ClawWings

## Description

Their scales are usually golden, orange, yellow, though gold is uncommon. vibrant scales of blue, pink, purple, red, and green have been reported rarely.

These dragons have spikes running down their backs like IceWings, extremely sharp and pointy,with tiny claws running up the front and down the back.

These dragons have remarkable claws and possess more than any other tribe. there are the small claws on their spikes, talons, forearms, hind legs, and front edges of wings, the extremely strong and serrated claws on their wings and talons, the  rare claws that can shatter on impact ,melting, building or softening the material that it shattered on. These claws grow back immediately and are the either though not both, the inner or outer claws on all four talons.this condition is called shatterclaws, and the most fearsome and deadly, the long saberlike claws on their wrists and/or wings.this rare ability is called saberwings/wrists. it is very rare for a dragon to be hatched with shatterclaws and saberwings/wrists.

## Abilities

Can breathe fire, can cut through anything with their claws, can survive extreme heat, though not fire, can go without days of water and food.

## Queen

* Fire Claws (historical founder)
* Razor Claws
* Sharpclaw

## Culture

The ClawWings are a very militaristic, so it reflects their culture.

### Hieroglyphic

(This language is similar, if not exactly the same, as Ancient Egyptian, but the dragons are not to know) Hieroglyphic is an ancient language that ClawWings have carried with them since the beginning of time. It has had a few changes over the years, but is still honored as the ancient tongue and a central part of ClawWing culture.

It consists of 26 characters that act as a sort of alphabet. There are also other special characters that make up concepts (such as a million), which are normally important, like names and historical events. All the numbers to the next digit are shown (51244 can be translated as *lily pad with five spots, talontip with no spots, coil of rope with two spots, hoof with four spots, line with four spots)*. Every grown ClawWing has a character for their name combined of both their families' crests (which are normally simple) and their own design. Every ClawWing must carve one for themselves in goldstone the day they reach adulthood (see).

These characters are called Hieroglyphs.

ClawWing dragonets normally learn Hieroglyphic as their first language, and then draconic. However, draconic is taught at a young age as well, so almost every ClawWing grows up bilingual. It is hard to learn Hieroglyphic at an older age, as the alphabet is different, the writing style is either left to right or vice versa in columns, and the grammatical rules are quite different, but it is not impossible.

There are three other variants of this language: Demotic, Hieratic, and Coptic.

**Demotic** is a simplified, cursive form of Hieroglyphic script, used often by street dragons and officials in a hurry, as writing Demotic is faster than writing Hieroglyphs.

The Demotic script was referred to by the ClawWings as 'document writing' or 'letter writing'. Many developmental stages occured during thousands of years. It is written and read from right to left, while earlier hieroglyphs could be written from top to bottom, left to right, or right to left. Parts of the demotic Clawscratch Papyri were written with a cypher script. Demotic developed in ~~**Shining Sands**~~ during the later part of the Tenth Dynasty. Demotic replaced Hieratic in the Tenth Dynasty, and it became the official administrative and legal script. During this period, Demotic was used only for administrative, legal, and commercial texts, while hieroglyphs and hieratic were reserved for religious texts and literature.

**Hieratic** is a abridged cursive Hieroglyphic writing system used for Hieroglyphic, and the principal script used to write that language from its development in the Four to Tenth Dynasty, when it was eclipsed by the rise of Demotic in the Tenth Dynasty. It was primarily written in ink with a reed pen on papyrus.

**Coptic** is the latest stage of Hieroglyphic. In the 30 Dynasty,Hieroglyphic began to be written in the Coptic alphabet.

Several distinct Coptic dialects are identified, the most prominent of which are *Sahidic*, originating in parts of  Shining Sand, and *Bohairic*, originally from the western Nile Delta in Lower Egypt.

Coptic and Demotic are grammatically closely related to Late Egyptian, which was written with Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Most ClawWings are willing to share these languages with others though some will fiercely defend this knowledge. The tribe with the second largest Hieroglyphic-fluent population of dragons are the MoonWings, just because they are neighbors and because they live in intertribal cities with each other the most.

A modified version of Hieroglyphic is used by the military and government for confidential messages, and even experts of the language can barely read a few words in this heavily modified dialect. Some see it as a dishonor for the ancient tongue, but others are in support of it.

## Military and Government

The government of the ClawWing tribe and the military are highly interconnected, and all government officials are required to have some type of military training, whether it be in combat (fighting) or support (healing, sabotage, spying).

The reason why this training is required and the military is almost conjoined with the government is because the tribe has had an emphasis on military preparedness, at least since the first time they lost badly to another tribe. Even the citizens are versed in at least one fighting or support style.

TempestWings would be a very hard tribe to go to war against due to their massive, well-trained army, and even the informally trained citizens, who see it as socially shameful to lose at anything.

### Royalty

Queens and kings are still a valuable part of TempestWing government, and they hold equal power to the Gold Council. The rest of the royal family holds almost no power, but some royals do go into different government positions due to their incredible training opportunities and wealth.

The queen holds greater power to the king in the ClawWing government. The throne is passed down matriarchally. The inheritance system is the same as the rest of the tribes, except only the princesses that are children of the queen can challenge the queen, and they can challenge her at a younger age, around when they're 5-10 years old.

### The Gold Council

The Gold Council is, unsurprisingly, a council of dragons (around 6-13) who hold equal power to the royal family. They are the sole creators of laws, which are then critiqued and considered by the rest of the government.

They are all extremely experienced in their fields (they typically have more than three areas of study), and have been trained extensively for their role in the council. They all have different perspectives and backgrounds, so decisions from them are almost always extremely thought out and intelligent. Some of them are almost scary with the amount of skill and knowledge they possess.

### Diplomat Officials

**Head Diplomat:**

There are not as many diplomats as other individuals, but the rank is still pretty high in the government. They have the closest ties with the members of the Gold Council, and may have a small say in their discussions. In wartime, diplomats are the ones who relay messages to TempestWing allies, as the diplomats often live with the other tribe's government figures. They are required to be competent at talon-to-talon combat,tactics, and knife fighting, just in case another tribe turns on them.

They only take orders from the Queen, Gold Council, Strategists, and Head Diplomat, so they are pretty high-ranked in terms of orders.

It is common for this rank to have an abnormally high amount of Saberwings+Shatterclaws, mostly because other tribes are more curious about them, which makes it easy to be a diplomat.

### Strategists

**High Strategist:**

Strategists are the second highest military rank, just below the Gold Council. They calculate the logistics behind everything in the tribe, and manage the treasury, population documentation, and anything else to do with numbers and scientific advances.

This rank contains some of the brightest ClawWing minds of the century. In wartime, they compose tactics and strategies for battles. They compose tactics for other things besides war,but their jobs extend to almost everything involving the government and military.

They are a highly autonomous government group and barely heed orders from anyone besides their smartest dragon, who also happens to be \_\_\_ . The Strategists are supposed to follow orders from the Queen and Gold Council, but that doesn't always happen. They have been known to tamper with things that are supposed to be outside of their control.

However, they are the group who wants the tribe to succeed the most, even if it takes some conflict with the other groups to achieve it. They prize logic and reason, and will not hesitate to show their outrage when the Gold Council or Queen make a faulty, irrational decision.

They practically run the military, even though only the Gold Council can declare war.

### Commanders

The Commanders are just below the Strategists in terms of rank. They physically command the army, even though the Strategists make the plans and decisions.

They typically have high charisma and are very knowledgeable in most forms of combat. Each could face 100 soldiers in a fight (possibly at once, depending on the Commander) and still come out victorious. They don't make many decisions in the government, but are typically the down-to-earth group, and aren't afraid to step in if the Strategists (with their blunt logic and facts) anger the two groups who are supposed to be the ones running the tribe.

They do take orders from the Strategists quite loyally, but do change up things if they deem it too cold and immoral for their soldiers to handle. They are the main communication between the Strategists and the rest of the military, and when some things are "lost in translation" (aka they change up the plan), they get the brunt of the Strategists' anger and logical rambling.

There is some one-sided tension between the Strategists and the Commanders, as the Strategists suspect that some things "are lost in translation" on purpose, but the Commanders don't really hold anything against the Strategists for it.

They just look out for their underlings (usually) and are the last resort in wars, as losing a Commander can be detrimental to morale in wars, even though they are unlikely to die due to their intense skill.

### Generals

Generals are the highest rank that are always on the battlefront during wartime, and they each have about 30 Lieutenants under their command. They are responsible for making snap decisions based on the situation at hand, and they are allowed to tweak Commander orders slightly if the situation calls for it, but have to stick with the general plan.

They are the lowest rank to know Military Runic, and are trusted to keep the secret of the language with their lives. They send reports directly to the Strategists, who then choose whether or not to show the reports to the public keep them within the government. However, they are mainly given orders by the Commanders, not directly from the Strategists, so the Commanders' orders are law to them.

Some are on their way to becoming Commanders themselves. They are quite skilled fighters and range from just below Commander to slightly above Lieutenant in terms of combat skill, which is exceptional by average dragon standards.

### Lieutenants

Lieutenants command 30 squadrons, which have about 30-40 soldiers and 10 healers each. They are not usually as skilled as Generals, but there are a few outliers. They lead their squadrons into battle with ferocity, and Lieutenants are typically the scariest when protecting their squad members. They are the closest to their soldiers, sometimes they can act like they are one big family.

They are required to be trained extensively in at least 5 forms of combat, and are expected to make life-or-death choices in the heat of the moment.

### Healers and Medics

Healers are not a military rank, but there are many healers that serve in the army as field medics, so they have been factored into squadrons. Military healers practice some of the most advanced medicine in the tribe, and are expected to know how to treat every type of dragon-caused wounds, from venom to breath weapons to normal scratches. They are also adept at curing sickness and infection, but this skill differs from healer to healer.

Normal soldiers outnumber them about 3-4/1, but they are still useful to have around. Healers can ascend in the ranks if they learn how to fight, and some Commanders have jumped directly from the healer rank to their current rank, just by their skill alone. Healers do not have a set skill level, as the rank is a catch-all for any who practice medicine.

### Soldier

The soldier is the lowest rank of the military, but don't be fooled, they are still highly trained compared to your average dragon. The ClawWing Military is an elite force, and every dragon in it is pushed to their limits in one way or another. The saying, *you are only as strong as your weakest scale*, applies here.

ClawWing soldiers are required to be trained in at least two styles of combat, although those who are trained in more than two are far from uncommon. They are also required to be good at what their branch entails, but that can be said of all military members. Considering the number of dragons in the rank of soldier, many battles can be won due to both numbers and skill, which is a really powerful combo in war.

## Military Branches

### The Tunnel Force

The Tunnel Force encompasses all members of the military trained for combat underground.It is the smallest of branches. They specialize in fighting underground and attacking land armies from below, and typically use spy tactics and study the systems they fight in with extreme precision and caution as some are liable to collapse. they are mostly used for fighting invading armies or StoneWings. however, the StoneWings are a big enough threat to merit their own squadron, Shatter Squadron.

**Underground Ambush Squadrons**

Ambush Squadrons use the surroundings above to their advantage, and typically take the enemy completely by surprise.They are often used to kidnap a high-ranking official of an invading army at night by gagging them and dragging them into special holes that are considered sinkholes by the other tribes, but in fact are tunnel openings. They are fast and crippling hitters, injured and paralyzed with the fear of disappearance or death, to be killed by later waves. They are typically the first wave of ClawWings to be deployed. They are backed up by the Underground Attack Squadrons, who are launched just after them. They are armed with:

* nets
* rope
* traps and snares
* scimitars
* Grappling hooks
* darts and arrows

**Underground Attack Squadrons**

Underground Attack Squadrons are minor offensive players in the ClawWing Tunnel Force, and they kill the scared victims left by the Ambush Squads, along with anything else that might stand in their way. They are the most equipped for a stealthy but long fight, and can drag out battles for long periods of time with their endurance and precision fighting, underground or above ground if necessary.

**Underground Defense Squadrons**

Underground Defensive Squadrons can back up the Attack Squadrons sometimes, as their endurance and fluidity as teams allow them to adapt to almost any situation. They are the heavy hitters and the strongest endurers, resulting in most of them protecting the ClawWing border and front lines from attack. The medics are also typically protected by these squads.

**Underground Onset Squadrons**

There are not many Underground Onset Squadrons, but they are the deadliest of the underground troops. They are meant as a killing force, only to be deployed in dire situations or when a revenge move is taken. They are the most highly trained, and as their name suggests, they can onset underground cities and raze them to the ground in mere hours.

Almost everything and everyone that stands in their way is obliterated with cold, mechanical precision, as the dragons in these squads know the ones they are killing have committed a grave crime against the ClawWings that needs to be paid back in blood and lives, or they have killed too many of their Tribe of Gold.

**Shatter Squadron**

This Squadron is made to fight StoneWings underground as StoneWings often use tactics such as burrowing under the palace and bursting up, attacking from the inside. They create barriers that they alone can pierce underground. they also are in charge of locating StoneWing tunnels and blocking them and killing all StoneWings except the eggs and dragonets, which they bring home and raise as their own, as they are not heartless monsters.

### The Dune Force

The Dune Force encompasses all members of the military trained for combat on the ground. It is so named because in battle, ClawWings whip up sand from the dunes to blind and confuse the enemy. They specialize in fighting on the ground, and typically use tactics that play to that particular army's strengths and study the environments they fight in it with extreme precision.

**Ambush Squadrons**

Ambush Squadrons use the surroundings to their advantage the most, and typically take the enemy on unawares. They are fast and crippling, and leave their victims wounded, to be killed by later waves. They are usually the first wave of ClawWings to be deployed. They are backed up by the Attack Squadrons, who are launched just after them.

**Attack Squadrons**

Attack Squadrons are the main offensive players in the ClawWing Dune Force, and they kill the paralyzed victims left by the Ambush Squads, along with anything else that might stand in their way. They are the most equipped for a straight out fight, and can drag out battles for long periods of time with their endurance and precision fighting.

**Defense Squadrons**

Defensive Squadrons can back up the Attack Squadrons sometimes, as their endurance and fluidity as teams allow them to adapt to almost any situation. They are the heavy hitters and the ones with the strongest endurance, resulting in most of them protecting the ClawWing border and front lines from attack. The medics are also typically protected by these squads.

**Onset Squadrons**

There are not many Onset Squadrons, but they are the deadliest of the ground troops. They are meant as a killing force, only to be deployed in dire situations or when a revenge move is taken. They are the most highly trained, and as their name suggests, they can onset cities and raze them to the ground in mere hours.

Almost everything and everyone that stands in their way is obliterated with cold, mechanical precision, as the dragons in these squads know the ones they are killing have committed a grave wrong against the ClawWings that needs to be paid back in blood and lives, or they have killed too many of their Tribe of Gold.

### The Falcon Force

The Falcon Force, encompasses all aerial troops. The Falcon Force is named after the Peregrine Falcon due to the fact that this force specializes in fast and hard hits, and regularly takes on many flying troops of other tribes with ease due to their training. The only tribes who could compete with them or outclass them in the air are WindWings, FireWings, and gifted telepathic or superskilled MoonWings. Luckily they are allies with MoonWings, and they have special fighters to counter the other tribes. The Falcon Force is the most powerful branch of the ClawWing military. The Arrow and Scythe Squadrons are specialized for fighting specific tribes, whereas the Hawk, Hailstone, and Trap Squadrons are not.

**Arrow Squadrons**

Arrow Squadrons are specifically tailored to fight WindWings. They are composed of light-armored dragons with speed and strength, that are agile and able to keep up with the super-fast dragons. They break the WindWings' horns, tails, and wings, to knock them to the ground and slice their wing membranes, knocking the dragons out of they sky one by one. They are armed with:

* Arrows and bows
* Claw knives (knives they attach to their claws and sometimes spikes)
* swords
* daggers
* horn sheaths (metal sheaths fitted to each dragons' horns and sharpened)

These Squadrons are only used during wartime with the WindWings. Their members often join the other squadrons when not fighting the wind dragons.

**Scythe Squadrons**

Scythe Squadrons are highly trained fighters that specialize in fighting StoneWings. They keep their distance from the StoneWings and their lavaclaws, and strike in between blasts from their opponents, while the StoneWings are trying to recover. They are armed with:

* Spears
* Pikes (not the fish, the spear-like thing)
* arrows and longbows
* bolts and crossbows

Which are used to take down StoneWings from afar, and precision shooting is common of these squadrons. They have high endurance and precision, able to time their attacks right, allowing them to be deadly to the strong and stony dragons. Just like the Arrow Squadrons, most members are part of other squadrons when not fighting the StoneWings.

**Hawk Squadrons**
Hawk Squadrons are the endurance flyers. They can fly for hours on end, and can take out many foes before their wave is called back. They may not be the fastest, but they can certainly outfly and overtake many dragons from tribes not trained to adapt to the air like them. The Hawk Squadrons are normally used if the ClawWings need to drag out a fight, or if they need to take out a lot of dragons in one long wave of fights.

**Hailstone Squadrons**

Hailstone Squadrons are the heaviest hitters in the Falcon Force, and can knock dragons out of the sky with a few blows. They are close combat fighters and are typically used for defensive lines in the air. They wear the heaviest armor, and are very protected, so they can plow right through the enemy front lines with little to no resistance when they are summoned to the front of the battlefield.

**Trap Squadrons**  Trap Squadrons are the fastest, most precise hitters, and are an ambush force. They fly silently due to rips they purposely cause in their wings. They aim for the wings of their opponents, and can send a dragon plummeting in a few seconds. They fly at night, in mist, or in thick clouds, and also accompany the Dune Forces in town raids. There are not too many Trap Squadrons, as the training is intense, but they are very powerful and a major upper hand in battle.

### The Whirlpool Force

The Whirlpool Force encompasses all aquatic troops and has a reasonable amount of dragons total in it. It is a specialized aquatic force, which is mainly used for border defense, spying, and aquatic flash-raids. The dragons in it are highly trained, and can swim almost as good as your average SeaWing. They are chosen for their high lung capacity coupled with their ability to hold their breath for about 13-30 minutes and their good swimming skills.

**Torrent Squadrons**

The Torrent Squadrons are the fastest moving swimmers, and specialize in swimming stormy, unpredictable waters, along with fast moving currents and obstacle-filled waters. They aren't very good at combat in open waters, and are mainly used for spying from rivers or defending waters near the ClawWing coastal borders.

**Marine Squadrons**

These squadrons are used for scouting missions, and act as messengers for the rest of the military. They can hold their breath almost as long as the Pelagic Squadrons, and escape attack from enemies by swimming through rivers in enemy territory. Certain Marine Squadrons also act as assassins, and swim deep into enemy territory to take out their targets.

**Pelagic Squadrons**

They are the best aquatic fighters. They can hold their breath the longest and dive the deepest. They don't do too bad in tight spaces, but normally prefer combat in open waters. They also have to go up for air about every 20-30 minutes, depending on how vigorously they are fighting.

## Names

ClawWings are usually named in two connected parts, either in Arabic or English.

#### **ClawWing Prefixes:**

ClawWing prefixes are usually nouns relating to desert, personality, and their pride, their claws.

Arabic:

* Nar (fire)
* Had (Sharp)
* Makhlab (Talon)
* Sayf (Sword)

English:

* Saber
* Pride
* Cruel
* Talon
* Desert

#### **ClawWing Suffixes**

ClawWing suffixes are usually nouns relating to desert, personality, and their pride, their claws.

Arabic:

* Hariq (Burner)
* Alqatil (Slayer)
* Makhlab (Claw)
* Qatiea (Cutter)

English:

* Claw
* Sword
* Saber
* Gold

Sample names: Sayf Makhlab/Sword Claw/Swordclaw , Prideslayer/Pride Slayer, Cruel Claw

## Known Dragons

* Desert Gold
* Queen Fire Claws
* Queen Sharpclaw
* Queen Razor Wings

## Adoptable ClawWings

#### **Rules:**

1. when you wish to adopt one of these, simply hit the 'edit' button and put your username in parenteses next to it.
2. you can have up to two Kings and Queens, Princes and Princesses, made by you or from here. (eight in total.) (this rule will be changed once I expand this wiki.)
3. notify me if you want to have a saberwing or saberwrist.
4. you can create as many normal ones as you like.
5. leave some for others.
6. all these are pureblooded dragons, which means no adopting and changing to hybrids.
7. Not all adopted dragons can be alive in the current times.

#### ***Queens***

* Queen Saber Wing
* Queen Desert Winds
* Queen Glowing Gold

#### ***Kings***

* King Nar Hariq (Fire Burner)
* King Cruel Saber
* King Glowing Sands

#### ***Princesses***

* Princess Gold Desert
* Princess Sword Shards
* Princess Nar Alqatil (Fire Slayer)

#### ***High Military***

* Commander
* Commander
* General
* General
* Lieutenant
* Lieutenant

#### ***Commoners***

* Gobi
* Sonora
* Streslcki
* Sahara