K'daw's Winter's Lady of Action Green Sylavarith

Welcome into the fold, K’daw! It’s been an interesting ride, full of surprises (who would have expected to get Searched at a bar?) and just general good times! We have enjoyed watching you grow as a Candidate. When it came down to it, K’daw, your Sylavarith was just plain fun to work on. We hope she’s as beautifully and vibrantly that Sea Ice Raven Lady you were hoping for - we sure had fun writing her. Your flock is just getting started!

Infinite Possibilities Egg

It was a long touching, just you and a few others gathered upon the sands. Clutchmother and father looked on, willing to let you come and walk among their children. There, nestled among the others…

A white egg. Unremarkable in almost every manner. And yet. Stare at this egg long enough, and colors and patterns begin to appear. As one watches there seems to be a sense of growth, the colors multiplying into neverending arrays and combinations. Where does this egg lead? The answers are simply…endless.

What was there to do but for you to reach out your hand and see what this unremarkable but… somehow infinite egg would touch your mind with.

The moment your hand touches the shell, you feel yourself falling. Falling headfirst into an endless sky. Or are you flying? Flying into an infinite abyss that is connected with a myriad of colors and yet nothing at all. What is it that you seek here? You are filled with the sense of consummation. And yet it is boundless, knowing no end and no beginning. The answers are there … you just need to reach out and grab it. As you do so, it fades and there's nothing but solid ground and questions left unanswered.

It was the last egg you would touch that day and really, it was for the best. Because those questions were those who followed you around, and when this egg hatched? Well, there was one question that at least forever, and for always, was answered. You're never going to be alone again.

Egg Inspiration

A place/object that has infinite storage space, or infinite ways to help you achieve your best potential. All that it requires…is you. -Vashae

Hatching Message

Infinite Possibilities Egg rests from its quivering. Only the illusion of movement remains in the ever shifting patterns which draw the eye to this not-quite-white egg. Just a handful of breaths before it resumes movement, this time in earnest. Flipping boldly to one side a long crack appears, fracturing outwards from that central line to, just for a moment, give the illusion that a pine tree has etched it's way upon the egg. But look quick, because it does not last for long. Soon pieces begin to fall as a regal young hatching spills out onto the sands, stunned at the light and noise at first, but quick to pick herself up again.

Winter's Lady of Action Green Dragonet

Winter’s pallor limns frosted jade, ocean’s ice carved to dangerous beauty through long neck and lean limbs, shining cold upon the frozen whitecaps of uneven ridges rolling down seafoam-speckled spine to sinuous tail. Rippling bands of pale beryl and turquoise dapple translucent, broad-sailed wings, aurora-iridescent, breaking across pronounced ribs and the deeper shadows of a concave abdomen before evening out to the frigid stillness of iceberg green upon lanky haunches. Wide-set eyes straddle a beak-like muzzle gleaming glacial emerald, while chilled silver talons and tips serve to embellish the algid elegance and poised presence of this salient and sinuous lady.

Public Impression Pose

Winter's Lady of Action green dragonnet moves a few more steps along the line of candidates. One poor girl, half hidden behind the larger form of her friend, shaking in fear, draws her attention. Surely this is the one. She draws close but rather than gaze into the frightened girl's eyes with the most tender of affections she raises a single wing to touch her shoulder in a gentle there-there motion. When the girl faints dead away it takes the green quite by surprise and she moves backwards, tumbling right into the boys standing there. One particular lad, with his hatchet nose and black hair gets the worst of it with the green ending up almost completely on top of him. Turning her gaze around a quiet trill sounds from her snout, as her tail twines about this leg possessively.

Private Impression Message

Never mind that weight which presses upon your chest. Focus instead on the inward as the chill of ice sweeps in to settle in a place so close to your heart. A single pinetree sits at the edge of a cliff, ice hanging upon each branch as the wind whistles past. The voice which speaks holds the potential for great power and authority, though right now it holds much of the innocence of youth. « Sweetest K'daw. I am truly sorry. If I had seen you there I never would have stepped. Oh dear, I do hope that you will forgive me. I am Sylavarith, and we are to be one forever. » A racket of sound bursts from the tree as a single raven slips from the branches, seeking the ever blue sky above as Sylavarith claims this place for the two of you.

Theme Inspiration

theme1.jpg

K’daw, when it came to fitting your Sylavarith into our theme, you had us a bit stumped! We ran through dozens upon dozens of brilliant women, but none of them felt just right. From Lucrezia Borgia to some of the more obscure ladies of the early renaissance, it took a while before we finally found who we felt was the perfect match: Isabella d’Este, the Marchesa of Mantua.

Isabella was a woman of historical influence, described by some as “liberal and magnanimous”, others as “supreme among women”. To some, she is even called the first-first lady. But these are only a fraction of the reason why we chose Isabella d’Este as a binding element for your lifemate.

Isabella’s interests roamed far and wide, and the education she received in her youth granted her an ability to see things with clearer eyes than some others. When we looked at her known, and hinted at, past…we were hooked. A woman of wit, charm, diplomacy…Isabella had many things to bring to the table for your lifemate. She also resonated so beautifully with your idea of a Lady Sybil personality, that we simply couldn't pass her by.

In all aspects of her, traces of this renaissance woman shine through, providing a strong part of what we feel is the glue in the foundation of your Sylavarith.

Description Inspiration

You gave us some amazing imagery to work with for your dragon, K’daw, and we did our best to incorporate what you gave us into both her appearance and her mindvoice. Your idea about sea ice was the strongest inspiration for her physically, both in her coloring and her build.

desc1.jpg

We also looked at a more sparkly bit of sea-ice to nail down some of that shimmer in her description.

desc2.jpg

We also couldn't pass up the imagery of shimmering raven feathers for her coloring, particularly in her wings.

desc3.jpg

These combine to form a truly unique-looking lady among the greens of Igen Weyr - a wintery contrast to the desert that will leave many to scratch their heads as much as they’ll be sure to admire her sea ice-inspired beauty.

Name Inspiration

So we started off with your idea of "Lady Ice Raven". Google translate got a good workout as we ran the words through Irish, Lithuanian, Romanian, Sudanese, Welsh, Zulu, and so many more that we would just be wasting time to list. Each gave us some interesting different words but none of them were quite right.

Even though it strayed from the theme itself, we found ourselves being drawn into a bit of mythology but eventually decided to toss it in favor of staying a bit closer to the theme. You gave us Lady Sybil from Discworld. Mixing and tossing some more we settled on Sylavarith. It has the soft s sound you wanted, with the y as a nod to Sybil. In Finnish "Crow" is varis and when we added the extra a to help it flow it came out so beautifully that we loved it on sight.

K'vvan and Kyara pronounce it as "Sil-ah-var-ith" while Vashae opts for a long I sound in "SIl-var-ith".

Mindvoice

mind1.jpg

There are times, K’daw, where your lifemate could be called…frigid. It’s not that she’s a cold-hearted dragon, but the source of this lies within your lifemate’s rich mindscape. It’s a very rich mindscape, you see, full of passion and love and all the emotions in between…as well as ice and the ocean.

In fact, out of all of the changes her mindscape will make over the years and emotions, the one thing that will always remain in constant is the ice. Beautiful ice, which shimmers and seems to ripple constantly - and yes, even sometimes can seen melting or expanding. Even on the hottest of days, the ice will never truly melt.

The appearance your lifemate’s ice will take over the years or even simply over the course of the day will vary greatly. She will take you for adventures over great glaciers of ice cast adrift in the ocean, through snow-laden evergreen forests abuzz with cawing, to a land of ice and snow where only a single tree resides. Even to the barren, frozen tops of mountains where nothing exists but you and her. Perhaps the strangest thing of all, though, is despite the surrounding ice and cold, you yourself will never truly get cold.

Like all things, ice can have two very distinct and different personalities. It can be the forerunner of spring, the force which causes the Earth to pause for slumber before blooming joyously back into life. Or, it can be the harsh unto death, with little mercy. It will be others who impact which face of the ice Sylavarith uses. She's a lady after all, and knows just where to place her words, and her ice, for greatest impact. For those who require gentleness her mind holds ice in the form of deep snowdrifts, ready for a soft landing. Breezes carry the scent of far away summer to bring to past fond memories. Those who require a more… firm touch however, receive the knifeblade of the ice. Was it not said once that an icicle would be the most perfect of weapons? For once it melts, is there no evidence left behind? Scent is stolen from these as bitter chill seeks to steal away with whatever has caused her ire.

But out of all the places she’ll take you, K’daw, there are two places that are special. A certain frozen peninsula, surrounded by cliffs of ice, out of which channels rivers of ice melt. This is a place of remembrance, where even after details have lost themselves to the march of time, hints of the past can be found. A group of evergreen trees lounge there, their branches dotted with a sight which will become all too familiar to you: ravens. It's here that the Flock rests from their never ending circles above the frozen land. Each represents someone unique and loved to your Sylavarith and even after those loved ones have passed away, or faded from memory, a single raven will remain in the patterning unique from the others. The faintest whisper of remembrance is carried in the ravens of your lifemate’s Flock Island.

mind2.jpg

Most of the time, K’daw, your Sylavarith’s flock will remain small, limited only to the loved ones who always linger with the other transient members who come and go, fleeting as the wind. In the beginning, her flock will only include you, herself, and perhaps clutchmates she comes to love as well. Activity here in this conspiracy of ravens is a dead ringer for her mood. Those times when she is calm, loving, and caring, her flock is more intimate, their croaks echoing softly off of those cliffs - a soothing melody to fill your day.

mind3.jpg

But woe to the one who arouses her ire, or her passion, or who hurts you or her in some way. The flock will change into a murder of crows, darkening the sky with her fury. The ‘caw-caw’s will grow to deafening volumes, echoing off of the cliffs within her mind.

That second secret place, K’daw, is a place where only the two of you are welcome. Few others one else will ever see this side of your lifemate’s mind, and they only after trials of trust have been weathered. Here a mountain hot spring, surrounded by ice, and snow, will call to you even in your dreams and beckon for your attention when you are focused elsewhere. It is the place where the two of you can be your truest selves in mind, if not in body.

mind4.jpg

The solitary pine tree here has merely a single raven - or crow, depending upon her mood. The echos of the other place are gone, here. It is safe, it is sacred. The cool breezes here are a vast change from the cold of the other areas of her mindscape, and the steam sometimes translates into a concealing mist.

All of this, and more, are merely conduits for your lifemate’s rich personality and mind. What to do with them…well, that choice is up to you.

Physicalities

The first couple of days, K’daw, you might notice your lifemate walks a bit…strangely. Of course, she’s newly hatched, so maybe you won’t think much about it at all! Any glances she gets from the Weyrlingmasters are surely just because they admire how she looks. But after that first week has passed, and you’ve been exposed to other dragonets the same age as your Sylavarith…you’ll see it too.

You see, Sylavarith will have a bit of…trouble, walking. It’s not that she can’t walk, you see - but for her, walking oftentimes also means hopping. Not all the time, of course, but hopping will be a part of your lifemate’s walking methods. All of the coaching in the world won’t be able to change this.

However, as she gets older you’ll discover that the better trimmed her talons are, the less she hops. It’s not the most pleasant of tasks, but if it keeps your lifemate walking relatively easily, well. That’s surely worth it? Or so she’ll tell you, repeatedly, especially when a few certain things come into mind.

It would probably behoove you not to mention Vardiath’s ability to walk so easily, as if he has his own inner beat..your Sylavarith will only be jealous,

Another thing that might strike you as odd with your Sylavarith is that when she croons, or vocalizes at all…well. She always sounds a bit squeaky. It’s not necessarily an unpleasant sound…so long as her vocalizations are short. But should they last any great period of time? Well, you just might have S’ayde coming over to your cot and complaining. Kataskiath and he can’t get the sleep they need if your Sylavarith keeps making that noise.. How you handle this, K’daw, is entirely up to you. But it will be a source of annoyance to many throughout her lifetime.

The green of your lifemate’s hide, K’daw is beautiful. It’s varying shades and hues are vast…and sometimes, sometimes there will seem to be a bit of a sheen to your Sylavarith’s hide. It’s not the sort of sheen that vastly changes when splashed with water, but it does seem to shift a little. The biggest time you will notice this sheen, K’daw, is with her reflection in the lake. She will almost seem to shimmer…almost. But then you look at her, and back to the lake and the effect is gone….chased away by ripples.

It is not only the lake that will add this to her reflection, but any body of water. And no water will add more of a sheen than the ocean, with all it’s own rich blues and greens deep within it.

physical1.jpg

About your lifemate’s hide - yes, it’s beautiful, but one thing that will come to worry you and your Weyrlingmasters will be her temperature. She’s constantly cool…and it doesn’t matter how much she suns herself, K’daw. She gets warm, but hot is never something your lifemate will complain of being, not even on the hottest days of Igen’s summer. Or, for that matter, should you choose to visit Southern, on the hottest days of Southern’s. Never fear, however! She will be cool to the touch, but your lifemate herself won’t care at all. She’s not cold; why are you so worried?

When it comes to water, you’ll be quick to find that your Sylavarith is a natural swimmer. In fact, after the first time she’s exposed to the lake, you might have to sleep very lightly - because she’ll try to sneak out to the lake at night. She’s not trying to be defiant, mind, she just loves swimming! It’s so much less awkward than walking…and so much less embarrassing, too.

After seeing your lifemate’s ability - or lack thereof - when it comes to walking….you might dread the first time she flies solo. But when she takes to the air, K’daw, you’ll see you didn’t have to worry at all - she was born for it. As she grows bigger, more muscled, and comes into her own, you’ll see the natural grace and poise she has in the air. If there were ever any dragon born to fly (and of course, all are), then Sylavarith is the master dancer of them all. Her indelicate elegance will please all who happen to see her - even herself.

For a green, K’daw, your lifemate will grow to be a good sized green dragon. She will be beautiful, there is not a doubt about it… In fact, her beauty might be something you will have to fight her over. She can be so easily tarnished by dirt, mud, or sand. You’ll want to keep up on making sure her hide is appropriately washed and oiled.

Not only will she be beautiful…she will have a presence to her, especially when among her fellow greens. She is a Duchess among greens, and there’s no mistaking it! Other dragons will notice she’s around, whether she’s proddy or not.

Personality

Something almost regal slips off of your Sylavarith, even right from the moment she breaks from the shell. If it wasn't for her very green hide, her mannerism would almost make someone look a little closer to check and make sure that she isn't just a very tiny gold. Sylavarith has presence. It carries not only in her manner, but in the way she acts.

Her presence comes from many sources. First, she's practical. Where some dragons get drawn off into flights of fancy your lifemate is rooted firmly in the ground. Time to eat? Well, chop chop K'daw, better get to cleaving on that food. Time to exercise her wings? Good, stand back so that the wind doesn't buffet you over. Straps don't fit just right? Well don't waste the straps, go see if they'll work for one of the other smaller dragons can use them. Or cut them apart and salvage what you can.

« Waste not, want not K'daw! There's no reason to not make the most of what we have. »

On top of her practicality, Sylavarith is just plain intelligent. She catches connections between demonstration and action quickly. It won't take her very long to get right to the top of her class. It doesn't really matter what the lesson is that she's been set, she'll work at it until she gets it just right. And she'll expect the same of you. Mounting over, and over, and over, and over again until you're ready to scream.

« Practice makes perfect. I don't think we have it quite right yet. Let me shift a little bit this way…try that again. »

But don't worry, because she'll be right there. No matter how many times the two of you have to practice something to get it right, you will get it right eventually. She's patient almost to a fault with herself and with you as you both get along this process of growing up.

Some of this patience comes from the simple fact that under all of her intellegence and practicality, your Sylavarith is one of the more opinionated dragons in her clutch. She has a very specific view of the world and how things ought to go. Perhaps it's a good thing she was hatched in Igen and not in a place with more strict color roles, or you might find yourself pigeonholed into a role that didn't quite suit you simply because it was the proper place for a green dragon.

When it comes down to day-to-day interactions with her clutchmates, Sylavarith simply likes to have the last say. It may not always be the most witty of last words, but there is something immensely satisfying about just being the last. Even if it is a simple,

« Very well. »

But with an inflection that makes it perfectly clear that she knows she is right but since you're intending to be stubborn about it she'll simply let you learn by trial and error youself. She's also not above a quiet,

« I told you so. »

When it comes out that in the end… yeah, she was right all along and maybe you should have listened to her a little bit more closely.

It's hard to find a dragon with more sheer work ethic than Sylavarith. It's not that she enjoys being dirty, but that she understands there's a purpose in dirt. Work requires effort, effort causes perspiration, perspiration attracts dirt… It's just the way it is. You'll begin to wonder though, after a while, if maybe she likes getting dirty a little too much. Later she'll develop more refined tastes, but as a weyrling, just be ready to bathe her, well, a lot. And if she should ever catch sight of how Rhiscorath likes herself to be sandbathed? Well, nothing will do but for her to receive just the same kind of treatment. Just because she has to get dirty while working doesn't mean she can't also enjoy being clean and the process of being cleaned also!

You might begin to despair a little bit as the cycle of dirty to clean sweeps onwards through time. But Sylavarith? She doesn't mind. Even when covered head to toe in gore or dirt (or both!) she'll hold herself up rightly and proud. It wouldn't be proper for her to complain about the processes herself.

Unfortunately, sometimes, things just aren't done the proper way, and as she reaches the end of weyrlinghood and comes into contact with more dragons on a day to day basis, those not-proper-ways of doing things will begin to rankle at her. When possible, she's more than ready to put her two cents into a conversation with a quiet,

« Now, really, I must interject here…»

To settle things back into their proper form. It's not that she's insubordinate, because that would hardly be proper, but she does have her opinions. When the impropriety of a situation comes from someone higher in rank you'll be amazed at how she twists things to settle them back into a more sensible world view. It could be something as simple as deciding that rules are meant to be bent for the greater good, or something as complicated as building a slippery slope of logic to explain things away.

'Ramkins have never run away from anything’ Sybil declared.

Did we mention that your Sylavarith is brave? Not the fool-hardy take-risks kind of brave, but the soul deep bravery that comes of knowing the right thing to do, and then having the self assurance of just doing it. She has the strength of her convictions behind her and this bravery is a strength to those around her. Perhaps you might even find yourself doing a stint teaching the younger generation of dragonriders at some point because of how purely steady Sylavarith is in the face of danger. She doesn't run away from it and even the most horrendous of deadly Threadfalls doesn't phase her.

Until she grows into total good sense (because it is something she'll have to learn), it'll be up to you to make sure that she doesn't get into more trouble than she can get herself out of. Sandstorms stand as a prime example. When she's young she simply doesn't understand why they have to stay indoors when the wind is blowing. It is just wind. It'll behoove you, with all your experience with the desert, to jump on her and make sure she doesn't saunter herself right outside during a bad storm.

At least she learns quickly.

As Sylavarith grows older her attention to detail will extend past the lessons she is learning. In particular, things. She'll begin to notice the clothing that you wear, the materials her straps are made out of, and once you two graduate to senior weyrlings, the things that you choose to bring into your new home. When she learns about craft marks and the difference between apprentice, journeyman, and master’s work? Well, it'll be all over then. Only the best is good enough for her.

« K'daw, can't you see how those two pieces of wood are not quite square? Turn it over…ah, yes, can't you see? That's stamped with just the mark of the Smith Hall. It must be senior apprentice work. A pity, really; it looks so charming. Well? Aren't you going to go put it back? »

Sylavarith prefers to surround herself with quality materials at all times. She has a particular eye towards it, and once you bend and begin to gather those quality things for her, you'll find that she was simply right. When others have to replace their socks every few months the ones that pass Sylavarith's inspection will last you a year if not longer. The furniture that makes it into your weyr? It'll see a lifetime of use if not more simply because of Sylavarith's eye towards quality.

It probably goes without saying that Sylavarith will always hold a facination with the different things the crafts of Pern can create. Smith, Weaver, Harper… it doesn't matter what they create, she'll want to inspect it. And even though it would be quite the breech of protocol to speak directly to the different craft Masters it's no worry, see, because she has you!

« I believe Master Smith Jovan is in the shop today. I simply must know how he managed to get that purple tint into the tin. Be a dear, K'daw, and go ask him? »

Now, she does like pretty things as well, but she's not completely set on all the pretty things belonging to her. Rather, she likes to see beautiful things in their proper place. This may just be a boon for you when it comes to the ladies. With Sylavarith helping you to pick out the gifts, you'll rarely pick a dud. Things ought to have their own proper place, after all.

person1.jpg

Sylavarith's tendency towards collecting stuff doesn't stop with just things, though. It also includes animals - in particular…tunnelsnakes. Maybe it's their…cute little faces. Their little sharp teeth… Their tendency to not be able to be domesticated at all. When she's little it won't be unheard of for her to catch sight of the little buggers and put on a chase, calling backwards at you,

« K'daw! Get that net! I think we can get him this time. Poor thing… I'm sure he just needs some love! »

She probably won't be very successful but hey, it's okay. She's not going to give up on rescuing those poor creatures, even if you try to explain to her that they really don't need to be saved. They're doing just fine on their own. Her desire to take care of these most misunderstood creatures of Pern extends to learning all about them. When there is time she will bother you to go into the archives and look up anything you can find about Tunnelsnakes. If there isn't a good set of knowledge there then she'll take matters into her own hands to compile the information. Hours of time spent observing tunnelsnakes in their own habitat? Totally not wasted. And where she can't get she's got you! Just don't fall asleep while waiting for them to come out, or you'll be taken quite to task. With this knowledge she'll be prepared to spout of any time someone brings up the creatures, especially if they should happen to accidentally characterize them as pests.

« Actually. Tunnelsnakes are quite clean animals. They… »

Oh. And you might find yourself writing the definitive guide on Tunnelsnakes. Just as a side hobby.

Oh, and once you realize this passion of hers, you might want to avoid one particular establishment in the bazaar, that tunnelsnake fighting ring. She's more than likely to demand that you march right down there and find a way to shut it down. It'll introduce her to the politics in the bazaar and quite frankly, she doesn't take kindly to the way that place is run. She has a firm sense of right and wrong and will fall on the side of right most of the time. Once she realizes the level of depravity that exists in the Bazaar's corners she'll be a quiet nag in your ear to help the Weyr leadership "clean things up." Dirty dealings are looked down upon with the highest sense of scorn. Even lies are looked down upon, especially the white lies you feel are necessary to not hurt someone's feelings.

« Nonsense K'daw. Their performance was not 'okay', it was utterly disgraceful. You do them no favors by lying about it. »

It's not that she's mean, just… well. Blunt. She says what is on her mind without regard for how it might make others feel when it comes out. As she grows older she'll get a better handle on the words she says, and their bite will be a little less cutting. But… that also means she'll get better at backhand comments that serve dual purposes of being politically correct, but still displaying her displeasure with whatever has happened to draw her particular ire.

None the less, Sylavarith believes that people are fundementally good. It's hard to ruffle her feathers particularly, or draw that biting ire from her. She takes others faults for what they are, flaws, and simply wishes to help them improve their flaws. There really is no reason to not work towards perfection.

There was no point in arguing with Sybil, because even if you thought you’d won, it would turn out, by some magic unavailable to husbands, that you had, in fact, been totally misinformed.
- Snuff Terry Pratchett

As experience replaces the surety of youth you'll find that your Sylavarith will settle quite comfortably into whatever role you, K'daw, choose to put them into. Of course… that also means that she'll become quite settled in her ways. It was easier, when she was younger, to convince her to change her mind once she has formed an opinion. The older she gets though, the harder it will be to talk her out of a wrong-headed or simply short-sighted mind-set. You'll have to develop the practice of speaking very very quickly and with elegance to help her change her mind. Oh, and you'd better have all of your ducks in a row before you even start. She's got a lawyer's mind under all of those layers and she's quite prepared to poke holes into any argument you put forward.

"I think we had better proceed with alacrity, Sir Samuel. I have bought your dress uniform, and your shaving things are in by the basin."
"What? What?"
"You are due at the University in half an hour. Lady Sybil has vouchsafed to me that if you are not there she will utilize your intestines for hosiery accessories, sir."
"Was she smiling?" said Vimes, staggering to his feet and making his way to the steaming basin on the washstand.
"Only slightly, sir."
"Oh gods…"
"Yes, sir."
-Jingo, Terry Pratchett

Promptness is a virtue that Sylavarith will quite expect you to aspire to. In fact, she's not at all above straight up nagging if it gets you to be where you are suppose to be. After enough time together you'll come to realize when it is better to just get on your feet and get moving. It'll save more time in the long run. She's also not beyond using others to help get you off your rear end and into action. If you aren't listening to her? Well, it really is for your own good if Mai walks into the room and has to drag you own because Sylavarith asked Vardiath to hurry things along.

Even as a youngling you'll find your Sylavarith is a talker. She talks to you, of course, but she also talks to her clutchmates, and the older dragons assigned to oversee the growing weyrlings. As she grows older though, she'll become even more gregarious. She'll smoothly insert herself into any conversation and add to it in her own way. There is no topic she cannot find some regal spin on, and her comments will always be well thought out.

« Yes, of course, but remember that it was Jivayath that first began the tradition…. »

See how she name dropped right there? Sylavarith is a bit of a social climber, and she'll push you to be the same. Success can be measured in many ways, but one was is in who you know. It simply won't do for you to be another nameless wingrider among all of the other wingriders. She won't push for it right away (it wouldn't be proper after all) but as the two of you grow together she does have her eye on some kind of rank for you. Something that will help set the two of you apart from anyone else.

Because… well, the two of you? You're a team. The two of you are simply meant to be and always will be. She has your back in all things, even when it turns out that you're in the wrong. You'll never need to fear that you and Sylavarith will be openly in disagreement (even if you'll she'll tell you in private when you are wrong).

Thread

Sybil's female forebears had valiantly backed up their husbands as distant embassies were besieged, had given birth on a camel or in the shade of a stricken elephant, had handed around the little gold chocolates while trolls were trying to break into the compound, or had merely stayed at home and nursed such bits of husbands and sons as made it back from endless little wars. The result was a species of woman who, when duty called, turned into solid steel.
-THUD! Terry Pratchett

She's a tough woman, your Sylavarith.

She knows the purpose for which she was born, and that is to defend her home from thread. When the silver begins to fall from the sky she is one of the first to be ready to girl up her loins and throw herself into the battle.

thread1.jpg

Not that she stays at the front though. After some trial and error on your parts you'll find that the front of the fall isn't the best place for the two of you. She works well within the structure of the wing itself. Even if she was to eventually find herself (or rather, since she's all about your advancement, you find yourself) in a leadership position she'd rather do it from right in the middle of flying dragons rather than straight from the front. She also doesn't really mind how some of the bigger dragons want to protect the greens. Secretly, though she'll only admit this to you, she rather likes it.

On that same vein it irks her, a bit, that she can't last a full fall. She doesn't like the feeling of not being useful when the other dragons in the Weyr are in danger. So once she has rested for a few moments she'll be back up and looking for something she (and you!) can do to be of assistance. It may land the two of you in the healer's yard where she uses her talent of gab to distract a hurting dragon from his wounds, or perhaps her slaying an extra caprine in the pens so that she can bring it to a wingmate simply too tired to be able to get along for him or herself.

Flights

With as practical and focused as Sylavarith is about life in general, K’daw, it will probably come as no surprise that her attitude toward flights is much the same. They’re simply a part of life, must be dealt with, and since they’re unavoidable why not enjoy them, hm? Furthermore, instinct demands they must be given attention when the time arrives…so when she goes proddy, you can be sure that all her concentration will be bent upon it to the exclusion of almost all else.

There’s nothing coquettish about Sylavarith when she begins to glow; she knows exactly how enticing the pale glow of wintery sunlight limning her hide looks to those of the male persuasion, and she’ll have no qualms about letting it shine for all to see. Therefore you, her K’daw, should have no compunction about letting the world know to whom you belong and that you are a strong, confident dragonrider who should be putting himself out there as well. She will push you to always be doing something. She becomes rather…passionate during these times (in more ways than one) and will insist that you’re out and about amongst people, particularly the riders of those interested in her. Exercising, studying, manual labor - anything that will show you off, mind and body, is fair game.

« K’daw, are those Mirage’s dragonhealers out in the yard over there? »
» …Yes. Why? «
« Go give them a hand, won’t you? Otsoath’s, Kanyith’s, Karkath’s - such a studious and intriguing lot, don’t you think? I’m sure they’d welcome your help. »
» Sylavarith, I think they’re in the middle of a lesson. I’m not going to interrupt- »
« Nonsense! You’re strapping, intelligent, clever. You could match wits with them any day, and I’m sure they’d be impressed and welcome your insight. I’ll help you. Come along, then! »

Did we mention she’ll be the best wingman anyone could ask for? Granted, it’s because she’s the interested one, and maybe she’s volun-telling you for things, but it’s all for the best, you see. In her mind. She’s furthering both your best interests.

However, this is something you may not be dealing with for a good while - a somewhat disconcertingly long while, in fact. She’ll mature just fine in all respects, but when the end of weyrlinghood comes and she doesn’t start to show signs of heading toward proddiness, you may start to wonder. Indeed, eighteen months will come and go, and she still won’t show signs. A trip to the dragonhealers might be in order just to put your mind at ease, though she’ll protest it.

» Sylavarith, are you feeling alright? «
« Of course! Why shouldn’t I be? »
» It just seems odd that you’re not…you know… «
« I do not know, K’daw. What am I not doing that I apparently should be? »
» I was just thinking we ought to get you a checkup. «
« Now really, K’daw, I’m completely fine. All things in their time. Let’s not waste the dragonhealers’ efforts over nothing! »

You may find yourself with two years since the Hatching before she finally decides to take her maiden flight. Then, one day, there will be that shift of focus. That insistence that you be out and around, while she’s off making a study of the males. She won’t really have a preference for color and will encourage attention from any interested parties, but she’ll be sizing all of them up, finding out which are worthy of her time.

She’ll be a talker as much as a flier, engaging the boys in witty banter as well as challenging them to a little round of aerobatics. A good mate will be a well-rounded one, after all - someone who can keep up with her both intellectually and physically. She’ll be in this habit for about a sevenday before she actually starts glowing - and when she gets to that point, be on high alert! She’ll only be golden around the edges for a day or two, and there’ll be no predicting when she’ll actually take to the air within that timeframe.

Additionally, when she glows, it will be a rather incredible transformation. Her hide is so pale that that extra sheen will overtake the frosty green, leaving more of an iridescent gold to be found where she’s palest. Indeed, were it not for her size and the concentration of her true hue upon her face and belly, she might pass for a dwarfed queen!

flight1.jpg

One thing that will be predictable (once she’s finally got off the ground for her first flight) is that she will only ever rise in the cold months - winter and early spring. Perhaps it’s a reflection of the icy mind within. Whatever the reason, she’ll only go up the first and last few months of any given year. You may find it a considerable relief, K’daw, that this makes her one of the most infrequent risers among Igen’s greens. For her, mating will happen only twice a year at most.

Oh, but will she ever enjoy those times! They’re a release - a welcome diversion from the routine of everyday life. Once she’s in the air, she’ll fly with all the gusto she’s got - always only blooding beforehand for maximum efficiency, actively seeking out the best thermals to take her high and fast, evaluating the terrain for the optimal challenge to her chasers…and all the while encouraging them to show her what they’ve got. She’ll want them to talk to her, appreciating honest evaluation rather than flattery, and the male with the most silver of tongues will likely be the one she’ll choose to twine with. It will be her choice most of the time, too; the wind may have its say every now and again, but by and large, her mate will be hers to pick.

Afterward, she’ll be quite content to linger with the one who catches her. If he isn’t the cuddling sort, preferring to take his leave soon after, she’ll be a little incensed (what did she go through all that effort and careful deliberation for, after all?), but soon she will get over it. Moving on.

Given how particular she is, drawn to a male who can match wits as well as maneuvers with her, she may find one who will become a favorite. It will be a rare dragon who can capture her interest so, and she may never outright admit to such attachment, but she may even go so far as to reserve her attentions for him alone - as much as any dragon can, at any rate.

Whomever she may choose, however, none will ever have her heart they way you do, K’daw. Mates will stay and go as they will, but you are her constant, and no matter what comes, there is always the assurance that you’ll have each other. As matters of the heart go, there can be no steadier bond than that shared by you and your pale, practical green lady!

Credits

Name: K’vvan, Kyara, Vashae
Egg Desc: Vashae
Dragonet Desc: Kyara
Messages: K'vvan
Puppeteer: K'vvan
Inspiration Team: K’vvan, Kyara, Vashae

Clutchmates:
Mai's Music Oft Hath Such Charm brown Vardiath
S'ayde's Stars, Hide Your Fires green Kataskiath
Agertha's Bands of Jade green Kestrath*

Harper's Tale's 72nd PC Clutch
Igen Weyr's 4th PC Clutch
Linny’s gold Kaelidyth and Xh’yr’s bronze Vhaenryxth
June 21, 2015