Beautiful image by Esiae! THANK YOU!!
Dark and ethereal, this brown is characterized by quick movements and mysterious motivations. His body is sleek and sinuous, wings built for long, powerful flight. Their bistre depths are shattered by ochres and mahoganies, shadowy cracks showing between baked and blistered earth at each wing's trailing edge. Dark, loamier soil spills across his muscular shoulders, dusting each neckridge and blemishing thin-fingered paws. Blackened espresso boils across his hide, tenebrous grounds streaking up each side of his neck and splattering across the darkened bridge of a narrow nose. Subtle iridescence cloaks his entire form, a soft blue-green shimmer brought out by direct light. This tenuous shine is marred by pencil-thin black etchings, hairline fractures that carve out feather-like pattern across his hide. The overall effect is of a stygian, enigmatic avian touched with just a hint of sunlight.
Talons of the Storm Egg
Against the blackened hues of its clutchmates, this egg shines with a vicious incandescence. Storm clouds have attempted to mutilate its brilliant surface, but they have failed, bullied and relegated to the far side of the shell to linger in shame. The rest of the egg is shattered by a thousand lightning strikes, each bowing into white-hot, agonized existence. They rake across the shell like talons, rendering it in twain, and twain, and twain again, until there is little left but a sharp and ageless wisdom waiting to emerge from the luminescent eyes of the storm.
Indefinite Wisdom peers at you from out of the dark clouds of the egg's shell, those luminescent eyes staring straight into your very being. Like floodlights, they seem to swivel to and fro, harsh at first, but increasingly tolerable as you grow used to the light. Those small, uncomfortable things that one likes to forget are illuminated, examined, then left alone with a smooth sense of tact and intuition, moving instead to rifle through more recent, happier memories. It swoops down and then dangles a particular recollection from one mental talon, as if to say, and how do you explain this? Mmm?
Indefinite Wisdom bubbles with soft laughter, bright eyes blinking, the sound of ruffling feathers echoing in your mind. Never mind, it didn't mean anything by it. It was merely curious. Replacing the memory, the egg's mind waddles awkwardly along the ground, turning its head from side to side, illuminating lights spinning dizzily through your thoughts. Finally they land on something in particular, a moment where you had to be particularly brave. Indefinite Wisdom sobers, then, showing its age as it gathers the memory up in dark wings, as though hoping to learn more of it through osmosis. Sharp eyes focus on you, searching, questioning, wondering from what depths you pulled this inner fortitude. It is impressed, and it wants to know.
Indefinite Wisdom drops the memory and alights again with a soft rush of wings against air. It is quiet for a moment, internalizing this information before one bright eye peeks open. A rush of gratitude fills your mind, the egg seeming to say, thank you for sharing so much with me. Now I have something to give you. It is a brief rush, storm-like winds whipping at your clothes, the sound of thunder suddenly erupting in your ears… and then the images. Images of every time and place there ever was, and ever will be, all in one swift wash that your mind will never be able to remember, except perhaps in your dreams. It leaves you with a sense of elation, however, and perhaps just a touch of the sort of confidence that only wisdom can inspire.
Wobble Message
Talons of the Storm Egg shudders for several seconds, quaking as though a roll of thunder had been given life and then quieted again, the metaphorical sound rolling into the distance.
Crack Message
Talons of the Storm Egg shatters along the largest bolt of lightning, neatly reaving the already tortured mark in two. Something dark gleams in that crack, but it is gone again in an instant, settled back onto the sands.
Hatching Message
Talons of the Storm Egg splits along every single fork of lightning in long, painful arches, as though the storm within were swelling, heaving, stretching… and then, suddenly, the egg is no more. Wet shell sloughs off a darker-than-dark brown hatchling, leaving flecks of agonized white behind on the stygian creature's wings.
Impression Message
Darkness crawls into your mind, spinning in tendrils and dark clouds to slowly block out even the heat of the sands itself. In its place is a dark forest, an ancient chill clinging to your skin. The sharp scent of ozone stings your nose, and is blown away in the same instant. Then he speaks, a gruff and affectionate tenor that seems to echo through time itself. « Muir. » The name is seized upon, examined, and set aside respectfully. « No longer. » And for a long moment, you are both nameless, two entities seeing eye to eye. « I have waited a very long time to meet you, » the voice says, a lightning-strike of amusement lighting up the forest, explaining the ozone-heavy scent. « I was your first, was I not? And your memory… » Laughter rolls with the thunder. « Well, let us just say we will make many more such memories we can blame upon others. » Despite the ancience of his mind, there is a penchant for mischief a mile long - you can see it clearly with your own eyes… for an instant. Then it is gone, cloaked by dark clouds. « Later, my Mur'dah. All in good time. For now, I am your Kalsuoth, and I am admittedly a bit hungry. »
Personality
"Raven is a creator - he is mankind's protector and sometimes savior."
They say that the raven stole the sun, and in doing so, saved mankind from the cold, dark night. Kalsuoth is, similarly, a savior and protector in so much as a dragon can be. He is there in the bright and happy times, but more importantly, he is the kind of dragon to be there in the sad. He is vivid and spirited, but also deep and sympathetic, the proper dichotomy for a best friend and spirit guide.
In the beginning, curiosity will define his nature. Every shiny thing will need inspecting, interesting objects broadcast to the Weyr even as he stashes them away. To where, no one knows - not even him after a while, thanks to the foibles of draconic memory. The things he takes are of importance at the time, though: something to be studied, an idea to be explored, or more importantly, something to make you happy, something to add life and spirit to an otherwise dark and dreary moment. There's no good way to truly steal the sun, but that won't keep this raven from trying to bring happiness and joy to those around him anyway.
"He is also a Trickster. Raven steals from man, and from other spirits. He plays jokes on us, and he laughs at mankind's expense. Sometimes his tricks go awry and he ends up the butt of his own joke, but even then, there is humor."
For every good, however, there may also come a "bad". Playfulness often leads to trickery with this brown, and the length and breadth of his cunning knows no bounds. It may be as simple as stealing your pants:
Mur'dah: Kalsuoth… where are my pants from last night?
Kalsuoth: « I took them, and put them with my other important things! Last night /did/ seem rather important to you. »
Mur'dah: … And where are these important things?
Kalsuoth: « Uhm… They're in the… The… »
Mur'dah: Great.
They may also be as complicated as stealing you away from important things by leaving you mentally blind, thoughts spiraling from your own world into Kalsuoth's dream land until you begin to question which is real. Have you always lived in a hut deep in the woods, surrounded by a tribe of copper-skinned strangers? And however did you dream about having a family on a planet that is one enormous city?
These lives, these worlds can all blur sometimes, and Kalsuoth… well, he's no help at all. There are times when he becomes shrouded in a cloak of mystery, shutting down and melting away like no other can. There's no hiding his presence from you, but his responses become increasingly vague, more and more mysterious the harder you try to get answers for his behavior. His motives may be pure, for all you know, but it won't be him to reveal that information.
Sometimes these schemes backfire, of course. Not everyone is perfect, least of all him. If his trickery is of a simple sort, he will laugh it away, mental voice bubbling thick and heavy with amusement. Well, he had tried, hadn't he? And you had laughed in the process, either at the joke or at his expense, hadn't you? In that case, it was all worth it. The more clandestine the trick, however, the more he conveniently doesn't know what you were talking about. Other worlds? Why, he supposes they exist, but how should he know about that? He is a simple dragon living his simple life. No more, no less… right?
"The raven shows us how to go into the dark of our inner self and bring out the light of our true self; resolving inner conflicts which have long been buried. This is the deepest power of healing we can possess."
"The Raven totem is a gatekeeper of knowledge, a keeper of secrets, and a protector of truth. An interesting note about this protection is that the raven guide often protects us from difficult truths, or inner demons. When the Raven totem is faced with a challenge it will persist, it will approach the problem from many angles, it will use tools, all just to get to that juicy morsel at the center of the problem. Don’t expect change to come overnight, face your own inner challenges, it takes time to untangle the knots you’ve spent years making. The knots are like blocks, untangle them, follow the threads, and great inner truths will be revealed."
Yet, while Kalsuoth may try to keep his own mind shrouded in mystery, he is only too happy to venture deep into the depths of your own psyche. This he views as a necessity - maybe not anytime soon, but someday when he is older and you are ready, the thoughts that you have buried and chosen to think of only in those bitter moments before bedtime will be discussed, explored, and perhaps soothed if he can manage. This shall, of course, be done without Mur'dah hardly knowing. Confronting him with painful subjects would allow his rider to bow out gracefully or refuse, but if he approaches it just the right way… pushes just the right sneaky little buttons… Well, there won't be much that the lad can keep from his dragon.
As this push and pull relationship develops, it may very well become something more. As Kalsuoth listens and advises as he best knows how, he may become an asset for Muir, as well as a friend, giving him someone to confide in and lean upon. Problems will be approached as a team, observed and then attacked from many angles by two brilliant minds. Kalsuoth won't cut him much slack for the silly things, of course - « Get out there and get that wingsecond knot, all you have to do is ask! » - but when it matters, Mur'dah's brown will always be there if he lets him.
This is especially true with the deepest, darkest secrets of Mur’dah's heart. There never has been and will never be a secret-keeper quite like Kalsuoth. In the same way that he stashes away his treasures, this brown also conceals any important truths that Mur'dah may share. Queens will be hard-pressed to bully information out of him, which may be an asset with a goldrider as Mur'dah's mother. Instead, he will offer up half-truths, a silver mental tongue giving other dragons exactly what they want to hear without actually revealing anything at all. Things which are shared with him live there, and die there as well.
"Raven guide flies to us with the message of heightened perception and greater awareness of our conscious and subconscious minds. Just as a raven is often a silent observer, you may wish to observe your environment, the people in it, and your own behavior. Your behavior is motivated by a deep and complex tapestry woven over the expanse of your entire lifetime."
As he ages, Kalsuoth's kleptomania may wane, but his insatiable curiosity will not. While he may not be much of a ladies' man, every single thing under the sun will be something worthy of observation and inspection. Even if he already knows what a flower is, and how it grows, he will ponder its existentiality and how alike it we all are, sprouting, blossoming, then withering into old age. He may pull Mur'dah into these existential qualities, dragging him by the mental ear from whatever he's trying to do to come sit under the sun and enjoy this flower's dying moments. People and other dragons may also become the focus of much study. Motivations interest him in particular, especially those of political and personal natures. How interwoven life is, with one person's decisions affecting another's without them ever realizing it.
While Kalsuoth is by no means a stagnant beast, all of this sitting and contemplation suits him well. He's quick and flashy in the air, cutting through the skies on wings that look liked baked earth. His lithe form lends itself well to quick flight, while strong wings give him ample endurance. On the ground, however, he's just a tad awkward. No one can quite rule it a physical defect, but the physical relationship between his front and back paws is not quite right. While most dragons have to hobble awkwardly to begin with, Kal moves in swift skips and hops that remind one of an avian skirting along on the ground - a raven, if you will, if only such creatures were found on Pern. Raven Walking
It is lucky for him, then, that performance in the skies is what matters most when it comes to flights. While not lusty on an average day - in fact, he'll mostly notice females of any species in order to engage or tease Mur’dah - Kalsuoth takes to flights with great gusto, ever intrigued by the changes a female undergoes when proddy. While too small for gold chases, he is best built to chase greens, able to keep up with their agility and outlast their endurance with ease. His flight might not be fancy, but he is powerful and fast, a force to be reckoned with.
"Raven is a juxtaposition of opposites: A provider and a thief. A hero and a fool. He brought light out of darkness, but he is himself cloaked in midnight black. He is a symbol of dark brooding sadness, and of death, yet he brings life, and unrivaled joy. He is credited with creating the earth and all its mysteries, but even the smallest secret attracts his attention. He is a silent spy, and an unstoppable chatterbox. He is many things… And sometimes he is nothing."
Mindvoice
Kalsuoth's mind is old. It is the muffled echo of a dark forest, the musty scent of an ancient tome, the dank cold of a cave miles below the earth. The sharp scent of ozone lingers in the corners of his mind, blown thither and yon on the kinds of winds that beg to be flown upon. His voice is reminiscent of all of these things, a rough tenor that reaches across the years. It has its spry moments, humor lending perky notes to his tone, but on the whole he is a creature of timelessness.
The source of the ozone lingers in his mysterious moments. Caliginous clouds scud across an ageless sky, sudden downpours wiping his mind clean of secrets. Prying minds will be met with streaks of lighting, forking the skies with mischievous laughter, rather than malice. In the way that bright lights leave streaking impressions across your retinas, these bolts leave lingering images in the mind. Meant to dazzle and confuse, these pictures are of a vast array of dreamworlds that cannot possibly exist, except perhaps in this trickster's imagination… Right? Right.
Inspiration
Mur'dah! It has been absolutely wonderful having you in candidacy this cycle. Your vivacity endeared us to you right away, and we can only hope we have done your visions for your dragon justice!
Egg: Our theme this cycle was 'The Zodiac', encompassing not only the traditional zodiac, but those from other cultures as well. This egg was based on Moan, the Owl of the Mayan Zodiac. The Owl is described as being wise, intuitive and extremely sociable, as well as valuable and friendly advisers. The Owl has an affinity for fire and water, both of which are present during thunderstorms, which inspired the majority of the egg's description.
Dragon: As well you know, your dragon has been inspired by the Raven Totem. Like the Owl, the Raven is intelligent and friendly, but he is also a trickster and a bit of a fool. Physically, he is much like the raven, dark with a subtle iridescence that takes away some of his more frightening aspects. His gait gives him a raven-like hop, which we figured would be easier to play than a physical deformity. Could this lead to an injury for you to play in the future? Why not. He is mysterious, unpredictably predictable, and so much more that I hope you get to explore and make your own in the form of Kalsuoth.
Name: His name is entirely derived from Native American language. The 'kal' is from "Kalanu", Cherokee for "raven", and the 'suo' is from a mix of "sucki" and "togquos", meaning "black" and "twin" in Algonquin respectively, paying homage to the black raven he is based upon, and Mur'dah's own life as a twin.
Mind: Kalsuoth's mind is based off the elements of nature that you mentioned loving in your application. It made sense, with the majority of his inspiration coming from Native Americans, for his mind to therefore contain the world that they inhabited - ancient untamed wilderness unknown to man. Tied into this are the thunderstorm of his shell, the images from his egg's mind tied into the mischievous flashes of lightning. They are these same images that he will use to ensnare and distract Mur'dah from his duties when it's healthy… and perhaps even when it's not.
That will be up for you to decide! Regardless of what is written here, you know and have been dwelling on Kalsuoth's mind far longer than I have, and will know exactly what you want to see come from this dragon. This is all merely just a shell for you to fill out and enjoy! Thank you for your time and energy, Mur'dah - I hope you enjoy weyrlinghood and the rest of your time with Kalsuoth.
<3 - Esiae and the SearchCo of Xanadu, Winter 2013
Credits
| Name | Kalsuoth |
| Dam | Sahazyth |
| Sire | Orionth |
| Created By | Esiae |
| Impressee | Mur'dah |
| Hatched | February 10, 2013 |
| Xanadu Weyr | |
| PernWorld MUSH | |
| Clutchmates: | Soriana and Gold Luraoth |
| Ka'el and Bronze Kanekith | |
| Marel and Brown Isyriath | |
| M'kal and Blue Xeosoth | |
| Idrissa and Green Tahryth |