|
Table of Contents
|
He's a strapping creature, this sturdy bronze - at least, at first glance. It's his broad shoulders that at first suggest a powerful build, yet the strength promised there soon tapers off into a slender, almost skeletal chest, each rib visible beneath rich, coppery hide, no scrap of spare weight on him as his body narrows to slim hips and a lean, starlight-touched and narrow tail that could aid his balance as much as hinder. Once his long wings unfurl, it becomes clear that those chestnut burnished wingsails are heavy and opaque, threatening to weigh him down and force his shoulders to hunch, leaving him apt to try and carry his wings close to defy the need to stoop and keep them from trailing along the floor. Despite his evident contradictions, or perhaps because of them, he carries himself proudly, his blunt muzzle always tipped slightly upwards, the shadows swept across his large eyes lending him a hooded air of quiet smugness. Fragile limbs wrapped in dark, inky tendrils that now make each and every strand of weak muscle plain to see vow to fill out, given proper work and attention, though the pale, near white scarring across his dexterous paws may be a permanent feature, his midnight claws sharp and deadly from day one.
Egg Name and Description
Watching you Sleep Egg
Whatever Nature's design of this ill created shell, it looks as though it abandoned its work. The shape and appearance of this unforgiving sphere is far from perfect. Angry sanguine veins branch out across this gelatinous orb, reaching throughout its wrinkled surface of smoke and sickly yellow hues. Rich ochre radiates from within a raised bump upon the surface, growing darker as it reaches within the center where it ends in the darkest of black, devouring all light that touches upon it and anyone who dares to stare too long into its soulless depths.
Hatching Message
Watching you Sleep Egg stirs just slightly, turning the tiniest bit in its cradle of sand, unsettling only a handful of pale grains.
Watching you Sleep Egg rocks precariously forward, only to tip back again, fragments of shell beginning to slip to the sand below as its occupant redoubles its efforts to break free.
Watching you Sleep Egg shatters all at once, dark wings flaring to hide shards and occupant both from the view of those inhabiting Sands and stands alike. Only those wings droop just as suddenly as they appeared, leaving the large bronze freed from the shadows of his own making to slowly lift his head and hold it high, surveying all that he sees.
Impression Message
« Metan. » No. That won't do. Not anymore. « M'tan. There you are. I've been looking for you. » Little by little and all at once, shadowy tendrils sneak and slip their way through all the pathways they can access, and some you would like to deny them, but it's far too late for that now. He has found you and you are his, mind and soul, until the very end. For an instant, just as those shadows make themselves quite at home and that darkness becomes a part of you, the pressure becomes unbearable, the beginnings of a headache setting up between your eyes, yet as you might close them to try and ease it, the brightness of the rainbow explodes, lighting up everything in its path, claiming and colouring memories recent and distant, finding something to be glad of even as that pain bleeds through and is acknowledged by the one who is undeniably your destiny. « I am Sirhyth. We have a journey to begin. »
Personality
It's quite a contradiction who has hatched from that shell and claimed you for his own. From those first minutes, there is the Sirhyth you know and the Sirhyth others think they understand. A little like the one he's chosen, hmm?
Sirhyth's early days will be plagued by injury and pain, usually stemming from the issues surrounding those heavy wings of his. It will be an effort for him to keep his wingsails from brushing the ground and getting caught beneath his own paws and dangerous claws, and the more he tries to fold them just so and angle his shoulders just right, the more he will hurt. He'll nigh well never let on, of course, providing clutchmates and adult dragons alike with dry quips and assurances that all is well, but he won't be able to shield his pain from you. Some days, it will feel as if you've endured lashings and worse, and though he might not immediately or entirely understand the memories that this could trigger, he is not dismissive of them, wishing to comprehend more than you might wish him to at such a tender age. If the two of you have the patience to work with the dragonhealers and weyrlingmasters to find an exercise routine that will balance progress and pain, muscles will develop as they should, albeit more slowly than you may want, though if pride gets the better of the two of you, it could be many months before what seems so simple for other dragons becomes at all easy for Sirhyth.
On the surface, some might argue that there isn't much to Sirhyth, who is apt to conceal pain and brooding understanding beneath layers of humour and quiet arrogance, but from you he will never hide the true depth of all that he feels and has learned of the world around him. In his first months, this jovial act of his will seem effortless to an outsider, who will only see the large, clumsy bronze with the awkward, mismatched frame poking fun at himself and others, yet you will always know better. There will be times when he needs only you and some quiet time to be himself, free to hurt and ask questions about the lessons of the day and what you think of the different people you've met. Given this time to recharge, he'll be joking around again soon enough, always looking to his own perceived mistakes or ineptitude as a source of amusement before noting and highlighting that of others, yet, if he doesn't get this time with you, he may become more easily aggravated and likely to lash out with darker humour with the intent to hurt - which he will inevitably regret. He's good at apologies and humble when he thinks he has done wrong needlessly, able to eloquently explain himself and his reasons, going beyond a simple 'sorry' to try and learn something of himself and those he has done wrong. Whether anyone takes him at his word and doesn't take this behaviour as an attempt to demonstrate superiority may vary as he learns what to share and what not to.
Sirhyth will look to form strong bonds with his clutchmates and older dragons who he grows to respect. After all, family is family, and sometimes you are fortunate enough to be able to choose your own as well. Those he respects and trusts the most will become his brothers and sisters in arms, and should any cocky bronzes and golds decide to take 'mere' greens and blues to task or exert their will for no good reason, he won't stand for it. A blue can be as good as any bronze, and a green as worth listening to as any queen. His code of honour is one that will sometimes clash with your own. Didn't she say that necklace was a family heirloom? Put it back. No, really, put it back. That woman over there making the drudge feel small - her, you can steal from. That guy shouting at his cowering weyrmate? Punch him and rob him blind. It's highly unlikely that the two of you will always agree about who is a fair potential target for your less honourable deeds, though it could be that an even ground of 'needs must' will develop and you will learn to argue about the ethics of the matter later. And he will want to explore the morality of it later, if only to better understand the situation.
When pushed to the absolute limits of his patience and tolerance for behaviour he cannot stand (among which a penchant for deliberately and needless cruelty lists), Sirhyth is one to repay such things in kind, if not immediately and too obviously. He's content for those he cannot bring himself to respect or admire to believe he is nothing but a creature of darkness, and if they inflict pain on either of you, or those you care about, he will find a way to remind them of the suffering that they have caused. Sometimes, he will look to you to help him settle the score by using the skill set you have honed to survive, whereas at others he's content to exact vengeance himself, intent on clawing this or that male from the sky for insulting a female he's fond of. However, most often, his way of levelling the playing field is a work of the mind, designed to leave a lasting mark and ensure that the lesson is learned.
As he grows, Sirhyth should start to find the physicality of the day's requirements easier to handle, if due care and attention has been paid to his developing muscles. Even so, he could be the last of his class to hunt and glide successfully, several attempts needed before he completes either without injury. It won't be the mechanics of the matter that bother him, for he will be able to calculate trajectories and timings with an uncanny edge that has him offering advice to his clutchmates before he is able to make his own efforts. Still, even if the times he is correct outweigh those when he makes a mistake, if his advice should lead to injury it will take him some time to work himself up to sharing his thoughts again, likely to replay events again and again and look for where he went wrong to a headache inducing extent. In those moments when flight is not possible, you'll find that he develops a knack for finding just the right perch or spot to settle down and listen out for anything interesting without drawing attention to himself. The shadows of his mental presence blend easily and silently into the background, allowing him to lurk just at the edges of unguarded draconic minds and listen in on stray thoughts. However, if ever he's caught, he's unlikely to ever be able to infiltrate the same mind again.
As he approaches adulthood, you may have no evidence at all that Sirhyth will ever be graceful or at ease in the skies, but, even with that reality staring him in the face, he will be unwilling to give up. While some adopt Between as easy and convenient, if a destination can be reached by flying directly, Sirhyth will want to do just that, intent on building up his strength and stamina, even if his choice leaves the two of you with lingering pain for hours afterwards. Depending on how he perceives his physical fitness, this could go on for years, or fall into cycles that have him obsessing over his flying abilities. Just because he could go Between and get there much more quickly, it doesn't mean he should. Or wants to. He'll be happy to train with his wingmates and others he considers graceful or particularly adept at a manoeuvre he wishes to learn, throwing himself into drills and exercises with an enthusiasm and fearlessness that might not always be matched in you.
When it comes to the opposite sex, Sirhyth may easily be 'one of the boys', yet he's always one of the first to draw the line if he sees green or gold becoming upset, angry or distressed about unwanted attention from other males. He has his own methods of courting that often involve encouraging the object of his affection to show off and prove herself - and if she isn't up to the challenge, then she's not for him. Vapid flirting seems to anger him more than anything, and only if he needs to vent that irritation in the chase will he pursue that variety of female. At first, flights themselves are likely to be frustrating for him, especially when he witnesses more agile blues and browns snaring the green he's set his sights on. Still, he's most likely to form a long-term bond with a green or gold that intrigues and challenges him than chase after every female that rises. Should he sire a clutch, he'll wish to be there for both his new mate and their progeny, and while some might focus only on the eggs, he'll look to 'his' gold as his first priority. After all, she's the one who put in all the work after the flight. She deserves some looking after.
In the end, Sirhyth is who he is and he's not embarrassed about it. He may sometimes cover up his true feelings and the depth of his intellect with attempts at humour, but it is not out of shame, only that he feels that it might be better for others. Those he loves and trusts will find this out soon enough, and it's those who most swiftly see beneath the facade who will earn his undying loyalty and bring out his sometimes overbearingly protective nature. Even if you may not always agree, he'll respect your opinion simply because he loves you, though he won't be afraid to make you question your own logic. In Sirhyth, you have a partner for life… and in crime.
Mindvoice
Much like the rest of him, Sirhyth's mind is a place of contrasts. Most will experience the sneaking shadows and the cool night's breeze his mental touch will bring, but it's the other elements of his mindscape that he will reserve solely for you and those he's formed bonds with. His actual 'voice' is on the darker, deeper end of the spectrum, often touched with dry humour when he's at his most self-deprecating, and smooth silk when his intention is to persuade and convince. It's his anger that is perhaps the most unsettling and disconcerting, for it is usually heralded by a flash of intense light that seems to promise fire, only for it to be a cold, freezing thing, lit with the eerie glow of distant stars. More positive experiences bring forth the rainbow and jewel tones that seem to quite literally colour memories and images, often revealing his feelings without conscious effort, if one can learn to track his colour associations. At his most content, the sound of distant, joyful laughter often taints his voice, along with the tap of feet in a fast-paced dance.
Inspiration
Sirhyth is based on the males of Night Court's inner circle from 'A Court of Mist and Fury'. He's mostly Rhysand, with elements of Cassian and Azriel blended in here and there. Physically, he draws on the Illyrian warriors' build and Rhys' tattoos, with touches of the consequences of Azriel's early upbringing. His mind description contrasts the version of the Night Court that Rhys presents to the world, compared to the reality of the city of Velaris.
Sirhyth (Sih-Rihth/Sih-Reeth, or however you'd like to pronounce it!) is from the Welsh 'serog' (starry/having stars), 'hirnos' (a long night) and 'anrhydeddu' (to honour), to echo the Celtic elements from Maas' work, while also working in the ‘Rhy' from ‘Rhysand'. His hatchling name pulls from one of the descriptors Feyre uses for Rhys in ACOMAF and ACOWAR.
Credits
The clutch theme was body organs, and the Watching You Sleep Egg and mind touches, based on eyes, were written by L'gan, while Sirhyth himself was written by Marel. I hope he incorporates the elements you were looking for, and, ultimately, he is yours to play as you will! Welcome to Xanadu!
| Name | Sirhyth |
| Dam | Meirath |
| Sire | Draukaith |
| Created By | L'gan & Marel |
| Impressee | Metan |
| Hatched | Spring 2017 |
| Xanadu Weyr | |
| PernWorld MUSH |