The RainCallers

Tameketh (Sirasri, Weyrwoman) & Zogeth (M'drasen, Weyrleader)

Date: 9.2.13.19

Theme: Avatar: The Last Airbender & Legend of Korra

Hatching Posts

Hope is Something You Give Yourself | I Know Who I Am | Please Tell Me You're Here To Kill Me?

You'll Save The World, But You Can't Give Up

Clicking on the pictures will open a larger version

The Seeking Tranquility Egg

There are bright eggs and there are shiny eggs, and big eggs and small eggs, and eggs that scream for your attention and eggs that somehow attract your attention because they’re so bland they stand out by their very normalness… and then there’s this egg.

The Seeking Tranquility egg is quite simple, as far as eggs go. It’s neither large nor small, and shaped perfectly normal for an egg, sitting there nice and straight on its little mound of sand. It’s not a particularly loud egg, but it’s not one that fades into the background, either — the browny-bronze coloring, swirled subtly with darker smoky brown tones, doesn’t immediately catch the eye, but there will certainly be those who notice and are drawn to its quiet beauty. One may expect it to be cool to the touch, like the polished marble it resembles, but it isn’t, really — in fact, when touched it radiates a bit more warmth than most other eggs, warmth that will seem very soothing and very welcoming to those who choose to focus on it. The little markings that make it appear to have been pockmarked are just that — markings — and the surface is nice and smooth where one would expect it to be marred. It just sits there, nice and solid and respectable, quiet and undemanding, seemingly content.

And yet, as solid as it seems, there’s something almost ephemeral about the perfect smoothness of its surface. It looks so smooth, perhaps even wet, that, for all its unchanging presence, it seems almost as if it might be… difficult to hold onto. Like it might just slip right through your fingers if you aren’t careful. Maybe it isn’t nearly as tranquil as it first appears.

Blue Nezenth- Adoptable

Privately, Nezenth will always feel like he's a bit too festively-colored for his own tastes. The funny thing is, there isn't really anything too wild about his coloring: his hide is a light, but bright, baby blue that can be eye-catching, true, and the darker blue stripe that runs down his back from forehead to the base of his tail is a distinctive marking, but that's as wild as it gets. He's a large blue, tall and not really bulky, but noticeably muscular just the same, with long fingers and a long face, and narrow wings. His muzzle has a very slight crook to it, just a minor imperfection that gives him a bump not far in front of his eyes, and his eye-ridges, like one of his other sibling's, are particularly prominent. He's very light on his feet, but that's only a taste of how easily he'll move in the air; Nezenth will grow into a dragon who just seems to be one with the skies. His movements aren't aggressive, but fluid, instinctively moving with the wind and air currents rather than fighting against them and trying to use his own strength, and he'll be amazingly maneuverable, flying in the face of the stereotype that tinier dragons maneuver best.

Nezenth knows – or thinks he knows – the qualities that a good fighting dragon should possess. Dedication. Focus. Patience. His instincts may scream for him to throw himself into the air after Thread, but no one has ever benefited from rushing in where they could have considered the situation and formulated a better approach, first. Flying, and fighting, is what he was hatched to do, and he's serious about it – perhaps a bit too serious. He's a good student. He listens intently, processes, learns, practices. That, to him, is dedication: making the commitment to learn what he needs to know to do the job that he must do, giving his instructors or wingleader the respect they're due by showing up on time and giving them his attention, sacrificing free time in order to master the subject if he must.

As for focus, well, Nezenth is practically unmatched. He's not exceptionally clever, but his ability to concentrate so perfectly is rather unusual for a dragon. It will serve him well eventually in an exceptionally precise ability to between — his mental images, from the beginning, will be clear and sharp, his memory incredibly accurate, and he will always know exactly where he is, and where he's going. He will also be very aware of his surroundings, focused not on one single thing, but on the moment in time that he occupies, everything about it, from the whereabouts of his wingmates to the Thread that's approaching him, and it will all add up to one amazingly maneuverable dragon, able to between as smoothly and easily as he dodges and rolls. He has a good head for places and names, and will be the dragon who can always supply the name to match a face, if his rider happens to be faulty in that department. It's part of his belief in being polite and respectful of others whenever possible, and he'll prod his rider and fellows to do the same.

When it comes to patience, though, well… that's something Nezenth may always struggle with. In some ways, he possesses a bounty of it. It takes a lot of patience to learn the way he does, after all, and even more to impart that knowledge to others, which is something he'll take an interest in early on. There's nothing he likes better than to answer questions, to pass what he's learned on to an eager student, and he'll be the first to try to help any classmates who are struggling, offering gentle encouragement to the unconfident and sharing his insight with the struggling. Unfortunately, he's not as unshakeable as he'd like to be. He can be a bit judgmental and hidebound, very I-know-best and a tad holier-than-thou, and there are certain things he just has absolutely no patience for: disrespectfulness, unrelenting stubbornness, those who refuse to learn out of selfishness or laziness, or worse: outright troublemaking. He's trying so hard to be dutiful, and he's not shy about offering his opinions about those who aren't, and that tends to make him a target for those he disdains the most. Nezenth wants to be so self-confident and focused and patient that he's above fits of temper, but it's just so hard with some dragons who can't seem to settle down and STOP THAT RIGHT NOW.

When you've roused Nezenth's temper, you'll know it. He'll raise his mindvoice, he'll dig his heels stubbornly into his own opinion, and he'll tell you exactly what he thinks of you. Luckily he can be reasoned with eventually, and even if he isn't, later – maybe much later – he'll be overcome with shame at his loss of control. He's not too proud to apologize… it just may take him a while to get around to it.

The Duality Contained Egg

What do you see when you look at this egg?

Maybe that depends. Maybe it depends on which side you view it from. On one side it’s crackling fire, red and yellow speckles, the sort of thing that calls to mind sparks of flame rising from a campfire, or the hot embers deep in the wood beneath the fire if you stare straight into them. On the other side, the view is completely different: multicolored swirls backed in shades of blue, like striations in layers of ice, or stylized waves, or the flow of the wind. Maybe it depends on the state of mind you view it with. Maybe it’s chaos, one side completely different than the other for no apparent reason. Maybe it’s order; maybe the fact that two such different colorings could be so neatly split, fifty-fifty, is evidence of only the most orderly sort of design despite the differences between halves.

More importantly, what does it mean? Is it war? Fire and ice, whirling in eternal conflict, fighting to rule this simple eggshell? When you see these colors, this odd bifurcation of egg, is it the clash of opposites that screams to you first? Maybe. But even if fire and ice are opposites, must they also be enemies?

Maybe this shell is something different. Maybe it isn’t a battle at all. Maybe it’s a warm, living embodiment of two opposite concepts peacefully sharing the scant space they’ve been given. Maybe two completely different things can exist in harmony, each beautiful in their own way, but creating something even better together.

It all depends on how you look at it, doesn’t it?

Green Rorrecath - Rennitz

Tall and strong even as a hatchling, Rorrecath will eventually grow into a superb example of a fighting dragon of any color. Her limbs are long, her body noticeably muscular without being too bulky, her neck and tail solid and powerful, her wings broad and supported by a bunching of well-developed muscles that will give her a staying power in the harsh Istan winds that any dragon would be happy to have. Her muzzle is long but not at all thin; solid and somewhat blunted at the end, it holds a mouth that cuts further back into the face than most dragons and turns up a little at each corner, giving her a toothy ever-present smile that can seem both comforting and frightening in turn. Though primarily a bright grass green, Rorrecath's belly, palms, and the soles of her feet are a much paler, pastel shade, and her wings go gradually lighter from front to back in bands that blend so little at the edges that they're nearly distinct strips of color: first the same color as her body, then a moderately lighter shade, then ending with that soft pastel color along the trailing edge.

Rorrecath was hatched with youth and strength on her side, and she knows it. She's enthusiastic, brash, and extremely physical in her interactions, and the pure joy she takes in her duties as a fighting dragon will be obvious from the first moments of training. She can be temperamental, easily hurt and easily angered, but there's also a side of her that will always be full of wide-eyed wonder, exultant in her own body, in the sky, in the world around her. She can fly, she can flame Thread, she can travel wherever she wants to go – why, she can do /anything/!

She wants to do the right thing. She wants to learn to be even better than she is. She wants to be the greatest green – no, the greatest /dragon/ — at Ista Weyr. She even understands, on some level, that patience is a virtue, and that following is just as important as leading, and blah blah blah… but the trouble is, she just doesn't usually have the patience to make it quite that far, or think about it all that hard. She's strong, she's ready /now/! She'll pick up on physical training easily, and her muscle memory is excellent, but anything that requires patience or study to master is going to prove more difficult for her… and when something seems too difficult, she'll be prone to giving up a little too quickly. She couldn't learn it? Well then it must be unnecessary, or the technique is wrong – she'll figure it out herself in her own way, whether you like it or not. Thread is falling /now/, and it can't wait for her to figure out some stupid chart or map!

No matter how much you try to reason with her, she'll always be in danger of going off half-cocked – making snap judgments with her heart instead of her head and then rushing right in unprepared. She doesn't always read situations very deeply before making up her mind about what's going on and who's right or wrong, and she may make superficial judgments based on something as petty as someone's appearance, or the way they treated her in the first five seconds of meeting her. You don't really get a second chance to make a first impression with Rorrecath – her mind /can/ be changed later on, but it'll be an uphill battle.

Headstrong and far too stubborn to ever admit that she can't do something, Rorrecath will remain full of fire and youthful vigor even into her old age – assuming she manages to live that long. The sad truth is that, in her brash overconfidence, and in her innate, almost desperate desire to do good, she is a dragon with a bit of a hero complex, and that rarely ends well. She can't just sit by when her wingmates are in peril, even if she isn't the closest or best-equipped to handle the situation, and she'll throw herself into danger without pausing to consider the consequences. Someone has to help, and she will always believe that the responsibility falls on her shoulders. She'll take the death or injury of her friends hard, even when she wasn't present to help – she'll believe she somehow /should/ have been there – and an injury to herself, should it ever ground her permanently, would be the most awful thing she could possibly bear. Fighting and flying is such an intrinsic part of who she is that she can't separate herself from her job – without it, she would no longer know who she is.

The Go My Own Way Egg

This egg doesn’t care what you think about it.

Nope, not a bit. It must not, anyway, because… well, look at it. Sitting there looking ridiculous. Pink is not a proper color for a dragon egg! If it must be pink, then it could at least just be a nice uniform pink, like one of its clutch-siblings, right? But no, this egg just had to mix it up, didn’t it? It just had to splotch itself like it has some kind of weird disease, all goopy messes of white lined in purple splattered all over the shell, like, like… wriggling little whosiwhatsits writhing around in a sea of pink whatchamacallit. And, what is that? Green? A hint of pale green? Who mixes green with pink and purple? Gross.

Every egg is unique, of course, but there’s just a generally accepted way of doing things, a certain sort of patterning and palette that nature is supposed to stick to. For all their bright colors and odd patterns, at least the other eggs in the clutch manage to look distinguished, each in their own special way. And then there’s this weirdo. This egg just has to stand out, to be a little different, to do things its own way. So much so, in fact, that it goes a little too far. Is anyone going to want this crazy thing? What sort of dragon could it possibly hold? Will anything hatched from this egg possibly be able to fly straight? Or maybe it’s all just misdirection, and the dragon within will hold all the seriousness and focus that its egg lacks?

Only time will tell. Until then, calm down, you weird little egg.

Blue Murumbith - Zeff

It's just as well that Murumbith was hatched during a Pass, because he will always be a dragon who requires a little extra effort to keep from getting a little… well… “fluffy”. He's a fairly big dragon anyway, not the largest but certainly tall enough and broad enough, and though he sports an excess of hatchling chubbiness early on, he /will/ eventually prove to be a rather sturdy, muscular dragon underneath… but he'll also always have a little extra padding that insists on hanging about, and without careful management of his feeding and exercise, he could develop more. He's a strong dragon, with legs like tree trunks and a tail that will bowl people over if he isn't careful about it (and he will probably not be especially careful). His deep sapphire coloring has a natural handsome sheen when healthy and well-cared for, particularly in the darker marking that covers his arms and upper back and splits at his waist almost like a tailcoat.

What kind of dragon is Murumbith? Well, that may depend on who you ask. One of his siblings might say he's an annoyance: obnoxious, troublesome, and wholly unreliable. Another might dispute that, call him positive, creative, brave, and inspiring. Both of these accounts may be equally true. Murumbith is a dragon that you'll just have to experience for yourself.

He would love being referred to as “an experience”, in fact. He likes standing out, being regarded as a little odd, and he especially likes making people smile if he can. And why not? He's good at it, and he doesn't mind looking a little foolish if it keeps everyone else's spirits up. Well… for the most part. He genuinely does put the happiness of others before his own, but sometimes it feels like a fool is all he is, and he wishes others would just take him seriously sometimes! Just because he likes to march to the beat of a different drummer doesn't mean he doesn't want to be a part of the parade, too!

The problem is, perhaps alone out of his class of talented, fierce, and/or dedicated Threadfighters, Murumbith can be a bit of a bumbler, and he knows it. Clumsy, too loud and enthusiastic for his own good, and severely lacking in attention span, he has a lot of trouble focusing and thus a lot of trouble performing to standard. He tries to draw attention away from these glaring faults by being clownish, alternately very friendly and charismatic or, when that gets shut down, obstinate and obnoxious. He can be very childish when the mood strikes him: pouting, refusing to obey, and picking, teasing, and taunting. Underneath all the bluster and bumbling, he's a very proud dragon, and failing while his clutchmates succeed cuts him to the bone. Like a budding young bully on the playground, he tends to pick on those who are good at doing things that he cannot, desperate to claim some small victory from them, and he may never outgrow the juvenile methods he chooses to do so. (I'm not touching you…. Iiii'm noooot touching youuuu!) All things considered, though, Murumbith would much rather just be happy, and have everyone happy with him, so it's a good thing he forgets quickly and his better nature usually eventually wins out.

It may take some time for it to become apparent, but Murumbith is not a dragon without his own talents. He may seem hopeless when it comes to learning, or memorization, but he is by necessity a master of improvisation. He'll show signs of adaptability and rolling with the punches as a hatchling, but once in the air against Thread (if he lives that long), his true strength will be unleashed: perhaps more so than any other dragon, Murumbith almost literally lives in the moment, taking each shift of wind and situation as it comes, and it makes him incredibly flexible and almost impossible to panic. He'll never be able to chart out a static Threadfall formation, but he will be able to tell you in an instant, on the fly, how the Wing should shift to adapt to conditions at that moment. A wise wingleader will find a way to use him well, and may find Murumbith to be a much more reliable, fulfilled dragon when he feels that he's being individually respected and depended-upon.

The Celestial Harmony Egg

The Celestial Harmony egg appears fragile, ethereal as it sits there on the sands, set off to the side, always a little separate and in one of the pools of shadow caused by the spaced glows around the great cavern. However it seems almost to reflect the light it does receive as well as the brightness of it’s siblings, giving it a soft, cool glow.

Those who gaze upon it might feel calm as well as a deep sense of serenity. This is not an egg for the loud and the rambunctious, this egg is quiet and soft, and it’s shell is cooler than the others to the touch, almost like glass, smooth, polished glass.

Candidates may wonder at this egg’s beauty, at the light that seems to shine from it, or the frosted patterns that decorate its shell. What little dragon could come from it? A green as lovely and gentle as the aura it projects? A sweet little blue? A strong brown? A calm bronze? Only time and Hatching day will tell, but until then this egg will sit here and try to reassure everyone that everything will be just fine.

Blue Taigith - Tristara

This blue is without a doubt one of the smallest dragons on Pern, smaller than the smallest greens, but perfectly formed. He’s like a delicate glass dragon, slender and tiny and almost fragile seeming, but still very much physically present, even if it’s not the male, dominating presence of his brothers. His hide is the palest of pale blues and appears almost like coloured glass; it has that almost reflective sheen to it. He’s so pale he looks almost like he glows, especially in low lighting, reflecting the lights that are around back into the room, brightening it. In the brightest daylight however he will just look like a normal pale blue dragon, the gleam hidden by the scorching sunlight. When he spreads his wings, people may notice pale blue circles over it, like hollow dots, or craters, but it’s very subtle, and most will be too charmed by his lovely colouring to notice. He’s well proportioned, which is a good thing, especially considering his diminutive size.

Taigith is, at his core, a sweet natured little blue. He’s just a genuinely kind, loving, optimistic little soul, always with a pleasant word to say about everyone. He feels deeply that Ista is his home, and everyone in it is his family, even the Outsiders. They have come to look after his home, and that makes them a part of Ista now. These feelings lead to a strong sense of duty, of doing whatever it takes to keep his home safe, even at the cost of his own happiness…or even his own life. This will absolutely be something his rider will have to keep an eye on, this tendency towards self sacrifice, as Taigith will absolutely put everyone else's needs before his own. This will influence, not only the dangerous field of threadfighting, but also the day to day life of a dragon. He might give up food, or his turn at practicing, and more dominant and pushy dragons could well exploit Taigith’s inherently innocent nature to further their own ends.

Threadfighting will never be one of Taigith’s great strengths. This little blue is a social creature, skilled in guidance and supporting leadership, but the physicalities of threadfighting will always be a struggle for him. The deaths of wingmates, of other dragons weyrwide, will hit Taigith hard and send him into an emotional spiral of sadness. Loss is so cruel, and the idea that someone is no longer there to fill their place any longer is distressing. He is a dragon that will grieve bitterly, and seek comfort in his friends. And he will make friends with ease. Many will like him, and he will like them in return, but he will have a core group he seeks out more than any other. Interestingly he rather prefers the company of dragons that most people overlook. While others look towards the big, bright and bold, Taigith is intrigued by the forgotten dragons and candidates and lavishes them with his time. His simple pleasure in everything is infectious and should win him friendship everywhere he goes. He will be especially tender to greens, or rather greens that are nice and friendly. Greens he catches will be treated with especial tenderness, affection and be incredibly spoiled as he lavishes them with his whole hearted and uninhibited love.

The Meaning of Stone Egg

This egg looks like one that has been fashioned out of the golden sand, hardened into stone, and weathered, strongly rippled like some kind of great earthly force inscribed it with water, or air. The effect is something very present, very strong, but also ancient, like a race from long ago left its mark for the present to read, if only they could understand it.

The young men and women who step out on those sands may be drawn to this egg. It’s not bright like some of the others, it’s not flashy. But it is strong. This is a egg that will last, that will go the distance.

Perhaps that is exactly what the candidate’s will need.

Blue Ollovuth - Kashias

Ista is an island well known for their beautiful gems, and this little blue looks like he was carved from the smooth, lapis lazuli used by jewel smiths to made pendants and ornaments. He's a very small dragon, but he's built strongly, with well formed musculature and a definite solidity to his shape that others might lack. His hide is that beautiful, blue colour, smooth over his form apart from soft almost white dots, like stars in the night sky laced through it. His headknobs are short, rounded at the tip and a little larger than usual in girth giving him the appearance of a little headdress or headpiece. His wings and tail are perfectly in proportion and strong on his small, stocky frame. Some might underestimate him, because of his diminutive size, but will soon be in for a quick, sharp, rude awakening.

No one could ever mistake Ollovuth for a stone carving for long after meeting him.

He's a dragon who knows when manners are important…but especially when they aren't, and he gets a kick out of shocking people who expect him to be some dainty little gentleman dragon, by doing something especially vulgar or coarse. Their expressions of shock and horror are hysterical for him, and well worth any punishments that come his way. People take things too seriously…yes there is a time to work, but the time you aren't working is a time to play and have fun! This little blue will definitely be one to enjoy his downtime and his playtime, and when he plays, he plays hard and revels in every minute of it.

Ollovuth is a blue who will love to rough it with the bigger dragons. Anything they can do he can do better, faster and with more style. He will give back as good as he gets, and woe betide anyone who thinks to go easy on him just because he's a blue…or a bit smaller than average. This little blue is tough as guts, and he will somehow seem to know, even from Hatching, just how to use his smaller size to an advantage. Bigger and stronger dragons will often find themselves outfoxed, and then have to put up with his smug preening.

As a threadfighter, you will be hard pressed to find someone as dedicated as Ollovuth. An instinctive and intuitive flier and fighter, he will absolutely be one of the best young blues going at Ista. He's a natural: he /feels/ the air around him, the shifts in current and flow, and he knows just where he will be, and where the thread will be, thus positioning himself perfectly to flame it. What's more is that he trusts his instincts completely, he believes in his skills and talent and so he very rarely, if ever, misjudges. This will make him a great asset to the wings of Ista…provided his superiors nurture this singular talent, rather than making him conform.

On a personal level Ollovuth is a strong and loyal friend. He's not prone to sentimentality, and often mocks his sisters and brothers for any over emotional overtures of feelings, but he cares very deeply, in a gruff way. He's far more likely to thwap you than hug you, but the thwap will be doled out with love. A happy natured, mischievous little spirit, Ollovuth is a strong young male dragon, who refuses to be pidgeonholed as weak or small. As he grows up, he will be a strong force for order and honour in the Weyr. He will never be afraid to stand up for himself or others and he will likely rise far in the ranks if allowed.

However even the roughest, toughest people have their vulnerable sides, and Ollovuth is no exception. He prides himself on being strong, fierce and brave, but quietly in the privacy of his heart and the bond with his rider, he will admit to being afraid. He’s afraid of failure, of letting people down, especially his rider, and his wing. He’s afraid of being overlooked as ‘just a little blue’. He’s afraid of not being taken seriously, of not being able to show what he’s really, really made of. He’s afraid of being pushed to the side, overlooked and ignored, when he knows he can be so much more. In this he will turn to the support of his rider, and hopefully, with a supportive one by his side, he can push through those insecurities and not let them cripple him. In time Ollovuth may allow his friends to see this softer side, and admit that he does indeed need their help now and again. But it is in his rider, that Ollovuth will place his full trust and support.

The At Home In Ice Egg

This egg doesn’t belong here does it? Surely this is an egg of the North, not one born in Ista’s warm tropical weather. And yet here it sits, a frozen chunk of snow and ice, completely out of place and yet unapologetic about it. This egg isn’t ashamed of what it is, it sits proudly, right at the front there, bright and unmelting in the heat of the Hatching Sands.

Most of the Candidates probably haven’t ever even seen snow, haven’t ever seen water so cold that it froze solid enough to stand on. Perhaps they will be curious, or perhaps they will shun this egg for its foreignness.

It would be a shame if they did, because no little dragon wants to be alone.

Green Akrath - Avorella

Akrath is quite a pleasant looking green, with good average proportions. She’s not going to be one to stick out physically; she’s not the strongest, the fastest, the biggest or the smallest, but she is very approachable looking. Her face is expressive, both in joy and sadness, quite pleasant to look at, and has an air of dependability and her smooth hide is a fresh leaf colour, strong and uniform except for the band of paler green about her neck, like a choker. Her tail is long, and strong, and she uses it a lot as an expressive medium and her wings, especially while spread, have a pattern over them like running water over the green. It’s subtle, but once noticed is a lovely feature.

If only Akrath was as serene as her outward appearance suggests.

He is a dependable dragon, that much is true, and she has a very keen sense of duty. From the moment someone tells her what Thread is, it will awaken in her a deep, ingrained determination to succeed at her purpose, and to make sure everyone around her, willing or no, fulfils their purpose too. She will do anything to ensure that everything is done, that everyone meets the standards required of them, and she’s even harder on himself. The first time someone suggests that perhaps bronzes are better leaders than greens, Akrath will do everything, single-mindedly, in her power to prove to them the grave error they have made in underestimating her. She is as good as any bronze, and anyone who dares say otherwise had best be ready for a fight. She’s a determined thread fighter, and due to her ambitious, and focused personality she will only get better and better, perhaps even becoming a true master at aerial combat.

Her intensity does have its downsides however. she is prone to nasty comments, being a killjoy and also vindictive, particularly when she thinks people are goofing off and not taking the task at hand seriously enough. She’s not a cold dragon, she’s not haughty or withdrawn, but she makes her displeasure known, emotionally, loudly, and messily. Passion is what guides Akrath, passion for her purpose, passion for her class, her friends, her wing, passion for the blues, browns and maybe even the bronzes she will mate and particularly passion for her rider. She will try to galvanise all of them on with proclaimed, impassioned speeches about hope and duty, but most of the time will probably come across as a little bit preachy. She does, however have the grace to realise when she is in the wrong, and also the courage to go and apologise. If ever any of her classmates or wingmates are sad or upset, you can be sure Akrath will go and talk to them privately, just to listen and maybe encourage them back into the fray. There are exceptions. Enemies, those who she deems so anyway, will face a long and hard road to forgiveness, full of many sarcastic brush offs and cold shoulders. But once it has been won, Akrath will put aside the past.

There is no doubt that she is a passionate and emotional green, whose heart is usually in the right place. Although…it is likely that she will drive her fellow dragons…and rider…nuts.

The Honour Restored Egg

Many people will wonder what’s going on with this egg. Was it rattled? Was something mucked up on on its shell? Because it looks like there was supposed to be a normal little fire burning in there. Simple, uncomplicated fire burning inside an egg. But somewhere along the line it looks like the egg became…well…complicated.

Now the fire is reflected in fragments, kind of warped, stretched out, or repeated a hundred times over no matter what angle you look at it.. To perfectionists that might make this egg ugly, or imperfect. but The Honour Restored egg is actually quite beautiful once you accept those imperfections and look at what it is, and what it could contain rather than the egg it might have been.

Candidates will find this egg smooth and warm to the touch, not exactly comfortable, but pleasant. Some may wonder at what kind of dragon will come out of this shell. Will it be a dragon as fiery as its shell? As complicated? Only time will tell.

Brown Kuruzoth - Ravelan

Kuruzoth is, without a doubt, a very handsome brown. Perfectly proportioned, sleek and with excellent, erect posture, he has the potential to be quite regal…at least when he needs to be formal. His hide is like high quality, red-brown, hardwood, in colour and variation. Gradients of shading are all over his hide, shifting one shade of red-brown to another, so perfectly and gradually blended it’s hard to see where one ends and the other begins. There is only one exception to this, and that is on his face. Over one eye and cheekbone the colour is distinctly a different shade of dark redbrown, fanning out like a half of a mask. He is built for speed and power with sleek, strong wings and a streamlined body, made for short, sharp, devastating bursts of destruction.

Some dragons hatch from their shells knowing exactly who they are and what they stand for. Kuruzoth is not one of those dragons.

He wants to be a good brown dragon, dependable, strong, a leader and he absolutely wants to be respected, loved and accepted. He just struggles with how to achieve that, especially in his early months. He will resent and reject any kind of advice or attempts to push him to be a certain way, but deep down he will crave direction and guidance, There are moments when Kuruzoth is open to guidance, when he quietly asks for advice, or when he’s receptive to it. But choose the wrong moment, or the wrong words, and he will bull headedly go in exactly the opposite direction. Often the biggest problem with Kuruzoth is this: he sometimes confuses stubbornness with strength. He doesn’t trust himself enough to believe in his own abilities or viewpoints, and he will often compare himself to the other browns in the clutch, and try to emulate their better characteristics, all the while feeling horribly inferior. In time, and with experience leading, Kuruzoth will slowly grow more secure in his place as a brown, and in the respect of his fellows.

Naturally empathetic and sensitive, Kuruzoth is a good dragon at heart, and with the support of some loyal classmates and good teachers, as well as his rider, he could grow into a magnificent young brown. He has the leadership qualities he needs: determination, loyalty, humbleness and a deep unyielding honour. It is this innate sense of what is right and what is wrong that will always bring Kuruzoth back from being too stubborn for his own good, and it is in that honour and loyalty that dragons may choose to follow. As the months of his weyrlinghood pass Kuruzoth will settle into his role as a leader, and will prove that with trust placed in him, he can live up to lofty expectations. As a leader he will be tough and unyielding when it comes to rules and discipline, but he will be absolutely fair, to a fault. He will also care about all the dragons under his command, and his gruff, even gentle and concerned care for them could earn him lasting loyalty from his followers.

When he’s not trying to be responsible, Kuruzoth is actually a bit of a dork. He’s prone to blurting out the first thing to come to his head, or trying to tell a terrible joke, and most especially he’s the dragon to make some dry pun about the goings on about him. Dark humour is Kuruzoth’s way, dry wit and sarcasm as well as brutal honesty. But when things go wrong for him, Kuruzoth’s first reaction is to get angry and frustrated. He’ll huff and puff and bluster about it, perhaps even destroying whatever it is that defied him in a fit of pique. He’ll calm down quickly, hot tempers rarely last long, and then he will be able to look at the problem more dispassionately. He’s more than happy to express self deprecation, acknowledging his failings, when asking forgiveness of someone he may have insulted, or wronged, but if he apologises…it is always genuine.

The As Long As You Behave Egg

This egg had the potential to be a perfect reflection of the Hatching Sands, but something went a bit awry along the way. There are greyish clouds marring the mirror finish, swirling over its surface like gloomy rainclouds. That's not the biggest problem with this egg and it's destruction of 'perfection' however. Slashes mar its shell, like some angry beast slowly dragged its claws in, making purposeful and obvious blemishes. They are all over, and yet somehow these are symmetrical, or at least almost like a pattern.

The seemingly deliberateness of these marks, and their layout, rather than detracting from the egg seems to add it some character. This isn't a standard egg, if a dragon egg could ever be standard, and it makes it clear that it should be accepted on its own merits.

As the Candidates ponder this strange egg and it's sombre but definite attitude, maybe they will wonder at the dragon inside, and whether it is as sure of who it is as its egg proclaims.

Blue Shuriketh - Adoptable

What a sombre little blue Shuriketh is.

His hide is a dark, dark midnight blue, punctuated by slashes of a lighter shade, but somehow even that feature appears commonplace, even ordinary on Shuriketh’s hide. He’s lean and coltish, of average size and weight, He has very sharp talons, which he is careful to keep to himself, and encourages his rider to keep them a little shorter than others, simply out of a desire not to harm anyone. His headknobs too are sharp and sit atop a face that is angular and not very expressive. His mindvoice also has the tendency to be rather monotonal and dry, husky in tone. All in all he isn’t a very obvious or attention grabbing dragon at all, in fact it you just glanced over them all you might miss him.

On the surface there doesn’t seem to be any kind of emotional inflection to Shuriketh at all. His voice conveys dry boredom, his face is expressionless and his body language is very stationery. Some more excitable humans or dragons could write him off instantly as being boring or dull or even stupid, when really Shuriketh doesn’t really see any reason to get so up and excited about things. He actually quite enjoys seeing people be happy in his solemn little way, but he also has time and energy for the angry dragons, the bristly prickly ones. In fact the greens which Shuriketh will most like will be ones uncomfortable in their own skin, bristly and awkward, or the greens that are over the top exuberant. These he likes to tease, drolly, and then watch them be enthused.

That’s not to say he doesn’t care; He is actually very capable of great love and great loyalty. His family is important to him, meaning his clutch, and the family of his rider, should they have any they feel a particular affinity for. His friends also are close to his heart. But Shuriketh, despite his doom and gloom and pretense to hate the world will often have passionate feelings of love. If he devotes himself to a green you can be sure that he will stand by their side through thick and thin, only barring a conflict with his rider, who is number one in his heart always. He’s affectionate, in a calm, matter of fact way, and very contactual, liking to be close to other dragons and humans.

The only time people might see any real passion and a break from Shuriketh’s calm charm, is when he is incensed to fury, or when he is threadfighting. When furious his voice rises and he will get very close to the other, before breaking off and giving the object of his ire an icy shoulder of condemnation. When he is fighting thread he delights in cutting swathes through thread with his flame and embraces working in tandem with others of his class or wing. He’s a deadly fighter, and swift. He has no real ambitions to be great, but he loves being part of the team.

All in all Shuriketh thinks the expression of over-emotion looks exhausting, and hardly ends positively for anyone. So he stays stoic, and pretending to hate everything bright and sunny and so on…while really kind of envying that kind of passion and expression.

The Right to Rule Egg

Here, in the midst of the common rabble, in the sea of bright colors and stupid markings and boring patterns, sits one egg that’s above all the rest. One single egg, dark and foreboding, so perfectly-shaded that it seems to be almost a shadow, almost something you can see through, but streaked brightly with jagged lightning, white and blue and purple leaping across the void from nothingness to nothingness; one single egg that holds a storm within itself, a tempest in a bottle, and woe to whoever stands too close when it finally breaks and spills its contents to the world.

If it seems rather arrogant for an egg, sitting there on a particularly high mound of sand, larger than most of its fellows (larger than most eggs from most past clutches too, for that matter), well, can you blame it? There is true power here, the sort of power that many crave, but only the truly bold will attempt to harness. Certainly this egg could contain nothing less than a bronze, that is, unless the universe is particularly cruel… but then, who ever said only a bronze could be worthy of the sort of whispered promises that this egg makes? Isn’t it time for Ista to have a masterful green that will rule her skies? A blue as fast and brutal as lightning? A brown to rival the great bronzes in strength and arrogance?

Or maybe there is a fine bronze in there, a bronze to shame all other bronzes with his power and beauty. The egg is certainly big enough for it. The question is, is there a candidate brave enough to even touch this egg, let alone handle the dragon it unleashes upon Pern?

Brown Lurzanth - Urvalen

“Petite” may not be the first word that comes to mind when describing male dragons, particularly the larger colors, but it's a word that fits Lurzanth well. He's small, slender and fine-boned, but it would be a mistake to consider him weak. No, he's built like a cat, efficiently-muscled and light on his feet, quick and agile but also stronger than he looks. He has long legs, but his gait is far from mincing or “feminine” — his steps are strong and confident, yet precise and measured at the same time. His face is angular, more severe than one might expect, with a long sharp muzzle, high cheekbones, and long, straight headknobs. He'll likely be one of the sharpest-colored brown dragons at the Weyr, with a hide primarily the color of rich goldish-brown pale ale, but he has darker markings, too: a dark skullcap, running from the tip of his muzzle over the top of his nose and then continuing in a stripe that runs all the way down his back to his tail-tip. It diverges to spread up his wing-arms as far as the hand, and down the front of all four legs to the knee/elbow.

Lurzanth wouldn't call himself arrogant. “Arrogant” implies over-blown, unjustified confidence, and his confidence isn't at all undue, no. After all, was there ever such a prodigy hatched? Was there ever a dragon so clever, so talented, so naturally gifted?

It might make you grit your teeth rather than admit it, but the truth is, Lurzanth is certainly something special. There's certainly a lot of factors to consider when one determines “the best”, and he may not rank as high up on that list as he thinks he does (he thinks he's right at the top, of course!) depending on how you're keeping score, but there's no denying that he is an exceptionally talented dragon. From the very beginning, his lessons seem to come far more easily to him than they do to most. He's smart all right, observant and quick to learn, and easily capable of connecting the dots and making the leaps of logic that enable him to master and move on to the next task. His muscle memory is excellent, too, and maneuvers will stick with his body as easily as tactics and strategy stick to his brain. It's all so simple – why can't you get it on the first try? Oh here, he'll be helpful and show you… except that it's less to help, and more to flaunt what he can do that you can't, to throw it right back in your face that he’s better than you.

If only such talent could be harnessed for the good of his Weyr. Lurzanth couldn't care less about who's Istan and who isn't, and where anyone came from or who his own sire is – after all, as far as he is concerned there was nothing before there was Lurzanth, so to his mind anyone who happened to be at Ista when he was hatched is, naturally, Istan – and that open-mindedness could be an asset. But while he may take pride in whatever group he happens to be a part of at any given time (superior because of his own presence, naturally), and while his natural sense of command and natural talents could make him a phenomenal leader, it's never about the greater good. If he takes command, and if he leads and leads well, it's about Lurzanth and his rider, not about what is best for those under his command. He has a vested interest in seeing them do well, because you don't appear successful with a fighting force in shambles, and because he isn't quite that malicious – he doesn't take joy in seeing dragons die! — but, well, if a few cookies have to have it a little harder than others, and crumble a little faster, that's just the way it goes. They should have been better, should have been stronger. He is ruthless as a leader, sharply demanding, and though he is well aware that he was hatched gifted and, by extension, that those he deems inferior to himself can't possibly be expected to perform as well, he'll expect it of them anyway, and that is a recipe for disaster. Being hatched into a clutch devoid of bronzes might be the worst possible introduction that Lurzanth could have had to the world, because he will immediately jump to fill that void, and he will never be willing to step out of it – or even believe that he was intended to fill any other role in the first place.

The thing that Lurzanth fails spectacularly at is interpersonal relationships. For all his talent, he's a rather nasty, spiteful fellow who looks down on other dragons and anyone who isn't his rider, and gazing down at those around him like a Lord surveying his drudges hardly makes him popular, and worse: it sets him up to be completely unable to connect with others on a friendship level. He can posture and command all day long. He can inspire and order, he can make dragons hop at his word, but he simply cannot seem to make them love him. And though he may say that he doesn't care if they like him or not, or blame them for clearly being unable to see his wondrousness, a part of him craves the love and friendship of peers, not drudges. Part of him wants to have friends, and realizes that he's the one who's somehow lacking… and failing is so rare for Lurzanth that his inability to fit the pieces together is both confusing and infuriating. Only his rider comes even close to filling that immense void inside him, and as a result, Lurzanth will guard him jealously, depending on him heavily to provide the emotional reassurance and psychological balance that he lacks, himself. It's a role that any young rider might find tremendously taxing, a constant drain of time and attention, and Pern can only hope that Lurzanth Impresses someone strong enough to handle the burden.

The Death by Delicious Egg

No matter how bad the day, no matter how awful the night, no matter how much comfort a person might need, here it is: the ultimate comfort food.

Er. Well, an egg that looks like the ultimate comfort food, anyway. Look at it sitting there, all nice and creamy, covered in every sweet syrup that the Pern’s bakers have ever managed to come up with, drizzled with sheer delight. This thing belongs on a Lord Holder’s table, carried out on a giant platter held by four drudges and revealed to the amazed gasps of every guest after the main meal. It’s delicious. It’s decadent. It’s positively divine.

…If you have a strong stomach, that is. There’s such a thing as too much of a good thing, and this dessert… er, egg… might just cross the line. Its colors are comforting, all creamy off-white and varying shades of brown, and the odd drizzly markings are somehow inviting, too, attractive but unthreatening like a child’s painting project, almost a predictable pattern but not quite. It looks like it might be sticky. It’s not, but the thought that it could be might just be enough to evoke a smile from the hardest of hearts. It’s like this egg wants you to be happy. It wants to make you happy. In fact, it wants to make you happy so badly that it might just be trying a little too hard. Masquerading as a Lord Holder’s dessert is a bit much. A dessert so decadent might just give you a tummyache, and while this egg isn’t likely to hurt you — it’s only an egg, after all — who’s to say what sort of dragon might be waiting inside? Is it a comforting dragon, a dragon who wants to make you as happy as its egg does? Or is it a dragon who’s going to introduce more stress into your life?

Green Loninth - Adoptable

She may not be the tallest or the smallest, or have the most interesting markings, but Loninth's brilliant jade green hide still has a way of standing out despite – or perhaps because of — its lack of color variation. She's relatively average in height for a green dragon, but built broadly, particularly through her upper torso. One might expect a dragon with such a large chest to sport expansive lungs, and in this case the assumption would be correct; someday Loninth will be able to produce great gouts of flame (though control may be another matter entirely), and though her speed and maneuverability are fair, she will also possess a lot of stamina for a green. Her neck is relatively short, and her muzzle is, too; her eyeridges are particularly prominent, and the tip of her snout turns up very slightly, and all of these features combined give her a very recognizable face – a dragon face with enough character that even those who can't always tell one dragon from another will be able to remember.

Well, not every green can defy every stereotype, apparently. Loninth is a sweetheart, really she is, but she's not exactly the brightest dragon in the clutch. She's not stupid — she may need a little extra repetition in her lessons, but with a bit of extra attention she probably won't lag behind – she's just a little too open, a little too trusting, a little too naive about people and consequences. And, okay, let's be fair: she does have her share of bubbleheaded moments. Sometimes, instead of going from Point A to Point B, her brain goes from Point A to Purple to Seventy-Two, and she arrives at conclusions that are more fanciful than logical, but she does get to Point B eventually, in her own time.

It's the tendency to believe the best in everyone that really trips her up. She's quick to adopt friends, and even quicker to defend them even when they've done nothing to earn her loyalty – and who really could possibly ever earn the amount of loyalty that Loninth gives? She loves wholeheartedly, and she'll never, ever abandon those she loves – she'll side with them, do whatever they ask of her, and loudly defend them against anyone who tries to tell her otherwise. There may have never been a dragon as loving and devoted as Loninth, but when her friends are arguing with each other it puts her in a real pickle. Please don't fight! Oh hey, isn't this flower funny-looking? *hopeful face* She'll try to make jokes if it'll help – in fact, she's a rather funny dragon without even trying, though it's usually evenly split between the laughing with her sort of funny, and the laughing at her sort of funny. Things don't always come out sounding the way she expects them to. Oh well, at least everyone seems happy? That's the important thing, right?

Loninth really enjoys attention, particularly from the males, and she'll go out of her way to get it – never mind that when she's proddy they'll all be giving her more attention than she can handle. She doesn't want to be admired just when – and because – she's in heat, she wants them to think she's beautiful and fun and great all the time! She may tend to try a little too hard, in fact, because she's not naturally a smooth flirt, and it shows. Striking poses, trying to learn that oh-so-sinuous neck curve that some of her sisters can do, trying to imitate more confident ladies than herself, the ones she admires so much… she'll give it all a try, and more often than not it will just come across as silly and awkward. Her friends tell her to be confident, and the best she can do is pretend confidence, and the mask just doesn't quite fit her, doesn't quite cover up the hopeful, needy young dragon underneath. When she puts herself forward, when she boasts or swaggers, it's very obviously overcompensation, but you certainly can't fault her bravery! Though she's always afraid of making a fool of herself, she'll be the first to speak up, or shove herself up to the front of the line to try something dangerous, just to prove to others – and herself – that she's not actually afraid. And really, isn't facing your fears what courage is all about?

It's a testament to Loninth's inner strength that she keeps trying even though she tends to look the fool more often than not. She bounces back quickly from any setbacks, just as wide-eyed and eager as she was before, determined to do better. She can get discouraged in the short term, but overall she's an optimist, a happy dragon who's absolutely convinced that tomorrow will be a brighter day.

The Forged From Iron Egg

Well. This egg isn’t going anywhere.

It isn’t just that it looks heavy. It does, heavy and solid, like a hot chunk of iron lifted straight out of a smith’s forge. Why would he forge a giant iron egg? It doesn’t matter, really — it’s here and it’s real and it’s not going to move. Even if you got a dragon to move it, it doesn’t look like it would be inclined to oblige you. Some things were just made to last, made to stay, and this egg appears to be one of them. Stubborn egg. It sits straight in its mound of sand, stern and serious, buried a bit into it as if it sank right into the ground, just daring anyone to try to budge it.

Why so stubborn, egg? Why so forbidding? What is it trying to keep out? Is the world really so harsh that the young dragon inside has to be protected in its own fortress? Or perhaps, judging from the cage-like markings on its blue-grey shell, it’s trying to keep something in?

When the day comes, will this egg prove more delicate than it appears? Will it allow whatever it contains to meet the world on its own terms at last? And if it does, will Ista be ready?

Brown Beyrinth - Dethyn

Beyrinth is a dragon built to endure. A rock-solid frame, packed tightly with muscle, shows off just how powerful nature can make a beast. He may not tower over his fellows as some dragons do, but he's tall enough, and anyway, who needs to loom when you look like you can make the ground quake with each step? It doesn't, of course, but the sheer broadness of his shoulders and head, his blunted muzzle and wide mouth poised above you, is potentially intimidating enough. It may be surprising, in fact, that those big feet on the end of thick round limbs don't actually plod at all; size is all relative, after all, and he's both faster and more agile than expected even if he'll probably never win any serious races among those dragons who make an informal sport of it. He looks like he's been digging around outdoors, or perhaps buried in a rockslide for a while: his hide is primarily chocolate brown, but his top half is almost muted, like a thick layer of dirt settled over him, blanketing him in lighter, dusty brown.

Beyrinth is a dour fellow, serious about his duty to the Weyr, acutely aware that what he does is a matter of life and death and can't be shirked. As a hatchling he'll be more likely to make time for play – well, “play” of a serious sort anyway, as he is naturally aggressive and fiercely competitive and “playing” with Beyrinth often feels less like fun and more like a mock battle – but his tolerance for such frivolity will melt away along with his baby fat, leaving a tightly-wound workaholic in its place. He prefers to keep his nose to the grindstone, and his feet firmly on the ground (figuratively), and tends to be contemptuous of those who can't manage to do the same. They don't have to be serious all the time, but would it really kill them to focus long enough to take a drill or lesson seriously?

He is not a prodigy like his brother Lurzanth, and he is acutely aware of this fact. Beyrinth's strength lies in the fact that he's simply one stubborn sonuvabitch who isn't about to take his brother's taunts lying down. He might have to practice a maneuver a hundred times to get it right, but if he must, then he will. As a result, he takes setbacks as a matter of course rather than going to pieces over them, and understands that obstacles were made to be overcome, shaping him into a more steady, dependable sort of leader over time.

If you can count on Beyrinth for his steadiness, though, you can also count on him to be a prickly brown grump most of the time, too. Any charisma he possesses comes from the example he sets, not from being nice: his honesty, his unwavering dedication, his physical prowess. Beyond that, he doesn't have much going for him when it comes to likability. He has little patience for others, and is often snappish or even downright mean, occasionally saying things he comes to regret and may or may not be able to find the words to apologize for, later. He'd like to – he's not an intentionally cruel dragon – but talking about feelings and admitting to his own crushing faults out loud is hard for him. He's just uptight, not at all comfortable expressing anything but anger (which is safe, because no one approaches you to question your anger if you just scare them badly enough!), and may be genuinely confused if anyone attempts to approach him with any sort of tenderness… even his own rider. He knows he's a grump, knows he has an awful temper and that he holds grudges far too long, and privately isn't sure why anyone would want to spend time with him voluntarily outside of drills. He's a pessimist, and has a difficult time seeing positive qualities in others, but that goes doubly for himself: he doesn't seem to realize that he is, once you get past his gruff demeanor, a truly selfless dragon who won't hesitate to put the needs of others before his own. He's not going to soothe your emotional boo-boos, but he will take a threadscore for you, and if he spends long candlemarks perfecting his moves, it's partially so that he can do exactly that: perform when others can't, so that others don't have to. It just doesn't feel like those rare emergencies make up much for being such an unlovable bastard 24/7.

Beyrinth does enjoy a few things, though. The sheer physicality of his job stimulates him, and it's the other part of the reason he practices so much: he loves pushing himself, getting stronger and better, and even relishes the ache of a body abused in the wake of a long day. Don't try to cuddle him, but if you want to wrestle he might be up for it. He'll call you stupid, but he'll secretly enjoy it just the same. Hunting will be a pleasure for him, the chase and the tackle, stretching his wings and claws, and he may choose to take his frustrations out on the unfortunate beasts whenever he gets wound too tight. Flights will be exciting for him, too. He's not a romantic, not really interested in wooing beforehand and snuggling afterward, but he likes testing himself, competing against the other males for the ultimate prize, and smugly proving himself the better dragon. All his hard work pays off in flights, and he'll prove to be very good at it.

The Sleight of Hand Egg

What exactly are you supposed to be looking at here? It’s hard to tell. It’s an egg, certainly, sitting amongst its brothers and sisters, shaped like an egg is supposed to be shaped, sitting there doing… egg things. Beyond that, however, it’s a little hard to tell what’s going on here. The shell looks almost as if it’s made of liquid metal, or… a liquid mirror, flowing slowly and wetly, reflecting everything in the room around it. But that’s just silly. It can’t possibly be made of liquid anything — it’s just an egg. But that begs the question: what is the deal here? Is the shell actually so shiny that it’s reflective, marked with those weird swirls that twist and distort the reflection in a thousand different ways?

Well… no. Once the candidates are able to approach the eggs, anyone who gets close will realize that their own reflection never appears in that egg’s shiny surface. Surprise! It’s just colored in such a way that it appears to be reflective. Stone grey-brown, sand tan, and a touch of blue to complete the illusion: it just happens to be an egg that has all the right colors for its environment. Anywhere else and it would probably just appear to be a weirdly colorful and strangely-marked egg, but here in Ista’s Hatching Cavern, it’s a masterful example of nature’s trickery.

And, perhaps, a masterful example of misdirection, too. Because while you were busy trying to figure this this greedy, attention-grabbing egg out, you probably weren’t paying attention to all those other eggs, were you?

Brown Cavarith - L'fer

It only makes sense that such a bold and dynamic dragon should have a bold and dynamic hide to match. He's a bright tawny brown all over, with no variation or patterns except for three odd marks, immediately obvious specifically because they're alone: one very large pale buff splotch on each hip, irregular around the edges as if splattered on with paint, and one smaller but similar splotch right across the top of his muzzle. He's a lean dragon – almost skinny, really, though not enough to be worrisome or unhealthy, and a bit on the small side, but with long limbs and a narrow face. His headknobs are short, though, and his eyes a bit large. He has a way of walking, too: confident, but somehow also smooth and lilting at the same time. Unlike some dragons, he will never be clumsy or uncomfortable walking instead of flying, and somehow he always knows exactly where his feet are – there's no danger of Cavarith accidentally squishing anyone or anything!

Fast-moving, fast-talking, and entirely too clever for his own good, Cavarith is a brown that will bear watching… if other dragons (and his rider) know what's good for them, anyway. The trouble is, they just might not be able to keep up! As a hatchling he'll possess an insatiable curiosity about the world around him – about things, about animals, other dragons, and even people… so much so that he'll tend to be intrusive about it, and though he may learn a bit of restraint (a very small bit) with his questions as he matures, he'll never really gain any sense of tact or propriety or personal space. He does what he feels and he asks whatever he wants to know, though he may not have the patience to stick around and wait for the answer if you don't give it promptly (or maybe even if you do – he's usually a step or two ahead of everyone else). It's usually faster to just find out what he wants to know on his own – particularly once he starts to realize that people will try to hand him some bullshit if they don't want to answer some questions. He may seem like a hyperactive child who's not very aware of others, but don't make the mistake of underestimating him: he misses nothing, and if there's an eyeroll, or exasperated sigh, or even just an evasive pause before an answer, he'll know. He may pretend that he doesn't notice, but he very much does.

It doesn't bother him. Oh no, he'd have to be a more sensitive dragon for that. Why should he be sensitive? He's smart, he's strong, he's quick, and he thinks he's pretty good-looking, too – his looks aren't something he dwells on because those other qualities are so much more important to him, but hey, being a handsome devil can't hurt, right? No, the opinions of others aren't really of any concern to him. He's more focused on what he's doing. And what is he doing? A little bit of everything, all the time. Cavarith is never content with things as they are. While he's learning his formations, his brain is half-focused on ways that formation can be better. Getting fitted for his harness? He's sure it would be stronger if you had just made the strap cross in a different way. Learning how to flame? Maybe, if he just learned to hold his throat just-so, he could be ten times more accurate! What? Of course it will work! He's at least 52% certain of success! How did he arrive at that calculation, considering dragons don't do math? Well, prove him wrong then. Oh? Yes, he thought not. Now step aside, plebe, you're in the way of progress!

Cavarith has a lot of potential. He has a unique way of looking at things, of connecting things, of questioning things that most don't think to question, and sometimes… sometimes… his ideas will turn out to be good ones. He can account for things he didn't consider, if they're pointed out to him; he can be flexible. That will be his strength in the air, too – his tactical flexibility, his ability to adapt to change in an instant, his fluid brain always working and always ready to roll with the punches. But, unfortunately, he can also be too fast for his own good, too impatient, too reckless, and he could get himself, or others, hurt. He exhibits a stunning lack of care for his own well-being, and, by extension, the well-being of others, too. Oh, on the surface he really wants to help – in fact, he's always offering to help, because he really enjoys having something to occupy himself and really enjoys saving the day for his friends – but he doesn't thoroughly consider consequences once he gets his ideas rolling, and he's so confident and charismatic that others may feel safe following him into a situation that he hasn't actually planned for. His rapid-fire shifts in focus don't help, either. It's not unusual for him to abandon something halfway through because something else has caught his attention, and that could easily spell disaster for a fighting dragon… or his comrades.

You can try to warn Cavarith if you'd like, but don't expect him to actually listen. Oh, he heard you just fine. He just doesn't care.

The Pink Aura Egg

What a weird little egg!

First of all, it’s pink, and what kind of egg is pink anyway, honestly, especially one as…well…PINK….as this one. The colour itself is uniform, quite acceptable, especially considering some of the other eggs laying around, but it’s peppered all over with raised little bumps. They look rather like tastebuds on a tongue, or bubbles in pastry cooking, or even little pinpricks through paper.

Even when the candidates touch this egg, and lots of them will because…well…who wouldn’t right? They will find that this texture has actually translated over. The egg between the pinpricks is smooth as silk, but the bumps are actually bumpy.

There is something cooly unapologetic about this egg though. It’s not ashamed to be pink and loving it, it doesn’t care that it’s such an overly feminine colour. This egg wears it with pride, and surely any dragon to come out with an attitude like that, is one to be proud of.

Green Tavalinth - Minquel

What a cute little green! In fact she’s everything that one might physically expect and want in a green dragon, when looking at the stereotypes of course. She’s only just slightly under the average green size, at least in terms of size and body shape, but when you count in a tail that is almost ludicrously long, and expressive, she appears much larger than she actually is, or rather…longer than she actually is. Some dragons might be thrown off balance by a limb so much longer than the norm, but Tavalinth makes it work, keeping it out of the way of her legs with seeming ease. Even just hatched, this little green will be a picture of graceful movement, tail waving and curling about her. She’ll never seem to stumble or stagger around like other young dragons, and that innate gracefulness will only become more pronounced as she grows up. She will also play to the feminine stereotype of her colour: she’s an exceedingly flexible little dragon and she’s also very cute. She’s got a very draconically voluptuous form, feminine and appealing, and won’t lack for attention from male dragons. Her hide is a warm pale green with gradiently shaded swirls curling over her limbs and framing her face, which like her build, leans towards being rounder, not chubby, just…healthily fleshed out.

Tavalinth is a ray of bright, eager sunshine, full of energy and enthusiasm for everything life has to offer. Sure it might lead people to think that she’s a bit of an airhead, that she is shallow and vacuous, but this is the way to face the world that Tavalinth has found peace with. There are so many greens at Ista, Tavalinth can’t help but notice, and it is her greatest fear to just disappear into the masses, to not be special, unique, to be unnoticed. So she is extra loud, extra happy, extra enthusiastic. She lets the males flex their muscles at her, and makes all the appropriately appreciative sounds and she lets the dominating personalities lead, but skips along happily behind them eager to be useful, to achieve things. She will be one of the most promiscuous of her Weyrling class, when they reach the age where the greens start to rise, and before that she will crave the singular attention of as many men as possible…although if conflict arises because of it, she will be most distressed.

After all conflict breeds negative energies, and she doesn’t want that anywhere near her.

This belief in energies means Tavalinth is actually a rather spiritual dragon. She believes in purpose, in fate, in being guided in her life. She is always on the alert from guidance from the universe and will take time every day to just sit quietly, soaking in the atmosphere around her, centering herself and refreshing herself for the day. This almost naive trust that everything will work out may rub some of her more headstrong siblings and wingmates the wrong way, especially if they are trying to achieve action right at that moment. Because if Tavalinth thinks the universe is sending her a strong message to NOT do something, it will take a great deal of work and manipulation to convince her otherwise.

Tavalinth is not what one would picture when thinking of a badass green, but the fact remains that she. like most of this clutch of dragons, is a skilled threadfighter in her own way. Tavalinth is agile, flexible and knows just the right amount of speed, flame and thrust to strike right where it’s needed most. She expends no more energy than she has to, so it will be very rare for her to ever have to be rotated out of the wing due to exhaustion. Some of her siblings, even the wider wing, may underestimate her because of her sunny disposition and enthusiasm for life, and she would not resent them for it in the least. However time will prove this green one you want to have at your back in times of trouble. She handles pressure well, you won’t see her crack when lives are at stake. Sure she might be a little more frivolous in her off-time, but that doesn’t mean that she can’t be a badass. She’s just a feminine, use-the-weapons-you’ve-got, kind of badass. And she is going to choose her own path in life no matter your expectations.

The Hidden Potential Egg

It would probably be easy to overlook this egg. Smallish, and set off in the corner, it’s not really in the best position to attract the eye anyway, and its relatively dark coloring doesn’t help. If anyone does bother to notice it, they might even call it ugly, the dark, lumpy-yet-wet-looking green shell calling to mind some sort of fungus or disgusting growth on something it ought not be growing on.

But there may just be more here than meets the eye. It isn’t one single shade of green, but two very distinct shades, one lighter and one darker. At first glance it just seems like yuck on top of more, darker yuck. On second glance, one can make out an odd sort of pattern in it, ovals large and small.

On third glance, though, it all comes together. It’s almost like the egg is… breaking free of itself. It’s as if the dark green egg beneath is straining against that lighter green coating, stretching itself free of a wet prison that comes apart all around it, revealing the true form underneath. Is there something beautiful under there? Maybe, or maybe not, but at least whatever is under there is strong, a survivor, and maybe that’s all that really matters. It broke free all on its own, with no one there to help or care, and if Ista is lucky, the baby dragon inside will be just as determined to prove itself.

Green Kojith - Adoptable

Though small even for her color, Kojith is a scrappy little dragon. Even as an adult, her slightly over-large head and eyes combined with her rounded muzzle will make her look younger than she actually is, and she may still be mistaken for a half-grown weyrling by those outside of Ista Weyr who haven't learned to recognize her for who she is, or those who aren't familiar enough with dragon anatomy to recognize the very-much adult – if wiry – musculature sported by her small body and shortish limbs. There's a surprising amount of power packed into this tiny little package, and she'll be a master of astounding bursts of speed and manueverability – but only in bursts. Otherwise, she's average, which she thinks is plenty considering that some might expect less from her because of her size. Her hide is a deep dark green, darkening to almost green-black on the tips of her neckridges, wingclaws, and wingtips.

It's unfortunate, perhaps, that Kojith will always be “cute”, because she seems to have been hatched with an innate understanding of exactly how to use her looks to get what she wants, and minus the scruples that would keep her from taking advantage of it. As a hatchling, it's easy enough to get into the habit. She's just so small, and flopping around on the Hatching Sands being an adorable baby scored her a rider and a free meal, right? She'd be a fool not to learn from that, and if there's one thing Kojith isn't, it's a fool.

She is, however, an opportunist. It's hard to tell what she enjoys more: wanting things, getting things, or the act that gets them for her. What does Kojith want? A little bit of everything, really. Shiny objects, bigger objects, better objects. Attention. Affection. If no one else has it, she wants to be the only one with it, and if others must have it, then she must have more of it. She seems to always be in need of something, but even she recognizes that part of the fun is in the wanting. She's not going to throw a tantrum – that's how babies get what they want, and she's a lot smarter and more sly than any baby (and cuter, if you ask her). She'll flash those big eyes, turn her head just so, put on that delicate little voice that makes you just want to take care of her, provide for her, and before you know it, you're minus something you used to have and she's happy and smug, cradling it in the corner. If the cute act doesn't work, then she'll find some other act – some elaborate story, some brand of manipulation, whatever it takes. In fact, the harder she has to work for something, the more she'll want it, and the more she'll enjoy winning it in the end. It's the fun of the con that keeps her going, really – the thrill of putting her skills to work, of solving problems and coming out on top. She'd be lying if she didn't admit to a twisted sense of satisfaction in proving her superiority to others, because that's part of it, too, but it's mostly the fun, the challenge.

Kojith is a restless mind, you see. It happens sometimes to the very clever: without anything more productive to occupy them, they find ways to occupy themselves. It just so happens that Kojith's choice of coping mechanism is more irritating to her fellows than some. She's only a green, after all, and no one expects her to be able to put much thought into anything, and the world offers precious little to occupy a dragon, anyway. If drills are easily-mastered, what then? Nap in the sun all day? Maybe that's fine for a couple of her fat blue brothers (and she is not shy about calling them that, either, the little brat), but she'd rather stir up trouble. Boredom sets in easily in her world, and she's so keen on avoiding it that she'll even procrastinate on her work just so she doesn't get it done and end up at loose ends too quickly. The easier something is for her, the more likely she is to put it off until later. For whatever reason, she doesn't trust easily, and prefers to tackle problems by herself. She'd be surprised if someone gave her something that she didn't have to manipulate them into giving her, and tends to be contemptuous of those who don't seem to be canny enough to look out for themselves first.

And yet, sometimes she is that dragon. Once you've earned her trust, there's little she won't do for you – even things she thinks you're clearly too much of a pansy to do for yourself. Somebody has to look out for those big cream-puffs who give stuff away for no good reason and trust too easily and are too nice to tell it like it is or fight back if someone tries to hurt them, and apparently that responsibility falls to her. Her tenuous grip of morality means that sometimes she does bad even when trying to do good, but she'd like to be a better dragon, really! She wouldn't really mind being universally loved and respected. Hmm, now there's an idea.

The Everything in Balance Egg

Deep in a forest there lies a path. The stones are white, but they are old and worn. Some are chipped, others are weathered and some are even a bit broken. But there is no one there to disturb the passage of time on this path, plants and vines grow around the stones, between the cracks as the trees knit overhead to make a secluded peaceful passage way.

That’s the story this egg seems to tell, a rambling tale with no real story to it at all really, but at the end you’re still left smiling. It has a lovely aura to it, a warmth that some of its siblings lack, a comforting feeling of the familiar. This egg is your friend, and invites you to take a walk down that path.

Will the lttle dragon be as peaceful as its egg? Will it be wild and overgrown? Will it be a rebel or will it be a peacemaker? Only Hatching day will tell.

Blue Rohoth - Adoptable

Looking at Rohoth someone could be forgiven for thinking he looks less like a young dragon warrior, and more like a blue far in the twilight turns of his existence. From the moment he hatches he looks rather chubby, and not in the usual baby face kind of way. Instead he has a gut, rather like a belly from too much good food or alcohol, and when he sits, he kind of squats, so that the belly protrudes in front of him. His hide is a dark slate colour, where grey starts to turn to blue and is uniform across the whole of his hide, except for bands of pale blue around his neck, along his wind ridges and down his tail. He also has a funny symbol on his chest, above the gut. There is a ring of paler, faded blue, and inside the ring is the pale blue silhouette of a flower, a strange, innocuous thing to have. There is something about Rohoth’s face however, something intelligent about his eyes maybe, for all he acts like the buffoon.

Acting like a buffoon is one of Rohoth’s great talents. Not like a clown, he doesn’t diminish himself to make people laugh, he simply finds that if people underestimate him then they aren’t really paying close attention, and therefore, if they are someone he doesn’t particularly like, they are much more easier to work around and surpass. This dragon is all about patience, about serenity, and about choosing the exact moment to act. That doesn’t mean he always gets it right, sometimes he can let his heart get the better of him, but Rohoth takes everything in stride.

Underestimating him, like most of the Weyr will, is a poor decision. He may have strange and peaceful interests, like observing and talking to the harpers, or the vintners, he likes observing human food and sometimes even asks his rider to assist him in seasoning his meal, after being caught and slaughtered of course, but that doesn’t mean he’s a fool. Because Rohoth is wise, very wise, and he’s very aware of the conflicts in his Weyr. The anger between Istans and Outsiders disrupts the balance of his little world, and is detrimental to the Weyr, and so Rohoth will always work towards unity, and will push his rider to befriend both Istans and Outsiders.

For all he looks like a fat, lazy little blue, Rohoth is a powerful force in the air. The first time they unleash him flying, or flaming, or fighting, everyone will be shocked at his ferocity and skill. He will be a talented and precise flier, accurate, strong, powerful, and mistakes will be few and far between. He will also be a wonderful advisor, having a strong grasp of tactics from his studies of the Threadfall records. He doesn’t want to lead, he refuses to ever be put in that position, but he stands beside those who do, to aid them.

And he will love, deeply. It’s perhaps unfortunate that this blue will never see any young of his own, but he will take a deep and personal interest in his classmates, in their riders, in candidates, and in new weyrlings, perhaps making him an ideal future Weyrlingstaff member. He will tirelessly work with them, and more importantly his rider, trying to guide them down the right path, to stand by their sides, love them and see them find happiness and peace. Selfless, Rohoth’s rider will have to make sure that the dragon does not give too much of himself to others who may not love him so entirely in return.

The Much To Learn Egg

The Pernese of old might feel a sense of familiarity looking at this egg. Clearly it’s made of some forgotten world, with water and continents of land. It’s not old Terra, the world they came from, nor is it Pern, but another world, far away. To the Weyr now, this egg is a curiosity, polished, reflective blue and rough, raised areas blighting its shape. Some, maybe those of the sea, may be intrigued, but it’s unlikely that any of them would understand.

This is not the egg of a dragon that will be content to sit around their whole life. This is an egg of adventure, of enthusiasm, of a whole world to explore and enjoy. To the Istan’s content with their little island, such adventurousness might push them away. but not to the explorers, those who are curious, and long for secrets unknown to discover.

Come Hatching day…this could be a little dragon to watch.

Green Haevath - N'darav (Ned)

One thing you can say about Haevath is that she is very distinctive. Her hide is a lovely mix of different shades of bright, new growth green, washing over her form in a well blended pattern. It is not this however that renders her appearance unforgettable. There are thick, strong, perfectly straight lines that run down her forelegs, backlegs and back, up to her head, and down to her feet. The one on her head finishes right in the middle of her brow, and somehow suits her round, babyish face. It’s only her face however, her build is quite small, long and lean, and kind of boyish, but her face is round and youthful. Her wings are long, and are strangely straight along the top of them to provide an expert and extremely agile flier.

Haevath is all about the joy of living. This little dragon isn’t one to let life’s joys go past and even in the face of more focused and uptight dragons looking askance at her free spirit Haevath will live life to the fullest. She will be the one to drag her classmates and wingmates into ridiculous but strangely fun games, to get them to unwind, relax, enjoy themselves. They aren’t just machines after all, they’re dragons, and fun is essential right? She will particularly enjoy harper music and will often be found nearest where they are playing, kind of bopping to their beats.

You will rarely see this dragon in a restive state, which is strange considering the emphasis she places on relaxing and having fun. She just naturally seems to always be moving, always doing something, but when she does sleep it’s nearly impossible to wake her. Haevath sleeps until Haevath has gotten enough rest, and short of Fall falling on her head, little will stir her.

Responsibility won’t sit easy on this dragon, especially not when she’s young. She wants to have fun, to enjoy herself, to live life to the fullest. Work is so serious…why can’t it be easy? And when it is hard she is difficult to coax into doing it at all, even though she knows practicing it will make it easier. She just likes to live in the now, the futures too heavy, too dark, and too oppressive. Soon enough she will be in the Wings, forced to fight all the time…the rest of the time she wants to still have fun. But interestingly Haevath also has a keen sense of duty and responsibility. She knows her job is to fight thread, she knows she needs to, so when the chips are down, and when her rider or person in charge insists, Haevath will prove an excellent student, calm and clever under pressure and most inventive. In the air she will be one of the most agile and gifted fliers they have.

Deep down, Haevath fears letting people down. She so badly wants to be the perfect green, everyone wants her to be perfect right? A hero? And while she always seems to come good in the end, she regrets the mistakes she makes. She wants to be responsible, and to practice and to be the amazing threadfighter she knows she can be. But in the end her love of fun, and of laughter, pranks and enthusiasm will always take her away from such serious thoughts, until the next time someone reminds her of her shortcomings.

In time Haevath could indeed grow up to be an amazing green, she has the raw talent, and with her rider they could go any path they choose. A bright future could be theirs…as long as she can survive her distractibility first.