Empire of Death

### Other Roles

Warriors Hunters Fishers Gatherers Lore Keepers Nest Caretakers Scavengers Builders Assassin/Mercenary Gardener

## Overview:

Originally a small clan that formed by Cerberus and Cobrascales. Over time the clan grew and expanded its territory throughout Plague, which lead to the creation of sub clans throughout the territory lead by chosen dragons to maintain their land. Eventually their power grew and the clan expanded into Shadow, once again forming more sub clans to maintain power over their domain, and became known as an empire.

## Beliefs:

### Religion

The beliefs of these dragons has stayed the same throughout the growth of the clan. The dragons here serve their deities, Plaguebringer and Shadowbinder, above the rest of the Eleven. They often send dragons off to serve one of the two deities in hopes of keeping in their favor.

Seers also play a role in earning the goodwill of their deities by using visions to find dragons they call the chosen and sacrifices. They select the chosen from the empire's own hatchlings based on visions they receive in order to sacrifice them to the deities. The sacrifices are dragons from outside the clan and usually brought in from black markets after a seer has foreseen their importance to serving this role in the empire. While the title seems gruesome, the sacrifices are usually trained and given an exalting ceremony before being sent off to serve the deities.

This ritual has garnered wealth and prosperity to those in the empire. The clan rarely sees hardship and maintains its expansions with ease. While some members feel the system is rather dark, none wish to change it. In fact, those who are born in the clan and cannot find a place there often leave willingly to fight. None have ever returned but that is to be expected, as they now serve a higher purpose. If anything, returning would feel like a stain on the empire's reputation with the two deities, as it would signify the returning dragon wasn't worthy to even be canon fodder in battle.

### Goals

The goals of the empire were and always will be to gain power. The weak have no place in the clan and are usually cast out if they cannot fulfil necessary duties. Maintaining their power and influence over their territory is another thing the empire strives for. Battles are not needlessly fought but the wrath of Cerberus has fallen many smaller clans who wished to take from his clan. Above all, they could not reach their other goals without staying in favor of Plaguebringer and Shadowbinder. Given that, their main objective is to always appease their deities.

## History:

### The Beginning

The Clan of Death was created by Cerberus when the lone guardian left on his Search after miraculously surviving and growing up alone in the unforgiving landscape. In his wanderings through the Plague-lands, he met a lone mirror by the name of Cobrascales, who'd left her pack due to a fight between her and the other members. The two fought briefly before agreeing to travel together, eventually settling down on the outskirts of Plaguebringer’s territory. Cerberus never intended on staying in the area, still feeling a need to continue on his Search, though the pull seemed to be tugging him in every direction at once, confusing him. However, having a nest forced him to settle down and think about raising a family and creating a clan. He was rather disappointed when all three hatched out as daughters but raised them briefly nonetheless before seeing them leave to new homes. Soon more dragons were attracted to the small area and joined them in their home with Cerberus' permission. The unexpected clan grew in size quite quickly and Cerberus took control of the dragons who had decided to live there.

Being young and rash, Cerberus didn’t want to waste his time on Cobrascales and blamed her for not having a male heir. Thus she was demoted as his co-leader and sent to work as a hatchery guard. By that point his Search had led the clan into many battles to fight their way deeper into Plaugebringer’s domain, though under his lead they survived with barely any casualties. In their expansion they gathered more dragons to add to its ranks and expanded their power. One of these dragons was Warforge, another guardian who had dedicated her life to being a blacksmith. With her, he had three more hatchlings. The first born was a male but lacked the pure bloodline he considered his first three to have, not to mention his remaining daughter of his first nest was still technically first in line to succeed him should she ever return. Their other two- a son and daughter- soon grew up and left to serve Plaguebringer to help Death Clan win her favor. Warforge left soon after as well to retire in the shade of the Viridian Labyrinth and has since stayed there in a caring clan to tell her stories. It once again left Cerberus' clan without a potential heir, though the guardian didn't let that stop him from striving to reach his goal.

### The Next Chapter

The clan eventually grew large enough to create a more elaborate hierarchy than one just consisting of warriors and guards, and once more took a larger territory by force where necessary. Their new land stretched from the original location on the border of the Wandering Contagion and the Driftwood Drag to the Abiding Boneyard. The Clan of Death's power and territory had become Cerberus’ charge and with that came the need to gain more while securing what they'd managed to gain. He once again took a mate- this time a tough fae- and had three sons. The first and third- faes- were lost in a battle where they were stolen and taken to the Gladekeeper, never to be seen again. His middle child of the three survived and eventually ended up in a clan living in the Shattered Plain. Once more his mate, Divantae, left in favor of the Shadow flight’s pine trees and Cerberus was left with the one thing that stayed with him: his conquests.

They finally made it to the heart of Plaguebringer's domain; the Wrymwound. Cerberus now controlled a large expanse of territory, though all that land would attract others wanting to take it, not that he was too worried. Since the beginning of their journey towards their goal the clan had expanded greatly. There were warriors, ambassadors, seers, mages, entertainers, and more to strengthen the clan. Cerberus took a mate that would create a new 'pure' lineage- an Arcane mirror named Anubis- and allowed her to rule at his side. Never before had they found alliances with other clans but now that their power was absolute in his eyes they spread their wings to accept any allies- or challenge any enemies. The clan helped take in travelers and strays at times too for a while before sending them off to other clans or if a seer spoke it: made them a gift to Plaguebringer. It seemed the clan would forever prosper in the lands that worked so hard against dragons to make them adapt and survive constantly.

### Dark Warning

The Clan of Death received a prophecy from their seer, Priestess, for their long nonexistent second in command- the dragon who would take Cerberus’ place when he grew too old or fell in battle. As if any dragon or beast clan could get past the soldiers and guards let alone survive Cerberus’ permanently red glowing, stained claws. The clan that considered themselves Plague and Shadow aligned would be led by a Shadow dragon. One that was born just as Cerberus was; alone and left to grow on his own in the shadows. Just as Cerberus grew up alone in the Scarred Wasteland, relying on his magic and natural instincts to survive. Only time would reveal just who this dragon would be.

Dragons in the clan soon forgot the words of the prophecy as those who heard it either kept it to themselves to avoid rumors spreading or disappeared mysteriously. It was difficult to know if it would ever come true of course and between those who knew decided it was best to wait until it came true to reveal the prophecy to the clan. Life went on as normal for Cerberus’ clan with dragons coming and going until a purge started. Their leader had started to become paranoid that his clan was falling out of Plaguebringer’s favor and began searching more fervently for dragons to sacrifice to her, including some of his own if they dared to break any of the long established laws of the clan. Some of course merely left to avoid the new threat, not that most dragons who were useful to the clan had anything to worry about. The cleansing and regaining of favor was only to get rid of the weak who had been relying too much on the clans resources without giving anything back.

Then the unexpected happened. Velous, Cerberus' last remaining hatchling of his first nest returned. Many of the older dragons who'd been around since the beginning had been shocked she was even still alive, while the newer members worried over what her return would mean. Even Cerberus wasn’t sure. She would never lead the clan, though it as soon clear she held no interest in doing so either. Velous had been trained by the clan she'd been staying with and took her place back in her birth clan as a mercenary. Still, it left the few who remembered the prophecy wondering what other strange events might take place. Was the time of the second in command coming or was something else brewing in the unknown...?

### Prophecy Fulfilled

The fate of the Clan of Death became even more uncertain as time went on. The land of Sornieth was changing for every creature with energy surges and tensions rising between all flights. It was challenging to keep those in his clan calm, especially as hatchlings began hatching with strange looking eyes. Cerberus was already preparing for the threat that seemed to be looming over them. The dragons that showed up were beginning to resemble the prophesied one that had yet to appear while other dragons from the clan disappeared without trace. Some left with the blessing of their clan to find a safe place but others… others were sacrificed to the deities in an effort to be granted safety in the uncertain times. Either way, the iron rich sands were turning redder with their efforts to please the Plaguebringer and gain protection for whatever possible danger might lie ahead for the clan.

It finally happened. The day the clan had been a waiting since the prophecy had been spoken. Cerberus was tense as the small tundra stood before him in the center of the clan. He didn’t seem like a threat, much less a shadow dragon aside from the eyes, but there was still paranoia over his future successor. The Clan of Death accepted the hatchling into the clan, knowing they couldn’t just turn him away at this point, and so the prophecy was set in motion. The hatchling grew into a strong young dragon, second in command and in charge of the secondary camp: Order of Bone. There was hope he would be content to wait for his turn on the throne- some however, questioned how smart giving Lucifi that sort of power was both due to his young age and in fear of a usurping- but Cerberus kept his guards close out of paranoia. His reign wouldn’t end via his murder; he wouldn’t be fooled by the charming young dragon either.

### Hidden Tyrant

Lucifi grew in power and confidence during his time as second in command. His own guard were extremely loyal to him and him alone, the camp he lead in Cerberus' absence from the Order of Bone gave him freedom, and the tundra was enjoying every second of it. He would lead by the clan's overall rules in the beginning and play the part of a loyal second in command but ambition soon rose within the tundra. The camp he watched over soon paid for his growing ambition and views of what should be done. The enforcement of being useful or getting kicked out was taken to the extreme, though he tried to keep it on the downlow. The newer dragons or the ones without any duties whatsoever were targeted first and put through rigorous training.

These dragons were separated into a den on the outskirts of camp and forced into silence by Lucifi's guards. Each day would be a new struggle to get their own food and occasionally defend themselves, though they were still allowed in the clan's territory. The Shadow dragon eventually decided it was too easy for them, being in the safety of clan territory that was guarded from enemies. So they were cast out to the edges of the territory, pushing them to the extreme in order to prove themselves worthy of being in the clan. In the end a terrible mistake was made, though it went unknown for a time. All but one of the dragons died out, with the survivor joining the clan as a healer, while a monster was slowly birthed beneath the red sand dunes. (See War/Locke for in depth lore).

### Amending Mistakes

A young Emperor had been created on the edges of the clan's territory. Two of the heads had been from past dragons lost to Lucifi's trial, which lead to the few who were let in on the threat to call the monstrosity after the youngest head: Onyx. They were able to contain the creature while it was still weak and waking up, however the monster's bonds wouldn't hold forever. Constant maintenance to keep the magic restraints on the slumbering Emperor was hard to keep up so when a dragon by the name Sugar Meadow showed up offering to set up a permanent watch on the creature, the leaders accepted the offer.

Sugar Meadow and her two companions grew their small forces and worked together to keep a constant check on how the magic was holding up. Patrols kept the new area outside the Clan of Death's territory from beast clans and other intruders that might pose a threat to waking the monster or even spreading the word that an Emperor existed not only in Light but now in Plague as well. However, many of the dragons she lead died of various causes- most being related by blood and giving rise to rumors of a curse running through the family. After a dream of a new threat lingering back in her old home, Sugar Meadow sent out a patrol of four dragons to check it out. There was a chance it was nothing but she refused to let her guard down and risk allowing more dragons to die.

It was rather unexpected when the patrol returned with a group of strange dragons that called themselves gaolers. The dragons claimed to have been tracking a piece of the Shade and after capturing it, agreed to return with the patrol to aid in the Emperor issue. Sugar Meadow and the other dragons were wary of this previously forgotten species but Khaadgrim was rather open minded and willing to help. The construction of a prison began soon after their partnership was made. While other problems sprung up, the prison was finally built and the Emperor was properly contained by the gaolers natural ability to contain monstrosities. Now that it was safe a few of Sugar Meadow's remaining dragons would leave the area, join the Clan of Death, or stayed to help in the defense of the prison. The prison itself took on the name of Bleak Meadow Prison and soon became a expansion on the territory. (See my EmperorLocke I invented for in depth lore).

### A New Prophecy

Peace and prosperity reigned over the territory. Threats had diminished, and any plans Lucifi had thought up to take full leadership of the clan had been forgotten. Of course, Cerberus was soon thinking about continuing to expand on their land. The border camp was already split between the Plague and Shadow line, and it was about time they went back to focusing on their goals of having points of control in both flights. Of course, he would consult the clan seers first in order to judge whether or not this would be a good idea. What they got was another prophecy stating dragons would be born, chosen by the deities to lead the camps that would be set up in the new territory. Like the prophecy with Lucifi, it was unknown how they'd show up or when but Cerberus wanted to be ready for when they did.

A patrol was sent into Shadow to scout the area from the Sect of Masks to the Forum of the Obscured Crescent. It was a small patrol made up of the clan's ambassador Vetis, and two banescales who volunteered despite being new members in the clan. New dragons were sent with them, including a seer named Gorgon after finding a peculiar *Wind* flight skydancer hatchling alone amongst the pines. It was unclear at the time if this hatchling was one of the dragons to lead but Gorgon did his best to look after the hatchling until the clan's main seer, Priestess could arrive for her own evaluation. After all, shortly after finding this hatchling, they'd found two others that were candidates for the position of chosen one as well.

The skydancer was deemed one of the chosen ones and a camp was made, though the scouting patrol had met a grisly end after leaving once more for the Forum. It would be quite a while before the hatchling could lead, but Lyric would eventually take her rightful place and lead the dragons of the Cult of Faerie. Now, the only problem was figuring out what to do with the remaining two. Only one was a true chosen dragon and there was only the Forum to lead- once a piece of territory there could be claimed, as the lose of the scouting party had been an unexpected loss. After a long discussion between the leaders and seers, the decision was made to allow the deities to decide which dragon would claim the birthright. The two candidates were more than willing to fight it out. (See my Pinkerlocke for in depth lore).

### War

Gorgon had been the first to announce the war between the two would occur, having seen the destruction and death wrought by the fighting dragons. However, it was decided that no action would be taken to stop this battle. The winner would be the one with the deities' blessings and the rightful leader of the last camp. It wasn't any concern for safety either, as the warzone was taken far from the clan's territory. Cerberus would merely settle for waiting for the war to end; he had a clan to run after all. Gorgon wasn't as certain about allowing this to happen given dragons were being pulled into the war whether they believed in it or not, but he wouldn't go against his leader.

The two sides quickly gathered their forces. Shroud, a dark scaled banescale, and Sanctus, a pure-looking pearlcatcher, each chose a champion to represent them and lead their troops against each other. Oddly, their own champions were sibling spirals, though that didn't stop the two from fighting tooth and claw against each other. In the beginning Sanctus' army appeared to be gaining the upper hand, quickly pushing back Shroud's forces. However, in battle things change quickly and the two were soon evenly matched. Many fell at the claws of their enemy yet neither side was willing to surrender. Sanctus' forces believed the pearlcatcher to be a deity herself with her champion being the most loyal subject to her cause. Shroud's forces were quite aware of the costs of this war and why they were fighting- and it wasn't because of a deity forcing them to. In fact, the banescale's champion was rather disgusted by her sister's acts of stealing hatchlings from nests to use as soldiers and blindly willing to kill in the name of a dragon who didn't fight her own battles.

This would dragon on even after Sanctus' initial champion was killed, as her kin would simply take her place as champion and lead. Steadily, Shroud's warriors gained ground and managed to take the Forum of the Obscured Crescent. It would be difficult to hold but a final battle sealed the deal. Shroud and Sanctus personally fought with their dragons, going for each other's throat as they battled mid-air. It was a tough fight, but Shroud eventually managed to get the advantage and sent the pearlcatcher crashing into the ruins. When Sanctus recovered and got to her feet, she found her champion and legion dying and defeated around her. Shroud's forces had taken heavy casualties as well but clearly the war was over. With her remaining loyal followers in tow, Santcus retreated to the Ice flight to build up her legion once more with a vow to return for revenge. (See my TvN/Nobility challenge for in depth lore).

### Becoming an Empire

With the latest addition to their clan and the leadership dispute settled, everything once again fell into a feeling of peace. Most of the focus was on improving their new camp locations but Shroud in particular felt an unease within this peace. The other leaders didn't think much of Sanctus' claim for revenge, nor did they care. They far outnumbered the pearlcatcher and had merely threatened Shroud's camp, the Veiled Sanctuary. If Sanctus was smart, it was unlikely the threat would be carried out. Still, Shroud made sure those in her camp kept a vigilante watch for any strangers near or in their territory.

The official term of Empire came soon after Shroud's worries were put to ease. Cerberus' announcement of them going from the Clan of Death to the Empire of Death was a great reason to celebrate. The dragons within the newly claimed empire were beyond content with the wealth the empire gained along with the safety being in a large group such as this brought. Of course, in the future they would continue to expand but for now Cerberus thought it would be a good idea to maintain their territory and make sure they could hold it should an attack ever take place. Only after that was assured would he reach out once more; he wouldn't want all this power to crumble beneath him after all.

## Important Dragons:

* Cerberus
* Anubis
* Cobrascales
* Lucifi
* Priestess
* Danika
* Emperor
* Sugar Meadow
* Khaadgrim
* Lyric
* Shroud
* Sanctus

## Ranks:

The ranking system within the Empire of Death and its sub-clans keeps dragons in line. Everyone has a place and everyone knows what it is. Jobs dragons specialize in are placed within these ranks in order of what the leader deems of most to least important.

#### Rank 1

* Leader
* Leader's mate
* Second in Command
* Commanders

#### Rank 2

* Flight Ambassadors
* Seers and Prophets

#### Rank 3

* Royal Guard
* Spies
* Healers

#### Rank 4

* Guards
* Warriors
* Assistant Healers
* Messengers
* Scribes

#### Rank 5

* Alchemists
* Mages
* Hunters
* Fishers
* Scavengers
* Merchants

#### Rank 6

* Gatherers
* Builders
* Bug Catchers
* Nest Caretakers
* Other

## Sub-Clans

As the original Clan of Death grew, the now empire created sub clans throughout their territory to better control and defend their domain.

#### *The Clan of Death*

The main clan located near the Wrymwound in Plague. It's overseen by the leader, Cerberus.

#### *Order of Bone*

A sub clan located in the Boneyard of Plague near the Blight Sanctum. It's overseen by the second in command, Lucifi.

#### *Sect of Masks*

A sub clan located on the border of Plague and Shadow where the Wandering Contagion meets the Foxfire Bramble. It's overseen by Danika.

#### *Cult of Faerie*

A sub clan located in the Wispwillow Grove of Shadow. It's overseen by Lyric.

#### *Veiled Sanctuary*

A sub clan located in the Forum of the Obscured Crescent. It's overseen by Shroud.

#### *Bleak Meadow Prison*

A prison located near the Order of Bone camp in the Boneyard. It's overseen by Sugar Meadow and Khaadgrim.

## Other Relations

Other groups in the lair that aren't necessarily connected to the main Empire but might have appeared stemming from moments in its history.

* *Death's Void:* A pirate crew lead by Jacques. They're rivals to Rio's crew.
* *Crimson Wave:* A pirate crew lead by Rio. They're rivals to Jacques' crew.
* Sanctus' group, Frozen Heavens Kingdom, located in the Cloudscape Crags.

(links to those pages will be added eventually)