Skiadrum

Skiadrum (スキアドラム Sukiadoramu) was a dragon known as The Shadow Dragon (影竜 Eiryū) and was the foster parent of Rogue Cheney.

Appearance
Skiadrum, like other Dragons, is a gargantuan quadrupedal beast, however unlike most other Dragons, he is covered in pitch-black scales; atop his head, Skiadrum has two sharp horns and sports a small, pointed beard of shadows on his chin. Skiadrum has no visible pupils, and his eyes instead bare a great resemblance to Gajeel Redfox's own when the man enters Iron Shadow Dragon Mode. Between his horns and running down his spine, Skiadrum has a mane of shadows; his wings are covered in the same material. Because of the shadows his body is composed of, Skiadrum has a constant stream of shadows being emitted from his head, wings, spine and tail.

Personality
Skiadrum was kind enough to take in a young Rogue Cheney and raise the boy as if he was his own son, and taught the boy how to use his own variation of Dragon Slayer Magic. However, upon revealing that he used Magic to change Rogue's memories of his disappearance into ones of him being sick and dying, Skiadrum shows himself as more of a figure who is willing to do what is necessary. Though, on that same note, Skiadrum also did it to protect Rogue and give him the memory and results of what would've happened had he actually killed him, showing that even though he tampered with Rogue's memories and instilled a false sense of confidence and sorrow, Skiadrum loves the boy.

History
Many years ago, Skiadrum was among the Dragons who had his soul stolen by Acnologia's Dragon Slayer Magic, which left him in a half-dead state.

Not long after this, Skiadrum taught a young Rogue how to use the Magic that was to able to kill Dragons themselves: Dragon Slayer Magic, giving Rogue the characteristics of Skiadrum in the form of Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic. Skiadrum, after the fact, participated in a plan concocted between Igneel, Zeref and the Celestial Spirit Mage Anna Heartfilia, and hid himself in his foster child (like the other four Dragons) via the Dragon Soul Technique. This was done for two reasons, one of which was to create antibodies to stop Rogue from ever turning into a Dragon; and the other was to allow Skiadrum to give his tattered soul time to heal so that he could kill Acnologia. However, the Ethernano in the atmosphere was not dense enough to allow for the Dragons to heal properly, and as such, Skiadrum manipulated Rogue's memories beforehand (against Igneel's wishes) into thinking that he was ill and that Rogue had killed him, and then had Rogue sent through the Eclipse Gate to July 7, X777: a year when the Ethernano concentration was exceedingly high.

Tartaros arc
After all the Face bombs are activated, Skiadrum appears alongside the other Dragon Slayers' foster parents and destroys numerous Faces all by himself. With his objective complete, Skiadrum then sits in the wreckage of his work.

After Acnologia retreats, Skiadrum and other Dragons reunite with their foster children as well as appear before Fairy Tail and various others. When approached by his foster son about his death, Skiadrum reveals that he and Weisslogia manipulated their childrens' memories, but adds that Igneel was against them doing so. The Dragons then reveal that they are dead regardless, and that it is due to Acnologia's Dragon Slayer Magic taking all their souls and leaving them half-dead. The Dragons also reveal that they hid inside the Slayers' bodies to prevent Dragonification, wait to kill Acnologia, and also to prolong their fleeting lives, with Skiadrum adding that once they leave, they cannot return to their bodies, as well as that the power they used today was the first and last time they used the strength they did. The Dragon then ascend to the sky and claim that in accordance with the Magna Carta forged between their two races four hundred years ago, they will continue to watch over humanity as they carve out the future. Before disappearing, Skiadrum smiles at Rogue as he is thanked by his foster son.

Magic & Abilities
Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic (影の滅竜魔法 Kage no Metsuryū Mahō): Skiadrum can use his unique Magic to turn his body into shadows, which allows him to move at even greater speeds and with greater precision and power. Additionally, Skiadrum taught Rogue how to use his specialty Magic.

Memory Control (記憶操作 Kioku Sōsa): Skiadrum has the ability to manipulate the memories of humans at will, and did so to completely rewrite the events of his disappearance in Rogue's mind. However, it was noted that Igneel was completely against it using said Magic on his own child.

Dragon Soul Technique (魂竜の術 Konryū no Jutsu): Skiadrum uses this ability to conceal his soul and Magic Power inside the body of his foster son Rogue, which preserved his life force as well as provided antibodies for the Dragon Slayer to prevent the process of Dragonification. This ability was also used for Skiadrum to be able to travel four hundred years into the future.

Flight: Being a Dragon, Skiadrum possesses the ability to fly through the air using his wings.

Immense Strength: Merely by ramming into them with his body, Skiadrum was able to destroy numerous Face bombs all in one go. This strength, however, pales in comparison to Skiadrum's original strength before his soul was taken by Acnologia.

Events

 * Dragon King Festival
 * The 400 Year Plan

Trivia

 * "Skia", or "σκιά", is for shadow.