Wolvrens (/wɵl’vɹɛn/)
Wolvrens are a Myriad of Dragons on Vitality. They can also be referred to as Rens, usually for anyone in the myriad but mostly for male Wolvrens, or Banshees, but for only females.
As created by Root, they are at the core, Storm Dragons. They are often considered the most “savage” of all the Myriads, having a rather closed off and militaristic culture. They are one of the only nomadic Dragons, moving throughout their territory, with no settlements in it. They’re also the one of the only Dragons covered in fur.
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the origin of a word and the historical development of its meaning.
Unlike the rest of the Myriads, their name’s meaning is completely unknown. Some of Epoch’s letters of her days before the Reckoning describe creatures called “Wolves”. They seemed to have been described in a similar manner to the Wolvrens of the that time. The original Wolvrens even share a similar name to them, though this is only through the plural version of the term. The singular was written as “Wolf”. The names could be completely unrelated, or perhaps share a similar prefix meaning the same thing. No one knows.
Characteristics
Generic Description
Wolvrens, unlike most Dragons, are more mammalian is appearance rather than reptilian-like. They have thick bushy fur covering their bodies, with the exception being their forearms past the elbows, their back legs past the hock, the underbelly of their tail, and the fingers of their wings. The fur is about 5 times thicker than any other wild mammalian fur. Most attribute the thickness of the fur due to the fact that other Dragons have a slightly harder time clawing them with the thicker fur than other mammals with thinner fur.
Like all Dragons they have thin flexible wings for flying. Their wing structure is very similar to their forearms and talon fingers. They have a shorter, thicker bone connected to their main body, than a longer, thinner bone connected to their wing fingers. These bones are similar to a Dragon’s forearm. They have 5 wing fingers, a short first digit, a longer second and third digit, a fourth digit that’s longer than the first but shorter than the second and third, and a fifth thumb claw extending out of the wing. The wing has a thin scaly membrane connecting all the digit except the thumb to the rest of the body. They do have fur on their forearm bones. Their wings are in fact, positioned just in front of their foreleg shoulders. The muscles for their wings needed to connect to their keel bone in their chest for proper flight.
Wolvrens have long straight backs. From the head to the base of their tail, their backs are very straight. They keep their heads level or below with their shoulders. From the front and side views, Wolvrens are rather narrow. Their chests are narrow and pointed almost, due to their keel bone for their wing muscles. Their legs are rather long compared to their body. Their legs are oval-like, but not overly rounded or thick. Their back haunches are wide and thick up to their hocks. Their hocks are very similar in size to their forelegs. Both their hocks and forelegs are turned slightly outward.
Wolvrens have thick and strong necks, proportionate to the body. The fur on the necks are much thicker than the rest of the body, however the fur is shorter than the rest of the body. There is a ruff of fur that extends from their cheeks along their necks to the base of the shoulders.
Wolvren heads are large compared to the body. Their heads are diamond shaped, with the muzzle coming to a small rounded point for the nose. At the base of the eyes, where the muzzle meets the rest of the face, there is almost no slope or drop off. Other Dragons have a pronounced slope or drop, making it easy to find where the muzzle meets the face.
Wolvrens have small ears set high on their heads. They are triangular, well furred, and curve almost inward. They are rounded at the tip and are very thick.
Wolvren eyes are small and almond shaped. They are close and slanted. They also line up with they ears. If you were to draw a line from the corners of the eyes you would reach the base of the ears.
Wolvren mouths are essentially the exact same as their muzzle. Their gums extend all the way to the base of the eyes. They have large thick fangs on both the bottom and the roof of their mouths. The fangs are on the front corners of the mouth, with thick, sharp, pointed molars behind them. The fangs are slightly curved, but not so much like snake fangs. When the mouth is closed all teeth line up perfectly, with the bottom teeth being slightly behind the top teeth. The top fangs are the biggest and come down slightly further than the rest of the teeth. The top fangs do still fit behind the gums like the rest of the teeth.
The Wolvrens’ tail is actually fairly short. It’s usually half the length of the body.The tail is very bushy, but there is no fur on the underside of the tail. Instead it’s just scales that run all the way down the tail till it comes to a point at the tip. The fur often hangs underneath the tail, leaving an odd furless line under their tails. Most Wolvrens cut the fur that hangs underneath their tails, mostly to prevent them from getting caught with leaves and debris. Wolvrens have their tails curl just enough so that it doesn’t touch the ground.
Dragonlings
Dragonlings look almost identical to their adult counterparts. However, a Dragonling’s fur is much shorter, and they have something like a down fluff. They don’t usually get their first teeth until 2 months of age. By the time they turn 10 they will have their large adult teeth. A newborn Dragonling will have massive eyes compared to their head. Their wings are quite large and floppy, but they grow into them by 3 months of age. Other than those things, Dragonlings are essentially mini adults.
Eggs
Like all Dragon eggs, Wolvren eggs start off incredibly soft and leathery before hardening. They are oval shaped with a more rounded end and a more pointed end, like common bird eggs. Once hard, the eggs are rough and very pitted. These pits can occasionally accumulate dirt and dust, though a mother shouldn’t worry, as dirt and dust on the shell have no effect on the Dragonling inside.
Wolvren eggs can have one of 2 colors or pattern. They can either be a marbled gray and white with occasional speckles of black or a marbled brown, tan, and mahogany. The colors of an egg do not affect the Dragonling’s overall coloration. They are only these specific colors depending on when the egg was laid, and what the outside conditions were. If an egg was laid in the middle of the frozen winter then the egg would be the gray and white color. This is the most common, as 7 of the campsites are among the coldest parts of the forest. An egg laid in these 7 campsites will always be gray and white. The remaining 3 sites are in the southernmost part of the forest. If the timing is just right, an egg laid in these sites will be brown and mahogany.
Morphs
Morphs are all the different colors and patterns that a Dragon can have. These are decided by a set of traits each Dragon has. While the trait set is decided by the Dragon’s element. All Dragons have the same trait set, but the chance of them getting certain traits is influenced by their parents. A Dragon that is considered pure, as in born in their original element, then their traits look more natural. They will look like they belong in their own environment more. This is especially true with the Wolvrens, as they have more natural colors.
Wolvrens are a Storm born Dragon, so pure Storm Wolvrens will have traits from the Storm Morphs. A pure Storm Wolvren will never get traits from any other element morph.
Pure Storm
As Wolvrens are naturally Storm Dragons, they have a few more Morphs for their Storm Trait set. They have 8 separate base colors, 8 base patterns, 8 eye colors, 8 accent patterns, 8 accent colors, and 16 pattern colors. The pattern colors are typically defined by the base color, being a similar color to the base color. Some combinations are named, and similar ones fall under a specifically named morph. Though it should be noted, that any combination of colors and patterns exists, leaving a numerous amount of total combinations for any given Wolvren.
Wolvrens name their morphs after the local conifers. The morphs are also derived from the basic colors of the Storm traits.
The Golden Larch morph is named after the Larch trees when they shed their leaves in the fall. The leaves turn golden yellow, which is why the Wolvrens named their golden yellow morph after the Larches.
The Silver Kauri morph is named after the silver gray bark of the Kauri trees. The morph itself contains the silver color with the, gray, white, black, and tan accents.
The Blue Spruce morph is named after the needles of the Blue Spruce tree. The needles are a blue-gray color, almost greenish. The morph also shows some of these colors. The Wolvrens of this morph are blue-gray, with accents of gray, white, and black.
The Redwood morph is, obviously named after the redwood trees. The Redwood has a light reddish color in its bark. The Redwood morph is different from the Mahogany morph due to its lighter color and its inclusion of orange and gold rather than brown shades.
The Snow Fir morph is named after the fir trees after a snowstorm. There’s nothing about the tree that caused the name. There are some myths about how the name came about though there’s no recorded historical evidence for any specific reason. Wolvrens with this morph have white fur with gray, black, and occasionally blue accents. This is the first color to be able to be entirely the base color; white.
The Black Pine morph is a bit different than the other morphs. It is named after the bark of the black pine trees. However, it is the only morph that will include any accent color or pattern. The only requirement for this morph is to have the black base color. It is also the second color to be able to be entirely the base color; black.
The Hemlock Hazel morph is named after the brown color of the Hemlock tree bark. No one know why it was the Hemlock tree they chose to name the brown color after. Despite this, the morph includes a mid-tone brown with green, gray and black accents.
The Mahogany Yewberry morph, named obviously after the Yew tree, is the second red morph. It’s different from the Redwood morph in the fact that the base is a darker more brown tone of red. The morph also contains brown and bright red accents.
Time
Mind
Light
Dark
Water
Fire
Terra Firma
Air
Ice
Lifeblood
Molten
Crystal
Nature
Sound
Space
Ecology
Territory
The Wolvren Myriad control a large section of territory, in between the Swift mountains and the Advent’s River. Their territory is entirely forest, mostly taiga. The majority of the territory is considered a part of the Winter Circle, being frozen 6 of the 10 months of the year. The southernmost part of the territory is warmer, being frozen only 4 of the 10 months. The trees are thick and close together, making flight impossible. It is the largest and densest forest in the Heartland. Wolvrens haven’t cut down trees (besides the ones in the clearings) in 2 and a half thousand years, making the current trees absolutely massive. Despite it seeming like it should have dead looking trees most of the time, the forest in fact has every kind of conifer tree. Cold blooming plants aren’t uncommon. It is considered the most beautiful forest in the Winter circle.
The forest has a specific arrangement to the different kinds of conifer trees. For example, in the warmest southernmost parts of the forest there are the Larch Conifer trees, trees that shed their needles in the coldest months, and Kauri trees. Redwoods and Junipers surround the Larches, but spread more towards the Advent’s river. Cedars and Firs surround the Redwood and Junipers but spread more towards the Swift’s mountains in a seemingly spiral pattern. From there, there’s a spread of Pine and Spruce trees, swooping like a wave back towards the Advent’s river. After that, Hemlocks, False Hemlocks, and Yew make up a patchy swirling pattern that goes all the way to the coast of the territory. It should be noted that the Hemlock Conifers have nothing to do with the poisonous Hemlock plants in the Box’s Jungle. The Hemlock Conifers are also not poisonous. Though it should be noted that the Yew berry seeds are poisonous to some mammals and should not be fed to pets. They are, however, not poisonous to Dragons, which does include the Wolvrens, though the seeds are not commonly eaten.
The Wolvren territory is called the Silverstorm Forest, and will appear that way on all maps.
The Camps
The Wolvren camps are the only point of interest in the entire Silverstorm Forest. There are 10 open clears where the Wolvrens set up camp, originally one for each month, but now they stay in each for 2 months. It takes around 2 days run between each. These clearings have been around for thousands of years, and each time the Wolvrens arrive they cut down all the new trees that have been growing while they were gone. They use the wood as firewood and for repairs.
Underneath each camp there are deep, extensive mine caves. These caves are several thousand years old, and haven’t been dug at in centuries. They were used to collect iron, silver, and gold, of which only gold was found most useful. Iron was used to create fasteners for armor, but nothing else. A little bit of silver was used to decorate the General’s antler crown, and their tent. Now the mines lay mostly empty, though occasionally Dragonlings will wander and play in them. The mines haven’t been used in so long that no Dragon worries about dangers within.
There are a few things that get left behind at the campsites. For one, the metal forge is left. A big stone structure cannot be moved from place to place. Even still it is rarely used. In the old mines the Wolvrens will store furs, skins, and bones of their catches. They reuse so much that they end up not being able to use anything new. So now the Wolvrens have massive stores of perfectly preserved furs, skins and bones waiting for their use in the next years. The Wolves will also leave behind large drums, musical drums. They’ll move the drums into the mine caves to preserve them against the ever changing temperatures. Each site has several drums that will be used throughout the stay.
Diet
Due to all their activities, Wolvrens eat a lot. They have to eat twice their body weight to keep up with themselves. Their high metabolism likely comes from their lightning abilities, draining their own energy faster. At the end of each week, they prepare the largest meal, where they eat three times their body weight. But all other times they eat just twice their body weight. Most other Dragons see their dinner-time meals as feasts. Wolvrens don’t eat three meals a day, just a large one at the end of the day. At the end of each week, the whole Myriad comes together in a massive feast, and celebrate the successes of the week.
Wolvrens are not picky eaters, though their preferred food are the Ferine Rangifer, a massive monstrous reindeer. They’re so big it only takes ten to feed the whole pack their own body weight. Though they usually only eat these at the end of the week feast. Any other time they eat rabbits, quail, turkey, waterfowl, rodents, and basically anything with fur or feathers that moves. Along with meats they also eat berries, figs, and other fruits. The smaller animals are usually made into soups, along with local mushrooms, herbs, roots, and occasionally stems of certain plants.
They will however, not eat carrion. It is seen as absolutely unsanitary and a danger due to diseases. They only eat things that they have killed, and shortly after it has been killed. Usually within the day it was killed, rarely later than that. When they do find an animal that has unexplainably dies, Wolvrens investigate the cause of death. Old age is never an option for the Ferine Rangifer because most of them don’t make that old. They usually get picked off first. The health of the heard of Rangifers is very important to the lively hood of the Wolvrens.
Abilities
Normal Storm Wolvrens have the same powers as any Storm Dragon. They also have to learn how to use all their powers, with the exception of a few, the innate abilities.
They have electrokenisis, or the ability to completely control lightning. This is the basis for all their other abilities. Technically this is an innate ability, though Wolvrens must train in order to have control over their own abilities. They won’t be immediately able to have full control over Lightning. Most often Wolvrens will go to a University in the Argent territory to train in their abilities.
They have the ability of Electroreception, where they can detect electrical fields. Normally found in fish, they have an extreme version of electroreception. They can detect other Storm Dragons’ electrical fields, and can detect the heartbeat of any living being, with the exception Ice Dragons. This ability is innate and is used for hunting, or for the Wolvrens’ case, finding intruders and trespassers.
They can travel through lighting, also called lightning travel. No one’s exactly sure how it works, but the general idea is that they call upon lightning and the travel with it to the desired destination. This ability is taught, but is instead of learning it in University, they are taught by their parents or the pack itself.
They have the ability to control storms. They can control when and where lightning strikes and how storms form. They don’t exactly control thunder, as that would be the ability of a Sound Dragon, but they can influence how it sounds. They’ll position lightning in a way that thunder will sound to their lightning.
They can absorb energy, particularly lightning. They can take electrical energy from anywhere, and use it for themselves. They can take energy from any living thing. However, the absorption of energy from living things is a difficult ability to learn. The absorption of energy from lightning is easier, but still had to learn.
They have the ability to transfer energy. This is an easy ability to learn. It is so easy, Hunters use it everyday to kill prey by sending enough electricity to stop the animals’ heart. A Wolvren does have the ability to stop a Dragon’s heart, but they consider that unsportsmanlike. Normally they use this to simply put a Dragon in a temporary sleep. The only Dragons unaffected by this ability are Ice Dragons.
The Pack
The Pack is the blanket term used to identify all Wolvrens living in the Silverstorm Forest. They are only considered if they’ve lived with the pack for most of their lives or have lived there for a long time. Wolvrens living outside the forest, whether or not they have been a member in the past, are not a part of the Pack. Wolvrens going into Elemental Education and leave the forest for the Argent Dragons, have their pack member status temporarily removed. If they return right after then their status is returned.
Wolvrens have an innate desire to be a part of a group or pack, without one they become extremely depressed. A pack is not just a Wolvren’s family, the group of 4-5 Dragons, but a large group with 20+ Dragons. Packs do everything together. They live and feed together. They hunt and gather, they run and fly, they train and battle, they hunt and die together. There isn’t anything they don’t do together. This is the only reason why there are so few Wolvrens living outside the pack for reasons other than Elemental Education. No other myriad can fill the void, a family and devotion in Root will remedy the feeling but it will never go away.
Within a pack there are many different roles. Some with less or more jobs that others but each are equally important. While Myriads have farmers, butchers, and all sorts of business peoples, Wolvrens have hunters and gatherers. The Wolvren pack has been referred to as “primitive” due to their nature. Every member of the pack has a job, there aren’t just hunters and gatherers. The pack has hunters, gatherers, menders, protectors, scouts, and of course the leaders, the General Chief and the Second Commander.
Hunters
As their name implies, hunters are the ones who hunt for the food of the pack. Every day they go out into the forest and bring back dozens upon dozens of animals for food, and on the last day of the week they take down 10 of the largest Rangifer. Though, unlike what most think, hunters do a lot more that just hunt.
Hunters are the ones who prep the meat, leather, fur, and bones they’ve caught. They’re trained to know how to use every single part of an animal, or at least the usable parts. They are responsible for cleaning the leather and bones, and sometimes fur. Once cleaned they go to the Menders to be made into tools or used for repairs.
In order to preserve as much of the animals as possible, instead of tearing them up, Hunters use their electrical power to shock and stop the beast’s heart. When it comes to Rangifer, they end up completely flipping them so that when they land they have the breath knocked out of them an while it’s mid air they stop it’s heart. For smaller ones they end up grabbing them with their teeth and claws before shocking them.
Hunters are also the ones who prep the food for the day. They typically finish hunting early in the morning and have to dinner finished by night. The cleaning and taking the meat off the bones typically take up the entire day.
Hunters wouldn’t be hunters if they didn’t have such a true and deep respect for animals. They never kill unless they have a reason. And after each kill the say a short prayer of thanks to Root for providing and allowing the catch. Any part of an animal that can’t be used gets buried to be put back into the environment. They never let any part of a kill go to waste. Everything has a use. Whether that be for use of the Pack or for use of the forest.
Gatherers
Gatherers are, of course, the pack members who collect the other parts of the Wolvren’s dinner. They dig up roots, collect berries, winter fruits, figs, and mushrooms. Anything that needs to be collected that isn’t hunted, is collected by the Gatherers. All foods they collect, they clean and give to the Hunters so that they can prepare the rest of the dinner.
Not only do they collect food, but also collect all medicinal plants for the Healers. Whatever the Healers request, they get. At the home camp, they also gather up the young trees that have been growing from the time that they had left. These little trees are in the way, and must be removed so that they can continue to set up camp in the clearings. Removing them is one of the Gatherers jobs. They then clean them up and give the branches and trunks to the Menders to be used for camp and cooking fires, builds, repairs, and funeral pyres.
Gatherers know every plant in the entire forest. They even know how to use medicinal plants if need be. They usually are absolutely fascinated by plants and everything about them. I they are hard workers, and like constantly going in and out of camp multiple times a day. They like the thought of exploring, though technically they’re not allowed to, as their only reason for being in the wild is to collect whatever anyone needs.
Menders
Menders are the artisans of the Wolvrens. They take pure, raw materials and use them to create everything the pack uses. They turn skins into leather, and the use those to make armor and repair the tents. They are skilled, and can make almost anything. They deeply enjoy the arts. The Hunters bring them the bones, antlers, leathers, and furs. The Gatherers bring them wood and stones, and even reeds to be woven into canvas. They can turn plants and bugs into dyes, which they can turn into paint. If given the materials, they can turn anything into anything. They are incredibly inventive and artistically talented.
Their main roles in the pack are repairing tents, making and managing armor, managing equipment, and creating artwork for the enjoyment of the pack. Most often they become Tellers, due to their enjoyment of the arts. Metalworking is possible for the Wolvrens, however, they aren’t able make things like tools and weapons. They only make clasps and fasteners for armors. Every camp has forges, but they haven’t used them in decades. They always make efforts to reuse everything that has been made in the camp.
During their rare free time, they make tapestries, carvings, paintings and musical instruments. What they make depends on their specific skill. The ones that weave baskets for the Gatherers make tapestries, they may also make canvas. Those that make carvings, usually make weapons and tools from antlers and Rangifer bones. Painting is actually a job of itself. Usually decorating armor in the Wolvren colors and decorating the tents. Weavers will also make musical instruments. These are the only things Wolvrens make that can’t be repaired. Instruments are very important to the livelihood of the pack. They play in the center of the camp, during feasts, and during the Tellers’ festival. Instruments can be played by anyone, and often have players rotate in shifts so that no one is left out of a job or being able to eat during feasts. Most often, musicians are Menders and healers.
Protectors
Protectors are the Pack Protectors, as their very literal name implies. Though they also protect the Ferine Rangifer. Though, unlike the Scouts, they actively do things to protect the herd. They’ll put themselves in danger for the Rangifer. They’ll untangle antlers, get hooves unstuck, and occasionally aid in the birth of calves. They’ll put down sick Rangifer for the good of the herd, but the injured are tagged or marked and left for the Hunters.
When at camp, the Protectors are also responsible for watching camp borders. They guard the walls of camp in shifts. The same applies for tents. They guard the entrances for the tents, particularly at night. As always, these are done in shifts. They also watch the entrances to make sure little ones don’t get lost and escape at night.
Once every 2 months, or once while they’re at the current camp, a large group of the Protectors will take some of the Scouts and do a full border sweep. They check the walls for damage or for potential holes that Rangifer could escape from. If damage or potential escape is found, then it is marked and a Scout is sent back to camp to fetch Menders for repairs. The Protectors and Scouts are fast, so it only takes 2 weeks to travel the entire border. It also helps that they use Lighting travel to return home.
While Protectors are trained by in the Militia, as everyone is a part of the Militia after 20, Protectors are not a division of the Militia.
Healers
As Wolvrens have a very simplistic naming system for their jobs, Healers are the Pack Healers. They are expertly skilled in medicine and the art of healing. They can cure general diseases and infections, though the most skilled can even safely perform amputations, a rare and last resort for major infections. Plants are the basis for all things used by Healers. They’ll have Menders weave bandages plant fibers, and herbs and plants are used as medicine. They can use mixtures of plants to dull infections, clean up wounds, and destroy infections.
When a Healer decides to become a Healer, they’ll train for 5 years before being appointed as Healers. Once they’re a Healer, they will never be able to heal their own family members. Mostly due to bias and the risk of panic over the injury of a family member. While all Pack members are technically considered family, Healers only perform on those they won’t have a personal bias on.
Scouts
Scouts are the pack’s lookouts, or watchmen. Scouts are scouts. Everyday, a squad of 20 is sent out to report on Ferine Rangifer herd. They tell how faraway they are, and usually advise on when the pack should move to the next campsite. They’ll also look for sick Rangifer, problems with the Rangifer’s food, if there’s any stuck Rangifer, or, during spring, if the Rangifer birth rates are normal. They report on any problems with the Rangifer herd.
Scouts also occasionally are sent to report on the surrounding territories. They’ll sneak out the walls, then spy on the other territories. They are the only Wolvrens allowed outside the walls, other than the Senator. A few selected Scouts may also be sent to the Capital to be messengers for the Senator. In general, they are not messengers, but in the rare instance the General Chief sends a message to other Myriads, Scouts will be sent.
As with the Protectors, the travel once every 2 months to check in on the walls. If need be, they’ll be sent back to camp when damage or a hole is found in the wall. They’ll bring Menders to the damage, and once it is fixed, Menders return to camp and Scouts will return to the Protectors. They’ll repeat this every time damage is found, for the entire duration of the border sweep.
When the Senator goes to the Capital, 3 Scouts are sent with them. These three are usually volunteers, if not then they are picked by the General. Unlike the Senator, they do have terms, and can return home after 10 years, or when the General who appointed them dies or loses power. They are considered messengers of the Senator, with that being their primary job. However, the General or Commander may sometimes order them to collect more information on current affairs. This is mostly just to see if anyone’s planning war or to see if someone is trying to convince the Senator to open trade.
The General Chief
The General Chief, often simply called the General, is the leader of the Wolvren Pack. They hold the entire command of the pack. However, with all this power the pack put the Second Commander in place to keep the General in check.
The General’s main role is to control the hunting parties, who’s in the militia or who’s not, when they leave their current camp spot, what to do with intruders, and they control who the pack’s Capital Senator is. When encountering intruders, other Wolvrens will not speak, acting like blind savages following their master, the General. They refuse to speak to anyone no matter what. Visitors can only speak to the General, which can either be a high honor or terrifying experience.
The General is not elected, but chosen by the preceding General. Often they are hereditary, however, the General can choose any Wolvren. Though there are some specific rules for picking Generals. They must be a pure Storm Wolvren, with at least 3 generations of Storm Wolvren ancestors, have full basic education (ages 6 months - 10 years old), have Elemental education (10-15 years of age, required to leave pack for this time), and have 40 years of militia training, and you can never have been or currently are the Second Commander. Of course most Generals pick their Dragonlings to be the next General. If a General never picks a successor then one of their Dragonlings will be picked by the pack so long as they meet their requirements. If not, the best candidate who meets all the requirements is picked. A Second Commander, past or present, can never be General and can never pick the General’s successor.
Despite what many think, Generals are not worshiped. In fact they are treated almost like any other pack member, just with a little more respect. They sit at the same level, they run the same trails, they eat the same as everyone else. There is also no punishment for slander against them. Conspiracies against them may be punished but only by the Second Commander. They do, however, have their own tent for their family with extra guards, just in case.
The Second Commander
The Second Commander is the second in command to the General Chief, hence the name Second Commander. They’re often simply referred to as the Commander, similarly to the General. While the General has complete control over the Pack, the Commander is in place to prevent the General from abusing their powers. The Commander can over rule any command issued by the General, so long as they are backed by the entire Pack. The overrule is only considered if more than 80% of the adult members of the Pack agree. The Pack can voice themselves through the Second Commander. This is also shown in how the Second Commander gains their power.
Unlike the General, the Second Commander is in fact, elected by the Pack. All adult members of the Pack, those being at least 20 years of age, will come together and vote on the candidates running for Commander. A candidate wins if they get more than 75% of the votes. If no candidate gets more than 75% of the vote, then they revote over and over until someone does. Commanders serve for a total of 50 years.
There are many requirements for becoming a Second Commander. The first being that they could have never been a General. The only reason for a General to no longer be a General is that they had been forcibly removed by a Second Commander. The candidate cannot have been a Commander previously, to ensure that one commander cannot keep getting power over and over again. Second Commanders must be at least 30 years old, full education and 10 years Pack experience. They must have shown exceptional skill in their Militia training. They have to receive a letter of recommendation from their training Captain. And finally, Commanders have to be elected by a majority, more than 75%, of the Pack vote. After that, they are initiated by the General and start their 50 year term.
A Commander can be outed by the Pack if they are disliked, and only if the entire pack comes to a consensus. The same can be applied to the General’s position. If all members of the Pack agree, and by all members they mean ALL members, the the Commander can issue a command that all adult Pack members must participate in. This command states that the General is officially an enemy of the Pack. In which case they are to either be killed on sight or to be captured and tried for crimes against the Pack. After which a new General and Commander is picked. The Commander loses their power after the command is issued to insure they don’t try and do it over and over again. This command is called the Dispelation command.
If a Commander dies unexpectedly mid-term, an acting Commander will take their place temporarily. Usually an acting Commander is only picked through popularity. The General has no say, and none of the other rules necessarily apply. Though, this is an incredibly rare situation. Almost all Commanders are picked young, and almost none have ever died unexpectedly on the job. In one recorded case, a well respected Commander died due to disease, and the Pack elected his daughter, who had been personally trained to be a commander. The Pack unanimously decided that she would take up the temporary position as commander. A Commander may also pick a potential successor, just in case of their untimely death. In that case, the Commander had picked his daughter as a potential acting Commander. She did not stay commander for very long, only a year and a half. However, the most notable thing she did, was issue the Dispelation command. The command was issued without a problem, and she did in fact keep her temporary power for a little long until the new election was set up.
Most Commanders issue the General’s commands without any problems. They may also issue their own commands to the Pack, though they cannot go against the will of the General unless decided on by the Pack. Generals have complete control over the Pack and don’t have to run their commands by anyone. Commanders have to follow the will of the General unless they get permission from a Pack vote. Votes don’t have to be formal, it just be that they’ve sent Scouts to individually speak with every member, or have them sign a petition. The Commander only have power by the people, while Generals have unlimited power, but can be ousted by the command of the Second Commander.
The Senator
The Senator is the Capital representative for the entire Wolvren Myriad. They are appointed by the General, and the pack can veto the election through the Commander. They will live in the Capital and participate in international issues. They are expected to represent the Wolvrens in any and all things pertaining to the well being of the Myriads. They serve for their entire lives or until the current General dies or loses power. They may be reappointed by the next General.
The Senator’s main job is to manage foreign affairs. They are completely autonomous and can make their own decisions. The General will give them guidelines that they have to follow, such as not opening the borders or opening trade. They argue for the Pack’s morals and the Pack’s right to closed borders and complete independence. They spend most of their days attending Senator meetings that hardly every pertain to them. Most meetings are about the affairs of the other Myriads, so they mostly stay silent during meetings. They find their job pointless. However, the Capital requires a Senator to allow them to participate in foreign affairs, or rather prevent foreigners from interfering with their own affairs.
Being the Senator is considered the most hated job in the entire pack. They are force to leave the pack and live amongst unknown Dragons. They leave their families and everyone they’ve ever known. Many become incredibly depressed due to the lack of a Pack. The Pack will go into a week long mourning for the Senator before they leave. When at the Capital, Scouts often come bearing letters from the Pack to hopefully comfort the lonely Senator.
When they return home they are considerably rewarded for their sacrifice. They are allowed to permanently retire, and never have to work again. They often spend the remainder of their lives telling stories of the other Myriads to Dragonlings.
Tellers
The Tellers are a group of Wolvrens in the Pack who perform stories. They are not considered a main role in the pack, but are still considered a role. Tellers themselves in fact have other roles in the Pack. They’re usually Menders or Gatherers, the roles with potentially the most free time. They mostly spend their free time telling stories to the Dragonlings.
On the Coldest day of the year, which also happens to be the last night of the year, the Tellers put on a full show for the Dragonlings. The retell many of the most famous legends, through tapestries and their own powers. They have learned to create live images, almost like real Dragons are right in front of them. They don’t look exactly real, but they look like Dragons outlined by lightning. They move almost realistically. They look absolutely beautiful. Through these Lightning Figures, tapestries, and music, the Wolvren Tellers tell the legends of the Wolvren Myriad. Passing them on to the next generation.
Militia
The Militia is the Wolvren’s military. It is entirely composed of Wolvren Pack members, ages 25 and up. They are trained, armed, and capable of fighting whenever the General deems it necessary. However, Militia members are not active until the General calls the Militia to action. Instead they continue their jobs as normal, though periodical training is required. Every pack member, so long as they are of age, is a part of the Militia. There are few exceptions.The most common exception being pregnant mothers. From 4 months of carrying the egg to 2 moths after laying the egg, mothers do not get to participate in Militia calls and training. After that, Militia time is required. Fathers no matter what, will have to participate in Militia calls and training. Wolvren Pack members who are not Storm Dragons will not allowed to be in the Militia at all. Senators, past or present, are still considered a part of Militia but if they retire no Militia work is required of them.
The Rankings
At the top of the Militia Ranks is obviously the General Chief. They can call the Militia to battle or war. They can even call the Militia to attack and kill intruders. However, the kill command will not be followed unless the Second Commander gives the word. Other than that, whatever the General says, goes.
Next is the Second Commander. They can cancel the General’s kill commands or any other commands so long as they have the entire Pack on their side. However, unless the General commands otherwise, the Second Command is the complete leader of the Militia. They are the ones that order the the Militia around, while the General controls the Pack itself. Commanding the Militia is the Second Commander’s main role in the pack.
Below the Second Commander are the Militia Captains. Unlike the previous two, there are many Captains. They each control the individual Militia units. They command training sessions, lead groups during migration, and command corps during battle. They get their commands directly from the Second Commander. When there are issues they report to the Second Commander. Captains do not have any other Jobs in the Pack, they’re always training some group of Pack members. To become a Captain you must train until you turn 50. Captains can only be instated once they turn 50, and will always command members that are younger than themselves. Captains in training will usually be Protectors or Hunters. Once a Captain, they will always be working by training groups. If they don’t have anyone to train they will be on the Commander’s personal guard. Captains are also typically picked as the Second Commander’s successors.
Below the Captains are the Militia Units. They are just assigned groups of Wolvren Pack members that only come into affect during migration and wars. From hatching, Wolvren Dragonlings are assigned a Unit, but won’t join them in migration until they turn 10. Units typically only have Wolvrens that are within 5 years of each other, so that they would get along better. The age of the Captain of any unit varies. A Militia unit will never have a Captain that is the same age or younger than themselves. The Captain will always be older. Militia units don’t really effect Wolvren lives much, only during Migration.
Training
Every Wolvren, starting from the age of 25, is entered into the militia. Once entered, they train every day, from midday to dinner time, for the next 5 years. After 5 years, or when they turn 30, they are aloud to continue work without having to train everyday. However, after 10 years when they turn 40 they enter training once again for a year. Then again every 10 years after that, at ages 50, 60, 70, 80, and so on. Every 10 years until they die. The Second Commander, no matter what, trains every day they are Commander. They get no excuses unless they’re a mother.
Training is rather rigorous, being quite difficult for any other Dragon. They train hard in discipline, speed, and strength. Endurance is also tested, though every Dragon is different so it’s not held against anyone. Wolvrens are not allowed to use their Storm powers in Militia training. It is considered a crutch for pure Wolvren power.
Wolvren training is a lot different than others. They are given the standard, told to make it there, and then tested. They are not punished severely, but praised greatly. They only get praised once they do it properly, or are on their way to the standard. They are given ways to reach the goal, but they have to do the work themselves. Because of this method, Wolvrens push themselves hard. They’ll work harder and harder, pushing themselves to their limits, just to pass the tests. As they push themselves, their limits get further and further, until they can do things others might see as dangerous. But Wolvrens don’t care. They just want to be the best. Once they push themselves to the best, they train themselves to keep it that way. Captains just have to make sure they stop pushing themselves at some point, before the get themselves killed.
Discipline is the first thing trained into Wolvrens. They are trained to have complete control over themselves. Young Wolvrens in Discipline training will have to stand completely silent and still at the edge of the walls of the feast tent, waiting until the very end of the feast to get their turn. They have to stand completely silent and still for 3 hours. Not even their eyes can move, they can blink but they cannot move. Some few Wolvrens have gone as far as to not blink for the entire time. To discourage hurting themselves, Captains do not praise this. After that, Wolvrens will quit doing it. Standing still for so long allows the Wolvrens to take control of their breathing, and slow it to a point. When doing this they almost look like stuffed statues. It’s very difficult to tell if they’re even alive. Wolvrens want complete control over their bodies. They use this training to stalk prey or enemies. They can stay still and wait to ambush. Discipline is also what allows the General Chief control over the entire Wolvren Pack.
Speed is second. They must train up their movement speed and reaction time. They are trained to think faster than their opponents. They are trained to be faster than their opponent. As stated before, the use of Storm power is not allowing, and will be considered cheating if it is discovered. Wolvrens highly discourage the use of powers in training. A Wolvren’s speed is tested through a complicated obstacle course. They are timed with a special Wolvren timer, and if they meet a certain threshold, then they pass. If they do better than the specified time then they get praised more. If they are found to have cheated then they are tested 10 times over again, and watched by all Captains and the Commander. They may also be shamed by the rest of their unit. The speed test is the only test that could possibly be cheated on due to its length and lack of watch-guards. For reaction time, they test them by throwing dull spears directly at them in a very quick succession. They are expected to catch all of the spears and put them on the ground without breaking them. If a spear breaks, whether its the trainee’s fault or not they will be re tested. If a spear hits a Wolvren it will not puncture them but it will still hurt a lot. As a final overall test, they have to chase and trap the Second Commander. They plant a trap or traps in the forest then chase the Commander through the woods. Their goal is to chase the Commander into one of their traps. Some clever Wolvrens have reportedly placed their traps high in a tree and grabbed it during the chase, then managed to either lead the Commander to a dead end or get in front of them and trap the Commander by hand. This is the only time when loopholes are allowed. If the keep the Commander trapped for long enough to get on top of their back then they pass the test. This is the only test with many different ways to complete it.
Strength is considered last. Once Wolvrens know how to control their bodies they are able to strength train themselves properly. While Wolvrens do appreciate intelligence, they do not appreciate loopholes in their tests and training. They test pure brute strength, strength endurance, and resistance. The pure brute strength is tested by how much a Wolvren move or lift at once. Strength endurance is how long a Wolvren can use their strength. This one is especially important in fighting. Fights may be quick but in the chance they can last a long time Wolvrens must be able to last a long time, or at least longer than their opponent. The last one is resistance. This is the one considered barbaric among other Myriads. Resistance is how much a Wolvren can take before breaking. They spend the majority of training on this specific quality. It is every Wolvren’s least favorite. When they first train in resistance, they are taken up to the coldest point of the territory, and must stay there for an entire year. They get water and little food. Captains are even instructed to toss water on them to make them colder. Wolvrens don’t get frostbite, but they still feel the burning pain of being cold. They are not physically harmed, but they can still feel it all. If a Wolvren can make it through the entire stay without admitting defeat then they pass. In the next training session in 10 years they only have to spend 5 months up there. Once they finish resistance training they do one more discipline test and then they are done for the training session. They won’t have to experience it again until the next training session in 10 years.
Role In The Pack
The Militia’s role is to train Wolvrens into proper working Adults. The harsh training makes them immune to the harsh Silverstorm Forest Winters. It gives them discipline, for the better of themselves. They obey the General and Commander more. They take care of themselves better. The learn to work hard and push themselves to be better for the pack. They end up becoming more creative and inventive. Training gives them more endurance for work. It makes them smarter and faster. They become better than anyone else. And when the time comes, they are ready for battle. They’ll be able to face whatever challenges comes their way.
Culture
Education
Migrating
Wolvrens are the only nomadic Dragons. Well, nomadic in the sense that they have no permanent settlements. They do have 10 campsites they rotate between every 2 months. Though once they leave, the campsite gets 2 years to heal before they return, as there are 10 months in a year. They migrate with their main food source, the Ferine Rangifer.
The Ferine Rangifer eat the moss, lichen, and bark off the trees in the Wolvren forest. Naturally these take time to grow and replenish themselves. The Rangifer can’t wait and simply graze through the trees. The trees themselves are completely fine. The Rangifer slowly make their way through areas with fully grown bark. Since they’ve been doing this for thousands of years, they’ve made a very specific grazing pattern throughout the forest. In which the Wolvrens have set up campsites so that they’re always just behind the Rangifer. Once the Rangifer get too far, the Pack puts up the camp, then they set out for the next.
Migrating is fairly easy for the Wolvrens. Each camp is only 2 days run apart, without stopping. The Pack will have a grand feast 2 days before packing, then when the day comes to leave, they run until they get there and don’t stop once. The Dragonlings, depending on their age, will either run along side their parents or ride on their mother’s backs. Dragonlings of ages 5+ will do the run. However, they may lag behind a bit so they are watched by the Protectors that trail at the end of the Pack to ensure no one gets left behind.
Right before they leave, the General will always issue a census to count the number of Dragons, Dragonlings, and Eggs before departing. Each pack member is then assigned to a group lead by a Captain of the Militia. These groups will have to follow their assigned Captain, whether they’ve been separated from family or not. Dragonlings will always stay in their mother’s group, though this doesn’t matter once they turn 20. Once the Pack arrive at the next camp, or rather once the tailing Protectors arrive, the census is used as a sort of roll call. Each Captain will do a roll call for their group and mark if someone is missing or not. If someone is missing, a camp search will be done immediately. However, a missing Dragon will not be looked for until the next day, as a precaution in case they’re just lagging behind. Dragonlings will be looked for immediately no matter the age. All Scouts are sent on the search, and Protectors will temporarily fill in other Scout roles. Searches last up to 2 weeks before being called off. If a missing Dragon is never found during the search, then a memorial funeral is held. If a missing Dragon is found dead long after the search, then a proper funeral is held. A Wolvren going missing during a run is incredibly rare, and most of the time they are found or find their own way back to camp. It’s hard to get lost for long in the Silverstorm Forest.
The Borders
Wolvren’s have completely closed borders. They do not currently accept trade, and do not tolerate any outsiders, with the exception of messengers and some Argent Dragons.
Wolvrens have walls on 3 of the 4 sides of their forest, with the open one being a costal border. The walls stretch the entire length of the border, all the way to the sea. Many others believe this is to keep other Dragons out, but in reality, it’s to keep the Rangifer in. The Wolvrens also do not care to learn about the other Myriads way of life, they do not wish to settle down and create farms. Thousands of years ago, the other Myriads attempted to “help” the Wolvrens settle, but they other Myriads were quickly turned away, and the walls were put up. The Wolvrens of the past only put up the walls to protect the other Myriads. A Wolvren has the nature to protect, so that’s what they did. They protected both the other Myriads and the Ferine Rangifer, but they cut themselves off from the world in the process.
Modern Wolvrens don’t care about the outside. They’d prefer to stay on their side of the walls. They don’t want to change their way of life. Though their way of life includes the walls. If they ever do find a way to contain the Rangifer, then perhaps they will look into opening the borders. Perhaps.
Languages
Myradic
As with all Dragons, Wolvrens speak Myradic. It is the standard language across Vitality. However, Females have a different accent, a completely different way of speaking than any other Dragon. Females cannot growl or roar. A normal Myradic pronunciation includes some growls, but without being able to growl, some sounds in some words aren’t produced. No one knows why Females don’t growl, but we do know it’s absolutely terrifying.
Lightning Speak
Both Wolvrens and Argent Dragons, with lightning abilities, can communicate with lightning and thunder. Both of the Storm Myriad haves their own dialect of lightning communication, but no one Dragon can fully understand both. No non Storm Dragon can understand the lightning communication either.
Lightning speak is where Storm Dragons use their control over lightning to manipulate it (in the sky) in a certain way to spread a message over a large area. With it being in the sky, nearly all members of the Myriad can see and hear the message. The messages have both parts, the lightning and the thunder. Wolvrens have said that, in their dialect, the thunder determines the tone while the lightning is the message itself. They say that there is no specific pattern to the language, but all is understood by sight. You understand the message by the feeling of what you see. Of course this confuses all other Myriads. Argent Dragons have something similar, but also different, so they cannot fully understand the language either.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Courtship Ideals
Relationship Ideals
Naming Traditions
Like most Myriads, Wolvrens name their Dragonlings at the age of 2 months old. Dragonlings are typically named after their appearance, personality, or a quality their parents wish they will have. Dragonlings may occasionally have a juxtapositional name, or a name that doesn’t match their personality or appearance at all. The most common characteristic Wolvren names typically mean one of the following characteristics. Beautiful, brave, defender, fast, heroic, intelligent, lucky, prestigious, strong, vicious, victorious, and wild. For color related names, these vary greatly. There are many different words that describe different colors across the whole Wolvren body. Words that describe the eyes, belly, wings, fur, scales, claws, and even more. Some Wolvrens will even combine parts of names to create new ones to suite their wants.
While most Myriads have little distinction between Masculine and Feminine names, Wolvrens have a fairly strict divide. This is mostly caused by the Banshee’s, or female Wolvrens, strong accent.
Masculine Names
Most Masculine Wolvren names are pretty much the same as any other common Dragon name. There are some uniquely Wolvren names however. These are some of the most common names.
Feminine Names
Feminine Wolvren Names are different than any other Dragon Name. Due to their accent, or lack of ability to pronounce certain sounds, their names are very different. Their names are written and pronounced with their accent. They usually stem from the mispronunciation of proper names, as they couldn’t properly pronounce them in the first place. The way the names are spelled makes it easier for Banshees to pronounce, along with allowing others to understand the names.
Customs and Traditions
Values
Taboos
Birth Rites
Coming of Age Rites
Funeral and Memorial Customs
Myths and Legends
Wolvrens have many myths surrounding a wide variety of things. Most of their superstitions often refer to a specific Dragon having good luck or bad luck. Their common legends on the other hand tell great stories of real Dragons, but have not quite told all of it accurately. This is mostly in part of the Tellers wanting better stories. Some of their historical figures title’s aren’t accurate either because of their legends and stories. Their superstitions have little basis too, with evidence being cherry picked to fit their ideas.
Common Superstitions
Some of the first superstitions stem from Wolvren eggs. They believe that an egg with a lot of mahogany is considered a sign of luck and prosperity for the coming Dragonling. However, if a Wolvren of a brown and mahogany egg hatches as a Redwood or Mahogany, then it is considered a sign of bad luck, and they will likely have a rough life. The Hazel morph from a mahogany egg is not considered bad luck. There have been very few red Wolvrens hatching from mahogany eggs, but enough to start the superstition.
Common Myths
Wolvrens claim that the Snow Fir morph was named after after a Wolvren Dragonling didn’t know the word white. They say he was trying to ask his mother if he could play with is friend, but his mother had asked which friend. He said the name but his mother still didn’t know which friend. She asked him to describe his friend, but he didn’t know the word for white, so he compared his friend to the Snowy Firs, “Mom! He’s the one with Snowy Fur!” The Wolvrens took it as Fir as in the tree not fur. The name stuck and has been that way for generations.
Major Historic Wolvrens
Seethe, the First General
During her early life she gained the nickname Wolfdog, with comparisons being made between her and a real wolfdog.Relationships With Other Myriads
Argent Dragons
As the other pure Storm Myriad, one could assume the relationship between the two Myriads would be excellent. However, this is not the case. Argent Dragons and Wolvrens only have a mutual relationship. Though, neither is overly friendly with the other.
The Argent are only allowed into the Silverstorm Forest when the Capital needs to send a message or to check up on them whenever they get a new General Chief. They also send friendly escorts for the Wolvren’s senators. Sometimes the Argent send scholars to learn more about the Wolvren way to the element, particularly around the Tellers method of storytelling. In exchange, the Wolvrens are allowed to send students to their Elemental Universities. The Argent consider their mutual agreement as an exchange of knowledge. Something that is beneficial to both. Though the Wolvrens only typically care about news from the Capital and other Myriads to ensure the Packs safety.
Amorphous and Hoarfrost Dragons
The walls Wolvrens have on their borders do not extend to the coastal side. The side that technically borders the Ice Dragons. In some of the coldest winters, the sea freezes over, connecting the forest with that of the Amorphous and Hoarfrost Dragons. This can create issues if the Rangifer happen to escape across the ice. Their closeness also made the Wolvrens a prime target for alliances during the Frost Wars. Since then there have been no alliances made between the Wolvrens and any of the Ice Dragons. Though the Ice Dragons are desperately trying to open trade to the Wolvrens, a deal they may consider for the potential to get metal weaponry.
All Other Myriads
Due to the Wolvrens closed borders, they have no relations with any other Myriad. All other Myriads avoid the Silverstorm Forest, usually out of fear. They won’t even fly over it. Most Dragons will never see a pure Storm Wolvren in their life.
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