Name: Dum | Dee

Gender: both Male

Age/DOB: ~300 | ~2000

Origin: both Rookery Earth's Xen, part of the Shorepoint system

Family: Unknown likely deceased Vortigaunts, do not appear to be related to any living ones

Other: This pair of Vorts assisted in the training of and shuffling around of the refugees trying to make their way to the Shorepoint facility, were nearer the Nova Prospekt prison, thus quite a few people were subject to their ... commentary

Height: Dum around 5'11" eye height, 6'7" at full stretch
Height: Dee about 5'3" eye height, just under 6' full

Weight: Dum about 190, solid and quite healthy, often standing much taller than most Vorts
Weight: Dee is around 150 and mostly skin and bones at this point, and hardly aspires to stand up if he doesn't need to stretch

Hair: None

Eyes: Both have the typically Vortigaunt red glowing eyes, four of them; Dum's are a paler shade overall, while Dee's are quite a bit darker with the central color punctuating the crimson

Appearance: Dum has yellowish green-grey skin with lighter and darker patches, some scarring on arms and body, overall he looks younger and cleaner than most, and usually has something to say... thus his open mouth
Appearance: Dee is obviously aged and the years have not been kind to him, his skin used to be a more grey green shade but has been bleached to a pinkish color - or maybe it's the other way around, starting pink and ending up this mottled wrinkly grey? He has been likened to a 'wrinkly puppy', but don't say that to his face, his very wrinkly, puppy-marked face...

Icarus Processing: No, of course not. It's possible that Dee has been approached by the Combine, or even the Black Mesa crew with experiments, but he will not talk about it

|...............|

Dum | Dee
Image Credits: Valve / Garry's Mod
Genetic Abilities: Both Vorts are able to communicate with and sense through the Vortessence, often found flux shifting to one another about the day's work. They are also able to see Vortal auras and assess those with any amount of power to them. Dum plays a more active role using his electrical attacks to toss up rubble and stir up Antlions so that others can herd them; Dee takes more care and uses that same power to subdue Guardians or Combine alike with a powerful brain-numbing attack - this specific attack he seems to have learned from the Controllers back on Xen, or even from Nihilanth itself, as this power is quite a bit like the floating 'fireballs' that they would produce. While they both can control the Vortessence to heal, neither of them is particularly adept with it, Dee would be the more likely one to ask about it however, as he has somehow kept himself alive through an awful lot of abuse.
Skills or Profession: Dum, being younger, has only ever known the yoke of oppression - first on Xen, where he was hatched, and later under the Combine's rule on Rookery Earth. But as most Vorts do take ancestral cues from beyond the Veil, he has a good sense of herding and Antlion husbandry. He isn't as go-getter as those found on the Ranch and doesn't particularly want to be part of that team, though he knows that if he really wanted to, he'd be welcome there. At this point he is good with organizing items, making sure that crates of supplies and goods are set up correctly, and getting them where they're intended.
Dee, however, has had a much longer life, and has been alternately a soldier, scout, and slave. He is the quintessential 'grizzled warrior', and as such has a tremendoulsly good knowledge of tactics, able to assess a battlefield as well as another warrior with ease. Though he's currently on supply and routing duty with Dum, he also takes a tactical advisory position when needed, because of his experiences. He also is apt with electronics, particularly Combine works, and if infiltration is necessary he's the one to choose to do it.
Personality: Dum is a noisy, opinionated Vort, while not necessarily argumentative. He's the 'rabble' part of rabble rousers, but will shut up when needed or when Dee glares the crap out of him. He likes people, but he will never hesitate to speak his mind... well, to flux-shift his mind, about them, and is absolutely an incurable gossip.
Dee as stated is a bit more subdued but in no way lacks an opinion about the people, dragons, enemies, or environment around him. He has 'glory days' tales that would curl your toes, and enjoys telling them to whoever will listen. Over and over and over. He will smack you upside the head for doing something stupid, but will certainly congratulate you if you do something adequately well. While he appears rather grumpy, he's also protective, and would much rather have lived his long life tending or guarding, rather than attacking and invading.

Events or History: Dee has had a much longer history, and was born on the Vort homeworld, before the Combine were alerted to its existence. (This applies only to the Rookery's version, as the Repurposed Vort homeworld was abandoned considerably earlier in the story timeline.) In his youth he explored, and was taken by Nihilanth along with some of the locals to Xen. This happened numerous times and abductions were common, until they settled in and were invaded, themselves. He was trained to fight, and rarely did much else for centuries. He didn't dare use his learned abilities on the Controllers, choosing to bide his time and simply be an obedient soldier, knowing that eventually all this would end. He didn't realize that it would end in an invasion of Earth, but that's where he wound up - before the invasion began. Truth be told, Dee is now glad that he wasn't part of the original invasion force that Nihilanth sent to Earth, he'd been subdued and captured by Humans as they explored Xen. Thus he was in a stasis capsule, having been briefly contained and not quite experimented upon when the Resonance Cascade occurred and broke him free. Because he'd been away from the Nihilanth's influence (the Humans actually removed the electronic shackles that kept him a slave, not knowing what they really did) he was among the first to learn to communicate with Humans. While he didn't fight against his kin, he did help lead some number of scientists to safety in the facility, before leaving it (as it was bombed) and moving off to the Cities a few years later. About that time, Dum and several other Vorts and humans hooked up, and began the search for a good safe location to hole up in Europe. Together, they and a number of others secured the outpost near Nova Prospekt.
Dum's life has been shorter but punctuated by danger. He's relished every moment of this, first fighting the soldiers as he was sent from Xen to Earth, but then after being freed of the Nihilanth's mind control learning that like all intelligent creatures, Humans have their factions and duties. He wants to make sure that the world is safe from Combine rule, having been captured and nearly experimented upon at that same prison location they patrol.

They as a pair of riders have been tasked to keep the areas near and around the Borealis site patrolled. Dee is more likely to remain quite near the ship, while Dum takes off to do wider ranging patrols. At this point, however, both are quite relieved to be outside of the fighting, and in a position to help in ways they didn't think possible. With dragons, they can be a formidable team to invade, or defend. They both keep the wildlife at bay, and the Humans supplied or shuffled to their correct safe houses.

Note for both dragons, as they are considered of 'Old World' descent even though they're remnants of the Healing Den's population, they will still produce Pernese-type offspring, hatching from long-maturing eggs, requiring bonds (though those can be dragons), and bearing names ending in -TH. If they breed, obviously.

Dragon of Dum

Name: Diurnath
Gender: Female
Size/Shoulder/Length: Medium, just under Queen pernese sized 11' s / 46' l / 70' ws
Colors: Sunset yellow-gold, body is primarily orange with a brighter yellow strip across neck, chest, forelegs and wing arms; wingsails are orange with red-orange toward body; head fins and tail spade are red-orange; claws are graphite, eyes are yellow and slitted
Features: Cy Dragonstake queen, four strong long limbs with 3 long slightly curved claws; two leathery three-fingered wings with no other features, straight claws on tips; body is even and muscular, with a large keel; skin is thick hide which requires some amount of upkeep, and sheds regularly; head is heavily browed, with a hook nose, sharp slender back-pointing nose horn, and two very long sharp back-pointing horns with fins along jaw; tail has narrow heart-shaped fin on end; otherwise unadorned
Powers: Winged Flight, though unused to flying around so much for quite a long time, Dirunath has enjoyed the ability to stretch her wings a bit and is gaining strength at the Rookery. Her brilliant colors do contrast with the bleakness of the icy landscape, but she flies at dawn and sunset, enjoying the moments of high-noon when she can burst down out of the sky onto a Strider or Hunter. Though she does tend toward not allowing anyone on her back, she can pick up and carry quite a bit of weight, though not for long until she's more practiced at it. She's queenly in all ways, including her precise flight and durability, agility in the air, and aggression toward anything she deems unworthy to be in her space. She will absolutely go up against a Combine gunship, and win, particularly with Dum riding her!
Teleportation, after decades in the Healing Den, Diurnath is quite good with teleportation to local areas as well as off-world. It had become her typical travel power, because the Den's sands may or may not have been 'actually on the Healing Den', so she would blip here and there without even thinking. She does not travel between, her 'safe space' is still the Den. She's visited Xen and thinks it's a bit weirder than the Den but not by much and look at all that other scenery?!
Communication, she can only communicate with telepathy but does so brilliantly, like her coloration. Able to spot a Vortal mind or even a low-grade dragon-type mind suitable to riding. She isn't particularly a search dragon, but in another era she might have been such. She's able to discern individuals in a crowd with ease, and communicate either broadly to dozens at once, or to a specific mind without anyone prying, at distances over 15 miles clearly. She has a very snug bond with both her draconic partner Nocturneth, and her new Vortigaunt Dum.
As time has gone on, it's clear that Diurnath is incapable of breathing fire, even though many of her breed from the Dragonstake could do so.
Parentage: Unknown Cy / Old World styled, as far as anyone knows, unrelated to any at the Rookery
Origin: Gift from Cy Dragonstake 2003
Other Info: though for many years she ran the Healing Den's sands, including at times overseeing minor hatchings and flitter groups, after a time, those ran dry. The sands were still her roost, but eventually as the Rookery was announced, they made the decision and have not regretted it. The only thing is that it's super cold up here and she knows that if she is needed she'll defend the Rookery's own sands with her life once more. Whether she will become a true mother queen, no one knows yet.

Dragon of Dee

Name: Nocturneth
Gender: Male
Size/Shoulder/Length: Medium (quite big for a Pernese blue) 11' s / 60' l / 70' ws
Colors: midnight black and blue nebula mottling along all parts but wingsails, from a very dark blue-velvety black, to intense dark blue, with tiny brilliant white stars speckling here and there; wingsails are more vibrantly black contrasted with 'infrablue', almost neon but not bright in a strong blue pattern; eyes change with mood centered on green
Features: reasonably traditional Pernese, with a bulky build, thumbed forepaws, claws on all feet, dished face with headknobs, and a small triangular tail spade, no further adornments; wings have 5 fingers (4 plus elbow strut) and a single wrist nub/claw; hide skin requiring maintenance
Powers: Winged Flight, a stronger overt flier than most of his color type, and truly wonderful at night. He is remarkably agile in the air, even at low altitudes or near structures or obstacles. He doesn't keep up a fast pace for very long, but he can burst to over 100 miles an hour for about ten minutes, then must rest. He is quite capable of carrying a half dozen human-sized items, or knocking over a Strider with one big sweeping blow. He flies in the dark or twilight though during the day his dark colors may give him away up near the icy wastes.
Teleportation, like his beloved, he is quite adept at teleportation via Den space, though he tends to use it only to go very long distances. If he knows where he's going, he'll get there with only one short hop. If he has to rely on any external mind, even his Vort bond's, it may take a few tiring bounces before they reach it.
Communication, as with most Old World styled dragons, Nocturneth is telepathic only, though he clearly makes quite a few sounds vocally like all of them. He has a strong mental voice, though at closer range than his partner, around 5 miles maximum. He can sense more emotions, close range, however, and makes sure that anyone with evil intentions or too much emotional baggage is dealt with appropriately.
Fire Breath, though hardly ever used, these days he is growing better at unassisted fire breathing. If he does get the chance to chew up some coal or other substances which can be spat out and burn, his breath is remarkably hot and accurate to around 50 meters, but without it, it burns modestly and at around 25 meters sort of fans out too much to be of offensive use. He does use this more to warm up the surroundings at the Borealis, however, melting away snow is quite easy with that short range fire.
Parentage: Unknown, unrelated to any at the Rookery or otherwise, variant Old World
Origin: Gift from Calyeni Caverns 2003
Other Info: Having spent as much time as he had at the Den, Nocturneth is used to navigating in weird underground spots - and enjoys creating tunnels in the tall glaciers nearby, to explore or play in.