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Imriel de Corvidae Captain
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 Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 8:09 am
(Will have to make pretty banners and things later >.>; Too tired to now. xD)
A cassette tape sits to the side of Imriel's desk, just outside of the nearby lamp's gentle glow. Next to it is what looks like an ancient tape recorder, its surfaces battered and dirty from age and use. The tape is labeled neatly in thin, looping handwriting : "o7/o3/o8 - Thoughts on the Dranali"
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There is a bit of white noise as the tape begins to play, the old recorder clicking ominously. After a few moments a woman's voice, low and silky, issues from the device.
"It's been a long time since I've kept a proper journal...."
There's a pause, in which the static and clicking of the recorder seem to fill the small office. Finally the woman clears her throat quietly.
"I've decided I need to start making records, something more organized than the notes I've been scrawling into book margins and onto random napkins and scraps of paper."
Sure enough, on either side of the desk are stacks of these notes. Books lay open, revealing the same slanted and curving handwriting covering most of the available portions of the pages. Even the bits of paper and tissues are covered front and back with her writing.
"Most of it is junk," the woman says, disappointment in her voice. "But I've made quite a lot of progress.."
Another pause before a frustrated noise can be heard in the background.
"Koni's beard!" the woman curses under her breath, and her voice seems to be further away than before. "Where do I even start?"
There is yet another pause before she sighs and speaks again. It sounds as if she's put the recorder back to her mouth. "So. The beginning is usually best in these cases I think... Unfortunately the beginning is much too far back. I think I'd rather start with the newest developments."
A shuffling can be heard, as if the woman is moving about or else searching through her notes.
"Yes, let's start with the dranali. Fascinating creatures. I have to admit, when I first read about them in that moldering old Ieldi record.. what was it called again?" More sounds of papers being shoved aside. "Ah yes, I wrote it here... and though I'm not positive about this transaltion, I am fairly confident the book is called 'The Beasts of Face and Fortune'."
"According to that book, which I have since... misplaced.. the dranali were something akin to a mythical mount. That is to say, the adults of the species could be ridden by individuals who were deemed worthy of such an honor. Well, after reading the book several times I came to the conclusion that I must make an effort to bring the dranali into Gaia."
A tapping sound indicates the woman might be lost in though, her fingernails making absent-minded sounds on the desk.
"To begin with, the dranali were not native to Sabilasi. Apparantly, they were first brought into the Ieldi's world by the.." A pause as the woman searches her memory or else a nearby note. "The Ursari. I still haven't found any solid information on the Ursari, there aren't many references to them in the records I have. From what I can piece together, they were a people that interacted with the Ieldi on a fairy regular basis... Though for what purpose I haven't so far been able to figure out. Any mention of them in writing is usually from letters or journals, which almost always say things like 'I visited with an Ursari today' or 'There was an Ursarin festival recently' and so on. The fact that most Ieldi seemed to overlook the need to explain the Ursari leads me to assume that they were well enough known that such explanations were largely unnecessary.."
The woman trails off near the end of the sentance, her tone thoughtful. Several long moments pass before she speaks up again.
"Hm.. Well.. yes that is definately something I have to continue to look into. But back to my original topic, the dranali.." The woman sighs the word almost dreamily. "I cannot wait until those books open. All of that research, finally coming to fruition. I know for a fact I completed those runes correctly. I just hope the books are still anchored to eggs after so long... If they are, then the incubation will finish very soon and the summoning should trigger automatically. I believe the spells upon the books are still strong enough to retreive the newborns, but we will just have to wait and see. Fortunately I won't have to wait more than a few days if my calculations are correct...
"What am I saying, my calculations are always correct.. ."
There are more indications of movement, a chair being slid back and papers being displaced. "I should finish up, there are things to be done. But first.. let me.. just make a few short mentions from my notes so that I can remember to discuss them more fully in my next entry..
"Ah.. yes.. Considered the perfect companion... due to.. soul bonding.. empathy, loyalty, unusually high intelligence and perception.. Sounds much like the kyunru to me. Though... kyunru were always very clearly categorized as 'animal' or 'beast' or 'pet'.. From what I've read, the Ieldi did not know whether to consider the dranali 'animal' or 'person' and treated them as equals more often than not. Hmm. Ah.. nebulous breath.. caused by genetic unfamiliarity with oxygen. Genderless as children, but do take on gender specific personality traits eventually. Adults extremely rare.. Exceedingly difficult to get the young to mature. No records of successful breeding. Summoning spell engineered to cater to summoner's preferences..."
The woman breaks off into a yawn.
"Oi.. I'm awful at this," she mutters. "Maybe I'll erase it.... Nn. I've got more important things to do than re-record my babbling. I've gotten down the most important points even if it's not the most organized. It's not as if anyone will be listening to this anyway."
The recorder makes an odd popping noise as the entry ends.
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 10:06 am
(Basic)Information on Species : Dranali
Dranali do not defaultly come with an adult stage! The extra stage must be acquired through special means.
Important Note :
Dranali will immediately bond with the first person they make eye contact with (it doesn't matter if this individual is human/ieldi/kyunru/or some other misc animal). The Ursarin summoning books are designed to bring the dranali to their new Companions as soon as they hatch. (Dranali eggs cannot survive outside of their home plane, so they cannot be moved.) There are additional enchantments placed on the books that will equip accessories and items that fit the summoner's taste to newly summoned dranali.
Some remarkable features :
Likely, people will find the dranali's human-like faces unusual and perhaps even unsettling. They are completely capable of all human expressions, though admittedly the effect can be a little off. They have no visible pupils and their irises are framed in black. They are also lightly scaled across their spines and on parts of their faces. The scales lay completely flat and do not shed, so when touched they feel smooth and even.
( Image taken from Ieldi reference book) 
Notes on ____:
biggrin ranali Perception
When a dranali interacts with another person/creature, all aspects of the interaction are governed by a simple concept: Everyone a dranali is not familiar with in some way is basically a non-person. Familiar is also somewhat of a relative term... what a dranali considers "familiar" is what a human might call someone they grew up with and has known for years. Needless to say, the dranali are not close with many people. A lot of times, a dranali will only feel familiar with their Companion, the person with whom they bonded to at birth. To the dranali, Companion is everything. They feel what Companion feels, desire what Companion desires. It is a soul-deep connection that is sacred to them.
Everyone else is unimportant. Most dranali do not bother remembering people's names, seeing it as unnecessary. They will interact with others, and usually maintain a fairly good imitation of manners... but in most cases, they really couldn't care less. That's not to say that they don't make friends.. it's just rather difficult. One way to know if you've made friends with a dranali is if they've bothered to remember your name. It's a sign of approval and connection for a dranali to address someone by their name.
If you're worried about your dranali scaring off your friends, fear not. They are very intelligent and observant, and will usually treat those close to their Companion with at least some measure of friendliness as long as these other people mind their manners. Also, they are inherently aware of those with power or authority and will accord them the appropriate respects as long as it doesn't inconvenience them in some way.
:Size
The dranali are the biggest creatures to appear in ElderSpark to date. As hatchlings, they are already roughly the same size as an adult kyunru. When they become adults, the dranali undergo a rather dramatic growth spurt, becoming large enough for any one person to ride on comfortably. It would not be impossible for two people to sit astride their graceful backs, but all dranali are exceedingly choosy about their riders. In fact, most will flat out refuse anyone but their Companion and any attempt to mount them without their consent is considered taboo and greatly insulting.
:Breath
It is currently unknown why exactly the dranali seem to exhale a thick, smoke-like vapor with every breath. It is theorized that the abnormality has something to do with the fact that the dranali are not native oxygen breathers. There must be some kind of internal reaction as their bodies process an unfamiliar element. The substance isn't harmful in any way and dissipates quickly. It actually manages, in most cases, to carry a scent that is favorable to the Companion (ie apples, jasmine, etc).
biggrin iet
Though each dranali will undoubtedly develop their own preferences once they start eating Gaian food, there is one thing that all dranali will LOVE to eat- Dreams. (As something worth mentioning, dranali do not sleep unless they've eaten a dream) Admittedly, they are used to dreams taking on a solid form once they leave the host... So it may take a while for Gaian dranali to realize that here, dreams are invisible. Dranali children can be taught with some effort to eat only nightmares, but until they are trained, Companions may have to deal with dreamless nights once their charge has figured out how to get at their dreams. This will probably lead to some middle of the night scares when one wakes up to see an unblinking dranali face at their ear, waiting for the dream to peek out.
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Imriel de Corvidae Captain
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