Daphne

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. This dragon embarked on a trip across Sorneith during Brightshine Jubilee 2020 from June 21 to June 27. She is one of many who are traveling to various lairs and clans in the hopes of spreading love and joy to those they encounter. When it's over, they'll be able to look back at the adventures they had and dragons they met and remember the journey they went on. ____________________________________________ coding // graphics

Rubbing her head, Daphne groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. Still disoriented from her long flight from her homeland beyond Beastclans, she didn't know where she would end up. There seemed to be ruins and ancient stones everywhere, but otherwise peace and tranquility. There were no dragons fighting or battling as was customary back home, but perhaps they settled their differences in a different manner in this strange land of Sornieth. Stretching her wings, she decided that after a nap she would investigate.

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---

Daphne didn't have to go too far for her next delivery, arriving at the small clan of The Radiant Thunder early that morning. The soft rays of the morning light streamed through the bustling center, and she was uncertain who to approach. Many of the dragons were too distracted to notice her at first. She tapped her claws a few times against the sunflower bundle, her gaze flittering about the different dragons moving past.

"Oh, hello there! You must be here to deliver our sunflowers," the sweet voice made Daphne turn to see an older female Imperial had approached her. She blinked rapidly and nodded. "Uh... Y-yeah! Here they are," she explained with a small smile. The other Imperial's eyes lit up and she reached out her hands to take the bundle. "Perfect! It's nice to meet you, by the way. I'm Joan!" She added. Daphne let out a relieved sigh at the kind nature of the other dragon. "I'm Daphne," she replied softly. Joan giggled and motioned with a wave of her hand. "Say... would you like to help me? I'm making some cute sunflower crafts for the clan with these," she offered. Daphne nodded eagerly, delighted to busy her claws while also continuing to talk with Joan.

Joan led her over to the small space she was working at, which was lined will small yellow, orange, and red stones. "I've been hunting for these for weeks just to prepare for this holiday! I'm the jeweler of this clan, so I really enjoy hunting for jewels and trinkets to make into gifts for my clanmates," she explained. Daphne gasped softly, her claws gently touching the various stones. "They're lovely!" The two worked together to fasten the sunflowers into strings, dotted with the various gems, before turning the strings into wristlets and crowns. The two chatted quietly together, Joan's gentle small talk making Daphne feel more at ease.

Once they had finished, Daphne joined Joan in delivering them to a Fae, which she introduced as Hotaru. "These are stunning!" Hotaru gushed, taking the decorations into her arms with shining eyes, "The dancers will look stunning in these!" Daphne's head tilted, a look of curiosity crossing her face. "Dancers?" she echoed. Hoatru giggled and nodded, motioning toward the decorated, wooden stage nearby. "Yeah! I'm the theatre owner and head actress, and I'm gonna perform with a few dancers tonight. You gotta make sure you attend!" she explained. Daphne lit up and she gave a few quick nods. "Oh, I won't miss it!"

All too quickly, the sun had begun to sink, and Hotaru took the stage with her other dancers. Daphne made sure to sit close to the front, accompanied by Joan. The gems on the crowns and wristlets gleamed in the dying sunlight, seeming to enhance the beauty of the sunflowers they adorned. Daphne's eyes glittered with delight, not just pleased with how they looked, but with what she had helped accomplish! The dancers took a low flight as the spun and twisted in the air, and another dragon played gentle flute music to accompany them. Daphne was fixated on the performance, as light magic sparkled in the air around them. And once the performance had finished, Daphne leapt to her hind feet and applauded excitedly.

After the performance, the moon had risen into the sky, and orbs and other decorations within the clan took a soft glow. It kept the whole area alight as dragons chattered softly together. "Would you like to join me in placing an offering for Lightweaver?" Joan's inquiry drew her away from her dragon-watching and she gave a slow nod. An offering... She wondered how that went. Joan had gathered a few sunflowers, weaving them together with a golden ribbon. She led Daphne to a large shrine to Lightweaver carved from lovely white stone, where several other various kinds offerings seemed to have been placed throughout the day. Daphne watched as Joan gently lay the bundle down before the stone carving, as well as a handful of shiny, golden coins. Joan clasped her hands together and began to whisper a soft prayer, to which Daphne hurried to follow suit. She wasn't sure exactly what to say in her prayer... But she offered her thanks for the blessings of Lightweaver, and prayed for safe travels.

"I suppose it's time I get going," Daphne said softly as they left the shrine. Joan gave a sweet smile. "Ah, of course. You must spread the blessings of Lightweaver to some more clans, hm? Allow me to prepare you a few things before you set off!" And before Daphne could protest, Joan scurried off. She returned rather quickly, gifting Daphne with a few gifts and snacks for her trip. The younger Imperial gushed in thanks, before soon taking flight, a small smile adorning her face as she headed toward the next clan.

Inventory:

Teardrop Citrine Pendant

Apparel

A cheerful pendant strung with a gleaming citrine.

660

Pygmy Wrasse

Seafood

Throwing this fish at someone will get you arrested for hawrassement. (Special thanks to Windhover!)

14

2

Pressed Flower

Organics

Save every flower for future generations!

27

After leaving The Radiant Thunder, Daphne simply spread her wings and let the wind carry her. So far the dragons of Sornieth were all pleasant and welcoming, but it was still tiring to go among so many strangers and pay attention for cultural differences and clan customs. As the sun began to rise it showed she was passing over a rolling green coastline, and that she wasn't alone after all. But the other flier made no effort to approach or call out, so she didn't turn away. The two dragons flitted through the early morning sky, dipping in and out of dawn-gilded clouds until the sun was well over the horizon and warm air rose up to meet them. Daphne wanted to thank her partner in flight for the restful experience, but she still wasn't in the mood to talk. Then she remembered the bouquets she was supposed to deliver. There were so many, surely one could be spared. She glided on a thermal while getting a bundle out, then backwinged to bring her closer to the tundra. He caught it nimbly, held the bouquet up directly in front of the rising sun so the sunflowers glowed with a radiant halo, and inhaled a deep breath. He nodded to her, and she nodded back. Then she let the wind carry her higher and soared onward, ready to resume her journey.

The next lair isn’t too far away, Daphne observed. It’s just West from here.She could feel the warmth of the sun on her wings, setting as the sun descended and night rose.

When the Imperial arrived, she stared in awe. She hadn’t seen anything like it. Burning blue flame, or flowers, Daphne couldn’t really tell at this height, curled and swirled among the trees, dancing. Daphne tried to see beyond the blazing flowers, but she couldn’t make out anything behind the wall of blue light.

“H-hello.” An obsidian feathered dragon flew out from the flowers and hovered in front of her. He glowed in the night sky, bright blue and purple dots. Daphne could make out plants that twined around him. “You must be the traveller. Right?”

“Yes,” Daphne said softly. “My name’s Daphne.” She took out a sunflower and handed it over to the dragon.

He beamed. “Thanks! My name is Twilight. Do…… you want to stay at our clan for a night, or continue on? Maybe you like to travel in the darkness?”

Daphne could visibly tell that Twilight was very anxious. If she declined him, he may get even more anxious. And also, the flowers on the trees - she needed to know more about this strange land and the wonders found on it.

Daphne nodded.

---

“And there’s the Bestiary.” Twilight pointed to a rather large tent with many patches. “That tent contains creatures who decided to join us but isn’t with another dragon.”

Roars, hisses, and slicing noises were coming from inside the tent. It worried Daphne slightly. She turned to Twilight and asked, “What’s happening in there? Is a dragon guarding those creatures at all?”

Twilight winced, gazing at the direction of the Bestiary. “Yes,” he said hesitantly. “But…… she isn’t a very experienced familiar caretaker. She just knows a lot about them, but h-haven’t received proper training. The clan is finding someone to teach her. I think.”

Daphne frowned. She didn’t really like the image of a dragon beating up a creature in submission. And she didn’t really like another dragon being injured by something else too. Ever curious, Daphne headed to the direction of the Bestiary.

“Wait!” Twilight flared a wing to stop Daphne, but to her, it was just a little obstacle. “I don’t r-really know if Thyme would want anyone to go in there……”

“It’s okay,” Daphne reassured. “She’ll probably need help.” With that, she stepped into the Bestiary.

It was chaos. About a hundred creatures were in there, big and small. Most were screeching at a fluffy white dragon, who looked about to scream back at all of them too. Daphne was about to suspect that this clan had used magic to make the inner space of their tents much bigger.

A sword suddenly pounced up in front of the white dragon. It twirled around her as if teasing her, sometimes pretending to stab her. The dragon reached out to take the sword out of the air, but the sword flew out of reach, and then landed between Daphne’s claws.

The white dragon looked up, only then noticing that someone was in here. “Hello,” she said with shortness of breath. She sat down, rubbing her temples. “You must be that visitor. Sorry for this mess.”

Daphne shook her head. “It’s fine.” She hesitated. “You seemed like you needed help.”

The white dragon laughed. “Yes,” she admitted. “That spear is not willing to actually be obedient for once.”

The dragon tilted her head thoughtfully. “Actually,” she said. “It seems to like you.”

Daphne’s eyes widened. “Really?” She whispered. The spear’s pink eyes blinked at her.

The dragon beckoned for her to pick it up. Slowly, the Imperial picked the lance up, careful not to drop it. It stayed there, obedient, nothing like the wild creature Daphne saw when she entered.

“Wow,” the dragon breathed. “You managed to befriend it. It likes you. Maybe - maybe you should take it along with you.”

Daphne looked up, alarmed. “What? But it’s yours, right? I can’t take something away from this clan! After all, you Leader allowed me in, so won’t it be rude to……”

The dragon shook her head. “But that spear doesn’t want to be mine. It’s one of the most tiring creature I have ever met yet. It’s OK if you take it.”

Daphne watched the spear for a moment. It blinked back up at her. She didn’t know what to do. Accept it? Decline it? She was torn. She had never seen a moving sword before with its seemingly own personality.

“Take it,” the dragon said, nodding her head. “I have many more to take care of.”

Daphne nodded. She started to stand up, taking the lance with her. She took out another sunflower and gave it to the dragon. Daphne didn’t know her name yet, but maybe it’s not that important right now. She had a more important job to do, after all. Both the dragon and Daphne.

The dragon took the sunflower and stuck it on a flower vase at the top of a wooden cabinet, where a few butterflies and bees were. “Thank you.” She stood up too, brushing any dirt off her fur. “I know Twilight there probably didn’t do a very good job of the tour, so I’ll tell you something.” The dragon turned to face Daphne and smiled brightly.

“Welcome to the Crystalstar Clan.”



It was a long flight from the pulsating crystal spires of the Arcane lands to the sylvan border between Lightning and Water, but Daphne was well-used to such journeys. Clan Thunder Hollow was in sight before the sun had even reached the noon mark, and she set down in its central plaza without too much further delay. She glanced around curiously, taking in the sights.

Her initial impression was one of busyness. Dragons rushed to and fro, completing tasks here and there without much regard for their fellows. Each one seemed to be acting on their own individual impulses, and she couldn't particularly sense any sort of clan structure--at least not right away. Regardless, the place seemed to be relatively prosperous, the sprawling central city standing testament to its success in this world. It was clean and it seemed to be a clan at peace rather than war; very few sported armor and even fewer wore visible weapons.

Like many of the places she had seen, the clan was bedecked in white-and-gold decorations in celebration of the Light festival, Brightshine Jubilee. However, here they seemed to be dismantling their festive decor; as far as she knew, there were a few days left of the festival. Why on Sornieth were they packing up so early? Perhaps it was a local custom. She, feeling somewhat confused, tapped the nearest dragon gently with a claw to find out the answer.

The dragon she picked was a lithe blueish skydancer who was busy wrapping strings of lights around large wooden spools. He looked up at the touch, and she quickly posed her question,

"Excuse me. Why are you undecorating? I thought that the Brightshine Jubilee lasted a full week, and it hasn't been that long yet. Is there some local custom that supersedes the festival?"

"Oh!" he exclaimed, "We're not done celebrating. There's actually a storm incoming and we wanted to make sure that our decorations were safely tucked away inside so that they wouldn't be damaged. Storms like these typically bring severe wind and rain--almost everything we have out would be swept away! I'm sorry that you've come to visit at such an inopportune time. Most all of our celebrations have been postponed!"

"Ah, that makes sense. I assume everyone will take shelter in their homes?"

"Some will! Others, like myself, will be helping with some "rainy-day" celebrations at the Inn. Are you worried about where to go? The Inn is offering free rooms to anyone who needs one to wait out the weather, yourself included. Meals and games too! It helps to keep the spirit of the festival alive when the world doesn't want us to, ha! You can go get a space reserved right now if you'd like--it's just down that road. I think you've got about an hour before the storm hits, too, if you'd rather move up into Lightning territory a bit. Sea storms never reach above the Great Cliff."

"I'm supposed to be here, actually, to deliver some sunflowers for the festival. Do you think there will be rooms available here in an hour?"

"Oh, you're a sunflower courier? Well, welcome to Thunder Hollow, and sorry the circumstances couldn't be better! Also, yes, there will be rooms available in an hour. That Inn can hold hundreds! Want to make your deliveries now?"

"I would like to help you prepare for the storm, if you don't mind! I can make my deliveries to the dragons at the Inn later."

"I would never turn down such kind help! If you'd grab some light-strings and and wrap them around a spool like so..."


An hour later, the storm had begun to roll in as predicted. The decorations were mostly dismantled and stowed safely away in the shops surrounding the plaza and the clan's dragons all headed off for shelter. Daphne followed the skydancer she had helped, who was a charming courier by the name of Zephyr, to the Inn as the wind started to roar through the streets and rattle the shutters. They reached the sprawling building just as the rain began to fall, ducking in through the doors as those inside held them open against the wind.

Where the plaza of Thunder Hollow had been in a state of deconstruction as Daphne arrived, the Inn was in the process of setting up. Some of the decorations that had been taken down were being re-strung in the lobby. Banners draped from the bannisters of the staircases and light-strings lined the windows. Various little booths had made their homes in the open areas of the lobby, crowding together in the lee of the stairs.

It was clear that, despite the difficulties, the dragons of Thunder Hollow intended to fill the day with celebration. Daphne was eager to see just how they'd manage given the circumstances; first, however, she needed to reserve a room.

She followed Zephyr over to the front desk, where an orange-and-black skydancer was taking the reservation requests of the other stragglers. A deep red skydancer prepared the keys as she prepared the reservations, streamlining the process significantly. Zephyr was able to locate the room his mate had reserved and Daphne was able to procure a room key of her own within mere minutes, leaving them free to browse the preparations that had been made in the lobby.

Each of the booths served as a directory. Some pointed them towards the halls where the festival shop had been relocated to. Others were the hubs for various events that would take place throughout the day. Still others noted areas that needed help to be ready; it seemed as though the clan was making the best of this rainy day.

Daphne was quite content to follow Zephyr, who had been in the clan since its founding, as he navigated the mini-festival. He helped her understand unique customs that she found confusing and encouraged her to try new events. Hours passed like they were minutes, and Daphne found it easy to immerse herself in the fun and games. She earned Immaculate Tablets and spent them just as fast at whatever shopping both caught her eye. She shared her sunflowers with those who tirelessly ran the events, hoping to brighten their days as they brightened everyone else's. By the time things began to wind down, she felt pleasantly exhausted and content. When Zephyr bid her goodbye and went off to join his mate in their room, she too decided to call it a night, retiring to her own suite with the various trinkets and prizes she had collected. It had been a surprisingly fun day, and, as she drifted off to sleep, she couldn't help but feel an optimism for the next section of her journey. There were so many interesting things to learn about this strange place called Sornieth, and she was ready discover all that she could!

Sour Strawberry Plant You probably should have waited a few more days before harvesting this. 70 8

Travelled to the Alstroemeria Clan Your dragon appeared during their sunflower delivery route, through the brambles and blacksand beaches, to end up with the Alstroemeria clan for a time~ With a renewed sense of whimsy and a few weird trinkets, they head off to their next destination! Achieved: BSJ 2020