((seeing other people write these...i figured i would offer Romirez's point of view on events going on in the land of Istaria. ))


(Journal is written in Istarian Common, with well composed Handwriting, as if using a Stylus)

this journal might not be complete, because I have to go back and remember many different times of my life, and some of those times are so long ago. But, I shall do the best I can.

Upon hatching, I found myself on the island of Skalkaar, soon greeted by a Spitfire, a fellow hatchling. He told me about the gifted, and all the stuff he usually does when he sees new gifted enter the island. I have no idea if I died in the egg, and was brought to the island, or if I had died out of the egg...but I knew I was Gifted because Spitfire told me I was, because I was here. Then, I went further up the island, and an adult told me all about fighting with your claws...his name escapes me at the moment. To make a long story short, him, and the ancient up the hill taught me the basics of fighting with one's claws and teeth, and making scales and gem-tipped claws. They aided me in fighting, but I quickly outgrew them once I left the island for New Trismus. I learned quickly about crafting, and fighting and had quickly taken to the art of combat. It was my favorite past-time, to sneak upon unsuspecting Gruoks and kill them. I enjoyed the hunts, and sometimes ate dinner that way. I had joined a guild in my early years called the Dominion of Fire. They taught me and nurtured me until I had to sleep for a while...i still don't know why, but I just felt like sleeping for a while. When I came back, the guild was all gone, and I had left it. I was alone again. I continued to train. Once I hit Season 20 of my Adventuring school, I had found a few Ancient dragons handing around the Portal in New Trismus, and one ancient looked exactly like me! Her name was Nephandi. There was also a purple one called Delight, and she took me in to a clan called Bane of the Aegis ( I still remain there to this day). Delight, the large purple dragon, had adopted me and raised me as if she laid my egg. Nephandi was my sister. I have thoughts on her being my blood sister, we being twins and all, but I am not completely sure. But, the Banes had taught me early on to fight the Aegis, and at season 28 I was out hunting with them in the Eastern Deadlands against the Elite Blighted Blights... nasty little things. I do remember one instance, I was going to try to pull a couple blights to our position to slay, and they had all been waiting for my advance... and they swarmed me. I tried to run, but they overran me quickly, and killed me as soon as they caught me. The pain was only for a moment, but it hurt... and it taught me about hunting against the Aegis. They even overran my A'mea, and killer her too. I had brought an army that slayed our entire hunting party, and we had to quickly Recall and regroup. It was funny later, but it was a good learning experience for me. I was happy that my A'mea was Gifted as I was, or else that would have been a painful and traumatic experience.

Fast forward to about Season 40. by that time, I was adept at hunting and killing my enemies, but my Crafting was lagging behind...i hate crafting. It was very boring to me. But, I was quickly approaching the time that I would begin my Rites and ascend to adulthood! Being combat-oriented, I felt that Lunus was the side I should go to. They were long and arduous... but it was a fun experience. As I remember, the only times I was ever slain, was against the more difficult fights, like Lem and Kaa (how I hated Kaa. He was hard to attract up to the top of the Spiral...and his cohorts were always in the way.). The Shadow Dragon also killed me a couple times, but I had Healers with me who raised me from the dead as soon as I had fallen. Eventually, I had used my Phylactery to kill the shadow dragon and capture his essence, making my Phylactery of Shadows. Using it, I would ascend to the Peak of Storms, and ascend into an Adult! The difference in bodies were substantial, but the most welcome one was that I could finally use my wings to ascend into the sky and fly! Oh, was it fun. I was flying all the time when I had gained my adult form. I loved the feel of the wind over my wings, soaring over the landscapes. I almost never landed, unless I was bone-tired, and had to sleep. After that, nothing much of import happened, I still hunted, I crafted very little, and was further taught on the arts of hunting and combat by the trainers of Dralk and Chiconis.

When I was about Season 80, I had learned Lairshaping, and purchased my own lair. I learned quickly that I hated lairshaping, very complicated process...very time consuming and tiring. I often ended the day tired, and very dirty. I took a quick bath in Pratt's Pond, and went to sleep right at the sandstone field. Once I had reached Season 90, however, I was very experienced in combat, and had gained a fair amount of knowledge in the Crafting arts, and had amassed a fairly large treasure Hoard (oh how I love shinies! Very distracting things...even now.). I felt It was time to begin my Ancient Rites, to gain the Ancient form. These trials were not so long and trying as the first Rites, but they were tough, and mostly centered around combat, which I liked. The most unsettling part was when I would go to the Rift in my spirit form, and leave my body behind. It felt weird, being spirit only, but I had gotten used to it fairly quickly. I went there with a large group of Ancients that were my friends and Guild members. I had met the sleeper there! She was rather large, and still very much alive. But she was powerless, being there in the Rift. I do wish we had a way to bring her back to Istaria...but that was not my mission. I had to hunt down the four Rift Guardians, and to battle Elial the Mercenary himself, and destroy his Sword, the Riftrender. The battles were tough, but I had gotten through the 4 guardians easily. Elial however, was more difficult, especially his sword. Having no body, I would not bleed, but his sword going through my spirit form felt very different, and had damaged me in the same way as if I had a body. Even though, we had killed him, and I brought the Riftrender to the Sleeper...and had destroyed it. All that was left was to gain ancient form. I had chose the island that floats over a large plain... I do not remember the name, but it was very serene, and a perfect place. My A'mea was there too! Afterwards, it felt good to finally look her in the eye without looking up. I had to get used to being larger too, because I could not fit in buildings anymore. I had to use my Khutit form I had gained while being adult. Being a Biped was very different, as I was a lot smaller, but it was very useful. The process of changing into a Khutit is pretty smooth, like going through a door. I had also grown fairly fond of a new breath weapon, the Lightning breath. It was fun to shoot lightning out of my mouth at my enemies, and weaken them. I had gained complete knowledge of combat, and had to focus on crafting. It was slow and boring, but I completed it slowly. Not much to say on this.

My Sister...she dissapeared when I was very young. I haven't seen her in many decades (as of now, I am 123 years old, and I feel it. Not as young as I used to be, sadly). I miss my sister. She was the only possible blood-family I had left. My A'mea still was around however, although harder and harder to find. By the time I had become an Elder, teaching young hatchlings new to the world, most of my Guild had stopped coming around, and I was mostly the only one around. Two hatchlings, however, caught my attention, by the name of Reagle and Ryshankito. They were both purple. I decided to raise them as my own, and I am glad I did. Reagle has grown into an Ancient that is very gentle and lovable, and Ryshankito almost the same. Having those two around made me feel complete, because I had family to care about, and to care for. That was, until I had to sleep for a long while. It was another episode of me having the dire need of sleeping, and I had not awoken for a few years. When I did awoke, however, the land was more barren, and I had no family around. I decided to hang around a bit, and found a new generation of Gifted that walked the land. My generation was very rare, but I did find a few. C'gan and his rider, Tagath, still roamed the land, helping others. My favorite kitty, Starlight, still was around, but her partner-in-crime, Saphire, was nowhere to be found. Not even Starlight could find her. Recently, however, the Gifted, and Istarian empire, had found a new Travel gate, leading to the so-called Dralnok's Doom, named after the Naka, Dralnok Hammerfist. He had died there slaying the enemies that existed there. The Helian dragons were even working on a new Breath weapon for us, using the acid from the Brachnia Beetles. I had talked to the breath trainer about it (his name also escapes me... I am really disliking old age. Can't remember details as I used to.), and he told me it was possible. But we had to find a chalice to hold the acid first. It was a long process, but we found an Adamantium flask with magical properties from Nature that could hold it. Getting enough acid was also a tough journey, because those Brachnia beetles were tough, and did not die easily. But we had did it, I had a flask of Distilled Acid. There was a possibility of me dying from drinking it, but I was not afraid, because I am Gifted. If I died drinking it, I would just come back alive again. I had held onto the bottle for a little while, not sure of drinking it. In the meantime, I had found a clearing that was a meeting place of sorts, for many individuals, gifted and non-gifted alike. It was there that I chose to drink the bottle, with several friends around me to help. When I did drink it, it had felt like it was Knut's Fire whiskey turned up several degrees. It burned all the way down...and I swore it burned my throat away, because the pain was immense. After a couple seconds of drinking it, I knew I was going to die, but I had friends there to ease my pain. It wasn't a fast death either, it was rather slow, and very painful. When I had finally died, it felt so refreshing to be freed from the pain. But it was only for a moment, because those friends that were around me had begun to resurrect me. When I was alive again, I found out that I could spit acid! It had worked! I was now fully capable of spitting acid. It was a pretty useful ability too.

After a few months of hanging out at the Clearing, I had found a hatchling named Duragis. He had no known Dragon family, and Naka had raised him. He was also blighted...but I saw the good and friendly soul in him. One Fiend however, had wanted to slay him. I wanted to eat that naka so badly, but I had resisted. I had researched a way to cure Duragis from the Blight...but his own body had beaten me to the punch. The Blight was being rejected by his essence and soul, and I had only to use my Primal Health, and Breeze spells to fully cure him. Once he was cured, he had taken on a brand-new sheen to his scales, and was as bouncy and happy as a hatchling should, so I decided to raise him as his A'meo.

I had also met a hatchling named Asua, who had gone blind, because apparently her body was turning metallic as she grew up. Once instance with her around will always stick in my mind. This dragon named Slee had arrived, and was rather mean. He taunded Asua to the point of Asua losing it completely, and was fighting slee...Asua could control the earth itself! That was a very interesting power, and was using it to great effect against slee. But slee was very resourceful himself, and had taken the air. I didn't want to get involved early on, but when I saw Asua tear into Slee's left hindquarter to the point of them both potentially falling and killing themselves, is when I decided to intervene. Once I reached them both, I had pulled Asua off Slee to save her, but in her blind rage, she bit my right front paw, and it hurt so badly, she had also bitten down to the bone and taken off a large amount of muscle. Fearing this, I landed quickly, and tried to heal it, before I bled out. I had stopped the bleeding and healed the broken bone, but the injury itself was still there, as were her teeth marks in my bone itself. I had some hand-wrappings from my hunting, and I had to use those to wrap up my injury. I could not put any pressure on it, or else it exploded in pain, so I could only walk on three legs. I was in great pain for a couple days, until a dragon I had met, named Zarla, and a druid named Azarain, had helped heal my paw. I still had a scar to remind me of the incident, but it was healed, and I could walk on it again. I had thanked Azarain several times, but she told me it was just her job. I was truly gratefull, because I would have been hobbling for weeks, and would not have been able to fight.

I had talked with Zarla after that, with a weird Spiritist named Niveus. He was a very interesting individual, because he was dark and possibly evil on the surface, but once you get to know him, he was just another Gifted who was fighting the Aegis like the rest of us. I was gaining new friends in my old age, apparently. I was enjoying myself, until I had met a blighted Aegis dragon, named Ryzaak. Niveus used a great amount of energy to purge the blight from him, and he apparently had died from it. His phylactery fell out during the commotion, and had the image of my Reagle in it! I knew right then I had to help him. I had raised him from the dead, but he flew off immediately afterwards, leaving his phylactery. But, before I could have gotten to it, a friend of his took it and ran off with it. It was not until a few weeks later I had found out, through Reagle himself, that Ryzaak was his biological father. When I found out, I was so glad I helped him, and was happy that my instincts had correctly guided me. When I met Ryzaak after that battle with Niveus, he was blind in both eyes, and was wanting my help to heal him. I used a great amount of energy to heal his eyes, but he still was weak. He had no magical energy in him. So I conferred with him, and Reagle, to find out a way to give him primal energy. Me and Reagle infused primal energy in Ryzaak. It had worked, he was happy again. He seemed very happy and hatchling-like afterwards, but it left my physically and Ethereally drained. After all that magic usage, I was almost at the point of passing out right where I lay, and the possibility of my body expiring from the lack of energy was in the back of my mind. But, right before I had passed out, Niveus did something I did not expect at all, he gave some of his energy to me, and allowed me to eat some food and sleep to regain my energy. I am still grateful that he did so, because it was completely unexpected. It seemed I had gained a friend in that Elf. After that, me and Reagle caught up, having not seen each other in a very long time. I found out he had gone through several Matings, and was depressed because of this. He had several clutches, but not many of his hatchlings survived. He told me he had a Nephew, named Falkor, who was a Druid-Dragon. I had met him later when he arrived, and we three had a good talking to. I found out I was a great-uncle, and a grandfather. It made me feel really old, but I was happy my family was expanding, and some of them still around. It was a good feeling to have my family around, because despite me making new friends in the Clearing, I was growing very lonely. I had no family around at all, and I was into a growing sadness. But when Reagle showed up, it turned me around, and made me happy again. I hope he sticks around.

Well, I think that is my life story up until now. I will continue to update this as my life continues, however. My life is not nearly over! I still have many decades to live yet.