More serpentine than the standard dragon, Nydia is a true leviathan of the deepsea. She comes from a long line of shapeshifters, and like her parents, has learned to transform herself to appease the hearts of dragons. Her guise as a Ridgeback could fool even the keenest of eyes.

Clan Abyss is aware of her leviathan nature, and the denizens treat her no differently for it. She is an extremely sweet and gentle denizen of the clan, and her expertise in medicine has made her a valuable member among the Deepsea Oracles. Nydia's biggest fear in life is being feared by others. She has always acted more dragon than beast, and will do almost anything to stop being portrayed in a way that would come across otherwise.

Although normally docile and well-guarded, Nydia does tend to shapeshift when she's extremely distraught or uncomfortable. She becomes a sea serpent capable of sinking ships, three times the size of an Imperial and complete with scales and a gnashing maw. Nydia is more destructive than she really means to be. The disaster left behind after a shapeshifting episode is more accidental than anything. . Laiken is usually there to help clean up the mess she leaves behind, there to assure her that Clan Abyss will always be a home for her.

Because she poses somewhat as an outsider, Nydia prefers to live alone in the abundant kelp forests of the Fishspine Reef. Her time is spent gathering flora for their medicinal properties & sowing a garden full of these plants, something that the healers among the clan are grateful for. However, dwelling in these endless beds of seaweed has taken its toll on her body: giant kelp latches onto her spines and grows tall along her hide. She shares a mutual relationship with the schools of fish that dwell here, whereas the fish within her mane gain protection, transportation, and feed on the scraps from Nydia's rather large meals, and in return for these services they rid her body of parasites and bacteria.