Dalila

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Wildwood Moss Organics Some moss took a lichen to a tree. (Special thanks meenahray.) 22 D A L I L A The Survivor. ═══════════════ Uh-oh, looks like this seeker wandered a little too far from his home lair (grxndsxn, 437722), and now he's off to see the world! If ever you feel the need to exalt, he'd really appreciate it if you could just return him to the home lair, to the 'Dragons Off To See The World' thread, here, or to the rest hub if you don't want another dragon in return.! Owners I've Had: grxndsxn, #437722 (Home Lair) Foxil, #431112 Volrin, #261879 Prescott, #136580 grxndsxn, #437722 inkfrog, #546245 Wurldpeaz #220519 KnightOfAres #367956 Silverbolt1159 #434590 ZippoFeuer #385984 TruthseekerSky6 #547158 CoyoteFlowers #269443 MoonlilyluvsCas #559581 SauriumDragonArt #534270 solarpriince #669786 MoonlilyluvsCas #559581 Strangeflesh #576542 caffeinefaerie #54701 XiangEr #374844

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Luggage:

Furious Banner Apparel A banner proclaiming your fury. 1700 Skin: Shadow Serpent Ridgeback Male Only Skins are equippable items that can be worn like a coat of paint on top of the skin of your dragon. The look of the skin will not be passed onto offspring and may be unequipped at any time. (Designed by yiq.) 500

History:

Dalila calls himself a seeker. A seeker of many things, really: his travelling father, his two sisters who left home on their own adventures some time after he did, an enchantment component that his father was enlisted to find for an Ice clan some time ago, a nice clan for him to start his own family in... the list goes on.

Mostly, Dalila just wants to help his father on his journey, and achieve his own goals of bringing their family back together -- but that has to start with him finding everybody, first!

Where did you guys all go?!

Travel Log: Volrin: Dalila hadn't even made it out of his home Flight, the Plaguelands, when he was ambushed and knocked unconscious by an unseen attacker. Bleary and sore, he came to hours later, and found himself being hauled along in a rickety wooden cage! Dalila stuck his head through the bars and inspected the scene around him. A ragtag group of dragons, mostly ghoulish-looking Mirrors but there were some ragged Skydancers alongside them as well. The little Ridgeback asked where the dragons were taking him, but all that got him was a violent smack of talons against his bars. He wailed loudly for help -- another sharp slap against the cart, and the raised hackles of a Mirror who looked ready to eat Dalila if he tested them any further. He could only assume he was being kidnapped, and that realization shook Dal to his core. They travelled like this for days, Dalila sitting in his cage and waiting for them to pass him rations through the bars, being let out in chains only once or twice a day, when the rest of the group paused to eat. The group of marauders were headed to an illegal auction block for selling off dragons in the Sunbeam Ruins, so with almost two territories to get through, their venture would take them a while yet. Maybe he'd be able to find a chance to escape before then? But Dalila was just a hatchling, small and weak -- he was afraid there was little he could do to stop these dragons. It felt like ages, but they finally crossed over from the Tangled Wood into the Lightweaver's domain -- Dalila tried his best to find comfort in his fsther's sunny homeland, but positivity was scarce for him these days. The Rideback watched the scenery trail pass him by miserably -- as they passed by crumbling marble pillars and all sorts of temples and other ruins, something stuck out to Dalila. An immensely large Ridgeback, with dark bluish scales to match his own, and a scarredl bandaged neck. Was that... his dad?! The cry for help left Dalila's maw before he could even process it; one of the Mirrors turned around to threaten him again, but were stopped dead in their tracks by the Ridgeback's father barrelling down on them at alarming speeds. Dalila reeled back, cringing as he watched his dad maul one of his captors, bursting one of the Mirror's four eyes and raking its face and throat wide open. The Mirror paused a moment, overcome with shock, and the grisly scene of torn flesh sunk into Dal's memory, leaving a mental image that would haunt him for years. Finally, the Mirror snapped out of it, dropped the cart and fleed the scene as fast as it could gallop. The rest of Dal's captors scattered like mice in response. The cart holding the caged hatchling was left abandoned, and with one swift smash of his tail, Cross busted open the wooden frame. Meekly and fearfully, Delila hopped out and affectionately rubbed himself against his dad's foreleg. Dalila's body shook with tremors. He was afraid. So afraid. Even his father's embrace failed to comfort him, thanks to Dal having seen what he just saw. The little Ridgeback complied when he felt his father usher him onto his back, and curled up tight as the larger Ridgeback prepared to take off -- he would try his best to sleep, for now. He could catch up with his dad later. (I found Dalila being sold for 3 gems on the AH. I bought him as fast as I could to prevent him from being bought for fodder and exalted, and thought I'd use it to inspire some lore for him! As a note, while it may not be against the site rules, it is REALLY rude to auction off people's travellers the minute you get them. Please don't do that. Breed your own fodder, dude.) grxndsxn: Dalila was unsure of what to do next, so he decided that his safest course of action was to head home. He had faint memories of home, especially after the gruesome event he went through as a young hatchling, but remembered that his home clan bordered Plague and Shadow territory. From what he remembered, his home clan was also very pleasant, and he had a caring mother. Even though Dalila was an adult now, he still had his worries. He tried to be wary while venturing home, aware that the Scarred Wasteland and Tangled Wood were both potentially dangerous places. He tried not to let his guard down, even successfully fending off some creatures that tried to attack him. While he was exploring, Dalila suddenly started to hear a sound - it sounded like a hatchling crying for help. He travelled for a while, eventually finding the source of the sound; it was a hatchling crying for help - a black Spiral with skeletal markings, in fact. "Are you lost?" Dalila asked. "Yes, can you help me get home?" the Spiral answered, appearing frightened. Dalila accepted, letting the Spiral lead him home. A short detour wouldn't be too bad if it meant helping this young Spiral - plus, the Spiral's purple eyes implied that he probably didn't live too far from here anyway. After a while of venturing, Dalila heard something that made him freeze in his tracks. "I knew Penumbra would be good for something one day." an unfamiliar voice said, making Dalila realize that the Spiral hatchling was being used as a pawn. Dalila attempted to escape, but various frightening dragons surrounded him. "I won't let you escape this time!" the voice said again, lunging forward. Dalila identified the dragon as a Tundra which had dark fur, sharper than average teeth, a scar on his eye, and armor decorated with various bird skulls. Dalila wondered what the Tundra meant - was this where the ragtag group that kidnapped him as a hatchling lived? He searched the bloodthirsty pack, but didn't see any dragons he recognized. "How do you know me?" Dalila asked. "I've met your parents. Your father's a traveller, and your mother is a former Emperor." the Tundra responded. Dalila wasn't sure what the Tundra meant when he described Dalila's mother - did he mean the monstrous beings that formed from the bodies of deceased Imperials, or a ruler? "And what do you want with me?" Dalila asked. The Tundra looked at him with an evil grin - "You'll see." The pack of dragons seized Dalila, causing him to scream for help. "Don't bother, nobody will hear you." the Tundra told him, only to quickly prove himself wrong. An Imperial flew overhead, quickly swooping down and preparing to fight. Dalila quickly recognized the Imperial as his mother - he was going to run over to meet her, but a dragon knocked him back, nearly knocking him unconscious. He tried to watch, and noticed that his mother brought a Snapper with her; Dalila swore that he could recognize her as well. Several of the dragons ran and hid, but there were also multiple that stood their ground. The Imperial and Snapper fought hard; Dalila's mother severely injured a Gaoler, and though he almost instantly managed to heal his own injuries, he ran off in fear. The Snapper was also found face-to-face with the monstrous Tundra himself. The Tundra saw her as an easy target, due to Snappers' large sizes, but she was able to nearly crush him with her powerful jaws. The Tundra retreated, causing the rest of the pack to flee. After the coast was clear, Dalila decided that now was a good time to approach the dragons that saved him. "Wait a second.. Dalila? Is it really you?" the Imperial asked, approaching her son. The two dragons rejoiced - Dalila was happy to have reunited with his mother, after previously having his father rescue him from a similar situation. The Snapper was also enthusiastic to meet Dalila again; her name was PidgeonsOnEdge (or Pidgeon, for short), and Dalila vaguely remembered meeting her when they were both very young. The two dragons took him back to Crow Callers, and Dalila found that he was right about how pleasant his home clan was. Well, anything could be more pleasant than the past two times he's been kidnapped. Pidgeon led Dalila to the Traveller's Lodge, and he began to tell her about his past life so far. Pidgeon told him that she remembered leading Dalila's father, Cross, to the Traveller's Lodge at a young age. Interested, they continued to share stories. "I have questions about that clan that tried to kidnap me." Dalila said. "They're known as Deer's Death, and they're longtime rivals of our clan. That Tundra in charge of the whole thing is named Mirfak, and while I didn't show it out there.. I was terrified while fighting him." Pidgeon explained. "I first encountered Mirfak when I was just a little hatchling, and he scares me even now. He's the evilest dragon I've ever met." "I feel like I might have had a run-in with this Deer's Death once." Dalila told her. "You did?" Pidgeon asked. "Well.. maybe. You see, when I was younger, I was kidnapped by a ragtag group that mostly consisted of Mirrors, but some Skydancers were in the group as well. I don't remember seeing any other breeds." Dalila explained. "Probably not Deer's Death, then. That clan mostly consists of Tundras." Pidgeon explained. "Makes sense, I didn't see any dragons I recognized." Dalila said. He still wanted to learn more about that pack that kidnapped him as a hatchling, and if he'd ever run into them again. Dalila spent much of his time with Pidgeon - eventually, he even fell in love with Pidgeon, and the two had some hatchlings. Dalila was going to leave after this, until he found out that his sisters had a letter sent to them and were planning on returning. Although it took a long time, his sisters Blister and Ravenwing finally arrived. After they shared some stories, Dalila decided to finally move on. Maybe he did successfully reunite with his family, but there was definitely more to his adventures than just that. He's a seeker, after all. inkfrog: Dalila stopped briefly with a clan in the shadow flight, where he ate and continued on his journey. WurldPeaz: While still passing through the shadow region he met another clan. This one was quite large even though from what he was told that some were still back home in the Icewarden’s domain. They were only here for the time being but they wouldn’t reveal what it was that brought them here other than it was pretty cold there and the coming winter wouldn’t be any warmer. He wasn’t going to question it. These dragons looked like they knew a thing or two about fighting. They were friendly enough but he wanted to keep it that way by not asking too many questions, they could probably tear him apart in a second. KnightOfAres: Dalila was just passing through The Shifting Expanse when he caught a familiar scent nearby. He scours then area until he finds what he’s looking for, and it was his sister! Blister was talking to some dragons and he decided to walk up to them. Funny he wasn’t expecting to find her here of all places. The two chat up for a bit before he finds out he just missed out on his Daughter! She was here mere hours ago! So she also became a traveller as well! It seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in this family! Silverbolt1159: As Dalila made his way through the Shifting Expanse, he fell victim to the trap that most tourists to the region do: he wandered into pirate territory. It didn't take long for a gang of motley Ridgebacks to rise out of the dunes. Dalila found himself almost instantly surrounded at knife-point. "Awright, give us ev'rytin a mon-e-tary value in yer pockets, an' we'll let ya go nice an' easy-like. Won't be good for ya if yer try an' resist us," a large Ridgeback said as she approached him with her cutlass drawn. "Yep, sure, no problem, uh I don't have a lot on me, just some treasure, of course you are very welcome to it Miss!" Dalila stammered out, shaking in fear, memories of the last time he'd been surrounded by a pack of terrifying dragons flashing through his mind. He handed over his coin purse quickly; the pirate backed away slightly after roughly grabbing it, opening and counting the money inside with a few of the other pirates. They scoffed at the meager amount, only a pawful of gold. "Y'know what we're gonna do here Mr. Poor Dragon?" the pirate spoke again, "This really ain't enough to satisfy us, but we'll be nice an' cut ya a deal. See, tings got real hot here a while back an' our ill-us-trous leader had ta nip off til the cops quit houndin' 'er. Last I 'eard she was seeing an old friend in Dragonhome. So, Mr. Poor Dragon, 'ere's the deal: you pop on over there an' let 'er know we've been keepin' the lights on even with 'er face plastered on ev'ry street corner, an' we won't be re'rrangin' yer pretty face today. How's that work for yer?" "S-sounds like a wonderful deal Miss! Thank you for y-your kindness a-and - " "Awright, awright quit yer stammering an' take this," the pirate pulled out a piece of patterned cloth, "an' wear it. That way the Queen'll know yer lookin' for 'er. But ah, wait til yer outta the Expanse. 'Less ya want ta get yer tail thrown in the brig! Oh an', trust us, we'll know if ya renege on our deal. Robbed more than a few mages in our time, hehehe." Dalila snatched up the cloth, more like a miniature flag now that he got a good look at it, with shaking paws. He quickly made his escape, flying off north towards Dragonhome. He opted to take the long way round through the Southern Icefield and Starfall Isles rather than cutting through the Scarred Wasteland. He'd been attacked enough times this lifetime. He made good time, stopping only as necessary to rest and eat, and was exhausted when he finally arrived in Dragonhome. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to find this pirate leader, or if she was even still in the region, the ominous words of the pirate convinced him to try. He wandered for quite a while, asking the few dragons he met if they recognized the flag he'd been given. Eventually he made his way to a massive bazaar set up in the great canyon surrounding the Pillar of the World. There were more dragons there then he had ever seen in one place before, a thousand colors and sounds and smells assaulting his senses in a carnival of wonder. Why hadn't he come to the Earth lands before? He spent days wandering the market, seeing everything he could, until one morning a Guardian pulled him aside. "Sorry to bother you, but that flag you're wearing... are you here on, er, "business" from the Shifting Expanse?" she quietly asked him. "Wait, you recognize it?" Dalila asked back, adopting her hushed tone, "I'm supposed to give a message to someone, I didn't get her name, just that she'd know this flag." "Oh yes, that's Audra's flag all right! I'm a close friend of hers, she's staying with our clan until things settle down. Come with me, I'll take you to meet her! Oh, you can call me Gage by the way, I always forget to introduce myself, Pel's always reminding me. What's your name?" "My name is Dalila, nice to meet you," he replied to her, slightly bewildered, as she began to lead him out of the markets. He hadn't been expecting any friend of those terrifying pirates to be so nice. Meeting with the pirate leader, Audra, went better than he expected. She was an imposing thing, decorated head to tail in shiny gold, with a skull mask over her face and a massive cleaver by her side. She found his story hilarious, intimidating facade breaking into a fit of uproarious laughter. Afterwards, Gage offered to let him stay with the clan as long as he'd like; they were used to hosting travelers like himself. They were a rowdy and entertaining bunch, full of stories of their own travels. He couldn't stay forever though, reluctant as he was to leave. As he said his goodbyes to the clan Audra came up to him carrying a large bundle. "Ya seem ta be the type ta get accosted on the roads if those stories a yer's are true. Ya helped out me crew and seem a nice boy, so I want ya ta take this," she said as she held out the bundle to him, "It's the flag a me crew. No dragon wit any brains at all 'tween their horns is gonnae tussle wit someone sailin' wit the Pirate Queen a the Shiftin' Expanse. Jus' don't wear it in the Expanse itself, 'less ya wannae be locked up!" Dalila gratefully took the gift; while he wasn't sure how he felt about joining an infamous pirate crew, he was sick of being attacked by marauding clans he had no chance of fighting off alone. Although, this last time hadn't turned out so bad. Furious Banner Apparel A banner proclaiming your fury. 1700 "The flag of the Pirate Queen of the Shifting Expanse; all who would harm its bearer beware - the crew sees all" added 11/23/2020 by Silverbolt1159 ZippoFeuer: The pirate's flag fluttered around his body- a cloak, and a shield, it seemed. Passing back through the arcane isles in his travels, no wanderers upon the road seemed to look at him long. Each gaze that passed over him swiftly shifted away when he looked. As though they were afraid of the mere flag of the Pirate Queen of the Shifting Expanse. Even all the way out here. It was actually quite pleasant as a change of pace; not being accosted at each turn, not being hunted for fun or sport by the rovers and highway drakes of the world. TruthseekerSky6: While attempting to track where his sister Blister had gone, Dalila found a clan who told him Blister was headed for the Shifting Expanse; near the border, he tucked his scarlet banner away before entering official Lightning territory. This time, Dalila thought, he wouldn’t make the mistake of crossing through pirate lands. After some clue-hunting, he found another Ridgeback patrolling the Scrub, who took him to her home lair: a series of towering spires covered with creaking metal and wires crisscrossing the barren Expanse. She took him to one of the structures—“The Expanse Hotel,” she called it—where wanderers like him stayed for the duration of their journeys. Upon asking the travelers about his sister, they simply told him that Blister had passed through here a while back—over a week ago, they said. Dalila’s heart sank; would he ever reunite with his sister? The Ridgeback who had brought him here told him to rest before he continued on his journeys; he was weary from his frequent journeys, and needed a break. After several weeks of recuperation at the Hotel, Dalila restocked his supplies, ready to head out yet again. He thanked the dragons at the Hotel for their support, and winged off into the horizon. CoyoteFlowers: gave him a little skin to match his banner + a bio revamp for easier reading~ Skin: Shadow Serpent Ridgeback Male Only Skins are equippable items that can be worn like a coat of paint on top of the skin of your dragon. The look of the skin will not be passed onto offspring and may be unequipped at any time. (Designed by yiq.) 500 The caravan that Hirwen commanded did not settle in one place for too long and was always looking for help carrying merchandise and setting up tents, they offered food and shelter to any who would lend a hand. Thus, Dalila like many others found themselves at the mercy of a Hirwen's whims, and was hired as a general laborer. Naturally, Dalila did not stay for too long, but they did make friends with a couple of the Guardians that acted as Hirwen's personal guard; they must be trying to make up for the lack of Hirwen having empathy. or any positive feelings in general. solarpriince: The lair Dailia landed at was, quite bizarre. A mishmash of lazing dragons with no real rhyme or reason to their day. They fed plentifully, hatchlings playing everywhere, most travelling between the Everbloom Gardens and back to the lair of Pox Consulate. He's dealt with more hectic and aggressive groups before, though, so this was a nice break of peace for him. It seems these dragons were used to new ones flying in and out, merrily living their lives without some sort of ultimate goal. He sparred with a young, growing Banescale, her fierce attacks made him envious. The ability to drain health from enemies, healing wounds by inflicting his own, ended with him being taught this technique by her. She and two others had helped many others before him get battle ready, those free souls striking away to join the Glavekeeper, fascinating him but also terrifying him. What was life like past that? No one in this clan had any answers, shaking him to the core. He departed from there, never looking back, knowing he at least had a future for him with his continuing journeys. Strangeflesh: Dalila is a strong dragon, he'd grown to that in the years he'd be traveling across the land. He flapped his great muscular wings as he soared across above the sulfurous clouds. He dove down through them to take a brief stop, but he ran into someone, a small spiral with haunted eyes. She told him about some nonsense about alternate universes and shades and portals, which Dalila didn't understand(he had grown stronger, not smarter), but he did offer to help. She told the great purple ridgeback that her name was Belle and she'd lost her way in this new world. He pointed her towards a near-by town and went on his way. User: Write something about his travels here!

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