Frostbite

[Ice -> Arcane -> Plague -> branch-offs; most successful in Earth & Shadow, kinda Light maybe Water/Nature, and ig Lightning. keep this section to the origins, flight-specific info in #clans]

• started with Shade-hunting Tundras then clan infiltration and social hysteria happened
• initially expected to report back to base; became impractical
• hivemind mentality
• Tundra stereotypes probably heavy contributor to everything
• anyway then they moved and now they’re maybe-everywhere??

Ambush technique

[start with a wikipedia-esque “this section is a stub, more research is needed” note. blockquote from Galena, a firsthand witness. supposedly there’s some secret technique developed by the very first tundras, but like who knows it’s been a gazillion years and probably other groups (read: other irl-people’s lore) have also claimed The Formidable Battlestone Tundra. it’s basicslly legend at this point]

• “The only tenet lost is the founding group’s ambush technique, subsumed over generations by an all-purpose training regiment. Developed tactics still prioritize efficiency (read: glass cannon fodder trainers), but the details vary by clan. Taking a page from Plague’s playbook, it is more important to thrive and proliferate than to adhere to some dated, prescriptive norm.”

The archetypal Frostbite dragon is recognizable by the following traits in tandem:

• a dark, monochrome base (primary & secondary),
• a bright, busy scattering of a brighter tone (tertiary) which covers both body and wings,
• and an overall blue tint.

Body (primary) and wing (secondary) base patterns are animalistic, typically lacking strong contrast. Early marks matched genes categorized formally as Bar, Daub, Ripple, and Current, in various combinations. Other muted marks have also been documented, including but not limited to spots, stripes, and patches. Accent colors are sparse, when existent at all. Distinct, “artificial” patterns, such as those exhibited by Harlequin/Jester, are nigh-nonexistent; they tend to provide poor camoflauge.

Although the environmental advantage of the marking has been lost to geographical spread, Frostbite dragons often exhibit pale, “frosty” cracks (Ice tertiary) across their entire body. Moreso than any base texture, this characteristic crackling serves as an in-group signifier—especially in territories far removed from the Icefield.

Every and any dragon, regardless of element, may be a Frostbite dragon.

Variants

Eclipse

[ FIGURE: ragged/coil/eclipse/primal ]

In recent years, as vibrant markings have become increasingly prominent throughout Sornieth, a distinct sub-variety of Frostbite dragons has been spotted with the tertiary gene Eclipse. First spotted in the Sunbeam Ruins among a group of Everluxes, Eclipse-sporting dragons seem inclined towards streamlined, less-“natural” appearances, and place greater emphasis on magic in combat. The difference is further pronounced by accented base marks, such as the gene Ragged, and a preference towards decorated lairs and status signals. Camoflauge and a strictly-nocturnal lifestyle are of lesser concern to these dragons.^{[citation needed]}

Tertiary variations

Light markings may not be consistent with the gene Crackle, though some degree of randomness and high coverage is expected. Flecks appears more frequently than Opal, for example. Ancient growths or abilities which serve a similarly silhouette-obscuring purpose have also been noted, albeit rarely.

[ FIGURE: sandsurge ft. thundercrack / caption: Thundercrack, as a defined gene, serves a similar visual purpose to Crackle—even though it isn’t contained to the surface of a dragon’s body. ]

[ OOC TL;DR: no there is no List of Accepted Genes. realistically I am not keeping up with that and moreover it is about the Vibes. like Arapaima/Hawkmoth is borderline to me but if your heart’s set on it who am I to tell you no. idc. be free ]

Other appearances

As allegiance is determined by devotion, not blood or appearance (see Clans§Culture), it is possible for a Frostbite dragon to look nothing like the archetype. The physical profiles above describe an encyclopedic standard, traits which may identify a Frostbite dragon to an external eye, and are not comprehensive.

Unlike many clans in modern Sornieth, Frostbite clans are defined by strict adherence to the in-group. Others can enter; few may leave. What documentation exists of Frostbite’s culture has been provided by a mix of close observation, outsiders with close brushes, and, most rarely, the testimony of escaped members.

Culture

[lorem ipsum standard tenets go here. they’e tough they’re communal exalting is everything. also they can be double agents. anonymized hivemind.]

• emphasis on exaltation
• unity of purpose >>> anything else
• nocturnal ambusers, traditionally

Locations

The migration of Frostbite dragons can be roughly traced as a linear northwest claw from the Southern Icefield, curling through the Starfall Isles and east into the Scarred Wasteland. From here, populations dispersed in all directions.

[does NOT have to be long, one or two paragraphs is fine. basically the notes but with a tone revision]

Southern Icefield

[lipsum nullac latinword bleebus blorpus chicken stapler dolorsit agamemnon dolossus rotary. old-timey traditionalists] (Reclaimer’s Glacier)

• most traditional/close to “breed standard”; mostly Tundras, sometimes Gaolers
• big dangers sent to the Dregs, may or may not get “improved” down there
• often ephemeral, lacking identity. probably would not have the faintest clue Frostbite as a concept has Gone Places

Scarred Wasteland

[lipsum nullac latinword bleebus blorpus chicken stapler dolorsit agamemnon dolossus rotary. gross darwinists] (Abiding Boneyard, Wyrmwound, they kinda spread out here viral-style)

Dragonhome

[lipsum nullac latinword bleebus blorpus chicken stapler dolorsit agamemnon dolossus rotary. Big Established Home but seem to have mostly folded into the local cultures] (Shattered Plain? every region has a Sparse place huh)

Tangled Wood

[lipsum nullac latinword bleebus blorpus chicken stapler dolorsit agamemnon dolossus rotary. colosseum fights, private entertainments] (Foxfire Bramble, shows at the Forum of the Obscured Crescent)

• took over Cryptocelus?

Other territories

• Starfall Isles: despite being the first outgroup, probably mutated into some sort of freak eldritch beings. we don’t hear from them. (Starwood Strand?)
  • definition via what they’re not (external perception & prescription) happened here. as did bias
• Viridian Labyrinth: if they’re here they’re animals (Shrieking Wilds)
• Sunbeam Ruins: emperor afficionados, and also the eclipses are here (Hewn City)
  • “The Lightning offshoots came from this direction, after some groups took too much of the scholarly sauce and wanted to establish themselves somewhere less, y’know, Emperor-ravaged and Shadow-secretive.”
• Sea of a Thousand Currents: if they didn’t drown they’re lurking in the depths (Leviathan Trench)
• Windswept Plateau: ????, possibly outcompeted by the locals (no specific locale but exaltees are tossed to the Crescendo)
• Ashfall Waste: they wrecked an empire here but got chased out by the unions (Flintlock Fumaroles? maybe the Vulcan thing was like… not even from other territories it was straight up from the Icefields)
• Shifting Expanse: inexplicably seem to have established a factory (in the Carrion Canyon?)

• Galena: escapee from a Plagueland subgroup
• Carnation: self-appointed studier
• Altair: also a self-appointed studier but kind of a fail-anthropologist about it