Lore-Writer's Blog: The King on Frozen Throne (Patreon)

It's the end of the month and time for another Lore-Writer's Blog. This month I will be talking about the King on Frozen Throne, Erethraul.

Since the dawn of the Firstborne, when Dragons began to walk the scorching lava lands, there has been an awakening of new species. Not long after the Wyverns began dwelling in the desert dunes, the Drakes were born. The first of the Ice Drakes was Ikioh, the ice king and his wife, Sequoia, the ice queen. It was Ikioh who answered the call to aid the Jrakhonking, it was Ikioh and his children who defeated the Magma Elementals of Nharogk saving the Fire Dragons. It was then that Ikioh met Zemohra, the queen of fire who has hated Ikioh and his race ever since they saved Jrakhon and his race from destruction as she hoped to rule the Lava Lands undisputed. 

But Ikioh is not the eldest king of the winter winds, that title belongs to Erethraul, the king on frozen throne. Ikioh and Erethraul have a loose alliance with one another, the Ice Drakes dwell in the Frostbite Caves, while the Ice Wyverns soar the chilling skies. They each respect each other's borders and join together in the Winter Wastes to hunt Snowslayer Worms which benefits both species as food is scarce in this frozen world. Erethraul and his children have never left the winter winds, they are a very reclusive species who keep to their own and who violently defend their territory from any outsider.In the Frostbite Caverns of the Winter Winds, the Ice Drakes make their home, serving their ancient king and ancestor Ikioh (eye-ky-yo) the Thirdborne and ice queen Sequoia (seh-koy-ay). The ice caves provide them protection from their only known predator, the Snowslayer Worms that lay in wait under the snowy winter tundra. This predator is also their favorite prey, as many Ice behemoths will venture out together to hunt these terrible creatures. One worm provides enough food for months, but is of great risk to the drake and wyvern clans who hunt them. 

Female Ice Drake Behemoths, which are smaller and very rare often stay in the caves while the males (all brothers) form the hunting parties. Ice Drakes tend to stick to their family groups made up of an alpha male, his subordinate brothers, and an unrelated alpha female. When sons are born to an alpha pair, they are raised to maturity and then leave their parents searching for a lone female to start their own clan. When a female is found, the brothers will challenge one another to determine dominance. The winner becomes the alpha and wins the rights to the female. The brothers will stay together for life, when an alpha dies, the brothers will again challenge one another for the right to take his place. When a daughter is born and raised to maturity, she will leave her clan in search of a bachelor herd. 

The Ice Wyverns are much different. Most Ice Wyverns are solitary, nomadic creatures who follow a loose code of honor for their species, but they will all answer to their king, Erethraul, when called upon. Erethraul dwells in the glacier peak, the tallest and coldest mountain top in all the Winter Winds. It is there where he sits on his frozen throne, an ice formation made of diamond, amethyst, aquamarine, and sapphire. But greatest of all his treasure, is the Slayer Pearl which can only be found inside the gizard of a dead Sand or Snowslayer queen. Slayer Pearls are the rarest and most valued treasure and resource among all dragons. When Ikioh curiously spoke to Erethraul inquiring how he came to possess the pearl, Erethraul replied, "I am the king on frozen throne, the pearl is mine... and mine alone."