Dran Myhk

First encountered by Ratatoskr in the mountains of what would later become Coerthas, a show of worldliness from a miqo'te that escaped the chains of the Allagan Empire caused Ratatoskr to take her on as a companion. Later on, the beginnings of the Winter court would grow after their dragon patron found more miqo'te crossing the ice bridge created by the Calamity of Ice. Taking these hybridized miqo'te in as her own kin, they settled in the woods and snow of Coerthas, where they have remained for eons since.

First Name: A name given out of convenience, and tends to be centered around a newborn fae's physical traits.
Examples: "Speckled Kit", "White Kit", "Soft Kit", "Long Kit". These names do not last long and are often replaced by a given name once a child grows into their personality or hobbies.

Given Name: Their fae name, passed down from parent to child and used as a disciplinary name. It is not commonly used and has a certain power over the Dran Myhk.

Song Name: A draconic song name, typically describing a deed or personality. It is not gendered, but conveys a sense of activity through or passivity through feminine and masculine pronouns accordingly.
Examples: 'She of Glimmering Things and Flowers Pressed Eternal', 'Winds Bright and Earth Shaken', 'Things Yet Lost, A Wonderous Return', 'He Who Steps Lightly Amongst Little Things'.

Song Title: A common translation into Eorzean, often a two-part name like 'Windy Meadows' or 'Soft Step'. This is not necessary but used when the Dran Myhk is interacting with those who cannot understand their song names.

Fifth Name: A common name, either taken or given by someone the Dran Myhk respects. They are often Welsh, Irish, or Scottish inspired names or simply a name of any inspiration/origin they like to be called when interacting with mortals.
Examples: Hawethorne, Ashe, Woadbyne, Laudine, Augadoll.


Note that these naming conventions are meant to be flexible and adaptable to each individual Dran Myhk's preference, personality, and style.

The Dran Myhk are known for their enchanting, aether rich eyes and silver tinged hair, and are powerful mages, drawing upon their seemingly limitless well of aether to perform miracles. Their bodies can take any shape, but most prefer the shape of the miqo'te of yore and their more animalistic bodies. Most, but not all, have furred digitigrade legs that end in large paws, as well as sharper teeth and claws that enable them to hunt and kill swiftly.

They are often seen in the company of dragons and their dragonettes, considering eachother to be equals and siblings.

Dran Myhk speak primarily in Dragonsong, taught to them by their dragon brethren, but also also know to speak in chirps and trills. Much like the Song, these sounds are understood by man as 'words' or 'intent.' Blessed with aether voices like their dragon relatives, Dran Myhk are able able to shake the air and shatter stone with enough force behind their tone. They refer to this as 'roaring.'

Every court needs must have a place of power that sustains the powerful mantles that the fae-folk bear upon their shoulders. Without them, they are no longer the supreme rulers of their fate, but snowflakes lost in the storm - doomed to fall down sooner or later.

Ys Mheg, the land of the Winter Court, is a mountain of dazzling snow. Ever has it been shrouded by mist. It is this dense fog that marks the boundary of the faerie kingdom, spelling woe upon an unwelcome traveler. Those that bear ill will are welcomed into the grave of frigid clouds that hug steep slopes and dance with creaking trees. Here, towards the pinnacle that rises towards heavens, flow the souls of the dead in northern Aldenard and it is their whispers that echo across this land, twined with the songs of the fae. 

For eons the dense forests and the unreachable peak were a solitary isle on the face of Coerthas. Those who disturbed it would come out, unchanged, decades later; return with gifts of precious fur and bone. With tales of magical faeries that dance with the departed by the bonfires.

This has changed after the 7th Umbral Calamity, when the boundaries of the mystic mists have expanded rapidly, solidifying the erupting Astral Ice energies into their domain. Although this expansion has lessened the impact of the freezing storm upon the lands of Ishgard, even the powerful Dran Myhk cannot completely avoid the incredible disaster of an Umbral Calamity. Many lesser fae, such as Frost Pixies and Whisps have been imbalanced by the dramatic increase of Astral Ice in their domain.

Following in the footsteps of their dragonkin, the Dran Myhk are skilled in creating new life from only themselves. This has left them little need to reproduce sexually, but some will take on a partner for the process of creating their kit, splitting the laborious process between the two (or more) of them. The Dran Myhk believe items that are added to the growing life will determine the fate and traits the new kit will have, and can be overly fussy, critical, and analytical about what it is offered. These items, an offering of flesh from the creators, and a surge of aether is all it takes for the new life to slip from the Lifestream and into the palms of their awaiting parents.

The second, most common way of birth is spontaneous creation. Similar to when Pixie are created in Il Mheg, the strong aether of Ys Mheg is enough to turn stubborn souls that refuse to return to the cycle of death and rebirth into something new. These souls, once adrift, now find new life, bodies, and stories amongst the ranks of the Dran Mhyk.

Some Dran Mhyk are experts at this process, and will even spend decades waiting for their person of choice to pass before their soul is plucked and added to the snows.

As both processes demand a considerable amount of either the progenitor Dran Myhk's power or a significant condensation of ambient power in Ys Mheg to occur, some forgo the pressure of creation and expectation in favor for The Cradle — a sacred location of the Winter Court, where the ambient power of Ys Mheg slowly nourishes new life, encased in ice. This process is significantly longer and may last decades or even centuries.