Creative Corner

[center][font=Georgia][color=104984][b][size=5]Day 58[/size][/b][/color][/font] [font=Georgia][size=4][b]62[/b] Lore[/size][/font] [b]Warnings:[/b] Semi-descriptive gore in the very first paragraph. [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] Spindle wasn't ready for the sight that awaited her. Rin hadn't been killed, she had been mauled to death. There was no other way of putting it - her body had been violently torn apart, and parts of it looked as if something had tried eating her. All that was left now was an almost unrecognisable mass of blood and feathers. Spindle couldn't comprehend it. How could a dragon as kind as Rin get a death as cruel as this? The Mirror had never felt this kind of despair before, and she didn't know how long she stood there staring blankly at the scene until Asher lead her away. "You have to focus," Asher said, his gaze scanning the immediate area. "Whatever did this could be anywhere. You've got to be ready." Oh, she was. Ready to give it back to them twice as bad, ready to hear them scream in misery she wouldn't put them out of for hours. Spindle was comforted only by her anger, and she let it dominate her feelings because otherwise she didn't think she could keep going. But strangely, after having seen it for herself, Spindle found her emotions slowly levelling out. It was as if she could only start accepting the reality now, and some of her reason was starting to return. Not enough to rid her of her fury, but enough to let her snap out of that tunnel vision she had up until now. As they started the search, Asher took to the sky while Spindle turned on her heat vision. Though she looked in every direction, there was nothing on her radar save for the hints of warmth her own footsteps left behind in the snow. She wasn't sure what else to look for. It occurred to her she hadn't even asked Moroz anything about her encounter with the killer. "Spindle, over here." Asher had landed and he was looking at something in the snow. The Mirror neared him and spotted another smatter of blood in the area. "This must be where Moroz fought them," Asher muttered darkly. Spindle frowned. "What are we looking for?" "A Guardian," Asher said, and met Spindle's eyes when she stared at him with a pause. "Yeah, I know." None of them could rival a Guardian dragon in size, save perhaps for Veritas, who was far from a fighter. Not for the first time, Spindle found herself missing Aleksei. This would be where they'd shine, she was certain. But Aleksei was gone and so was Rin. If they weren't careful, this could be the undoing of them all. After all, without Rin to heal them, what would they do if anybody else got attacked? No, Spindle couldn't let that happen. She and Asher [i]had[/i] to find this beast and fight it to the death if need be. It was the only choice. "Come on, let's look around." She and Asher investigated the area. Spindle knew enough about tracks to get a gist of what happened. It seemed Moroz was able to blast the Guardian away with her ice magic, and then decided to make a run for it with Bronte in her arms, though clearly at some point before that the Guardian got at least one bite on her. The Skydancer's tracks vanished a few feet away from the heart of the scene, so she must have taken flight. Then the Guardian..? "Wait. Spindle..." She quickly went over to Asher. "What? What did you find?" Asher didn't reply, but Spindle saw it for herself. Parts of something shiny were thrown all about, and Spindle recognised it as Bronte's pearl. It had been shattered to bits, completely beyond salvaging. Such an unnecessary act of violence, but before Spindle could get even angrier, Asher spoke again. "Look there." Next to the remains of the pearl were huge footprints in the snow, each three times the size of Spindle's own, and headed west. Right towards the hill. They looked at each other. "How? We would have known..." Spindle said, feeling a hint of fear. "I guess our guest knows how to stalk," Asher said with a grimace. "Come on!" [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img] [size=2]@Rebbawskaced @Drachenschwinge @SpiceCookie @catmeow1 @Everburn @windhound @Tirtouga678 @PaintedThree [/center]

[center][font=Georgia][color=104984][b][size=5]Day 59[/size][/b][/color][/font] [font=Georgia][size=4][b]149[/b] Breeding/New Hatchling[/size][/font] I rented out an Ice nest and put a certain someone on it... [i]Big[/i] spoilers for the upcoming lore, but for those simply too curious to resist, it's [spoiler]Selena and a certain someone who's yet to be officially introduced.[/spoiler] So, they are now exempt from Death Streak and Coliseum days. [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=51017664] [img]http://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/dressing-room/dragon?did=51017664&skin=0&apparel=13814,13838,13790,13846,20607,20564&xt=dressing.png[/img] [/url][/center] With Spindle and Asher gone, things seemed to have somehow fallen on Harper. He hadn't anticipated it and frankly didn't feel up for the task, but everyone seemed to gravitate towards him for leadership, maybe from his association with Spindle. And given that this was not the time to be whiny, he sucked it up and did his best. He had all the younger dragons rounded up in the house with Mara and Veritas inside. Him and Vannifer kept guard outside, him at the front and Vannifer at the back. Moroz had wanted to join them, but Harper insisted she should stay inside and rest. Everything was proceeding smoothly. Yeah, except it wasn't. "Aster, get back inside," Harper said in annoyance, much less forgiving than he'd usually be. "I'm old enough to join you! I'm not a hatchling any more," she insisted, her crest flaring up in frustration. "Asher taught us how to fight, but the Spirals are weak. I'm better out here with you keeping watch!" Harper shook his head. If anything happened to Aster because he had allowed her to be her stubborn self, he didn't think he'd ever forgive himself. "Please, just listen to me and stay in." At that moment, Mara popped out of the house. "Um, there's a problem." They both looked at her. Harper didn't want to ask, but he did anyway. "What's wrong?" "Selena is missing," Mara said, her big eyes rounded in worry. "Then we need to find her!" Aster declared, already looking around as if to decide which way she should run off to. "Not you," Harper said tiredly. But there weren't enough of them around to do it all. He couldn't leave Vannifer outside all on his own while he himself went off looking. He felt Aster's eyes boring into him, and finally he sighed. "Alright, look... Keep watch outside. Don't go anywhere, and if anything happens call for help right away. I'm trusting you to do this, alright?" "Yeah." Aster nodded and took up the position at the front of the house, diligently scanning the area with her gaze. Harper sighed again and turned back to Mara, who was still by the entrance. "Do you think Veritas would be willing to let Starling come out here and help?" "Um, I'll ask." The Spiral turned away, but paused. "Um... Harper..." "Yeah?" "I'm..." she trailed off for a moment, then shook her head and met his eyes. "Please find my daughter." Harper tried to put on a brave face for his best friend's sake. "I will," he promised, and despite his anxiety, he meant it. He knew exactly what it was like to lose a child, and he'd never want Mara to go through that. Mara smiled weakly, and then disappeared inside the house. After a few moments, the green Cockatrice emerged from the inside and walked up to him, looking determined as ever. "You coming with me?" Harper asked. Starling nodded and squawked. Harper nodded back. "Then let's go." [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img] [size=2]@Rebbawskaced @Drachenschwinge @SpiceCookie @catmeow1 @Everburn @windhound @Tirtouga678 @PaintedThree Lots of short, speedy updates these days, bc they're all I have the time to write atm. Hope that's alright! I'm sure things will calm down... eventually... [/center]

[center][font=Georgia][color=104984][b][size=5]Day 60[/size][/b][/color][/font] [font=Georgia][size=4][b]101[/b] New Dragon[/size][/font] I'll introduce the newcomer along with the [i]previous[/i] newcomer soon, I promise... [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] In all the mayhem, Iris had been swept up inside the house along with everyone else, but she just couldn't sit still. Everything that was happening was stressing her out, and her chest seized in pain from the stress. Her breathing came to her in rasps, and her whole body felt tight and uncomfortable. She was scared about it all - about what happened to Rin, and that her adoptive mother and uncle went out into danger, and that there was apparently a killer on the loose. That last part in particular made her anxiety flare up - not just for herself, but for a certain someone, as well. Iris had gone to visit Jemire a few more times since their first meeting. Although she felt a bit bad about not telling the others (especially Minle, whom she'd usually trust with anything), Jemire insisted on his privacy, and besides he wasn't doing anything bad, so it was okay, right? He just... cooked. Well, that's what it looked like to Iris. He called it potion-making. But he'd been getting her to help out lately, bring in interesting flowers and plants he might use in his potions, and Iris started to love being involved like that. Being useful just to one other dragon made her realise how desperate she was to be [i]doing[/i] something. Though her fragile body kept her from most other activities, this was one thing she could help out with, and it felt great. Except, if there was some crazy killer dragon nearby, and Jemire was all on his own, and he didn't even [i]know[/i] about the danger... Iris' chest flared up with pain again at the thought. She felt a little ill, but she knew she couldn't just sit by and not do anything. She'd had enough of that for all her life. That was why, as soon as Aster had barged out to argue with Harper, Iris used the opportunity to sneak away. The Nocturne was small, so she was able to dash past them when they were busy arguing, and her crystallised coat blended surprisingly well against the icy landscape. Of course, she was aware of the danger the entire trip to that little entrance in the hill, dragging her numb limbs forward at a much slower pace than anybody else would have done. But ten minutes later, she made it there unscathed, and she breathed a much-needed sigh of relief as she went inside the ice cave. The familiar twinkle and buzz of the fireflies greeted her instantly, and Iris grinned. "Jemire!" she called out as she ran (or walked fast by her standards, to be more accurate) into the open chamber. The Spiral was there as always, whole and healthy. Curled by that warm pot, he turned his dark eyes towards her and tilted his head. "You sound nervous. What happened?" It was very much like him to read her like so. Iris quickly spluttered out the story, and Jemire frowned. "A killer...?" He slowly got to his feet. "If that's true, you really shouldn't have come here." Iris winced. "Well, yeah, I know, but... I wanted to warn you!" Jemire waved his hand. "I'm fine. I'm safe here, and I've my friends to protect me." "Oh..." Iris looked down at her feet, downcast. Jemire cleared his throat. "Well, thank you for coming anyway. Suppose you might as well stay. Safer that way." Iris smiled and nodded, walking up closer to curl besides the pot. The warmth emanating from it was such a comfort. She'd come to love taking naps next to it whenever she visited. Jemire fetched his cane and started to stir the pot. Iris watched the motions, letting them lull her to a sense of safety. "What are you making?" she whispered. "A potion." The typical response, and Iris just rolled her eyes, without any real annoyance. Things continued that way for a while, with Jemire making something and Iris watching him with half-lidded eyes, sometimes almost dozing off, just to catch herself and shake herself awake once more. It was rather peaceful, and Iris would have loved for things to stay that way. But then the Spiral's head snapped towards the entrance. Iris hadn't noticed anything, but she bolted up with a gasp at the suddenness of it. "What? What is it?" she asked, her heart hammering all over again. Jemire narrowed his eyes. "A guest..." he murmured as his fireflies collectively left his side and surged towards the entrance like a blue cloud of menace. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img] [size=2]@Rebbawskaced @Drachenschwinge @SpiceCookie @catmeow1 @Everburn @windhound @Tirtouga678 @PaintedThree [/center]

A nest AND two new dragons. It's getting crowded xD That is, if not all of the hatchlings die.
Although I get the feeling someone else beside Rin will die :/

@Drachenschwinge i know! but i feel like it's pointless to ALWAYS skip a new dragon if i keep rolling for it, so... D:

and yeah, i'm definitely extending this whole "killer" dragon scenario for a reason... :x

[center][font=Georgia][color=104984][b][size=5]Day 61[/size][/b][/color][/font] [font=Georgia][size=4][b]67[/b] Lore[/size][/font] [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=51955426] [img]http://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/dressing-room/dragon?did=51955426&skin=0&apparel=12898,13785,17890,17917&xt=dressing.png[/img] [/url][/center] Aster felt much better outside, for multiple reasons. She didn't like to argue with her parents now, and tended to avoid them most of the time. Actually, she avoided almost everyone these days, and that was why the house felt much too full, too stifled with nervous dragons whose anxiety only annoyed her. She simply couldn't stay cooped up like that, not since she was a hatchling, and it seemed like this was something about her she could never change. Arguing with her father had been unfortunate, but she was glad it was over quickly. Now her biggest worry was what would happen to him, or her mother. Both her parents were out there doing stuff while everyone else hid away - a part of Aster was bitter about this, even though she understood why. It was all the more reason for why she wanted to be out here - if she could lift just a bit of their weight, it'd be better than nothing. From her vantage point, the Mirror couldn't really see Vannifer, but she trusted he was on the other side of the house keeping watch too. She'd never seen the Wildclaw fight, but supposedly he was strong, so she hoped if anything happened the two of them could put up a fight together. Although, he [i]was[/i] being mighty quiet... Before she could wonder too much about it, the door of the house burst open again. Aster's attention snapped towards it. It was Mara again, looking terrified. "Aster!" she cried out. "Oh, sweet Windsinger...!" Aster was frowning. "What? What's going on?" "Iris has gone missing too," Mara said with a crestfallen expression. "I was sure I saw her a little while ago, but now she's nowhere to be found!" "What? Damn it!" Aster swore, frustrated. As if not enough of them were separated! What could have happened to that sickly adoptive sister of hers?! Had she run off on her own, or...? Mara was looking at her. "What should we do?" she asked, and Aster realised the decision was up to her to make. She hesitated. This was no joke. What she'd say next might very well decide their fate. Unusual anxiety swept over the Mirror for a moment. Before she could say one way or another however, they both heard Vannifer's voice cry out from the other side: "Selena!" Aster and Mara exchanged a shocked look, and then rushed towards the back of the house just as Selena narrowly avoided crashing into Vannifer, who managed to dodge out of the way of her erratic landing. Aster was about to scold her, until she saw the Spiral's fear-stricken face. She didn't even get to ask, because Selena screamed: "Y-your father! Please, [i]hurry[/i]!" [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img] [size=2]@Rebbawskaced @Drachenschwinge @SpiceCookie @catmeow1 @Everburn @windhound @Tirtouga678 @PaintedThree [/center]

[center][font=Georgia][color=104984][b][size=5]Day 62[/size][/b][/color][/font] [font=Georgia][size=4][b]67[/b] Lore[/size][/font] A double roll! 0: Also, I found another Ice egg while scavenging yesterday. Throwing that into the hoard for now along with that Wind egg we found earlier, and an Arcane egg I managed to find during Starfall. Mayhaps when a good time comes... [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img][/center] There was a scream. When she heard it, Iris screamed too, leaping away and almost stumbling into the boiling pot behind her. Jemire had reached out his cane and stopped her just in time, his eyes never leaving the entrance. A shape tumbled into the cave, blue insects buzzing around it so thickly it was impossible to make anything out. But the shape was of a similar size to them, and its whimpers sounded scared and very much unlike a potential killer. Upon realising it, Iris gasped. "Wait!" she said, but Jemire had already noticed, too. Some of the fireflies split off, leaving the shape and returning to his side. Now Iris could make out that it was a grey hatchling, though not of a kind she'd ever seen before. [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=55677344] [img]http://www1.flightrising.com/dgen/preview/dragon?age=0&body=98&bodygene=1&breed=5&element=7&eyetype=0&gender=0&tert=129&tertgene=5&winggene=3&wings=5&auth=64009afcd2ae3edf79bb7346945ce2e7ef7d1712&dummyext=prev.png[/img] [/url][/center] The hatchling got up, but his eyes were still tightly shut as the remnants of the insects stuck close by his side. "Ugh! Leave me alone!" he cried out, then seemed to have regretted opening his mouth. "Who are you?" Jemire questioned, and the hatchling made an annoyed sound. "I'm just-- Gah! Get your-- flies-- away from me!" Jemire frowned."[i]Fire[/i]flies," he corrected, finally recalling the rest of them back as well. The hatchling breathed a loud sigh of relief, shaking himself off before looking around. As he took in his surroundings, his eyes soon landed on the two of them. "Uh... You guys live here?" "Yes," Jemire said before Iris could explain the details of the situation. "Why have you decided to intrude on us?" "Well I didn't know!" The hatchling huffed. "I was just trying to get away! There's like, some huge dragon out there, and he chased me! I think for sure he wanted to kill me!" Iris didn't like the sound of that. "But you got away, right?" she asked quietly. The hatchling made a face and looked over his shoulder back at the entrance. "Uh, kinda..?" "[i]Kinda?[/i]" Jemire demanded, taking an angry step forward as his fireflies buzzed louder. But just then there was a loud sound outside, and then the whole cave shook violently. Iris screamed and the grey hatchling cried out, both of them jumping away from the entrance and dividing further into the cave. Jemire winced, but held his ground, staring at the hint of light pouring in from the outside. "Jemire!" Iris called out as some of his insects surged towards the entrance again. Another [i]thud[/i], and the gap of light disappeared as something blocked it from the outside. Jemire backed up, until the three of them were huddled together, Iris and the boy shrinking against the wall with Jemire in front of them. "Wh-what's happening?" Iris cried. She didn't like this, not at all! [i]THUD![/i] Jemire scowled. "A guest... Again," he murmured. [i]THUD! THUD! CRACK![/i] Light poured inside the cave as bricks of ice were forced apart to the sounds of a rabid snarl, the screams of hatchlings and the furiously loud buzz of insects. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img] [size=2]@Rebbawskaced @Drachenschwinge @SpiceCookie @catmeow1 @Everburn @windhound @Tirtouga678 @PaintedThree [/center]

Oh, your first Ridgie! And he looks nice, too.

[center][font=Georgia][color=104984][b][size=5]Day 63[/size][/b][/color][/font] [font=Georgia][size=4][b]80[/b] Art[/size][/font] A very quick coloured sketch of Bronte for today! [center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/572825591825301530/629981832859090954/brpnte.png[/img][/center] [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img] [size=2]@Rebbawskaced @Drachenschwinge @SpiceCookie @catmeow1 @Everburn @windhound @Tirtouga678 @PaintedThree [/center]

[center][font=Georgia][color=104984][b][size=5]Day 64[/size][/b][/color][/font] [font=Georgia][size=4][b]90[/b] Art[/size][/font] Just one more update before the scenario will finally be wrapped up! [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img] [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/572825591825301530/632901451424727040/hatchies33s.png[/img][/center] All Iris saw in the split second that followed the thundering crack of the ice falling apart was a huge jaw full of teeth as big as her, and then she shut her eyes tight. That strategy only worked for a few seconds, and then she felt the boy next to her yelp and push her. Her eyes flew open and she followed the movement, running as fast as she could along the wall with the boy at her feet. Soon there was another loud crash and ice dust rained on them from above. Iris glanced over her shoulder and saw a huge tail had caved the wall where they had just been. Then her eyes followed the shape of the rest of the dragon, and she squeaked. [center][url=http://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/22780060][img]http://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/227801/22780060_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] He was like a titan compared to the three hatchlings, slobber and blood pooling around his maw. Jemire's fireflies were swarming around the dragon's eyes, blocking his sight but also making him even more angry as he blindly destroyed whatever he could reach. Jemire himself had slinked off towards his pot, which had somehow miraculously been avoided in the attacker's crashing entrance. His dark eyes were watching everything with a determined frown, and Iris felt something stir within her at the sight. "We-- we need to do something!" she said, her scratchy voice shaky. "Huh?!" The grey hatchling looked at her with bulging eyes. "Do what?! We gotta get out of here!" "No! I'm not leaving him!" Iris insisted, trying desperately to think of something she could do. The boy shook his head. "You're crazy! I'm going!" And with that he pushed past her and scrambled away towards the gaping opening on the other side of the cave. Iris grit her teeth and dashed towards Jemire. As the dragon crashed into the wall again and viciously swung his head to clear his sight, the Nocturne reached the Spiral's side and almost got her head whacked by his cane. She barely avoided it with a surprised whimper, and Jemire clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Iris?! What are you doing?" he questioned, sounding like he was barely repressing his panic. "You must go!" "No! I'll help you!" Though she said that, her whole form was quivering as she looked at the sight of the raging dragon right next to them. Jemire hesitated for a second, but finally gave in. "Fine! Look, we need him to crash the pot! I'll recall the fireflies, and we need to lure him to do it, you got that?" Iris had no idea why they had to do such a thing, but she nodded vehemently, standing next to Jemire in front of the pot. "And listen, do [i]not[/i] let the potion inside touch you anywhere!" Jemire said, then looked back up at the dragon. "I'll recall my friends... Now!" Iris tensed and got ready. The moment the fireflies cleared out of the dragon's sight, he blinked furiously, then snarled and lunged towards them with his jaws wide open. Jemire and Iris waited until the last moment, and then leapt into the air, Jemire flying to the right and Iris to the left. But Iris could hardly endure flying for long, and soon enough she rolled back to the ground nearby. As she scrambled to her feet, she heard the dragon let out a pained scream. Their plan had worked. He had landed face-first into the pot, shattering it from the impact, and the green liquid inside splattered all over his face. Iris watched in shock as hot steam leaked out of his scales and a sizzling sound hissed through the air along with his howls. Then Jemire was by her side and he was leading her away. "Come on!" She stumbled after him towards the exit, her heart pounding. "What was that?" "Acid." They managed to get outside, and stopped for a second to catch their breath, but soon they heard the sound of footsteps thundering after them. Iris whined desperately. "He's still coming!" "We need to run! Quickly!" Jemire held her hand and tried to tug her along as he flew low to the ground, but Iris was exhausted and her sickly body was giving out. She tripped over her own feet, her lungs burning painfully. "Jemire... I'm sorry," she panted out, feeling guilty that she was slowing him down. "Please... Go..." "No!" Jemire didn't get to say more, because then the dragon had clawed his way out after them. Half of his face had melted away, his teeth poking through the gaps in his scales and one of his eyes completely gone. But still he went after them, intent on taking revenge and devouring them whole. Iris and Jemire braced themselves helplessly, but before the dragon's jaw could snap shut around them, something collided with his face, knocking him sideways. Iris recognised the bright purple shape instantly. "Dad!" she cried out in relief, watching as Harper clawed and bit into the dragon's face. Yet her relief was short-lived, for it was soon clear the massive dragon was much stronger than the Nocturne, and he raked his claws against Harper's flank, flinging him off angrily. Harper's body slammed into the icy ground, and then the dragon was after him, and Iris was panicking again. "Jemire!" she called out, hoping he could think of something to do when her own mind was numb with fear. Distantly, she thought she heard a scream from somewhere, but she didn't have the time to ponder as she stood there and watched the dragon's teeth sink into her adoptive father's scales. [center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e2ef31cd285982310ff93e3d1f5c0ec9/tumblr_inline_o23j4ayWtt1r3lvtf_500.png[/img] [size=2]@Rebbawskaced @Drachenschwinge @SpiceCookie @catmeow1 @Everburn @windhound @Tirtouga678 @PaintedThree Normally I make the NPCs have small portraits, but it felt appropriate to show off the Guardian fully to mimic the hatchling's terror of his size compared to them! For anyone wondering, the Guardian is around 15m, Iris and Jemire are both around 1.5m, and the Ridgie is around 2m. [/center]