Day's note[]
try and make your lightwings varied!!!! dont just keep them thin and spindy!!! go all out if you want!!! give them turtle faces!! flat faces!! big talons or small!! go for it!!! dont limit your palette or creativity ❤
Guidelines[]
- Please read Hybridism [link] before making a hybrid!
- The three parties (The Circle, The Haven, or The Order) do allow hybrids in their ranks
- LightWings cannot be animus dragons.
- This varies to some hybrids that are light wings and animus but it is very unlikely
Names[]
LightWings, unlike the other tribes, don't have a solid scheme when naming their dragonets. Similarly, it's quite common for LightWings to change their name picking and choosing the word/s they think describes them best.
LightWings can be named after anything and doesn't has to be based on the idea of "light." Don't limit yourself on the naming conventions of your characters - LightWings can pick whatever name they like, you know!
Description[]
A typical LightWing usually has the same basic build as the rest of the tribes, with flexible scales and spines in the shape of crowns on their heads. The same spines ripple down their necks and stop where their wings are, starting again at the base of the tail, and continuing down.
They come in usually warm pastels, or warm saturated colors, such as pinks, oranges, yellows, and browns. It's not rare for LightWings to have cool pastel colors, like blue or green. The underside of their wings are very pale, less saturated colors. Crawling where their fingers and near the edges of the wings, are where their mirror spots are. It's a very reflective kind of scale on their wings. When they flare their wings, it can reflect light and stun their enemies.
All LightWings vary in shape, neither looking the same physically. Some LightWings have patterns, short horns, long horns, large mirror spots, etc. They may have a different body shape all together, instead of the standard idea that most LightWings have snappish faces and thin bodies. Some might have a generously lumpy shape with short horns.
Biology[]
Their skin is rather unique, as it appears scaleless. However, it's just very, very small and tightly patterned scales, similar to a snake's. Because of their small and tight scales, it makes it harder for thorns to stick, as well as making it harder for sand to slip in between their scales and skin. Their skin also acts as a cooler for them, allowing them to be cool in summer, and warm in winter. It can hold both warmth and cold easily.
LightWing mirror scales are a reflective sort of scale, and are only found on the wings. Mirror scales can serve as both a defense, and as a way of absorbing the sun's heat to keep them warm. These scales can be damaged; however, they get shed often. It keeps them in pristine shape.
LightWings are naturally curious, and have an air of intrigue to them. They like to explore and learn, and are usually generally interested in things they don't understand. If they don't like something, they will do something impulsive, like maybe stealing the berries from the old grumpy RainWing. If they feel challenged, they will break the rules, usually for something petty, like rebellion and spite.
Mirror Scales[]
The origin of the scales LightWings are known for came from a time early in the tribes’ developments. While other tribes were developing armored scales, aerodynamic scales, or color shifting scales, LightWings found a preference to reflective scales.
In the past, LightWings and SandWings had similar methods of hunting, waiting for prey to come up and attacking them while hidden away in the sand. However, more reflective scales in the LightWings had made prey more curious and easier to catch, leading to more reflective LightWings surviving. As they adapted and started learning to find food in scarce plants or hidden in more wooded areas, they didn’t have as much of a need for their entire bodies to be reflective, and they started using them as attractive features to find mates.
For a while, scales were simply used for food and mates until the Scorching. They were more similar in appearance as they were in modern day, for example the rather reflective scales and crown scales, but most of the LightWings had awkward, plated mirror scales that made it harder for them to move around. As scavengers started attacking wild dragons, LightWings found it hard to flee their grasps and the LightWings with plated and bulky mirror scales fizzled out.
Those with obvious reflective scales found it hard to survive. Soon, mirror scales were less obvious among LightWings, and their scales mainly appeared below their wings and subtly along the rest of their body. LightWings with lighter, smaller scales found it easier to escape scavengers and other dragons, and as thus they survived.
The reflective scales did serve an important use to them, while growing before and after the Scorching. While completely reflective LightWings could get hurt and be easily noticed, those with more subtle scales learned to use light to their advantage. They temporarily blinded adversaries with a well angled shift of their scales and wings and were given the opportunity to escape danger.
They used this tactic to survive most of the Scorching. They were able to get away from scavengers by blinding them with well angled light and a body built for running away. These tactics have given them their namesake today, and their mannerisms have kept them safe from most major conflicts with other tribes.
Diet[]
Their diet is actually quite varied. They can eat mostly meat, like fish, rabbits, or deer, usually wild game. They can sustain themselves on other things, like vegetables, fruits, eggs, or fungi. Despite this, the healthiest diet for them is a mostly meat based meal, with the occasional bite of water packed cacti to keep them hydrated.
LightWings get their water from the plants they eat, as there's little to no water in their snow desert. In the colder seasons, they rely on dried foods and snow.
Hybridism[]
LightWings are peculiar dragons: they have never had animus lines throughout their tribe. Usually, when bred with a dragon that carries the animus gene, the not animus gene in the LightWing is dominant, and thus, usually cancels out with the animus gene. Rarely though, sometimes the animus gene lines up for the ancestors. It's rare for a LightWing to be an animus. Only due to a genetic mutation, would one be able to be an animus.
Physically, the hybrid LightWing would have the crowns, mirror spots, and some patches of tightly knit scales. Depending on how long the hybrid's horns would get, what their physical description is, are what affects the type of crown style for the dragon. For example, a hybrid with short, curly horns, would have a small, twisted horn and little stubs around it. But if a hybrid has long, straight horns, the crown's middle would be very sharp and prominent.
Abilities[]
LightWings have no fire, which is one of the staple defenses for most dragon species. However, they make this up with their high pain tolerance, and both offensive and defense flares. Their claws are also sharper than other tribes.
They are very resistant to most pain, and this lets them do more difficult tasks, such as collecting water from spiky cacti. As they unable to feel awful pains, they can tend to their wounds without recoiling in pain. It's very hard for them to be put into shock, as they are very resistant to pain. Despite this, it's very easy for their bodies to get infections, if their wounds aren't treated right away. They might also pass out from blood loss and from how low their stamina is.
LightWings are known mostly for their unique defensive and offensive method of protecting themselves. They have shimmering, mirror-like scales all along their wings. They will angle themselves where the light is in them, and they can flash their wings open. When they do that, the light is reflected back at their opponent, and if aimed correctly, it could blind them or stun them, momentarily. In dim lighting, they can use them to lure dragons to them, like an angler fish. However, if they don't have the upper talon when flashing their wings, it's usually fatal.
Kingdom[]
LightWing territory, above Sand and below Ice territories, respectively
Old Palace location
The LightWing "kingdom" is actually quite organized, despite it not being ruled by a monarchy. Houses are integrated into hills and cliffs, though, rarely, they can be built in large, hefty trees. Houses can be found in a variety of reagents, like clay, stone, or even wood. The front of houses are decorated with anything they have in their area. Houses in the desert are decorated with succulents, sand castles, and sage brush, while houses in the woods are decorated with tall grasses, trees, and herbs.
In the center of their territory, however, is where the Old Kingdom resides. The buildings seemed to be made of some sort of ivory material, though, obviously, it has seen better days. Most of the buildings are crumbling, not able to stand the test of time. Still, they hold up nicely. The tops are completely caved in, and sand, puddles, and all kinds of natural wonders are inside. Each old building is shaped in the way nature did, like a large terrarium. The grand spectacle of wonder, however, is the original castle. The Old Kingdom is mostly used as shelters and large houses, though the castle is used mostly by the Circle. Most of the other towers (including the original Queen's Quarters) are occupied by the Order, and the private Garden Way of the Palace are where the Haven reside.
The area is unique for possessing spices and herbs, which they barter and trade.
Most towns are usually in the Old Kingdom area, however, the largest ones are the ones that hover just outside of the kingdom: one near the Ice Kingdom, Sand, and Sky. The names of the towns are Sage, Areole, and Pollen.
Culture[]
In many ways, LightWings differ from the conflict ridden societies of other tribes.
The most striking difference is the LightWings’ government system. Rather than being ruled by a monarch, LightWings use a more republic government to get things done. The head of the government is called the Circle. The Circle is made up of elected working class LightWings that speak on behalf of other LightWings’ struggles and disputes. Through voting, they make the most important decisions and lead the tribe through the eyes of the working class, rather than a monarch above the strife.
Through past experiences, LightWings are skeptical of the monarchies other tribes lead. They see little use of a queen who hasn’t experienced the struggle a commoner goes through. How can a ruler suit the needs of their tribe without knowing what they go through? They use the republic as a way to empathize and understand the struggles of everyone, in a way to best progress the tribe and see eye to eye with one another.
LightWings are a social and cooperative tribe. They work together and value relationships with one another. They don’t put as much stock in property as other tribes would and share their materials, trading and passing things around as others may need. Helping other dragons rise up, rather than keeping them from achieving their goals, makes it harder to be productive as a tribe as a whole.
LightWings are persistent about treating each other fairly. They value decency and cooperation with one another. They help each other because they know that if they needed help, they should be able to provide help. Being kind to each other isn’t necessarily a rule, but it’s a rule of thumb to treat each other nicely in the tribe, not that there are any punishments for the rather stickly or rude tribe members, even if it may be frowned upon.
The tribe often shares the load and works with one another. They’ll help their neighbors and friends if they’re in a position to help, and they would do the same for the other. This can be in the example of making buildings, starting farms, growing simpler gardens, or even just nest sitting for one another.
Some LightWings, however, enjoy the simpler things in life, such as shopping, trading, learning, and teaching. Stores are located all around the desert, and they have no monetary systems. They barter and trade, and occasionally haggle for goods, something that is not usually seen around Pyrrhia.
There's very few schools in the Kingdom. Most schools both teach and house dragonets, letting them have quarters of their own and meeting new friends. Most LightWings are taught the history of their tribe, as well as the other ruling systems. They are also taught fairy tales and old wives tales, for those have sense in their own right.
Traditions[]
Scales are a rather important motif in the culture of LightWings. For example, putting themselves in the scales of others, using the mirror scales as a method of defense or offense in fights, and even in death, the scales are extremely important to loved ones.
In the case of a loved one’s passing, friends and/or family will remove the mirror scales from their body and make jewelry. Once polished and prepared, they put the jewelry back on the LightWing and put on a ceremony in memory of them, for family, close friends, and acquaintances, to attend and remember the LightWing.
LightWings try to make funerals as memorable as the dragon’s life was. They try to remember those who have passed in order to continue through life knowing the dragon had somehow bettered them to continue on with their own life.
LightWings often remember out loud during funerals in order to share experiences and widen the view of other attendees. The memories left from the dead LightWing are thought that they’re meant to be shared so the life they lived can drive those they knew into a better state of life.
Gifts are also an important part in the relationships of LightWings.
Giving gifts to a family member, friend, or acquaintance is believed to give good fortune to both the giver and receiver. They believe in the importance of giving something from the good of their heart rather than simply material items. Receivers usually don’t have an obligation to give back unless they have a similar intention from right place.
On the other hand, giving gifts to those who are no longer considered friends can be considered impolite and rude or a considerate gesture depending on their current relationships. For example, gifting a family member whose ties were cut off violently with fights and arguments would be considered passive aggressive and mean spirited. Contrarily, giving a gift to a friend who may have drifted away is seen as thoughtful and compassionate.
Gifts just for the sake of having things goes against what a majority of the LightWings believe in. What matters is the thought behind it, regardless of the material use (or uselessness) of the gift.
Religion[]
While LightWings do not unanimously worship the same gods - and religious freedom is a priority in the republic - there are two primary sects of the LightWing religion, Celestialism and Eclipsism.
The primary sects are those who worship the Old Gods, Eclipsics, and those who worship the Present Gods, Stellists.
All of those who believe in Celestialism worship the Sun. To them, the Sun is the mother of all things, growing plants, including their crops, giving the LightWings and warmth the energy they need to survive, and encouraging the animals to roam and grow during the day so the LightWings may survive; the Sun also gives the LightWings their primary defence mechanism: their reflections of light from their wings. The Sun’s name is seldom used in vain, except in moments of high stress to emphasize intensity (similarly to swearing with the moons but to a greater degree.)
Eclipsism is commonly regarded as the primary religion before the The Disinheritance of the Old Gods. Eclipsics believe in four primary deities: The Sun, and the Sister Moons. Eclispism has heavy roots with the NightWing society, in which they believed that if the Moons gave NightWings their power, belief in the triplet goddesses could bless the other tribes with their powers as well.
During the original popularity of Eclipisism, LightWings were more inclined to tread out during the night. They swore to the Sister Moons, as do all the dragon tribes, and believed in worshipping the Moons through prayer and celebration, nightly festivals and parties being quite common during the time before the Darkstalker. The Moons were given food as offerings, which were often donated to those less fortunate, emphasizing their appreciation for the Moons’ gifts, paying forward their blessings preemptively.
However, when the war of Ice and Night began to brew, all of their pleas to the Sister Moons fell on deaf ears. They began to believe that the Moons wished for the war to occur, and gave the NightWings the heinous beast of Darkstalker and the IceWings the spine chilling animus royals. This led to the Disinheritance of the Old Gods, in which the Moons were rejected and eventually the night became fearsome to the LightWings. Since the Disinheritance of the Old Gods, the dark has been a primary fear of LightWings, and many are discouraged from going out after dark due to superstitions of the Sister Moons smiting those who disregarded them.
Though, with the fall of Eclipsism came the rise of Stellism. Many individuals still practicing Celestialism focused on the Sun for a long period of time, praying for future protection and not selfishly asking for gifts. Then new beliefs began to arise after the formation of the Circle and the political parties coming from it.
Previous religious figures, now participating in government and helping put the broken tribe back together, began looking back up at the night sky, sneaking glances past the searing three eyes of the Sister Moons. The Stars. Perhaps, they began to wonder, that it wasn’t the Moons who protected their worshippers, but the Stars who truly cared about the LightWings. And each one came together to create something bigger than itself.
Stars, Constellations, Galaxies, they all came together to create something bigger than themselves and were constantly changing throughout the months. Just like their election system? Were they following the whims of their gods or the choices made by the Stars?
As such, Stellism grew in popularity, especially as the political party, the Haven, began growing in numbers.
Anyone can believe in Celestialism. All members of the Haven are part of one sect of Celestialism or the other, but the primary religion is Stellism as of currently. Those who still believe in Eclipism often worship the Moons by praying for forgiveness and living out their lives to make up for the abandonment of the gods.
Haven members, as a result of their focus on the nightly celestial bodies, tend to be late owls, rising early before the Sun can, or sleeping late to appreciate the celestial bodies longer.
Those who aren’t directly affiliated with the Haven, however, often have a very similar sleep cycle to the rest of their tribemates, not everyone has gotten over their fear of the darkness or nightly superstitions in order to confidently do their business without the Sun’s watchful eye. The rest of LightWing society runs on the daytime, besides a few well lit festivals that began when the day was still lit.
Holidays[]
LightWings generally do not have a lot of holidays, mostly because they regard each day special and worthy of respect. They do, however, have a few holidays that they celebrate.
The Season of Hauntings is a holiday in the colder seasons, and is a day of respect for deceased loved ones. Loved ones can be family, friends, anyone, as long as you hold them to be important to you. They visit the graves and give them gifts of their favorite things when they were alive. Things like their favorite foods, drinks, jewels, anything, are buried in their graves with them. Grave robbers are non existent, and the thought of defiling someone who's loved in both life and death, is unthinkable.
Another holiday is called the Rounding, in reference to the Circle. It's not really considered a true holiday, as it has no specific date, but is still important. The Rounding is a day where the members of the Circle introduce new members to the system. Along with the members, LightWings often honor their way of life and how they came to be; the Circle. They honor the Rounding often by visiting the Circle during its announcements of new members.
Cuisine[]
LightWing cuisine is quite tasty, and is made with a large array of ingredients.
Most of the food is meat based, usually mixed with vegetables and herbs. There's all kinds of meat, like cattle and deer, and sometimes, hares and birds. Wild herbs, such as dandelion leaves, thyme, sage, and rosemary are often used to flavor their meals.
Meals are small, simple, but hardy, and full of nutrients. Meals are often fried, in strands of flaky meat. Vegetables, like peppers, are fried as well, and both are mixed together. They make spicy sauces out of peppers, and a sort of dip made of avocados. Leftovers are savored, deep fried into chips, and eaten as snacks.
They don't have drinks, and get their water from plants they eat, like cacti and lettuce. Plants are freshly picked and washed, then tossed in the spicy and hot concoctions. It tastes very refreshing, a taste of coolness in the midst of hot and spicy flavors.
Meals in the desert are usually spicy, though every bite is accompanied with the fresh feeling of water. Meals to the north are usually just rice and beans, mixed with cheeses traded in.
Because of LightWings' natural curiosity, this has lead to rather strange and taboo methods of cooking, such as cakes made with meats, or foods made with egg whites and paprika. Though they end up failing as a delectable dish, this kind of experimenting with food has actually lead to rather delicious meals, like meat pies and extremely sugary sweet pastries. One of the easiest dishes to make can actually be made with anything lying around. It's called a scavenger meal, and is made with random pieces of meat and spare veggies, along with any spice that one would see fit to the dish.
Misc. Economics[]
LightWings have the capabilities of being quite minimalistic but they enjoy doing things plainly for the pleasure of it.
Within the tribe, LightWings cannot grow many plants nor use much lumber for buildings. As a result, they learned to do ceramics with the soil available to them and with the water to the west. They became excellent sculptors and carvers and their early architect shows the marvels of which they were able to create with these abilities.
Most modern LightWings have the knowledge on how to make simple structures with little resources. It’s similar to that of the MudWing huts in the east, but not nearly as easy to make. Fortunately, most LightWings’ don’t rely on building their own structures to keep themselves safe, and they can visit abbeys or retreats.
LightWings can build structures with as simple as the right soil material, enough water, and a few stabilizers, usually wood or even large prey bones. Recent times has made them less ambitious about architecture as most new buildings are put together practically and conservatively, made just for what it was built for, for example, homes are built as homes, business buildings are built as business buildings, and public centers are built for public events.
Of course, the LightWing architects often study the old works of the monarchy buildings and have been known to be commissioned for similar looking buildings in other tribes. They use their unique styles and visuals and share them with other tribes in such a way that has given the tribe a bit more profit from outside of the tribe.
Similarly, ceramics has been quite a new and popular past time and common decoration for the tribe. Due to the lack of available flora, it’s not uncommon for LightWings to decorate their lawns and homes in pottery.
LightWings have started to become known for such practices. Them and other tribes have shared techniques and glazes in order to make their products more colorful and artistic as the years have passed.
LightWings have the capabilities to make large scale ceramic pieces, mimicking natural life or putting their own stylistic tastes on their pieces. They’ve mimicked plants, animals, and dragons themselves, each artist with their own style in mind.
These have been traded and sold around Pyrrhia for their unique and grand scale. They’ve used these grand ceramics as a face to sell even smaller scale pieces, such as simple plates and bowls. With glazes, they have the ability to add unique shapes and patterns on them.
LightWings even brand themselves with mirrors. A lot of their ceramic pieces use stained glass or mirrors. While other tribes typically weave tapestries to record history, LightWings have used stained glass in the original palace’s windows or, in the modern setting, use mirrors to emphasize the individual importance of each LightWing in consideration of their democracy.
These have also been advertised and sold too. Some are made for historical purposes while many are made or commissioned just to sell to individuals based on their color or design preferences.
Most notably, LightWings are known for opening restaurants in other territories based on their experience with food in their own tribe.
LightWings have reached such a culinary expertise that attracts other tribes’ interests and have made even SeaWings come across Pyrrhia to see what they make can do with spices and foods.
Speaking of SeaWings, the two tribes share a “recipe book” of ideas, SeaWings bringing oceanic delicacies and LightWings providing their spices and herbs. It’s not uncommon to see SeaWings setting up fishing areas along the west of the LightWing territory or LightWings setting up restaurants on the beaches of the Bay of a Thousand Scales.
Across the continent, LightWings often form nomadic caravans, simply to share their foods. They use their own traditions while finding new resources to apply them to. They sell their dishes to dragons in the territory they so happen to be in and move on to find more. It’s common for LightWings to open trade with tribes for obscure prey or plants to add to their dishes. In return, of course, they send more chefs or their other materials as thanks.
Territory[]
Globally recognized points of interest.
The area that they live in is mostly desert like, though it has cold winters, and warm summers. Unusually, it snows in the LightWing desert, and it rains a lot more than down in the SandWings'. Summers are nice and warm, not blistering hot, and it's very nice to take a rest in the afternoon sunlight and get warm.
Rocks decorate the area, with bunches of sagebrush. The tallest rocks are commonly used to sunbathe on, and it's a good way to get body heat back. Prickly cacti and tough herbs prickle around every rock. The desert often has SandWing visitors, who also bake in the heat of the sun. The smell of the desert is often associated with sagebrush and thyme. It can be quite calming at times.
The forest, though, is a different story. It's surrounded with tall trees and pine cones, the sharp smell of mint in the air. Bushes of juniper and their thorns decorate the thrushy ground of the forest. Sometimes, dead trees from past fires stand tall like bleached skeletons among the blue green hue of the pines. Despite it all, it's still a beautiful place to explore and picnic. It's very popular among SandWings, most of who have never seen such tall trees.
The borders of the LightWing territory, however, aren't so carefully guarded. The place is free to roam and explore.
Places of Interest (Cities)[]
As mentioned in kingdom, there are three major towns, all around the outside of of the Old Kingdom. Those are, however, not the only largely populated areas. There is also the Old Kingdom, the Haven, and the Order.
Sage is the city to the north, near the IceWing territory. It's sandy and snowy, hot in the warmer seasons, but terribly cold in the colder seasons. Houses are usually burrows, usually with a door to protect them from sand and snow storms. Despite it being terribly cold, it's a very calm town. Most of the schools are near this area, and because of the IceWings' and old volumes of the NightWings', is a highly educated area. Sage is well hidden among the dunes and the snow, as well as the stubby, fierce mountains that protect it.
Areole is the town near the SandWings' territory. Before Darkstalker, it was a popular place for NightWings and LightWings to converse, despite it being so near the SandWings. After Darkstalker, however, Areole became a ghost town. Old buildings started crumbling down and wildlife started to claim it once more. When the Circle came into power, and most of the stability was restored in the kingdom, some dragons started coming back to Areole. Areole is considered to be the most populous city due to the Circle, as it was the former base of operations for the Circle before they moved to the Old Palace. After the Circle moved from Areole, dragons started visiting and living in the town, as it was a historic landmark on how the Circle came to be.
Pollen is the final town, near the SkyWing territory. It's covered in trees, sandy dirt, and herbal life. It's heavily sprinkled in herbs, animals, flora, and a large area for meeting the rest of the world. It's considered a cultural cooking pot, among the towns like Possibility. Though not as popular as its other sisters, it's still a very peaceful area. Because of its abundance in food material, it's also a literal cooking pot. Lots of meals were made at Pollen, such as the scavenger meals.
The Old Towers are the only thing from the past that is pretty well cared for, despite most natural causes making it less than pristine. The towers seem to be made from some sort of ivory-like material. The tallest one is where the Circle meetings are held, sometimes in private, though usually for the public to see. The others that are still left over, however, are used usually as houses, stores, or dragonet houses. It is controlled mostly by the Circle.
The Old Towers is separated into three parts: the original Great Hall, which is now a meeting council for the Circle, the Queen's original chambers, obviously controlled by the Order, and the Garden Way, controlled by the Haven.
The Great Hall is the lowest part of the Palace. It's where the important businesses of the Circle are held. There is a great space of benches around the Circle, with large ceilings for a second row of seats for onlookers. In the middle is the table, on which the Circle members talk and discuss. Because of the status of the Palace, the ceiling is broken, allowing light and plants to grow and shine into the area.
The Queen's Quarters, or rather, the Order Quarters, was the original room of the Queen. It is decorated with a throne and several chairs around it, for its members. The Order enjoys showing its wealth, and decorates the Quarters with metal swords and ivory garments, along with fine silk and jewels. Behind the throne, is the actual Queen's Quarters. It has a simple nest, a chest, some chairs, and aged wine and foods. A sheltered room of the loveliest tapestries and warm, glowing fire, accented by tall windows, does wonders on common LightWings.
The Garden Way was once a large, high status neighborhood, full of aristocrats and important bodies. Now, that the Circle is in power and monarchy has been partially destroyed in the kingdom, the Haven uses the old houses and gardens as a more religious sort of use. Old taverns and inns are refurbished into little houses for anyone to visit, and the original church of the Old Gods has been remade. Unlike the others, it has a more kept look, and instead of the natural beauty of the outdoors, uses lights and candles. The scent of warm wax among the stained glass, while giving into your late noon prays, makes for a lovely aesthetic.
Ruling[]
LightWings rule with what can best be compared to a republic. Unlike the monarchy driven governments other tribes have, the general LightWing population doesn't ’t believe in royalty and are ruled by what they call “the Circle.”
The Circle is made up of representatives of different classes, wealths, and livelihoods of the tribe members. Members of the Circle can be all different. Representatives could be in poverty or even wealthy. They could be the owner of establishments or laboring farmers. They can be older or even dragonets. The point is, the Circle tries to get a good understanding of as many dragons in the tribe as it can, correcting their struggles to drive the tribe further as a whole.
There are limitations to how many dragons can be in the Circle. In total, there’s always 12 members: 2 Captains, 3 Pages, 3 Attendants, and 4 commoners.
Captains are dragons who protect high populated areas and the territory from outward threats. They can be considered militia in times of war, but focus on protecting their tribe first and foremost. They’d often deal with larger scale crimes, such as murder or threats to the entire tribe. They’re often elected in to better protect the tribe or deal with policies with other tribes, such as discuss relationships or trade safety.
Pages could be considered captains of smaller scale. Pages watch smaller parts of the territory, often visiting more spread out reaches of the territory and farmland where towns are much more infrequent. They deal with smaller scale issues such as skirmishes in towns and handle less serious crimes, such as thievery or stamp out discrimination before it gets out of hand. Often times their purpose in the Circle is to speak for better systems within the tribe and pleasing larger scale towns for economics and accessibility.
Attendants are those that are a bit above working class commoners. They work more grand scales such as running bigger businesses to employ the working class or direct community projects to help them. They can be considered mayors or governors as sorts to towns or heavily populated areas and they direct smaller scale “big” issues. They are voted into the Circle as how they understand from a more “manager” or “boss” would understand how businesses work or how running these projects play out. They essentially speak as they understand how employees or working class dragons can work productively while not being one of the workers themselves.
And of course, commoners, the working class and the majority of the tribe, as to why the most members of the Circle are those in the working class. Commoners can be anyone, from simple farmers to business owners to fishers to hunters, etc. Commoners speak for the lower class. They speak for the ones who are most affected when the Circle changes major things in the tribe. They’re voted for whatever issues the LightWings may have, so there’s never a set definition of what they’re elected for. Commoners are often the most contemporary dragons that can be voted for so they’re typically changing constantly.
Of course, these 12 are not the ones who make all the decisions with in a tribe with their own opinions and feelings. To better understand the tribe, it’s quite common for the Circle to ask the tribe what their opinion on a topic is before making any big decisions. Sometimes they’ll even allow those outside of the Circle to discuss with them and come to conclusions on issues. They call these dragons guests, as they are only temporarily allowed in the official meeting rooms. Guests can be any age, any class, at any time, which is why they even allow dragonets to discuss what they would like to see as they’re growing up.
Voting is done by the majority’s opinions in the tribe, rather than the Circle’s vote, as to get a better understanding of what the tribe wants. Each member of the Circle is elected, but if the tribe already likes someone in power, they can keep them and move on. However, if a Circle member has done something wrong, such as committed a serious crime, the Circle is allowed to omit that dragon without a vote from the public and have them vote for a new one.
Anyone can vote within the tribe. They allow any ages (with the exception of hatchlings, usually due to lack of interest/literacy) and any tribe who may be living within the LightWing territory. Dragons from other tribes are allowed to vote only if they live in the tribe long term. Voting must be done in person so dragons can’t create fake votes for those they’re in favor of.
To collect opinions for making choices, captains, pages, and commoners will go into the tribe to collect reports and surveys that those within the tribe fill out so they can better understand the status of everyone living in the tribe. They use these reports to make decisions and each member of the Crcle will explain the situation of each group and better understand the goals and what compromises they should be working towards.
The public is allowed to say what they think at any time. They’re fully allowed to criticize the Circle and what choices they’re making. Their goal is to please and if they’re being negatively criticized, that implies improvements can be done. And they will be done. The Circle members don’t join the Circle for their own agenda, they often run to be the representatives due to negative factors within their own homes and wanting to become a voice for them.
Law[]
Because of their unique Circle system, they have a different way of dealing with the law. Members of the Circle do something that is called casting lots.
Casting lots is answering questions, usually the witnesses, bystanders, and so on. The actual lots themselves are trivial cards, each with questions on it. The casted dragon is chosen to answer these lots to where they were, what they were doing, their weaknesses and advantages are, etc. The Circle members take notes of these cards and your answers, and if they find something contradicting itself, they take notes on that, and question the dragon further. It is best if you answer truthfully, with lying kept at a minimal.
When the casting of lots is complete, the Circle bring all the casted dragons to the meeting circle, and they form a trial. The trial tries to use as much evidence they know to handle the situation. Everyone is given the needed evidence, and they all sort it out among themselves to find out the truth. When the culprit has been found, they have to do community services for however long they're required.
Circle Roles[]
Captains are considered the military leaders of the LightWings. The term “Captain” is typically considered an umbrella term for most of the LightWings under a military leadership power.
The job of these Captains is to protect the general population. They often keep an eye on the borders and protect their territory from threats or dangerous forces. They keep out invading dragons and often patrol highly populated areas to protect high densities of dragons.
Captains typically deal with the large scale crimes. They often understand major crimes and their consequences (such as murder and homicide), and they’ll be up to date with how the Circle deems to punish them.
Captains are trained to subdue rather than to kill. Like most LightWings, Captains are raised to believe all dragons have a voice, and even some criminals deserve to be heard. Captains are fully capable of secretly dealing with criminals without trials, and there’s no doubt some have, but trials are considered heavily important and a necessity when dealing with law breaking.
In the Circle, once a Captain is elected, it’s usually the Captain’s jobs to uphold laws and punishments for serious crimes, statuses with other tribes, and the management of other Captains and the general militia.
Circle Captains are given the responsibility of setting down punishments for certain crimes. They also have the ability to announce peace, war, or alliances in times of conflict. They also observe trends and make sure to place Captains and law enforcement in areas high in crime. Of course, they’re not allowed to declare these decisions on their own without the vote of the popular sovereignty, and they always need the public’s vote to solidify anything.
Pages, while not as military focused as Captains, focus on the stability of the smaller pieces tribe.
While other LightWings focus on the well-being of the individuals, Pages keep the economy open for individuals to begin their own businesses, contribute to the overall benefit of the tribe, and let them make their own profit at the end of the day. They often check in on establishments individuals have made to make sure their services and services are safe or their tactics doesn’t put employees at too much of a risk.
Pages are often enforcing the Circle’s standards set for the interest of the employees and working force, the integrity of their goods, and the responsibility of the business owners. They can even be put in situations where they retrieve taxes from businesses, or even provide loans if need be. Pages can be seen as inspectors or sponsors depending on how the individual looks at them.
Often times, Pages deal with skirmishes within the tribe, lesser scale crimes than public harm, as a Captain would deal with. They often study hard to understand law, math, and real life implications of decisions they make, so they can also be hired as lawyers in other settings. Rather than punishments, these trials usually end up with compromises in efforts to help both parties. (Unless it’s some case of theft, then consequences are decided.)
Pages are often elected to become Circle members to help improve the economics and benefit communities within the tribe. Whenever Pages are voted out of office, it’s typically because citizens see them as hurting, rather than helping, and they have an option that might better benefit them.
Pages set regulations and laws in order to keep workers safe and business owners in place to continue supporting their employees. Pages in the Circle work very closely with the Commoners and population as a whole to understand the wants and needs of workforce.
Attendants are practically mayors, in a less formal sense. They oversee small areas and help settle disputes between individuals. They help settle conflicts, such as small thefts, land disagreements, or discrimination. Unlike Pages, Attendants usually do take the role of a business owner, or takes that role from irresponsible business owners, in an attempt to assist and help the employees.
Attendants are just above the working class in the way that they seem to have a good understanding of how the working class works, they see their reactions to certain decisions, and tries to report to the Circle most accurately in brief updates. Attendants, however, can also be more focused on protecting these districts. They make sure that reckless citizens don’t become a public danger, or keeping an eye on released prisoners in a form of parole.
Typically, Attendants are elected for similar reasons as the Commoners. Attendants should have a good understanding of what the public needs, in a smaller scale. They help give suggestions for the general benefit of small towns, rather than delving into the specifics of the roles above.
Attendants are typically seen of those in charge of towns and districts. They often report financial issues or safety issues with Pages and Captains respectively, but they look at the smaller scale issues in place of them.
And of course, commoners. Commoners are the working class, the business owners, the farmers, the hunters, the fishers, the consumers, the creators, etc., etc.
The commoners make up the large majority of the population, as thus, their inclusion in the Circle was extremely important and helped in its creation in the first place.
Commoners speak for the majority of the public. They can cycle in and out of power quickly so the most voices can be heard. Their voices are particularly important due to Commoners being the ones most greatly affected by the decisions that the Circle makes. They’re elected for any reason citizens may see fit.Order of Monarchy[]
Not all LightWings desired to put the fate of their tribe into those who weren't granted divine right by the bloodline. When those still loyal to the crown sheltered and raised the last Queen's daughter to take her role, the Order planned on making her their representative. Their hope that she could still bring their tribe back to the greatness it once was.
The Circle recognized this and refused to let another tyrant grow and declare their authority over the entire tribe. How dare a dragonet raised in privilege, never working a day in their life, have say on the lives of each of the dragons of the tribe? The Order refused to give up their position and the parties came to a compromise:
Descendants of the last queen listen and learn from each meeting the Circle held, between themselves or with the tribes as a whole. Queens of the Order had to be representatives for their tribes in a way, understanding the desires of the tribe first and the desires of herself and the Order second. (Of course, the Order raising the dragonets often have an impact on this.) The queen was entitled to her opinion, but to a lesser degree unless she was voted into the Circle herself.
The Circle holds high expectations for members of the Order. They never want one dragon to be held in a higher regard than their own neighbors. While they set these standards upon the Order, they haven't forced them to take down the system - but promised that they will if the Last Queen's story is repeated. If the queen is unfair and unable to protect her dragons, she will just as easily be overthrown as the last.
The Order and Circle work together loosely. They're radically different and butt heads for this very reason, but stay on good terms for sake of unnecessary conflict. The Order has their agendas and the Circle has the agendas of their people. Everyone is entitled to their own goals, but the Circle has final say.
The Queen[]
In the same regard, the Circle had the Order place specific rules for them to crown one of their princesses a Queen.
The Queen must fulfill each of these expectations and ideally exceed them:
- The future Queen has to study in law and order. The minimum expectation is 4 years of study, however, ideally the Queen spend most of her life dedicated to this role. It's important that a Queen knows what's going on in her kingdom and understand the difference between rumors and fact.
- The future Queen, of course, needs supporters and advisers. In order to be appointed to the throne, the Princess needs to plan her own council arrangement, from treasurer and recorder. The council is often checked by the Circle to make sure the dragons she chooses are fair and won't abuse their positions.
- The future Queen also needs to be acquainted with the other ruling systems. She must attend a Circle meeting as an ambassador to prove she has the ability to behave professionally and cordially with dragons from different tribes. She must be respectful before she can receive the same level of respect.
The Order puts quite a lot of pressure on the princesses to succeed in their name. There has never been a Queen who faltered out of this system.
The Queen is also in charge on hearings from the tribe members, and making sure that everyone's voice is heard. As for her kingdom, she is in charge of making sure that she has a record of the tribe members' history for the Order, often written by the Haven. She will arrange speeches, speak for political agreements, and then proof them with the Circle. The Queen often acts, not just as the figurehead for the Order, but as the representative of the LightWings as a whole.
Haven of the Gods[]
The Haven was once simply the primary religious organization of the tribe. But since the development of Stellism, the Haven is not simply a safe place from the Triplet Moons, but a Haven for the LightWings as a whole.
The Haven was arranged to be a place for dragons to turn to if they lacked shelter, food, or support. They were given assistance, whether it be physically, emotionally, or politically. The Haven communicates with the Circle as another way for the LightWings to have their voice heard.
The dragons of the Haven live harmoniously. While religion is a major part of their lives and there is time taken to worship, most of the dragons who "work" at the Haven, often as volunteers, religious figures, assistants, or more, take care of the dragons taking shelter there. Their duty, like the Circle, is to give the dragons as much support as possible. In return for protecting their citizens, they're often donated food and goods like nest materials in order to make the stays of visitors more comfortable.
The Haven also holds the records for the tribe. Each reported birth, death, bloodline, etc. is written down by the Recorder of the Haven. This is where LightWings go for their name to be formally changed, marriages to be declared, hatchings to be announced, and more.
The Priest[]
The Priest is the representative of the Haven. While they're traditionally known for speaking about their shared faith, also somewhat run the church, albeit less formally than some of the other notable parties of the tribe. They help assign duties to volunteers and other ministers, organizing donations from the tribe to redistribute them to visitors, and keep the spirit of the Kingdom of Light alive. The Priest helps organize festivals and feasts across the territory, often in the name of the New Gods of Stellism. They also hold meetings with other political figures to communicate the needs of the church and their visitors.
The Priest is often seen as compassionate, good natured, and, above all else, selfless. While previous Priests were seen as stubborn in their beliefs and confident with the way Stellism was taught, in recent years, it's an important virtue to Priests to be understanding and have an open mind, listening to different interpretations of the fate. For what are the LightWings but all of their thoughts combined?
The Priest is in charge of consulting with their Recorder to record important times, such as births in the Haven, deaths, marriages, ect.
Before their retirement, the must appoint another dragon to the status of Priest. In order to be a Priest, or at least, taken into consideration, one must do the following items:
- The dragon who wishes to be a Priest must be in good favor among those in the Haven. Those who are not can be regarded, but one has a higher chance to be a Priest if they are in good favor.
- They must have prayed as frequently as possible to their desired faith. The higher your stroke is, the more you might be taken into consideration.
- If you have no received the blessing of the Gods by the current Priest, do so immediately. It's important that you remain faithful the gods you wish to represent.
History[]
Before Darkstalker cursed the entire NightWing tribe, before the entire war between the Ice and the NightWings, there were the LightWings. They used to be allies with both IceWings and NightWings, trading goods with them at the time with the old Queen. However, finally, when the Ice-Night War came, their entire lives fell apart to the ground.
Because they were traders and allies of both the tribes, both stopped supplying the LightWings. The LightWings could not go off and choose, because they have been trading for a long time with each other, and all the other tribes were too far away from them. Not to mention, even if they were able to contact them, they would've been ignored. No one would've contacted a kingdom that hasn't severed ties with two allies at war. Not to mention, each fighting tribe offered supplies IF, and only IF, they supplied the tribes with dragons to aid them in this war.
However, when the news that Queen Diamond kidnapped the animus's mother, and that the animus himself was causing turmoil, the LightWings, finally, cut off their ties to their alliances, and went into hiding. The entire tribe, including the Queen, was bitter about the other monarchies, for they did nothing to stop this. They did not parley, they did nothing. They just let it escalate. The tribe then started to dwell on this, and think about how they could improve where the other tribes failed.
Birth of the Circle[]
During their time of disappearance, there was a bit of an uproar between members of the LightWing tribe. They recognized IceWings and NightWings who didn't want to descend into war over royal drama and saw how their queen failed to prepare them for the war that broke out over their heads. Queens failed to realize how their actions affected the lives of the commoners, or at least how the whims of the royal family destroyed the livelihood of average families.
The LightWings came together and voiced their concern to the queen. She, however, did not listen to their pleas, overwhelmed by her subjects flocking against her. Though she was revered as a fair and just queen, she opted to flee the castle than repair their woes and disappeared into the desert. In her absence, her offspring and staff were left to allow the subjects inside. The tribe declared that no longer would royalty reign over the lives of every citizen. Instead, they wanted dragons who they personally trusted to help make decisions for them.
The Queen's adviser, a dragon beloved due to being a surprising addition to the staff who was born from a family impoverished who clawed their way to be seen by the Queen, inspired some of the structure for the new government that would rule over the tribe. The common dragons, farmers, artisans, etc. would be considered Commoners of this system. The leaders of communities, mayors and the like, would be considered Attendants, who attend to the needs of their communities. Those who worked with trade, currency, and interactions with other tribes would be the Pages. And those who once served to protect the Queen now served to protect the LightWings: the Captains.
This new government was dubbed the Circle, for the cycle of trust and assistance that the elected officials would give to the citizens because the positions could change with every voting period. As thus, deserving respect was an important part of the job - and if the tribe didn't like how you made choices, you would find yourself out of the Circle briskly.
The Creation of the Order[]
Not all LightWings were pleased with the wellbeing of the tribe suddenly being dropped into their talons. Especially the daughter of the queen who was given no option to challenge her before the tribe declared their authority and minimized her to a common dragon the likes of them.
Fortunately for her, those who were still loyal to the bloodline scooped up the princess and took her to a secondary estate belonging to the royal family. While she had no real authority in the tribe, she was referred to as a queen, lavished in the treasures that weren't redistributed to the tribe, and wore her status on her sleeve.
This group of dragons, loyal to the original throne, called themselves the Order. They believed that only those with divine right ought to make choices for the tribe. Though, with more recent years, royalty is treated more as an exclusive title than a rank in the government.
This tradition was upheld, a royal family that no longer counted, with each of the last princess's descendants. To the rest of the tribe, all the "Queen of the Order" was is a figurehead for the group's belief and something of a definitive mascot for the tribe.
Due to the lack of weight for the position, royal challenges were abolished and the oldest - or most interested (see: The Queen) - dragonet of the current Queen was dubbed queen. Fighting for the position is unnecessary, as the Order will dote on the royal family's every wish, so long as the oldest is trained to act as a queen should.
The Disinheritance of the Old Gods[]
Unsurprisingly, LightWings had Gods who they worshiped, though, that is nothing but a thing of the past. In the darkest times of their history, during the Ice-Night War, they prayed to their Gods to help them, save them, from a war that affected them, though they had taken no part in it. Their pleas fell on deaf ears, and soon, the LightWings began to think: why pray to a God who doesn't listen? In an act of defiance, and freedom, they cut ties with their religion. If their Gods wouldn't listen, they wouldn't respect them.
After the Disinheritance of the Old Gods, most of their motives were for spite, rebellion, and for the greater cause of the tribe.
The Emergence of the Haven[]
Religion was not abandoned by all LightWings. Superstitions still ran rampant amongst the tribe. The absolute paranoid of the bunch flunked to the old churches that still stood in the Triplet Moons' honor which they begged for forgiveness. The original "Haven" was simply a group of dragons who were terrified for the reckoning that the Moons may bring down upon the LightWings for rejecting them. They didn't believe that it was right of the tribe to reject them for failing to answer their pleas - every god has a reason, right?
Dragons nearly drove themselves mad to feel safe at night once again, even the oldest and wisest of ministers found themselves at a loss when Eclipism faded from popular opinion. A young novice, however, sought to renew the Haven, into an actual Haven. The novice was devoted to all good virtue and, from reading old texts of the Old Gods, interpretted the beginning of the new branch of Celestialism: Stellists. He wrote,
"In my eyes, the world of the mortals belongs to the Gods, to our Makers. But, in times where our Creators believe that we should die, unfit to live on a world of Gods, there are times we must defy our very Makers. We are strong, we will survive, and we will not be destroyed by Gods who cannot control us anymore. We defy them, and we accept new ones. The ones who do tell us it's okay to grieve, to cry, to experience all these emotions with our old Makers. They may be the original creators, but they will never be Ours.
Our new Gods, our new Protectors, the Stars like us, grant us this Haven. Once a cult of religious fanatics, now a Haven of safety and assurance of our Protectors. And from that, we will grow."
The Haven did it's best to rebuild the reputation of religion in the tribe, knowing fully well how badly it hurt dragons, including themselves. And while there were still those who stuck fiercely to Eclisism, Stellism grew in popularity and gave LightWings a reminder on how beautiful the night was.
In the development of the Haven, they realized not only was the Haven a safe place from the piercing eyes of the moon: it was also a place where they could protect LightWings who could not protect themselves.
The Haven became a place of shelter and good will for LightWings who needed the help. Housing, food, and assistance was given to dragons who struggled to take care of themselves or didn't have the support that they needed. The Haven happily lent a hand, to the tribe struggling to stand up again.
Absence of the SandWing Succession[]
The LightWings had no part in the SandWing Succession, as they were still withdrawing. They resurfaced after the events of Darkstalker, and have finally been introduced back after the Hive Mind of Pantala. After the events of it all, they had caught up on the news of their home, and the Circle sent dragons to Jade Mountain.
In the events that followed, they rekindled former tribe relationships, and formed a new one. The LightWings seemed to have really enjoyed the fact that the SandWings accepted not a descendant of the original line, but instead a new one. Queen Thorn has shown an interest to them as well, and they are now frequent trading partners.
Relations[]
IceWings
The relation with IceWings is a rather old one, as the older LightWings are upset with them and the NightWings. They were friendly with the late Queen Glacier, as they found her understanding among their harsh culture. Ever since she passed, they've been arguing with her daughter, Queen Snowfall. Some LightWings do not like her rule, and still regard her late mother as the Queen of IceWings. Nevertheless, the Circle and the IceWings are trying to make amends.
MudWings
LightWings do not have much interaction with the MudWings, but they admire their lifestyle as being a family dependent tribe, as well as forging their own families with others. They both trade clay and stones.
NightWings
Like the IceWings, their relation with them is somewhat strained. Lots of them have grievances over them at the past. They were unable to communicate with each other during the War, as LightWings were closed in, and NightWings ran away to their island those years ago. However, now that Queen Glory is the NightWing queen, they, like the IceWings, are trying to make amends.
RainWings
They don't contact much, but they admire the RainWings for their control and compromise with the NightWings. They have a neutral relation, but it's definitely positive.
SandWings
They never knew the original line of royalty of the SandWings, and they don't want to. From what they heard from the War, they seem pretty unlikable. Since Thorn, a commoner, became Queen, they have a newfound respect for the SandWings. They admire how they were so accepting of a dragon who wasn't of the original line. And, because of how close they are, they are good allies.
SeaWings
LightWings don't have a good relationship with the SeaWings, as they find their current queen to be rather dishonest to their lower class citizens. And to be honest, the scrolls she writes? Pretty dull. Their relation is neutral, although a bit shaky.
SkyWings
AviWings
Their stance on the elusive bird tribe is neutral. They dislike how strict the royalty is, and prefer to watch from a distance.
DeathWings
LightWings are slightly scared of them, but do respect their customs of life and death. They are very curious about them, and they would like to know them more. The Circle is currently trying to meet with them formally. Their relation is neutral.
DriftWings
They don't know much about the DriftWings, but they find them respectful and honest, with a good sense of justice. Neutral relation.
MistWings
They have little to no opinion to them, but from their allies, they seem friendly. Neutral relation.
TempestWings
Circle Members[]
Captains[]
- Captain Day Break
Pages[]
- Page Masala
Attendants[]
- (open)
Commoners[]
- Commoner Oombre
Order Members[]
Royalty[]
The Court Adviser[]
The Order (ruling group)[]
- open
Haven Members[]
Priest of Sanctuary[]
Recorder[]
Siblings of Sanctuary[]
Resources[]
The following resources pertain to the entire LightWing tribe and are free for community use. Please do not put art that is specific to your character in the gallery for the LightWing tribe.
Credit the artists and don't erase signatures.
![(Marble-y cake) [MS Paint friendly]](/wiki/File:Lightwing_base_2020.png "Lightwing base 2020.png (25 KB)")
