A petite creature in deep forest and shadow shades, this young green is skeletally slender, no spare scrap of weight or muscle gracing a form that promises to be agile and willowy, if only she can develop the strength to better support herself. A blunt, softened muzzle dappled with juniper and jungle leads to large, generous eyes that threaten to betray her every mood, each heavily ringed with shadows of kohl with delicate flicks leading from both corners. Short headknobs are a little wide set, her ridges similar in stature and stained with moss, fading to sage at their very tips as they run down her lean neck and ripple into nothingness. Slender shoulders bear the beginnings of the muscle needed to lift her long, narrow wings, thin spars threaded with gauzy sails that are her only true brightness, dissipating from emerald to tea-green at their trailing edges. Compact of figure, much of her length is in her mottled tail, the faint clouds of fern and mint that pepper her all too obvious ribs trailing down her wiry limbs and that generous tail. Her claws are perpetually sharp, dark and of the earth.
Egg Name and Description
Hallowed Legends Egg
Figures and shapes press in mottled Rorschach blots across the rough, tanned surface of this egg, a miasma of markings begging personal interpretation. That circle there might be a stone, or a moon, that sharp streak a stick or the broken remnants of a tree, that long wisp of barely-there black the trailing edge of cloak or cloud. Figures rise tall amidst the mire of implied age and wear, some spectral and bent, others proud and strong, others small and curved in imitation of youth. They come and go across the egg's shell, perhaps attempting to capture a story, some long-forgotten narrative of life and death, glory and humility, if only one could find a definitive beginning, a positive end. It moves instead in skips and beats, forcing its viewer to draw their own conclusions, to make what meaning from its cautionary tale that it might.
Hatching Message
Wobble Message
Hallowed Legends Egg stirs in only the slightest fashion, digging itself a fraction deeper into its sandy cradle.
Crack Message
Hallowed Legends Egg seems to move… and not move, a shudder beginning at its middle only to not radiate towards tip and base. That moon – or is it a moon? – suddenly cracks in half though, not yet granting any glimpse of the hatchling – it is a hatchling, right? – that lies within.
Hatch Message
Hallowed Legends egg abruptly rips in two, its broken moon the focal point of widening destruction, flakes of shell and larger shards cast every which way as dark claws tear and shred, its occupant demanding freedom now. Unfortunately for them, fragments also fall inwards, sticking to dark hide and slender limbs as they emerge, slinking free of what has contained them for so long. As the light touches a form made to appear all the more angular thanks to the clinging slices of jagged shell, it becomes clearer that this dark figure is green… Almost too dark and almost not a green, but there she is.
Sands Pose #1
Seal Your Heart Away Green Hatchling pauses only feet from the remains of her egg to look back at them and bare her teeth in a silent snarl of distaste. She seems to be in no hurry to get anywhere, more focused on trying to pick pieces of shell away from her sticky hide, attempting to employ both teeth and claws in a process that doesn’t look to be terribly successful, the rake of claws threatening to draw ichor despite their wet newness. Still, she persists.
Sands Pose #2
Seal Your Heart Away Green Hatchling gives a low huff and gives up on trying to clean herself up, having removed the biggest fragments of shell from her tiny form. Lifting her head high, she begins to make her way towards the Candidates, slowly and a little too carefully, her delicate limbs trembling beneath her light weight. Undeterred, she keeps on going, the whirling red of her gaze focused on one white-robed figure, then another, both deemed unworthy, her search far from over.
Impression Message
Public Message
Seal Your Heart Away Green Hatchling abruptly stops, crouching low to the ground, her tail swishing back and forth, while she listens to some far off sound that only she seems to be able to hear. Suddenly, she turns, doubling back on herself in a twist that looks impossible (and painful) to put all her power into a leap that lands her at the feet of one of the boys, her landing not as she must have planned it. Looking up into the green eyes of the blonde that she has chosen as hers, she lets out a mewling, frustrated sound and puts a paw down onto his foot in demanding supplication, her hold forceful enough to draw blood. At least the red of her gaze eases, swirling into rainbow brightness for a moment before being subsumed by ambers and yellows.
Private Message
« Ty’rian. » There’s no mulling over of your name, only a claiming, just like that, the distant roar of battle filling your mind as she – yes, she – decides who you are and that you are hers. « Ty’rian, I hurt and hunger. There is treatment for both, yes? » Not a question, but an expectation, her fate left in your hands for this moment, just as yours is now inexorably twined with hers. A clash of steel heralds a spike in pain echoed from her limbs to yours, threatening to send you tumbling to the Sands right next to her, yet soon it eases as the feather-light brush of mist and smoke weaves its way deeper and deeper until there’s no denying her hold on you, the tang of freshly chopped mint rising to cover any hint of pain. The battle fades, easing to the scents and sounds of brewing potions and tinctures as she tells you, « I am Nysaiwenyth, » as if you don’t already know. You’ve known forever, haven’t you?
Personality
Small at her hatching and so skeletally thin, many will wonder if Nysaiwenyth is truly healthy and worry that the abnormalities that affected her dam’s clutch and continue to impact her grand-dam have been passed to her. Not that this will concern her, of course, for she has better things to do than trouble herself with the worries of others (or so she would have it seem). She may be tiny and she may be not the very image of what one might wish in a hatchling, but she will let none doubt her quick mind and readiness to do what she must. However, there will be no denying the dragonhealers who wish to keep a close eye or her, nor any refusing the checkups that occur for her so much more frequently than for her siblings, and only will she endure these if you are by her side. The whole time. Nysaiwenyth will never truly understand the concept of mothers and fathers and family – and so stands to be aloof with her dam and sire – but that just means that she will direct all of that focus to you and expect the same in return. While those healers poke and prod and ask her to extend her wings, you had better be there for her or risk being made to feel as if you failed in your most important duty: keeping your attention on her whether she wants it or not.
Her lack of comprehension and unwillingness to engage with the concept of family will make it difficult for her to integrate with her siblings and understand why she ought to care for them. To her, they are merely ‘others’ and stand ready for criticism as well as praise, her comments ones that are inevitably objective and unwittingly cutting. Her lighter, more delicate frame and undeveloped muscles will have her lagging behind in her first months, always exhausted and hurting before her siblings seem to tire, and this is when flickers of frustration will have her remarking upon the performance of others with a critical eye that only you will ever sense the wistful longing in. Unfortunately for you, Nysaiwenyth may be gifted with words and wit and able to dish out this commentary as easily as breathing, but she’s not so capable of handling any unkind words and remarks directed towards her (or you). It isn’t that she flies into a rage or makes a scene, but she remembers. Dragons may have a notoriously short memory, yet Nysaiwenyth is somehow able to recall anything she’s deemed as negative for days and weeks after the event. Sadly, this does not extend to the more positive things in life, meaning you will have to be the proverbial ray of sunshine for her. While she hangs on to every mean little thing anyone has ever said to her and any hurts she’s endured, you will have to remind her of the praise she’s received and the experiences she’s enjoyed. Nysaiwenyth plots and she schemes, looking to get revenge on those who have slighted her, biding her time until the best moment to strike. She’ll trip people up, she’ll crash into her siblings, she’ll distract them at lessons – anything to make them look as foolish as she’s convinced she’s been made to feel. If you don’t get a hold on this behaviour early, she could well be a danger in her more complicated classes, such as flaming and Between.
Her underdeveloped muscles will mean that she’s required to practice for longer than her siblings and to eat more frequently both to try and build her up and keep her from burning too much energy and make matters worse. Between the healers and your weyrlingmasters, a routine will be worked out, for she will not be made to endure exercise to and beyond the point of pain. Maybe you will watch for the half of the lesson she cannot manage and make up the time later. In her early days, this means chopping meat more times a day than the others, though also that you should get good enough at it to offer assistance to any who need it – should you be so inclined. When Nysaiwenyth eventually learns to hunt, you’ll soon notice that, for reasons only she can tell you, she leaves the heart of her kill for last, often inspecting it thoroughly before she eats it. Once she’s grown, this behaviour will take on an unnerving edge: she won’t eat the heart at all, but wish to bring it home with her. She’ll want to keep them – examples of hearts from various kills and creatures – and be quite upset with you if you insist that they should be disposed of. Maybe finding nice boxes for them to go in would be a happy medium?
If you’ve been working on building up her muscles as you should have, by the time Nysaiwenyth is half-grown, all that extra time spent will pay off and have her grow into a graceful soul, quick on her feet and agile on both ground and in the skies. It would seem that she has a wider range of motion to the joints in her limbs than the average dragon, and now, with the muscle strength to assist and support and not hold her back, she’ll be able to pull off manoeuvres that could draw jealous gazes from even the most talented green. Her take-offs will be elegant and her landings beautiful judgements of timing and grace, putting far behind her her early days of pain and bitterness. Now, her cold cruelness and tendency to dwell on the negative is bolstered by a newfound confidence, helped along by the male attention she will undoubtedly receive. Gone is the spindly, oft-suffering dragonet and in her place a more sure and seductive being, intent on making up for lost time (not that she can remember all of that time). Mind you, it’s not romance and cuddles that your growing green will be after, Ty’rian. She wants attention, and where her demands were once all directed towards you, now they will be cast out to both dragon and human alike. Nysaiwenyth wants to be envied as she envied those stronger than her; she wants people to want to be her. People are only useful so long as they adore and respect her and are will to do whatever she wishes just for the chance to be near her. She is not to be criticised or judged. Perhaps you will be the only one still able to get away with this, for she will always need and want your approval, even if she rarely openly shows it.
No one had better ever call Nysaiwenyth ‘just’ a green (not that many would dare). In truth, though she plays the system well and is aware of which strings to pull to get what she wants, she struggles with the concept of the dragon hierarchy of colour. If she deems herself to be more intelligent than a queen – and she often will – why should she not enjoy the same privileges and garner the same respect? Still, she knows that to say so outright would be a clumsy and inelegant way to handle matters, leaving you to be the one she will quietly grouse to. Instead, she’ll choose to cosy up to any bronzes and browns that might get her what she wishes, never getting too close and never promising anything of herself, but weaving rumours and factual ‘opinion’ together with just the right amount of distant flirting to leave males intrigued. Her strategies tend to work best with those she isn’t close to, leaving her apt to wish to entertain herself of an afternoon by visiting another Weyr to see how she can meddle. Maybe you had better spend some time studying politics, for you might not be ‘representing Xanadu’ in exactly the best way by the time she’s through. If the dragons she’s manipulated soon forget her? Win-win.
Nysaiwenyth’s relationships will always be complex and complicated. Outwardly, she would have it seem that, at heart, she has no heart. She is a master manipulator, ready and willing to use those around her as she sees fit and discard them without a second thought. If one is not willing to do what it takes for her to achieve her goals, then another will suffice. She has no need for the weak and will be unwilling to recall that she was once not as strong as her adult self appears. Love and affection are weaknesses, though she is willing and able to affect both if it will get her that which she wishes. Only in her quieter moments – and only with you – will she grieve that she seems unable to ‘get it right’ and form lasting bonds with others, since she wants to be a part of things as much as she desires solitude and to be away from every soul who might irritate her. Perhaps for all her days she will find herself jealous of other females she deems more beautiful or able than her and inadvertently sabotage her relationships with them, and maybe she will forever find male interference in her affairs to be abhorrent, yet, with the right help, guidance and modelling, she might learn to alienate others less and give compliments rather than deliver scathing judgements. Deep down, Nysaiwenyth wants nothing more than to be loved for who she is and not what some would make her be – which is maybe why she is so often determined to be so outwardly hateful and not let any see her softer side.
It won’t be all that difficult to tell when Nysaiwenyth turns proddy, as she will begin to glow almost immediately, not brightening over several days, but seeming to go from her usual, shadowy hide to a more vivid shade that lends a poison-bright light to her slender form. It’s during these days that she will grow more contemplative and quiet, unsure of what lies ahead no matter how many times she rises. Though she may appreciate the thought of males vying for her attention, that she must surrender herself to one of them and seem weaker or inadvertently let them glimpse her true self is a frightening thought that is apt to keep you anxious and on edge until she flies. Unless you manage to battle through this and exert some control, her flights have the potential to be bloodbaths, males encouraged to fight for her and prove themselves through combat until she is satisfied that only the strongest remain. Afterwards, she’s not one for staying by the side of her new mate unless she should know him well and so be willing to be brave and risk showing some affection. If she should one day find a male (or males) able to do battle with her tough shell and withstand her barbs, plots and ploys, there is every chance that she could find a long-term mate to share with the facets of herself that only you are permitted to see.
Life with Nysaiwenyth will forever be a challenge, Ty’rian, but, in her, you have gained a protector, a confidant and a soulmate who might never know her limits – and so never truly limit either of you. There will be moments of frustration and pain and instances where you will be sure that you do not deserve what happens to the two of you, yet others when you feel invincible and so proud and just as sure that you don’t deserve a second of it. Nysaiwenyth is, by turn, perfect and perfectly flawed, but she is yours and you are hers. Isn’t that all that matters?
Mindvoice
A Flame to Burn the Night
Nysaiwenyth’s mind will always hum with the faint sound of a far off battle, the clashing of steel and cries of the wounded more distinct and audible the more aggravated and angry she gets. Usually, the battle is so distant as to only be soft presence – a hint of what could be – yet it could still stand to leave you with a headache as you adjust to having her in your life and in your head. At the forefront of her mental touch is a veritable chemists of potions and ingredients to lull and repel in turn, her plots and plans carefully measured from vial to vial, heated carefully over a roaring flame and brought to life in a swirl of sparks and smoke. Though she has the full rainbow of colours at her disposal, she leans towards the reds and crimsons of the blood she’d sometimes like to shed, and the greens and shadows of her own hide. Only great joy and strong affection will bring forth sweet smelling concoctions in pastel shades, the default scent of her presence one of medicinal herbs and mint – clean and able to cover a multitude of sins, the tang of iron subtly woven beneath it all.
Inspiration
Nysaiwenyth is primarily inspired by three different characters: Poisoner Queen Katharine from the Three Dark Crowns series by Kendare Blake, Melisandre from Game of Thrones and Regina Mills/The Evil Queen from Once Upon a Time. In her youth, she’s mostly Katharine, taking on elements of Melisandre and Regina as she grows older and more confident in herself both physically and otherwise.
Physically, she’s based on the margay cat found in Central and South America living in forests. They are known to be exceptionally agile, owing to the ability to rotate their joints far past the norm and make leaps longer than many other felines. Since cats are often the familiars of powerful witch figures and the margay has a disquieting range of movement (allowing them to walk vertically down trees!), they seemed the perfect choice. I recommend the BBC’s recent ‘Big Cats’ series for more information! The trailer can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7o9b4w2GMw.
You asked for a long name that could be shortened to nicknames while still being pronounceable (Nis-ai-wen-ith, or however you’d like the stress of the vowels to be!), which I hope Nysaiwenyth is! Her name originates from the Welsh words for poison (gwenwyn), shadows (cysgodion), night (noson) and queen/maiden (manon), all of which are elements of Nysaiwenyth’s inspiration and personality. Potential nicknames: Nys, Sai, Nyth, Ysa – whatever you can come up with!
Ultimately, Nysaiwenyth is yours to do with as you please and make what changes you feel would best foster character growth. I hope you like her!
Egg and Egg Touches were written by Siobhan. Nysaiwenyth herself was written by Marel.
Credits
| Name | Nsaiwenyth |
| Dam | Leirith |
| Sire | Garouth |
| Created By | Marel |
| Impressee | Ty'rian (Tyssarian) |
| Hatched | February 24, 2018 |
| Xanadu Weyr | |
| PernWorld MUSH |