Bloodwing, Empress of Votyoger (Bl-ud wing)
Summary
Few wyvern-centric lineages can bear a torch to the magnificence of the Nyum, a lineage that once dominated 'most' of Prak. With countless islands under their domain, the Nyum ruled comfortably over everyone else. They were more interested in others keeping 'open harbors' with their own islands than things like tribute or fealty. Doing so allowed the Nyum to project their power with great ease, and have little fear of being stabbed in the back. A rather useful state of affairs, considering Prak's ever-shifting nature. However, the greatness of the Nyum led them to a terrible precipice. Their number spread too vast and thin to maintain cohesion when harpy tribes united under war banners. While the Nyum very much could've waged the possible war, the cost and devastation would've been immense. If the independent forces of Prak also joined in, there'd be no telling how catastrophic it could become. Foreseeing the unbelievable scope of devastation that would follow, the matriarch of the Nyum elected to withdraw her lineage. They would descend to Veltrona below, their future home set to be the world's greatest peak, Mount Skyreach. The decision led to all sorts of infighting within the Nyum lineage. Being adherents to 'survival of the fittest', many saw such uncontested retreating as pure cowardice. Some, particularly elders in the lineage, saw the wisdom in the matriarch's decision. Ultimately, her authority won out despite frequent contests against it, and so the Nyum quietly left their homeland of Prak behind. They settled upon the grand mountain and its enormous range, stretching their wings wide and projecting a fearsome presence. Those who lived there before were ill-equipped for so many wyverns suddenly descending, leading to brief, but intense conflicts. Many other draconic lineages in the area eventually joined with the Nyum, or were forced out. The Nyum's prominence soon cast a long shadow over Immensio and Lophern, as well as the northern reaches of Etzli Cuauhtla. Such is what made them prime targets for Imperious when she emerged. An unknown at that point in time, Imperious tore through the mountain range of Mount Skyreach, destroying veltron and wyvern alike. Her bellows of challenge, and mounting devastation on the Nyum, drew the attention of the elders and the matriarch. They descended to defeat this deranged upstart who ruined their home, or so they hoped. Despite their powerful aerial advantage, the elders underestimated Imperious, and paid dearly for doing so. It fell to the matriarch who, ever quick on her wings and viciously cunning, rapidly exploited Imperious' prominent weaknesses. The two collided into a stalemate, neither truly able to finish the other. How differently the world may have ended up then, if the matriarch hadn't been betrayed. Rivals within her own lineage, long kept under hand-foot, saw an opportunity in the battle. With most of the matriarch's allied elders dead or maimed, they saw a chance to rise up and dethrone her completely. Thus casting her down, they gleefully made to kill her and solidify their own rule. But, their interference enraged Imperious, an unstoppable force the traitors themselves couldn't contend with. They were beaten into submission and made subservient to Imperious' whims. The Nyum lineage at large tore itself apart in a civil war between the matriarch's loyalists and the traitors. A war that the matriarch's side largely lost, with the traitors–eager to please Imperious–did as she bid, and so received her aide. The proud Nyum were all but broken apart then, an event that largely signaled the founding of the Imperium. The matriarch, for her part, had been kept alive by Imperious. As she recovered, Imperious decreed her fate one of two possibilities: to serve Imperious just as much, or resist and provide equitable sport. After all, the Nyum traitors held the matriarch's lineage hostage. She would have to abandon them, or sacrifice everything in trying to break free. For one who could fly anywhere in the world, there was no end of invisible chains binding her down to the veltron. The Nyum matriarch, enraged to a point few would ever understand, forsook her name. She swore that one day Imperious and all the Nyum traitors would die on her wings, and she would soar in their blood. So it was the name Bloodwing became her moniker, a proclamation of furious vengeance. Bloodwing's servitude to the Imperium was marked with centuries of hate-filled duty and destruction. She ever tried to undermine Imperious, free her trapped kin, and kill the traitors, but rarely had the luxury of success. For what little gains she achieved, the Imperium profited far more, and grew ever greater off her labor. To all other peoples, especially the Imperium's enemies, however, she was seemingly no different than Imperious. Worse, perhaps, in that Bloodwing had little regard for the value of other species. She cared only for the lives of her lineage, an attitude that became maliciously vindictive as misfortune befell her. For the world at large, the name Bloodwing became synonymous with a terror born from the sky, come to deliver death and destruction. A reputation she lived up to again and again throughout the years. Still, Bloodwing never relented in trying to undermine the Imperium. Be it through her own bloodied wings or through supplying others the means, she made certain Imperious suffered. A feat that became harder and harder as Imperious' frightening might grew, and seemingly no one could ever really challenge her. Then came the one rebellion that mattered, the one led by Aerintor. Spearheading the largest uprising the Imperium ever saw, Aerintor and the many peoples rose up against draconic rule. Bloodwing herself eagerly soared to where the fiercest fighting happened, where Imperious and Aerintor collided. Yet, before she could arrive, the two vanished–seemingly into thin air. Shocked beyond disbelief, Bloodwing scoured the lands, searching for even a single strand of hair for a clue. Though she found nothing, it meant only one clear thing to her: regardless of Imperious' fate, the traitors had no one protecting them anymore. The Imperium descended into anarchy, and Bloodwing wasted no time in exacting her revenge. Her allies, in the form of Hal-Joren and others, turned on the imperial dragons alongside her. Dragon against dragon, interjected with the help of everyone else, tore the Imperium apart. The cataclysmic explosion of the World Gate, and the ensuing Great Darkness, changed everything for Bloodwing. Deprived of her vast skies, most of her lineage dead or traitorous, she was a matriarch without a home or people to call kin. In the end, for all she tried to do, Bloodwing ended up a tool of the Imperium. It gnawed at her mind and soul throughout the nearly two centuries of darkness that shrouded Veltrona. Something that festered into a deep-seated hatred–a word that scarcely captured the enormity of it. Heedless of her own health, Bloodwing took to the ruined, toxic skies. By calm winds she scoured the lands herself, baleful eyes sweeping far and wide with a wyvern's precision. By raging storms, she lurked in the halls of other dragons, speaking with them to find any trace of her enemies. Who would dare to stop the very wyvern that was, by all accounts, Imperious' nearest equal? Her wrath proved endless, and word of her brutal slaughters soon spread among dragonkind. It became a clarion call to the others, a signal for what could be done in those dark days. Those scarred by the Imperium soon joined in Bloodwing's bloody onslaught, hunting down any imperial dragon that could be found. Whether or not the world would truly come to an end, Bloodwing would have her vengeance before her time was up. Then, the skies cleared almost two centuries later. Hope, of a kind, followed after, washing away the gory nightmare Bloodwing had submerged herself within. She realized that something more would be needed; something that would help preserve dragonkind against another Imperium. A sentiment many others echoed, though none of them, not even Bloodwing, could envision what that 'thing' would be. So, she held a grand assembly on the ruins of her home at Mount Skyreach. All who would stand against what the Imperium embodied were invited, and so all would hold grand debate. A pivotal moment in time that would, later, be recognized as the founding period of Votyoger. Bloodwing, though giving much of her mind and cunning to the Forum's nascent being, recused herself from being involved further. She, driven solely by a bloody vengeance, would not be tied down by politica or leadership for others. It fell to her to scour every trace of the Imperium from the world, and to punish every Nyum traitor that dared to live still. So, as Votyoger formed, Bloodwing eventually left, taking to the clear skies in her seemingly endless hunt. A luxury she wasn't really afforded for very long. Votyoger was suffering from conflicting views and desires. The many lineages were competing for influence and control of what would become a powerful draconic government body. One easily comparable to the Imperium, if not more so. Whoever held final word would command incredible influence over all dragonkind, and Veltrona by extension. Many wyvern matriarchs eventually chased down Bloodwing herself, beseeching her to settle the disputes. She was an elder dragon with unfathomable prestige, a matriarch without a lineage to guide, and a living authority of all they needed. No other could heft a banner that all dragons scarred by the Imperium could answer without reservation. A proposition that would, ultimately, mean Bloodwing would become responsible for Votyoger. Despite Bloodwing's misgivings, many more elder dragons and matriarchs eventually petitioned for her to assume the role of 'head administrator' of Votyoger. Above all other concerns, her singular hatred of the Imperium and its 'way of life' was what the Draconic Forum needed. Someone who would ever keep the Forum focused on its purpose of safeguarding dragonkind from tyranny. And, with Bloodwing's own help, they'd ensure she'd never become such a tyrant, either. In the end, feeling responsible enough for what happened so many centuries ago, Bloodwing begrudgingly accepted their endorsement. In assuming her position as head administrator of Votyoger, she declared herself Empress of the Forum, to be the ultimate voice on any matter brought to her attention. Though varying concerns surrounded her doing so, the many elder dragons and their lineages were willing to 'wait and see' how things would develop. A gambit that, by all accounts, paid off. Bloodwing shaped Votyoger into an instrument of debate and resolution, aimed exclusively at handling draconic problems as befitted them to do. Clear channels of legal and ethical responsibility were made, as well as means of debt settling and de-escalation. It was remarkable how well Bloodwing handled the myriad lineages and their concerns, a display of political brilliance that future scholars still struggle to understand fully. And so, Bloodwing remains the Empress of Votyoger, overseeing the Forum with a critical eye and a burning hatred of anything that would harm dragonkind. A position she is ever supported by in the elders of dragonkind, many both allies and enemies who yet share Bloodwing's hatred. Something the newer generations are brushing against, having been taught yet having never lived in those horrible times themselves. Woe be to anyone who dares cause trouble enough to make her leave Mount Skyreach and come to the Forum personally, for surely blood will fly.Ah dinnae ken why ya need me tae dae it. Plenty tail grips aboot tha Forum already who can. Here ya are, beggin' still? There's blood waitin' tae be spillt an ya think me some tail pusher? Are ya daft? Naw, dinnae answer that, if Ah wanted ya dumb drivel Ah'd bother tae listen. Ah'll dae it, but only if they all agree. Naw one wastin' a single wink bein' a huffy wee lad needin' a slap oot'side tha head. 'cause Ah'd probably take his dumb head awf doin' it. Ah, but dae ya hear it? Just the wind here, noo. Nae more laughter. Nae more wings flappin' aboot or thunder beatin' the stones. Nae fightin', nae tusslin', nae singin', nae greetin'. Along came Imperious, along went wi' her aw me wee'uns. Aw me Nyum lassies and laddies. Just me, noo. Me an' the wind. There's blood tae be paid fer that, ya ken. Blood tha likes a lad only ever hears his maw and paw clamorin' tae get. Enough fer me tae paint tha skies fae Ner'in tae Varnkof. Ah'll naw stop 'til Ah've dun it, either. Ah'll willnae stop 'til everyone like her is painted oan tha sky. If ya Forum wants that fer its head, ya best be ready.
Physical Description
Body Features
A matriarch who has survived through millenniums, Bloodwing is a physically supreme existence, her mere presence exuding an overbearing pressure. Her dark skin and ruby red scales have seen a lot of turmoil and hardship, and the lingering scars of the Great Darkness yet remain in some places through things like blotchy discolorations or chipped edges. It adds an air of age to her that other species especially pick up on, as they usually associate such signs to 'veterans' or 'elder' people.
Her great arm-wings have a more unique coloration on their scales and dark-skinned flaps. Blotches of red and pink stain them with erratic randomness and intensity, resembling a painting or chaotic form of tattoo work. Considering Bloodwing's vicious means of dismembering her hated enemies, most people easily believe these may actually be blood stains left on her. No one really knows for certain, but it suits her almost mythological hatred well enough. Strangely, her harpoon-like tail is rather pristine by comparison.
Bloodwing's scales have a sort of blade-like cut on their edges, a feature normally associated with metal-aspected dragons and largely unseen in her lineage. In a sense, her whole body is covered in a natural armor of blades that anyone coming into contact with may be cut by. These edges usually take on a whiter, diamond-like composition, contrasting against her ruby scales.
Six horns emerge from her head. Two begin at her eyebrows, growing along her forehead before jutting out backwards over the skull. Two begin along her jawline much the same, sweeping underneath her ear fins and back over the skull. Two smaller ones grow from above her ear fins, sweeping backwards and ending up more like horn stubs than the other four, longer ones. It lends her an appearance of being well-armored, yet sleek and speedy.
Facial Features
Bloodwing's face is mostly an oval shape, but her growing horns and scales can give her a more stout and robust appearance. Her eyes are just slightly wider set than average, and have a generally round shape with prominently thick eye lashes. Her broad nose and plump lips are ringed in small, pebble-like ruby scales that trail off toward her cheek bones and jawline, respectively. The scales upon her nose also travel up the bridge of the nose, before terminating into the horns growing from her eyebrow ridge.
The near constant scowl her face seemingly rests within gives her a menacing atmosphere, and even a slight glance from her comes off as dangerous. In the few times she relaxes, or even approaches something resembling a smile, her facial expression can seem comfortably approachable.
Identifying Characteristics
Bloodwing's menacing aura is unmistakable to anyone who has experienced it before, and her appearance is starkly prominent among dragons. As the Nyum lineage at large is virtually gone, very few dragons have a comparable look. The blood stained wings tend to be her most iconic identifier and ever true to her moniker.
Special abilities
Elder Dragon – A dragon that has lived for millenniums, and so bears the power and prestige of being a true elder.
Firestorm Magic – Magical arts born from combining fire and wind together, creating explosive winds and rapacious flames that epitomize the chaos of destruction. This type of magic is notoriously self-destructive in how dangerous utilizing it can be.
Bladed Armor – Bloodwing's scales have a natural blade-like quality to their edges, making any sort of physical contact with her potentially lethally dangerous.
Apparel & Accessories
Bloodwing's attires are ones of the highest qualities available, representing the rather unique design concerns wyvern anatomy can demand. They're even more particular considering the nature of her blade scales, which can be dangerous even to the sturdiest of textiles. Her adaptations represent a moderate departure from wyvern norms, but many hallmarks of Nyum craftswomanship remain nonetheless.
From the head down, there is the following:
Bands of gold wrap around her horns, usually about three bands per horn at evenly spaced intervals. These bands are used for anchors for strings of carefully cut crysium jewels, usually composed of many different colors. This relatively simple arrangement gives her a vibrant range of twinkling lights about her head, and it is considered a beautiful aesthetic in wyvern and harpy cultures. Her braided hair is often intertwined and tied off with more opaque forms of crysium, serving to signify wealth and contrast the reflective ones higher up.
Ordinarily, Bloodwing does not wear much of anything on her wings. She may deign to wear banners or shawls, particularly ones of excellent make or ceremonial purpose. For many wyverns, not only will it affect their aerial flight ability, but the skin of their wings can be sensitive. It's oft described as something being 'caught between their fingers', and rapidly becomes irritating.
Her torso is comprised of several pieces working in unison.
A black cropped chemise protects her skin and supports a boned bodice, reinforcing Bloodwing's shape and figure. A slate grey, cropped wool shirt encapsulates the under layers, providing cushion for the thicker, bronze-colored leather vest on top. The vest locks into place through an X-cross set of straps, which lock into a clasp at the center of the chest. The vest itself is lined with white and gray fur of various animals. It also has a slight, rounded flair to the collar, drawing the eye to the neck.
Her midriff is typically left exposed, but there are snap-together belts on her front and backside that serve as reinforcement for her upper and lower wear. Bearing in mind she is a wyvern, the structural requirements for her clothing is somewhat different. Also, she has scales on the sides of her midriff that would tear up clothes anyway.
The outerwear can vary, usually as kinds of leather-based coats, matriarchal robes, or other wear associated with positions of office or ceremony. Bloodwing ordinarily wears a white silk shawl that has been specially embroidered with the various lineage symbols of those who participate in Votyoger. It's unique in possessing textiles from every lineage, and thus the mana signatures of their artisans. In a sense, it is a one-of-a-kind piece that all of dragonkind has been responsible for the creation of. Hence, it is seen as a symbol of Votyoger and its Empress.
Something that tends to surprise people, as it is not overly decorated nor embellished with the most priceless of materials. Rather, the symbolism of so many lineages working together is, itself, what is indeed most priceless about it. The shawl also has a number of secret magics imbued into it, not least of which is to ensure it cannot be destroyed by any mundane methods.
Her lower half is covered by carefully constructed layers to account for her uniquely sharp scales. Bloodwing's underwear consists of slate grey woolen split drawers that reach and tie off at her knees. These drawers are cut open on the sides, which allows her large, outer thigh scales to emerge through without damaging the clothing. Stitched-together bronze leather pieces secure her underwear into place, providing protection and stability. A short, bleached white pleated underskirt cut into panels hangs to about mid-thigh. Notably, one large panel hangs between her legs on the frontside, while several panels cover her backside.
The outer skirt itself reaches just below her knees, and it is made from the hair of Nyum dragons, giving it a light pink/snowy pink appearance. It is wrapped in such a way it bundles on her front waist, and then hangs more freely on her backside, so as to not impede her legs. On the front left side, the four-taloned foot-hand of the Nyum lineage's symbol functions like a security latch. Different types of crysium jewels are stitched in at the bottom, helping to weight the skirt and act as a colorful flair.
Gray leather sandals/gloves cover Bloodwing's hand-feet, with the inside layer having fluffy fur of some creature for insulation. The straps of the sandals criss-cross over her legs, avoiding the dangerous scales and tying off just below the knee. They're reasonably reinforced with bronze-like metal, such as the knuckles and topsides of the hand-feet. There is a distinct look of wear and tear to them, and their exact make is distinctly wyvern in nature. Some believe these may be an original set of Nyum hand-feet wear, and so something Bloodwing meticulously takes care of.
Mental characteristics
Sexuality
Bisexual
Education
Bloodwing's position as the Nyum matriarch did not come about through pure brute force. Her vicious cunning was legendary within the lineage, and well-deserved for its reputation during the age of the Imperium. Although not one to be taken with academia, her discipline and pragmatism for solving real-world issues is honed by millenniums of experience. It is a sort of approach born from survival in harsher, wilder times, with competition both feral and people alike.
That ages old experience sharpened and honed her weapons of choice, something eventually many of her competitors themselves lacked. It is not as if out-smarting Bloodwing is impossible, but such advantages rarely last long at all. She's more than capable of catching almost anyone in a trap of her making when the time comes.
That and, as knowledge grows and changes, Bloodwing goes after what she fancies more often than not. Her eclectic accumulation of knowings can paint a very bizarre painting sometimes, but it's difficult to say she's any less capable for them. Indeed, she even knows the beginnings of some entire fields of study or engineering, such as the torzei. For the brave soul willing to chance a meeting with her, even a sliver of her historical perspective can be a glimpse into Veltrona's ancient past.
Hence, it's difficult to say what kind of educational profile she really has, but if one was to ask 'what is her competency?', then the answer would be, 'frightening'.
Mental Trauma
Though she survived and prevailed over innumerable hardships, from stillbirths to death's door itself, Bloodwing ever picked herself up again and again. It would be Imperious, and the resulting betrayal of her own lineage, however, that left a nigh-permanent scar behind. Her literal and distant children turning upon one another, selling out their own to please Imperious, torturing and holding hostage many others, and more became a truly reprehensible memory.
Something endlessly worsened by Imperious' shadow ever hanging over her. That tyrant's mocking laughter incessantly reminds her of those terrible centuries, and an endless lifetime toiling in servitude. Indeed, Imperious was very much a mountain that even Bloodwing, who flew around the world, couldn't find a way to surmount.
Her resolve has ever been to hunt down and scour Veltrona of Imperious and her imperial legacy, no matter what it takes. It is only in the bloodshed of such traitors and imperial dragons does she feel a modicum of peace, even if its a pittance for all she'd lost. Still, many nights drag on long and hard, and memories often torment her of those dreadful centuries that Imperious loomed over her in.
Intellectual Characteristics
Crafty, meticulous, and all too willing to create a direct solution to a problem, Bloodwing has an inventive mind that has long been her greatest weapon throughout the eons. Though easily taken in moments of great passion, her foresight is ever working to a degree many others find difficult to fathom. The seeming 'randomness' she can live by also serves to keep her competitors on uncertain footing, something that only ever benefits her. It is a way of thinking born from a long life of struggle, survival, and predatory hunting in much wilder times.
The return of civilizations growing once more didn't change her mind, only the methods by which she worked. Lethal traps became contractual obligations, allegiance the yoke of her enemies, and familial loyalty the chains. Those who sought to break free of these things may have indeed done so, only to confront her fearsome might as an elder dragon. To say she can create unassailable positions is an understatement: long before anyone has encountered Bloodwing, she's made preparations of some kind to deal with them.
Often in ways people do not expect, for she is not bothered with particularly asinine or complex schemes. Simplicity is a strength that has proven itself time and time again, making it all the more challenging for others to confront.
That said, her love of food and music are perhaps her greatest enjoyments. Bloodwing's love of new experiences gives her an inquisitive desire to explore all sorts of topics and ideas. It leads her into all sorts of bizarre directions, and she has grown an approximate knowledge of many different things as a result. Her mindset very much tends to focus on the near term, living day-by-day and week-by-week. The fact she can track even multi-decade long affairs as well as she does catches many people off guard.
Morality & Philosophy
Bloodwing's entire world has ever been self-centered, with her the pinnacle of the Nyum lineage. In many ways, her attention often only stretched as far as the Nyum were concerned, and no further. She never gave much regard to other species, seeing them only as wannabe competitors who would never have the strength to do such. It is a sort of indifference that is easy to regard as xenophobic, though the Nyum at large never had particular violence directed toward others. That said, for those on the receiving end, that same indifference appears just as cruel as any other.
Strength is the measure by which Bloodwing lives, but strength is ever defined by its purpose. For many eons, it was her duty as matriarch of the Nyum. For some centuries, an unwilling pawn to the Imperium. Then, ever since, it has been an unending hatred of all that which wronged her lineage, and perhaps the greater world at large. The meaning of her strength, her pursuit in becoming strong, and how she wielded it all very much changed.
For someone who firmly believed in survival of the fittest, the evils of the Imperium did well to shatter that selfish ideology. Indeed, her own resounding defeat and the downfall of her lineage made her reconsider much in that respect. After a certain point, what did being 'fit' entail when an entire civilization could overcome an individual? She realized to some extent that survival of the many, even those weak and undeserving, would be more beneficial.
It was a belief that was tested during the era of the Baarham Dominion and their xenocidal habits. Though very much a traditionalist in her beliefs of one's own merits and hard work, she begrudgingly acknowledged those had limits. One could very much be born into the great competition of life destined to lose, no matter how fit or meritorious they became. It was that sort of 'rigged from the start' realization that pivoted Bloodwing's thinking the most. Much to the benefit of Votyoger and her 'colleagues'.
For her own way of expressing camaraderie to others, Bloodwing is working toward finding out what a fairer form of competition might be. Something that rewarded hard work, and ever kept the promise of a boundless future for anyone to achieve. Its created something of a philosophical think tank around her, with many other older, Imperium-era dragons debating once-trusted views amidst a very changed world. Her two greatest rivals/associates, Munalrom and Zerkartun, often jockey with her on various matters.
Current Location
Species
Honorary & Occupational Titles
The very title of 'Empress of Votyoger' is something ironic, crafted by Bloodwing to suit two purposes. First, a means of clearly communicating her authority to all (dragon or not) in that she was the final word of the Draconic Forum. Secondly, a twist on the covetous beliefs that surround empires–Bloodwing is democratically elected, and her power is given to her by Votyoger's members. What she does is, ultimately, sanctioned by Votyoger, not purely because of autocratic delight. However, this ironic meaning is often lost in translation and most people do not 'get it'.
Age
7,000+ years
Children
Sex
Female
Gender
Female
Eyes
Wide, deep set eyes with a distinct scowl; black sclera with vividly vibrant green, jewel-like irises, slitted pupils
Hair
Light pink/reddish color, chest-length, traditionally tied into two braids interwoven with jewelry
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Dark brown, with molted gray spots representing toxic scars; ruby-red, jewel-like scales
Height
11ft2in / 340cm
Weight
Heavy
Aligned Organization
Comments