Sahara

Sahara

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Rumours buzz like flies about the skeleton-clad matriarch. It is said that she is parentless; that she was birthed from the corpse of a wandering pilgrim in the Abiding Boneyard who found the Plaguebringer's favour only in death. Many think her a phantom, a demon crone of Plague. They say she is blind in both eyes. They whisper, in hushed tones, that she can sense the gender of the hatchling still inside the egg, and that she eats the eggs unlucky enough to contain male hatchlings.

Whether there is any truth to these whispers, the dragons who are allowed a place in the fierce matron's lair live comfortable lives. She is the sovereign of a proud matriarchy; only egg-bearers are allowed to hold any sort of rank, and they often have harems of several males. All in her care are expected to publicly pledge themselves to the Plaguebringer, although they are allowed to keep whatever spirits and gods they wish in their hearts and private dwellings.

All the queen with the eerily monotone voice demands is unyielding loyalty -- and the right to choose breeding pairs and the fate of the clan's eggs. Newcomers to her clan enter it understanding that any eggs hatched on her land ultimately belong to her. Those who disobey this edict are dealt with ruthlessly, their eggs often eaten and their hatchlings exalted without honour or ceremony. Many shy away at this last, rumours of her treacherous egg-eating etching fear into their hearts, but those who stay in the caves constructed of stone and bone reap the rewards of the Plaguebringer under their strange, feral queen.