Penddraig Chronicles

INCANDESCENT KAY (Crimson Flare Pygmy, F)
As a youngster, Incandescent had taken to the skies immediately, but without restraint, and soon found herself injured and land-bound on the desert rim. Mistress Kay, a kind-hearted Black Tea dragon, cared for her wounds. This friendship led to her rising as a powerful leader amid the Pygmy flocks, and she helped broker the KayMac Concordat, in which the various Pygmy flocks, Grey dragons, and Black Tea dragons agreed to a peaceful co-existence. As a reminder of their commitment to each other, the Concordat calls on all signatories to include either Kay or Mac in their names.

BLUE MOOD MAC (Nilia, M)
A member of the largest and most powerful Nilia Pygmy flock, it is believed Blue Mood was the first to suggest that an alliance with the Greys might be possible. At the time it seemed both ridiculous and pointless, but he set about convincing all who would listen of the benefits to be gained by an alliance. They could be protected by the larger and stronger dragons from the predators slipping down from the mountains, while communications and vital trade routes could be easily set up with the help of the nimble and curious Pygmies.

Certainly, he converted a surprisingly powerful ally in Fragrant Rain, then a hatchling, who went on to marry and then influence the Emperor Jien Shen Zhong.

It is also said that Blue Mood was the first to append Mac to his name, as his assurance of commitment, an act that became a condition upon the signatories of the Concordat. Incandescent Kay has been Blue Mood Mac’s mate for centuries.

JIEN SHEN ZHONG (Grey, M)
Emperor Jien Shen Zhong (whose name is considered prophetic, meaning “build successful middle path”. Whether his Naming Cleric meant it to be so is hotly debated in the Court.) was a somewhat more independent and broadminded Emperor, who took as his 3rd wife a Black Tea dragon named Fragrant Rain, who first advocated a peace pact for the Empire. Zhong’s life long ambition was to see the Empire return to its former glory, and most historians agree that he did indeed achieve that.

Love reading this, Justie   

Frodo wrote:Love reading this, Justie   

Thank you, thank you, thank you!   I am so glad somebody is. Sometimes feel that all the words just pass on by unnoticed by anyone...   

Really happy you like it! Sure is fun writing it, if a little daunting!   

EMPRESS LIEN MANG (Pink, F)

Lien Mang was all a Emperor could ask of his consort. Beautiful, charming, an excellent organizer of 'public affairs'. She was an accomplished artist and poet, as well as providing him with heirs to his Empire.

If she was in any way concerned about the attention given to Fragrant Rain, it was never evident in her demeanor, public or private.

ALISHEBA, 2ND WIFE (Lumina, F)

Jien Shen Zhong's second wife, Alisheba was as vain as she was beautiful. A glittering addition to any gathering, she evinced absolutely no interest in politics, and instead surrounded herself with those members of the court who flattered her. Best beloved were those who brought her gifts from beyond the boundaries of the Empire, the lands beyond the Great Sea.

FRAGRANT RAIN (Black Tea, F)

Fragrant Rain was married to Jien Shen Zhong, after she was presented to the court by the noble Myster Mac, his close confidante, and her father. Myster Mac was convinced that his daughter would be a great asset to the court and indeed, far more than could ever have been anticipated, she was.

Although she was only the Emperor's third wife and never became Empress, she bore him the many fine sons and daughters who carried on both the Imperial bloodline and the important work of peace.

It was Fragrant Rain who first began the conversion of the Jien Shen Zhong to the idea of a peace pact between the various breeds along the full length of the Old Spice Road. She pointed out that such a thing would be in the self interest of all the breeds, and could restore the Empire to its previous glory.

With the diplomatic successes of her father with the Pygmy flocks, the Emperor began to actively pursue his goal of a newly redeemed Empire, bringing it back to its former glory. Fragrant Rain was his closest adviser in all the negotiations with the many tribes.

She is honored by the dynasty’s name, which throughout Penddraig’s long history is remembered as the Fragrant Rain Dynasty, and one of the high points of civilization in the region.

EIBLIX (Purple, M)

Eiblix was a successful spice merchant. He simply wandered in out of the desert one day, seemingly obvious to its perils, laden with some of the most exotic condiments and spices ever seen. In fact, many had never been seen before.

Finding himself a convenient corner in the market, he displayed his wares and discussed their merits with the cooks of the region. His tales of the NW wastelands were engaging and appealing, involving many fanciful creatures and dragons, but everyone knew that they were the traditional tales of the travelling merchant.

About that, the dragons of Spice City were wrong.

CLOCI (Red, M)

Two Red brothers, Cloci and Izleci, settled in the area near Spice City once the Old Spice Road was safe to use once more.

With them they brought arcane devices and magicks used in ensuring rapid and safe hatching of eggs. Very soon, their services were in such demand that they quickly found themselves overworked. They begged Blue Mood Mac to send a messenger to other Red dragons, dwelling in the forests along the desert rim.

Tiny Sprite, the chosen messenger, returned from the Desert Rim Forests with four Red dragons (Broeden, Gestar, Ausbruten and Kweken), 2 Pinks (Pink Vanilla Coif and Drew Driver), Breakfast Burn (a Purple), and Immaculato, a White Healer. As well, he had two stowaway Ridgewings, Buzz By and Plum Dawn, who had made the journey with the others for safety's sake.

IZLECI THUWED (Red, M)

Izleci and his brother Cloci came to Spice City to try their fortunes offering their incubating services to the ever increasing population of the cosmopolitan capital of the Empire.

They prospered immediately and were soon looking for other fertility and hatching specialists. Their quiet corner of the markets, back as they were from the wells, which they'd positioned with privacy and discretion in mind, nevertheless became a lively enclave of the most influential dragons of the Desert Dwellers region.

COLTHOR (Purple, M)
It was previously believed that Purple dragons were exclusively female, but this is not the case. Recent environmental shifts have revealed the existence of both genders of this breed. About Colthor, nothing is known except that he is the mate of Dovasi Kay, and although he also agreed to cease attacks on travelers, he chose not to sign the KayMac Concordat.

UNNAMED TEIMARR SHELL
This egg was found on the shores near Coastedge Wood. It is broken and empty. A dragon has clearly killed the hatchling within, there are recognisable bite marks on the shell. But there is no body. Dragons do not eat their kind for food, not even across different breeds, so where is the poor little corpse?

TINY SPRITE (Pygmy, M)

Tiny was very excited to be asked by Blue Mood Mac himself to mount a small expedition to the forests along the rim of the desert, in search of breeding experts willing to come to the city.

No one was more surprised than he, though, when he found such enthusiasm for the move among the Reds and Pinks of the forest regions. In the end, he returned from the Desert Rim Forests with four Red dragons (Broeden, Gestar, Ausbruten and Kweken), 2 Pinks (Pink Vanilla Coif and Drew Driver), Breakfast Burn (a Purple), and Immaculato, a White Healer.

A couple of Ridgewing stowaways also joined the group. Buzz By and Plum Dawn attached themselves to Tiny and nothing could discourage them.

With the success of this, his first totally independent mission, Tiny Sprite found his calling and was very much in demand for further expeditions.

PINK VANILLA COIF (Pink, F)

Pink Vanilla was one of the immigrants from the [b]Desert Rim Forests. Her skills as a birthing magic user soon became widely known, and she was much sought after. She and her mate, Drew Driver, settled in a small ruin at the outskirts of Spice City.

DREW DRIVER (Pink, M)

Drew and his mate, Pink Vanilla Coif, came with the other Desert Rim Forests immigrants from the forest regions between the homes of the Desert Dwellers and the Alpine Ridge.

For them, it was a chance for adventure and an exciting new beginning. Ironically, despite their expertise, the two midwives had no hatchlings of their own.

BROEDEN (Red, M)

Another of the Desert Rim Forests immigrants, Broeden was a fairly old dragon, as far as anyone knew, and said that the reason for the move was that he was getting on and he wanted to rest easy in Spice City where he would not need to compete for food. He did seem to possess a certain wisdom that comes from experience, and younger dragons would ask his advice on 'matters of the heart'.

GESTAR (Red, M)

Gestar was a solitary dragon, tending to keep his own counsel. When he did speak, though, others always listened, because his thoughts were usually wise and insightful.

Originally, another inhabitant of the Desert Rim Forests, his 'voting with his feet' was considered by his fellow travelers as reason enough to move on.

AUSBRUTEN (Red, M)

Ausbruten was a little more forthcoming than others from the Desert Rim Forests about the reasons for their enthusiasm for emigration.

It seemed there was a strange almost invisible dragon raiding the hunting areas of dragons in the forest. The more superstitious of the locals were convinced it was a visitation from one of the Ice Goddess's minions.  

While Ausbruten gave this explanation little credence, he did say he would be glad to get away from this apparition without incident, as he didn't fancy competing with it for food.

KWEKEN (Red, M)

The Desert Rim Forests became too contentious, with not just the depredations of the strange apparition, but also the arguments as to its origin, for Kweken, who liked nothing more than lying in a quiet stream in the heat of the day.

He thought a move to the more populous area was prudent in light of the threats of the Forests. But he didn't take into account his reaction to the loss of quiet streams. Of which there were exactly none in Spice City.

Kweken never felt at home in the city and eventually emigrated once again, to Coastedge Wood, where he found the kind of accommodation for peace and safety that was his heart's desire.

BUZZ BY (Ridgewing, M)

Buzz By knew better than any other dragon what the apparition that was haunting the  Desert Rim Forests actually was.

From his cave in the foothills leading up to the Alpine Ridge he could follow the path of the intruder back over the mountains. And what he discovered fascinated him. A Frostbite dragon, a breed rarely seen venturing this far down the slopes, because their size made movement in the tree-crowded forests difficult. Clearly, this was the dragon making off with their game, and even meat leftovers, but why? Surely things weren't so tight in the Alpine Ridge, that she needed to raid the lower slopes?

Finally she stopped and dropped her load of food to rest beside a stream, where she met another dragon. Buzz By couldn't quite see the new dragon, but it was clearly a smaller one than the Frostbite. He wondered what on earth they could be up to that would involve such large quantities of fresh meat!

But he was not planning on sticking around to find out. He did consider reporting what he had seen to the other dragons in the Desert Rim Forests, but decided it would only create trouble for him. And he was ever against anything that made life trickier.

So he and his mate, Plum Dawn 'hitched' a ride to Spice City.

PLUM DAWN (Ridgewing, F)

Plum Dawn was a quiet retiring kind of dragon, deferring to her mate Buzz By for most decisions. So she asked no questions about his sudden urge to go to Spice City. She assumed he knew what he was doing, and happily played with their new-found friend Tiny Sprite to while away the time on the trip to the city.

IMMACULATO (White, M)

Like many White dragons, Immaculato traveled throughout Penddraig, earning his way as a healer and carer. He joined the little caravan of hopeful migrants as they reached the desert proper.

He was a gentle, calm and rational dragon, always looking for the best resolution to a crisis or altercation. He was relaxed and sociable, preferring to be in the company of a few other dragons than on his own.

In return for food and water, the other dragons knew they could safely leave their hatchlings with Immaculato while they went hunting or exploring.