CLAN RECORDS . . . . |
The Clan was founded in the Crystalspine Reaches by Loki and Angrboda. Since then, it has grown to become a territory spanning several miles and stretching from the Star Wood to the Focal Point. At the centre is the Spire: the floating crystal plinth that is the Lair of the Lundlaevungar and the heart of the Clan itself.
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CLAN ORIGINS |
Thor and Odin joined the Clan while Loki and Angrboda were still raising their young family. It was not long before Loki’s declared them his brothers in bond, if not by blood. So it was that the earliest iteration of the Althing Council came into being, though it would not be named as such until a long while afterwards.
The Lundlaevungar are so called to honour the Arcane Sprite who joined their ranks shortly after the founding of the Clan, during the Month of Starlight.
In the early days, the powerful Arcane forces emanating from the Observatory caused Loki and Angrboda’s hatchlings to be mutated within their eggs: some of the changes were physical, and some gifted additional powers; but others altered their offsprings’ minds. After the Sprite’s arrival, the Clan’s luck began to change for the better, and they attributed their newfound fortune to her presence. Loki decreed that the Clan would henceforth be known as the Lundlaevungar: the Clan of Lundlaeva. Individual dragons identify themselves as “Lundlaevung” (Lundlaeva’s). |
The Sprite herself has a strong bond with Loki and the two are rarely seen apart. Though she does not speak Draconic, and he does not understand the language of the Sprites, they seem to find few difficulties in communicating with one another. She is a member of the Althing Council, and her opinion carries great weight among the dragons of the Clan.
MOVE TO THE STARWOOD STRAND |
So the Clan began to push the Spire across the sea from the Crystalspine Reaches towards the Starwood Strand. However, as they moved further from the physics-warping magic and Arcane energies surrounding the Observatory, the Spire began to drop.
The Lundlaevungar realised what was happening, but even with all their combined magic they could do nothing to stop the fall. With great effort, they managed to get the Spire to the very edge of the Star Wood. There, it clipped the edge of the cliffs and toppled over, skidding into the trees and leaving a rut of destruction in its wake.
Despite Loki’s best efforts, the Spire could not be raised again.
So the Clan became used to their lair lying on its side, and made new homes in the trees of the Star Wood. They also tunnelled into the cliffs to create a stairway to the beach and hollowed out a network of corridors and chambers on many different levels, which stretch well below sea level.
Eventually, Loki and the Lundlaevungar gained enough power to raise the Spire from where it lay. The Clan floated it out over the ocean to hang, equidistant, between the Starwood Strand and the Focal Point. It is once again supported by the strange energies emanating from the Arcanist’s home, and apart from a little course-correction to compensate for drifting, the Clan does not plan to move the Spire again.
ARRIVAL OF THE BLUE PLINTH |
When the plinth reached the cliff top alongside the fallen Spire, its inhabitants emerged: the Doctor, a dragon cursed with spontaneous shape-shifting and, thus far, thirteen known forms; the Imperial known as Tardis whose magic keeps their plinth aloft; the two Spirals, Space and Time, who help to pilot the plinth when they move it from place to place; and the Doctor’s host of companions.
The group was made welcome among the Lundlaevungar. Despite their visitors’ mysterious and unusual ways, the Clan liked the Blue Plinth’s inhabitants: they were helpful and the tales they told, though strange, were highly entertaining.
Aside from this, Odin was intrigued by the Doctor’s unique affliction, which permitted him to change not only his physical form but also his Flight: an otherwise unheard of feat. Loki, meanwhile, was fascinated by Tardis and her ability to hold the Blue Plinth in the air by herself, seemingly without effort – particularly considering the problems they had had with the Spire.
They discussed the matter with the other members of the Althing Council, and decided to extend an invitation to join the Clan.
The Doctor and his companions neither accepted nor rejected their offer, but explained that they were dedicated to adventuring, and never remained in any one place for too long. Soon enough the Blue Plinth was gone from the Lundlaevungar Territory.
Yet ever since, the Blue Plinth has returned to the Lundlaevungar on a regular basis.
Now that the Spire has been returned to the skies, the Blue Plinth can been seen in a steady orbit around it whenever the Doctor and his companions are present in the Territory.
TAKING THE FOCAL POINT SHORELINE |
During his explorations, he discovered two natural caves which the tides had carved out of the cliffs. The more secretive of these he claimed as a storage space for the goods he traded, and it quickly became known as the “Smugglers’ Cache”.
The Lundlaevungar had long suspected that Mimir had at least one ship operating on his behalf in the waters surrounding their home, but it was only when the cove became part of the Clan’s territory that they had any proof of such activities. Mimir’s small fleet grows periodically as more pirates turn privateer and operate with the Althing Council’s blessing in Lundlaevungar waters.
Later, the second cave became the Clan’s Forge and the dragons who decided to live on the Focal Point shore expanded into the tiered cliffs of the Focal Point, creating homes with spectacular sea views on the terraces above the cove.
BOUNTY OF THE ELEMENTS |
The first sign was when the Twisting Crescendo went still. Most of the Lundlaevungar barely noticed the absence of the westerly breeze that normally drifted through their territory. It was Sparrow and the crew of the Black Pearl who called attention to the fact that the speedy winds that blow from Starwind Bay, bringing up cool air from the Southern Icefield, had gone quiet – and left the galleon becalmed in its moorings, black sails hanging limp in the dead air. The Medium too was badly affected: the airship limped around its habitual loop of the Spire, drifting lower with every circumnavigation without the usual gusts of air to buoy it aloft.
As the windless days dragged on, it became increasingly clear that something was wrong. Njord, Mimir and Jormungandr, Corvus, and even Sol who felt little connection with the element of her hatching, began to suffer from unsettling prescient dreams. None of them received a clear message, but all were left with visions of a sea in which no bubbles rose from the deep and a sense that something was about to happen.
The Althing Council did their best to calm their clanmates, but with nothing more than foreboding to go on, there was no way to prepare for whatever was about to unfold. Then the moment arrived.
Violent tremors ripped through the Starfall Isles as the land’s crystal growths multiplied at an accelerated pace: expanding the Crystalspine Reaches upwards and outwards, and augmenting the Focal Point with new spires and turrets of chalcedony, quartz and rhodochrosite. The dragons living on the Focal Point shoreline were forced to batten down their homes to protect against enormous seismic waves created by the surge of crystal growth, and all but the highest levels of the Cliff Tunnels beneath the Starwood Strand were flooded as the shoreline was battered by the disturbed ocean.
The Spire itself was affected by turbulence, not due to any storm but because of the raw magical energies pulsing through the ley lines. The crystal plinth was pitched and tossed as if caught in a slow-motion hurricane, and was stabilised only by the collective efforts of all its inhabitants.
Thankfully, no one was badly hurt and nothing irreplaceable was damaged. However, when the land finally stilled and the ocean receded back to its usual breakers and swells, much of the territory was damaged and the Clan had to work hard to put everything to rights once more.
Even when everything was restored, the Clan’s concerns lingered. What would be the effect of such intensely increased magic? Would the usual wards be enough to protect their nests and eggs? Only time would tell.
Following the upheaval of the Bounty of the Elements, Ancient dragon breeds began to emerge across Sornieth. However, the reintroduction of first Gaolers, then Banescales, then Veilspun and so on didn't much affect the Lundlaevungar: though news of their discovery was met with amazement and academic fascination, it changed little about the Clan's daily lives. The dragons in the Lundlaevgunar view Ancient dragons in much the same was as any other and hold no prejudices against them.
OBSERVATORY OUTPOST |
Undeterred, Einmyrir continued his pilgrimages to the home of the Arcanist, forging new paths through the altered land with the help of those he influenced towards exaltation. On one such journey, he discovered the Ancient Sanctum.
The structure is as old as dragonkind itself: a cluster of delicate spires protected by a magical force-field. It lay hidden for centuries, but was revealed once more during the Bounty of the Elements. Upon further exploration, it proved to be the home of three ‘sisters’ who had slept away the intervening ages: Destiny, Terra and Atlantis. Despite what could have been seen as the invasion of their home, these guardians of the Ancient Sanctum welcomed the Lundlaevungar. Those who wished to conduct further research or develop a better understanding of their own powers were even invited to stay. The site has since become an important outpost for the Clan.
However, much to Einmyrir’s displeasure, the sisters remain ambivalent towards the concept of exaltation. Though they play host to his novitiates and scholars on their final journey to the Observatory, they refuse to allow the Ancient Sanctum to become a training ground for those who intend to grow their strength only to serve the Arcanist.
DUSTCARVE DIG |
River's membership with the Dragonhome Preservation Guild's meant that she received word of the Dustcarve Dig expedition ahead of most dragons living outside of Earth's territory. She made plans to travel to Dragonhome with the Doctor, who intrigued by the mysterious nature of the Guild's discovery.
Their preparations did not go unnoticed by their allies in the Lundlaevungar. Before long, whispers reached Loki and, intrigued, he tried to wrangle all the information he could from the Doctor, their companions and River herself. He wasn't enormously successful, but he did find out that they planned to travel in the Blue Plinth, the Doctor's floating home and preferred mode of transportation. With a little effort and illusion magic, he managed to hide himself and cling to the side of the crystal, and was whisked away with them.
The Blue Plinth's swift gyrascopic flight made it an uncomfortable and dizzying journey, but Loki made it to the excavation site undetected.
In the following days, Loki worked hard alongside the Guild's archeologists and the countless other dragons who followed rumours and reports to join them: first opening a tunnel, then delving deeper to discover a glowing shrine and an ancient, underground city set in an enormous cavern. Though he was tempted to join the Oculus scholars who come to study the shrine's crystal, Loki ultimately decided to explore the city and join the search for any signs of Velya's missing apprentice Fetter and those who might have taken them. He was therefore close by when a section of the cave floor collapsed into an old aquifer and rushed to help stabilise the rockfalls and rescue those in danger.
Once the ground was safe again, he was among the first dragons to enter the chamber below the city, where they found a vast number of draconic statues.
Loki was just as amazed as everyone else when the Earthshaker's magic surged and the the first of the statues came to life: Mirth, presenting himself to Velya at the forefront of the expedition. As the rest of the statues began to crack and shift, Loki found himself standing directly before a pair of dragons as their stoneshape shattered.
The two newly created dragons emerged with a joyful roar and imprinted on Loki in their first moments of life. As the thunder of breaking stone and first cries became a clamour of voices, the two introduced themselves as Valour and Zeal and offered themselves as protectors to his Clan. They have been part of the Lundlaevungar ever since.
WARRIOR'S WAY |
The first Warrior's Way began a new tradition among the Lundlaevungar. The Clan's warriors, both dragon and beastclan, are annually encouraged to enter this friendly competition and try to win glory (and new alliances) for the Lundlaevungar. Thor and Sif insist that all who wish to participate take part in training and have opportunities to test their mettle against a variety of opponents ahead of time, to best ensure they are not injured in the course of the competition.
Kvika is the most ardent supporter of and contestant in the games: she takes it very, very seriously. She fights to win and intends to one day become the Warrior's Way Champion.
Eisa is, of course, her biggest supporter. However, she is not the only dragon to attend solely as a spectator, and many of the Lundlaevungar enjoy watching the matches and cheering on the fighters. The Warrior's Way is as much a chance to mingle and forge new relationships as it is a show of martial prowess.
The Clan's smiths also attend with their wares, providing the contestants and their loved ones with supplies of high-quality weapons, armour, mementos and gifts. Another who sees the competition as an opportunity to make some extra treasure or gems is Citta: she takes her merchant stall and sells a variety of items, including bottled drinks supplied by Qlfuss and healing potions and other curatives made by the Lundlaevungar healer, Kvistr. She likewise offers the services of the Clan's wordsmiths, who will record competitors' exploits in story, stanza or song - for a fair price.
The Clan's entertainers find further opportunities to ply their trade between bouts and in the evenings. Readings, recitations, song, music and dance are all welcomed by fighters and spectators alike, and the convivial atmosphere of the Warrior's Way means that performers often receive generous tips for their efforts.
ASTROLAB CRASH |
The unexpected appearance of a giant comet above the Starfall Isles was an amazing spectacle: the Lundlaevungar rushed to the Scar's cliffs, the edges of the Terraces and the top of the Spire to watch as it arced through the sky.
However, the wonder soon turned to fear.
The shooting star was enormous, far larger than anyone had ever seen before -- and it was streaking right towards the heart of the Clan!
The Spire's residents scattered: some evacuated with hatchlings, familiars and irreplaceable treasures, while the mages and warriors threw up every protection they could muster. Brave clanmates rushed from the Focal Point and Starwood Strand to help, adding their magic and strength to the efforts to save their home.
As it descended, the comet resolved into a huge floating island topped by an arcglass dome, glowing with unmistakably Arcane runes and the purplish plasma of reentry. It swooped away from one set of cliffs and then another, as if steered by a desperate pilot, then soared overhead. Those maintaining the protection spells were bombarded by the blazing heat and ear-splitting roar of its passing.
The Spire tipped and shuddered as it was jostled in the fearsome winds and battering of magical energies — but remained afloat and undamaged.
Yet even as the mages righted the crystal, steadied its levitation and breathed heartfelt sighs of relief, it was not over: the comet was still falling. It splashed down moments later in the sea beyond the Lundlaevungar’s borders and exploded, spitting out shards of arcglass, twisted equipment, and gouts of Arcane fire.
The Lundlaevungar rushed to investigate the crash site alongside dozens of Arcane clans. They quickly discovered survivors around and within the wreckage, and offered their aid to the sinking, shattered Astrolab and its inhabitants. Afterwards, the Clan offered shelter to the Aether, housing them in the Cliff Tunnels and Terraces for as long as they wished to stay. Many moved on after a few days or weeks to find missing family and crewmates, explore the world they had only seen from afar, or simply to report to the Observatory. However, some decided to make the Lundlaevungar Territory their permanent home.
In the days following the Astrolab’s return to Sornieth, Njord found two aether eggs washed up on the shore near his cave. After determining that they were viable and almost ready to hatch, they were incubated together in the Clan’s nests and hatched together on the same day, in the midst of the Mistral Jamboree. Despite the Lundlaevungar's best efforts, their biological parents could be found, and the 'twins' joined the clan as well.
DECADE NEST |
At the beginning of the Year of the Serpent, the Arcane Sprite Lundlaeva felt a powerful impulse to return to the Spire's original location on the anniversary of the date that Loki and Angrboda first met. The pair accompaied the sprite across the seas and arrived at the stump where the Spire had once connected to the land.
In the years since, and in the aftermath of the Bounty of the Elements, the crystals had flourished once more to form a perfect cradle - in which they found a huge and varied clutch of eggs!
All of them were starting to wobble and crack. Angrboda rushed back to the clan to fetch the clan's hatchling caretakers, Sigyn and Radulfr, while Loki and Lundlaeva remained to oversee the hatching. All too soon, fifteen fresh hatchlings filled the nest. As he looked over the new arrivals, Loki realised that his Sprite companion had been led here for a reason. These dragons were a gift - from the Gods or from fate itself - and were destined to become part of the Lundlaevungar.
The hatchlings were brought back to the Spire and raised collectively by the Clan. As such, they grew to represent many different aspects of the Lundlaevungar, depending on which mambers of the Clan and which parts of the Lair had the greatest influence on their upbringing. The Light and Shadow hatchlings became inseparable siblings, drawn inexorably to the glowing shade of the Starwood Strand. The Ice hatchling, ironically, found a mentor in Fire knight Kvika and dedicated herself to resurrecting and preserving an ancient Order of Chivalry. Some were inspired by Mimir to become
((Earth, Fire, Lightning, Plague, Bog, Noc, Aether))