Barkshredbite
Chaos calls sweetly and the intelligent mind with the temper to unleash it tends toward disaster

STATS
Name: Barkshredbite
Gender: Male
Parents: Korulantis Diamis x Yleszt
Species: Shadow Hydra (1/2 Tris'Hath Hydra, 1/2 Shadowling of Destruction)
Origin: Abstract Destiny / The Twisted Fate
Chaos Quotient: 95%
Size: The more they eat the more they grow, but regular feeding should end up with a hydra between 20-30' at the shoulder at a couple years of age.
Description: A sleek brown hydra with black paws and a lighter beige belly. Shadows swarm around it like a black miasma of death. The crowned reigning head and the two subordinate heads are solid. The shadowy mass of their manes can shift and form up to fifteen other natural heads, which otherwise may only be glimpsed as eyes in the darkness...
Personality: Barkshredbite has three keywords: Chaos, Intelligence and Temper. Though he is very intelligent, he really has never even thought of reining in his desires. Why should he when he is an incarnation of destruction? And that bit of upping satisfaction is pure BS. He can be sated now and destroy something else later. There's no need to wait. His temper is awful and mercurial. His train of thought chaotic and he often changes direction mid-sentence.
Abilities:
   *Breath Weapons (Acid, Fire) The ability to breathe either a gout of fire or a spray of acid.
   *Destruction-Feeding, Rather than simply consuming meat, these hydras can destroy to feed. The most delicious and sustaining meals are the energies released when living things die, which they can absorb simply by being present. They can also consume any energies released when they enact their destructive powers.
   *Destruction Powers, These hydras are an incarnation of chaos and destruction. Destroying anything around them comes with natural ease, not from brute strength but from force of will.
   *Insubstantial Form, Although they appear solid, these hydras can will themselves into an insubstantial shape. Like a thick cloud of smoke or fog, they can barely be touched.
   *Natural Spellcaster, After reaching their first decade in age, the hydra begins to develop magical ability. The older they get, the more powerful they can become.
   *Shapeshifting, The ability to shapeshift into any other form, without limitation.
   *Telepathy, The ability to communicate mind-to-mind.
   *Teleportation, The ability to teleport anywhere within sight or that can be strongly visualized in the mind.
   *Verbal Speech, The ability to communicate in spoken words.

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STORY
Barkshredbite floated through space. In his incorporeal form, he did not need to breathe. He had known this in his core. And it was also in his core that he knew there was a place to call home. Sadly, the coordinates of home were lost to him, but he knew he'd know he was there when he reached it.
One of his many eyes caught a small light that seemed to invite him. He needed no more invitation to speed down upon the planet and to set his destruction at work. Rocks turned to dust, water evaporated, air burned and irritated as his breath weapon wreaked havoc on the local fauna and flora.
Barkshredbite laved himself on the demise of life, he feasted on the terror of the lives that were lost. And just as fast as he'd started, he lost interest and returned to space. A hole remained in his chest, the yearning for home once more the biggest drive in his mind. The planet he'd feeded from was left half-eaten, alive but barely so. Barkshredbite didn't look back, the place was already forgotten as he journeyed on.
A single word resounded in his mind: "Elsewhere."
That word sounded so pleasant. That was clearly where he needed to be, where he needed to go.
He was coming.

Years had no meaning as Barkshredbite sought and found the Elsewhere that was the home of his shadow-existence. In it he grew, finding gateways into the Nexus to feast. Sometimes he hid and observed, living on the second-hand death of those slain by others. And then there were times where he himself did the destruction. There was something to be said for both methods. Barkshredbite realised that destruction meant that one day there would be nothing left. So in order to ensure his own survival he must ensure the survival of others... disappointing but true.
Lingering in his incorporeal form, Barkshredbite hibernated, thinking. As the years flew by, the shadow hydra developed his abilities and the magic that had started to form within him. His forages into the reality outside the Elsewhere became even more efficient. But that oddly left him dissatisfied. There was no exhiliration, no spark, only cold analytics.
Barkshredbite did not like it. And experiencing the thrill of a kill through another was but a vague and distant substitute. If only he could be closer to those doing the killing, if only he could experience the kill as if it were his own.
Maybe there was a way. Barkshredbite returned his chaotic mind to the asteroid of the Healing Den. Visitors with an ethic that interested the shadow hydra were staying there and words had reached him that there were eggs. Barkshredbite figured he could try to find a protegé, a mind to foster, maybe even a mate. And if that didn't happened, he would still have a nice buffet.

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Distant stars twinkled in the black expanse, so thick and unmarred by ambient light or cloud or smog that they almost appeared to be a river flowing across the sky. But on the underbelly of the Healing Den asteroid, a hatching was underway. Barkshredbite had had a reasonably pleasant stay, but it was obvious to the shadowy hydra hybrid, that the ruler of this place, Naxi'im would prefer him and all the other visitors to vanish right after this event. This suited Barkshredbite just fine.
The eggs had been gathered in a vast cavern, deep into the asteroid. All around, deep draconic voices sang for the hatching dragonets. The walls thrummed with the power of their song as wispy lanterns, torches and some more magical lights cast a sickly pale light.
After Naxi'im had taken his place among his Dead Court Queens, as if everyone had waited for the Court King to take his place, the first egg cracked open with a resounding snap, and a small, dark yellow body thrashed onto the sands.
Many of the hydras who had taken part in making these eggs edged forward, plenty of dragons and hydras eager to bond one of these new batch of Courtlings. But it was Barkshredbite who took the initiative from all those present, he'd been here the longest after all. Detaching from the shadows, slowly oozing forward, he manifested his corporeal form. Claws emerged from the darkness, then a body, and three, solid, brown heads on serpentine necks. More eyes blinked in and out of sight as the shadows solidified into the hydra’s form, maintaining a haze that made it seem as if the creature known as Barkshredbite were always out of focus.
Barkshredbite finally came to a halt before the hatchling still smashing its egg into dust and sat down patiently. The yellow hatchling had five heads, one slightly larger, but all five seemed to have their own way of interacting with the world.
With the egg little more than glittering powder on the ground, the hatchling whipped around and released a furious screech that echoed off the walls of the cavern.
::I am Blyzrath, and I will devour the universe!::
::I am Barkshredbite,:: the hydra replied, ::And I will help you slake your hunger.::
With an approving look, Naxi'im said:
::A prodigious start to the hatching. Welcome, Barkshredbite, and Blyzrath.::

STATS
Name: Bylzrath
Gender: Female
Species: Dead Court Hydra
Parents: Rotted Green Gyidrilth x Unknown Hydra
Origin: The tunnels of the Healing Den Asteroid
Colour: Stained yellow
Size: 10' at the shoulder
Personality: hungry, adventurous, will never run out of energy

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Another hydra hatched, and then two balespawn who caused a ruckus trying to reach their mother and then more hatched. And more. The number of hatchlings waiting to bond or choose a caretaker had thinned considerably after a while. Though there were still a number of little bodies left, all but four of the balespawn had been claimed.
Naxi’im looked out over the crowd of his allies, the Death Court’s allies, and saw a glimmer of the future he so desired. Things were bleak right then, but the possibilities remained endless.
A flicker of green out of the corner of his eye drew his attention back to the hatchlings. One of the remaining balespawn had snuck away from the group, creeping behind legs and tails to keep herself out of sight. She’d made good progress too, almost reaching her target before an inopportune tail flick revealed her telltale flame.
Naxi’im rose from his perch amongst his queens and stepped across the sands. He felt Takith’s eyes on him as he crossed in front of her. Just as the hatchling stretched her neck out toward her mother, Naxi’im caught up the tiny body and lobbed it underhanded toward one of the spectators.
The hatchling let out a squawk of alarm, echoed by Takith, as she flipped through the air.
::Barkshredbite, a gift. For our new alliance,:: Naxi’im called out.
The hydra had all but vanished into the shadows that clung to him at all times. Only the presence of his new hatchling, Blyzrath, marked his location. Yet as the balespawn flipped end over end, a head appeared out of nowhere and gentle jaws closed around her body.
More of Barkshredbite materialized as he deposited the hatchling next to Blyzrath. His central head dipped in acknowledgement to Naxi’im. Naxi’im responded in kind, then swivelled his head around to give Takith a pointed look.
::Every. Single. One,:: he said.
She stared at him with that look again. The cold, hard look that he’d never seen on the face of his little reaper before. She had learned a hard lesson today.

STATS
Name: Aonar Balechild (Name meaning: Alone in Scots Gaelic)
Gender: Female
Parents: Takith x Kaszas Balechild
Species: Balespawn
Origin: The tunnels of the Healing Den Asteroid
Size: 9' at the shoulder
Description: A vision in glorious green.
Personality: Family-oriented, Petty, Vindictive
Abilities:
   *Corruption Powers
   *Immortality
   *Realm-Traveling
   *Size-shifting
   *Verbal Speech
   *Telepathy
   *Teleportation
   *Blue fire breath (fire that will stick to surfaces)

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Near the end of the hatching, as Naxi’im was seeing to the final Balespawn’s removal to another’s care, and he had finished the workings of his new allegiances, something went.....not entirely according to plan...
They appeared suddenly, as if from nowhere, and precisely alongside or nearby their youngest kin, these foreign Balespawn, not yet fully grown, but not newly hatched. Each bathed in the sickly green glow of their flames, some built heavy, with gem-toned scales, others serpentine and delicate. All guarded and attended by a large, overly fluffy, almost demonic creature as the first had been, and each clutching a smaller pup gently in their claws.
The one that manifested close to Aonar Balechild was brilliant white, with specks that seemed to glow and intensify the light of the green flames that burned all along his back. He snarled in the egneral direction of Naxi'im and then turned to Aonar with a warmer expression:
“You are not an object to be bartered, cousin Aonar. Do not take such words to heart.” The glimmering white Balespawn crooned as he too passed along his gift, blatantly ignoring the shadows of the elder hydra and his new bond. “But we will make use of this opportunity, will we not? You are only alone if you desire it so. Now, tell me of your dreams, that we might both make ours come true.”

STATS
Name: Avundas Balechild (Name Meaning: Envy (Swedish))
Gender: Male
Coloration: Diamond
Parentage: Zouo Balechild x Smaragyr
Origin: Eldiheim (Planet Kynn)
Personality: Protective, Knightly, Sharp
Abilities:
     *Breath Weapon (Ice)
     *Elemental Magic (Ice)
     *Breath Weapon (Poison)
     *Corruption Powers
     *Immortality
     *Realm-Traveling
     *Sizeshifting
     *Telepathy
     *Teleportation
     *Verbal Speech

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Only a few moments later, as more and more Gemstone-Balespawn appeared all around, Naxi'im let out a telepathic roar.
"Get out" he growled.
When the dragons present looked around confused, he roared a second time, louder, casting his telepathic order out to everyone present:
"GET OUT!"
Rumbles crashed through the stone, cracks appeared and a hole started opening up. Barkshredbite did not intend to wait and find out what was going to happen enxt. He wrapped his shadows around himself, his bond and the the two tag-alongs that were close enough. And then they were somewhere else entirely...

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GROWING UP
Barkshredbite now had two young dragons and a juvenile in tow. This was not how he had envisioned his trip to the Healing Den Asteroid to end. Both females had their own needs and Barkshredbite knew he wasn't the best at parenting. Luckily their was another present to help. And by help, Barkshredbite definitely meant 'do everything'.
"I won't leave Aonar in your care." Avundas proclaimed valiantly.
The diamond Nemistan-Balespawn thelepathically shared. He had even more doubts pertaining the shadow hydra's parenting skills than said hydra had himself. But Barkshredbite wasn't giving. Relinquishing a present -even if that was a hatchling and an extra chore- was not something he'd do easily, and he stated that:
"I cannot relinquish a task given."
Before the arguing could rise to potential violent proportions, the hatchlings defused the situation with a mighty stomach grumble. They whined and grumbled and neither older males could ignore them. Barkshredbite soon learned that engulfing a planet in shadows to eat it might be practical, but watching as Bylzrath and the two balespawn sowed panic and chaos, eating their full before he swooped in for his own satisfaction, was even more thrilling.
But even with full bellies and after a deserved nap, there was a lot of bickering. Both Bylzrath and Aonar were tough and expected to be followed, much like Barkshredbite himself. Avundas clearly only had Aonar's interests in mind. All the heated conversations were wearing down upon Barkshredbite and the volatile shadow hydra became increasingly prone to exploding.
In the end it was Aonar who decided to leave. Barkshredbite watched her and Avundas leave with a combination of relief and a sting of loss. For she was a delightful dragon. But he was not the one who'd make her happy in the same way that Bylzrath made him. He wished them the best all the same and did leave them with:
"A debt is owed, if you're ever in need, find me."
"Much appreciated." Avundas replied with a satisfied flick of his tail.
"Mine and only mine." Bylzrath crooned, wrapping her tail around Barkshredbite.
Aonar huffed in response and added snippily: "Hmph, did not want him anyway! I'll find my own family."

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Lantessama Isle