Name:
Flaminis ('Shaman' in Latin)
Gender:
Male
Personality:
Flaminis has always lived a life detached from other dragons. He spends his days alone, staring at the sky, in puddles of water or muttering strange words beneath his breath. Whenever one of the other Runes talks to him, or asks him what he is doing, he turns away from them and flicks his tail. He has an air of mystery and barely suppressed power. He is overly protective of the string of bones he wears around his neck and never takes them off.
Story about how he got the bone necklace:
The luminous full moon hung in a sky studded with a million blinking stars. The bright silver light it emanated made the forest glow silver, a thin mist wreathing around the black, leafless trees. The brittle branches rattled in the wind, stroking the sky with bony fingers. It was the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Frost glittered on colorless grass and ferns, reflecting the star-shine. Night had turned the harsh frozen landscape into a shimmering silver kingdom. A silent, ghostly form swooped through the snaking mist, gliding on feathery wings. It was Flaminis.
He landed on a bare branch, folding his wings neatly. This was the place the voices had told him to come to, where two streams met to form a small island. The faint sound of trickling water hung in the air, the heavy scent of earth and reeds greeting Flam's nostrils. He shook himself, ruffling his feathered wings against the cold. Now, he would wait for midnight.
It is time... the voice grated in his ear. He smiled softly and took once more to the skies. You must land directly in the center of the circle of stones. That is where I will meet you. the voice echoed in his mind as he landed. Towers of glowing quartz shimmered with light as he waited. A large carved sun-dial was placed at the edge, displaying that it was almost midnight. Suddenly the mist swirled and a huge white dragon appeared in-front of him. It lifted its luminous head proudly and its eyes glowed like stars. Flam knew at once it was the Voice. He dipped his head with respect. Hello. I am ready.
The large dragon nodded expressionlessly. Are you sure you want to do this? If you do, you will live a life little have ever known of, and will never be able to take a mate. he warned. Flam nodded.
It is all I have ever wanted. he vowed.
Very well. the other dragon roared, spreading open its tattered feathery wings. Tendrils of mist escaped from its nostrils as it spoke. I speak these words under the full moon on the shortest day of the year! The new Shaman of the Night shall be Flaminus, if he can defeat me. He must take my bones and say the chant. Let the challenge begin!
The other dragon launched himself into the air with a rush of cold air. Flam gritted his teeth and as the other dragon swooped he rolled out of the way. A bolt of triumph flashed through Flam, but it was short-lived. The dragon snarled and lunged at him, snapping his jaws. Flam gasped and beat his wings to escape, but the claws of the dragon scored his scales. He howled with pain and latched onto the other dragons throat with strong jaws. The warm, iron tang of blood filled his mouth as the dragon raoed with fury. It shook it's head but Flam hung tight, screwing his eyes shut. He lashed out with his claws, sinking them into its flesh as it struggled. Its throws became weaker and weaker. It was dying. A small smile played on its lips as it took its final breath. You have completed the test. You are now the last Shaman. and with that, it collapsed. Flam sighed and let go. His feathers and scales were covering in blood and he was panting. Now is the hard part. he said to himself, preparing the body to extract the bones.
The three bones he needed were laid out infront of him, glowing faintly in the dim light. Flam raised his head and began the chant.
sanguine ad carnem ad ossa
de morte ad vitam sempiternam
conservare spiritus in me
Nunc postremo noctis flaminis
replete me cum scientia
Suscipiam sacra officium
tueri spiritus vitae
providere responsa qui quaerere
et remedium indigentibus
Ego prius noctis
A swirl of wind and mist howled around him. He opened out his wings and closed his eyes. And suddenly, it stopped. He cautiously opened one eye. Around his neck was the three bones on a string, still glowing. A smudge of gold had appeared on the horizon: dawn. He looked for the remains of the past shaman, but he could only find piles of dust, diminishing with each puff of wind. He was the one and only Shaman of the Night.
