“You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.” In today’s blog, we will take a look at the Scorpion Den.
The Scorpion Den is a large, walled city located in the southern Sand Kingdom. It is home to mostly SandWings, but a few hybrids and SkyWings call the Scorpion Den their home. There is a large, open marketplace with many stalls that sell different wares like jewelry, brightsting cacti, fabric, food, and water. The stalls are covered by worn fabric. The streets are made of dusty cobblestone and are lined with gutters, potentially indicating some sort of sewage system. Most of the city is made up of dark, cramped alleyways bordered by worn stone buildings. The Scorpion Den is built around a large oasis that is currently the headquarters of the Outclaws.
Before she became queen, Thorn and her Outclaws were the rulers of the Scorpion Den. Under their rule, the Scorpion Den became more organized and had less crime. Thorn did many things to make the Scorpion Den a better place. For example, dragonets can go to the oasis once daily to recieve a free meal. The Outclaws have four basic rules: act smart, stay alive, stick together, and don’t be an idiot. The Outclaws were created by Thorn in order to find her missing daughter, Sunny, whom the Talons of Peace kidnaped before she hatched.
The Outclaws are feared in the Scorpion Den, although they have good intentions. Many of the Scorpion Den’s residents do not trust them and think they are deceitful. The Outclaws are entirely loyal to Thorn and do everything they can to protect her. According to Qibli, they don’t use bombs as they don’t want too much collateral damage. This is contrasted by the Talons of Power, who used dragonflame cactus bombs multiple times.
The Talons of Power was an organized crime group that took over the Scorpion Den after Thorn became queen and moved to the SandWing palace. Vulture, a powerful crime lord, formed them. They wore black hoods over their heads and gold vulture-shaped medallions around their necks. Their ultimate goal was to assassinate Queen Thorn and give the crown to Onyx, who is the daughter of Prince Smolder and has royal blood.
Their primary command center is Vulture’s compound, a well-defended and fortified base. It is protected with traps like spikes and mines. The walls are made of marble and are imbued with precious materials and gems like gold, emeralds, and diamonds. Multiple statues of Vulture can be found throughout the complex. One notable structure within the compound is the observatory. The observatory is a small domed building made of a dark material. The dome is open at the top to allow for viewing of the stars.