Firescale

Mate: Hydra Previous Mate: Helveca Notes: This dragon belongs to Minstri. This is his outfit. "It was a fright to see him again like that. It doesn't matter that he was smaller than me, his presence is still an immeasurable shadow." - Firescale

Demonic Vessel When Firescale was young and foolish he made a bargain with a demon to gain great knowledge and intellect so he might rival his imperial peers in the Lightweavers domain. His reasons back then have long faded from memory. Most things from those days have. He was granted great intellect and access to much knowledge, he had only to set his eyes upon a tome or scroll to have its contents soak into his mind. He quickly became arrogant, and sure of his cleverness he tried to outwit the demon he had bargained with and get out of his end of the deal. The demon, however, was prepared for this, as if it had planned it such. It tricked Firescale and took possession of his body. The demon was granted shape and the ability to travel Sorneith with ease. Occultists and Binders in the Clan of Singing Blood enticed the demon to join the clan. It was there that it took the common name of Michaelis the Blackwalker, though his True Name remained hidden, known only to the binder which summoned him. The demon worked in the clan for a long time as the Undertaker, or Funeral Director, until a new arrangement compelled him to leave Firescale's body and enter into a new vessel. Body Relinquished Firescale was dazed and unhinged upon his release and had to be carefully tended to by some of the kinder dragons of the clan which he now found himself in. His first memory upon returning to himself was of dark, almost bottomless eyes, and the soft, round face of the demon's new Coatl vessel. It was an unassuming new appearance, especially in contrast to the imposing imperial, and yet, Firescale was overcome with fear.

He quickly made to flee the clan and the demon within it, but was still terribly disoriented from the ordeal, and became lost, then injured in the foothills beyond the Rotrock Cliffs. It was here that he was found by Hydra. She was in the area gathering materials for research purposes and brought him back to the clan to receive care. Half-conscious when he saw her, he was immediately struck and fell in love with her. Once he recovered from the ordeal and was given time to get his bearings he settled in and decided to stay, demon or no demon. He still has some issues, suffering from memory issues, nightmares, and anxiety. Firescale, though his head might not always be clear, is grateful for the second chance that he has been granted. Grateful, though maybe apprehensive. The demon would not have let him go if it did not serve some dark purpose, and Firescale can scarcely keep track of his own horns, let alone the infernal machinations of a demon. Hopefully, whatever it is will not involve him anymore.

Possessed Visage

Liquid Fire
Firescale decided the best way to foster a relationship with Hydra would be through aiding her in her work. It turned out he still has a knack for scholarly pursuits, though not quite as potent as he once was. He managed to impress not only Hydra, but several other prominent members of the clan as well, including the mad arcanist, Sahko.

He was given authority over the ongoing experiments and study regarding Ooze dragons within the clan. The prominence of such creatures was increasing rapidly, and the investigations into their nature had thus far been severely disorganized and split between several competing interests. Encouraged by his newfound rank and authority, Firescale committed himself eagerly to his work. It also gave him more opportunities to interact with Hydra and eventually to court her.

As part of his work, Firescale began performing various experiments into the nature of the ooze dragons and how they relate to elemental magics. Encouraged by Hydra and lacking willing subjects he performed a series of experiments on himself. Foolish as ever, he nearly destroyed himself in the process. He separated his magical essence, soul, and ethereal mind from his physical body, rendering it like fat from cooking flesh. Hydra's magic and quick-thinking preserved his life, though he did spend a few weeks as a brightly glowing bottle of questionable liquid on a shelf.

Founder of the Ooze Faction
The liquid was Firescale. He was, and is, much like other ooze dragons, but without solid or mutable shape, any capacity for locomotion, or even the ability to hold his puddle together and not have it dispersed, killing him.

Sahko was keen on acquiring Firescale's liquid remains, and so would be of no use in any efforts to restore him. Hydra was forced to seek help elsewhere, and work quickly to keep the wild-eyed arcanist away from her mate. With help from a number of experts within and outside of the clan, a new 'body' was created from Firescale's flesh-and-bone remains, magic, and artificial parts. Through its core is a sealed chamber which now contains Firescale's liquid essence. The body is heavily enchanted, so that Firescale can animate and control it as one might a puppet. It took a great deal of time and effort to adapt to his new situation, and most dragons still notice little things about him which seem slightly off in his mannerisms and the ways he moves, though almost none would guess the reason for the peculiarities without being told. Those who don't know rarely feel his strangeness warrants any remark or consideration.

After recovering from his transformation, Firescale decided he did not want to lead the “Slime Dragon” project in the capacity that he had been. Instead he used his authority to found the Ooze Faction within the clan, as there were enough dragons to warrant it, and uniting in such a fashion allowed them greater autonomy as individuals, no longer subject to the whims of Sahko or any other scholar without their consenting to the matter. The others nominated Firescale as the head of the faction, as he had always advocated for them, even before his accident.