Poprock

Sometimes it's wiser to set up shop a fair distance from the main drag; of course, there's less patronage on the distant rows of shops than the busy market center, but there's also less chance of valuable product being jostled or even broken by overzealous crowds or roughhousing younglings. Poprock is of the firm belief that the only shops worth visiting are the ones that don't storm the market in the morning for the best spot; rather, those who know their value can turn a profit even when shoved into a corner. As such, he's never in a hurry to claim a stand when the marketplace opens, instead taking his time to carefully arrange a small number of delicate bottles in perfect symmetry over a clean, pressed linen tablecloth.

Many who pass by the potion stand assume the blank-faced elder behind the counter is the master responsible for the production of his wares, but that's not the case - Poprock is only an apprentice, representing his mentor by selling the potions he brews. Even if his technical talent is barely above average, Poprock displays a broad knowledge of the potions he sells - he knows intimately the ingredients and instructions to each, and can easily identify when a patron is haggling far below the bar.

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Poprock doesn't remember his first memories of the clan that would eventually come to be named Sunbeam Grotto, but his adopted parents Waw and Legato certainly do. The lost little Pearlcatcher was clinging to a treetop above the beach far from the newly-established clan, crying his eyes out - and missing his pearl. The small gathering party, consisting only of the pair of mates and their oldest child, was quickly derailed. Ever the paternal type, Waw quickly scooped the hatchling up into his arms, where the little dragon nuzzled into the Tundra's fluffy mane. Legato and Waw wordlessly agreed to care for the little dragon, regardless of when - or if - his real family might come to collect him.

Years went on, and Poprock stayed - fitting in quite well with the mismatched group of hatchlings that came by the leaders' den each day to ask if he could play. For all intents and purposes, he grew up quite like the other children of the clan at the time - with a fierce appreciation for the land and sea, and no fear of getting wet. The only thing that differed him from any other young Pearlcatcher was his missing pearl.

Just a few days after the clan awoke from hibernation, when the tight-knit circle of elders was undergoing the stormy turmoil of broken relationships and devastated dragons fleeing the clan, Poprock came to his parents one day and announced his intention to change his breed. His life as a Pearlcatcher was perfectly fine, he'd explained, but he was never able to identify with his form nor did it make him feel closer to himself. It was a family of Tundras who had rescued him, brought him in, and raised him for as long as he could remember, and as long as he couldn't. It was a long and arduous process; Poprock studied the basics of alchemy, performed the required daily ritual for one moon cycle, and prepared to travel to the Starfall Isles to meet with a trained alchemist to assist him in the final steps of the transformation. When he returned, his family recognized him immediately, and Poprock felt much lighter despite his new coat of heavy fur.