... 10 Years Ago ...

Dorian (Luke) was about 12 years old, his father was renowned for making magical items.  There were tough times for them when the magic suddenly stopped.  Tough times and a lot of angry customers.  Ildan (Aaron) remembers something shifting and his vision blurring, but it's entirely possible he was just drunk at the time.  Vani (Carmen) was playing in the lake, as she almost always did before going on adventures, and became very scared when the world shifted.  She hid, safe in her pond, away from the big outside world for a while.  J (Kayleigh) was trying to deal with a young owl bear that had been wounded and working on its rehabilitation ... it was a good idea at the time.  The world was gone for a moment and then it was back, and when it was back the owl bear was disturbed.  There was a lot of hooting and growling and thrashing, J was permanently scared across her torso and has been wary of owl bears since.  Narcel'Uss (Laura) was preparing for a noble ritual, a coming of age rite.  The shift was taken as a bad omen, the ritual was never completed.  Ren (Brent) was on a ship.  She remembers that time very very well.  The waters calmed and the seas slowed to almost nothing.  Some of her crew mates went mad thinking they'd be lost forever.  Bird Girl (Gina) wasn't born yet... but, it's just possible that this shift is what stirred her 20 year old dormant egg.

... How We Met ...

When Dorian met Jean he mistook her for her her twin whom he'd met before.  That meeting did not go well for Dorian.  Months after that meeting, Dorian found a baby dinosaur and was at a loss as to what to do about him.  Jean found out and sought out the pair, finding Dorian hiding out at the abandon forges.  Jean was kind enough to take the dinosaur to a free range farm.  Dorian still isn't convinced that Jean isn't her twin brother... to this day he teases her about busking and card tricks, despite being constantly kicked in the shins for his efforts.

Ren met Jean by the Pangol Inn and helped stopped some poachers that Jean had been tracking.

Ildan met Bird Girl in the brothel where she was hatched.  Sometimes they wouldn't let Ildan inside (neither will say why), and Bird Girl would make him sandwiches because he looked sad.  Ildan decided to call her a friend, and when she was young he would buy her pomegranates with his own gold.

 Vani met Narcel'Uss walking along the edge of a shallow river one day.  Vani thought Narcel'Uss looked sad and really wanted to cheer her up but was nervous to come out of the water.  Narcel'Uss was exploring and trying to find herself.  While lost in though Narcel'Uss took a misstep and fell off a log.  Vani rescued her from some hungry crocodiles nearby.  Narcel'Uss has a begrudging respect for Vani's courage.

Dorian was courting the lovely Preunella some time ago.  One day while they were "out walking" the young miss dropped her necklace in the pond.  Before Dorian could be the chivalrous gentleman, up popped Vani with the trinket.  Vani knew Dorian from his father's shop where she spent most of her time while she was on land (before the magic stopped).  She offered to trade the fair lady's bobble for an item she'd always admired, a silver spider trinket for her hair, that totally doesn't move or do anything at all.  

Bird Girl and Ren know eachother but have never met or come near each other.  Bird Girl has a deep instinctive fear of Ren's net and cannot get close.  Although she really wants to; Bird Girl was drawn to Ren the first time she saw her in town.  Often when Ren would go dive fishing, Bird Girl would also catch fish and leave them by Ren's basket in secret.

Narcel'Uss met Ildan after she was excited from her previous life.  They were gambling in a dark corner of an inn on night, and drinking, and drinking, and drinking, and ... well anyway, you get the picture.  There were stories told over the course of the night and someone came up with the idea of Ildan being hired as Narcel'Uss' body guard.  In the morning there was a platonic nod and the contract held in the sober light of day.  She's bossy and they argue a lot, but in the end, she knows what he is there to protect her.  Although there was this one time where she yelled "you're not my father" and that seemed to hit close to home ... for both of them.