Kia

Clan Lore Hub ~ ~ ~


Introduction: The Foundation of Winterhome

Cirrus's youth was a tumultuous one, spent bouncing from clan to clan and village to village within the Sea of a Thousand Currents. Born to two couriers who were often traveling, their earliest days were spent racing through the rolling tides and currents of the sea and coastline. Never truly settling down, never in the same place for long...

They were a young hatchling when they had their first vision: a pair of dragons, lost in a storm. Upon waking, Cirrus rushed to their mother to tell her what they had seen. The striking detail of what Cirrus described.... the specific sigil on the necklaces, the soft orange colors of their eyes, the landmark that Cirrus could recall in uncanny detail. Which she remembered as a well-known landmark in a nearby town to which.... Cirrus had never been. How could they describe it in such detail…

Cirrus’s parents raced off into the night, just minutes before it began to storm, leaving Cirrus alone with their clutchmates. The two returned hours later to say that the dream had been some kind of vision. Two dragons really had been lost there, and if not for Cirrus's dream, they may have died.

A month and four similar visions later, Cirrus was dropped off at a monastery near the Spiral Keep. They saw their parents only a few times thereafter.

While serving as a scrying mage, Cirrus was trained to channel their talents upon request, and to contact the Tidelord whenever in doubt. Despite their gift, they never really wanted to be there…. they cared about people, and they wanted to help them, but whenever Cirrus dreamt of the misfortune of others, they could not help but feel a deep helplessness, as they were never permitted to leave the monastery. It was always others who answered the call, and sometimes the others could not quite comprehend what Cirrus was describing. If only they could go out and help for themselves...

Cirrus sat around, in the same four walls, of the same temple, all day, and all night, trapped largely alone, with only their dreams which they could not act on. They had been a senior oracle in the monastery for a few years when they had their first dream about Eirene, or, rather, her egg, long abandoned and trapped at the bottom of a trench. They tried to explain to others, but the others couldn’t see what Cirrus had seen. They were never able to find the egg.

Weeks had passed, and Cirrus continued to have that same vision, over and over again. They pleaded with the others to continue searching, but it was only one egg, and the dangers of finding it did not warrant a continued search. Cirrus then asked to be allowed to go with them, or to seek the egg for themselves, but it was too dangerous… and they could not risk such a valuable resource as a gifted oracle in the depths of a dark and dangerous trench.

But the nightmares did not stop, and Cirrus could not stop thinking about the egg. And one night, after pacing their room for hours, they decided that they had had enough. Cirrus crept out of their room in the night, packed a bag full of all the things they thought they might need, and even stole a sword that they had no idea how to use.

They rushed out into the open sea, following only the landmarks they had seen in their dreams thousands of times before. It took two days and two nights of constant travel, but eventually they found themselves in the familiar trench…. with the familiar egg. Clutching and patting the misshapen egg, they began their journey home…

Cirrus knew that the others would be upset that they had left, but nothing bad had happened…. and they also knew that if they were to take the little egg back into the monastery, it might be taken from them..and at the end of the day, was this really the life they wanted? To be here, trapped underwater, following the orders of others, forever….

Cirrus considered their options, to stay, and serve their god, or to leave, and do…. who knows what. And in that moment they decided to turn away, up towards the surface. Cirrus began flying south, with no idea where they might be going or what they might find. But it didn’t matter, because they were free.

It was on a complete whim that Cirrus ended up flying all the way to the Southern Icefields. They hopped from village to village for weeks, talking to others, meeting the locals, assembling a small group of friends and followers who wanted to travel with them.

After a few months of village hopping, Cirrus and their new little clan decided they might fly out to the Fortress of Ends just to see what was out there. One night, midway through the journey, while traversing through a deep boreal wood, the group stumbled upon a crumbling, abandoned fortress in the middle of absolute nowhere. Thinking that it might be a warm and safe place to rest, they spent the night in the old temple at the foot of a massive lighthouse.

Cirrus thought that this place had a fascinating charm to it… but the real charm came when Eirene hatched that night, a fluffy little bundle of joy, her coat covered in enchanted runes.

After looking around a bit, checking their maps, and realizing that this was a perfect spot for a traveler’s haven, Cirrus and their small crew of followers decided to clean up the old fort and build a little inn here. Over time, more dragons came and left, more of the old fort was remodeled and renovated, more cabins were built, more walls fixed, and Cirrus’s clan grew from a tiny 5, to over 140.



The Inn and Cottages

The first newly constructed building at Winterhome was the Inn, a long and humble construction of stone and wood featuring two floors and enough space to comfortably house over 100 dragons. Cirrus, their partner, and their family and closest friends, are the primary permanent residents of the inn, as well as any newer clan members who haven't had the chance to build their own cabin yet. That said, the inn is often a temporary home for dozens of guests and travelers stopping for rest on their journey to the Fortress of Ends and back.



Surrounding the inn are over thirty little cabins and homes built by others who decided to join the clan and settle down in Winterhome. Most residents live in either the inn itself or these little cabins, especially older ones from before any of the old fortress's main building had been restored. Mixed in with these houses, a little schoolhouse stands to provide education to all the little hatchlings born in Winterhome.

Filling the back portion of the open inner area is a large garden for fruits, grains, and vegetables. It is kept warm during the winter via an underground heating system beneath the plants, powered by fire magic. Growing crops in the Southern Icefields, especially the more remote and colder places, is not an easy task, but with highly skilled engineers, gardeners, and a few fire dragons, crops can flourish all year round.



The Remodeled Fortress

After the clan had settled in to their new homes around the old fortress, they began to work on restoring the fortress itself. The first thing to be restored was the old lighthouse and temple, which was quickly put back to work in order to guide dragons to the safe location. Ion carefully tends to the fires every night so that anyone who might be in the area will always be able to find the sanctuary.

Later on, spaces were cleared out in the fortress for other reasons. A few general stores have been set up, as well as a little hospital. A group of scholars from other flights looking for a good spot to do research on the Southern Icefields restored the main part of the fortress for a research library, museum, observatory, and laboratory.

The dungeon of the fortress was cleared out and fixed up to serve as an aquarium which houses literal thousands of squids in its winding halls. A few small prison cells were kept in case they were needed, and these cells are home to the Very very small number of prisoners (1 prisoner) that Winterhome houses.

More recently, Hesperrhodos and a few friends cleared out a portion of the old fortress to start up a little boarding school for hatchlings.



The Old Fortress

Although no one truly knows what the old fortress's purpose used to be, it is highly suspected to be an abandoned gaoler watchpost and prison that was closed and left behind hundreds of years prior. The old ruined areas of the fort that have not yet been restored are crumbling, a bit hazardous, and full of dusty clutter and ghosts.

No one knows Winterhome's old fort as well as the ghosts. Those looking for secret passageways, hidden treasure, and long lost secrets, would do best getting to know these ghostly presences, many of which are quite friendly and happy to share. Numerous permanent residents of Winterhome are here specifically to befriend, talk to, or otherwise interact with the ghosts. Although, not All of them are friendly, and a few prefer throwing furniture and causing a big fuss. Areas which ghosts such as this are blocked off with proper signage to prevent anything from happening.



At the heart of the inner courtyard is an old garden which seems to be flourishing with plantlife, but something about it is not quite right. The gardener who keeps it insists that everything is fine, but numerous living creatures have crawled out of its walls, and strange things happen to those who might eat the vegetables it holds within... Some say there is a soul buried deep beneath it.

Not everyone finds the crumbling ruins inhospitable though, a few rival alchemists have made their homes in old towers, and others have also hallowed out a little nest or two in quite places.



The Surrounding Woods

The wooded area around Winterhome is a dark and dangerous place, home to many spirits, monsters, and other malicious creatures of the woods. Even though the clan does their best to keep lanterns lit and paths patrolled, if someone is out in the true depths of the woods, it is not unlikely for them to simply disappear.

That said, there are a number of dragons (and not-dragons) who make these woods their homes. A few witches have built a little cottage out at the heart of an old gnarled patch of trees, and there is a portion of the woods that is even home to a misguided, yet benevolent, necromancer.