|
to Goldwing's Page
STATS
Name: Goldwing
Gender: Male
Species: Dragon Whorling
Description: Goldwing has an orange-yellow skin that seems to be alive
like some kind of fire or magma. He has two sets of golden wings and a row
of white horns from the top of his head to the base of his neck.
Personality wise Goldwing is adventurous and bold. He's impulsive and
likes to dive headfirst into trouble.
Place of Origin: Nexus Forum Birthday Gift
STORY:
A Tale of Disgruntled Beasts
Lahaurtith twitched her faintly glowing blue-with-green-swirled tail
around and felt absolutely horrified. The cavern she'd been given was
stony and bare. Of course it had the bare necessities but nothing that
suggested they were happy to have her here. She'd been swayed by other
dragons to come to Lantessama Isle at the Wyld Hunting parties over at
Mythicalae but she would have thought twice if she'd known this is where
she'd end up.
"Why did
I ever come here?"
she said, sounding annoyingly pathetic.
Suddenly, a golden speck of light flew in from above. Goldwing had heard
Lahaurtith's plight and was dissatisfied himself. His orange-yellow skin
was annoyingly bright and noticeable and there were far too many people
about the isle who wanted to make sure he kept out of trouble. But
Goldwing liked trouble. In fact he loved the thrill it brought. When he'd
first gotten to Lantessama things had been okay. Mischief had been
tolerated to some extent. But after those shadow dragons took it too far
the policing had grown unbearable.
"I'd like
to get out of
here too."
Goldwing told the dragoness as he landed on her shoulder.
"Then that
makes three
of us."
a deep baritone added as Brokade crawled in from the cavern below.
The sunset-coloured gryphon had been dozing when he'd been drawn by the
sounds of Lahaurtith entering her appointed living space. To be fair the
gryphon wasn't exactly unhappy with his living spaces nor did he feel
watched or encumbered. He had just had enough of the two other resident
gryphons. All they wanted to do was form a club or get to know each other.
Brokade was having none of it. They always came at the worst of times and
after Iced Featheryness had impressed that flurry Rys-Hathian dragon all
he'd wanted to talk about was how cute the damn thing was.
"But where
can we go?"
Lahaurtith asked, "Haven't we come here to find a human to
bond to?"
"Who says
we need to bond
a human?"
Goldwing asked mischievously.
"We can
stand for
clutches."
Brokade nodded, thinking at least Iced Featheryness was good for something
aside from annoying banter.
"Will they
just let us
go?" Lahaurtith asked.
"They'll expect
us to return. But
who says we have
to? We're free spirits."
Goldwing urged.
"Do we even know of
a clutch that would be
appropriate? Somewhere that will
be able to take us
in and where we'd actually want to
stay?" Brokade added.
"Somewhere
rich and
cultured, where
we can make
our fortune."
Lahaurtith dreamed.
"Somewhere I can
play to my
heart's content."
Goldwing added.
"Somewhere away
from other
gryphons."
Brokade sighed.
"I know
of a
place." Goldwing said, his eyes thinning to slits as a
draconic grin lit up his face with malicious glee, "I've
heard some of
the visiting
dragons and even
the Laedrys talk
about a recent struggle
with dragons
from something
called the Death
Court who want
to liberate
dragon kind from
human interference.
They believe we should
be free to do
as we
please."
Eavesdropping was about all fun Goldwing had had lately after all. And now
all his sneaking about without giving in to the urges that might have
gotten him caught was paying off.
"Where can
we find them?"
Lahaurtith asked.
"They've a hidden
base on the Vella
Crean."
"And the Laedrys is friendly with
the people at the Vella Crean,
she wouldn't be suspicious of
us venturing there to stand
for a clutch. We just won't tell her which
clutch." Brokade said.
"When can
we leave?" Lahaurtith
asked.
"Why not
right now?"
Goldwing proposed.
Goldwing is a candidate for the Vella
Crean adjacent Death
Court Clutch
HATCHING
::Welcome again, guests and friends of the Death
Court. Some of you have come seeking companionship. Some seeking
alliances. To all of you I say today is an auspicious day. We have long
fought alone against a foe who sees no harm in holding us captive. They
teach our young to be dependent on them. They saddle us, throw ropes
around us, and expect us to carry their burden. We have only ever wished
to live in peace, as free dragons. This is a wish the humans refuse to
indulge, and so we fight for our freedom. Each of you has your own reasons
for being here. None shall be required to follow our creed after today.
All we ask is that when the humans slander us, when they call us murderers
and thieves, remember that we are the Death Court not because we kill, but
because we were shaped by the death they bound us to. They sought to end
us when we no longer became of use to them. Instead, we have taken that
imperative they bred into us and turned it into our beacon of hope. We can
survive without them. We will thrive without them.::
At the conclusion of Naxi'im's speech, a great tumult went up from the
dragons of the Death Court who had squeezed into a spot in the cavern.
Some of the guests looked surprised by the sudden blast of noises. Others
looked amused.
Naxi’im settled down on his perch and turned his attention to the eggs.
It did not take long for guests and Court members alike to follow his
lead. At the first resounding crack from one of the eggs, all chatter,
mental and verbal, fell away and the full attention of all present settled
on the eggs.
Shortly into the hatching, five more eggs hatched. The hatchlings came
together, exploring their immediate surroundings before they struck out
toward the candidates.
The first to make a move was a pale yellow riddled with specks from
Asimath’s clutch. She meandered toward the candidates, taking her time
to sniff her way across the sands and examine each potential in turn.
While she weighed her options, a brown sped past her and headed up to the
collection of oddities from Lantessama.
::Lahaurtith, you dream of great things. I dream
of them too. Take me with you, wherever you go,:: the brown
hatchling said. Streaks of red, like dried blood, marked his muzzle and
limbs.
::Of course,
Cherolth.
Life is going
to be so much
more interesting
with you
around,:: the Wyld dragoness
replied.
About halfway through the hatching two eggs smashed into each other,
spilling a pair of startled hatchlings on top of each other. Both
hatchlings were green, though one was such a pale, wispy shade that she
seemed sickly, and the other was such a vibrant shade that many spectators
squinted rather than stare directly at her.
The two greens untangled themselves and split off in separate directions.
As sickly as the pale one looked, she moved with surety in her steps as
she marched straight up to the Lantessama group.
::You’re not a dragon, but you’ll do,::
the hatchling said to Brokade.
::How kind
of you, Diondolth,::
Brokade retorted. He nudged the dragoness as she cuddled up to his
side. ::You’re not
a gryphon, so
I guess you’re alright.::
Threads of conversation whipped back and forth between the Death Court
dragons in attendance. One of their own had chosen a non-dragon. Was that
normal? Did that mean they could bond anything? That was a terrifying
thought. That was why they kept their children far from the human
settlements.
And then only seven hatchlings remained by the nests, two purples, two
blues, two reds, and a green. The lighter of the two blues moved first,
angling straight toward a similarly marked green hatchling who had spent
much of the hatching waiting halfway between the nests and the hydragons.
The green and the remaining blue were the next to break away. The green
strutted up to the group from Kynn, her wings held high to show off the
odd streaks of yellow marking her dark hide. She stopped before Erebos. Or
rather, the shadow of Erebos that hovered over the ground. Tilting her
head back, she looked straight up at him.
With a sudden twist and a dive, Erebos swept down and snatched the
hatchling off the ground. A squeal of delight ricocheted off the high
walls of the cavern as he rose back into the air, tossing her playfully up
and down.
While Firmuyilth played in the air, her pale blue sibling headed over to
the Lantessama group of oddities. He sniffed first at the gryphon, and
then at the Wyldling, and then at last approached the brightest of the
contingent.
::You,:: he said. ::You’re
the one. You’re smaller than I expected.::
::Size isn’t
everything,:: Goldwing retorted. ::You’ll
see that
as you grow, Gukanth.::
When all hatchlings had bonded, the last of which to a dragon who had a
human bond and had severed his ties to her, Naxi'im stood and
proclaimed:
::Many of you came here today with memories of
betrayal and abandonment from humans. Mark this moment well. Ymeth has
long served the will of the humans, though his heart lay elsewhere. They
ignored his pain, used him against those he loved, and though we wish it
had not come at such high a price, we could not be prouder of his
accomplishments today. He stands before you a free dragon. Humans have
long walked away from dragonkind, careless of the impact, but today, we
walk away from them!::
A cry went up from the dragons of the Death Court, shaking loose dust from
the ceiling as their voices joined together in a roar of celebration. Naxi’im
let the sound wash over him, rejoicing in the fury of his Court. Then he
lowered his wings and looked down to Ymeth. The Death Court King bowed his
head to the blue dragon.
The death court dragons then chased out the small blue imperial dragon
that had been sent to them on a mission of peace stating that only when
humans had suffered as much as the dragons had that they would allow peace
to exist.
At last, it was over, and Naxi’im raised his head once more to give the
final announcements of the day.
::Congratulations one and all. It warms my heart
to see so many new links formed. Bonds that will undoubtedly stand the
test of time. Whatever path you take beyond this day, know that you stand
as friends of the Death Court. And as friends, we welcome you to share in
the celebration of such a momentous occasion.:: Naxi’im
paused as cries of excitement and roars of delight shook the stone beneath
his feet. ::My Court has worked hard to provide
for today. Outside you will find a feast befitting an army, a river cool
and swift, entertainment the likes of which you have never seen before. I
invite you, one and all, to celebrate as only we are capable!::
The tumult grew so loud that Naxi’im could scarcely hear himself think,
let alone understand the flurry of conversations whipping from mind to
mind in that moment. He lowered his wings and watched as Death Court and
visitors milled toward the exit of the cavern. The air around him sang
with joy.
Name:
|
Gukanth
|
Bonded:
|
Goldwing
|
Gender:
|
Male
|
Colour:
|
Faded
dreams blue
|
Height:
|
1’2”
(adult: 12')
|
Parents:
|
Naxi’im
and Asimath
|
Personality:
|
Happy-go-lucky,
Aggressive, Straightforward and Compliant
|
Rank:
|
Death Court dragons do not follow traditional
means of ranking. Rank in the Death Court must be earned. All hatchlings begin with
no rank and will attain a rank once they reach adulthood. Almost all Death
Court adults begin as squires.
Death Court ranks:
Squire, Charger, Knight, Knight Commander, Grand Knight
Commander, General
|
Abilities:
|
Telepathy:
the ability to speak into the mind of others no matter the
distance.
Teleportation:
the ability to travel to distant places.
Fire Breath:
the ability to ignite secretions and expel them from the throat.
Blue Fire Breath: a sticky, phlegm-like substance that
is ignited by the dragon’s fire breath prior to being spit out. This
fire burns blue and will stick to any surface it comes in contact with. It
can float on water and will reignite after being smothered if it is still
hot. It is very difficult to remove and will stain any surface that
survives contact with it.
|
DEATH
COURT MISCHIEF
Goldwing darted around the corner and jumped up hastily as some cave
critter launched an attack. Gukanth, who'd followed in behind Goldwing,
took the full brunt of the attack. But luckily he'd grown up to become a
sturdy and healthy pale blue dragon. Others at the death court had dubbed
his coloured "faded dreams blue", but Gukanth was all but faded.
He felt he was more of a "crystallised intent blue" but he was
too compliant to try and change it. Who knows, he might need to fill out
20 documents in duplicate for that and he hardly felt the need since most
places just abbreviated it to "blue" anyway.
"Watch out."
Goldwing said belatedly.
Gukanth grunted but had been able to block most of the attack with his
tail. His sharp death (dark) court stinger was already swinging in counter
attack but met air as their adversary had already withdrawn.
"I'm happy to go on an adventure with
you." Gukanth told Goldwing, "But
tell me again what we're looking for."
Gukanth had no clue and feared that he would miss a vital clue. Though he
was happy enough to follow his bond and compliant to not argue with what
Goldwing wanted, he did want to do a good job and some better instructions
would be helpful.
"I'm looking
for a secret entrance
into Naxi'im's
lair." Goldwing admitted.
"Really?" Gukanth asked, his
interest piqued.
"For real."
the whorling nodded, "I want
to get close to
the queens."
Gukanth roared with laughter, earning him a death glare from his bond.
"So you're serious?" Gukanth
asked, still wheezing.
"I am.
Even if he is
the king, he shouldn't
hoard such
pretty females.
Maybe they'll
like me if I can
get close
enough."
"I think they're pretty devoted to Naxi'im."
Gukanth offered.
"It doesn't
hurt to
try."
"Of course." Gukanth
complied though he didn't believe there would be such a thing as a secret
entrance to the throne room. Not one they could get through unseen,
anyway. But it seemed like a fun adventure. And who knows, talking to some
females (or maybe chasing some) would be a fun way to pass some
time.
Back to Lantessama
Isle
|