Brown Draci Twins Here is a picture of my Shadow Realms character, Solace, and her twin brother (who is actually my OOG brother too.) We're the only two Brown Dracai in Shadow Realms.

The nature of the Brown Dracai and Solace's story

Solace and her twin brother were born deep in the middle of a great forest in the eastern part of the kingdom of Fiana. This is the same place were all the Brown Dracai have lived since the Wars of Dreams. The Brown Dracai do not consider themselves citizens of Fiana though. They live in the forest far away from any roads or paths. Very few know of the existence of Brown Dracai, and even less know where they live, except for the Fey of that forest and some other Dracai. The Brown Dracai live in harmony with Nature, with their forest. They do not have a monetary system, but trade amongst themselves and occasionally with those who know of them. They are also generous in that if another really needed something or some service one had, that one would freely give it to the other. The Brown Dracai are not xenophobic, they simply do not understand the authority system of other races (Kings, Dukes, commoners, etc.), and they have an instinctual need to be with nature and not separated from it by establishing the typical city or town. Therefore they have kept contact between their clan and the rest of the world to a minimum and built their homes within the forest among the trees and animals. And as a result, they have become primarily hunters and healers.

While the twins were the first born to their parents, they were not the last. There were other siblings, including the youngest brother who was Solace's favorite. Yet, Solace and her twin were always a little different from the other Brown Dracai. Solace always wanted to learn about strange things, which lead to her desire to learn the Celestial magicks. Since Brown Dracai have an affiliation for Nature, they feel the Celestial magicks are unnatural to cast. Therefore they were long ago abandoned by the Brown Dracai. The only magicks the clan uses are those of the Shadows. Solace wanted to learn about, to understand, that which seemed strange and unnatural to her clan. Her parents objected, of course, so instead she learned how to fight with her claws, grow think skin, take care of her armor-like skin, and use her wings to the limited extent with which any Brown Dracai could. But eventually she decided she didn't care what her family, or clan, thought. She struck out into the world of other races to learn the Celestial magicks. Solace took many trips out into the world to learn, not only magick but also about races she never before knew existed. But every time, whether it took only a week or close to three months, she would eventually feel the need to return to her home, the forest she new and had a connection with, and her clan. Her family and clan were always glad to have her back, but she could tell each time she returned that they became more uneasy around her. So she made a vow never to use the Celestial magicks while she was home.

Solace's twin brother was different in another way. He was always a quiet one and somewhat of a loner. He followed in their father's footsteps to became a hunter, learning how to track, use a bow, use a sword, increase his strength, and like all Brown Dracai how to grow and take care of his armor-skin, and how to use his wings. But he always preferred hunting alone or with only one other person, usually the twins' father.

One day in fall of 1297, Solace was returning from one of her trips when she met up with her twin near the edge of the forest. He was over two days away from their clan, which wasn't unusual for him, but he had tracked the exact way she had left a week earlier in order to find her, which is what alarmed her. He was very distraught but wouldn't tell her any more than that he had been out hunting alone when "it" happened. Solace didn't understand until they reached home, or rather where the clan used to be. It looked as if someone had created a huge hole in the forest for no real purpose. It stretched out much further than the area in with the clan had lived, about two to three times as large. Everything was destroyed, the homes, the animals, the forest, the clan, everything. Some people and things looked burnt, others were too deformed to tell what they were. The twins buried all the Dracai they found. In doing so they found their parents and siblings, and buried them in a special place that was the family's favorite. Some metal things did survive, a few weapons and an occasional piece of jewelry. Solace found her mother's necklace, for which she was named, and she now never takes it off. The two were sure that they did not bury enough to account for all of the clan, but it also seems unlikely to them that any others survived. From that day for at least a month, Solace's worst nightmare would plague her every night. Eventually the nightmare became less frequent, but every time she dreams of seeing the destruction of her clan and home while she stands powerless in the middle of it all, or while she tries desperately to reach home in time to try to stop it, she is filled with sorrow and anger.

The twins left the forest, afraid that whatever caused all the destruction might come back. From that moment on, Solace's twin would not speak a word to anyone, and only spoke to her when necessary. For months they traveled together with no destination, and discovered how isolated from the world they really were. For while they were now out in it, they still didn't feel like they belonged there. They felt strange constantly among non-Brown Dracai. Finally they reached the opposite side of Fiana, and arrived in Storm Crest at a time when the population was being threatened by people disappearing in the middle of the night. Having no where else to go, and being tired from their recent traveling they decided to stay near the town for a few days, as they had done with other towns within the months they had traveled. After that first weekend Solace was strongly reminded of how different she and her brother were from the rest of the peoples of world. She also realized she had a disgust for the hierarchial ruling of the other races, as well as no real like for the monetary system, and a need for a place in Nature that she could build a new connection with. Solace also decided that it would be necessary to rebuild the Brown Dracai clan. Between she and her brother, they knew most of what their clan had known, but not all. And neither have the ability to teach. So she decided that she and her brother need to learn as much of the skills of her clan as possible, and also how to teach these skills. She still clings to the hope that there are other Brown Dracai who survived. But eventually she intends to raise her children on the teachings and ways of her clan, even if she has to do so alone.

The twins left Storm Crest after things settled down, wanting to get away from that horrible place. But Solace had finally made some friends since she left her clan's former home, and she feared for their safety. So the twins returned again to Storm Crest at the time of the Duke's visit to check up on her friends. By the time Spring came, the twins had decided to live in the forest outside of Storm Crest, at least semi-permanently. They built themselves a home within an hour travel from the town, and visited the town frequently.

Shortly after the establishment of their new home, the Queen and King of the Fey visited Storm Crest. But more of an impact on Solace were due to other events. The first was meeting a seven-year-old human boy named Prin who had traveled by himself to Storm Crest. Solace saw in him so much that reminded her of her youngest brother, and so stayed with him to protect him, along with her Gargoyle friend Argos, and her new friend Justin. Along the way she discovered what had happened to Prin, how his parents were killed, and what he was meant to be when he grew up. All of which made her even more protective of him. The other thing that happened to her was the contraction of a magic plague, which she unknowingly spread to others in the town.

A month or so later Solace was cured of the magical plague by someone who had obtained the cure and left Storm Crest with it to spread it to the masses, which was a relief to Solace and her brother.

In September Solace traveled with her brother, friends, and other people of Storm Crest to Gatetown, which is on the front lines of the war between Fiana and Alba. The first night there she joined a couple others in traveling into the woods to aid a lost refugee, who requested to be called Una. She turned out to be pregnant and due to deliver in a couple of days, according to a premonition Una had. Solace spent most of the weekend with the woman to protect her and the baby and help in any way she could. When Solace discovered the woman's identity and the baby's importance she resolved to do anything within her power to help keep them both alive. She also made a new friend in Tarael and met a nine year old boy named Roland who showed up without any parents. During the weekend the Shadow Lord was apparently freed and one of his court, a red creature named Bane, showed up to "play." When the town was finally forced to try and kill him, a huge battle ensued. Solace did her best with her Magicks against Bane, since he seemed to be immune to normal weapon blows, and in response he tried to kill her twice. The night after the Duke and his men arrived in town the war entered the town. A long terrible battle was fought, and Una gave birth in the middle of it. Both mother and child were almost lost, but Kreesha's skills as a healer kept Una alive, and many of the town turned out to help save the baby from its kidnappers. Solace's only regret was how hurt Julianna was when the baby was rescued, she hates to see her friend in pain.

At the end of the weekend Solace left with the baby to take him to a safer place. Una, her aids, and Solace's brother met Solace a few days later at a prearranged meeting place. They all stayed for a couple days resting, then Una and her son and aids left and Solace and her brother were provided with supplies and a boat trip back to Storm Crest.

Much happened at the next gathering in Storm Crest, but it was an unhappy time for Solace. It had been a year since her clan's destruction. Solace was filled with sorrow and rage, and many things reminded her of her past. She and her brother arrived before the rest of the townspeople, and she was worried over Prin because she was associating him with her younger brother she had lost the year before. He did not return with the townspeople, and when he did finally show up Blix cut him down with the intent to kill him because he did not realize it was Prin. Solace did not care about the reasons and almost fought Blix to kill him, but he walked away before her rage took hold. This incident, along with others which occurred during the weekend and had occurred at Gatetown involving the Brotherhood, caused Solace to dislike the Brotherhood of the Worm. During the gathering the Soul Collector was freed and Scarecrows wandered about in both our realm and the Ethereal realm trying to take people for their master. Solace went twice with others to rescue people from the pumpkin patch: once to rescue Prin and ended up also rescuing Xavier and Tarael, and the second time to rescue Julianna, and once she was rescued by her friends. She made friends with and came to respect Arithiel, whom she had only known in passing before. Later in the evening, Solace joined Prin, Winterheart, Justin, and a couple others in traveling into to Earth through a fey circle on a quest others named "Blood of the Land." The quest was successful, but Solace died. Winterheart was able to bring Solace's body back to town and Julianna gave her Fate of the Martyr. It caused Solace great pain to be the cause of her friend's death, and when Julianna's spirit returned to say good bye Solace swore she would bring Julianna back from Death's realm. Xavier lead many people of the town to Death's realm to be tested by Death before being allowed to speak and barter for Julianna's life back. Fifteen gave a portion of their spirits in order to bring Julianna back, including Solace, her brother, Julianna's twin brother Justin, Prin, Xavier, Gelasia, Fyn, Crowspeaks, and Arithiel. One final cause of sadness for Solace was the murder of King Mobius of the Fey by the Shadow Lord, and the deaths of all but one of the nobles of the Fey court and the capture of the Queen of the fey. While Solace is not fey herself, she was impressed by the Queen and King during their visit in the Spring, finding them to be honorable, noble, caring, and joyful.

The December gathering in Storm Crest did nothing to life Solace's spirits. The Dragons, the ancient creators of the world and Guardians of the Elements, who had given their lives to end the Dream War according to legend, returned. There were six, and none were Brown. Solace and her brother discovered as truth that their clan did not have a Dragon ancestor and the Brown Dracai did not have an elemental bond, as some had suspected before. But what crushed her was when one of her Dracai kin called her brother "untrue Dracai" because he was Brown and they had no elemental bond. The Dragons also destroyed Volokai, the home of many of Solace's friends. While she did not condemn the Dragons' actions or motives, believing they had done what they deemed was right, Solace felt sorrow for her friends who had lost not only their homes but their lives as they had known. After wondering for months about her Merithian friend Solvar who seemed to have disappeared after the gathering at Gatetown, Solace asked Nia if she knew if he was alright and was told that he was dead.

Later that day Solace's brother traveled to the Dream Realm with the other Dreamers of the town, and he returned with the skull of an Ancient Dragon. It caused dreamers discomfort, being the skull represented pure reality, but gave Dracai a warm pulsing feeling within their hearts. Unfortunately due to Strider and Arithiel's dream natures, the skull cause them terrible pain if they came close to it. There was much dispute over what to go with the skull and who should be in charge of it. The Brotherhood of the Worm felt it was their responsibility. The Dreamers felt it was theirs because they had found it. Solace, her brother, and her new Blue Dracai friend Azure felt the responsibility should fall to the local Dracai council, but Solace's brother didn't like the council and Solace was doubtful because two of the influential members were part of or good friends with the Brotherhood. In the end the skull was discovered to be sentient and it disappeared until the appropriate time. When it returned, all the Dracai in the town felt its call and they gathered each other together in the Manor Hall. The Brotherhood also came, and Eclipse followed Telani, their Dracai member, as well. But when the skull led everyone outside and opened a rift, only the Dracai were able to enter. Solace, her brother, Azure, Ice Whisper, Stths, and Wraethrax entered confidently, believing in the skull. Telani was unsure when it was discovered non-Dracai couldn't enter and Eclipse could not join her, but she finally followed. The seven traveled down a shimmering hallway and had a vision of a jewel tied in rope and a scroll. When they emerged from the hallway, they found themselves fighting to get through a maze. When they made it through Wraethrax found the scroll and Solace found the jewel tied in rope from the vision. On their way out the seven suddenly faced strange creatures, one which could strike a death blow with every swing, and began fighting for their lives. Wraethrax fell into a pit, Azure, Stths, and Solace's brother were cut down, Ice Whisper and Telani made it out but returned after Solace cried out for their help in saving their fallen kin. Solace herself was then cut down. The four Dracai died, but two Chosen named Tia and somehow heard the cries for help and were able to enter the maze. They both fated, one for Ice Whisper and one for Stths. But instead of the spirits of Solace, her brother, and the two Chosen traveling to Death's Realm, the skull drew them to it. The skull thanked the Chosen for saving its children and returned them life. It then went on to question Solace and her brother separately. Solace was informed that she did not know about the Elements, that she needed to learn more in life, and that she was not ready to die, and not ready to live, but that she must continue on. Baffled and distraught over the experience, Solace and her brother were also returned to life by the skull.

When they arrived at the Manor House it was discovered that the scroll was the Scrolls of Sundering and a ritual had to be performed using them and the skull in order to separate the Dream Realm from the world and keep the Rever/Weaver from crossing over. Kreesha and Beast of Rage both were told by the Skull to learn the ritual, and Strider had to be the one to hold the skull during the ritual. The jewel Solace had found had been spirit bonded to her and was the implement for drawing the elaborate ritual circle. At the correct time, the town turned out to help defend the ritual which had to be done at a gate to the Dream realm. Unfortunately there were many flaws in the ritual, one of which being Solace's fault in not drawing the circle correctly. Despite others insistence to the contrary, Solace blamed herself solely for the failure of the ritual. The failure caused the skull to grow into a Draco-Lich which sent everyone back to the real world and proceeded to begin destroying the Dream realm and the creatures on it. The order of Twilight had been elsewhere in the Dream realm at the time of the ritual and Solace feared for their safety, but thankfully they were able to return with the help of a powerful Dream creature.

By the end of the weekend, Solace had had too much. Some of her friends were without their ancestral home, some were dead, the Draco-Lich was loose in the Dream realm, and all of her kin were against her and her brother except for Telani, who seemed not to care much for Dracai matters, and Azure, who proved to be a true friend to Solace. Solace and her brother renounced the Dracai council, they would no longer follow it. Solace decided it was time to do as her ancestors had done so long ago and retreat from the world. But first she had to do two things. One was to help stop the Draco Lich. The other was to see that her friends were safe before she left. The Duke had sent people to retrieve a group called Boneyard and the people of Storm Crest, ignorant at the time, protected them. So the Duke sent his men, and a long terrible battle ensued in the woods outside of town. Lives were lost on both sides, but in the end Storm Crest won out. The King declared the citizens of Storm Crest to be treasonous and everyone expected troops to be sent to end the rebellion in Storm Crest. So Solace and her brother waited with the others of the town while Talon tried to find a new, unknown place for everyone to go where they would be safe.

In February of 1299, the King's troops arrived...