MORE THAN A NAME
The story of Cindlet.
Cindlet and its evolutions inhabit warm basalt gullies where storms meet volcanic heat. Their orange bodies, curved flame fins, coal scutes, and luminous channels develop into the unmistakable silhouette of a furnace-backed drake.
Potter Nima knew the camp kiln had gone cold because the night insects gathered on its chimney. She did not know why a Cindlet kept placing pebbles across the door. Instead of sweeping them aside, she rebuilt their little arrangement inside the fire chamber. Air began passing beneath the fuel again. The creature settled beside the opening, warming the damp kindling while Nima prepared a careful first firing.
Years later, lightning damaged the mountain forge above that camp. A Pyrocrest arrived along the same gully, its bright channels flashing against the rain. It paced between the forge and a nesting bank until the repair crew moved their work away from the eggs. Only then did it approach the chamber. The rebuilt forge bears a small row of pebbles above its entrance: a reminder that the creature which can supply great heat also understands where that heat should stop.
Origins & background
Warm gullies provide stable sleeping temperatures even when Cinderreach's exposed ridges cool sharply. The line's fins help regulate its stored heat, while later luminous channels reveal its Spark affinity. Local craftspeople study the creatures' choice of vents and shelters, but an inhabited den is never considered an available kiln. The drakes select their own relationships with settlements.
A PLACE TO BELONG
Life in Cinderreach.
Warm basalt gullies and storm-struck volcanic ridges.
Behavior
Young Cindlet rearrange stones around sleeping hollows and favor openings with a gentle draft. Older forms alternate basking with deliberate cooling walks. Before releasing heat, they widen their stance and lift their fins; companions that recognize this preparation can move with them calmly.
Diet
Charred seed pods, tough volcanic roots, mineral crusts, and heat-loving burrowing insects. They also accept firm orchard fruit after it has softened beside warm stone.
Place in the ecosystem
Their digging reopens sheltered vents, while their feeding breaks old seed pods that resist ordinary weathering. Vacated warming hollows become refuges for smaller animals during cold ridge nights.
Neighbors & bonds
Sootsnout uncover food near the cooler edges of a drake's den. Ziplet sometimes perch on nearby basalt after a storm, though a careful Flareback keeps its hottest resting stone free of visitors.
ONE BOND, FOUR CHAPTERS
The Cindlet lineage.
Evolution combines experience with a meaningful milestone. A WildKin may keep its current form until its keeper is ready.
Cindlet ↗
A low orange salamander with a rounded cheerful snout, splayed feet, a thick curved tail, and small dorsal coals. It learns heat control through patient adjustments to its sleeping hollow, moving stones until the draft feels comfortable.
Flareback ↗
A forehead flame crest and taller curved dorsal fins rise above a stronger body. Warm belly segments become more distinct, and the tail carries a fuller flame blade. It starts accompanying trusted partners between sheltered camps and familiar warm gullies.
Pyrocrest Current
Swept horns, charcoal shoulder scutes, and glowing fin cores announce a mature drake. Fine conductive channels make its Spark affinity visible. It carefully surveys an area before using its heat, paying particular attention to fragile nests and dry vegetation.
Kilnwyrm ↗
Towering curved kiln fins, paired furnace vents, and lower fangs crown a broad muscular frame. Gold-tipped channels gleam along its crest. Its deliberate movements reflect experience with intense heat, and a trusted partner must respect both its power and its chosen boundaries.
INSTINCT & ELEMENT
How it holds its own.
Banked Heat
After using two Ember moves, the next damaging Ember move deals 20% more damage. Consuming this bonus resets the counter.
Furnace Roar
EmberRelease a short, broad cone of heavy flame damage. Targets also burn for 2 turns.
A WildKin equips up to four moves. Its secondary element joins at Prime, alongside its signature move. Read the battle and evolution rules →
FROM THE KEEPER’S NOTEBOOK
Meeting in the wild.
- 01
Follow warm air emerging from sheltered basalt gullies.
- 02
Approach during a cooling walk, when the fins rest low.
- 03
Help repair a blocked vent before offering a bond.
“The glowing channels are easiest to see in rain. The better clue in daylight is the precise ring of pebbles around an otherwise untidy den.”— Hearthwild field notes