Starsplash

b i r t h

Tired of being pestered by attempts to "help" from Tiderider, and an ever increasing amount of other dragons in the lair, Fathom assumed getting a proper assistant of his own would get the unwanted attempts at assistance off his back. He consulted with Magicks to try and create a dragon in his own image--ideally, a clone of him, constructed from the same magic and statue base to spring right into life the moment an extra dash of magic was added to animate it.

Using underwater sapphires and lapis ore from his birthplace in the Leviathan Trench, together Fathom and Magicks sculpted as close a replica of himself they could make, and with one touch of Arcane magic from the Coatl, the statue shattered, and like Magicks before it, reassembled into a form of stardust and shards of the stone. The pair was quick to realize, however, that as much as they had constructed the original statue as closely to his own image as possible, whatever enchantment had brought Magicks to life clearly took no essence from the dragon the vessel was modeled after, and this was a dragon ultimately entirely different from Fathom.

It was naïve, it was foolish, even selfish of them (particularly Fathom, who had been the one to conjure up this doomed idea), to ever assume anything different would come of it, and the result of such thoughtlessness was a dragon thrust into a life he did not now how to live.

b a c k s t o r y

It took Starsplash a great deal of time to gain his bearings and understand "living", but the more time he spent figuring things out, the more resentful towards the circumstances of his "birth" he became. While not a clone of Fathom in his entirety, Starsplash certainly shared some traits with the dragon he was made in the image of, namely the stubborn, prideful attitude. Perhaps it was simply that Fathom carried himself so pridefully, it translated from the physicality of the statue into the resulting dragon's personality...

Starsplash was infuriated to learn he was meant to be "another Fathom", one just designed to assist his original with work. Realistically, it was never planned to create a dragon more advanced than being a shadow to Fathom, and as he further discovered how unintentional it was to make him his own dragon, the more resentful Starsplash became. He certainly had no plans to help his original fish for his whole life. Who were they to be surprised that the entirely new dragon they created would potentially be different than the one he was made in the image of? Starsplash wanted nothing to do with any of it. In his eyes, he was a plenty perfect specimen, and he didn't need to exist forever as some other dragon's copy.

He never did make a proper introduction to the clan or make the claim to be a permanent, or even somewhat present member. Starsplash cared not for any of it, and simply found himself a small outcrop on the clan territory outskirts to call home, while still benefitting from the protection of the scouts and guards. His being a clone to Fathom has yielded some benefits, as any passing glances Ares or the scout siblings get at him simply result in him being mistaken for Fathom and thusly allowed to roam unquestioned.

As he explored the world and his own truth on his own terms, Starsplash discovered he had quite the knack for sleight of hand (or claw). He made for quite the good thief and con, and without a second thought or moral obligation, he leapt right into that lifestyle. Unconsciously, his criminal behavior may be a cry out for attention or recognition that he is so different from Fathom, so capable of what he considers "better things", but nothing has come of it yet, as Starsplash has yet to be caught or even identified by any dragon of the clan as someone other than Fathom.

Carved beneath the outcrop of rock is a pit Starsplash uses to store his "hoard". He has gained a fascination with material goods, and uses his starry body to his advantage, leaving the clan territory by nightfall and seamlessly blending with the night sky to swipe treasures and trinkets from travelers and other clans he comes across. It isn't honest, but Starsplash is nonetheless proud of himself and his abilities. He is quite confident there is no better thief in all of Sornieth, and that his so-called "original" could never hope to achieve his level of dexterity with all the menial fish-hauling he does.

p r e s e n t

Starsplash has a strict schedule set out for himself, spending the day alternating between guarding his rocky treasure-hiding spire, sleeping amongst his hoard, and cruising the skies by night. He hardly interacts with anyone, which maintains the confusion between him and Fathom well.

It is hard to consider him part of the clan, but as he resides on the territory and was born into it, he technically is, even if he contributes nothing willingly.

r e l a t i o n s h i p s

Fathom is resented deeply by Starsplash. Clone of him or not, Starsplash loathes him for being the responsible party for giving him life in a world was not intended to recieve him as an individual. He never communicates with Fathom and avoids him at all costs, but strives nonetheless to be "better" than his original.