Shiv

Crown of Bones Apparel A dusty circlet constructed with the bones of several creatures. It is unclear whether some of them came from other dragons. 500 Plague Runestone Dragonmade An ancient stone bearing the ancestral rune of the Plaguebringer. Such a find should be kept as a prized possession. 110 Black Queen Trinkets No worse than the White Queen. 60

The Implacable Shiv is the epitome of the objective and unsentimental leader. Each decision she makes is decisive, ends justify the means, and no method is too ruthless. As the clan matriarch she seeks to lead by example and can always be found living and working amongst her followers. Any may approach and address her, so long as they do so with respect. The majority of Shiv's time is spent honing the abilities of older recruits with her lieutenant, IzhuViei. These two dragons comprise the core of Shiv's command and are her oldest companions. Since her parting with Zoan, Shiv has never taken another mate, though she has shared her nest with a notable few, such as long-time lover Izhu and the strikingly beautiful and macabre Eyris of Clan Delphi. This off-again, on-again relationship is the only thing that can temporarily take Shiv from her duties, though few understand her attachment to the playful and unsettling mirror male. Above all, Shiv is a disciple and avid follower of Mother Plaguebringer. In Her name she has trained thousands of Exalted, including and especially her own offspring. Shiv's devotion has been recognized by the Wyrmwound with the gifting of Familiar Lazzatha, one of Plaguebringer's own Sprites. Despite her cold nature and long-standing bitterness, some whisper that Shiv's holy fervor is actually a guise for her undiminished love and affection for daughters Grace and Shyza, and Mate Zoan; the army of Exalted warriors a symbol of her protection and a wish to keep them safe on the battlefield.

Mate Lieutenant Lover ♬ Theme ♬ Black Vultures

History
Shiv's earliest memories were of wandering Mother Plaguebringer's wasteland, tired, hungry, and alone. She didn't know where she came from or where she was going. All she knew was that she needed to survive. On the 100th day or the 1000th, she met the sweetly-colored male Guardian, Zoan, who brushed aside her hissing and her protests and took her beneath his wing. To her it was an unnatural pairing. She was a Mirror who should seek company only with other Mirrors. But Zoan objected. There were no other Mirrors. She was alone, and he was alone, so why not seek company in each other?

They dug a lair beneath a blood-red, stormy sky, and they made a home together in the unforgiving wastes. The next season saw the hatching of Grace and Shyza, two strong Mirror pups, and for a time they were happy.

Then came the call. Mother Plaguebringer sent a message across the land, all able Plague dragons were to come to her side. A new wave of battle was about to crest. Grace and Shyza left immediately, hungry for glory and the honor that came with the warrior's mantle. Shiv was proud of her strong daughters and gave them her blessing. But the soft-hearted Zoan pined for them, and faded with their absence. Shiv wanted to believe he would recover in time, that he would turn his eyes away from the horizon and return to her side again. But a week after the summons the father left to follow his daughters, saying he must watch over them on the battlefield.

To say Shiv was heartbroken would be to misrepresent the fury and the betrayal she felt. Was she not also worth the protection of her mate? Would he not miss her like he missed his daughters? Shiv turned her back on him like he had turned his back on her. Guardians couldn't be trusted, she decided. No other dragon breed could be trusted. Mirrors belonged only with Mirrors; that was the natural order of things and fighting that truth only brought sorrow.

From that day on Shiv only sought the company of her own kind. She combed the wastes, collecting the lonely and the unwanted and shaping them into a mighty pack that the Plaguebringer could be proud of.[/color]



In a blink the sword is at your throat, the point vibrating a hairsbreadth away. Four red eyes fix on you with a viper's cold intensity, each one doubled in the reflection off the blade. "Claws and teeth are sufficient for most encounters, it's true." The voice runs over you like oil, smooth and chill and holding the threat of sudden flame. "But occasionally one desires the extra reach and guard of a sword. Flexibility pairs well with savagery in battle." The mirror holds a moment more before sheathing the katana, her claws picking at the braiding around the hilt. She smiles. "It is also good for decoration."


At the question Shiv's impassive front melts like ice beneath a Coatl's forge. "Forgive him? Why would I? He certainly hasn't sought it, or asked for it. He's been more than happy to chase after his grown daughters all this time, though they are more than strong enough to protect themselves, and without a thought for his home clan." She gives a grim smile. "But perhaps I should. Guardians can't help themselves after all. Their biology rules them as strongly as the ties of a Mirror pack. Like must stick with like. It is the natural order of things. Trying to live otherwise invites only strife and sorrow."