Dragon Rider Roleplay

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Era / Genre

Medieval Fantasy

Backstory

In a world where dragons and humans once lived in peace, dragon riders and their dragons once roamed free. Dragons could be tamed and the humans that they chose to bond with became dragon riders, a sub-species to humans, that could communicate with their own as well as other dragons through thoughts.

One day, the largest two out of the seven kingdoms entered into battle, in hopes of coming out on top as the ultimate ruler. With armored horses, dire wolves, humans, dragons and dragon riders on both sides, the fighting went on for days. On the final day, almost all of the dragons and their riders had been wiped out, mostly targeted due to their superiority on the battle field.

At the break of dawn, King Azur's queen was kidnapped by the other king - dragon rider - from the other kingdom. Azur was furious, as he mounted his dragon (one of the largest ever known) and flew off to chase them, leading to four of their deaths in the sky, dragons included. The only survivor was Azur himself, who fell from the sky and was eventually caught by the sea beneath him. The legend suggests, that the battle ended with Azur climbing to the Bone Throne, and becoming the ultimate ruler of the kingdoms, with his newborn and 3 dragon eggs by his side - the only dragons left in their world, as far as they knew.

Generations later, the kingdoms all emerged into one, with Azur's bloodline as rulers throughout the years. Along the way, the eggs all heatched, and the royal family became the last dragon riders, their world would come to know.

Plot

One night, years after the king rose to power, Character A wakes up, only to see someone in their room. The stranger, Character B, seemingly there to steal an old book, later learned to be a book about dragons and their abilities. Who was this stranger, and how had they gotten into Character A's room, which was placed in one of the tallest towers in the castle, without alerting the many guards outside? And why were they so interested in a book about dragons?

What confused Character A even more was when the stranger simply jumped out the window...

Pairing

MxF

<sup>Name: Aderyn Devane
Species: Dragon Rider
Gender: Female
Age: 18

Appearance:
Standing at 4'8", Rin is fair-skinned with a few freckles scattered here and there. Rin has a naturally curvy physique making for a generally short and round appearance. Her round face is usually framed by shoulder-length hair and is dark brown with a few lighter strands here and there. Her eyes are a soft blue, paired with long eyelashes. Her appearance is quite average, but enough for one to say she looks "cute". She has a nasty burn scar on her left hip, causing a limp.

Personality:
Rin cares about others' well-being and has a strong need to make them feel valued and appreciated. She's very curious and childish at times. She was raised to be strong and competitive but she would rather avoid conflict. She prefers the company of her dragon. She's a bookworm. She's very energetic and enthusiastic, perhaps a little too much sometimes. She loves to share the wonders that she had learned and others could enjoy. As such, she loves telling stories or writing them down for later.

Name: Záffre
Species: Dragon
Gender: Male
Age: 329</sup>

<sup>Ability: Smoke Screen (more during RP)

Appearance:
Sapphire eyes sit rooted within Záffre's horned, angular skull. Several horns sit atop his head. A row of small horns runs down both sides of his jaw. Záffre's nose is long and has two thin, slitted nostrils. Several rows of sharp teeth poke out from the side of his mouth. He stands at 20 feet and weighs 4 200 lbs. He's covered in pitch-black scales, though the coloration fades into a charcoal grey around his horns and underbelly. Four muscular limbs carry his body. His wings are somewhat triangular, the inner sides of the wing are full of minor holes and each bone structure ends in a curved, yet sharp tip. His tail is snake-like, spikes running down his spine and ending in a dagger-like structure at the tip of his tail.

Personality:
Záffre tends to act first and think later, acting impulsively. He has a short fuse and takes quite a bit to calm down. He is a very guarded individual. He is quite arrogant and takes pride in his knowledge and experience.
Záffre is well known as an aggressive and unpredictable dragon. Except with Rin... and children.</sup>

Are you sure about this?

Kieran let a smirk play at the corner of his lips, pulling a dark brown cape around his shoulders. He looked towards the female dragon, who was giving him - or what Kieran thought was - a skeptical look from where she lay in the moonlit clearing outside their home, the sky above them otherwise dark and quiet. "Come on Vienna," he said, carefully arranging the daggers within the many layers of clothes that provided warmth, "You like going on missions."

He watched her stretch before the young dragon stood and shook her sage green scales, which somehow looked darker at night. Yes, when said missions don't involve a royal family of dragon riders, Vienna hissed in emphasis before walking over and rubbing her pointy horns on the side of their hut. Kieran rolled his eyes. It wasn't uncommon for the female dragon to protest against his decissions. After all, she was the more rational of the two.

"Vienna, stop it!" a surpprised shout was heard from within the hut, and it was then that Kieran noticed how the creature was practically pushing against it with her body-weight. He chuckled, as Vienna turned away with a groan, only to rub her horns against the grass instead. "Still itchy, huh?" he asked in contemplation, the sound of a door opening eventually catching his attention. His mother was now standing there, leaning against the door-frame with hay from the roof on her head, "If she continues doing that, the whole thing will collapse," she sighed, relief clear in her features as she spots the distance between the dragon and the hut. Hmpf, she doesn't know how achy horns feel. Kieran looked to Vienna, "They're aching? I thought it was just an itch?" Worry appeared on his mother's face. His dragon swung her tail in annoyance, At first, yes. Now, they're giving me a headache.

With furrowed brows and clenched jaw, Kieran picked up his bag from the ground, "Even more reason to go on that mission, then." It had been the goal of this journey from the beginning. Ever since Vienna's last Hatchday, she had behaved differently, struggling with abnormally itchy scales, wings and horns. All signs of growth, but this time it hadn't been as immediate as usual. Kieran could've sworn that her eyes had gotten greener as well, towards something more like an emerald than the usual sage.

"I don't like this idea," his mother whispered, looking to her son, "They can't know that you have her." It was yesterday he had become determined to figure out what was wrong. He had confided in his mother, who had been against it from the beginning. But she was also a dragon rider - once with a silver and white dragon named Hiraeth by her side - and she knew that Kieran could feel Vienna's discomfort through the bond that made them a pair. Kieran sighed knowingly, before sending her reassuring eyes, "It's gonna be fine. I'm stealing a book, not attacking the king." Vienna snorted at that, I sure hope you know what you're doing.

Kieran nodded shortly, walking towards the dragon. To show her disagreement, Vienna refused to lower her body so that he could easier mount her. Not expecting her to change her mind, Kieran jumped and swung his legs over her back, making sure to avoid having a spike pierce through his eye on the way. His mother crossed her arms, "Remember, the legend says 3 eggs... That should mean 3 dragons if none aren't already dead. Avoid them." Kieran nodded, adjusting himself on his dragon's back. Usually, dragon riders used saddles and sometimes armor and other gear, but Kieran quickly found out that his sage green friend hated wearing it. She was also still relatively young, so armor was way too heavy still.

The older woman walked closer, green eyes an older version of Kieran's own, "And keep Vienna out of sight." A breeze made brown strands of hair fall in front of his eyes. I'll just shrink to bag-sized, Vienna oh so wisely provided in his mind. He smiled, "Of course."

Getting ready to ascend, the two walked further into the clearing, green wings opening wide and once in a while flapping like a bird's yet slower. His mother backed away and with a last shared glance, the 10-year-old dragon made an upwards ascend with her rider. Into the air, towards the capitol and away from the small village and the foresty outskirts.

Kieran was certain that he would never get tired of flying. Of soaring high above the clouds, while the wind would hit his face and tear at his clothes, yet still carry the both of them forward by the help of Vienna's wings, spread wide and once in a while flapping to make sure they were still hidden from the world beneath them. The brunette sighed with content. He would indeed never get tired of this. Not in a dragon's lifetime, which is actually a pretty long time, considering the fact that a dragon dying of old age was rarely ever seen. They mostly fell in battle or from sickness. Before there were dragon riders, they were a common enemy to humans and their lifestock, leading to hunters targeting them for materials such as talons and scales. Even dragon eyes were rumored to provide wisdom and fortune to those who either wore or ate them.

Ever since he could remember, Kieran had been told about the myths and legends that followed the wingeed reptile species. The older he got, the more he was taught. About the dragon species and their abilities, and about dragon riders and how they were merely humans that had been granted a special bond. A link between a dragon and its rider was once highly respected, no matter what social rank or class you belonged to. Ever since King Azur climbed the Bone Throne, however, dragon riders had turned into mere myths, just like the beasts that would carry them through the sky.

Kieran? The soothing sound of Vienna's voice entered his mind. She must've noticed a change in him, somehow. He sighed, a weak smile passing his lips, "I'm alright, V." The dragon didn't seem to believe him, but kept from pressuring further. She didn't have to though, "Do you think everything would've been different if-," Kieran let a hand brush over a row of spikes, "If mother still had Hiraeth? If grandpa and Zuko weren't... gone?...," Kieran's eyes lifted to the stars, night still very much alive. They'd only been flying for a few hours after all. "If there were still enough riders out there?" Vienna began her slow descend through the clouds, Do you mean enough to not feel alone? She turned her head to glance at him, Or enough to fight back?

The young rider huffed. He hated when she asked him wise questions, "I don't know," he lied, "Either? Both? I mean- There has to be others, right? I know for a fact that they didn't all die. I mean surely, some of them would've lived on and had children." Vienna purred, A dragon rider is created by the bond, not a gene. There's no such thing as a dragon rider without a-, "Dragon... I know," he interrupted, leaning forward, to which Vienna's descend became sharper, the two getting closer and closer to the capital.

Once they reached it, they flew just low enough to still stay hidden from the guards that patrolled during this time. And since the castle housed a royal family of dragon riders, it wasn't unusual to see dragons fly around it, meaning the guards were used to also glance at the sky. Kieran just hoped that if they did decide to look up, the darkness would fool them enough to think that the dragon flying above them was Záffre on a nightly stroll. Kieran seriously hoped that the princess' dragon wasn't, though.

"That should be the princess' tower," He said, pointing towards one of the many stone towers of the castle. As they got closer, Kieran started move his legs so that he was practically crouching on Vienna's back, hands around a spike to hold him steady, "Head for the windowsill. I'll hang off of it until you've shrinked and climbed in," he explained, practically getting ready to leap through the sky. Be careful, Vienna reminded him, before getting close enough for Kieran to silently jump a few feet through nothing but air, to then latch onto the small windowsill. Seconds later, he felt a wieght climb into his leather bag. Kieran could only appreciate his dragon's ability to shrink in size.

Silently, Kieran made his way into the dark room. He knew that Záffre was too big to be inside at his age. At least in the bedrooms. So he wouldn't have to worry about a 300 and something year old dragon lurring beside the princess' bed. The princess, who was currently sleeping a few paces away. Kieran didn't waste time. Walking towards a desk, he saw books scattered on top of it. 'If you were a dragon rider, where would you keep a book on dragons?' he thought to himself, flipping through random covers and pages. ...And you're asking the dragon that question? 'No, I- Stop listening to my thoughts,' he defended himself, before his eyes landed on a worn leather cover with a dragon's wing embroidered on the front, 'Bingo.'

Quickly grabbing it, Kieran turned around to head for the window, as he felt his cape catching on to something, before a pile of books fell to the floor.

If the royals and their quards didn't do it first, his mother was gonna kill him. The books had all fell to the floor before Kieran had even had the chance to react. Turning around now, however, he saw several titles spread across the wooden planks. "Shit," he whispered frantically, low enough for the princess not to hear. Not that it would matter, since a pile of at least fifteen books had just clattered on to the darn floor! Nice distraction, Vienna sarcastically participated in his mind. 'I didn't see them!?' he defended, to which he felt claws in his back, Just get out here already! I'll change mid-air, just go! Frozen to the spot, Kieran looked from the books to the sleeping princess. His dragon was right, they needed to leave. If he was lucky, the sound hadn't been loud enough to wake up anyone else.

Kieran wasn't lucky. Because when he looked back to the bed, he watched the princess stir as she groggily spoke. Did she just call you Záffre? Kieran gulped. He was gonna be in big trouble if he didn't move soon. It was common knowledge that Princess Aderyn had been the one to bond with the old dragon, after her mother, the queen was no longer bonded to him. In front of him was a dragon rider. Linked to the oldest dragon alive. Yeah, he didn't just need to get out of here, he needed to put as much distance between the two of them and the capital as possible. 'Stay in the in bag until I've jumped, Vienna.' He felt impatient movement from the leather backpag hanging off his shoulders. Knowing the female dragon, she would probably jump out to defend him at the first hint that the other dragon was nearby. For her size, that might have been brave, but also incredibly stupid.

The brunette watched in disbelief, when the princess finally realized what was happening. In the darkness, he could just about make out something sharp being pulled from the depths of the royal's bedsheets and pillows. If Kieran had to make a guess, the sheets were probably made out of the finest silk the kingdom had to offer. Judgement doesn't suit you, Vienna corrected pointedly. Kieran raised an eyebrow at that, 'Yeah? Well, I'm not perfect,' he spat through their bond, earning another jab in the spine, which almost made him grunt. This wasn't the time for pettiness. Vienna could woop his ass when they got home.

Slowly, he turned his body fully towards the princess, raising his hands in surrender - she was holding a dagger after all - and followed her with his eyes, while she scrambled towards the door. Despite the shadows' ability to decieve, Kieran would say that he was at least a head or two taller than her.

It was when she had her back pressed against the door and asked him what he was doing, that the book in his right hand felt heavier than it had moments ago. He took a step backwards, "Just here for the book," he stated, head tilting, perhaps even as a challenge. Vienna would probably have called that judgement as well. Speaking of the greenscaled female, 'Ready?' He felt her adjust, Ready.

Kieran smirked, looking towards the young woman, "Well, it was a pleassure, your highness." With that, he spun around, took another two steps and proceeded to dive head first out the window.

It would have felt just as great as flying, if it wasn't for the fact that the ground came closer and closer. When he passed yet another window, he felt the backbag opening before a small dragon, about the size of an adult border collie, latched onto his shoulders. Claws digging into his flesh, Kieran saw from the corner of his eyes, Vienna open her wings before she let go and dove at an even faster pace than what gravity allowed. When she was in front him, the dragon grew to her normal size, allowing for Kieran to now be the one to latch on to her. 'Let's get out of here,' he thought, which Vienna took as a sign to redirect them, still far from where they would have hit the ground, so that they were now flying upwards and towards the forests.

They had done it... Barely.

After having quickly shoved the old book into the bag, Kieran pressed himself almost entirely flat against Vienna's back, while she was still gaining both speed and height. The female's lean built provided her with a faster acceleration, which proved to be very useful when they needed a quick getaway on missions. It had only taken the two seconds to put a comfortable distance between them and the castle. Now, they just needed to return home, so that him and his mother could finally figure out what was going on with his dragon.

If anything could give them an answer, it was the book. A book said to hold information on everything there was to know about dragons; How their age affected their growth, what kind of diet they needed, what kind of abilities they had and how they evolved as they got older.

The sun had started to show hints of soon making its way above the horizon, yet it was still fairly dark. Hopefully it was enough to keep them hidden from the human eye a bit longer.

Wind tore at his clothes, so much that his cloak (cape) was almost ripped from his shoulders. Silently, he decided that next time they went on stealth missions, he wouldn't bring loose clothing. Something then made him stop mid-action, when tugging the cloak closer atound him. Kieran looked from the horizon to the back of Vienna's head, 'Why did no-one else enter the princess' room? I mean, shouldn't she at least have alerted Záffre?' he thought, 'In theory, the whole castle should've known we were there.'

A pause.

Perhaps it wasn't worth chasing down a thief, whose escape-route was jumping out the window, she offered, blowing air out of her nostrills. Kieran thought about it, eyebrows furrowing. 'But there won't be a body,' he pointed out. Somehting else that didn't sit right was the fact that they had neither seen nor heard signs of any other dragons. If in danger, wouldn't one have alerted their dragon before anyone else? He blinked, 'Vienna, shouldn't-,' Wait. He mentally halted at her warning. If Kieran concentrated hard enough, he could hear her snarl through the sound of the wind. Something's wrong, she said, I don't know what, it- It's a feeling of sorts. I feel my spikes raising. 'Like hairs on a neck,' he realized. Then, almost as if he already knew, he wipped his head around. Gaining on them was the biggest dragon he had ever seen, scales dark and with a wingspan that told him a fast acceleration wouldn't be enough.

Záffre.

"Vienna," he shouted over the wind, looking back to her, "Faster!" Vienna roared with determination, wings beating harder. So the princess' dragon had been alerted. If they could get past the forests, they could turn right and head towards the canyons in order to lose them. Surely, a dragon that big couldn't maneuver through cliffs and still be right on their tail. They just had to keep up the pace.

With another glance backwards, panic rose in his chest. They were right behind them. So close that Kieran could just about get a glimpse of the rider, who was none other than the princess. Vienna's panting caught his attention next. They wouldn't make it to the canyons. "Just a bit more," he encouraged her anyways, a supporting hand briefly stroking her neck. I can't... Vienna admitted, ...Tired. Now, he was really starting to panic. There wasn't supposed to be other dragons than those belonging to the royal family. What were they gonna do with Vienna if they were caught. Trying not to let her feel his concern, he quickly shook his head and glanced back one more time when a strange sound entered his ears.

"What in the Saints is that?!" Feeling his face drain of color, he stared in horror when a thick, black smoke caught up with them, before eventually snaking its way around Vienna's tail and moments later, everything went dark. A confused screech came from the dragon's mouth, as she tried to find the nightsky once again, but to no avail. They were surrounded. Can't see! Niether could Kieran. He tightened his grip around one of her spikes, 'Dive!' he thought. Vienna followed the command immediately, letting herself fall to avoid the potential attack from behind.

Until about a young dragon's length above the forest, their eyes finally cleared from the darkness. "NO-," Kieran managed to shout, before they barrelled through the treetops, ramming into leaves, branches and logs before connecting with the ground.

Kieran was launched by impact and the fact he wasn't in a saddle, and Vienna rolled to a stop.

Kieran?!

He groaned from where he lay, backpag surpprisingly still around his shoulders, "I'm alright." He felt her pressence a second later. How she was all fit for fight and not showing any sign of damage, he had no clue. He couldn't exactly say the same for himself either, when eventually dragging himself to a standing position, several parts of his body aching from hitting the ground so hard. Kieran was still just a human.

Vienna positioned herself in a half circle around him, tail laying on the ground in front of his feet, nostrils flarring and eyes narrowing. She was on high alert, which told him that they hadn't escaped just yet.