Paladin (#28478448)

Requirements

Breed: Guardian, Snapper or Bogsneak
Eyes: Earth or Fire

Primary Gene: Giraffe
Secondary Gene: Hex
Tertiary Gene: Gembond

Primary Colors: Oilslick
Secondary Colors: Oilslick
Tertiary Colors: Oilslick

Lore
Basalt hides were born from deep within the earth, where rocks are so hot they are liquid.. where fire and earth collide and intertwine. When balance is lost, when fire gives too much and earth can't take anymore.. magma breaks through the planet's crust in an awe inspiring display of force, and Basalt hides walk the Earth.

These dragons have literal fire at their core! Magma flows within and hardens where it's exposed to the air. When they are wounded, some lava may flow out until that hardens too. The scarring left behind remains, until time and the elements soften the edges of the pointed rock. As these dragons age, their core slowly cools, causing their skin to thicken and making movement more difficult. Their movements are best described as lumbering. Eventually, their core becomes dormant and they will stop moving at all.

Basalt hides love to eat spicy food. They believe it keeps their core nice and hot and their skin from getting too thick. They do NOT like water in any form, or getting too cold.. unless they are injured and need their wounds to scar up quickly. Remaining in cold temperatures or water too long can cause complete dormancy, so it is something to take very seriously.

Growth is a bit of an interesting process. It can be painful, depending on how thick their hide is at the time and it causes some vulnerability until the new skin hardens. The dragon will find a quiet area near water, a small pool in a cave is excellent for this purpose. Then the dragon will focus all its energy, psyching themself up until they can feel their insides getting hotter. With a loud roar they will clench up, grit their teeth and raise their back, flexing all their muscles, physically forcing their skin to crack around the basalt plates. Then he or she will enter their source of water to quickly set the new growth. Younger dragons will do this process multiple times a year, older dragons may only do it once a year or once every two years. Eventually their hide is too thick to crack, and growth will stop.