Every Rose Has Its Thorn: Clan Lore Expansion ft. Venom Rune
So you want to expand your lair lore because as awesome as your clan is, maybe you're a little bored and you want to add some pizzazz to the mix.
One way to do that is to look at dragonrunes, which we can see in Runestones of the Arcanist. Today we're covering Venom (we covered Time here), a dragonrune who has roots (haha) in both Plague and Nature flight.
But how you ask? Through research, puns, and an unhealthy dragon obsession, that's how! *rummages for fancy-lore hat* :D!
So let’s define Venom first - Venom is a form of toxin secreted by an animal for the purpose of causing harm to another. Venoms adapt to their environment and victims and accordingly evolve to become maximally efficient. Consequently, venoms become specialized to an animal’s standard diet. (Wikipedia)
Venom is something creatures make for numerous reasons, two main reasons being as a defense or as a predation mechanism. Predation usually refers to the way a predator subdues or digests its prey - seeing that venom can evolve and specialize for its bearers environment, diet, and defensive needs - something that is key to this rune and the flights that are at its roots.
Let’s take a look at Nature flight first.
The second sentence there is the most important - dragons work in tangent with the Labyrinth and try to internalize its attributes - the dragon breed known as Wildclaws (WC for short) came from the Gladekeepers forests. They are of the “might makes right” theology, using their physical prowess to figure out hierarchies - in order to survive in the wilderness and in WC clans you must prove your hunting expertise and strength.
Wildclaws have even begun expanding into new domains, their most notable one being the Wandering Contagion. Wildclaws and Plague Flight share wildly (;D) similar beliefs. The number one rule is survival of the fittest. You must evolve and adapt to survive.
(Side-Note: Wildclaws seem to be based off of the beloved Velociraptor, a family of dinosaurs people know well. Well, did you know that there is a possible venomous specimen? :O!)
Anyways - what better place to look for these similarities in Plague lore than the Wyrmwound?
The thing about the Wyrmwound is that while dragons do settle here, they steer clear of the wound itself. The Plaguebringer herself creates the strains she releases and no one knows for sure what they could do, but between mutation or destruction there's not much wiggle room for niceities.
So not only is the most important place to plague dragons a cauldron of "hey try to survive this crazy soup", it embodies their views to the T. And what are those?
Plague dragons are survivors, they are strong, they adapt to their environment and are the most savage of all flights. They hold wildly (haha) similar views to Wildclaws and their origin flight, Nature.
So we can come to the conclusion that while nature and plague appear different, they share a lot of the same views. Venom is the child of Plague and Nature because venoms adapt and evolve to the users environment. They are constantly evolving to ensure they are as efficient as possible against their victims, something plague can hold dear - there is always room for improvement in their eyes. Venom is used in hunting and surviving, which both flights showcase in their cultures, especially Nature and their native breed, Wildclaws (the #2 most populated area for them is in Plague territory).
Anyways, thank you for reading! If you have any lore-suggestions or questions you'd like to see here, feel free to PM me here or on FR (Tangaroa) and I'll see what I can do!
