
Backstory
Tekka’s parents shared a Lair in the east when the Aegis attacked and killed them, raising them as undead slaves of the Aegis. As undead they smashed their own eggs, but Tekka’s egg was missed in the smashing — it was small and blighted, and not expected to survive. Later, a Gifted hunting party including Tigris Euphrates slew the undead drakes and found the unsmashed egg. They wrapped it up and carried it to safety. Even after their separation, Tigris cared for the blighted hatching, which she named Tekka, after a Sslik word “Tekkar” which meant ‘Bright’. That was 113 years ago…
However as Tekka grew Tigris became very concerned. Tigris had taught Tekka to read, write, speak, learn, sing, draw, and make notes like bipeds do. The old Saris started to feel she was teaching Tekka wrong, that the little hatchling needed to learn to be a dragon, not a Saris in dragon clothing. Tigris felt that she was doing the young hatchling a disservice. Tigris encouraged Tekka to go out and learn dragon ways, but Tekka did not understand and thought Tigris was rejecting her because Tekka was not a Saris like Tigris. This situation was resolved when Krimsonflame and Falkor offered to adopt the energetic young hatchling as their own. Tigris asked them to please teach the hatchling how to be a true dragon, something a Saris could never do. Tekka latched onto her new family, staying friends with Tigris, but relishing the feeling of belonging to a dragon family and the love that came with it.
My Brother, My Friend
Ahh Taylus, Tekka’s adopted brother. Tekka’s experience with her new brother has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions for the young hatchling. When they first met, Tekka was elated to have a dragon family finally, to learn how to be a dragon, that she had no idea some of the politics going on in the background. While Tekka’s adoption was okay with Tigris, Taylus was claimed by several parents. Eventually this forced Krimsonflame and Falkor to give up Taylus to another parent. Tekka was sad at this news, but assumed it meant she could still see and play with Taylus as a friend.
She was wrong. The next time Tekka saw Taylus, she tried to play hatchling games with him, but Taylus turned his back on her, saying he wasn’t ‘allowed’ to be near her. As he walked away he left little green blighted footprints behind him. Tekka was so heartbroken she made the “Sad” carving. She told her A’mea and A’meo about this, and they said they would fight to get Taylus back.
Then, several weeks later, Taylus came back wearing a strange bracelet, and no longer leaving blight footprints. He complained the bracelet was burning him. Tekka hid, fearing further rejection. Taylus surprised her and apologized to her, saying it was okay for them to play again. Tekka was cautious but happy and asked him about the bracelet.
Then things took a turn for the worst. Taylus explained the bracelet had been placed there by Falkor’s uncle in law Reagle’s father Ryzaak — a former Aegis operative now fighting for the living — and now Taylus could not take it off. Taylus then informed Tekka that Selarth had been injecting crystals of Blight into Taylus’s body. Tekka was utterly horrified. While Taylus thought it was a fantastic game, Tekka knew that Blight and the Aegis had taken her original mother, father, and siblings (as eggs) from her in the first place, and permanently marked her with gaudy bright green stripes. Tekka begged and pleaded with him not to go back to Selarth. Tekka quickly deduced the bracelet was enchanted to not come off because it was holding back the blight in an attempt to save Taylus. Finally after much pleading from Nyya and tears from Tekka, Taylus agreed to come and tell them if Selarth did anything else unusual, but refused to stop seeing Selarth.
Tekka’s Quest for Wings
Tekka had been a hatchling for over a hundred years since the young and freshly gifted Tigris found Tekka’s egg and it had hatched. Now, all these years later, she was still a hatchling but had dragon parents to teach her that learning to fly and becoming an adult was not a matter of lessons, ranks, or age — but doing the rites. Nyya, Krimsonflame, and Falkor all cautioned Tekka not to become an adult until she was ready. Her A’meo and A’mea specifically requested that she wait until Tekka was at least 50th rank adventure and 50th rank crafting before she underwent the rites of adulthood. Bowing to their wisdom, she agreed. So began her quest to reach those ranks and prepare her for the rites.
She lost no time getting started, training wherever anyone would teach her. Falkor, her A’meo, took her daddy-daughter hunting trips, where Tekka fought and roared with her A’meo as true dragons fighting, and Tekka realized that for the first time she truly felt like a dragon, not a biped in dragon clothing. She was a dragon, and no one could tell her otherwise.
Helian or Lunus. The question nagged at her, and she wavered back and forth between the two many times. Though she had a rocky relationship with her biped ‘nurse’ that raised her from egg until adoption, she had no ill will towards Tigris, and had no wish to hurt her or any other Biped. In fact she felt Bipeds were her friends. But as a dragon she fought with the Tooth and the Claw, and identified strongly with her Lunus father Falkor. The feeling of combat, using her own claws, and roaring made her feel strong. Not that she felt BETTER than bipeds… just different. A difference that set her apart as a dragon.
However as she drew closer and closer to being ready for the rites, the dark storm clouds over the east and the dark allure of the blight continued to draw her in, and she did not know why. She was confused between feelings of being a growing young dragonet and the feelings from the blight that was a part of her from egg to grown, that she could not tell what feelings were natural and which ones were not. Slowly, the hypnotic allure of the blight was slowly drawing her closer and she did not even realize it.
A Daughter of Dralk
Months of hard work since Tekka met up with her new family and began to learn the ways of real dragons, she had finally met her A’meo and A’mea expectation — 50 adventure/50 crafting. Then the trials could begin. But first a decision had to be made. She liked the Helian philosophy of working with the Bipeds to defeat the Aegis. She had seen with her own eyes how much could be accomplished when dragons and bipeds worked together…
…Tekka had also witnessed the fighting. Dragons that hate the Nakas. Nakas the hate the dragons. Nakas that hate other Nakas. Worst of all… dragons that hate other dragons. As a hatchling, Tekka had suggested that her viewpoints would fall along Helian lines, and Tekka was asked “Are you a naka-dragon?” The question resonated deeply in Tekka. She was raised by a biped for many years. She was taught to speak and act like a biped first. The dragon tongue itself was a second language to her. Were all nakas good? No. Were some nakas evil? Yes. So were some dragons. Like Selarth, who had hurt her brother Taylus.
So it was in the lonely dark night, sitting at the pools of fire in Dralk, that Tekka remembered something. Her A’mea, Krimsonflame, was a Lunus. Her A’meo, Falkor, was a Lunus. And if she believed in only one thing… just one thing… she believed in her family. Little Tekka loved and trusted her mother and father. She was not a naka-dragon. She was not a naka.
She was… a dragon. A daughter of Dralk. A Lunus.
A roar echoed through Dralk and Tekka shouted her decision to the world. Not for their politics. Not for dominating the nakas. It was because of her A’meo and A’mea, because they were the only thing she really trusted not to lead her astray. Could the bipeds govern themselves in peace? She doubted it, but history showed dragon rule was no better. There had to be a solution that involved everyone working together, but the Helian were wrong too! Tekka was not a naka-dragon. She could not… ever… possibly hope to be a naka. Her heart burned with fire. In combat her blood boiled with lava. She was a dragon.
NO ONE — biped or dragon — could take that away from her.
So it was that at 50th rank adventure, 50th rank crafter, and 5 million hoard, and 113 years old, Tekka set upon the rites of passage and set out to prove to the world what kind of dragon she was.
The Rite of Passage
Tekka dove into the tasks given her for her rite of ascension with excitement and gusto. At first she was determined to finish the entire rite in a day. She received a lot of help from Nyya, Sereamha, Iyrevi, Aayron, Sagreth, and Eissa who provided guidance and combat support against foes greater in number than she. Tekka’s A’meo and A’mea’s instructions to get to 50th rank in her training prepared her for both crafting and adventure challenges. She was young, but not alone!
However the challenges of the rite were compounded by horrible happenings. Her friend Au’Rel had also been blighted by Selarth. He had guided Tekka in her path and given her advice and encouragement, teaching her to trust in her instincts and to have courage, so him turning to the darkness was a breach of trust for the young and impressionable hatchling. She confronted Au’Rel and asked him why he had done it — had Selarth made him do it? No, he explained, he had chosen it. Heartbroken, she told Au’Rel that her trust in him was broken and it was up to him if he wanted to re-earn it or not.
Then she confronted Selarth himself. She threatened the blighted dragon never to harm her or loved ones again. She allowed that she could not stop those that chose it, and that Selarth had made some mistakes in dealing with Taylus, but she made her threat very clear — not to hurt her or or her loved ones or there would be retaliation.
Then she talked to her little brother Taylus, the red tomato-colored hatchling. Taylus explained that Selarth had been a friend to him long before any were his friends. Tekka explained that this was fine, that she was not angry with Taylus. Taylus explained that Taylus had not known the danger of blight, and that he had asked Selarth to teach him. Taylus explained that Selarth had TRIED to dissuade Taylus and failed. Selarth had even tried to remove the blight from Taylus repeatedly, killing the hatching repeatedly in the process. Tekka explained that if Taylus wanted to be friends with Selarth, that was fine with her, as long as he didn’t try to hurt anyone. Her younger brother seemed to accept this concession.
Tekka journeyed with her friends to the land of Draak, the lost Dragon colony in the east. Tekka was filled with deja vu as she looked at the blighted dragon town, the pale hatchlings, and the ghost dragons who haunted the area. The feeling disturbed her greatly. She confronted Tigris about it, and learned that Tekka’s egg had originally been found in the ruins of Draak. Tekka returned there and grieved. Any of the ghosts could have been ghosts of her real parents. Any of the pale hatchlings could have been her clutchmates. Why had she, out of all of them, been Gifted? With her friends, they released as many as they could, and ended the Shadow Dragon’s torment over them.
They returned home to find Au’Rel in great pain. Selarth had ripped all the blight from Au’Rel and tortured him. Tekka and many others flew into an angry rage at the news, capturing Selarth. Tekka used her Phylactery on Selarth, just like she had with Lem, Kaa, and the Shadow Dragon. Selarth eventually escaped, but at least her friend was free of the Blight.
Over the previous few weeks Tekka had become aware of an oddity with her blighted green stripes — they glowed brightly whenever Taylus was near. This made sense, as they were both blighted hatchlings, she thought nothing of it. However with Au’rel she touched him and her stripes did not glow with blight. Tekka realized that this was a power few others had — to detect the presence or lack of blight in others! She had discovered the first of her Blight Powers. Unfortunately she had to touch the person to use it.
Later, Tekka’s A’meo Falkor used his powers to try and remove much of the blight from Taylus. Part of the process required him to request that Tekka kill her brother. She was uncertain and tearful about it, but did as her A’meo asked. As she did so, her talons sunk into Taylus’s flesh, she felt her body absorbing some of Taylus’s blight into her own body. She pulled some of Taylus’s blight out of him, and into herself. Tigris was able to resurrect Taylus, though they were not sure if Taylus was fully cleansed. That remains to be seen. Tekka, however, fell ill. She realized this too was a Blight Power of hers — to consume the blight of other people, taking it from them into herself, making herself very ill in the process. Finally all the rites were complete, and her teachers were pleased that Tekka had passed all their tests and were ready for her to ascend into adulthood. She waited for all her friends to be ready — those that helped her on her rites, and for her friends and family — Krimsonflame, Falkor, Taylus, Icabald, and the others to all be able to come to the Peak of Storms and witness Tekka’s life enter it’s next chapter.

Ascension and Aftermath
It took some time, but finally Tekka was able to gather together her A’meo, A’mea, and a dozen others — friends and family — to witness the event. Tekka ascended soon after her 114th birthday on the Peak of Storms. In attendance was Iyrevi, a young pink male hatchling with some blood magic and a missing forelimb who ascended the same day as Tekka. Iyrevi had tried to help with Taylus before the matter was resolved. Iyrevi’s father Ssiscor had helped cleanse the excess blight from Tekka when it made her ill. Iyrevi’s mother Sereamah had assisted in Tekka’s rites. Tekka often spoke to and was good friends with Iyrevi’s sister Nyya. They had been good friends for some time — Tekka considered Iyrevi as her best friend. There, on the night of Tekka’s ascension, she took Iyrevi to meet her A’mea and A’meo.
Krimsonflame asked Iyrevi what his intentions were with her daughter. Iyrevi and Tekka were flabbergasted and speachless. Neither had realized their friendship had gone beyond mere friendship to that stage. The two were stunned into silence.
Tekka knew of Iyrevi’s past mentions and glowing descriptions of Xeffer. Xeffer was Falkor’s ex-mate. Tekka had warned Iyrevi of this… of why Falkor had left Xeffer. The following morning after the ascension, Tekka called Iyrevi to meet with her privately. She asked Iyrevi to choose between herself… and Xeffer. After that meeting there was no word from him from days, but he was seen doting on Xeffer. Tekka was afraid of what Xeffer would do to Iyrevi, but was powerless to stop it.
Tekka had made Iyrevi swear — before the statue of Drulkar Himself — that they would remain friends regardless. When not-so-little-anymore Tekka came home to the family’s lair, Tekka’s A’mea was angered by Iyrevi’s apparent choice. Tekka felt hurt and hardened her heart, blaming herself for not seeing the warning signs sooner. Krimsonflame warned that Iyrevi would be back… and when he did… the boy would have to go past Krimsonflame first… to get to her daughter. Tekka surrounded herself with the love of her family, uncertain who she could trust.
Love’s Labors Lost
Krimsonflame was right in the end. Tekka pressured Iyrevi to choose — her or Xeffer. In the end Iyrevi chose Xeffer. Xeffer rejected Iyrevi, and Iyrevi — heartbroken — came to Tekka. While wanting to comfort him, Tekka knew full well that she was not Iyrevi’s first choice. She knew she was better than second place. She knew she deserved better than runner-up in her mate’s heart, and desired to be number one in the heart of the male she mated herself to. Tekka tried to explain this to the heartbroken and confused Iyrevi.
Krimsonflame was upset, and demanded her daughter have no contact with Iyrevi or Iyrevi’s a’meo Ssiscor. Through Iyrevi’s sister Nyya and mother Sereamha, Tekka and Iyrevi communicated this development, and Iyrevi admitted he never really had any feelings for Tekka in the first place. That sealed the deal — Tekka’s last ray of hope was shattered. Tekka let him know that she wished he would go and live a long happy life. She kept her A’mea’s wishes and made no contact with with Iyrevi. She couldn’t. Tekka realized that this whole thing had been the work of a young female hatchling’s love for a boy that didn’t want her.
Her heart shattered, Tekka withdrew from the world, surrounding herself with her family — her only consolation. Tekka hardened her heart, realizing that this had all been her making. If she’d listened to the signs sooner, she might have gotten off without the heartbreak. However Tekka had really loved Iyrevi, and realized she had to let him go. Tekka buried herself in the love of her family, in her crafting and studies, worship of Drulkar, and the purity of the hunt. She detached from the world, heartbroken, and hardening her heart.
The Darkest Night
Tekka started to come out of her depression and heartbroken state through a combination of caring for her ‘little brother’ Taylus and her parents — Krim and Falkor — getting bonded (married). Something seemed to click with Tekka at the wedding that made her feel her family was more complete, more real. Tekka also revealed she had seen other things in her own future using the special Charged Obsidian Mirror she had made during her rite of passage, things she was not fully ready to talk about yet. Tekka seemed to have a direction again — a new goal. She knew what she wanted, after the wedding. Tekka didn’t tell anyone what it was, but she was ready to step up and work for it.
However almost as quickly as sanity returned, she almost lost it when her family started going bonkers on her. Tekka completed her training in dragon adventure and crafting. In the process she learned of a theory — a possible cure for a blight dragon such as herself. A skilled primalist could replace the blight energy in her with primal energy. Taylus had tried to remove the blight from her sister by her request and not succeeded. However since Taylus’s ascension, he seemed to be falling down a slippery slope, turning more and more into a creature of pure blight. Tekka was not happy with Taylus or Selarth, but there was nothing she could see to do except try to be there for Taylus. Seeing what was happening to Taylus, she asked a skilled primalist friend to do the energy replacement.
Doing so almost cost Tekka her life. It was done on the roof of the healer’s tower. It was so painful that Tekka lost her footing and fell off of the healer’s tower while in a state of shock. She was found unconscious. Several days passed before she was healthy enough to resume her normal activities. All her blight… and her blight powers… were gone, replaced only with a white glow in her eyes. When Taylus found out he recoiled, unwilling to be anywhere around her. Horrified and in shock, Tekka’s depression deepened.
Last but not least Krimsonflame had accused Tekka of speaking ill of the family and there was a threat to force Tekka to leave the family. Taylus refused to be near Tekka, yet claimed — ignoring all statements to the contrary — that Tekka didn’t love him. Tekka handled it with truth, calm words, as best she could. However the idea that the family that had taken her in, made her better, would now reject her, was more than she could bear.
And on a dark dark night, with primal energy coursing in her blood, something inside Tekka snapped.
Vyridiun
A few weeks before Tekka had gone to the peak of storms for some solitude. As she lay at the peak, someone appeared at the peak as if out of thin air. He called himself Vyridiun, and claimed to be Nyya’s genetic brother. He said he had come back from some other world to find his sister. It took him some time to find Nyya, and some more time to prove his story as true and not some hoax.
He also professed his love for Tekka.
Still vulnerable after the breakup with Iyrevi, Tekka didn’t trust her heart. She wanted to believe everything he said, but she was now incapable of believing blindly. However the more time she spent with him, the more she started to wonder if she loved him back or if her heart was playing tricks on her again like with Iyrevi.
Trust
Tekka’s mind had been given great clarity by the primal energy coursing in her veins. Everytime she loved someone, they turned on her. Love was starting to mean betrayal to her. That was a bad and dangerous association. To her real love… had to mean that she could totally trust someone. Krimsonflame’s baseless accusation, Taylus’s distance, all brought Tekka crashing to the realization that they wanted it that way. Looking back over Krim and Taylus’s behavior, both were convinced that either the family was falling apart, that the family would leave them, or that they were unloved. Despite being told — and shown — repeatedly that it wasn’t true, they believed it SO MUCH, that Krim and Taylus’s actions were starting to make it true.
She was no fool — Tekka had no desire to stay around people who actively WANTED to break the family apart. At first Tekka made it a protest. She stayed… because it was the best way to buck what was happening. To sit down and refuse to be removed. But as she watched Taylus willingly destroy his relationship with Severa (Nyya’s daughter), Tekka could not bear to watch her family member’s self-destructive behavior any longer, and walked away back to her mother’s lair to rest.
Some part of Tekka was still a little hatchling that desperately wanted to be loved. However she was an adult now, and Tekka knew this was not the kind of loving family that she had wanted — one week happy, the next angry and full of betrayal. It would not take her long for this manic cycle to destroy her.
So what to do next? Tekka decided to wait and see what Krim would do. If Krim would come to her senses and apologize, or throw Tekka out. The decision was then up to Krim. If Krim apologized, perhaps the family could be salvaged if she could establish a relationship of trust with them. If not, Tekka would be better off on her own. Tekka settled herself in to wait for that response.
Either way… Tekka would win.
The Darkness Within
It had awoken deep in Tekka’s mind, but just laid dormant, waiting for the right circumstances. The Primal Essence deep within Tekka’s mind finally came to life.
Krimsonflame finally contacted Tekka to let her know that she was sorry about blowing up for no reason. Krim cried about being a bad mother and a poor example. Tekka had NO IDEA what she was talking about and only could guess that Krim had lost the egg she had been carrying. But it was only a guess. Krim told Tekka to be strong…
The next morning, still puzzled, Tekka returned to dralk to find Taylus laying at the Dralk Shrine unconscious. Try as she might, she could not wake him. Arborinthian the plant dragon was there. Tekka questioned him, and the more she heard, the angrier she became. Severa, Taylus’s love and possible future mate was screaming in pain. Taylus went to save her, encountering Ardorr. Ardorr had been contracted by Taylus to find a way to stop Taylus’s slow blighted decay turning from a dragon into some kind of blight golem. He was only contracted to research it, not to act. Ardorr had drugged Taylus with sedatives and drained Taylus of all his blight without Taylus or anyone else’s permission. Ardorr was assisted by Arborinthian. Ardorr attacked Severa and Taylus. Taylus was killed, forcing him to recall back to his binding shrine, where Tekka found him — in a coma.
Tekka flew into a rage, threatening to murder those that had hurt her precious baby brother. Arbor at least tried to help heal Taylus. Tekka ordered a messenger to find Selarth to protect Taylus — while she and Falkor went to confront Ardorr. At first she spoke to Ardorr privately. Ardorr claimed he had been trying to help. Tekka couldn’t fault him for trying to help, even if Ardorr’s methods were savagely brutal, arrogant, and flawed. His tone when speaking to Tekka was constantly arrogant and made Tekka even angrier. But at the last moment when she about to fly into a rage and rip Ardorr apart.… she stopped.… and spared his life. Tekka tried to get him to agree to never talk to or touch Taylus again, but he wouldn’t even agree to that.
So, having gotten no agreement from him, Tekka went to her A’meo. She told her A’meo what had happened. A crowd quickly formed. An angry crowd. An angry crowd of people who loved Taylus. Tekka, Falkor, Severa, Nyya, Shagreth, Reagle, Selarth, Aurel, and Ssiscor all rallied together against Ardorr’s evil. Ssiscor heard all the sides of the affair and passed judgement, killing Ardorr. The evil dragon’s body spewed poison all over so Tekka set about curing it, and acid-flame sprayed the corpse to get rid of the poison. Tekka never touched Ardorr until after he was dead, and after left the body with Ssiscor to make something more useful of him.
Tekka went back to caring for Taylus. His mind was addled, completely brain damaged by whatever Ardorr had done to him. It finally took Tigris to heal his mind and bring Taylus fully back to consciousness and reality. Ardorr had been revived by the dragon Yukii — the same one that had cleansed Tekka’s blight. Ardorr was trying to convince everyone it wasn’t his fault that he hurt Taylus and Severa, that it was all Tekka’s fault. Tekka and Taylus swore off Ardorr for his lies and deceit, never to speak to him again, and if he ever talked down to the family or hurt the family again in any way… they would execute Ardorr again. As many times as it took for Ardorr to stay dead. Tekka was incensed and enraged over someone harming HER clan. No one hurt her family and lived to tell about it.
No one.

The Sleeper’s Charge
Tekka had, in secret, been studying the rites of the Ancients. She had spoken to Nyya about it, and Nyya encouraged her not to, stating that Nyya did not feel Tekka was ready. Tekka took this under advisement, but studied the rites anyway. She did this for two reasons. Firstly she was curious — anxious to learn anything and everything new she could get her claws on. Secondly she wanted to know what about the ancient’s rites she should be prepared for, to get an idea how long she should wait.
When she had gone to Falkor and Krim and asked them about the Adult rites, they had suggested the 50th combat and crafting rankings, and Tekka had followed those to the letter. Now Tekka was 100 combat and 100 crafting ranks and there was no where else for her to go… but to the Ancients rites. There was also the matter of Tekka’s literal age. She was over 115 Istarian years of age. She may still feel like a hatchling, but she knew full well that she had seen enough years of life in Istaria to qualify for ancienthood. What else could she POSSIBLY be lacking to be READY for the ancient rites?
Well… except for the fact that she felt young and pretty as an adult, and didn’t really look forward to looking old…
…though growing bigger appealed to her. Secretly.
She finally found the answer when she first visited the Rift. The dimension of nothingness. The Realm of Void. As her spirit form stepped into the Void wastes for the first time, her thoughts drifted over her life to date. Her mother, possibly having lost her egg. Her brother who, along with his love Severa, had been attacked. Taylus had been killed by Ardorr and Arborinthian. They had been executed for their crimes, yet still lived! Was there really no justice? Was there really no way to win the war of good over evil? If not what was really the point of living? Was there really any point to life at all? Were they nothing more than masses of energy and meat hovering about Istaria…?
…until finally Tekka met the Sleeper.
Secondly only to Drulkar himself, the Sleeper’s size alone caused Tekka to fall to her knees before him. The Sleeper had been awaiting her. Tekka asked him how Tekka would know if she was ready to ascend to ancienthood. The Sleeper simply replied that Tekka was already ready, and had been for some time — the rest was up to her. Tekka asked about life — if the Aegis fell and rose right back up again, or the evil dragons that attacked her brother were executed and got right back up again, what really was the point to living? The Sleeper calmly explained that these things were there to serve as a reminder that each dragon much act as a protector of Istaria. The Sleeper gave Tekka a charge — to protect Istaria. Though others may disagree with her, or find her ways unpopular, she was instructed always to follow her heart about what was right and wrong and act as a defender of Istaria.
“Return to Istaria in my stead, Tekka. Defend her against the ravages of those who wouldst work ill upon her lands and inhabitants.”
Tekka arose, primal energy coursing in her veins. “Iea understand.” was all she said.
Tekka Midnightflame had learned her personal purpose for living. Her mission in life. Her quest. Her charge, as if from Drulkar Himself. Tekka’s spirit returned to her body with a new found sense of purpose and a better understanding of herself. She finally felt ready to complete her Ancient Rites of Ascension.
An Ancient Rises
The Sleeper’s Charge rang in Tekka’s head. She would NOT let down the charge given to her by the dragon second only to Drulkar himself! With the help of Tsargoth, Shymmer, Tarrant, Alaysar, and others, they completed the last of Tekka’s rites and visited the throne of Drulkar himself. She returned with the Rune of Ascension.
A gathering was called that night at the home of Shymmer and Tsargoth. Well over 15 gifted showed to give their support to Tekka, including her A’meo, Taylus, Nyya, and her uncle Reagle. Tekka had proven her worth to herself. Tekka had proven her worth to the council, to the Ancients, to the Sleeper, to Drulkar Himself. Finally, at 116 Istarian years of age, Tekka Midnightflame finally joined her fellow Ancients.
The evening did not end there! As Shymmer and Tsargoth served food and drinks at the Ascension gathering, her Uncle Reagle knelt before Nyya and propsed to be bonded. Nyya accepted.
Tekka returned home that night, and felt a feeling of peace, tranquility, and happiness she had never felt before. Things were finally back to normal. Everything was as it should be. Now… it was time… for Tekka to turn her attention to the east. Time to face the Aegis, and work on the charge she had been given. It probably wouldn’t last, but for one night Tekka was determined to enjoy true happiness and peace with her A’meo and little brother under her wings.
Suicide In the Family
Taylus had gotten into a good relationship with another one of Tekka’s childhood friends, a hatchling named Severa, daughter of Nyya. They seemed happy together, but Tekka encouraged Taylus and Severa to wait until Severa ascended to adulthood to pursue one another formally. They did so, but things didn’t go quite as planned. On the night of Severa’s adulthood ascension, Sereamha warned Taylus and Severa that they would have to take steps to ensure that their young would not be blighted vampire hatchlings. Sereamha even provided a means through which this could be done, through their friend Yukii — the same one that purified Tekka with Iyrevi’s help.
However Taylus chose not to take Sereamha’s advice. He wanted his hatchlings to be blighted vampire hatchlings, for some reason that baffled Tekka. Instead of fighting for what he wanted and for Severa’s love, he chose instead to destroy himself. There was even rumors that Taylus was aided in this by his own mother, Krimsonflame. By the time Tekka found them, Krimsonflame was gone and Taylus was dead. Tekka incinerated his remains and spread the ashes in the Dralk ocean beneath the statue of Drulkar.
Tekka Broken
Tekka took her brother’s death very very hard. She had given her heart to Iyrevi and had it burned. She then trusted her heart to her brother in a brother-and-sisterly way, and had it burned in this horrible way. Tekka’s heart was further hardened. She could not trust her heart with anyone. Tekka felt that everyone and anyone would hurt her in the end. She was better off alone, she concluded.
What further compounded the matter was a conversation between her old nurse Tigris and Tekka. Tigris correctly pointed out that Tekka still looked after Iyrevi, hoping Iyrevi would come around some day. Tigris chastised Tekka, saying she was wasting her life wishing after someone who did not want her, and that she should go out and meet other dragons. Stunned and pained by the truth of her words, Tekka continued to retreat inside herself.
Without her A’mea or A’meo to discuss the matter with, Tekka picked up her things and left her A’meo and A’mea’s lair. It was about time, she was an ancient now. She found a lair for herself, a place for her to rest and feel sheltered from the rest of the world. A place she could call her home, and only hers. A place protected from the heartbreaks of the world. A place where she could safely watch the passing of the world around her. Perhaps… here she could keep her heart safe from the world, and escape the memories of the past.
She literally wanted to bury her heart far beneath the ground in hopes of protecting it from being broken ever again. Thusly Tekka began to withdraw from mainstream Dragon society.
Tekka Today
After some rebalancing some of her primal energy after ascension, Tekka began to improve a little. However to this day she still lives apart — away from the dragon community. She is an aloof old wisewoman-dragon, who only emerges when she is needed. She is rarely seen, remaining largely in seclusion, preferring only to interact with the closest of friends, or answering questions from those who seek out an ancient and wise dragon for her wisdom, naka and dragon alike. Her lair is decorated with memory carvings of her own creation. All the walls are carved in runes made with her own claws and pulsing in primal power. Her lair is a place of power. Her wisdom is old and valuable, for those willing to seek her out. She has never mated, and may remain that way forever.
She spent some twenty years apart from society, meditation on her primal energy based abilities, teaching Niathra, and focusing on getting over her feelings regarding Iyrevi who never returned her love, her brother that selfishly destroyed himself, and her mother that helped him do it. None of them were worthy of her. After her 20 year seclusion, Tekka looked much much older than she had when she left — almost as if her ancient age had taken it’s hold on her, despite being gifted. After 20 years of self-meditation, she had gained wisdom. She was not Tekka the Blighted anymore, but Tekka the Elder… Tekka the Wise. She has been spending personal time with Tsargoth Runeclaw in secret off and on over the years, finally formalized in a formal bonding ceremony lead by her Kier’ameo only recently.
Character Information
Personality Traits
- Bright, artistic, and generally happy young dragoness, she likes to keep little spell rune shards carved with pictures from her life that she likes to call, her “Memories”. She tends to be perky, bouncy, loving to chase and tussel with other dragons her age. Any adult or ancient dragons generally earn her awe and respect, largely by sheer matter of their size. She longs and dreams of being able to fly some day, almost to the point of an obsession.
- Strengths: Positive, Energetic, Loving, Highly Intelligent
- Weaknesses: Blight, Undeath, Loneliness, Alienation
Known ‘Memories’ carvings
- “Brother” — Tekka and Taylus chasing one another and playing.
- “Belonging” — Tekka between Falkor and Krisonflame, at the edge of a pond, with the moon overhead.
- “Night” — Tekka sitting on the seashore, looking up at the moon, which is reflected on the water.
- “Helpful” — Tekka assisting Tigris in planting a tree.
- “Death” — Tekka fighting some skeletons, next to the body of a fallen hatchling.
- “Sad” — Taylus, back turned to Tekka and walking away, Tekka hanging her head sadly.
- “Adult” — A piece of art on a large granite slab depicting Tekka leading adult and ancient dragons in flight at her Ascension ceremony.
- “Rejected” — Another larger granite piece depicting a tearful Tekka watching an unmarked male and female nuzzling in the distance.
- “Family” — A piece on a large slab of marble done in color with dyes inks marking colors, it illustrates her family — Falkor, Krimsonflame, Taylus, and herself, all smiling. Some of her best work at the time it was done. Gifted to Krimsonflame as part of the bonding gifts on the day Krim bonded to Falkor.
- “Suicide” — Another large piece on marble of Tekka spreading Taylus’s ashes in the sea.
Known Hatchlings of Tsargoth and Tekka Runeclaw
- Leiiphyria Runeclaw
- Niathra Runeclaw
- Ryluth Runeclaw
- Nolla Runeclaw (Adopted)
- DavEdward Runeclaw (Adopted)
- Ahnaise Runeclaw (Adopted)
- Thanisis Runeclaw (Adopted)
- Saiaith (Adopted)
- Ryka Runeclaw (Adopted)
- Dhrix Runeclaw (Adopted)
- Asmerth Runeclaw (Adopted)
- Banendeem Runeclaw (Adopted)
- Vivistix Runeclaw (Adopted)
- Dragantha Daekar (Adopted)
- Fayre Runeclaw (Adopted)
- Galdethriel Runeclaw (Adopted)
- Ignacia (Adopted)
- Ignashia Sunrise (Adopted)
- JadeIvy (Adopted)
- Glimithrie (Adopted)
- Kelisar Runeclaw (Adopted)
- Sierrlen (Adopted)
- Xarzithann (Adopted)
- Aurielha DiNaam (Adopted)
- Arouraa (Adopted)
- Akinorra Virdante (Adopted)
- Mojo Runeclaw (Adopted)
- Exsia Runeclaw (Adopted)
Tekka the Gifted
How is Tekka Gifted? Tigris’s current theory has been that Tekka’s egg may have been smashed with the other eggs, but though still an egg was fully formed enough to be Gifted though not even hatched, and returned to the point in the world where she was laid even as an egg. The undead moved on, thinking she had been smashed, not expecting her to blink back into existence unharmed. Tigris found her later, fully intact and took her egg home to safety.
Tigris has never been able to prove or disprove her theory, but Tekka has never known a time in her life in which she feared death. She has never had to eat or sleep unless she wanted to. The energetic young hatchling continues to grow up, but continually manifested the powers of the Gifted, much to the chagrin of the old Saris mother trying to raise a dragon hatchling. Had Tigris not been gifted herself, she might have gone mad. The fact remains that Tekka has always been Gifted from the moment she hatched. Though slightly blighted from those times of being an egg in a blighted area, she has never known the sting of death — always repopping at her bind shrine. This is possibly why she was such a happy and bouncy young hatchling… never knowing the true sting of mortality.
Physical Description
Tekka has always had a blighted look to her stripes. The most visually striking features of her was her bright green blighted striping. She has a pleasant light blue scale tone with the jarring bright green accent stripes that cover her body. In blighted places, the green stripes are said to glow.
Vital Statistics
- Full name: Tekka Runeclaw (Tekka Midnightflame pre-bonding, referencing her A’meo and A’mea.)
- Character Age: 140+ years Istaria time (2100+ days played)
- Maturity: Ancient
- Coloration: light blue with bright green stripes
- Religion: Raised under the Church of Istara, but after adoption begins following the worship of Drulkar
- Plot: None. Lives with Tsargoth.
- Tekka ascended to adulthood on real-world date June 5 2009, at 114 Istarian years of age.
- Languages: Istarian Common (first, primary), Eilerten (secondary, learning)
- Mate: Tsargoth
- Special Abilities: Blight Sense — highly attuned to location and nature of blighted entities within range of her line of sight.
Memorable Quotes
- “Iea find my stripes to be… ‘pretty’… in about the same way Iea find the hourglass on the back of a tarantula to be… ‘pretty’.” — Tekka to Taylus
- “And may Ssiscor have mercy on your soul.” — Tekka, to Ardorr, when Ssiscor executed him.
Parents/Siblings
- Biological Mother and father: deceased
- Father: Falkor Midnightdream (adopted)
- Mother: Krimsonflame (adopted, but estranged from)
- Parent Status: Bonded Mates (official)
- Sister: Rayas Midnightflame (biological daughter of Krim and Falkor, estranged from)
- Brother: Taylus Midnightflame (Adopted, but deceased)
- Uncle: Reagle Flamespray — Nyya’s mate
- Kier’ameo: Icabald Percival
- Sister: Krisha (sister-in-law? biological daughter of Krimsonflame and Shashomaru (deceased), estranged from)
- Sister: Vixana Euphrates — Biological daughter of Tekka’s old nurse, Tigris Euphrates
- Aunt: Nyya Silentwing
- Uncle: Vyridiun Silentwing
Places of Note: Anyplace with rain or storms. Storms fascinate her, almost hypnotically. Sometimes she can watch them for hours on end, as if being drawn into their chaotic energy. This includes the type of storms that tend to hang around blighted areas.