Eruptodon

The **Eruptodon** is a large Stoker Class that lives inside or near volcanoes.

## Official Description

With its craggy igneous hide, heat-shielded eyes, and endless appetite for magma, the Eruptodon prefers to live inside volcanoes to be nearer to its food source. Although not much of a fighter, the Eruptodon provides tremendous damage control by eating any runaway lava — even if it's regurgitated by Gronckles! The Eruptodon nests at the lips of dormant volcanoes and stops eruptions by consuming the lava. Though not a warrior, this dragon unleashes explosive violence when in dire straits. Nearly immune to heat damage, it is a vast force to be reckoned with.

## Physical Appearance

### Egg

The egg of an Eruptodon has a normal shape and it is covered with cooled and hardened lava, just like the armor of the dragon itself. In order for an Eruptodon egg to hatch, it requires to be completely sunk under lava, which is the Eruptodon's main food source.

### Hatchling to Adult

Eruptodons are large dragons lengthways. They have a rounded body and a proportionately huge tail, which is very thick and spans nearly twice their body length. Their wings are quite large and their heads are as big as their bodies. Their front legs are very small compared to their hind legs and they have several large, chunky and spiky lobes along their backs and tails. Its body is covered with thick spineless, volcanic rock armor made of cooled lava. Its eyes are protected by welder goggle-type lenses to help withstand the intense heat.

### Titan Wing

    Titan Wing Eruptodons increase a lot in size and have a considerable larger mouth. Their skin glows with a yellow color constantly, while their plates turn into dark orange. Their mouths glow brighter than their skin and their tongues turn yellow. Their dorsal and tail spikes become bigger, but remain the same color. Their eyes become pupilless and glow yellow, like the rest of their bodies.

## Abilities

### Lava-Proof Skin

Due to its lava-proof hide, the Eruptodon can live inside a volcano without being harmed. The eyes of the Eruptodon are surrounded by rocky armor, protecting them from being burned in their volcanic homes.

### Strength and Stamina

    The Eruptodon is very strong, capable of lifting heavy metal cages or other objects even if they have been weakened via an attack or laying an egg.

Eruptodons also have a high level of stamina, as they are able to fly for more than 30 hours without stopping for a break.

### Heat-Resistant Saliva

The saliva of the Eruptodon is extremely resistant to heat and can be used to protect people who are trying to enter a volcano.

### Firepower

    The Eruptodon's fire comes from the lava that it eats. it fires this lava is a series of molten fireballs. Due to the Eruptodon's heat-resistant saliva, these fireballs can cool down into hot rocks and can even construct a path that can be walked upon, albeit painfully.

### Digging

    The Eruptodon is capable of digging into the crust of a dormant volcano is order to access the lava within, using its powerful jaws to smash rocks. Due to this, Eruptodons can cause dormant volcanoes to erupt. However, this can only happen if an Eruptodon enters a feeding frenzy, as the dragon is desperate to reach a food source.

### Lava Eating

The Eruptodon's main food source is lava. Because of this, it is able to stop volcanic eruptions by eating the lava and keeping the volcano stable. Even baby Eruptodons are capable of doing this.

### Glowing

The Eruptodon's skin glows when its body temperature is very high, usually when it charges powerful attacks. Its skin glows in the color of lava while the plates remain opaque. The brighter the skin glows, the more powerful the attack is.

### Heating

Eruptodons can emit enough body heat to affect the environment around them, as water boils when an Eruptodon that has recently eaten magma rests in it.

## Weaknesses

If an Eruptodon does not consume lava for a long period of time (maximum 40 days), it will die.

The Eruptodon also only produces one egg during its lifetime. This can cripple the species, as it can make their population very small. If the egg of an Eruptodon is not immersed in lava, it will harden until it is like stone and the baby inside will die.

## Behavior and Personality

The Eruptodon is one of the few dragon species known to eat lava. it can prevent volcanic eruptions by residing in the magma vent of a volcano and eating overflowing lava. These dragons are instinctually protective over the island they live on, and even small villages/kingdoms that live among them. Many people worship the Eruptodon for it's ability to prevent lava flows from destroying villages.

If an Eruptodon has not eaten for a long period of time, it will go into a feeding frenzy and will eat any lava it can find. If it can not find any, it will die. It does not require an active volcano to eat, as, if sufficiently motivated, it will tunnel into dormant volcanoes to access the lava, causing them to erupt in the process. Nothing, except lava in another direction, will stop them once they are in a feeding frenzy.

Eruptodons reproduce asexually due to their rarity and sedentary behavior. These dragons are born as males, and once they reach sexual maturity, they switch their sex to female and lay an egg.

## Training

Gaining an Eruptodon's trust is an easy, but lengthy task. With time, citizens of kingdoms that share an island with an Eruptodon have been able to naturally bond with the dragon. Baby Eruptodons are even easier, as long as you are gentle, provide it with food, and take proper care of it. Eruptodons are somewhat placid and sedentary; this behavioral pattern proves true to young Eruptodons, so training them is quite straightforward.

Like most dragons, offering friendship, food, or protection is enough to gain an Eruptodon's attention. Assure it that you mean to befriend it, and over time, it will learn to trust you.

## Trivia

* The Eruptodon’s armored physiology and bipedal locomotions are quite similar to a pangolin’s.
* Eruptodons have small eyes because of their volcanic homes. Even though they have evolved to withstand the heat and fumes, their eyes evolved to be small along the way to limit exposure to this toxic environment.
* Eruptodons are immune to Dragon Root arrows.
* Eruptodons have a lifespan of 90 years, and reach sexual maturity at about 35 years old.
* The Eruptodon is originally from the How To Train Your Dragon franchise.

## Gallery

Eruptodon in a Feeding FrenzyBaby Eruptodon eating lavaBaby EruptodonThe texture of an Eruptodon's tongue©Marvolo-san
## Image Sources

1. Lava Muncher by Voltaic-Soda on DeviantArt
2. Two Protectors by Marvolo-san on DeviantArt