Teostra

The **Teostra** is a large Stoker Class dragon that lives in deserts or volcanic regions.

## Official Description

A brutal dragon wreathed in flame, the Teostra wields blistering fire attacks. Born of a fierce and deadly nature, these dragons are easily angered and any who stand against them face their unyielding molten judgement. Teostras are the natural counterparts of the Lunastra, and if both partner up and combine their firepower, they can create a beautiful but deadly supernova of flames and destruction.

## Physical Appearance

### Egg

The egg of a Teostra is a smooth black, hot to the touch. It has a brown red tint in direct sunlight, and reflects all light clearly. Usually thick gloves are needed to pick up the egg.

### Hatchling to Adult

The newborn Teostra is arguably much less menacing and much friendlier looking than its grown version. Instead of an all-red body, the baby Teostra has white fur, underbelly plates, claws, and wings. Fur gathers around the head and cheeks. The ears are large while the eyes are small and front-facing. The plates on its body and wings are a vibrant red, with small black spikes on the legs, and black claws. The ears and horns are also black, but with a red tint to the ends.

Once a Teostra is fully grown, the white body parts have turned a dark burgundy, red, and brown. The dragon grows a grand mane, large fangs, and a pair of horns that curve backward. The wings are covered in fur and the tail ends in a clump of such fur. All Teostras are males, and their female counterparts are Lunastras.

## Abilities

### Firepower

The Teostra possesses a powerful flamethrower like breath. Alongside this, these dragons can generate an aura of flame around themselves which can burn away at those who get too close and can even deflect or repel long-ranged attacks. Inside of the Teostra's mouth is a special saliva that is combined with the minerals it eats, and combining these two substances allows the dragon to breathe these powerful flames and cover itself in a fiery aura. The flames it breathes come from an oily fluid from within its body that can easily severely burn most opponents it faces. Some have speculated that the Teostra's horns play a part in its fiery abilities due to them glowing during the powder dispersion state, but this has never been properly researched. The Teostra's mane may also glow and light up like a lantern due to heat accumulation when these dragons' flame and powder coatings reach a certain degree.

Inside of the Teostra's wings are small hairs used for storing and spreading an explosive power, which is a byproduct from its diet around its environment. By snapping its jaws together, a Teostra can produce a spark that causes the powder around it to explode almost instantly, damaging anything caught within the blast radius. Most Teostras use this powder for close range attacks, but more skilled dragons can use them at long range. When a Teostra covers itself in the explosive powder, it enters a state known as the **Explosive State**, where this dragon is at its most deadly and highest aggression.

Teostras have been seen in battle flying into the air, spreading the powder by flapping its wings, then igniting the powder all at once. When the powder is ignited, the Teostra will be covered in a large burst of fire, which is sometimes referred to as the **Supernova**. If at close range during this attack, there is nearly no chance of survival.

    The Teostra can also combine the Supernova with its female counterpart, the Lunastra, to create an even deadlier explosion known as a **Bond**. The shockwave from a Bond supernova can travel hundreds of feet away and send humans flying backwards, giving either Teostras or Lunastras to go in for the kill. Standing within the immediate radius of this bond will kill you or any living creature.

### Strength and Combat

The Teostra is a formidable fiery opponent, able to outlast and outsmart many enemies. Some individuals have been shown to attack ruthlessly until either party dies, but most are intelligent and strategic. These dragons can take continuous assaults from hunters and other dragons due to their hard chest plates. Most creatures cannot get through this armor or even damage it, so naturally they go for other weak spots like the neck. However, the Teostra knows its weak spots and protects them well.

These dragons have an insane pain tolerance and can fight normally even when severely wounded and weighed down by broken wings, horns, deep punctures or gashes, or even severed body parts such as the tail. Teostras have been seen tanking attacks from the Deathbringer, a natural enemy of this species.

### Speed and Agility

For its imposing size, Teostras are surprisingly agile and can easily sprint across burning surfaces as they claw at prey with ease. This agility is largely possible thanks to the combination of this dragon's well-developed limbs for power, claws for traction, and wings that cut down air resistance. The front paws feature thick pads that protect it from volcanic rock, and the back paws provide support for sprinting.

Teostras are able to keep up with speedy dragons such as the Razorwhip or Puff Nadder for quite a while, able to chase them across a few islands without needing a break. Despite their weight, they are agile in the air, able to flip, roll, and dive with ease. Researchers say that this dragon is able to attack faster than they themselves can even perceive, especially when defending their territory or family.

### Intelligence

The Teostra has an extreme intelligence, able to avoid traps completely that are set up by hunters or being fully aware of their weak spots and defending those during combat. When faced by an enemy, these dragons are smart enough to raise on their back legs and spread their wings, sizing up a foe before attacking. These dragons know not to overexert themselves in battle, and focus on attacking and wearing down the enemy to create an opening to finish them off.

Around their nests, the Teostra will leave patches of fire and explosive powder on the ground to prevent any ground predators from infiltrating and harming their mate or offspring.

### Stealth

In volcanic regions, the Teostra blends in well with its surroundings due to its red fur and body, and it will often stay near similarly colored rocks to blend in. Oftentimes creatures or even human explorers have come across a Teostra camouflaged into the ground.

### Environmental Impact

    When the Teostra appears in an area, powerful heatwaves are produced by its high body temperature, causing the temperatures in the environment to rise to inhospitable levels, including in deserts and volcanoes. Teostras can turn sand to glass just by simply appearing in a desert, while, in volcanoes, they can cause lava to burst out of the ground from its high body temperature.

## Weaknesses

Like most dragons, the neck and head are open weak spots to attacks, even if the Teostra's chest shell protects the heart. If the wings are damaged enough, the Teostra will lose their ability to fly, although they may still try due to their relentless nature.

Being a fire dragon, the Teostra is naturally weak to ice and water, so attacks from ice dragons or weapons, or being completely submerged in water can seriously maim or even kill this dragon.

## Behavior and Personality

    Despite its fearsome appearance, the Teostra won't attack humans unless they are provoked or sees that their mate is in danger. Teostras know of their overwhelming power and stature, so if they are out exploring and see another creature, they will ignore them since they know that they are a powerful dragon that cannot be easily rivaled. However, when the Teostra is near its nest, offspring, or mate, it'll become much more aggressive and defensive of its property or family.

Much is still unknown about the breeding habits of the Teostra and the Lunastra since the two are rarely ever seen together. However, it is known that the two cooperate often. A Teostra will build a large nest to attract a Lunastra, and will often choose an area will the most abundant mineral deposits. Teostras have also been seen maintaining their manes to attract mates.

When mated with a Lunastra and the pair have produced offspring, the Lunastra will actually take the role of protector, while the Teostra will teach the offspring how to find mineral deposits, fly, control their firepower, and fight. Some researchers have observed Teostras cuddling with their hatchlings and using their tails to play with them, similar to a feather toy with a cat.

The Teostra will claw at mineral deposits to remove the ores and minerals, then crush them with their claws to break them down into chewable pieces. The most commonly eaten ore is coal, which intensifies the flames of a Teostra the most. Sometimes, if near a human settlement, the Teostra will break in and eat any stockpiles of gunpowder used by humans.

## Training

The most guaranteed way to have a well-trained Teostra is to raise one from a hatchling, no older than 5 months old, since they begin to form deep attachments to their family afterwards and are virtually inseparable unless orphaned.

Few have ever attempted to tame a wild, adult or even juvenile Teostra for the desire of status and power. The Teostra is intelligent enough to know a human's intentions, so those few with bad intentions were never heard of again.

If a Dragonborn attempted to befriend for pure intentions, then the Teostra will accept after few trials, such as being able to handle the heat of its aura, retrieving coal and other rare minerals for food, and even throwing any weapons into lava. Maya Prasanna was able to tame a yearling Teostra after saving it from a larger beast attempting to hunt it.

## Trivia

* The Teostra is from the Monster Hunter Universe.
* The supernova produces a ring of violet around the Teostra, which is actually plasma, like a Night Fury's breath.
* The Teostra has often been called the "Ruler of the Flame" or the "Flame King Dragon."
* Albino Teostras exist! Only one adult has been recorded through history.
* Teostras and Lunastras are the only species to be classified as different species, not a sub-species, but have almost identical physiology.
* Teostras and Lunastras are the only species to have eggs that change appearance based on the hatchlings sex, and to be identifiable from the moment they are laid. That's right! These dragons immediately know how many males or females they'll be having from the moment their eggs are laid.

## Gallery

©kirisute©Sixbane©SammyGartz©Kyamonhara©nobilitypigAn albino Teostra ©CUREDOSINTeostra skeleton ©dragonkingteo
## Image Sources

1. Smallest Crown Teostra by Opiq Oedin
2. Elder Dragon Teostra by kirisute on DeviantArt
3. Teostra the Infernal by Sixbane on DeviantArt
4. The Emperor of flames by SammyGartz on DeviantArt
5. Toaster by Kyamonhara on DeviantArt
6. MHW Teostra by nobilitypig on DeviantArt
7. White Teostra by CUREDOSIN on Nexus Mods
8. Teostra Skeleton by dragonkingteo on Tumblr