The Shara Ishvalda is an Elder Dragon that is first introduced in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne where it appeared as the main antagonist. It is a titanic dragon that lives deep underground, changing and manipulating the landscape as it emits powerful sonic vibrations from its body. These natural disasters and phenomenon brought on by it are the catalyst for the migrations of numerous species such as Legiana and Velkhana, who are agitated by its presence.
Physiology[]
The enormous dragon Shara Ishvalda can take on two distinct forms. At first, it will appear to be coated in sand, rocks, and other materials. Because of this, it has a very large shape, and it is nearly impossible to distinguish its head. Most notably, it has modified its appendages into a structure resembling a four-fingered hand in place of wings.
In its natural state, as seen through the shell, it is a lithe, athletic animal with a hide that is both stone-like and bark-like, and it is brightly colored in shades of yellow, purple, and white. Its head is crowned with crests, and its face features two enormous, forward-facing eyes that are typically closed. The fingers appear spindly and malformed, with specialized tips for producing sound, and the distinctive arms are well-muscled. Its neck, back, sides, and limbs are covered in spikes, markings, plates, and indentations; some of these resemble skeletal features like a rib cage. The tail doesn't form a single point, instead ending in a tangled web of snaking structures. Eerily, Shara's teeth are mostly flat and human-like, making it somewhat resemble a human skeleton.
Abilities[]
By using its wingtips to create and control sonic vibrations, Shara Ishvalda can break down and alter solid ground. These enable it to burrow through land as though it were water, create damaging tremors and eruptions, fire supersonic beams, concentrate its energy into tremendous blasts that result in enormous explosions, and build quicksand to trap its adversaries. The vibrations of Shara Ishvalda are powerful enough to sink or collapse large landmasses, and they can cause seismic activity over incredibly vast distances, eventually changing biomes irreversibly. Furthermore, other monsters like Legiana may become agitated by the noises or "song" produced by the vibrations, leading to aberrant behavior such odd the patterns of migration.
Even above ground, Shara Ishvalda appears to have no trouble sensing its surroundings, despite being almost blind from its underground lifestyle and using an alternate sensory organ in its forehead in place of eyes. In order to protect itself and physically crush enemies, Shara Ishvalda will first build up a thick layer of rock armor on its body while burrowing under the earth. It frequently swats and scrapes at foes with its wingtips, even when it isn't wearing armor.
Behavior[]
Very little is known about Shara Ishvalda's behavior other than the fact that it only comes out when directly disturbed. Shara Ishvalda was initially seen burrowing along the Everstream for an unexplained reason. When awoken, it will try to protect itself from its aggressor in a severely fortified, rock-covered state, using less forceful strikes to repel enemies. It becomes hyper-aggressive right away if this outer hide is destroyed. In this situation, Shara Ishvalda will put all of its energy into eliminating immediate threats rather than defending itself. It does not give up easy, and instead of going back underground after being mortally wounded, it may try to strike again.
Trivia[]
- Shara Ishvalda's eyes are concave, making it seem that it is always looking at the player and not the hunter themself. This design choice may be deliberate to imply that Shara is aware of the fourth wall, fitting as it draws heavy inspiration from Hindu deities in terms of design.
