Clarent

As he was hatched to one of the oldest clans in the Starfall Isles, many would expect Clarent to be the sort of dragon who lives up to the legacy of their clan. Aloof and intimidating. But even though he grew up in a family of warriors, Clarent is neither of those things. Or at least he'd like to think he isn't. Your opinion on how intimidated to be by the multitude of weapons strapped to his body may differ.

Clarent would prefer you weren't though, as he bears those weapons for a greater purpose than the lowly one of hitting other creatures with them. He wields them in the name of the Eleven, and carries out only the most holy of their wills — to hold the absolutely greatest festivals this side of Sornieth every month. That is Clarent's purpose. Not to be some brute of a warrior, but to be a splendid host for dragons and beastclans all across Sornieth who want to have a good time.

This often involves beating up hordes of monsters to secure festival supplies, but if that is the task the deities require be done before the times of revelry, Clarent is in no place to disagree.

The path of the festival host is a surprisingly lonely one. You must steel your heart to wield both creation and destruction in equal measure. Take, for example, the humble knitting needle. (Yes, that's an oversized knitting needle, not a cane.) Obviously, you can stab someone through the heart with it, ending their life instantly. But you can also use a pair of them to stitch yarn together, creating colourful banners and flag's bearing the symbol of the upcoming festival's flight. Other weapons have their purpose as well. A mace is useful to smash magical crystals into smaller shards suitable for party favours, while the axe is better for splitting rocks to discover deepearth geodes. The common sword is used to rob the couriers, allowing you to collect messenger's scrolls with ease. A spear is used to pick up all-seeing shrooms so that you don't need to touch the disgusting things, while a trident is better used for skewering bushels of bladed flatleaves. Bladed claw-gauntlets allow you to safely hold glowing embers, while the humble flamethrower is for isolating eternal snow from its meltable surroundings. Sand dollars, tablets, sprockets and pinecones can all be gathered without additional tools, so it's recommended you shed any excess weaponry and go for extra armour instead.

But not even mastery of your skills can truly prepare you for the arduous task of hosting festival celebrations every month. Endless invites to send out. So many cakes to bake. Hundreds of party favours to craft by hand and claw. A few days of hunting down Joxar to buy out his entire stock after getting tired of sewing the apparel yourself. And don't get Clarent started on the challenges of hunting down rare familiars. It takes more strength than any dragon naturally has to organize the perfect festival by oneself.

Which is why Clarent went looking for unnatural sources of strength. And what he found was a lightning-born engineer with the talent to create exactly what he was looking for. Something to convert him into an unstoppable party machine. Of course, the engineer refused to replace all his body parts with metal and transform him into a cyborg, but the powered exoskeleton he ended up with is still pretty sweet. Pistons and shock absorbers on his arms and legs both augment his strength and reduce the energy expenditure of physical activity. As long as the exoskeleton has power he is an indomitable, untiring force of celebration. When it's out of power it makes a really annoying beeping noise and really sours the mood of a party. That's why it's always important to have spare batteries.

Of course, with all the work Clarent puts into hosting festivals, he rarely gets any time to enjoy them himself. That's fine though. What Clarent really wants is to bask in the gratitude and appreciation of clanmates as they enjoy the celebrations. And maybe a bit of awe as well. Isn't it incredible that Clarent can set up all these stands, decorations and events all by himself? Sure, the local merchants and crafters pitch in their part as well, but everyone knows it's Clarent who does all the heavy lifting. Or they would, if they all weren't looking at the fireworks again. Occasionally Clarent regrets encouraging Runescorch to come to Clan _______ — that fae's even more of an attention seeker than he is. But only a little bit. What's a festival without fireworks, after all?

Clarent's outfit of furs and lanterns might not seem very festive, but that's the fault of the clan's island for being so cold. He'd freeze to death if he didn't have warm furs and portable fire around him at all times. Sometimes he even combines the two for additional warmth, to the horror of Kushiel and also everyone else. (But it's only Kushiel who's devastated by the clothes being destroyed.)

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