maris her sister (they had the same spots, after all!). No one contested her on this and so she was adopted into the family very easily.

Her one goal is to help find a cure for her mother's affliction. Before she was brought to Haven, she had questioned her father extensively about the magics that were keeping her mother's curse at bay and about the necklace he had created for her as a fail-safe. She wanted more than anything to understand and help so that her Mama wouldn't have to worry anymore. So, when AutumnLeaves announced the decision to bring Mazu to Haven, Lama had decided to go with them. Haven would be a good start for her research, she was sure.

She joined Sabori's pirate crew because it seemed like a good opportunity to visit new places and find more rocks, gems, and minerals to collect for her study. She will figure out how Sornieth works - magic, elements, dirt, and all! - and she will turn over every boulder, stone, and pebble in the process. Plus, she gets to hang out with Maris all the time too, which helps to make the task seem less daunting.

Onyx Cobra

Meat

The venom of an onyx cobra can cause the onset of a gembond in dragons. It is wise to give them a wide berth. (KS Sponsored by Opal.)

55

7

When Tsukki told her that the venom of Onyx Cobras was known to cause an onset of gembond, Lama expanded her research into that as well. Sure, her mother's curse wasn't a product of venom, but she hoped that perhaps studying the various causes of such a malady might grant insight into a potential cure.

Then, when she and the other pirates found Midas collapsed on the shore beyond Haven from exhaustion due to his very similar affliction, she adopted him as another patient for her study. In lieu of some prompting, she finally got him to tell her about a "stupid shiny rock" he had found near his previous home in the Sundial Terrace, which he cited as the cause of his curse.

The news of Pinja's passing hit her like a brick. She had tried to maintain her optimism after Damaris passed, but the fact that two of her siblings had been born with variations of their mother's curse and a bite from an Onyx Cobra had been enough to cause Pinja to...

She didn't want to admit it to her remaining family because it wouldn't be fair to worry them further, but she felt as though she had let them down. No matter the amount of research she had done, she hadn't done enough and hadn't been working fast enough. She knew it was silly to think of it that way, but she felt so small and insignificant. And she was the eldest! The first to hatch out of all of her siblings! Wasn't she supposed to take care of them? No wonder Mawar left. At least the Gladekeeper would keep her safe.

Of course, Lama's efforts to hide how upset she was didn't escape the notice of the rest of the pirates or Gramma Sveta, so it wasn't long before she was crying into Sveta's feathers until she was calm enough to explain her worries and accept their words of comfort.

Sabori tried very hard to hide her own growing conflicted feelings from everyone, but as it became clearer to both clans that Almediha's involvement in the situation was sinister, Lama became all too aware of her Captain's guilty looks. It hadn't exactly been a secret that their fearless leader had been struggling for a while to come to terms with how much she had hurt her family with her selfish actions, so it came as no surprise when Sabori finally snapped out of a rare quiet stupor to speak to her on the matter.

"You can be mad at me, you know."

"Why would I be mad-?"

"I hate that someone who isn't worth it is making you cry and hate yourself. Everyone already said the important stuff about how it's not your fault, but it's not just that. You've done way more amazing things than I have. You saved Midas and all I did was try to steal him like treasure. And you spend so much time studying things I can't even understand like it all makes sense to you. I could never do what you do, so it's not right that you should have to feel like you aren't enough."

Her crest was pulled taught in defiance of any argument that might be crossing through Lama's mind as she listened.

"I'm not smart, I know that. Thinking things through is really hard for me and, without all of you and Uncle Raynan, I know I'd be just as bad as her. Or maybe I'd be worse because I'm dumb, I don't know. But my mom did this to your family and I know I can't do anything to make up for that or fix the pain, but I'm right here and instead of being mad at yourself for something you couldn't control, just take all those feelings that make you cry and throw them at me instead! It's okay! I can take it! I deserve it more than you do!"

Sabori stood there bracing herself for a fight or perhaps she was expecting to be told how terrible everyone thinks she is. All Lama wanted to do in that moment was step forward and hug her tight to comfort them both.

"Almediha isn't your mom," she spoke into Sabori's shoulder. "You just hatched from her egg, but she wasn't there for you like Gramma Sveta or Rosette or Uncle Raynan. Plus, you're nothing like her. You actually care about us, so being mad at you isn't fair and it would be like letting her get away with it."

Sabori grumbled in embarrassment, but she was still hugging back. "Geez, you're not a little kid anymore, so you shouldn't be saying such cheesy stuff... I can't believe you called Uncle Raynan my mom."

"Well, he is!" Lama insisted. "And if you call yourself dumb or not smart again, I'll tell him and he'll make you take it back."

"Yeah, yeah..."


When Haven made connections with a clan called Rara Avis in the Crystalspine Reaches, it felt like a lucky break for Lama's research to discover that their major source of trade was their magical gemstone quarry. So many new rocks steeped in magic to study! By chance, when she was escorted out there to purchase some samples, her inquiries about the magic were noticed by Morgaine, another dragon who was suffering from a strange gembond curse. Spurred by an equal desire to help her and to learn what she knew, Lama extended a hand of friendship in the hope that pooling their knowledge together would give them both a stronger chance of finding a cure.



Note: She was born around the time when Zinfandel started trying to convince the Glade to move away from the Shrieking Wilds.