Dreams and Schemes Bronze Rixaith
rixaith.gif

In mottled burnt bronze and polished brass this large dragon embodies a predator; though short in snout, almost flattened, the inky black tip curves downwards into a sharp point. Several pearly white teeth peek out along the side in a fierce display of pure carnivore. Overly large rounded eyes, always a-whirl with absorbing intelligence, are fixed in a permanent glare from dark angled eyeridges, sweeping back into near-black headknobs that match the sooty broad sails of his wings. The most brazen part of his hide fills in the rest of his head like a copper mask, before being suffocated by the lesser metallic sheen of dark sepia in a splotchy pattern as it falls down the regal arch of his neck and into the rest of his body. Brushing his short thick rudder-like tail and lightening again down elegant legs that end in wickedly sharp onyx talons.

*Line art by Kaljaia; colors by L'ton


Egg Name and Description

Of Mazes and Monsters Egg
Dizzying to the eyes, the main focus of this roundish egg is the twisting, turning, zigzagging dark lines etched deep into the shell, surrounded by cracked walls and foreboding barriers. Dead tan earth supports the bottom edge, dimming into the shadowy center of narrow corridors and hazy obstacles that need closer inspection— an ominous forest, blackened pits, or perhaps a murky swamp. The shell's mysteries are drawn out nearing the apex of the egg, brightening to a smoother stone and polished brass, clearcut edifices making their home on the shell, surrounding a fortress standing guard over the secrets of this dragon's egg.


Hatching Message

Of Mazes and Monsters Egg starts having a difficult time breaking out, its progress stagnating. All attempts at rocking itself to pieces are a frustrating failure. Claws appear sticking out through the already made holes, clawing at the tougher surface to weaken it. Claw, shake, and finally a muffled creel as the dragonet inside refuses to be kept trapped by this prison. With one last effort it pushes a second claw through and /rips/ the egg right in half, emerging out into the world with a mighty cry.


Impression Message

/Whoosh/! Feathers and glitter cloud your mind in a confusing whirlwind, pulling you away from the hatching caverns and into your own little world. The thick curtain of tickling glitter eventually fades, leaving behind a demanding presence that surrounds you entirely. «M'tri!» The voice explodes out in ribbons of gold and a merry little cackle fills in right after. «You think you will get away from Rixaith that easily? Of course not, there is no one else here but you for me!» The soft plumage sweeps off the sparkling glitter,caressing. «We have so much fun ahead, the two of us, but first you must get me to my meal.»


Personality

Jareth: I ask for so little. Just let me rule you, and you can have everything that you want.

Rixaith is many things, but the one that you will notice right out of his shell is his belief that he has some "kingly" right to everything. It will not be any surprise for him to pick a couch in the barracks right away and hover over it as all the other dragons move by, making sure that they do not dare stop to challenge him. His couch, his cot, his pillows, his oil, his Mit… It is not that he is very possessive, it is just that he believes everyone else is just borrowing with his permission, even if he never actually gave it. If it ever comes up in discussion, he will simply make up a reason.

Believing the world was made for him will quickly lead Rix into early exploration, first out of sheer curiosity and then out of stubbornness for being kept out. And that includes indoors as well, which he very well may succeed getting into until he is too big to fit anymore or unless you can somehow manage to convince him that the inside of the Weyr is a waste of his time. Eventually Rixaith will learn that the caverns are only exciting the first few times and angry Weyrfolk are less amusing than those he can bother in the bowl. He will be quick to realize that Pern is a much bigger place and needs to be seen, leading you with him to roam over every inch of it. It will definitely be a challenge to keep him on the ground until the proper lessons.

The more he learns of his world, the more inspiration he can get in fooling its inhabitants; the world is his playpen. It is obvious that Rix is a dragon that shares your joy of mischief. Usually he will be easily entertained by creating some kind of distraction during lessons or competing against other dragons, even unaware dragons, in a game he makes up. Who can make the bigger shadow? Who can anger Caerith first? And should Rixaith actually be challenged to anything, he will not back down. Unless your stronger willpower stops him, he will do everything in his power to win. Rix is a cheater, make no mistake about that.

While physical pranking will be something that he shares with you, aggravating his fellow dragons will be more of his specialty. He will twist their words, mock them while they enthusiastically explain a tale, or simply do his trademark shenanigan of calling them by a similar, but wrong, name. «Odorakath, you are flying too close to me! That's what I called you, Oralokath.» He will love to tell his brown brother anything and everything just to see the result, taking advantage of his absentminded nature. «Your neck is cracking, go jump in the oil.»

Soon you will learn of another one of Rixaith's odd habits: a strong addiction to watching the poker matches that happen in the Sable Sands Patio. Always hovering nearby and anxious to join. He might not be able to remember all the rules, but a game is a game. Through you he will try to "play" and probably lose all your marks in the process. It might not go over so well with other players to have a dragon watching over them during these games, especially one prone to cheating. It won't take them long to catch on and get you in trouble, but that only means new bars will have to be sought out all over Pern to try your luck.

Rixaith is still a serious-looking dragon, mischievous as he is, though it's usually a farce for his inner amusements. He doesn't play and prance around like some dragons; he is more subtle than that. But there is an off switch to his annoying antics when the times do not call for mischief. He will never, under any circumstances, bring you or others real harm. It might be all in good fun, giving you headaches and riling up his siblings or wingmates, but he understands there is a time to put that away and actually focus on what needs to be done. It is not like he is out and about seeking trouble all day either. Rix's most active hours are at dusk and, unfortunately for you, dawn, when his dark color will hide him best as he glides around the bowl on silent wings; silence will be one of his natural specialties. During the daylight hours he would rather be spending time with you, observing the bustling of the Weyr, or plotting.

It will come to a surprise for you that, given as much as he likes a game or a challenge, flights are just not his cup of tea. Oh, he will definitely chase, especially when he first gets that urge to mate, but then it will only be when he so deems the female worthy that he might join her game. She is the leader and that means that Rix is playing by her rules at the end, so it will take a lot from the female to encourage him to chase. It could be pure admiration or a real challenge from her. The other male dragons might provoke him up into chasing some silly green or sassy queen, but the times he actually does will be a lot less often than other tail-chasing bronzes. He will never take losing particularly well, turning into inner fits of anger and secluding himself away from others while he cools down.

Should he actually ever catch himself a gold dragon, you can be sure that he will be a doting clutchsire for the little colored treasures. The eggs on the sands are more his than anything else, besides you, and it will difficult to get him to accept the idea that one day when they hatch they will belong more to the candidates instead. But whatever the queen says, goes. Anyway, those candidates will provide endless fits of cackling at their jumpy behavior on the sands for him.

"Of all people why did he have to go and Impress to /Mit/!?" will be a common question many Istans will be asking after Rixaith finds you. But is it not obvious? Rix will always say that he knew who his rider was from the moment you touched his shell. A perfect match to drive Ista Weyr into insanity, or maybe it was karma— because in reality, you will end up a victim of his tricks as well. And being his rider means that everything that concerns you should first pass through him, whether it is a private scolding or your love life. Keeping any secrets from him will be a hassle but they will be safe with him.

Overall, as arrogant as Rixaith is, he will always be your partner (never sidekick!). He will share in your anger and in your sorrows (and then be angry at the source of your sorrows), and he will always want you to share in his laughs, even if it is on yourself. The world laughs with both of you, not at you, and he will make sure it remembers that.

Jareth: Well? Laugh.


Mindvoice

This is a voice that will be both soothing and aggravating, depending on Rixaith's moods. Foremost among them will be the fact that he uses telepathy as a form of entertainment for himself, more so than actually playing physical tricks. He is always just barely there in minds, a faint hum in the background or a scuttle from mental shadow to mental shadow. When he wants someone's attention, he will get it by being loud and booming with bright lights. And flashy. Glitter, colors, a loud booming cackle to make sure people pay attention to him and then— nothing. He will love to mess with his siblings at first, being the silent observer in their conversations and then dropping in mentally unannounced with a frightening entrance before disappearing. To keep them on their toes, he might tell you. But when it comes down to talking directly to you, he will be a bit more relaxed with comforting golds and silvers and always having feathers associated. Whether a warm blanket to calm you down or a faint caress. Relaxing, that is until his next outburst. Another unusual characteristic of Rix, whenever boredom grows too severe, might be his silent whisperings to passerbys, especially those that are unfamiliar to dragons. If only to see them jump and afterwards he would not bother with them again.

However, if Rix should ever anger in conversation, whether it is to you (because he could very well get angry with you when you keep him from doing something he thinks he has a right to do) or other dragons, his "voice" will erupt into a think impenetrable noxious miasma, with a stench worse than that of rotten garbage in dead tunnelsnakes or anything imaginable. Think Bog of Eternal Stench, belching and farting and too intoxicating to focus on anything else, which might incapacitate you from whatever you were planning on doing. This might extend out to other minds, depending on his anger, but mostly affects the one he is angry at. A mighty weapon, as he might call it someday. Headaches resulting from this will be a common thing in the beginning as you grow to set boundaries (or rather work around his).


Inspiration

Jim Henson was the theme for the clutch and yours specifically was Labyrinth. The egg was based on the general setting: the maze with the castle in the center and several of the more notable sections found throughout the movie. Though the main inspiration I got in describing the egg came from this picture:
http://www.movieforum.com/movies/titles/labyrinth/images/labyrinth.jpg

Rixaith's name is a combination of two words, strix and aigolios. Obvious I only took a little snippet of both so that it would not be an overly long and complex name. Strix is the Latin word for owl, which is the form that Jareth takes in the movie and I have incorporated into your dragon. The Greek word aigolios means a birth that is an evil omen. Now, Rix is not evil but he definitely makes people nervous when he is a around.

The core of Rix's personality comes from Jareth, the Goblin King. And while he doesn't rule over the smartest citizens he is still a king. He watches everything in his Labyrinth and knows all that happens in it, giving Sarah a hard time as she tries to defeat him. I kept out his more ruthless and angsty nature from Rix and instead went off the fact that Jareth is commonly referred to being Fae. In some legends the fair folk are known to be mischievous to humans, playing tricks and being downright cruel. Another mention has them be obsessively in love with games. Add a little bit of owl touches here and there and you have yourself what I meshed together to make your Rixaith.

Most of the owl is found in his description. While the one used in the movie is a Barn Owl, I thought a Great Horned Owl will suit your regal bronze instead:
http://www.naturalsciences.org/education/treks/PilotMtn/images/Great-Horned-Owl-rehab.jpg

Mit, it's been great having you for candidacy at Ista! While I had a lot of fun writing Rix, remember that these are only guidelines and you are free to play him whichever way you really want. Change him around or use what you like as you mold Rix into your perfect dragon. I just hope you enjoy your time here as well as your dragon.

Welcome to Weyrlinghood at Ista Weyr! :)
~*F'yr*~


Credits

Name Dreams and Schemes Bronze Rixaith
Dam Gold Ankepith
Sire Bronze Donzayth
Created By F’yr
Impressee Dimitri
Hatched 22 March 2009
Ista Weyr
PernWorld MUSH

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