Penryck was one of the many hagsfiends that resided in the Northern Kingdoms during the time of the legends. He was known as the Sklardrog (Kraakish for Sky Dragon), which earned him a fierce reputation.
Description[]
Penryck is larger than most hagsfiends and has a ridge of feathers running down his back.
History[]
The First Collier[]
Penryck first appears at Lord Arrin's side as he helped him win the final battle against King H'rath. When the king was weakened by the attacks delivered by Arrin (who was in a vengeful fury over the demise of his own son), Penryck swooped in to deliver the final blow, decapitating H'rath, then taking his head and stuck it on his scythe before flying screeching with into the night while it trailed blood. Unfortunately, however, H'rath's wife, Siv, escaped with her and H'rath's unhatched egg and Penryck only glimpsed the briefest of sightings of the luminous egg, but suggested to Arrin later on that the egg - and by extension the chick inside it - might hold a peculiar energy, fueling the lust Arrin already had for the egg out of his desire to capture the child of Siv and the King for the power he would gain and the vengeance he thirsted for since the death of his own child.
Later on, Grank only just escaped an encounter with the Sklardrog within the Ice Talons when Penryck, possibly on the hunt for Queen Siv, rounded a bend
that would have led him face-to-face with the first collier, had his stench not alerted Grank mere seconds earlier. Penryck, however, after what was a lengthy period of time in Grank's eyes, passes by, unaware he was near to the Ice Palace and continued on. Grank tells Siv of these near encounters with the killer of her husband, but Siv expresses her belief that Ygryk was far worse a fiend than Penryck, due to Ygryk's lust for an egg for her and Pleek to call their own. Though unconfirmed, Penryck might have been among the hagsfiends who flew on the Ice Palace when Siv, Myrrthe and Grank made their escape. Arrin also discussed with Penryck how best to use the Great Horned owl lord Pleek and his hagsfiend wife in their plot to gain control of the egg of Siv.
After Ygryk discovered Siv's location, Penryck, Lord Arrin and a few other hagsfiends flew to the iceberg when Siv was in hiding on, carefully planning their attack on an eclipse, the longest and coldest night of the year, where the hagsfiends would be without the danger of contact with salt water. When they struck, however, they found Siv ready them and found their fyngrot rendered useless by some unseen force, permitting the former Queen of the N'yrthghar to flight directly at the hag she recognized as Penryck, nearly cutting him, had he not sharply avoided her scimitar. Penryck, however, with the asset of his Snowy ally, was able to lead Siv into an ambush of three enormous members of his kind that forced Siv to land, then lurked behind the nobleowl with his kinsmen as Arrin extended on offer to Siv to join him as his consort, voicing his agreement to Lord Arrin's declaration that Siv's ability to resist the powers of the hagsfiends had amazed the Court of Nachtmagen when the Snowy prompted an answer. Directly a steely gaze at his enemy, Penryck inquired in general curiosity how such an immunity had come to be, then readying to attack Queen Siv, but she escaped thanks to the quick timing of her bear friend Svenka, who came crashing out of the sea, bringing with her a wave of the hagsfiends greatest fear: salt water.
The Coming of Hoole[]
Penryck can be seen as the true main antagonist of the book as Lord Arrin is clearly just his pawn, although he still pretends to be serving under him. Penryck is plotting to overthrow Lord Arrin and to rule the Earth as the god of nachtmagen, but for now needed Arrin for the power and influence he wielded and which Penryck intended to use in his quest to conquer the N'yrthghar and S'yrthghar. Penryck also grew too thirst for the Queen and their egg for the lack of power fyngrot had over them, thus suggesting that they wielded magic even greater than the hagsfiends, which Penryck naturally lusted for, regarding him and his kind as the rightful heirs to magic of any kind.
After receiving word from Ygryk that Siv had left her hideout, Penryck met with Arrin and the commanding owls and hagsfiends of his forces in a cavern situated inside the H'rathghar Glacier. Perching in the concealment of the shadows by Arrin, Penryck, who owned the position of captain in Arrin's Alliance, reported news of the queen's departure to Arrin, then leaned further in to express his summary that Siv had never been with her egg at the iceberg, since she could never take such a newly born hatchling with her when she left. Penryck, however, summarized that Siv could lead them to her son or daughter, then mentally sneered at the stupidity he believed owls had. As Arrin noted their need for the best trackers, Penryck answered with a laugh that they knew Ygryk was just that, but instantly dissuaded Arrin's suggestion that Ygryk could serve as a nanny to the hatchling, remorselessly convincing Arrin to slay Ygryk, a fellow hagsfiend. Penryck then flew to bring Pleek and Ygryk to arrive and bore witness to Arrin's delivery of orders, silently cursing how Arrin had worded the realization that Siv was alone so that it seemed he, rather than Penryck, had summarized this. After the two departed, Penryck was again sent, this time to fetch the assassin Ullryck, who Penryck reassured Arrin was without any sense of motherhood, recounting the rumour that Ullryck was the descendant of hags straight from hagsmire. Penryck later assists Lord Arrin in attempting to stop young Hoole from retrieving the Ember, but Hoole takes it and becomes the new king. Penryck and Lord Arrin then retreat.
To Be a King[]
Penryck is barely mentioned and it's unknown if he betrayed Arrin or remained in the coalition was defeated by Hoole's forces.
Personality and Traits[]
Penryck was arrogant and, like most other hagsfiends, extremely cruel. He considered owls to be stupid and foolish, but he was a good enough actor to keep this contempt hidden. He understood that owls thought of hagsfiend's brains as primitive but felt that owls had their own unique form of ignorance. Penryck showed an utterly ruthless side when he was willing to have one of his own kind, Ygryk, killed, showing how he only cared for himself and no others.