Pale Queen
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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[/img]|300px]]Energy Manipulation
Cold Mastery
Contents |
WARNING. Some of this will involve gore!
History
Death comes riding on pale wings.
A whitescale is a massive beast, and a rarity to behold. An aegis of pristine ivory scales. Their prowess shines the brightest when in the pursuit of prey, when the thrill of the hunt thrums through their veins... or when they're just very, very hungry.
Once, a clutch of four pure-blooded whites occupied the lands now known as northeastern Siberia, but out of this clutch, three fell prey to the vicious onslaughts of man, hunted by heroes and braggarts. One young dragoness survived, left to fend for herself in the numbing cold where she thrived, hibernating for years at a time beneath the ice while men retreated with their trophies. The lands were marked by her, and she ruled as the Queen without contest for years.
Only one was bold enough to occupy her territory at the same time, another of white blood, but only half. A hybrid who encroached her home, hunted her prey and challenged her status, sparking a war that lasted over two hundred years. It was only after both brutes realized that despite the difference in bloodlines, they were on equal footing when it came to power, that they backed down.These dragons lived in some semblance of harmony, war reduced to petty skirmishes over trivial things and winnings of their hunts shared. Two beasts whose clutchmates were lost to time bonded together, and became family. And both grew stronger by the day, Rihina with a royal excellence in hunts, and Vorugal with his feral ways.
Then the descendants of the first men returned. Following the trail of living dragons like bloodhounds, wielding new weaponry and the knowledge of weak spots in their opponents. They masked their scents and trailed after their quarry, hunting the hunters, until one day they struck.
Capture
Their first target was inside of a vast glacial den. A slumbering pureblood rested on her belly, and with great white wings draped across her to shield away the snowy winds. Around the beast lay piles of gold, jewels and precious metals. The biggest quantity of trinkets was set within the coil of a large, tapered tail littered in icy crystals.
A line of a dozen hunters grasping the hilts of black swords crept into the mouth of the cave, tailed by a dozen or so more - their hands caught between links of mighty, enchanted chains. Their steps were as light as they could make them, but the crunch of ice and snow beneath boot treads did not go unnoticed. Pointed ears flicked like a natural tic, barely swivelling to hone in on the intruding sounds with practiced subtlety.
It was here she waited. As the steps grew nearer, muscles rippled and tightened beneath a shield of white scales, poised to strike with as much tension as a tightly wound spring.
Biding her time proved a failure, for she did not note the rattling of chains, but only the hushed whispers of man. The hunters bearing these bonds had the opportunity to swiftly place themselves at her front and back legs - six for each. Hastily they heaved, tossing the chains across her limbs before she could act. On contact, plates of pearl burned beneath the Dragonsbane enchantments, extremities anchored to the cave floor.
The dragon’s scaled eyelids lifted to bare the striking shade of blue iris and broad, slitted pupils which quickly constricted with the influx of light. Her chest quaked with a low rumble of warning, shaking the den with great icy stalactites rattling atop the roof, hairline fractures rippling over their surfaces. Her head lifted freely without the restrictions of bonds and turned towards the retreating humans, upper lip lifting to bare rows of serrated teeth in a predatory snarl.
“Get its mouth! Get its damn mouth!”, one man bellowed towards a pair that still held the mystic irons, whipping around with a frantic quickness to point at the dragoness.
His ‘loyal’ men hesitated, much to the frustration of their leader, and further the dragon rose. Even while bound to the cave floor by four limbs, she straightened to a towering height which inspired fear. They trembled, feet turning a fraction in the snow and the desire to flee plain in their frightened features. With an irritated sigh, the man waved a dismissive hand and hurriedly walked over to claim the chains in-hand for himself.
“I’ll do it my damn self.” He said with casual bravado, turning toward the captured animal. He lacked caution where he needed it most, in the face of a monster without mercy.
The beast parted her jaws and hissed as he approached with a confident gait, swinging around one end of the weighted chains to gain momentum before he aimed and threw them upwards. His aim was not as keen as he’d hoped, the weapon launched past the dragon’s head instead. He had missed, and now he was within range of a furious Rihina.
The attack came swiftly, from above him. As big as she was, the creature leaned her head down with surprising speed and open jaws, descending onto her prey. He was trapped behind rows of jagged teeth acting as prison bars, the front of her muzzle pressed into the cold snow. His cry echoed loudly, though muffled, before her maw closed with merciless force. In place of his pleas were the sounds of cracking bone and grinding cartilage between teeth, his body only visible from the calf down hanging past her mouth as her head raised. Splattered crimson stained her gums and the outside of her lips, while the rest pooled upon her tongue.
With a quick throw back of her head and a tilt of her muzzle toward the roof of the cave, the man disappeared.
Personality
Rihina is mild-mannered after over a millennia of living in primal earth. Though kindness does not imply that Rihi is a pushover or cannot stand up for herself. When pressed, this old dragoness has a temper ten miles wide and doesn't leave much room for conversation.
She's protective of her kin and friends, almost nurturing, and sees all mixedbloods and purebloods as standing on equal ground with one another.
Abilities
- Extensive control over ice and cold winds.
Weaknesses
- Warm climates. Rihi thrives in the cold, and her wings are hardened to withstand even the coldest of arctic winds. Without chilly temperature she is at a severe disadvantage.
- Fire. The why is evident.
- Dragonsbane enchantments.
