Katsura

"Sornieth is home to many flights, and within those flights, there are thousands of different and unique clans. Each flight has its rivals and allies, and so too does each clan. But no rivalry could match the hatred between the Nature and Plague flights. The two sisters are diametrically opposed, and the constant blood spilled in their battles is proof enough. Of course, in our little corner of the Ashfall Waste, such rivalry was pointless. There were Plague dragons and Nature dragons aplenty, and in fighting is highly frowned upon. I wouldn't say the two groups got along in our clan, but there certainly wasn't any violence breaking out. At least there wasn't any violence happening in our own clan, but that didn't mean there weren't other out there planning violence against us.

Our relations with most Plague and Nature clans were terse, made out of necessity, not friendship. They didn't much like our integrated clan, and certainly didn't appreciate our non-violent outlook on the world. Despite those troubles, we kept relations with many unfriendly Nature clans, since seeds were in short supply on the wastes and the desert that was right next door. We thought the distance and the gold in their pockets would persuade them to let us be. We were wrong.

It started in the harvest season, the maize was coming in, and it was all hands on deck. Even our defenders were working in the field, every claw is needed in a small clan such as ours. This lapse in security worried our CairnBato visitor, and since he had no knowledge of harvesting, he went to keep an eye on things all by himself. It was this that probably saved our clan from a total annihilation, but even a warning was not enough to save us all. They struck at dawn, just as the harvest was being cleaned and stored and all the clan members were in the tents. Finnick raced to warn the clan, but the warning fell just as the Nature army was overhead.

The children were escorted into the cave, with Amphitrite and Varuna as their guards, while Bellus gathered all the fighters he could to protect the weak within the clan. As the largest dragons, Sancus, Strenua, Miryam, Nia, and Kuraokami used their size to block the attackers from getting into the cave, but in the heat of battle, Sancus was struck down. Maddened by grief and rage, and trying to protect the helpless who were her charge, Strenua lashed out at any dragon she could find, but the Mirror who was leading the charge cut her down. Now the two are joined for eternity in the service of the Flamecaller.

It wasn't the mirror that caused the most damage, it was the litany of Fae behind him, using their powerful nature magic to pervert the greenery around them into rising up and killing their cultivators. Samael, a Plague Fae was a prime target, and certainly would have fallen if her daughter and her husband didn't save her from the rosebushes that she had so lovingly tended. The two fae were crushed and suffocated by the thorny branches, as Samael was rushed away by Mellona to safety. These two weren't the only casualties from the violent magic, as the cave filled with dragons seeking shelter, Lavaridge roused a force of fire dragons to try and stop the magic, Caldera, Benedict, and Kalapana joined with her and emerged from the cave to spread the cleansing flames over their enemies. The fire drove back the army, but another threat joined the battle. A gargantuan Guardian emerged from the depths, crushing the spreading flames and ripping Benedict to shreds.

Kuraokami and the other larger dragons attempted to counter the new enemy, but she was to be the least of their issues. From the depths, she called to her creation, a shambling wreck, composed of rotting Imperial parts. She had built an Emperor. Filled with disgust and hatred, Miryam and Kuraokami attempted to destroy the monstrosity, but only Miryam managed to escape with her life. Again, the more magically adept dragons attempted to subdue the new threat, but they too fell to the beast. Kalapana and Echinacea were slain by the beast, as Kuraokami's lifeless body began to be absorbed into the monster. Lavaridge looked on in horror as her friends died, slain by the whims of Nature and Fire, their dead bodies desecrated and turned into a tool of the undead. She, Caldera, and Lavandula rushed to try and save the wounded, but they were not spared from the attack. The merciless Faes, Nocturnes and Mirror brutally attacked the healers, mortally wounding Lavandula, and forcing the priestesses to retreat.

Back in Somnus cave, the front line tried to counter the oncoming forces. Amphitrite tore herself away from the children she swore to protect and launched herself into the fray, her mate joining her. Together with their expertise in Arcane and Water magics, they were able to force the Emperor and its creator back into the waves. Kuraokami's corpse now joined to the beast, went with it. Bellus, Nicaea, Finnick, and Red charged after the two veterans, and Fought off the attackers for hours, never letting them get into the cave. Outnumbered by the swarm of powerful Faes, the clan could not hope to win, but the natural defenses of Somnus cave prevented the attackers from breaking through. At a stalemate, the attacking forces finally relented.

Of the wounded, Zdravka, Aow, Mimica, and Samael pulled through. Many were lost. We remember Sancus and Strenua, fierce protectors of all the poor and oppressed, who fought valiantly alongside each other to make sure the weak could make it to safety in time. We remember Chidagni and Nenkal, who sacrificed their lives to save Samael. It is through their bravery that she lives on. We remember Kuraokami, who gave his life and his afterlife to our clan, dying in order to stop the Emporer from destroying any more lives. We remember Benedict and Kalapana, who used their gifts of fire to fend off the Nature attackers, leaving the safety of the cave in order to protect their home. Finally, we remember Lavandula, who gave everything in order to provide healing, and Echinacea, who came together with the other magic users to defend the clan, and lost her life in the process.

We have lost too many today. This clan was never supposed to know war, we only ever wanted peace. How can we continue our mission when so many of our family has died? Varuna and Amphitrite thank their gods that their daughter was away when this attack happened, but how will she react knowing her best friend perished in the attack? How can any of us recover from this?

I never hoped to write such tragedies."