#proto black metal

[drondskaath]

Midnight | Hellish Expectations | 2024

American Black/Speed Metal

Artwork by William Lacey

[blackmalmhaus]

ALBUMS THAT SHAPED BLACK METAL

Celtic Frost:

Morbid Tales

To Megatherion

Into the pandemonium

Hellhammer:

Satanic rites

[hammill-goes-fogwalking]

front & back covers of Black Sabbath's self titled album (1970) and Zior's self titled album (1971)

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

POSSESSING LIVING SOULS IN FINLAND -- THROWBACK TO THE "POSSESSED" ERA.

PIC(S) INFO: Mega spotlight on live shots of English first wave black metal group VENOM, headlining the Rantarock festival in Virrat, Finland, on June 21, 1985, during the band's "Possessed" era. 📸: Eija Partanen

EXTRA INFO: The band reportedly really enjoyed this gig in part because the festival was located by the sea, allowing them no problems in being allowed admittance to use a lot of fireworks and explosions.

Sources: www.picuki.com/media/1796668165738459291 & Venom Collector.

[virtualdissection]

The Axeman Cometh - Wicked Lady - 1968

Back side

[d34dsatan]

MILLIONS AND GAZILLONS OF OCS I HAVE LMAOOO

ill make separate posts on them as theyre all based on my music taste

my art is very inconsistent guys, im so sorry

[kb-p2730]

[drondskaath]

Դ​ա​գ​ա​ղ | Dungeon Lust | 2023

Armenian Proto Black/Thrash Metal

[blackmalmhaus]

What other albums do you consider proto black metal/albums from other styles that influenced what was going to be black metal?

Check the ones already posted and submit yours via Q&A and i'll curate and post them mentioning you

[transformers-mosaic]

Beast Wars: Second Chances - The Covers

Originally posted on February 2nd, 2011

Cover A - Daniel Olsén Covers B & C - Seb Quickstrike - Ed Pirrie Depth Charge - Loke Mei Yin Snarl vs Terrorsaur - James Ferrand Waspinator - Jeremy Tiongson Dinobot sketch - Matt Frank

deviantART

wada sez: Okay, this one was as much a surprise to me as it is to you. Prolific Mosaic contributor Mike Priest asked me if I had any plans to archive Beast Wars: Second Chances, a full-length comic he originally pitched in a similar vein to War Journal and Spotlight: Stunticons. As nearly all the writers and artists who worked on this one were also Mosaic contributors, and I’ve always felt like there weren’t enough Beast Wars strips in Mosaic, and because Mike asked nicely, I couldn’t say no! Thanks to Mike’s involvement, I’ve got the original scripts and his original story treatment, titled Beast Wars: Beyond, which you can read below—although the final story ended up wildly different, if you want to read along without any spoilers whatsoever, I’d recommend coming back to this post later! It seems that Matt Frank was originally tapped for the project, as he produced a sketch of Dinobot which you can see below, but no further contributions from him ever surfaced.

Okay, this is my initial rough pitch for the story.

Again, anything and everything here is mutable and subject to tweaking and whatever, or downright ignoring and trashing.  I won’t cry.

We start roughly a month or two Earth-time after Primal’s crew left.  The first page should explain this and whatever, and then something akin to “BUT SOMETHING STILL STIRS on this planet!”  Cut to Depthcharge dragging himself out of the surf.

(I’m trying to work AROUND the Mosaic “Eternal”, making it more retroactively tied-in.)

We establish Waspinator as leader of the proto-human tribe, out on a hunt or something with some other humans.  Perhaps some brief proto-human comedy before we hit the nitty-gritty.

We establish Depthcharge wandering around, arguing with himself, totally nuts, screaming at no one in-particular (He’s arguing with Rampage, who only responds through text boxes, so to anyone else, DC looks like a nut).

Waspinator encounters Depthcharge, is initially scared and confused, but decides, what the hey, see what’s up with fishie-bot.  Waspinator honestly is curious/wants to help.

Depthcharge, in a confused, blind rage, grabs Waspinator and viciously beats him near to death.  And not in a funny, usual-Waspinator way.  He’s pleading, BEGGING for Depthcharge to stop.  I’m talking the reader needs to actually feel really bad for Waspinator; he is an endearing character and kind of our “hero” for this story.

Only when some of Waspinator’s human tribe start hitting Depthcharge with rocks and spears does he snap out of it, and is literally horrified at what’s he done to poor Waspinator. (Rampage is in ecstasy though; this is exactly what he wants to turn Depthcharge into; a killer like Rampage himself).

Depthcharge retreats, transforms to jet mode and flies off, horrified at what he’s become.

The proto-humans can’t do anything to help the dying, whimpering Waspinator.  So they make a stretcher and begin carrying him home.

Only they don’t make it.  Something attacks and kills them; Waspinator is too weak to help them.  And it takes Waspinator’s remains.  (Hints of a giant metal spider, perhaps in this sequence)

We establish Tarantulas.  Or rather an AI program that approximates Tarantulas’ personality and goals.  It is housed in a sub-level of Tarantulas’ former lair.  He “lives” through his Steel Tech proxy body, the (black and grey Transmetal Tarantulas), but he cannot particularly control it too well/or it really is just a poor substitute for a sparked body.

Tarantulas has a blank stasis pod that was affected by the Quantum Surge.  He plugs Waspinator’s spark into it.  And Transmetal Waspinator is born.  Waspinator comes back online strapped to a table, with the Steel Tech drone working on him (And Tarantulas’ face on a computer screen, establishing that he really is housed in his lair’s “hard drive”)

Tarantulas explains that he still has to accomplish the Tripredacus Council’s goals, even after death, and Waspinator is one of his new tools.

Faux-Tarantulas ALSO reveals that he has the bodies of Scorponok and Terrorsaur (both Transmetalized), which he recovered from the lava pit.  (TM Terrorsaur’s fine, but a new design for Transmetal Scorponok is essential.  NOT the McDonald’s toy design.  Make him larger and bulkier and his third mode should have flight capability- this is important for later)  

Fitting all three with “neural implants” that ensure obedience, Tarantulas explains he will use them to breach the Ark and carry out its destruction (His Steel Tech drone isn’t dexterous or durable enough to fight through the Ark’s automated defenses).

And Waspinator is a test subject.  Tarantulas releases him from his bonds and orders him to obey.  The neural implant holds, and Tarantulas decides to send Waspinator for a test-drive.  Waspinator speeds out of the lair in his new jet mode.

As he travels over the landscape, he is watched by someone new on the ground.  We don’t find out who it is YET.  Just a close up of a wide, toothy grin and an “Interesting”.

Meanwhile Depthcharge is having a nervous breakdown.  Rampage is slowly driving him insane, and Depthcharge starts repeatedly trying to kill himself.  It is MESSED UP, including Depthcharge throwing himself on his own sword, tearing bits off, and such.  But all the damage heals.  Exhausted and pained, Depthcharge suddenly becomes aware of a visitor watching him.

Cue DINOBOT II, standing arrogantly and grinning down on Depthcharge, telling him it won’t work.

Both Depthcharge and Rampage are surprised to see him.  Rampage particularly.

Meanwhile, Waspinator’s test-drive includes going back to his proto-human village and is ordered to raze it to the ground by Tarantulas.  But Waspy surprises Tarantulas (and the audience) by fighting the neural implant and eventually succeeding in burning it out, overcoming Tarantulas’ will by plumbing that can-do never-give-up Waspinator spirit and his genuine affection for the proto-humans.   Tarantulas is surprised by this, but notes he has back-ups anyway, activating Scorponok and Terrorsaur.

Back with Depthcharge and Dinobot, who, of note, acts somewhat uncharacteristically, giving half-answers and grinning a lot.  Rampage begins to suspect something is different or wrong with Dinobot.

Meanwhile, Scorponok and Terrorsaur are both activated and forced into line by the neural implants.  Terrorsaur is still his arrogant self, but Scorponok is more quiet and almost more professional (It’ll be seen/developed that he’s a bit disillusioned that Megatron never saw fit to recover him from the lava pit).  Anyway, as neither of them have any particular strong will to oppose the neural implant, they go to carry out Tarantulas’ orders to attack the Ark.

We establish the VOK, who realize the danger to the time stream is not yet over.  The two that “killed” Tarantulas decide to intervene.  They go to where Tigerhawk died and begin pulling his shattered pieces together with their powers.  (Tigerhawk would be dead, just a zombie shell animated by these Vok and while his body is whole, it is in horrendous shape, missing an optic, generally looking like a terrifying zombie).

Meanwhile Waspinator is speeding along, knowing somehow he has to go back and stop Tarantulas, when he sees Scorponok and Terrorsaur in their new Transmetal vehicle modes, headed in the Ark’s direction, along with Tarantulas‘ Steel Tech proxy body.  Waspinator isn’t particularly positive he can take both of them, even with his new body, so he decides to go look for “crazy fishie-bot” and hopes Depthcharge is somewhat more lucid now.

Back with Depthcharge and Dinobot, Rampage suddenly senses a familiarity between his own spark and Dinobot and realizes Dinobot’s shell is now possessed by STARSCREAM!

Guilty as charged, Dino-Scream shrugs.  He’s been stuck in this time zone for a while and returned to the planet, but everyone’s left now.  So he looked for the Nemesis (Hoping to find something there he can possess without damaging history) and found Dinobot II’s ravaged, sparkless shell.  Possessing that and healing its injuries, Starscream set out for the Ark next.

Before anything can be done, Waspinator finds them, telling them (as best as he can) about Tarantulas’ plan to destroy the Ark and what not.

Depthcharge and Starscream don’t want to be erased from history, so they agree to help (Rampage even finds it interesting).

Faux-Tarantulas, Scorponok and Terrorsaur arrive at the Ark, and the latter two fight their way through Teletraan-1’s automated defenses (which come out of “sleep mode”).  Faux-Tarantulas hangs back.

But by the time they make it through, Waspinator, Dino-Scream, and Depthcharge/Rampage arrive.

We have a three-on-three battle.  Scorponok fights Depthcharge/Rampage (Scorpy’s new Transmetal body is bigger than his old one and almost a match for Depthcharge, even with the new ferocity that Rampage’s presence in his mind gives him).  Scorponok angsts over his abandonment by Megatron while they fight.  Terrorsaur fights the groundbound Starscream/Dinobot II (Starscream grumbles that this body sucks cuz it can’t fly) and manages to actually hold it off, as Starscream is unaccustomed to fighting like this.

Waspinator faces off against the Steel Tech Drone, and despite some initial trepidation, realizes he’s far more powerful now than any drone and takes the faux-Tarantulas down easily once his confidence is up.

Meanwhile, the zombie Vok-possessed Tigerhawk arrives at Tarantulas’s lair, runs roughshod over the meager defenses, and destroys the Tarantulas’ hard drive/AI for good.

This causes the neural implants in Scorponok and Terrorsaur to fail, and they stop fighting now that they are no longer under Tarantulas’ will.

Confused at what is going on, everyone leaves the Ark.  The Vok-possessed zombie Tigerhawk arrives.

First order of business is noticing Dinobot II.  The Vok declare (The Transmetal II clone body) an “abomination” and perversion of their technology. (Starscream’s like “Whoa, wait a minute!”)

The Vok incinerate Dinobot II’s shell in a blast of lightning from Tigerhawk.  We don’t see what happens to Starscream’s spark.

The Vok explain that the constant interference with the timeline has TO STOP, and tells everyone to get the hell off the planet.

Of course, everyone is like “uh, HOW?”

The Vok tells everyone to go into Earth orbit.  They will self-destruct Tigerhawk’s remains, with the release of alien energies ripping a Transwarp wormhole that’ll send everyone back to the right era.

Everyone of course is like “But…how do we get home from the middle of space?”

And the Vok of course are like “We don’t care, you’re going back to your rightful place in history or we’ll just kill you here and dump you there”

So everyone engages flight modes and follows Zombie-Tigerhawk up into space.  They stand back and the Vok do as they promised, detonating Tigerhawk’s shell and making a wormhole.  Everyone flies through in a flash, the Vok take their leave with some end dialogue about cleaning up some more small glitches or whatever.

Everyone arrives in the middle of space, nowheresville.  Depthcharge isn’t hanging with these “Preds” anymore and “Besides, I’ve got enough company as it is”.  He flies off into the nothingness of space, deciding to either find a way to deal with living with Rampage…or destroying them both.

Waspinator and Scorponok get into an argument about which direction Cybertron is, which ends in Waspinator engaging his jet mode and flying off alone.  Scorponok sighs and goes in the opposite direction, asking if Terrorsaur is coming.

Terrorsaur (who hasn’t said a word since they left Earth) just widely grins and unseen to Scorponok, we see the ghost of Starscream possessing Terrorsaur’s frame.  “Sure thing, pal.”  He follows Scorponok.

END.

Notes-

*Inferno and Quickstrike…well, seeing as Quickstrike’s head was hollowed out and made into a mask, I think they’re a little harder to swallow as still alive.

*I kinda tried to do the exact opposite of what the Botcon comics did…bring Tigerhawk back (albeit a Vok-possessed zombie) instead of Tigatron and Airazor.

*When the zombie Tigerhawk destroys the Tarantulas AI core, depending on preference, we can have him say “You last bit of Unicron” or some such, depending if everyone agrees on Tarantulas’s origins.

*I have Starscream possessing Dinobot’s shell and later Terrorsaur, trying to avoid the clichéd possessing of Transmetal Waspinator.

[cilil]

The honest to Eru reason why I've currently shelved my Angbang/Melkor/Mairon related projects in particular (and arguably Ainur in general, unless you count the 25% in Dior lolol) is that I'm... not quite content yet. Like, make no mistake, I don't hate my old works or anything; it's just that for the big future projects I never got around to thus far I'm missing a few final sparks, if you will. Some fine tuning. Some "back to the drawing board", reworking, refining. Also nobody take this as shade (somehow?), this is just me and a me problem and my issues with perfectionism that keep me from writing.

So I'm currently thinking about Ainur designs during the Almaren era, Melkor and Mairon in particular (this is not a serious headcanon post, btw, this is a brain dump that I feel like sharing with the besties on here). Anyway, I would like to try out some "weirder" designs, reason being that at this point Ainur haven't seen humanoids and are going with what they remember from the music and copy from one another. Adding various supernatural and/or animal features is a good start, but what I'm playing with right now in my head is also this angle of them looking kind of... proto-humanoid? Like basically "humanoid according to Eru's description, artist's rendition".

In Mairon's case, I've always liked the idea that his first forms while studying under Aulë looked like a statue of sorts. He made his first fána because he had need of it for work reasons, and while some of his peers may have kept it simple and others added their own flair (see above), he went about it like a craftsman would. Again: Artist's rendition of a humanoid body. And since Mairon is an ambitious artist and craftsman, he carefully crafted and sculpted a lovely shape for himself. The Ainurin version of Michelangelo's David, if you will. I also imagine Mairon's forms (all of them) as androgynously beautiful, the kind that's just absolutely gorgeous and stunning and inspires gender envy in all genders (nobody is safe).

Other ideas I had include making his skin either golden or marble with golden patterns and his hair being kind of... heavy? Like he shaped it into artistic curls and waves, but they would barely move in the wind, if at all; reason being that, at this point, he's a fire spirit working with rocks and metal, so flammable organic material is not his forte (to the chagrin of Yavanna. I like to think that, ironically, Melkor taught him about such material in depth later. But those are stories for another time).

As for Melkor, I want him to look the most human out of all the Ainur, funnily enough. I know this might sound odd considering he was barely even listening to the third theme, but he did have the greatest insight into the vision and it's a big theme that he's the most human out of all the Valar. Nevertheless, his fána would still have its "odd" and "unique" properties, just due to the fact that a) he's Melkor and b) he's weird and extra. Since he's still in a state where he can match all the other Valar and their Maiar on his own, his skin is pretty much impervious to any and all harm, to name just one example.

The main design elements I've been rotating in my head for his earlier forms revolve around his hair. I like to imagine it being pitch black at the roots, like the darkness of outer space, but becoming luminous at the tips. He's rocking the anglerfish ombré. Also depending on the angle and lighting and his mood the lights are constantly shifting in wavelength, and you see all colors of the electromagnetic spectrum flickering in and out of existence. Another thing I've been picturing for Melkor's hair in general is that it's constantly in motion, similar to Manwë who always has his wind around him. The difference is that there is no wind around Melkor. His hair just does that. If there's no wind at all, it's moving, and if there is wind, it's still moving, but not as it should. It's not super noticeable, rather subtle, but if you were to look at it for a long time, you would wonder if his hair is alive and has its own chaotic agenda. Also I'm fond of the idea that he likes to use it as additional arms, think Midna from Twilight Princess (either one big hand or smaller tendril hands, depending on what he uses it for).

...alright, I think that's all I got for now. Thank you for coming to my brain dump, I'll file this one away for future reference aka the inevitable return of acute brainrot

[bonebrokebuddy]

I’ve been seeing a few folks complain about people writing hcs of DC characters with ooc song preferences, which it’s not that serious. But it gives me an excuse to show off my DC character playlists.

I initially created them as I saw a lot of playlists for Bruce & Jason with just a lot of dad rock.

Which, fair. Not everyone’s into metal.

But since I know it’s not an easy genre to get into, if you want inspiration, feel free to check out these playlists!

My one main rule for making playlists is that a majority, if not all, of the songs need to be in a genre I think the character would listen to based on their canon music taste. This is regardless whether or not it’s a genre I like. I try my best to find fun songs regardless of my personal preference.

The Playlists:

Batman: various genres of metal. I tried to go for more Doom Metal(slow & repetitive vs thrash’s blast beats and fast guitar) but there’s more than one genre of metal that’s characterized by slower instrumentals & I can’t keep up with all the names so it varies. Dad metal. Made sure that there was a sprinkle of Black Metal too (mainly bc I think it’s funny. If you’ve never listened to black metal, it sounds like you chucked the vocalist in a grinder at high speeds then proceeded to mix your instruments & your vocals the worst you could possibly make it. It’s nearly incomprehensible and it’s Perfect for Bruce.)

Bruce Wayne: a touch of old school doom metal, a sprinkle of black metal as you can write a Batman story without Bruce Wayne but not a Bruce Wayne story without Batman. A more chill version of the Batman playlist that I think Bruce would jam out to as not everyone’s into metal and I wanted to give people another option that didn’t have as heavy stuff in it.

Tim Drake: Mostly time accurate with 90s-2010’s punk rock & alt rock influences all the way through with a touch of metal to show his connection to Bruce & a few other off genre songs that represent his YJ98 pals. I tried my best to include as many bands as I could find that he canonically enjoyed as well.

Jason Todd: Jason was introduced in the 80s & is a canonical metalhead, so I think he’d listen to a combination of 80s dad metal, death metal (come on, it’s just too perfect of a genre name to pass up), thrash, & a little black metal (the genre I assigned to Batman).

Clark Kent: Dad metal. He canonically listens to Metallica post-crisis so I just gave him my dad’s taste in music lmao. Made sure to add a few satire ones because Clark is an little shit and would very much enjoy satire songs. Unfortunately, I genuinely could not get my Spotify recs to give me decent country music. I tried. It only gave me modern mainstream artists and after a month of trying to find good pre 2000’s country, I just gave up. So it’s mainly metal:(

If any of y’all want to send me 80s-2000’s country recs, that would be very kind of y’all. (the type of country music ma & pa kent would listen to that Clark would have grown up with)

Kon-El: is full of songs that are, well, time accurate to his original run. Ranging from 1969-2002 [the year his solo run was canceled], this playlist not only has songs he could have theoretically picked up in a record shop or blasted on a boom box during the day but is also full of bands he canonically listens to! This playlist is chalk full of Kon’s canonical alt rock & metal music taste as well as rock and proto-metal hits of the time!

Bart Allen: to be clear, Bart wouldn’t listen to any of these as music is just too slow for him. These are songs that relate to Bart or songs that represent his connections to his friends with no specific genre as I didn’t just want to have playlists full of nothing but metal. (Although I think he’d really like metal concerts as he’d probably enjoy the feeling of the heavy base resonate in his chest.)

[anamelessfool]

Now I wanna write some longer drabble about when Primo (19) moved in to the Ministry "just for a few weeks, just to get himself together ok?" In 1972 and Secondo (11) and Terzo (8) go thru the records he brought with him. Up to this point the younger brothers haven't really experienced proto-metal and psych rock on their own terms. Just weird brain spaghetti music from their permanently stoned father and strictly classical music from Secondo's mother. Secondo is fascinated but of course pretends to not be interested. Terzo is up for anything.

Primo was into psych rock thanks to Nihil. Nihil taught him guitar when he was still with Primo's mother. He would mail him a record every year for his birthday. Primo got into early metal in his teen years thanks to the record store in town he'd visit after school. Black Sabbath's album Black Sabbath was important to him because it helped him through the rough experience of his mother falling terminally ill.

Back to Primo's collection-- Secondo really liked Uriah Heep's Demons and Wizards. He was a voracious reader as a child and liked fantasy stories. Also secretly liked how his mother hated the music. Terzo loved The Beatles Please Please Me for all the harmonies, danceability and heartbroken drama.

Lol I guess I did write the drabble but I want it to be a story! And it's based in my AU check it out ok

[tanadrin]

🔥black holes

i don't have any controversial opinions about black holes, so here's a fun fact: when clouds of hydrogen have very low metallicity (i.e., non-hydrogen content) they can do things that are pretty uncommon in the present universe, what with all the supernova gunk lying around and stuff.

in the very early universe, when all stars were massive population III stars, some proto-stars might have been large enough to collapse into black holes as they formed; the outer layers of these ultramassive protostars could have been heavy enough to resist being blown off by the resulting release of energy, so that you had a shell of hydrogen surrounding a black hole, being heated by the energy being released from that black hole's accretion disk--enough to resist the gravitational pressure to collapse further.

the result would have been a massive black-hole powered star called a quasi-star, in the neighborhood of 10 million solar masses, with radii of nearly 200 AU. for comparison, one of the largest stars known, VY Canis Majoris, has a radius of about six AU, and a mass of about 17 solar masses.

quasi-stars would have had short lifespans--only about 7 million years. but they are candidates for intermediate mass black holes which later go on to form the supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies.

[valkariel]

Limit Cut v.0

» Glamour Backlog «

Yet another version of Omega Protocol for last stage of the black mage relic :> I swapped the headpiece in the EC version a day after posting, but this version is also interesting, so backlogging it here.

Tip: Use the /bm + /sit macro to glitch the weapon effect while sheathed. Going into /gpose will reset the glitch though.

Head: Hypostatic Visor of Casting - jet black Body: Omega Jacket of Casting - jet black Hands: Virtu Goetia Gloves - metallic silver Legs: Yakaku Fundoshi - jet black Feet: Wolfseye Thighboots - jet black

Alt Body: Omicron Jacket of Casting

Earring: Proto Ultima Earrings of Casting Neck: The Emperor's New Necklace Wrists: The Emperor's New Bracelet Right Ring: The Emperor's New Ring Left Ring: The Emperor's New Ring

Alt Earrings: Darbar Earrings of Casting

Main Hand: Mandervillous Rod - ash grey Off Hand: --

Fashion Accessory: -- Minion: -- Mount: -- Location: Faeberry Atelier

Shader: Faeberry Studio

[aleielle-of-roshar]

WIP Wednesday!!

Thank you for the tag @lobo-inu !!!

Tagging @neptuniadoesstuff @noomycatz @bookworm-driven-insane @snailtowne aaaand @benjaminfranklemons :D /nf (plus anyone else who wants to join in!!!)

Unfortunately no art this time, buuuut I’m halfway done of the Sablewing info sheet thing >:D (a few things were skipped atm lol)

(Oops tumblr kinda ruins the formatting lol, + not as well written ss the Albedowings cuz I’ve been dealing with crazy migraines. Do be warned I do not proof read at all :’D)

Sablewings

Alternate Names: The Farmers (both by Albedowings and Squallwings), and our Kin (by Tanglewings)

Scavenger Name: Friend Dragons

Symbolism: ‘sable’ represents the rich volcanic soil, and coastal sands, of their land rather than the Sablewings themselves… As they pride themselves greatly in their ability to work so well with it

Name in Native Dialect: Gr’ehnd He ‘those who seed’

————————————————————————

Continent of Origin

Original Homeland: Though technically originally from the far northeastern Phytoan island- it was so long ago that they were only proto-sablewings at this point.

Migration History: Apart from that one very early migration from the island to the south eastern Phasdean fields, they’ve remained in their safe, fertile lands.

Current Range: Southern Phasdean Fields and Hills, and an area of non cliffed coastline in the fields portion.

Territorial Claims: Southern Phasdean Fields and Hills, and an area of non cliffed coastline in the fields portion. Lost the cliffed coastlines in the hills to the Squallwings long long ago. 

————————————————————————

Physical Characteristics

General Appearance

General Description: It is quite obvious that Sablewings evolved perfectly to first their role in their ecological niche as herbivorous megafauna, and then to the farming that they're so proud of. They are stout, powerfully built dragons with broad shoulders and muscular frames, yet they carry themselves with a sort of calm, gentle presence that has earned them the general consensus amongst other tribes that they are the kindest, and most trustworthy, folk in Phadea.

Average Size and Proportions: 90ft from snout to tail, 28ft from claw to shoulder, 180ft wingspan, 19ft wide, and a weight of 310,567lbs.

Colouration and Patterns: Predominantly earthen tones- ie deep charcoals, rich browns, muted olives, ashy grays, etc- though the occasional individual will have a strong red undertone. Those who are patterned are usually mottled or speckled, but splotches and eyespots aren’t unheard of- these are always darker versions of their base colours, or black.

Rare Markings: Very, very rarely Sablewings are born with vein-like markings on their legs and/or sides, in shiny metallic tones, as if metal is growing out of their scales.

Scale Texture: Rough, slightly uneven, and matte- with the exception of their belly and neck scales, which are thicker and smooth to better protect from the wear of ground level hazards on them while they work.

Bioluminescence: None, but though there is no proof it ever happened- and if it was real they long lost that trait- but Sablewing folklore (albeit some most don’t believe in) claims that a specific town of Sablewings in the mountains who ‘were blessed by a piece of the heavens’ had splatterings of scales that always glistened and glowed faintly under the moonlight.

Head and Facial Features

Horn Style: Thick, gently curved horns that stop by their cheeks- almost like a ram’s. Unlike most dragon horns, they are blunt rather than sharp, and sometimes features slight ridging and dipping like some ungulates’. However this is usually a mark of age, as it tends to form and grow more extreme the older one gets.

Facial Shape: Sablewings’ heads are on the broader side- but round instead of square (like say, mudwings)- with shorter, flatter snouts, leading most to have a resting smile.

Eyes: Two average sized eyes with, oddly enough, horizontally slit pupils, generally in ambers, yellows, or greens. This is technically a leftover from when they were still from Phytoa, and had to look out for predators while they grazed.

Other: Most Sablewings have small bony ridges above their eyes that offer some amount of protection from dust (like some sort of primitive eyelashes), alongside this, Sablewings have large, wide kind of horse-like nostrils.

Wing Characteristics

Wing Shape: Their wings are rounded and broad with thick and durable membranes, not really able to sustain much more than short bursts of flight.

Unique Features: The leading edges of their wings are covered in thick, slightly ridged, scales- so much more powerful than their other scales that it allows them to use them as makeshift shields (sacrificing longer flight for such an adaptation).

Appendages and Tail

Tail Features: Sablewings’ tail is thick and muscular, with a large, flat and bladed end made of a keratinous material similar to a hoof. However, it is dull unless sharpened, but when sharp it is used to cut crops, trees, or ingredients for their meals.

Leg Structure: Their legs are short and stocky, with particularly muscular hind legs and flatter than average talons.

Claws: Long and thick with a slight curve- perfect for digging trenches or pulling up tubers! Typically darker and shinier than the rest of their scales.

Dimorphism and Variation

Sexual Dimorphism: What once may have- long before the Sablewings became sapient- been meant to attract mates, has since become perfect for aiding in their agriculture, due to seasonal changes in both sexes during the spring (which reverts back to normal in the very early summer / returns to looking similar). Which is why families are able to have such huge fields with little or no hired talonss.

((Male))

Scales grow more vibrant and colourful- rich oranges, reds, yellows, blues, and purple patches and patterns forming- but become softer and more flexible, allowing them to grow faster, but slightly more susceptible to damage if they were attacked (which is undoubtedly why wars with the Squallwings typically occurred in the spring)

Their tail blades curve dramatically, into an almost sickle-like shape.

Horns grow reflective patches.

((Female))

Grows significantly larger and more muscular.

Scales grow duller and patterns grow darker (more contrast).

Their tail blade grows longer and thicker, with the edges becoming slightly serrated.

Neck and shoulder scales grow thicker.

Age Stages: Egg > Hatchling > Dragonet > Adult.

((Egg))

Eggs are oval, with rough gray shells with white speckles, and are significantly harder than most dragon eggs and in fact are sometimes mistaken for small boulders by non-dragons (including mosses that love to cling to their surfaces, aiding in a way with camouflage). Instead of being put in the usual nests, they are buried in warm soil near geothermal hotspots like hot springs, geysers, and mudpots, which incubates them- however they’ve grown so reliant on the ground’s heat with their eggs that they genuinely can’t raise eggs in many environments.

((Hatchling))

Hatchlings emerge with a thick, charcoal gray fuzz covering their soft and flexible scales, which helps them stay warm.

They’re born without wings, instead having non functional wing stubs, alongside this their horns underdeveloped- with not even a nub on their heads.

Their claws are disproportionately large, and hatchlings possess a strong instinctive desire to dig- and they can often be found hiding in the dirt with only their snouts sticking straight out of the soil.

((Dragonet))

As scales harden, they shed their fuzz in early dragonethood- this can often be very very itchy and uncomfortable.

Horn nubs slowly begin to form, and so does their tail blade- however the ‘blade’ are more flexible and rubbery, and used more for balance.

Due to how much they’re growing, during mid dragonethood they hibernate through the winter, and by the end of this period their wings will have mostly developed, allowing flight, albeit clumsily.

((Adult))

Their horns, wings, and tail blades become fully developed, and their claws and wing membranes darken.

Due to their size, and now no longer flexible scales, they cannot really tunnel like they somewhat could as dragonet, instead switching more towards trenches when they feel worried- and using their strong wings as a sort of ‘cover’ to protect themselves.

Sablewings start experiencing strong changes in the spring.

Claw sheaths thicken enough that they can somehow tuck in their claws most of the way when not using them, which makes tool use much less awkward.

Subspecies:

————————————————————————

Adaptations

Environmental Survival: Sablewings were always lucky, living in such a safe, rich environment has lead them to not really need to develop many particular mechanisms to survive in their land, but over time they have grown (evolutionarily) incredibly reliant on geothermal heat, as otherwise they would be completely unable to hatch their eggs. But, due to being in such a mineral rich, yet sodium poor environment, they’ve evolved special sodium retaining glands in their kidneys that will absorb practically all consumed sodium to help prevent deficiency. Their scales have also, interestingly enough, grown much more red in colour over the ages since their migration, now matching their local soil.

Defense Mechanisms: Despites being relatively peaceful, if needed their tail blades, and huge claws are their primary defense- slicing and stabbing through unarmoured scales as well as most swords- but of course, before attacking they’ll always thump their tails loudly against the ground in warning and spread their wings wide to appear even bigger, in hopes to scare away their opponent first and avoid a fight all together, Though if they can, they’re much more likely to dig a trench, and use their wings to sort of… Cap it shut. This can also be used to stay cool during breaks on hotter days.

Hunting / Foraging: Though once long ago they were grazers, nowadays practically all Sablewing families have their own farm which gives them more than enough food to live comfortably, but they have a preference for root vegetables and grains- and in fact candied roots are very popular amongst the Sablewings. When snacking on fresh fruit or seeds, they’ll crack them open with their tails or cut them into slices. During periods of mineral deficiency, especially when trade is low, individuals will often go to the coasts to seek out coastal salt deposits, or occasionally resort to carrion consumption.

Temperature Regulation: Luckily, during the cooler months, their matte scales are incredibly good at capturing heat- and hatchling fuzz is great insulation. During warmer months, oddly enough they have vents on their flanks that almost resemble gills- which open up and release excess body heat, but seal tight in the winter. Adults also use their wings as shade and fans, especially when chilling in cool trenches.

————————————————————————

Abilities

Standard Powers

Standard: Instead of traditional firebreathing, Sablewings have the ability to release short range, concussive blasts of superheated gasses- which are basically controlled mini explosions. They have specialized organs besides each lung, that produce flammable gasses via a sort of… Fermentation process, and when mixed with a certain enzyme produced in glands in their mouths, and oxygen, it creates a brief but powerful explosion. They can control how much gas they expel, from a small puff that can knock objects over, to an incredible blast that can shatter rocks or topple trees. However, overuse leads to lightheadedness, and gas depletion that requires hours to replenish. Poor control in untrained, usually young, dragons can lead to accidental backfiring- and self injury. This is an entirely close ranged ability, and is nicknamed ‘burstfire’ by the other Phasdean Tribes.

Royal: No difference.

Cultural Uses: Sablewings have found many uses for their burstfire, primarily helping in construction and mining, as well as helping loosen particularly difficult patches of soil. And unsurprisingly, small puffs are exactly what’s needed in some of their traditional instruments.

Rare Powers

Examples: Sablewings in fact have three different rare powers, each more uncommon and dangerous than the last.

((Ashblooded Sablewings- 1 in 500)) Blasts contain ash and debris- heated to such an extreme that it can cause small fires and burns wherever in hits. Though incredibly dangerous, individuals with this power are often employed in controlled burn operations to help clear out dead brush. Ashblooded Sablewings often have urges to consume clay and salt much much than the average individual, sometimes to an overwhelming extent.

((Earthcaller Sablewings- 1 in 1000)) Instead of being able to exhale blasts of burstfire, their combustion is able to be forced inward through their limbs, creating small scale tremors in the ground around them, but of course can only be used when they’re on the ground. It has an incredibly high energy cost, and overuse can cause muscle damage, joint strain, or even to an extreme extent- paralysis.

((Blazeborn Sablewings- 1 in 10,000)) Retain internal heat way beyond normal- to the point that the passive heat around them can melt ice, dry crops, or basically work as a personal furnace, and can accidentally burn those who touch them (not to the extent of killing- but can still hurt or even scar if the touch lingers too long). Their burstfire is stronger, and the gasses needed replenishes much faster. However their metabolism is incredibly hyperactive, and alongside that they have an extreme risk of overheating, and need to often take dips in rivers or coastal waters to avoid organ damage and eventual death.

Inheritance: Each rare power is a recessive trait, and though a couple where both have one have a higher chance to have a dragonet with one of these abilities, it seems to simply occur rather unexpectedly.

Cultural Perception: ((Ashblooded)) Seen as a dangerous burden, but not hated or feared, and young Sablewings with this power are often closely supervised to avoid horribly hurting themselves. ((Earthcaller)) Greatly respected, and often grow quite rich in the hills where they are employed to loosen the hard, tough soil. ((Blazeborn)) Greatly pitied by most, and viewed as a curse by some, but honestly mostly just seen as a disability amongst Sablewings. Unfortunately it hasn’t been unheard of, or at least there’s two known historical occasions (it's unknown if its still happening), for such individuals to be kidnapped by Squallwings and forced to become destructive weapons.

————————————————————————

Dietary Habits

Primary Diet: Obligate herbivores, focusing primarily on nutrient dense roots and grains, alongside salty coastal plants, and the occasional fruit orchard. Their diet changes slightly during different seasons- in spring and summer its incredibly high carb to give them lots of energy while they work, during the autumn they eat loads of fatty nuts to prepare for less food in the winter months, and during winter they rely solely on preserved and pickled foods.

Hunting Techniques: Meat is an absolute last resort and consuming it is culturally perceived as a sign of hardship, and when they absolutely require the salt scavenging carrion is prefered to hunting… but when they need to, they can only really hope they can ambush something, and rely on brute strength to bring something down.

Preferred Prey / Resources: High carb roots and grains, salty vegetables, and oddly enough, they will occasionally consume mineral rich clay.

Digestive Quirks: Sablewings have an incredibly efficient stomach, and can even break down the toughest and most fiber dense vegetation, though they tend to generate significant body heat when digesting, leading them to often retreat to cooler locations when they eat full meals- but their metabolism slows significantly in the winter, and speeds up significantly in the spring. They can even eat quite a bit of fermented food without any bloating.

————————————————————————

Habitat

Biome: Temperate mineral rich plains and (not very rocky) hills, with low coastal cliff-less beaches.

Shelter Preferences: Sablewings’ houses are built with local materials- partially into the sides of hills (natural or made by them)- like packed earth, clay, timber, and woven reeds, and almost always have a small section built underground for storing personal foodstsuff and keeping it cool. They have wide, sloping entrances to accommodate their size. Roofs are typically flat or gently curved, and layered with packed soil, and living mosses and/or grasses so that their houses blend into the environment. Families will often plant medicinal or edible herbs up there as well. Villages are typically built in loose spirals around a shared communal space, which often features a large hearth for shared meals. Storage buildings, which are always closest to the center of the village, run deep, so that they can keep many produce cool year round. Many villages also have communal bath houses at local hot springs, which are great both for hygiene, but also social gathering places. Coastal villages often have small, sturdy harbours made of wood and stone- not for fishing or storing boats, but instead as a centralized trading hub full of stalls, warehouses, and hubs for salt drying produce. Older villages also contain great lengths of trenches, and ‘trench shelters’- deep narrow tunnels reinforced with wood, stone, packed earth, and even metal, with even whole rooms. Originally meant to be a place to hunker down during twar, it’s now used as a shelter during particularly bad storms. Larger communal halls have incredibly thick reinforced walls, and wing-flaps to allow them to quickly be sealed during storms and attacks.

Climate Tolerance: Sablewings are well adapted to their temperate homes, though they’d struggle in cold or hot locales. And have long learned how to deal architecturally with the frequent weather systems from the east- heavy rains are absorbed by their moss laden roofs, and erosion from which is mitigated from purposefully planted deep rooted plants, winds are negligible due to rounded structures built semi underground, and during the rare snowstorms the whole village will huddle together in communal halls.

Interaction w/ Environment: As their entire culture is tied so deeply to the soil, unsurprisingly they seem themselves as guardians of the land and try very hard to keep their earth healthy- be it by rotating crops, using trenches to help with irrigation, constructing great dams, burning dead brush, planting saplings right after cutting down trees, or simply growing great fields of flowers that pollinators love. And the most surprising? They outlaw the hunting of Scavengers in their lands by other tribes, as they see them as necessary to avoid too much rot.

————————————————————————

Behaviour and Society

Social Structure

Governance: Gerontocratic Confederation

Roles: Unlike many tribes, Sablewings have never had castes. The most common jobs amongst the Sablewings are: growers, harvesters, toolwrights, quarry workers, dragonet caretakers, builders, musicians, and salt gatherers. Some also common roles, that are specific to their tribe are: ‘heartspeakers’ (mediators, storytellers, and historians), and ‘springkindlers’ (their whole job is about keeping the land healthy- be it from giving trees medicine, working with Ashblooded Sablewings to burn dead brush, or cleaning waterways.

Conflict Resolution: Due to how chill Sablewings are on average, their laws don’t include many crazy punishments. Local disputes are resolved village gatherings, often lead by heartspeakers making sure both sides are heard, if a resolution isn’t reached the local Elder is called to step in and give a solution (more restitution rather than retribution). In major offenses, like theft or assault, culprits are expected to either do community service, or work for the victim for a certain length of time- if they refuse they are temporarily exiled to work in the mines in the mountains until they're considered reformed. In the extremely rare cases of horribly violent crimes, culprits are permanently exiled from Sablewing lands- but of course nor executed, as such a thing is considered barbaric.

Customs and Daily Life

Rituals: Unsurprisingly, many a custom is centered around the harvest, and includes feasting and music- but all but one that is common amongst all Sablewings is related to a holiday. The sole ritual unrelated to said holidays is simply that musicians are often hired by families to sing to unhatched eggs, as it's believed it helps the dragons within grow.

Mating and Family: Sablewing families are very, very different from other dragons’- as they place communal bonds just as high up in importance as blood bonds. Alongside this, marriage bonds are common, but it isn’t actually culturally considered wrong to part ways, and amicable separations are completely accepted. Dragonets are cared for semi-communally- and though they live with, and spend the morning in the fields with their parents, they are sent to caretakers during the afternoons to learn from both them and the elders. 

Daily Routines: Sablewings have a fairly predictable, stable routine- early risers will gather up crops or coastal plants for breakfast, or mend tools, or early rising hatchlings will play and practice digging. When all awaken there is a huge communal breakfast at the central hearth, before heading out to the fields. Around midday, work pauses for a bit at peak heat as Sablewings retreat to cool trenches or springs for rest and storytelling. The afternoon is usually used for personal repairs, preserving crops, and harvesting any last crops- this is also usually when dragonets will do a few light choirs. In the evening families gather for dinner at home, and often many a song can be heard in the village while they dine- and finally, after all have eaten, usually there’ll either be a story told by the hearth, or a council meeting. Then finally, sleep.

Interpersonal Relationships

Friendship and Kinship: The Sablewings deeply value connection, and bonds between friend run deeper than the deepest roots. One of the most common shows of friendship are acts of service, of the gifting of homecooked meals or tiny handmade trinkets- alongside this friends adore going to storytelling sessions, or listening to musicians together. Funnily enough, Sablewings consider ‘family’ much more than blood, and will often call other members of the same village ‘brother, aunt, grandparent’ etc.

Attitude Towards Outsiders: Outsiders are always, initially, treated with a cautious hospitality- though polite at first, most of a village will give the newcomer space until their intentions are clear- but as soon as it’s obvious they mean no harm? They’re treated like siblings! However, travellers in need are never turned away, as it's considered a moral duty, and in fact many families will simultaneously jump to the opportunity to offer food, shelter, and supplies. Though they are generally open minded, they tend to initially show some discomfort and unease at the arrival of a Squallwing traveller, but if they prove to not be planning to harm the village, this will slowly change to a strong curiosity.

War Strategy: Though naturally peaceful, Sablewings do not fight recklessly. First they start with avoidance, trying to make diplomacy work when first attacked… But if it becomes evident that it won’t work, then ambushes and traps are their go to- and the not at all uncommon tunnel networks connecting villages in the more populated south-west are often used for evacuation or sudden flanking. But if nothing works they’ll simply dig in and try to outlast with their great food stores.

Allies: Due to many a generation of trade, they are allied with the Albedowings… But there are currently talks amongst the Elders to finally break it off for obvious reasons. They’ve recently become allies with the Tanglewings, and both trade grown produce with the other- though typically dried or pickled.

Enemies: More isolated, or north eastern villages have a healthy fear of their Squallwing neighbours, from years upon years of ransacking and kidnappings, and the Sablewings are officially ‘enemies’ of the Squallwings for good reason.

————————————————————————