Angels and Demons Egg

The symmetry of this egg is almost perfect  as far as the shape goes, anyway. When it comes to the colour though, its a completely different story. Two halves clash in the middle, feathered buttermilk colliding with leathery black. The former half is all light and air, patterned as if its embraced within a sun-flecked birds wing, while the latter appears hard, almost grainy, its soot-smeared black ticked with blood red.

Hatching Message

Angels and Demons Egg does not appear to be doing much, the battle within unfolding unseen.  With nary a peepno rocking, no bobbing, no bouncing, no rollingdiminutive cracks mottle the surface, invisible to the naked eye.  In moments, the fight is over, the shell bursting with the insistent pressure from within to leave a blood-tarnished brown warrior.  Sinner or saint, he appears ready for anything.

Tarnished Legend Brown Dragonet

The taint of old blood, deep crimson faded to rust, tarnishes the Cimmerian hide of this world-weary warrior: a faint spattering at throat and sides coalesces against his broad chest and pools in the shadows about sinewy limbs and capable paws, the true spoils of war.  Sanguine-splashed sable, the broad-planed features of his blunt muzzle and round face bear the intangible scars of battle in a certain hardness about his mouth, and a wariness in his gaze.  A stalwart brown, efficiently built, wiry musculature lends strength to an otherwise long and lean frame.  He is dignified despite the wear of obscurity on his sienna clad form: pale gold dusts the noble curve of his headknobs and the sharp spur of 'ridges; against the hefty cloak of sails faded to mahogany, the flake and curl of aged gilt reveals the chipped length of ebon spars.  The iron heft of his slender tail and the dull gleam of steel-tipped claws serve as warning: look on me, ye Mighty, and despair!

Public Impression Pose

Tarnished Legend Brown Dragonet increases in speed to close the distance between himself and a particular figure.  Her.  There.  He skids to a halt, chest heaving lightly with exertion, to gaze down at the woman whose hobby has literally rubbed off on her.  He is looking no more.  He has found his 'mate.

Private Impression Message

Shades of grey wash across the sands and envelop your mind.  « Isabeau. » A husky baritone eases in with the grey: a strong, commanding presence, distinctly male: woodsmoke and musk, and the chill kiss of steel.  He waits until he has your complete attention, then adds, drolly, « You have a long way to go, child.  A long way to go. » He laughs: it's pleasant, if a bit raspy.  « I am Krobeskeluth. »  Color drifts back into your gaze, somehow brighter, stronger, more vibrant, for the mind now linked to yours until the end of time.  « And far, we will go. »

Isabeau!  Welcome aboard the flag ship Insanity!  That is to say: welcome to Weyrlinghood at High Reaches Weyr.  ;)  Your dedication to the Weyr, even between cycles, has been commendable.  It's not something a Co sees very often, these days, and we are proud to add such a stalwart figure to our weyrling class.  We look forward to your continued presence here at the Weyr, with your most fabulous Krobeskeluth.  We hope we were able to capture your idea faithfully enough, and that you enjoy playing him.

Egg Inspiration

Is there a battle more epic than that between heaven and hell? Good vs evil? Ok, so its probably what most people think of when they think of epic rivalries, but rather than go for the classic black vs white I thought Id add a little bit of a twist to it. Sun-kissed feathers are off-white, and red-ticked black is… well, black with red dots. Sorta. It may not be entirely unique, but angels fighting against demons is much more interesting than plain old good and bad having a skirmish.

Theme Inspiration

Navarre is a captain, Saint Vladimir a king, but both are men of action, warriors and leaders, with a somewhat single-minded mission.  Vladimir unites Russia through conquest and fratricide, then converts the nation to Christianity.  Navarre ends the curse that has kept him and his beloved apart, and kills the man who laid the curse.  Legend tells us that Vladimir was a shrewd and ambitious man, proud, and perhaps a little unscrupulous.  Navarre the character is also proud, gruff, and perhaps a little world-weary.  Your Krobeskeluth is a mix of both of these characters: proud and ambitiousthough not quite unscrupulousgruff, and a little world-weary.

Name Inspiration

When asked about names, you stated that you liked the way that Russian sort of rolled with a few edges, so I proceeded to hunt for a Russian dictionary that didn't give results in Cyrillic.  Ha!  In the end I managed to get some semblance of the phrase "blood-tarnished warrior" translated into Russian: krov=blood, tusklost'=tarnish, boec=warrior.  After much tossing and mashing of these three words, we came up with Krobeskeluth, which rolls quite readily and has a few Russian-born edges.

Mindvoice

When Krobeskeluth speaks, you had best listen.  He does not waste words, and when he makes a promise or a threat, he means it absolutely.  His voice is low and quiet, easy to miss sometimes when your mind is busy with other things.  You will learn to listen for it, though, and to respect the need that drives him to speak.  « Those men do not favor riders, Isabeau.  Be wary. »  The words come as a husky baritone, a trace of a growl behind them.

Despite the quiet of his voice, when he speaks, it will have a compulsion of its own.  A whisper can lock attention better than a yell, as others fall silent to hear, and the intensity of his words will lend them extra weight.  He does not waste words: if he spends them, it is for a purpose.

Although he does not often speak, you will often feel his presence there with you.  There are smells which you will come to associate with him: the smell or iron or steel will often hang in your mind, or of woodsmoke.  You can feel him watching you, sometimes, like a sentinel in the back of your awareness, a figure in shades of grey.

And you will be there with him, as well, for his moments of pleasure or pain.  When he has his first kill and feasts on a plump herdbeast, flashes of his awareness will come to you: the taste of the meat, the satisfaction of a job well done.  With him, you may catch sight of a green dragon and find yourself attracted in a way that is not purely aesthetic.  That, too, comes from him.

Physicalities, Personality, and Flights

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

—“Ozymandias”, by Percy Bysshe Shelley

I took two images that you'd given us (a blond knight in black armorlike Navarreand a tarnished knight) and sort of ran with them.  The general image I had in mind when describing this dragon is a warrior who has recently been through one hellacious battle, following a lifetime of fighting.  He is the warrior in exile: tired, worn, and beaten all to heck, but ready to take on the next opponent if he must.  As requested, he is long and lean, with the broad chest and wiry musculature of a man (or beast) honed in battle, weapons at the ready in the form of claws and tail.  The last line is a ridiculous nod to Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias."  Your Krobeskeluth is not, perhaps, as bad as Ozymandias, but his pride may some day be his undoing.

He is not a particularly large brown, not likely to do well in gold flights unless he gets lucky, but neither is he small.  He is very much a brown's brown: sturdy and dependable, with average stamina and average maneuverability.  No fancy flying or unusual grace, here.  He will not be rivalling bronzes with amazing stamina or strength, or competing with blues and greens for a place in the annals of most daring acrobats.  This is not to say that he is entirely average: a keen intelligence and commanding presence give him a decided advantage, when it comes to taking charge or swaying minds.

Krobeskeluth is also not a big fan of the water.  Not that he's afraid of it, or anything, but swimming makes him feel awkward and silly, and watersport is really not his thing.  Bathing is a necessary extravagance, but it's a quick get in and scrub, rinse, and get out for him.  No fancy frousfrous soaps or oils for him—no, Isabeau will not get to try out her latest scents on him, but he has a spicy musky scent all his own that she can try to reproduce and market, if she really wants.  As a matter of fact, he doesn't understand the fascination and, while he will allow you this longtime hobby, the moment you start playing with scents, he is gone.  He'd rather be swimming.

Yours is really not a playful dragon.  He doesn't get excited about the weather for the same reasons as some other dragons: rain does not mean playing in puddles, nor snow the enjoyment of snowball fights, but an opportunity to practice in inclement weather.  He is really not a dragon of leisure and may sometimes wonder that maybe he was born in the wrong generation.  He needs to keep busy and may insist that you head up the Games committee or something, so that he has *something* to do, even if it means dealing with dragons who don't take their duty at all seriously.

This does not mean that he dislikes children: hatchling or otherwise.  He just doesn't know how to deal with them.  If he ever has the chance to have offspring of his own, he will be very loving in his own gruff manner, and he may even be willing to stand still long enough for any children you have to use him as a playground, or a shield during snowball fights.

Etienne Navarre: This lady… Did she perhaps have a name?
Phillipe: Not that she mentioned, why?
Etienne Navarre: Well, she may wander into my dreams. Wouldn't it be nice, if I could call her by name and pretend we've met before? I've waited a long time for such a lady.

Krobeskeluth, however, will always enjoy his quiet moments with you.  A lovely sunrise on the ledge before a day of drills or sweeps, or a long, quiet afternoon flying your sweep over some remote outreach: these will be cherished as much as a proud, martial dragon may cherish any such indulgence.  You are his friend, his companion, until the day you die, and you may need these moments to remind you, or to refresh yourselves, when he has been pushing too hard, or been overly gruff. 

Etienne Navarre: This sword has been in my family for five generations. It has never known defeat. Until now.

As mentioned, he is a martial dragon, dedicated to duty, honor, and the dragonrider way.  He is not a yes man, and he will oppose ineffective leadership, going so far as to rebel should Aevryscienth's brand of tyranny fail to serve any useful purpose, but he understands leadership, understands that some injustices may be necessary, and is not likely to speak up if he sees a reason for what others might seem to think a ridiculous order.  Of course, it is also likely, assuming you are willing, that he may be making such orders, himself.

Etienne Navarre: [upon seeing Phillipe's scratch marks] What is that?
Imperius: That happened last night when he saved he your life.
Etienne Navarre: Forgive me.
[pulls Pierre to his feet and hugs him]
Etienne Navarre: I'll show you idiots how to cage a wolf.

Krobeskeluth is a very proud dragon.  He does not take criticism well, and would let a bad order stand, rather than allow himself to be corrected by some snot of a subordinate.  When injuries are sustained, or someone killed, however, because he would not back down, his pride insists that he must make up for it—though apologies are hard for him.  He is not, of course, in the business of making bad decisions, so some pride is allowable.

Affection does not come easily to this gruff, duty-bound brown.  He will love you dearly, and he may have a few friends that go beyond mere acquaintance, but it will often be a cold, sometimes distant relationship.  He will push you to better yourself, to seek your full potential, and he will consider this a sign of his love.  Though he may yell and swear at you, call you names, or push a little too hard, you will have to learn to look beyond and read the affection in his words and actions.

Etienne Navarre: Do you know that hawks and wolves mate for life? The Bishop didn't even leave us that… not even that.

It will take a very special female to win the heart of this brown, but once he finds her, he will be dedicated to her for life.  She will have to understand him, in all his intricacies, and be willing to devote herself in return, but she may also be able to draw out a before unseen tender side in him.  He will fight fiercely for the right to fly her, and will jealously guard her, and in turn, he will allow himself to be somewhat gentled by her.

Flights, for Krobeskeluth, are a minor source of frustration.  Until he finds that one willing to devote herself to him, there is no attachment, but there is still that instinctive drive to procreate, and he is likely to lose, time and time again.  He will have better luck with larger greens, needing less maneuverability and more stamina with them, assuming that they do not also want to be wooed prior to mating.  A proper strategy may help, as well, though most strategies go out the window when instinct drops into hyperdrive.  And he may also just get lucky a time or two.

Gruff, reserved, duty-bound and honor-driven, your Krobeskeluth may be difficult for some to understand, even you, though your bond be a strong one.  Still he loves you, with all his miserly heart, and he wants to do right by you.  He will push you to the limit of your endurance, always knowing just how far that is, and give you room to push yourself the rest of the way.  You are partners, friends, companions, for life.  In the end, he is yours to do with as you please, but we hope you love your tarnished warrior, and play him for years to come.

Credits

Name: Shazi
Egg Desc: Rusalochka
Dragonet Desc: Shazi
Messages: Shazi
Puppeteer: Shazi
Inspiration: Shazi

Clutchmates:
L’fei (Feilan) and Proddy Alda Time Green Utonalloth
Dex and Don Juan Triumphant Blue Nazkriuulth
V’arik (Vostarik) and Cosmic Kid in Full Costume Blue Svitelloth
Rhaeyn (Rhaenyra) and Intoxicating Warrior Queen Gold Aevryscienth
Iasri and Kick Up a Row Brown Vosteyath
Jh’rek (Jhairecki) and King of the Alley Bronze Zsivanyoth
Tilla and Marylou Freebush Green Amuirnith