The surface of the egg is smooth and extremely hard, colored black with small sparkling flecks that help it blend into the sand of the nest. These flecks come from the minerals, ore and precious gems that the layer consumed. Crimson eggs are slow to hatch, sometimes taking up to a year.
The eggs themselves are laid while the Crimsons is in dragon form and usually only one in a season. The layer will gorge themselves on very hard minerals and ore in preparation for the egg and when it is laid, the egg can easily measure 2 feet tall and 4 feet in circumference.
Some Crimsons will even allow another to share their nest, especially if they are particularly close to the other parent(s). Even if the Crimsons in the nursery are not particularly close, no egg will go without tending, the other parents taking the role if someone has to step away for a bit.
This allows parents to fine tune the temperature of the nest by adjusting the composition of the sand to their liking. Massive clay urns of both obsidian and iron sand are kept near the nesting grounds for this sole purpose.
The area's ground is made of basalt and the cave that shelters it obsidian. There are large nests dug into it that have been used for generations of Crimsons. Each nest is about 5 feet wide by 2 feet deep, filled with a combination of obsidian and iron sand by those who seek to lay their eggs there.
These tend to be areas that have levels of geothermal activity, but not in a VIOLENT way (aka active eruption). In Vihar, The Nursery is literally a centuries old sheltered area dug into the side of the Bleeding Heart volcano, stabilized by the first King of the Crimsons to be a safe area to nest.
Not me pushing that cart RIGHT to checkout x3c
Ah I just admire your work! and Congrats on getting that first hundred! I'm sure there's plenty more to come! ^^
I am always in awe of the beautiful works you make for our series Rat!! They're always so stylized and expressive to the point I can imagine them animated! <3
