GraveDigger

Gravedigger is an interesting creature, even for a dragon. Born into the Stormcaller's Reach clan he has never really been one with the Lord of Lightning, the one that the majority of Lightning dragons refer to as the Boss. He was always accepted into Kythra's clan, his smooth metallic black wings and scales with his bloody crimson underbelly and horns that glittered in the light and sometimes even in the darkness. Maybe it was always a trick of the light when those shifting plates looked like slick blood. Gravedigger is quiet, he speaks when there is something important to say but he seems not to waste or mince words unless necessary. As a hatchling he had a strange fascination with the dead, whether it was a creature that was found wasted away in the hard canyons that the clan called home, or one of their own having to be laid to rest due to old age, illness, or even battle. He always was there no matter the circumstance to watch the dead be laid to rest and started to provide the same rites and rituals, though maybe simpler as only a hatchling could grasp them at the time, to creatures they found in the dry wastes.

As time passed and the hatchling grew into a juvenile he became more interested in disease and various forms of burial rights. The interest in disease was only because of its connection to death and the dead. This led him to many times being found in the company of Shockwave, a Nocturne who came from the plague lands when she was very young, one who likes to dabble in the secrets of Plaguebringer. Rituals that some of the dragons of the clan believed to be unholy abominations. It caused the shadow scaled dragoness to lose all the flesh and scales on her face, leaving her with a grim but living skull visage for the rest of her days. Something that she did not seem to mind at all. Gravedigger came to be one to defend the small Nocturne, at times they could be seen traveling the wastes of the Shifting Expanse, she perched on the great Imperials back discussing rituals and rites of the plague clans.

When others brought this up to Kythra, the chosen Matriarch of the Stormcaller's Reach clan, she waved an idle claw. She accepted all into their clan, no matter their past and by doing so accepted their customers. No one was forced to adhere to the ways of Lightning, their personal faith was their own. As long as they contributed to the clan as a whole they were considered family. While the Sky and Navy blue guardian did not understand the SHockwave's ways she was willing to try to learn them when she could to have a better understanding of the different elemental clans. Nor did she see an issue with Gravedigger learning from the small shadow scaled plague mistress. She actually encouraged it given the young dragon's interest. It seemed to be the only place where the youth had fit in as he grew up among the residents of the Clan and she was not going to deter it unless there was something that was detrimental to him, or the clan as a whole.

It came to no surprise that on the eve of Gravedigger's rite of passage to adulthood he went before the great Matriarch and asked if he could make a pilgrimage to the plague lands to see them for himself. He wanted to experience the land and its dragon kin for himself and learn from them if it were possible. Shockwave spoke up to be his liaison to the Plague lands. Which the young male was grateful for the opportunity to travel with his mentor. He had been surprised that Exoneration also vouched to be his liaison to the land of the Plague Mother. He did not know the crystal scaled imperial well. He knew that Shockwave had a strong friendship with him and he was urged by her to get to know the other. Well now would be his chance as they were to travel together. It would become an experience that Gravedigger would remember for the rest of his days, traveling with both Shockwave and Exoneration. He would learn of the Purifier's gift and he came to assist Shockwave in burial rituals as they made their pilgrimage through the plague ridden lands. It would be on this journey that Gravedigger chose his name, never really bonding with the several he had before. As he moved throughout the lands he started to pick up bones to adorn his massive frame, to make him feel more a part of the plague lands and allowing him to pay homage as he felt it should be to both the Plaguebringer and Shockwave for all her teachings. By the time their journey would take them back to the Stormcaller's Reach the dry rattle of bone that he wore had become a soothing sound to his ears. He had worried in the beginning as he gathered these trinkets as native Plague dragons had called his regalia at first, would bother his much older traveling companions. Or more that it would bother Exoneration.

Exoneration was far more accepting than what Gravedigger believed, he actually encouraged the young imperial to finish his task. He was more supportive than Gravedigger had expected, though in many ways the young obsidian scaled imperial did not know what to expect from such an empathic elder. He had been concerned in the beginning that he might offend the silver crystal scaled male. He had enjoyed his pilgrimage with the pair very much and came back to the Stormcaller's Reach with a host of new knowledge. He wanted wanted to share his knowledge and find his place in the clan which was to help with the death rituals and burials for the clan. He also offered support to Shockwave and Exoneration as he could, the trio would start embarking on a pilgrimage to the Plague Lands once a year from that point on.
It would not be till Gravedigger's second pilgrimage to the lands of the Plague Mother that he would stumble upon his most perfect companion. In the Abiding Boneyard he found a tiny gem guardian, it looked at one time to be something different than it was changing into. It was hard to tell what gem guardian it had once been as the contagion had set in and it was slowly being consumed with the essence of the Plague Mother. Gravedigger carefully picked up the small gem guardian and carried it with him. Shockwave was curious to see what would become of the small creature, Exoneration wished to heal it. Gravedigger asked the great crystal dragon to wait till the transformation was complete since he was unsure if the guardian would survive the conflict. He also wanted to make sure that the small creature wished to be healed.

They had traveled nearly the length of the Abiding Boneyard to the bitter edge before The Wyrmwoud. Their destination was a small clan that was just to the interior edge of Abiding Boneyard, it was actually a clan that contacted Exoneration to come to their clan personally. He just offered Shockwave and Gravedigger the chance to accompany him, which the obsidian and crimson dragon had been happy to oblige. It was when they had stopped for the night, not far from the light of the clan grounds but too dangerous to traverse in the darkness that Gravedigger had removed the small guardian from where he had safely tucked it wrapped in a cloth to keep it warm. When the cloth was peeled back to reveal the tiny creature there was a lot of loose tissue and filament like hair as the gem now rested in the bone bowl that looked much like skeletal hands. What other color the diminutive form had once been were replaced with reds and noxious greens. Bright red eyes blinked up at Gravedigger before it floated off the cloth and hovering before the massive black and crimson dragon dressed in polished bone. It was then that it seemed to notice the changes in itself. It looked down at it's hands and turned a few circles to take in its new appearance and grew transfixed with the glowing red gem that seemed to bubble on the inside. Gravedigger chuckled softly as he watched the small form and its bright curiosity and waited for the gem guardian to make itself comfortable before figuring out what they were going to do with it. Gravedigger remembers talking late into the night with Shockwave and Exoneration while the small gem guardian fell asleep in the crook of his elbow, where the long hair from his elbow pooled into the space. When morning came the gem guardian was gone and it saddened Gravedigger at first but he decided not to dwell on it when none of the three could find the small creature. They would have left the camp and had journeyed less than an hour before the tiny guardian would turn up again carrying a long flower blossom stalk in its hands. The bright red flowers of its bell-like blossom stood out brightly against the bleak landscape. It moved quickly pulling its gem along with its flowing wisplike hair. It quickly darted around Exoneration and hovered before Gravedigger holding out the flower stalk before him. It was much too small and frail for the large dragon to take in claw. It was then that Gravedigger knew what he was going to call his now new familiar. And that would be Foxglove. He allowed the gem guardian to tuck the foxglove spring behind his ear so that none of his horns would block it from sight. The guardian would then settle down into his long mane and travel with the great imperial wherever he went.