Marteine

Paid 40g for him.



He's a nice red-and-blue water kid. Give Skeletal?

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Deep under the ground, when the magma shifted, his egg tumbled through the earth's crevasses. Underwater volcanoes spat him out, even as he hatched, warmed by fire but blessed by water. He did not stumble about any nest, nor send his cries into the air as the shell fell away, but rather he floated and tumbled in the water, pushed up by his buoyancy, and thus began to learn how to swim. His tail and his wings were as fins to him, and he didn't know anything of the sky nor the land. His first meal was fish, too. But his instincts were still there. It was easy to figure out how to use his talons to fight, hunt, and grip with.

For a long time, the undersea world was the only world he ever knew. For a little while, he lived by himself in the ocean's depths. One day, however, he discovered a school of Maren. They were surprised and wary at first, having never seen a dragon like him before. He was only a baby at the time, however, and he was curious about these odd fish. In the end, it only took a couple days for the school to take him in. And so, he lived with these Maren as he grew. They taught him how to speak, and about other kinds of dragons, and the way the world worked. They taught him about a world above the water -- or, what they knew of it, anyway. They also gave him his name: Marteine, which means "sea fire." For all intents and purposes, he was one of them.

Marteine was happy in his beautiful, underwater world. He shared the song of the Banescales -- which he had hatched knowing -- with his school, informing them of his breed's history. His wings moved more like fins than wings, and as he grew, he became more and more suited to aquatic life. There was plenty of room to grow and lots to eat. Plus, his school was ever with him. The elder Maren in his school, though, worried about Marteine. He was one of them, yes...but he was no Maren. He was a dragon, and living as one of them was probably not the healthiest thing for him.

They encouraged him to go where they could not: to explore the world above the waves. Marteine was apprehensive at best, refusing nervously but politely every time. They kept the gentle pressure on, however. He only finally agreed when they asked him to bring stories of the world above back to them one day, citing that he was the only one in the school capable of doing this. And so, nervously, he ascended.

The sea became brighter and brighter the higher he swam...until, finally, the surface came into view. It was beautiful, the light dancing down... It was a portal to the world outside the sea. Still, he was afraid. Just what was up there? Marteine took a deep breath, steeling himself. It was time to leave the water.

In the end, however, he wound up swimming for as long as he could, eventually walking onto shore. This was after an embarrassing episode of attempting to use his wings for flight...which he didn't know how to do. He'd gotten so used to using them as fins, that he couldn't figure out how to use them as wings! Despite having grown up underwater, the aquatic Banescale could still tell that that was embarrassing for one of his kind... Well, as long as he walked, no one would know, right?

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A lot of development happened here!

- Says "cannae" instead of "cannot/can't."
- Pronounces "Banescale" more like "Bine-scale."
- Stumbles hopelessly over common phrases and references of dragons who live outside of the sea. (I.e., putting your "best foot forward.")
- Has an excitement he doesn't quite understand when it comes to Banescale culture revival.
- EXTREMELY self-conscious about being unable to fly.
- Has a strong attachment to the school of Maren who raised him, and for family in general.
- Often thinks with his heart.
- Can be quiet and doesn't necessarily try to solve others' problems directly. More likely to just "be there" for them quietly.
- Can sing very well.

Found out that he's not the only Banescale to be on friendly terms with Maren, in The Sea's Lullaby.

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Naming the Tropical Fish Dragon

So, for whatever reason, I decided that the school of Maren who adopted him spoke with a heavy Scottish Gaelic accent, and had adapted their language to that of the dragons from something like Scottish Gaelic in the past. Hence, their names would all stem from that language. He came from the undersea volcanoes and the story of his ancestors was heavily fire-related, so "sea fire" seems like a fitting name.

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Was bagged.

Was drawn by Crayon.