Rylen! We all knew deep in our hearts that only a trainer of canines such as you could be the perfect bronze rider! This is a skill you will certainly be putting to use with Azmaioth, so don't despair that you won't be a Herder anymore. Every bit of knowledge learned about training will be needed to tame some of Azmaioth's wilder instincts, which he has plenty of. Once we learned we could never let you go, we decided to give you the perfect dragon to love. One who will forever be depending on your past experiences and who will forever be giving you new experiences in life. We hope that you will enjoy your new life at Ista Weyr and your brand new lifemate who is yours and yours alone. Thank you for choosing Ista Weyr and congratulations R'yn! –-Corona, Lira & Jia

Dragon: Azmaioth
Color: Bronze
Name: Jia
Egg: Twisted Mix Egg
Egg Desc: Corona
Dragonet: Lion-Hearted Paladin Bronze
Desc: Corona, Tweaked by Sapha & Lira
Messages: Corona
Inspiration: Jia, Lira, Corona

Clutching Message:

Kwazarenth stills, her tail going rigid as she bears down to expel Twisted Mix Egg into a freshly scooped out depression. Tension is apparent all along the gold, the delivery of this egg taking somewhat longer than that of the others before it finally is deposited upon the Sands.

Twisted Mix Egg:

A background of stark white is occasionally overthrown by a faint off-white tint swirling about the outer edges of the shell. A slightly deeper not-quite-white shade gets mixed in thickly, as though the artist took his time slicing through the lighter shades of white to blend the darker in. Here and there, a faint touch of color simmers beneath the surface: apple green, cranberry red, mandarin orange. Green, red and orange are nearly invisible beneath the creamy-clear layers of white, but there none the less. The egg is very hard, and may hatch any time now.

Hatching Message:

Twisted Mix Egg shudders one last time and shatters into a shower of tiny eggshell pieces. The being revealed picks itself from the remains of its enclosure and extends its 'sails to shake away the debris. Creeling challenge and curiosity to the world, Lion-Hearted Paladin Bronze Dragonet takes his first step onto the surface of this brave new world.

Lion-Hearted Paladin Bronze Dragonet:

The palest of bronzen hide coats the underside of this svelte dragon's regal muzzle, blending along his cheeks with the sun-bleached copper wrapped about his chiseled visage. The sandy shade continues just past his eyeridges, deepening suddenly into rich, fiery mahogany before sliding down his elongated neck. The mane of color sweeps over bony shoulders, extending past the first of his neckridges and drizzling down lean forelegs to fade to amber at his sharp elbows. Lazily, the reddish hues mingle down both his taut belly and spine ridges in a dark, meandering line. Though the muted, tawny shades that spread smoothly down his haunches match those of his keen face and oversized paws, the willowy sails that spring enthusiastically from his narrow back are a combination of light and dark: gilded membranes stretched between long, rusty pinions. Touches of burnt umber, meanwhile, etch heavy lines along his muzzle and frame close-set eyes, the pigment also venturing to the very tips of his sharpened claws and whip-like tail. Beneath the drastic coloring of his thin body, his muscles are well-honed, rippling fluidly when he is in motion and bulging just slightly when he is at rest.

Impression Message:

Lion-Hearted Paladin Bronze Dragonet does not accelerate, but instead slows to almost a crawl as he focuses on his Only. One sand-covered paw is set in front of the next. He rests. With time, the next paw moves forward, being set down very deliberately. Again, a step. And another step. And another. He finally comes to rest in front of the only candidate whose heart beats in time with his: the Herder lad before him is his perfect match. Whirling eyes raise and claim Rylen for a life of bravery and danger. Can the boy handle it? Of /course/ he can.

Personal Impression Message:

A persuasive tenor voice suddenly appears in your mind. « Picture it, R'yn: the world will be ours. » Assuredness mingles with jubilation and allspice raises from the sand to twist inextricably with your senses. The voice continues, and every hue begins to seep from the scene before your eyes. « Won't it be wonderful? But we can't do much without food, can we? My belly is practically kissing my spine. » There is one last pause, then a laugh rings out and the world returns to color, only somehow brighter than before. « Oh, I forgot to mention that, didn't I? My name is Azmaioth. »

Name Inspiration:

Azmaioth is derived, initially, from "mai", which is "lion" in Egyptian. The Az was added on to give the name more strength and masculinity. It almost lends it a slightly demonic feel, doesn't it? "Azrael", "Azazel", "Aza-thoth", all darker names. So, if you were feeling particularly odd, you might think of Azmaioth to mean "Demon Lion". More appropriate, I think, would be "Dark Lion."

As for pronunciation, well, as you asked for, we found you a fairly easily-pronounced name. "AZ-my-oth" is how I've been thinking of it, though "Az-MY-oth" is equally possible, as is "Az-my-OTH". It's all up to you.

Egg Inspiration:

Smirnoff Twisted Mix Pack, which I believe comes in green apple, cranberry, mandarin orange and perhaps raspberry. I was going to do it as just the green apple, my favorite, but somehow I decided that all flavors would be more interesting for the coloring of the egg.

Description Inspiration:

Azmaioth is a combination of a long-maned Barbary lion's coloring with the thin, long and muscled body of a greyhound. Before I began writing, I did a search for Barbary lions and encountered this site. The middle picture is the one that I relied on the most, since I felt that his coloring conveyed the interesting information found in this second site. This information about mane coloring was very intriguing and seemed to mesh well with our rough drafts of Azmaioth's personality, so I was very eager to include this trivia into your dragon, both in the description and in the inspiration. You asked for a fiery bronze and lion-esque coloring on a brown, but we simply had to give you both. I hope this description is one you'll cherish for days, months and years to come.

A few details about Azmaioth for your playing: Imagine your dragon stretched out, since that's essentially what he is. His limbs, tail, stomach and neck are all sort of stretched thin, as a greyhound seems to be. He's well muscled, as you requested, looking sleek and fit rather than bulging like a body builder. Along with his toned muscles, Azmaioth has widened feet, like any feline, which will cause initial stumbling problems when he's young, but aid him in swift ground movements and swimming when he's older. Beyond this, you're on your own to expand Azmaioth as you please. His thin, whip-like tail can be used to make him a swifter flier (and swimmer) or it can throw him off balance, whatever you please.

Personality:

Captain Jellico: "Let's drop ranks for a moment. I don't like you. I think you are subordinate, arrogant, willful and I don't think you are particularly good first officer, but you are also the best pilot in the ship."

Commander Riker: "Well, Now that the ranks are dropped, Captain. I don't like you either. You ARE arrogant and close-minded. You need to control everything and everyone. You don't provide an atmosphere of trust and you don't inspire these people to go out of the way for you. You've got everyone wound up so tight there's no joy in anything. I don't think you are a particularly good captain."
—ST:TNG "Chain of Command, Part II"

Every dream is grand, every decision set into stone. This may seem like a lead-in to a wistful or a stodgy dragon, but Azmaioth is neither. His dreams are always realistic, but they are often steps to some grander scheme. With time and persistence, you and Azmaioth might change the workings of the entire Weyr to suit his preference, and the Weyr might be the better for it.

Surely, Azmaioth is adamant about everything, but his decisions are /goal-based/ rather than method-based. If he decides he needs to make lunch out of a certain herd beast but another bronze starts for it, he doesn't give up and mope. Instead, he employs every method at his disposal, from charm to brute strength, to weasel his goal out from under the claws of his rival.

Prince Ashitaka: Look, everyone! This is what hatred looks like! This is what it does when it catches hold of you! It's eating me alive, and very soon now it will kill me! Fear and anger only make it grow faster!
—Mononoke Hime

It is lucky for Pern that your Azmaioth's morals are strong and he has a well-developed sense of justice. Basically, he's your Aristotelian ideal: it doesn't matter how you do something, and it matters /why/. Both are important, and the right things done for the wrong reasons will never be acceptable. He'll never be a pushover, and he's in no way humble (he /deserves/ that herd beast, shardit!) but he always strives to do the right thing for the very reason that it's the /right thing to do/.

If there is one dragon in all of Pern who will never back down, it's your Azmaioth. He quickly formulates what needs to be done, what is /right/, then moves to do it immediately and won't rest until he's satisfied. This comes across, initially, as a sort of Arthurian gallantry, but after a couple of weeks of never-ending rescue attempts?

« Look at that poor creature! We've got to help him! »
"What is this, the seventh rescue we've made today? Azmaioth, it's just a trundlebug."
« But he'll get trampled if we don't do something. Are you going to help me, or shall I do it on my own? »

Eventually, he'll grow out of his "rescue!" phase but the basic idea will stay around: you've got to help out the little guy, the underdog, the creature that cannot help himself… even if it's not easy.

Despite his inner valor, Azmaioth will always seem cool and composed.

He never simply sits: he /lounges/. Instead of walking, he /saunters/. Within the weyr, he's like a lion among house cats. A lot of his confidence comes from his remarkable physical dexterity, and he will no doubt be one of the best fliers in his weyrling class, though he may be off to a rough start. Azmaioth is a born tactician and an excellent leader, showing the full force of his inner calm when the situation is at its worst.

He is loyal to the Weyr and to his leaders. He is always aware of his strength and ability but he respects the sort of greatness that only comes with experience. Loyalty is a virtue, and Azmaioth strives to be virtuous in every way. His sort of virtue is one that can only be acquired by reaching a "golden mean". Not too angry - but not too complacent. Not too much food - but not too little, either.

"What's the difference between a truckload of bowling balls and a truckload of dead woodchucks?" Eddie raved. "You can't unload a truckload of bowling balls with a pitchfork!"
—Wizard and Glass

"Besides, you look /good/ in a dress"
— Riker to Worf (Liasons)

Humor is important within anyone's life. No truly great man or dragon is without the ability to see the fun in life. Azmaioth is possessed of an excellent sense of humor - at least so he thinks. Most people would call it "rude", or "tasteless", or even occasionally "lame"…

But that sort of thing isn't going to change the opinion of Pern's most determined dragon, is it? With time, he may stop sharing his dead baby jokes, but that doesn't mean *you* won't hear them, especially at the most inopportune moments. Even while he's scheming, doing drills, or taking part in a flight, his wonderfully perceptive mind picks up on things none would ever notice simply so he can formulate them into a joke. It's his main way of letting off steam, but he also enjoys making people laugh. If anything, that's what he takes /the most/ pride in.

Lexington: If you don't know anything, then why were you shooting at us?

Xanatos: Do I really need an excuse for having a good time in my own home?

Azmaioth is the sweetest of creatures to anything that he may consider in need of help. But when it comes to dealing with dragons/people he considers rivals, watch out! If Azmaioth perceives something to be his equal, or a threat to himself or you, that's when his full range of talent comes out. He'll throw himself into any fair competition with the ferocity of a lion.

Any shyness that Azmaioth may have is only shown in social situations. It's not that he is nervous about others disliking him, he just finds it difficult to add a new dragon/person and his/her quirks into his detailed worldview. Once he's made friends, he's loyal to a fault and they're soon being asked to aid him in his plans, but until the two get to know one another? Well, R'yn, that's when you tell him to "sit", "stay" and "be nice", coercing him into friendship.

Xanatos: Revenge they say, is a sucker's game. True love is harder to come by.

Riker: "Now, the first words out of your mouth are the most important. You may want to start with something like this here." [To Guinan] "You are the most beautiful woman in the galaxy." [To Wesley] "But that might not work."

Guinan: "Yes! Yes, it would."
—ST:TNG "The Dauphin"

Flights:

Azmaioth is a winner, an absolute winner. He's quick and sleek and mentally sharp. In flights, he will often find his advantage in the actions of the other males, and will sometimes excite their rage by pitting them against one another and by putting their errors to his use. Azmaioth uses a combination of tactics and speed— whichever one is more called-for by the flight at hand. Sometimes, he will misjudge the opponents and the lady, which will result in failure. These times will be very hard for him and even harder for you, because, instead of roaring to the wind or throwing himself into duties, Azmaioth will try and find out what went wrong by going over and re-going over the events of the flight in your minds. A lot. For several sevendays, or at least until the next flight.

When Azmaioth wins a flight though, he won't become cocky. He knows he's good, and victory should rightfully be his. He does, however, have a definite concept of romance. If a female is proddy, he will be on his best behavior, but even when the flight is over and he's won, he's there just for her. He'll present her with gifts if she is a green, sort of a 'thank you, let's do that again' kind of thing. If she is a gold and he's clutchdad, he'll be the most loving, devoted sandmate a girl could ask for. After all, those are /his/ kids too, and look at all she went through to bring them into the world!

Computer: "Riker, William T., do you concur?"

Riker: "Yes, absolutely, I do indeed concur wholeheartedly!"

Computer: "Auto destruct canceled."

Picard: "Simple 'yes' would have sufficed, Number One."
—ST:TNG "Where Silence Has Lease"

Mind Voice:

Azmaioth's voice is mellow and warm, on the high end of the baritone spectrum. His diction is precise, he pronounces each word /very/ clearly, and his sentences usually have a stilted, antique sort of structure ("shall"s and "mustn't"s and "ought"s are pretty common). Azmaioth finds so many things humorous, though, so much joy in the world, it's rare a sentence to come through without a single dry laugh or a sardonic inflection to indicate what he /really/ thinks.

As usual, though, he /must/ seem serious, at least on the surface.

Fittingly, Azmaioth's general mind colorsheme is dark, barely saturated colors. Warm velvet maroon, satiny grey-violet, all rich hues and mind textures. His omnipresent humor is indicated by tiny bubbles, splintering stars, or dancing lines of tropical colors. Imagine that double-layered black paper that everyone had to scratch the top off of in elementary school, exposing little rainbow lines on a dark surface. Imagine a prism reflecting a tiny spectrum onto dark green, almost black silk. That sort of thing is what Azmaioth's voice will /look/ like.

Along with Azmaioth's mind voice comes a mix of spices and mint. Spicy ginger is ever present, awakening and clarifying the depths of any minds it touches. Undertones of wooded notes, cedar and pine, slip through at his calmest moments, and spearmint and citrus flare into your senses whenever he is angry or upset.

Spices in the mind and spices on the tongue. When Azmaioth bespeaks someone, he or she comes away with the taste of sugared ginger twisted with just a hint of lime— more or less lime depending on the bronze's mood and his opinion of that person.

Harper's Tale's 41st PC Clutch

Ista Weyr
Iri's gold Kwazarenth and B’ane’s bronze Aboleoth
29 April 2005

Clutchmates:
Asli's green Safuriketh
Lzi's green Izlasth
D'lan's blue Nokith
U'ric's brown Khonsath
R'yn's bronze Azmaioth
Minka's gold Ryazusith