VULCROID
Conservation Status: (Caligo) Extinct | (Dolos) Extinct | (Nevermore) Unknown
Vulcroid | The Crone
Corgeapantasae Family
The Vulcroid or Crone of the Eversea is an elusive creature mentioned across multiple worlds, time veins, and often in the most remote and inhospitable places.
These locations in which a Vulcroid Shrine or Time Stone can be found, often have art, written records, and sometimes zealots protecting verbal accounts of the creature passed down by generations.
An Entity born alongside Existence:
Shrines have been found in various parts of Caligo and Dolos, but most were discovered in Nevermore or just beyond the White Lands. As of now, the highest recorded sightings have been during the Solara Cretana Event, the Flood of Light, and lastly the Awakening Era of Nevermore—all have been deemed as the events that resulted in the Great Calamity.
In nearly all cases, there has been an odd pattern noticed where a Vulcroid has been sighted at every major catastrophe and important global event in history. This information was confirmed by the late Scribe of the Ambrites—Frung Glorus, and reaffirmed by his staff decades after his death.
According to Nevermore accounts, especially in the Umbra controlled cities just beyond the capital, it is a widely accepted belief that a Vulcroid soared above the Eversea, bringing back time to a continent abandoned by our universe, and with it—life returned. Whether this is considered true or not, Ambrites have not yet confirmed its validity. To Ambrites, evidence is needed for anything to be deemed real or not. Without evidence, it could just be the fancy of a dream, a hallucination, or merely the mad rantings of an individual with a wild imagination. Regardless, some accounts also state that the Vulcroid was born from the womb of Etu, the earliest name given to time, and thus it is a creature born alongside existence itself.
The written historical archives dating back to when the Amber Library was built list the Vulcroid is a legend or allegory of time and the Crone. However, the Umbra civilization in Nevermore argues against this. To many Umbra, the Vulcroid is as real as the air they breathe. To them, the Vulcroid is more than just a large bird or a symbol, but a deity and a physical manifestation of time itself. It is commonly worshipped in their major cities and capital.
According to a Time Stone found north of the Kingdom of Starfall, the Vulcroid has a wingspan of about 26-28 ft, but this is merely an estimate and it has not been verified by any scholar or library authority. The height and weight of the creature has not been confirmed or mentioned in any shrine or Time Stone neither. However, the late Frung Glorus estimated the height to be at least 5-6 ft when standing.
According to many wall paintings and old sculptured figurines, the Vulcroid resembles a bird with black iridescent feathers tipped in blues and indigos. Flecks of violet plumes can be seen complimenting the flared mane of this fierce looking bird with star-shaped glands around their eyes. One of their features aside from their unique eyes are their two long forked feathers on their tails. It is said, that if a Vulcroid’s feather is found and held by a living thing, the living thing will stop aging and time itself will no longer threaten to erode it. Due to this, many seek the Vulcroid, and all have failed to report finding one. The feathers of a Vulcroid range in sizes depending where the feather is located on the body.
If anyone manages to witness a Vulcroid, please report it to your nearest Ambrite or Eukarian scribe. There is a reward for evidence set in place by the current Oberon.
This bird resembles a crow, but with unique star shaped glands around the eyes. They have residual fingers similar to prehistoric birds. Illustration by Cha Wak.
Beast Rank
According to legends, the Vulcroid are capable of flying around Earth on a single flight without food or water.
These creatures have never been seen by any modern scholar or library authority. However, they are believed to be able to manipulate or curve time-space.
I remember hearing stories of a phoenix that had purple or blue feathers and it made my imagination run wild. I always wondered what kind of phoenix could this bird be, and if it pertained to fire as well. After years of searching, this was back in middle school by the way, I learned that the bird was a Simurgh from the Persian Mythology. I found it to be pretty awesome, but in my head I had already given birth to an even crazier bird and thus I began to build a new myth, a new creature known as the Vulcroid, a bird that symbolizes the oceans and time. A big thanks to Sierra Ashevaili Rottman for being the first to bring my beast to life, and to Cha Wok for redesigning it years later. This bird is no longer my own imagination, but one for all to enjoy.
Explore The Next Beast!
H.S. Crow has literary works appearing in all mediums of entertainment with a focus on fantasy, science fiction, and horror. He is an author traversing the breathtaking Caligo, a vast universe containing our dreams and nightmares. Notable books include Lunora and the Monster King, Stars of Glass, & the upcoming Drums of Fog.