Dragon Mini-List: Syndrax "The Cannibal"
(Canon dragon, subject to my headcanons)
Known Rider(s): Daenyra Targaryen, Daemon Blackfyre
Known (hatched) Offspring: Valaerion, Merrax, Prumia, & Lastlight
Parents: Balerion & Vhagar
Last known age: By Daeron II's reign, around 150 years old (would be the same age as Vermithor)
Egg Color: Pitch black egg, with darker, shiny, inky veins and a faint purple-green iridescence
Syndrax is the name given to "The Cannibal" when he was first claimed by the princess, derived from the High Valyrian word "syndor" which means "shadow" and combined with an "-ax" suffix to match her family's dragons (Syrax, Vermax, Arrax). He is a massive, leathery beast that is both powerfully built with corded muscle but also leaner than Vermithor, of who he is a rival in size to as brothers from the same clutch of eggs. His scales are a mix of pitch to ink black, his claws are black, his teeth close to black, the inside of his throat and tongue are a dark, purplish blue. He has massive wings with many minor tatters & tears, his body is riddled with terrible scars, and he has many spines and fins, giving him a harsh, sharp appearance. His head bears two sets of horns, a top set that curves back like a goats, a bottom set that curls forwards almost like a rams, both are wicked sharp, full of notches and chips from fighting. His maw is full of jagged teeth, his eyes are a mean, piercing, lime green. Many consider him a gruesome, severe looking dragon, unpleasant or devil-like, worsened by his cannibalistic tendencies. He breaths black flame shot through with white. He is a mean, grumpy old beast, solitary and quick to anger. He isn't a dragon who is claimed, per say, but a dragon who explicitly chooses his riders on his own terms. Every rider he's allowed on his back was by his own choice, he'd have eaten them otherwise.
His first rider is the Princess Daenyra Targaryen. She claimed him at a young age, roughly around 8 or 9 years old. During a week long celebration for her name-day, Daemon smuggled his daughter out of the Red Keep at night to take her to Dragonstone to claim a dragon, as he felt Rhaenyra and Viserys were waiting too long to let her try her hand at claiming a dragon. Though her mom wanted her to try claiming a calm dragon (Silverwing, Dreamfyre, etc.), Daemon urged her to try her hand at Vermithor. The Bronze Fury did not receive her well and nearly burnt her to a crisp, but was chased off when the Cannibal intervened (intentionally or just pure coincidence, it's unknown). Emboldened by the incident, Daenyra attempted to mount Syndrax instead and was accepted, much to her and Daemon's shock. It's unclear why the dragon accepted her. Her sheer audacity? Her fearlessness? Though some joked it was because Vermithor hated her, and any enemy of the Bronze Fury was a friend to The Cannibal, as the two beasts had become territorial rivals on Dragonstone. She and Syndrax have a close and fierce bond built upon training, cooperation, and mutual understanding and respect. A lot of the training Daenyra did wasn't meant to change his wildness, but help him adapt to the new environment as a Targaryen dragon. In fact, she's quite defensive of him and takes a lot of pride in him.
His second rider (only in the Dragons Live AU) is Daemon Blackfyre. After Daenyra dies during the dance, Syndrax returns to a reclusive lifestyle, though heavily fueled by swirling anger and grief from the loss of his first rider. Daemon claims Syndrax at the age of 14 after being taunted by Princess Visenya. As a bastard, he wasn't allowed an egg in his cradle, and had admired his trueborn sibling's dragons. During a spat with Visenya, she made a pointed comment about his lack of dragon that angered him enough to dare to claim one just to prove her wrong. During a visit to Dragonstone, he takes his opportunity to seek out a more wild dragon, one the family wouldn't notice him approach, and finds Syndrax, the grumpy black dragon in a den deep in the dragonmont. Similar to the princess, it's unknown as to what quality he saw in Daemon that earned his approval; either similarities to Daenyra, or because Daemon was sort of a black-sheep outcast of his own right due to his bastardry. They have a close bond, and Daemon takes great pride in him, especially since he symbolizes his Targaryen identity. Makes him feel like he does have a place amongst his kin.
Dividers by @sweetmelodygraphics & @saradika-graphics
