BonnetBee's Clan

{Overview and Clan Demographics}

The Nymbis Clan is a theocratic band of nomadic artisans, performers, philosophers, and other dragons in pursuit of direction and personal enlightenment. Initiates are not required to learn an art or trade, but are heavily encouraged to do so as a means of honing their talents and finding greater purpose in life through self-improvement and industry.

The Clan supports itself by peddling wares, entertaining, and extending their claws in acts of service to natives of dragon territories along their migratory route. As a result of their services and kind deeds, their airborne caravan is often a welcome sight to Clans and settlements that live far away from civilization!

The membership of the clan is typically in flux, as all who mean no harm are welcome to come and go as they please; As such, the core "Nymbians" are those who have dedicated themselves to the pursuit of the unique form of Windsinger worship upon which the Clan's law is predicated. The rest are often orphans, vagabonds, and outcasts from other clans, who are given succor and helped to prepare and better themselves until they either strike out on their own, or choose to stay.

{Nymbian Philosophy - "To be Taught of the Wind"}

The reason for the wandering lifestyle of the Nymbians is twofold:

-First of all, the need to travel light allows Nymbian dragons to maintain a healthy detachment from the draconic tendency to make the hoarding of worldly treasures the main focus of life, and instead focus on the acquisition of knowledge and skill, the pursuit of deeper connections with nature and the Gods, and the search for other intangible qualities which promote personal growth and improvement.

-Second of all, the Nymbian form of Worship, known as the "Way of the Wind" or simply "The Way", asserts that the physical act of flight is a sacred gift to dragonkind, and that through the focused and meditative practice of riding the air one may be rewarded with inner peace and greater insight by the Windsinger himself (The Flightless Snapper breed is not held in lower esteem among the Clan's membership, but since alternate meditative exercises and transportation must be provided to accommodate them, very few Snappers consider it practical to join the Clan's permanent ranks. However, the exhortations of Nymbian Snapper Avol have begun to enlarge the number of Snappers among the Nymbian "inner circle").

Though The Way promotes Windsinger Worship as its main focus, it also encourages respect and veneration of ALL the great Flight Founders and their respective elements. To this end, portable shrines to each element are carried along, so that all dragons who den or trade with the Clan may worship their accustomed deities. Harmony with and respect for nature in general is also central to The Way, which may explain the unusually lax relationship between the Nymbians and the Beastclans.

Nymbian devotees value service to dragonkind as a whole, and it is considered an unwritten rule to seek out and assist those plagued by sorrow, sickness, or disaster. The Clan of Nymbis considers itself "A Clan Without Boundaries"; Provided that interactions remain peaceful and respectful, they forbid none from traveling with them, sharing in their supplies, or listening to the lessons and sermons given by Nymbi, the Clan's Matriarch and Spiritual Leader. Nymbian craftsdragons are often glad to teach struggling wanderers their trades, and most Clan members love to hear and tell a good story or discuss philosophy.