Radiance

Let's start with a little story- no, sit back down, it won't take long.

We set the scene in a little patch of brambles, not far from the border between Plague and Shadow. A young dragon, male by choice but not birth, emerges from an egg left abandoned for so long that none remember who could have laid it. Nearby, an orphaned Fae stands watch. They are drawn to each other, though grow distant after the loss of their first and only nest.

This is how the clan started, orphans finding solace in each other, in the thorns that protect them. They care of each other, help each other survive. They all take strength from that first little egg, and the Guardian that grew from it.

But let's go back even further, shall we? This is not where our story truly started. Not by a long shot.

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An imperial court, exiled from their homeland once it was revealed the unstable magic surrounding their being would bring catastrophe upon their death and burial, arrives on the plague side of the border between them and shadow. They do not go far before establishing their court and allowing swaths of decadent red to intermingle with the shining gold they had brought with them.

They live here for some time, their rule strict yet fair to all but their own. They were purists, you see. Imperials for imperials only, no interbreeding. Which was fine, for a time.

But along came a princess, and she fell in love with someone below her station. You know how the story goes.

She lays but a single egg before her family finds out. They chase her, violent and angry, across the border and into the brambles. There she hides her child, praying to the shadowbinder to keep it hidden and safe before her family drags her back to their palace and makes an example of her and her lover.

But they had forgotten why they had been exiled in the first place. The unstable magic holding the poor girl together was let out in one final blast of fury before her death, destroying the palace and everyone inside. There was not enough left of anyone to even form an Emperor with.

........except, the young princess's remains were preserved by her magic, just enough for one ambitious necromancer to attempt to bring her back.

And we all know h̸o̷w̶ ̷t̷h̴a̵t̵ w̷̞̑é̶̱ń̴͈t̸̗̾,̷ d̷o̵n̶'̸t w̵e?

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Tales of both the ruins of the former Imperial Kingdom and the strength of the clan being formed not far from the site brought in more than just hopeful orphans and prospective clanmates. Trouble begins early with the entry of Archduke Alencon, a hopeful imperial aiming to capitalize on the infamy of the ruins he begins to excavate and restore to their former glory. He attempts to bring civilization and order to the fledgling clan, naming their Progenitor the new King of these lands and his children the new heirs, but none of them seem to care or want for the titles.

To spare his own offspring from the potential risks and restrictions of palace life, Iago consults with Grand Mage Alexandria, and she brings him a solution, albeit a risky one. The two young skydancers she brings him are passed off as his own flesh and blood, and handed over to the court. He tries not to feel like he's stolen someone else's clutch and doomed them to a life of misery.

He doesn't get to worry long. Right as he breaks from the grief of siring another nest by accident, a rogue necromancer succeeds in sneaking into the palace and sacrificing the Archduke in order to bring an ancient imperial back to life in his place.

The former court is sent screaming from the palace, and those who do not run are turned into monsters by new Queen. The remains of the former Archduke form into two Wildclaws under her gaze, both loyal and fearsome to behold.

Her name becomes Absentia, and having forgotten the source of her rage and hate, she strikes out at anything that displeases her.

The bulk of the clan moves to surround the new court, most giving in to the demands of the new mistress. The older ones of Clan Zenith silently follow the direction of Knight-Paladin Caroline, fleeing from the terror of the new Queen and praying for the return of their leader.

Little did they know, he was stuck in the very place they were trying to flee from.

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.....and of course, the remains of that battle can still be seen in the- oh? What was that? I skipped some things? Oh, well- yes, it seems that I did. Well, I've kept you for too long anyway. Come back again later, I may have more to tell you.

At the very least, I can assure you this story has a happy ending. Eventually.