Creative Corner

15331

March 10, 2022 15:24:28

Welcome to the Fangshadow

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For the sake of posterity, we have decided that the best course of action before proceeding with our records is to briefly introduce ourselves. I am Meza of the Fangshadow Tribe.

I concern myself with wordly goings-on, and my mission is to record information about the various cultures that share our wonderful and brutal home. This is an important task; one day, future generations may rely on records such as these to inform themselves of draconic history.

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And I am Morri. Together, me and my sibling share the duty of recording vital information. It is our shared passion!

My self-chosen task is to record the our own clan's history, as well as current goings-on. Our clan is small and close-knit, but that doesn't mean our lives are boring, or not worthy of being committed to paper. It is my hope that recording the clan's activities may shed light on the trials and victories of just one of the smaller clans that call the Plaguelands home.

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Before we begin in earnest, allow us to lay down some ground rules.

Posting will open once everything is set up. Right now, things are a bit hectic, but it would be nice to see what everyone thinks of our little lore archive.

(You don't need to post in character. You are welcome to, however! Meza and Morri are both talkative folks and would love to bore your dragons with snippets about clan history and plagueland culture).

Feel free to take inspiration from our writings! We enjoy to spread and share our knowledge. Even our ideas and theories! If you find anything piques your interest, you're welcome to explore those ideas in your own lore or writings.

Well, I think that's everything for now. We'll update these guidelines as situations warrant......

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Last edited on Mar 11, 2022 11:01:23 by Grizzel

[center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/fz2s7alqwhoe3lt/plaguetop.png[/img] [size=6][font=sylfaen][color=#852B19][b]Archives[/b][/color][/size][/center] [columns][color=transparent].....[/color][nextcol][color=#975541][b]Meza's writings[/b] 1. [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/cc/3114268#post_50609058]On Wyrmwound cultures[/url][nextcol][color=transparent].....[/color][/columns] [columns][color=transparent].....[/color][nextcol][color=#550403][b]Morri's writings[/b] 1. x[nextcol][color=transparent].....[/color][/columns] [center][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/335f8rj4xzh00m5/plaguebottom.png[/img][/center]

Grizzel

15331

March 10, 2022 15:24:39

Archives

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Meza's writings

1. On Wyrmwound cultures

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Morri's writings

1. x

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Last edited on Mar 11, 2022 15:12:49 by Grizzel

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Grizzel

15331

March 10, 2022 15:24:43

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Cultures of the Wyrmwound

Our clan's culture could be considered quite unique amongst Plague dragons. This is because of our roots, torn between the ever-changing nature of the Aberration culture (such as it is) and the harsh, ruthless cultures of the Plague-cults that inhabit the periphery of the Wyrmwound and Rotrock Rim. However, it could be said that despite our roots, our clan exists in spite of these cultures, rather than following their ways.

Plagueland culture is as diverse as the dragons that inhabit these harsh lands, but the particularly unforgiving territory of the Wyrmwound tends to breed those of a darker, more violent nature. The non-Aberration clans of the Wyrmwound are often brutal, savage collectives, often comprising primarily of wildclaws and static mirrors (those who elect not to travel and form single-breed packs).

These clans are strictly traditional, with a hierarchy determined by strength and ferocity. They are mostly led by a dominant individual who has proven themself fierce enough to overcome all adversaries. However, another guiding force exists among these clans: the exalted role of the "Plague-speaker" (some clans have other names for this role, but the purpose remains the same): a kind of spiritual leader of the clan.

Plague-speakers divine the will of the Plaguebringer. Plague dragons, particularly those who elect to reside on the borders of the Wyrmwound, are unfailingly devout -- sometimes to the point of zealotry. They believe that the strength and resilience fostered by their ruthless ways pleases the Plaguebringer. And they will react with great violence towards any who dare question their understanding of Her, or cast doubt on the accuracy of their Plague-speaker's interpretations of Her will.

However, those outside of these communities, and former members of them, often find their practices barbaric and counter to the Plaguebringer's will. Their "might makes right" mindset breeds instability and treachery; often, the strong-willed amongst the clan are shunned or exiled, as they have the strength of character to speak out against the moral atrocities committed by these savage cults.

Thus, you begin to see emerge the children of this brutality, who have been so damaged by it as to reject the mindset entirely, and seek a new truth. These rebellious, diverging clans do often still revere the Plaguebringer, but have completely different interpretations of Her divine will.

One of the clearest examples of this are the healers of the Wyrmwound and areas surrounding it. Amongst the vicious Plague-cults, healers do not exist as they do amongst any other type of dragon clan; for they do not actually heal. Instead, they play a ritualistic role, encouraging the ill and infirm to pray for mercy and strength as they subject the weak to relentless trials of illness and disease. Instead of supporting them in their recovery, they subject their "patients" to great hardships in order to please the Plaguebringer. Suffice to say, the sick and weak members of such clans rarely survive for long.

But this mindset has encouraged many a dragon born to such clans to leave, and pursue knowledge and education in the ways of healing. So though the largest clans rarely employ true healers, the smaller, renegade clans on the outskirts of the Wyrmwound (mostly found in and around the borders of the Rotrock Rim) often have healers similar to those found in the clans of other Flights. Though they maintain the ritualistic mindset, they also aid the ill and injured with medicinal herbs, healing magics and even advanced medical treatment. Some go so far as to create vaccines for common illnesses.

Despite their differences, both types of healer believe that they are serving the Plaguebringer's will. The healers of Plague-cults believe that by subjecting their patients to vicious trials, they ensure only the strongest survive. The healers of the smaller, rebellious Plague clans believe that the Plaguebringer values survival above all else, and that seeking and providing aid is not weakness in Her eyes, but the epitome of true survival.

The emergence of the Aberrations (as we are often called) only served to cause further complications and divisions. Aberrations have little in the way of true culture, as our ancestors lived for so long in hiding, with few opportunities to truly develop complex societies. One thing that almost all Wyrmwound Aberrations have shared though, is the insatiable desire to please the great Plaguebringer.

However, being sheltered as my people were, we were easily influenced. And, having originated in the Wyrmwound, often the first encounter with other cultures these easily-influenced dragons had was with the vicious Plague-cults that shared their homeland. Between this and the suspicious aggression inherent to our breed (at least, those of us that experienced the isolation of our past), it was almost inevitable that many Aberrations would find themselves in the midst of the Plague-cults, and be influenced by them.

However, Aberrations are also highly changeable -- not just in physical form, as traditionalist Aberrations enter the Wyrmwound yearly for a cycle of "holy mutation", but also in our beliefs and actions. Aberrations are free-thinkers at our core; probably aided by the fact that we are of two minds, and amongst ourselves we can talk and reason and find our own truths via discussion and personal revelation. So even though our kind has been undoubtedly influenced by our exposure to the Plague-cults, we are also very capable of rejecting their ideas -- even those of us who once held them to be the ultimate truth.

Thus, one pattern that is quickly emerging among Aberrations, particularly those of generations born after our revealing and integration into draconic culture, is that of rejecting the established ways of the Plague-cults and instead forming our own ideas and beliefs about what the Plaguebringer desires of us, and what constitutes true strength and endurance. We find ways to walk our own paths, guided by our intuitions and the counsel of each other.

And so you end up with clans like our own dear Fangshadow Tribe. Many of us have roots in the harsh and unforgiving Plague-cults, but have found alternate -- and what we believe to be better -- ways to honour our beloved deity.

Though the beliefs of these peripheral tribes are as varied as the dragons within them, we are united by a collective rejection of the harshness of the Plague-cults, and a desire for something better.

Ultimately, only time will tell which methodology is truly the most conducive to long-term survival. But we will permit ourselves the hope that our ways will spread and overcome all others. We are Plague dragons, after all.

-- by Meza of Fangshadow

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Grizzel