@
PricklyGoose
I managed to finish what I was writing.
Life can be hard when you live on the border of two flights, even relatively peaceful ones such as Arcane and Wind. Shaped by the pull of Arcane mysticism and the ever-constant breeze of the Wind, many dragons find themselves unwelcome in either territory due to their (perceived) ever shifting loyalty. It is sad to say that many find themselves ostracized in their home territory, viewed as foreigners, spies & saboteurs... or worse, a sign of the gods disfavor and some sort of spiritual weakness or failure. Not to mention that there is no shortage of petty tyrants willing to carve out a bloody empire in the hinterlands – where no one will really notice. Same with the mage cabals, practicing foul magics on a captive populace away from prying eyes and squeamish scholars.
But against all odd a clan of Guardians has managed to beat the odds and thrive on their own secluded island where Wind and Arcane meet. Called the Honebuto Clan, these guardians have lived in the region for a long, long…. long time. The Honebuto say they were there before Arcane and Wind started to encroach on their territory, but that’s just them being curmudgeonly old windbags…
Hopefully.
Ancient history aside, the Honebuto has managed to survive due to following two rules: You’re Either Family Or Not, and You Can Only Trust Family. While such rules have caused them to become extremely insular and conceited, it has also driven them closer together. As a breed Guardians generally leave their home clans and spread out, looking for their charge and then joining their charge’s clan, or living a hermit’s life for those bound to a land. But not in this case, it is expected that the questing dragon will always return Home…. And for those who don’t, well they simply aren’t Family anymore and are forgotten.
The third contributor in keeping the Honebuto alive is magic – specifically necromancy. Unlike the typical Wind Clan the Honebuto care for their dead, preparing elaborate burial tombs for their deceased. Long before they practiced necromancy they pioneered the practice of mummification in the region, as well as developing intricate burial rights. They even had a small order of mages dedicated to conjuring spirits. It was just a simple jump for their spirit callers and funerary shamans to start practicing true necromancy, unveiling their mastery of undeath during a particularly bleak battle when it looked like the entire family was threatened with extinction. The Priests opened up the family tombs and hundreds of undead soldiers stepped out, ready to defend their clan once again. With the added numbers the Honebuto were able to push back the invaders, and cemented their use of necromancy for the future.
With their small numbers bolstered with their honored dead fighting beside them the Honebuto clan survived that skirmish and a hundred others. Whenever a fledgling empire attempted to conquer the Honebuto they would fight like hell to remain independent – and they were never an easily pacified province. Always the first to rebel whenever they thought the ruling empire was weakened enough.
Always ready to return to the small clan of Family.
But something changed during the Bounty of the Elements – raw elemental magic flowed through the lands and things changed. Many ancient horrors and dormant powers awoken to a new world – and many dragons went wild with power. It was during a border skirmish between a neighboring clan when the Honebuto discovered their awakening. As is typical when a battle gets tough they bring out their dead – but something different answered the call of the Necromancers…. What was unearthed from the tombs was not a simple zombie or skeletal minion but something greater: A Ghoul.
When these ravenous corpses took to the battlefield, they did not just battle the enemies of the clan… They destroyed them - tearing through the enemy and feasting on flesh and fear in a frankly gory display of power. Frankly disturbed (and honestly disgusted) the death priests wisely waited for the newly risen Ghouls to have eaten their fill before commanding them back to the tombs to rest – a command they obeyed like any other animated undead(!). But the damage had already been done…
The attacking clan had lost almost all their warriors to the Honebuto, as well as their king.
Under strenuous circumstances the shattered remnants of the clan’s advisors and Child-King met with the Elders of the Honebuto, begging for mercy and protection. They made a sound argument – that without warriors to defend them they were essentially at the mercy of any dragon that wanted to play petty dictator, and that their lands (rich in magical minerals and fertile farms) would be of great use to the Honebuto. The Elder Guardians agreed, perhaps motivated by compassion after witnessing such bloodshed, and the two clans became one.
It has not been easy getting the two to assimilate together but things are improving slowly but surely. But the rest of the clans in the hinterlands are more concerned about the Death Priests who have retreated into the family’s tombs and haven’t been seen since that fateful battle. They whisper and tremble with fear at the new power the Honebuto have found… And that perhaps, they are done being at the mercy of others.
Lionfish ◊ Bee
Filigree ◊ Lace ◊ Firefly
These are the genes of the living, but they are just the most common among the family. When it comes to Primary and Secondary genes you can find dragons with other genes, but odds are what they lack in one they have in the other. (For example you’d find a dragon with Skink & Bee or Lionfish & Eyespots.)
Firefly is an extremely treasured and valuable gene in the family, viewing those born with it as destined for greatness. The mythology built around the gene is that these ethereal motes are a sign of great magical power, as even now the least spirits and elements of Sornieth are bending to their will.
Lace and Filigree are newer genes, added only after their recent conquest and are a representation of their new found wealth. Intricate metal adornments and gemstone piercings are quite fashionable.
Basic ◊ Metallic ◊ Shimmer
Runes ◊ Ghost
These are the genes that represent the Ghouls.
Metallic, Shimmer and Alloy are a result of the embalming rituals – the hundreds of fragrant oils, thick pastes, and smoldering herbal- incense baths staining the flesh with a foul opalescence. This is no mere cosmetic change, as each step in the embalming process is important in preserving the ‘health’ of the corpse. The oils keep the skin soft and pliable, the spices and incense chase off the smell of death and opportunistic vermin, and the pastes harden, creating a thick shell for additional defense.
The finishing step of the embalming procedure is perhaps the most difficult to master, as it requires a skilled hand and an artistic mind. Using special inks the priests of the clan begin inscribing symbols onto the dead, weaving together prayers, spells, and the accomplishments of the deceased together. This is a labor intensive process, but well worth it as the priest’s hard work results in the Runes gene.
◊
Basic and Ghost are symbols of extreme age, that time has worn away at the protective enchantments coating the ancient ancestor – oils have seeped into the skin, the protective pastes have dried and flaked off. Rot has begun to set in, bones poking through desiccated flesh.
While they are a bit more brittle than the freshly risen dead, these ancestors are no less deadly.
Honebuto literally means “bony prominence” in Japanese.
