Alexandria

Alexandria was a Bogsneak that originated from a small clan the Shifting Expanse. Her travels led her to the Icefields, far to the south. She encountered a group of hunters from a local clan, led by an Imperial known as Auren. They called him the Bleakwarden. He saw her potential and offered her a place within his family, on the condition that she dedicated her time to defending the clan. She took the offer on the condition that she be left alone in her work as an engineer, as she would have lived her life in servitude to the Stormcatcher if she had declined and she was much more keen with the idea of choosing her own path. So she took up the banner of the Icewarden.

She settled into her small nook in the lair, and as she had warned, she was stubborn and unapproachable, which was not uncommon with Bogsneaks. She seemed to prefer it. The only dragon to manage to get close to her was another traveler, a Guardian named Dru. At first, Alexandria seemed irritated with her new guest, but both were odd, but their personalities seemed to mesh well together. Eventually, Dru settled in and stayed with the clan as an alchemist. They worked in tandem on many projects, growing closer with time. Though they started their lives as wanderers, they found a home and happiness together.

It was a surprise when Auren showed up for Alexandria, requiring her presence in the lower reaches. It was usually a place reserved for the members of the Ice flight, though everyone was technically "unified" under the Icewarden's banner, there was a clear line that everyone acknowledged. The prison was maintained by the Gaolers and "In-flight" dragons. Alexandria seemed to be the first traveler to see the horrors that the depths housed. Auren insisted she see, as this is what her work had been defending all this time. This only served to harden her resolve.

When the alarms sounded, many of the dragons in the lower reaches were evacuated, but rather than fleeing, Alexandria ran toward the call of the Gaolers. She fought fiercely alongside the natural-born Ice dragons to fight back the Shade that had escaped their prisons. This was what she was born for, and it was a duty she held fiercely. She fought fiercely, turning the tide against their enemy, and it was by her claws that many of the injured Gaolers were able to retreat.

As the breach was contained and the dust settled, a small party of uninjured defenders did a sweep to check for any dragons that had been left behind... Alexandria was the only dragon to be recovered, and was the sole casualty of the battle. She had bled out, at some point her left arm was severed, but from the look of it, she never stopped fighting. The Gaolers returned with her to the upper reaches, much to Dru's dismay.

The air was somber at the impromptu memorial service. Many couldn't believe it, they had assumed that she hadn't cared about the whole of the clan, yet there she was, having given her life to protect them. One of the newcomers to the clan, an Obelisk named Altruism, could see the affect her loss had on the clan, and offered an alternative... A second chance. Obelisks were an unknown, but he was almost positive that he could breathe life into the beloved engineer once more. Dru stepped forward and insisted that he try, unable to bear the thought of losing her beloved.

With Altruism's help, they were able to bring her back from the brink... With a few changes. He hadn't realized that his power would change her. She gasped for air as she awoke, leaving a majority of the clan shocked. Metaphorically. When she managed to push herself up with a single arm, she looked around at everyone, from a much... Higher... position.

Alexandria rumbled out a nearly-thunderous statement, "What? When did you all get so short?... What are you looking at?" causing a bit of a commotion, tears gave way to laughter. It was typical of her.

Trading her appearance for her life was a small price to pay, though her personality did suffer a shift with it. Her arm did not regrow, and was thus, replaced. It took time before she realized she didn't have to yell everything she said to get people's attention, given the major change to her stature. She returned to her work with a more cheerful disposition, really throwing herself back into it. Her admiration for her partner only seemed to grow with time. She became more approachable and more family-oriented.

She wouldn't trade it for the world.

((I was featured in the Steampunk Theme Week!))