Moi

Guard

"Supposedly, no one escapes the Gaolers. Bah, lies! Many have done it, it's just that the Gaolers won't admit their failure. Though, it is admittedly easier when you wear the same skin. Sornieth doesn't need them. Not anymore, maybe never did. Me? I resent the heritage forced upon me, the injustice. I may share their physical form, but make no mistake, I am not one of them."

Your name is Moi.

By the standards of your previous peers, you are a traitor, abominable, dare you say it, shade touched. It took you a long time to see the error of their ways, but your eyes were opened by an outcast heretic named Koln who dared to speak against the will of the Icewarden. You may have been hatched to Seekers in the Ashfall Waste, but very soon out of the egg, they dropped you off with other family in the Fortress of Ends. You were like any other of your kin, blindly following the ancient orders of the Icewarden: find the Shade, imprison the Shade.

You were an Overseer, a respected one at that. You had no trouble keeping the great Shade beasts in their place. Some of your peers occasionally mused that you may one day become the Overseer Warden. You dismissed such things, but wouldn't admit that would be welcome. You were brought up in Gaoler central. You knew nothing else, thought you were doing the right thing. It took a while for Koln to get you to see the truth.

You didn't trust him at first. He spoke against everything you'd ever known, but over time, you began to listen. He spoke of how the Gaolers were no longer hunting the Shade, that they were too late, that what they smelled as the Shade had lingered over so much of what was outside of the Fortress that they'd have to lock away the whole world and then themselves to get rid of it and that it wasn't right. That continuing their "mission" was cruel to the world that had developed in their absence. You and most everyone else took this as the ravings of a mad dragon. Some took it seriously, namely the Overseers that had adopted him as their own, but for the most part, he was given a good glaring and dismissed.

You dismissed him as well until it clicked. He was right, or at least seemed to be. He had a heart and though you'd insist endlessly that you cared for the dragons outside the Fortress if asked, you realized that was a lie. Countless years tormenting the most dangerous creatures in the land, some who for all you knew aside from a level of Shade scent were normal dragons, hardened you, but not in a way you would've ever wanted. You cared only for your mission, only for Gaolers, completely unconcerned with anyone or anything else.

You couldn't take it after realizing that. You gave it plenty of thought and realized, Shade or not, you could not continue your work if it meant hurting other beings that were like you: thinking and feeling. It wasn't right. You began to question if it was ever right. You dared not ask for forgiveness. You see yourself as beyond redemption for what you have done. After all, those dragons had no choice as to if they had Shade scent or not, it was their actions that mattered. Sure, some had been captured having done horrible things, but many were completely innocent.

One night, you decided to take things into your own paws. You snuck into Koln's den as he slept and woke him. The two of you made your way into one of the deepest places in the Fortress, a cell housing one of the strangest creatures that the Gaolers had captured, one that you were familiar with. He appeared to be a Tundra, but his eyes were darker than a Shadow dragon's and his wings shined brightly, full of stars. When unrestrained, he could go anywhere in the universe with a flap of his wings. You'd conversed with him before, and he was very secretive. To this day, all you know is that he calls himself Bec.

You brought Koln to Bec's cell and with a deep breath, decided to go through with it. You set your paw against the ice he was trapped in and let it burst into flames, melting the strange Tundra free. He fell to the floor, but seemed unconcerned. He just had a wide grin plastered on his face. If you didn't know any better, you would've thought he was chuckling at you. The way he looked into your eyes told you that he already knew why you were here, but you spoke anyway. "I have not come asking for forgiveness for everything I've done to you. It took far too long, but I have seen the error in my ways. We want to get out of here, go somewhere we can be free and do good in the world. Please, Bec, I know I don't deserve this, but he at least does. If you would, please take him somewhere he can prosper. Take him to his destiny."

The Tundra stared at you, smiling even wider as he spread his wings. The pattern across them began to swirl and the white spots began to shine brightly. It was space, you'd never seen him use his powers before, never seen the sky on a clear night, but you'd heard stories and this must have been the cosmos within his wings. He grew larger, bigger than both you and Koln. Admittedly, it was quite intimidating. Bec closed his wings around you and for a moment you felt as though you were weightless, but not in the way you imagined flying to feel like. You could see forever into the distance: planets, galaxies, all new and fascinating. But it only lasted for a few seconds.

The next thing you knew, you were in a completely unfamiliar place. It was the Plaguelands. Or what you'd heard of it. Koln seemed to know, however. You were surrounded by tents and could see a campfire not too far away. As you cautiously approached, you were spotted by one of the residents, an older Wildclaw who was very curious. She had never seen a Gaoler before and at that news, you thought to yourself that she was lucky.

You made it clear you meant no harm and wanted to speak with whoever was in charge here. The fact that they had no leader surprised you, but you agreed to talk to the others in the morning. Trust was gradual to build and so was getting used to being regularly poked and prodded and questioned by the doctor who wanted to study you. You vowed to protect the inmates of Nowhere Asylum from all threats, but above all: the Gaolers. Neither Bec nor Koln seem to hold a grudge against you. Koln now protects these dragons with you and Bec... well, no one knows about Bec. He appears and disappears at will, though you trust him not to get up to anything too bad.

---

Now you have completely left your past life behind. No longer a Gaoler, but a Banescale. You protect the hospital with your life. Since the discovery of Shade-proof implants, your concern has been less with Gaolers and more with other threats. It's unfortunate to think that other dragons would attack a hospital, but you all know not having any guard force would be a mistake.

You aren't exactly comfortable with the robotic guards. The Wildclaw who manages them insists their programing is simple and he's always ultimately in control of them. Though you will admit you have come to trust him and his judgement, they still give you the creeps.

Upgrades: Infrared vision