| ZODIACWINGS | 

For Atlantiik_

————

DESCRIPTION:

Shiny, tough scales in shades of black and grey; black diamond patterns on the paws, near the eyes and on the tip of the tail; long black or grey horns; large powerful wings with patterns of starry scales

ZodiacWing eggs are a metallic black, with a sprinkling of white near the top.

————

ROYALTY:

Queen Cygnus

King Aries

Princess Saturn (heir to the throne)

Prince Ophinichus

Princess Andromeda

————

ABILITIES:

Can see in the dark; breathe a small, white-hot flame, but only in short bursts; cold resistance

————

POWERS:

If a ZodiacWing is hatched under the light of at least one full (🌕) moon, they gain the power to see into the future. The power of this ability increases with the number of full moons. If only one moon is full, they can only see about a week into the future. If there are two full moons, they can see two weeks into the future; if all three moons are full, then they can see a whole month. An egg with a seer dragonet inside is a glittering silver. Seers have bright purple eyes.

If hatched while all of the moons are new (🌑), then they gain the power to walk through dreams without the use of a dreamvisitor, and manipulate what happens in the dream. They are also exceptionally good at deciphering the meaning of dreams, whether they are someone else's or their own. These dragons are called dreamwalkers, and have white diamond patterns instead of black. Their eggs turn pitch black under the new moons.

ZodiacWings can hatch animi dragons, but strangely they have a much lower chance of a ZodiacWing hatching as an animus then the Pyrrhian tribes do.

————

ALLEGIANCES:

Formally had an alliance with the VirtueWings; however, as of the beginning of the War of Eternal Night (see History and Lore), they are currently locked in heated war, with the SpiritWings fighting on the side of the VirtueWings, and have been forced to unite with their sworn enemies, the CurseWings, under an unsteady truce.

————

TERRITORY:

The ZodiacWings live in the northern part of a small continent located to the west of Pyhrria named Amara (after the word "amaranthine"), which is shaped like a swooping dragon, with its wings spread out and its tail pointed upwards. The Zodiac Kingdom is located on the 'tail' of Amara, which is occupied by a mountain range and many rocky pillars and spikes, on which they make their nests. The climate is very cold, and most other dragons cannot bear the freezing weather. The ZodiacWings have adapted to the harsh climate with the help of their scales, which have evolved to contain as much heat as possible inside the dragon's body. Because of the Zodiac Kingdom's location, the phenomenon known as "foxfire" to the dragons (the scavengers often call them the northern lights) often happens there most of the year, and many dragons come out late at night to enjoy the spectacular light show dancing across the sky, and even have a festival dedicated to it.

————

SOCIETY, BELIEFS, AND DAILY LIFE:

When a ZodiacWing is born, the parents will often name them after one of the constellations or stars that were in the sky when the ZodiacWing was hatched. When a ZodiacWing reaches six scavenger years, they undergo a ceremony called the Rising, the details of which are a closely guarded secret. After their Rising ceremony, starry scales similar to a NightWing's will slowly start to form on the dragonet's wings. These scales were originally thought to be simply a nod to the ZodiacWings' NightWing heritage (see History and Lore) but it was soon discovered that the scales were a perfect replica of a small section of the sky, each starry scale representing, of course, a star. Each dragonet has a unique pattern of stars. When the sky perfectly aligns with the pattern of a dragonet's scales, the most important day of the dragonet's life will happen.

Every year, on the winter solstice, the ZodiacWings celebrate the Foxfire Festival in the darkness of the night, bringing no lanterns or any other sources of light with them. Instead, they rely on the northern lights to light their way, for it is at this time of year that they are brightest. There are many legends about the northern lights, and the most popular one is about how the first settlers of Amara were guided to this continent from across the sea by the northern lights. Without this strange phenomenon, it is possible that the four tribes of Amara would have never came to be.

Ruling alongside the queen, there is also a council of five dragons each in charge of a different aspect of ruling called the Royal Council, similar to the SeaWings. When a council member retires, a contest is held, testing the intelligence, charisma, and teamwork of the would-be applicants. Currently, the Royal Council consists of these five dragons:

     -Arcturus, Councilor of War and Defense. Tough and battle hardened, but is also a good diplomat if he needs to be. He is missing part of his wing and finds it hard to fly. He's actually pretty nice, and has a soft spot for dragonets. He has two daughters: Virgo, a young, talented, and confident dragon who teaches fencing at the local school; and Artemis, set to take over as the general of the ZodiacWing army after Arcturus dies.

     -Lupus, Councilor of the Police Force and generally keeping things in order. She is very intelligent and strong, and has many admirers. Known for losing her temper when pushed over the edge. She has a pet falcon named Nighteyes who watches over the city at night and notifies her of any incidents. The only female out of her twelve younger brothers, and grew up on the countryside with her single mother, who taught Lupus how to fend for herself.

     -Pavo, Councilor of Lifestyle (just take Architecture, Agriculture, and Dragonet Care and squish them together). Charming, snarky, crafty, and flirtatious. He seems to have taken a liking to Councilor Lupus, but she refuses to fall for his charms. The son of Ursa, the queen's sister, making him Queen Cygnus's nephew. Actually quite smart despite his slightly bigheaded attitude. The youngest council member.

     -Cassiopeia, Councilor of Medicine and Healing. Often called Cass or Cassie by her close friends. Sweet and quiet, but a bit vain and scatterbrained. She is excellent at gardening and grows a variety of medicinal herbs at home. There are rumors that she has a crush on Princess Saturn, the eldest daughter of Queen Cygnus and heir to the throne. These rumors have never been confirmed.

     -Pyxis, Councilor of Information and the queen's most trusted advisor. As the oldest of the council members, he has more than seventy years of experience, but has gone sliiiiightly crazy according to other dragons. Known for his outlandish war stories. A bit hard at hearing, but claims to have once taken down an entire CurseWing army armed only with an ornamental telescope. Pyxis was once one of the greatest warriors in the ZodiacWing army, but due to a leg injury that left him unable to walk without a cane, he reluctantly stepped down and joined the Royal Council instead.

————

HISTORY AND LORE:

The first settlers of Amara were NightWings, exiled from their island for rebelling against their queen. Their names were Zodiac, Spirit, Virtue, and Curse.

They had spent over a month flying over the ocean, without food or shelter, and they were beginning to lose hope when they spotted a strange light in the sky, and it seemed to lead somewhere...

What happened after the settlers arrived in Amara is a bit of a mystery. Many dragons believe that once they stepped foot onto the beach, a spirit appeared before them. They told the settlers that they had arrived on Amara, and that they were meant to begin their own tribes here. The spirit then gave each of them unique powers to pass onto their descendants and disappeared. The settlers did as they were told, and soon Amara was crowded with dragons. They lived in peace for many centuries, but that peace was not meant to last...

The CurseWings, descended from the settler Curse, sent an assassin to kill Phoenix, queen of the ZodiacWings - and succeeded. This sparked a huge war known as the War of the Fallen Queen, but with the other two tribes fighting on the side of the ZodiacWings, it was only ten years before the CurseWings surrendered.

Many, many years later, a VirtueWing rebel group called the Dark Ones managed to overthrow the queen of the VirtueWings, Unity, and their own leader, Chaos, took over as king and declared war on the ZodiacWings. Queen Ethereal of the SpiritWings was manipulated into fighting on the side of Chaos, and the ZodiacWings were forced to ally with the CurseWings. The War of Eternal Night, as it is called, is still raging on today.

The future remains uncertain...

————

DIET:

The Zodiac Kingdom is located in an area with many mountains and icebergs, so the average ZodiacWing diet consists of mountain goats, penguins, seals, the occasional polar bear, and other similar prey. They can also eat berries and shrub plants if they need to.

————

NAMES:

ZodiacWings are usually named after stars, constellations, planets, and other celestial bodies. They can also be named after gods and goddesses, though this is rare.

————

Thanks for listening!!