In Game Information
An elder dragon that protects itself with a glittering coat of metal. Its ecology and coat differ with each appearance, thus the need for a thorough investigation.
Taxonomy
Kulve Taroth is an Elder Dragon that has a metallic coat that shines golden but is made up of a variety of metals and minerals that it uses to protect itself. It appears every so often to the surface and must be hunted quickly before it disappears into the depths of the earth again.
Habitat Range
Kulve Taroth dwells in the Caverns of El Dorado a massive and complex series of tunnels filled with valuble minerals and metals that glitter gold. Along with a race of Gajalaka's, and some endemic lifeforms such as the Clappa's and Golden Scalebat. The cavern is split into 4 area's, the first area which is a series of maze-like passages where there are some traps and cannons created by hunters to damage it. The second area is a massive amphitheater like room where the Kulve Taroth will start fighting back actively against the hunters. The third area which is a boiling hot room filled with lava and giant stalactites that can be dropped onto Kulve and lava spurts that can damage her. Also she can use her breath attack to cause the lava to erupt and damage hunters. The fourh and final area is similar to the second area but filled with golden stalactices and a giant spire in the center that can be used to jump on the Kulve as she devotes her attention to eliminating the hunters.
Ecological Niche
Kulve Taroth is unique among Elder Dragons in that does not interact with any monsters of any kind apart from the Gajalaka's that reside in the caves who mostly take pieces of her fallen metal coat for their own purposes. However considering her size, power, and speed it would be safe to assume she would be the top of the food chain along with most elder dragons. Curiously she seems to be utterly safe from the rabid hunger of the infamous Nergigante.
Biological Adaptations
The most strking trait of the Kulve is the metal coat which it wears like a royal robe fit for a queen. Kulve's body is covered by the same matierals that make up it's coat, which all shine a bright golden glow but is not gold itself. Another striking trait is Kulve's size, she is massive far larger than most elder dragons and is strong enough to carry her massive metal coat. Her horns are rather unique in that they must be broken twice the first time to get rid of the coating and the final time to remove the horns themselves. When removed of the coating they are a dazzling color of sapphire and emeralds. Kulve uses both her massive body and her coat as both a means of defense and attack, often diving down to ram her body against hunters while her coat allows her to attack in ranges she wouldn't normally be able to attack. At times Kulve's body will heat up causing her coat to mollify which allows her to move faster but also allows for her coat to be broken quicker.
One of her more interesting traits is her breath, which instead of fire she breathes out a stream of hyper heated air like the air from an open furnace. This breath not only has surprising range but speed as well allowing her to attack from a great distance. This breath also has the ability to heat up the floor causing constant damage to any that stand on the heated floor. It can also melt the metal walls of the caverns with little effort instanly reducing them to molten metal. She uses this breath in a number of ways including using it to heat the golden stalactites of the fourth area to rain down molten metal during the final battle.
It's not until one removes her metal coat that we see the Kulve Taroth's true prowess, not only does she move much more nimbly but also more aggressively as well, using her horned head to ram and smash hunters with extreme agression. She also uses her breath more offensively heating up the floor and the ceiling to herd hunters into tight spaces to better smash them while they try to break her horns. Curiously once her horns are broken she will lose the will to fight and will retreat immediately.
It is unkown currently if there are male Kulve Taroths currently all encountered Kulve are female.
Behavior
Even amongst Elder Dragons Kulve Taroth is a very passive aggressive monster, it will not attack until excessively provoked and once provoked it will not stop till it's aggressors are eliminated. Kulve Taroth once spotted will do all it can to escape conflict forcing hunters to retrack it again. Kulve Taroth has some displays of intelligence particularly when driven to a corner when she uses her breath to heat the ceilinig in the final area to off-balance the hunters. It is not know why Kulve will lose all will to fight when it's horn is broken but it's possible that it is proud of it's horn and having it broken is a mark of shame though that is a subject to be debated on.