The Lost World Tribal Archive

Slaughterwings

Fantribe and all art made by Snowfire Draws

Name origin: The name "Slaughterwing" was created exactly as you may suspect: after extensive murder. After the deaths of King Chronos and his family, as well as many other dragons, the Slaughterwings were found to be responsible, and given the name that would stick with them forever. Prior to being called the Slaughterwings, the tribe was known as the Infernowings, since the tribe lived by volcanos and breathed extremely hot fire. The tribe also has nicknames, such as "Blood Birds" and "Evil Angels", both referring to the tribe's evil tendencies and feathered wings.

Tribe origin: The Slaughterwings are an odd bunch, since they were discovered more recently than some of the other tribes. It's unclear if they evolved into being from another tribe, or of they've been around as long as the others, and just stayed hidden. Regardless, they are native to Pangaia, and don't seem to have many similarities with any other tribe there.

Build and traits: Slaughterwings have a fairly typical build, with a few unique features. Their wings are feathered and rather small, making them much better at gliding than actual flying. They have talons that resemble paws, and all of their claws are retractable, making them great climbers. As with most dragon tribes, the rest of their traits are typical: they have a line of spikes running down their spine, a set of curved horns, and are covered in scales. However, Slaughterwing scales are unique in that they resemble sharp knifes, and fit tightly together, making their tough scales even harder to pierce, as if they have built-in body armor.

Colors: Slaughterwing scales and feathers all come in various shades of red, making them all seem like very angry, living flames. There is a rare mutation related to scale color that can occur in about every one in two thousand dragons, which results in pale grey scales rather than red. Slaughterwings eyes can be various shades of red or orange.

Abilities: Slaughterwings are infamous for their extremely hot fire breath. This searing plasma is capable of turning practically anything into a smoking husk, leaving almost nothing behind. Slaughterwings are also incredibly heat resistant, and can handle temperatures that would incapacitate or even kill other dragons. They are not immune to lava, however, and will die if they are submerged in it. Slaughterwings can glide and use their wings to ride air currents, but they are actually better runners than fliers. While not the fastest, they are one of the stealthiest tribes, and by the time someone knows one is there, it's already too late to react.

Strengths: Strong, powerful muscles; great at stealth and moving quietly; extremely hot plasma breath; very high heat resistance; near impenetrable scales; immunity to most volcanic gases; very intimidating in general

Weaknesses: Poor lung health and difficulty breathing; poor living conditions; weak fliers; lack of pack structure; don't function well in colder weather and environments

Cultural values: The Slaughterwings have a very aggressive nature, as the tribe functions on the idea of the survival of the fittest. Dragons that can't contribute to the tribe as a whole or hold their own in a fight will not last long. Many dragons in the tribe also believe in Social Darwinism, which is the belief that smaller groups and individuals within the tribe will also be affected by natural selection. With these beliefs, the Slaughterwings tend to ignore or even kill the weaker dragons within their tribe, as a method of maintaining the vision of being a strong, powerful tribe. Slaughterwings often feel zero pity for other dragons within their own tribe, and are always striving to prove their worth and value to the tribe.
As for their dragonets, Slaughterwings don't see them as a top priority, and as a result they are often left to fend for themselves. Dragonets are cared for during the first year or so of their lives, but after that they are left to fend for themselves. As a result, most dragonets are self-taught anything beyond the first year of their life, which has many unexpected results. This also causes Slaughterwing dragonets to be more hardened than any other dragonets, and they tend to lose all sense of their young innocence very quickly. While this may be mentally damaging for most, the Slaughterwings see it as an advantage, as they are able to make even better soldiers out of these young recruits.
It is unclear if the Slaughterwings have any sort of religious beliefs, and if they do, it isn't expressed very much. Their concerns mostly lie with keeping the tribe strong and hidden, and keeping up their reputation as terrifying foes. However, due to their belief in Social Darwinism, it could be assumed that they believe in evolution, which in turn could indicate that they don't believe in the idea of religious power.

Government: Slaughterwings aren't ruled in the typical fashion, with kings or queens making all of the decisions. Instead, it is a military-controlled government, with the highest commander or commanders dealing with both the political and military aspects of the tribe. This position can be taken by anyone by challenging the current leader to combat, in which the survivor will become the new ruler. As such, the Slaughterwing political structure is very competitive and leaders don't often stick around for long. Some commanders will have a joint command with another dragon close to them, such as a friend or family member, in order to split the duties and make their job easier. However, this joint leadership can also cause problems and bring rising tensions.

Territory: The Slaughterwing territory has remained hidden for centuries, not only because they live on the far eastern edge of the Pangaia supercontinent, but also because their home is hidden among several active volcanos. However, as hidden as they are, they do have some impressive architecture. The Slaughterwings do have a palace, built upon the foot of the largest volcano in the territory. The conditions of the territory are horrible due to the extreme heat, being unbearable to even the hardened Slaughterwings that live there. With the temperatures and toxic fumes that linger in the area, it's no surprise that the Slaughterwings are always so aggressive.
The territory is protected by a great cliff face that is so steep that no creature could climb them, and the only entrance (excluding flight) is through a deep gorge, of which is extremely dangerous. The gorge, filled with toxic fumes and lava flows, makes a great defense for the entrance to the kingdom.

Naming: Slaughterwings are usually named according to their violent tendencies. Names can be related to effects of and terms related to war, battle, and other such hostile scenarios. As such, you can usually expect a Slaughterwing's name to be negative, or even threatening, which adds to the tribe's terrifying reputation. There are a few exceptions, however, as some Slaughterwings are named after shades of red, and some are even the names of celestial figures representing war and violence.

Name Examples: Catastrophic, Charger, Mars, Bloodlust, Strife, Anpu, Hostile, Crimson

Reproduction: Slaughterwings have a regular egg cycle, and as usual take up to a year to hatch. Their clutches are usually made up of two to three eggs. Slaughterwing eggs are a dark grey in color, with streaks of red on the top. The red streaks will indicate what shade of red the dragonet's scales will be.

Extra: Slaughterwings keep track of the dragons that they have killed, as they tend to see it as a prideful mark of their strength. Some Slaughterwings even keep the burnt-out husks of their victims, taking the fragile structures back to their home in the volcanoes to display them as gruesome trophies. These charred corpses can be seen all over the kingdom, and it helps spread the message that the Slaughterwings aren't to be messed with. If the Slaughterwings have no intention of taking the husk for themselves, however, their victims tend to be reduced to nothing more than ash, completely destroyed by the Slaughterwing's fury. Some bodies are so thoroughly burned that all evidence of their existence is erased, making it nearly impossible to determine what killed them. If there's anything that Slaughterwings are good at, it's making a dragon disappear without a trace.

Reference: Base by Snowfire Draws (It's a PNG, so it's there, trust me)