Shiv

There are two versions of Shiv. The original is a twitchy old lady who lives alone in the snowy woods in a hovel, always muttering about the Shade, and the other is a young, adventuresome dragon who went out to see the world, full of wanderlust. The latter refers to the former as her crazy old grandma who raised her, but the former hardly seems to recognize the latter.

The truth about these two can be found here.

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While wandering Sornieth and being amazed again and again at all the strange and wonderful cultures, cuisines, architecture and just all-in-all ways of life outside the Southern Icefield, Shiv came across a local band in the Tangled Wood (via meeting the band's leader and being told about it by her) called Eldritch Rust. Well, sort of a band. It was a band that was trying to form, but didn't have enough members yet. Still, it excited Shiv. The concept was daring, and what bits of songs the band did have resonated with her rebellious streak. Shiv became an avid fan of the still-forming band, and offered to help them with advertising when they were ready to perform in front of an audience. (Said band had never performed outside of the band leader's room.)

Shiv's sense of fashion quickly changed after meeting the band members, too, and she even became the bass guitarist's girlfriend. This was a bit surprising to their friends since Garreth (said boyfriend) speaks very infrequently, and isn't very expressive overall. Shiv knows the truth, though: he's just more of an observer than a talker, and when he does express himself, it's generally more through his actions than his tone or facial expression. He has a sensitive side that Shiv finds cute, but to her, he also near-always exudes an attractively cool demeanor.

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Hoara

When she and Garreth had their first clutch, the two decided that they weren't ready to be parents, and sent the eggs off. However, as they were taking a walk together sometime after this, they stopped short in surprise. Both of them could feel it: something was very wrong with the Gaoler child they had happened upon. In addition, somehow, they both knew that she was their daughter. They tried taking her to someone who would find her a home, but every time she was taken away, she would reappear, waiting for them. There was no getting rid of the child.

So, not having much choice, the two accepted her into their lives. They were never able to shake their unsettled feeling, however. The girl's body temperature was always unnaturally cold, and snowflakes fell from her wide, glassy eyes in a slow, steady stream. She seemed to primarily want to be near them for the company, as she was somehow perfectly capable of feeding herself. There was something sorrowful about the girl. She had trouble understanding the happenings around her, even though she could apparently perceive it. She often seemed sad and confused. Eventually, she gained her parents' sympathy, but not their love. Garreth and Shiv just could never shake that terrible "wrongness" they felt about the child.

Due in part to this stomach-knotting, skin-crawling feeling the two got whenever she was around, and in part due to the ice which seemed to penetrate her body, Garreth and Shiv named the creature "Hoara," a play on the words "hoarfrost" and "horror."

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Nest 2

Like with the first nest, the second had 3 eggs, all of which were given to someone to send to new homes before they hatched.

Shiv and Garreth's third nest had 3 eggs in it as well. The eggs in this nest came into being while Hoara was away somewhere. Like the other eggs before them, they were sent away before they hatched.


Kid count:
N1Son, N1daughter, N1daughter, N2daughter, N2son, N2son, N3daughter, N3son, N3son.

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Hoara 2: The Hoara Continues

One day, Hoara disappeared. Shiv and Rose were kind of glad to not have their creepy daughter who should not be staring hollowly at them whenever they turned a corner, but the absence also just felt...wrong. Something just wasn't right. The couple talked about how it could be that they just got used to the girl being around, and so her absence seemed off because of that...but they knew they were just trying to convince themselves of this. Something was very wrong...and neither wanted to talk about it, but couldn't help the dread clawing at the back of their minds. This was about when they began distracting themselves with Eldritch Rust and with each other. Hence their third nest.

Just as suddenly as she disappeared, Hoara returned one day. By then, the three eggs of the couple's third clutch had already been sent off to new homes...but that didn't stop them from getting a new addition to their little family. Hoara had brought with her a Gaoler child who had that same sense of wrongness about him that Hoara had...only, in some ways, it felt amplified. The child had an intelligence about him that Hoara had not previously displayed, but something about her seemed..."more complete" than before. She responded to her environment more than she had previously, she displayed more emotions, and certainly acted motherly to the child. Her parents could only assume that this little boy was her son. And, to their surprise, the child himself confirmed this. He said that his name was Regis. Evidently, he had a brother named Rhys, and their father was a king. Shiv and Garreth weren't sure what to make of this, but the child seemed unusually mature for his age, and, in fact, eyed his grandparents with an appraising -- and even disapproving -- eye whenever he saw them.

It was to the couple's great relief when Regis told them that he and his mother were going away to find their own home nearby. Any increase in distance between the unsettling family was welcome news, even though they wouldn't be moving far. Though Regis seemed not to care very much for his grandparents, according to him, his mother felt differently. Hoara still felt a connection to her mother and father, and did not want to give that up. Unsure of how to respond to the news, the parents decided that it was a sweet sentiment, even though they privately wished the girl would just go away and leave them alone.

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The King and His Princesses

One day, a deeply unsettling feeling befell Shiv and Rose. They couldn't shake it, either. It was like the dread that they felt around Hoara, but much...much stronger. The feeling grew worse and worse until, finally, they were approached by...him.

Alioetheus, the Shadeglitch King. Neither of them knew his title, but their daughter's side was constantly pressed against his, and Regis had come with them. The terribly unsettling man introduced himself, and it was very plain that he was the one their daughter had devoted herself to. Though it was hard to fathom, he was family.

Shiv and Rose were nervous the whole time, but Alioetheus, oddly, could communicate as well as any dragon, and treated them with polite respect, likely because they were the parents of his mate. After the family left, the grandparents remained shaken for a good while. They could sense that he was still fairly nearby, visiting with Hoara. And they couldn't help but feel a combination of a sense of wrongness and a specific kind of dread: a sort of "what have we done?"

Eventually, it was time for Alioetheus to leave again. Before he did, he visited Shiv and Rose once again, though the two really would have preferred he didn't. With him were Hoara, Regis, and two little girls. As it turned out, the couple had had two new daughters within the time of his visitation. The grandparents' unsettled feeling only increased at the knowledge of this, though they did their best to be polite. It was a terrible feeling: like something evil was spreading. The Shadeglitch King then headed off to return to Rhys, his other son. And with him, he took one of his new daughters. The other would stay with Hoara and Regis. The feeling that something bad was spreading twisted the grandparents' stomachs into knots. Whatever was happening, it was bad...and there was nothing their could do to stop it.

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Her name is Shiv, as in "shiver," which can be induced by cold or fear. Also, a shiv is a sort of homemade knife, often formed and used in prisons. :) I think I found the perfect Gaoler name.

Was once a guardian. Was changed into a Gaoler 1 day before she was able to breed for the first time.

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Wow! That's two dragons in two months!

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