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Lunar Herald Dragons were released on August 29, 2015, with their release of all variations spanning across a month. They occur in four color variants, which are determined by the phases of Valkemare's moons, Aurax and Cirion. This is the first dragon to have variations dependent on moon phases. Each Lunar Herald color appears in-cave or through breeding on certain moon phase combinations.

Official descriptions[]

Egg[]

This metallic egg shows faint iridescence in moonlight.

Hatchling[]

Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. When it basks in moonlight, it is surrounded by a faintly glowing aura.

Mature hatchling[]

Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. When it basks in moonlight, it is surrounded by a faintly glowing aura.

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

Adult[]

Lunar Heralds are deeply attuned to the two moons of Valkemare, Aurax and Cirion. Strictly nocturnal, they draw energy from moonlight and will only hunt when the moons have waned. When breeding, the amount of moonlight the parents receive from each moon will determine the color of the egg produced. When a Lunar Herald is struck by direct moonlight, an illusion of multiple wings may appear. Witnessing a Lunar Herald’s illusory wings is commonly believed to be a sign of good fortune.

Sprite artists[]

Sprites[]

Series Egg Hatchling Mature hatchling Adult
Gold variant Lunar Herald gold egg Lunar Herald gold hatchling Lunar Herald gold mature hatchling Lunar Herald gold adult
Silver variant Lunar Herald silver egg Lunar Herald silver hatchling Lunar Herald silver mature hatchling Lunar Herald silver adult
Bronze variant Lunar Herald bronze egg Lunar Herald bronze hatchling Lunar Herald bronze mature hatchling Lunar Herald bronze adult
Indigo variant Lunar Herald indigo egg Lunar Herald indigo hatchling Lunar Herald indigo mature hatchling Lunar Herald indigo adult

Egg sequence[]

Stage 0 Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Dead
Lunar Herald gold egg Lunar Herald gold crack 1 Lunar Herald gold crack 2 Lunar Herald gold crack 3 Lunar Herald gold crack 4 Lunar Herald gold crack 5 Lunar Herald gold dead egg
Stage 0 Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Dead
Lunar Herald silver egg Lunar Herald silver crack 1 Lunar Herald silver crack 2 Lunar Herald silver crack 3 Lunar Herald silver crack 4 Lunar Herald silver crack 5 Lunar Herald silver dead egg
Stage 0 Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Dead
Lunar Herald bronze egg Lunar Herald bronze crack 1 Lunar Herald bronze crack 2 Lunar Heralds bronze crack 3 Lunar Herald bronze crack 4 Lunar Herald bronze crack 5 Lunar Herald bronze dead egg
Stage 0 Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Dead
Lunar Herald indigo egg Lunar Herald indigo crack 1 Lunar Herald indigo crack 2 Lunar Herald indigo crack 3 Lunar Herald indigo crack 4 Lunar Herald indigo crack 5 Lunar Herald indigo dead egg

Retired sprites[]

Temporary event sprites
Series Egg Hatchling Mature hatchling Adult
Halloween 2015
Gold variant
Lunar Herald gold adult Halloween 2015
April Fools' Day 2018 Lunar Herald adult AF 2018
April Fools' Day 2022
Gold
Lunar Herald gold adult AF 2022
April Fools' Day 2022
Silver
Lunar Herald silver adult AF 2022
April Fools' Day 2022
Bronze
Lunar Herald bronze adult AF 2022
April Fools' Day 2022
Indigo
Lunar Herald indigo adult AF 2022

Transparency[]

Lunar Herald adults are semi-transparent, and will appear slightly different depending on the color of their background.

Variant determination[]

The following table demonstrates how Valkemarian moon phases affect Lunar Herald variants. The colors will appear in-cave and during breeding. Dragon Cave's official moon clock can be found on the Time Reference page.

Aurax phase Cirion phase Variant Duration
Waning gibbous Waning crescent
Lunar Herald gold egg
Gold 4 days
Waning crescent New
Lunar Herald bronze egg
Bronze 4 days
Waxing crescent
Waxing gibbous
Lunar Herald indigo egg
Indigo 8 days
New Full
Waxing crescent Waning gibbous
Waning crescent
Lunar Herald bronze egg
Bronze 4 days
Waxing gibbous New
Lunar Herald gold egg
Gold 4 days
Waxing crescent
Waxing gibbous
Lunar Herald silver egg
Silver 8 days
Full Full
Waning gibbous Waning gibbous

Encyclopedia entry[]

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Appearance/Basic Anatomy

  • Bright metallic sheen that makes them appear brighter than their surroundings
  • Iridescent wings that glow brightly when struck by light
  • Their bodies are frail and susceptible to injury
  • An illusion of multiple wings occasionally appears when the dragon is struck by direct moonlight.
  • Iridsecent [sic] powder covering the wings flakes off easily when touched
  • No defensive weapons of any kind—relies on speed to escape threats
  • The brightness of the wing illusion depends on the angle and brightness of Valkemare’s moons.
  • The wing illusion does not change based on which moon is brighter in the sky.

Hatchling Behavior

  • Strictly nocturnal, most hatchlings emerge at night
  • Bask in the moonlight every night to obtain energy; additional food is required if they cannot moonbathe
  • Inquisitive and curious, but only from a distance
  • Only vocalize if injured or frightened
  • Wings are nearly translucent at first; iridescent coloring does not appear until the hatchling sheds its skin
  • Only seek physical affection if things are quiet and they can trust others
  • Direct sunlight is harmful
  • Typically choose other calm hatchlings as playmates

Adult Behavior

  • Seek isolated high places to moonbathe each night (if conditions are right).
  • Purely solitary and wary of other dragons except those of their own kind.
  • Rely on speed and awareness to survive—will only fight if cornered or protecting their young.
  • Will hunt small animals if the moons are dim or obscured, rarely scavenge as the predator is likely still nearby.
  • Entirely nocturnal and will never go out during the daytime—direct sunlight burns their skin.
  • Adults greet one another by displaying their wings and touching their forepaws together
  • Migratory males seek out females displaying their illusory wings, she will often accept him if he displays his illusory wings in return
  • Wild males are sometimes killed protecting their mate and young

Habitat

  • Only found in areas with easy acess [sic] to clear skies; avoid dense vegetation and areas with lots of clouds.
  • Only found in forested regions if they are migrating
  • Females dig a den for their eggs; may have to migrate to find a good spot
  • Most migrating dragons are males; females will not lay their eggs in forested regions and are rarely seen in such places
  • Desert Lunars may sleep the day away at the bottom of a shaded pool of water with only their nostrils above water
  • Wild Lunar Heralds often help clutching females find a safe place to raise her young

Diet

  • Mostly subsist off solar radiation reflected off Valkemare’s moons
  • Ingest various sources of minerals
  • If forced to hunt, they will only take small prey
  • Can go for a week without drinking water
  • Can obtain water from the prey that they catch
  • Will not overeat as excess bulk makes them slower and more at risk from predators

Trivia[]

  • The description of the Lunar heralds was updated a few hours after TJ's dragons grew up. The original description was:
"Lunar Heralds are deeply attuned to the two moons of Valkemare, Aurax and Cirion. Strictly nocturnal, they draw energy from moonlight and will only hunt when the moons have waned. When breeding, the amount of moonlight the parents receive from each moon will determine the color of the egg produced."
  • After 2 of the 4 colors were released, TJ09 realized that the incorrect moon phases were being displayed on the website. This has since been corrected, and a phase tracking post was given to show the correct moon phases up until that point.
  • LadyLyzar responded to a user on the forums who mentioned that Lunar Heralds would have made great Prize dragons, suggesting that the species were originally designed to be Prize dragons themselves before revealing that this was the intention later on.[1] She also later revealed that they were created around the same time as the Shimmer-scale Dragons.[2]
  • LadyLyzar clarified to users that the name "Indigos" for the blue variant is not an official name and that she did not have an official name for the variant. When they were being made as prize dragons she referred to them as "Gold Lunar, Silver Lunar, Bronze Lunar, and Alt Lunar" dragons.[3]
  • This dragon only has one pair of wings. The other wings are illusory.[4] It was further elaborated on that it is not achieved via an illusion of motion, as per the updated adult description.[5]
  • LadyLyzar commented that the Lunar Heralds' colors happen to have "worked out nicely for the moon phases" of Valkemare's moons, rather than the dragon's or the moon's colors made to suit one or the other. [6]
  • While the description includes the term "metallic", they are not to be considered as part of the same metallic group as Gold or Silver Dragons. Their description is meant to specify that their scales are metallic, a concept that remained with the dragon when it was originally intended to be a prize.[7]
  • During the release, speculation was raised as to what elemental affinity these dragons would have. While it was not yet added to the site officially, LadyLyzar would have put the Lunar Heralds' elemental affinity as Light.[8]

Additional information[]

As I hinted at before, these were originally submitted as Prize dragons at the same time as the Shimmers. Unsurprisingly, Gold = 1st, Silver = 2nd, Bronze = 3rd. The blue color was meant to be my alt. They were called Prismatic Heralds at the time and were linked to the sun instead. The moon phases came after Shimmers were chosen for the new Prize breed. The "good fortune" bit is also a reference to their Prize origin - the original description said that owning a wild-caught one was considered to be the epitome of good luck.

So, without further ado:


*~ All About Lunar Heralds ~*

Despite their appearance, Lunar Heralds only have two wings, and they are very delicate and thin. The wings are covered in fine iridescent dust similar in composition to the powder of a butterfly's wing. The dust is actually comprised of shed skin from the dragon's wing membranes. It easily brushes off when touched and is believed to contain magical properties. The dust is replenished the next time the dragon sheds its skin.

When the wings are oriented correctly to the angles of the moons, the iridescent powder gleams like a rainbow. During this time, an illusion of multiple wings may occasionally appear. Depending on the brightness of the moonlight, this illusion can be quite vibrant.

Lunar Heralds are not overly large dragons. Their body size is comparable to that of an average horse, not including their wings, neck, and tail. They are very delicate creatures and quite lightweight for their size. This combination makes them quite fast both in the air and on the ground should they need to escape a threat.

With the exception of mating season, Lunar Heralds are purely solitary creatures. They do not feel safe in the company of other dragons, since they lack any real defenses against attack. Hence when encountering another dragon, they will usually hide themselves away. If the dragon is another Herald, they will greet each other by touching their front feet together and then go their separate ways.

Every night when the moons are visible, a Lunar Herald will seek an open area to "moonbathe". This is incredibly important for them as they draw energy from solar radiation reflected off Valkemare's moons. Direct solar radiation from the daytime sun is too strong for them and can be lethal if they are subject to long periods of exposure.

Lunar Heralds breed at all times of the month, and the intensity of the moonlight from Valkemare's moons determines the color of the egg produced. This color will remain with the dragon throughout its life. Despite their differences in appearance, Lunar Heralds are accepting of all within their species - they are all the same, after all.

When the moons have waned or there is an extended period of heavy cloud cover, Lunar Heralds are forced to hunt instead of moonbathing. However, this can be dangerous for them due to their frailty, so they normally feed on smaller creatures like mice and rabbits.
LadyLyzar (Forum Post)

References[]

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