Nightmother

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B I O G R A P H Y Heartlines ______ You're a little young to be a Nightmother, aren't you? ______ Ellowyn is a little young to be a Nightmother of Moonkeep, but she'd appreciate if you remembered it's not polite not bring it up. Hatched to a nondescript Shadow clan and Marked for exaltation as a babe, she was saved by her aging nurse, who packed the still-nameless hatchling in a wicker basket and set her adrift down the river towards the sea. Fortunately, she never made it that far: instead, the basket was noticed by a Fort Moonkeep fisherman, who plucked it from the murky current and brought its contents home. Ellowyn chose to call Fort Moonkeep her permanent home when she came of age to make such decisions, and thus was raised and educated alongside her native Moonkeep peers and other Marked youngsters who had chosen to stay in Moonkeep rather than complete the journey to the Ancient lands. In adolescence she ran briefly with the Sound before deciding her place in the clan was within the Fort walls themselves and not relaying Runners through the forest, no matter how personally connected to her own Marked status she may be. Instead she took up residence as Moonkeep's apprentice infirmary keeper and grew into a clever and level-headed leader in the community, and she may be the youngest Nightmother in Moonkeep history (as well as the first Marked one), but she's more than qualified, thank you very much. ______ And that's a good thing, because shadows in Moonkeep are stirring. With the Sound working overtime and the Fury missing in action (again) the Fort is low on trained warriors, even as supernatural presence and the whispers of spy activity in the Shadowlands increase. And then, of course, there's that thing in the catacombs beneath the Fort that was supposed to be dead - but, well, that's probably what one gets for building a cathedral over the top of some ruins in an asteroid crater, Ellowyn supposes. So it goes. _

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______ The Defiance is made up of two lairs and two satellite patrols: Fort Moonkeep, the hub and “home” lair; Camp Eclipse, the military base and decoy lair; the Sound patrol, the guides; and the Fury patrol, the reconnaissance and rescue. As an operation the Defiance is dedicated to sheltering and assisting Runners attempting to escape Exaltation by fleeing to Dragonhome. They worship no gods and are fundamentally opposed to the taking of life in the name of a deity.

Fort Moonkeep: The Home

In the heart of the bayou of the coastal Shadowlands, Fort Moonkeep lurks quietly in the dark swamp. It is both a massive treehouse and houseboat simultaneously; the ground/water-level floor is a grid of boardwalks, piers, and floating gardens overflowing with night-thriving plants that help sustain the clan. Above it, a mismatched vertical labyrinth of construction is nested and draped amongst the massive trees; erratic spiral staircases, wooden ramps, and softly swaying rope bridges connect rooms and corridors of various sizes and functions, some as simple as open-walled landings while others are laden with elaborate architecture. At the very uppermost reaches of the foliage where sunlight easily pierces the thick canopy of the treetops, delicate box gardens of herbs and medicinal flowers are tended, as is a small aviary. Beneath the dark water, swallowed by the swamp, the ruins of a much older dragon lair sleep directly below Moonkeep. Obliterated in the distant past by a falling piece of space debris, the only obvious remnants of this former lair are the bits and pieces that reach up out of the black murky water: a belltower here, a spire there, the occasional sloping rooftop.
The dragons who call Fort Moonkeep home are primarily peaceful types, and the Fort is home to hatchlings, elders, and everyone in between. There are enough warriors and athletes to protect the Fort should trouble come, but it is populated mainly by dragons seeking quiet domesticity in a stable community: often these are Runners who fall in love with the Defiance on their way to Dragonhome, but some are retired patrol members, while others still are Moonkeep born and raised. Violence as conflict resolution is gently but firmly punished in the Fort, and all dragons of appropriate age are expected to help the lair function, whether their contributions be big or small. Moonkeep is guided by its succession of Nightmothers, each appointed by her predecessor, who lead the lair with practical wisdom and commitment to protecting the Fort while upholding the ideals of the Defiance.

Camp Eclipse: The Decoy

Approximately a day’s travel from Fort Moonkeep lies the pebbled coastline where the Shadowlands melt into the Sea of a Thousand Currents, and just off that coastline, visible from the shore, Camp Eclipse sits on a small island of rocky outcrops and sparse pine trees. The lair itself is a once-abandoned cathedral of modest grandeur, left by its previous inhabitants to be worn away by the chilly wind off the ocean. Now it is the Defiance’s military base, a simple and defensive rest stop for Runners making their way to Dragonhome via the coast - as well as a shining target for any potential trouble, meant to lure the danger that follows on the heels of Runners before said trouble can think to venture inland where it may encounter the much more vulnerable Fort Moonkeep. To an outsider, Camp Eclipse is the Defiance Clan, and there is no indication that there are more factions to be found.
Camp Eclipse is home to a moderate handful of Defiance dragons who have committed themselves first and foremost to the cause of helping Runners, as well as those who are not suited for the pacifist ideals or domesticity of Fort Moonkeep. Eclipse runs on a strict schedule that all full-time residents adhere to and sees frequent combat, and all dragons are expected to be capable of defending themselves and others. As the only public face of the Defiance, Eclipse trades for both itself and Fort Moonkeep, and is the primary dealer in the Defiance’s public relations; few of its allies will ever meet the Nightmother, and most deal directly with Eclipse’s General Constance only.

The Sound

The elder of the Defiance’s satellite patrols, the Sound keeps vigil over the Shadowlands east of Fort Moonkeep, primarily the thousands of acres of hostile forest that make up the Tangled Wood. Runners from the Sunbeam Ruins hoping to cut through the Tangled Wood on their way to Dragonhome are often unprepared to navigate or survive the inhospitable woods, and for these Runners the Sound acts as guide and guardian, finding the lost and leading weary travelers through the tricky woodland.
The size and makeup of the Sound is fluid; on average there are five to seven members on rotation, but patrols may set out with as few as three dragons. Sound patrollers are warriors of stealth first and foremost, who must each be uncannily excellent at navigating Shadow territory and all the trickery the Tangled Woods keeps up her sleeve. They are swift and soft-footed fighters, always on the defensive, whose first priority is to find Runners and whisk them off to safety.

The Fury

The Fury run the western coastlands of Defiance territory, from the Sunbeam Ruins to the south to the gooey beaches of the Scarred Wasteland in the north. Unlike the Sound, the Fury play fast and loose: they report with no regularity whatsoever to Camp Eclipse or Fort Moonkeep, don’t screen their members terribly well, and are AWOL more often than not. However, as the Defiance’s reconnaissance and rescue patrol they’re suited for being unorthodox, and their duties range from scouting missions along the coastlines to striking deep into Plague territory in search of missing Runners. Members the Fury must be adaptable, well-rounded adventurers capable of working as a team in life threatening situations, as well as blood-and-vinegar survivors. It gets weird out there.

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Exalting

The conventional, widespread method of worship in Sornieth and a fancy term for ritual sacrifice, after which the exalted dragon’s essence is believed to be received by the god to which they’ve been sacrificed. Dragons “serve” in the divine war this way; not by ascending to a heavenly eternal battlefield, but by giving their life energy to their god. Exalting methods and rituals vary from flight to flight but are always performed by a priest. Exalted dragons can be volunteers, Marked, or in some flights, criminals/undesirables.
The only flight that doesn’t participate in exalting dragons is Earth, which sacrifices Beastclans instead. It’s an unorthodox practice because of how spectacularly old-fashioned it is; only the most ancient of living dragons can remember the times when exalting Beastclans was still the norm.

Marks

A Mark is a glowing emblem that appears on a dragon’s forehead when they’ve been specifically summoned by either their priest or a god itself to capital-E-Exaltation (as opposed to lowercase-e-exaltation, which is slightly less of a big deal because the dragon wasn’t singled out). Marks take the shape of each god’s official symbol and float just off the skin above the browline, and they are bright, difficult to hide, and impossible to get rid of.
Being Marked is considered by worshippers to be both an unbelievable honor and a direct order from their god, and most Marked dragons are exalted very willingly. Even in the cases where they are not willing, the Exalting of Marked dragons is swiftly, strictly, and sometimes violently enforced by each flight’s clergy.

Runners

Because Marking happens to a dragon and is not something they ask for or bring upon themselves, some choose to flee the summons. These dragons are called Runners, and are considered traitors and cultural degenerates by worshippers. The glowing Marks on Runners’ foreheads make them outcasts from other clans and obvious targets for bounty hunters and religious zealots - and there are plenty of both to go around in Sornieth, so a Runner on their own risks an incredible amount of danger. Runners generally flee to Dragonhome in search of asylum, as Earth clans who worship the Earthshaker staunchly object to exalting dragons and will protect Runners in the name of their god.
Getting to Dragonhome isn’t easy, especially for Runners from the south, and for these dragons it is imperative that they find their way into the Network.

The Network

The Network is the purposefully vague term for the nebulous association of clans and individuals willing to risk their own safety to shelter and guide Runners escaping unwilling sacrifice. It takes many forms: some Network entities are entire militarized lairs who make no secret of harboring Runners, while others are a single cloaked vagabond who will guide Runners through the back alleys of a dangerous city for a fee.
The Network’s most heavily traveled routes and checkpoints are always moving in order to avoid detection, but nearly every flight has at least one fairly fixed and unsubtle bastion that will help recently Marked dragons find their way into the Network. In certain stretches of the Network where Runners don’t have to travel far from checkpoint to checkpoint (the Wind and Firelands primarily) the Network is organized and efficient at keeping track of Runners on the route, while other legs of the journey are more dangerous: Runners tend to disappear at alarming rates in the Scarred Wasteland and the Shadowlands, where they often have to travel days at a time between Network shelters. The Network in the Sunbeam Ruins is essentially its own entity, since no Runner in their right mind will travel through Lightland; nearly all Network strongholds in Light territory deal with Light Runners exclusively.

Ley Lines

Names

Birthnames are immensely powerful magic, and dragons are taught from hatching to keep their name close to their chest. Most everyone goes by a nickname - if somebody doesn't, then something's up - and thusly the politically correct way to ask for someone's nickname is any variation of "What are you called?/What do you go by?" instead of "What's your name?" Sharing one's birthname is an act of intimacy and trust, and giving up the birthname of someone else is considered an extremely ugly act in all flights, cultures, and circumstances.

The Moons

Gender Dynamics

Whether a lair's default is matriarchy or patriarchy commonly depends on the displayed gender of their flight's god. Not all lairs will always conform to this, and some flights are more strict than others, but flight-wide trends will definitely reflect the gender of their deity. The Defiance does not worship the Shadowbinder but is still matriarchal, like most Shadow clans, and female dragons very subtly but still by default tend to possess more social and professional authority than their non-female peers. Gender neutrality and fluidity is considered natural in all flights and is modestly common.

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the big culture difference between moonkeep and eclipse:
in moonkeep if you act uncool you'll get a firm talking-to and some community service. in eclipse you'll just get throat punched by a lesbian.

blah blah some misc flight-specific Network things i guess??

• if ur Running from the eastern territory of the Icelands the big routes you can take are Icefields western coast - Arcane western coast - Dragonhome or Firelands - Sea - Shadowlands - Dragonhome. The former is very long but safer if you can survive the elements, the latter is fast but only if you can get a ship across the Sea of a Thousand Currents, the likelihood of which depends on a lot of things. (Alt route would be Firelands - Tsunami Flats - Light coast - Shadowlands - Dragonhome, but honestly even that one teeny stretch of Light territory on that route can scare Runners away and you're safer trying to find a ship from the northern Tsunami Flats to the Shadow coast.) Third major option would be Snowsquall Tundra - Windlands - Arcane/Plague borderland - Dragonhome, which is also fast in theory but HECKIN dangerous my man
• The only non-Light Runners who might try cutting through Lightland would be those from the northeastern parts of Lightning territory who try following the eastern coast of the Ruins to the Viridian Labyrinth. Lightning dragons are tough and a little crazy though, so if anybody can make it its them.
• The entire southern border of Dragonhome is walled off by the Shadowlands, Plagueland, and Arcane, which is SUPER unfortunate lol. The Tangled Wood is pretty much impossible for non-Shadow dragons to navigate, the magic in the Crystalpine Reaches messes with non-Arcane dragons, and the Plaguelands are the most hostile terrain on the planet. The last legs of a north-traveling Runner's journey is the bit they're most likely to die in tbh.
• In total honesty the only Runners who try to make it through Plagueland are the severely uninformed or those trying to shake off a tail/bounty hunter probably. Even a Plague Runner from the south will probably try to get over into Arcane or the Shadowlands before trying to travel the whole length of the Scarred Wasteland with a Mark on their head.
• tldr Runners should just avoid the Light and Plaguelands bc they'll kill you okay
• Nature is totally up there kind of just doing their own thing lol. The only non-Nature Runners they get are Light dragons or the aforementioned Lightning Runners that cut through the Ruins without getting captured.
• Same for Ice definitely. There's barely any Network presence there probably, since nobody's ever traveling through/into the Icefields, only leaving.
• Wind has a crazy organized Network presence but also a massive snitch problem since they're one of the more zealous flights as a whole; Shadow has the opposite problem, everybody minds their own business but there are only like two Network checkpoints and the trees will eat you lol rip
• The Network in the Sea of a Thousand Currents is kind of hit or miss? Non-Water Runners can't utilize the underwater checkpoints and Network-friendly ships are difficult to keep track of and rarely go anywhere on a schedule unless it's a trading ship. The Tsunami Flats has the only really reliable Water territory Network presence for non-Water dragons.
• The Network is virtually intertwined with Sornieth's black market trade. The Fire, Shadow, and Lightning territories are SUPER into this.
  
  GARGOYLES
  LAZLO
  RIGGINI
  DIMITRIUS
  JESSAMY/JESSUP
  ASTERISK
  KNOCKOUT
  ERZSEBET
  BOUDICA
  ROLLOX
  BELTZER
  ALEKSIS (m)
  ORLANDO
  DAMASCUS
  XOCHITL (SO-chee)
  MAYHEW

the aesthetically pleasing ghosts, goths, and sleepwalkers are in my den; my lair is cult warfare uglytown.

windchimes


the nightmother knows that there's a piece of second ace space tech turned subculture religious symbol buried under her home, and she wants to find it bad. there's potential massive financial gain and power to be had over the cultbusters if she can use it as a bargaining chip, since the starchild's once-obscure cult of worship is getting bigger and bigger