History NightmareFuel / ShadowsOverMeridian

* Vera is so far gone that she decides to assassinate Jade, ignoring the fact (pointed out by several other people) that for all she knows, doing so could start a war with the Shadow Realm that Meridian couldn't possibly win.
** When she finds out that Maya is a shapeshifter, she tries to kill her... and then tries to kill ''Caroline'' when she interferes to save Maya and force Vera to stop her rampage, showing beyond any shadow of doubt that she no longer cares in any way for her former friends.

* Phobos and Raythor deduce that the reason Kur has sealed off the city of Everdeen is so that he can control rationing of food in such a way as to starve the local nonhumans until they lash out, in order to give him an excuse to purge them.

* Jade's threat of having the Leech Khan take Vera's shadow (which she describes as [[YourSoulIsMine stealing her soul]]) is actually enough to get through Vera's self-righteous madness and leave her scared of her fate.

* Metalbeak tells Jade that [[HarmfulToMinors he was a hatchling when the Mogriffs were forced out of their nest decades ago]]. He has flashbacks of that day when he witnessed the man known as the "[[TheButcher Nest Butcher]]" killing with glee any Mogriffs he encountered, [[WouldHurtAChild including hatchlings and eggs]]. Jade is so horrified by the man's actions that she considers it justice that Metalbeak eventually killed him.
** That same man also happened to be the beloved grandfather of Vera Bexley who remembers him as a retired soldier, and whom she's been [[YouKilledMyFather obsessed to avenge]] after seeing his mutilated remains as a child.

** The beast itself is described to be a giant lizard with white fur and a beak-like snout filled with fangs. The

Mogriffs call it the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast White Death]].
* The tunnels of the AbandonedMine in the Stone Nest are filled with highly inflammable "cave dust" (which is real-life coal dust). Vera considers using it to burn the entire Mogriff nest until Amelia warns it could risk bringing the entire mountain down on them as well. Though Vera decides to reserve that idea as her last resort, she does weaponize the dust against Tyrian and Jade, [[EyeScream wounding the former in the eyes]] and bringing a tunnel down on the latter.

** Jade reinforcing Phobos' regular soldiers with Shadowkhan weapons

* Tyrian starts out as comic relief, but turns out to be an AxCrazy member of a cult that worships [[TheAntichrist a goddess foretold to rise from the Shadow Realm and cover all worlds in darkness]]. As he's convinced that Jade is that goddess, he's begun to fanatically serve her, much to [[StopWorshippingMe her discomfort]], and threatening his own allies for not sharing his beliefs. And despite being a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}, he's extremely skilled with knives and won't be deferred when

dangerously skilled with knives

* WarIsHell is in general effect here. Already in the first few chapters, many guards and rebels are killed in [[AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs the surprise attack of the Shadowkhan against Elyon's castle]]. Just after this first conflict alone, the Shadowkhan quickly become more feared on Meridian than Phobos and his underlings.
* Caleb's obsession to purge Meridian of Phobos' influence has all but turned him into a KnightTemplar. He's become so distrustful of the Guard that during the first fight against the Shadowkhan, he willingly abandons Captain Granik to face the enemy alone and even wishes the guards will be finished off by the Shadowkhan. He's so filled with IrrationalHatred towards Jade that [[IRejectYourReality he can't be convinced that "the Mage" lied about her being Phobos' monster]] and even looks forward to killing her against Elyon and the Guardians' wishes of making peace with her.

* Tyrian starts out as comic relief, but turns out to be a member of a cult that worships [[TheAntichrist a goddess foretold to rise from the Shadow Realm and cover all worlds in darkness]]. As he's convinced that Jade is that goddess, he's begun to fanatically serve her, much to [[StopWorshippingMe her discomfort]], and threatening his own allies for not sharing his beliefs.

* Vera's team gets on their trail a Frostbiter, the fierce apex predator of the northern mountains powerful enough to beat a squad of armored soldiers. Drawn by the scent of Caroline's bleeding hand, [[SuperPersistentPredator it chases them all the way out of its territory]] into a maze of rocks where the boulders can only slow it down.

* The fact that Vera is [[RevengeBeforeReason so obsessed with revenge on Metalbeak]] that she's willing to lie to her closest friends and lead them on what's essentially a suicide mission in order to achieve it. The nearer she gets to the Mogriffs' nest, her SanitySlippage becomes more and more clear even to her closest supporters Tinsley and Alan. She ultimately abandons her wounded and exhausted friends for being [[KnowWhenToFoldEm ready to surrender]] and runs off to get her revenge without caring if it'll cost her her life. She's also willing to kill any hatchlings and eggs coming her way, which horrifies Tinsley and [[EveryoneHasStandards is considered an overstep even by Amelia]].

* The tunnels of the AbandonedMine in the Stone Nest are filled with highly inflammable "cave dust" (which is real-life coal dust). Vera considers using it to burn the entire Mogriff nest until Amelia warns it could risk bringing the entire mountain down on them as well.

* Metalbeak tells Jade that [[HarmfulToMinors he was a hatchling when the Mogriffs were forced out of the Stone Nest decades ago]]. He has flashbacks of that day when he witnessed the man known as the "[[TheButcher Nest Butcher]]" killing with glee any Mogriffs he encountered, [[WouldHurtAChild including hatchlings and eggs]]. Jade is so horrified of the man's actions that she considers it justice that Metalbeak eventually killed him.

* The fact that Vera is [[RevengeBeforeReason so obsessed with revenge on Metalbeak]] that she's willing to lie to her closest friends and lead them on what's essentially a suicide mission in order to achieve it. The nearer she gets to the Mogriffs' nest, her SanitySlippage becomes more and more clear even to her closest supporters Tinsley and Alan. She ultimately abandons her wounded and exhausted friends for being [[KnowWhenToFoldEm ready to surrender]] and runs off to get her revenge without caring if it'll cost her her life. She's also willing to kill any hatchlings and eggs coming her way, which horrifies Tinsley and is considered an overstep even by Amelia.

* The fact that Vera is [[RevengeBeforeReason so obsessed with revenge on Metalbeak]] that she's willing to lie to her closest friends and lead them on what's essentially a suicide mission in order to achieve it. The nearer she gets to the Mogriffs' nest, her SanitySlippage becomes more and more clear even to her closest supporters Tinsley and Alan. She's also willing to kill any hatchlings and eggs coming her way, which horrifies Tinsley and is considered an overstep even by Amelia.

* The fact that Vera is [[RevengeBeforeReason so obsessed with revenge on Metalbeak]] that she's willing to lie to her closest friends and lead them on what's essentially a suicide mission in order to achieve it.

* Caleb's obsession to purge Meridian of Phobos' influence has all but turned him into a KnightTemplar. He's become so distrustful of the Guard that during the first fight against the Shadowkhan, he willingly abandons Captain Granik to face the enemy alone and even wishes the guards will be finished off by the Shadowkhan. He's so filled with IrrationalHatred towards Jade that he can't be convinced that "the Mage" lied about her being Phobos' monster and even looks forward to killing her.