With one glance, he could be described as ‘aristocratic’ and perhaps ‘dandyish fellow’ in another. His features are delicate, composed of softened lines, from the angles of his head, to the graceful curve of his neck, and to the rest of his above average-sized frame with just a hint of roundedness in all the right places. Lustrous bronze holds sway over his hide, the rich warm hue holding fast from snub-tipped muzzle to the very end of his tail. It even covers the length of his pristinely tailored wings, that he drapes over his back like a Lord Holder’s frock coat. Here and there, touches of burnished bronze play an artful counterpoint, appearing in flourishes that grace rounded head knobs, slender talons and the ridges running down his neck and back. Everything about him speaks of decorum, from the way he holds his head ‘just so’, to the care with which he keeps his wings from even coming close to brushing the ground.

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Old Fashioned Lilac Egg

The most notable thing about this egg is not its shade but its capacity for taking up space. While not immense — it is large, but it is no abnormality — it seems to always be close to much smaller eggs, making it appear humongous in comparison. Its shell is an almost uniform pale purple, with hints of ever so slightly darker and lighter bits of fletching as if petaled or feathered … and the sense that it would be soft to the touch, and smell so sweet.


Hatching Messages

Wobble Message
Old Fashioned Lilac Egg rocks a little in its comfy wallow of sand. It's a decent start and not to-terrible a rhythm and unlike some of the others, now that it's started? It doesn't seem intent on stopping!

Crack Message
Old Fashioned Lilac Egg puts more effort into its previous activities, enough strain being placed on the delicate colored shell that it's beginning to crack under the pressure (haha, unintentional pun!). A few good solid hits from within and it practically spins in place, which only appears to agitate the hatchling within.

Hatch Message
Old Fashioned Lilac Egg finally yields to the inevitable and shatters apart in a spray of fragmented shell. From the confines of that former egg is a dandyish looking bronze, who looks only moderately annoyed at the sudden turn of events. He'll right himself at least without fuss, but he seems more alarmed by the goop stuck to him and the frightful mess the addition of sand is making of it.


Impression Messages

Private
Heat-baked sands shift, pillars rising in massive walls that slam together, interlocking as something — someone — presses and pulls and changes everything deep within your mind, deep within you. The hiss of gravel persists in the silence of that making and unmaking, grand rivulets of golden white detritus pouring from shelves and stairs and — books? Yes. Books. Hundreds of thousands of books. Tomes line every wall in this infinite-yet-compact space, the hush and bustle of people in the stands, chaos on the sands morphing into the crowded press of a bookstore, outdated and characterized by motes of dust that coalesce in the sunlight spilling through parted curtains on printed glass. « Oh!, » comes a disembodied voice. « My, that was sudden, then, wasn't it? Right, yes. Uhm, well… Hello… you! And welcome, if I'd known you'd be here this fast I'd have, ah… » Papers shuffle and flutter in your sight, radiant white light temporarily blotting out your vision, as though forcing privacy upon you. « There, that is much better, » is sighed as the brightness fades, revealing the exact same space, with one or two things perhaps sorted into a more orderly fashion. « Now, let's have a look back at you. Don't mind if I just — eugh, what is this? No, no, I don't mean that, I mean… this. Dakalis? Is that what they call you? » A beat, punctuated by the very distinct sense of fire searing that monstrosity from both of your minds. It's very convenient, really, how suddenly that thought was there, and now it's ash, with only the scent of smoke and something a little more stringent left behind. Grey whisps rise from the pages of a book that snaps shut before you can read it, though the name on its cover reads loud and clear: D'AX. « What? Well it's not like you expected to leave this experience with that whole jumbledy mess intact, did you? D'ax is a perfectly respectable name and anyway I — I can't work like this when I'm this ravenous. » The sudden plague of his hunger crashes into your awareness, threatening to overwhelm as all that imagery fades, sands returning with a whirl of faceted eyes. « But first, we must be properly introduced. I'm Azirath, and if the rumors are to be believed, I'm just enough of a bastard to be worth knowing. »

Public
The Southern Pansy Bronze Hatchling is absolutely not getting tired, no, he could go on a parambulation around these sands all day, but … he's peckish. Beyond that, hungry. And the eating is only really going to happen once he finds himself a rider, so the sniffing and calculating and inspecting only gets more in-depth until he finally finds his answer in a large guardsman of a Candidate.


Personality

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"…It was the sort of sensible arrangement that many isolated agents, working in awkward conditions a long way from their superiors, reach with their opposite number when they realize that they have far more in common with their immediate opponents than their remote allies. It meant a tacit non-interference in certain of each other’s activities. It made certain that while neither really won, also neither really lost, and both were able to demonstrate to their masters the great strides they were making against a cunning and well-informed adversary."
— Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

If anyone were to hazard a guess as to the nature of the bond between yourself and Azirath, they would likely never be quite on the mark or, in fact, miss it entirely.

« … not to mention it's rather rude! »

As far as he's concerned, it's no one's actual business but when you do look really closely at it, D'ax, you'll come to find that Azirath is the opposite of almost all your traits — yet it works (for the most part). You could say that your mutual existence through the bond 'cancels each other out' at times but even that wouldn't be quite right. You simply create a balance, perfectly weighted; you are not at odds, but you are the opposites that attract — and your extremes match each other so that instead of creating internal conflict, it simply creates a well-rounded view of the world that requires both halves to exist.

“Many people, meeting Aziraphale for the first time, formed three impressions: that he was English, that he was intelligent, and that he was gayer than a treeful of monkeys on nitrous oxide.”
― Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

You will learn almost immediately that Azirath is a good(ish) dragon at the core and ultimately finds pleasures in the simple things that life has to offer — and by extension, the simple things through you too, D'ax. Since, much to his frustrations, not everything is suited for a dragon to indulge in or even remotely experience. So if he's going to have to get to something that's out of his reach, well … be prepared for some long winded discussion about it. He's not so easily dissuaded, this one, once he has his mind set on something.

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This stems from a firmly-held belief that everyone ought to experience every good thing that Pern has to offer. That’s why the ancestors chose this place, was it not? There had to have been some unimaginable reason to settle here - it certainly wasn’t for the influence of the Red Star, ah hah! It had to have been for its resources and bounty, and thus, it would be a shame to waste it! At least his penchant for indulgence is executed with the most angelic of intentions, even if it does make him a bit of a bad influence. Oh, your newfound friend doesn’t think they need to try that dessert, but he has it on good word that it’s made with Benden red and if you haven’t yet tasted that, well, let his D’ax-driven authority on the matter work magic, tempting them into making that choice tonight.

There’s also the moderately or, perhaps at times much more disconcerting, habit of being incredibly soft-hearted towards those in need or less fortunate. It’s an uncommon thing, thankfully, but troublesome only in the sense that he tends to give things away in those moments. Whether it be his or, more often that not, yours, he’ll just be struck with the idea to offer it — never mind thinking on the importance (or if it really was his to rightfully give). Of course, he’ll eventually catch on that something isn’t quite right and cheerfully ask:

« Are you upset? »

Which you might just very well be, depending on the circumstances! Especially if the item happened to be something moderately important! Like your best pair of boots.

« But they really needed them, D’ax! They were cold and, anyways, you said yourself you hated when they squeaked! »

Because clearly he only ever does the right thing and not ever a possibly wrong thing! That wouldn’t be funny at all, would it?

As angels go, Aziraphale is almost always amiable and courteous, but not necessarily nice. One gets the impression that he oozes over helping Anathema out of the ditch more to the purpose of keeping up appearances in front of Crowley than out of severe genuine concern (55).

And while he's good(ish), Azirath is not necessarily NICE either. This might be another thing about him, that others will mistakenly get not-quite-right because he just so happens to be amiable and courteous on the surface in many of his exchanges. You'll know better for the most part, D'ax, except on those occasions where he might still surprise you. There's plenty of Turns, after all, for you both to grow into your bond with one another!

One thing though that stands out almost immediately and probably right when you're getting into the thick of it with weyrlinghood, is that Azirath IS willing to overlook the spirit of the so-called 'law' and twist the letter of it — but not in all instances. There are some core values of his that he will not budge on (entirely) but he's appreciative of those finer nuanced grey areas. So, are you a good bargainer, D'ax? It might be time to learn, if you ever want to get your way with Azirath and not spend a good portion of your time arguing back and forth. Because while Azirath is fine to go about doing things properly, he'll likely want to go about it HIS way, which is often the round-about or purposely more difficult manner of things. He tries to sort things out the right way and that not-nice-ness works in his favour (sometimes), as he is unlikely to have the wool pulled over his eyes by anyone exploiting his good will with intents to do wrong by him (or you) or anyone else for that matter. He will always give rules and laws a chance, even though he might stick to his ‘I will do what I’ve been told’ guns for a surprisingly long time. Because sometimes, you have to do what is really, actually right.

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Yet you will find that sometimes ‘the right thing’ means ‘the right thing for him.’ Specifically. See, as the future comes and goes (as futures discouragingly do), you will come to understand that your Azirath has the impeccable capability of landing you both in the very wrong place at the very wrong time — even if you aren't even there to land with him. It isn't even that Azirath is out looking for trouble, TRULY, he just gets these ineffable ideas sometimes in his ineffable head and, if we're being realistic, the stubborn persistence with which he pursues them is equally, well… ineffable. That is to say, sometimes you might be asleep (or otherwise indisposed), and he would hate terribly to encroach upon your… pretty important, probably human ritual, and so maybe nobody will notice if he just… slips away. Quietly. For an hour. Or eight.

« Well I was just nipping into the bowl to visit my dear friend Calteth - oh, alright, I was peckish and you were asleep and surely there was remnants of someone’s flight to nosh on and— Nevermind, anyways, how was I to know the Weyrlingmaster would be there to catch those two ne’er-do-wells sneaking off to do something actually nefarious? »

Look, if you're going to judge him, you can just GET THEE AWAY, D'AX… probably after the Weyrlingmaster is done giving you both a lecture and an extra lap. Or five. (But no really… after you.)

"While he cares about humanity and all living creatures (especially Crowley, to his repeated and agitated internal admission), he can be surprisingly careless, as in the case of the dove he lets perish in his coat sleeve (45-6)."

Which isn't his fault, really! Azirath just happens to easily get wrapped up in his own thoughts and affairs and often to the point that he becomes blind to the painfully apparent needs of others. It's not that he doesn't care (because he does, quite a great deal, in fact and especially towards you, D'ax), he's just … surprisingly careless more times than not! Nevertheless, he is a forgiving soul (likely aided by his memory being short term by draconic standards) and sometimes others will come up to him apologizing and he won’t remember them — and certainly not what they’ve done. So it will be a kind of:

« Ah, well … that’s alright, then, we’re fine. »

In most situations, anyhow. Other times, Azirath wields it like a weapon, especially in the face of someone being a downright brat. Nothing quite like a ‘I forgive you’ in the most proper, genuine sense, to throw even the most nefarious foe off their mark!
At least you can be secure in the knowledge that Azirath, too, can be tempted, and by that we mean, will be easily made up to, ruffled feathers smoothed by the promise of lunch, or a book read aloud, or a visit to his particular friend who only lives halfway around the world (but listen nobody will notice if you, ah, make, ahem, time, you know, just once in a, hmm, rare while). His enjoyment for the simple things (and, sometimes, the very finest of things) creates an opening that the knowledgeable can readily exploit, given half the chance. It will be up to you to determine what - if any - of these indulgences should indeed be indulged, and which require a good throat clearing to urge him to reconsider.

Aziraphale: We are here to lick some serious butt.
Crowley: "Kick", Aziraphale. It's "kick butt". For Heaven's sake. Oh! I can't believe I just said that.
From Good Omens – Season 1 Episode 6: ‘The Very Last Day Of The Rest Of Their Lives’ (1×06)

Keeping on with the thread of his apparent GOODISH traits, Azirath's speech is about as prudish or several Turns out of date. Quite simply? He's just not with the times, really! Not that it really bothers him, it's just one more thing that IS him that he doesn't seem terribly worried about ever changing. It's not like he ever corrects your choice of coarser language, D'ax so what's wrong with the way he talks? And sometimes he'll just want to be there to back you up, lend support or even his opinion on matters! In those times, when Azirath does decide to insert himself into a heated conversation or situation, well … it's often just a terrible idea. Even just a quick routine check in might end up with a reply of:

« Perfectly, yes. Uh, tip-top. Absolutely tickety-boo. »

Tickety-boo.

Who in their right minds uses that!? (Where did he even LEARN IT?) Every once in a while, Azirath will try and wield a common human idiom or even a preferred one of yours, D'ax, and, well … no amount of confidence will save the level of blundering he'll likely manage.

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Aziraphale: I like to think none of this would have worked out if you weren't, at heart, just a little bit of a good person.
Crowley: And if you weren't, deep down, just enough of a bastard to be worth knowing. Cheers. To the world.
Aziraphale: To the world.


Physicality

It seems likely that Aziraphale is somewhat heavier than Crowley, though, as his hands are described as “plump” (63) and he seems to take mild offense at Crowley’s Compline/slimming aid joke (58) — but it’s difficult to tell exactly on whose behalf he’s more offended, his own or the nuns’.

Azirath is a big dragon — well, big for a bronze anyway. He’s (almost) in a league all his own, towering over the competition, being majestic and heavenly (or the Pernese equivalent, anyhow) and maybe just a teeny touch on robust. No one would accuse him of being fat (though SOME might have other opinions, all of which Azirath encourages you both to ignore), but there’s a softness about all of those draconic edges that leave him looking just a tad less put-together around the middle. It’s nothing to be alarmed over and nothing that might impeded his (or your) ability to accomplish daring (sophisticated!) feats or make the Dragonhealers mandate the indignity of a diet. He isn’t even chubby. He’s just … soft.

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One might be forgiven, however, if they assumed that Azirath’s (diminutively rounder) size were to be blamed on his love for food — because he does so love food, D’ax. He enjoys luxury and sometimes luxury means that he absolutely does feed on that prized runner or herdbeast over there. The breeding makes the meat more delicious, by his (faulty) reasoning and who are you (or anyone) to judge? He’ll have a knack for keeping an eye on your own preferences in food too, D’ax — living vicariously through you, as he couldn’t possibly do something so un-draconic-like as put them in his own face. Thus he has determined that they must go in yours.

Food isn't going to be your Azirath's only downfall when it comes to luxury. Did you know, D'ax, that talons have to be filed to keep them neat? Most dragonriders don't find it a thing worth talking about, but they do — and it's simply a fact of life for most active dragons that they keep those talons filed down. But Azirath, he's finicky about his manicures, and he actually sets time aside to find the very best thing to file his talons against until they are just right. He doesn't want you to be a part of this, but it is a part of his fastidiousness that is impossible to miss. And your ledge is probably going to be covered in scratch marks forever, since the surface being good for that filing is going to be part of the decision-making process when you do move into one!

Speaking of talons, those are not the only part of a dragon in need of tending. Your Azirath is particular about his cleanliness, D'ax, and not just because someone’s suggested a new scent of sweetsand and he needs to try it pronto. Don't worry, he isn't the type to throw a tantrum or become unpleasant — not in the strictest sense, anyway. He's more prone to… fuss about it. Except while most fussing might entail wailing and grand gestures of displeasure, your Azirath is slightly resigned to his fate. Vocally resigned to his fate. Very vocally. Okay, so maybe he's actually a little bit upset about the fact that there's a splotch of mud on his hide, and maybe he knows that you know that he knows that you know that he knows he's going to know that spot was there forever, but a good portion of his dissent is merely an attempt to ham it up so that you do something about it. At least he will be a handsomely put together dragon, D'ax. Centuries of dragon lineage went into protecting the making of this hide — centuries. And in the end, perhaps there will be some reward for his persistent upkeep. A lady or two, perhaps? Some eggs? Wrong section? Well alright then.

At the end of the day, there is nothing about Azirath that will stand out when it comes to appearance except, perhaps, the extra diligence and care he (and you, by dint of being his lifemate) put into his hide. There is nothing more than that genteel air of dignity, that aged and worn spirit lurking far, far beneath the surface and enduring with an almost amicable kind of long-suffering patience to distinguish him from every other bronze to hatch this side of Pern.


Flights

When it comes to flights, it’s not that Azirath is opposed or indifferent to the opposite sex, he just simply doesn’t understand them. More than not knowing how to understand them, he just doesn’t seem to know how to flirt. One would hope that he would develop some sort of otherworldly, debonair attitude to redeem some of that flustered, awkward … but no. There is no Casanova waiting in the (literal) wings, there is no charming air of masculine know-how and there is absolutely nothing to suggest that Azirath is committed to any chase outside of what natural-borne instinct drives him to be.

He’s also just… never going to be very good at the wooing aspect or subtly throwing you off the scent when he’s about to give chase.

What do you mean what is he doing over here, D’ax? This here is a perfectly succulent, perfectly fine herdbeast and you — what? There’s a gold dragon over there? Right, well. What a very odd, very strange coincidence it is to have found her here! He was just, ah, enjoying this — well, now she’s risen, D’ax! And by Azirath’s nature, he would find it just impolite manners NOT to show her the appreciation that she clearly deserves when she’s gone through all that fuss to call them to chase her! It’s the right thing to do and he knows it and you know it and he really hopes you packed an overnight bag because he’s totally going to —

At least he’s chasing because of those hard-wired dragon instincts and not because he has any actual vested interest in that gold or that green that rose with such a vengeance. This means that, should he loose, your Azirath will drift away and right back to the usual daily business as if nothing actually happened at all. He made an attempt to do the right thing, and it just didn’t work out this time — as things sometimes don’t.

But Faranth, should he win…

« Say! You! You seem like just the sort of fellow that likes this whole… this whole egg business. Would you mind just… nipping in there for a bit? You just seem such the fatherly sort, all… manly and… parental and such. Oh, yes, I am too, of course, but I mean, I just did that clutch over at Telgar - bother of a thing, really - and, well, I hate to hog all of the fun and… well, look at the time, also, and these claws, they do not sharpen themselves! I’ll be back in say, oh, I don’t know, a month or three? »

Let's just hope it's a green he catches, shall we?


Mindvoice

"Aziraphale collected books. If he were totally honest with himself he would have to have admitted that his bookshop was simply somewhere to store them. He was not unusual in this. In order to maintain his cover as a typical second-hand book seller, he used every means short of actual physical violence to prevent customers from making a purchase. Unpleasant damp smells, glowering looks, erratic opening hours - he was incredibly good at it."
— Terry Pratchett (Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch)

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Somehow, Azirath's mind is already old as soon as he's broken shell. The dusty library is as bad as Fort's older and largely untouched one — and don't encourage him to modernize, because he won't. His mindscape is almost entirely that of an overcrowded library — so many books! So much dust! Everything looks aged already, with varying states of wear and tear, and it's impossible to determine how he even learned about this many books to begin with. It has the scent of an ancient library, too, though it's comforting rather than off-putting; old paper and faded dust, but nothing moldy. There are more books than he can count numbers, though many of them will have ornate covers that don't have titles on them.

You may find that some of them also don't have any text in them, because that's not the point. He is more likely to use the books to emote, to slam shut, to slide across a table, and also to just be there. He adores the concept of books utterly, but he is also a dragon. He can't read. Don't let that stop him from having his books, though.

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Many dragons have a secret spot to their mindscape they share with no one but their lifemates, and that is true of Azirath too; in his case, his library has a back room that's for the pair of you only. It's small, it's cramped, and it's utterly jam-packed with … racks of wine?

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Yes. Lots of wine. Dragons can't read and dragons don't drink, but that doesn't stop him either, because if you indulge in that section of his mind, you'll probably both end up feeling intoxicated even though you aren't. The magic of dragons and psychic links, though it'll be easier if you're actually drinking, which he will encourage. It's there when a plan goes awry, as a place to let loose and calm down — and then face the plan again anew, not to give up and end up hungover and unconscious. Someone might drool on an antique.

However, there's more to his mind than those books and their immediate surroundings. In Azirath's heart he has a bit of wanderlust, and if it's the right kind of conversation, or punctuates his thoughts in the right way, you might find yourself on a winding road or out in a countryside somewhere. It could be someplace you went once as a child that you'd forgotten until Azirath pulled it out of your memory, but he likes places, and if he hasn't been anywhere, he's got to get it from you. He'll get very good at finding spots from memories and putting it into your communications, not even discussing it, just using it as a backdrop for a certain topic.

Do you have a favorite restaurant? Because he's going to use that, too, especially when he's hungry! Suddenly the library is no more, and that five-star place in Ierne has replaced it. If you don't yet, he'll be sure to make it so that you do as soon as he can. It's much more tasteful than the feeding grounds as a conversation piece, after all!


Inspirations

Welcome to Weyrlinghood at Fort, D'ax! There's no escape now! But seriously, we're happy to have you join us this cycle~

The theme this cycle for the eggs was 'Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice' (loosely, in some cases) and your pick of Old Fashioned Lilac was rather fitting. It, along with the mind touches, was written by Inri and is based on Bath and Body works and all the scents (literally) involved.

As requested, Azirath is Aziraphale of Good Omens fame in and out! We (Inri, F'inn and Th'ero) were really excited to see this request and jumped upon it with great enthusiasm, so we certainly hope that he's the image of Aziraphale you hoped for, from his physical being to his mental quirks and all that's included. Quotes come from both the movie and the TV show, and the images are a mix of the TV show and scouring the internet for images of handsome dandies and dusty old bookshops (and the occasional wine cellar).

His egg is an Inri production and Azirath himself was created by Th'ero, Inri and F'inn. The artwork for his egg is by the lovely now-known-as-Lhiannon and was used with her permission.

And as always, what is written is a guideline and Azirath is now yours to enjoy and play as you desire!


Credits

Name: Azirath
Created By: Egg by Inri; dragon by Th'ero, Inri, F'inn; egg image by Hanalee
Impressee: D'ax
Hatched: May 31st, 2020
Fort Weyr @ PernWorld MUSH

Clutchmates

Fort Weyr's 26th PC Hatching
Inri's gold Kouzevelth & Th'ero's bronze Velokraeth

E'stel (Erestel) and Son of a Gun Bronze Roheith

M'o (Morozko) and The Coming Storm Brown Zhaneriath

M'zal (Maizin) and My Monsters Are Real Blue Tsoth

Emi (Emiel) and Not Your Normal Nice Green Elynath

Lhiannon (Hanalee) and Sovereign of Snow and Sorcery Green Fjainoith