"The whispers are loudest in the silence"
Background[]
He hatched from a dim egg. His parents had simply believed that it was a dead egg, until he hatched shortly after his brother. He was not normal, however, and his mother recognised this immediately. She barely waited until he had fully broken free of his egg before picking him up and carrying him away from the clan's lair with harsh instructions to never return, because he was not welcome. She saw then, amidst her mate's silent protests, what would become of this strange hatchling, and wanted it nowhere near her home. This was not her son, this was a bad omen.
Despite his abandonment as a newly hatched babe, the fae defeated all the odds and survived the harsh Sunbeam Ruins, wandering lost and alone across Sornieth, through the Tangled Woods and the Scarred Wasteland, where he picked up a follower, a worshipper, if you will. She followed him devoutly, and he never told her to leave, so she continued to follow, a silent wraith.
Somewhere along his travels, a whisper began to emerge. Two, in fact. One within his mind, a gentle caress of reassurance, yet vengeance. His mother knew nothing, it would murmur, kind and understanding. She feared power, and he was filled to the brim with it. His markings, dark against his already dark hide, would appear to move as this whisper spoke, and it was likely this, along with his general demeanour, that invited the second whisper. Its meaning was unknown, yet all the dragons he encountered seemed to spit it in fear as he passed. Maebure. It was the closest thing resembling a name he had ever been called, so he took it to be as such.
He and his silent follower arrived at the Starfall Isles, not knowing how long they had wandered but just feeling the inescapable pull towards the Focal Point, and the land breaking away as it tried to escape into space. Here they stumbled across a clan, who welcomed them in. There was wariness, yes, but no outright fear, and they decided that yes, this would be a suitable place to bide their time. The pull was appeased, and Maebure now had a secure hideaway in which to scheme against those that had wronged him.
Personality[]
Maebure has no personality to speak of. That is, not one of his own. He is a bad case of Shadetouched, to the point that his thoughts and actions are not his own, and likely have never been. He is silent, and does not interact with anyone within the clan, save his waif-like follower. The nature of the Shade within him, however, is malevolent and it is best not to anger him. While no-one within the clan has yet made such a fatal error, the trail of unmarked, yet unmistakeably dead, corpses that mark the paths he took imply that mercy is not a concept he has any desire to understand.
Role Within The Clan[]
While he resides within their lair, often in the darkest recesses of the caves cut into the broken land, Maebure is not a part of the clan. He is a freeloader, if you will, although the only gain he feels he gets is the security of his little cavern, away from the accusing eyes of the sun. Their relationship is simple - they grant him shelter, he stays out of their way. If the lair were to be attacked, he may choose to fight, but that is an unknown. It is equally likely that he would stand by and watch the lair burn.
Appearance[]
Maebure in a gijinka form
Maebure is black. While his hide is crystalline, it does not shine in the way that would be expected. Perhaps this is due to the writhing smoke that covers his body, which is almost certainly a physical embodiment of the Shade, but the matt look adds to the unease of any that see him. In the darkness of his cave, however, it is too dark for this to be noticeable. The only light visible is that of the tainted emblem that glows above his forehead, a warning that while afflicted, he is still powerful.
His eyes are dim, almost to the point of white, further accentuated by the black cowl draped over his head. and the stark white birdskulls draped over his wings and around his neck. In fact, he is blind to this world, although the Shade directs his movements with such precision that you would never know. His vision lies in the depths of space, far further than even the Arcanist's telescopes can see, where the Shade is moving in an endless dance with the barriers that keep him away.
Abilities[]
Magic[]
Due to the influence of the Shade, Maebure is extremely powerful, although none within the clan save Kyocho have any idea of the true scope of his powers. He channels the Shade very strongly, and can lash out with minimal provocation, leaving a corpse dead but with no signs as to how they died.
Mêlée[]
Maebure's physical prowess is non existent, but that does not matter as nothing can ever get close enough to pose a threat.
Relationships[]
Kyocho[]
Kyocho means nothing to him, save for the fact that she is his constant companion and the only one that understands him; they do not need words to communicate and never do. She is his devoted follower and for that reason he tolerates her. She sympathises with his plight, and freely offers herself as his servant, which he accepts. It is as if the Shade made them for each other.
Ryoshi[]
Of all the members of the clan, Ryoshi is most wary of the Shadetouched fae, due to his parents' clan's long feud against a Shadetouched Imperial. Maebure appears to know this, as his face almost shows expression when they see each other, however briefly. It's a teasing expression, one that mocks Ryoshi's past and promises that his interactions with the Shade are not yet over. He did not escape.
Trivia[]
- Maebure (前触れ) is Japanese for harbringer