Battle of the Ashes Battle of the Ashes Written by Sithman91 A rumble of discord happen within the Ash Talon clan. A rivalry finally has turned hostile, and it a duel to determines the fate of that rivalry must now take place. May the best dragon win. > Read Here < Content Warnings: Blood Fighting Choking Near death Severe burns and wounds Featured Characters Patriarch Azure (patriarch) Elder Jaeger Pyrous Ryza Embira Sparkul Kintar ...and more Location(s) Warfang city, Ash Talon Estate Timeline 3016, Fourth Moon Word Count ~8,700 words Reading Time ~38 minutes Summary (Spoilers ahead!) Jaeger has finally snapped, and forces Azure to make a choice between losing face or having his daughter fight his champion. Ryza and Embira finally meet to fight and try to kill. During the fight Ryza awakens something within her, and Embira gets stronger. But who will win? Who will suffer the consequences of the results?

Aeris is an orphan from Paradise Bay, the western end of Warfang Mainland. She lives with her friends, Isa and Terra , in the home of the latter's ill mother. Aeris is a dragon of few words - none, actually - with surprising level-headedness for her age, and a gifted ability with her element of wind. In 3016, Isa convinced Aeris and Terra to fly across the east sea to the Dark Lands. Proving himself overconfident in planning and navigating, the three become lost in a storm and nearly perish. They find land which they promptly pass out on, only to wake up surrounded by dark dragons. While Isa tries to lie and trick the dark dragons into letting them go, Aeris comforts a frightened Terra. The dark dragons - deducting the children were neither spies nor ones Warfang would miss - decide to let them go free, flying them back to Warfang. Family ⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺ Unknown Lineage. Profile Name Formal Name Gender Age Born Element Element Mastery Magic Mastery Status Affiliation Aeris Aeris, daughter of Paradise Bay Feminine (she/her) 13 Year 3003 Wind Class Three (Learner) None Alive Warfang Clanless Appears in Venture to the Dark Lands Credits Created by Designed by Owned by DragonOfIceAndFire Gallery ⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺ Page written by DragonOfIceAndFire

dragon society dragons (society) Naming Conventions Dragons are as a rule named after their element in some way - for example; Glacer (Glacier - Ice) , Rayne (Rain - Water) , Scorchis (Scorch - Fire) , - with often a latin-esque suffix , i.e. -us, -ius, -cus, -is, -a, -i, -in, -er, -en. The elemental words aren't always in common tongue, so a name's meaning may not always be obvious, i.e. Isrun, Isolda, Isra ('Is' being a word for 'ice') or Lynerius, Lynis, Lynaricus ('Lyn' being a word for 'lightning) or Tordner , Tordena ('Tord(en/ner') being a word for 'thunder/thundering') . Dragon given names are always a single word, never hyphenated, and rarely an entirely unaltered word (such as Flame, or Ember). Titles such as '(Name) the First/Second/Fifth/etc.' are also very uncommon, as inherited names are altered slightly , i.e. Vitreis to Vitreus, but these titles exist in some cases as remnants of old traditions. Names with the suffix -us are considered masculine , while names with the suffix -is is considered feminine . Names ending with -e(r), or -a are more gender neutral, but leaning masculine and feminine respectively. Still, dragon names are not strictly gendered. Dragons have no surnames. For identification, dragons will introduce themselves as '(Name), (son/daughter/child) of (parent)' , i.e, Lynerius, son of Tordner . Clan dragons may use their clan name, but not as (Name) (Clan name), but as (Name) of (Clan name), i,e. Auralis of Tempest Reign. As a rule, dragons name their same-sex parent, i.e., sons naming their fathers, daughters naming their mothers, but this is not always the case. If the same-sex parent is absent, unknown, or disowned, a dragon may introduce themselves with the name of their opposite-sex parent, i.e. Terin, daughter of Grine(father). Non-binary dragons can choose which parent to name, though it will often be the parent they've introduced in the past. The main rule is consistency. If a dragon does not know their lineage, they will introduce themselves with the place they were hatched, i.e. Stryga, daughter of Warfang City . This is also the case of adopted dragons, as it is taboo to name one's adoptive parents when introducing themselves, due to them not sharing blood. This is especially taboo if the adoptive parents are clan dragons, and the adopted is not. Generally, adult dragons will not introduce themselves with their parent's name , as they will want to be recognized by their own accomplishments (not their parents') and often have titles of their own, such as rank or profession (Commander, Healer, Master, etc.) but their heritage will be included in official registry. Changing one's name is not considered a 'thing' in most dragon societies, it is viewed to be strange, or even looked down upon due to the association with dark dragons who underwent corruption, casting away their birthname to take on a new name based on their dark element. Due to dragon names not being strictly gendered, even transgender dragons will usually keep their birth name, at most only changing their suffix. Language Dragons' written language comes in the form of runes . These runes stand in for sounds, words, phrases and concepts, allowing dragons to read and write optimally. The runes are written top to bottom, right to left. Examples of runes; ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Vocabulary (The list below shows words that are not used in dragon society, and the words they are replaced with) Married = Unified Marry = Unify Marriage = Unity Engaged / Engagement (to-be married) = Betrothed / Betrothal Applies only to unities arranged by familt; there is no concept of engagement otherwise. Divorced / Divorcing = Diverged / Diverging Funeral = Wake (The list below shows words frequently used in dragon society, with synonyms that are also used) Mate = Girlfriend/Boyfriend/Partner Husband, Wife, Spouse = Unified (as noun, i.e. 'my unified' instead of 'my spouse') (The list below shows original words and their meanings, or real words and their in-universe meanings) Birthday = (day a dragon hatches from their egg) Birth = (when a dragon hatches from their egg, though when a dragon gives birth, it is to an egg) Love, Marriage, and Reproduction Dragons are usually monogamous. While commonly heterosexual, romantic and sexual relationships between dragons of the same sex/gender are so common nobody would raise a brow to it. Polyamory is unusual, but not unheard of. Dragon partners can marry and become 'Unified'. This is an official acknowledgment of partnership, and a spiritual union. Diverging (divorce) is legal, but viewed unfavorably. Unity and betrothal can be signaled by horn or tail rings. Unity Bands Unity bands are rings worn on a dragon’s head horns or around the end of their tail. They signify that a dragon is Unified to another. It is up to preference if the dragon wears the ring on their horns or tail, and which horn is also up to choice. All Unity bands display the Uniting Crest, the symbol of Unity. A Unity band may be as plain and cheap as can be, but the crest is always there. Otherwise it is not considered a Unity band. The average Unity band is made of one or two common metals, with the Uniting Crest and other (usually elemental) decor etched in. But the most well known aspect of Unity bands is the more expensive inclusion of the Enthral Crystal. This is a costly crystal that, when exposed to dragon elements and magic, absorbs it and reflects it back . This crystal glows and pulses slowly with the magic of the dragon that infused it. The crystal is extremely popular for shrines and other items of sentimental significance. While often used in jewelry, when it comes to rings it is exclusively used for Unity bands . A Unified dragon wears the ring with their Unified’s magic within it. The crystal can hold on to the magic for a century when used in rings, and for much longer in larger, intact pieces. The crystal reflects all colors of the element and/or magic within it. The magic of multiple dragons may be put in, and they will not blend. For Unity bands, however, the magic comes only from one individual each, and is either infused with element or less commonly, non-elemental magic. The more Enthral Crystal is inside the ring, the more expensive it is. In Clans and high society it is common, expected, for the full length ring to display crystal, and to be of rare metals. It is highly unusual for the Unity bands of low-class, menial workers to include Enthral Crystal or be made of rare metals. Unity bands are generally worn all the time, as is expectation. Soldiers and Guards may leave theirs in safer places, however, to prevent loss or theft of the rings. Most often, the bands are not a solid piece, but two connected pieces that can be removed and put back on, as tails and many horns don’t allow the rings to be pushed down to the desired location. Some dragons choose to have the ring halves soldered together once on the horn/tail. The rings will be shaped to fit the dragon’s horn/tail, not necessarily oval. Arranged Unity In high society, arranged Unity is common . Clans often wed members into different clans or to individuals of interest to expand their power and influence. Often, a clan's only interest is reproduction. In these cases, unity doesn't happen, instead, a contract is written that states the two dragons will reproduce once, then go their separate ways. How a clutch is divided is pre-determined in the contract. Usually, the more powerful clan takes their pick, and the other clan takes the rest. They may also have to give gifts of treasure and coin to the bigger clan, as theirs has been empowered by more 'worthy blood'. If one clan takes all the eggs, they will pay the other clan handsomely. The parent whose clan is not keeping a given egg will as an unwritten rule not be involved in that child's life, and it is taboo for either the parent or child to seek each other out. Clan members can and do unify for genuine love, but if the clan rejects their chosen partner (on account of being the wrong element, clanless, not sufficiently powerful, etc.), then said partner and any children may not be recognized as part of the clan. If the clan forbid the unity and it happens anyway, the clan member may be disowned and lose clan status. A compromise may be made, in which the clan member in question accepts reproduction contracts so as to bear children desired by the clan. Arranged unity and reproduction contracts are virtually non-existent outside of clans and high society . Among clanless children there's a stigma against 'contract egg' dragons. Eggs Dragons keep their eggs in grottoes with many other eggs. Historically, communities would have a single grotto for all their eggs, which would be protected by the community's strongest. After the Unification, this concept was used to create the Guardians, whose duty is to protect the eggs in all of Warfang. Grottoes are kept within Temples, and the eggs are closely monitored and documented. Dragon eggs are very visually distinct, so mix-ups are not a risk. Clans usually reserve sections of the grottoes for their own eggs . Grottoes are elementally enhanced - fire eggs are left among burning coals, ice eggs among freezing ice, electric eggs among lightning crystals, earth eggs among living flora, wind eggs enveloped in small 'wind pockets', and water eggs sitting in rippling water. This elemental enhancement is believed to strengthen the hatchling within, mimicking the environments dragons were initially divided into, but it's not strictly necessary. It's considered irresponsible to choose to keep an egg in one's own protection , as a few dragons can't compare to four powerful guardians and hundreds of strong Templars, nor to the magic that protects the grottoes. When dragons want to give up their eggs, it's common to leave them by a temple. While this abandonment is illegal, the Temples do not pursue an abandoned egg's parents . Abandoned eggs are sometimes adopted into other families, but most often are raised in the Temple orphanages by caretakers. Unity Rite The Unity Rite, or wedding, is a sacred ceremony that unites two dragons in the eyes of the Ancestors. For Fire, Earth, and Water dragons, this ceremony takes place before sunset. For Electricity, Ice, and Wind, it takes place after sunset. If the parties being married are mixed (such as one Fire, one Ice), it often coincides with sundown. The Rite is hosted by the family that gains a new member, as traditionally marriage is the act of one party joining another’s family. Among commoners this may not always be the case anymore, but in middle and high society, this tradition is always kept. The family usually hosts in their own homes, but if needed can rent a larger venue or hold the Rite in a place of nature, but not public spaces frequented by other dragons. At minimum, both families attend. Parents of the betrothed are a must-attend (if they are still alive and not disowned), and usually siblings and other close family attend also. In clans, Rites are attended by as many as possible, especially clan elders. Aside from family, friends of the family and friends of the betrothed may be invited if the parents of the betrothed and the family elders allow it. In Clans it is common to have semi-open doors, where other clans or individuals of note can make an unannounced appearance, as this is an opportunity to build alliances. Access to the venue is guarded to keep out undesirable visitors. All Rites are serviced by a Votary , a religious figure representing the Dragon Temples. The Votary is accompanied by several acolytes helping them with the service. For every Rite, the Votary brings a spirit gem, which is seen as a direct line to the Ancestors. It is believed this allows the Ancestors to observe the Rite. Upon arrival, the families of the betrothed will give offerings to the Ancestors, in the form of tribute that the Votary returns to the Temple. This is effectively payment for their services, and is in present day usually just Coin. In the past this was food, material, craftwork—sometimes, families who specialize in these things may still give these kinds of offerings. A family giving poor offerings is extremely frowned upon, and reflects poorly on the marriage’s longevity and quality, It’s not uncommon for guests to make offerings too, with significantly less pressure to give much. As these offerings are given, they are placed by the spirit gem, and the dragon giving them may touch the gem and pray to the Ancestors on behalf of the betrothed. Good fertility is almost always asked for. Once the Offerings are concluded, the acolytes carry out the offerings to be taken to the Temple, and the Oath may begin. Oath The Votary summons the betrothed to stand in front of the spirit gem. At this point, the betrothed are seeing each other for the first time that day. The betrothed may touch the spirit gem and say a silent, brief prayer if they so wish. The Votary will then read the rites, to which the betrothed will answer ‘I shall’. There are a number of different rites to choose from, depending on the couple’s priorities. In arranged unities especially, the Rite of Bloodlines is most often chosen, where the highest priority is reproduction. The Votary will then tie a long, vibrantly red ribbon around the ends of the united’s tails, tying them together. The knot is loose, representing blood (in the genetic sense, the union and continuation of two bloodlines) and sex. The united are to wear this knot until consummation. It is believed that if the knot falls off before this, the ‘first night’ will not produce offspring. Dance Immediately after the Oath, the newly united take to the floor and perform a dance with their tails still tied. This dance is generally very calm, deliberate, and brief. Each family has a different dance. At the conclusion of the dance, romantic uniteds often kiss. For contracted marriages, this may not happen, and is not expected to. Gifts Now One, the uniteds sit and are given offerings from their guests. Unlike offerings for the Temples, these offerings are often not simple coin, but useful gifts for the new couple. Clothes, armor, trinkets, jewelry, decor, utensils, alcohol, food, etc. Each family attending is expected to give something, at the very least coin. Attending without giving a gift is another faux pas. Families usually give one large/valuable gift, rather than each member giving something small. The same is common for friends. Celebration After the gifts have been given, it is time for food, drink, and mingling. This can last many hours. Guests may dance, interact with the newly united, or visit the Votary and/or the spirit gem. At some point, the newly united will take flight to nest (this is where many lose the red ribbon). Guests and family may stay for a while longer, but the united will not return. Some time after the united leave, the Votary and their acolytes also will, and that marks the end of the Rite. Guests will return home. Unity Bands Usually, Unity Bands are prepared and ready for the day of the Rite, but they will only be worn after consummation, usually starting the morning after. Attire For the wedding, guests may wear anything formal that isn't mostly white. The unifieds will wear formal attire that is all white , though small details like jewelry, and leather, may be pale colored instead. Armor and fabric must be all-white, without gradients, markings, or sigils. Unity Rite attire must have no emblems or clan insignias, but can and should depict holy sigils. While formal armor may be worn, it should only be a few pieces (not full armor), without weapons like blades and no head piece. Votary The Votary are religious figures who forsake family and pleasures to serve the Ancestors as part of the Ancestral Order . They are a part of the Temples, and spend a long time as acolytes serving Votaries, before they are deemed eligible to take their oath. Ascension is not guaranteed. Votaries are abstinent, living in special Temple-adjacent housing where they sleep, eat, study, and pray in-between their duties. Votaries are the only ones who can officiate weddings, and are nearly always present at Wakes. They are often called to be beside a dragon at their deathbed as well, as a comfort. Votaries are accompanied in their duties by one or more acolytes, who assist them in their duties. Acolytes have not taken the oath, but must live by it if they want to become Votaries. Votaries wear all-white attire, except during weddings and wakes, where they wear all-black. Acolytes wear all-grey. Outside of weddings and wakes, wherein Votaries will bring a spirit gem from the Temples, they will wear a piece of a spirit gem around their neck whenever they are working. Votaries can be any gender, any element, and come from any social or economic class. The Ancestral Order seeks only a calm, professional presence, and devotion to the oath and Ancestors. Becoming a Votary is a very high honor, but leaving the order or breaking the oath is an equally severe offense. Because reproduction is culturally significant for dragons, and Votaries are expected to be celibate, the Ancestral Order is hestant to accept dragons who have not yet had children. Temple Orphanages The temples run orphanages for abandoned/orphaned eggs and children. Not every child is lucky enough to be left at a temple, and may be raised in the streets, fed pity-scraps, or used by criminals. Guards may seize these children and hand them to a Temple. Particularly cruel guards may chase them from the city or at worst kill them, as if they are vermin. Dragons raised in the Temples have little more than a roof over their heads and bland food to eat. They must earn their keep from a young age, and receive no formal education beyond what the caretakers teach. Orphaned eggs and children may be adopted by families coming to visit the Temples, but most grow up there. The temples keep abandoned children until age 18, when they will leave early for the military, provided they continue to work and participate in raising other, younger children. Children who refuse will be left on their own as early as 12 years old, and they will have to find employment. Many of these children turn to crime for lack of other options, and may find themselves reaching adulthood in a cell - provided they do not lose their lives in the streets, due to other criminals, or guards. Currency After the Unification, the trade of items soon turned into items and labor for currency, and trade of currency for labor and items. Warfang uses a currency consisting of six different coins. These coins are made with metal alloys. These alloys cannot be created naturally - they are bound through spells, and these spells are unknown to the public to prevent counterfeits. When these alloys are made to become coins, they are left with a 'magic signature', the mark a dragon leaves with their magic. This signature is used to verify the legitimacy of each individual coin if they are suspected to be counterfeit. Warfang maintains a complete list of all dragons who have bound these alloys, as well as samples of their signature for comparison. A magic signature cannot be faked. One needs at least a magic mastery of Practiced to be able to reliably read a dragon's magic signature (and likewise, Experienced to read element signature). Some dragons make their living around verifying the legitimacy of coins used in high-society trade. As of the fourth millennium, there are 6 different coins in circulation. Left to right: The coin with the smallest worth is in a blue-green metal alloy called Necryte . It is referred to as simply 'coin', and has a worth of one. 'One coin'. The second coin is also of Necryte, but is partially of another alloy called Steel Silver. It is worth five coin. The third coin is a Denar, worth 10 coin. It is made entirely of Steel Silver. Fourth coin is primarily made of Steel Silver, and partially of 'Herculeain Gold', a gold alloy that is virtually impossible to destroy. This coin is worth 100 coin. Fifth coin is almost entirely Herculeain Gold, with a speck of Steel Silver. This one is worth 250 coin., often referred to as a mark. 'One mark, four marks'. Last coin is made entirely of Herculeain Gold. It is the largest coin, worth 1000 coin. It is often simply referred to as 'Herculeain coin' or 'crown'. O ne usually only sees Herculeain Gold coins in high society. The average dragon's only necessities is food and a place to sleep. As such. Most 'low class' occupations yield around 15-20 coins per day, provided the dragon works much of the day. Feeding an adult dragon costs about 15 coins per day, or 660 a month, if they only buy food. Examples of prices 1 snow apple = 3 coin 1 loaf of bread = 2 coin 1 bush of plum grapes = 2 coin 1 serving of meat = 4 coin 1 Roothoof carcass = 20 coin 1 floor of a standard city tower (small enough for 1-2 dragons to sleep and keep a few belongings) = 500 coin (with annual property tax of 100 coin) 1 full armor set = 250 to 2,000+ coin (low to high quality metals, metalwork, tailoring) First 5 years of temple schooling = 5,000 coin annually Years 6-14 = 7,500 coin annually Years 15-18 = 10,000 coin annually (Schooling fee is 15% less for active soldiers/guards, 25% less for soldiers/guards who perished in service before their tenth year of voluntary service, and completely waived for those that served at minimum total of 12 years and then died in the line of duty) Examples of wages Soldier (first 2 years) = 5 coin daily (housing provided. During deployments, housing and food are provided) Soldier (after first 2 years)/Guard = 15 coin daily, plus monthly bonuses for time in grade and other bonuses Lieutenant/Captain = 50 coin daily, plus monthly bonuses for time in grade and other bonuses Commander = 100 coin daily, plus monthly bonuses for time in grade and other bonuses General/Chief = 300 daily, plus monthly bonuses for time in grade and other bonuses Guardian = 150 coin daily Elder Guardian = 400 coin daily Master of Education = 50 coin daily, plus any bonuses Architecture Dragons build their structures in circular and curved shapes. Only in cities have rectangular shapes started appearing for the purpose of utilizing as much space as possible, but the vast majority of dragon-made structures are circular or at least curved, with dome rooftops. Even their doors and windows follow this same principle. Dragons never build with wood, only stone and other ideal minerals. Their structures must be element resistant, hence the aversion to wood, but things such as bookshelves and other furniture may be made with wood instead of stone or metal. Death When a dragon dies, a wake is held for them. Family and friends gather to see the deceased 'return to their element'. While individual families deviate somewhat in practice and may have additional traditions, the death of a dragon is most often handled as such; Fire and electric dragons are placed on pyres (fire dragon pyres will often have obsidian or igneous rocks present, while electric dragons have lightning crystals and metals), and the deceased's eldest child (or other closest relative) is the first to light the pyre ablaze with their element. The rest of the family then contributes. Similarly, ice and earth dragons bury their dead (no coffin or preservative measures - dragons want their remains to reunite with nature one way or the other, as this is thought to be how dragons join the Ancestors after death). While ice dragons will bury their dead with ice, they are buried where they can soon thaw and decompose. Wind dragons may choose to burn or bury their dead, while water dragons prefer burials at sea. When there are ashes remaining of a deceased, they are not kept. They are gathered and spread in an environment suited to the deceased's element - families will often go to the same specific place for this, as with burials. Families may instead keep noteworthy belongings of their departed, such as a soldier's helmet, a unity ring, etc. These will be placed on the dragon's shrine . After the wake (including the spreading of ashes, if any) is complete, a shrine is created for the dragon if possible. Shrines have, at minimum, a plate of stone or metal (or other material, usually families stick to the same material) with the name of the deceased engraved, along with their hatch and death year. These can be small enough to fit in one's paw, but dragons that can afford it will go further. Clans typically have an entire building dedicated to their shrines (which may come with life-sized statues), with the individual shrines listing the deceased's accomplishments and immediate relations, as well as their most valued or noteworthy possessions. These shrines are kept pristine and are visited frequently. If, for whatever reason, a shrine can no longer be kept, it must be destroyed. Metals must be melted, stone must be pulverized - this is due to the belief that shrines must be respected, and the neglect of a shrine is far worse than not having a shrine at all. While shrines are a way to honor a dragon, they aren't tied to a dragon's believed ascension to the Ancestors. It is often enough to have a wake. It can be distressing to a family to not have a body to perform a wake for, so in the event a body is unrecoverable, a wake will still be held, using a belonging of the deceased, such as a cape they'd wore, or a recovered piece of armor. Holidays & Special Days New Year Jubilation / Summer Solstice Celebrated on the very end of the year, the New Year Jubilation celebrates the end of the current year and the beginning of the next, as well as the anniversary of the Unification, and the Summer Solstice (northern hemisphere) which coincides the same week or day (One year it lands on the 1st, next year on the 2nd, the n 3rd, then 4th, then wraps back around). The New Year Jubilation is a holiday. It is celebrated on a national scale, meaning many occupations as well as Temple schools will take the day off. Cities and towns will be decorated to celebrate the Unification and appreciate the unity between the natural elements. There are parades, games, and competitions in the day and private festivities in the evening. If the Summer Solstice does not fall on the 1st, there is generally not a celebration on the day that it does. Winter Solstice For the northern hemispher e, the Winter Solstice falls in the middle of the Fifth Moon, day varying by year. The southern hemisphere has their Summer Solstice on the same day, but due to Warfa ng mainland being in the northern hemisphere, the Winter Solstice is the usual name of this special day . This day marks the beginning of winter, and every Winter Solstice, the Temple schools host an event for its students. For the students between Year One and Year Ten, these are social gatherings with food, entertainment, and games. For Year Eleven up to Year Eighteen, the highlight of the evening is the Solstice Dance. Leading up to the Solstice, students may approach other students to ask them to be their date for the event, and they will dance together at the height of the evening. While one may dance with a friend or a relative, many students wait eagerly for this day to explore their romantic interests. Attendance is obligatory, but dance participation is not. The Winter Solstice is also an excuse for high society to mingle. Gatherings will be hosted worldwide, with drinks and entertainment for its guests. Masquerades are popular for the Winter Solstice. Day of Remembrance / Remembrance Eve 1st Day of the Eighth Moon. Remembrance Day is a holiday dedicated to the Ancestors and the recently departed. In the early morning, shrines of loved ones will be visited. They will have been cleaned the night prior. Incense and candles will be lit, and words and prayers may be spoken to the shrines. Each family member will offer something to the family shrine. Children may leave trinkets they'd made at school the days prior, or some flowers they picked. Adult dragons will generally buy or commission some kind of decoration or utility for the shrine, or make it if they can do it well. Among the clans and rich, these will often be of expensive materials, and even the clan youth and children will be pressured to offer something of value. Clans may, before Remembrance Day, arrange expeditions for clan youth to attain something rare or uncommon, to put effort into their offerings as they lack the coin to buy something expensive. While offerings can be given to the shrine, or specific shrines, every day of the year, Remembrance Day offerings are given to the family shrine as a whole, not any individual's shrine. The offerings will be distributed by the family elders. Some families will distribute evenly, others will be biased. It's not uncommon for clan leader shrines in particular to be overflowing with offerings on Remembrance Day. If food is offered, it must stay until the next day before it can be eaten by the living. Flowers will be removed just as they start to wilt. Offerings need not be given every year, but in big, wealthy, and/or clan families, a rich, impressive shrine is extremely important for appearances, and they will do the ritual every year. Remembrance Day ends with a feast before the evening, as everyone will have fasted up until this point. Once night falls, Remembrance Eve begins. This is seen as an informal part of Remembrance Day and is frowned upon by those traditional. As a day dedicated to death and the deceased, children and young dragons may celebrate it further by adorning costumes and makeup, turning them into depictions of the macabre and 'evil'. They'll take the appearance of skeletons, corpses, the wounded, the sick, dragon-eating creatures, dark dragons, cheetahs, apes, spirits, ghosts, and imaginary monsters. Liberties are often taken to allow for colorful and stylistic designs - glowing paint is popular. Some costumes may not be a depiction of death at all; it has become commonplace particularly for older children and young adults to depict themselves as something abstract and appealing. Costumes don't depict an occupation, particularly as it would be frowned upon to dress as a Guardian, Templar, Soldier, Guard, etc. Cities and towns will have festivals and parades where dragons in their costumes can frolic the streets, sending up colorful displays of elemental fireworks. Music will be played, and performers will follow. Thematic food will be sold by vendors. The parade and festival will have been pre-approved by the city/town, and Guard presence will be heavy. Young dragons like to make a game out of pranking Guards but this can often go poorly. Besides the parade, there may be private parties, competitions, and games. In high society, it's frowned upon to participate in the dress-up, parade, and the festival. It is viewed as a commoner's event. High society has their own events for Remembrance Eve; usually masquerade parties. Make-up and body paint may be used but only in flattering ways, no macabre depictions. It's not too unusual for high society children to make themselves unrecognizable in paint and a costume and attend the festival anyway, as the high society events are much more dull. Week of Aether The Week of Aether is also known as The Week of Elements . It is in the first week of the Third Moon. It is a week long, city-hosted festival celebrating each element, marked by element-based performances and competitions with big prizes. On the first day, Day Draco, the festival starts. There is food and general entertainment, and anyone can sign up for the week's competitions. The next day, Day Ignis, is the day for Fire. Banners and decoration are changed into the standard colors of fire and depicts fire and fire imagery. Non-fire dragons may paint and decorate themselves so they look like fire dragons. More formal dragons will dress in appropriate colors. This pattern is reflected for each day of the festival; Electricity for Day Fulgur, Ice for Day Glacies, Earth for Day Solum, Wind for Day Ventus, Water for Day Aqua. The Week of Aether is a tradition dating back to not long after the Unification, a festival created by the nation of Warfang in an attempt to better relations between dragons of different elements who were now living together. The festival allowed dragons to expose each other to their different elements outside of conflict, encouraging appreciation and understanding. The Week of Aether is culturally significant and important to all economic classes, the Temple Schools will even close for the whole week. Masters and even Elementals may be encouraged to appear and demonstrate their elements. Winning high-end competitions may open many doors to a dragon, such as a marriage invitation into a clan.

Minor characters Minor Characters

Top professions and trade Professions and trade Contents: Guardians Military Service/Warfang Guard Warfang Army Unique roles Templars Civilian Occupations School Guardians The concept of Guardians stems from dragons' historical communal protection of eggs. Dragons would leave their eggs in grottoes protected by their community’s most powerful. After the Unification , the Guardians were created, a group of four powerful dragons with one of each primordial element. Guardians go through extensive elemental training, and have high mastery. Guardians have an unspoken authority as hands of the Warfang Council—they are looked to for guidance from the people, and can even command/dismiss guards, captains, soldiers, and lieutenants in the absence of their superiors, and fully command the Templars. There is a group of Guardians in Warfang City, Titan Fields, and Concurrent Skies. There are also the Elder Guardians . History In the beginning of the empire of Warfang, there was only one set of Guardians who, on top of guarding the eggs of dragonkind, was also its leaders. Before portals, it was too dangerous for dragons on other continents to bring their eggs across the sea, so new groups of Guardians were made from the would-be successors of the original Guardians. These new Guardians were to be ruled by the original Guardians. When the original Guardians found themselves unable to handle their Guardian duties as well as their leadership duties, they once again parted with their successors, who would from then on guard the eggs of Warfang mainland, while the original Guardians became the Elder Guardians —the heads of the new Warfang Council, the leadership of Warfang alongside the four most prominent families, one of each primordial element. This system continues to date. Apprentices and Succession When the time comes to prepare for a Guardian to step down, the other Guardians of that same element will select apprentices. These can in theory be any dragon of the given element— a retired Commander, a dragon finishing their military service, a child studying at the temple, or even a child raised in the streets. It only depends if they meet the criteria to be Guardian; relatively high elemental mastery (for their age), the potential for future high mastery, and the drive and desire to be Guardian out of a good-natured wish to protect and guide the children of the future. Each Guardian of the given element may select 5 to 15 apprentices. These apprentices can be from any walk of life, clan dragons and clanless alike, however, most potential apprentices presented to them are from clans, due to Guardians' position in high society, and the resources clans possess to train their children. These apprentices needn't all be selected at once. The Guardian will meet their apprentices frequently to get to know them and train them. During this process they will judge who are and who aren't cut for the job. Due to difference in age, some apprentices will be more powerful than younger ones—however age is taken into account. If an older apprentice is more powerful than a young apprentice, the older one may still be dropped in favor of the younger if the younger has the potential to be more powerful when the same age, and/or if their drive and nature are stronger. Younger apprentices can also remain Guardians for longer. After a few years (this varies), all the Guardians of the relevant element will present their remaining apprentices (about 1 to 4) to the Elder Guardians. The Elder Guardian of the relevant element will then take over and start training the apprentices. Once they have grown familiar with the apprentices, the Elder Guardians will send home many who don't make the cut, until around five apprentices are left. This can take years. When there are only a handful apprentices left, personality and drive are no longer a question, only mastery and potential. The remaining apprentices become fully devoted to their training—this is now a full-time occupation. They will barely have time for other things—they train every day, for most of the day. If the apprentice has a previous occupation or study, they must abandon it. Once an apprentice can no longer keep up with the rest, they are sent home permanently. This continues until only one apprentice is left. This apprentice then becomes future Guardian, and they gain additional training to prepare them for the job. Apprentices rejected based on their motivation or personality (i.e. wanting to become Guardian for the power, or not seeming willing to die protecting the egg grottoes) will be rejected from becoming apprentices again. Few exceptions are made. Apprentices rejected based on another simply being more powerful may be accepted again, and will go through the process over again. Duty Guardians cannot prioritize anything above their duty. They cannot be clan leaders while they are Guardians (if they are clanless upon achieving Guardianhood and want a clan, someone else in their immediate family must be named leader—but the Guardian themselves cannot take orders from the clan leader), and while they may have children, they must be able to choose duty over their own offspring. Guardians live in the temple they are assigned to and have their own quarters in the egg grottoes. On certain days they will train temple students, though this is occasional. While the grottoes are closed for visitors, the Guardians will check on the eggs, to ensure they are healthy and be alert of when they may hatch. During the days/hours visitors are allowed, Guardians stand by to defend the eggs—though due to the strict rules of who are allowed in and where they are allowed, threats to eggs from visitors are few are far between. It is mainly Templars who allow visitors in and escort them to and from their eggs/grottoes. When an egg is on the verge of hatching, its parents and family will be alerted, and they will be allowed into a separate room too be present for the birth, both outside and inside visiting hours. A Master of Healing is on standby should complications arise. Once the hatchling is freed from its egg and all is well, the family takes it home. When Guardians have free time outside of visiting hours, they may train their element, visit family or friends, or attend formal gatherings related to their duties, etc., however, at least two Guardians must be near the grottoes at all times. Remaining Guardians may enjoy personal company in their quarters or around the temple, read/write, or rest with intermittent patrols of the grottoes. Interim Guardians Sometimes a Guardian dies abruptly before they retire, or something happens to them leaving them suddenly unable to do their duty. A temple can go a short time with only three Guardians, if waiting for a final apprentice to finish their training, but usually an Interim Guardian is selected. An Interim Guardian is a dragon temporarily filling the role of the former Guardian until a trained successor can take their place. Interim Guardians are often the last apprentice in a selection to be sent home, as they possess the qualities of a Guardian as well as most of the training. Interim Guardians can in theory be anyone strong and worthy enough, but their nature and abilities must be well known to the public, and the remaining Guardians and the Elder Guardians must approve. Once a successor is ready, the Interim Guardian must step down, but the position itself is still honorable. Militay Servce Military Service Every able-bodied dragon has a responsibility of military service. Warfang has many ongoing wars, and a constant need for soldiers. When a dragon is around 24 years old, they're called in for service. The mandatory service period is two years, plus a three month training period. Warfang Guard Strength: ~50,000 The Warfang Guard is considered part of the military. Recruits in training have two paths: Guard, and Soldier. Becoming a Guard is attractive to many, as it means a significantly smaller chance to end up in combat. Guards are sent to all Warfang settlements, where they enforce Warfang's laws, keep the peace, and are the first line of defense if a settlement is attacked. In theory. In reality, the Warfang Guard is known to be corrupt. Because most dragons don’t want to be sent to war, the Guard gets the most applicants. Many have to be turned away and sent to the army. Officially, selection into the guard is based on performance and suitable personality as a recruit. What’s painfully evident however, is that wealth is the answer. Dragons from rich families and clans make up the bulk of the Guard’s higher ranks. As such, they select other rich dragons into the guard—often because their clans don’t want their children to die in the wars (this may force dragons into the guard, even if they wanted to be noble and serve as a soldier). Otherwise they may be bribed, but they are greedy. If the bribe is too small, they arrest you for the crime of bribery. The Guard has a habit of looking the other way when it comes to clan dragons, especially if any victims aren’t in clans nor sufficiently rich. The Guard is respected by high society, and despised by the rest. The Warfang Guard is divided into five Sectors, each commanded by a Chief, who answers to the Head Chief, Chief Isrun, the Frostspear Matriarch—who in turn answers to the Warfang Council. Warfang City is an entire sector to itself, and is divided into Districts, which are led by Commanders, with multiple Captains each commanding and organizing Patrols of Guards. The other four Sectors are divided similarly, but covering multiple settlements. A small settlement may have only a Captain and a handful of Guards, or a single Captain presiding over multiple small settlements. Sector One is Warfang City. 15 districts, each with 10 to 20 patrols. Sector Two is the rest of Warfang mainland. 25 districts, each with 15 to 30 patrols. Sector Three is Titan Fields. 25 districts, each with 15 to 25 patrols. Sector Four is Concurrent Skies. 25 districts, each with 20 to 30 patrols. Sector Five is Agni Flats. 10 districts, each with 10 to 20 patrols. The Warfang Guard requires some armor; a headpiece, neck protection, and a collar displaying the Guard insignia and rank. Greaves may be used, but are not paid for by the Guard. Guards do not wear full armor, but may change into more armor if needed (and if they have it). The headpiece is mandatory for Guards, but not for Captains, Commanders, or Chiefs. Becoming a Captain takes 10-20 years of service to be eligible, and becoming a Commander can take as much as 40 years. For many, the rank of Commander is the ceiling. When an existing Chief retires or dies, a new one is chosen from existing senior commanders. Unique roles Like the Army, the Guard also has unique roles in their ranks. The standard role of the Guard is to patrol the streets and ward against crimes, investigate and arrest when crimes do occur, and protect settlements and cities. Other roles include; Investigator Investigators are called to crime scenes and are tasked with finding out what happened, how it happened, and who is responsible. They'll take statements from witnesses and victims and build a profile on the perpetrator to track them down. Investigators are usually only called where a deeper look is needed. If someone was pickpocketed in the markets, regular guards will just make note and report it. Investigators are called where there is a crime scene and standard Guards can't take the time or are able to gather necessary information. Most of the time, Investigators will find what clues there are and speak to who they can, but if there were no witnesses or suspects then the case is reported and shelved with the intent to bring it back if another perpetrator is believed to be the same. When it comes to clans and higher society, Investigators are often pushed much further due to there being more coin at stake, or the crime has been especially grievous. While there is no way for a dragon to detect and compare DNA, Investigators are trained to be sensitive to magic, and are able to detect any elements that may have been used recently, or detect if spells have been used. Intelligence Intelligence Guards rarely take to the streets, keeping to their offices where they hoard information on citizens and criminals alike. They sort and compare reports and cases, and keep track of all the inner workings of their sector—including that of organized crime. In short, if there's any information the Guard might need, their intelligence offices either have it, or they have a parchment that confirms they don't have it. When more information is needed on something, Intelligence Guards find it. They may even work undercover, pay off criminals, or hire criminals to attain this information—with their Commander's approval. There are different levels of confidentiality to the information the Guard stores, and any given Intelligence Guard cannot access any or them all. Privacy is not a concern, but information leaks are, especially when it comes to information pertaining to clans or high-profile individuals. Mid-level confidentiality information can only be accessed by a handful of Captains in Intelligence, higher levels have to be attained by the sector's Commander of Intelligence, and the highest level of confidentiality has to be retrieved by the Chief of the Sector. All information is stored in vaults with Master-level enchantments, with copies at different locations. Wardens Sometimes crimes do not warrant execution, but also require more than immediate physical/financial punishment, or criminals need to remain detained during investigation, especially if they are facing execution. In these situations, there are dungeons guarded full-time by special guards, wardens . Wardens are in charge of guarding prisoners, sentenced or otherwise, transporting them to and from cells, and delivering them food. This is an assignment, and a guard may be in this role for a year or more until they can be considered for a change, but it's also a role someone can stay in their whole career. There is very little opportunity for promotion in this role however. There are dungeons in all major cities, then a few outside the cities for all other settlements in the sector, making less than ten dungeons in each sector. Most are commanded by a single Captain, who reports to the Commander of that district. Sanctuary Wardens A special group of Wardens are the Sanctuary Wardens . These have the same duties as regular Wardens, but they guard only one place; Sanctuary, the home of dark dragons on Warfang land. Becoming a Warden for Sanctuary is highly selective. Firstly, they can only be ice dragons, due to the extremely low temperatures and the deadly, eternal blizzard that surrounds the Sanctuary island (a result of an ancient Elemental's suicide fury). Recruits for Sanctuary are thoroughly assessed. They cannot have 'misplaced' sympathy for dark dragons, they must be able to follow orders no matter what, and they must have at least Skilled elemental mastery, usually higher. Sanctuary Wardens are often compared to Templars as a result. The Sanctuary Commander has always been a Frostspear, as have many of its Captains and many of the Guards. No one knows exactly what happens on Sanctuary, as its wardens are bound by strict orders of non-disclosure. The promotion rate of Sanctuary Wardens are virtually stagnant, with promotions only happening if a Captain or the Commander resigns from the role or from the Guard. If this happens, another Sanctuary Warden is selected for promotion. Due to the slow rate of promotions, and the 'inherent danger' of working with dark dragons, Sanctuary Wardens have a high bonus to their salary. Executioners Due to the costs of incarceration, most grievous crimes are punished by execution. For this, the Guard has a special role, executioner . This is not a full time role, but an addition to the standard Guard or Warden role. The role of executioner is applied for, and executioners are chosen with selectiveness that varies depending on demand and competition. It gives a Guard a bonus to their salary, on account of the dangers of being an executioner, as associates and families of the executed may target the executioner. Maintaining anonymity is difficult for dragons, as they have so many varying identifiable qualities. This makes Executioner an undesirable role for many, and the salary bonus of executioners rise and fall with demand. Most executions are not public anymore, unless there is an example to be made. Commanders and Chiefs cannot be Executioners, and promotion into these ranks removes the role of Executioner. Warfang Army Unque Roles Warfang Army Strength: ~150,000 While not unpleasantly corrupt, the Army is a better place if you're from a clan. Clan status and connections can help steer you into a non-combat role, such as navigator, scout, hunter, messenger, etc. For those that embrace combat, clan status may lead to easier promotions. Overall, however, the Army tends to humble a dragon. A soldier can be clanless or from a clan, but both are the same rank. Riches mean nothing on a battlefield, something that's beat into you during training. Your superiors must be obeyed, even if they're from a 'lesser' clan, or clanless. Disrespecting chain of command is extremely frowned upon, and being kicked out of the Army is a shame for any dragon regardless of status. Disobeying orders can lead to a prison sentence. Armor The Warfang Army does not pay for their soldiers' armor. Armor must be paid for by the soldier or their family/clan. This is expensive, and often a dragon chooses only pieces for their vital areas rather than full armor. Clan dragons are generally recognized by having complete armor—particularly colored armor displaying clan crests. Many soldiers have to make do with their natural defenses. Organization Similar to the Guard, the Army is divided into 20 Divisions , each commanded by a General. All twenty Generals answer to the Army General, Tordner of Stormbringer, who in turn answers to the Warfang Council. Each division is divided into several Regiments, each under a Commander, Regiments are then divided into Platoons, commanded by Lieutenants. Not all Lieutenants have command positions. First Division through Twentieth Division are commanded by Generals, all of which are commanded by General Tordner, as such there are only twenty-one Generals. 1st Regiment through 246th Regiment are commanded by Commanders. There are only 246 Commanders in the Army. Each Division has 10 to 13 Commanders and Regiments (1st Regiment. 3rd Regiment, 45th Regiment, etc.) First Division has the 1st Regiment through the 12th Regiment, Second Division has the 13th Regiment through the 24th Regiment, and so on. Each Regiment has Infantry Platoons, a Scout Platoon, a Hunter Platoon, a Healer Platoon, and Logistics Platoons. Logistics Platoons include navigators, scribes, and messengers. Platoons are named according to their function, such as 1st Infantry Platoon, 1st Healer Platoon, 30th Logistics Platoon, 50th Scout Platoon, etc. A Soldier's full assignment could go as follows; Third Division, 30th Regiment, 30th Healer Platoon. Usually, they will only give their Regiment if inquired. "Soldier (name) of the 30th Regiment." The Headquarters of all twenty Divisions is in the Army Fort in Warfang City, but every Division can be deployed anywhere in the realm. First Division, commanded by General Tormer of Stormbringer 1st Regiment through 12th Regiment First Division, 1st Regiment is commanded by Commander Lynerius of Stormbringer Commander Lynerius' squire is Lieutenant Raii 4 Regiment Lieutenants 1st Infantry Platoon through 13th Infantry Platoon ~455 Infantry (13 Lieutenants) 1st Healer Platoon through 3rd Healer Platoon ~90 Healers (3 Lieutenants) 1st Hunter Platoon through 5th Hunter Platoon ~75 Hunters (5 Lieutenants) 1st Scout Platoon ~30 Scouts (1 Lieutenant) 1st Logistics Platoon ~15 Messengers, ~10 Navigators, ~10 Scribes (3 Lieutenants) 1st through 4th Guard Platoon ~80 Guards (4 Lieutenants) ~770 soldiers (32 Lieutenants) Second Division 13th Regiment through 24th Regiment Third Division 25th Regiment through 36th Regiment Fourth Division 37th Regiment through 49th Regiment Fifth Division 50th Regiment through 63rd Regiment Sixth Division 64th Regiment through 75th Regiment Seventh Division 76th Regiment through 86th Regiment Eighth Division 87th Regiment through 99th Regiment Ninth Division 100th Regiment through 110th Regiment Tenth Division 111th Regiment through 124th Regiment Eleventh Division 125th Regiment through 136th Regiment Twelfth Division 137th Regiment through 149th Regiment Thirteenth Division 150th Regiment through 161st Regiment Fourteenth Division 162th Regiment through 175th Regiment Fifteenth Division 176th Regiment through 187th Regiment Sixteenth Division 188th Regiment through 199th Regiment Seventeenth Division 200th Regiment through 210th Regiment Eighteenth Division 211th Regiment through 222nd Regiment Nineteenth Division 223rd Regiment through 233rd Regiment Twentieth Division 234th Regiment through 245th Regiment This division is dedicated to the training of recruits Rank In the Army, rank is attained through years of service, combat ability, and command potential. Lieutenant requires 10-15 years of service, Commander requires at least 35 years, and General is a minimum of 50 years. Attaining rank is a competitive process and not a guarantee of long service. Some clans will pay their children out of military service altogether, by ‘giving their worth in coin’. This is legal, and helps fund the war effort. Naturally, this price is too much for most families to pay. Unique roles Not every soldier's primary job is to fight. Below is a list of roles a soldier may take. In formal titles, this role will replace rank, i.e. "Scout Ignis'." These roles may have soldiers and lieutenants, but not commanders. Vitrually all new recruits serve two or more years in Infantry, as special roles tend to be filled by career soldiers. Hunter When deployed, divisions and/or regiments need food. While supplies are brought along, rations are kept as last resorts. Hunters take down large prey and forage for edible fruits, vegetables, and roots. This is a full-time job during deployment, and a vital one, so hunters do not participate in combat unless necessary. Hunters are extensively taught to identify what's edible and what's toxic, as well as how to take down certain prey and what to watch out for (such as magic-draining leeches, or acid spitters). Every regiment must have at least 5% of its total number be hunters, which can be split into groups, each with a senior (often a Lieutenant) hunter designated as Lead Hunter. Navigator Navigator is another non-combat role. It is a navigator's job to help their commander navigate their division en-route to their destination, as well as locate optimal camp sites and mapping where they go. Navigators need to know how to read and draw maps, plot a course, and read the stars. Every regiment has at least one senior navigator, and one or more junior navigators. Scout Scouts have a dangerous occupation. While not intended for combat, scouts go in small teams or even alone to scout enemy territory—assessing their numbers, strength, positions, and defenses. Scouts must be quick, quiet, and cool-headed. They may be spotted by the enemy, or even captured and/or killed. They must be strong enough to have a chance to fight their way out of this possibility, but their main objective is to avoid confrontations— if spotted, they must try to escape and report back to their Commander. If this entails abandoning fellow scouts, so be it—a scout must be able to make this sacrifice. They must also keep the enemy from finding their camp at all cost, whether that means leading pursuers away (even if this means suicide), or to withhold knowledge under gruesome torture. Healer Army healers may be non-combatants, but they will frequently find themselves near the midst of a raging battle. Healers specialize in non-elemental magic to heal wounds. While red magic crystals are effective, they're a limited quantity and are kept exclusively for emergencies. During deployment, it is a healer's job to gather red crystals, assess and maintain the health of their soldiers, tend to the sick or wounded, and save their soldiers from certain death. During battle, healers stay behind the front lines, tending to the wounded that are brought away from it. Healers need to know how to make fast and often hard decisions—such as letting a young soldier die to instead save a badly wounded Commander, or preserve their energy if saving someone will take too much. Sometimes they may only have time to stop a soldier's bleeding before moving on to the next. Healers aren't easily distinguished among other soldiers, they have a small mark on their armor that the enemy won't see unless close. If the enemy identifies a healer, they WILL target them. If a platoon/regiment loses their healers, the battle may very well be lost. As such, healers have soldiers assigned to them as guards. Guard Guards are soldiers whose combat prowess is reserved for specific tasks. Guards may be assigned to a healer, Commander, or General's side as protection, or they may be in charge of guarding a camp, supplies, or prisoners. The more important something is, the stronger the guards assigned to it will be. A Commander may send guards to the front lines as regular combatants if needed. Scribe Another non-combat role, scribes are soldiers in charge of putting ink to paper for their Lieutenant, Commander, or General. This may be mission reports, updates, emergency requests, inquiries, etc. Anything their superior wants written, they write. Scribes are quick with a quill, either by hand or magic, often writing down words as their superior speaks. Scribes are also in charge of sending these letters to headquarters or permanent camps, using simple magic wherein the letter they wrote burns up, then reappears where it is destined to. This only works on a location basis—letters cannot be sent to an individual whose location is unknown. The sender must also have physically visited the letter's destination at least once. This system is good for urgent messages to a known and safe location—but if it needs to go to a temporary camp, or elsewhere unsecure or a place the scribe hasn't been, the letter is handed to a messenger. Scribe is a no-promotion role. Scribes are always only Soldiers, and spending time in this role does not make them eligible for promotion into other roles. Messenger Messengers have an obvious role—they ferry letters or commands to a destination, wherever a scribe's magic cannot reach. Often, they receive verbal messages that are too urgent to even write down, and relay them to the recipients. Messengers must be capable of long-sustained and fast flight, and as such is popular with wind and electric dragons. Messenger is a no-promotion role. Messengers are always only Soldiers, and spending time in this role does not make them eligible for promotion into other roles. Knight Knight isn't a role, per se, but a label of honor. A dragon Knight is a soldier (or guard) of such high merit they are appointed by the Elder Guardians themselves, and receive the title through ceremony. Knighthood may be awarded to any role, or even posthumously, but it is a rare title to receive. Commander Lynerius is a popularly-known Dragon Knight, though he never introduces himself as such. Generals are always knighted. Squire Squires are Soldiers or Lieutenants in service of a Commander or General. They act as bannerbearers and aides, helping their superiors put on and take off armor (which they are also in charge of maintaining/cleaning), and are otherwise on the ready to do anything their superior asks of them, even menial things such as fetching them food or drink, or cleaning their tents. Commanders and Generals choose their own squires, most often soldiers from clans that are allies of their own. Squires are at their superior's side almost always, and it's their close one-on-one relationship that makes squires a target of soldier gossip. Squires are said to cater to all of their superior's needs, including those sexual in nature. Bored soldiers love to ogle and guess whether or not a squire sleeps with their Commander/General. This is not forbidden, but superiors who abuse their rank against any soldier risks severe punishment. Warfang Templars Strength: ~1000 The Warfang Templars is a recent addition to the military. Templars have only one duty; defend the temples and the egg grottoes. They are independent from the military, taking no orders from Generals or Chiefs alike, but take their orders from an independent chain of command with Guardians at the very top. History When the founder of clan Earthwood, Tierra, achieved the rank of Chief in 2452, she was eligible to found a Clan. Her family were commonly in the patrols dedicated to temple protection, however, she knew this system was flawed. The Guard had too many other duties and regulations making it difficult to defend the temples, so, with her newfound powers, Tierra founded a new order; the Order of Templars, whose sole job was the protection of the temples—including the protection of the dragon eggs alongside the Guardians. Rank & Chain of Command The Templar Order has only one rank; Templar. Positions of authority are given temporarily when necessary and individuals are rotated between each time. Templars do not answer to any Chief or any General unlike the rest of the military—they answer only to the Guardians, with the Warfang Council at the very top. Selection Process & Criteria Only the best of the best are chosen to become Templars. The Order chooses their recruits from seasoned soldiers (rarely from the Guard), who demonstrate strength both physical and elemental, unyielding loyalty, and a certain character. Most Templars are chosen over the age of 70. Templars have Experienced element mastery at minimum, often more, but character and strength of mind is prioritized above elemental strength. Templars need to be level-headed, professional, loyal to the death, and must prioritize their duty above all else. A Templar can witness the brutal murder of a civilian, and they will still not leave their post. Absolutely nothing can budge them, other than a threat to the temple or its Guardians. Unless dismissed, a Templar cannot leave their post to save even the life of their own family. Given this selection criteria, most Templars are thought to have hearts of stone. For a Templar to abandon their post for 'selfish' reasons is grounds for execution with disgrace to their name, and that of their blood. If a Templar is from a clan (a dragon becoming a Templar gives a significant boost to their family's chances of earning clanhood) and abandons their post, their entire clan risks being disgraced, losing clan status, and being shunned from society. As such, while being a tremendous honor, the invitation to become a Templar is one that is often declined. Templars also need to be in top shape. They cannot have missing eyes or limbs including wings—only a missing tail tip or single toe can be overlooked. They must have perfect hearing, perfect vision, high strength, stamina, and speed. Any health issues results in a potential recruit being passed over—they may even be passed up for a lack of a sense of smell! The more potential recruits they have to choose from, the stricter the requirements become. If selection is scarce, rarely does the Templar standards drop. Duty and Day to Day Templars guard the temples at every hour of every day. Warfang City itself has about 600 Templars divided between the Warfang City Temple and the Ancestor Temple, leaving each Temple with about 100 Templars guarding it at any given moment. The Titan Fields and Concurrent Skies Temple have 200 Templars each, with about 65 Templars active at any given moment. These numbers fluctuate often, and in times of need, Templars will work overtime, in which case the number of active Templars will more than double. Upon daily arrival, a Templar is assigned to an outpost where they have full overview of a section of the Temple, and the Templar previously holding this outpost will be dismissed. A Templar will stay here for several hours keeping watch, until another Templar takes their post and they can have downtime to eat, rest, and if given leave, can make a quick stop home or attend some other duty. They will come back after a few hours, and take another post. After another several hours, they are dismissed and go home to be with their families and rest for the next day. Templars are also assigned to keep watch inside the egg grottoes, aiding the Guardians in the protection of the eggs and escorting parents and families to and from the grottoes. For the most part, the life of a Templar is uneventful, but they are required to stay sharp and participate in regular training and reassessments to ensure their abilities are up to expectation. Templars Civ Oc List of Occupations Below is a list of occupations a dragon may have; High Class Occupations Occupations that yield a high salary and status in dragon society, usually entered by dragons already in a high position, such as clan dragons. Elder Guardians (Senior Guardians elected to the Warfang Council, the highest possible position in Warfang society) Warfang Council (Beside the Elder Guardians, the Council is made up of the leaders of the main five most powerful clans. This is usually in addition to a career. The Council decides their nation's politics, decides its wars and questions of peace, its expansion, its laws, and so on.) Guardians (information above) General/Chief (Army/Guard) Dragon Master (excluding Master of Education—Dragon Masters are appointed by the Warfang Council as experts in their field of study) Templar (information above) Judge (a Justice elected by the Warfang Council to sentence criminals in their place) Minister (a Justice elected by the Warfang Council to write and suggest new laws, amendments or removals to existing laws, as well as regulations on trade and the taxation of trade and land.) High-Middle Class Occupations These occupations have varied salary and standing in society, dependent on the quality and demand of the dragon's work. Masters of Education (information above—usually just middle class, with other factors like clan status bumping up to high class) Commanders (Army or Guard) Justice (Justices act as representatives for dragons in trials, arguing their client's innocence or the guilt of the opposing Justice's client to a Judge. Often permanently hired by multiple clients. Justices with reputations good enough to be hired as a clan's Justice are considered part of high society) High-Middle-Low Class Occupations These occupations have extremely varied salary and standing in society, widely dependent on the quality and demand of the dragon's work. Lieutenant/Captain (Army/Guard - usually middle class but influenced by role, achievements and existing clan status) Scholars (dragons dedicated to a field of study, either independently or studying under a senior Scholar or Master. Can be hired by clans, temples, the council, or by individuals, or can sell their work. Scholars can cover any topic from magic, the elements, nature, stars, the sea, fauna, individual elements (their own, often acting as private teachers). Status depends on notoriety and income) Healer (a magic-focused dragon who heals illnesses and wounds with magic, herbs, and gems. Senior and noteworthy healers may be designated Masters of Healing by the Warfang Council. Class and income dependent on skill and reputation) Jeweler (a dragon who makes jewelry - often a family affair, and the very best jewelers are clans themselves, who make top quality, expensive jewelry for other clans) Artist (a dragon who uses their paws or magic to create illustrations, usually with paint. Often employed by temples, scholars, and clans) Sculptor (like artists, sculptors carve figures out of stone or build them with clay. Very popular with temples and clans, and are often earth or fire dragons, though ice dragons popularly make ice sculptures) Architect (some one who designs buildings. Often electric dragons) Blacksmith (a dragon that crafts weapons, armor, or other things with metal. Often fire dragons) Clothier (a dragon that makes clothes - much like jewelers, this can be a family affair, and richer and more reputable clothiers can acquire more expensive materials and sell to clans) Merchant (a dragon that acquires and sells items. Solo merchants are usually low to middle class, but merchants that hire other merchants to do this work and benefiting from it can get to high class with high value wares) Middle-Low Class Occupations The standing of these occupations depend on who the dragon is hired by. Being hired by clans as these occupations (usually selected based on reputation or connections) make one considered middle class based on income. Soldier/Guard (Ranks - soldier is usually low-class, guard is middle-class, but both are affected by personal accomplishments and time in service) Caretaker (a dragon who raises the children of other dragons whenever those are working or otherwise occupied. Often under employment by clans to take care of their children, or employed by temples to raise orphans.) Servant (a dragon employed by other dragons to perform domestic tasks. Very commonly employed by clans. Servants to the largest clans are often decently well off) Potter (someone who crafts ceramic, clay, or stone pots, plates, vases, cups, etc. Often fire dragons) Low Class Occupations These occupations are ones a dragon can get into immediately with no experience or study, and are thus saturated and paid little. Hunter (a dragon venturing into the wilds by themselves or with a group to catch prey, then selling the catches to a butcher for coin. Either freelance or hired to do this) Forager (like hunters, these venture into the wilds and gather berries, herbs, wild vegetables & fruits, and roots, then sell these to healers or vendors. Either freelance or hired to do this) Crop Keeper (a dragon that raises crops of vegetables, herbs, fruits, and/or berries, then sell these to vendors or directly to clans or institutions. Crop keepers are overwhelmingly earth dragons) Livestock Keeper (like crop keepers, a livestock keeper raises and breeds animals for slaughter and consumption. Commonly fire and ice dragons) Butcher (someone who buys fresh carcasses, skinning them then selling all their parts. Pelts, horns, and bones are sold as well as the meat. Butchers use magic or enchanted crystals to protect against spoiling and rot.) Scribe (civilian - a scribe is employed most often by scholars to write down their research or their book, then copy it. Once the first version is completed, a scribe can rather easily use enchantments to create virtually endless copies, only needing quills, ink, and paper.) Builder (someone who constructs buildings, usually with stone or metal. Often earth dragons) Miner (a dragon who mines for minerals/metals and/or crystals. Often electric dragons) ...and more. ▲

Top dragon society Dragons (Society) Contents: Currency Naming Conventions Alphabet & Vocabulary Love, Marriage, & Eggs Eggs Unity Rite (NEW) Votary (NEW) Temple Orphanages Architecture Death Holidays and Special Days Currency After the Unification, the trade of items soon turned into items and labor for currency, and trade of currency for labor and items. Warfang uses a currency consisting of six different coins. These coins are made with metal alloys. These alloys cannot be created naturally - they are bound through spells, and these spells are unknown to the public to prevent counterfeits. When these alloys are made to become coins, they are left with a 'magic signature', the mark a dragon leaves with their magic. This signature is used to verify the legitimacy of each individual coin if they are suspected to be counterfeit. Warfang maintains a complete list of all dragons who have bound these alloys, as well as samples of their signature for comparison. A magic signature cannot be faked. One needs at least a magic mastery of Practiced to be able to reliably read a dragon's magic signature (and likewise, Experienced to read element signature). Some dragons make their living around verifying the legitimacy of coins used in high-society trade. As of the fourth millennium, there are 6 different coins in circulation. Left to right: The coin with the smallest worth is in a blue-green metal alloy called Necryte . It is referred to as simply 'coin', and has a worth of one. 'One coin'. The second coin is also of Necryte, but is partially of another alloy called Steel Silver. It is worth five coin. The third coin is a Denar, worth 10 coin. It is made entirely of Steel Silver. Fourth coin is primarily made of Steel Silver, and partially of 'Herculeain Gold', a gold alloy that is virtually impossible to destroy. This coin is worth 100 coin. Fifth coin is almost entirely Herculeain Gold, with a speck of Steel Silver. This one is worth 250 coin., often referred to as a mark. 'One mark, four marks'. Last coin is made entirely of Herculeain Gold. It is the largest coin, worth 1000 coin. It is often simply referred to as 'Herculeain coin' or 'crown'. O ne usually only sees Herculeain Gold coins in high society. The average dragon's only necessities is food and a place to sleep. As such. Most 'low class' occupations yield around 15-20 coins per day, provided the dragon works much of the day. Feeding an adult dragon costs about 15 coins per day, or 660 a month, if they only buy food. Examples of prices 1 snow apple = 3 coin 1 loaf of bread = 2 coin 1 bush of plum grapes = 2 coin 1 serving of meat = 4 coin 1 Roothoof carcass = 20 coin 1 floor of a standard city tower (small enough for 1-2 dragons to sleep and keep a few belongings) = 500 coin (with annual property tax of 100 coin) 1 full armor set = 250 to 2,000+ coin (low to high quality metals, metalwork, tailoring) First 5 years of temple schooling = 5,000 coin annually Years 6-14 = 7,500 coin annually Years 15-18 = 10,000 coin annually (Schooling fee is 15% less for active soldiers/guards, 25% less for soldiers/guards who perished in service before their tenth year of voluntary service, and completely waived for those that served at minimum total of 12 years and then died in the line of duty) Examples of wages Soldier (first 2 years) = 5 coin daily (housing provided. During deployments, housing and food are provided) Soldier (after first 2 years)/Guard = 15 coin daily, plus monthly bonuses for time in grade and other bonuses Lieutenant/Captain = 50 coin daily, plus monthly bonuses for time in grade and other bonuses Commander = 100 coin daily, plus monthly bonuses for time in grade and other bonuses General/Chief = 300 daily, plus monthly bonuses for time in grade and other bonuses Guardian = 150 coin daily Elder Guardian = 400 coin daily Master of Education = 50 coin daily, plus any bonuses Naming Naming Conventions Dragons are as a rule named after their element in some way - for example; Glacer (Glacier - Ice), Rayne (Rain - Water), Scorchis (Scorch - Fire), - with often a latin-esque suffix, i.e. -us, -ius, -cus, -is, -a, -i. The elemental words aren't always in common tongue, so a name's meaning may not always be obvious, i.e. Isrun, Isolda, Isra ('Is' being a word for 'ice') or Lynerius, Lynis, Lynaricus ('Lyn' being a word for 'lightning) or Tordner and Tordena ('Tord(en/ner') being a word for 'thunder/thundering'). Dragon given names are always a single word, never hyphenated, and rarely an entirely unaltered word (such as Flame, or Ember). Titles such as '(Name) the First/Second/Fifth/etc.' are also very uncommon, as inherited names are usually altered slightly, i.e. Vitreis to Vitreus , but these titles exist in some cases as remnants of old traditions. Names with the suffix -us are considered masculine, while names with the suffix -is is considered feminine. Names ending with -e, or -a are more gender neutral, but leaning masculine and feminine respectively. Dragons have no surnames . For identification, dragons will introduce themselves as '(Name), (son/daughter/child) of (parent)', i.e, Lynerius, son of Tordner. Clan dragons may use their clan name, but not as (Name) (Clan name), but as (Name) of (Clan name), i,e. Auralis of Tempest Reign . As a rule, dragons name their same-sex parent, i.e., sons naming their fathers, daughters naming their mothers, but this is not always the case. If the same-sex parent is absent, unknown, or disowned, a dragon may introduce themselves with the name of their opposite-sex parent, i.e. Terin, daughter of Grine(father). Non-binary dragons can choose which parent to name, though it will often be the parent they've introduced in the past. Generally the main rule is consistency. If a dragon does not know their lineage, they will introduce themselves with the place they were hatched, i.e. Stryga, daughter of Warfang City , Hayze, son of the Dark Lands. This is also the case of adopted dragons, as it is taboo to name one's adoptive parents when introducing themselves, due to them not sharing blood. This is especially taboo if the adoptive parents are clan dragons, and the adopted is not. Generally, adult dragons will not introduce themselves with their parent's name, as they will want to be recognized by their own accomplishments (not their parents') and often have titles of their own, such as rank or profession (Commander, Healer, Master, etc.) but their heritage will be included in official registry. Changing one's name is not considered a 'thing' in most dragon societies, it is viewed to be strange, or even looked down upon due to the association with dark dragons who underwent corruption, casting away their birthname to take on a new name based on their dark element. Due to dragon names not being strictly gendered, even transgender dragons may keep their birth name. Alphabet & Vocabulary Alphabet ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQ RSTUV WXYZ Vocabulary (The list below shows words that are not used in dragon society, and the words they are replaced with) Married = Unified Marry = Unify Marriage = Unity Husband, Wife, Spouse = Unified (as noun, i.e. 'my unified' instead of 'my spouse') Engaged / Engagement (to-be married) = Betrothed / Betrothal Divorced / Divorcing = Diverged / Diverging Funeral = Wake (The list below shows words frequently used in dragon society, with synonyms that are also used) Mate = Girlfriend/Boyfriend/Partner (The list below shows original words and their meanings, or real words and their in-universe meanings) Birthday = (day a dragon hatches from their egg) Birth = (when a dragon hatches from their egg, though when a dragon gives birth, it is to an egg) Alphabet Love Eggs Love, Marriage, and Eggs Dragons are usually monogamous. While commonly heterosexual, romantic and sexual relationships between dragons of the same sex/gender are so common, nobody would raise an eyebrow to it. Polyamory is unusual, but not unheard of. Dragon partners can marry and become 'Unified'. This is an official acknowledgment of partnership, and a spiritual union. Unity and betrothal can be signaled by certain horn or tail rings. Diverging (divorce) is legal, but viewed unfavorably. In high society, arranged Unity is common. Clans often wed members into different clans or to individuals of interest to expand their power and influence. Often, a clan's only interest is reproduction. In these cases, unity doesn't happen, instead, a contract is written that states the two dragons will reproduce once, then go their separate ways. How a clutch is divided is pre-determined in the contract. Usually, the more powerful clan takes their pick, and the other clan takes the rest. They may also have to give gifts of treasure and coin to the bigger clan, as theirs has been empowered by more 'worthy blood'. If one clan takes all the eggs, they will pay the other clan handsomely. The parent whose clan is not keeping a given egg will as an unwritten rule not be involved in that child's life, and it is taboo for either the parent or child to seek each other out. Clan members can and do unify for genuine love, but if the clan rejects their chosen partner (on account of being the wrong element, clanless, not sufficiently powerful, etc.), then said partner and any children may not be recognized as part of the clan. If the clan forbid the unity and it happens anyway, the clan member may be disowned and lose clan status. A compromise may be made, in which the clan member in question accepts reproduction contracts so as to bear 'worthy' children. Arranged unity and reproduction contracts are virtually non-existent outside of clans and high society. Among clanless children there's a stigma against 'contract egg' dragons. Eggs Dragons keep their eggs in grottoes with many other eggs. Historically, communities would have a single grotto for all their eggs, which would be protected by the community's strongest. After the Unification, this concept was used to create the Guardians, whose duty is to protect the eggs in all of Warfang. Grottoes are kept within Temples, and the eggs are closely monitored and documented. Dragon eggs are very visually distinct, so mix-ups are not a risk. Clans usually reserve sections of the grottoes for their own eggs. Grottoes are elementally enhanced - fire eggs are left among burning coals, ice eggs among freezing ice, electric eggs among lightning crystals, earth eggs among living flora, wind eggs enveloped in small 'wind pockets', and water eggs sitting in rippling water. This elemental enhancement is believed to strengthen the hatchling within, mimicking the environments dragons were initially divided into, but it's not strictly necessary. It's considered irresponsible to choose to keep an egg in one's own protection, as a few dragons can't compare to four powerful guardians, nor to the nigh-unbreakable magic that protects the grottoes. Some still may choose the risk, though the fees are small and affordable, it's still unaffordable to those who have nothing. When dragons want to give up their eggs, it's common to leave them by a temple. While this abandonment is illegal, the Temples do not pursue an abandoned egg's parents. Abandoned eggs are sometimes adopted into other families, but most often are raised in the Temples by caretakers. Unity Rite Unity Rite The Unity Rite, or wedding, is a sacred ceremony that unites two dragons in the eyes of the Ancestors. For Fire, Earth, and Water dragons, this ceremony takes place before sunset. For Electricity, Ice, and Wind, it takes place after sunset. If the parties being married are mixed (such as one Fire, one Ice), it often coincides with sundown. The Rite is hosted by the family that gains a new member, as traditionally marriage is the act of one party joining another’s family. Among commoners this may not always be the case anymore, but in middle and high society, this tradition is always kept. The family usually hosts in their own homes, but if needed can rent a larger venue or hold the Rite in a place of nature, but not public spaces frequented by other dragons. At minimum, both families attend. Parents of the betrothed are a must-attend (if they are still alive and not disowned), and usually siblings and other close family attend also. In clans, Rites are attended by as many as possible, especially clan elders. Aside from family, friends of the family and friends of the betrothed may be invited if the parents of the betrothed and the family elders allow it. In Clans it is common to have semi-open doors, where other clans or individuals of note can make an unannounced appearance, as this is an opportunity to build alliances. Access to the venue is guarded to keep out undesirable visitors. All Rites are serviced by a Votary , a religious figure representing the Dragon Temples. The Votary is accompanied by several acolytes helping them with the service. For every Rite, the Votary brings a spirit gem, which is seen as a direct line to the Ancestors. It is believed this allows the Ancestors to observe the Rite. Upon arrival, the families of the betrothed will give offerings to the Ancestors, in the form of tribute that the Votary returns to the Temple. This is effectively payment for their services, and is in present day usually just Coin. In the past this was food, material, craftwork—sometimes, families who specialize in these things may still give these kinds of offerings. A family giving poor offerings is extremely frowned upon, and reflects poorly on the marriage’s longevity and quality, It’s not uncommon for guests to make offerings too, with significantly less pressure to give much. As these offerings are given, they are placed by the spirit gem, and the dragon giving them may touch the gem and pray to the Ancestors on behalf of the betrothed. Good fertility is almost always asked for. Once the Offerings are concluded, the acolytes carry out the offerings to be taken to the Temple, and the Oath may begin. Oath The Votary summons the betrothed to stand in front of the spirit gem. At this point, the betrothed are seeing each other for the first time that day. The betrothed may touch the spirit gem and say a silent, brief prayer if they so wish. The Votary will then read the rites, to which the betrothed will answer ‘I shall’. There are a number of different rites to choose from, depending on the couple’s priorities. In arranged unities especially, the Rite of Bloodlines is most often chosen, where the highest priority is reproduction. The Votary will then tie a long, vibrantly red ribbon around the ends of the united’s tails, tying them together. The knot is loose, representing blood (in the genetic sense, the union and continuation of two bloodlines) and sex. The united are to wear this knot until consummation. It is believed that if the knot falls off before this, the ‘first night’ will not produce offspring. Dance Immediately after the Oath, the newly united take to the floor and perform a dance with their tails still tied. This dance is generally very calm, deliberate, and brief. Each family has a different dance. At the conclusion of the dance, romantic uniteds often kiss. For contracted marriages, this may not happen, and is not expected to. Gifts Now One, the uniteds sit and are given offerings from their guests. Unlike offerings for the Temples, these offerings are often not simple coin, but useful gifts for the new couple. Clothes, armor, trinkets, jewelry, decor, utensils, alcohol, food, etc. Each family attending is expected to give something, at the very least coin. Attending without giving a gift is another faux pas. Families usually give one large/valuable gift, rather than each member giving something small. The same is common for friends. Celebration After the gifts have been given, it is time for food, drink, and mingling. This can last many hours. Guests may dance, interact with the newly united, or visit the Votary and/or the spirit gem. At some point, the newly united will take flight to nest (this is where many lose the red ribbon). Guests and family may stay for a while longer, but the united will not return. Some time after the united leave, the Votary and their acolytes also will, and that marks the end of the Rite. Guests will return home. Unity Bands Usually, Unity Bands are prepared and ready for the day of the Rite, but they will only be worn after consummation, usually starting the morning after. Attire For the wedding, guests may wear anything formal that isn't mostly white. The unifieds will wear formal attire that is all white , though small details like jewelry, and leather, may be pale colored instead. Armor and fabric must be all-white, without gradients, markings, or sigils. Unity Rite attire must have no emblems or clan insignias, but can and should depict holy sigils. While formal armor may be worn, it should only be a few pieces (not full armor), without weapons like blades and no head piece. Votary The Votary are religious figures who forsake family and pleasures to serve the Ancestors as part of the Ancestral Order . They are a part of the Temples, and spend a long time as acolytes serving Votaries, before they are deemed eligible to take their oath. Ascension is not guaranteed. Votaries are abstinent, living in special Temple-adjacent housing where they sleep, eat, study, and pray in-between their duties. Votaries are the only ones who can officiate weddings, and are nearly always present at Wakes. They are often called to be beside a dragon at their deathbed as well, as a comfort. Votaries are accompanied in their duties by one or more acolytes, who assist them in their duties. Acolytes have not taken the oath, but must live by it if they want to become Votaries. Votaries wear all-white attire, except during weddings and wakes, where they wear all-black. Acolytes wear all-grey. Outside of weddings and wakes, wherein Votaries will bring a spirit gem from the Temples, they will wear a piece of a spirit gem around their neck whenever they are working. Votaries can be any gender, any element, and come from any social or economic class. The Ancestral Order seeks only a calm, professional presence, and devotion to the oath and Ancestors. Becoming a Votary is a very high honor, but leaving the order or breaking the oath is an equally severe offense. Because reproduction is culturally significant for dragons, and Votaries are expected to be celibate, the Ancestral Order is hestant to accept dragons who have not yet had children. Orphanages Temple Orphanages The temples run orphanages for abandoned/orphaned eggs and children. Not every child is lucky enough to be left at a temple, and may be raised in the streets, fed pity-scraps, or used by criminals. Guards may seize these children and hand them to a Temple. Particularly cruel guards may chase them from the city or at worst kill them, as if they are vermin. Dragons raised in the Temples have little more than a roof over their heads and bland food to eat. They must earn their keep from a young age, and receive no formal education beyond what the caretakers teach. Orphaned eggs and children may be adopted by families coming to visit the Temples, but most grow up there. The temples keep abandoned children until age 18, when they will leave early for the military, provided they continue to work and participate in raising other, younger children. Children who refuse will be left on their own as early as 12 years old, and they will have to find employment. Many of these children turn to crime for lack of other options, and may find themselves reaching adulthood in a cell - provided they do not lose their lives in the streets, due to other criminals, or guards. Arch Death Architecture Dragons build their structures in circular and curved shapes. Only in cities have rectangular shapes started appearing for the purpose of utilizing as much space as possible, but the vast majority of dragon-made structures are circular or at least curved, with dome rooftops. Even their doors and windows follow this same principle. Dragons never build with wood, only stone and other ideal minerals. Their structures must be element resistant, hence the aversion to wood, but things such as bookshelves and other furniture may be made with wood instead of stone or metal. Death When a dragon dies, a wake is held for them. Family and friends gather to see the deceased 'return to their element'. While individual families deviate somewhat in practice and may have additional traditions, the death of a dragon is most often handled as such; Fire and electric dragons are placed on pyres (fire dragon pyres will often have obsidian or igneous rocks present, while electric dragons have lightning crystals and metals), and the deceased's eldest child (or other closest relative) is the first to light the pyre ablaze with their element. The rest of the family then contributes. Similarly, ice and earth dragons bury their dead (no coffin or preservative measures - dragons want their remains to reunite with nature one way or the other, as this is thought to be how dragons join the Ancestors after death). While ice dragons will bury their dead with ice, they are buried where they can soon thaw and decompose. Wind dragons may choose to burn or bury their dead, while water dragons prefer burials at sea. When there are ashes remaining of a deceased, they are not kept. They are gathered and spread in an environment suited to the deceased's element - families will often go to the same specific place for this, as with burials. Families may instead keep noteworthy belongings of their departed, such as a soldier's helmet, a unity ring, etc. These will be placed on the dragon's shrine . After the wake (including the spreading of ashes, if any) is complete, a shrine is created for the dragon if possible. Shrines have, at minimum, a plate of stone or metal (or other material, usually families stick to the same material) with the name of the deceased engraved, along with their hatch and death year. These can be small enough to fit in one's paw, but dragons that can afford it will go further. Clans typically have an entire building dedicated to their shrines (which may come with life-sized statues), with the individual shrines listing the deceased's accomplishments and immediate relations, as well as their most valued or noteworthy possessions. These shrines are kept pristine and are visited frequently. If, for whatever reason, a shrine can no longer be kept, it must be destroyed. Metals must be melted, stone must be pulverized - this is due to the belief that shrines must be respected, and the neglect of a shrine is far worse than not having a shrine at all. While shrines are a way to honor a dragon, they aren't tied to a dragon's believed ascension to the Ancestors. It is often enough to have a wake. It can be distressing to a family to not have a body to perform a wake for, so in the event a body is unrecoverable, a wake will still be held, using a belonging of the deceased, such as a cape they'd wore, or a recovered piece of armor. Holidays Hol idays and Special Days New Year Jubilation / Summer Solstice Celebrated on the very end of the year, the New Year Jubilation celebrates the end of the current year and the beginning of the next, as well as the anniversary of the Unification, and the Summer Solstice (northern hemisphere) which coincides the same week or day (One year it lands on the 1st, next year on the 2nd, the n 3rd, then 4th, then wraps back around). The New Year Jubilation is a holiday. It is celebrated on a national scale, meaning many occupations as well as Temple schools will take the day off. Cities and towns will be decorated to celebrate the Unification and appreciate the unity between the natural elements. There are parades, games, and competitions in the day and private festivities in the evening. If the Summer Solstice does not fall on the 1st, there is generally not a celebration on the day that it does. Winter Solstice For the northern hemispher e, the Winter Solstice falls in the middle of the Fifth Moon, day varying by year. The southern hemisphere has their Summer Solstice on the same day, but due to Warfa ng mainland being in the northern hemisphere, the Winter Solstice is the usual name of this special day . This day marks the beginning of winter, and every Winter Solstice, the Temple schools host an event for its students. For the students between Year One and Year Ten, these are social gatherings with food, entertainment, and games. For Year Eleven up to Year Eighteen, the highlight of the evening is the Solstice Dance. Leading up to the Solstice, students may approach other students to ask them to be their date for the event, and they will dance together at the height of the evening. While one may dance with a friend or a relative, many students wait eagerly for this day to explore their romantic interests. Attendance is obligatory, but dance participation is not. The Winter Solstice is also an excuse for high society to mingle. Gatherings will be hosted worldwide, with drinks and entertainment for its guests. Masquerades are popular for the Winter Solstice. Day of Remembrance / Remembrance Eve 1st Day of the Eighth Moon. Remembrance Day is a holiday dedicated to the Ancestors and the recently departed. In the early morning, shrines of loved ones will be visited. They will have been cleaned the night prior. Incense and candles will be lit, and words and prayers may be spoken to the shrines. Each family member will offer something to the family shrine. Children may leave trinkets they'd made at school the days prior, or some flowers they picked. Adult dragons will generally buy or commission some kind of decoration or utility for the shrine, or make it if they can do it well. Among the clans and rich, these will often be of expensive materials, and even the clan youth and children will be pressured to offer something of value. Clans may, before Remembrance Day, arrange expeditions for clan youth to attain something rare or uncommon, to put effort into their offerings as they lack the coin to buy something expensive. While offerings can be given to the shrine, or specific shrines, every day of the year, Remembrance Day offerings are given to the family shrine as a whole, not any individual's shrine. The offerings will be distributed by the family elders. Some families will distribute evenly, others will be biased. It's not uncommon for clan leader shrines in particular to be overflowing with offerings on Remembrance Day. If food is offered, it must stay until the next day before it can be eaten by the living. Flowers will be removed just as they start to wilt. Offerings need not be given every year, but in big, wealthy, and/or clan families, a rich, impressive shrine is extremely important for appearances, and they will do the ritual every year. Remembrance Day ends with a feast before the evening, as everyone will have fasted up until this point. Once night falls, Remembrance Eve begins. This is seen as an informal part of Remembrance Day and is frowned upon by those traditional. As a day dedicated to death and the deceased, children and young dragons may celebrate it further by adorning costumes and makeup, turning them into depictions of the macabre and 'evil'. They'll take the appearance of skeletons, corpses, the wounded, the sick, dragon-eating creatures, dark dragons, cheetahs, apes, spirits, ghosts, and imaginary monsters. Liberties are often taken to allow for colorful and stylistic designs - glowing paint is popular. Some costumes may not be a depiction of death at all; it has become commonplace particularly for older children and young adults to depict themselves as something abstract and appealing. Costumes don't depict an occupation, particularly as it would be frowned upon to dress as a Guardian, Templar, Soldier, Guard, etc. Cities and towns will have festivals and parades where dragons in their costumes can frolic the streets, sending up colorful displays of elemental fireworks. Music will be played, and performers will follow. Thematic food will be sold by vendors. The parade and festival will have been pre-approved by the city/town, and Guard presence will be heavy. Young dragons like to make a game out of pranking Guards but this can often go poorly. Besides the parade, there may be private parties, competitions, and games. In high society, it's frowned upon to participate in the dress-up, parade, and the festival. It is viewed as a commoner's event. High society has their own events for Remembrance Eve; usually masquerade parties. Make-up and body paint may be used but only in flattering ways, no macabre depictions. It's not too unusual for high society children to make themselves unrecognizable in paint and a costume and attend the festival anyway, as the high society events are much more dull. Week of Aether The Week of Aether is also known as The Week of Elements . It is in the first week of the Third Moon. It is a week long, city-hosted festival celebrating each element, marked by element-based performances and competitions with big prizes. On the first day, Day Draco, the festival starts. There is food and general entertainment, and anyone can sign up for the week's competitions. The next day, Day Ignis, is the day for Fire. Banners and decoration are changed into the standard colors of fire and depicts fire and fire imagery. Non-fire dragons may paint and decorate themselves so they look like fire dragons. More formal dragons will dress in appropriate colors. This pattern is reflected for each day of the festival; Electricity for Day Fulgur, Ice for Day Glacies, Earth for Day Solum, Wind for Day Ventus, Water for Day Aqua. The Week of Aether is a tradition dating back to not long after the Unification, a festival created by the nation of Warfang in an attempt to better relations between dragons of different elements who were now living together. The festival allowed dragons to expose each other to their different elements outside of conflict, encouraging appreciation and understanding. The Week of Aether is culturally significant and important to all economic classes, the Temple Schools will even close for the whole week. Masters and even Elementals may be encouraged to appear and demonstrate their elements. Winning high-end competitions may open many doors to a dragon, such as a marriage invitation into a clan. ▲

Temple school and Studies Temple School and Studies Organiz ation The year a hatchling turns 6, they are eligible to start schooling at the Warfang Temples. Their families send an application before the new year, and this is processed by the Temple's Masters who split the new children into groups, flights, of 10 to 15 hatchlings which are headed by a Master of Education, a Flight Master . This master will remain with their flight for all 18 years. When grouping children into individual flights, clutch siblings are grouped together, and existing friend groups may be taken into account. There is a conscious effort to make each flight elementally diverse, and a loose effort to have an equal amount of males and females. No more than a third of the flight may be related, and thus cousins and other family may be divided. Over the years, this division has gone from economically mixed to a clear divide between low-middle class flights, upper-class flights, and clan flights, due to involvement from the latter two. Some flights consists solely of clan/rich-born dragons, whose flight masters are also clan dragons. Other flights have no clan dragons, and are taught by a clanless dragon. Due to clan conflicts and other perceived conflicts of interest, a flight master usually cannot be related to any of their students. Exceptions can be made if a student has unique challenges that a familiar Flight Master can help with, but favoritism can lead to a Flight Master losing their title. History For most of dragon history, formal education has not existed. Dragons were taught their family trade (if any) by relatives growing up, and they themselves would continue that trade and teach it to their children. This is true for dragons that lived in towns and engaged in economic trade, however, many if not most dragons simply built their own homes and hunted and foraged for food, never even touching a coin. Over the millennia as dragon numbers grew and grew, this natural way of living became more difficult as more land had to be purchased and taxed, and prey became scarcer. Dragons were forced into trade to earn coin for their taxed lands if they wanted to have a permanent home, others were pushed into dangerous lands. As towns turned into cities around the 2nd Millennium (Year 1000), economic differences slowly emerged. Some trades were more prestigious than others, and earned more coin. These richer families began to outsource teachings to dragons outside the family. Over the centuries, private tutoring became a trade of its own, and a prestigious one at that. Around the 3rd Millennium, the same time-frame as the introduction of the Clan system, private tutors were teaching children not only the family trade, but other subjects such as history, sciences, and magic. Most dragons remained uneducated, family- or self-taught in their trades, or just taught simple survival. To have an education was a sign of wealth. Educated dragons surrounded themselves with and hired other educated dragons. The class divide grew. With the growing civilization and the rising need for education, the Dragon Temples began an initiative; to make education affordable and widespread. The Temples hired private tutors to teach groups of children instead of only the children of a single family. This allowed the cost per child to lessen significantly, allowing middle-class families to educate their children as well. Many iterations of this system saw the light through the centuries, but eventually settled on a system similar to the present time; groups of ten to fifteen children, a flight , assigned permanently to a tutor, a Dragon Master of Education . Initially this one tutor taught all subjects for about ten years, and the students would continue specific teachings by private tutors at home. For a while, the students taught at the Temples were middle-class, as high-class families still hired private tutors - however, they felt scorned by this new system due to the cultural and spiritual significance of the Temples. It didn't sit right with them to have children lesser than their own be taught in such an important place. As such, most of the wealthy and the clans began to transition to having their children taught in the Temples, but this wasn't enough. The Council families (main four clans, at the time) and their wealthy allies gradually pushed changes into the system. Dragon Masters required more and more education, more experience. The full education cycle became years longer, with flights being taught subjects more and more by experts (other Dragon Masters) as they aged, leading to flight masters spending longer with each flight, and new Masters being on the Temple payroll. The yearly fee for a child's education doubled many times, pushing out the lower-middle class entirely. At present, education at the Temple Academies remains out of reach to those below center middle class, with many middle class children not completing the full education cycle, only some years as far as their family can afford. Yearly fees were slowly driven up and the academies found themselves used as an incentive; dragons serving in the military beyond required years could see their children educated for cheaper. Then, to further incentivize military service, soldiers with over 12 years total service who were killed in battle would have their children's education fees completely waived. Tuition Fees Education at the Temples is not free, and certainly not cheap. Less than 10% of children receive any education at the Temples, and more than 5% struggle to pay the fees despite service benefits. The first five years costs a parent 5,000 coin every year for each child. Years 6 to 14 is 7,500 coin annually, and years 15 to 18 are 10,000 coin each year, to a total of 125,000 coin for the full cycle for a single child. The fee is 15% less for children whose parent is an active soldier/guard (beyond required 2 years service) (106,250 coin) . If a child has two parents who fit this requirement, the fee is 25% less (93,750 coin) . The fee is also 25% less for each parent that has died in service before their tenth year of voluntary service (93,750 or 62,500 coin) . If a parent dies in service after a total 12 years in service, all their children have their schooling fees completely waived. It is not uncommon for families to only educate a single child if that's all they can afford. It is also not uncommon for families to try and educate their child themselves for the first 5-10 years and then apply to have their child start their education late. After the second year, this comes with a flat fee of 10,000 coin on top of the yearly fee, and the child also has to be tested to ensure they can keep up with their flightmates. Due to the extreme fees, a full education cycle remains a sign of high society, and the few children of those who survived wars long enough to earn a free education for their children. Other students tend to end their education prematurely, though even half of an academy education can take them far in the middle class. Curriculum There are 10 studies taught at the temples; Reading & writing, arts, element, flight, magic, battle, history, society, sciences, health. Reading & Writing One of the first things hatchlings learn at the temple is to read and write. This is a skill they must have for their future studies. This subject ends after the first year. Arts Art study is a subject taught from Year One to the end of Year Four, and is more for the enjoyment of young students. They're taught to paint, sculpt, sing, and dance. Element Element study starts immediately as education begins. Flights are split by element and assigned to a Master of Fire/Ice/Electricity/Earth (honorary title not tied to element mastery, but rather the theoretical aspect) or sometimes a Guardian who teaches them about their element and helps them discover and control it. These classes are a mix of grades, often Year Ones to Year Tens, and Year Elevens to Year Eighteens, give or take. The students spend a lot of time helping each other, usually older students assisting younger students. Students are taught the attributes and variants of all (non-dark) elements. Until they discover their own elements, they spend a lot of time watching older students practice theirs. Once discovered, they are trained to control their element. Mastery is often different for each dragon, so dragons may be further grouped based on mastery where the Discovered learn control, the Controlled learn manipulation, and Learners learn advanced manipulation and breath mastery. Most students do not reach Skilled, much less Experienced, so these high-achievers may be grouped together regardless of element. Element training sometimes have sparring between students of the same element mastery, but mostly practice is done with targets and enchanted dummies. Water dragons and wind dragons are grouped together due to their smaller numbers. Flight Flight study starts at Year Three, when children's wings are large enough to at minimum allow gliding. They are taught how to maintain their balance in the air, read and take advantage of wind currents, takeoff and landing, how to optimize their flight and conserve energy. By Year Ten, most students will have mastered flying. At this point, Flight study revolves more around getting even better at flying - flying fast, taking sharp turns, flying through small, magic hoops, etc. Much of this is combined into seasonal cross-flight competitions which many students look forward to. Magic Magic study, unlike Element study, starts by Year Six when most students have discovered their element and are thus capable of other magic. Like Element study, students will be divided and grouped based on their mastery, where those without magic mastery learn to cast their first spell, those with Basic mastery practice perfecting the easiest spells, and Starters learn to cast all easy spells. If any students are Intermediate, they may be taught harder magics. There's no sparring in Magic study, when offensive/defensive magics are taught, targets are used. Magic study is taught by Masters of Magic. Battle Battle study revolves around teaching the student to use their natural weapons (teeth, claws, horns, tails, element, etc.) to defend themselves or others. This study does not begin before Year Five, and even then it's mainly theoretical and observing older students in spars. By Year Seven, students have supervised spars more frequently. These spars may be only between students of a single flight, or between students of two or more parallel flights (flights of the same age). In student-on-student spars, students should never aim to draw blood, but are not punished if this happens, only if they deliberately disregard the rule. Students may yield at any time, and are not obligated to participate in student-on-student spars, but will receive bad marks if they refuse to train using dummies and targets. Battle study is taught by Dragon Masters of Battle, not Flight Masters, but Flight Masters are often the only ones present in spar sessions. History Students learn about history through the whole education cycle. History before Warfang, history of Warfang post-Unification, history of the Zephyr Kingdom and the Ocean Domain, and in the last few years of the education cycle, they learn the history of dark dragons. Much of the history covers the many wars that have taken place over the millennia, including ones still ongoing. Society Students learn early on about the society they live in. They learn about their leaders, laws, their customs, traditions, taboos, trades, they learn about high society and how to behave around dragons of notoriety, they learn about the Ancestors, and so on. Sciences Students learn about sciences early on, in a heavily simplified manner. As they age, they learn more about the complexities of each sub-study to prepare any for possible further study once their time at the school finishes. The study of the sciences is separated into multiple sub-studies; nature (biology), creatures, dragons, earth(geology), stars, numbers (mathematics), and technology. Health Students are taught foraging and hunting, about what's safe and healthy to eat and how to prepare kills and food. They are also taught about medicinal herbs and roots and how to use them, as well as the known types of injuries and illnesses and what can be done to treat them. Magic healing is taught in Magic study. *The Student sigil will be changed in a future update. All Dragon Masters are scholars, but not all scholars are Dragon Masters. A Dragon Master is recognized by the Warfang Council as a top expert, and awarded their title as well as the authority that comes with it. To become a scholar, one must apprentice under senior scholars or Dragon Masters, and this is expensive. Some or much of these fees can be paid by the Warfang Council for dragons who serve an extended period of time in the Army or Guard, or if their choice of study is in demand. Becoming a Dragon Master is typically acquired through a one-on-one apprenticeship under an existing Dragon Master, who will forward a recommendation to the Warfang Council. However, it's not uncommon for any scholar to be recommended, if they're viewed by other scholars as a leading expert. While Dragon Masters are often teachers at temples, teaching is optional. Many Dragon Masters are dedicated to their studies and only take a few, if any, apprentices. Some do an equal amount of studying/research and teaching. Others mostly teach. Becoming a Master of Education is popular—this specialty is uniquely intended for temple teachers. These Masters learn a little bit of everything, then condense and simplify it for children. Due to Flight Masters being so involved in children's lives, frequently to the point of being more present than their parents, Flight Masters often see their flights as their own children, and children see them as family. It's not uncommon for some students to introduce themselves as the children of their Flight Masters if, for whatever reason, they don't want or can't use their parents' names (such as 'Hayze, son of Master Therris'. The inclusion of 'Master' signifies the lack of a blood relation.) When a Master's flight graduates, they start the process over with a new flight, though some may choose to take a year break or more. Becoming a Dragon Master of Education is competitive, and often only those who have had a complete or near-complete education of their own are chosen as apprentices by the Temples. These apprentices will spend many years aiding Flight Masters with their flights while at the same time studying to pass an assessment to determine if they're ready for their own flight. If they are under 50 they may be deemed too young to receive the responsibility of their own flight, and as such may spend a much longer time as an apprentice/assistant. Once they pass their assessment, the Temple Headmaster will send an application to the Warfang Council to have the apprentice recognized as a Dragon Master of Education, which the Council almost always approves. Headmasters Each of the three Temples has a Headmaster— this is a senior Master of Education that has been appointed as the lead Master of their school. All the Flight Masters and Masters at their temples answers to their Headmaster. The Headmaster has no flights of their own, instead they are in charge of ensuring the students are protected and receive quality education. The Headmaster employs and manages (and fires, if needed) the Temple's Masters and slots new students into their flights, as well as overlooking finances, special events, and many other things. New Headmasters are chosen when the old retires or dies. By this point the leaving Headmaster will have a suggestion of current Dragon Masters that can succeed them, and it's up to the Council to select the successor.

The Inevitable Celebration The Inevitable Celebration Written by DragonOfIceAndFire and VyseVee At the Celebration for reclaiming the Wetland Abyss, Rhewis attempts to make a move on Imerus- only for Lynerius' electrical storm and Raii to interrupt. > Read Here < Content Warnings: Talk of prior sexual assault Verbal abuse Sexual harassment Heartbreak Featured Characters Lieutenant Imerus Lieutenant Raii Captain Rhewis Commander Lynerius (mentioned) Hayze (mentioned) Guardian Tordena (cameo) Lady Levina (cameo) Lady Flykra (cameo) General Tordner (cameo) Lady Auralis (mentioned) Location(s) Warfang City, Crecent Halls Timeline 3016, Fourth Moon, Day 14 Word Count ~6,900 words Reading Time ~30 minutes Summary (Spoilers ahead!) TBA

Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions What programs do you use? For everything writing, I use Scrivener . For 3D I use Blender , and for everything 2D I use the latest version of Photosho p (don't be like me, get Clip Studio or something). What is the writing process for Destiny Intertwined? Since the beginning I've known where the story is leading, and what major plot points occur along the way, including character deaths. However as DI is a long-term project, I leave a lot of room for details and development to be new to me as well, so the excitement stays fresh. While I'll know the context of the next few chapters ahead of time, I write them as the current chapter progresses. While this does lead to some poor planning (such as the very long chapter 2) , I prefer to prioritize my own enjoyment over perfection. This way, I'll never get bored. :) What brushes do you use? Some self-made brushes, plus official PS brushes by Kyle Webster and some from the lazybrushes set by Vesner. How do you make your backgrounds? My inorganic (non-nature) backgrounds are 3D made. I design and build all structures in 3D from the ground up, including textures and material design. I will then render these for comic panels and do paintovers and other effects to try and blend them with the 2D art. Why do you use 3D? I have a strong dislike for drawing geometric/straight edged objects by hand, particularly ones that need perspective. This is also extremely time consuming, which isn't ideal for comic work. On the flip side, I really enjoy 3D modeling. Ultimately, all the work in the comic is still entirely my own, just not all made with the same medium. Can I translate your comic into [language]? I'm not looking to get the comic translated at the moment, but thank yo u! Can I make a character for Destiny Intertwined? Of course, please check out the Character Guide pa ge for guidelines on what is allowed within canon. Do note that this does not guarantee a cameo in the comic, much less a role. What else can I make? Clan submissions will intermittently open for acceptance/rejection in the supporter's server. Other than characters and clans, I ask that you do not invent anything else for DI. That includes animals, plants, spells, elemental techniques, diseases/afflictions, locations, schools, metals/minerals, medicines, myths, curses, etc. While most of these are things I would enjoy seeing people make, I am too swamped with dealing with characters and clans that I would be unable to review other contributions. I'd go insane if I tried. Can my character cameo in you r comic? If your character is not created/adapted for DI, no. I choose cameos from supporters who have made characters for DI with eligible designs and integrated information (see 'characters' page.) I usually also choose based on what makes sense - if I have a scene that takes place in the Temple Sch ool, I'll pick characters who are students in the age group I want/need, so it's not enough to have only a design. Is this project related to DI? Concerning another TLoS oriented project, The Dragon Realms; Neither me nor Destiny Intertwined are related or affiliated with this project, nor is TDR and its creators associated with Destiny Intertwined. While TDR finds its roots in DI and thus some similarities may be noted, TDR has moved into its own as an Art Roleplaying Game and the two are now distinct and separate projects. Creators of both projects have agreed that contributions should be kept separate, in that a character and/or clan may not be present in both projects due to differences and the preferences of the creators. We intend for these two projects to coexist in their own corners of the TLoS fandom.

Quiet as a Rat, Ancestors are Nowhere Near Quiet as a Rat, Ancestors are Nowhere Near Written by Spiralled Fury A group of vengeful family members chase down an estranged mother for a sin unforgiveable. > Read Here < Content Warnings: Child abuse Violence Cussing Description of wounds, character death, murder Featured Characters Caflagro Ioniz Keranor Novatian Luminoc Acoroniz Hashazi Cauziko Lyhkiz Disikaro Incia Arcaries (mentioned) Location(s) Stone-Edge Keep, Northern Mountains (Warfang Mainland) Timeline 2684, late fall Word Count ~13,700 words Reading Time ~1 hour Summary (Spoilers ahead!) Set in a generation before the clan Ensis Fumoveo, the story opens on a vauge scene from the perspective of a hunter, observing the rest of their family in the hunt of another dragon. This hunt has significantly progressed, with the target wounded and bleeding even as it fights for survival. The hunter mentions that this hunt is not for food or trade, but rather for the hunt alone. The daughter of the current head of the family, Caflagro, is returning home with her brother, Ioniz. She and Ioniz meet up with their younger sibling, Keranor, before delivering the day's early prey to their aunt. Keranor and Ioniz fly off to the lake together, while Caflagro and the aunt - Hashazi - head to the training grounds to locate one of the younger cousins. There, Caflagro notices that one of the younger dragons training is injured, and orders a spar to stop. Caflagro and the mother of the young dragon - Novatian - get into a disagreement about the dragon continuing to train before Hashazi interrupts. Caflagro discovers that Disikaro (the dragon in question) has been hurt badly enough to damage his arm. Hashazi agrees to talk to Acoroniz, the head of the family, about the incident while Caflagro leads Disikaro and Incia (his sister) into the Keep for some care. A few hours later, Caflagro overhears Novatian and her children arguing again, but this time she observes Novatian attacking both of them. One of the hits knocks Disikaro unconscious, and Caflagro attacks her in response. The two argue about Novatian being able to discipline her children, while Caflagro states that she had gone way too far as she defends the two. Ioniz comes to Caflagro's defense while she examines Disikaro, discovering that his neck is broken. Acoroniz arrives, which prompts Novatian to argue that she was simply teaching her children before Caflagro interrupts that Disikaro's neck is broken. Another two members of the family arrive, one (Cauziko) doing her best to give medical care to Disikaro while the rest of the family prevents Novatian from fleeing. Upon recognizing that their family cannot heal or save this damage, Caflagro sends Keranor with a stabilized Disikaro to Northkeep, where he may have a chance. After Keranor has been sent, Acoroniz sentences Novatian to be banished to the woods, alone, where she will surely be hunted by some beast. After her exit however, Acoroniz gives an order that the family will be hunting her down, and informs their children that they do not need to partake in this. Caflagro and Ioniz agree to do it, and take off with the family for the hunt. The family chases Novatian down and circles her in a clearing of the woods, attacking her in loose coordination. She calls them cowards and demands they come and face her properly, only for her brother, Luminoc, to emerge. They have a short conversation wherein she asks him to take care of her children, before the entire family pounces on her. Luminoc is the one who lands the killing blow, before howling for the loss of his sister and matched. The family returns to the Keep, exhausted, and Acoroniz gives orders for the following day. In this conversation, they remind Caflagro and Ioniz that this is something that is not done and not spoken. They inform Caflagro that she will command the Keep the next day as hunt leader, and Caflagro goes to rest.

A dragon clan within the universe of Destiny Intertwined. Northwind is a recent, small clan consisting of the relatives of Elder Guardian Nivalis. History ⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻ Northwind was founded in 2956 by Nivalis upon his achievement of Guardianhood. While Nivalis did not have his own children nor could have, he claimed his right to clanhood for the benefit of his siblings and their descendants. Clan Trait ⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻ Northwind is recognized by several features. They are largely a monochrome greyscale or a desaturated blue, and have stripe and 'snowfall' markings. Their most recognizeable trait is how a small part of their body is much darker than the rest. This can either be the head or tail tip, or the paws and top of the wing. This darkening can be gradual or a hard cut-off like that of the founder, Nivalis. Markings that follow the rest of the body will still be visible beneath the darkening. Northwind dragons are thus said to have a 'permanent shadow' on parts of their bodies. Sometimes brighter markings will poke through the shadow as if they glow. Some members lack the 'shadow' due to the clan not being selective based on trait. Elements ⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻ Northwind is primarily ice, but one fourth of its members are wind due to a wind dragon unifying with the Patriarch. The variants in Northwind are white and blue ice, and grey and tinted (blue) wind. There are no other current element impurities. Information Name Allegiance Colors Banner Element Trade Location Leader Heir Founder Founding Year Living Members Northwind Warfang Cold greys and white Swirls of ice and wind in clan colors, displaying clan trait of darker parts on the body Ice, some Wind Guard, diverse Warfang City Commander Rimeius Sanctus Elder Guardian Nivalis Year 2956 34 Appears in Destiny Intertwined (Chapter 2) Out of Universe DragonOfIceAndFire No/Maybe* Owned by Open for Characters? *New character openings only available when current character owners open slots for their character's children. Character information and design must be approved and may be subject to corrections. Character may be declined. Trade ⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻ Much of Northwind follows the path of Nivalis, who was a Guard before becoming a Guardian. During obligatory service, members will aim for selection into the Guard, and due to their clanhood and association to Nivalis, most pass selection. A few members choose the Army instead, mostly descendants of the brother that remained in the Army. Half the clan remain in the Guard, while others seek different careers after mandatory service. Reproduction and Eggs ⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻ Northwind accepts both romantic and contract unions/reproduction, but encourages a limit to ice and wind, with emphasis on ice. They also seek to not introduce further variants into their bloodline. Notable Members ⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻ Elder Guardian Nivalis (Founder) Commander Rimeius (Patriarch, eldest sibling of Nivalis) Commander Nohrus ( brother of Nivalis) Captain ??? (sister of Nivalis) Captain Sanctus (son of Rimeius, Heir) Guard Crivaliger (son of Rimeius) Captain Soleis (son of Rimeius) Icenis (daughter of Nohrus) Polaris (daughter of Nohrus) Soldier Auroris (child of Nohrus) Student Hoaris (son of Nohrus) Arcturus (son of Sanctus) Ismorta (daughter of Sanctus) Venya (daughter of Crivaliger) Arcalis (daughter of Icenis) Orion (child of Polaris) And other extended family Page Written by DragonOfIceAndFire

A dragon clan within the universe of Destiny Intertwined. Sunstorm is a mixed electric/fire clan of primarily jewelers and scholars. They are based in Agni Flats, where they forge the finest jewelry for the richest dragons. History ⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻ In 2912, Master Plasmatir's family was recognized for their wealth - a result of their beautiful, high quality crafts - and their studies, and he was awarded the honor of founding a clan. Clan Trait ⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻ Sunstorms are recognized by their face markings, which are reminiscient of their banner. From between their eyes, markings stretch out in four to eight tendrils, trailing up their horns in electric or fire-like patterns depending on the dragon's element. This marking appears on the dragon's egg. Sunstorms display almost exclusively orange and yellow colors, with rare splashes of other tertiary colors. They have a few members that bear the face marking, but are blue instead the standard coloration. Elements ⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻ Sunstorm has 23 electric dragons, and 21 fire dragons. Their variants are yellow and pale/white electricity, and orange and yellow fire. A few members are of blue electricity/fire. Sunstorm lacks significant ice impurity to possess red fire, and neither do they possess red, purple, or green electricity. Trade ⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻ Sunstorm is very well known for their jewelry forged in the hottest corners of Agni Flats, where they use only the purest and rarest of metals and gemstones. Both fire and electricity come together to uniquely shape the metals for the best result, with secrets only Sunstorm knows. Sunstorm only makes small Information Name Allegiance Colors Banner Element Trade Location Leader Heir Founder Founding Year Living Members Sunstorm Warfang Stormbringer Near-black red, dark and bright orange, gold, light yellow A blazing sun with tendrils of electricity displaying clan colors Electricity, fire Jewelers, Scholars Agni Flats Master Solestir Undecided Master Plasmatir Year 2912 44 Appears in Destiny Intertwined (Chapter 2) Out of Universe DragonOfIceAndFire Yes* Owned by Open for Characters? *character information and design must be approved and may be subject to corrections. pieces such as rings for tails or horns, as well as limb/neck bracelets and fine cape collars. They do not make heavy cape collars or ceremonial armor. Many of the artisans study and perfect their craft to the point of being granted a title of Mastery, making them a Master of Metallurgy/Metalcraft. Not every child of the clan chooses the continue the family trade, at which point Sunstorm formally removes them as a member of the clan, even if family connections persist. Reproduction and Eggs ⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻ Sunstorm allows romantic unions if their member's partner is fire or electric and without other element impurities, but they usually resort to contracts. Children without the clan traits are yielded to the other party if possible, otherwise (and in the case of contract unions) only children with the clan traits are considered clan members. There are about a dozen dragons in the family, children or otherwise, that are not considered part of the clan - not an uncommon practice in clans. Notable Members ⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻ Master Solestir (Patriarch) Ilisia (daughter of Solestir) And other extended family Gallery ⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻ Ilisia, daughter of the clan Patriarch, a prime example of a Sunstorm and their identifying face markings. Page Written by DragonOfIceAndFire