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Description
"You think Delthyon and his silver dragon Sauros are bad? Pray you never run into his generals, Galadren an' especially his monster of a dragon, Shrike."
"What's so bad about that dragon in particular?"
"Shrike's 'ideous... six-jaws, demonic stripes, 'orrible red eyes that make you freeze in fear, an' he's venomous t'boot. If he bites ya, his venom'll set your veins on fire, blister yer skin, paralyze ya, and stop yer lungs. 'Tis an agonizin' death. If that weren't 'nough, he's cunnin'; always ten steps ahead o' everyone else. Only chance ya have is t'hide an' pray he don't find ya."
-Two soldiers discussing Shrike during the height of the Millennium War.

     The foulest and most evil of Delthyon and Sauros' allies and the dragon partner of Galadren, Shrike is a cunning tactician and as cannibalistic as his draconic superior. Bright gold in color, Shrike is unique among dragons for his six separate jaw bones, which can close together to form a single, normal-looking mouth. This feature allows him to swallow very large animals whole, and at the same time gives him a grotesque and formidable bite. He possesses a unique venom (a rarity among dragons) that is highly neurotoxic, causing intense burning, blisters, paralysis, and eventually, death in humanoids. He can control this venom at will, injecting just enough to keep his enemies quiet, or spray it as an extra weapon like a spitting cobra. Oddly, dragons are affected differently by Shrike's venom. Any dragon unlucky enough to be bitten by Shrike is rendered numb at the site of envenomation, and suffers from liquid fire drooling at the mouth, followed by uncontrollable spasms on the affected area, black discharge oozing from the nose and tear ducts, and labored breathing. Interestingly, few dragons die from being bitten by Shrike, so it isn't certain as to whether his venom is fatal to dragons or if their bodies can generally fight it off before it takes effect. As Shrike tends to kill his victims after shortly envenomating them, it cannot be stated with certainty that it's not fatal to other dragons if they manage to escape him after being bitten. The few who did get envenomated and escaped are not certain themselves. If hit in the eyes with this venom, anyone sprayed suffers horrible hallucinations, searing pain and blindness that is permanent unless the venom is washed out in two hours.
  His tattoo-like markings resemble those of demon worshippers, and has made him an outcast since birth. Even during his youth as a good-natured dragon, he was shunned, called ugly, and feared, and became mostly silent, choosing only to speak when he chose. Nevertheless, he served with distinction for the Order of the Dragon Riders alongside his rider when they served as Delthyon's squad mates under his command after he hatched for Galadren.
  For 100 years, after they both graduated from the apprenticeship of their mentors, Eris and Quill-Talon, as fully fledged dragon riders, Delthyon and Galadren rose through the ranks of the dragon riders quickly. Though some initially thought their speedy rise to positions of power was dangerous, but Delthyon, Galadren, Nadira and Shrike prove to be quite morally sound and incredibly noble, and prove themselves to be powerful warriors. Among many of their adventures, they faced monsters and dark cultists, murderers and thieves, and even multiple evil dragons. Eventually, as with Delthyon and his dragoness, Galadren and Shrike became renowned across Kairegorn as do their dragons, and they built a powerful squadron under Delthyon and Nadira's command. Among these members, the dragon riders Reaper (a man whose name is lost to history), Rothikus, and Golara, as well as their dragons Kyrkogrim, Kraken, and Thayira, made for an unstoppable team. .
  After Nadira was killed in battle by orcs at Kairodion, Shrike and Galadren were deeply affected, and quietly became resentful and hateful of the Order, just as Delthyon had, even when Luminos granted Delthyon the chance to bond with another dragon, hoping to help him heal from the loss. Delthyon's new Dragon, Sauros, was equally resentful of the Order, for Nadira was his older sister.
This continued until Delthyon, having become disillusioned with the Order of the Dragon Riders, decided to leave the Order's ranks, with Galadren deciding to join him. Twenty other dragon riders and their dragons decide to join them, having felt unsatisfied with their duties. Under the guise of deciding to study the mysteries of magic, Delthyon took his new squadron and resigned from the order. During the early stages of their journey, Delthyon and Sauros ventured into some of the darkest places in Kairegorn, and were eventually seduced to evil by a force that only Galadren and Shrike eventually learned the true nature of. Enamored by the lure of power, the desire to build an empire built on the backs of those who wronged them, and the chance to use forbidden sorcery as they wanted, Galadren and Shrike willingly submitted to Delthyon's teachings and became his right-hand man, Shrike at his side. Now calling themselves the Dark Corps, Delthyon, Sauros and their followers recruit new dragon riders to their cause after breeding many dragon eggs from their ranks and gathering the most evil people they can find. Together, they eventually conquered the orcs and aligned the Dark Corps with them, taking the city of Orku-Tarrar in the easternmost section of Kairegorn, the orc stronghold, for themselves. Hidden from their enemies, his forces and power grow in strength, until after much use of dark magic, Delthyon had created an army of dragon riders and orcs hundreds of thousands strong. Taking this army with him, he decided to mount a surprise attack on Castle Draco as vengeance for his percieved wrongs. Galadren and Shrike served Delthyon and Sauros well in this battle, leading the Dark Corps as his generals. There, they managed to survive the battle, killing many powerful dragons and riders alike. When their army retreated, Shrike and Galadren helped to initiate the next phase of their plan, with Kirstrin becoming their seat of power.
For the next 1,000 years, Shrike and Galadren well, even helping to destroy the city of Oberolon in the largest bombing run of the war. He was there to watch Galadren kill King Valinar Lirnna, and served as one of the best strategists in the Dark Corps. Eventually, when Kristin was assaulted, Galadren and Shrike would meet their doom at the hands of Seleena Lirnna and her dragon, Scorchlight. During the battle, as Seleena pierced Galadren's heart with her sword, Scorchlight tore out Shrike's heart, killing them both. As a result, the Dark Corps was deeply affected, and was largely rendered into a stalemate in the war with the Alliance of Four Races and the Order of the Dragon Riders. But Delthyon had other plans... Resurrecting them with dark magic of the foulest kind, Shrike and Galadren have returned, and with them, they bring the fury of hell to the battlefield, ready to stride across the bones of their enemies and bask in the warmth of their spilt blood.
Personality-wise, Shrike is as evil as they come. Though once good and noble, his lust for power, to create an empire with his rider, and his desire to murder those who he felt wronged him and Galadren led to his corruption. He holds no qualms about eating an enemy out of spite, a desire for flesh, or for sadistic pleasure. Even other dragons have fallen victim to his lust for blood, and he enjoys hunting sentient prey, stalking humanoids that try to hunt or escape them, considering it the ultimate game of cat-and-mouse. A brilliant strategist, he can anticipate his enemies with little difficulty, and it's not often there are flaws in his plans. Most people prefer to run from Shrike or hide rather than face him.

Shrike, revised and more realistic. This foul and evil dragon is one of my favorites, and his original design was great, but problematic. It looked a little too much like Predating from Transformers: Prime, and it was hard to make his mouth appear natural and realistic. In recreating his head design, my mind flashed to images of the gorgonopsian, Rubidgea, and so I used it as the basis of the redesign, making a better-looking mouth that still looked just as creepy, but could genuinely close with no problems, and could create a terrifying maw when he opens his mouth to unhinge those mandibles.

Description
"You think Delthyon and his silver dragon Sauros are bad? Pray you never run into his generals, Galadren an' especially his monster of a dragon, Shrike."
"What's so bad about that dragon in particular?"
"Shrike's 'ideous... six-jaws, demonic stripes, 'orrible red eyes that make you freeze in fear, an' he's venomous t'boot. If he bites ya, his venom'll set your veins on fire, blister yer skin, paralyze ya, and stop yer lungs. 'Tis an agonizin' death. If that weren't 'nough, he's cunnin'; always ten steps ahead o' everyone else. Only chance ya have is t'hide an' pray he don't find ya."
-Two soldiers discussing Shrike during the height of the Millennium War.

     The foulest and most evil of Delthyon and Sauros' allies and the dragon partner of Galadren, Shrike is a cunning tactician and as cannibalistic as his draconic superior. Bright gold in color, Shrike is unique among dragons for his six separate jaw bones, which can close together to form a single, normal-looking mouth. This feature allows him to swallow very large animals whole, and at the same time gives him a grotesque and formidable bite. He possesses a unique venom (a rarity among dragons) that is highly neurotoxic, causing intense burning, blisters, paralysis, and eventually, death in humanoids. He can control this venom at will, injecting just enough to keep his enemies quiet, or spray it as an extra weapon like a spitting cobra. Oddly, dragons are affected differently by Shrike's venom. Any dragon unlucky enough to be bitten by Shrike is rendered numb at the site of envenomation, and suffers from liquid fire drooling at the mouth, followed by uncontrollable spasms on the affected area, black discharge oozing from the nose and tear ducts, and labored breathing. Interestingly, few dragons die from being bitten by Shrike, so it isn't certain as to whether his venom is fatal to dragons or if their bodies can generally fight it off before it takes effect. As Shrike tends to kill his victims after shortly envenomating them, it cannot be stated with certainty that it's not fatal to other dragons if they manage to escape him after being bitten. The few who did get envenomated and escaped are not certain themselves. If hit in the eyes with this venom, anyone sprayed suffers horrible hallucinations, searing pain and blindness that is permanent unless the venom is washed out in two hours.
  His tattoo-like markings resemble those of demon worshippers, and has made him an outcast since birth. Even during his youth as a good-natured dragon, he was shunned, called ugly, and feared, and became mostly silent, choosing only to speak when he chose. Nevertheless, he served with distinction for the Order of the Dragon Riders alongside his rider when they served as Delthyon's squad mates under his command after he hatched for Galadren.
  For 100 years, after they both graduated from the apprenticeship of their mentors, Eris and Quill-Talon, as fully fledged dragon riders, Delthyon and Galadren rose through the ranks of the dragon riders quickly. Though some initially thought their speedy rise to positions of power was dangerous, but Delthyon, Galadren, Nadira and Shrike prove to be quite morally sound and incredibly noble, and prove themselves to be powerful warriors. Among many of their adventures, they faced monsters and dark cultists, murderers and thieves, and even multiple evil dragons. Eventually, as with Delthyon and his dragoness, Galadren and Shrike became renowned across Kairegorn as do their dragons, and they built a powerful squadron under Delthyon and Nadira's command. Among these members, the dragon riders Reaper (a man whose name is lost to history), Rothikus, and Golara, as well as their dragons Kyrkogrim, Kraken, and Thayira, made for an unstoppable team. .
  After Nadira was killed in battle by orcs at Kairodion, Shrike and Galadren were deeply affected, and quietly became resentful and hateful of the Order, just as Delthyon had, even when Luminos granted Delthyon the chance to bond with another dragon, hoping to help him heal from the loss. Delthyon's new Dragon, Sauros, was equally resentful of the Order, for Nadira was his older sister.
This continued until Delthyon, having become disillusioned with the Order of the Dragon Riders, decided to leave the Order's ranks, with Galadren deciding to join him. Twenty other dragon riders and their dragons decide to join them, having felt unsatisfied with their duties. Under the guise of deciding to study the mysteries of magic, Delthyon took his new squadron and resigned from the order. During the early stages of their journey, Delthyon and Sauros ventured into some of the darkest places in Kairegorn, and were eventually seduced to evil by a force that only Galadren and Shrike eventually learned the true nature of. Enamored by the lure of power, the desire to build an empire built on the backs of those who wronged them, and the chance to use forbidden sorcery as they wanted, Galadren and Shrike willingly submitted to Delthyon's teachings and became his right-hand man, Shrike at his side. Now calling themselves the Dark Corps, Delthyon, Sauros and their followers recruit new dragon riders to their cause after breeding many dragon eggs from their ranks and gathering the most evil people they can find. Together, they eventually conquered the orcs and aligned the Dark Corps with them, taking the city of Orku-Tarrar in the easternmost section of Kairegorn, the orc stronghold, for themselves. Hidden from their enemies, his forces and power grow in strength, until after much use of dark magic, Delthyon had created an army of dragon riders and orcs hundreds of thousands strong. Taking this army with him, he decided to mount a surprise attack on Castle Draco as vengeance for his percieved wrongs. Galadren and Shrike served Delthyon and Sauros well in this battle, leading the Dark Corps as his generals. There, they managed to survive the battle, killing many powerful dragons and riders alike. When their army retreated, Shrike and Galadren helped to initiate the next phase of their plan, with Kirstrin becoming their seat of power.
For the next 1,000 years, Shrike and Galadren well, even helping to destroy the city of Oberolon in the largest bombing run of the war. He was there to watch Galadren kill King Valinar Lirnna, and served as one of the best strategists in the Dark Corps. Eventually, when Kristin was assaulted, Galadren and Shrike would meet their doom at the hands of Seleena Lirnna and her dragon, Scorchlight. During the battle, as Seleena pierced Galadren's heart with her sword, Scorchlight tore out Shrike's heart, killing them both. As a result, the Dark Corps was deeply affected, and was largely rendered into a stalemate in the war with the Alliance of Four Races and the Order of the Dragon Riders. But Delthyon had other plans... Resurrecting them with dark magic of the foulest kind, Shrike and Galadren have returned, and with them, they bring the fury of hell to the battlefield, ready to stride across the bones of their enemies and bask in the warmth of their spilt blood.
Personality-wise, Shrike is as evil as they come. Though once good and noble, his lust for power, to create an empire with his rider, and his desire to murder those who he felt wronged him and Galadren led to his corruption. He holds no qualms about eating an enemy out of spite, a desire for flesh, or for sadistic pleasure. Even other dragons have fallen victim to his lust for blood, and he enjoys hunting sentient prey, stalking humanoids that try to hunt or escape them, considering it the ultimate game of cat-and-mouse. A brilliant strategist, he can anticipate his enemies with little difficulty, and it's not often there are flaws in his plans. Most people prefer to run from Shrike or hide rather than face him.

Shrike, revised and more realistic. This foul and evil dragon is one of my favorites, and his original design was great, but problematic. It looked a little too much like Predating from Transformers: Prime, and it was hard to make his mouth appear natural and realistic. In recreating his head design, my mind flashed to images of the gorgonopsian, Rubidgea, and so I used it as the basis of the redesign, making a better-looking mouth that still looked just as creepy, but could genuinely close with no problems, and could create a terrifying maw when he opens his mouth to unhinge those mandibles.