Ah, Calliope! With your eyes on the skies, did you ever imagine what it would be like to fly closer to the stars? Well, imagine no more! We’ve decided to keep you and give you a blazing blue dragon to let you accomplish just that. Welcome to the dragonrider fold, Starcrafter. Your world is about explode! - SerenityCo
Clutching Pose
"Yeah. It's not as though we weren't getting up soon anyway…" Amani starts, and then the first egg comes and she finds herself transfixed. "Oh, Faranth. Look, M'noq!" Even if he already looking, she can't help it, and clutches at his arm. They're her lifemate's children. Zymuraith and Ravaith's babies! And something about that simple truth makes her eyes go over-bright with welling tears. Zymuriath is quite deliberate about how she places the new arrivals, crooning her response to Ravaith even as she arranges them in a neatly-spaced arc, a curving line of six. Then she moves along to make some more niches, following the same curve as the others. Is she making a circle? - from A Clutch of Contrasts
Bane of the Supernatural Egg
Cold and heavy lies this egg upon the Sands, the muted shine of hammered metal alternating in rough-edged warp and weft with subtle hues of ruddy rust and darkened tarnish. Will a finger's touch against the smooth, cool density of this shell serve to settle…or repel?
Touching Response
Who are you? It’s not a question you hear so much as feel, a sense of curiosity mingling with intense scrutiny flowing around you like a cool evening mist. Are you friend or foe? What do you feel beneath your fingers, Calliope - steadiness, or scorching? No, no…you are no enemy, and what you feel in the end is cool, solid, reassuring. This could be your anchor, if you wish. Do you wish? The mist evanesces away, cool night giving way to the warmth of the Sands once more. - from A Sunset on the Sands
Hatching Message
Bane of the Supernatural Egg shifts almost a full quarter turn now, the life within now clearly determined not to be held in such cramped confines any longer. But what could be strong enough to breach the seemingly impenetrable solidity of this iron shell? Something fierce. Something tenacious. A deep fissure suddenly slants across the bias with a loud crack…and then the egg seems to simply crumble, melting inward to be shaken off by the bright-burning dragonet that doggedly steps free.
Transcending the Cataclysm Blue Dragonet
A living fire burns within cobalt dragonhide, white heat gilding primally fierce features. Nearly blinding, it sparks luminous upon the severe slant of his eyeridges and up the prominent sweep of tapering headknobs before flaring back along the lithe length of his spine, infusing every neckridge all the way down to the salient whip of his tail before dissolving into glowing azure. A mirage’s shimmer roils hues both subtly darker and lighter all across his athletically powerful frame, then surrenders to steel-blue stormcloud darkness upon the long, limber sweep of his wings, the drab charcoal-indigo of ash-choked rainwater pooling along each trailing edge. Talons and spar-tips are honed in knife-sharp iron, keen edges in accent to the destructive beauty of searing blue flame embodied.
Public Impression Pose
Transcending the Cataclysm Blue Dragonet isn’t about to rush his search just because others are zipping around doing the same thing! His steps toward the Candidates are decisive, no concern shown that someone else might snap up what’s his. He seems eminently assured that whoever he’s looking for is standing right where they’re meant to be…ahhhh, yes. Right there, in fact. With a triumphant warble, he makes a few surefooted bounds forward toward a certain wavy-hair Starcrafter, crooning pointedly as chaotically swirling eyes lift to hers. This blue flame has found his twin at last!
Private Impression Message
There is no gentle insinuation into your thoughts, no careful blending of consciousness. No - this is a blast of scorching heat and wind and blinding light to scour you clean of what you once knew, a melting mental meld that fuses you and this blue together swiftly and irrevocably before leaving you to cool together. Then the explosion fades to a grey shadow, a leaden sky hanging low over baked, barren earth stretching as far as the eye can see - or the mind can think, in this case. Lightning flashes on the horizon, casting a strange, lurid green glow over twisted ruins indistinguishable in the distance. Thunder rolls with an odd, flanged pitch, and a voice emerges in its wake, rich and confident, calling urgently from ahead. « Calliope! » Belonging blankets you as he makes his claim with that shout of your name, assuring you that you are no longer alone in this seemingly lifeless wasteland. « It’s Zrucanith! Good thing I found you! Come on, let’s press ahead. There’s more to see, trust me. Gonna need some fuel for the journey, though. » Another flash of veridian lightning illuminates the roiling sky, thunder grumbling anew…along with his stomach. « Know where I can find some? »
Egg Inspiration
There are a lot of superstitions surrounding iron, and therefore an abundance of charms made out of it. Folklore holds that "cold iron" will keep malevolent supernatural beings (ghosts, witches, fairies, etc.) at bay or even harm them. An iron fence around a cemetery is supposed to keep the souls of the dead from wandering out, and of course everyone is familiar with the significance of an iron horseshoe on or above the door - good luck! Though it's also suppose to keep those beings of ill intent from crossing into your home, too. - Amani
Theme Inspiration
Though you left things rather open for us, Calliope, you did make mention of having a liking for apocalyptic themes…and we latched on to that immediately. It’s a theme that’s been popular in literature and other entertainment for quite a while, so we knew we’d have plenty of material to draw from. Th’res mentioned that you like LitRPGs, which gave us the idea to pull elements in from video games such as Fallout and Horizon Zero Dawn, as well as a dash of imagery from the Shannara book series by Terry Brooks (and the corresponding TV show), which is set in a post-apocalyptic Earth. If you’re not familiar with any of these things, however, don’t worry - there’s no specific mention of them, and things are kept pretty general. Let your imagination do the work!
You also noted early on that a dragon who tends to go with their gut and instincts might be a challenge for Calliope, and we figured that the sort of personality needed to thrive in an apocalyptic world would likely provide just that. While practicality and pragmatism would undoubtedly be assets in this setting as well (something Calliope might relate to better), survival is also key, and that often requires relying on instinct. All of this also ties in neatly to our clutch theme, which you’ll find out more about if you keep reading!
Zrucanith’s Zodiac Sign
With Zrucanith’s practical, take-action, down-to-earth personality in mind, we decided to go with Virgo as his sign based on our Zodiac clutch theme. This sign also wraps up a few of his other qualities nicely - loyalty, a “tough love” sort of kindness, and an affinity with nature. There are, of course, some weaknesses that define Virgos, too, including a tendency to worry, to be overly critical, and to work a little too hard. The fact that it’s an earth sign meshes well with his terrain-based mindscape.
Description Inspiration
Without fail, there’s some sort of destructive force behind an apocalypse, something inexorable that triggers the chaos and then lingers to leave its mark on the world, even in the midst of the healing that (hopefully) happens afterward. We wanted to capture that concept in Zrucanith’s appearance. Though it could easily have been accomplished with a brown (think earthquake, volcano, asteroid), Amani wanted to take on the challenge of distilling that force into a blue dragon and came up with fire, the sort that burns so hotly that it’s blue and then white instead of the typical red, orange, and yellow.
Zrucanith’s overall coloring is meant to evoke that terrifying heat, though the darker shades of his wings hearken to a couple of other apocalyptic images - storm clouds and polluted water, specifically that which might be contaminated by fallout.
Additionally, the iron of his talons and wing spar-tips are a nod to weaponry that might be needed for survival in a blasted world, specifically knives. The athletic power in his mature body is a hat-tip to something of the same in that a survivor won’t just need weapons - they’ll need to be a weapon themselves to keep the upper hand.
Name Inspiration
Brainstorming for your dragon’s name came from taking words one might associate with the apocalypse and running them through Google Translate to see what might spark and catch. One such word was “ruins” (of which there would presumably be many in the wake of whatever might come). We looked it up in about two dozen different languages, but the translation that ended up catching our eye most was Slovak.
The word for “ruins” in this language is zrúcanina. Replacing the last two letters with the obligatory th yielded Zrucanith, and it stuck! A nickname like Zru, Ru, or Ruca might come of it, though we leave that entirely up to you! He’ll probably be fine with a nickname in the heat of things (for practicality’s sake), but otherwise, you may get grumbled at for trying to shorten his name, just to give a heads up!
Amani pronounces it as “ZROO-can-ith” with a little flick on the r rather than landing on it hard, as in grr. Z’bor says “ZROO-cah-nyth.”
Mindvoice
Zrucanith’s mindscape may be…a bit hard to take at first, Calliope. There’s an initial bleakness to it, a shadowed, burnt-out, wounded quality to what you see in your shared headspace that may have you worrying that something might be…well, wrong with him. Add to that the roiling clouds, strangely-pitched thunder, and the odd-colored lightning (think acid green or glowing scarlet) that marks any turmoil he feels, plus the flat, dark pools and streams that reflect his emotions and curiosities like murky, rippling shadows of memory, and you have something undeniably unsettling.
His actual speaking voice, however, will indicate the opposite - a rich, confident tenor, well-articulated and steady. In the beginning, you likely noticed a distant, echoing quality to it, as though he’s calling to you from somewhere beyond the cracked brown hills and blasted flats. Follow it, and you’ll find yourself heading in the right direction on matter how dreary the terrain looks. As his mindscape grows, his voice will come to sound like he’s in normal conversational distance, no longer calling out as though encouraging you to catch up.
As for the appearance of everything, don’t despair! This isn’t destined to be all you find in Zrucanith’s head. Rather than a wasteland, think of it instead as a blank slate - the sky will clear, the sun will rise, and life will gradually begin to make itself known. Zrucanith is well aware that things may not look great at the start, and he’ll be quick to reassure you that all will be well as you grow together.
« A fire might flatten a forest, but that only lets the forest grow back stronger, Calliope. »
» How do you know? You’re only a few sevendays old! «
« Just trust me. »
Hints of green will begin to show up as you travel - moss, grass, low-lying plants springing up defiantly from what you might have presumed to be dead earth. The fire-hardened hulks of ancient trees will appear…and beside them, whispers of saplings and new undergrowth echoing the fresh beginning you have with your lifemate.
As Zrucanith grows, so will the world within. Once he’s near maturity, you’ll find that your mental wanderings take you through a lush, primal-feeling world - so primal that you may feel like a bit of an intruder despite his assurances. Indeed, you may have a sensation of constantly being watched, particularly from the shadows and the underbrush as well as whenever Zrucanith decides to let night fall. You might even feel outright trepidation at venturing into the dark places of his mind, and those places may actually be manifestations of things he’s too embarrassed or afraid to reveal unless you pry a little, braving the gloom to venture inward and ask him.
Brilliant sunrises and sunsets will mark his eagerness to start something new or complete a task at hand, though the colors will be almost too vivid with the lingering remnants of some long-ago cataclysm upon the air. Soaring mountains, wild forests, lush meadows will all be yours to discover…but all of it will be at work reclaiming things that were clearly never part of them at all - ruins of past ages, sometimes from a forgotten world rather than the one you know. The once-solid walls of ancient Holds crumble to dust, metalwork juts, rusting, from stone and soil, and carefully-placed cobblestone paths lie hidden and broken amidst tall grasses and beneath low-slung boughs. For all the beauty you will find, Zrucanith’s mind will always be a realm of ghosts and memories, powerful, poignant, and touched with both melancholy and hope.
Zrucanith’s emotions come on display most prominently in the play of light and dark, as well as in the weather. During the first few months, you might notice rumblings of that weird thunder going along with his hungry spells. If he’s upset or confused, here comes the lightning go with it, along with an unnatural grey-green cast to the air and violently blustering winds. If he’s sad, there’s gloom and rain…but the rain stings, no matter how lightly it falls. The water hasn’t quite become what it should be yet, and you’ll want to find some way to mentally shield from it, lest you end up with a phantom burn of some sort. If he’s bored, the air will grow stagnant, stifling, and unbearably hot, so much so that you’ll want to find something for him to do (or to do with him) just to escape it until you learn to block it out.
Never fear! This bizarre weather of emotion will mature along with everything else, though the sheer intensity of it will never cease to remind you of where it all began. While outwardly steady and quite capable of putting on a cool front for his clutchsiblings, you are going to end up seeing just how deep his emotional waters run, Calliope. You’ll need to learn how to weather those mental storms, because Zrucanith is going to need you, no matter how competent he appears.
And when he does need you? You’ll know it, because his mental world will start to reflect something dear to you, and what’s dear to you is important to him, even if he hardly says it outright. Night will come, the sky turning to deep black and the stars unfurling above in rare crystal clarity. You’ll find yourself perched atop a boulder in the midst of a broad meadow, the view of the sky broken only by the distant silhouettes of overgrown ruins. It’s the most normal his mindscape may ever seem, and it’s here, in this calm quietude under a brilliant blanket of stars, that he feels most safe to share whatever is weighing on him with you, and where he will take you when you wish to do the same with him. This is a space belonging to the two of you alone, and that will never change.
Physicalities
Overall, there’s a very classic draconic look to Zrucanith that stays with him throughout his life, though as a young dragon, he’ll tend toward lankiness. His muscles will start to fill out somewhere around his sixth month, perhaps earlier if he takes a liking to PT (and odds are that he will). By the time he reaches maturity…well. He’s going to be one powerful piece of dragonflesh!
In fact, he would be outright handsome if it weren’t for the almost aching brightness of his hide and the feral quality of his features. It doesn’t change the fact that he is striking, however, and that primal quality may prove to be a draw for many a green regardless of his departure from the conventional.
Physical quirks? He honestly doesn’t have many. He’s sure-footed right out of the shell. The only thing that may give him a little bit of grief for short time is that whip-like tail of his. It’s great for balance and maneuvering, but it might be a little much to get a handle on at first, unwittingly becoming a weapon in its own right!
Dozing, Zrucanith rolls over onto his side, his tail unfurling right in the path that needs to be kept clear during this particular lesson. It falls just in time to curl about the ankles of a classmate, who happens to be carrying an armload of leather, and down he goes! Zrucanith startles awake as he feels a yank with impact, hurriedly attempting to reel his offending appendage back in.
« Damn. Sorry! »
But you’ll help him work on that, obviously. It’s just going to keep life interesting for a while.
Personality
The thing that may strike you rather quickly about Zrucanith is that, despite his newness to the world, he doesn’t sound or speak like a child. From the start, it’ll be apparent that he has a way with words. It’s not that he’s particularly eloquent, he just takes what he knows and manages to put things together in a compelling manner. He’s a bit of a natural at pep talks, and he means every word of them.
« Hey, Shokravanth! It’s not your fault you couldn’t stop Turahaimajusuth from eating Ginger’s pillow and getting thicktail; we were asleep. Some only learn the hard way; that’s life, right? You’re doing fine, brother, don’t worry! »
Zrucanith will be busy doing enough worrying for everyone else, after all.
For all his confidence, Calliope, you’re going to find that your blue is prone to being a huge worry-wart. His practical bent manifests as learning each lesson as perfectly as you both possibly can, down to the smallest detail. Therefore, it may not come as a surprise when his siblings (except for those he might grate on, like Omairhuith and Iandreth) look to him for examples and reminders. He doesn’t let it go to his head…but he does tend to let the weight of potential mistakes weigh on him.
« Calliope, what if that maneuver we practiced doesn’t work out for Vinodestroth? It’s really not meant for dragons his size; he could end up right in Iandreth’s line of fire if he doesn’t time it right… »
He and Shokravanth may just have some long talks about fault and blame…if he becomes open enough with his brown brother to actually discuss such things. Really, though, you will be his touchstone for all his concerns, even if it takes some patience to allow him to vent until he’s got it all out.
Yet for all he likes to plan and study and prepare, he also has a maddening habit of ditching it all when something unexpected crops up. Both of these qualities will actually make him an extremely adaptable Threadfighter, though it’s something that will probably jar you considerably for a while. It’s part of his pragmatism: adapt to the situation at hand, because change is inevitable.
» Zrucanith, that wasn’t what we practiced at all. «
« But it was what was necessary, Calliope. Plans seldom survive action exactly as practiced, y’know? »
He’ll worry about the potential repercussions later. Literally worry. Even when it’s likely that there’s really nothing to worry about. But we’ve had this discussion already!
Your lifemate, for all he has the best intentions and everyone’s best interests (aka “survival”) at heart, unfortunately has a critical streak. He’s so intent on getting things right and making sure everyone else grasps how to do the same that if something doesn’t measure up in his eyes, he can’t help but point out that it’s wrong.
« Hey Omairhuith, you didn’t break its neck again! You’re never gonna have an easy lunch if you don’t- »
» Leave him be, Zrucanith. He’s still learning! «
« But we’ve been over this three times already! »
One day he’ll learn to place his criticism better, and to be more constructive with it.
He’s also a bit of a workaholic, not having much space in his day to day for things that strike him as impractical. Gamansurath will absolutely baffle Zrucanith with his playful approach to the world, as will Turahaimajusuth with his vanity. That’s not to say your lifemate won’t play or take any concern for his own appearance; he’ll play because it’s practical for learning how to move and hunt in his youth, and he knows it’s important to look one’s best for certain duties. But those two brothers of his seem to take things to extremes, and he just doesn’t have the time for any of it.
It might take Iandreth or Vinodestroth to give him a little perspective on how much is too much when it comes to work. His bigger brothers, while both keenly aware of the importance of action, preparation, and practicality, also understand that it’s practical to stop and smell the flowers, so to speak. They might also implore him to remember that his siblings (and everyone else) are all their own beings with their own ways of dealing with the world, and while it might be easier if everyone’s head were screwed on the same way, it would make life a lot more dull.
Iandreth: « Brother! »
Zrucanith: « Yes? »
Iandreth: « Come away for a bit; yours is working on her flamethrower. »
Zrucanith: « I know. I’m supervising. »
Iandreth: « You really aren’t, you stubborn fool, and I heard your stomach from across the yard. Let’s go hunt! »
Yes, he may even get so focused as to forget to eat sometimes. Not so much when he’s younger, but when he gets out of the walking stomach phase, be prepared for some frustrations if his siblings fail to persuade him away!
Fortunately, it will be fairly easy to get Zrucanith to go take a breather. He loves nature, the one point of commiseration he can share in peace with Omairhuith. He enjoys it with a sort of melancholy, however, recognizing the beauty in it but seeing it all as fleeting and fragile, so easily wiped away if no one takes care. This actually ties in to his perspective on Thread as well - it’s something that could destroy all that fragile beauty, and if he can stop one such thing from doing so, then by Faranth, he’s going to! He wants to see it all, from the frozen tundra of Southern Barrier Hold and High Reaches to the woodlands of Lemos and the golden desert of Igen. Here’s hoping you like to travel, Calliope!
« We have a rest day, Calliope! Let’s go to Ruatha; I wanna see that Ice Lake you were reading about the other day. »
It’s a rough reflection of the actual abundance of tenderness he carries in his heart of hearts, the depth of which only you will truly know. It’s hard for most of his siblings to see, given that he expresses his affection as tough love most of the time. He cares, really! He just sees “suck it up and move on ASAP” as the best way to deal with things…which isn’t always true for everyone, of course. It may be that going through your travails and hardships alongside you, Calliope, will be the thing that tempers him on that score.
Dragon Song
“Until We Go Down” by Ruelle
This song is used as the theme for The Shannara Chronicles TV show, which, as we mentioned earlier, is set in a post-apocalyptic Earth. The opening credits themselves actually have some pretty amazing imagery along that line as well; if you’re not familiar with the show, here’s the start so you can see what we mean.
That tie is one reason we chose it, the other being the reference the lyrics make to fire.
And I feel it running through my veins
And I need that fire just to know that I'm awake
Erased, I missed till the break of day
And I need that fire just to know that I'm awake
Until we go down
It touches on the fire that fuels him as well as the fire you may find him to be in your life going forward.
Dragon Scent
Though it’s quite apparent Zrucanith is not actually made of fire despite his glowing hide, you may notice that there’s always a subtle scent lingering around him that suggests he is. It’s a bit like the sharpness of ozone during a thunderstorm mingled with a Miner’s blasting powder - not unpleasant, but definitely odd, and always slightly stronger when he’s wet.
Flights
When it comes to Zrucanith and the ladies, it will probably be a bit hard to tell what exactly is going on in his head. He’s aware of them, certainly, and won’t hesitate to voice an opinion about those he finds easy on the eyes. This just won’t happen very often until after weyrlinghood, fortunately. He’ll also know when he’s been noticed in turn and will accept compliments he thinks are sincere. However, he has no time for simpering or silliness, so it makes him rather picky when it comes to considering a mate.
When a green gets to glowing, he’ll watch from a distance as much as possible. His first chases will be regarded mainly as tests of skill, and in general, he’ll enjoy chasing when he’s free to, being that he sees flights as good ways to get used to the unexpected. He can’t predict how a green will fly, after all, only that she will fly. If he catches, though, be prepared for one of those blinding, oversaturated mental sunrises, Calliope…though you may not register it in the bleedover of dragonlust from his victory, which will come in a powerful surge just like any of his other emotions.
He’ll enjoy the mating but will never linger longer than he has to, especially if he happens to catch a green who may be skilled and pretty but not much else. If she happens to be much more in line with his “type,” he’s much more likely to stay entwined with her for a while. He will not, however, rush you out of your own end of things unless it’s clear you’re not enjoying yourself, or if he knows there’s some duty that needs tending to.
It will take a rather exceptional green to hold his attention and fascination, a combination of pretty, skilled, and cunning that he’ll probably doubt the existence of. If such a green comes along, however…well. He might start getting teased about just how practical it is to spend so much time with one female. Hopefully it’ll be someone whose rider you get on with well.
Thread
The need to burn the ancient enemy from Pern’s skies is just as deeply ingrained in Zrucanith as it is in any other dragon. However, there are particular nuances of the battle that resonate with your blue in particular, especially the fact that Thread is something that everyone is fighting to survive. It’s also a threat to the life beneath his wings that he wants to preserve to the best of his ability.
To both ends, he will be a fierce and deadly fighter - not wild, but skilled and precise with his flames and maneuvers. Discussing tactics with Shokravanth may become a favorite pastime, considering his brown brother and he seem cut from the same cloth in this regard.
Being a mid-sized blue with a powerful build, Zrucanith will be able to make it through well over half a Fall. His stamina for his color is considerable but not enough to push him through to the end, and while he won’t be particularly happy about having to either drop out or cycle in later, he’ll understand why it must be done. It’s only practical, after all.
Calliope, we hope you love your Zrucanith as much as we loved writing him! He’s all yours, so feel free to play him as you see fit. We look forward to seeing the your adventures together in weyrlinghood and beyond.
Southern Weyr’s 8th PC Clutch
Gold Zymuraith & brown Ravaith
July 6th, 2018
Credits
Name: Amani
Egg Desc: Amani
Dragonet Desc: Amani
Messages: Amani
Puppeteer: Amani
Inspiration: Amani, Th’res
Clutchmates:
J’ay and Son of the Shirewode Bronze Iandreth
Ginger and Striking a Balance Brown Shokravanth
Katrya and The Truth in the Myth Brown Vinodestroth
Evka and Gift of the Fertility Gods Brown Saetyroith
Talya and Catch the Morning Star Brown Turahaimajusuth
Kyriatis and Out of the Darkened Depths Blue Omairhuith
Syri and Cold Paws, Warm Heart Blue Gamanturath