meri

From the Egg - A Dragon Training Rp

“…will never be allowed to leave this island."

Skagi bristled, the priestess's unvarnished words burrowing deep into their anxiety. He had a feeling that “never leaving” meant quite the opposite of living on this island forever. Of course King Rosmund's mistake had been disastrous—everyone had heard rumors of what he had unleashed—but gathering warriors? For what? If what they heard had been true, seven fools with blades would never be enough to protect Elysium. It needed an army.

Hell, they needed actual fighters. Skagi was no warrior, whatever rudimentary tricks they had been taught in his childhood. What were they going to do, fiddle at monsters until they fled? Besides, his captors couldn't possibly know about Florian, right? They had no reason to believe Skagi was capable of killing. Surely not.

They glanced at the human—Trevor—reassured at least by his willingness to accompany them… not that either of them would be setting off to play instruments right now. The grim set of Trevor's jaw was enough to tell them he wouldn't be going down without a fight. Good. At least someone here knew what they were doing. The knife hidden in their boot felt immeasurably heavy.

When the priestess waved open the curtains, Skagi's heart nearly stopped. Eggs. Dragon eggs. Enormous, dazzling eggs, vibrant and sparkling and practically thrumming with life. Light spun from their shells, fractaling in identical patterns from each and every one. He had believed the tales of monsters, but really seeing them, even their eggs, was… breathtaking. Frozen in awe, they laughed, perhaps deliriously. “She wasn't kidding.”

From the Egg - A Dragon Training Rp

Skagi snickered at the man's response. He seemed wholly unimpressed by the display—cautious, maybe, but more annoyed by the whole endeavor than anything. Likely a mercenary type. Good. Skagi knew how to handle those. Best to antagonize whomever brought them here, make sure he knew they were on the same page.

“Amen to that. I suppose it would be too courteous to bring us here when we weren't half-asleep. Wouldn't be nearly as mysterious as whisking us away in the dead of night, would it?”

Following the human's gaze, they saw a dwarf fiddling with tools at one of the tables. An exemplary show of initiative. The tables were likely a test of some sort, unless this was an arts fair, in which case Skagi would be having a better time tonight than originally anticipated. The array of weapons was enough to suggest otherwise. Perhaps a talent show, then.

“My name is Skagi, by the way. Unless you're a faerie in the business of stealing those sorts of things, in which case it definitely isn't.” They stretched their neck as if preparing for exercise. “I'm off to get a better look at those instruments, if you'd care to join me.”

From the Egg - A Dragon Training Rp

Wanted to show off the piece I’m getting done of Gwynnn as part of a trade (artist is YuuHyena on toyhouse)

@Rabbitconfusion

Ooo cool! I love her cravat (jabot?), it looks nice and ruffly :)

From the Egg - A Dragon Training Rp

Hello, fine fellows. I will be pushing the story forward again either tomorrow or the day after. That being said, I was curious if you lot were interested in a Discord for easier communication?

@JewelSerket

that's a good idea!

LOAD SEQ: TRAV PROGRAM: VER ONE: ...... BEGIN

@meri Oh shoot, sorry, I knew there was something I was forgetting to do. I'll have a post up this week, on the early side I think.

@Sylvan

No worries! Just wanted to make sure you were still interested :)

LOAD SEQ: TRAV PROGRAM: VER ONE: ...... BEGIN

@Sylvan

Hi! No rush, but do you have an idea of when you're going to be able to post?

From the Egg - A Dragon Training Rp

Skagi was used to being watched.

It was their job, after all—the more eyes on them, the more coins in their pouch—yet they couldn't help but feel out of place amid such opulence. Eyes were what kept them centered on stage, the emotions within reminding him that his audience was just as mortal as he. The glimmer of excitement, the glow of fascination, the glitter of suspense. The sharp light of disgust. Looking around, he rubbed the seam of flesh and stone that warped their arm. Any eyes the figures above may have had were obscured by their masks. Skagi knew his mother had friends in high places, but this… this was beyond the occasional favor from a lord.

Trying to get a better grasp of their surroundings, they met the eyes of one of the few people without a mask: a human in priestly vestments. They looked away quickly. The man's gaze was eerily neutral. Skagi was suddenly intensely aware they had no idea where they were.

Quickly diverting their focus to the tables, he was greeted by a beautiful assortment of instruments just a few paces away. Everything from finely carved piccolos to richly lacquered violins were displayed; the elegant slope of a harp felled a shadow on the table from behind. His fingers itched to play them. He hadn't even had the chance to do warm-ups before he was whisked away. The blindfold had felt tight enough to sand down the stone of his head.

No sense in exploring this strange place alone, though. There were so many people—he would do well to forge some sort of alliance early, avoid being an outlier.

Turning to one of the fourteen beside him, they smiled facetiously. “Kind of them to give us such a warm welcome, isn't it?

From the Egg - A Dragon Training Rp

@meri Your character is approved! I'm a huge fan of him. A couple of questions: Would you be comfortable with me bringing in some characters of his backstory during the story of the RP? I am trying to think of a reason why they would be picked for the Hatching. Would their mother have some higher up connections? Would he go willingly if his mother told him some guards were taking him away for something important she can't disclose? And, mostly for clarity's sake, are his pronouns he/they?

@JewelSerket

Totally, bringing in characters from backstories is always fun! As for the Hatching, I think connections through his mother could totally work. They trust her more than anyone else, so he'd absolutely go if she told him to. I was originally thinking since he travels so much he may have found the site of the Hatching and somehow finagled their way in there, but it would definitely make more sense if they had a reason like you suggested to be there. And yes, their pronouns are he/they. I know multiple pronouns can be confusing sometimes, so I'll try to keep it as clear as possible who I'm referring to with antecedents and whatnot once we get into the roleplay :)

From the Egg - A Dragon Training Rp

Skagi

Name: Skagi Delling

Race: Half-Human, Half-Oread

Pronouns: they/he

Text Color: Red (ed1c24)

Special Skill: Skagi is a bard, finding both their coin and their purpose in music. He uses their voice in many ways—to sing, of course, but also to lie. Though they find no excitement in deception, it is a necessary skill during constant travel. More people come to their shows to see the strange amalgam of flesh and stone than to hear their songs and legends. They know that. And they know the money they make from their honest work will never be enough. A dragon bonded to Skagi would likely be gifted with vocal abilities such as mimicking sounds or unleashing a deafening roar.

Ambition/Dream: Though they've spent most of his life on the road, Skagi wants to settle down more than anything. He's never truly felt like anywhere is his home. If he could find a place—and more importantly, people—that he could form a steady community with, they would be truly content. If they could stop pushing people away, that is.

Personality Traits: Skagi is a very friendly person at first glance. They're talkative, lighthearted, empathetic. Everything about them just seems nice. This is all true, of course—they do talk frequently, they do pursue the positive, they do recognize others’ emotions—but they have no problem using those skills for their own gain when they think he needs to. They like to think of themselves as a pleasant person. With luck, they are. Without it… well, they can still keep thinking it.

Childhood: He was raised by his human mother. They do not know anything about their father, other than that he is an oread. As such, Skagi acts in accordance with human culture, tending to be fairly adaptable and accepting. They spent most of their childhood moving around the continent due to their mother’s job as a mercenary. They were a curious child, and were known to wander off at the sight of something interesting. He’s tamed this impulse considerably, but not entirely.

Adolescence/Training: He learned a great deal about fighting from his mother, but even more about hiding. The battlefield is no place for a child, after all. They learned how to find good cover in the event of an ambush, and were trained to always be aware of their surroundings. Many of the places that brought his mother work were large cities; he learned both music and theft there.

Adulthood/After Completing Training: Though they love their mother and worry about her staying a mercenary as she ages, he decided it was best if he left to pursue their dreams as a bard. They maintain the traveling lifestyle of their childhood, but being a performer altered their life dramatically. He made friends quickly but lost them just as fast. They did make two lasting friends, though: Gisele and Osric, a pair of acrobats in a traveling circus. They write letters to each other and meet each other on the road occasionally, but they aren’t very close.

Notable Family:
Mother: Freya Delling
Father: Castellan Jasper

Notable Figures:
Gisele: Friend
Osric: Friend

Character Themes: Family, coming of age, identity

Character Tragedy: Shortly after setting out by himself, Skagi made a friend named Florian. He was a fellow performer, and they became fast friends, even performing together. Unfortunately, Skagi already had a few mercenaries after him from a heist he pulled while his mother was fighting guards. He was vigilant. Too vigilant. When Florian snuck into their room at night to surprise them with a new lute, Skagi awoke and stabbed him before they realized who he was. Overwhelmed with guilt, they fled, never to return to that town again. They do not know if he is still alive. In typical Skagi fashion, the lesson they learned from this was not to let anyone close enough to hurt accidentally. That way they hurt everyone on purpose. Which is… better, from their perspective.

Character Flaws: Manipulative, self-isolating, selfish

Hobbies: Knitting, playing the lute, making instruments (to varying degrees of success…)

Appearance: Skagi is quite tall, standing at over six feet. They are wiry and slender, with sharp fingers that, conveniently enough, serve as excellent picks for string instruments. He’s a strange mix of human and oread, composed of patches of flesh and rock. His appendages are primarily rock, resembling banded carnelian. A few stripes of pale skin stretch down his inner forearms and make up most of his torso and face. Rock constitutes the upper right quarter of his face, from which “hair” sprouts in thin filaments of assorted minerals down to his mid-back. He only has one eye (on the left side of their face). It is dark green. Their right leg is a little bit longer than his left due to its rocky composition, and he walks with a slight limp because of it. They’re a very strange looking person, perhaps disturbing at first glance, but fascinating to look at. They like to wear loose, flowy clothes paired with lots of jewelry.

From the Egg - A Dragon Training Rp

Would a hybrid character be okay? After looking at the races, I think a half-human half-oread could be cool. They were probably raised by the human parent since oread society wouldn't look kindly upon a half-human, insular as it is.