Starsilver's Clan

Thorns loom menacingly over a needle-clad path as it winds its way deeper into darkness. They creak lightly in the breeze that runs over the top, playfully twirling leaves together into capricious spirals. Faintly glowing mushrooms have crawled into the cracks in the thorn bark, lighting the way with dim blue.

Further down, the path bends, falling away into the all-pervading purple gloom. It begins to split, almost a hundred possible roads fading into shadows, all of them lit with the same blue mushrooms. There is only one true path through, and the others wind together in a massive, snarled maze.

The vines are magic-resistant, impossibly tough and wickedly sharp. Their spines are laced with a mild hallucinogen that accounts for some of the uncanny things dragons see in the Foxfire Bramble. They are the first line of defense for the Velian Clan, and the only way to get through is to be escorted by a clan member, often one of the Nocturnes.

Should visitors emerge from the maze intact, they are greeted with a low, jagged rock formation straight from the Ashfall Waste. It shines like glass under the surrounding mushrooms, through the brambles laced over and around it, shining like stars. It is an eerily beautiful place, and puts the hackles up on some dragons.

Travelling merchants and entertainers never go beyond here. They sell their wares or preform their shows inside the hollowed out rock, and the dragons of the clan come out to meet them. They aren't about to let outsiders into the innermost sanctum, and for good reason.

Behind the rock outcrop, called the Meet, is another, wider tunnel hidden behind an illusion of brambles. It can be closed by the Nature dragons in emergencies, as can the maze. Clan members heading back to their homes venture down the stone staircase carved into the walls of the massive depression on the other side.

It slopes gently downward into the vast space, a thick web of thorn branches covering the top. They are level with the surrounding tangle, preventing any dragon flying over from seeing the location of the Clan. Large globes of purple light, powered by a series of runes carved in crystal, hang in the air, pulsing gently. The space is enormous, large enough for even the biggest breeds to fully stretch their wings and fly. Omnipresent blue fungi are dotted throughout the vines, giving an impression of the night sky. Looming over everything is the true center of the Velian Clan.

An enormous spire of deep purple stone, so dark as to be almost black, dominates the space. It almost brushes the topmost vines, rounding off to a blunt point just under them. The entrances of dozens of caves, each lit with mushrooms or hovering globes of light, perforate the sides. Several centuries-old Fae nests hang precariously off the sides, glittering amber in the faint light.

Welcome to the Demesne.

There are several layers of caves, which have been carved over generations and passed down from parents to children. The outermost layer are the living caves, stacked on top and twisting around each other. Each cave has two exits, one on the outside of the spire and another that leads into the hallways. The hallways are decorated with the treasures of the past - loot from defeated clans, woven tapestries of the gods made with flecks of gemstone, sculptures and paintings by long-dead members, and a general assortment of exotic items - all lined up along the walls. Each hallway merges with others to form a larger one as they descend until there are only two, running level with the ground. Each tunnel empties into the Hall.

The Hall is the centerpiece of the Demesne, a massive chamber at the heart of the rock. Dragons can be found here at all hours of the day and night - not that such things have meaning where they are, deep below the Foxfire Brambles. There are no daises, no high tables or thrones, just a series of low-lying stone slabs at which dragons of the clan eat. The Clan Leader and the Shadow consume their meals among the rest of the clan, as equals. Their living space, a suite of two separate lairs, is the only one that is directly connected to the Hall. It feeds in near the roof.

The Hall is the social gathering point of the Clan. Dragons come in to eat, chat, and discuss family or other things. The Messengers leave behind informal letters here for their recipients to pick up. Should they need to, it's where the Clan Leader addresses them all.

The walls are hung with banners displaying the elemental allegiances of all dragons within the Clan, the symbols of their allies, and those of their dead foes. One particularly massive one has the Clan symbol picked out in thread made of precious metals and larger, well-cut gemstones. Runes line the walls, rows upon rows of them - each no larger than the text of a regularly-sized book - all maintained by the mages of the clan, particularly the Head Mage. They are the tie-ins to the defensive wards, both the permanently-active monitoring spells and the heavy duty War Shields, only used when the rest of the Clan flies to war.

Several tunnels exit the Hall. Two of them - the ones in the north and south - lead out, to the massive pairs of double doors set into the outside of the Demesne. These are also the tunnels that the hallways eventually feed into. Another leads to the Nesting Grounds and the attached lairs for parents. A fourth leads off to the Healing Cave and the Lead Healer's attached quarters. The fifth and final corridor leads to the Library.

If the Demesne and surrounding space is vast, the Library is monstrous. The Clan Hoard, containing the collected monies and food supplies of the Velian Clan, are considered an annex. Three stories of caves, sprawling out into the bedrock, contain anything a dragon could wish to know. The top layer has more mundane knowledge, dusty old books and some written recently, on topics from music to history and everything in between - even some things that aren't. The next layer deals with topics of a more serious kind. Accounts of battles, deadly spells, poisons, and the medical textbooks line a series of caves. Located in the far back is a small, dark cave. It is empty save for a black door set into the far wall. Below it are the Shadow archives, containing some of the darkest and most heinous spells, information on the Shade itself, detailed records of assassination missions and years upon years of blackmail. Some of the most damaging information on rival clans is kept here, even after they are dead and gone to dust.





Clan Leader: Xacrali
Xacrali is one of a long line of clan leaders from the founding dynasty. The Clan Leader and the Shadow are the ultimate power within the group, the top of the social and military order. They have the power of life and death over the dragons below them, though this is only rarely used. They have the only say in which dragons are allowed in, though any others may petition for the right to have others join. Clan Leaders lead the clan to war, though the Velian Clan hasn't marched for generations, and are very good battle commanders. Though this position is hereditary, only the best of each of the clan are even considered, and to be the firstborn is no guarantee of becoming Clan Head.

The Shadow: Cyanth
The Shadow is often the mate or close relative of the Clan Leader. The two work as a pair - if one steps down from their position, so does the other. They are the shadow ruler, a power behind the throne that shares equally with the power on it. Always a Guardian due to the innate instinct to protect the clan, the Shadow is in charge of politics, spies and information gathering. They are more ruthless, more willing to sacrifice others when off the battlefield, and hold immense sway wth the rest of the clan. Though the Clan Leader is the face their allies know and respect, it is Shadow who determines if they are allies.

Head Mage: Rustmoon
The Head Mage is a position that requires immense magical strength, a close relationship with the Shadow and Clan Leader, creativity in magic and a strict adherence to duty. They are in charge of monitoring the watch spells and trap spells as well as renewing them when necessary, and serve under the Clan Leader in times of war as the Mage Commander. There is an unfortunate record of these dragons taking it a bit too far in their expirementation, often resulting in untimely and messy deaths.

Lead Healer: Hrozyn
The Lead Healer is a dragon that can be trusted to keep their mouth shut. Specialized in healing magic, they are in charge of treating injured operatives, and so have a great deal of knowledge about the motions of the Shadowed side of the clan as well as treating the warriors. Their strict confidentiality has never, in the entire history of the clan, been broken, and they are trained to withstand torture when necessary.

The Librarian: Sarethyn
The Librarian works closely with the Shadow, compiling new information and digging out old in the Archives. They are the only ones beside a few trusted Shadowed and the Shadow with access to the Shadow Archives, those that include detailed blackmail and the records of past operations, assassinations and acts of sabotage. Like the Lead Healer, they have been trained to withstand torture.The Librarian is also known in the Shadowed side of the clan, as the Shadow's Assistant. A very good memory is a must for this job.

Heir Apparent: Cerketa
The dragon who will ascend to the position of Clan Leader. Hand-picked from the next generation by the current one, the Heir Apparent has a close relation with the Shadow Heir, and is a relative of the current Clan Leader. Trained by both the Clan Leader and the Shadow, they make a deadly warrior and a force to be reckoned with. Despite their extra training, they serve as a regular warrior.

Shadow Heir: Vakina
The dragon who will take over as the Shadow when either the current Shadow or Clan Leader step down. They are trained by both the Shadow and Clan Leader alongside the Heir Apparent. They work their way up the chain of command in the service of the Shadow, gaining experience and skill as they go.

Head Messenger: SunsShade
In charge of all the official correspondence of the Velian Clan. They carry messages to allied clans and most clans that hope to be allies, as well as private messages from the Clan Leader or the Shadow. They are in charge of the messenger corps, and always a Fae highly skilled in magic.

Shadow's Messenger: Wyldt
Chosen for their trustworthiness, the Shadow's Messenger is always a Fae, usually related to the Head Messenger, and in charge of Shadow correspondence. They deliver things like blackmail or threats to other clans. Due to some dragons policy of killing the messenger, they are highly skilled escape artists and shadow mages, personally trained by the Shadow.

Warrior Second: Hralden
They are the Clan Leader's second, in control of the warriors off the battlefield. They manage minor disciplinary issues, patrol schedules and summarize what is happening on the border for the Shadow and Clan Leader. Should the Clan Leader be incapacitated during a war, they lead the clan in battle until the Heir Apparent takes command. Also highly skilled warriors, they have a working knowledge of battle tactics.

Hoard Manager: Orathyn
The Hoard Manager is in charge of both the monetary and materialistic aspects of the Clan's Hoard. They are responsible for the security of the clan's supplies and cash, as well as keeping a budget and supplying food and items for those who need them. While each dragon can keep things in their lair, they tend store precious items and a good deal of their personal money in the Clan Vaults. The Hoard Manager comes under constant surveillance from the Shadow. They must have a good memory and accounting skills.