Skellum

GLOSSARY:

Thread-Bender(s): Uniquely skilled dragons capable of syncing their magic with the Lightweaver's wavelengths. They can bend lightwaves, alter colors, as well as hide and reveal both physical matter and intangible truth. In other words they can see things normally invisible to the naked eye (like physical health or emotional intent) AND make those things visible to others. However, in much the same way, they can also cast "illusions" representative of their own subjective truth and dicerning the line between the two can be very difficult.

Given Light dragons' innate (in some views cursed) compulsion to seek and divulge truth, illusions that differ significantly from reality are generally beyond their scope, not to mention perilous...but truth can be subjective and for some it's worth the risk. Regardless, of all Light dragons, Thread-Benders are the best equipped to attempt glamours at all.

Given the drastic impact even small changes in perception can make Thread Benders are expected to undergo intense ethics and magic education as soon as their magic manifests (read: they are sheparded away immediately), before eventually taking a position that serves Light over any one clan. To disregard this expected path is one of the deepest taboos of Light culture.

Suffice it to say some quietly resent their affinity. They find being treated like a force of nature—to be respected and feared, only ever interacted with through a veil of caution—deeply isolating. It's certainly drove some to "research" in the depths of the Hewn City, never to return. Whether they found what they were looking for none but they can know.

Yet others revel in continuing the legacy of tradition, eagerly following threads into the fronteir of the unknown, in the service of the greater good (with a side of curiosity and debilitating imposter syndrome). Skellum appears stoic (and mostly is) but definitely leans that way. There is no good enough.

Thread-Benders can also "lightwalk"—travel at the speed of light—effectively teleporting with the aid of focusses shaped from World Pillar fragments.

Also, unlike The Strung, Thread-Benders are A) under no obligation to serve as sacred site guardians (though many are drawn to such positions because it's well suited to their skills, given elemental hotspots boost their already superior magic) and B), Benders retain free will (though no elemental power comes entirely without consequence). Essentially, being a Thread-Bender is a natural inclination / talent, not a job, designation, or curse.

The Strung: Dragons bound to the Lightweaver's loom. These dragons become powerful puppets tethered to sacred sites as defenders and guardians. For some it is a voluntary (if ill-advidsed) exchange of dragonhood and autonomy for power, while others simply become entangled in threads by trespassing on sacred ground / coming into contact with threaded relics. Once ensnared every use of Light magic within close proximity weaves the threads deeper into the dragon's core, dooming any ensnared to an eternity of servitude to Lady Light (The Lightweaver). So, PROS: You get to live forever. CONS: You slowly become not you and also a powerful magic hungry puppet / parasite bound to a specific magical conduit...so good times! Thus a Strung is something a dragon becomes / is; it's a state, not a skill, talent, or job. So theoretically a Thread-Bender could very much become a Strung (if entangled) but it can happen to anyone.

A Focus: An item inherently rich in or imbued with Light magic intended to help Thread-Benders focus their magic and increase magical accuracy by alleviating some of the intense magical strain necessary to lightwalk. Essentially they're magical battery scopes; it's easier to do just about anything if you don't have to generate and focus all the power yourself. A Focus's potency can also be increased by using it in a lightveil.

Lightveil: A magical pathway linking two sites rich in Light energy (such as the Beacon of the Radiant Eye and The Spire Dial / Obelisk of Origin). In this way Focusses are also a bit like keys since they allow users to tap into sources of Light magic more easily.

The Spire Dial AKA The Obelisk of Origin: I.e. the first ever sundial, located within the Hewn City. A powerful, now "corrupt" conduit of light magic and monument to the first Light-Sighted. The original nesting ground.

The First Light-Sighted: Lightweaver's first clutch; the very first Light dragons.

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- Light waves (the pure / raw / base / form of Light magic) = threads, hence why one who can bend and manipulate light = a Thread-Bender.

- An abundance of Light energy / magic = a tapestry or veil. Hence why the path / connection between two Light beacons / conduits = a lightveil.

- Light naives will often use similar terminology when referring to clusters of other elemental energy out of habit (ex. "It's a real shadowtapestry over there!" [i.e. There's a hotspot of Shadow magic over there.] "Heard there's a shadowveil between The Tangled Wood and The Weeping Spring." [i.e. Heard there's a Shadow path between The Tangled Wood and The Weeping Spring."]