- “You shall know me as the Chronicler. Seek me out.”
- —The Chronicler
The Chronicler is an ancient dragon who first appeared in The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night. He was thousands of years old and contained immeasurable wisdom and knowledge; the dragon chosen to watch over the Books of Time, which have recorded almost every part of history and every dragon has a book dedicated to their lives.
Personality
Living in isolation for over 1000 years, the Chronicler is a well-learned dragon with a flare for the dramatic when it comes to speech. He serves as a narrator of sorts for the last two games of the trilogy and is a background character more so than anyone else, watching the events that unfold rather than taking any real direct action. The nature of his role as the Chronicler makes him a firm believer in destiny and he often reminds Spyro that sometimes their "paths are chosen for [them] and that it is [their] destiny to follow them, where ever they may lead." In addition, he believes that what is written in the Books of Time, such as the return of the Dark Master, cannot be changed or stopped. Despite that, the Chronicler isn't that narrow-minded as to stick to one path and can be persuaded to take another, as shown when Spyro refused to do as the Chronicler asked and wait with him in safety while Cynder fell to Malefor's control once again.
Abilities
The powers that come with the role of the Chronicler include Telekinesis, Dream Manipulation and Dragon Time.
Story
History
Long ago, the dragon that would become the Chronicler was present when the first purple dragon, Malefor, underwent training with the Dragon Elders before his corruption.[1] Over the ages, the Chronicler became a legend known only to few, usually associated with tales of doom.
The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night
Over a thousand years later, the Chronicler began contacting Spyro in his dreams shortly after Cynder left the Dragon Temple, sending the young dragon on a series of quests and reawakening Spyro's elements along the way. When Spyro told Ignitus of his dreams and the Chronicler himself, he and the other Guardians were shocked to know that the Chronicler was alive, having believed him to be just a myth due to the Ancient's preference for isolation. Ignitus reluctantly sent Spyro on his journey to the Chronicler, believing that Spyro now had a separate path than the rest of them.
Throughout his journey, the Chronicler revealed much to Spyro about the events unfolding around him, and urging him on to find him before the Night of Eternal Darkness. Along the way, the Chronicler caused Spyro to collapse into slumber so he could speak with him, often at dangerous moments such as when Spyro was flying over an ocean. But, by either accident or design, Spyro survived the fall into the water by coming to rest upon a Leviathan's back, which took Spyro to the White Isle and the Celestial Caves.
The Chronicler shows Spyro the book that tells Spyro's early lifestory up to the present.
It was in these Caves that Spyro was forced to partake in a number of trials to reach the Chronicler, even fighting an entity based on Cynder's dark form, the Elemental Dragon. After his trials were completed, Spyro came face-to-face with the Chronicler, who began to explain what really happened on the night of the raid at the Dragon Temple and what had happened to Cynder that made her become what she was. He also told Spyro the story of Malefor, how he was the first of his kind and that his raw power enabled him to master many kinds of powers, which the dragon elders willingly taught to him until his exile and his eventual transformation into the Dark Master.
The Chronicler then told Spyro why he brought him to the caves: to hide in safety until a later time. But Spyro, fearing for Cynder's safety more than his own, insisted to know what would happen to her. When the Chronicler said that she would not be able to resist Malefor and would rejoin him, Spyro demanded that he leave to save her. Reluctantly, the Chronicler showed Spyro the way and allowed him to leave.
Spyro used the Chronicler's words to come up with the idea to freeze himself, Cynder, and Sparx in a crystal to protect them from the collapsing Mountain of Malefor. The Chronicler wasn't heard again until the very last scene of the game when Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx are frozen inside the crystal, talking to the sleeping Spyro and telling him that when he awakens, the world will be different, but he is not alone and will have allies.
The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
Three years later, the Chronicler appeared to Spyro and Cynder as an illusion generated by a green gem cluster within the Catacombs, the gems that later energized Spyro and Cynder's elements. He told them that it was time to awaken their powers: Spyro with his Fire, Electricity, Ice, and Earth, and Cynder with her unusual powers granted to her by her exposure to the darkness: Poison, Fear, Wind, and Shadow.
The Chronicler welcomes Ignitus and passes his duties onto him.
After Malefor's defeat, the Chronicler was seen reading from one of the Books of Time, speaking to a hidden figure that was revealed to be Ignitus, whom the Chronicler had been expecting for a long time. The ancient dragon explained to the Fire Guardian that a new age was dawning, and with each new age, a worthy dragon is chosen to chronicle the many triumphs and failures of that age, and Igntius is chosen as the next Chronicler of the new age. When Ignitus asked what became of Spyro, the Chronicler revealed that when a dragon dies, a new page is written in one of the books. He goes on to say that he had tried his best, but he couldn't find any trace of Spyro in that book. With that said, the Chronicler began to glow and bestowed his powers to Ignitus, changing the red dragon's scales to the shade of blue the Chronicler had along with his various items. He vanished in the process, presumably entering the book that recorded the dragons' deaths.
Role
It should be noted that "The Chronicler" is more of a title than it is a name, and that the scale color is actually a symbol of status. Evidence of this is shown when Ignitus's scale color turned to match the Chroncler's and gains the clothing the Chronicler was wearing after the former Chronicler passed his duties on to the former Fire Guardian.
International Voice Actors
| Language | Voice dubbing actor |
|---|---|
| Danish | Lars Thiesgaard |
| Finnish | Petri Hanttu |
| Norwegian | Yngvar Numme |
| Swedish | Jacob Nordenson |
| Dutch | Johnny Kraaijkamp jr. |
| French | Jean-Claude Donda |
| German | Jürgen Kluckert |
| Italian | Riccardo Rovatti |
| Spanish | Jesús Ferrer |
| Russian | Unknown |
Gallery
Trivia
- Unless the Chronicler succeeded a previous Chronicler, or even if he was the first Chronicler, it is possible before he took on his role, he was a Fire Dragon as he appears to be an elderly version of the type, except for a few physical characteristics. However, there is also reason to believe that he may have been an Earth Dragon as the Dragon in an image in the cutscene before 'The Dragon City' in Dawn of the Dragon looks very much like the Chronicler.
- His design was inspired by Sean Connery.[2]
- When the Chronicler was telling Spyro of the Dark Master, there is an image that shows the Chronicler in it. In the far left corner of the picture is a dragon at a desk with writing materials.[1]
- When the Chronicler is telling Ignitus of what has happened to Spyro after he saved the world, the characteristics they share are very similar, such as the shape of the nose. Whether or not these characteristics mean anything is unknown at the present time.
- In The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night, the Chronicler has gray scales. In Dawn of the Dragon, he has blue scales due to the change in art style and game developers.
- It is possible that the Chronicler passed on by going into the Book of Death after passing his title to Ignitus.
- During The Eternal Night, the Chronicler tells Spyro that no one has visited in his solitude for over a thousand years, and at the end of Dawn of The Dragon, he states before he passes his duties to Ignitus, that it has been his duty for many millennia. This suggests that the Chronicler had a visitor in his solitude a little more than a thousand years before Spyro visited him.
- Despite his immense wisdom, the Chronicler was occasionally depicted as becoming decrepit seen in The Eternal Night where he walks slowly and struggles to sit down.
- Many players have noted that the Chronicler has a pendant that resembles a white gem. Though it's purpose is never stated, it is called the "Heart of the Chronicler" in concept art, and it glows brightly when he uses his powers.
References
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