Claws of Imperium

The Claws of Imperium were an Imperian faction of dragon hunters previously led by Rapton and Lord Ras. They serve under the command of Empress Beatrix to capture all dragon-kind and exploit their power as a resource for their civilization. Following the escape of all the Imperium's dragons except for one, Ras was incarcerated for his failures.
==History==
===Background===
When Ras arrived in Imperium to aid Beatrix in taking control of the kingdom,Metal Mayhem! the Claws of Imperium were formed as the most skilled dragon hunters in the land, tasked with capturing all the dragons in the realm to provide power to their kingdom under Beatrix's orders. Ras and Rapton were selected as the leaders of the dragon hunters. Since the Merge has brought Imperium together with the other realms, the Claws have been assigned the responsibility of capturing all the dragons in the combined lands, particularly the seven Source Dragons."Mindless Beasts" Control over the Source Dragons would grant them absolute domination over the Merged Realms."The Merge: Part 2" To do so, Ras devised a plan that involved Riyu, an infant dragon with special energy."The Calm Inside"
===Dragons Rising, Season 1===
Despite the Claws' success in capturing Riyu, the ninja thwarted Ras' plan and allowed the baby dragon to escape, prompting Riyu's herd to relocate for safety; in doing however so Ras had successfully drawn out the ninja to Imperium's gaze and revealed their secret connection to the Source Dragons' powers. Beatrix's desire to utilize the Photac for dragon hunting led Ras to enlist Dorama's repair services, though Sora's activation of the copied Photacs was necessary. Nevertheless, the Claws of Imperium persisted in their pursuit of dragons throughout the Merged Realms.
During a dragon hunt, the Claws were successful in capturing Jiro thanks to the original Photac used by Rapton."Return to Imperium" The ninja traveled to Imperium to destroy the device. Unfortunately, Sora was caught by Rapton and the Claw Hunters, and Ras forced her to activate the copied Photacs. The Claws of Imperium used the Photacs to stop the dragon breakout led by Lloyd and Wyldfyre. Although the Claws initially appeared victorious, Arin and Sora were able to free Riyu after their battle with Ras and dismantle the Photacs. In the following days, Ras planned to launch more dragon hunts, but Beatrix disagreed and wanted the ninja gone instead, thus going against Ras' plan as they agreed. Ras was arrested for his failure, and Rapton gained his position as the leader of the Claws of Imperium."The Battle of the Second Monastery"
As part of her vow to defeat the ninja, Beatrix spread a false speech to Imperium, claiming the dragons were recaptured."The Temple of the Dragon Cores" When Rapton informed her about the Dragon Cores and questioned the Claws' mission to capture dragons due to the energy crisis, Beatrix remained resolute. She made it clear that the Claws of Imperium would not be hunting dragons until she acquired the Dragon Cores and eliminated the ninja, thereby replacing the Claws with search parties to find the Dragon Cores."Gangs of the Sea" When the ninja infiltrated Imperium with the help of the Imperium Teen Resistance Force, Beatrix reassembled the Claw Hunters to apprehend them. After overpowering Jiro and Zanth, the Claw Hunters took them captive. However, the Imperians discovered Beatrix's true colors, leading to a riot and forcing the Claw Hunters to flee."We Are All Dragons" Following the end of the MergeQuake Storm, the Claws of Imperium disbanded, with the remaining members joining Percival Tartigrade in a council to initiate a new beginning in New Imperium."The Power Within"
==Known members==
*Lord Ras (formerly)
*Rapton
*Claw Hunters
**Claw General
**Hunter No. 29 (non-canon)
===Creatures===
*Photacs
==Known captured dragons==
*Source Dragon of Energy (formerly)
*Zanth (formerly)
*Heatwave (formerly)
*Fire Dragon (formerly)
*Earth Dragon (formerly)
*Ice Dragons (formerly)
*Jiro (formerly)
*Riyu (formerly)
==Vehicles==
*Hover chariots
*Hover flyers
*Prison trains
==Trivia==
*They're the second villainous faction to hunt dragons, the first being the Dragon Hunters from the Realm of Oni and Dragons.
**Unlike the Dragon Hunters, who hunt dragons for their Elemental Powers, the Claws of Imperium hunt dragons for their energy.
*They are the sixth villainous faction to consist mainly of humans, following the Anacondrai Cultists, the Sky Pirates, the Sons of Garmadon, the henchmen, and the Kryptarium inmates.
==Gallery==
===Minifigures===
Ras Minifigure.png|Lord Ras
Rapton Minifigure.png|Rapton
Imperium Claw General Minifigure.png|Claw General
Imperium Claw Hunter Minifigure.png|Claw Hunter
===Members===
LordRasE9.JPG|Lord Ras
RaptonHalfIB.jpg|Rapton
We Are All Dragons (60).JPG|Claw Hunters
===Promotional media===
Dragons Rising season 1 main poster.jpg
==Translations==
==References==
de:Krallen des Imperiums
es:Garras de Imperium
fi:Imperiumin kynnet
pl:Szpony Imperium
ru:Когти Империума
uk:Пазурі Імперіуму
Category:2023
Category:2023 characters
Category:2024
Category:2024 characters
Category:Villainous factions
Category:Villains
Category:Groups
Category:Season 1 (Dragons Rising)
Category:Imperians
Category:Groups