NightWings: Difference between revisions
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[[NightWings/Gallery|(Click here for gallery)]][[Category:Tribes of Dragons]] | |||
[[Category:Tribes of Dragons]] | |||
[[Category:NightWings]] | [[Category:NightWings]] | ||
[[Category:NightWing History]] | [[Category:NightWing History]] | ||
Revision as of 22:30, 10 December 2016
NightWings are a tribe of dragons that originally lived in the 'Lost City of Night' (a location to the south of the Kingdom of Sand, the "front talon" of Pyrrhia), before fleeing to the hidden secret volcanic island off the northern coast of the Sky Kingdom because of Darkstalker's acts, and then finally to the Rainforest Kingdom under the rule of Queen Glory of the RainWings. The NightWing queen before Queen Glory was Queen Battlewinner, whose identity was a secret to the world and to some NightWings (she had been attacked by an IceWing and the only way to remain alive was to submerge herself in lava. The NightWings kept this fact a secret, so as not to seem weak by the other tribes). The volcanic island on which the NightWings resided is not shown on any known map of Pyrrhia because of the NightWings' secrecy and its distance from the mainland. They have magic tunnels to the mainland created by an animus dragon; one into the Rainforest Kingdom, and one from there into the Kingdom of Sand...the tunnels were made by Stonemover, an animus NightWing who is Sunny's father. In addition, they were secretly allied with Blister, although this alliance was broken when they surrendered to the RainWings. Most NightWings tend to be arrogant, mysterious, and secretive. NightWings and IceWings despise each other due to a previous war between these two tribes (caused by Foeslayer and Arctic, mother and father to Darkstalker). Darkstalker told Moonwatcher in Moon Rising that any NightWing hatched under one full moon can either read minds or see the future, while a NightWing that hatched under two full moons can do both. He also said that it was once believed that if an egg hatches under three full moons, the dragonet would be animus, but animus powers were proven to be genetic (confirmed by Winter), and not moon-given. Instead, Darkstalker says that the dragonet would still have both powers, but they would be stronger. Moonwatcher believed that since the NightWing eggs hatched in dark caves on the volcanic island, hidden from the moons and hidden by smoke, they no longer had powers, which Darkstalker confirmed. The eggs were thought to be hidden from the moons because of Darkstalker, which was mentioned by Moonwatcher in Moon Rising.
Click here for a list of NightWings.
History
Over 2,000 years after the Scorching, the Night Kingdom was located on a peninsula that is currently a part of the Sand Kingdom, which was described to have been riddled with valleys and mountains. After Darkstalker's abilities were shown, and he was believed to be a danger to the Tribe, the entire Kingdom fled the continent and migrated to a volcanic island a day's flight from the Sky Kingdom. More than a thousand years later, the long dormant volcano erupted, destroying their home.
The Dragonet Prophecy was written by Queen Battlewinner and Morrowseer who delivered Starflight's and Fatespeaker's eggs to the Talons of Peace after a volcanic eruption on their island. The prophecy was their plan to invade and take over the Rainforest Kingdom, which was already and currently inhabited by RainWings.
IceWings and NightWings have hated each other going all the way back to a war they once fought against each other. Morrowseer even ordered the death of all of the eight IceWing prisoners in the rescue of Starflight in Scarlet's arena. This is also shown in the prophecy, which does not include an IceWing dragonet. Another likely cause is Queen Battlewinner was blasted by an IceWing's breath in the mouth, forcing her to live submerged in lava.
The NightWings gradually captured seventeen RainWings for their experimentation on RainWing venom, what Mastermind called "science". Their goal was to make venom-proof armor for an attack on the RainWings to gain their rainforest. However, all data was lost when the NightWings fled their home.
Additionally, they seem to have animus dragons, however, Stonemover and Darkstalker are the only known animus NightWings, but it's also shown that Ex-Queen Scarlet has an animus that has no actual powers, only limited.
In The Dark Secret, it is shown that the NightWings are being threatened by the volcanic island they inhabit, which is slowly building up to an eruption and diminishing the main source of food. Although Princess Greatness claimed that scientific estimates had placed the eruption at least twenty years into the future, at the end of the book, the volcano erupts. Shortly before this, the NightWings surrendered to the RainWings in exchange for a safe place to live and food to eat. Most of the NightWings escaped through the Rainforest Kingdom portal unharmed. However, Morrowseer was (most likely) killed by the eruption, with what is believed to be his remains found in the NightWing tunnel in Winter Turning, and Starflight was blinded. The event where the NightWings traveled from their kingdom to the Rainforest Kingdom is called the NightWing Exodus.
Society
NightWings form lifelong partnerships, similar to SeaWings. Their dragonets live in dormitories located in caves on the sides of the volcano. They are not allowed to go to the mainland until they are at least 10 years old because they "can't keep NightWing secrets safe."
NightWing names are very literal, although sometimes ironic. These dragonets are usually named according to their talents; for example, Morrowseer got his name for "seeing" the "morrow." Morrow is short for tomorrow, meaning the future. Deathbringer's name refers to his occupation as an assassin. Queen Battlewinner presumably got hers for military strategy, or perhaps a future battle which was predicted to be won by her. Moonwatcher was named for as she hatched, her eyes reflected the moons. NightWings are occasionally named for physical traits, like Fierceteeth, Mightyclaws, Bigtail, and Strongwings, or after character virtues, like Greatness or Vengeance. Exactly how they know what a dragon's talent will be when it hatches is unknown. It is plausible that they might wait and see for it to appear, or have another NightWing predict it, although this is unlikely because it was revealed NightWings have not had powers in several centuries. Glory mentions in The Hidden Kingdom that in scrolls, NightWings always had "mouthful names". This is probably because most of them have 2-part names. Also, in Moon Rising, Winter says to Moonwatcher, "We know all your names are lies", stating that NightWing names may be what the parents hope for their dragonet.
Complete loyalty seems to be an emphasized NightWing trait, as many of their actions (abducting RainWings, false dragonet prophecy, murders,) point towards a "blind loyalty" to their tribe, the willingness to do anything for their tribe, even wiping out an entire tribe of dragons.
Description
NightWings have forked, black tongues (like SandWings) and usually have black or purplish-black scales with silver, purple, or dark blue underscales (mind readers have silver teardrop scales by their eyes). In The Dragonet Prophecy, when Morrowseer dropped off Starflight, it said that the sun picked up glints of purple and deep blue on his body. They have been described with dark or black eyes. The underside of their wings are always black and speckled with silver scales (Not to be confused with the popular fan depiction of purple on the underside of the wing. This is incorrect), giving it the appearance of a night sky filled with twinkling stars, allowing them to fly at night without detection.
Starflight's father, Mastermind, has done studies about genetic wing patterns. Both Starflight and Mastermind have similar patterns, whereas Morrowseer's were different. Mastermind's theory appeared to be that different families have different patterns.
NightWings are also known to be able to hang "from crags and rocks and ceilings like bats," as described by Starflight in The Dark Secret.
NightWing names are commonly made up of two words (for example, Mind-reader or Fate-speaker), although others are just made of one word (like Wisdom or Greatness). Some of the names are about what that NightWing does (such as Queen Battlewinner), and some are about how they look (such as Strong-wings, who is bulky with large wings). Other names are lies, as Winter says in Moon Rising (such as Mindreader).
Notable NightWings
Starflight is one of the Dragonets of Destiny and the main protagonist of The Dark Secret. His replacement dragonet is Fatespeaker, with whom he became friends with. He relies on his mind and knowledge rather than his pathetic combat skills. He does not possess abilities of mind-reading and foretelling the future. He was revealed to have strong feelings for Sunny, the SandWing dragonet of the prophecy. He is the half brother of Fierceteeth and the son of Mastermind and Farsight (who is now deceased). Starflight, however, has relationship problems when it comes to both Sunny and Fatespeaker. He is now the librarian at Jade Mountain Academy. Starflight is also blind.
Morrowseer is one of the most notable and important NightWings, and has unlimited access to Queen Battlewinner's throne room. He is excluded from the rotating food schedule that NightWings have due to the lack of prey on the island, as he is too important to the tribe's future to eat so little. He is shown to be grumpy all the time and tries to use Starflight to make the dragonets choose Blister, but Starflight only ends up antagonizing Blister. Morrowseer might've been killed after he was engulfed in lava and fire from the volcanic explosion at the end of The Dark Secret. In Winter Turning, however, the outline of a dead dragon appears on the outside of the hidden tunnel connecting the volcano to the rainforest, which may be Morrowseer. Although Tui hinted that there may be a possibility that Morrowseer survived the eruption.
Queen Battlewinner was the NightWing tribe's queen. Her existence was kept a secret and she communicated through her daughter, Greatness. She lived in a pool of hot lava because her vital organs were frozen by an IceWing's frost breath while she was on the continent. The lava counteracts the ice freezing her from the inside. She froze to death in a matter of seconds after exiting the lava pool in a furious attempt to kill Queen Glory.
Greatness is Queen Battlewinner's daughter. The queen speaks through her using small holes in the NightWing Fortress's walls. She wears a diamond necklace and she agrees to Starflight's plan of the NightWings coming to the Rainforest Kingdom. Deathbringer is known as her "pet assassin." Starflight describes her as not fit to rule as queen.
Deathbringer is a NightWing assassin hired to kill a few of the dragonets. He is described by Glory as "a lot younger and smaller than Morrowseer, wiry and graceful in his movements even when he was startled." He is a lot less grumpy than some other NightWings. He clearly has feelings for Glory, as shown in The Hidden Kingdom. He uses sharp silver discs as weapons against the dragonets and Blaze. In The Dark Secret, he is imprisoned for aiding Glory, Kinkajou, and Clay in their escape from the island. Due to his relationship with Greatness, he narrowly avoided being executed. He is the protagonist of Assassin.
Stonemover is an animus dragon that lives in a cave on the Jade Mountain. He was the one that made the tunnels from the NightWing island to the Rainforest Kingdom and from there to the Kingdom of Sand. He is the father of Sunny and mate of Queen Thorn. Instead of turning evil when he uses his animus powers, he "turned the magic on itself" by directing it towards his scales, not his soul, slowly turning every scale of his into stone.
Fatespeaker is a false dragonet of destiny and supposed to be Starflight's replacement. She has strong feelings for Starflight and helps him fly around due to his blindness. There is a possibility that she has very weak powers for telling the future, although most of her predictions are incorrect (or not correctly timed, as she believes). She also works at Jade Mountain Academy and is the counselor and helper.
Moonwatcher is the main character of Moon Rising. Her egg was left alone in the Rainforest Kingdom by her mother Secretkeeper. She is telepathic and precognitive, from being hatched under the light of two full moons.
She is Starflight's half-sister and is the PoV for Prisoners. She wanted to be the NightWing for the prophecy, but she was born two years before the brightest night.
Darkstalker is an animus, mind-reader and has precognition. He is a NightWing and IceWing hybrid who killed his father, the last animus of the IceWings and Queen Diamond's son, Prince Arctic. Foeslayer, his mother, "kidnapped" Arctic because the NightWings had no animus dragons at the time. According to the information in Escaping Peril, Darkstalker enchanted his father to obey his every command and then he commanded his father to disembowel himself. He was trapped forever under a sleeping spell cast upon him by his lover Clearsight and his friend and animus Fathom. He is awakened when an earthquake breaks the cursed bracelet. Darkstalker finds out that Moon is a mind reader like himself, and tells her (or in this case bugs her) to free him.
Clearsight is an exceptionally talented seer from back in Darkstalker's time, she was also his lover. However, unlike most seers, she could see many different threads of the future and could see many possible outcomes without them having to just come to her. She saw many different timelines where Darkstalker killed many other dragons, whether by going crazy because of his animus powers or by a series of events that eventually caused his to make his father, Prince Arctic, disembowel himself. After this, she and Prince Fathom took the last opportunity to stop him, by enchanting the copper bracelet which Darkstalker had given Clearsight when they were younger, to send Darkstalker into a deep sleep. After that, it is hinted that Clearsight travels out of the continent and finds new tribes of dragons. She maybe even has dragonets with someone else.
Abilities
NightWings are described as "the night sky coming down on you" if they are to attack. They move unseen through the shadows and blend into the night, which gives them a fearful reputation and makes them more deadly. They can also be described as being able to melt into the shadows, becoming slightly invisible.
In scrolls, NightWings are said to possess mystical abilities. They are claimed to have the ability of telepathy, as well as being able to prognosticate and tell prophecies; this was proven false by Stonemover, who said that no NightWing had either of these abilities in the last few centuries, which, unknown to the NightWings, was because the NightWing eggs had stopped being exposed to moonlight. In addition, these dragons are also able to breathe fire at any time, like SkyWings and SandWings. NightWings also appear to be slightly fire-proof shown with Vengeance and Starflight.
The NightWings who lived at the volcano seem to have some kind of bacteria living in their saliva that does not affect them, like the komodo dragons. They use this to incapacitate their prey, ensuring it can't go anywhere, then return later for it when its wound has become infected or it has died. Eating this decayed food has caused them to have horrible breath. But other dragons such as Starflight, Fatespeaker or Deathbringer, who lived away from the volcano a long time, ate freshly killed prey, making their saliva unlike those of the NightWings who lived by the volcano on the island.
NightWings have been shown to be more active at night, with Deathbringer and Fatespeaker as examples. They seem to have a very strong sense of smell, shown with Starflight. Sunny's strong sense of smell and hearing came from her NightWing side and the SandWing side, respectively.
Darkstalker told Moonwatcher in Moon Rising that a NightWing hatched under one full moon can either read minds or see the future, while a NightWing that hatched under two full moons has both. He also said that if an egg hatches under three full moons the dragonet still has both powers, but strengthened, he did not know if there would be any stronger ones.
Current Queen
Currently, the queen of the NightWings is Glory of the RainWings. This can be confusing, and several NightWings disagree with this. There are currently no known daughters of Queen Battlewinner other than Princess Greatness, who refused to be queen and agreed with Glory being the queen over the NightWings.
Known NightWings
- Allknowing
- Queen Battlewinner
- Bigtail
- Clearsight
- Darkstalker (also part IceWing)
- Deadlyclaws
- Deathbringer
- Discretion
- Eclipse
- Farsight
- Fatespeaker
- Fearless
- Fierceteeth
- Firefly (Possibly part Rainwing)
- Foeslayer
- Foreseer
- Princess Greatness
- Jewel-eyes
- Listener
- Mastermind
- Mightyclaws
- Mindreader
- Moonwatcher
- Morrowseer
- Morrowwatcher
- Obsidian
- Preyhunter
- Prudence
- Quickdeath
- Quickstrike
- Secretkeeper
- Shapeshifter
- Slaughter
- Starclaws
- Starflight
- Stonemover
- Strongwings
- Swiftwings
- Thoughtful
- Truthfinder
- Vengeance
- Queen Vigilance
- Vision
- Whiteout (also part IceWing)
- Wisdom
Students At Jade Mountain Academy
-Bigtail (deceased)
Trivia
- The majority of all NightWing names have three syllables, (Moonwatcher, Darkstalker, Deathbringer, Mightyclaws, Stonemover, Mindreader, Preyhunter, Mastermind, Fatespeaker, etc). None have one syllable. A few have two syllables, (Farsight, Clearsight). Even less have four syllables, (Morrowseer, Secretkeeper).
- NightWings appear to have excellent night vision, but still can't see in total darkness.
- Nightwings have a total of 43 known tribe members.
