The Dwelyn queen's ancient, emerald dragon, protector of Enapay since before written Dwelyn history. Surrey Mahaila has been bonded to the royal line for longer than most civilizations have existed. Now she sickens, and the nation she protected faces an uncertain future.
Appearance
Surrey Mahaila is serpentine and graceful, her emerald scales shifting toward teal in certain lights. Unlike the false dragons Pythalomos and Senwyn, she carries herself with the weight of true age: patient wisdom rather than predatory menace. Her eyes hold intelligence and, lately, pain.
Territory
Surrey Mahaila claims no territory in the traditional dragon sense. She resides in the Dragon's Roost, a colossal tree in Lise shaped over centuries to accommodate her. The Green Wilds are protected by her presence rather than marked as her hunting grounds. She has not needed to hunt for herself in generations.
Her influence extends throughout Enapay. Through her bond with Queen Teyara Greenmantle, she knows what happens in the nation almost as it happens. Or she did, before the sickness dulled their connection.
The Sickness
The Faesong, the ambient magical melody of Melera, has been poisoned in the region around Lise. Surrey Mahaila, a dragon attuned to darkness, water, and earth, has always resonated with this harmony. Now the corrupted song is slowly killing her.
Her scales have dulled. Her mind, once sharp enough to coordinate with the queen across miles, feels foggy and slow. She rarely leaves the Roost. The bond with Teyara, once a constant presence in both their minds, has become intermittent and unclear.
What poisoned the Faesong remains unknown. Theories include shadow emergence from Ekomorn, demonic influence from Demonwatch, sabotage by enemies, or something older and stranger.
The Bond
Surrey Mahaila's bond with the Dwelyn queens is unlike typical dragon-rider relationships. It is inherited, passed from mother to daughter through a ritual known only to the royal line. The queen and dragon share consciousness, deeply intertwined though not fully merged.
This bond has preserved Enapay for generations. Surrey Mahaila's knowledge and the queen's authority complement each other. Now, as the bond weakens, so does the queen's legitimacy.
Combat
Dragon of darkness, water, and earth. Serpentine, slippery, beautiful. Great powers over sleep and mind: she can plunge entire battlefields into slumber or drive enemies to madness. In melee she is ferocious, her coils crushing while her jaws tear. But she has not fought in years, and no one knows if the sickness has diminished her combat capability.
Relationship to Other Dragons
Surrey Mahaila predates both Pythalomos and Senwyn in the region by centuries. She views them as vermin, dangerous vermin but vermin nonetheless. Before her illness, neither false dragon would have dared approach Enapay. Now, with her weakness apparent, both have been testing the borders of the Green Wilds.
The Naruaghin oral tradition speaks of Surrey Mahaila from before the Dwelyn arrived. Some shamans believe she is somehow responsible for the Dwelyn's existence, not merely bonded to the royal line. If so, her death might mean more than the end of a dragon.