Aldorix

Viewed from Sornieth, the moon is serene and pristine. Most people would be shocked to learn that it is a battlefield, and has seen much death and destruction.

It is not a war fought by dragons or Beastclans. The combatants, instead, could best be described as elementals, like undines or sylphs. When one hears these words, one is likely to think of wispy, delicate beings in harmony with nature. The ones who wage war over the moon, however, are fierce, even brutal. They need the moon’s energy to survive—and they will slaughter others of their own kind to get it.

As the moon orbits Sornieth, its energies ebb and flow over its surface. The lunar spirits have learned to navigate its glowing landscape, that they might harvest as much energy as possible...or ambush those trying to do the same thing.

Aldorix was one of them—a bloodthirsty warrior, a keen and cunning tactician—so fierce that others had agreed to serve under their banner, rather than risk their wrath. Indeed, it seemed no one could outsmart Aldorix. It seemed they would never know defeat...

But sometimes seeming isn’t the same as being.

A lunar eclipse. As Sornieth’s shadow crept over the face of the moon, Aldorix led their cadre away from it. There was still lunar energy to be harvested while the moon was in shadow, but the darkness also rapidly drained the spirits’ strength, so they took care not to get caught up in it. What energy remained, though free for the taking, was generally not considered worth it.

Many of the spirits, however, decided that something else was worth it: Aldorix’s defeat.

As the shadow closed in from behind, a cloud of spirits rose up before Aldorix and their cadre, barring their way. “Ambush!” Aldorix hissed. They immediately started bellowing orders, directing their subordinates against their foes...

But upon feeling their strength leave them, Aldorix’s subordinates broke and fled. The enemy parted ranks to let them pass. Their target was Aldorix alone.

As the moon moved into darkness, the spirits rapidly became drained of strength. But they were many, whereas Aldorix was only one. The once-feared leader felt themselves flung off the surface of the moon by the combined fury of their rivals. For a moment, they drifted freely in space...and then a greater gravity took hold and they found themselves falling, straight towards Sornieth.

Their landing was not gentle: Aldorix was hurled into the deepest trench of Sornieth’s outer ocean, nearly burned into nothingness by their passage through the atmosphere. In order to survive, they drew on the life-force and magic of the deep-sea creatures around them. They became solid, more serpentine in appearance, with a seaweed-like mane. Barbels grew out of their face, glowing with lunar energy and lighting up the deep.

And here Aldorix stayed for some time. The transformation happened over a period of several weeks as they rested and healed. During this time, their mind kept replaying their final mission over and over again, wondering how they could have avoided it or come out on top. They dreamed of knowing victory. They longed for revenge.

Eventually, they struggled onto the shore of the Arcane mainland—still burning for vengeance. The first few dragons they met retreated soon after, repelled not so much by this creature’s strange appearance as by their hostile demeanor. Aldorix was left alone in the forest...

They were quite wary of the world they had fallen into. It was so different from the distant, glowing moon. Aldorix learned to be more cautious, more careful. They trod gently in the Arcanist’s forests, their keen senses observing the world around them.

At first, their concern was with staying alive. When they became more accustomed to Sornieth, they relaxed a little, and found room in their heart to marvel at how beautiful the land was. On the moon, amidst warfare and conflict, the idea of admiring beauty had seemed trivial, even frivolous.

Now, though, it seemed almost necessary. Aldorix found that it eased the burning ache in their heart. This was not the fierce rush of a battle well fought, but the soothing tranquility of a life well lived. It was difficult to miss the stars when one was surrounded by wonders just as brilliant and beautiful—with more yet to be discovered and admired.

Just as the ocean had changed Aldorix’s body, so did the Starfall Isles change their mind. Day by day, their appreciation for their now-peaceful life grew. The native wildlife, which they’d shooed away, they now treated gently.

One day, they came across a bird with a broken wing. They did not put it out of its misery, as they would have done upon a battlefield on the moon. Instead, they nurtured it...and when at last it recovered enough to fly away, Aldorix’s heart was filled with a brilliant, soaring joy.

They knew then that they would never return to the moon—not even if they could. They saw their old life now for what it truly was—an ugly, needlessly brutal conflict—and said goodbye to it forever.

Since then, Aldorix has met and befriended other dragons. They do not live with a clan, electing instead to make their home in the forest they’ve grown to love. Their long years as a warrior and leader have given them a unique perspective on things, though they now prefer to use these skills not to drive conflicts, but to resolve them.

Only one thing about Aldorix remains unchanged, and that is their high regard for the moon. Night is when they are most active. They awaken with the forest and gaze upon the stars...and smile, gently and lovingly, when the moon rises.

They do not know how their comrades are faring; the answers are not to be found on this planet. All they can do is hope that they, and the moon, will one day know peace...just as they found it, and a greater purpose, here on Sornieth.

~ written by Disillusionist (254672)
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