Buio

Fifth Rank ______ Border Clan ____ ____ Champion's Purse Chests A purse for the winner of an arena duel. 0 ____ ____ Silver Ferret Familiar Naturally clever, silver ferrets can be trained to steal treasure from rival clans. 2000 ____

Mania Protective || Temperamental || Blunt "What did you just say about my mate!?" Theme Song Mania was the hatchling who found studying dusty old books for more knowledge to be boring. She was the one who wanted some danger in her life; a little risk and adventure to get her adrenaline pumping. Her parents were bewildered in her behavior but knew they couldn't stop the young pearlcatcher without causing a fight between them. The young dragon took to sneaking into places around the lair, squeezing into tiny gaps to find cool things to bring back to her nest. Sneaking out alone soon wasn't as fun as it had been to begin with though, which left Mania no choice but to up the risk by seeing how long she could keep the items she'd bring back- or now steal- a secret. This game soon grew into a passion for becoming a smuggler later in her life. After leaving her birth clan and finding one of the Clan of Death's camps she was hired as a smuggler for them. Mania was typically tasked with bringing in dragons from the black market to be used as sacrifices to their deities, which didn't bother her one bit. In fact, she began to gain a reputation for being one of the best smugglers, which led to her never taking off her mask outside of the clan's territory. Dragons would still court her despite her hidden identity but Mania dismissed each attempt promptly- or violently if the first message didn't get through their skull- until she met a skydancer: Erebus. Most dragons found it odd she'd be with him given the sickly green appearance of his skeletal pattern but the pair were perfect for each other. Eventually, the two became mates and while Mania's temper and over protective nature would get the best of her; Erebus was always there to calm her. His constant smell of herbs and chemical was soothing for her in a way. Still, when the pearlcatcher began taking smuggling jobs outside of the lair she knew he worried for her safety just as much as she worried for his. Whenever she lost track of time and returned home late he'd instantly come out to greet her. After really late or rough missions this act brings her annoyance but deep down she knows she'd do the same thing to him if their roles were reversed. Mania doesn't like to stay out of the clan too long and tends to make her 'business trips' as short as they can be. Exchange the currency, get the item, and go separate ways with her 'business partner'. Not only does this method mean she can take more smuggling jobs but it also means she can get back home and perhaps help her mate with his alchemy if he doesn't insist the recipe is too dangerous for inexperienced dragons. The treasure and gems she makes of course goes to the clan as a whole as her contribution to living there while some of it will be given back if the job requires buying and smuggling goods out of a place into the clan rather than smuggling the goods into other clans. Occasionally Mania will look back on her life and think over the choices she'd made that led her to this point in her life. Each time she comes to the same conclusion: she'd do the same thing every time. The rush of adrenaline, the loving mate, the riches and empowered feeling that came with her job... It was all too good to give up. One day perhaps she'd grow old and have to retire but that was long ways off and Mania planned to continue smuggling and swindling other dragons out of their items and riches for her clan until the day she was finally caught and killed- not that it would ever happen considering her skills and powers in magic and persuasion.

Smuggler ____ ____ Mate ____ ____ Carved Harpy Mask Organics The faceplate of this mask has been carved from bone. 47 ____ ____ Chocolate Ferret Familiar These little guys get into everything. It's worth the time it takes a dragon to ferret-proof its lair. 0 ___

bio and coding by @DeathSpecter

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~I like to imagine she’s super protective of her mate, like full on yelling and threats and displays of aggression, even though she knows he can take care of himself. She worries, you know? Her mate is just as protective of her, but he shows it by merely smiling and listing off his poisons and their effects. (headcannon by Lyssa77)

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Darkness is such a strange thing, like ice, it has three states solid, liquid, and gas, but with a twist. Since it is a sort of mystical material, it doesn't fall under the laws of science, only able to change states by the user. In solid form its almost completely black aside from a very tiny shade of red at its center, like a candle in the dark, when a non-user touches it, it's like getting winded, if hit by a sharp point it will penetrate and quickly infect. As a liquid its thick; sticky, and has a pungent smell of ink, it can act like quicksand or just plain coat and suffocate people. As a gas its quite strange, it is able to pass through solid material with ease, suffocate, and eat away like acid. As a whole Darkness is an odd thing.

For Mania it was an inky black cover, coating her with a shell of shadows to conceal her from the prying eyes. The dragon clung to the wall, claws digging into its stone bricks. Her eyes glowed with a predatory gleam as she peered into the window ahead of her. The window was covered with frost, the winter months have started to take its toll.

It was a simple sweep job, just get in and get out. Nothing out of the normal, which was great for her because she wanted to be done with her contract as quick as possible. The item she was meant to grab was a simple vile, it was an antidote for some illness if she remembered correctly, the dragon was only half listening when her contract spoke.

Inside the room was quite homey, a cushioned area laid to the far left corner with a fire on the opposite end. A bookcase filled with scrolls and… Well books filled most of the room, shelves holding vials and bottles of unknown substances lines the walls. A desk sat in the very center, made of dark spruce and decorated with gold on its edges. The item is supposed to be in there.

Mania opened the window quite easily, it was unlocked. She wedged it up and pulled herself into the room, wiggling gently to fit her wings. A blanket of warm air covered her being, the dragon’s body tingling with the temperature difference. She fix the mask on her face to make it secure, then crawled over to the desk to find what she came for. Unfortunately, it seemed that they were locked. Great.

She grabbed some lockpicks from under her ear and worked at them. With a skilled twist of her wrist the drawer unlock with a small click. Mania slowly open it to create no noise and picked up the vial. It was wrapped in a maroon satin cloth, tied together with simple twin.

Just as she was going to examine it closer, footsteps sounded behind the otherside of the door. In a panic, Mania grasped the item with a firm grip, slammed the drawer harshly, and flew out the window, closing it was a loud slam.

She drew a sharp breath when she turned a corner, rushing down the streets and alleys to get to the contract. A house surrounded by a oak fence came into view. everywhere around it was surrounded by shadows that were cast by the building. Torches that hung on the walls were unlit and blades of grass poked out from the bushes.

Mania quickly rushed inside, eager to get this done and over with. She wandered through the halls and doorways for a little while before making a sharp right at the end of the corridor. When she open the door, there in the middle sat a very shady looking ridgeback. Very shady, mostly because he was colored black but he seemed like a sketchy guy.

She dropped the vial into his open hand and gave him an expectant look, waiting for payment. She was never one for pointless chitchat. The ridgeback examined the bottle before he saw Mania’s expression, annoyance clear in his eyes. He gestured for the fae that stood in the corner, and they complied, dropping a silk pouched filled with gems inside at her feet.

Her eyes lingered on the fae for a moment before she took the pouch into her claws and searched through, satisfied with a job well done. Though she was interrupted by a throat clearing before she could take her leave. A male skydancer stood in the doorway, green and venomous to look at. He held a soft smile on his face as he gazed at Mania.

“ Erebus? What are you doing here?” She asked quietly, but you can hear the confusion in her voice clearly.

The skydancer gave a light chuckle at her confusion, finding it cute that she didn't know. “ You said you would only be gone for two hours, tops.”

“And?”

“ Its been ten.”

“ Oh.” She didn't know what to say, how had she lose track of time so easily? And ten hours? Had she been looking or the house for that long? Almost sensing her distress, Erebus walked over to his love and nuzzled her softly, closing his eyes.

“ You lost track of time again, didn't you?”
“ Maybe….. How has it been ten hours? Has it really been that long?”

Her questions were answered with a simple nod of the skydancer’s head. She gave off a sigh and was about to speak when she was interrupted by the ridgeback coughing.

“ Who is this dragon? Why is he here?”
Mania gave him a cold look at simply told him they were together. Not wanting to give off too much information about their personal lives. The ridgeback gave the pair a disgusted look, eying the skydancer mostly.

“ Why are you with such a disgusting creature? Surely you could do much better.”

Now that really ticked her off, but she was held back by Erebus embracing her with his wings. Blocking her body from lunging at the dragon. The ridgeback seemed to be a little scared at the look of death he was receiving from Mania, and even more so from the dead look and wicked grin from the skydancer.

“ I would watch your tongue, Mister. You never know who might just pull it out. And for a matter of fact, this is the best, most talented dragon to ever grace the land. But I guess your small, primitive brain can't seem to understand that.” Her mouth pulled back to release a snarl, baring her fangs as much as she could. Her voice was coated with poison, almost spitting the words with such hatred. She could feel Erebus’ chest rumble as he let out a small laugh at her words. Even the fae seemed to snicker at them.

The ridgeback hated to be humiliated, and he was clueless to the danger that lurked beneath Mania's eyes. That made for quite a hopeless dragon. He stood up to his full height, which was quite intimidating for most, and gave a cocky smirk.

“ But darling, you would look so much better with me.” And that was the sentence that nearly ended him.

Mania jumped onto the ridgeback, escaping Erebus’ embrace, and knocked him to the floor. She stood above him menacingly, her face almost touching his. Her eyes gleamed with such malice that he almost fainted in fear. She took her left claw off of his shoulder and forced his mouth open, gripping his tongue tightly between her talons, leaving tiny red scratches. She gave off a twisted smile, fangs appearing longer than they usually are, and spoke.

“ You have no idea who you are dealing with. So let me make this as simple as I can for you, pest. Erebus it the best damn thing in this world, and you should treat him with respect. You have no right or authority to call him such things, so you better apologize or your tongue is going to be ripped from your rotten mouth. Do I make myself clear?” To emphasis her point, she gave a harsh tug on the muscle she held in her claw.

To say the ridgeback was scared would be an understatement. He looked petrified, color seemed to somehow drain from his face, and he nodded his head rapidly. Mania got off of him, glare cold and menacing as she gave him a look of expectancy. He started to apologize profusely to the skydancer, who held a look of pure amusement. He stumbled over his words and his speech was stuttered, but he got his point across.

Mania and Erebus walked out the door, pouch in hand. The pearlcatcher more than satisfied. The skydancer looked to the side to gaze at her with an endearing gaze, loving her so much. Though his thoughts were broken when he heard a group of tundra talk as he walked by.

“ What is with that creature? He looks so hideous.”

“ Why is he covered with green? It makes him look rotted.”

“ Why is that pearlcatcher with him? She could do so much better.”

He heard a small growl emanate from beside him. Mania looks ready to kill. He gave a small sigh as he watched her walk up the the tundra. Oh, boy.

Story by LostDreamer