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Situated high atop the peak of Ark's central volcano are burrowed-out cavities in which Volcondor eggs reside. These eggs, protected by their mother's indiscriminate wrath that keeps even her partner at a distance, are buried beneath a pile of smoldering tree bark, leaves, and other dead plant material.
At the center of every Volcondor's chest is a specialized rocklike organ that is used to expel intense flames from its body. The curious fire-starting property of this stone unfortunately attracts Arkians involved with alternative medicine, believing it to possess miraculous properties that can cure any ailment if used as an ingredient. An increasing demand for it on the black market has led to a plummeting Volcondor population as the organ cannot be removed without proving fatal to the creature.
Volcondors are omnivorous scavengers, preferring to peck at vegetation or collect the spoils of a rotting week-old corpse than to hunt living prey. They have evolved to resist illness from bacteria-laden carrion by roasting it at extreme temperatures exceeding 800°C. Any bacteria or toxins remaining on the meat are further subjected to potent stomach acid when consumed. It has since been largely ignored in Ark's modern lexicon, but someone who is able to eat anything without falling ill was once said to have the stomach of a Volcondor.