this... actually works together better than i was imagining it would

the before and after \o/

From abnormally big Mirror overall to average length Gaoler (Wingspan and weight are on higher side), and her Mirror length has become her wingspan, which is kinda interesting.

Now I have to... make an accent for her. Yikes.

also i have to start stuff for the Astral event my work is never done u.u’

Loched

When the Gaolers first broached the surface and left their icy prisons, it brought a wave of excitement and intrigue. What change would they bring with them? What tales of ancient times— passed down among their generations and uncorrupted due to self-imposed isolation— would they tell? How long would it be until another one of the deities' eldest children began to stir?

But the buzz was soon quelled.

:thonk:

A Shade-touched dragon, in a desperate attempt to not be hunted down and tossed into the Ice dungeons, becoming the predator itself to try and dissuade them. After all, how could a Gaoler possibly be infected? Must just be the stink of the land on her fur.

The Shade, of course, fights back.

Gaolers: A Reaction

Hylla, who has been around since the beginning of dragonkind, and was almost killed by Gaolers when she was alive:

Circe, explicitly Shade-touched:

Upheaval

The massive Mirror leaped from her perch above the mouth to the Lair, sand crunching under her claws. Circe looked confused; frustrated. She could feel something off, but the Mirror couldn’t tell if it was in the world around or in herself. A growl rose in the back of her throat, it would best not be in herself-- if the taint of Shade that flowed in her veins was rearing, who knew what would happen.

She whipped around, one large paw outstretched to lash at the stone of the mesa behind her. But instead of striking at the rock, Circe’s claws hung in the air. The dragoness’s Arcane Sprite familiar fluttered just at the end of her wolf pelt’s snout. She cocked her head at the pink creature. Taking this as a sign of attention, the Sprite launched into a series of chirps and buzzes.

Circe stretched in the sand, head resting on her claws. It didn’t make sense. The lands of her origins were upheaving and the magic of her home had gone haywire. Well, at least according to her Sprite.

It did explain what she felt though, that itching under her hide.

The Arcane Mirror wished she could view what was happening for herself, but she knew that was wistful thinking. The Sprite mentioned that it had occurred at the Oculus, and with her darkened “affliction,” Circe likely wouldn’t have been allowed within a thousand meters of the ancient tower.

She sighed through her nose and flicked the deepsea bulb that sprang out from her forehead. The Magistre already assumed that Lightning Flight may have had some nefarious backing in it all and were coming to investigate the territory. There wasn’t more Circe could do than wait, watch, and hope nothing got worse.