Zelwyn

b i r t h


Zelwyn was born and raised in the Sunbeam Ruins. He lived a fairly uneventful, peaceful youth training in Light magics and scholarly studies within Lanternlea Port. Zelwyn had essentially been raised by scholars and guildmasters as an apprentice since he was first able to read a scroll. His parental figures were numerous, as he changed claws between many of the guild members who came and went or advanced in leadership, though Zelwyn remained in the scholar's guild longer than most of its oldest members.

b a c k s t o r y

When Zelwyn reached adulthood and graduated from the scholar's guild, he found himself pleased with all the knowledge he accumulated over the years, but ultimately at a loss for what to do with it. Considering scholarly pursuits were the main career pool of the Sunbeam Ruins, and he had already spent his entire childhood living among scholars and studying with them. He wanted to seek out a different application for his learned skills, to stay in a field he was greatly proficient at and did somewhat enjoy, but to also find a new purpose exploring his other capabilities. He settled on using his academic knowledge to open and run a humble bookstore near the Daylight Sanctum, assisting passing scholars and magisters with acquisition of tomes and understanding of those they already owned.

However, because of the Daylight Sanctum's close proximity to what had become the Emperor's Wake, running a business there came with certain risks, and one day years ago, that risk came to disastrous fruition. Luminax came rampaging into the area and destroyed many of the structures of the small settlement on the Daylight Sanctum's edge, including Zelwyn's bookstore. While distraught, Zelwyn recognized he had too little money to attempt to make the return trip to the scholar's guild and find a new home in town, and also too little money to rebuild, especially not with the knowledge that Luminax was plenty bold enough to attack so close to the Sanctum. So, Zelwyn gathered up what little of his stock survived the attack and took what was left of his business on the road, taking the chance to explore the rest of Sornieth he had only seen in novels.

His bookselling certainly struggled on the move as it was, considering most traveling merchants dragons were happy to see would usually sell supplies or great, exotic treasures, and though some of his tomes had value, most of it was unknown to dragons outside the Light realm. He struggled endlessly until he passed through the Scarred Wasteland, and brought his wares to visit the Plague magisters who kept the Blight Sanctum. Though most of the dragons, as expected, did not show any interest in his books, one particular Tundra dragon patrolling the perimeters mentioned to Zelwyn, upon seeing his stock, that his birthclan just due northwest of the Sanctum could use such a knowledgeable Light dragon to assist in their budding governing structure, especially if he was knowledgeable enough on the customs and history of his own breed specifically. Considering Pearlcatcher history was quite closely tied to Light history as a whole, Zelwyn considered this an excellent opportunity to make a livable wage again, and finally have another permanent home, and eagerly took off where the Tundra dragon pointed him.

There he found the Clan of the Wounded and met with clan leaders Marshal and Stella, who, upon hearing one of their exalted children was responsible for directing him here, were content to accept him into the position. Zelwyn spent several weeks getting settled in, preparing his materials, introducing himself to other dragons, and meeting with and discussing the desires of the clan's Pearlcatcher population, who all seemed rather approving of his appointment to the position. When it was finally time for Zelwyn to properly join meetings of the governing council, he was sent for one last task before he began sharing the thoughts and wisdoms of his fellow Pearlcatchers: to meet with Kalkydra, the Light ambassador. How little did he know that what was his first official assignment was soon to be his last.

Kalkydra, the thrashing and raging creature forged from the collective consciousness of a former Emperor dragon, became enraged at the sight of the Light Pearlcatcher, given all the resentment each and every soul within her bore for the Pearlcatchers that their creator had forsaken them for. She lunged for Zelwyn the moment they met in pure fury, and with not even the slightest anticipation of this reaction, Zelwyn was caught off guard and mortally wounded almost immediately. She broke his wings within her teeth, though Zelwyn managed to slip away only briefly and scream for help. Yet Kalkydra's many eyes tracked him with precision, and before help could come, she brought an end to the Pearlcatcher as she descended upon him and crushed him in her jaws. By the time the nearest dragons within the council's sanctum, being Stella and Soilstomper, managed to find the source of the calls and subdue Kalkydra, all that remained of Zelwyn was his blood-soaked and shattered pearl.

p r e s e n t


The pain and confusion of his death not forgotten, remnants of Zelwyn exist within the clan territory, somewhat subtle, but ever there. His pearl was mended (to the best of the clan jeweler's ability) and given to the new Pearlcatcher ambassador, which, in a way, left a passage into the world Zelwyn could still access. Though his spirit is largely separated from the remains of his pearl, left trapped inside and providing much of the pearl's magical essence is much of his original personality and consciousness, locked away inside by his own overwhelming feelings of grief and hate.

The Zelwyn that takes a physical and (somewhat) sapient form within the clan territory is a remnant of the grief and confusion he felt when he died, now a malicious and rightfully vengeful wraith. With much of Zelwyn's heart still encapsulated in his pearl, this hateful wraith feels nothing but the suffering he felt in death. The only thing he can still think of is exacting his revenge, though given Kalkydra's power, he seems pragmatic enough to know he could not kill her. Instead, Zelwyn's spirit roams and haunts the entirety of the clan territory and will likely never rest until the residents of the clan overcome the fear they feel towards the Imperial and make her face justice for what she had done to him.

m a t e


As both a spirit, and an exceptionally malevolent one, Zelwyn has no mate.