Shell the Bridgebuilder

LAND: (What was once known as) Drekaland

(Current whereabouts unknown, disappeared in Sea of Vatten)

SEX: Female

Shell was a female dragon that once roamed the area known (at the time) as Drekaland, though she did travel to various other lands due to her occupation. The chief architect of the bridges of Fyra Oyer, her method was very particular in that her primary choice of building materials were seashells. After mapping out an area she believed would benefit from a bridge, she’d bring a large bag of shells daily to the site, lay them all out, and fastidiously piece them together as if doing one giant puzzle. While it’s unknown if she utilized any other materials, she was fond of believing that a bridge’s solid construction lay in getting the shell fragments together just right, hinting that no type of bonding material was used. Once one bag was done, she was finished for the day, thus the work often took a very long time to reach completion. She started on both sides, with the final pieces meeting in the middle; how exactly she learned and achieved such craftmanship is unknown.

Once she felt the bridge was complete, she would walk to the center and shoot a bow and arrow at a distant target. Her unique theory was that if she could continually hit the bullseye every time from the same standing point on the structure, it must be sturdy. If she missed, that would mean there must be a flaw in or damage to her creation that required repair. She would frequently check each of her designs for issues in this same manner, always making sure her work was sound.

Currently, only two bridges remain of Shell’s work- an unnamed one that crosses the Kaytney River and Thorneapple Bridge. It is oft remarked that the shells used to build them fit so perfectly together, you cannot even tell what the material is due to its seamless construction.

YOUR BRIDGE

Shell began the creation of a bridge over a river outlet in Drekaland she intended to name “Your” Bridge. The thought was that anyone that crossed could stop in the middle and look down into the water below to forget about the day’s troubles, and that the moniker of “Your” would make them feel as if they had a closer bond with it. If someone asked what structure was being referred to, the answer would always be “Your Bridge,” hopefully leading to another dragon becoming curious and checking it out for themselves, developing their own personal connection.

During construction, Shell became friends with the dragon known as Thorneapple the Unsavory. While it is unknown how their relationship came about, the structure was renamed after her friend soon after its completion. Unfortunately, Shell disappeared not long after during one of her routine checks of the bridges across Fyra Oyer, lost in a storm in the Sea of Vatten. The river and lake nearest Thorneapple Bridge were subsequently named “Shelibowe,” referring to her peculiar penchant for using a bow and arrow to grade the continued strength of her projects.