Relius

//used to be a Coatl

blablabla, lore derg bio reformatting center. this guy isn't part of my lore, just holding the information of one who is 'til I move it over to its rightful place!



WIP

some notes:

» personality:
• quiet, reserved, and perpetually nervous. if you happen to spot him, expect to see him with a book in hand, nervously fidgeting and trying very hard to pretend he doesn't realize you're there and can't feel you looking at him
but he knows. he always does.

• he likes the Windsinger and would probably call himself a fan of him, maybe.
- he certainly sees the appeal of him, but "devoted" and "loyal" are such strong words to use in regards to someone he's never met and likely never will meet, so he doesn't want to count his eggs before they hatch.
(which is kind of a weird saying coming from him, isn't it? like, he knows the saying came from livestock, but he can have eggs too— okay, dragons in general can, not him specifically since he's— right. the topic at hand.)
- what he can confidently say he loves is the more tangible parts of the Windsinger's influence, like the gorgeous land he created, the loose rules he spoke for his children. he could do without the loud festivals and huge crowds of people, but he's gotten used to the sound of cheerful windchimes as he reads or takes a short midday nap and always finds himself smiling when he sees colorful pinwheels lining the trails. he was originally offset by how green everything was when he first arrived, but it wasn't too long before he found out just how much Wind dragons loved colorful things.

he's still nervous about flying in such a windy place— what if he loses control and knocks someone else out of the sky?— but from time to time, he'll stretch his wings out and feel the strong breeze blow through his feathers.

• he can be rather sarcastic once you do get him talking, albeit mostly in a self-deprecating manner rather than anything offensive to other people. it's a bit of a distressing trait for those close to him, because sometimes he uses it so matter-of-factly that they have trouble telling whether he's being serious or still joking. it's hard to tell if he's being deadpan on purpose, too, but those closest to him know it's...probably not intentional.

• he's terrified of being misunderstood, so he's largely silent in the initial phases of meeting new people, always out of some flavor of anxiety. he struggles with eye contact and has awful anxiety when it comes to being around anyone he isn't familiar with, so Taka tends to be there with him to act as his voice and clear up any misunderstandings between the pair before they form.
- his clanmates are used to his silence and don't press him for responses, but they always get excited when they get a "mm" or "mhm" out of him; it's not common for him to speak at all, so any sound is progress to them!
- with those he's close to, like Taka and Meira, he's notably more talkative, which manifests as him initiating interactions on his own (sometimes) or responding to them in full sentences. if he's really comfortable with them, he'll even elaborate on something he's doing without cutting himself off!

• still can't bring himself to like stoic dragons

• cannot stand anything having to do with surprises or sudden moves or noises. due to the unpredictability of the latter two, he tends to come off as tense & jumpy

• was gifted his locket during his recovery & is never seen without it

» relationships:
• is the adoptive father of Uthril and co-parent of his biological mother Latte; has raised him since he was a hatchling and loves him to death

• has a younger brother named Kaikura who he helped escape from Jahi when they were still teenagers; hasn't seen him since and has no information on where he currently is

• closest to Taka, the first dragon he encountered after being cleared to mingle with the rest of the clan, and can reliably be found near him.
although he was suspicious of his friendly and generous demeanor to begin with, he now finds it nothing less than soothing, ever appreciative of how the Coatl is more than happy to simply sit in silence with him.
through Taka, two major points in his life came about: firstly, he got introduced to the world of plants and their symbolism, and secondly, he learned of an activity called "stargazing".
due to a deathly fear of the dark (a phobia he was ashamed to learn was primarily associated with hatchlings), he was extremely apprehensive towards the concept, but Taka's patience and encouragement gradually coaxed him into familiarity with it until he got the courage to join him one night. although he initially couldn't bring himself to stay out with him for very long in spite of Taka's reassuring presence, later outings proved increasingly successful (with progress initially expressing itself as Dayo hiding his face in Taka's feathers rather than his own) [...]

» the current day:
• distrusts Plague dragons as a whole but can tolerate and appreciate individual ones

• despises The Plaguebringer and now worships The Windsinger

• loves everything Wind related and is very interested in their history

• was given Meira's Peacebringer's Mantle to use as a trauma blanket when he was first brought to the clan by Dove for healing and has never forgotten the gesture or the comfort it brought him

• hasn't stepped foot near The Scarred Wasteland in years & isn't allowed to leave the clan alone should anyone from his former clan come after him again

» backstory context:
• decided on the name Dayo during his recovery

» lore prior to the current day:
• was born as Atieno to General Savas (real name Venn) and his mate Kora

• Venn was a powerful blood mage and hardened General who lead both his soldiers and his family with a harsh, unwavering fist. driven by his devotion to their Savior and their deity, he always had faith that what he was doing was correct and strove to help his family see what he did

• when Venn presented his hatchling to Sonja (against his mate's will), he was overjoyed that she saw the same potential in him that he did and was always repeating to his son how loved he is and how powerful he'll become

• throughout his life, he frequently spoke of his son's greatness and unbridled potential to surpass even himself as the best General and strongest member of Jahi— and never spoke of or to him outside of that. Venn never shied away from speaking of his hopes to raise a more powerful replacement for himself one day, and Atieno was still very young when he realized he was being treated more as a thing than a son.

• Atieno felt ever since he was little that there was something off about Sonja. he felt less and less like a dragon every time he looked up at how she towered over his tiny body, one of her big paws reaching out and ever so slightly pinning his wings to his sides with the tips of her claws as she swept him to where she wanted him to stand. her face, contrary to the warm yet weary smiles he saw on his mother, was stiff and unmoving, at times seeming she was looking more through him than at him. he could never bring himself to speak in her presence, always finding himself as frozen as the blood in his veins. his father was the cheeriest of the three, always trying to push him to be brave and speak to the lady who was generous enough to devote her personal time to making him the best young master he could be, but he couldn't. he got the feeling that she didn't like that reaction, either.

• there were a lot of dragons who paid too much attention to him.
Enyo was one, a female Wildclaw with excitement in her eyes who always waved when she saw him; a sight that maybe wouldn't have been so bad if not for his father's comments that she'd be one of the people who'd "train" him when he was older.
worse than her was a blue and purple female Pearlcatcher named Mirai, whom unlike Enyo, was someone he was unfortunate enough to interact with somewhat regularly— even if it was one-sided. she was friendly on the surface, excitedly talking to him, leading him around, and procuring something called a "coloring book" for them to work on together, but there were multiple things that bothered him about her. the least anxiety inducing one was how she, and seemingly just about everyone else, exclusively referred to him as "[the] young master". he had a name, yet his mother was the only one who ever called him by it— which was maybe for the best in the end, as it never felt right when it came from his father's mouth.
the second and more off-putting quality was how she never failed to bring up how lucky he was to have so much of their Savior's attention to himself and how she was "so jealous!" of him, which she'd always punctuate with a light laugh. he didn't know how to respond the first time and nothing changed with the following comments. he never understood why she kept bringing it up.
worst of all was how close she was to Sonja. if she wasn't watching over him, he could always find her by Sonja's side— talking to her, bringing her something, helping her with a task, walking with her, or just sitting in peaceful silence next to her, always giving him an excited smile and tail wag when she caught him looking at her as if to say look, I've got her attention this time, haha!— which so clearly rang through his head in her saccharine voice that the ensuing churning of his stomach made him wince.
he began to feel the least sick with a large male Mirror he didn't know the name of. with strange, shiny sharp-tipped wings that dragged behind him with an ear-piercing sskkkkrrrr against the stone ground and softly glowing paws and horns that Atieno swore were a different shade of red every time he saw him, he towered over not just him but what seemed like everyone else in the clan with his scarred, sculpted body— a stark contrast to Sonja, who was thin and sleek and looked much smaller next to him— and rarely spared Atieno a glance. when he did, Atieno couldn't help but shy away from his brief glare in the moments where his mother wasn't quick enough at shielding him from it on her own, but it almost felt... welcomed. he couldn't tell exactly what emotions were on the Mirror's face, but the fact that there were emotions at all was a blessed change of pace from his usual sights.

• turbulence plagued even the earliest of his memories. between his father trying to get him into training as early as possible, Sonja frequently trying to take him away for "quick" evaluations of his developing strength, and his mother trying her hardest to keep them both away from him, there was another factor causing stress and uncertainty to most, yet a placid feeling of comfort to him: his unhatched little sibling. he didn't understand much about the situation, but from what he overheard from his mom, they were "supposed to have hatched by now" but hadn't. he only ever saw worry painted on her face as she cradled her egg, diligently wrapping them in blankets before tearing up her nest for the fifth time that afternoon and gently placing them in her sixth attempt at something that was "good enough". at night, he'd gently cuddle up to the egg as his mother anxiously shifted and fidgeted while she brooded over them both.
it wasn't long 'til a sense of responsibility was ingrained in him and he made sure to surround the egg in warmth every time they had to be unattended, wrapping himself around them in his free time only because he was afraid he'd hurt them if he tried to brood like his mom did. it got to the point where he only spoke to Mirai to reject her offer for coloring together, stating that he wants to bring the book back so he could color with his little sibling instead. it was a lot for such a young dragon to haul back to his nest alone, but he didn't trust her enough to ask for her help.
this was one endeavor he was successful in. although he desperately wanted to interact with his little sibling more, he was terrified of damaging their egg and.. well, he had never really held a conversation with anyone before, so the task of conversing with someone who couldn't see, hear, or talk to anyone yet made an already difficult task near insurmountable. he refused to give up, though, and this is how Kora stumbled upon him in her nest, his tail loosely wrapped around the blanket situated around her egg, narrating his actions out loud as he colored and occasionally glanced over at the egg as if to make eye contact despite stumbling through his explanation. it was the most Kora had heard him speak in the entirety of his short life.
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• managed to escape once he was an adult and was discovered gravely injured in the middle of a field by Dove, who took him to Meira's clan and nursed him back to health

» abilities:
• his innate Plague magic allows him to create spikes of rot from any organic material. it invariably begins to rot both what it was borne rom and nearby organic material • as a blood mage, he has acidic blood that begins to eat through whatever it lands on, including flesh and scale. he can also disperse his blood into a noxious gas that begins to suffocate those who breathe it in, capable of causing lung damage and other ailments from prolonged exposure. combining his innate magic and his blood magic, he could theoretically create spikes of rot from his own blood

• larger and sturdier than most Skydancers

• can walk long distances without tiring and is able to run up to speeds of 30-40 MPH

» misc.:
• farsighted in his right eye due to an injury he received while training in Jahi

• loves flowers (namely sunflowers & gardenias) and watching the sunrise

• has C-PTSD & social anxiety; is gradually recovering

• his scarf soothes him; wears his locket over it to keep the fabric gently pressed against him and tends to fidget with the fabric when he's nervous

• has a Playful Windsinger Puppet that he sleeps with & holds if he's anxious

• was never taught Common Draconic and was only fluent in Plague's native tongue by the time he happened upon Meira's clan. being unable to understand her and nearly the entirety of the rest of her clan didn't help his anxiety, but Dove helped teach him Common Draconic throughout his recovery and helped him practice conversational Draconic with Meira when he felt ready. to this day, he naturally speaks with a slight Plague accent that he despises and tries his best to get rid of