Stoker Class

Let's move onto the first class of dragons, stoker class. As the name implies, these dragons are serious hotheads, most of them with a serious mad temperament. They are characterized by extremely hot fire and an aptitude for pyrotechnic stunts. These dragons love to set things on fire, and their type of flame ranges from the liquid fire of the Monstrous Nightmare to the precision blasts of the Terrible Terror. The dragons in this class have some of the hottest fires in the dragon world, barring the Deadly Nadder, which so far holds the record. These dragons should always be treated with caution and respect, as they can be dangerous if threatened.

These dragons have the nastiest temper in the known dragon world and are some of the hardest to train. They can be extremely irritable and some (I'm calling out my cousin Snotlout on this one), never truly bond with their rider. They tend to like practical jokes and destruction and enjoy seeing things blow up. This is mainly why the twins love this class of dragons, especially Terrors and Fireworms. When training one, this type of dragon should be treated extremely respectfully and cautiously, because they can flame up (literally) if provoked and their panicked rages are a trademark of the class. For this reason, Stoker Class dragons must be kept happy and well cared for at all times, or you risk losing your home, or, if you're Snotlout, the seat of your pants. I honestly don't know why I gave that klutz a Nightmare.

Let's give a few examples. The first, and most prevalent Stoker Class dragon is the Terrible Terror. These are the dragon equivalent to cats and dogs, in size and actions, if dogs or cats had wings, incredibly sharp teeth and claws, and precision fire breath. They are four legged, about the size of a house cat, with a proportionally large head with horns, two wings mounted behind the shoulders, a tail, and ridges down its back and tail, and they come in a wide variety of coloration. Males tend to be more colorful than females. Terrors are rarely found alone, as they are primarily pack animals. They do hunt, but are mainly scavengers, and can be found around the docks and feeding stations of Berk. They are not the brightest of dragons, but compared to other creatures their intelligence if amazing. They have shown to be easy to train and can be given simple commands, which they can learn relatively quickly. Their fire attack is one of the most precise in the dragon world, barring the Night Fury, although its range is not very far. It has a five shot limit, which, when added together in a pack, can be quite ferocious. They love food and will do almost anything for a fish or chicken leg. These dragons shots will replenish once every 24 hrs, the usual cycle for shot replenishing and cannot be sped up by any other process. These dragons make excellent house pets, and they are, like cats, excellent at eliminating rodents. They are not very acrobatic in the air, but they are able to fly for long periods of time without tiring, although most are too lazy to do so.

The next example is the most famous Stoker Class dragon, the Monstrous Nightmare. This is a powerful creature with a nasty temper that is able to set its entire body aflame at will. The Monstrous Nightmare is a two legged dragon, using its clawed wings as arms when it walks. They are one of the largest common dragon species, and can grow to be more than 20 ft high and almost 50 ft long, They, like the Terror, have proportionally large heads with horns, a tail, and back and tail ridges with a large maw. Nightmares are extremely territorial and can become aggressive if its territory is threatened. It has the unique ability to set itself on fire at will, although this ability can only be done for the same amount of times as its shot limit, 7. Their fire tends to resemble a liquid form, sticking to everything it touches and burning very hot for long periods of time. They also are very sensitive, and some have little control over their fire, which can erupt from them at unexpected times like a sneeze, hiccup, or cough. This is why it is recommended to never bring a Nightmare inside and to build a (preferably fireproof) home for it outside (and far away from) anything you don't want burned. When exhausted, these dragons are the most susceptible to Fire-Exhaustion, a condition in which the dragon is no longer able to breath or produce fire. There are only a few things that can revive a Fire-Exhausted dragon, among them being Fireworm gel, or the Queen, or a dip in the lava flow under Dragon Island, which contains a number of minerals capable of reviving a Fire-Exhausted dragon. The Nightmare recharges its shots in a normal dragon cycle, and nothing can hasten this process. This is a very proud species of dragon, and can become insulted, so be careful to respect it, and it will respect you. (Again, why on earth did I give Snotlout one of these?)

Next in the Stoker Class is the Fireworm. These dragons are the equivalent of cockroaches, if they had skin which could melt your face. Their skin gives off an enormous amount of heat, although does not ignite, due to a chemical process which occurs in the skin cells of the dragon. This chemical can be collected from dead Fireworms and can be used to create a compound which is able to burn under almost any conditions and is almost impossible to put out, which I call Dragon Heart. Fireworms are always found in packs, and they enjoy pitted and cold areas where their heat can reverberate and intensify. The level of heat Fireworms give off remains constant, but the glow that they give off increases the shorter the distance between two Fireworms, and the more of them there are, the brighter the glow, which is why a pit of Fireworms can almost be too bright to look at. This is a social adaptation that gives them an advantage as a pack and is triggered by the release of a pheromone under the skin. While Fireworms are usually found in packs, packs collect in hives, usually in mountain caves. They are governed by a Queen, an enormously large Fireworm that produces a gel-like substance which Fireworms use to regenerate their fire. The gel, along with the Queen, are able to restore the fire of a Fire-Exhausted dragon, a gift which is only given to the most worthy of dragons. Fireworms replenish their fire once every cycle but can also be replenished by consuming the gel produced by the Queen.

Last in the Stoker Class is the Typhoomerang, the dragon the gang and I had the pleasure of discovering and naming. This is an incredibly large dragon, with a massive wingspan capable of reaching over 30-40 ft. They, like the rest of the Stoker Class, has a large head and horns as well as back and tail spines. The Typhoomerang is capable of normal takeoff and landing, but when threatened they can spin around at high speeds, releasing sparks from their mouth and claw tips. They create an enormous burn area, which leaves a spiral burn mark that is characteristic of the species. This spiral motion generates lift in a perfect circle, creating a protected area which is almost impenetrable. This method of flying is easier and is used mostly by the younger of the species until they can do a normal takeoff. They replenish their fire once in a cycle but it can be done immediately if they eat eels, normally toxic to dragons, although the Typhoomerang has some form of resistance to it. They are an extremely curious species, and like humans, although they have not been formally trained, and it is yet unknown if it is possible to ride properly.

These dragons are, as the name suggests, hotheaded and should be treated with care. They are...difficult to work with, but, with enough patience (sometimes you need a lot of it) any dragon can be trained.