Important note! This is a lore page, solely for flavour text. For a quick summary/creation guide, please visit our Creating a Pokey Smoke page.
Pokey Smokes are the flame elementals of Safira Island and claim the title of island tricksters just as boldly. All Pokey Smokes try to live their lives to the fullest, with as much merriment and humor as possible. Naming structures are often short sounds, a pun, or playful banter.
Despite their alignment to the Inferno, Pokey Smokes are not found on Aysu’s Heart. Originally, this genus could be found inhabiting the inland regions of Safira, although the fall of terradins caused the Quivers to unite and retreat into hiding. Where Pokey Smokes have chosen to hide is a well-guarded secret, as the peaceful folk do not wish to compromise their shelter. Even those confident enough to remerge into the islands are tight-lipped.
One thing that has slipped is the name “Otenere”. There is some debate among non-Pokeys if Otenere is a capital city, the name of a group, or if Pokey Smoke’s have unlocked some form of pocket dimension. Knowing Pokeys, it could be a combination of all three! Be wary, as fully digging into the matter may draw unwanted attention from the five King-Pins. After meeting even one of these decorated leaders, you’ll find that Pokey Smokes aren’t only about fun and games, especially if your actions jeopardize their well-being.
Anatomy Breakdown
Pokey Smokes all don a dense coat of quills across their back known as a cloak. When using magic, the tips of the quills begin to kindle from the magic quick running through each. A quick that has been damaged will rupture into a small flame, although a shed quill loses this effect to magic decay. It is not the density of quills that determines a Pokey Smoke’s mana capacity, though. For this you must turn your eyes to the lines around the muzzle, chest, and tail.
These are known as Stark, markings which all Pokey Smokes have in some combination. The bolder the contrast a Stark has against the pelt beneath it, the deeper mana pool a Pokey Smoke has. But don’t assume a Pokey with a lighter Stark is weaker! Light-Starked Pokey Smoke can still defeat a dark-Starked Pokey if they know how to wield their magic more efficiently.
Pokey Smokes have a stocky silhouette with short legs. Their long, puffy tails combat the severe weather of their home region and sharp, retractable claws assist with scaling trees. Whiskers dapple their snouts and large eyes help with navigating under the nighttime canopies. They have small skulls and round faces with a set of sharp teeth used for catching fluttering insects. The quills on their back help with buoyancy, making the genus surprisingly good swimmers. Diving under the waves, on the other hand, is beyond their depth.
Portal Tails
Not only does a Pokey Smoke's tail serve them as a perfect umbrella and pillow, but a Pokey with enough training and magical ability can use their tail to create a portal! All they have to do is create a circle from their tail, then either hold it in their paws or teeth, and a portal will form. The portal will stay active for a few seconds after it's created, so long as the Pokey Smoke's tail is unharmed, allowing the portal creator to travel through it.
A closing portal slices like a blade and slices closed quickly, so it's not often that portals are used for travel.
Shapeshifting
Pokey Smokes can coat themselves in an illusion to appear as someone or something else. There are limitations, meaning a Pokey can only transform into something with four limbs and a head, and they must maintain a similar size. Due to their similar builds, Pokeys often take the disguise of an aqualox.
There are a few signs to tell if you're speaking with a disguised Pokey Smoke:
- The smell of ash, sulfur, or cooked meat.
- Fragmentation around places with the densest illusion.
- Shadow reverting into their Pokey Smoke form when distracted.
- Attempting to touch a suspected warped portion
- This results in an object passing through a portion that appears bigger or
- an object ending abruptly at a portion that appears smaller
Masterlist images may include an additional disguised form reference, but this must be included alongside a non-disguised form. A disguised form must still clearly depict a playable species, and the masterlist’s thumbnail image will be of the non-disguised form. Prompts may also be completed using a Pokey's disguised form, but submissions follow the same restrictions as masterlist entries.