Night on Bald Mountain

Dragons were not meant to crossbreed. Part of the reason why the Aspects kept so far apart was to prevent such a thing from happening. None of the Dragons knew about one such coupling between a Red female and a Black male, however, and the two Dragons got away with it. In the end, the resulting clutch bore five eggs, though only one managed to hatch.
Granithol was the one who found them first, as the two were hiding within his realm. Though he caught the two sinning, forming a bond that neither were allowed to commit to, they were allowed to leave freely and return to their old Dragonflights…so long as they killed the eggs in their chamber.
The two sadly did as they were told; none could defy the great Earth Shaper, for he was wise and understanding; almost all knowing, as the rest of the world that was the land was his domain. The dragons wept as they killed their mongrel children, but suddenly noticed that one was missing, its egg shell already cracked into pieces. The Earth Shaper, wary of this strange happenings, was curious as to why he could not detect the dragon child himself. Letting the two go and warning them that he would be watching, Granithol looked about in the great cave on his own.
The dragon did not realize…or was his vision clouded?...that the young dragon had left by crawling beneath the great Wyrm’s great legs. The young hatchling, born of fire and shadow, soon fled the land and began to make his own way across the world, eating whatever he could to survive. Nothing could stand in his path, for he was a shadow dragon that could walk in the sunlight and could lurk in the hottest of temperatures and remain unscathed. His early years were one that began to put fear into the minds of mortals and bring forth dread to the living.
Sinkraloth was his name; it was Draconian for Great Flame Shadow. He would soon live up to that reputation, though his presence was a secret even to the two dragons who bore him into the world. As he lurked in the darkness, none would realize that this creature, born of nightmares, would truly become a beast that would cause doom to the world and almost bring Terros to its knees…
But that is another story entirely…
-Excerpt of the Halcyon Mythos


Sinkraloth is the self-proclaimed Dragon Aspect of the Molten Dragonflight. In ancient times, he was considered a beast that represented all of the evil that the Dragons did not desire to become, though he sees himself as the victim. Sinkraloth had to witness his brothers and sisters being destroyed by his parents before they ever left their shells, so he managed to escape and vow vengeance to all who dared to bring down his kind; namely, the hybrid dragons.

Sinkraloth inadvertedly caused the Sundering of the World (aftermath of the War of the Demons), which the Dragons attributed as the fall of their race, seeing as they had failed in their duty passed onto them by the Titans; namely, protecting Terros from the monstrous Demonic Legions. When he left them, Sinkraloth stole away weakened dragons of multiple dragonflights, including his own mother and father, which he hid away in his dark lair on the northeast corner of the world, forcing them to interbreed and create new and powerful hybrids. The vast majority of this brood were the warriors of the Molten Dragonflight, who numbered in the thousands in little under a millennium. Sinkraloth's army of fire and shadow were to be the vanguard of a great campaign; the quest to destroy the purebred dragonflights, and name the Hybrids as the greatest of all Dragons.

As a hybrid dragon, Sinkraloth gains the powers of both the Red and Black dragonflights. As far as the reds are considered, he has control over fire, and his own personal dragonfire is twice as potent as normal dragons (potentially even more after absorbing some of the powers of his two grandparents, namely Rubixo and Ebonroc, the Dragon Aspects of the Red and Black Dragonflights respectively). He also has the power to cloak himself in an almost invisible state in the shadows of darkness and night, and can also extend natural shadows and further strengthen his own capabilities (Black Dragons). When the powers conflict, however, he gains an enormous advantage; the ability to create large, burning holes in the ground and create powerful explosions of ash and smoke, extending a powerful ash cloud that effectively gives him his name; the Burning Shadow.

If you really want to compare Sinkraloth with any natural disaster (as many of the Hybrid Dragons could be associated with), it would be the eruption of a composite volcano. Ash clouds extending miles high, and powerful billows of molten lava rushing down the landscape, destroying all in its path. Though Sinkraloth focuses on the destruction, he does not understand that his powers can also be used for good, as his destruction sets the stepping stones for the creation of new and far better life. Indeed, Anaria, the queen of the Green Dragonflight and the livebearer of all Terros, knows this better than anyone, as after Sinkraloth causes great devastation she can easily create whole forests of trees with just barely a fraction of her normal power...

Of course, she would, if Sinkraloth doesn't constantly guard the territory that he destroys. His Molten Dragonflight constantly protect the borders between the lands yet to be influenced by their dark powers and their natural volcanic homeland, and are incredibly hostile to all, even mortals. Sinkraloth believes that those who do not join his cause are naturally allies to the Pure (False, in his own words) Dragons, as the Pure Dragons have a habit of protecting them. All who do not serve him are to be swept aside by the coming fire and ash as he burns through the ground, fully intent on consuming all of Terros under his mighty power...


Well, he's done. I originally thought of making him black, but I think Sinkraloth looks good like this. It really shows how much he has the combined features of both Dragonflights. I hope everyone likes him. He was great to make!

Edit: I redesigned him so that I could set him up for sellable prints. When I printed out a test run there was a bit of distortion, but that was because of my printer. I'm sure that with a bit of tinkering I can solve it...There's better shading in the clouds now, combined with some better definition of the individual lines on the picture so that you can tell where part of him stops and the background begins. So far, I think he looks really great.

-Kerian

Some music to listen to:
Burning Steppes, Cataclysm - [link]
Cataclysm Cinematic Intro - [link]