Difference between revisions of "Dragon:Mikhuth"

Latest revision as of 11:08, 16 December 2015

Prelude to a Storm Egg

Odd is a good word for the look of this bland egg. Arranged with a base of green, slashed with browns, backed by cool sky blue rising to a topping of tuft of cream at its apex, this egg sits on the sand with an overwhelming sense of calm to its look. Where some eggs are textured to make it seem 'in action', this one is entirely placid and tranquil. The static of the scene laid out on the egg shell is almost eerie, and well enough to invite a sense of an egg in waiting for something to take it suddenly away from its extreme inaction to complete chaos.

Prelude to a Storm Egg splinters, collapsing into shards that provide a protective shield for the sinuous dragon within. He remains hidden there, among the shards, his slender head tilted to one side as though regarding the shell bits, considering how to put them back together again. Looking for him? His head ducks down again, as he's not yet ready to be revealed.

Scrappy Wandering Wheaten Bronze Hatchling

Slim and angular, this ruddy bronze's lean form hardly boasts of the power it contains. Sharply delineated sinew hints at quick movement and unexpected strength, but his angular body's dominated by length and grace with a sinuous neck and a whipcord tail. Inky smoke curls along his sides and down his chest like artful scars, making him seem scrappy and battle-hardened even in his powerful youth. A careless splatter of alizarin crimson speckles his right flank, a color repeated with saffron allure in translucent wingsails draped from narrow, knobby spars. Brighter markings snake across his head, curling up his headknobs in wisps of wheaten amber that gleam against his fawn hide. A long muzzle and forward-set eyes give him a thoughtful, canine appearance - but like a canine's, his maw contains swift and cunning teeth.

Temperament

Fiercely loyal and protective of his family, whether he deems those his weyrling class or his weyr or your set of siblings, D'kai, your Mikhuth will always come through for you and always keep their best interests in mind. You may have to restrain him at times - not so much showing off as indulging his sudden and intense drive to protect and defend, which may cause him to want to try flight before it's permitted, or may lead to wing-joint strain as he overextends his young muscles, though he'll be as like to tell you, « I'm fine then, what? You aren't seeing any strain there, are ye? Then don' worry about it. »

One quirk you might note as soon as you have a wallow of your own is that he may badger you to provide a 'caravan' of sorts, some sort of tent or permanent dwelling you can be proud of. This might manifest in a fondness for trader wagons or wares, or he could be particularly aware of your sense of style; for example, he may take a fancy to periwinkle blue in your decorating scheme, and be able to hold on to that thought with a rugged persistence. This simple sort of attention to detail may lead others to think him thick-headed, but that would be underestimating his potential.

A good listener, your Mikhuth may nonetheless seem to be focused on something just in the distance, this or that dust mote claiming his attention. But don't mistake that casual expression for ignorance; no, chances are, he's plotting something, and the whats and whys will be revealed to you as he'll want to make you an integral part of his schemes - anything from get-rich quick plans to betting and gambling are wide open in Mikhuth's mind. He'll generally seem to be amiable and cooperative, provided he believes the 'best deal' is being offered to you both, or at least, to him. « You're wantin' me to chew on tha' stone? How 'bout the Weyrlin'masser gives us a little tent round our wallow, to keep out the smells. Then I'll agree to chew it, sure thing. »

While your Mikhuth's gypsy nature may stick with him, several changes will come to Mikhuth as he matures: First and foremost, as he ages, he'll develop a routine for stretching, for keeping limber, and for warming up before any drill or flight, and he'll encourage you to do the same, his exercise regimen keeping both of you in tip-top shape.

Second, the 'caravan' pushed for by young Mikhuth will likely give way to encouragement to have and keep close a large family, whether that's siblings, wingmates, a brood of canines to tend, or even children of your own. « Let's get some canins, then. You like canins, doncha? You know, canins. » Depending on how your relationship with Mikhuth develops, you might come to understand his glib quick-paced speech, where extra sounds are simply omitted and 'canins' substitutes for canines, or he may still leave you puzzling out just exactly what he's trying to say.

Third, his loyal nature may manifest itself in the most subtle of ways - a gesture for a wingmate here, a thoughtful suggestion there, but this loyalty can also present as retribution, so beware those who would wrong any member of what he has identified as your 'family,' be that Thread or otherwise.

Fourth, his scheming will mature and you may find yourself, D'kai, pushed in directions you'd never expected, your own morals as a fisher-boy challenged as he prods you to « Sell them the fishin' pole. They c'n buy it as they see it. They'll learn good 'nough that the reel's breakin' right off. By then, we'll have their marks. » This vague sort of fraud may not be seen by Mikhuth as dishonesty; after all, the potential buyer could inspect the reel and rod before purchase, and beware if their wits are not as apt as his. And if they're unhappy, your scrappy and wily Mikhuth will be pleased as punch to settle things in a fight: « Just them 'n' us, D'kai, flyin' and flamin' against those ropes. Fair's fair. Winner settles it. See what they say abou' that. » Not one afraid to pursue his own agenda, It'll be up to you, D'kai, to redirect his energies elsewhere lest he redirect yours.

Things could start innocently enough. Camaraderie in the experience, joy in the sharing of blooding with the other males, bonding. But once the lady takes to the skies, oh, beware, for it is here that your Mikhuth's wily and clever side clashes with his sudden and forceful fighting techniques. Torn between polite wooing of the female and the instant striking dive that -should- bring him the win, his performance in a flight will always be innovative. Even when you've lived together for turns, which tactics he'll employ will take you both by surprise. A sneak attack? A joint venture? A successful attempt to ply the female with silver-tongued promises? A display of daring acrobatics that utterly misses the pack and takes him off on his own once more? Any or all of these and more await you both.

Should he win a gold's flight and experience siring a clutch, he'll be just as loyal to that new egg-bound family, likely including candidates, as he would to those he's already marked as his own. Determination and loyalty will keep him on the sands, tending the young eggs with a fervor and a sense of pride akin to that of his own sire, Soldreth. Once the eggs have hatched, his roving gypsy spirit will carry him away and he'll be gone with nary a trace, though he may retain a particular affection for his offspring, even if in time he may not recall quite why.

Charismatic in an easygoing, laid-back manner, your Mikhuth will likely not be content to simply follow along after the others; he's apt to inspire and capable of leadership should he be called on for it, but he is not the bossy, directive leader; rather, he leads by example, by an easygoing laid-back charisma that calls on each member of the team to do their part, and has every faith in their abilities and contributions.

He takes advice excellently, and he's not afraid or ashamed to hear, in quiet whispers especially, the ideas of his wingmates, his teammates, or his fellows, and to take their suggestions for his benefit, or for the benefit of others. Any losses will hit him hard, and he'll celebrate the accomplishments of others with great commitment, asking you to retell their heroic tales over and over again. However, when what he loves is threatened, an aggressive and precise fighter is unleashed. He'll consistently take out thick clumps of thread or ropes in drills with one lightning fast and precise jet of flame, and often not even he will be able to explain how he does it.

Public Impression Message

Scrappy Wandering Wheaten Bronze turns in a slow circle, a steady prize-fighter evaluating the promise and dangers of the ring. Finally, he tilts his slim head back, regarding the assembled gathering with a steady assessing gaze. Once he's made up his mind, Scrappy Wandering Wheaten Bronze moves in a blur of motion, one serpentine strike of his head colliding with the face of a fisher boy turned candidate. What will likely leave a nice bruise on the candidate's jaw also marks the hatchling's claim, and impression is made.

Private Impression Message

The heat of the sands is burning, hotter than the deck of any fishing vessel in the direct sun, making your vision hazy and utterly disrupting your ability to concentrate. The sands fade away under this withering heat, the grains and mounds shifting about until they become wheaten white waves. For a long moment you could almost believe you're floating, lost out at sea with nothing but the bobbing waves and the accursed horizon blaring back at you. The weightless sensation sears into pinpoints of light across your vision, a moment of darkenss claiming everything before -he- is there. Bursts of color, of breaking shell shards, of unsteady steps across the sands, of a faceted view from new and unfocused eyes, all these rapidly whirl past, followed by a dull throbbing pain in your jaw and a burning pit of emptiness deep in your belly. « There, mate. Found ye. Knew we'd catch each other up. I'm Mikhuth, then, an' yer D'kai, what? Good, then. Didn' hurt ye, did I? Good. Let's have a bite to eat, an' see about gettin' you one, too. »

Mindvoice

Sweet talking and fast talking, your Mikhuth will sometimes be unintelligible as he babbles on in a constant stream of what feels in your head like accented syllables that might not be out of place on a native hailing from Bitra, or one from the clan Terriv - even though your Mikhuth has had no exposure to such sources. To further complicate his melodic mumbling speech is the barrage of images that accompany it - a flashing menagerie of thoughts, scents, colors, associations and textures, zipping by in rapidly edited clips of draconic memory that jump cut from image to image, frequently accompanied by strains of a soundtrack in the background.

Dragon Inspirations

Your Mikhuth is based on the Irish Gypsy character of Mickey 'the Pikey' O'Neill from the heist film _Snatch_. Widely regarded as similar in style to _Pulp Fiction_ and especially to director Guy Ritchie's previous film, _Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels_, this film features a number of overlapping storylines and subplots that reveal Mickey the Pikey a good fit match to your requests for a 'wacky' character as he is to our clutch theme of Pirates, Bandits, and Thieves, for Mickey is fancied as much of a smuggler, a con-artist, and a thief as the rest of the players in the film. Film summaries available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snatch_(film)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0208092/%rIrish travelers, also called 'Pikeys' in the film: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Traveller %rRotten tomatoes review of the film: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/snatch/

Egg Inspiration: This egg is dedicated to that moment of odd calm before a big storm hits.

Name Meaning

Mikhuth's name was inspired by the character Mickey the Pikey, and by your own requests for sounds and syllabication. In addition, the 'kuth' sounds like 'couth,' a term associated with social appropriateness, and for all of Mickey's sometimes outlandish behaviors or traits, the character understands gypsy or 'traveler' society and is respected and loved within that society.

Clutches

Mikhuth has produced 0 gold, 3 bronze, 7 brown, 8 blue, and 11 green dragons.