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Nyctophage #731

General

While their abilities are nearly identical to their tropical cousins, nyctophages have a favorable reputation to hylephages, and are described in stories throughout the Arkene and Boreus as guides to those lost in storms. Their bite is just as lethal as that of a hylephage, though instead of producing a shadow, whatever they consume become a ghost of itself, glowing with a faint, undying light. They seem less prone to consuming plants and creatures, perhaps because of the paucity of such things on the cold coasts where they live. They often bite at the winter wind as they run, producing trails that glow in the air and trace the path where a nyctophage has traveled. While these "ghost bridges" as they are often called are common enough to encounter, especially in the cold north of Boreus, nyctophages themselves are rarely seen, said to be skittish and wary of people.

Egg

A blue gelatinous substance exudes from the shell of this egg. The material feels cool to the touch.

Hatchling

Like hylephages, nyctophages can only be obtained through complex summoning spells, though perhaps because they are said to be more docile, they do not have as dark a reputation as their cousins. Nyctophages are not much easier to train than hylephages, and their abilities are just as lethal, but they are considered to be more desirable within the Keep for a specific reason: the bite of a nyctophage will reverse the effects of a hylephage bite. Although the opposite is also true, because mischievous magi often choose hylephage over nyctophage companions, fewer nyctophages are reported to cause damage. However, a prospective caretaker should not take up the duty of training a nyctophage lightly; they are still dangerous creatures, and unlike other creatures of the Keep, these do not make affectionate companions.

Adult

Lithe and limber like a cat but smooth to the touch with lidless, unblinking eyes, few would deny that a nyctophage has the presence of a predator, though researchers are in disagreement about whether they are more akin to a feline or a reptile. They have one known close relative, the hylephage, though both creatures' habitats rarely overlap. In nature, nyctophages are noted for the silent manner in which they move, and the speed at which they can travel if provoked, though they will readily fight if attacked. A bite from a nyctophage renders whatever is enveloped a pale ghost of its former self, a lasting condition that can only be reversed with the bite of the nyctophage's counterpart, a hylephage.

Notes

Obtained from: Donation (Jan)
Breeding: Yes
Renaming cost: 20000 gold
Release date: January 1st 2017

Element: Void An icon depicting the element Void

Breeds with the following:
Nyctophage + Nyctophage = Nyctophage (Guaranteed) Cost: 3 shards
Hylephage + Nyctophage = Hylephage (Guaranteed) Cost: 3 shards
Hylephage + Nyctophage = Nyctophage (Guaranteed) Cost: 3 shards

January 2017 5-shard Donation Pet

Sprite art: Lazuli | Description: PKGriffin

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