Crimson Keeper

The **Crimson Keeper** is a large Stoker Class dragon that lives within volcanoes.

## Official Description

Known as the "Fire-Pike Leviathan," Crimson Keepers use their tough beaks and great strength to burrow through rock, and sometimes even cave ceilings. Along their body is a cooled and hardened armor made of molten magma, able to be chipped away and softened when burrowing and taking attacks.

## Physical Appearance

### Hatchling

Crimson Keepers are one of the few dragon species to give live birth to their offspring. The young, known as "Skippers," have reddish-purple skin, protecting them from the sweltering heat and volcanic predators. Within a few months, babies are able to burrow through the ground once their beaks harden.

### Adult

Crimson Keepers have a leviathan-like, wingless body. Their bodies are covered in a lava-like armor that hardens when cooled and softens when heated. They have a drill-like beak which is lined with rows of needle-like teeth. These dragons have a huge sail on their back, a dolphin-like tail, and a plated underside, all assisting in burrowing under rock or swimming through lava.

## Abilities

### Firepower

Crimson Keepers possess a powerful and coherent heat beam, made of compacted lava. Due to the flexibility of the Keeper's neck, this beam can reach a full 360 degrees. While swimming, Keepers swallow lava and store it in their bodies so that they can produce this powerful beam.

### Lava Armor

Between their scales is a non-flammable substance that never burns, and this allows the Crimson Keeper to coat their hides with lava and swim in it. The molten rock atop its body will eventually harden into a thick armor of rock, but when the Crimson Keeper touches lava, its coating becomes soft again. The chest and beak armor will soften when it fires its beam, and the beak armor alone softens whenever it burrows. The harder the lava cools, the softer the skin will be when it heats up.

### Speed and Agility

Crimson keepers are able to burrow through hard volcanic rock at incredible speeds, but even on land, they are fast and can charge very quickly. Some individuals have been shown to launch themselves into the ceiling of an enclosed volcanic area with this great speed. Keepers can backflip out of lava with little charge up, and can swim or burrow up to 62 miles per hour.

### Burrowing

Crimson Keepers are well known for their ability to burrow through volcanic rock. Due to their sharp beaks and claws, these dragons can drill into rock and essentially "swim" within rock. In regions with active magma or lava pools, burrowing may even cause these pools to erupt. Crimson Keepers are agile enough to shoot up into rock ceilings and burrow through, which could, in severe cases and in a very unstable environment, collapse the ceiling.

### Lava Immunity

These dragons are completely immune to lava, so they can be seen swimming and resting in lava without showing any signs of harm. Their bodies are programmed to handle the extreme heat. Keepers will use this as a way to sneak up on prey or escape from a more powerful enemy.

## Weaknesses

### Lava Armor

Although the Crimson Keeper is known for its hard lava armor, it is also well known that every time these dragons burrow, use their heat beam, or touch lava, the armor on their body softens, therefore weakening them and the skin underneath. It's also been noted that the blacker and harder the armor cools, the softer the skin will become when it eventually heats up. Young Keepers have trouble learning how to burrow and fire in moderation, so they pick up more injuries in fights, but with every injury comes a lesson and a note for the future on how to improve.

### Elemental Weaknesses

Despite being a fire dragon, when the armor is softened, Crimson Keepers can be seriously injured if another dragon that has any sort of fire, ice, or water attacks crosses their path and attacks them. In volcanic regions, of course, there will almost never be any ice or water wielding dragons, but like many other Stoker Class dragons, ice and water hurt them much more than other species.

## Personality and Behavior

Crimson Keepers are reasonably aggressive around other dragons and humans, but despite being powerful predators, they are known to leave their habitat, or at the very least the vicinity, when a powerful or larder dragon appears, or during a volcanic eruption.

Crimson Keepers are a biological phenomenon among dragonkind, as they are one of the few species to give live birth. However, much like snakes who are viviparous, Crimson Keepers do not nurse their young, and instead are born completely self-sufficient. This does not prevent parents from caring for their young, however, as they are very protective, and Skippers won't venture out on their own until they reach a year of age. Parents will hunt for their young, but sometimes, they'll hunt for themselves, or even eat carrion.

Crimson Keepers are immune to any water damage until they reach about 16 months of age, so during those 4 months when they leave the nest, they will swim in water and across oceans to find new lands to make their new homes in. For those who want to find new homes, at least. Some Skippers have been seen staying close to their home nest, while others will swim as far as they can to make their own home. Because of their sleek body, Keepers have no issue swimming in water, and Skippers have the ability to hold their breath underwater for a few hours. When they reach the 16 month stage, this ability dwindles and disappears, and their resistance to water does as well.

During breeding season, which is between June and September, both males and females will swim to the summit of an active volcano to mate. This is where most Crimson Keepers learn to dig through the ceiling. The female will then make a nest somewhere near the top, then give live birth to 2-8 individuals at a time, about 5 weeks after mating. It's been noted that any Crimson Keeper seen digging through ceilings has mated at least once in their life. Crimson Keepers are monogamous, but only for the breeding season. After the live are born and September passes, the males will leave and leave the female and her young to themselves.

    One interesting thing about Crimson Keepers is that although they seem to communicate through roars, these dragons also speak through clacking their beaks rapidly. These clacks can be heard before a Keeper fires its beam, but in everyday life, these dragons have been observed clacking to call their mates or communicate with their young. It seems some young will do this excessively to annoy their siblings or parents, earning a good harsh clack, roar, or slap to shut them up.

## Training

Crimson Keepers are one of the hardest Stoker Class dragons to train, simply because they are the type to kill and ask questions later. The best method is to raise one from a young age, but this can be very dangerous, since parents are very protective and will kill on sight, and even the Skippers will be quick to attack. Although unethical by trainer standards, the best way is to distract the parents and/or isolate one of the young, then sedate it so it can't call out for help.

The only known trained Crimson Keeper belongs to Maya Prasanna, who rescued a Skipper from a Dragon Hunter fleet near Lava-Lout Island. After being brought back to The Embrace, the young dragon imprinted on her and became grateful for her saving its life. It is unknown if the Skipper trusted Maya more because she is a Pure Dragonborn, but this could potentially be another method to train a Keeper.

## Trivia

* The Crimson Keeper is Agnaktor from the Monster Hunter Universe, and the Skippers are Uroktor.

## Gallery

©Jade Tam©Kampfkewob©dragonicwolfAn armorless Crimson Keeper ©Halycon450©Ravoilie©RacieB©Indaco-FoxCrimson Keeper clacking its mouth
## Image Sources

1. Agnaktor by Jade Tam on ArtStation
2. Denizen of the Molten Deep by Kampfkewob on DeviantArt
3. Agnaktor by dragonicwolf on DeviantArt
4. Agnaktor, the Fire-Pike Wyvern by Halycon450 on DeviantArt
5. Agnaktor by Ravoilie on DeviantArt
6. Sketch Commission Agnaktor by RacieB on DeviantArt
7. Ukortor C: by Indaco-Fox on DeviantArt