Weaver and background art by raptorslut
Writing by missmab
FUU
“So you want to know more about Tikti? One of the greatest warriors of the world? He who took a cloud from the very sky? He who rode on the back of Raziel? Well you came to the right place! Please sit a while. Have a drink! I shall tell you the the greatest tales…”
The fuu weaver is often a stardragon considered by many to be associated with protection and guardians. In Vesper or any location with a high weaver population, it isn’t uncommon to see the iconography and masks containing the tell-tale fangs adorning banks and temples to seemingly protect said locations from unseen threats. The association is fair, as most fuu weavers claim their ancestry and origin to a classic hero whose humble beginnings were of a simple palace guard. As such, most families of this subtype attempt to emulate their honoured ancestor by following his example.
While the majority of of fuu weavers can be found in Vesper and Algu, it is often joked that if you find a weaver temple or monastery that you will find a token fuu weaver residing there. However, there are a fair amount of fuu weavers who have taken to heart the tales of their ancestor’s great deeds as an adventurer and wanderer...so often travel the world seeking said adventure as bards or guards for hire. To the point most consider the fuu part of two orders: The Guardians and the Wanderers.
Funny enough, while both orders are known for getting along with the other races...the two sides tend to bristle at one another. The temple guards find their wandering cousins to be overly loud and boisterous and too prone to drinking and nonsense with a severe lack of inner contemplation while the wanderers tend to find their temple guard cousins to be too stuffy and serious and needing to “lighten up and enjoy life more”. However both are lovers of stories and legends, and will set aside differences over a good tale.
Physically, the fuu subtype is visually striking with manes and fur that often curl and swirl to resemble their fluffy cloudlike tails. They often have unique fangs that protrude from their mouths and most tend to also have more defined claws. The ends of their ears tend to have stylized tips versus the typical weaver fluff and according to most the eyes of fuu weavers shine exceptionally bright even in the darkest of environments.
While there are a few fuu craftsmen, most fuu tend to lean towards martial professions. However there are a few fuu ran breweries that are famous for their ales and strong spirits. It isn’t too uncommon to see most wandering fuu with at least one gourd full of spirits back home as their custom is to take that part of home them...and should the gourd go empty it is a sign it is time for them to return and visit. Which brings up the joke of you can tell how well a fuu wanderer gets along with their family based on how big their drinking gourd is.
Unlike other stardragons, fuu females usually do not bother with flowers until they feel a relationship has developed enough to warrant one being made. Which leads many to joke the fuu are married to their jobs or the road. But when a fuu does decide they wish to create a flower for their beloved, they often pick one from the location of where they first met them, whatever/wherever that may be.
Adaptations tend to include extra resilience to the cold (even more so than the average weaver), ability to survive in low oxygen environments, expert climbers.
SHADOW
The shadow weaver clan is a proud line of underground Starweavers descended from an ancient order of once royal assassins. Originally formed as a secret order under the emperor, these weavers had a secretive society; boasting mastery over shadow magics and their use in eliminating targets deemed necessary to preserve the neutral balance that weavers take so keenly to meddling with. With time their monastic order came to view their duties as holy, carrying out assassinations as instruments of the death goddess Yvonne, and maintaining balance on behalf of god. When the emperor's wishes began to clash with the holy instruction of their prophets, the shadow clan would schism from the established weaver government, believing their practices and talents were unfit to be used for mere mortal intents. To maintain secrecy of their order, the clan would steal away deep underground in cavernous systems left by ancient crafters and volcanic activity. To surface dwellers, these mythic assassins of yore simply disappeared "into the shadows" well over three centuries ago. Little did they know, the clan would continue to grow and practice independent of the world above, training each new generation for when their prophets deemed it time to act.
The order grew into their own modest civilization and subrace, self-sufficient survivalists cut off from the world above and upholding strict tradition. They are cult-lite, not much fun allowed. They are fairly xenophobic, looking down not only on other races but their surface dwelling weaver cousins as well. They are well aware of their crafter neighbors but don't particularly enjoy their company on average. Keeping to themselves and hardly, if ever, inviting outsiders into their secret enclaves. This isn't to say they are forbidden from leaving, scouts and thieves travel to the surface, and training recruits are encouraged to travel and make coin if they can, but they are discouraged from sharing the lessons of their order or disclosing the location of their origin. They are told to remain dismissive and vague about their order, though precaution isn't entirely necessary. Shadow weaver enclaves are behind seven proxies.
Interactions with most Shadow Weavers tend to be frustrating as they come across as elitist and haughty. Many maintain that their society is superior, focused, simplistic, pure, and holy...despite their voluntary isolation putting them way behind in technology and culture. They make up for this with their mastery of poisons, illusions, and shadow magic.
As such, they're often easily enamored by surface novelties, and almost universally smitten by sweets. The sweets they have are derived from starchy roots, and are commonly mellow and baked into breads and pastries. With no access underground to true sweets and very few traders bringing any, most shadow weavers live in ignorant bliss until they know the siren’s song of sugar, and are thus forever cursed by their seduction.
The shadow weavers have a healthy enough society that losing numbers to the surface isn't uncommon, but fully abandoning the order to live on the surface is deeply shamed. By no means illegal, and they are permitted to come home, but grandpa WILL be disappointed.
A curiously unique tradition for Shadow Weavers is that of the marriage flower. While surface stardragons pick a flower at a young age to keep with them until they trade it away in marriage, the shadow weavers have no flowers underground, and don't practice crafting gemstone flowers like their Starcrafter neighbors. For young shadow weaver couples, they will travel to the surface to find a flower together. This flower will be kept and shared as a symbol of their love, which keeps it alive. Since flowers are rare to non-existent underground, when they go to choose there isn't much distinction or discern for type. The couple will choose the favorite of whatever they can find, which has more than once turned out to be what most dragons consider a weed.
As far as physical differences, the Shadow weavers are adapted to life underground.
The male's whiskers commonly grow from their foreheads pointing upward, to aid with navigating low caves. Similarly, their horns tend to swoop back as opposed to straight up.
Thin bare ears that taper at the tips keep them streamlined and feel for tight corridors. It is more common to grow long inner ear fur that drapes down the shoulders.
Perhaps most distinct is the manner in which their cloud tails take shape, giving their unique shadowy appearance. Their cloud tails billow and drape in jagged curls, often appearing 'heavier' like dense smog that may even drag along the ground.
DESERT
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REGAL
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NOMAD
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ORNATE
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(StarDragons are an Open Species, created by DeleteTheStars, RaptorSlut and CloneClone. bellumi was given moderation of the community by the creators.)