Aradan

My Lore-Keeper

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Clan Origins:

Nature is giving, a generous force, but it does not give it's bounty without requital. Nature will only aid those who help themselves first, requiring change, effort, strength. Requiring evolution. Her bounty was evident to these dragons who found themselves within her guiding grasp, but they could not properly utilize those plentiful gardens unless they changed to coexist beside them. They came to learn a valuable lesson: Nature will not adapt to you. She will not break. Nature will see you bend the knee in the end.

The gardens were pleasant and peaceful, hidden from most threats the clan may have faced anywhere else. Butterflies flitted from flower to flower, drinking their nectar and spreading their pollen, coexisting alongside the forces that be with an elegance unmatched by any other insect that called these gardens home. To see such delicate creatures exist without conflict in a place surrounded by dangers, it inspired the dragons that had wandered there, following the currents of Wind that had guided them thus far. They worked to emulate the butterflies, tending to the flowers in the gardens, giving and taking equally as they decorated their new ramshackle homesteads to be just as beautiful as their surroundings. Nature took notice.

The butterflies had never taken much heed of the dragons they now coexisted with, but now they seemed far friendlier than ever before, their clumsy fluttering following the much larger inhabitants of the gardens they called home. They stayed close, resting on horns, basking in the same patches of sunlight, enjoying the nectar and pollen that inevitably collected on their scales.
With time, the mutualistic relationship of these vastly different species grew beyond cohabitation. The synergy and symbiosis of their beings started becoming tangible, Nature's recognition of the dragon's efforts. Any dragon even slightly proficient in sorcery could sense the change. The taste and smell of magic in the air, trails of it following the butterflies' movements.
The more the butterflies lingered close to these dragons, the more the dragons found themselves changing, symbiosis becoming something more. Dragons that kept close to these elegant yet clumsy insects could not help but feel a deep desire to self-isolate, sequestering themselves within their homes for days at a time, refusing guests of any kind until their change had completed. A metamorphosis required completion. When it had finally finished, these dragons emerged once more from their dens, slowly dragging themselves to patches of sun where they could properly rest. The light revealed all, shining down upon glistening insectoid wings that slowly unfurled in the warmth. This change became a sign of something greater, a Metamorphosis into a clan more beautiful than ever before.
These dragons were not changed physically alone, but also began to shift in their minds. The butterfly-winged reptiles found themselves just as elegant and clumsy as their companions, no longer worried about practicality as they flit from one thing to the next, finding joy in the everlasting uncertainty of what was to come.

A clan only concerned for beauty and joy alone sounds like a dream, and for good reason. Though the dragons were happier than they had ever been in their new reality, their focus on the arts and personal pursuits led to a lack of responsibility. Food stores depleted with no one to fill them, hatchlings were often left to their own devices. The clan would fall without some form of structure to hold it together. Nature watched as these dragons bent the knee once more to her will, and she would reward such piety. A hum filled the air.

A buzz drifted through the clan, though it was not gossip. A swarm of insects wove through the trees into the alcove of flowers, stinking of magic as they settled on those who had not yet been changed, those who still possessed the wings of dragons. The swarm eagerly built their hive, setting straight to work with an efficiency unlike any other.
These affected dragons changed quickly, not needing the days on end the other had required. They disappeared for only a day, claiming illness, only to appear the very next morning changed. Clear, insectoid, wings that did not flutter but rather hummed with speed graced the backs of those chosen, and their minds hummed too.
These new bee-like dragons worked quickly, taking charge and delegating what needed to be done to the dragons of the clan. They built stronger homes from the resources around them, watched over their young, and gathered food where they could no matter how far they needed to travel to get it.

Together, the bee and butterfly dragons became a stronger clan than ever before. The bee-winged dragons were greatly responsible leaders, finding strength in areas of combat, construction, and foraging, acting as a structure to the clan as a whole, though they could not act alone. Though their strengths and goals were undoubtedly important, there could be no joy nor beauty without the gentle touch of the butterfly-winged dragons. These dragons cared not for practicality but valued creativity above all. They decorated the homes the bees had built so they might better fit their environment and created art of all kinds; pottery, music, paintings. They put on performances of singing and dancing so their peers might relax. They happily tended to the nature around them while their counterparts built dragon-made homes, buildings, and other structures. The two groups of this clan learned balance, needing each other equally so they might not just survive but truly live. A breeze drifted through their quiet utopia, warm and gentle, as if acknowledging that these dragons had found their place in this new domain. Nature gave her approval at last.