Cleo

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Multimist Mask

Trinkets

A fascinating mask that was carved of whorled walnut and polished until it gleams.

53

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Aether Cherries

Plant

The juice from this tart cherry is often used as dye for ornamentations.

500

15

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Lazuli Mate Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras vitae rhoncus justo. Donec vitae egestas arcu, id euismod nibh. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos.

Name Relationship Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras vitae rhoncus justo. Donec vitae egestas arcu, id euismod nibh. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos.

Name Relationship Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras vitae rhoncus justo. Donec vitae egestas arcu, id euismod nibh. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos.

The Portal Guardian

This peculiar dragon's memories of who she was and where she came from were an unreliable, scrambled mess. As she stood upon the precipice, staring blankly out over the hovering rocks and unnatural green glow of the local rips in reality that were her domain, she tried once again to place them into a coherent linear timeline. It was a task she had attempted many times before, when she came across an idle moment in the anomalous and chaotic whirlwind that was her life. As that whirlwind slowed around her and she had a chance to try and get her thoughts in order, she reached out for the general pieces of information that didn't need to be pinned to any specific point in time, facts that she could be certain of.
She knew she was a wildclaw, and her name was Cleo. She had chosen that name herself, as a way to anchor herself in the madness of the Portal. She knew she was bound to this place by some unearthly force... or by her own moral duty to warn any foolish travelers away from the wasteland surrounding the Portal, and the abominations that inhabited it. Either way, she was a part of it now, for she knew that at this point, she counted as one of those abominations. She could vaguely remember a time before she mutated, before her skin and scales had fused, hardened, and split into insectoid, chitinous plates, and before her face had begun to follow...
She knew that for the sake of sanity, some horrid truths were never meant to be accepted into the minds of dragonkind.
Cleo readjusted her wooden mask, making sure it wouldn't be slipping off anytime soon, and attempted to clear her head. She was a golem, she once again attempted to convince herself, created to defend the Wastes of the Forbidden Portal from any real, non-insectoid-looking dragons foolish enough to venture into this waking nightmare. She was never a real dragon, she was never a real person.

Once again, she focused in on the world around her. From across the mana-scorched wasteland, she could see the movement of a creature. Spreading her wings, she leapt from her perch and half jumped, half flew between the floating chunks of rock held aloft by the magic of the Portal. Considering the creatures that roamed this place, she took care not to catch the attention of the figure. As she got closer, she realized it was no nightmare from another realm, but a perfectly normal coatl. He was a deep crystalline blue, with wings that reminded Cleo of the night sky. He adjusted his large white hat, and excitedly wrote something down in a notebook as he observed the place.
What an idiot.

Cleo shook her head in exasperation at the discovery of yet another poor fool that thought they were special enough that the universe might spare them the horrors of this place. Well, she supposed, that's what she was there for. Just as she was about to go warn him off, she noticed that she was not the only one stalking him. A hunched figure wormed its way about in the shadows, using its ragged wings to dart between the rocks, its tail flicking about behind it. The thing wasn't particularly subtle as it moved, but the coatl remained completely unaware. That is, exactly what she was there for... Cleo leapt from her perch and hit the ground running, but the creature was faster. It lunged at the coatl, taking him down with a scream. She didn't even process what it was as she launched herself at it, talons at the ready. The question of why it wasn't using its teeth or claws had barely crossed her mind when she locked eyes with a deep purple gem, and realized what it was; a wyvern. She was well acquainted with these creatures. With one powerful kick she threw it off of the coatl. It squirmed on the ground like some disembodied eldritch tentacle for a moment, before all three of them went silent. Cleo and the wyvern stared each other down for what felt like hours as the coatl looked on in confusion.

After a pause, the wildclaw produced a strange noise, something akin to an underwater birdcall. The wyvern responded with small cry, taking off with its only two limbs and spiraling through the air towards a nearby rock spire. The coatl opened his mouth, about to thank the newcomer, when she whirled around.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here!?" He recoiled slightly, and got up.
"Erm... researching!" Cleo continued to fix him with a cold stare. Uncomfortable in the silence, he continued. "This place is really fascinating, there's a whole... hole in reality, and the effects on the surroundings are incredible, I want to understand how they happen." Cleo's glare only intensified.
"This place isn't meant to be understood... This place isn't even meant to exist. Now, for the sake of everyone's sanity, go home while you still can."
"...Fine," the coatl shot back, "but I have a few questions first." Cleo inwardly sighed. Of course he did, they all do. She reluctantly gestured for him to fire away.
"First of all, what's your name?" This one caught her by surprise. Most travelers ask about the nature of this place, or the creatures within it. No sane dragon would worry about something as trivial as names, but then again, he did come here...
"....Cleo." It felt strange to say her name aloud. The coatl smiled and bowed his head.
"It's a pleasure, Cleo, I'm Lazuli." She just nodded, unsure of how else to address the situation. "So, what-"
As if on cue, he was cut off by a mournful, warbling cry. Both dragons looked over at the sound to see the silhouette of the wyvern perched on a floating chunk of rock. It cried out again, and took off to search for a new target.
"...what is that?"



-science nerd vs superstitious lady, she tells him to leave
-stubborn nerd wants to keep studying the place, she tells him to do it from a distance
-gotta do stuff with esten's book!
-hint at the ideas of parasitism and mutant dergs
-he comes back to visit her
-convinces her to leave the portal for a bit (daate)