Amani!!! Since coming to Southern, you’ve enchanted and captivated us and we’re excited to see this show go on. We decided we just had to give you a dragon and because you asked for her to be based on The Night Circus and Amani will be leaving the Zingari in Igen, we built Zymuraith so that you would always have some circus with you. Hopefully she is all that you imagined and more, but she is now yours and you can play her as you wish.

- D’wane, Midra, M’noq and the rest of SpyCo

Eclipsed Blinding Brilliance Egg

Brilliance embodied, the shell gleams molten gold in the light of the Hatching Sands. If not for the blot of pure darkness that encompasses the center of the egg's shell, it would be perfection embodied. Something sinister lies in such darkness — hungry? Toothsome? What lies lie within? What secrets does the inky ebon-shell contain? Dare to look too long at the metallic blinding light and the eyes hurt. Though, do they? For most who glance askance, their feet will carry them away with nary a mark to bear.

Egg Inspiration

This isn't really a truth or a lie egg. It is a truth but also lie, because there are so many things you cannot do when a total eclipse happens. Don't look at the sun! It'll burn your eyes out! But at the same time, there's SO MUCH folklore around an eclipse (little shop of horrors, is one example) that such an event is so mixed up with fiction. What is fiction if not a lie wrapped in truth? One thing's for certain… DON'T LOOK AT THIS EGG WITHOUT ECLIPSE GOGGLES!

Egg Touching Poses

First Touch:
Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to stare directly at the sun, Amania? This is probably what they were warning you about as soon as a finger touches the egg, the heats of the sand intensify to nearly unbearable levels and the shine of the egg FLARES to obscure everything that is not it. Blink all you want but this is just not a level of light human eyes are meant to observe. But thankfully, eventually, it will descend back into the darkness of the spot that blemishes the golden shell and you’re left on the sands once more.

Second Touch:
Back again? The white light lashes out again with the overwhelming warmth, but maybe not quite as unbearable as before? There's a struggle within the egg. A sense of something about to burst whether it's the life inside or something more. A darkness is coming… something big. Something you can't stop and… oh, that's Dhioth's head looming above you.

Hatching Message

Eclipsed Blinding Brilliance Egg has no perceptible movement, not a stretch, not a shiver. It is only if one watches the slow movement of its shadow that one realizes that something is happening. Hardly a crack is seen, then suddenly with a burst of illumination the golden shell crumbles, and Bound to Midnight Flames Gold Dragonet arrives without warning.

Bound to Midnight Flames Gold Dragonet

Dualism is her form, even as balance is her nature. In equal turns, bright bonfire light kisses her hide and faded umber streaks her in shadow, an illustrious illusion blending playful work in a serious game. Polished brass gleams on rounded headknobs and neckridges, circles set like byzantine clockwork, a seamless ombre over her wings and shoulders to a rosy gold. Shimmering iridescence marks near every inch of her form, lights appearing like stars, rippling and shifting with the viewer's perspective. Powerful muscles give her the immense strength and stability of a living, rooted tree reaching up towards the curtain of the sky. Her long, sinuous tail gives her perfect, highwire balance. Elongated muzzle and eyes like lucid pools suggest she understands the world's deeper truth and greater mystery, just beyond your reach.

Public Impression Pose

The world is full of mystery and wonder, but yet… Bound to Midnight Flames Gold Dragonet is still seeking the one with that special spark. She flows through the crowd of candidates with unnerving grace, her delicate head twisting this way and that, tail tip swaying behind her. Amid all these spectators, where is the one who join her in this performance? Wait, there… she circles once, twice, three times, and at last she is pulled towards the dark-haired Zingari girl. Utterly enchanted, she curls around the one she will call her own.

Private Impression Message

A heart wrenching wave of nostalgia hits as the hatching sands transform somehow into the Igen Caravan grounds. The colorful Zingari wagons all around as the smell of a spiced stew drifts on the air along with the sound of laughter from the dancers preparing for the night’s performance and the musicians warming up their instruments. The colors fade to nothing but black and white and a new path leads you, winding this way and that to what should be empty desert but is occupied with the largest complex of tents you have ever seen. Contortionists are packing themselves up in boxes, big black and white felines are being led to special wagons. Everyone is packing up to go. From the center, a cauldron with a large bonfire of white flames crackles and reaches out to you. « Amani. You are perfect. » A girlish laughter fills your mind along with the truest sense of belonging. No matter where life might take you, you’ll always have a home with her. « I am Zymuraith and we will perform in a lifetime of shows together, you will see. But first, can we find a concessions stand? » The scent of caramel popcorn wafting through isn’t quite the snack she is looking for.


Clutch Theme Inspiration/Dragonet Tie-In

This clutch’s theme is the ragtag bunch of misfits. This crazy group with all their unexpected talents and flaws somehow accomplishes the mission that no one else can. They don't tend to do well under traditional rules, and they may only be able to barely stand one another, but somehow they make the impossible happen.

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From Bunny Ears Lawyer (young) to The Wonka (mature/Senior)

Oh, Bunny-Ears Lawyer. No one would be able to put up with your quirks if you weren't so brilliant at what you do. It's a form of ultimate job security, because as eccentric as you are, no one can get rid of you because they need you to keep doing what you're doing.

While other golds are serious and intimidating, young Zymuraith will veer towards the delightful and playful. She has a superstitious streak that inclines her towards good luck charms and protective rituals. She will never hesitate trying to share these with her clutchmates under the guise of helpful advice, either.

« Jedameth, look, I found an avian feather! Perhaps you would like to tuck it into your riding straps for your first trip ::between::? I am sure just having it will make you feel better. »


Even after graduation, she will be happy to let Khalyssrielth and Dhiammarath keep the reins of running the Weyr, preferring to focus instead on her own passions and responsibilities. Turns from now, however, you may find she has turned into The Wonka:

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That eccentric, charismatic leader who runs her Weyr as a world of her own making. Perhaps her eccentric nature will turn into seeming if not actually crazy, then at least "differently sane." Ask her for advice and you will never know what you will get, but as strange as it is, her genius guidance does carry its own logic.

Description Inspiration

You requested a dragon themed on "The Circus of Dreams" of the novel The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and we on SearchCo LOVED the idea. The theme has such power and magic (figuratively and literally), and possesses enough hidden quirks and secrets to be an endless journey of discovery for you, Amani. Zymuraith will always be able to provide the thing you most need in the moment, just as a circus-goer finds their way to that otherwise hidden tent for that performance that will most touch their heart.

The light and dark in her description represents the black-and-white-striped tents, as well as the playful and serious nature of Zymuraith, and also Celia and Marco's game against one another. We tried to draw in the circus's three primary images of the bonfire, the tree, and the clock for her central imagery (physical and mental). The novel is filled with delicious tastes and scents, and though we mention a few here, you may find more. With different trips to the circus, you may find you linger at one favorite tent or another, exploring the aspects of her that you like best.

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Name Inspiration

Brainstorming ideas for her name took us on a long, circuitous path, though we kept coming back to draumaz, proto-Germanic for “dream.” Eventually we landed on Zymuraith, for your qualities of 2-3 syllables and being easy to pronounce and spell. We think the name has fun and whimsy, being manageable while still encompassing her large personality.

D’wane pronounces it as Zayh-muh-reyth.

M’noq likes Zai-muh-reyth.

You could play with Zim-reyth or Sim-reyth or any number of other combinations, too.

But ultimately she is yours, so you can choose the way you like best.

Mindvoice

“An Excursion in Dimension

A Climb Through the Firmament

There is No Beginning

There is No End

Enter Where You Please

Leave When You Wish

Have No Fear of Falling”

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The phantasmagoric images that make up the majority of Zymuraith’s mindscape may be disorienting to newcomers, but there’s a world of richness hidden in the twisting mazes of blacks and whites. Ever burning at the heart of the carnival is a bonfire made of the whitest flame held within an iron cauldron. The flame will pulse in time with Zymuraith’s emotions and may very well be the light source for any illumination or shadows required for her tricks. In a way, the bonfire is the heart of the circus and the heart of her as well.

As a young dragon, the displays will be a bit juvenile for lack of a better word. Black and white kittens that do impossible tricks, a carousel with creatures that come alive or a series of funhouse mirrors that never show exactly what you expect. As she grows older, her acts will evolve and gain more complexity. Illusions and transformations become more common, such as a library with books that turn into doves and ravens. Tarot cards appear, but they can mean different things for different people and situations and the meaning might not always be clear. Is that Wheel of Fortune for Lochanth or Rekitryth? You’re certain that the Tower means no good, but who is in danger now? Sometimes the stars will align and tell a story, or other times just more mysteries.

It’s a fine line that Zymuraith walks between balancing what she feels is expected of her and trying to remain true to herself, and it won’t take much to threaten her equilibrium. When her world begins to teeter, you’ll know immediately. Storm clouds gather and the wind whips up, bringing along with the normal scents of funnel cake and caramel a lingering odor of wet, burnt fabric. In especially dire situations, the bonfire itself will begin to flicker erratically, sometimes appearing to almost extinguish and other times raging and threatening to consume everything.

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It’ll take time and effort to get that precious balance back. She’ll retreat to a black room with just a pool in the middle of it and the smell of salt clinging to the air. The water of the pool glows slightly as she reaches for one of the stones nearby, focusing all stresses and worries onto the stone before simply dropping it into the pool. With each stone that is sent into the luminescent pool, both Zymuraith and you will feel noticeably lighter. After enough time and focus, slowly life will start popping back into her scenery. The storm clouds clear and the smoky scent dissipates as life returns to normal.

The kittens and carousels of her youth won’t be lost forever, though. In intimate moments, when Zymuraith can let her guard down, you’ll see the interior of her mind space. In stark contrast to the black and white of most her circus, the interior rooms are a kaleidoscope of carmines and canaries that make it nearly look aflame, dotted with prancing snow white and sooty black kittens.

I have heard the expression “trick of the light” applied to sights within Le Cirque des Reves so frequently that I sometimes suspect the entirety of the circus is itself a complex illusion of illumination. -Friedrick Thiessen

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Your Zymuraith will indeed be an expert at tricks of the light and other illusions. Light is one of the more frequent mediums she expresses herself with. White candles and black flames, shadows and highlights. That’s not to say her world is completely monochromatic. She just uses colors sparingly, to highlight and enhance as needed.

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“We like to hit all of the senses,” Lainie says.

“Some more than others,” Tara adds.

“True,” her sister agrees. “Scent is often underestimated when it can be the most evocative.”

As captivating as Zymuraith’s visuals may be, what really stands out are the other senses she’ll add into her voice. The smell of caramel popcorn and the taste. The sweetness and spice of hot cider, The smoke from a bonfire as you warm yourself against the dampness of the rain and the chill bite of the autumn winds. The fire that might warm you afterwards. The hundreds of sounds that make up a crowd. Sometimes the atmosphere she creates might seem more real than the actual world.

Physicalities

As Dhiammarath and Dhioth are from the Oldtime, Zymuraith will not only quickly dwarf her clutchmates but also other golds from Nowtime. Balance and elegance are her hallmark, not so much speed or agility. Fast reactions or direction changes will always be difficult for her, but you will find somehow she will know exactly when to dip or turn, and her adjustments turn out to be just in time.

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But it will take her time and lots and lots of practice for her to fine tune herself to that perfect balance. Throughout the early months of weyrlinghood, her movements may tend to be a lot more nerve wracking for you, Amani, and not in a good way. Zymuraith will be trying to juggle constantly growing limbs and by the time she thinks that she finally has it sorted out, she’ll seemingly (and sometimes literally) grow another foot over night. A great deal of oiling will be required to keep this train on track.

“The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it, no paper notices on downtown posts and billboards, no mentions or advertisements in local newspapers. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.”

Eventually, she will grow into that massive body of hers. The transition will be abrupt, almost without notice. One moment, she was a slightly awkward adolescent, and the next day you’ll find yourself with a dragon who rarely seems to put a talon out of place. As large as she is, it’s also perplexing just how silently she can move when she wants to. It’s almost as if she materialized out of thin air, but she swears she isn’t betweening without you (and what dragon can between successfully without a rider?).


Personality

“I’m familiar with a great deal of corners, but not all of them.” - Celia Bowen


Weyrlinghood is always an exhausting period of adjustment, but with Zymuraith you may find it particularly so for she seems to carry the weight of the world (or at least the Weyr) on her shoulders. It’s not a mantle that she chose for herself, but one that was one she was inevitably bound to. Given time, she’ll grow into her role and find a delicate balance, but it’s not going to be easy and will need a great deal of help from you along the way.

For all that Zymuraith’s mind is composed of spectacular sights that would put any three ring circus to shame, she’s a terribly shy baby. The cozy confines of the barracks are a place she feels safe and rooted and she doesn’t want to give that up.

« Amani… I don’t like they way they are looking at me. Like they’re all expecting something from me, but not me. They talk about me as if I’m not even there… »

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But slowly, as she starts to meet other dragons and people and learns more about your duties and hers, they’ll stop seeming like a scary faceless mass of audience and more like individuals that you have responsibilities to and all the expectations that are placed on a queen, even a young one, are something that will just need to be endured. There’s a place in the spotlight waiting for her, whether she wants it or not and so she will become the consummate performer that is needed.

“A woman I should like to think I know rather well and a woman I had always considered a mystery are, in fact, the same person. It is surprising, but I don’t mind a good surprise.” - Herr Friedrick to Celia

The facade will only drop when she’s surrounded by those nearest and dearest to her because there is an emotional and psychological toll in trying to be everything to everyone all the time, but that’s a secret that she’ll keep closely guarded. The first time a newcomer gets let into that inner circle of trust might come as a shock. She does such a good job of following in Dhiammarath’s footsteps, who would have expected there to be such an anxious soul lurking underneath the graceful, stately dragon she tries to appear?

You would, Amani, because you’re going to bear the brunt of those anxieties, along with her clutchmates. But she’s come up with coping strategies for how to deal with them.

"Small charms can be the most effective." Tsukiko to Isobel

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(These were not the charms Tsukiko had in mind, but Zymuraith might be fond of them…)

Maybe she tried to seek advice from the stars or else one disaster has already happened and everyone knows that bad luck travels in threes. Whatever the cause, sometimes Zymuraith will feel like the edges of her reality are starting to unravel. When this happens, she’ll have to come up with something to try and stop said unraveling.

« We cannot stop the future, Amani. But we can be prepared for it. »

And prepare you will. If the night before a threadfall is rainy, expect to check and double-check your straps not just once or twice, but THREE times. If Th’res ever gets the sniffles, she’ll have very specific instructions for Jedameth that she’ll be very insistent that he follow and somehow manage to make it sound like the most reasonable thing to do as well.

« Jedameth. Yours appears sick. You must have him take a peg made of skybroom and hammer it into the ground. For the next twelve days, he’ll need to pull out the peg, blow into the hole exactly seven times and then replace the peg. It’s very important that he do this. »

Of course, she won’t tell him that the reason she believes he must do this is because if he doesn’t, clearly the entire Weyr will come down with firehead. That’s one of her secrets and he doesn’t need to know.

“Secrets have power,” Widget begins. “And that power diminishes when they are shared, so they are best kept and kept well. Sharing secrets, real secrets, important ones, with even one other person will change them."

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This tree might have a secret. Zymuraith might know it.

Speaking of secrets, Zymuraith is full of them. It’s probably a good thing the two of you will never be weyrlingmasters because while she might seem to excel at many things (through hours and hours of painstaking practice), trying to get her to explain how she does anything is next to impossible. This might especially rankle Locanth with his desire to explore everything, or Rekitryth who is particularly insistent about trying to find out how she is better at hunting than he is. No matter what tactic her brothers use to try and get at the truth, her answers are always deliberately vague.

« Sometimes it’s better to remain unenlightened to better appreciate the dark. »

As time goes on, you’ll learn that Zymuraith is incredibly connected to the Weyr and the other dragons and riders in it. She may not be as enthusiastic about everybody as Jedameth, but she deeply cares for each and every one of them, even Rekitryth when he’s busy cursing everyone out for not conceding to the brilliance of one of his plans. She’ll always be there to protect them, whatever it takes. Although just because she is trying to protect doesn’t mean her efforts will always be visible to those she’s trying to ward or that her actions are what most would consider the best course.

Thread

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The show must always go on. Unless there’s Thread and then it may be delayed a few hours or perhaps even a day or two.

Zymuraith may not be a fighting dragon, but she is a dragon in a Pass and the Weyr must always rise to meet the ancient nemesis. She knows that she has a crucial part to play in this, along with the rest of her golden sisters. When Puma flies, she’ll take her spot and execute her maneuvers to perfection due to the hours and hours of rehearsal she insists the two of you put in.

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« We are the safety net, Amani. We catch when others slip. » Performers in black and white costumes dance along a tightrope stretched incredibly high. One loses balance and begins to plummet to certain death, but the intertwining ribbons of red are there to catch him safely.

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She expects perfection of herself and you, especially if the night before was cloudy and she was unable to seek reassurances in the stars. Instead, she’ll turn to more practice of what she and you can control. Don’t be surprised if on those overcast nights before a scheduled fall you find yourself completely disassembling and reassembling your flamethrower not once or twice, but three times.

« The third time is the charm, Amani. »

When the wings take flight to meet the ‘Fall, this is where Zymuraith will excel. Every dragon has an innate sense of where they are in relation to others, but she excels at not just knowing that particular moment of time, but where they should be in five minutes from now and thirty. She keeps track of all the moving parts of the flights and wings formations as easily as a juggler keeps track of all the balls in the air at once.

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“I tried,” Celia says. Her voice breaks on the word so that she has to repeat herself. “I tried. I thought I might be able to fix it. I’ve known him so long. That maybe it would be like setting a clock to make it tick again. I knew exactly what was wrong but I couldn’t make it right. He was so familiar but it… it didn’t work.”

Your Zymuraith will take her duties as a queen to assist the dragonhealers extremely seriously. Sometimes you may need to drag your girl away or have Khalyssrielth enforce the order. She will spend hours trying to soothe all the hurts away and with each injury she sees, taking on a little bit of the suffering herself. The losses will be the hardest part and there will be losses. She’s sees what should have happened so clearly in her head and she knows how the dragon body is put together.

« Surely, there must have been something, Amani. What if we had… »

This second guessing will be heartbreaking and one of the clearest times of why Zymuraith needs YOU. A death or grievous injury to one of the Weyr’s dragons can so easily be the event that tips the delicate balance of her world. She needs you to help set her back to equilibrium at least until draconic memory can take over as the particular event fades from her mind.

Flights

Flights are serious business for a gold dragon, as they keep spinning the cycle that makes the Weyr go round. At heart, Zymuraith is a romantic, but she is bound up with duty as well, and the drive to fly farther, higher, faster, and longer will always win out over this or that handsome bronze or brown she may be smitten with. She has high standards in all things, and whatever dragon she falls into a tangle with at the climax of a flight, she will be certain he will be the best possible father for her offspring. Although it may be a disappointment for her when her preferred mate falters in a flight, she will give you little sympathy when the man (or woman) you end up in bed with is not the one you might love.

« Really, Amani. It is just one night. Tomorrow you can return to your weyrmate. »

As a mother, she will always be dutiful and attentive to the eggs on the sands, and perhaps slightly over-protective. The eggs are full of possibility, the promise that each one will hatch and bond and grow into a spectacular individual, always striving to reach their greatest potential. Compared to other golds, she will seem kind and welcoming to candidates coming to visit her clutches, but she will watch them with an appraising eye, as well, and she may have a private word of criticism for you regarding the more problematic ones:

« Amani, did you see how that one boy stumbled and knocked into my egg? Perhaps we should send him home. »

Even after the eggs hatch and dragonets Impress, she will still have a bond with her offspring, enjoying watching them grow and explore the world. However they develop as individuals, each will have a place in her heart, even when her offspring number in the dozens and beyond. Losses will be particularly difficult for her, whether that is from an accident during weyrlinghood or when they begin to fly against Thread. Her mournful keen and soul-deep sorrow will feel like a knife in your own heart every time, and it may take days before she is back to her normal self.

Credits

Name: D'wane, M'noq
Egg Desc: Hannah
Dragonet Desc: Midra, M’noq
Messages: D’wane, M’noq
Puppeteer: M'noq
Inspiration: D’wane, M’noq, Midra


Clutchmates:
Ana (Frostana) and Love Is the Original Miracle Blue Lochanth
N'ox (Nox) and Giant Jaws of the Silver Seas Bronze Tozkoth
Rh'ysar (Rhuysarr) and Ain’t No Thing Like Me, ‘Cept Me Bronze Rekitryth
Th'res (Therst) and Some Assembly Required Blue Jedameth

B'rev (Berevalt) and Brown Abaraoth
Hy'sh (Hyshaen) and Brigands and Bad Weather Brown Sovroth
R'sk (Oleksandr) and You've Got To Be Kitten Me Green Kismaraeth
N'yulo (Nayulo) and Crone at the Crossroads Green Jiagairanth

Harper’s Tale’s 78th PC Clutch
Southern Weyr’s 7th PC Clutch
Gold Dhiammarath x Bronze Dhioth
23rd September 2017