Spirit Ward Dragon

Spirit Ward dragons were released on the 26th of July 2015 as part of the "July Release 2015" and are the first dragons to have more than 2 sprite versions dependant on the time of day. They currently have no Breed specific action and can be found as normal cave drops. Along with Nocturne Dragons, Spirit Wards change in appearance during night-time, rotating through 4 different glowing sprites. This dragon is also one of the few to have a unique cracking sequence.

This dragon sorts as "Spirit Ward Dragon", between Speckle-Throated Dragons and Spitfire Dragons, in breed sort.

Egg
"This egg glows from within."

Hatchling
"Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. It’s hard to see it in the dark, except for the glowing eyes."

Mature Hatchling
"Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. It’s hard to see it in the dark, except for the glowing eyes.

''And look! It has grown wings! It must be close to maturing."''

Adult
"Spirit Ward Dragons are a special breed that ward off evil spirits—at least, that’s what the legends say. During nighttime festivals, people love to see these dragons, because they believe that the dragons guard against evil spirits. The dragons are dark-colored, but glow with a flame-colored internal light that has an intensity that they control."

Sprite Artists

 * Fiona BlueFire (All)
 * Verridith (All)

Color Changing Sequence
Show/Hide Sequence Chart

Additional Information
"Fiona BlueFire"
 * Fiona BlueFire commented that the design of these dragons were inspired by jack o' lanterns {1}.
 * Verridith revealed that these dragons were originally intended to be a Halloween release {2}.
 * It was mentioned by Verridith that upon initial release, something may have been wrong with the adults. {3} {4}. Since then Verridith has confirmed that no update was actually needed {5}.
 * Fiona BlueFire released the following background lore on these dragons in a forum post:

- We thought you guys might enjoy some of the lore behind these guys.

Have you ever been outside alone at night? It can be kind of spooky, especially if it's really dark out. If you should spot one of these guys you'd immediately feel safer.

That's because the glow isn't just light. It's light mana based. They dispel dark mana in the area, warding off some of the threats of the nighttime. Spirit wards are nocturnal. They will roam the countryside at night, not just hunting for food but watching out for weary travelers who were caught out by the nighttime and are hurrying to get to a safe refuge. They don't usually act directly but will remain nearby, dispelling dangers with their glow. The intensity of their magic is under their control, and they'll ramp up the glow for greater threats or let it fade if there's not much out there to worry about.

They're a good sized dragon and can look pretty tough, so most normal predators don't want to tangle with them. Because of their magic creatures who might be disposed to have nasty tempers will either avoid them or be soothed into a less aggressive attitude anyway, so not much threatens spirit ward dragons.


 * A conversation on the forums raised the possibility of an alt:
 * Red2111: what would happen if they were linked with an evil sorceress, given their effect on "evil" creatures. would the bond corrupt them? or would they neutralize the evilness in the magic user?


 * angelicdragonpuppy: I am obviously not Fiona, but if they're mostly light magic oriented why would they choose to bond with an evil person to begin with?


 * Fiona BlueFire: Pretty much this. I don't think you can force a creature to be a familiar since it's a symbiotic bond. They have to be willing.


 * GoldeenTrix: Maybe since their evil-repelling glow is controlled by them, what they repel is actually dependent on what they BELIEVE is evil.
 * Following this line of thought, if they were raised among evil they would repel good because they were raised as villains.
 * Fiona BlueFire: Due to the nature of Light mana I don't think this would work. Oddly enough, we did consider a dark mana "alt" version of these guys. It could still happen someday I suppose, but no promises on if or when.