Aica

The Tundra's lair stood facing a major crossroads in the Scarred Wasteland. He'd often offer wayward travelers a place to weather the night, expecting nothing but the satisfaction of helping another in return. It was to this lair that a lone Skydancer steadily approached, the hot, putrid night air whipping at her long, tattered cloak.

The Tundra greeted her with a smile, inviting her in and showing her where she could hang up her cloak. The traveler returned his smile, but politely declined as she sat near the happily crackling fire in the fireplace.

"Would that I could, to be perfectly honest," she admitted with a sigh. "But alas, I cannot show you my true beauty."

Her host, understandably confused, asked her to explain what she meant. The Skydancer smiled softly at him, but did not respond. "May I have your name, at least?", he asked after a somewhat tense moment of silence.

"Just call me the Forsaken," she replied, adjusting the hood of her cloak.

With this remark, the Tundra's curiosity grew insatiable. "Pardon me, but... who are you?"

The traveler chuckled lightly, as if she'd expected him to say this. "Have a seat. Let me tell you a story." Her host obliged as she cleared her throat and began to speak.

"Once, long ago, a young couple loyal to the Shadowbinder longed to have children. Yet, try as they might, none of their efforts bore fruit. Out of desperation, they began to pray to every deity, breaking their allegiance to their own god. These prayers, too, went unanswered, as the gods could not overlook the couple's betrayal.

"Eventually, the Shadowbinder began to pity them, even as her rage towards the couple still coursed through her body. Despite the bridges they'd burned, the two dragons finally produced a lovely child, more beautiful than they could have ever imagined.

"Yet, almost as soon as the child hatched, shadowy, almost reptilian arms materialized behind her, slicing her skin and leaving thin slits along her body. The slits slowly opened, revealing eyes the color of fuchsia flowers. The couple's admiration soon turned to horror as the eyes locked onto them, and a dark aura surrounded their hatchling. They each let out a scream, but then fell silent forevermore.

"The hatchling disappeared from their parents' former lair soon after the incident. At first, she lamented her curse, that spite of the Shadowbinder that let not a single dragon behold her majesty and beauty. But as she matured, she grew to embrace it. Her eyes were not the blight upon her elegance, but the very source of it. Thus, she vowed to travel the far corners of Sornieth, sharing her beauty with all who would behold it. And well, if those she visited mysteriously vanished after beholding her true glory, why should she care?"

As the Skydancer finished her tale, a grin spread across her face, fully displaying sharpened, unnatural teeth no other of her breed had. The Tundra felt an overpowering urge to run away, but his fear kept him locked in place. The Forsaken shrugged off her cloak as she stood to her full height, revealing it to be made of shadows as it dematerialized. Her countless eyes slowly opened, fixing their violet gaze on the helpless furred dragon.

"Now tell me I'm pretty."