Imperial Starcatchers

## Lore

The Imperial Starcatchers stand as a reminder to the Arcane Flight of what happens when experiments go too far. Regardless of generation, each and every Imperial Starcatcher remembers the terrible chain of events that led up to their genesis, and few will hesitate to remind overly-ambitious scholars of exactly what happened to them.

Their story begins humbly enough- it was a simple feud between two rival clans on the Southern Icefield, over a particularly rich stretch of hunting grounds. Sure, they were rather large clans, capable of waging war on each other for many years, but overall, they were not quite remarkable.

The conflict soon escalated, and before long, the warring clans were sending their armies out against each other. During a particularly bloody battle, many imperials fell, and there was not enough time to dispose of their bodies. An Emperor formed- legend has it that the armies, upon seeing the monstrosity rise over the battlefield, immediately stopped fighting and began to assault the Emperor with everything that they could.

The clans reached out to as many clans as they could- fellow Ice clans, several Arcane allies, and even clans from more distant lands. The Emperor managed to attain eight heads- Arcane, Ice, Light, Fire, Nature, Lightning, Water, and Shadow. With the assistance of the Icewarden and the Arcanist themselves, the Emperor was slain. It was not the only event that led to the creation of the Imperial Starcatchers. The battle would have made for great ballads perhaps, and poems, but it was only what happened afterwards that brought the story to fame.

In return for their help, an Arcane clan requested that they be given the corpse of the Emperor for research. It was granted to them- and although the Emperor was so large, the battle had taken place on the border between Ice and Arcane, so it wasn’t particularly difficult to return it to the lair.

The research was innocent at first- the biology of an Emperor, the nature of its magic and all. But it took a dark turn when a lab assistant said that they should test the effects of Emperor magic in a controlled lab setting. Being Arcane, the more experienced scientists shrugged and accepted. They located a volunteer from their clan- a female Pearlcatcher with a name known only to the Imperial Starcatchers- and infused her with the power of an Emperor. The result was visually and intellectually stunning- prismatic eyes and wings, with no clearly definable element, and immense magical power.

Proud of their experiment, the scholars decided to do more with this pearlcatcher. She was locked within an underground dungeon, and studded to several pearlcatcher males- later, skydancers were also introduced for research purposes. Several clutches were born from her- all of them like her, except with a clearly defined element, reflected in their wing color. Notably, most did have arcane eyes, with few visible exceptions, and their elemental attacks were a blend of arcane and whatever element their wing color reflected. Those with pink and red wings had incredible arcane talent instead of a blend of elements. It should be noted that ice-winged and eyed dragons never did appear- it was theorized that perhaps because ice was the “dominant” element of the Emperor from which they were created, they all had the ice element locked somewhere deep inside them, but it was unable to be used.

Eventually, the first female used in the experiment died- although Imperial Starcatchers do not share it, they know that she was murdered by one of her own children as an act of mercy. The Imperial Starcatchers were locked in their own little cages in this cave hidden beneath the clan- only the most elite of the clan were given knowledge of these dark experiments and allowed to see them. These were often males who were bred to the female Imperial Starcatchers to produce more of them. They all proved to have very, very long lifespans- in truth,their immense magical power rendered them immortal- and as such. very few died, and those that did were often the “prized” females who produced the most clutches. Their “murderers” were never found by their “keepers”.

Several generations were bred before the children of females and outside males were normal dragons rather than Imperial Starcatchers. At this point, they were bred to each other- although they were related, at that point, they were genetically distinct enough to breed without worry.The experiments continued for centuries, with each and every lineage traced by the keepers. Their underground prison only grew and grew as more Imperial Starcatchers were born and raised without sunlight, without knowledge of anything but the horror of the keepers and the love of their parents and the other Imperial Starcatchers that tried so hard to protect them.

The fact that they escaped their prison at all was a fluke. A clan rivaling the one which had created them launched a huge blast of magical energy towards the clan base. It exploded, splitting the very ground in two- and revealing rows and rows of cages that housed strange dragons who had never before seen sunlight. Horrified by what they had discovered, the rival clan immediately sent messages to the Observatory. Countless Arcane clans came to see what the clan had been hiding for so long.

And the clans that had come to the aid of the Imperial Starcatchers freed them all, fed them, introduced them to the surface world that had been stolen from them all their lives. They were adopted into several clans that were eager to give them a proper, happy life outside of the caves- some, however, preferred to flee the Starfall Isles and go elsewhere, most notably the Tangled Wood.

It was discovered that each and every Imperial Starcatcher, regardless of how old they were, remembered each and every thing that had happened to every one of their ancestors, including the Emperor and all the imperials that had made up that monstrosity. And although most managed to live a normal life in the various clans of the Starfall Isles and elsewhere, they serve as a constant reminder of curiosity, magic, and power gone too far.

## Traits

Imperial Starcatchers have a number of traits that are a result of experimentation with Emperors. These are those that are shared regardless of type.

### Shared Dreaming:

Oftentimes, when multiple Imperial Starcatchers are near each other, they will share dreams. This is generally thought to be a diluted form of the connection that an Emperor has between its heads, or perhaps because of something unique to the original Emperor. When sharing dreams, it’s not uncommon for the Imperial Starcatchers to dream of something that happened to their ancestors- and as such, many will sleep away from others or sleep at different times.

### Nigh Immortality:

Most Imperial Starcatchers have an extremely long lifespan, and very few have been seen to die of old age. Most that do die of age only live about a decade or so- it’s suspected that as generations pass, their lifespans will be much like that of an imperial- almost entirely random.

### Powerful Memory:

Imperial Starcatchers have a very, very good memory. Not only can they remember things that happened to their ancestors, but they are typically capable of reciting direct quotes of inconsequential things that other dragons have said. This makes them excellent spies and couriers, as they very rarely misremember something. Forgetting or realizing that one is misremembering will often greatly unnerve an Imperial Starcatcher, and will often cause them to become very quiet. This is actually the origin of the “Starcatcher” part of their name- one of the first Imperial Starcatchers was able to perfectly pinpoint the location of stars on a map after only hearing a few of their keepers talk about it. In a sense, they “caught” knowledge of the stars.

## Generations

### First Generation:

These are Imperial Starcatchers born inside of the prisons and labs where they were created. The vast majority of Imperial Starcatchers are apart of this “generation”.

### Second Generation:

These were born outside of the prisons and labs to two Imperial Starcatchers. They are exactly like First Generation Imperial Starcatchers, except that they were born outside of the prisons and labs. Very few Imperial Starcatchers are apart of this “generation”.

### “Mutts”:

These were born outside of the prisons and labs to an Imperial Starcatcher and a non-Imperial Starcatcher. The result of an Imperial Starcatcher and a normal dragon being an Imperial Starcatcher is fairly rare. However, these pairings are much more common than a pairing with two Imperial Starcatchers, and as such, “Mutts” are more common than “Second Generation” Imperial Starcatchers. Some younger Second Generation Imperial Starcatchers may look down on these for their parentage, but generally most First and Second Generation Imperial Starcatchers will just not care.

## Subtypes

All Imperial Starcatchers are apart of a subtype based on their wing color. This indicates what element of the Emperor that they take after. Those with non-Arcane elements will typically take after the element shown by their wing color, but this is not always the case, especially with “Second Generation” and “Mutt” Imperial Starcatchers.

### “Ruby” Starcatchers

Acceptable Wing Colors: Rose, Pink, Magenta, Coral, Carmine, Red, Maroon, Blood, Crimson, Tomato

These Imperial Starcatchers derive their powers from the Arcane head of the Emperor. They are incredibly gifted in the Arcane, capable of pulling of fantastic feats of magic. These will often find themselves as mages or artists. Very few choose to pursue the position of scholar, unlike many fellow arcane dragons. Notably, they have incredible knowledge of magic, and serve as great teachers for young mages. When protecting themselves, they are capable of producing a blinding flash of pink light. In addition, teleporting is one of their signature abilities- while fighting, a particularly skilled Ruby Starcatcher is capable of teleporting around their opponent while launching a barrage of arcane missiles at them from all directions.

### “Topaz” Starcatchers

Acceptable Wing Colors: Tangerine, Fire, Orange, Tomato, Sunshine

These Imperial Starcatchers get their power from the Fire head of the Emperor. Their attacks are often a mix of Arcane and Fire- they will often produce pink fire to send at their enemies to burn them to a crisp. In addition, they excel at enchanting items that they forge. Many Topaz Starcatchers will find them in positions as blacksmiths, and the objects that they forge will go for great sums of treasure when sold due to the quality of the enchantments, and the decorative look that can be given to weapons and armor when arcane magic is involved. If a Topaz Starcatcher isn’t interested in being a blacksmith, many will also find themselves as extremely effective mages, able to effectively counter enemy forces by calling up fire at just the right time between bolts of arcane magic.

### “Citrine” Starcatchers

Acceptable Wing Colors: Gold, Ivory, Banana, Lemon, Goldenrod

Harnessing the powers of the Light head of the Emperor, Citrine Starcatchers are known for their quick wits and ability to quickly and easily process information. They often find themselves in positions that require high intelligence, such as that of a tactician or a scholar. They often possess an attitude more akin to that of a light dragon than an arcane dragon- they have a strong desire to find and reveal the truth, no matter what it may be. When it comes to attacks, they have a wide variety of options available to them. They can use more traditional light attacks, such as flashes of light for defensive purposes. When attacking offensively, it’s not uncommon for them to send blasts that contain both light and arcane magic, which conflict with each other to devastating effect.

### “Emerald” Starcatchers

Acceptable Wing Colors: Forest, Swamp, Jungle, Emerald, Jade, Seafoam

These Starcatchers take their power from the Nature head of the Emperor, and as such, possess a blend of Nature and Arcane skills. Oftentimes, they will attack by growing strange plants from the grounds- plants that ought not to exist, with every manner of strange color and structure and form. They are incredibly useful to have in battle, as their ability to grow plants will not only help defend an army, but the arcane aspect will also render ill-prepared Nature enemies clueless as to how to destroy the plants. They will also make excellent healers, provided that their arcane magic doesn’t accidently throw their nature magic off course. Considering the conflicting nature of their two types of magic, they need to be careful to maintain a balance between them.

### “Sapphire” Starcatchers

Acceptable Wing Colors: Aqua, Teal, Caribbean, Azure, Denim, Steel, Stonewash, Sky, Splash, Blue, Navy, Storm

Sapphire Starcatchers are unique in that in addition to Arcane, they may have one of two elements. Due to the similar colors of Water and Lightning, from which their powers are derived, a Sapphire Starcatcher can be either Water or Lightning. They cannot be both- the only reason why they are considered on “type” of Imperial Starcatcher at all is because their colors are indistinguishable from each other. Water Starcatchers combine the powers of water with arcane- they are oracles, capable of seeing visions in water, but also powerful mages. They are able to slip into the water and let their body dissolve before reforming, elsewhere, which is actually a variation of the teleportation that Ruby Starcatchers can do, in addition to standard arcane bolts. Lightning Starcatchers, on the other hand, are capable of combining the powers of science and magic together. Their standard projectile ability- pink lightning infused with arcane magic as well as electricity- is incredibly volatile, much like what Citrine Starcatchers do with the arcane-light bolts. They are also very skilled in enchanting technology and creating powerful hybrid devices of magic and technology.

### “Amethyst” Starcatchers

Acceptable Wing Colors: Royal, Violet, Purple, Lavender, Thistle, Mulberry, Shadow

Taking their powers from the Shadow head of the Emperor, Amethyst Starcatchers, strangely enough, do not have any powers that can be clearly defined as either “Arcane” or “Shadow”. Instead, they have the uncanny ability to toy with one’s mind, a blend of both their elements. They are master illusionists, capable of making other dragons see and hear and sometimes even feel things that exist only in their imagination. In addition, Amethyst Starcatchers can extend this ability to themselves- they are completely capable of creating fantasies all their own, that only they can see, in their head. Along with this, they are capable of using their powers over illusions to disguise themselves, and make themselves invisible and absolutely silent- even when another is right in front of them, for the particularly powerful amongst their ranks. For this reason, they make excellent spies- and are pretty good at pulling pranks too.

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