Thruer

THRUER the amaranthine clan banker and battler, ex-leader {Determined • Strategic • Charming • Stubborn • Argumentative}

Field Manual Accessory Stone The Field Manual gives its wearer insight to the battle readiness of all opponents. (Grants vision of enemy ability/breath bars.) 500 Required Level: 9 Copper Ore Minerals & Ores More valuable than gold in some respects. 15 Broken Pottery Jar Chests This piece of fine pottery was once worth more than its contents: Careless claws can destroy the relics of the ancients. 0 Living in the reborn temple claimed by Past's Echoes. Sturdy columns, sparkling brooks, river rocks.

When anyone tells Thruer to relax, she just laughs and shakes her head. Thruer has never been the sort to take life slow. Nobody’s even sure how old she is; her answer is to their questions is always “old enough to know better and young enough to do worse”. Her lively personality has won her many loyal and loving friends. Even the grumpiest often find that they can’t resist her charm. Those who dislike her are few and far between. Thruer is a determined dragon and not the sort to give up on anyone, even those who don’t like her at all. But she’s not all charm and no substance. Behind her kindness is a steel spine. Formerly the leader of the small band of imperials who first settled in Past’s Echoes, Thruer had had to learn quickly. The clan was falling apart without their beloved former leaders, who had vanished without a trace. She had no time for indecision if she wanted them to survive whole. Some had already left, taking their chances in crossing the Shattered Plains. Thruer couldn’t bear to lose any more. Bitterness and determination together spurred her into action. So she stepped up. Though she never confessed it, she was terrified. The most she had done under their old leaders was coordinate gathering parties. Unwilling to see her clan fall apart, she applied what little knowledge she had to leadership. It worked, but just barely. They rallied under her guidance. She was their voice of encouragement, strict when they needed direction, soft when they needed kindness. She kept them alive until the fateful arrival of the courier who would unknowingly guide them to their new home. It was she who understood the opportunity that was being offered to them and it was she who convinced them to take it. The past in their old home was too present; it was suffocating them. When they resettled in the decaying temple, she took it upon herself to organize the renovation too. Thruer understood what needed to be done and who was best to do it. She kept them busy and kept them together, just as she had been doing since the leaders had left. Under her leadership and all their hard work, the temple was reborn. Once Past’s Echoes was healthy and thriving, Thruer retired, completely done with her stint as leader. Her talents would be far more useful somewhere else, she figured. Besides, the only fun thing about being a leader had been giving her opinions—and she could do that without leading. sea and Turquoise especially had blossomed under her guidance. Thruer will never express it, but she’s immensely proud of them. The clan and the spirit of their first leaders lives on through them, renewed in purpose. In her opinion, the tribunal has far surpassed the previous leaders, but she keeps that to herself. Her strategist’s mind has served her well in her other pursuits. Her retirement didn’t even last a day. Within hours, Thruer had set up a rudimentary banking system for her budding clan. She soon discovered that she possessed a kind of genius for finance. She has an eye for good investments and a taste for gold, but she’s not greedy in the least. She prefers earning and crunching numbers to hoarding. She has resumed her old duties as well, overseeing the clan’s supplies and making sure any necessary patrols are well-manned. When she’s not checking the clan’s stores or the vault for the fourth time that day, she’s out on the field of battle, coordinating with her fellow fighters. She only tolerates fighting enemies; her real passion is seeing her strategies come to life to defeat them. But woe be it to anyone who dares to disagree with her. Her charm fades fast in the face of an argument -- not that many will try to fight a large, capable imperial like her. It’s Thruer’s way or not at all. She always has an opinion and isn’t shy about voicing it. Too many clanmembers have been caught in long, loud arguments with her, especially those on the tribunal. Mostly, her advice is solid. If it isn’t, the members of the tribunal simply smile and nod until she leaves. Luckily for them, Thruer has so much on her mind that she often forgets what she’s suggested anyway. Still, she’s a beloved and cherished member of the clan. She’s often found warming herself by the fires or sunning herself on the marble, chatting about the old days with the other former Earth members. But make no mistake—she might be old, but Thruer is as energetic as she ever was.

Born to a Lightning clan she barely remembers, she feels she truly hails from her former Earth clan. Cracked earth, old maps, empty blue skies. Bluelipped Thresh Plant This aquatic plant grows on the edges of caves and waterway entrances. It requires the low light and high mineral content such environments provide. 30 3 Some Secret Stash Chests A barrel full of money that you found out in the desert. Keeping this almost seems criminal. Do you open it..? Or bury it again..? 0 Cobalt Ore Minerals & Ores A rough, jagged chunk of pure cobalt. It is a very strong ore, used in vicious weaponry and armor. 55

“They’re gone? Are you sure? Did you check—"

“I checked.” His eyes were bleary and unfocused. He looked as if he’d been up all night. As the watery dawn broke, she noticed the mud clotting his claws. He looked defeated. She’d never seen him like that, had never even thought he could look like that.

It scared her.

“sea…”

“They’re gone, Thruer. They’re gone and I can’t find them. I--” His voice cracked and he turned away in silence. She checked the leaders’ nests anyway; cold and empty, as if they’d never existed in the first place.

That was when she knew: the clan, her family, was going to fall apart.

There was nothing she could do about it.



The days passed like dust, thick and heavy as they choked the life out of the tiny clan. As days turned to weeks, there was nothing—nothing. No news, no signs, not even a hint that their leaders had existed. It was as if they had vanished off Sornieth for good.

How could they be so selfish? The thought burned her. She felt guilty for thinking it, but she couldn’t help it. How could they leave, just like that?

Food stores dwindled. Water was getting scarce. A couple nests hatched, but the celebration was dim and unenthusiastic. They were paralyzed by hope, waiting for the return of two dragons who had never looked back once. Thruer was sure that one day, she would wake up and there would be nothing here but cracked earth and dust.

What could she do about it?

She got to her feet.

“Everyone! Uh, can I have your attention? Thanks.” She was shaking, but she hid it well. A couple of her clanmembers stirred. Not many were left, just four other dust-dry imperials and a couple guardians with nowhere left to go. A pearlcatcher cradling her pearl shot her a venomous look.

“Uh…”

A weary skydancer coughed and went back to carving something. She had been carving the same thing for days, shaping the wood into some formless, rough thing. Thruer cleared her throat.

“Look. We can’t live like this. I mean, we can’t die like this either.” A nervous chuckle slipped out of her mouth. More of them were watching her now, baleful eyes asking questions she didn’t know how to answer. One dull-eyed snapper looked hopeful. What right did she have to try and lead them? That was their progenitors’ job.

But the progenitors were gone, and she was what was left. Bitterness welled up in her.
“Alright. Alright. We have to do something. And…and I don’t know what…” What could she do? Her mind raced—and settled on something simple. It was a start.

She could organize.

“…but I’m going to find out. Come on everyone. Up! We’ve got work to do.”

She was going to do something.
Nothing much changed at first, but she hadn’t expected it to. If they could stay together, she thought, she’d be able to figure it out. Something would come to her eventually. They just had to be alive to see it. The Shattered Plains were harsh on a small clan, especially a clan without any leaders. You had to work as one if you were going to survive here. Family was key—and Thruer wasn’t going to abandon them.

So she organized. The remaining wraiths followed her orders passively. It felt futile, but a futile effort was better than none at all. At least they were doing something now. The hunters returned with dust on their wings and empty claws day after day.

“Keep trying,” she said. “We’ve got to be strong for our leaders. Imagine the looks on their faces if they see us lazing around, sunning ourselves!” That got a dry laugh. Privately, she knew that would never happen. They wouldn’t dare to come back now.

If we can just hold on a little longer…

Then one of the scouts found a group of small lakes teeming with fish. It was just a day’s flight away. All the clan went to see them. The leaders’ daughter smiled when her claws dug into the mud beside one of the lakes. Thruer splashed her with a wicked grin on her face. Soon everyone had joined in, forgetting their grief. Thruer had a family again—even just for a fleeting couple of hours.

They learned to fish in the lakes by trial and error. sea seemed to awaken from a long sleep. He taught them how to make nets, how to corral the fish and scoop them all up in one go. He worked long hours and never complained, so possessed by his new purpose that sometimes he even forgot to sleep. When she caught his eye, she saw a little spark there. It wasn’t happiness, but it was close.

It was something. And that was okay.

Barely hanging on was better than falling apart.



It didn’t last long.

“You can’t leave.” The Tundra laughed, but it was a cruel, mocking laugh. His eyes narrowed as he shook off the claw she’d placed on his shoulder.

“I have to know what happened to mom.”

Thruer puffed out her chest. She wasn’t losing any more family than she already had.

“You will not, not under my—“

“I’m sorry. I said I’m sorry.” She grabbed his shoulder and turned him around, too rough. Thruer winced at the look of fury in his eyes. She was twice his size, but he looked ready to fight. She let go of him and murmured an apology.

“Why don’t you want to know? Did you give up? I’m not giving up!” he spat.

“Sit back down and let’s talk this out. You’re not thinking clearly.”

He laughed again and stormed off.

They argued for days. Arguments turned into vicious shouting matches. She wouldn’t—couldn’t—lose him. He was family. If she could just find the right words, say enough of the right things, he would see that she was right.

Then one morning she woke up and he was gone, just like his parents. She stared at the empty nest, desolate.

The other dragons had gathered nearby, waiting for her instructions. When she moved, they all looked up.

She couldn’t fail them.

“We have work to do,” she said, and strode through them as purposefully as she could. Confidence was what they needed now.

But it didn’t matter. She’d failed them anyway.



More left to search for their vanished leaders after that. It was as if their son had been a catalyst. She couldn’t stop them from going. Her stubbornness was no match for their desperate hope. Their numbers dwindled, until only five were left. Thruer felt all her efforts drain through her claws like silt.



The courier, she thought later, must have been sent by Earthshaker. The god had taken pity on her and her fragile little clan. No couriers ever came out this way. This one had been grounded by a sudden dust storm and then gotten lost. The wind spiral had coughed up dust for a full five minutes before being able to speak. In exchange for a place to rest and a couple directions, he offered them stories from his travels.

Thruer couldn’t turn him away.

At night, they gathered around a small fire. It was ritual, one of the last ones they had. The spiral looked much healthier all cleaned up; firelight flashed on his greenish scales as he gesticulated. Thruer was feeling lazy and contented, warmed by the heat and the good company. Just as she was dozing off, the story the spiral was telling caught her attention.

“Oh yeah, Light dragons, big time archeologists. Always thought that was an Earth thing but ha, ha, guess not. So there’s this temple, right? It’s all crumbling, real broken. Like old as—old! Rumor is that it’s haunted.” He paused here for dramatic effect. Thruer indulged him.

“Haunted?”

“Big time. Ghosts from the First Age and all. Beastclan ghosties too. Boo!” The spiral grinned. “Haven’t been there myself but the Light dragons, right? All the ones around there talk about it still. They’re so curious but none of ‘em dare go in there. Wimpy scholars to afraid of traps n’ tricks to find the treasure. Did I mention treasure? Supposed to be a hoard of knowledge and old, buried stuff. Lots of important archaeological finds, said one of ‘em. Cool, huh?” Thruer nodded. Very cool.

Lost in thought, she let the spiral continue weaving his tales. Archaeology… That could be interesting. Earthshaker’s teachings told them to cherish the past. But it’d be nice to go somewhere new, too. She glanced at the fire flickering on the spiral’s scales again. Somewhere bright and warm.

Thruer smiled.

“I know what we have to do,” she said, and all the dragons looked up. The spiral stopped talking, his mouth gaping comically.

“We have to leave.” Angry mutterings broke out. Thruer lifted her head and looked each of them in the eyes.

“I will get us there. I promise. But I’ll need your help.”

The mutterings stopped. One by one, the remainders of the broken clan nodded. Even their spiral visitor nodded, not quite sure what he was agreeing to.

“Alright, Thruer. Tell us what to do.”

And so she did.