#passus canorous

[nightwolfdragons]

“Isn't it ironic that a nightmare can masquerade as a dream?” ― Ken Poirot

 They were gods masquerading as a humble troupe. Who could say what their goals were if they could truly be called mortal. The humble façade placed in front of everyone who visited, those who only saw the upper halls and rolling steppes of the bamboo forested land claimed by the troupe itself. Even the youngest of their members knew things did not run the same way there as outside the clan.

Their origins were muddled, somewhere born in the Southern Icefield, though they had grown and grown in size until they’d roosted near the Fortress of Ends. But they’d grown discontent with the constant threat of Gaolers, and the great and terrible things that lived further still in the ice of the Icewarden’s deepest lair. Despite their love and hate of the god who held more power than they, they could not stay. The great migration, a thing that was personal to all who undertook it and the many who didn’t survive. Numbers of them fell to the Gaolers who could catch them, the fierce blizzards sweeping over them to freeze their wings to sides and pin them to the ground.

They’d only escaped from a wrathful vengeance of the older god because a single Gaoler had defected. Aquilo, as he’s known now, felt moved despite his lack of soul and memory. He was defective, more than his siblings in the Gaolers and the younger Tundras, in his inability to recognize friend or foe. If only they had known what lay in wait for them in the Windswept Plateau....

[nightwolfdragons]

Few were truly certain how they found the troupe, most were wanderers who had been abandoned or who gotten separated from their own clans long before. Perhaps there was some black magic that called to those who needed a place to live or who sought the life of a nomad to the troupe’s lands. For some however, their way was far more clear. 

Nicnevin’s were hardly convoluted, she’d been found by members of a Wind Clan, friends to the troupe, who had decided she’d be more suited for their friends. So a journey to the troupe’s temporary home in the Sunbeam Ruins had been in order. The young Tundra was amazed at all the sights she saw, though the smells were sometimes overwhelming as they traveled. Still nameless to the others, she practiced her magic as they stopped to rest, pressing on most day and night as they continued onward.

The troupe was in slight disarray when they arrived, a change of command had taken place and the representatives were met not by the former King but a younger member named Caspian who’d been cheerful if not too much so. Little Nicnevin was swept off into the fray almost immediately, many of the tundras clamoring to sniff the little one to familiarize themselves with her scent. 

There was one though that caught her attention more than the others though, a tundra who smelled not of ice and snow but of smoke and embers. A heady smell of pine from the wood used in his forge surrounded him much like he’d surrounded her in his desire to smell her. A spark, something deep in her stirred despite her youthfulness and a hopeless infatuation began between the pair.

Her name came from him, in a deep growl as he groomed her fur and meticulously put small gold beads and laces through her mane. She hardly minded of course, her love for him simply growing along with her powers. 

[nightwolfdragons]

The Passus Canorous has 3 main groups within it. While most dragons fall under a neutral umbrella of artisan, these groups influence a lot of the politics within the group and even rules for remaining inside the troupe’s boundaries. 

Crown and Council - Ab Ordine Libertas

Formed from the progen and his mate, the Crown and Council are the main governing body of the troupe. Though King and Queen are arbitrary titles given to Vexen and Glacia, the pair are though to be the final call on any rules or restrictions required for the troupe membership or disputes. The Council, made of the 11 Flight Representatives, two handmaidens, Captain of the Guard, Spymaster, and Head Messenger serve to add their wisdom or thoughts to how to handle dragons from clans outside the troupe. They are mostly elders in the troupe and live upon the kite of the Cloudsong.

The Pretender’s Court - Aut Vincere, Aut Mori

Formed by the Imperial Sargon and his mate Lejka, the pretender’s court is a growing unrest within the troupe. Driven by the idea of having a true monarchy and seeking the greater glory, Sargon works tirelessly to pull new members into his fold and bolster his number. Though his mate works against much of his teaching, he still has a growing number of followers among the younger members of the troupe.

Òrdugh Rionnag - Pedes in Terra, Ad Sidera Visus

The Òrdugh Rionnag (lit. Order of the Stars) is a growing group of dragons within the Passus Canorous that are Shade-touched. Though their influence by the Shade varies, the leaders of the order Mira and Asterion prove to be formidable and powerful. This group also includes a large number of Arctic Gales, who’s shade-enhanced powers create powerful storms that constantly batter parts of the troupe’s lands at all times.