Tidekeeper Appearance
Saltwater Tidekeepers
A typical saltwater tidekeeper. Art by J-Haskell.
Basic Traits
Colours: any colours - MUST have noticeable countershading Subtypes: saltwater, abyssal Height: 4’11 average (4’1 - 5’6) Base: here |
The Tidekeepers are a unique type of dragon, with short-nosed faces and fins. Stocky but sleek, with rubbery whale-like skin. They have long manta ray-like wings, not flight-capable, used for riding currents, with a small second set of wing fins that give a butterfly-like look.
Tidekeepers do not have horns, and instead possess a hood that reaches from head to shoulder, and can sometimes have antenna that will glow at the tips. Horns are usually a sign of hybrid lineage. Their teeth are similar to that of dolphins, orcas, and other cetaceans. Their blood has a silvery sheen to it almost like oil, although with no special uses. Tidekeeper colouration is similar to that of stingrays/mantarays and aquatic mammals. They should have strong, high contrast countershading; dark or midtone upper areas and pale, whitish undersides. They commonly come in very dark blues, blacks, or bluish purples on the top, and for the underside very pale blue or white. Speckling on topside if they live closer to the surface. They may have stripes, spots, or other patterning along their body. Tidekeeper eyes are solid colored with a goat-like pupil in the center, and can be any cool color or yellow, but not red or orange. |
They may have small touches of bright colours, appearing most commonly as small splotches or speckles on the wings, fins, and crest.
Tidekeepers have four legs. Their front legs have fins connecting from their armpit to their wrist, with three webbed fingers and a thumb. Their backlegs have a similar fins, starting at the thigh and terminating at the ankle, and three toes.
Their appearance changes as they age: (NOTE: All tidekeepers follow this growth timeline)
Tidekeepers have four legs. Their front legs have fins connecting from their armpit to their wrist, with three webbed fingers and a thumb. Their backlegs have a similar fins, starting at the thigh and terminating at the ankle, and three toes.
Their appearance changes as they age: (NOTE: All tidekeepers follow this growth timeline)
- Newborn: Small and round and almost translucent. (Young tidekeepers are referred to as ‘chumbs’).
- Hatchling: Starts to gain coloring and glow marks, begins to fill into body shape.
- Sub Adult: Baby fat but resembles a smaller adult, has all glowmarks, baby teeth.
- Young Adult: Adult teeth, baby fat gone, gains iridescent markings.
- Adult: Fully grown, sleek and powerful looking.
- Elderly: Saggy skin and frill, usually will start to gray on their fin tips and colors will begin to dull and lose vibrancy.
Biolumiscent Markings
The most impressive part of a tidekeeper’s appearance is their bioluminescent patterns; these patterns can be lit up at will and are used to identify what pod a tidekeeper is a part of. Glow patterns expand as they age and grow more intricate the older a tidekeeper gets.
Each pod has a distinct glowing pattern; there is some variance between individuals, but it allows quick and easy identification. If a Tidekeeper spends sufficient time living in a different pod, usually at least a year, their markings will change to match their new companions. Tidekeepers tend to avoid lighting up these markings during the day, when hunting, and when sleeping. Pictured left (or below on mobile): The pod-specific markings of the tidekeepers. The symbol that represents their pod should be present somewhere on their body. |
Markings designed by Moonjelli, art by MetaphysicalMonsters.
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Abyssal Tidekeepers
An abyssal Tidekeeper. Art by J-Haskell.
Basic Traits
Colours: Typically very pale, almost translucent skin Subtypes: -- Height: 4’11 average (4’1 - 5’6) Base: here |
Most tidekeeper pods live close to the ocean surface, only diving into the deeper, darker waters to search for clams along the ocean floor. There are some, however, that call those black waters home; these are the abyssal tidekeepers.
Twisted and dark dragons with massive teeth and even bigger appetites, said to be cursed by the gods themselves, these beasts reside within the deepest waters and devour the dead. Abyssal tidekeepers are ghostly pale; their skin has a pearlescent sheen, and under sunlight their blood vessels and organs can be faintly seen. They have long, needle-like teeth and large, sensitive eyes that pick up even the slightest light; they cannot go too close to the surface without being blinded, and thus stay in the dark, cool waters of the deep ocean. Female abyssals are far larger on average than the males. The most striking difference is the anglerfish-like 'bulbs' on their face, which give off a bright light in order to attract prey, and the ragged edges of their fins and useless wings. The glowing markings that would, for a normal tidekeeper, pattern them intricately and mark what pod they were born into are instead irregular in appearance, looking more like patterns formed dripping, melted, blotted ink. Instead of the silvery hue of that of normal tidekeepers, abyssals have deep red blood, and lack the typical tidekeeper's telepathy. |