Deux

image made with Portrait Workshop

STATS
Name: Deux (Henceforth: Oneya Deux)
Gender: Male
Age: 56
Species: Dwarf
Class: Guard

Appearance: Short and stout, Deux is a dwarf and shows it proudly. He is barrel-chested, has thick arms and legs and wears armor to protect himself. As most dwarves, he has impressive hair and beard with lots of braids and ornamentations. Deux usually walks with an ornate stick that also serves as his primary weapon. Be careful, it packs a punch.
Personality: Deux is older than the others in the party and though that gives him some parental feelings, he usually comes off as a big know-it-all. His advice is sound but usually delivered in such a way that it sounds sarcastic. He likes the occasional sweet or beer but can commit to the task at hand.
Skills: Fights with axes or spears. Has a small affinity for earth magic. 

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ARRIVAL at REFUGIUM
After the pulling sensation settled, Deux lifted his axe in defense and waited for the surroundings to come into focus. Blinking, he tried to take in what he was seeing. The scenery was nothing like what he'd ever seen before. They seemed to be standing in between huge buildings. In stead of towers they were square and functional. Deux was reminded of the Dwarfen kingdom in the mountains though he couldn't say the places were alike. 
"It's so... closed." Sansan remarked. 
The fire mage had also gotten up. Drained by the use of her power she felt quite cold and the functional lines of the buildings didn't help in that regard. She hugged herself to keep some of her warmth in but couldn't even muster the strength to conjure a small flame.
Before Deux realised, his body reacted and caught Sansan as she fainted. 
"Hey!" he called.
"Hello there handsome." A flirty voice sounded.
Deux looked around and as he turned he looked right in the face of... something.
"I'm a dragon whorling. Bolbec is my name. Are you visitors? I didn't see you guys pass through the Visitor Center." Bolbec said as she swished her pretty purple-black tail around. Though her claws could do some real damage, there wasn't an ounce of menace in her manner and Deux oddly felt like he needed to befriend this strange creature... whorling, he corrected himself.
"Where are we?" Deux asked, "We seem to be far from home and we don't know how we got here."
"Oh, must be one of those crazy portal things. That happens sometimes. You're at the Refugium. We are a preservation site where we care for and cultivate dragon species that are on the brink of extinction. We're always looking for people to try to bond my kin so they can flourish again." For good measure Bolbec added a wink and a purr.
Deux couldn't help but smile at Bolbec and put some of his own Dwarven charm in his words when he said: "And can you help us find some shelter and we'll consider helping you in your goal."
"Why certainly, follow me."

Deux impressed at the Refugium's Imperial Luung Clutch

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HATCHING
The rocky outcrop overlooking the artificial sea of the oceanic biodome wasn't the friendliest of sands for candidates or onlookers. Most of the next was occupied by the long, winding bodies of the mothers, serpentined around thirteen oblong eggs. While there was sufficient wriggling space for perhaps a handful of candidates to step through the eggs, it was hardly adequate for the impressive turnout arriving on the beach. The eggs had been rattling for nearly half an hour at this point, the little voices inside a flurry of eager excitement.
"They're hatching!" Someone shouted. The sound of shell cracking whipped over the calming ocean song. 
And then. "I... they're twins! Twin girls!"
Two tiny hatchlings peeked over the edge of the outcrop, their eyes gleaming luminous green. First one and then the other scrambled over the edge and made their way down to impress. 
The audible crack of splitting shells shattered from the outcrop, followed by the hungry croons of hatchlings. Kaba drifted down the ledge, cradling a trio of hatchlings in her arms. She deposited them gently on the sand and nudged them forward. The first to leap forward was a bold, dark male, an outlier for either mother - he lacked the bright coloration of the Runike luungs and the thin, intricate patterns of the Oneya. Unperturbed by his unusual appearance - or perhaps ignorant to its significance - the black pastel marched headlong toward Deux, the dwarf.
"I want to fight monsters just like you!" said Oneya Uji. "And maybe when my hair grows out you can braid it, too?"
"Hunting monsters is hard work," said Deux, "Are you sure you can handle it?"
"Absolutely!" Uji slapped his tail down, sweeping sand into the air. "I'm ready to learn!"

Name: Oneya Uji
Gender: Male
Color & Genes: Black Pastel
Hatchling Height: 1'3'
Hatchling Length: 6'9"
Personality: Uji revels in the thrill of battle and adventure. He commits himself fully to any task given to him and is generally an enthusiastic dragon. He treats each day with eager excitement, and is keenly interested in the topic of prophesies. If he's not given something challenging to occupy himself with, Uji is likely to get up to mischief. If there are no adventures to be had, he'll create his own, and isn't unwilling to ramble off into the wilderness on his own. Deux will have to keep a close eye on this one! Uji enjoys stories and songs about grand quests and hopes to one day be great enough to feature in an epic of his own.
Abilities: Telepathy, Verbal Speech, Drifting/Wingless Flight, Lifespan Alteration, Water Breathing, Water Manipulation

ADULT
Runike Tana and Oneya Uji effortlessly switched battle formations and completed the training. In the past years both of them had grown considerably, had developped horns and sprouted a luxurious mane of hair. Their colouring remained mostly the same with Tana being a soft dappled peachy brown and Uji being darker brown with bright yellow spots. 
"I want to go on an adventure." Ujji proclaimed once more.
"Me too." Tana added her two cents.
"It's always adventures with you two." Deux smiled. "With you three." he amended after he spotted Sansan's eager look.
"Isn't it time we go look for the others?" Sansan asked.
She'd been thinking about going back home from the moment she'd impressed. Not to stay put. Now that she had knowledge about the many worlds around her, she could nevermore stay in one single place. But Eeny, Quart and Nill were still out there somewhere. Maybe they were stuck and hadn't been as lucky as the two of them had been.
"We go find your princess." Tana nodded, not even pretending to phrase it as a question.
"We have no way of knowing where they ended up." Deux protested.
"All the more reason we should return home and look for clues." Sansan insisted.
Deux knew he was fighting a losing battle. He wasn't against going home. It was a deep-rooted fear that they'd only return to ruin that kept him from going along with the other three. What if some other threat had laid waste to the little kingdom of Edenburght? What if they returned and had to learn about the others' demise? What if they returned and found no clues?
"You think too much." Uji commented, "It's better to just go see."
"We'll know what to do afterwards." Tana added.
And so it was only a matter of days later that the four of them appeared right where they'd left their home. The tower stood tall but looked forlorn in the wintry emptiness of the leafless trees and the white snow on the ground. They'd tried to go back as close as possible but it seemed like a month had to have passed in the least. 
"People will be worried." Deux remarked.
"People will be overjoyed to see us return." Sansan amended. 
"There is nothing living close by." Tana told them. She'd used her air manipulation power to sense if anything stirred closeby.
"Let's look for clues." Sansan said.
It took the remainder of the day but they found close to nothing. Someone had dropped a sword. Maybe one of the others, maybe someone who'd come looking for them. It was hard to say. The two dragons had given up looking for clues long before and were busy playing in the woods under the guise of practicing their powers. 
"Let's leave a message and head to town." Deux finally suggested, "This is no place to spend the night."
Sansan shivered and had to agree that sleeping in a warm bed would be better than camping out in the middle of winter. She raised her wand and quickly scribbled a note across the spire.
"For those who come after us: We're safe. Sansan and Deux."
Deux looked at her, not knowing whether to be impressed or disapproving about her defiling the wall.
"They called it graphiti at the Refugium." Sansan shrugged, "It can be a form of art."
When they appeared into town, people dropped their things but none went running. Both Sansan and Deux were astonished by the lack of response. That is until they reached the castle and got word that both Eeny and Quart had returned a few weeks prior. Both had since left again, promising to search for their missing team-members. They'd left a message that they were stationed at a place called the Vella Crean should the others return to the Castle before them.
"So what now?" Sansan asked.
"We go explore the Vella Crean." Tana said.
"We go find them." Uji said simultaneously.
"We leave a message we can be found at the Refugium and that we shall return to Edenburght every Thursday from now on." Deux amended.
"Fine." Uji sighed, "Be responsible."
"Works for me." Tana shrugged and did a little loop in the air.
"Seems like a good idea." Sansan agreed.