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The contours of muscle and sinew are prominent beneath a hide of polished malachite, a bright green that draws the eye to this hunter of the skies. Her muzzle comes to a narrow point, well-suited to a precision strike, and fine tracework markings in paler celadon accent the contour of her cheekbones and outline the bases of her backswept knobs. She’s lean in her overall build, favoring agility over strength, and her shape is well-balanced between a graceful neck and a tapered whip of her tail. Her wings have a pointed shape to their outline, suited to nimble flight, as the sails extend back from the spars they gradually become marbled with an increasingly olive shade, a shift from her dominant hues that leaves the trailing edges tinged with just a trace of brown.
Egg Name and Description
Egg of the Eternal Dance
This egg exists in perfect chatoyance, neither black nor white nor grey at any one time, no matter how the light might shift and splay against the curve of its shell. Hard, polished, cold, it appears for all the world to be the physical manifestation of a black cat's-eye gem, a white fracture running the ovoid's length from apex to base. Silver limns this line, its purity dulling somewhat as it draws towards darkness, grey muddling with faded blues and jaded greens, offering some small hope for neutrality before the black swallows it whole. No matter how it might move, or how one might move around it, these markings stay the same - light beaming from its center, darkness waiting at its edge - as though this effect is integral to the philosophy of this egg's very existence.
Hatching Message
Egg of the Eternal Dance sways, followed by the sound of a tap from inside the shell.
Egg of the Eternal Dance rocks with a series of sharp raps from inside, and egg goo begins to seep from the fractured line along its shell.
Egg of the Eternal Dance cracks apart as a draconic headbutt against that fracture-line breaks its wall asunder.
Stand Up and Fight Green Hatchling plants her feet in the sands and rises from her eggshards. She lifts her head up high, trumpeting a challenge to the world no less fierce for the hatchling-squeakiness of her voice.
Stand Up and Fight Green Hatchling is ready to take the battle to the candidates! She steps forth with only a little bit of wobble in her steps, regarding each with a keen-eyed gaze as she sifts through weaknesses for just the right strength.
Stand Up and Fight Green Hatchling has found what she wants, and she’s here to take it! Her wings flare in her rush to meet that chosen candidate, their span shielding from the view of others that moment as her gaze meets eyes whose green will forever match her hide.
Impression Message
The heat of the hatching sands is broken by a blast of cold, a clap of darkness… but only for a moment, because in the wake of that comes a warmth that grows to surround you, a light that is rainbow-refracted in a pair of shining eyes. « Mine. » There’s no question brooked by that tone, only the certainty of someone who will do whatever it takes to make her statement fact. Only then - her claim made - does the voice soften, taking on the sound of music as the twin intensity of her eyes is joined by scattered starlight. « I am Koth, and you are my V’ro. We are together now… as we should be. » The stars remain, even as attention return to these present sands, and the music softens but will never subside, and the urge of hunger rises in your now-shared consciousness. « I must hunt. »
Personality
Koth is a green dragon, and that means she’s both a woman and a warrior. She may have been born too late to fight thread, but the fact that the war’s over doesn’t change her nature; it just means she’s got a different world in which to carve out a place for the two of you, and she’s certain she’s up for the challenge.
She’s sharp in her insight and wits as well as her talons and teeth, self-assured and confident without being arrogant. She knows who she is, she knows what she wants, and she doesn’t care what other people think. Even if the whole world turns out to be against her, well, that’s just the world. Doesn’t mean it’s right, just that it’s big.
Okay, so maybe she doesn’t know everything she wants, at least not right out of the egg, but she’s determined about at least one, and it’s an important one - you. She’s the Koth to your V’ro, which is sure to become one of those great pairings that everyone talks about. Can’t you just hear it? V’ro and Koth, together against the galaxy!
No? That’s okay. She’s got you, and you’re V’ro just as certainly as she’s Koth, so that’s good enough for now. The two of you can work out any lingering details like who gets top billing and just what it is you’re actually doing with yourselves.
While Koth certainly believes that you have the potential to be great and stand on your own two feet, she’s also more than willing to carry you… in a literal sense, of course - she is a dragon, and you are her rider (or will be, once she’s actually large enough for that) but also in a figurative. She wants you - needs you - but what she treasures about you isn’t your mighty thews. (Which, let’s be honest, is probably a good thing, because if she was really looking for thews as her number one priority, you weren’t likely to make the top of the list.)
You’ve got a quick mind, and what’s more, you use it to think for yourself. Sometimes outside the rules, yes, but just because it’s the out side, she’s not entirely convinced it’s the wrong one. It’s just… a side, and if that’s where the two of you end up because you’re doing what seems right for you, well, so be it. Whether or not the world believes it, she knows that she’s a hero, and so are you. Or maybe - sometimes - you’re the sidekick, and she’s the hero. Or the other way around. The point is, one way or another, you’re part of the heroic team that is Koth and V’ro.
She genuinely enjoys the company of other people and creatures - whether they be human, dragon, or otherwise - but while she’s certainly a caring dragon, she doesn’t tend toward the comforting and cosseting. Greens are fighting dragons, and that’s where her nature lies. She’ll face the enemy, challenge the adversary, claw anything that needs clawing, and help pick up the pieces… but she expects that people can (and should) stand on their own two (or four) feet. Those who don’t seem to get the idea - who want to stay weaklings instead of becoming strong - will begin to annoy her. It’s not that she doesn’t care about them; it’s that she knows that they could be heroes if they just tried.
Of course… heroism can come in a variety of forms, and it doesn’t always look the same on the outside. Take her, for instance. Koth is definitely a hero, and the fact that a bronze can carry twice the load that she can doesn’t change that in the slightest. She’s quicker, she’s quite possibly cleverer, and most of all, she has the determination and mental fortitude that means she will never give up, no matter the odds.
She won’t let you give up, either. Sometimes, it may seem simpler to take the easy way out; to let what you see go unsaid, to let people come to their own conclusions even when that means they’ll do things wrong, or they’ll make you out as incompetent or villainous. Why fight it? …because Koth won’t let it slide, that’s why. She’ll call you out, she’ll call them out, she’ll call out anyone she needs to and fight them until you take your rightful place as her V’ro. And given that she is a hero, you’d damned well better be a hero too.
Fortunately for you, she knows that you… well, you could be a hero, and so - with her - you will be. Whatever form that heroism turns out to take, and entirely regardless of whether anyone else agrees about it. So long as it suits the two of you, well… what else really matters?
Koth is not only confident about being who she wants to be, she’s also not afraid to call people out on their bullshit. Not if they’re bigger than her, not if they’re in authority over her, not even if they’re you. She’s not rude, but neither does she sugar-coat it. If they can’t take a bit of honest criticism, then clearly, that’s another problem that they have.
There is, however, an important difference between bullshit and ridiculousness, and Koth has got no issue with going with the flow and having fun - or even coming up with her own ridiculousness, from time to time. Dignity is, after all, for people who have something to prove, and she’s already a badass. Whether it’s rolling around in the sand to enjoy its heat on her wings, playing tag and kickball with other dragons, or dancing along to one of Leirith’s throbbing musicals, Koth likes having fun when the battle is over, and she doesn’t care who knows it.
Any judgemental comments she recieves about this sillyness and pleasure-seeking are likely to get a laugh and snarky retort - and quite possibly make her double down on whatever it was that’s being called out as ridiculous! She’s a fighting dragon, and if the fight you’re looking for is about how she acts, she is more than willing to battle.
That said, she’s not oblivious to criticism - she just doesn’t see the need to conform to other people’s opinions about how she should act. If someone points out that she could alter her hunting techniques for a better result, she’s likely to try it and see for herself. She’s proud of who she is and what she can accomplish, but she also knows she’s not perfect, and she’s as ready to accept honestly-given insight as she is to give it.
If they should claim that her actions will hurt someone else, well, she will give due consideration to whether or not she cares. She doesn’t want to hurt the meek and helpless - or even the reasonable and friendly - but she’s not averse to causing some irritation or annoyance to those that she thinks can take it… and should she happen to conclude that someone deserves that irritation, she will positively take delight in finding ways to irk them.
She may be a green, but there’s nothing just about that so far as she’s concerned. While she’s certainly capable of respect, the mere fact of a shiny hide isn’t enough to earn it, and she’s definitely not one to blindly follow orders, no matter who they’re from. She has a brain, after all - and so do you - and by Faranth, those brains exist to be used. Attempting to force her obedience - while certainly possible - will lead to copious resentment alongside a grudging obedience to the letter of what’s demanded.
That said, once she understands - and agrees with - the goals being set, she’s a hard worker and a good team player, glad to help others and willing to go above and beyond for those who need her aid.
Her resistance to just doing what she’s told may set Koth up for some rocky times as a weyrling, and perhaps even be a challenge when it comes to finding a wing… at least, until the two of you discover a leader she’s suited to serving under. Her loyalty is not easily achieved, but once it is, she’ll do her utmost… which also includes calling out when something is a damnfool stupid plan likely to get everyone killed.
Koth will take direct orders as advisory when it suits her, and her stubborn will means that even your insistence will sometimes be downgraded to mere suggestions. It’s not that she doesn’t trust you, because she does - with her very life - it’s just that she doesn’t necessarily believe that you have the right answers. Koth is quite aware that she doesn’t know everything… and is therefore equally certain that nobody else does either!
Of course, while dragons may hatch with the ability to speak and reason, that doesn’t mean Koth is going to be born knowing everything. Despite her lack of real-world experience, she’ll still have an insistence on independence and stubborn desire to try things for herself before she believes them may lead to headaches for you and the weyrlingstaff alike.
While she’ll never quite lose that tendency to ignore instructions that don’t suit her, she’ll learn as she matures that sometimes it’s a good idea to follow the plan despite its flaws. She’ll have a keen eye for those risks and flaws, though… partly because of how she’s built up a store of common sense about what does - and doesn’t - actually work. It’s like she learned something from all those mistakes! Which is - at least for her - part of what being a strong, intelligent hero is actually about.
When she matures as a woman and her hide begins to glow, you’ll find that Koth’s passion is equally as strong to her willpower. She’ll begin to notice males in terms of their assets instead of just their competence - though even while proddy, she’s not likely to lose any of her sharpness in assessing them. The male who catches her eye will need to be competent, confident… and fun, too, because she intends to enjoy her time in the sky.
She’s not really a flirtatious sort, though she’ll bandy words with the best of them. Her interest is gained by performance, not claims thereof, and odds are she’ll already have a male (or several) in mind from even before she begins to glow. Someone that she knows to be confident, funny, a good flyer… and whose sexiness will become manifest to her as her cycle brings that part of her desires to the forefront.
When she’s ready to take to the skies, expect a challenging pursuit; she tends to zig and zag, seeking to befuddle her suitors and leave them spun out and left behind. That’s even true for the ones she favors - she wants someone who can keep up! Or - at the very least - who’ll take the challenge with earnest enthusiasm and good spirits. Koth may decide, after seeing how her suitors fly, to circle back around and sweep up one of her chasers into her wingspan instead of the other way around. And why shouldn’t she? It’s her flight, her choice, and she’s got opinions about who it is she wants!
Someday, she may find a male who consistently wins her favor; one that she’s interested in as her companion even when her hide lacks its glow. He’ll be someone special, for sure; maybe not the strongest, but someone who can make her laugh and who will stand by her side to the best of his abilities - whatever they may be.
Regardless of whether she - or you - find others you want to add to your team, she’s already got what she needs most: you, her companion that she can trust no matter what… even if that caring and adoration doesn’t make you immune to her sharp eye and keen tongue. Why would it? You’re part of her team, and she expects the same from you. Only a fool would think that they’re already the best they can possibly be, and neither of you are foolish… at least, not when it comes to things that actually matter.
Mindvoice
The Vast Expanse
Starlight and music fill the black of space within Koth’s mind, a void that’s filled with endless possibility. She travels its expanse as she moves from one idea to the next, the many concepts she explores arrayed like planets and moons within a vast planetarium. There’s always more to be found, discovered, explored - and she’s the starship who voyages amidst those distant planets, a breath of warmth to protect you against the cold and darkness and help you face their perils… and see their beauty. Through it all, there’s music to her soul, the stir of strings and a voice that carries emotion and a hint of melody even when she speaks… or can as readily turn sharp and piercing should wilder music be called for to electrify her audience.
Inspiration
The clutch theme for this cycle was 'moon legends'! Koth’s egg was inspired by moonstones, while mindtouches were drawn from the moon spirit Tui from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and everything their eternal dance with the ocean spirit La is meant to represent. She herself draws on the archetype of the Warrior Woman, as exemplified by Zoe from Firefly and Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy. Her name has no particular meaning, just a re-use of that K that you’ve shed from V’ro to make a simple, stalwart name.
Credits
Egg of the Eternal Dance was written by R'hyn, and Koth was written by D’lei. We’re glad to have you here at Xanadu, and we hope you enjoy your new companion - she’s yours now, and we encourage you to play her however you see fit! Have fun!
| Name | Koth |
| Dam | Ilyscaeth |
| Sire | Xermiltoth |
| Created By | D’lei |
| Impressee | V’ro (Khavro) |
| Hatched | Fall 2019 |
| Xanadu Weyr | |
| PernWorld MUSH |