SENTINELS of the CITY

image made with Portrait Workshop

STATS
Name: Naiada
Species: Human
Age: 43
Gender: Female

Appearance: A well-trained, sturdy woman with her share of scars and marks. She has long black, curly hair and hazel brown eyes. She often wears functional clothing that breathes but also shields. Her outfits include cotton shirts, leather vests and pants and a well-balanced assortment of knives and daggers.
Personality: Shrewd with the caution of experience after a life of living in the ancient and mysterious fortress city. She tends to be strict with the young adventurours, but it's for their own good. Once she deems someone 'seasoned', she'll loosen up and act more like a friend.
Short Bio: Naiada came to the Fortress when she was a young recruit, caving for the promise of a large salary and a meaningful job. During her work, she has seen her share of crises, has saved more than a few of the newbies from certain death but has also lost more friends than she'd like to remember.
Skills & Hobbies: Naiada knows her section of the fortress, or at least it's outside paths. She moves fast and has decent stamina, even if it's diminshed a bit with age. She gives her all for her shift, and then heads off to sleep and recuperate. In her few spare moments she prefers quiet time, often spending it watching the fortress from above.

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STORY
Naiada hardly felt a breeze in the narrow streets of the ancient fortress, but the sky above was quickly filling up with clouds. A storm was brewing and the fortress made for a good lightning rod. It rose from the surrounding plains like a mountain, broad at the bottom but narrow at the top. The main road, much larger than the streets she was on, ran in a spiral all the way to the top plaza. The scale was immense and as far as Naiada knew, only a small portion of it had been officially mapped. Likely quite a few unofficial maps existed but it was doubtful all of them could be trusted.
The weathered guard started making her way to higher portions of the city, fearing some foolish adventurours might be setting themselves up for getting fried. She had recently seen a heavy-armoured group entering and all that steel and iron would not be a good idea to have outside right now. Maybe they were smart enough to seek shelter, but new entrants often didn't know which buildings were safe to camp in. Any attempts made by the guards to designate those were soon foiled by the treasure-seekers.
Naiada had been tempted a few times to look for the hidden secrets of the Fortress. Especially after accidentally opening a hidden door of finding an unknown staircase. But her job was just to keep others safe and she was well-paid to do just that. Besides, the fortress had been abandonded for centuries. If there was treasure to be found, someone would have found it by now. Maybe the lucky bastard had managed to escape with it unseen and was laughing at those still trying. Maybe the bastard hadn't been lucky and his corpse was now rotting in the treasure room. Naiada would likely never know.
She'd reached the highest square and by now the rain was coming down full force. It was difficult to see if anyone was about, the sky darkened and shadows obscuring the smaller streets that ran from the central area to who knew where. Then she spotted a flash of yellow and experience took over.
Naiada chased the flash of metal, wiping rain from her eyes and having a hard time keeping up. She rushed up a set of stairs, wondering why any sane person would go higher up in a storm, but when she rounded the corner it became clear that she wasn't dealing with a person at all.
"That's rude, I am a person." the dragon responded in her mind.
Naiada backed up a bit, training leaving her quite unprepared for this turn of events. But if the dragon would speak to her, then maybe she could leave with all her limbs intact.
The dragon snorted and Naiada realised she'd need to be careful with her thoughts.
"I'm a watcher just like you." the dragon said.
"I'm a guard though."
"No you're a witness to what goes on here. The eyes of those in power."
"And are you the same then?"
"In a way."
Naiada approached carefully. The question must have been open in her mind because the dragon responded:
"I usually watch at night and often from further away. With the storm I came in closer, not thinking someone would see me."
"So no more of your kind are present."
"You can rest assured."
The dragon took a seat on the edge of the roof, almost looking like a statue the way she kept perfectly still and waited, wing extended. Naiada took the invitation and joined her on the small raised section of the roof. In the distance lightning flashed, the storm was headed elsewhere.
"I propose a deal." the dragon started.
"Wait, what do I call you? You start with introductions. I'm Naiada."
"Gagana." the dragon replied, "So that deal..."
"I have a feeling I know what you're getting at."
Naiada would see the sun rise serving not one but two entirely different forces of power. Her own government and the obscure power that had sent Gagana. But would it actually matter? If they were all just watching?
"It does not in the grand scheme of things."
"Thanks for your support."

Name: Gagana
Gender: Female
Species: Shackleplate dragon
Origin: Coming (template and colours by Starbound-Soul, Nexus Discord Giveaway)
Colour: Black-Yellow
Description: Shackleplates are generally a stoic, seemingly aloof type of breed. They tend to drift toward the highest, inhospitable places to take their perch, unmoving for hours on end.
In truth, they are keen, loyal dragons who tend to set themselves single-mindedly to their goals, often to a point of excluding all else. They make natural sentinels and guards, especially given their nocturnal tendencies - and thus their exceptional night vision.
The breed is named for the brightly coloured bands that adorn their hide; these are smooth, reflective, specialized scale, and Shackleplates take a vested interest in grooming and maintaining them; they are a sign of good health, beauty, and a point of pride. The spikes protruding from the namesake “shackle” bands on their wrists are deceptively delicate-looking, and viciously sharp. The spikes that adorn their necks and rumps are equally so - close to quills in appearance and function, though these rarely detach from the dragon’s hide.
Size: Medium Large
Abilities:
    *Blue Fire Breath
    *Telepathy
    *Enhanced Night Vision

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Lantessama Isle
Background found with google search long ago.