It's Only the Fairy Tale
Yuki Kajiura
Merlin's Sleeping Spell
Peter Gundry
La valse d'Amélie
Yann Tierson
A Nostalgic Dream
Peter Gundry
Liyavalesce | Female | Regeneration
Verloren Waveborne | Male | 24
Verloren Personality
:: Old Man of the Wilds ::
Although still a relatively young man, when Verloren walks into a room, there seems to come with him an automatic sense of eternal equanimity - the kind that comes with someone who, one feels, must have already seen the world in all its troubles, and decided that he is well with it. He is a quiet man, prone to introspection, and at times it appears a little spacey. Despite his taciturn, self-dependent nature, when spoken to he turns out to be a kind, thoughtful, and even friendly person, who has little trouble with social interaction. He would rather be silent than speak a lie, yet rather speak a lie to help someone than speak the truth when it causes someone pain. However, his closest relationship remains with nature itself. A very spiritual man, Verloren prays for the lives of the animals whose lives he takes, giving thanks to nature for his every meal. He does, however, also believe in the cycle of life and death as the natural way of life. Plants, animals, even humans, the time will come for everyone when the gods will it. This being the case, he has similar qualms killing people as he does animals. He wouldn't do it if it wasn't necessary, never for fun, but he wouldn't hesitate if it was, either.
Liyavalesce Personality
§ Roses of the Shadows §
Liyavalesce is much of anything anyone expects a regeneration dragon to be - timid and clingy. On the day she hatched, the little dragon slunk under the remnants of her shell to hide. Throughout her two years at the Monastary, she mostly stuck to herself, learning to keep herself out of trouble and becoming excellent at navigating the shadows. She continues to be shy, hating confrontation of any kind and preferring to spend her time taking care of flowers and playing hide and seek with the rest of the world. Beyond her timid nature, though, and perhaps despite it, Liya is a vicious hunter and fighter, underhanded, quick, observant, and sneaky when she needs or wants to be. She is very smart and inquisitive, but also extremely insecure, and so often does not have the confidence to speak up even when sometimes she should or very much wants to. Although she dislikes conflict, she is not a pacifist and is vulnerable to her emotional state in general - at times moody, changeable, and even potentially reckless.
History
Verloren Waveborne was so named because of his coming, though not his birth. On the edge of the Nira Nomad Settlement in Galidus, there lived a woman neither very old nor very young. She lived largely alone, raising a few horses and eagles on her own, using them to hunt, traveling some miles to the nearby settlement for anything else. Not alone by any design of others, but through her own love for the quiet life. She was content in this solitary existence, but it seemed the gods had other designs, for one day, as she slept, she was granted a dream unlike any other she had ever had.
She stood alone on the shores of the river, her little house some distance behind her - a familiar sight. The simple cloth of her nightgown hugged her body slightly as the wind played about it, sweeping her long red hair along with it and causing a light chill to set into her bones. Without knowing why, she stepped forward, feet making soft sounds in the grass at the bank of the river. The giggling of the wind and the soft rustling of her feet in the grass were the only sounds, moonlight revealing the great expanse as still, absent of life besides her own. She did not stop until she felt liquid lapping at her toes. With the chill of the night, she knew that it should have turned her feet to ice, but she barely felt it, face transfixed on the empty space in front of her. For a long moment there was nothing. No movement, no life, just her and the wind. Then two creatures burst from the center of the river, and she knew this was what she had been waiting for. They were horses, but not the hardy creatures she knew. They coats seemed to glitter white in the moonlight, large wings spreading from the backs of the sleek beasts. She could not move from where she stood, awe rendering her speechless as they approached together, gliding above the waves. Of their flawless forms there existed only two spots of color: their glowing eyes. One of the elegant beings had one eye of molten gold, another of silver. The other contrasted a violent purple with a bright green no plant could ever attain. They drew to a smooth halt in front of her, and again there was silence.
Voices rumbled forth in unison, but the horses had made no motion. The words simply echoed across the plain, as if brought from the wind itself. Er nennt Verloren. Er ist Verloren. Aber er werde nicht Verloren ist. The nonsensical words were repeated twice, to fade into the echoes as they had come into being. The winged horses in front of her grew bright, brighter and brighter, until she could no longer keep her eyes on them. She closed her eyelids for just a moment, and when she opened them again the glow had faded and the horses were gone. In their place was a silent baby with silvery white hair, hovering above the water at chest-height. The woman reached out for him, but the dream ended abruptly and she awoke to find her arms stretched to the ceiling, eyes wide awake in the dark of her home.
Standing up hastily, she went to the river bank, and there indeed, on the shore in the grass, was the child from her dreams. There was nobody beside him, he was simply there as if he had sprouted from the grass itself. But she knew better, he had been born from the waves in the form of two beautiful horses with great wings. So she dubbed him as she knew him: Verloren Waveborne, the child brought from the river.
Verloren was raised by the woman he would call Grandmother in much the same fashion she had always lived her life. Their way of life was simple, unassuming, poor by some standards, and relatively self-sufficient. It was a peaceful way to live and came with a deep reverence for both life and death. It was an uneventful existence, but he had been told the story of his coming and knew that Grandmother believed he was destined for greater things. So when, indeed, he sensed a strange longing in his soul, he took it as no more than the natural progression of life. He came to Grandmother one night, when he was 22, to tell her that the time for his journey to begin had come, and silently she rose and packed him a small basket of supplies. With no more communication than that, Verloren took the basket and his staff, and walked out the door without looking back. His journey was one of faith. Little wandering led him to Mistwind Camp, and though he knew not why, there he stayed for two years, becoming one of the rugged, suspicious folk of the town, though never quite one with them. He was used to the quiet life, and thus it was that he settled on the edge of the town just as Grandmother had with the Nira Nomad Settlement.
Just a few months past, however, late in spring, Verloren was out in the hills and fields collecting herbs, when smoke began to rise from the village. He approached to see the settlement under attack, and though he ran forward to help, all valiant efforts were in vain. Those who could not fight fled, those who could were pushed back, the invading forces slaughtering as they went. It was the white-haired man's first encounter with the plagued of Ogual. He was not frightened or horrified, but greatly angered at this perversion of nature, and it was then that he knew why he had been sent here, where he must go. It was again time to set forth. To the Monastery he headed, in search of answers from the gods and the wise monks who lived there, but along the way, strange stories reached his ears. The people of Ylandre, gossip said, had been saved by great legends reborn - the dragons had flown again across the skies of Illos, and upon their backs rode mighty warriors.
The Dragon Tamers had returned.
Another, more ominous rumor also reached his ears, however. There were dark whispers that these dragon tamers had had the choice to save Mistwind or Ylandre, and they had chosen Ylandre, leaving his home to the dogs. Others spoke fearfully of Ogual's next move. The dragon tamers had saved one city, but surely their coming meant war was upon them. Were not times indeed dangerous if these great saviors had come? All the rumors, fearful whispers, joyful celebrations swirled about the road he traveled to the Monastery, but he remained undeterred. When he arrived at his destination, however, he understood that he had been wrong. He had not been meant to come for the wisdom and guidance of the monks, but for something else he could not explain. He never imagined it would be for the Order of the Dragons, much less that he could be destined to be a tamer, but the monks whisked him in. As they rushed him in, his head and heart turned to a portion of the Monastery with great open fields. It took no guidance for him to find his way to one such open field where he waited, just as his caretaker had in a dream more than twenty years ago, awaiting something greater. There he stood, transfixed on what was to come, and from the sky descended a creature more beautiful than anything he could have imagined, to change his world forever.
Verloren Strengths
Calm Under Pressure
Physically Strong
High Stamina
Observant
Self-Sufficient
Emotionally Peaceful
Liyavalesce Strengths
Ferocious Fighter
Fast
Stealthy
Observant
Careful/Neat/Organized
Intelligent
Verloren Weaknesses
Occasionally Absent-Minded
Unused to Taking Orders (Independent)
Used to Taking His Time
Liyavalesce Weaknesses
Easily Frightened
Emotional
Indecisive
Liyavalesce Abilities
Healing - The pink dragon's scales are unique in the sense that, when ground up, they contain healing properties. When the powder is mixed with water and applied to minor cuts and abrasions the effects are almost immediate.
Regeneration - It take A LOT to kill a pink dragon. Though they are quaint creatures, in the way of dragons, they heal exceptionally fast and could repair broken bones in just a week or regrow whole limbs.
Fresh Scent - These dragons somehow managed to weave the scent of flowers into their genetics; be it by magic or miracle. This scent is ideal for attracting the attention of deer and other prey. They rely on it to draw their prey out into an ambush as they do not enjoy fighting.
Tree Climber - A fairly small dragon, Liya has not always relied on her wings. She has learned from watching Aleria how to clamber up with her talons alone, and is relatively good at navigating a forest canopy now.
Hide and Seek - Although not so cleverly camouflaged as many of her kin, the regeneration dragon is a clever hider. She can slip and blend into the shadows the way a snake can slink through the grass. It's an imperfect skill because of her physiology, but one she's learned from her shy ways.
Eyes in the Dark - Liya's ability to discern things through the darkness has come from her tendency to hide in the shadows anyways. Her eyes are really no different from the rest of the dragons, but two years of spending most of her time in whatever forests and caves lay within the boundary of the Monastery taught her to analyze the shades in the moments before the eyes adjust.
Green Thumb - Regeneration dragons of old tended to and harvested the flowers of their wide, lonely fields, and Liya is no exception. She has always had a great love for the simple beauty of little field flowers, and nurtured a small patch in the Monastery that is now hailed as one of the most beautiful collections of flowers in the area. Using the knowledge of her ancestors to provide each kind with the right amount of sun and water, separating them out a little, but seeding them such that flowers of complementing colors would grow close to each other, and yet not overrun each other. All of these little things would have made her an excellent florist.
Verloren Abilities
Bonded Ability: Shared Burden - A regeneration tamer can conduct a form of healing that causes the tamer to take on half of the other person's pain and symptoms in exchange for an increased rate of healing and an equal half of the pain.
Staff Wielder - It is a common misconception that the use of a staff is not deadly. This may be correct in such a case where all the person knows is to swing in fancy flourishes and smack someone over the head with it, but it is not the case for Verloren, for whom it is like an extension of his body. While perhaps a bit more difficult to kill with than things that slash and cut, it is nonetheless a lethal weapon when used correctly.
Living the Hunter Life - Verloren's childhood meant that from the time he was little, he was out in the plains. Thanks to their couple of eagles and a small herd of horses, he is an excellent rider, knows how to treat these kinds of animals, and has some skill with hunting by falconry. He is also skillful at skinning and cleaning different kinds of game.
Housewifely Duties - Though his caretaker was not at all what one would call lazy or negligent, as he grew older she assigned him different duties within the household. As such, he is fair at cooking, cleaning, basic sewing to patch up old clothes, and a little first aid.
Eye for the Herbs - Verloren and the woman who raised him did not cultivate their own grains and herbs. Mostly, they got those things by trading with the nearby settlement for the skins they got. It seemed, however, that Verloren even as a child was good at recognizing the different sorts of herbs found in the wild, and he began collecting them without Grandmother's direction or permission. It is a combination of detailed observation and instinct that has never really left him, and he is quite handy when it comes to finding medicinal herbs or even just nice little edible plants to supplement the meal. He is at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to unfamiliar terrain in this aspect, though.
Relationships
Grandmother - This red-haired woman's name is unknown to Verloren. Even when he was in the settlement running errands for her, the villagers merely referred to her as "The Old Woman." She has an ageless face, some wrinkles that make her seem as if she might be in her thirties, but for as long as she raised him, Verloren has not seen her appear to age, and the villagers all speak of her with some quiet reverence, as if she were a part of the land itself. To Verloren, however, she holds a special position. She is not his mother, but a greatly respected mother-figure and teacher. He believes in her, and before he left, would have been prepared to listen to her without question, though now he believes she would no longer even attempt to exert that kind of influence over him. She is, to him, a symbol of wisdom and his childhood, as well as a lady of some great esteem, despite her humble accommodations.
TBA
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[spoili]
Verloren Personality
Old Man of the Wilds
Although still a relatively young man, when Verloren walks into a room, there seems to come with him an automatic sense of eternal equanimity - the kind that comes with someone who, one feels, must have already seen the world in all its troubles, and decided that he is well with it. He is a quiet man, prone to introspection, and at times it appears a little spacey. Despite his taciturn, self-dependent nature, when spoken to he turns out to be a kind and thoughtful person, who has little trouble with social interaction. He would rather be silent than speak a lie, yet rather speak a lie to help someone than speak the truth when it causes someone pain. However, his closest relationship remains with nature itself. A very spiritual man, Verloren prays for the lives of the animals whose lives he takes, giving thanks to nature for his every meal. He does, however, also believe in the cycle of life and death as the natural way of life. Plants, animals, even humans, the time will come for everyone when the gods will it. This being the case, he has similar qualms killing people as he does animals. He wouldn't do it if it wasn't necessary, never for fun, but he wouldn't hesitate if it was, either.
Liyavalesce Personality
Roses of the Shadows
Liyavalesce is much of anything anyone expects a regeneration dragon to be - timid and clingy. On the day she hatched, the little dragon slunk under the remnants of her shell to hide. Throughout her two years at the Monastary, she mostly stuck to herself, learning to navigate the shadows and becoming excellent at navigating the shadows. She continues to be shy, hating confrontation of any kind and preferring to spend her time taking care of flowers and playing hide and seek with the rest of the world. Beyond her timid nature, though, and perhaps despite it, Liya is a vicious hunter and fighter, underhanded, quick, observant, and sneaky when she needs or wants to be. She is very smart and inquisitive, but also extremely insecure, and so often does not have the confidence to speak up even when sometimes she should or very much wants to. Although she dislikes conflict, she is not a pacifist and is vulnerable to her emotional state in general - at times moody, changeable, and even potentially reckless.
History
Verloren Waveborne was so named because of his coming, though not his birth. On the edge of the Nira Nomad Settlement in Galidus, there lived a woman neither very old nor very young. She lived largely alone, raising a few horses and eagles on her own, using them to hunt, traveling some miles to the nearby settlement for anything else. Not alone by any design of others, but through her own love for the quiet life. She was content in this solitary existence, but it seemed the gods had other designs, for one day, as she slept, she was granted a dream unlike any other she had ever had.
She stood alone on the shores of the river, her little house some distance behind her - a familiar sight. The simple cloth of her nightgown hugged her body slightly as the wind played about it, sweeping her long red hair along with it and causing a light chill to set into her bones. Without knowing why, she stepped forward, feet making soft sounds in the grass at the bank of the river. The giggling of the wind and the soft rustling of her feet in the grass were the only sounds, moonlight revealing the great expanse as still, absent of life besides her own. She did not stop until she felt liquid lapping at her toes. With the chill of the night, she knew that it should have turned her feet to ice, but she barely felt it, face transfixed on the empty space in front of her. For a long moment there was nothing. No movement, no life, just her and the wind. Then two creatures burst from the center of the river, and she knew this was what she had been waiting for. They were horses, but not the hardy creatures she knew. They coats seemed to glitter white in the moonlight, large wings spreading from the backs of the sleek beasts. She could not move from where she stood, awe rendering her speechless as they approached together, gliding above the waves. Of their flawless forms there existed only two spots of color: their glowing eyes. One of the elegant beings had one eye of molten gold, another of silver. The other contrasted a violent purple with a bright green no plant could ever attain. They drew to a smooth halt in front of her, and again there was silence.
Voices rumbled forth in unison, but the horses had made no motion. The words simply echoed across the plain, as if brought from the wind itself.
Er nennt Verloren. Er ist Verloren. Aber er werde nicht Verloren ist. The nonsensical words were repeated twice, to fade into the echoes as they had come into being. The winged horses in front of her grew bright, brighter and brighter, until she could no longer keep her eyes on them. She closed her eyelids for just a moment, and when she opened them again the glow had faded and the horses were gone. In their place was a silent baby with silvery white hair, hovering above the water at chest-height. The woman reached out for him, but the dream ended abruptly and she awoke to find her arms stretched to the ceiling, eyes wide awake in the dark of her home.
Standing up hastily, she went to the river bank, and there indeed, on the shore in the grass, was the child from her dreams. There was nobody beside him, he was simply there as if he had sprouted from the grass itself. But she knew better, he had been born from the waves in the form of two beautiful horses with great wings. So she dubbed him as she knew him: Verloren Waveborne, the child brought from the river.
Verloren was raised by the woman he would call Grandmother in much the same fashion she had always lived her life. Their way of life was simple, unassuming, poor by some standards, and relatively self-sufficient. It was a peaceful way to live and came with a deep reverence for both life and death. It was an uneventful existence, but he had been told the story of his coming and knew that Grandmother believed he was destined for greater things. So when, indeed, he sensed a strange longing in his soul, he took it as no more than the natural progression of life. He came to Grandmother one night, when he was 22, to tell her that the time for his journey to begin had come, and silently she rose and packed him a small basket of supplies. With no more communication than that, Verloren took the basket and his staff, and walked out the door without looking back. His journey was one of faith. Little wandering led him to Mistwind Camp, and though he knew not why, there he stayed for two years, becoming one of the rugged, suspicious folk of the town, though never quite one with them. He was used to the quiet life, and thus it was that he settled on the edge of the town just as Grandmother had with the Nira Nomad Settlement.
Just a few months past, however, late in spring, Verloren was out in the hills and fields collecting herbs, when smoke began to rise from the village. He approached to see the settlement under attack, and though he ran forward to help, all valiant efforts were in vain. Those who could not fight fled, those who could were pushed back, the invading forces slaughtering as they went. It was the white-haired man's first encounter with the plagued of Ogual. He was not frightened or horrified, but greatly angered at this perversion of nature, and it was then that he knew why he had been sent here, where he must go. It was again time to set forth. To the Monastery he headed, in search of answers from the gods and the wise monks who lived there, but along the way, strange stories reached his ears. The people of Ylandre, gossip said, had been saved by great legends reborn - the dragons had flown again across the skies of Illos, and upon their backs rode mighty warriors.
The Dragon Tamers had returned.
Another, more ominous rumor also reached his ears, however. There were dark whispers that these dragon tamers had had the choice to save Mistwind or Ylandre, and they had chosen Ylandre, leaving his home to the dogs. Others spoke fearfully of Ogual's next move. The dragon tamers had saved one city, but surely their coming meant war was upon them. Were not times indeed dangerous if these great saviors had come? All the rumors, fearful whispers, joyful celebrations swirled about the road he traveled to the Monastery, but he remained undeterred. When he arrived at his destination, however, he understood that he had been wrong. He had not been meant to come for the wisdom and guidance of the monks, but for something else he could not explain. He never imagined it would be for the Order of the Dragons, much less that he could be destined to be a tamer, but the monks whisked him in. As they rushed him in, his head and heart turned to a portion of the Monastery with great open fields. It took no guidance for him to find his way to one such open field where he waited, just as his caretaker had in a dream more than twenty years ago, awaiting something greater. There he stood, transfixed on what was to come, and from the sky descended a creature more beautiful than anything he could have imagined, to change his world forever.
Verloren Strengths
Calm Under Pressure
Physically Strong
High Stamina
Observant
Self-Sufficient
Emotionally Peaceful
LIyavalesce Strengths
Ferocious Fighter
Fast
Stealthy
Observant
Careful/Neat/Organized
Intelligent
Verloren Weaknesses
Occasionally Absent-Minded
Unused to Taking Orders (Independent)
Used to Taking His Time
Liyavalesce Weaknesses
Easily Frightened
Emotional
Indecisive
Verloren Abilities
Bonded Ability: Shared Burden - A regeneration tamer can conduct a form of healing that causes the tamer to take on half of the other person's pain and symptoms in exchange for an increased rate of healing and an equal half of the pain.
(ALTERNATE) Bonded Ability: Switched Burden - A regeneration tamer has the ability to, not heal its own injuries, but transfer injuries between people, returning the original person to their prior state of health, and reproducing those immediate injuries to another person, most easily themselves.
(ALTERNATE) Bonded Ability: Regeneration - The same as the regeneration dragon, regeneration tamers have the ability to heal exceptionally quickly, repairing and regenerating lost tissue at astonishing rates. As such, it makes them difficult to impossible to kill.
Staff Wielder - It is a common misconception that the use of a staff is not deadly. This may be correct in such a case where all the person knows is to swing in fancy flourishes and smack someone over the head with it, but it is not the case for Verloren, for whom it is like an extension of his body. While perhaps a bit more difficult to kill with than things that slash and cut, it is nonetheless a lethal weapon when used correctly.
Living the Hunter Life - Verloren's childhood meant that from the time he was little, he was out in the plains. Thanks to their couple of eagles and a small herd of horses, he is an excellent rider, knows how to treat these kinds of animals, and has some skill with hunting by falconry. He is also skillful at skinning and cleaning different kinds of game.
Housewifely Duties - Though his caretaker was not at all what one would call lazy or negligent, as he grew older she assigned him different duties within the household. As such, he is fair at cooking, cleaning, basic sewing to patch up old clothes, and a little first aid.
Eye for the Herbs - Verloren and the woman who raised him did not cultivate their own grains and herbs. Mostly, they got those things by trading with the nearby settlement for the skins they got. It seemed, however, that Verloren even as a child was good at recognizing the different sorts of herbs found in the wild, and he began collecting them without Grandmother's direction or permission. It is a combination of detailed observation and instinct that has never really left him, and he is quite handy when it comes to finding medicinal herbs or even just nice little edible plants to supplement the meal. He is at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to unfamiliar terrain in this aspect, though.
Liyavalesce Abilities
Healing - The pink dragon's scales are unique in the sense that, when ground up, they contain healing properties. When the powder is mixed with water and applied to minor cuts and abrasions the effects are almost immediate.
Regeneration - It take A LOT to kill a pink dragon. Though they are quaint creatures, in the way of dragons, they heal exceptionally fast and could repair broken bones in just a week or regrow whole limbs.
Fresh Scent - These dragons somehow managed to weave the scent of flowers into their genetics; be it by magic or miracle. This scent is ideal for attracting the attention of deer and other prey. They rely on it to draw their prey out into an ambush as they do not enjoy fighting.
Tree Climber - A fairly small dragon, Liya has not always relied on her wings. She has learned from watching Aleria how to clamber up with her talons alone, and is relatively good at navigating a forest canopy now.
Hide and Seek - Although not so cleverly camouflaged as many of her kin, the regeneration dragon is a clever hider. She can slip and blend into the shadows the way a snake can slink through the grass. It's an imperfect skill because of her physiology, but one she's learned from her shy ways.
Eyes in the Dark - Liya's ability to discern things through the darkness has come from her tendency to hide in the shadows anyways. Her eyes are really no different from the rest of the dragons, but two years of spending most of her time in whatever forests and caves lay within the boundary of the Monastery taught her to analyze the shades in the moments before the eyes adjust.
Green Thumb - Regeneration dragons of old tended to and harvested the flowers of their wide, lonely fields, and Liya is no exception. She has always had a great love for the simple beauty of little field flowers, and nurtured a small patch in the Monastery that is now hailed as one of the most beautiful collections of flowers in the area. Using the knowledge of her ancestors to provide each kind with the right amount of sun and water, separating them out a little, but seeding them such that flowers of complementing colors would grow close to each other, and yet not overrun each other. All of these little things would have made her an excellent florist.
Relationships
Grandmother - This red-haired woman's name is unknown to Verloren. Even when he was in the settlement running errands for her, the villagers merely referred to her as "The Old Woman." She has an ageless face, some wrinkles that make her seem as if she might be in her thirties, but for as long as she raised him, Verloren has not seen her appear to age, and the villagers all speak of her with some quiet reverence, as if she were a part of the land itself. To Verloren, however, she holds a special position. She is not his mother, but a greatly respected mother-figure and teacher. He believes in her, and before he left, would have been prepared to listen to her without question, though now he believes she would no longer even attempt to exert that kind of influence over him. She is, to him, a symbol of wisdom and his childhood, as well as a lady of some great esteem, despite her humble accommodations.
TBA[/spoili]
Liyavalesce Overview:
Okaaayyy, so cause CS'es drive me nuts sometimes, this is an overview of Liya's personality and history without trying to shove it into pretty little sections. Liya's main trait is probably "timid." Her first memory is of cracking out of her shell and finding the world just wayy too bright. She is afraid of pretty much everyone except Merrik, and after she bonds, Verloren, and is extremely self-conscious about the fact that she is bright pink and sticks out in any habitats. I am not certain how Regen dragons succeeded using the ambush tactic if they couldn't blend in anywhere, especially since I initially envisioned her as a pale, almost translucent pink, but I think that was a wrong assumption b/c she can't blend into shadows. Probably used stature to hide behind rocks and trees? Anyways, unlike Agni, she hasn't bothered with the wisdom of her ancestors except as regards to how to best grow flowers, which she started doing because it calmed her down, being a hard-work, no-risk occupation that smells and looks nice. Growing flowers turned into something of a love for her, and I'm fairly certain at some point she started stalking Viridian because she thought they might have something to talk about and kept trying to approach him, but instead ended up being too scared to actually say anything and spent most of her time hide-following him. Terria terrified her, and she still isn't quite certain if bonding with Verloren is a good or bad thing, because she misses Merrik and her flowers and the monks scare her almost as much as Terria does, but on the other hand, being bonded means
fighting other people and being exposed in open space and being around other humans and her fellow dragons ALL the time - an idea which makes her want to puke. When she's nervous, she has a tendency to twist/wrap herself around things, mostly trees, but also people and building-posts. She has a snaky style of movement as a general rule. She knows she's the smallest in size, which pretty much just makes all the other dragons even more scary b/c it has that physical element on top of having a hard time in social situations. The words "ferocious, vicious, and underhanded" do accurately describe her fighting method, but they may give a somewhat wrong impression that she thinks about things when she fights. She doesn't. What I mean by underhanded is, slipping into the trees where other dragons can't follow, ambushing, throwing dust into attackers' faces, and not holding back from attacking sensitive spots, but otherwise her fighting style is very much wild and thoughtless. The only way to make her fight is to make her angry or have her involved in a hunt, so when she does, it's all instinct and emotion. She'll bite, scratch, and thrash, hanging on like a limpet and bashing her opponent into the ground when she can. She has low stamina for this, and fights on adrenaline, but that can make her inexperienced desperation almost more dangerous than some more careful fighters when it comes to PRACTICE fights, because she doesn't stop when they've been knocked out. She hates wide-open spaces and was initially a little baffled and surprised by the nature of her human, but is coming to love them because of Verloren's memories of their beauty. She has a playful streak, but few with whom it comes out, because it only happens when she's comfortable - so with Verloren, Merrik, and probably her flowers.
Attempt at a Verloren Overview:
So far, all I have of Verloren is the faint sense of sadness from his memories, which it is hard to pinpoint the reason for. Definitely what happened in Mistwind affected his view of the world greatly and is still a fresh wound and memory of his powerlessness, but the one thing I think I need to reconcile is his friendly, open, happy nature with that sadness, and the thing I find most confusing is why he chose to leave. It wasn't just whim or the nature of the bond calling to him, because he's not just a 'follow-your-instincts' type of man, and if he was he would've left when he was in his late teens and considered an adult. There was some reason he chose to leave and made his way to Mistwind a reason that told Grandmother he was ready to leave, and I think until I understand what reason that was, I don't think I'll fully grasp him as a character. What I do know, though, is that he is naturally respectful/gentlemanly, calm, and has a great heart for others. He is very in-tune with nature and comfortable with silence, though he has a nice laugh. He's fairly burly and a hardcore rider, and I may have modeled his abilities off of Mongolians. :D Most of the skills he's picked up won't be very useful, but he's good at basic first aid and using medicinal herbs and I think he'll pick up healing magic quickly. He was well-liked in his village, but was only familiar with a few people in Mistwind Camp. He helped get a few people out on horses, but wasn't very useful when he tried to fight, because all he had was his staff to thwack the plagued with, and that wasn't very effective.
Okay, I got it. Verloren's core is WONDER. Like Santa Clause. ;) That centers everything he does. He's not so much just a happy, friendly man. He's a man who believes in the goodness and beauty and yes, wonder, of the world and of mana and of life and everything that lives. He believes in the possibilities and the glory that surrounds them, and the worth that everything inherently holds in equal proportion, whether it be an ancient artifact worth millions, or a flower in the field, and though he may not be the most ruthless or adept at fighting, he has the courage to fight for Illos because it is worth protecting. Meditation came naturally to him, and he gives moments of silence and thanks for every animal he has had to kill. I do believe some incident drove him from the comfort of his home and I still haven't figured out what it was yet, but that core, center part of himself is enough to figure out what drives him, what he loves, how he has lived his life up till now, and why he really went to the Monastery.
Though his time in Mistwind taught him to be cautious, Verloren has always gotten along well with others. He is naturally disposed to be open and friendly, and Grandmother was not the kind of woman who tolerated disrespect of others. Since he does not know his birth parents and his caretaker never claimed to be his mother, he considers himself a child of the land and enjoys spending time in the solitude of the wilderness, though he is less comfortable in forests than in the face of the wide open plains. He is a calm individual, fairly resilient to stress (but not to excitement), and he sees the cycle of life and death as the natural way of life. Plants, animals, even humans, the time will come for everyone when the gods will it. This being the case, he has similar qualms killing people as he does animals. He wouldn't do it if it wasn't necessary, never for fun, but he doesn't believe he would hesitate if it was, either. This has yet to be tested. He is a little on the quieter side, but quick to laugh and share in joy. He would rather be silent than speak a lie, yet rather speak a lie to help someone than speak the truth when it causes someone pain.
