Dawn the IceWing

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Photo taken by LifeIsMeh. Dawn is an entry to the Photography OC Contest - this photo only to be used for this OC. 
(Disclaimer: Actual photo may actually be of a sunset, not a sunrise.)
The town of Nymphnest. A strange town in the Sky Kingdom with a habit of attracting weird dragons, whether from Lake Nymph or from the mountains across the lake. And a certain common tale is of an old spirit, living for barely two decades and yet existing forever (or, so far, to 6001 AS, a century) to complete her goal...
== APPEARANCE ==
Dawn was an IceWing, plainly, obviously - an IceWing with somewhat unusual colours, but certainly an IceWing of some sort. Some say she must have been a hybrid, some claim she was just from an IceWing settlement with those sorts of colours.
Her main scales were a pale grey-blue colour, her overscales a darker, stormier blue. Her underscales were patterned. Mostly a very pale blue, with grey-ish markings like stripes. Her wings were also a grey - darker than her main scales, paler then her overscales, with somewhat of a purple-blue tinge to them. The markings on them were certainly unusual, being pale pink wavy stripes, increasing in size towards the edges. Like morning light that touches the clouds in a strange way.
Her horns were somewhat crooked-looking, and a very pale golden colour, bending upwards. Her spines and claws were all a dull, pale colour, red-ish in hue. Her ears were long, waving, and the usual pale blue on the insides, and her eyes were certainly part of the reason for the rumours that she was actually a hybrid. A strange, golden colour, easy to pick out from across a lake if the wings didn't give you a clue.
Dawn was not the usual graceful, wolf-like dragon that sometimes comes to mind when you say 'IceWing'. Large-ish, somewhat bulkier-looking than others of her tribe, and with claws fit for climbing a mountain. Which, of course, was exactly what she was hatched to do. Her mouth always looked somewhat crooked, and she certainly had plenty of teeth, but everybody who has ever met her, whether dead or alive, has stated that she is undoubtedly a trustworthy dragon.
In terms of spikes, she certainly had plenty, her spines long and sharp and sticking out everywhere - both the mane of spikes and the ones lining her tail. Being careful when hugging her was always a good idea, while she was corporeal.
The thing that was most noticeable about Dawn, outside of her unusual colours, was the reason for her title. Her scales seemed to shimmer and glimmer in the slightest light, and, not unusual for dragon scales, they were iridescent. They still are, given that, as shown by her title, she is, of course, a ghost. Not every dragon believes in ghosts, but the dragons of the town Nymphnest are certain that she's real. Indeed, there does seem to be a certain presence that can't be alive...
Dawn can be seen in many places as a spirit. She appears to focus on one specific dwelling that she owned and lived in while she was alive. While it is rare for her to be encountered face-to-face within this home, sometimes it is possible to see a spiky IceWing in a mysteriously foggy window, eyes of gold staring out at the living. It is more common, however, to see her close to Lake Nymph. A shimmering dragon, possibly made of coloured mist, with those gold eyes, watching you from across the lake. Or within the lake - as a head and neck, or even just plain sitting on top of the water. Someone flying without flapping their wings. It's entirely possible that Dawn does not exist as a spirit, but, judging by the sources, this entire description of her appearance was accurate when she was still alive.
== PERSONALITY ==
Dawn was sweet. Close and sweet like the first rays of sunlight finding their way onto your scales in the earliest of times. And warm. Still an IceWing, of course, but being near her would give you a warm feeling. There are some claims that she was almost made to be like this, to be a comforting figure. It's hard to know for certain, with how long she's been dead. Not many accurate records still exist of her early life.
Sweet, warm, comforting, and helpful. The only things most people know about her, and the main traits you'd see, if you somehow managed to talk to her. They aren't the only parts of her personality. But, at this point, she's made it into her personality.
Then again, later in life, and especially as a ghost (allegedly), Dawn was said to be...colder. Distant. She'd take care of you, she'd be nice, but she went about it in a much more distant way. An explanation for this that one dragon swore came from Dawn herself was that she realised how this would repeat forever. She could've done more with her life, but she locked herself into this, and now she simply wishes to be a memory, something that you're reminded of in those more distant, otherworldly times, for instance, (forgive the pun) during the coldness of dawn. It is generally agreed that a cold, shimmering lake in a partial darkness with the slight light turning the mountains pink fits her perfectly.
But Dawn doesn't seem to complain much. She stayed on Pyrrhia to do this. She'll stay on Pyrrhia to do this forever, until she's forgotten or she simply can't finish her goal anymore. She'll remain an abandoned, well-kept home, a cup of dragon-made tea with too much honey, a feeling of distinct loneliness, so lonely that you can't possibly be alone. She'll remain a dawn touching the lake and the distant mountains, she'll remain Dawn.
When she was still alive, Dawn enjoyed water, often partially submerging herself in Lake Nymph. She was very trusting, and hated rule-breaking for any reason, good or bad. She didn't actually like sweet things all that much. She was hard to anger, and impossible to be forgiven by. She liked reading about history, but disliked science. She claimed it gave too much of an explanation, and that things like how she could freeze flesh with a particularly hard breath were better off unexplained, mysterious and almost magical.
When she was younger, she used to play stringed instruments, and supposedly she always remembered the basics, but that, despite how varied her learning was, she was later unable to remember much of the specifics. She wasn't too good at art, and poetry was always difficult for her to write, but she had a job as an author of dragonets' stories for a while. She disliked flying, always preferring to climb if possible.
But now Dawn's a spirit. And she can only focus on comfort and care.
== ABILITIES ==
Dawn, when she was still alive, had the basic IceWing abilities. Frostbreath, being cold, serrated claws, etc. In terms of actual skills, she was extremely good at climbing things, and surviving in mountainous areas. She used to have the ability to play multiple stringed instruments (although not particularly well - more of an average player), but she eventually lost most of her abilities related to these through lack of practise. She couldn't draw or paint, but she was always good enough at writing stories for dragonets to live off of being an author for a while.
Dawn is good at taking care of others, and at creating a friendly, welcoming environment. She is about...good enough at making food, although with cake and similar things she seems to overdo it on the sweetness. Additionally, she is quite photogenic, and has been the subject of many painting and drawings, both pre- and post-death.
Regarding her skills when it comes to comfort and care, it is often said that a spirit with a goal will end up becoming a spirit made to achieve that goal, or something along those lines. Perhaps that is what has happened with Dawn?
== HISTORY ==
=== Early Life ===
On a misty, calm autumn morning, in the quaint IceWing settlement known only by its inhabitants as 'Epocha', but known by many whispered names by others, a pale egg hatched. Multiple pale eggs hatched that day, in fact, but Dawn was the second. There wasn't much unusual about these dragonets but what they would become later, really. Dawn's colours, strange by common IceWing standards, were just the usual for the dragons of this hidden village in the mountains. The golden eyes were quite unusual, and her pink-ish patterns were slightly more vibrant than most, but, mostly, Dawn was average. She hatched in the year 4987 AS. While she lived through the same time as the War of SandWing Succession, it did not affect her much, during her earlier years as she was becoming an adult, or later, closer to her death.
Not much of her history is fully known, and, while Epocha is safe enough for non-IceWings to visit, it has mostly once again fallen into obscurity, with the exception of certain curious dragons from Nymphnest who wish to learn about the Shimmering Spirit's home. There are still records in Epocha of various things related to Dawn, but only a few dragons who may be the dragonets of those who met Dawn in their lifetime. Those who have met Dawn describe her to be a normal dragon, quite sweet, and, of course, always rather altruistic.
She learnt to bake, to play stringed instruments, to write, and, at one point, she attempted to learn to draw and paint. One particular schoolteacher described her paintings as looking as similar to the inspiration as how similar a SkyWing looks to a SandWing. You can see that it is similar enough to that thing, and perhaps even closely related to that thing, he wrote, but it's almost certainly not to the point where you can call it the same as what you intended it to be. Good effort, but not yet. Formal 2nd-year Visual Arts Ranking: 7The school grades, or rankings, were based on a system identical to that used by the rest of the kingdom's schools - similarly to the Circle Rankings, a ranking of 1 is the best possible, while 7 is the worst possible.. It would appear, from both this and other sources, that Dawn did learn at Silver Stoat Academy, a school for young IceWings ages 3-8. (Notably, Silver Stoat did not adhere to common IceWing school 'standards', particularly in terms of the ages of dragons who attended. This isn't particularly unusual, considering how different life in Epocha was to the rest of the IceWing Kingdom.)
Her opinions appear to have not changed much from what they were mentioned to be earlier in her history, with the exception of originally adoring sugar and sweetness, until she went off it...permanently. Her school rankings included a 3 in History, a 6 in (general) Science, a 2 in Literature/Written Arts, and a 1 in Cooking, by the end of her time there. Overall, Dawn has not changed much throughout her history.
=== Leaving Epocha ===
However, at the beginning of the summer of 4998, when she was 10, soon to be 11 by autumn, Dawn left her home, permanently. She appears to have left on good terms with her family, and had a good reputation among those who knew her. Supposedly, the main reasons she gave for leaving when she said goodbye to those she was close to was that she was simply curious, and wanted to experience new things and build relationships with new dragons.
She left to a different IceWing settlement, one much more 'normal', whose inhabitants mostly seemed to regard her with uncertain curiosity. It was near the eastern coast of the Kingdom, and Dawn stated that she'd only be staying for a short while. Just passing through, maybe resting. They said she stole a map and flew off a few days later. (The dragon the map belonged to was apparently very disappointed, but didn't care enough to chase after this strange thief.)
And so, Dawn started a journey, across the water separating Pyrrhia's head and wing. By some strange luck, or perhaps some distant deity watching over her, she survived. She was truly far from home, now, but some claim that it was almost as if her hospitality was then given to those she came across...or something along those lines. Strangers took care of her, she talked her way out of death, and she remained her warm self.
She knew that IceWings were not welcomed by SkyWings, she was aware of the War, but Dawn just kept on going. Mostly, she travelled when there was less light than usual, so it is entirely possible that a couple mostly-unknown tales of gold-eyed ghosts were just some SkyWings unfamiliar with IceWings catching a glimpse of her.
Dawn knew where she was going, and whenever she was sure she could stop, anyone she asked seemed to confirm that she was going the right way.
As quoted from one SkyWing's diary, "...asked me if going straight south, and here she pointed in the general direction of south, would get her to Lake Nymph. I said yeah, told her it was over a pretty hard-to-cross area but she said she'd figure it out as she went, and I asked her why she wanted to get to Nymphnest. Nothing happens there, and there's not really much to see, although it IS away from the war... She just said that all the things I listed about it fitted perfectly for her, and told me she'd be going soon enough, and I accepted that..."
There is much that can be said about Dawn's travels to Nymphnest, but it mostly consists of similar encounters - Dawn found a dragon who lived alone, or a family of dragons, they accepted her staying for a bit, or they just sent her on her way, curiously without ever doing anything about this enemy in their kingdom. She once stated that there was one time when she accidentally ran into a rather aggressive SkyWing and had to get out of there quickly, but that was about it.
And, by the end of that summer, Dawn found Lake Nymph.
=== Life and Death in Nymphnest ===
Nymphnest has been the same for most of its existence. A place with a small population, accepting of strangers, almost anomalously untouched by conflict apart from when it's within the town. Perfect for this weird IceWing raised away from 'normal' dragons of her tribe.
Like with the rest of Dawn's history, her time there was unremarkable. Becoming a normal presence, a great place if you needed comfort, and perfect for others just passing through who were forced to stop for the night.
What is there to say? From the age of 11, she lived in Nymphnest, in a home by the lake, and welcomed others, building up a perfect reputation. Until 5010, the year of her death. Interestingly, there isn't much information about her death. It is known that she was 23, and that she was poisoned. It is thought that she was specifically murdered by either a SkyWing called 'Lammergeier', or a SandWing known as 'Fata Morgana', as the pair were the last recorded as staying with her. (While she did not keep records of who stayed there, others tried to as best as they could.)
Unfortunately, the pair were travellers, not particularly unusual visually, and supposedly rather good at lying. Even if they could be successfully tracked down, it is unlikely they would give a truthful answer if they were the killers. And of course, the pair are long dead - it has been about a century since Dawn's death. Apparently, Dawn isn't sure who killed her, as is common for ghosts - those sorts of memories end up buried purposefully.
Now, Dawn is mostly seen as a spirit, keeping her home... homely. Nobody lives there permanently anymore, and the house has been carefully protected by Nymphnest's council. Look out at Lake Nymph at dawn, and maybe you'll catch a glimpse of golden eyes, a dragon who matches her name. If you're lucky, maybe you can speak to her.
The Shimmering Spirit might exist, and if she does, then it is certainly in the cold partial-sunlight of early dawn that she appears.
== TRIVIA ==
*Entry to the Photography OC Contest. (Completed with an extension to the 10th of November.)
*Dawn's parents were a male IceWing painter called Verglas, and a female IceWing hunter called Aurora.
*She had two siblings - an agender sibling called Glimmer, and a brother called Moon-Ring. Glimmer was hatched first, followed by Dawn, and then Moon-Ring.
*It is thought that, while she 'consciously' wanders in and around the lake, Dawn's 'ability' to do various small things to keep her home comfortable and occasionally make food and drink for visitors is almost entirely done unconsciously. If this is true, the strange things within her home could continue long after the ghost fades.
*Dawn's corpse was buried beneath Lake Nymph itself, which is possibly part of why she frequently appears in places around the lake in general, rather than in places around her house specifically.
*Most who see Dawn aren't entirely awake when they do so, although this is probably more down to the fact that she usually appears very early in the morning or very late at night.
*Dawn has been known to appear in the dreams of those who stay in her home, although whether this is a usual ghost thing or just a coincidence of some sort is unknown - the study of ghosts is not very common, for obvious reasons.
=== Inspiration ===
* Of course, Dawn's appearance is based on the colours in the photo - in fact, most of the colours were directly picked from the image and then altered somewhat.
** For instance, her underbelly is based on the colours of the waves of the water in the picture, her overscales on the colours of the area that looks like a forest, and obviously her wings on the mountains.
** Originally, I wasn't sure how to include the colour of the sky, and settled for making her eyes that colour.
* I'm not actually sure whether the photo is of a sunrise or sunset, but she is, of course, based on dawn, and the feelings I think are connected to early dawn. Interestingly, even if the photo is of a dawn, it's not at the early point that I'm imagining whenever I refer to an 'early dawn' or something similar on this page.
* The lake in the photo was a definite inspiration for her location, and the mountains inspired both her current location (the SkyWing Kingdom) and her former location. (Epocha, an IceWing settlement in the mountains of the IceWing Kingdom)
* Most of her was originally taken from the photo, and then I developed them further from there - the feeling of early dawn, so I expanded that into the not-quite-alone loneliness of such an early time of the day. And, then, she didn't quite feel right as an alive dragon, so I turned her into a ghost. I'm not entirely sure where I got the 'helpful, a comforting figure whether actually there or not' thing from, but it's become an important part of her.
* Most of the things about her, such as the part about stringed instruments, and her weird dislike of science, aren't really from anything. I just threw them in to add a bit more to the character.
* A 'feeling' about her that I added in as inspiration was the taste of earl grey tea with a bit too much honey, which I added in a few ways.
* Overall, most of her is just taken from the associations I have with the original photo, and then built onto from that base.
== GALLERY ==
Dawn headshot chipper.png|By Chipper the Crow. (infobox picture)
Dawn ref.png|Use as a ref. By Chipper the Crow, background photo by LifeIsMeh.
Dawn peregrinecellabase chipper.png|Original base by Peregrinecella, coloured by Chipper.
Dawn peregrinecellabase chipper nolay.png|Same base, without overlay layer
Dawn_jada_ice.png|Jada, coloured by Iceshadow84.
Category:Content (Chipper the Crow)
Category:Characters
Category:Females
Category:IceWings
Category:Deceased
Category:LGBT+
Category:Status (Legend)
Category:Status (Commoner)