The Lesser Known Mutant History (Sloth vs. Krawley)

However, for people who might not know about it, there is actually another place, and another face, that is also associated with mutated Neopians, but perhaps to a lesser known extent. The place is Neovia. The face is a strange blue Krawk named Mr. Krawley. Krawley's role in the history of mutants is not known as clearly as Sloth's, nor is it as understood, yet there is very loose evidence that seems to link the two in the history of Neopia's mutants.

It goes in this way:

In the peaceful town of Neovia, a mysterious stranger simply appeared one day, seemingly out of nowhere, and offered a strange flask of an unknown potion to a young Gelert named Bruno. The potion's effects were so amazing, that very soon, others in Neovia drank them as well. Though the potions seemed to offer positive results, they carried a negative effect as well, and Bruno was transformed into a hideous monster. Mr. Krawley vanished from sight and left Neovia to a decade of misery, which was finally broken with the efforts of Bruno, his sister Sophie, and a young Usul named Gilly. Krawley, after a brief reappearance, in which he aided Gilly to an extent to correct the situation in Neovia, soon vanished once again, this time, apparently for good. Bruno was the only victim of the potion who couldn't be cured of his transformation, for unexplained reasons.

After considering these facts, many questions arise. Some of these questions have raised certain beliefs that Mr. Krawley might have somehow been apprenticed to Dr. Sloth, since his potions contained mutating abilities. How could it be that his potions contained such ingredients? Was it possible that Mr. Krawley was indeed connected to Dr. Sloth, if only as a pupil? It's certainly possible.

Why would Dr. Sloth ever take on a pupil, however? That's a countering point made by many of his most loyal followers. Clearly, he has the ability to take over Neopia on his own, without any outside help, and certainly, he would never just hand over his secrets to anyone! This is where one should compare the potion effects of both Sloth and Krawley, to shed some light on this matter. Dr Sloth's potions certainly make minions out of the unwary, as do Mr. Krawley's, but at the same time, Krawley's potions differ in a mild way. They start off as something good, and slowly reveal their darker, more sinister side, sometime afterward. Sloth's potions simply go right to work after being drunk.

How is it possible for a mutating potion offered by Krawley to have a time delay between both positive and negative effects? This is where a new idea takes over. If Krawley WAS apprenticed to Sloth, it's very possible he was only shown a rough outline of how to create the mutating potions, and left to figure the rest out on his own. It's very likely Krawley had to rely on dark magic from the Haunted Woods to complete what he had learned from Dr. Sloth, which might explain the time delay of his potions, along with their zombie-like effects which developed after some time had passed.

This is very likely the explanation behind the possible connection between Dr. Sloth and Mr. Krawley. Dr. Sloth's potions were developed along scientific experiments, and Mr. Krawley's potions seemed to contain dark magic effects. How is it that someone like Krawley could end up an apprentice to Sloth? This is clearly the more difficult question to answer, and it's very unlikely it will ever be known in full. Dr. Sloth himself was not very cooperative in his interviews regarding these questions, and when asked about his apprentice, he denied any such partnership, and certainly with a Krawk! Mr. Krawley could not be located for an interview, so all we have to go on is a flat denial from Sloth, not that I'd ever count that as proof in any case.

There is one more mystery regarding Krawley that should be addressed here. Just before vanishing for what seemed to be for good, he offered help of a sort to Gilly. Why did he do this? There is a theory that could explain his apparent change of heart in the decision to agree, if indirectly, to help the town of Neovia be saved from the curse of the potions. If it's true he HAD been linked with Sloth, it might very well be possible that at some point after offering his potions to the citizens of Neovia, he ended his partnership with Sloth. Since Neovia had been cursed for a decade, this theory is certainly very possible.

How it might have happened:

After the town of Neovia became cursed by the potions offered by Krawley, he returned to Dr. Sloth to tell him of his work. Dr. Sloth might have found Mr. Krawley's efforts to be inferior to his own, and after a quarrel, Krawley became disillusioned with his former teacher, and walked away, vowing to never return. Upon returning to the Haunted Woods, he hid and waited for a time to redeem himself, and when Gilly asked him for aid, Krawley did not refuse, though his help was given reluctantly.

This might not be the correct possibility, but it's very likely the most accurate. After offering his aid to save Neovia, Mr. Krawley disappeared, and to this day has never been seen again. Will he ever return? It remains uncertain. It's clearly uncertain if Krawley was a monster or a hero in regards to his potions and activities in Neovia, at any rate. The only known certainty about him is his role in the history of Neopia's mutant citizens, however minor. The rest remains a mystery, very likely to never be fully understood. Even so, it's safe to say that Mr. Krawley remains that lesser known face in mutant history.