R'layn's Bronze Talurith

Terror in the Depths Egg

Midnight washes the surface of this large egg, condemning it to hold a terrifying aura. A silvery stream of speckles rains down from the surface, allowing a paler midnight blue to wash from top to bottom. The gravelly surface at the base of the egg forms a barrier between the watery blue and solid sandy surface of the "ground." Forms that inspire children's nightmares move through the inky blackness of the sea, around and around the egg. White masks with hollow eye-spaces, draped in tattered robes, these forms continue the endless circle around the poor ovoid.

Egg Inspiration: Pirates of the Caribbean

I adored this movie, and I just love watching the special effects. One of my favorite scenes is when the old pirates are walking underwater, in and out of the moon's light, which turns them from their human form into their true form: walking skeletons.

Hatching Pose: Terror in the Depths Egg shudders, a tremor visible along the cracked shell, bulging and releasing like a ripple on its dark waters. In the wave that follows, fragments of shell chip and tumble away, revealing a slick, wriggling mass beneath. Only when it seems that the egg is left behind do bronze limbs begin to unfold and a young dragon lifts his head to look around.

Charismatic Riverbed Bronze

Though small now, there is something about this bronze that portends greatness. Perhaps it is the sturdy, mud-hued paws that outsize the rest of him; perhaps it is the substantial build of his stocky barrel chest; perhaps it is the muddy spatters of brown that speckle his gold-green hide. Those glossy colors shine over the wide reach of hardy wingspars and speckled sails, as if fresh-dipped in the river, then grow muted and murky around the curve of his lean belly. Water droplets seem to sparkle on his neckridges, trailing the length of his spine until they fade away into the pale tip of his tail. Curved headknobs and gleaming, narrow-set eyes are more understatement than omen. Most likely, that sense of future distinction has to do with his confident carriage and the way he holds his head, as if a crooked smile might appear on his pointed maw to lend him an air of self-conscious celebrity and youthful charisma.

Final Size: 38

Inspiration: Talurith is based on Edward Bloom, the main character in the movie “Big Fish.” Ed is indeed just that – a big, huge, enormous fish whose tall tales can barely contain the breadth of his own gigantic personality. He says that other people tell stories wrong: “All of the facts, none of the flavor.” This is, in various words, a complaint you may hear from Talurith throughout his life. But Ed (and Talurith in his likeness) is a dedicated hard worker, a selfless humanitarian as well – when a town he once enjoyed a day’s stay in is threatened by the gristmill of so-called progress, Ed simply calls in favors from all the people he’s done good things for and buys the town, then restores it the best he can to the way it was before. His first impulse is always to do the good thing – and he never worries, or even seems to notice, if that’s also the hard thing.

Website: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/bigfish/site/index.php

Name: Talurith - From one of the families of catfish, Ictaluridae (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ictaluridae) and from both 'tale,' which Ed Bloom tells so many of, and 'lure' which one uses to catch (or try to catch) fish.

Mindvoice: When Talurith reaches outward with speech, it is with the natural rhythm of a good storyteller. His pacing is slow and even, his mindvoice a reassuring gravelly sound mingled with the ever-present texture of water, varying from a fast-flowing river in eagerness to a slowly burbling stream when he's intent. In enthusiasm, he may shower you or others with explosions of bright colors, the fantastic melding into wordless starbursts and golden fireworks, though an underlying earnestness pervades.

Internal Impression Message: Charismatic Riverbed Bronze may be quite pleased with all the folks who have come out to see him, but as he meanders past a few more of these white-clad friends, one in particular catches his eye. His wings spread wide and his jaw falls open. That’s the one! He goes trotting up to a tall young man with light brown eyes.

External Impression Message: You might be heat-crazed, but it seems like time just stopped. There’s no noise from the stands, no shuffling of your classmates, no rocking of eggs and no unsteady amblings of hatchlings. Everything stands still as you lock eyes with that bronze creature before you, his wings spread. He is still, too, but in that stillness everything is perfectly clear. You are his and he is unquestionably yours. << R'layn, I am Talurith and you won’t believe what happened to me in that egg. Just wait until I tell you. I know that you’ll appreciate it. >> There may as well be a wink there, for all the camaraderie rich in this voice, so new and so familiar. Then just as suddenly as the caverns stood still, time suddenly moves extra fast to catch up. Noise explodes from the stands and the sands become chaos but you and Talurith are together - and one of you is hungry.

Temperament

Weyrling:
The brilliant thing, from the very beginning, is Talurith’s ability to fixate on detail. No, he’s no obsessive-compulsive – he just has a knack for noticing the incredible in the ordinary, little nuggets of truth that will later form the basis of the ornate mythology of his personal history.

Any young dragon might be expected to remember a series of first and greatest accomplishments and in this regard, Talurith is no different. He’ll recall his first flight with the emotional clarity of the day it occurred, even long after when the details have been lost to the vagaries of draconic memory. Just as well that he can’t remember how things really happened – because over time he’ll create improved versions of the true stories, versions which with many retellings become the ‘truth’ he’ll always recall.

One of those stories will no doubt have to do with his meteoric growth. It’s a tale that needs no embellishment: Talurith will grow fast enough to be legendary among his smaller siblings. Someday to be among the largest bronzes, you’ll find that his hide is prone to cracks and splits as if it can’t contain the sheer size of him straining to burst out from within. The dry, itchy sensations drive him to water if you’re not quick enough with the oil – and he takes to the water like a fish, diving in full-body before swimming around, dunking and surfacing and dunking again. He need not be taught. All dragons are born to fly. Talurith just happens, additionally, to be born to swim.

Along with fast growth comes ‘growing pains.’ Sudden muscle cramps and unexpected pangs in his legs and wings may keep you both from your sleep. While you’re awake, he’ll want to practice visualizing and other skills – why waste the time?

Adult:
With all that growing, Talurith might get it into his head that he’s destined for big things – and he works hard to be ready for them. If he’s going to make a task of something, he’ll give it his all, approaching challenges with dedication and determination that might seem at odds with so jovial a storyteller.

He’s acutely aware that he’s living in a big, big world. There’s more to see outside the bowl, the island, the beholden lands - he wants you both to see it all. << There’s an adventure out there today. I can feel it. It’s like a stone in the water; its ripples are calling out to us. >> He has no fear of the unknown and he craves the unexpected, from mountaintop to shadowed glade. With such a vibrant imagination, few things shock him.

To go with his big, big body, his big, big imagination and his big, big lust for the world, he also has a big and generous heart. If there's one thing you can say about Talurith, it's that he’s a social creature. He genuinely cares about others and wants to know all about them – and he loves to regale them with his wild memories.

Though he’s ambitious, he never wants his accomplishments to come at the expense of another. He has no desire to get ahead through underhanded dealings. He’s happiest when he’s –earned- his rewards - and he’ll keep you behaving like a gentleman too. << I just wouldn’t feel right about taking a day off when our wingmates have been working so hard. I think we can go another day without a break. Don’t you? >> Of course, he enjoys his rewards when they come - and you can bet he’ll want to do something exciting with that day off.

Flight:
Talurith is a charmer. Flattery and sweet-talking come with that slow, rich speech, as does his willingness to think the best of everyone, but there’s only one girl for Talurith.

The thing is, that girl is always changing.

One day he’ll love a certain green, captivated by the way she moves her tail and convinced she’s the only one for him. But nobody can predict when the head-tilt of another will catch his eye. Though changeable, his devotion is absolute and he may not even feel the urge to chase a glowing female while his heart belongs to another. But then, sometimes, that new girl will steal his heart away and he’ll love only her. This may be particularly prevalent when he catches.

It never seems to matter to him if the girl doesn’t reciprocate his feelings. He’ll woo her, leaving wherries on her ledge if she’s looking peckish, telling her tales to occupy long sweeps.

Should he catch a gold, she’ll likely be that new life-love – but despite intentions, he is not the most attentive of clutchsires. He’ll adore his queen and take pride in their clutch, but the promise of offspring just can’t compete with the allure of the whole big world.

Wing:
The same mechanism that allows any dragon to recall and reproduce an image of a place and time allows Talurith to, after enough repetitions, commit his stories to memory. The constant use and refinement of this inherent talent makes Talurith incredibly accurate with visualization and brilliant at traveling between.

While it may take him a few tries to learn it well, this natural draconic ability happens to be exceptionally natural for him – and like any skill he possesses, he is all too happy to share it with others. This may lead to impulsive show-off maneuvers when flying for travel or pleasure, but in formation it makes him a more agile and flexible flier than any other bronze his size could be. He needs no twisting, wing-bending antics to get from point A to point B – the embrace of between longs to lead him there, and his faith in that less-beaten path is unshakable.

Similarly, his talent for visualizing makes him deft at instruction of wingmates or weyrlings. Though his courageous manner and selfless dedication may put some off, there’s no question that his mental prowess primes him for leadership or instructive tasks. Eventually, his tireless charm and huge, good heart may help him win over even the most resistant cynics, and these traits will be valuable should you find yourselves in a position of some rank.

Credits:

Egg: Balinne
Description: Griere and V'lano
Temper: Griere and V'lano
Puppeteer: V'lano