Kele

Kele
The Starwood Scholar
Clan sigil and rune crafter
Confident – Elegant – Outspoken – Restless – Aloof

What went into the Starwood Strand was a dragon. But what came to Heaven Wing Eyrie wasn’t quite a dragon anymore.

Like many Arcane dragons, Kele was born with overwhelming curiosity. From crawling insects to the vast sprawl of stars above them, everything fascinated them. As she grew older, she found her real passion: the mystery of the Starwood Strand. Their clan lived close to the Strand, just over the hill from the glowing woods; at night, they would be transfixed by the shimmering on the horizon. Every day a new rumor would reach her ears. ‘There’s something strange in the Strand,’ someone would say. Kele would pause to listen. ‘Eadora never came back. They found her journal though…’ Then Kele would pour through the copy of the journal given to her clan for any new information, making annotations in her sprawling, spidery handwriting. Interest quickly turned into obsession; a spellbound journal of their own was filled up with anything they could find, from a general mention to an essay on the glow of the trees themselves. When they ran out of pages, they filled another—and another after that.

What discoveries would she find in the Starwood Strand? The magical properties of Starwood Sap, the runes that were rumored to be emblazoned on the trees deepest in the forest, the ingredients they could harvest from the creatures who lived there, all of it awaited an eager scholar like her. She began studying specimens from the woods, but it wasn’t enough. She knew she had to see it herself. What had been discovered so far was only a fraction of what existed there. Every tidbit increased her hunger, until Kele barely slept without images of the Strand dancing behind her eyes.

Kele finally journeyed to the Strand a few months after her final hatchling classes concluded. It was an impulsive decision, born solely of frustration. One night, they simply threw all their things in a bag and headed for the woods. It was best to go in while her grasp of magic was still fresh, she reasoned, feeling the echoes of magic in her bones as she passed into the woods. Though she was an average mage at best, she was determined. She would emerge from the Strand triumphant, new magic at her clawtips.

She was right—but the cost was higher than she had imagined. The Kele that left the woods twenty days later was not the Kele who had gone in. Whatever she found in the Strand, it changed her. Where before, Kele had been an eager and energetic scholar, now they seemed passive and almost dreamy, with an unconscious grace in their movements. In contrast, her formerly messy notes became focused and precise. Even the lines of her diagrams were straight and perfect. They wrote strange runes ceaselessly and claimed to have created them, but the designs were unlike anything the other Arcane dragons had ever seen. They began to avoid her, discomfited by the strange feeling she gave off and the distant but piercing look in her eyes.
The new Kele didn’t mind, though; the obsession she had before had increased tenfold. They barely seemed to see other dragons, focused inwards on whatever problem they were so desperate to solve. Her renewed obsession led to a restlessness that drove her from clan to clan, never settling anywhere for long. Kele never strayed into the Strand again, but she didn’t need to; it was always with her now. Her thoughts returned endlessly to the glowing woods and the shadows that moved under the branches. She watched the horizon, studying the faint outline of the Strand even when it wasn’t visible—though what she was looking for, she never told.

Then they found Heaven’s Eyrie.

The silent vales, drenched in Arcane magic, called to something deep within her. Here was peace. Here was safety. Perhaps the princess saw something in them; perhaps she only saw a weary, worn-down dragon run ragged. Kele was allowed to settle down beside the temple to the Arcanist—her mentor, her inspiration, and perhaps what had driven her here. In a way, settling down outside his temple was a warning to herself, part bitterness and part sadness at the god whose teachings had encouraged her. Here is where my curiousity got me. But it didn’t break me. At least they would finally understand what had happened to them—and how to use it for their own good.

It wasn’t long before she and Andorra met. Drawn by the rumors of another scholar proficient in magic, Kele showed up on his door step only a few days after their arrival. Their mutual passion for magic sparked an easy, joyful friendship. Within hours of meeting, they had already decided to collaborate on an experiment of Andorra’s. It exploded, of course, but neither of them minded. Kele was slowly drawn out of her shell by Andorra’s vivacious personality. Andorra, for her part, was drawn to the mysterious and magical dragon who had appeared so suddenly. Partnership became a quiet, steady romance, both bound together by their friendship and a mutual goal: to understand and discover.

Though they squabble every so often, they work together like two cogs in a perfectly tuned clock. Kele, with the help of Andorra’s vast stockpile of books, found that they had gained an immense talent for the creation of sigils and runes. If they saw it, they could replicate it and improve it. When their sigils are added on to Andorra’s many experiments, the enchantments’ potency increases tenfold. Kele’s quiet, steady presence grounds Andorra’s social and impulsive personality. Many times, she has stopped Andorra just before he accidentally destroys his own work, quietly pointing out a mistake or two that she’s noticed. Kele has never been afraid to speak her mind on Andorra’s work and is quick to voice opinions about a spell design or a something she sees as a problem. Occasionally this leads to another tiff, but most often Andorra is grateful for Kele’s intuition.

Though they often travel together when Andorra leaves the clan, Kele sometimes chooses to stay behind and work on their own projects. Both are independent dragons, content to be with each other or go their own way as necessary. In between her studies, Kele crafts jewelry, being particularly fond of bright jewels and softened silver. Those who see if often feel uneasy, as if what she’s made is wrong somehow. Andorra, however, seems to be immune to the oddities of their design and loves every one of their pieces. They often enchant Kele’s jewelry to sell on their travels, boasting of her innovative and unique nature to every buyer.

But sometimes, late at night when all the stars are out, Andorra catches Kele staring into the blackness near the temple to the Arcanist. She seems like a stranger then, alien and distant, her eyes alight with that secret fire. On those nights, Kele often disappears, returning days later and acting as if nothing happened. Andorra doesn’t ask where they went; it’s enough that Kele has stayed with her so far. Still, she wonders when the day will come that Kele will leave and not return.