Out of nothing, he built a clan, a family, a home...
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Librarian
Bookworm
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The story of the Stellanodus Villa, dappled in equal parts tragedy and joy, in five parts.
Pt. III - Valerian
note: a current valerian
______What? You’d like to hear my story? The skydancer laughs. Oh well, I suppose I’ll oblige you — although I’ll warn you, it’s not nearly as interesting as my dear wife’s is. ______A gentle smile spreads on his face. ______At the very least… It wasn’t particularly interesting until she tumbled into my life. ______He puts down his book to point at the large metal ring nailed to the ceiling above his desk that Hyacinth is sleeping on, body draped over it like a snake. ______Perhaps you should listen to what she has to say before I tell you my tale. ______Hyacinth begins to mutter idly in her dreams. His eyes seem to soften behind his coppery spectacles. ______Oh, has she already told you? All of it? The whole, sad, song? Well then, I suppose if you want to know how the story ends — how we got here that is, I can tell you all about that.
______Valerian never did find out what became of his parents. He still hasn’t a single clue as to who they even are, and he’s not all that invested in finding out. He hatched without a clan, without a family, without even a nest in sight, just a random egg all on its lonesome amongst the branches and leaves of the colossal trees in the Starwood Strand. ______The story goes that when he’d hatched, he’d fallen right out of the treetops and into the wagon of a wandering caravan. For the rest of his young life, he wandered, subsisting on the goodwill of particularly hospitable clans, never truly belonging to any of them.
note: baby valerian
note: a young librarian valerian
______For a time, he was a part of the veritable legion of librarians in the Tourmaline Archives, organizing new additions to the expansive collection and devouring the knowledge of its halls whilst he swept the dusty aisles. It was the closest thing he'd ever had to a formal education —and it was well spent. One day, a visiting magister, impressed with his knowledge, offered him a temporary internship in the Oculus. ______The internship was rather boring and uneventful, mainly consisting of him doing aimless busywork the magister couldn't be bothered to do, but the rest of his time was spent absorbing all the knowledge the Oculus had to offer, befriending other students of the Arcane, and learning.
______Eventually, learning enough to catch the attention of other magisters, so much so that one offered him a formal apprenticeship. It was a dream come true, getting to live in the Astrolodome, work in the Oculus. After years, all of his wandering and work had paid off. ______Back then, it was almost a tangible thing in his hands, the clear trajectory of the future ahead of him, rising through the ranks of the Astrolodome until he was a full-fledged magister, chasing his endless pursuit of his one goal — to live comfortably. ______But Hyacinth was a gale that knocked all things off course.
hyacinth's magister father, valerian's mentor
note: a disgraced, shadetouched hyacinth
______It was purely by chance, when he met her. It wasn’t even the first time he’d visited the magister’s home — his wife often would invite her husband's apprentices over for dinner. After the meal, Valerian idly wandered his mentor's expansive personal library, poring over the cracked spines of ancient books. ______The sun had begun to set, and all other guests had left, dusklight casting long shadows over the bookshelves, and out of one of those narrow shadows — what was that? A flicker of violet? He stopped, turning to the sudden disturbance. No, he was sure he’d sensed something there. ______He stalked the halls quietly for the ghost until he suddenly rounded a corner, nearly stepping on the coiled body on the ground, nestled in a shadow. She shrieked, fluttering off like a frightened bird, rapidly disappearing into the halls of the house. All he had of her was the memory of her violet-ribbon body and ice-blue wings.
note:
side banner ~~~
______He returned to the magister’s home the next day, making up some flimsy excuse about needing to find a book he’d forgotten in his library. Surely he convinced himself that he had a legitimate cause for the request, but there was only ever one reason for his return.
______You… you came back.
______He hadn’t expected to see her again, and neither had she. But he did, again and again and again. ______He stopped needing an excuse, as his mentor grew to accept that for some unknown reason, his apprentice would always return to his library by dusk. Unbeknownst to his mentor, as the sun set, a lithe little ghost would wriggle out from between the shelves and curl herself around his neck. ______Their nights passed slowly, usually consisting of Hyacinth falling asleep against his body while Valerian read, reading aloud the most interesting passages to her. At first, Hyacinth talked little, but soon enough, she started telling him all her tales — even her swan song. ______With every day that passed, it seemed that she’d wrapped herself even more tightly around his heart, until the striking colors of her eyes had embedded itself in his mind, until her name was on his tongue, even in his sleep.
~~~
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______But the shadow hung over them still. This gentle companionship would end, because with every day that passed, even as the image of her grew into bright, sharp focus in his mind, the real version lost the color of its scales, the spark in those bright eyes. ______To be Shadetouched was a death sentence, and even if Hyacinth was content to quietly live it out, Valerian… Valerian was not. ______He tore his way through every book Tourmaline Archives had to offer on the Shade, blazing through the personal collection of nearly every magister and the library of the Oculus, attempting to assemble one grand tapestry from disparate threads, one that could lead him to the cure. But if there was one, it was far beyond his powers, and far beyond the powers of anything Arcane. ______What could be done? Could anything be done? With every day that passed, his determination multiplied. He would find a cure for it, or at least a manner of staying the curse. ______But he’d never get the chance to. ______He was burning the midnight oil, Hyacinth coiled up on the top of his head, asleep as he flipped to the last page of an ancient book of fables. The dawn would arrive soon, and he had to go. He crooned her name softly, like a prayer. ______Hyacinth, Hyacinth, Hyacinth. ______Her father heard.
note:
side banner ~~~
note: sweetheart swan edit + this is where the original part break was
______The pages of their love story slammed shut. ______The doors of the magister’s home locked tight, the library boarded up, Hyacinth’s bedroom sealed up once more — and Valerian locked out. The poor skydancer had stumbled on their family’s dirty secret — or more accurately, he’d stepped on an open wound. The pages were torn up, the ink ran, and just like that, the story was over before it even began. ______Valerian was unceremoniously shunted from his apprenticeship, abruptly set adrift, and every one of his peers and friends recited the same songs. Castigating — “What were you thinking, befriending a Shadetouched dragon?” — chastising — “You’ve got no one but yourself to blame.” — admonishing — “What if you’d caught her curse?” — and, infuriatingly, in an attempt to be consoling — “It’s for the best.” ______Hyacinth was wilting by the day, a flower starved of all light, and it was for the best.
______Valerian was not a brave or bold soul, not nearly as bodacious or brash as Hyacinth had been (as Hyacinth was and still is). At first, he tried, he really did. He tried to keep his head down, begged his way into another apprenticeship with a different magister, and left the book unopened. Even if he wanted to rewrite the tale, start again, there would be no way to. He’d never see Hyacinth again. ______And if his peers, his mentor, his superiors, and every random passerby in the Astrolodome was to be believed; ______It was for the best. ______And it was probably for the best that Valerian didn’t listen. ______That he crept to her home in the dead of night; that he found the only window whose curtains were always drawn; that he flicked small stones against the glass until the drapery rustled, quietly; that he gently called her name until a little ghost slithered out of the dark. ______You shouldn’t have come back.
note: nightime window edit
~~~
______And Valerian knew that. All those years wandering, acquiring random bits of practical knowledge from a plethora of dragons on the road, all those years reading in-between shifts in the halls of the Tourmaline Archives, all those years studying under Hyacinth’s father, in the shadow of the Arcanist himself — it wasn’t for naught. He wasn’t stupid. ______Hyacinth was slighted, shunned, and Shadetouched, deemed cursed by the entirety of the Astrolodome and even her own family. Just by having associated with her, unaware of her reputation, his own name had been stained, his apprenticeship lost. Even though he’d managed to claw back into the city’s good graces, even the mention of her name was a blight on any future career plans, any future life plans. The clear arc of his life that stretched ahead before him, the plan he’d so carefully laid — all at risk. Valerian knew that. ______But Hyacinth lept back into his open arms, the two of them drawn to each other irrepressibly, like the poles of a magnet. Hyacinth, the gem of his eye, his little ghost, a living gale; and just like that, she — no, they scattered every plan that was laid and every promise they made to the wind.
~~~
~~~
note: daytime window edit
______The sun rose on the Astrolodome one day, and the window of Hyacinth’s bedroom was unlocked, the curtains wide open, billowed by a warm breeze. Daylight filled the room, shifting shadows streaking across the folded sheets on Hyacinth’s empty bed.
~~~
Pt. IV - Valerian
~~~
______Valerian’s years of wandering turned out to be useful for things other than acquiring random tidbits of knowledge. Valerian and Hyacinth’s journey could only take them to one place, where Valerian had the hopes of curing Hyacinth’s ails. ______Unfortunately, they were on the other side of Sornieth.
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~~~
______The most direct route was impassable. The Scarred Wasteland, a blighted sore on the land, was infested with death, decay, and sickness. Hardly safe for the average dragon to pass through, much less Hyacinth, who was already severely ill. It had to be circumvented.
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______The journey was long, grueling and often awful. First, through the treacherous canyons and desolate stone plains of Dragonhome, though they found themselves in awe of the shadow of the World Pillar.
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______The Viridian Labyrinth wasn’t strictly required on their route, but Hyacinth wanted to see it, and Valerian would always oblige. The Everbloom Gardens were beautiful and the air did wonderful things for Hyacinth’s health, but their route hugged close to the coastline, and didn’t dare tread anywhere near the Shrieking Wilds.
filler
~~~
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filler
______The Tangled Wood was as expected — dark, dense, and nearly impossible to navigate. Valerian managed to pay a marginally friendly nocturne dragon (in as strict and clear of terms as he could manage) to be their guide through the Wood. ______(This did not keep them from getting lost.)
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______But getting hopelessly lost in the Wood may have also been a blessing. Amongst the giant, luminescent mushrooms of the Wispwillow Grove, they found a spiral hatchling all on his lonesome, struggling to fly without careening straight into a tree trunk or a mushroom stem. Without a clan, without a family, without even a nest in sight.
filler
~~~
note: caecilian as a baby
______For Valerian, it wasn’t even a choice; and so Caecilian became the first. ______They had a new companion, one who sadly usurped Hyacinth’s favorite spot: being wrapped around Valerian’s neck. She tolerated it unhappily, if only because they were such a darling, adorable little hatchling, and instead curled up in a coil on the small of his back between his wings. ______An odd little family. No mother, no father, no offspring, just two lost dragons and the blind little hatchling they just couldn’t leave behind. And that was how Caecilian grew up, tucked warmly into Valerian’s satchels while the pair traveled Sornieth. Caecilian likes to blame their general strangeness on their strange upbringing.
~~~
______They finally made it to the light-soaked landscape of the Sunbeam Ruins, but the trouble was this: Luminax. This, too, had to be circumvented. ______They descended to the coasts of the Sea of a Thousand Currents, paid a stolid Guardian to ferry them through the narrow canyons that split the land of the Sunbeam Ruins. Perhaps, if their exit had not been so hasty they’d have set sail from the Starfall Isles rather than traveling the span of the continent on foot. The currents took them all the way to the shadowed Lanternlea Port.
~~~
~~~~~~
______There, through the efforts of divine priestesses of the sun and magisters of Light — that darkness was finally banished.
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Pt. VI - Caecilian
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______The only thing left to do was to return home — if it would still accept them. Neither of them knew if the city would even let them back inside, much less if they could return to their old lives. Mayhaps that’s why they procrastinated their return home by the most roundabout route they could manage. ______Caecilian’s grateful that they did. They’d been born in the darkness and thorns of the Tangled Wood, and the only light they’d ever known was from the eerie luminescence of mushrooms and flickering light of faeries.
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______The Sunbeam Ruins opened their eyes. Well, more accurately, blinded them. Caecilian had fairly awful eyesight even in the darkness of the Tangled Wood, and the daylight of the Sunbeam Ruins was so intense it gave them a headache even with their eyes wrenched shut. At first, they spent all their days there in Valerian’s satchel, eyes shut tight.
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______Eventually, a Violet Daredevil’s Cover was obtained, and Caecilian was able to set foot in the Sunbeam Ruins. ______Was it simply their blindness that placed unique attention on all their other senses? Or was blindness the price they paid for truly divine sight? —because the moment that they set foot in that sun-bathed land, they could’ve sworn that they learnt how to see everything in perfect light.
Violet Daredevil Cover
Apparel
It is said that the wearer of this mask will be granted unfaltering wisdom in exchange for his or her vision.
0
~~~
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______They continued, detouring to the Sea of a Thousand Currents for a ferry, where Caecilian learnt how to stir up eddies and whirlpools in their idle time. Valerian met a fellow wanderer, aimless and alone. He couldn’t give him a purpose, but could attempt to give him a compass with which to steer to a new direction — and so Jasper became the second.
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______The ferry took them to the Shifting Expanse, where Caecilian’s blood pulsed with the electric lifeblood of the land. They encountered an Obelisk who'd been cast out of her clan, not an ally left in the world. A merry little band of outcasts, they were, and Thalassa became the third.
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______They continued, and Caecilian learned how to breathe the Ashfall Waste’s fire. They met an eccentric, proclaimed ‘scientist’ as eager and reckless as Hyacinth had been. Perhaps he’d been thrown from his original clan for a reason — a very good reason — but regardless, Hugo became the fourth.
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______And so and so forth, to every new region, picking up outcast stragglers. By the time they’d circled the entirety of Sornieth, they’d gathered a small caravan of traveling dragons, like the wandering clan that had been Valerian’s first temporary home. ______The clan had never been made with the intention to wander forever, but figuring out where to situate themselves was a struggle. Surely there was no way they could return to the Astrolodome after not only abandoning it in disgrace, but returning after several years with even more disgraced dragons in tow.
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______So they returned to where they started; where Valerian started. They hid away in a corner of the Starwood Strand, as far east as they could feasibly get without the smell of the Scarred Wasteland casting over on the breeze, and built a home.
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______(Although it could be more accurately described as ‘a mess.’ In Valerian’s and Hyacinth’s defense, it was never intended as a permanent settlement, merely a temporary stopping point while the clan leaders attempted to sort out the future of the clan.) ______(The future of the clan was remaining in the Starwood Strand, because they quickly realized they had no idea how to actually get out of the forest.)
~~~
The Stellanodus Villa Verse Out of the darkness and out of the gloom,
Out of the cursed shadow of the Shade,
Out of their foretold certain doom;
Out of this, a home was made.
Resolute to change their fate,
Out of the Dome, they eloped,
Putting everything at stake
To chase the slightest bit of hope.
Out of the Strand, through Dragonhome,
The Wasteland that they trekked around,
The Tangled Wood and sunlit stone;
Out of this, a love was found.
Endured the heat, endured the frost,
Endured the cruel embrace of pain,
Endured the loves that were lost;
Out of this, a life was saved.
Out of shame and desolation,
This tangled family was founded;
Once steeped in hopeless isolation,
In blinding love, now surrounded.
Out of the darkness and into the light,
Wringing small joys out of great woes,
The stubborn day transcending the night;
Out of those ashes, this clan arose.
~~
note: Caecilian's widget.
______Don’t worry, Caecilian laughs. We managed to figure it out! Well, I figured it out. Finding what’s lost has always been easy for me. ______Although the spiral's blindfolded, it feels as if they’re staring at you rather intensely. ______But that’s besides the point — that’s the whole tale! Isn’t it such a charming story? ______They then tilt their head towards the open window, where the sky has since gone dark.
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~~~
______Oh, I’m sorry, I’m keeping you aren’t I? We’ve talked so long, it’s nearly daybreak. ______I do hope you’ll stick around for a little bit longer. That was our story, but all of our members of their clan have stories to tell as well. ______Their own words give them pause, tapping their chin and adding: ______Although, I’ll admit, none as spectacular as our dear clan leaders’. But, like the sign says, don’t feel afraid to strike up a conversation with any member of our clan! ______Caecilian gives you a wide, sharp-toothed smile. ______If they like you enough, they might just start telling all of their tales…
Fin
~~~
Scratch
Energy Stone
A low damage scratching attack that generates some Breath.
25
Required Level: 1
Eliminate
Ability Stone
A high damage deadly attack that attempts to finish the opponent off. Refunds breath if the enemy dies.
500
Required Level: 7
Haste
Ability Stone
Accelerates the senses of the target, allowing them to attack much faster.
600
Required Level: 5
Rally
Ability Stone
The target becomes empowered with incredible vigor, increasing their Strength stat for a short duration.
600
Required Level: 5
Berserker
Augment Stone
Grants +5 Strength, +3 Quickness and +1 Agility.
600
Required Level: 17
Ambush
Accessory Stone
Grants a dragon the ability to strike first when a battle begins. After this attack, they will fall to their normal place in the turn line-up.
500
Required Level: 9
Sap
Ability Stone
A low damage bite attack that drains a small amount of health from the target and returns it to the caster.
550
Required Level: 3
Crimson Feathered Wings
Apparel
A full set of wings fashioned from wax and feathers.
1650
Crimson Tail Feathers
Apparel
A forked tail, fashioned from wax and feather.
1550
Copper Halfmoon Spectacles
Apparel
A whimsical pair of reading glasses for the farsighted dragon.
1100
Black Aviator Scarf
Apparel
What differentiates this from a standard black scarf is a subtlety lost on most.
0
Poison Dart Frog Companion
Apparel
Snuggling with your new friend is not advised.
500
Horned Frog Companion
Apparel
Sits on one's shoulder and appeals to their more devious nature. This frog is known to engage in frequent arguments with any creatures sitting on the opposing shoulder.
250
Red Healer's Reference
Apparel
A collection of medicine recipes and medical diagrams.
1150
Dried Flowerfall
Apparel
A cascade of dried petals fall around you at all times: inexplicable!
1800
Sinister Waistcoat
Apparel
This waistcoat slims and shapes. You look rather fetching.
500
Sinister Spats
Apparel
A pair of splendid spats to keep your claws clean.
500
Proper Pants
Apparel
My my, those are some fantastic pants!
700
Psion Rings
Apparel
A set of Psion's enchanted rings.
1200
Aged Book Collection
Apparel
A completely normal thing to carry around with you at all times.
1200
Cartographer
Apparel
Mapping Sornieth one shard at a time.
1500
Candle Cascade
Apparel
That's not how it's recommended to use a candle, but you do you!
250
Scene: Cartographer's Office
Scene
Scenes are colorful backdrops that can be equipped to a dragon to further customize their individual profile.
5000
Bookworm
Familiar
Keep it away from the maps! Get it out of the library! Burn everything!
0
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Exalting Valerian to the service of the Arcanist will remove them from your lair forever. They will leave behind a small sum of riches that they have accumulated. This action is irreversible.
