~The Gatekeeper~
You climb the steep rock face, breathing hard and fast, the exertion taking its toll on your body. Your camera rattles around in its case, slung over one of your shoulders. Small embers swirl and twirl past you ceaselessly in an everlasting dance of fire and the thick smoke clouds your vision, but a smile tugs at your lips anyway. You're almost there. Your hands are burning from numerous cuts and grazes you received from the rough rock but you don't notice the ache anymore. You've come too far to stop now....finally you see it. The ridge, the tell-tale reddish glow and the intensifying heat which signifies that you've reached the top, the crater of the volcano.
You stand at the top, bent over and gasping for air, struggling to breathe in the thick smoky air. Your throoat burns and your eyes water. But, feverish with excitement you grasp at your camera and start to take photographs of the beautiful lava flows and small but beautiful lava plumes. An hour later you sit down on a protruding rock and can't help but beam. The photos are going to be fantastic when you develop them! Prize winning for sure. Standing up, you creep over to the edge for one last look at the shifting lava but with the intense heat making it painful to stay too close to the edge. The shifting lava evokes memories of a tale of a lost city of ancients beings, a great civilisation that made its home high in the volcanic regions. They were prosperous and well known for millenia, and then nothing. They had not been seen nor heard of for centuries.
Suddenly the world around you roars and the earth shudders beneath your feet. Cracks race through the ground and in a split second you are falling, falling to your searing instant death.
You close your eyes waiting, time seems to slow down to eternity. A ferocious voice bellows within your mind crying of rage, pain, burning. A shriek echoes and powerful large talons dig roughly into your shoulders. You shriek from the pain but you're also no longer falling but being lifted up, battered by powerful gusts of wind. Your eyes are clenched tight, the pressure on your arms lessen and abruptly you're falling again, but only for a few seconds before you hit ground with a solid thump and a cloud of dust. Gasping you sit up painfully and look around for your rescuer. Glancing at your gouged bleeding arms you decide that he also has no tact. A hulking shadow paces back and forth nearby, his form obscured. But he's big. Really big. Looking around, you find yourself on a wide precipice, one side overlooking the volcano crater, the other leading into a small cave. A snarl and the creature leaps forward and stops before you, hunched over with bright fiery eyes, the eyes of a predator. Despite his demeanor, he truly is a magnificent eyrie with scarlet body plumage, and black wings and tail feathers, accented by gold patterning. The golden crest upon his head is arched forward in anger, but despite his ferocious appearance, you can no longer feel or hear his emotions or thoughts as you did when you were falling. He steps forward scowling and the voice pierces through your thoughts again. "I slipped up the first time you heard me." This time however, you can detect no emotion whatsoever. It is cool, calm and crisp. You feel like somehow he is probing or searching your mind. Uncomfortable, you turn away and break contact.
The eyrie steps forward again and this time, to your immense surprise, speaks out loud in a deceivingly beautiful deep baritone voice "Why are you here you foolish human? You are trespassing upon my domain. In fact I probably should have let you fall to your death, but for some reason..." He pauses and scowls again before snapping "Never mind!" A wave of anger hits you, making you feel faint and nauseous. You grasp your forehead, fighting to stay conscious, but its too much and a wave of blackness overtakes you.
You wake up within the cave, a small fiery creature gazing at you with large solemn eyes. Sitting up, you pet the little Valeous who croons and rubs against your leg like a giant mockery of a cat. He flits over to the edge of the precipice and you follow. Looking down into the sea of lava, you see to your immense shock, the eyrie is swimming in the lava, and diving in quite happily and without any apparent harm, fishing out what appears to be fire salamanders before swallowing them.
You sit down hard on a rock, amazed and taken aback. The creature is capable of withstanding incredible heat! The Valeous settles down near you. "You know, he wasn't always like this. Ikaris has been through a lot. He just doesn't like surprises....or trespassers" Looking around, to your immense shock you see the Valeous grinning impishly up at you before remarking again "I am Aiydan, 'little fire'. Would you like to know more about Ikaris? I can tell you about his past if you so wish to hear it, and perhaps it will encourage you not to come poking around here again." Intrigued, you nod. It would be interesting to hear about this mysterious creature.
A shadow swooped over them and Ikaris landed in a cloud of dust before them. "That won't be necessary Aiydan! The human has no right to know anything!" He snarled. The Valeous merely turned his head to the side and stared intently at the eyrie. "But I believe they should know. At least they can spread the word not to venture up here." Ikaris glowered before relenting and sat heavily on his haunches. "Fine. I'll try to keep it as brief as possible human.
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(Okay, this is pretty dodgily written, so bear with me xDD Its only supposed to be a draft/brief summary)
I am the Gatekeeper. But it was not always so. I am from a long extinct race of eyries called the Seraphane, the fiery ones. We were a great and prolific race, thriving in volcanic regions such as this. Our power was mighty to behold and we were arrogant as a result. We built a great city in these very mountains and we controlled the surrounding skies. But we were also the guardians of a terrible secret. We were the Gatekeepers, controllers of an almighty and malevolent demon who if unleashed would destroy everything within his reach. The Gate withing which this deity was contained, was an almighty structure, located underground within a cavern, spanning a height of almost 60 meters and was sealed by the most potent magicks possible, weaved by our greatest spellcasters. But there was one artefact which was vastly powerful and was the key to controlling and keeping the gate sealed. It was said to have been given to us by the higher powers themselves, but of course no one knew the true origins. For many millennia we had guarded this ancient secret and were ruled by a wise leader. King if you will. But yet, few of our clan knew of the secret we guarded. It was kept within the king's closest circles. The amulet itself was kept within a sacred temple, guarded by the Gatekeeper.
It all started four centuries ago. The current king was Lord Khalar, and his heir was Rikash, my best friend. We had grown up together, but as of late we had grown apart. Our society chose the roles for our young ones depending on what they were best suited at and I was being trained to be the next Gatekeeper to take over after my father withdrew, and Rikash was to take over the throne. Up till then, we had been living in the golden age of our society. But Rikash grew greedy, seeking power, knowledge and wealth. He had only recently discovered the secret of the gate and the monster within, Rior. Unbeknownst to anyone, he nurtured a misguided notion that by freeing Rior, he would control it and become vastly powerful. A true ruler of the world.
Then, that fateful night, the unthinkable happened. Rikash snuck out to the temple. I was soaring round the city on night watch as part of my training and was half asleep when I saw him slinking around the streets. Gut feeling told me something was wrong especially after hearing the conversation he had with his new cronies earlier that week, but I waived off any doubts and told myself he was probably having some harmless fun away from the pressures of being heir. But as I circled over the city, I had second thoughts.
If only I had acted sooner.
Upon entering the temple, I found that the amulet was gone from its pedestal. I felt like the ground was giving way beneath me. I was one of the few that knew the true implications of Rior being released. I raced through the temple, to the gate that lead to the enormous caverns below. The door was open. I sprinted down the stairs through the darkness, praying I was not too late. As I reached the base of the stairs, I saw the gargantuan gates grinding open slowly before a diminutive figure. A massive being of solid smoke and racing fire stepped forward. I could feel the burning rage and ancient malevolence emanating from it. Rikash stood at its feet proclaiming instructions. But It was...pure evil. The deity took no notice of the figure at its feet shouting orders.... What obligation did it have? It was free to unleash its power upon the world. I barrelled into the fool Rikash knocking him over and grasping for the amulet. But still it was too late. The monster gave a bellowing roar of a laugh and raised his arms, spoke one terrible word and there was a flash of blinding light. We were both knocked unconscious. I awoke only a few minutes later, but the world was silent. I had no idea what Rior had done, but he had to be sealed again. Using the last of my strength, I recounted my training and created the necessary pentacles and weaved the spell. Another flash of light and thick black smoke poured back into the room, a maelstrom of darkness choking me for a few moments before being sucked back into the door. The doors seemed to heave a sigh and creaked shut, the monster sealed once again.
I was alive, as was Rikash. The amulet had protected us. But yet, my heart was heavy, not knowing what I would find in the world above. I traversed the stairs and through the empty temple. Standing on the front stairs, I gazed upon the city. The silence was absolute. A city of death, but yet, it wasn't. Before me stood statues of the populace frozen in rock. Echoes of the living, unmoving and stationary. Walking through the desolate streets, the silence was crushing. An entire civilisation just wiped out because of the greed of one foolish creature. When I returned to the gate, Rikash was gone. I have not seen him since.
Since that day, I have lived here, the Gatekeeper. The city remains unchanged, but I shall not tell you its location. It is nearby though. I still hope that one day the great clan of the Seraphane shall live again, revived by a great magick. Until then, the city slumbers in darkness, waiting for that day. And beneath it, the gate remains closed. Closed for ever more as I am its eternal guardian and nothing shall sway me to unleash the terror that lurks within.
Ikaris pauses and grimaces. "Are you satisfied Aiydan? The human knows of the woeful fate of my race and the evil that lurks beneath. Is there anything else?" The Valeous grins and shrugs. "I think you've pretty much covered it. Human, use your head. You know what to do with this tale right? Tell others not to venture here..or.." He glances at Ikaris "The big scary red monster will get 'em." Ikaris snarls and turns to you. "Well human, had enough yet? Are you ready to go back?" You nod dumbly and climb gingerly onto his back. The great beast launches into the air and flies you to a lower part of the volcano, where you can make your way safely back to the nearby village. Before he takes off though, he gives you a heart-warming parting message "Return again and I'll push you into the lava myself!" before disappearing into the thick black smoke, leaving you to ponder his tale and the fate of his people. You decide that his case merits some research as a solution to the fate of his people may yet emerge.
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Name: Ikaris
Gender: Male
Parents: Liana and Fintan
Human: arqueta
Personality: Short tempered, Cynical, Mean
Love: *snort*
Hatchlings: Not in this lifetime..
Age: Immortal
Level: 2
Strength: 18
Agility:9
Defence: 9
HP: 31
Intelligence:12
BattleDome Score: 0
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There are a number of creatures that reside in this area. Some are benign, but others can be downright vicious.
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Sklyde
These interesting skeletal creatures are quite fascinating, but are capable of being quite nasty. Generally they are even-tempered, until they scent food. These scavengers will become frenzied and vicious when they find food, so be wary. They like to move in packs, but it is not unusual to find lone sklydes.
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Vaeolus
Vaeolus are one of the gentler inhabitants of these region. They are quite common in Altador, but they love the high temperatures near the volcano. Generally quite mild, Vaeolus are very intelligent and possess many unique capabilities. They have very keen eyesight and hearing and are superb hunters. However, avoid nesting Vaeolus, they can be quite temperamental when guarding their young.
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Minitheus
These creatures are relatively rare in this region, but they do appear, particularly the fire variety. Minitheus are loyal and noble creatures with a strong affinity for magic. Due to their nature, they rarely pose a threat to humans, but yet are still feared for their capabilities. They prefer to live in solitude.
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Fire Alabriss
Only the fire Alabriss resides in this region, the high temperatures being too much for the ordinary variety. These creatures are very small but incredibly fast. Don't let their appearance deceive you! If they feel threatened they will fight formidably. They enjoy feeding on the fire-grass that grows around the volcano as it makes their firey manes and tails glow brighter and stronger. Having said that, they are rather vain too.
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Hydruplit
This three headed serpent has adapted quite well to living in this region. They feed on insects such as lightmites. They tend to be solitary creatures and can be rather ferocious if threatened. They have quills along their back that secrete a dangerous poison as a defence mechanism, but they only use this as a last resort. They prefer to intimidate their foe into backing off by rearing on their back legs and hissing.
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Moltenore
Moltenores are rather curious creatures. Their bodies can withstand temperatures of thousands degrees and be unharmed. As a result, it is not an uncommon sight to see these fire lizards playing in the lava and relishing the heat. They are actually cold to the touch because they are masters of containing their fierce heat within their body. They thrive on lightmite and fire fish which they catch in the lava. Generally, they are very friendly towards strangers.
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You know the adoptable rules:
1) Do not use in the BC (It's against the BC rules to enter other people's art and it will most likely end up with you being frozen)
2) Do not claim them as your own or remove my name
3) I don't mind if you upload your adoptable on to your own server, just make sure it still links back to this page
4) Do not alter them in any way
5) Do not take anyone else's custom!
Red 
Yellow 
Blue 
Green 
Brown 
Orange 
Pink 
Purple 
White 
Shadow 
Silver 
Christmas 
Split 
Glowing 
Spotted 
Starry 
Cloud 
Electric 
Striped 
Baby 
Fire 
Tyrannian 
Grey 
Darigan 
Island 
Maraquan Customs
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Why? Because you can :3
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People who have bugged me since 12th April, 2007...
Music by ZREO ^_^
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