The Black Orchid

WELCOME TO

OUR DARKEST GARDEN

***"You never saw us, kid! Now scram!"***

You were alone. On your own, wandering the rainforest after dark. After being abandoned, you knew there was nowhere to go but into the wilds, full of dangerous rogues, poisonous creatures, and... *them.* You shuddered at the thought. Those who prowled the jungles, caring only for themselves and those under their name, and nobody else. You shook off your wondering, continuing through the rainforest. Somewhere behind you, a vine rustled. A voice hissed a scolding, and another one shushed them both. You whirled around, and looked at where the voices had been. "Hello? Who's there? Show yourself, stranger!" A voice laughed. "You heard what they said. Get em', boys!" Four forms appeared from the bushes, surrounding you. They lunged at you, and you did your best to fight them off, but ultimately, failed, all going black as the curtain of eternal void's embrace swooped over you like a mother might shield her dragonet.

You had been killed by the Black Orchid.

DISAMBIGUATION

The Black Orchid is a group led by a familiar face, the reborn bandit clan under control of Lorikeet. They live deep within the rainforest, hidden around a small lake with a stream that never dries. The dragons of the clan fiercely defend the rainforest, and allow none to enter or exit without their 'permission'. Their leader holds claim of a dreamvisitor tattooed magically into her skin, which she can call upon anytime. They allow any dragons with RainWing blood or heritage to join, but are accepting of ForestWings as well. Despite all of this, they have accepted dragons completely lacking either of these tribes heritages, but never into a high rank. They have a very strict tribe hierarchy, and your lineage determines your chance of achieving a high rank. This hierarchy, though, is a closely guarded secret most of the members won't let you know. Many of the members were stolen from hatcheries as eggs or dragonets, but those who joined as adults were most likely misfits exiled from their tribe or innocent dragons tricked into joining. Most of the time they show no mercy, and will only keep hostages or prisoners for strategic purposes.
EFFECTS

 The Bloom of Death, a deadly disease spread accidentally by the caravans of the raiders. They do not spread it intentionally, but it follows them like a cloud. Some say that Aconcagua watches over Lorikeet, waiting for the great things she will do, in the form of the disease. But that's just a silly story...

...right?

The Black Orchid are thieves and mercenaries, hunting, raiding, and fighting in kingdoms that aren't their own. They are wanderers, moving throughout Pyrrhia like HuntWings. They avoid colder climates, like the northern Sky Kingdom and Ice Kingdom, but will send representative IceWings and SkyWings to these areas. They are not the best swimmers, and avoid the further reaches of the Sea Kingdom and other continents. Members of the clan are very intimidating, as unlike other bandit clans, they give the tribes of Pyrrhia reasons to fear them.  They lie, cheat, and steal, taking what isn't theirs by force. To cross a member of the clan is to cross them all, and by the force of their group, you most likely won't see the sun ever again.
STRICT HIERARCHY

**~\* Boss-Lady \*~**

The Boss-Lady, Lorikeet. All of the group's members respect and admire her for her... well, her everything. Her fighting skill, her intelligence, and her fairness of judgement are what she is most known for. She is completely unbiased, taking the side of whoever she believes best deserves her backing. She is accepting of all except spies, and we all know what she does to spies...

Played by: JuniperTheSkyWing

**~\* Right Talon \*~**

This powerful rank belongs to Diseis. She is the most fearsome of warriors, with a courage and nobility almost none can match. She is undyingly loyal to Lorikeet and were selected as her heir, tirelessly hunting down and ridding the Black Orchid of traitors.

Played by: ForeverFrosted

**~\* Left Talon \*~**

Tusk is a master strategist, chosen from within for his successfully planned raids. As the Left Talon he is an even more dangerous opponent than their counterpart, sheerly because he knows how to kill a dragon with words and actions without striking a careless blow.

Played by: Badgerburr

**~\* Alpha Blossom \*~**

Belonging to Tar, the Alpha Blossom is the best of the best, a warrior with a strength that can effortlessly rival that of the Right Talon's. They rose to their position through hard work, strength, and loyalty, and were hand-picked by Lorikeet herself.

Played by: The-Lonely-Owl

**~\* Alpha Sunbeam \*~**

Ray resides here. If the Alpha Blossom is the strongest, the Alpha Sunbeam is definitely the smartest. They are an intelligent raider, able to get in and out of a storage building with all the needed supplies and targets, or able to sneak into an enemy camp, slit the throat of a commander, and escape without any heads turning.

Played by: Sweetstarthebrave

**~\* Alpha Bromeliad \*~**

Sweet, sweet Snowblossom. One of the kindest members of the clan, the Alpha Bromeliad is a skilled healer, connected strongly to the deities of Pyrrhia. They have a very giving nature, but cannot outwardly assist prisoners, hostages, or slaves for fear of banishment or execution.

Played by: SeaWings4Life

**~\* Blossoms \*~**

Blossoms are the defensive force, those who aid the Sunbeams and provide defense for the caravans and sky patrols.

Living Blossoms:

Killerbee - JuniperTheSkyWing

Deceased Blossoms:

None

**~\* Sunbeams \*~**

Sunbeams are the offensive force, those who raid enemies for supplies, power, or hostages. They are the bulk of the clan.

Living Sunbeams:

Oleander - TheArgentFish

Deceased Sunbeams:

None

**~\* Bromeliads \*~**

The smallest of the three major factions, Bromeliads are healers with a gentle touch. For every Bromeliad, there are three Sunbeams and two Blossoms.

Living Bromeliads:

Nectar - JuniperTheSkyWing

Deceased Bromeliads:

None

**~\* Ephiphytes \*~**

Epiphytes are the gentle mothers of younger dragonets, defended by the clan with their whole beings.

Current Epiphytes:

Open

**~\* Dewdrops \*~**

The Dewdrops are trainees, the youth not too young but not too old.

(Training lasts for three years)

Current Dewdrops:

None

**~\* Tadpoles \*~**

The young dragonets, Tadpoles have their whole lives ahead of them.

(Tadpoles become Dewdrops at four years)

Current Tadpoles:

Flood (egg)

**~\* Prisoners \*~**

Those we hold captive for disobedience, traitorous actions, or outside motives.

Current Prisoners:

None

Reason For Imprisonment:

None

BELONGINGS

Members of The Black Orchid may seem daunting and dangerous, but they are just trying to survive after the unfortunate accident ending most of Lorikeet's former group. They have several unique belongings, and a unique disposition. Long ago, Lorikeet stumbled across a HuntWing, the last of his pack, who told her about their traveling lifestyle before passing away after serious wounds from one of the creatures his kind were to hunt. Thus, she adopted the practice and the Black Orchid now wanders around Pyrrhia.
The Black Orchid travel in wagon caravans, and will move across the ground. Each family has a wagon, which is decorated and painted as they please. Common decorations are:

Bones (can be from prey or defeated enemies)

Feathers (both normal and painted)

Bead strings (glass, bone, or wood, usually painted or dyed)

Ribbons/Ropes (almost always painted with stripes of color)

Furs (normal or painted)

'Rugs' (Woven with rope, designed to keep out weather. Painted or dyed, often with beads or ribbons woven on/in)

Shiny stones (normal or painted)

Dreamcatchers (normal or painted)

Metal nugget strings/beads (gold, silver, copper, bronze, etc., obtained from raids/trading)

Chains (wood ones to hold items in place, or rope chains woven by dragonets)

Small herb/flower gardens (grown in specially woven bags on the wagons' exterior and interior)

The camps are set up in a circular shape, each wagon attached to one another around a fire. There is one entrance, guarded by two Blossoms and, if they have them, their respective Dewdrops. When the weather is fair, the Mats over the windows will be open. If the day is very hot or cold, all of the Mats will be closed, as well as if the weather is bad. In the middle of the camp is a large fire pit, surrounded by small sitting pelts. The older dragonets will have small tents where they can play, as younger dragonets are confined to their parent or guardians' wagons. There are smaller wagons dedicated to storage, but most belongings are kept inside of the owner's wagons in chests or bags.

ACCEPTANCE FORM