| “ | "Yesh, ish ossum." | ” |
—Nut, admiring Vermilion
| ||
Vermilion was a red dragon first encountered during Dragonhollow's Fourth Era.
It was the personal mount and draconic familiar to the HyperSilence, the Archpriest of Eris.
History[]
Early Life[]
As with nearly all dragons on the planet, Vermilion was originally born in the Hollow.
According to Gloombringer's Grimoire, Vermilion joined Gloombringer in his rebellion against the tyranny of the Pantheon and presumably stayed in the overworld after Eris negotiated a peace treaty.
Eventually, the red dragon migrated to the Summerlands.
Tamed by a Dragonslayer[]
In the Fourth Era, HyperSilence returned from his moon colony on Cabbage to accept an offer from Eris to become her new Archpriest. As befitting a man of his peerless rank, he searched for a new mount more impressive than his supersteed Hyperion.
Vermilion was tamed by HyperSilence near Shinigami. He allowed the dragon to establish a nest on a mountaintop overlooking Summergate on 4E:165, serving as his eyes and ears as well as a not-so-subtle reminder of the Priesthood's power.
Vermilion's presence on the horizon above the town became a regular part of everyday life. Many found the dragon unsettling and the properties in the foothills surrounding the peak exchanged hands many times as residents moved elsewhere.
Egg Theft[]
Nut wears her dragon egg as a hat.
On 4E:178, Tox and Nut climbed the mountain while Vermilion slumbered and discovered a clutch of dragon eggs at its feet. Despite being embued with magical protections, Nut discovered a way to grasp them. After confirming the dragon still slept, the duo dared to steal two of Vermilion's eggs. They fled down the mountain and reached safety, celebrating their heist and good fortune.
Though they had escaped Vermilion's notice, they were not so lucky in avoiding the all-seeing eye of the Archpriest. Hyper began hunting for his mount's missing eggs, tracking the thieves in secret. Nut decided to hide hers in plain sight, wearing it on her head as a hat. Tox buried his beneath a tree on his island in Summer Pond.
Tox transports his egg deep underground.
Hyper waited until Nut eventually stored the egg in her ender chest, at which point he broke its seal and seized it. She warned Tox that they had been discovered and he chose to move his own to a safer location within his hundreds of storage chests under the Tox Box, concealing it among thousands of stacks of cobblestone. Finally, he moved it far from Summergate, transporting it ten kilometers away to Bearcote Key in Westwater.
Tox gifted Vermilion's unhatched egg to Sprankles for the Summergate Secret Santa to replace a dragon egg from Moondancer that he lost when Sharkberries tried to hatch it and inadvertently caused it to be lost forever. Sprankles later successfully hatched Vermilion's egg for the dragon taming contest, but unfortunately the offspring died before it was able to bind to him and he was forced to withdraw from the competition.
On the right: Vermilion's empty nest glows above Summergate's east road.
Later Activities[]
Hearing the call of its master, Vermilion abandoned the nest in Summergate for an aerie in Hyperion, where it was later joined by many other dragons who fled the land's growing corruption due to the Black Claim. By doing so, they survived the Fall of Summer.
Vermilion most likely departed Hyperion to return to its place of birth and prepare for Nyx, the Eternal Night, as foretold in ancient prophecy.
Gallery[]
