Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2014 23:29:21 GMT 1
NAME: Reese the Swift
ALIASES: Reese for the familiar, "Swift" often to strangers
AGE: 22
OCCUPATION: Dragon rider / Deserter
GENDER & SEXUALITY: Female / Straight
LIKES:
-Speed
-Challenges
-Adventure & Risk-taking
-Sparring & Training
-Storms
-Being in the sky
-And eating.
DISLIKES:
-Tedium
-Wasting time
-Jokers, Slackers
-Rumors
-Heavy, awkward weapons
-Alcoholic beverages
STRENGTHS:
-Melee combat – dagger and open hand fighting
-Aerial techniques, agility, speed
-Unwavering strength of will
-Intensity of passion
-Honor and bravery
WEAKNESSES:
-Hyperfocuses on tasks at hand
-Frequently seen as “too serious” – she really can’t take a joke
-Short tempered
-Old back and arm scars are sensitive if directly struck
-Blindly loyal and bluntly honest. It can be fairly easy to take advantage of her if one wanted to once they’ve earned her loyalty
-Can never turn down a challenge or dare
FEARS:
-Forcing Rath to work under Red Rock’s army
-Disability
-Growing old
-Being trapped under ice
-Public embarrassment
AMBITIONS:
-Reese wishes to master sky riding above all else. To leap from wing to wing to slide down tails, to soar. She’s come a long way, but has yet to consider herself a master.
-Along the same lines, she wishes she could be unstoppable in close combat. She trains like there is no tomorrow, and for that she believes she grows closer to such a goal day by day.
-She seeks to be a leader of sorts eventually, preferably of some small elite group of fast fliers and protectors of Berk. She wishes to be recognized for some feat of valor someday. A common viking ambition of course, but her try-hard attitude is excessively focused on achieving such an honor.
-She hates having her feet on the ground too long if she isn’t training, and when in the air, she’s always seeking secret places, unknown tribes, unknown dragons.
SECRETS:
-Since she is such a loyal personality, she could never admit to the fact that she often wishes for adversity. Confrontations, battles, war is where she shines, and when there’s utter peace she hardly knows what to do with herself.
-The big secret is where she came from- Red Rock. Very few are in the know about her circumstances- those being those that need to know, such as the chief of the village. Otherwise, the fact that she left without ‘permissions’ could cause a lot more trouble for everyone.
-Romance? Well, good question. Reese never really thinks about such things, but who doesn’t need a hug every once in a while? I’m sure that little part of her is in there, somewhere.
OVERALL PERSONALITY:
The Norse name Reese stands for fervor. And, truly, that is what you get when you meet this viking. She is intense in everything she does from her stunning acrobatics in the air, to her combat training, to her loyalty to whomever earns it. Any ounce of her time that isn’t spent bettering herself in those areas is seen as an utter waste of time and shortens the fuse of her already terribly short temper. Serious to a fault, she doesn’t usually “get” jokes and her smile is rarely seen except far above the clouds. That is where utter joy gets her. Give her a battle, give her wind, and her soul flies.
She’s observant but quick to act, usually determining her own personal battle strategy as she’s diving in headfirst. Danger isn’t a thing to her. But loyalty and honor is everything. She could be trusted to the death if need be, as she would defend that which she cares about with her life without hesitation. However, this unwavering protector doesn’t come easily. Trust is earned, and it takes a heck of a lot to earn hers.
She really isn’t unfriendly so to speak, despite being so serious. She interacts, she hails a greeting, she’s willing to help a rider-in-training learn how to put that saddle up on that giant monstrous nightmare’s back. But you would never find her downing a mug of mead and laughing heartily in the great halls. Oh no, certainly not. She can be an intimidating presence, if anything, likely watching silently for a while until her input deems being given. She’s unwavering, intense, and has a heaviness about her that often gets her noticed far before her voice does.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
A slim and trim 20-something viking of 5’5” stature, Reese is carved in well-trained well-earned musculature. Her limbs are long and limber, allowing for flexibility to get her center of gravity where she needs it to be and a natural balance to stay there. Her slim face has deep, serious ice-blue eyes with heavy but sleek brows. Her long slightly curly brown hair is always tied tightly back out of her face. Her exposed skin is nicely tanned, gained from spending so much time above the clouds- though one could only imagine those dramatic tan lines. Three long claw mark scars are on her back, and three curl around her left bicep. They appear deep and well-healed, but red as if the tissue is still sensitive.
Her typical attire is designed such that she blends well with her dragon. Leather leggings and sleeveless undershirt are all dyed a pale grey, with her vest a grey-blue, and more of a slate hued fur-lining. The back of her vest is covered with dark grey dragon scales. Those pants are without extra fabric, and tuck easily into furred, long and heavy boots that claim particularly rough, gripping treads. Bracers on either forearm are similar to her vest with scales applied to the upper side of them.
She often wears a helmet when flying which covers all but the thinnest long horizontal lines for her eyes. A twin pair of double-edged long daggers are sheathed at either hip.
{Lookalike Gina Carano}
HISTORY:
A tale of a viking is almost always one of hard trials and trying hard. Reese is no different, except that she takes trying hard to a whole new level.
She didn’t start out that way.
Originally villagers of Red Rock, both Reese’s mother and father were dragon riders of the army. And they led their family like an army. Devout, loyal figures, the household was a well-oiled machine. Both specialized in weapon making- her father for the blades, heads, and chains and her mother for the wood and iron of the handles. It was how they bonded, and their craftsmanship showed it.
They had only been together for a few years before they bonded with their own dragons- a hungarian horntail and a deadly nadder. Of course sent quickly into Red Rock's military ranks, they did try to continue their passions when not in the fields. With the Nadder’s wondrous heat to melt and mold the iron ore and the Horntail’s spikes to shape them, what they made were quality unmatched. But their weaponry became less and less available as life became more full. It was here during the most prosperous time of their lives was when Reese’s mother became pregnant with her and, shortly after her birth, when both of her parents were promoted higher within the army's ranks.
Reese mostly grew up under the care of a viking version of a nanny who oversaw many of the army’s toddlers. She never really wanted to play with the other kids, however. She wanted to be like her parents. She wanted to BE somebody. It was a daily issue that Reese would be sat in time-out for bossing around the other children or, more frequently, hitting them. She was an adorable little child, but few thought so after seeing the tantrums she would throw and the fights she often picked.
As she grew older, the amount of time she actually got to see her parents never changed. A couple hours per day was very lucky, a couple of times per week was a good week. As they progressed in the army’s ranks, more and more of their time was required and devoured. And none of that precious time was used as pleasant family time. No, they had heard their daughter’s wishes to be a soldier, and they beamed. Every moment they had with her became training. Armed and unarmed combat, balance, focus. The 10-year-old had a natural agility and speed that they identified and honed. This was their family time. This was all they knew.
This developed a rebellious nature in Reese, as it would in any young teen. What family time she had was brief, and whatever lessons they taught her, she worked on constantly in her alone time. The rebellious feelings she had were never against her parents. No, she treasured what they did give her far too much. Rather, it was against the nanny and her cohort of preteens. They were holding her back, they were keeping her from getting better. Anything they wanted to do, she could not under any circumstance enjoy as well. Except the lessons. Now those, she did put all of her effort into. Even with all that had been taken away from her by the army- all the family experiences she just never had- all she ever wanted was to be in it. And to be the best soldier Red Rock had ever known, she had to be just as knowledgeable in basics as she was skilled in combat.
And she needed a dragon.
Many of the young teens had found dragons by 13, 14, 15 years of age. They had started intensive training of their own to learn how to better bond and understand their beasts. But for some reason, Reese just hadn’t. She grew frustrated with herself, with her village. Was it her village letting her down, was it this place’s fault that she’d yet to find her dragon? Surely it couldn’t be. Red Rock could do no wrong… right?
She began adventuring farther and farther away from the main villages, exploring the coasts, the plains, and the mountains. She would disappear for days on end. Specifically, of course, the days her mother and father were out on missions. As each year turned, she’d lose herself more and more into the wilderness. She found it the best teacher of all. Leaping across the rocks of the sea, dashing across the open plains, scaling the cliffs of mountains. The opportunities were uncountable. As her strengths grew, any hint of fear of daring stunts and challenges dwindled and shriveled away. The mountains were what drew her the most. And it was on those craggy, sharp peaks that her life would change forever.
One evening just after she'd turned 17, she had just reached three quarters of the way to the peak of a sharp, vertical cliff that overlooked a shard-filled valley far below. Recent mudslides had created a tortuous ravine that was wholly unwelcome to any unfortunate soul who might lose their grip. The skies had grown grey, a storm cooking in the clouds. The thunderhead was massive as it rolled in from the west. The mountain range would not break this one.
The rain was torrential. It was a massive blanket of hard, cold water that beat down on everything in its dominion. But Reese was far too high up to turn back now. Despite the close lightning strikes that curled her hair and the wind that threatened to yank her fingers from the slippery crevasses, she continued to climb. Shrieking overtook the deafening roar of the rain around her. A strange sound echoed from a cave just a few yards above. Multiple sounds. Multiple cries. The harsh sound of rushing water roared over the rain and cries, and suddenly the cries became much more distinct and rapidly closer.
The rain had flushed out a nest of two baby galewings- a species Reese had never seen before. But that wasn’t what was on her mind as they shot out in a spout of water from their safe hiding spot. Reese swung herself sideways on the cliff, lurching upwards and grabbing one two-foot long dragonling in one hand, shifting it to her shoulder and grabbing the other one. The young dragons screeched and scrabbled for their lives, unsure who had them, unsure what was happening. Their claws dug into her vest, skin and hair. And her shouts at them were muffled to nothing by the rain. No matter how hard she tried to get them to settle, their panic and youth was all too much. Regardless, even in the best of situations, nobody can tell baby dragons what to do.
They scrambled until it was too much. Reese’s grip began to slip. And just as she was about to fall, a searing pain wrenched up the skin of her back. The sharpness released as it failed to grasp hold, and reclasped on the bicep of her left arm. The claws dug in as if for life or death- and it was, for all three of the lives that hung in the balance. The young viking forced her eyes open, and they met with the blazing golden eyes of a pale dragon. Time froze for but a moment, before the strong grasp on her arm pulled her and the two dragonlings up onto the safety of the higher ledge.
Reese was bleeding, exhausted, and soaked to the bone. But those eyes. She couldn’t get those eyes out of her head. As she focused on the dragon family before her, the relationships were obvious. The mother had just returned. She was a brilliantly colored dragon of purples, blues, silvers and golds. Both babies were splotched with all sorts of colors, though perhaps a bit lighter. But where was the pale one? The pale one was just beyond the group. Slightly off on his own. Obviously older than the babies, but younger than the other. An older son? It must’ve been. But his colors were so different. Pale, mostly white. One that didn’t quite fit in. He stared at her, a low hissing growl reverberating in his throat.
But she had saved his family.
The mother dragon and the two young ones returned to a higher cave, but the young pale galewing stayed behind. And stared at her. They stared at each other for what seemed like ages. But the wounds would get to her.
“I need to go back.” She groaned softly. She didn’t remember what class this type of dragon was, what they could do, or anything about them. But he seemed to understand. He also, however, seemed to not be willing to take her where she wanted to go. The look in his eyes was a look of ‘why there.’
Why. Why was she following a way of life that she didn’t even really understand. She wanted something so badly, and yet she had no idea what she was going to be required to do. And at that moment, when his soul seemed to be talking to hers, she didn’t know. She just knew she needed help. She needed human help. The pale dragon slid over to her in all but a single silent motion and lifted her onto his back, his serrated neck and head spikes flattening to his body, and they flew. His thick, incredibly expansive wings took them high above the storm and soared as if one with the gentle winds that hid above.
He took her to Berk, not back to Red Rock. When she woke days later, bandaged and healing slowly, the healing shaman had many questions for her, many of which she really had no answer. But, something about that day with the galewings told her she should stay. In the following days that turned into weeks which turned into months, she was a silent, serious entity that worked hard to be proven someone trustworthy enough to stay on Berk’s rocky shores. Eventually she told those who needed to know about her tale. There were pledges of loyalty and honor made, promises and rules created. But there was also an agreement made to not out her, not yet. The last thing a thriving Berk needed was a political uprising over a 'stolen' teen.
The pale dragon didn’t return for many months. But he did return. It was a clear day with a light, cool breeze. He descended with barely a sound in front of her at a steep rocky pass. They both froze in place and their silent conversation from months before continued. She didn’t belong to those people any longer. She proved more than that she would risk everything to save dragons. She proved that her bravery was far deeper than that. She proved that she could belong to herself. And, therefore, she could belong to him. He hissed as his expansive wings surrounded her, blocking out the light of the day and the warm breeze- creating a world of their own. As if words were spoken, Reese reached out with her hands. The mysterious beast shifted slowly forward, touching his thin muzzle to her palms with a soft breath.
The years that followed were full of training. The pair belonged to the skies and to each other and, now, to Berk. They both thrived. Their aggressive, bold personalities soared. This was where they belonged and they would do anything to protect that. They competed against each other and themselves, and anyone who would take a dare. But Reese was never quite willing to explain where she came from or why, keeping her past an enigma from most; the only hint of her background being her accent and the tiny symbols on the carved hilts of her daggers that her parents gave her.
WEAPON OF CHOICE: Dual long blade daggers. Her particular dagger blades are about 18” in length, double-edged with a smooth curve on one edge and serrated on the other.
FIGHTING STYLE: She excels far beyond average at close combat either with open hand or with short blades. She’s relatively poor at long range, usually depending on her speed and agility to close the distance, or her dragon to even the playing field.
DRAGON NAME: Rath
DRAGON TYPE: Galewing
DRAGON APPEARANCE: Rath’s basic structure is very much like traditional galewings, small in stature and aerodynamic in every aspect by nature. However, his limbs seem a little lankier and his ears a little longer than most. From nose to base of tail, he barely reaches 9’ long, but his gigantic wings and lengthy tail dwarf his small body entirely. He boasts a few scars- awards of valor and aerial expertise- but these are indeed only few as caution still bides some of his ways since his kind cannot bare to damage their membranes. In color, he is quite unique. Primarily white, his scales are tinted in faint varying greys that make him look just like the clouds he can’t seem to stay out of. His head, mobile and expressive ears, and serrated back spikes are just a touch darker in the blue hues, shimmering with a hint of color. That color is also found on the very tips of his expansive wings, and in a touch of spotted decoration mid-span. His tail fans are also finished in the splash of color, but he is overall quite simple in markings. His eyes clash vividly against his otherwise pale appearance, the brilliant gold a testament to the boiling personality within.
His saddle has to be basic due to his design. A wide dark hide neck strap, locked in place with securing circles around each arm, maintains only a single horizontal handle and belt buckle lock just above his shoulders. The wing membranes are too wide to permit normal sitting with feet forward, so Reese typically lays belly down during speed riding.
DRAGON PERSONALITY: This pale beast is a conniving, manipulative, power-hungry creature. He was named Rath, after wrath, for a reason. The infrequent time he spends grounded is used observing others and learning everything he can about them- strengths and more importantly weaknesses. Smart and quick-witted as most of the strike class, he funnels most of his energy into striking, creative, and usually extremely dangerous acrobatics in the air and exponentially devious plans on the ground. Reese and Rath are a wondrous match with their short tempers and serious demeanors, each egging the other on, pushing each other to do better, go faster, fly higher. At times, it may be quite the love-hate relationship when these two very strong personalities clash, but their intense understanding of each other usually smoothes it over quickly enough.
DRAGON TECHNIQUES:
-His primary attack is wind-based, creating extremely powerful turbulent flows or blasts of wind with his wings or sharper air strikes with his wide tail fans. His furious agility and speed in the air are nearly unmatched, and his explosive power make up for his tiny size and by far subpar defenses. He considers himself a master of air, manipulating his wind blasts to disrupt other dragons’ flight or cause damage. Notably, the shear amount of membrane on his body makes him less agile on land. He can flatten most of it to his sleek form, but he still appears a bit out of his element.
-Melee attacks (teeth, claws) are his runner-up, constantly honing such skills with his partner.
-In a distant last is his ‘breath.’ Lacking fire, he produces sharp spikes of ice-crystals which he can spit with great accuracy, but at great energy cost.
KEYWORD HIDDEN IN RULES: ******************
CBOX NAME:Swiift
ALIASES: Reese for the familiar, "Swift" often to strangers
AGE: 22
OCCUPATION: Dragon rider / Deserter
GENDER & SEXUALITY: Female / Straight
LIKES:
-Speed
-Challenges
-Adventure & Risk-taking
-Sparring & Training
-Storms
-Being in the sky
-And eating.
DISLIKES:
-Tedium
-Wasting time
-Jokers, Slackers
-Rumors
-Heavy, awkward weapons
-Alcoholic beverages
STRENGTHS:
-Melee combat – dagger and open hand fighting
-Aerial techniques, agility, speed
-Unwavering strength of will
-Intensity of passion
-Honor and bravery
WEAKNESSES:
-Hyperfocuses on tasks at hand
-Frequently seen as “too serious” – she really can’t take a joke
-Short tempered
-Old back and arm scars are sensitive if directly struck
-Blindly loyal and bluntly honest. It can be fairly easy to take advantage of her if one wanted to once they’ve earned her loyalty
-Can never turn down a challenge or dare
FEARS:
-Forcing Rath to work under Red Rock’s army
-Disability
-Growing old
-Being trapped under ice
-Public embarrassment
AMBITIONS:
-Reese wishes to master sky riding above all else. To leap from wing to wing to slide down tails, to soar. She’s come a long way, but has yet to consider herself a master.
-Along the same lines, she wishes she could be unstoppable in close combat. She trains like there is no tomorrow, and for that she believes she grows closer to such a goal day by day.
-She seeks to be a leader of sorts eventually, preferably of some small elite group of fast fliers and protectors of Berk. She wishes to be recognized for some feat of valor someday. A common viking ambition of course, but her try-hard attitude is excessively focused on achieving such an honor.
-She hates having her feet on the ground too long if she isn’t training, and when in the air, she’s always seeking secret places, unknown tribes, unknown dragons.
SECRETS:
-Since she is such a loyal personality, she could never admit to the fact that she often wishes for adversity. Confrontations, battles, war is where she shines, and when there’s utter peace she hardly knows what to do with herself.
-The big secret is where she came from- Red Rock. Very few are in the know about her circumstances- those being those that need to know, such as the chief of the village. Otherwise, the fact that she left without ‘permissions’ could cause a lot more trouble for everyone.
-Romance? Well, good question. Reese never really thinks about such things, but who doesn’t need a hug every once in a while? I’m sure that little part of her is in there, somewhere.
OVERALL PERSONALITY:
The Norse name Reese stands for fervor. And, truly, that is what you get when you meet this viking. She is intense in everything she does from her stunning acrobatics in the air, to her combat training, to her loyalty to whomever earns it. Any ounce of her time that isn’t spent bettering herself in those areas is seen as an utter waste of time and shortens the fuse of her already terribly short temper. Serious to a fault, she doesn’t usually “get” jokes and her smile is rarely seen except far above the clouds. That is where utter joy gets her. Give her a battle, give her wind, and her soul flies.
She’s observant but quick to act, usually determining her own personal battle strategy as she’s diving in headfirst. Danger isn’t a thing to her. But loyalty and honor is everything. She could be trusted to the death if need be, as she would defend that which she cares about with her life without hesitation. However, this unwavering protector doesn’t come easily. Trust is earned, and it takes a heck of a lot to earn hers.
She really isn’t unfriendly so to speak, despite being so serious. She interacts, she hails a greeting, she’s willing to help a rider-in-training learn how to put that saddle up on that giant monstrous nightmare’s back. But you would never find her downing a mug of mead and laughing heartily in the great halls. Oh no, certainly not. She can be an intimidating presence, if anything, likely watching silently for a while until her input deems being given. She’s unwavering, intense, and has a heaviness about her that often gets her noticed far before her voice does.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
A slim and trim 20-something viking of 5’5” stature, Reese is carved in well-trained well-earned musculature. Her limbs are long and limber, allowing for flexibility to get her center of gravity where she needs it to be and a natural balance to stay there. Her slim face has deep, serious ice-blue eyes with heavy but sleek brows. Her long slightly curly brown hair is always tied tightly back out of her face. Her exposed skin is nicely tanned, gained from spending so much time above the clouds- though one could only imagine those dramatic tan lines. Three long claw mark scars are on her back, and three curl around her left bicep. They appear deep and well-healed, but red as if the tissue is still sensitive.
Her typical attire is designed such that she blends well with her dragon. Leather leggings and sleeveless undershirt are all dyed a pale grey, with her vest a grey-blue, and more of a slate hued fur-lining. The back of her vest is covered with dark grey dragon scales. Those pants are without extra fabric, and tuck easily into furred, long and heavy boots that claim particularly rough, gripping treads. Bracers on either forearm are similar to her vest with scales applied to the upper side of them.
She often wears a helmet when flying which covers all but the thinnest long horizontal lines for her eyes. A twin pair of double-edged long daggers are sheathed at either hip.
{Lookalike Gina Carano}
HISTORY:
A tale of a viking is almost always one of hard trials and trying hard. Reese is no different, except that she takes trying hard to a whole new level.
She didn’t start out that way.
Originally villagers of Red Rock, both Reese’s mother and father were dragon riders of the army. And they led their family like an army. Devout, loyal figures, the household was a well-oiled machine. Both specialized in weapon making- her father for the blades, heads, and chains and her mother for the wood and iron of the handles. It was how they bonded, and their craftsmanship showed it.
They had only been together for a few years before they bonded with their own dragons- a hungarian horntail and a deadly nadder. Of course sent quickly into Red Rock's military ranks, they did try to continue their passions when not in the fields. With the Nadder’s wondrous heat to melt and mold the iron ore and the Horntail’s spikes to shape them, what they made were quality unmatched. But their weaponry became less and less available as life became more full. It was here during the most prosperous time of their lives was when Reese’s mother became pregnant with her and, shortly after her birth, when both of her parents were promoted higher within the army's ranks.
Reese mostly grew up under the care of a viking version of a nanny who oversaw many of the army’s toddlers. She never really wanted to play with the other kids, however. She wanted to be like her parents. She wanted to BE somebody. It was a daily issue that Reese would be sat in time-out for bossing around the other children or, more frequently, hitting them. She was an adorable little child, but few thought so after seeing the tantrums she would throw and the fights she often picked.
As she grew older, the amount of time she actually got to see her parents never changed. A couple hours per day was very lucky, a couple of times per week was a good week. As they progressed in the army’s ranks, more and more of their time was required and devoured. And none of that precious time was used as pleasant family time. No, they had heard their daughter’s wishes to be a soldier, and they beamed. Every moment they had with her became training. Armed and unarmed combat, balance, focus. The 10-year-old had a natural agility and speed that they identified and honed. This was their family time. This was all they knew.
This developed a rebellious nature in Reese, as it would in any young teen. What family time she had was brief, and whatever lessons they taught her, she worked on constantly in her alone time. The rebellious feelings she had were never against her parents. No, she treasured what they did give her far too much. Rather, it was against the nanny and her cohort of preteens. They were holding her back, they were keeping her from getting better. Anything they wanted to do, she could not under any circumstance enjoy as well. Except the lessons. Now those, she did put all of her effort into. Even with all that had been taken away from her by the army- all the family experiences she just never had- all she ever wanted was to be in it. And to be the best soldier Red Rock had ever known, she had to be just as knowledgeable in basics as she was skilled in combat.
And she needed a dragon.
Many of the young teens had found dragons by 13, 14, 15 years of age. They had started intensive training of their own to learn how to better bond and understand their beasts. But for some reason, Reese just hadn’t. She grew frustrated with herself, with her village. Was it her village letting her down, was it this place’s fault that she’d yet to find her dragon? Surely it couldn’t be. Red Rock could do no wrong… right?
She began adventuring farther and farther away from the main villages, exploring the coasts, the plains, and the mountains. She would disappear for days on end. Specifically, of course, the days her mother and father were out on missions. As each year turned, she’d lose herself more and more into the wilderness. She found it the best teacher of all. Leaping across the rocks of the sea, dashing across the open plains, scaling the cliffs of mountains. The opportunities were uncountable. As her strengths grew, any hint of fear of daring stunts and challenges dwindled and shriveled away. The mountains were what drew her the most. And it was on those craggy, sharp peaks that her life would change forever.
One evening just after she'd turned 17, she had just reached three quarters of the way to the peak of a sharp, vertical cliff that overlooked a shard-filled valley far below. Recent mudslides had created a tortuous ravine that was wholly unwelcome to any unfortunate soul who might lose their grip. The skies had grown grey, a storm cooking in the clouds. The thunderhead was massive as it rolled in from the west. The mountain range would not break this one.
The rain was torrential. It was a massive blanket of hard, cold water that beat down on everything in its dominion. But Reese was far too high up to turn back now. Despite the close lightning strikes that curled her hair and the wind that threatened to yank her fingers from the slippery crevasses, she continued to climb. Shrieking overtook the deafening roar of the rain around her. A strange sound echoed from a cave just a few yards above. Multiple sounds. Multiple cries. The harsh sound of rushing water roared over the rain and cries, and suddenly the cries became much more distinct and rapidly closer.
The rain had flushed out a nest of two baby galewings- a species Reese had never seen before. But that wasn’t what was on her mind as they shot out in a spout of water from their safe hiding spot. Reese swung herself sideways on the cliff, lurching upwards and grabbing one two-foot long dragonling in one hand, shifting it to her shoulder and grabbing the other one. The young dragons screeched and scrabbled for their lives, unsure who had them, unsure what was happening. Their claws dug into her vest, skin and hair. And her shouts at them were muffled to nothing by the rain. No matter how hard she tried to get them to settle, their panic and youth was all too much. Regardless, even in the best of situations, nobody can tell baby dragons what to do.
They scrambled until it was too much. Reese’s grip began to slip. And just as she was about to fall, a searing pain wrenched up the skin of her back. The sharpness released as it failed to grasp hold, and reclasped on the bicep of her left arm. The claws dug in as if for life or death- and it was, for all three of the lives that hung in the balance. The young viking forced her eyes open, and they met with the blazing golden eyes of a pale dragon. Time froze for but a moment, before the strong grasp on her arm pulled her and the two dragonlings up onto the safety of the higher ledge.
Reese was bleeding, exhausted, and soaked to the bone. But those eyes. She couldn’t get those eyes out of her head. As she focused on the dragon family before her, the relationships were obvious. The mother had just returned. She was a brilliantly colored dragon of purples, blues, silvers and golds. Both babies were splotched with all sorts of colors, though perhaps a bit lighter. But where was the pale one? The pale one was just beyond the group. Slightly off on his own. Obviously older than the babies, but younger than the other. An older son? It must’ve been. But his colors were so different. Pale, mostly white. One that didn’t quite fit in. He stared at her, a low hissing growl reverberating in his throat.
But she had saved his family.
The mother dragon and the two young ones returned to a higher cave, but the young pale galewing stayed behind. And stared at her. They stared at each other for what seemed like ages. But the wounds would get to her.
“I need to go back.” She groaned softly. She didn’t remember what class this type of dragon was, what they could do, or anything about them. But he seemed to understand. He also, however, seemed to not be willing to take her where she wanted to go. The look in his eyes was a look of ‘why there.’
Why. Why was she following a way of life that she didn’t even really understand. She wanted something so badly, and yet she had no idea what she was going to be required to do. And at that moment, when his soul seemed to be talking to hers, she didn’t know. She just knew she needed help. She needed human help. The pale dragon slid over to her in all but a single silent motion and lifted her onto his back, his serrated neck and head spikes flattening to his body, and they flew. His thick, incredibly expansive wings took them high above the storm and soared as if one with the gentle winds that hid above.
He took her to Berk, not back to Red Rock. When she woke days later, bandaged and healing slowly, the healing shaman had many questions for her, many of which she really had no answer. But, something about that day with the galewings told her she should stay. In the following days that turned into weeks which turned into months, she was a silent, serious entity that worked hard to be proven someone trustworthy enough to stay on Berk’s rocky shores. Eventually she told those who needed to know about her tale. There were pledges of loyalty and honor made, promises and rules created. But there was also an agreement made to not out her, not yet. The last thing a thriving Berk needed was a political uprising over a 'stolen' teen.
The pale dragon didn’t return for many months. But he did return. It was a clear day with a light, cool breeze. He descended with barely a sound in front of her at a steep rocky pass. They both froze in place and their silent conversation from months before continued. She didn’t belong to those people any longer. She proved more than that she would risk everything to save dragons. She proved that her bravery was far deeper than that. She proved that she could belong to herself. And, therefore, she could belong to him. He hissed as his expansive wings surrounded her, blocking out the light of the day and the warm breeze- creating a world of their own. As if words were spoken, Reese reached out with her hands. The mysterious beast shifted slowly forward, touching his thin muzzle to her palms with a soft breath.
The years that followed were full of training. The pair belonged to the skies and to each other and, now, to Berk. They both thrived. Their aggressive, bold personalities soared. This was where they belonged and they would do anything to protect that. They competed against each other and themselves, and anyone who would take a dare. But Reese was never quite willing to explain where she came from or why, keeping her past an enigma from most; the only hint of her background being her accent and the tiny symbols on the carved hilts of her daggers that her parents gave her.
WEAPON OF CHOICE: Dual long blade daggers. Her particular dagger blades are about 18” in length, double-edged with a smooth curve on one edge and serrated on the other.
FIGHTING STYLE: She excels far beyond average at close combat either with open hand or with short blades. She’s relatively poor at long range, usually depending on her speed and agility to close the distance, or her dragon to even the playing field.
DRAGON NAME: Rath
DRAGON TYPE: Galewing
DRAGON APPEARANCE: Rath’s basic structure is very much like traditional galewings, small in stature and aerodynamic in every aspect by nature. However, his limbs seem a little lankier and his ears a little longer than most. From nose to base of tail, he barely reaches 9’ long, but his gigantic wings and lengthy tail dwarf his small body entirely. He boasts a few scars- awards of valor and aerial expertise- but these are indeed only few as caution still bides some of his ways since his kind cannot bare to damage their membranes. In color, he is quite unique. Primarily white, his scales are tinted in faint varying greys that make him look just like the clouds he can’t seem to stay out of. His head, mobile and expressive ears, and serrated back spikes are just a touch darker in the blue hues, shimmering with a hint of color. That color is also found on the very tips of his expansive wings, and in a touch of spotted decoration mid-span. His tail fans are also finished in the splash of color, but he is overall quite simple in markings. His eyes clash vividly against his otherwise pale appearance, the brilliant gold a testament to the boiling personality within.
His saddle has to be basic due to his design. A wide dark hide neck strap, locked in place with securing circles around each arm, maintains only a single horizontal handle and belt buckle lock just above his shoulders. The wing membranes are too wide to permit normal sitting with feet forward, so Reese typically lays belly down during speed riding.
DRAGON PERSONALITY: This pale beast is a conniving, manipulative, power-hungry creature. He was named Rath, after wrath, for a reason. The infrequent time he spends grounded is used observing others and learning everything he can about them- strengths and more importantly weaknesses. Smart and quick-witted as most of the strike class, he funnels most of his energy into striking, creative, and usually extremely dangerous acrobatics in the air and exponentially devious plans on the ground. Reese and Rath are a wondrous match with their short tempers and serious demeanors, each egging the other on, pushing each other to do better, go faster, fly higher. At times, it may be quite the love-hate relationship when these two very strong personalities clash, but their intense understanding of each other usually smoothes it over quickly enough.
DRAGON TECHNIQUES:
-His primary attack is wind-based, creating extremely powerful turbulent flows or blasts of wind with his wings or sharper air strikes with his wide tail fans. His furious agility and speed in the air are nearly unmatched, and his explosive power make up for his tiny size and by far subpar defenses. He considers himself a master of air, manipulating his wind blasts to disrupt other dragons’ flight or cause damage. Notably, the shear amount of membrane on his body makes him less agile on land. He can flatten most of it to his sleek form, but he still appears a bit out of his element.
-Melee attacks (teeth, claws) are his runner-up, constantly honing such skills with his partner.
-In a distant last is his ‘breath.’ Lacking fire, he produces sharp spikes of ice-crystals which he can spit with great accuracy, but at great energy cost.
KEYWORD HIDDEN IN RULES: ******************
CBOX NAME:Swiift
