IceWings
IceWings, also known as ice dragons or arctic dragons to humans, are a Pyrrhian dragon tribe who live in the Ice Kingdom, the northwestern area of Pyrrhia (the 'head') which is known for its cold winds, freezing temperatures, and the Great Ice Cliff which has been destroyed by Queen Snowfall, their current queen.
The IceWings supported Blaze during the War of SandWing Succession, joining her alliance with the promise of a large portion of land near the SandWings' northern border if Blaze won.[1]
Description
IceWing scales can range from silvery-gray and white colors to pale shades of blue, purple, and pink, intended to blend into their icy surroundings. Their coloring has been described as "silver like the moons," "pale blue like ice," "as pale as the moons," or "moon-white scales," and "scales the color of sky reflected in the snow on the distant mountain peaks." IceWings have dark blue or stormy gray eyes, forked blue tongues, and dark blue blood.[2][3]
The head of an IceWing is shaped like a diamond and is very narrow, with a ruff of extra horns behind their heads and spikes along their backs. They are lean dragons with thin, whip-like tails with icicle-shaped spines, ending in a very sharp tip.[4] They have serrated claws for walking on ice. Some IceWings, such as Lynx, have dark freckles or markings on their faces and wings although this is not too common.[5]
Diet
IceWings prefer to eat creatures who live in the Ice Kingdom, such as polar bears, whales, seals, penguins, walruses, hawks, and fish. IceWing meals have been described as containing "bowls of dripping meat."[6] They also consume scavengers, though not very often, as they are rare in the the Ice Kingdom. IceWings are known to consume fish as well due to their presence in the ocean waters. Seals are common among the lower classes due to the gift of sustenance, a hole in the ice where the lower-born IceWings live enchanted to always give the hunter a seal when they stick a talon in. IceWings would also eat frozen berries and even have ice cream.[7][8]
Abilities
IceWings can withstand subzero temperatures and very bright light.[9] They have serrated claws for gripping slippery ice, which was described as "ten times sharper than normal claws" and "like getting clawed four times with each claw instead of once" when used offensively.[10][11] They are also known for having sharper eyesight than the other Pyrrhian dragon tribes.[12] Their scales emit an icy-cold chill,[13] and they can exhale a freezing weapon called frostbreath (also known as "freezing death breath.")[14]
Frostbreath appears as a cloud of sparkling smoke,[13] and can cause limbs to fall clean off.[15] The only known direct cure is the gift of healing, three narwhal horns enchanted by Queen Diamond to heal accidental frost breath injuries. In other cases, fire or related heat-emitting liquids are used to melt the ice.
It forms ice crystals where it makes contact with dirt,[16] and can be used to extinguish fires.[17] An IceWing can be prevented from using their frostbreath for a short time by raising their body temperature either via a warm environment or manually heating them up (hot metal, fire, etc.), similar to MudWings but reverse.[18][19]
Fjord's scales have been seen "melting" while in the arena, which could indicate that, by high temperatures, IceWings' scales cannot withstand the heat.[20]
A fire-breathing dragon could survive having frostbreath shot down their throat for a short time, but the only known way to survive after sustaining internal frostbreath injuries is by staying immersed in lava.[21] Internal frostbreath injuries can eventually overwhelm a dragon if they leave their lava.[22] This is shown in Battlewinner's case.
Dragons hatched with firescales cannot be hurt by frostbreath, though an impacted area may be numb for some period of time.[23]
IceWings have sharp, glittering, and bright minds that are hard to read. Groups of IceWings will "reflect" off of one another and become even more difficult to read.[24]
IceWings have trouble scenting things properly in more crowded environments like forests or towns.[25] This may be due to how they are born in tundras, where many of the common scents are covered by the scent of snow and the small variety of animals that lived there.
IceWings were once known for having more animus dragons than any other tribe, as well as having magic the longest.[26] These dragons were carefully bred into the royal family and monitored extremely cautiously, with strict rules for the use of their powers to keep their soul from turning evil. IceWing animus dragons were only permitted to use their power once,[27] for the benefit of the tribe, at the gifting ceremony on their seventh hatching day, although some dragons disobeyed this rule.[27] IceWings host a test similar to the SeaWings' Talons of Power ceremony to find animus dragons.[28]
The IceWings' line of animus dragons ended when Arctic, the last IceWing known animus, ran away with Foeslayer to the Night Kingdom, leading the IceWings to believe that the NightWings stole their precious magic.[29] The IceWings lost their animus dragons due to bad genetic luck.[30] Some animus IceWings went against the rules, such as Queen Diamond who used her power three times- once for her normal animus gift, the gift of healing, once for the gift of vengeance (the Diamond Caves) and once to enchant the IceWing crown to make the wearer hate NightWings as much as she had.
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Society
The IceWings appear to be fairly sophisticated, strict, and superior in comparison to the other tribes, being the only Pyrrhian dragons to have a hierarchy. IceWings are very prideful, and often perceived as rude and arrogant by dragons of other tribes.[25] There are strict IceWing codes of behavior: most IceWings agree that the only way to make dragonets strong is to expose all of their weaknesses, and that shame and fear are powerful weapons in teaching. If everyone is disappointed in a dragonet, the consensus is that they will work harder to prove themselves.[32] Most dragonets are seasoned warriors in the Ice Kingdom.[33]
Royal IceWings are typically not affectionate, as Winter mentioned that hugging their family members would be considered undignified.[34] The lines of guards that attend the IceWing queen are perfectly coiled,[35] and IceWings are noble to their queen's orders.[36] It is painful to hold the IceWing guard stance for too long,[35] but Winter practiced for hours to get the pose perfectly right: his wings folded exactly so, his tail in the right position, his snout up and shoulders back.[35]
IceWings have a mythological figure called the Great Ice Dragon, whom they swear by the teeth of.[24] They also swear by snow monsters[37] and believe in spirits under the ice.[38]
Circle rankings
The aristocracy and nobility of the IceWing tribe is divided into seven ranks of status, known as Circles. The First Circle is the top, or best, while the Seventh Circle is the worst. IceWings below the age of seven are ranked as dragonets and graduate to the adult rankings on their seventh hatching day.[39] A dragonet's ranking on their seventh hatching day determines the course of the rest of their life, and if a dragonet reaches their seventh hatching day in the Seventh Circle, they are stationed to an arctic outpost for the rest of their life.[40]
A dragonet's ranking on their seventh hatching day also determines the rest of their life in the kingdom. This system is managed via the gift of order and consists of a wall of ice showing the rankings of every noble and dragonet. The dragon with the highest ranking in a family decides their dragonet's names, which are then approved by the queen. Some noble dragons may wear accessories to indicate their rankings, such as a necklace with circles on it.[41]
IceWing dragonets raise their ranking through hunting, training, performing traditional IceWing customs, and passing tests given by their guardians.[42] In the dragonet rankings, each hunt is still a chance to prove themselves and increase their rank.[42] The highest-ranked dragonets are more respected. When a dragonet reaches their seventh hatching day in the First or Second Circle, they will be housed in the queen's palace and allowed to provide input on important matters. When an adult loses this rank, they can lose their place in the palace.[43] If IceWings die or are exiled, their names are slashed through on the gift of order, as shown in Hailstorm's case.
The gift of order has recently been destroyed by Queen Snowfall in The Dangerous Gift. She is also working on destroying the gift of defense so that IceWings can become more open-minded to other tribes willing to help them during crises.
Diamond Trial
The Diamond Trial, also known as the gift of vengeance, is a way for IceWing dragonets to increase their ranking in the tribe, generally as a last-minute effort to switch the places of two dragonets (the topmost and very low positions). It involves entering the Diamond Caves with narwhal horn spears, meant to touch a frozen NightWing (Foeslayer). She is unfrozen, and both contestants must battle her. Foeslayer turns back to ice when killed, leaving the two dragonets to fight to the death. Only one of the dragonets is given information about the dangerous trial. It is likely that the Diamond Trial will not continue, as Winter freed Foeslayer from the caves, and the ranking system has recently been destroyed.
Names
IceWing names are chosen by the family member with the highest rank and must be approved by the queen.[44] They can be named after ice formations such as Glacier and Icicle, arctic animals (terrestrial or aquatic) such as Lynx, Narwhal, and Ermine, words for "white" in various languages such as Hvitur, polar landscapes such as Tundra, polar weather such as Hailstorm, and after mountains such as Changbai. They can also be named after blue and white gemstones such as Diamond and Opal, as well as cold seasons such as Winter.
Click here for a list of known IceWings.
Animus dragons
Students at Jade Mountain
- Alba
- Changbai
- Ermine
- Icicle (formerly; on trial in the Ice Kingdom for attempting to kill Starflight and Glory, and killing an unnamed NightWing by the orders of Queen Scarlet)
- Winter (formerly; currently living with the Talons of Peace in Sanctuary)
Trivia
- IceWings have accents that are different from any other dragon tribe. This accent is described as "high-pitched with a tinge of deep in certain words."[citation needed]
- IceWings may eat frozen fruit, sometimes impaled like popsicles.[citation needed]
- The IceWing Royal Family is distantly related to the SandWing Royal Family, as Sunny is a descendant of Whiteout.
- There have been legends of IceWing animi that have gone mad for over use of magic.[27]
Gallery
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A typical IceWing (colored), by Joy Ang -
A typical IceWing (lineart), by Joy Ang -
A typical IceWing from the German publication, by Max Meinzold
References
- ↑ The Hidden Kingdom, page 115
- ↑ Moon Rising, page 276
- ↑ The Dragonet Prophecy, page 230
- ↑ Dragon guides
- ↑ Winter Turning, page 259
- ↑ Winter Turning, page 4
- ↑ The Dangerous Gift, page 217
- ↑ The Dangerous Gift, page 305
- ↑ Dragon guides
- ↑ The Dragonet Prophecy, page 168
- ↑ The Dark Secret, prologue
- ↑ The Dangerous Gift, page 83
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 The Dragonet Prophecy, page 157
- ↑ Dragon guides
- ↑ The Dragonet Prophecy, page 272–273
- ↑ The Dragonet Prophecy, page 272
- ↑ Moon Rising, page 181
- ↑ The Dragonet Prophecy, prologue
- ↑ Winter Turning, page 90
- ↑ The Dragonet Prophecy, page 154
- ↑ The Dark Secret, page 168
- ↑ The Dark Secret, page 263
- ↑ Escaping Peril, page 125
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Moon Rising, page 226
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Winter Turning, prologue
- ↑ Darkstalker, page 124
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 Darkstalker, prologue
- ↑ https://www.deviantart.com/biohazardia/journal/Wings-of-Fire-News-at-Boskone-2020-831252663
- ↑ Winter Turning, page 37
- ↑ https://www.deviantart.com/biohazardia/journal/Wings-of-Fire-News-at-Boskone-2020-831252663
- ↑ https://www.crowdcast.io/e/thedangerousgiftevent
- ↑ Winter Turning, page 7
- ↑ Winter Turning, page 66
- ↑ Winter Turning, page 45
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 Winter Turning, page 58
- ↑ Winter Turning, page 92
- ↑ Moon Rising, page 289
- ↑ The Dangerous Gift, page 33
- ↑ Winter Turning, page 8
- ↑ Winter Turning, page 25
- ↑ Winter Turning, page 240
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 Winter Turning, page 3
- ↑ Winter Turning, page 249
- ↑ Darkstalker, page 15
