White Dragon

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Early Conflict with the White Mane Clan

Twenty years before joining Garos, Tressie fought the White Mane Clan after the centaurs feigned submission and launched a surprise ambush. They nearly killed her, but their chieftain suffered grievous injuries whose lingering effects eventually caused his death. Tressie subsequently spent nearly twenty years in Dragon Sleep, retaining her desire for revenge and awakening at Life Level 13. 163 165

Submission to Garos

Tressie awakened from Dragon Sleep seeking revenge against the centaurs and the White Mane Clan. At the centaur camp, she was initially fascinated by Garos’s appearance, bloodline, and imposing physique, even considering courting him. Garos instead called her “White Scale,” provoking her into attacking him. He defeated and humiliated her in an aerial battle, after which she surrendered to survive. 163 166 167

During their negotiations, Tressie initially offered half her wealth, but Garos demanded all of it. Reluctant to surrender her treasure, she proposed bearing his offspring instead and revealed that she had never taken a mate. 167

After her submission, Tressie led Garos to her isolated tundra lair. Her former servants had fled because she treated them as emergency food, having eaten several herself during periods of hunger. 169 Garos brought her to Dragon Valley as a subordinate, where she remained arrogant toward lesser dragonkin despite her meekness before him. 171

Tressie quickly clashed with Samantha. The larger, more experienced White Dragon defeated the younger Red Dragon in a direct fight, then deliberately prolonged the humiliation rather than ending the battle immediately. 172 Garos later used Tressie’s ice magic as part of his own training, strengthening his Explosive Scales and cold resistance through repeated sparring. 171 188

Tribal Campaigns and Rift Defense

Tressie reported the Bloodhoof Clan’s withdrawal of elite forces from its outposts, helping Garos recognize its preparations for a concentrated assault. She and Samantha subsequently attacked and occupied the Obsidian Mine and Armored Rhino Ranch. 179

Under Sorog’s direction, Tressie and Elvie guarded the Abyssal Rift. When five Quasits emerged, Tressie killed them, including one attempting to retreat through the rift. 198

Over time, Tressie developed the Dynamic Ecological Niche Theory, a survival philosophy based on recognizing relative strength and adjusting one’s behavior accordingly. Garos was surprised by her intelligence and reassessed her potential after hearing her explain the theory. 251 253 She subsequently became a strict instructor for the tribe’s younger dragons, using overwhelming force and humiliation as practical lessons in hierarchy. 265 290

During a larger demonic incursion, Tressie fought alongside Elvie and the rift’s defenders, helping slaughter thousands of lesser Demons. A subsequent wave brought a Vrock and five Vulture Demon leaders; three leaders wounded Tressie while the others attacked Elvie. Tressie crushed an emergency Communication Stone to summon reinforcements. 251

She later fought Rune Knight Rod alongside Sorog and Samantha. Although she withdrew from an initial dive when Rod assumed a fire-wreathed giant form, the three dragons’ coordinated attacks eventually left him struggling to defend himself. 305

When Garos tested his followers after awakening, Tressie participated in their combined assault. Once he activated Bloodburst State and began knocking the others unconscious, she deliberately dropped to the ground and pretended to have already been defeated. 321

Dragon Education and Academy Leadership

Tressie openly volunteered to nurture young dragons because the position would let her teach her ecological-niche theory and enjoy authority over weaker members of her kind. Garos recognized this motive, which she freely admitted. 254

Her students included Kaxier, Heriam, Ludwig, and Seraphina. She tested all four together and used access to food as part of their training. She also enthusiastically took charge of a rescued White Dragon hatchling, later identified as Belquis, whom other dragons initially regarded with indifference or distaste. 268 312 355

After delivering Black Oil Crystals to Garos, Tressie faced her former students’ resentment over her earlier treatment of them. Rather than accept individual challenges, she invited all four to attack and insult her together, allowing them to vent while avoiding serious injury. She concluded that arranging similar opportunities whenever students became strong enough to retaliate would help settle their grievances, then returned to teaching in Dragon Valley. 356

Tressie also took responsibility for young dragons from the former Dominic Dragonflight, immediately suppressing a defiant Blue Dragon to establish the hierarchy. She later reported the completion of the Dragon Academy and proposed the name Garos Academy, which Garos approved. 391 419

As headmistress of Ignas Royal Dragon Academy, Tressie received Garos’s children Galkro, Laria, Isanora, and Ophelia. When they questioned her authority, she used magic to toss them into the snow and taught them that noble birth did not replace strength, judgment, or survival skills. Garos supported her authority and required his children to follow the same rules as the other students. 508

By the time Hitherfell visited the Borderlands, Tressie was the dean and sole legendary dragon of Aura’s Dragon Academy. Although initially terrified of the Destiny-rank White Dragon, she retained her composure after Garos arrived and elevated her standing. 607

Hitherfell criticized the academy for teaching Chromatic Dragons to restrain their nature. Tressie outwardly agreed while awaiting support, rather than openly challenging a vastly stronger visitor. Garos’s arrival through a spatial rift allowed her to stand with greater confidence. 607

Appearance

Tressie is a pale White Dragon with a slender, reed-like build that contrasts with her considerable physical size. At her first recorded confrontation with Garos, she measured roughly sixteen meters long. 166 172

• Entirely pale body with ice-crystal scales. 274
• Broad wings suited to sustained flight through snowstorms and tundra conditions. 251
• Large claws capable of accumulating ice during combat. 290
• Describes herself as the “noble Pale Wings.” 290
• Has no horns and possesses ice-blue slit pupils. 163 264
• At over 190 years old, she remained approximately sixteen meters long, having grown only slightly during the preceding decade. Her body was markedly thinner than Garos’s despite their similar length at that time. 197

Racial Variation

White Dragons do not all share Tressie’s slender appearance. The Ancient White Dragon Beskar has a rugged frame, heavy armor-like scales, a massive head, and jagged teeth resembling ice spears. Hitherfell instead has a graceful form, almost translucent icy-white scales, and a wingspan of at least one hundred meters. 462 607

Ordinary White Dragons lack the swept-back, Red Dragon-like horns displayed by Garos’s White Dragon counterpart. Those horns distinguish his mixed Red and White Dragon ancestry. 808

Personality

Tressie began as proud, vengeful, and deeply resentful of the contempt shown toward White Dragons. She is sensitive to being called “White Scale,” viewing the term as one of the greatest insults directed at her kind. 166

Her defeat by Garos did not erase her pride; instead, it reshaped it into a pragmatic hierarchy-based outlook. Tressie believes submission to an overwhelmingly stronger opponent is preferable to being forcibly beaten into submission. 265 She applies this principle both to herself and to the younger dragons she trains.

Despite common assumptions about White Dragons, Tressie is capable of reflection and abstract thought. Her ecological-niche theory earns Garos’s respect, while her role at the academy demonstrates confidence in her value as an educator. 253 355 She also enjoys exercising authority over weaker dragons and takes open pleasure in humiliating opponents who cannot challenge her position. 290

Her acceptance of changing hierarchies extends to allowing former students to retaliate against her once they become stronger. Rather than regard this as invalidating her theory, she treats it as another situation requiring adaptation. Her sustained reflection on ecological niches also sharpens her perception beyond that of an ordinary White Dragon. 356

Racial Instincts and Reputation

White Dragons are generally regarded as the least intelligent Chromatic Dragons and are particularly strongly influenced by instinct. Young White Dragons can behave little differently from wild beasts, while even adults may struggle to restrain their attachment to treasure. These tendencies do not prevent exceptional individuals from developing sophisticated reasoning, patience, or magical expertise. 166 167 318 462

Their comparatively weak attributes coexist with keen, bestial vigilance. A threatened White Dragon ordinarily tends to retreat and conceal itself rather than recklessly abandon an advantage. Garos’s alternate White Dragon counterpart is an unfavorable exception: his Red Dragon-derived arrogance and explosive temper repeatedly undermine that instinct for self-preservation. 808

Garos later argues that harsh environments and widespread prejudice force many Chromatic Dragons, especially White Dragons, to maintain a hostile exterior. Some retain that defensive hostility even after becoming powerful enough to no longer need it; Hitherfell recognizes the description as applicable to her own past. 607

Abilities & Skills

Ice Magic

Tressie wields cold-aligned magic and performs especially well in blizzards and tundra environments.

• Uses the Ice Armor Technique in combat. 172
• Generates frost and frigid winds during aerial assaults. 172
• Spars with Garos using ice magic to improve his resistance and Explosive Scales. 171 188
• Feels more energized and mentally sharp in severe cold. 251
• Began studying magic during adulthood and had accumulated seventy years of practice by her first battle with Garos. Her Ice Wind and Ice Armor were learned spells, not spell-like abilities normally available to an Adult White Dragon. 166
• Uses Ice Wind to damage scales and chill an opponent, slowing circulation and weakening physical strength. 166
• Uses Ice Mist to obscure vision and interfere with an opponent’s senses while exposing them to persistent cold. 166
• Possesses Frost Dragon Breath, which overpowered Samantha’s Flame Dragon Breath during their first fight. 172
• Uses magic to discipline students, including throwing Garos’s four children into the snow when they challenged her authority. 508

Physical Combat

Tressie possesses the strength, size, and experience of a mature White Dragon and later reaches the Legendary Realm. 323 355 607

• Defeated Samantha in their first clash despite Samantha’s alchemical runes and rage-enhanced attacks. 172
• Was capable of forcing Garos into his Exhilarated State during their earlier battle. 172
• Easily subdued adolescent Ludwig and Seraphina during training. 290
• Uses deliberate humiliation to establish authority over weaker dragons. 290
• Can coordinate attacks with other dragons, as demonstrated against Rune Knight Rod alongside Sorog and Samantha. 305

White Dragons possess the sharpest talons among Chromatic Dragons, an adaptation to living on frozen earth and ice. Their claws provide traction on ice and can pierce defenses and tear away flesh. This advantage does not eliminate the race’s general physical disadvantage against stronger dragon lineages. 166 167

Dynamic Ecological Niche Theory

Tressie’s personal theory treats social hierarchy as something that must be recognized and navigated for survival.

• Advocates voluntarily lowering one’s position before an absolute superior. 265
• Frames strength, submission, intimidation, and humiliation as parts of a changing social “niche.” 251 265
• Uses the theory as a central lesson in Dragon Academy education. 607
• Trains young dragons to restrain anger and recognize disparities in strength rather than react recklessly to humiliation. Ludwig and Seraphina eventually demonstrate unusual patience despite repeated defeats. 290
• Includes permitting stronger former students to express resentment in controlled confrontations rather than insisting on an outdated hierarchy. 356
• Emphasizes assessing threats, choosing appropriate strategies, and prioritizing survival over inherited status. 508

Spell-Eater Dragon Nature

The White Dragon identified as a Spell-Eater Dragon is Hitherfell, the Dragon of Ten Thousand Laws, rather than Tressie. Hitherfell’s scales, wing membranes, and claws are densely inscribed with magical runes arranged into complex arrays. One such array allows her to detect Garos observing her from afar. 607

Spell-Eater Dragons can become dangerously obsessed with magical knowledge. Hitherfell is distinguished from less cautious examples by her patience and ability to pursue knowledge through long-term manipulation rather than suicidal impulsiveness. By a later appearance, her runes have merged into her flesh and blood rather than remaining merely on the surface. 318 647

Alternative Advancement

White Dragon ancestry does not prevent an individual from awakening Dragon Qi. After entering his level-six White Dragon counterpart’s body, Garos uses his accumulated experience and bodily control to awaken it almost immediately. The counterpart has no Adaptive Evolution talent, making this advancement a result of the visiting Garos’s expertise rather than an innate racial gift. 808

Relationships

• Garos Ignas — Former opponent and current lord. Garos defeated Tressie after she attacked him, accepted her surrender, and later relied on her as a sparring partner and dragon instructor. 166 171 188 253 He subsequently endorsed her academy leadership and placed his own children under her rules without special treatment. 419 508
• Samantha — Rival. Tressie defeated and humiliated the younger Red Dragon after Samantha insulted her as a “White Scale.” 171 172
• Ludwig and Seraphina — Students and recurring training opponents. Tressie easily defeated both adolescent dragons and asserted her superior niche in Dragon Valley. 290
• Kaxier and Heriam — Students trained alongside Ludwig and Seraphina. The four later retaliated against Tressie’s past mistreatment in a confrontation she accepted as a means of settling their grievances. 268 356
• Belquis — White Dragon student rescued from the Northern Icefield. Tressie showed enthusiasm for his arrival but subjected him to harsh physical training and repeated lessons in respectful submission. 312 355
• Elvie — Fellow defender of the Abyssal Rift. They fought together against demonic incursions and were both placed under severe pressure during a major invasion. 198 251
• Galkro, Laria, Isanora, and Ophelia — Royal students. Tressie asserted her authority over Garos’s children and taught them that their parentage did not exempt them from academy discipline. 508
• Hitherfell — Idol and source of terror. Tressie admired the Dragon of Ten Thousand Laws as the strongest White Dragon on Bernardo, but feared provoking the capricious Destiny Dragon. 607

Notable White Dragons

Hitherfell’s Later Involvement

Hitherfell’s pursuit of time-related power is connected to her desire to resurrect a deceased human Spellcaster whose knowledge she inherited. She insists that her motive is to reverse a personal defeat rather than love; Garos privately regards her denial as unconvincing. During their travels, she also warns him that the Chromatic Dragon Queen may seek to claim or destroy him. 608

Despite her reputation for acting alone, Hitherfell later intervenes against the Bronze Dragon King on the Storm Dragon’s side. She describes her continued interference as an Evil Dragon’s form of “gratitude,” taking satisfaction in frustrating the Dragon King. 647 648

After Holden’s defeat, she elects to remain in Atlant and fight Demons if they invade. She denies coming specifically to help Garos, claiming instead that she wants a change of scenery and dislikes Demons. 704

Notable Quotes

“Too weak. You're both far too weak.” 290

“When facing an absolute superior, voluntarily lowering one's position offers a greater survival advantage than being forced into submission.” 265

“Are we White Dragons doomed to bear the shame of being the disgrace of dragonkind, letting other Dragonkin humiliate us again and again?” 167

Trivia

• Tressie considers herself unusually talented for a White Dragon because she reached Life Level 12 during adulthood and Life Level 13 before formally entering the Prime Stage. 166
• Her former tundra lair was a primitive mountain cave. 169
• She believes her instruction is indispensable to the development of Aura’s younger dragons. 355
• Tressie was approximately 180 years old when defeated by the eighteen-year-old Garos. 167
• Hitherfell’s achievements make her a source of racial pride for many ordinary White Dragons. 318
• Frost Giants are natural enemies of White Dragons and can possess detailed knowledge of their instincts and physical characteristics. 808
• Garos’s White Dragon counterpart initially wishes only to survive to one hundred years old. 808