Maki

M A K I APPRENTICE MAGE "A TINY BALL OF ENERGY AND MAGIC" Origins - Maki was born into a clan of farmers, all of them mostly Fae like herself, and life was incredibly boring. It didn't help that she was an oddball- She was extremely hyper and energetic, expressing her emotions through speech instead of motion, unlike all of her Fae cousins. She was considering exalting herself, when another answer to her problems came in the form of Noble the mage. She was enthralled by his magic, and begged him to teach her. He agreed, but only if she would accompany him on his adventures. So it was that Maki packed her things, said goodbye to her parents, and left to become an apprentice to the great Noble. For a few years they traveled Sornieth, offering magical aid to anyone that would give them shelter or food, but as Noble got older, he wished to settle down, and Maki led him back to her home in the Starfall Isles, where they joined the welcoming Clan of Magic Roses. Personality - Maki is unusual for a Fae. Her speech and movements are full of emotion and energy, likened to that of a Spiral. She is always talking, always moving. Most dragons don't find her annoying, in fact, they find her sweet and endearing, for she can be quite caring and helpful whenever help is needed. She says good morning to everyone, and always has a smile. She hardly gets upset, and if she does, a good long cry later she'll be perfectly fine. She's the embodiment of an optimist, always looking on the bright side. She's always eager to learn new things, meet new people, and see new places. Noble thinks that, if she hadn't decided to become a mage, she would've made a fine leader of her own clan. Relationships - Maki loves everybody, even if they don't love her, and she's always up for making new friends. Noble is a true role model for her, the embodiment of the powerful mage that she one day hopes to be. She always listens to him, and loves every lesson. He is quite charmed by her enthusiasm, and thinks her an excellent student. Her best friend is Windweaver, and while he is almost the complete opposite of her, she still loves hanging out with him and learning magic with him. Her ultimate goal in life is to make him smile. Maki is also good friends with Griffinila and Sunsetter, though she does't hang out with them as much. Maki does not particularity miss her family, but has slipped up on more than a few occasions by calling Archad "dad" and Raina "mom". This, while more than a little embarrassing, has made the clan leaders love Maki even more. She is still oblivious to Cloude's crush on her, however. Clan Role - Maki studies and practices magic under her teacher, Noble, alongside her friend Windweaver. While this is not much of a job, it is her role, and she takes it in stride. Otherwise, she can be found helping out other dragons with odd jobs to help keep the clan tidy. Don't let her size fool you- She's extremely helpful, and useful for more things than just magic! Magic - Maki, while still young, and still learning, is quite skilled in Arcane magic. Perhaps it is her skilled teacher, and the fact of being a magically gifted Fae. She still has a long way to go before complete mastery, but she is coming along exceedingly well. To help with this, she refuses to focus on any other kind of magic besides Arcane, so that she may fully master her birth element before moving on to others.

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Dungeons and Humans
STORY BY MAGICMAKERROSE

Griffinila and Sunsetter sat, eating their midday meal, when suddenly, a small Fae came bounding over to them, struggling to hold a large box between her claws, as it was almost as big as she was. The enthusiastic energy was not uncharacteristic of Maki, the Fae, but the box was new. She spoke rapidly, dropping the box at their feet and nearly out of breath.

"Guys, guys, you'll never guess what I found at the market!" Maki exclaimed, proudly.

Windweaver, Maki's fellow apprentice, approached from behind her, wearing his trademark scowl and what looked like a new hat. "She found a dumb old game, that's all." He said, his typical monotone shattering the mood. Maki was used to him, however. "No, you big goof, not just any old game, I found Dungeons and Humans!"

"Yeah, whatever." Windweaver rolled his eyes and attempted to slip away, but Maki grabbed him by the crest and pulled him back. "It's not like Chess or tag or any old game, silly, it's a grown up's game."

Windweaver narrowed his eyes. “Is it challenging?” He questioned.

“Oh, I’m sure of it, Windy! There’s dice and figures and math and stat sheets and magic spells and fantastic creatures, and, oh, I’m sure you’d love it!” She turned to the Bogsneak and the Spiral, who had sat quiet ever since she had arrived. “Well? Would you two like to play with us?”

Griffinila nodded slowly. “Sounds like fun.” Sunsetter was a little less immediately on board. “Is there fighting? Can I kick monster butt?” Her eyes went wide. “Is there weapons?”

“Yes, yes, and yes!” Maki answered enthusiastically.

“Oh, you guys, this is going to be great! We just need one more person.” Maki said. “Why?” Inquired Sunsetter. “Well, you see,” Maki explained, “We need a party of people to play the game, that’s us, and we need a Dungeon Master to... Narrate the adventure, that’s the word! So who would we...”

She lost her train of thought as a passing Skydancer caught her eye. She gasped loudly. “Cloude!”

At the mention of his name, the young heir turned, only to become immediately flustered when he realized it was Maki who had called him. “Uh, yes?” He answered, struggling to remain poised. Maki bounded over, her small wings flapping a thousand times a minute. “Cloude, would you- Pretty please with glitter on top- Be our Dungeon Master for our game of Dungeons and Humans?”

He tried not to blush when he answered. “Uh, yeah, sure, I guess.”

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As it turned out, learning how to play Dungeons and Humans really was no small feat. The friends spent the better part of the afternoon reading the rulebook and deciding how to interpret the more eloquently worded rules. It was obviously a well-loved copy of the game, and was clearly more than a few years old- The pages of the rulebook were softened and dog-eared, with little notes in some places pertaining to a previous Dungeon Master, who has apparently been named Sangrio.

Sangrio was a sarcastic fellow, and his comments often distracted the group from the more important words on the page. As such, it was dinnertime before they could quite finish reading the whole book, and after that, they still had to tackle the task of creating their characters. Even so, everyone was excited for the next day, when they would most certainly begin their imaginary adventure. That night, as each dragon took to their beds, they dreamt of elves and sorcerers, of dungeons, and of monsters, each hoping that their fantasy would soon take flight.

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Cloude was up first, just as the roses began to close and as the sun began to peek over the horizon. As usual, he was the only one awake at this hour. He had taken the book to bed with him that night, and had read a little as he dozed off. Being the Dungeon Master was perhaps the most complicated part of the game, and he wanted to make sure he did it right. Partially to prove to himself that eh could do it, but mostly just to impress Maki.

The last chapter of the book was an extensive list of all the items available in the game. They ranged from magic wands to enchanted boots, and each operated a little differently than the next. He wanted to be prepared for whatever might happen within the adventure.

The box had come with one adventure and one map included, with the rulebook stating several times to either "create your own adventure" or "buy an expansion book" to continue playing the game after the basic quest had concluded. And, since none of them knew of anywhere they could buy expansion books, they had resolved to making their own adventures later.

Cloude read the overview of the adventure. It was a simple quest- Collect a cursed necklace from a cave near a small town to help the townspeople be rid of their never-ending drought. The cave, of course, was filled to the brim with monsters, most of them easy to kill, but an unlucky role of the dice might put the adventurers in an encounter with a terrifying dragon.

Dragons, in this game, were rare creatures, and were seen as beastly to the world's bipedal populations, known as humans, elves, halflings, dwarves, orcs, and a host of others. The dragons would be playing the game as one of these bipeds, which would be strange for them, of course, but the game itself was already a strange concept as it was.

"Reading the rulebook?"

Cloude jumped, and quickly turned around to find Maki perched on a branch, watching him intently.

"Yeah, just... Uh, finishing up what we didn't get to last night."

"Neat! Do you think we'll be ready to begin after breakfast?"

"Oh, yeah, pfft, definitely." Cloude stated awkwardly. "Hey, uh, wanna go wake up the others?"

"Yeah, sure thing!" Maki said, but before she left, she turned to Cloude with a sincere smile and said, "Thanks for doing this for us, Cloude. I knew you'd do great at it! You're, like, one of the top three smartest dragons I know. So, thanks. Again."

She fluttered away.

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"You can't just be a half-elf and not know your backstory!" Cloude said, incredulously. "Human and elf relationships are all but taboo, you've gotta have some sort of reasoning behind it!"

Maki seemed upset. "But... The picture in the book is so pretty, I just want to look like her! What does it matter if I don't know my backstory?"

"Because, you need to-" Maki interrupted him. "Ooh, ooh, I've got it! I have amnesia! I woke up one day in the forest with only my staff and a spellbook and I left to find my own way in the world, not knowing who I was... So I called myself Leaf for the leaves that I woke up on!'

"Okay." Cloude seemed satisfied with that. "So, Maki, you're a half-elf sorceress with a draconic bloodline. Anybody else figure theirs out yet?"

Griffinila raised a claw. "I'm going to be a cleric. A halfling, too. They're such cute little creatures! Also, I think healing suits me." Sunsetter spoke up. "I've decided, too! And I'm gonna be a-" She checked her character sheet, already distracted. "A human barbarian! Yeah! I'm gonna bash in some monster heads!"

"Windweaver, have you decided yet?" Cloude asked the last member, who had been oddly quiet the last few minutes, nose-deep in the rulebook. He finally spoke up. "Yeah, I have. Elf rogue."

"Cool." Said Cloude. "Let's roll for stats!"

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