Arkeddli » Clan | Lair | Nesting Grounds

Arkeddli's Clan

bi, shy and ready to cry | Arke, not Ark

Mighty Lair

carved into the

Reedcleft Ascent

Clan Info

CLAN
AMISSA ANIMA

Hatchery| Link | Link | Link | Link

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LORE

The security of Amissa Anima’s lair doesn’t rely on strong walls or impregnable defenses, but in just how difficult it is to find, even when nearby. Already placed in a rather out of the way location, far from major trade routes or invasion fronts, the leaders of the clan go to even greater pains to keep their home from being discovered.

Their little home of the lost is tucked away in a barely there valley on the steppes, tectonic shifting has pressed the walls of the valley in near the top, and foliage has grown naturally and been groomed further to conceal the valley from the sky. In the skies above, magic is subtly worked and placed in the area surrounding their valley to gently coax currents of larger wind towards other areas -- subtly guiding any large groups from flying too near their home.

On top of all that, few enter the valley itself directly. Instead they enter and exit from tunnels, to avoid drawing attention. Cleverly hidden tunnels emerge from miles around, often disguised in the back of apparent animal caves, leading toward a guard chamber near the valley, before converging into a single hall that enters the lair itself. The guard chamber is laced with runes that blow very gentle breezes out through the tunnels, carrying spelled scents of foul things to any that haven’t visited the lair before; or that aren’t being lead there by someone who has. Gently deterring others away.

The tunnels are also prepared so that chimes will quietly toll in the guard chamber when anyone sets foot in a given tunnel, though the sound carries nowhere else.

Once past the guards, the valley itself lies rather open, with many open mouthed dens built into the sides of the valley walls. Curtains of fabric and woven reeds obscure them when needed, meaning the sight of the lair at night can be rather colorful. The open space between is considered mostly communal, with any dragons that desire more personal space being encouraged to dig and have their friends assist.

There are rows of trees grown along the line of dens to help provide a little more of a clean separation between public and private areas, the trees are decked out in platforms for smaller dragons and birds, and often decorated with quiet and pleasant chimes.

While living spaces didn’t start off this way, the clan has begun building lairs up along the valley walls, carving stairways, ledges and balconies up, so that no one has to sacrifice space. This has also proven more comfortable for some breeds.

Near the center on each side of the valley wall lie the founders’ personal dens, each beside a hatchling play and rest room. These are the areas most easily defended. Each hatchling room is outfitted with many secure little nooks to sleep in for various breeds and is arranged to have more privacy than many places in the valley. These two homes are especially prepared for those abandoned, forlorn, or lost hatchlings that the founders bring in to foster and raise.

Rogue and Adelina share a den, as do Eirin and Griffon, each of their rooms it outfitted perfectly to their satisfaction. Meaning Eirin definitely has one of the floating wooden birds from the hatchling play areas perpetually floating in their den, and that Rogue and Adelina's den extends rather far back to give them both private spaces for when stubborn and decisive meet and cause arguments

There is a small beaten path from each of the founders’ two dens leading to a central meeting area. The meeting area is large enough to fit the entire clan, and consists of a circle of stones and wooden logs, all worn to be comfortable, arranged around a central flat circle on the ground. This place is of critical importance to the clan, it’s where hatchlings are taken to be named in front of others, where grievances are aired, where the founders hold conferences and audiences, and the center of celebrations. While this place doesn’t have any formal name over the years it has started to be called “The Finding Circle.”

At the very heart of it is placed a large and powerful wind rune, an anchored spell that calls gentle breezes from miles around to come here, carrying sound or scent here, and preventing much from escaping, so that the clan doesn’t need to keep itself overly subdued to maintain it’s all important secrecy.

Spread out from the Finding Circle lies the rest of the valley’s communal areas, including a training area that doubles as a playground. This area is essentially an obstacle course constructed of stone and wood and bits of magic that apply, including floating wooden rings. There is a lower area for hatchlings to spend time with older dragons, under their watchful eye while playing and exercising, and an upper area for more combat oriented training. The lower area is inundated with floating toys, and a few small toys that move under their own volition. The two are separated by a magic net suspended from four tall poles that mark out the area, and the net is there to catch anyone that lets themselves drop out of a sparring match.

Seeing as the clan tends to avoid outright battle and keep to themselves when at all possible, it was thought that it was best to keep hatchlings close to the action, to grow into the mix of stealth and quiet self defense the clan employs, and to foster a feeling of community.

There are several picnic areas laid out in the valley, a schooling area for hatchlings and others that wish to learn, sprawling gardens, and the last and potentially most important part of the lair -- the watering hole and bathing area. WIthout these, the clan would have to travel for many miles to retrieve water, or rely on rainfall alone.

Amissa Anima has tapped into an underground stream, bringing it up to the surface for a while to run in between two areas. The first is a raised pond for drinking water and water drawn for private use, and it is set by one of the eating and food preparation areas. The highest point in the small valley, the stream bubbles up into this pond, before running off into a second for bathing. This area has a small, secluded, alcove built into the valley’s wall for disposing of any waste not used to fertilize the clan’s gardens before the stream feeds back underground and away from the clan.
Lore done by Mystif

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