The Scalebound Strays

Once laughed off as a “walking hazard of magical misfits,” the Scale-Bound Strays have become a household name among Etherian traders, treasure-seekers, and even low-ranking members of the Sisterhood of Assassination—mostly because they’ve survived more arcane catastrophes than most seasoned warbands. Each member is unmistakable, unforgettable, and—depending on whom you ask—either a savior or a walking diplomatic incident. Spotted most recently near the whispering ruins of Kin’Darei, the Strays continue their chaotic trek across Iridia’s most unstable regions.

Seen from left to right in the infamous Verdant Divide sketch by Mira Inkspittle, charcoal on unstable parchment.

🔥 Durla Flatknuckle — Lantern of Old Grudges

Grizzled and built like a barrel wrapped in callouses, Durla hails from the deep veins beneath the Armour of Or, where dwarves learned to shout louder than cavequakes. Once a militant torchbearer of the Scaleport Miners' Union, Durla now serves as the Strays’ scout and security. Her enchanted lantern, Whispermelt, glows brighter near hidden resonance, but also occasionally screams poetry in ancient Dwarfish when provoked (or slightly jostled). She considers all scale-worship "sentimental nonsense" and collects cursed teeth from bandits she's bested. No one's dared ask why.

🪨 Brukk the Splinterseer — Prophet of Shards

An orc of monumental stature and unsettling calm, Brukk once preached under the Cult of Dy until he suffered a scale-induced revelation mid-sermon and calmly walked into a river, emerging three days later with a crystal staff and a very different theology. Now the group’s spiritual compass (unfortunately), Brukk claims to hear the “songs of the splintered world.” While mostly peaceful, he can snap a dire wolf in half like kindling. Local Followers of Irion claim he may be some kind of anti-saint; Brukk disagrees and invites them to tea.

⚡ Furlin "Sparkbite" Thorncheek — Biter of Wires, Ignorer of Warnings

A goblin whose idea of safety involves licking scale batteries “just to check their charge,” Furlin was exiled from Mohinders after converting a bathhouse into a teleportation experiment. Permanently tinged by electric feedback, he crackles faintly and often smells of ozone and jam. Furlin specializes in miniature devices that explode, levitate, or hum disapprovingly when near authority figures. He rides a modified mechanical beetle named Boomblin and keeps a pocket diary titled “Ideas What Might Work, Probably.” It is mostly drawings of imploding frogs.

🌙 Vaelira of the Roving Mirth — The Last Note You’ll Remember

Cloaked in song and layered sarcasm, Vaelira drifts between bardic brilliance and reckless thievery. She claims noble heritage, a direct lineage to one of the lost Riftkeepers, but also once tried to pawn her own shadow in Triz Valley for a bottle of elderberry fizz. Vaelira’s lute, Whimblight, resonates with nearby scale frequencies, making her performances both mesmerizing and, occasionally, wildly disruptive to local weather. She records every misadventure with the Strays in her famed travelogue "Riffs & Ruins: A Songbook of Regrettable Decisions."

Legacy & Infamy

Together, the Scale-Bound Strays have a knack for tripping over ancient magical secrets and accidentally resolving them. They've outwitted Arcane Fangs, guided desperate caravans through the Verdant Divide, and caused no fewer than three minor magical singularities—though Furlin insists that “one was definitely on purpose.”

Whispers say they’re now searching for something specific: not treasure, not power, but an “echo lost in a scale.” Whatever that means, one thing is certain: if you see a glowing goblin arguing with a lantern while a giant orc sings lullabies to a tree, it’s too late to run.

Grab your grounding stone, and enjoy the ride.