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Rules

[1.] No posting without permission.
[2.] No image stealing!
Transgressors will be punished by the Gaia Team under the ToS.
[3.] Keep OOC comments to a minimum, denoted by using (( )).
[4.] No godmoding
[5.] Be mostly literate (good spelling/grammar, no 1334, etc)
[6.] Stick to the fundamentals of Dragon-Bound
[7.] Rules may be altered at will.
[8.] PM me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns in regards to this journal or the characters within.
[9.] Do have fun.
[10.] Watch out for the snapdragons along the side of the house. They bite. Really.

Jayara's Acquaintances, Allies, & Foes
in order met


Volpone Darsind -- Her mentor and second father, many of Jay's traits can be found in this man. Calculating, cautious, and a determined chap, he is probably much more light-hearted than his pupil however.
Dulcimer -- Ahh, what can we say about the ranger's steed...
Bred more for speed than strength, the dark brown Dulcimer can still manage to port a ranger's fair load. He has a penchant for fruit slices when he can get them and is jittery around dragons though has been trained to hold his ground in their midst. Having already spent a few years with her animal companion, if this guy ever permanently disappeared, there would be one vengeful ranger on the roads.
Micheal De'Court -- Where she had shut the door on such an idea, Micheal is the one who has made her second guess much of what she has taken for granted. She is unsure whether her choice to know this vampire better was right or wrong, smart or stupid, but in either case opening the window brought in a danger she did not foresee...
Kiru -- Micheal's sire and former lover, there is little the ranger knows about this being other than he tried to kill her or get her to agree to kill Micheal...
Roman -- Not much is known of the red-headed vampire with a penchant for fire. He seems devoted to Micheal and kept Micheal from accidentally attacking her at least once.
Dark -- The dragon that Micheal is bonded to. At first, the dragon seemed helpful when she was in too much pain to complete caring for her own wounds. His 'generosity' was short-lived however, and the ranger was soon regarding him like any other dragon.
Avalene Mierdeth -- Calling herself a "prophetess," Jay is unsure what the fuss over her is really about. She's doesn't seem very tactical, but even a mouse fights when pressed... and she may just be that - a tired mouse being chased by a very big cat or so it seems. Maybe a couple of them at that. Now that this Sain character has forced Jay to release Avalene into his care, the mystery only deepens.
Risen/Wanderer* -- First he shows up in a blanket of cloth and a bolt in his arm, but disappears before getting treated. Pushed for time, Jayara had to give up on her curiosities about the man until he briefly appeared again to tell Jayara and Avalene to run from the incoming dragons. Now with Avalene stolen away, Jayara searches him out for answers to the mysterious Sain and what ties they both have to Avalene. Maybe she'll discover why Avalene insisted he wasn't human along the way...
Alter Darcy -- This kid doesn't belong in the Boundary any more than a sheep belongs with a pack of wolves. Then again, there are a number of people the ranger would rather see living out their lives somewhere other than the Boundary. To the ranger's relief, at least the child is home and out of her hair now.
Sain -- A confident being of power greater than a mage who can silence nature and scry minds. His pale skin emphasizes he's no woodlander, yet, he seems more than comfortable out in the middle of the trees. Jay forfeits the idea to fight as she knows she doesn't have the ability to match him one-on-one. Since it doesn't sound like he plans to directly harm Avalene, the ranger takes her loss and leaves to fight another day. She'll give him his comeuppance though should the chance arise...
Lynx & Midori -- A young bound pair with some healing skills: the dragon's being magical while the young woman's being herbal. Travelers they seem to be, but fairly young to be on the roads alone. Other than there assistance with the stretcher for the knight, there is nothing more of note.
Knight Hammand -- A wounded knight Jayara has found after returning to the site of the dragon landing. The ranger tends to the knight out of guilt that she mistook the flight of Knights for a flight of Fallen and that leaving behind Risen may have been the cause for his serious wounds. With the knight finally awake and healing, Jay only waits for his comrades to retrieve their lost one. Originally planning to sneak off when the other Knights do come, their knowledge of the prophetess opens up another option she hadn't foreseen, and it is a window she would consider in more detail if she wasn't so sleep deprived.
Head Guard Caleb -- Never having met him in person until after the main events of Heritage, Caleb's is notorious amongst those who have been to been to Yvette's Keep. His personal visit on the road to escort her back to the keep has Jay wary though. At first she though it might be a dragon issue, but as soon as the priestess was mentioned, she knew there was something else at hand.

*name not known to Jayara currently

Reason & Restrictions
Rangers fill their undefined roles for multiple reasons. A number favor living within the world of the wild, feeling more at home in nature than inside any wall. Wanderlust tugs many to the fold as it promises a life of travel. Some chose to be self-sustaining solitarians; being social is not everyone's thing. Others chose to be a community's woodsman/woman, giving the people access to difficult to reach resources.

Individuals classified as both rangers and mages are almost unheard of for these reasons. Most with the gift of magic cannot travel in their younger years as they need detailed study usually found only in cities to bring out their full potential. Rare is the ranger with Fae, Divine, or Natural gifts of magic. Only those who serve a town(s) of believers to a nature deity as a sort of religious leader or shaman have been found to have divine magic at their service. Without the use of a mage, it is difficult to determine who has Fae/Natural magic versus someone with exceptional skill and so the count of rangers with these traits goes relatively unknown.

Rangers as Dragon-Bound are also scarcely seen. Just as many chose the path of ranger for the freedom, giving up one's will to a dragon tends to be contradictory to that common nature. This of course excludes those rangers who are forced into being bound, a number possibly higher than those who do so willingly.

Survival
To acquire needed supplies, a ranger will generally make their own goods or barter for them where they can. Skins, foodstuffs, and fresh meat are common items of trade provided the ranger knows the right skills to obtain them. Hunting is by far the most common service provided by a ranger. Some take up mercenary work to cover expenses while others act as highway thieves preying off travelers and merchants. Fortunately the latter number is limited. While not aspiring to the sparkling heights of the Dragon Knights, most prefer to keep their ranger title out of the gutter and will treat unkindly those who have turned to such ways. This aggressiveness may be due to the loss of ranger meeting place Chapparal. There is some minor debate that mercenary work should be treated the same way, but as jobs can vary greatly in purpose it is left up to the individual ranger what he or she will or won't do.

Communities & Organization
Rangers are generally solitary travelers or travel in pairs. It is not uncommon to come across a mentor traveling with an apprentice or (less often) two. Unless they are hermits, most rangers do not completely recoil from company, particularly if they happen to be taking the same route or the same job as another group of travelers.

Larger cohesive groups are often only temporary. A big hunt, for example, may call in larger numbers of rangers. "The Ternion" is the only widely-known existence of a defined ranger coterie. The Ternion is made up of three loosely-bound ranger groups, defined by territory, whose purpose is to pass information along the continent amongst the rangers and to rally together in times of need through the use of defense and subterfuge. These three groups are:

Alecost -- Based along the West side of the human lands between Kas Kain and the Western coast city-states, Alecost is probably the most diplomatically talented and diverse of the three. Their talent in communication is unsurpassed amongst the rangers. Also, due to the West Coast being a trading hub, this group is usually well supplied.

Tarragon -- Based in the NE corner of the human lands between Kas Kain and the Borderlands, this group boasts to have the best "battle-ready" rangers due to their proximity to the Borderlands where learning to defend one's self is a necessity at best, a last resort at worst. Not only are offensive skills high here, but defensive traits such as stealth, quick thinking, and the ability to improvise are prized.

Saxifrage -- Based in the SE corner and Southern Central of the human lands covering part of Kas Kain and much of Shavelle, Saxifrage has its talents in intelligence, strategy, and medicine. With it's access to the skills and learning of Shavelle, they are the ones most likely to have the assistance of the mages as well as weapons of special or magical nature - should one be able to afford it.



There is a grand gathering called the "Ranger's Retreat" (also known as "Ranger's Refuge") held annually in alternating locations of unclaimed forest in the human lands. In the NE is the location called Amaranth and in the SW is Beggar's Reach. Originally there was a third location, called Chapparal, in the SE portion of the human lands until it was decimated during a gathering there. Over time, the explanation of 'who' specifically attacked has become muddled. From dragons to mages, from a royal vendetta to mysterious southern fae has been touted as the reason for the loss of Chapparal, though evidence suggests that a certain sect of bandits with the assistance of an ex-ranger may have been at fault.


The Gear
The most common weapons rangers can carry are the longbow, the spear, hand axes, and knives as they can be used not only for defense but for wilderness survival as well. The longbow, what the Rangers are most known for, is practically a staple skill.

Staves and swords are a less frequent options. Swords are customarily taken up only by those who travel common roads and visit cities and villages on a regular basis. Use of staves is exceptionally rare outside of those rangers from mountainous regions.

In addition to the above, weapon-related and other skills are ultimately limited to those who have a master or those who can find one knowledgeable in the desired skill.

Clothing styles very from region to region largely dependent on the climate and preference. For example, greens and browns are prevalent in temperate regions during the summer season, but greys and browns are common in winter. Armor ranges from none to chainmail, though majority leans toward either soft or hard leather. Plate is never used; the heavy weight and noise make it unwieldy to use for a ranger. It is the same reason shields are never seen. There is no use for them for a wilderness ranger and even one who travels from town to town will find it cumbersome at best.

Most rangers will carry standard camping gear such as a tent, sleeping items, lantern, cooking equipment, etc. Whether the ranger uses the assistance of a horse or other creature is largely dependent on what part of the world the ranger is located and where they most often travel and whether such a creature can be afforded.

Reserved

Reserved
- Possibly an FAQ section

Arthur's Clip Art
-- Bow & Arrow clip art (used in horizontal leafy banner)

Medieval Clip Art
-- Medieval Sword

Microsoft Clip Art
-- Leaves (both horizontal & vertical banners)
-- Female archer picture
-- Leafy lines