Dreu » Hibernal Den » Lark

Lark

(#9689506)

Level 25 Mirror

Appendicles

Ensorcelled Volume

Energy: 50/50

Personal Style

Apparel

Skin

Scene

Physical Attributes

Battle Stats

Measurements

Length

4.06 m

Wingspan

4.93 m

Weight

488.15 kg

Genetics

Forest
Basic

Orange
Basic

Slate
Basic

Hatchday

Jan 14, 2015
(9 years)

Breed

Adult
Mirror

Eye Type

Light
Uncommon

Level 25 Mirror

Max Level

STR

AGI

DEF

QCK

INT

100

VIT

MND

Lineage

Parents

none

Offspring

Biography

Title: Author of Lark's Lexicon, Mate of Dia
Duty: Assistant Pastkeeper, Linguist, Emissary of Light Flight

Mate: Dia
Battlebond: non-combative. The quill is mightier than the exhalation of weaponized elemental breath, after all

Origin: born in the Mirrorlight Promenade, studied in the Tri-Sun Consortium
Blood: High 2 (by Norphah's Law)

Intent: to form a proper library of leather-bound books in order to elevate clan record-keeping beyond the stone carving this quaint clan prefers. So far he has convinced Elder Hemlock to record Departures on paper scrolls, though Eshak insists the laws remain carved in stone

to travel to every region in order to write a new volume of Lark's Lexicon for each one (so far he has visited the Sunbeam Ruins for Vol. I, Viridian Labyrinth for Vol. II, and Dragonhome for Vol. III)

to lend an ear to the Light and Fire Umbras' idle lament about this simple lair's grave dearth of culture and its resultant misunderstandings with Coatl, Fae and Nocturne kind... that gives him a wonderful idea!

to host a suite of scholars to brighten Earthen minds: Lark's Enlightenment Symposium. He can start with his esteemed mentor Ayseris, whose prestige and elder wisdom must certainly come welcome. Lek has kindly volunteered to help coordinate invitations and securing permissions from the Grit Councillors

to regret that, in his eager haste, Lek's invitations sped ahead of his planning, and the guests arrived before the Clanhelm and Safeguard had a chance to sign off on their admittance! Oh well, as his guests, they are permitted to enter the lair, so long as they don't stay overnight or partake of clan food stores, as vetted members do

to petition strongly, following the First Fae ceremony, that the same honor of Grit Clan membership be granted to his esteemed mentor and his mate. It's only fitting

Peer

Mate

Daughter

Appendicles

Penumbra Lek
of good intentions

Invited Scholar
his old teacher

Invited Scholar
his old classmate

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Lymphus, Lark L. "Chapter Three: Grit Clan." Lark's Lexicon, Volume III:
_____Dragonhome Dialects, p. 180-324. Pillar of the World: Astola-Millia Press, '15.
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Allfather - a term of respect for the Earthshaker, The First Deity, Father of All. Used by Snappers to denote Earthshaker as their creator, Father of All Snappers. Used by the Slatehide Troupe to assert that He alone is the father of all Deities, even the remaining First Four

Banished - one who is no longer, or supposedly has never been, a member of Grit Clan. The Banished are not to be spoken of at all, especially not with the -h suffix of the respected departed. Any clan records bearing mention of the Banished must be stricken out and replaced with "keep not the past of the banished."

Clanhelm Lix will lower your Blood if you mention the name of The Banished in his presence, but out of his earshot it is not uncommon to refer to the Banished by their primary coloration, as in "Obsidian the Banished," just to avoid confusion.

One's loyalty to Clanhelm Lix is measured by one's willingness to adopt his version of history wherein the Banished never existed. His devotees conduct themselves as though the Banished had never graced their memory. But those uncharitable to such tyranny might, say, name something after the Banished, if their contributions to clan record-keeping were highly admirable, such as a printing press, for example.

Battlebond - the clanmates that one forms a deep instinctual bond to fight alongside, usually in groups of three. During combat, battlebonds fight side by side, defending each other in a synchronized pattern of attack. After fighting, they split loot.

Blood - a hierarchy of social standing, dependent on one's parentage within, entrance into, or service performed for Grit Clan. Noted on the census as a standing of Prime (Lix and his offspring), High (default), or Low (demoted), and the number of the length of one's lineage within the clan, which influences the permitted length of the names of one's offspring.

Entirely separate concept from what the Plague doctors have described to me as a "blood type," which has something to do with letters, and their claim that tiny creatures called "cells," even smaller than duskrats, live beneath our scales. I suspect the theory is false, as I have stared very closely at a paper cut with all four of my eyes, and haven't seen anything running around.

bloodright - a claim made on the grounds one's parents are Grit Clan members. Broodright outranks bloodright outranks hatchright, unless the higher ranked dragon accepts a challenge duel and loses.

Broodmaid/Broodbutler - a dragon reporting to the Broodmatron who advises expectant broodpairs, incubates eggs, and minds hatchlings.

Broodpair - a mated pair whose union has been blessed by the Broodmatron. Their names are spoken together with the female at the fore, and with the end of the female name contracted, e.g. Astola and Tolk as The As'tolk Broodpair (male in lowercase if his name is contained in the end of his mate's name), or Trypha and Wik as The Tryph'Wik Broodpair (male capitalized if they do not have letters in common). Males are encouraged to alter their names, adopting the suffix -ak and taking on the letters at the end of their mate's name as their own, as a show of commitment to their mate, as in the Sha'vak, the Ki'aak, and the Sho'rakh (see -h).

broodright - a claim made by the Broodmatron, overruling bloodright or hatchright, often a claim the dragon will remain a clan member despite an attempt of banishment by The Clanhelm or The Safeguard.

The Cairnstone Evacuation - or, as our ever-thorough friends have logged it in their oral history, "Grit Clan's Desecration of the Slatehide Troupe's Sacred Stopping Place at the Cairnstone Rest." A disaster on the 6th day of Trickmurk '15 that prompted Grit Clan to relocate from the Cairnstone Rest to the Pillar of the World. Tunneler Delma's lair expansion digging disturbed a nest of bone wyrms. Casualties included Vault Guard Pahoah who soundlessly refused to leave her post, Bonestriders Alkh and Owkh who charged to the front lines, and Owk's son Marrow Ikikh, who fled. The evacuation was required not just to escape the skeletal serpents, but in case Alkh, Owkh and Ikikh formed an Emperor when felled.

Clanheart - one who feels their heart belongs with the clan instead of by Earthshaker's side. A parent's term for the hatchlings of a clutch that decides to stay with the clan while their siblings depart. See also: Exaltbound.

Dark Crescent - one of the lunar phases of Sornieth's moons, according to some fractious Shadow Flight interpretations. While the most respected names in Arcane astronomy have standardized the phases as Full, Gibbous, Quarter, Crescent, and New, there are some moongazers that feign to take offense to these names for the lunar cycle they so cherish. They prefer lunar descriptors noting the volume of shadow visible at each phase rather than by the amount of light. They claim to prefer the terms "Empty" to the Full moon, "Dark Crescent" to Gibbous, "Dark Quarter" to Quarter, "Nearly There" to Crescent, and "Perfect" to New.

However, I assume the so-called aggrieved party is less motivated by genuine offense than by typical Shadow contrarianism (though as a Light born myself, I suppose I could concede a degree of bias in the matter).

Penumbra Lek's Umbral Court consists entirely of Nocturnes born under the Dark Crescent, for reasons unclear, and he delights in informing non-council members if their hatchday means they were, too. But in calling the lunar phase of the Umbral Court's birth a Waning "Dark Crescent" instead of its more widely held designation as a Waxing Gibbous, Penumbra Lek panders to the Nocturnes' communal Shadow ancestry as a means of uniting the Court, though he does so at the expense of his Arcane birth flight and their proper lunar designations.

Exaltbound - one who has decided to travel to Earthshaker's side, the typical choice of most broodpair hatchlings upon adulthood. See also: Clanheart.

Grit Council - the ruling triumvirate of Grit Clan, consisting of the Clanhelm, the Broodmatron, and the Safeguard. See Appendix iii: "The Founding Laws of Grit Clan."

-h - the "gone-breath," a name suffix denoting the dragon is no longer a member of Grit Clan, either by exaltation, departure to another clan, or death (excludes the Banished, who are not to be spoken of at all). e.g. Hekh and Norphah, pronounced as a short exhalation of elemental breath. According to superstition, the departed may feel the exhalation and know someone is speaking about them. Originated as the suffix Mik-on-high, shortened to Mik-high, then Mikh

hatch-parent - adoptive parent. I'm not certain why Grit Clan doesn't just say "adoption" instead of hatch-parenting, but here we are. I blame our proximity to the Slatehide Troupe. That's Snappers for you: why use one word when four will do? They don't have naming ceremonies, they have "Known-By Reframing Dawns." If it is contagious, soon we won't eat meals, we'll teeth-crunch and tongue-lash our cooked-meat-on-bones. But otherwise I'd be out of a tenure-track lexicographical research stipend from the Tri-Sun Consortium, so I shouldn't complain.

hatchright - a claim made on the grounds one's egg was raised by Grit Clan members. Broodright outranks bloodright outranks hatchright, unless the higher ranked dragon accepts a challenge duel and loses.

-hide/ -wing/ -belly -suffixes to describe Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary coloration. -belly may be used even if the tertiary gene is not Underbelly. "Slatehide known by (Secondary)wing" is the preferred form of address for members of the Slatehide Troupe. "(Secondary)wing" is a common name among the Exaltbound.

High Prime -the bloodline of Clanhelm Lix. Children of Lix in good standing are of blood High Prime II, grandchildren High Prime III, and so on. Its members are given the option of lodging in private quarters, separate from the communal housing the rest of the clan shares, and typically request Insect-catcher duty and increased food rations. Some High Primes choose to integrate themselves with the rest of the clan (such as Dia, Dura, Ippa and Nula), but most keep separate and consider themselves of higher status than the rest of the clan (such as Prima, Lylic, Iylic and Xylic).

hunker - to set one's belly down and entrench oneself in the ground. Used by the Slatehide Troupe to describe the common Snapper defense tactic when performed in defense of a shardstorm.

Insect-catcher (or bug-hunter) - a clan duty in name only, of no actual work. Because there are no Fae or Skydancers that make their home in Grit Clan, the clan does not keep any insects in its food stores. This is a common role listed on the census for members of the pampered and indolent High Prime bloodline.

Multorum Famine - (pages removed)

Namer - the Grit Council-appointed clan member who presides over naming ceremonies and decides the current clan-wide naming tradition. At present, the Namer is Clanhelm Lix, who dictates the following biased convention:

Gender, parentage, mate and seniority affect the suffix and length of names.
Females take the open -a, as in the opening of the throat in joyous song. Males take the closed -k, as in the stopping of the throat in weapon-breath, except the High Prime in the regal -x and the males of his bloodline in the princely -c.
Females receive names of any length, such that they may be cooed by their hatchlings in peacetime. Males receive names of fixed length, such that they may be barked by their battlebond in wartime. Males whose fathers are not of Grit Clan receive a name of three letters. Males born of Grit Clan fathers receive a name one letter longer than his father's name, such that the son may build upon the legacy of his father.
Respected elders are permitted to bring as much of their names with them as they prefer, but their name must come to rest in a Grit Clan suffix, just as they have come to rest in Grit Clan.
Mates in broodpairs can pair their names to each other. The male can change his suffix to -ak and his name to the end of his mate's name, or the female can change the end of her name to her mate's name, by addition or subtraction as preferred, and as approved by the Namer.

By later addendum, -u is used as a gender-neutral name suffix, as in Gobu.

shardstorm - a weather event of winds strong enough to carry shards of Dragonhome's surface crystal deposits. Flying is not advised during shardstorms.

Slatehide Troupe - a pacifistic family of acetic nomads numbering approximately 60 Earth Snappers with Slate Speckle Primary and a brown-range Freckle Secondary. Currently 12-17 members make a semi-permanent honorary residence within Grit Clan.
...
Though they take on a wide range of roles within their traveling band, from tunnel diggers to jewelry makers to theatrical performers, The Slatehide Troupe are united in the belief that all dragons and Deities are destined to return to Dragonhome, a soon-expected influx they call "The Return". A minority of its members keep to this goal by taking tours across Sornieth preaching about The Return, some so devoted that they become exalted abroad in the hopes of personally bending a Diety's ear. The majority of the Slatehide Troupe remain in Dragonhome, to keep close to their Allfather, and annually circumambulate the Pillar of the World, stopping by the Pillar every Rockbreaker's Ceremony.
...
The Slatehide Troupe formed an alliance with Grit Clan on the first day of Rockbreaker's Ceremony '14. By the terms of the alliance, the Troupe offer Grit Clan their knowledge of Dragonhome, (including descriptions of their travel route, a network of safe passages, drinking wells and fertile gathering grounds) and permit their residence in their sacred stopping place, a large lair near the Pillar of the World that would otherwise go unoccupied for most of the year. Grit Clan offer the non-combative Troupe protection during their travels. Though they are honorary members of Grit Clan, the troupe members are exempt from all Grit Clan laws.
...
Though I must admit I had a spot of trouble telling them apart, even by their heat signatures, The Slatehide Troupe easily recognize each other, even at a distance, by the color and unique patterning of their freckled wings. Valuing community over individuality, the Troupe avoid singling each other out, preferring to call each other by the color of their wings. I have seen two decades-old friends greet each other with an impersonal-sounding "Good morning, Stonewing" and a merry reply of "So it is, Brownwing."
If greater specificity is unavoidable, they refer to each other by a unique accomplishment or personal trait, called a "Known-By," generating a lengthy form of address such as, "Slatehide Known By Stonewing Who Swore He Knew The Way To The Southeastern Aquifer But Led The Troupe Through His Darkthorn Valley Shortcut For Naught." They consider themselves being brief if they omit the "Slatehide Known By" part. Known-By's are assigned at maturity and typically last all their lives unless reframed by another attribute for which they become more widely recognized, a rarity as they discourage seeking recognition.
...
After speaking with quite some number of their community, I have distilled their central tenets in the most succinct version I could bring to page, though the order and length of the tenets vary from Slatehide to Slatehide (commonly much, much longer):
Ours is to honor The Allfather Above All.
Ours is to preach The Return, that the Allfather may cease to weep.
Ours is Dragonhome, that the Allfather is never alone.
Ours is to forego ill omens, that the Allfather may not be displeased.
Ours is steadfast, that the Allfather may recall us as He made us.
Ours is to forego pride, that the Allfather may know us as His.
Ours is to multiply, that the Allfather may be pleased by our number.
Ours is to forego violence, that the Allfather's children do not rend one another.
Ours is to forego selfishness, that we may be one dragonkind in the eyes of the Allfather.
Ours is ours.
Such are the tenets of the devout Returnist.

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