Introduction & History
Bearing the colors of the Gladekeeper, Gladelings are one of Nature's subspecies. They were created in October 2013 by Bark and became an official subspecies of Nature shortly thereafter. Gladelings have been bred ever since then!
Karrikut and Genevra started an initiative in May 2018 to breed in new lines of Gladelings to refresh the gene pool, particularly focusing on breeding Wildclaw Gladelings, leading to the creation of this official subspecies hub. KalicoKat wrote the majority of the lore for the subspecies as it exists today.
Lore
Gladelings are the dragons created by the Gladekeeper in her own image. In the distant past, Gladelings were all hatched as Wildclaws, Nature's own native species, with the colors of the Gladekeeper and camouflaging patterns to let them blend into the thick vegetation of the jungle. These Gladelings were able to communicate with the Gladekeeper from anywhere within the Viridian Labyrinth, and this close connection to the Gladekeeper lent them magical abilities: to make plants grow in any condition, and to revive sick or dying plants.
The Gladelings formed exclusive clans who roamed the Viridian Labyrinth, carrying with them seeds, cuttings, and saplings, with the mission of caring for the plantlife that inhabited the Gladekeeper's territory and spreading this life wherever possible.
Over time, the initial burst of power that allowed for the hatching of Gladelings was spent, and the numbers of new Gladelings dwindled. To preserve their lineage and their calling, the decision was made to mingle with dragons of other breeds and colors - but as their bloodline became thinned, their abilities waned. Gladelings remained prodigious gardeners and caretakers of plants for their clans, but they did not have quite the abilities of Gladelings at their beginnings, and they lost their abilities to communicate with the Gladekeeper that they once had.
The thinning of the bloodlines allowed for more frequent misidentifications to occur, and dragons from other flights or with other patterns of the Gladekeepers colors began to be acclaimed as Gladelings themselves. These counterfeit Gladelings persisted and sometimes took advantage of other dragons in the guide of true Gladelings - sometimes even joining clans of Gladelings.
It was the Bounty of Elements that changed everything. With the extreme burst of magical energy, new kinds of Gladeling began to be hatched once more. Prophets once again roam the lands - and with them, New Prophets, their eyes blooming with the magical energy of the Gladekeeper. Strange eyes peered out across the lands, serving as the Gladekeepers eyes. The bloodlines of the Gladelings were renewed.
Subtypes
Prophets
Sometimes, a Prophet of the Gladekeeper will be born, though no one knows exactly what conditions are necessary for this to happen. Prophets who arise from the ancient bloodlines of the original Gladelings always retain the original image of the subspecies. Since the Bounty of Elements, a new magic has found its way into the nests of the Viridian Labyrinth. A new kind of Prophets, brimming with the Gladekeeper's magic, can be hatched in any breed or gene combination, and they are visually identified by the flowers that appear to grow from their eyes.
Whichever appearance a Prophet takes, they all possess the original abilities of the Gladelings. They can grow plants anywhere, revive sick or dying plants, and they can communicate directly with the Gladekeeper in order to carry out her wishes. Most are known to wander the Viridian Labyrinth as their ancestors once did, every so often falling into a silent, trance-like state while they speak with the Gladekeeper, before carrying on with their mission.
Watchers
In addition to New Prophets, the Gladekeeper has also created a new type of helper to aid in spreading her essence across Sornieth: Watchers. Watchers cannot spread life in quite the manner that a Prophet can; instead, they take advantage of the new types of eyes they have been gifted in order to gather information for the Gladekeeper. Those with Glowing Eyes give her the sharpest view of their surroundings, those with Multi-Gaze give her the widest view, and those with Facet Eyes and Dark Scleras can see wavelengths most dragons cannot to give her a different view. They are her eyes, allowing her to constantly survey Sornieth through them so that she may better utilize her Prophets.
Counterfeit Gladelings
As Gladelings become more prominent in the Gladekeeper's realm, there are others who are sometimes mistaken for one of her chosen ones, called a Counterfeit Gladeling. These dopplegangers are easily confused for a true Gladeling because their appearance is very similar. Their colors are still Jungle, Forest, and Green, but the colors may be out of order - or they may be hatched from a different flight, without the magical connection to the Gladekeeper. These Counterfeits have none of the abilities that make a true Gladeling special, and they similarly lack the connection to the Gladekeeper that the subspecies is known for. However, Counterfeit Gladelings are still sometimes confused for the real thing, and there have been instances of a few taking advantage of that fact to gain prominent positions in their clan and the reverence given to a true Gladeling.