Fort Weyr

Winter skies and sunlight through ice unite to create a blue like no other. Shadows of midnight define his muscles and each harder line of his body, from sharp eye ridges and fluted muzzle to the ebony trail of his neck spars. The contrast to that vibrant base colour creates opposing tones that make him seem much more delicate and gaunt than he truly is, wizened and age'd. Cables of oxidized copper wend through his pale pastel sails, frosted at the edges by a brushing of icy flakes which have settled all along the membranes, making them seem like the inner workings of an ancient instrument beneath an age-worn dustcover. His slate blue underside is the exception to the speckling of winter — free of snow and frost, it darkens down his legs to his black claws and to the very tip of his tail unchallenged.

Egg Name and Description

Shadows on Snow Egg
A thick, clean blanket of powdered snow coats this egg, turning all previously known landmarks into unknown adventures. Shadows rise and fall between cracks and crevices, creating criss-crossing shadows drifting lazily from one end of the egg to the other. A gust of wind sends the fine particles swirling and the whole scene changes again to something fresh and exciting. If you look deep enough at each end however, you will discover a rainbow of colors imbedded deep within the ice. Distorted, they still show their hues as the water melts and flows away with the change of seasons to begin again.

Hatching Message

There's a shudder from the Shadows on Snow egg, a vibration that brings it to rest in a lilt upon its side. It's still thereafter, biding its sweet time. There is no rush after all.

Another tremor leaves cracks across the shell of the Shadows on Snow egg, flakes of white and shadow falling from the surface like the snow it so resembles. There's a heave and a bulge of the sides, then once more it falls to rest.

One final vibration, like the clap of a gong, hits the Shadows on Snow egg and this time, it splits and cracks completely. A shake takes it, discarding shell shards to the sands below and finally disgorging its inhabitant upon the sands.

Impression Message

Everything goes black. The sands, the heat, the candidates around you, it all vanishes in a blessed, cool wash of lightlessness. Then one by one, the stars begin to shine in your mind. Constellations form, a growing sensation in your heart of something that's called your name since the beginning of time itself - C'vez. That one word, formulating in your mind and gifted of such wonderment and loyalty, suggests that you are the very center of all creation and he Lanzath has found you there. Colour returns, along with the lilting harmonies of that patient, curious mind that rose up to greet you what seems like an age ago. He's right there, looking up at you, the Embodiment of the Muse blue. Your Lanzath.

Personality

GROWING UP: It will not take you very long to realize that Lanzath is not -quite- like all the other dragons in his clutch. Where the others may be chatting to one another animatedly, your blue may seem quiet by comparison. It isn't that he has no voice, but rather that he chooses not to speak when he has nothing to say that cannot be said by a picture. They do say after all, that a picture paints a thousand words. This will actually make learning lessons much easier on you to begin with. Sharing the desire to learn, the little blue is entirely focused on soaking everything up like a sponge, facilitating your own growth of mind - a muse in those early days, seeming to know when focus is required and that playtime will come afterwards, quite wholly mellow. He'll grow really slowly at first, so you may actually wonder if there's something wrong. It is more the case though, that he practically explodes into grown in spurts requiring so much oiling every day so he doesn't get dreadful hide cracks. He never seems to be worried at all by this, though. All good things to he who waits!

Don't you just /hate/ those times when you know what you want to say but don't have the right 'words' to express it? As he grows with your own understanding, Lanzath will likely have a horrible time expressing himself, due to that very lack of experience to draw upon and lack of creative expressiveness. The result will be turbulent fits of pique and artistic turmoil. Clashing images of frustration where he paints his mental pictures in discord and clashing colours, savage brushstrokes across your mind and blank silences where he simply sulks. They never last all that long, but when they're there it can be quite the handful to cope with. Expect then, that he may well emotively drive you to read, learn, look over old stories and talk to people so he can learn how to spin a yarn in imagery. In addition, he has always been musical of mind and will love to have more to draw upon from your memory and experiences. Recordings of harper music, empassioned speeches and even just the sounds of nature where you walk through the world are things he will long for you to perceive, encouraging you to be thoroughly aware of everything in your daily lives, lusting after that principle vitality of simply being /alive/. This can be very taxing when you are also physically caring for him and keeping up with your duties as a weyrling!

You'll likely find that bathing times are one of the most tranquil moments in his younger life though. He particularly likes the water and the surf you see and likes to play in the depths, challenging himself to hold his breath for as long as he possibly can, to surrender to the dark and listen to the muted sounds and differences of the world beneath as opposed to the world above. This may well make for interesting issues for you, as you may well have to learn how to swim to accompany him on times when he wishes you to experience the same moment of enlightenment as he himself does, floating. Strangely, his favourite times to bathe will almost always be at sundown, at the end of a hectic day. Why? Because it's at that time that the water seems to be most thought provoking and poetic. Can you not see the stars reflected? The way the sunset paints the surface in a thousand different shades of muted warmth? You might expect such images to be shared with you as he tries to illustrate the majesty he sees in the world around him. It almost makes the turmoil and hectic workload of looking after the young Lanzath seem a far distant thing, those times when such peace arrives.

ADOLESCENCE: By now his moods tend to be planned, sculpted and created with actual forethought, like a composer quintessentially encapsulating a moment in time in sound or sight. Beforehand, there's the equivalent of a deep, slow mental breath, as he composes himself and readies for whatever mood has struck him. He'll definitely encourage the study of meditation and relaxation techniques in you, to reflect him as he reflects you. But with that calmness of being comes also the power to be incredibly, unbelievably passionate and dynamic - the calm before the storm, so to speak. This will /really/ be shown when you and he finally take to the skies. Just as he is passionate about everything the world has to offer in all its facets and reflections, so he can seize upon an emotion felt and drive it beyond anything gone before. You'll soon discover, after the first few flubbed attempts in the air, that he has a talent for endurance and a skill with the air that's flabbergasting in a blue. Blue dragons are not remarked for their stamina normally, yet Lanzath is the exception that proves the rule it would seem! He is capable of flying in all manner of weather and does so with aplomb, handy no doubt for a starcrafter and meteorologist - it rivals the tenacity of a small brown, even. You will have to be careful though, for he believes himself invulnerable in these moments and may even injure himself because of it, suffering strains and sprains for the thrill of challenging life head on. Who knew this patient fellow had a daredevil streak to him?

It's in this time that his collections are likely to begin. He likes to scour the land for inspirations and facinations and will want you to come along for the ride, of course - a twisted piece of metal from the beach as a sculpture, then next week one of your boots! He'll want to explore all of pern in your fulfillment of duties, just to find such treasures - each reminds him of a sight and a memory, for dragon memory being what it is, he would soon forget otherwise.

MATURITY: The upside of Lanzath being virtually entirely emotive rather than talkative is he's incredibly perceptive and empathic. In maturity, he's likely to make an unbelievably good search dragon. He has the knack of looking right to the heart of whatever he's observing, finding the passions and drives inside it and reflecting it in your mind so that you can clearly see it too. His serenity achieved in maturity, you can expect him to be a steadying force in your life, a companion that will take any challenge you give him for just what it is and thusly appreciate it. To live, to love, to see, to do, to overcome, to inspire — all of these things are his to bring you. It is that bond that drives him to seek in candidates, that which you and he share.

His weyr when you finally aquire it, may well be like an art gallery. He doesn't want any clutter in there, just wants it spare and well lit so that the things he has collected can go on display. Thing is, some of it is conventional art, and some of it is just completely random stuff that he thinks is somehow artistic. Even your maps and equipment may well be subject to being placed in an aesthetic manner. Though the nature of your work facinates him, he's unlikely to hover over your shoulder as it were. Rather, you can expect peace and quiet at such times as you require to work your craft and he will listen into your mind to understand it better, whilst basking without complaint. His is the knack though, of assimilating what you are doing as you are doing it, by such eavesdropping and you may well find your blue muse to have the answer to any problem you might have, simply because he sees so very clearly, outside of your own perception.

Mindvoice

Lilting Harmonies
Lanzath's mind almost doesn't seem to actually /have/ a "voice". This is not true, but that voice is almost never to be heard. When it comes, it's a direct reflection of your own, like a thought echoed back to you, using the same tones, the same values you place to your own voice when speaking and expressing yourself. Most of the time however, he expresses himself in the memory of sound, in image and in colour. He favours the more serene, 'cooler' colours most of the time and harmonious sounds that compliment such — Curiosity might be the addition of sunlight highlights on sparkling water that catches the eye, drowsiness the muted, tranquil tones of a bedroom in your memory, the crisp invite of linens. When emboldened or empassioned, expect there to be bolder colours to evoke his mood - orangey, brassy sunrise colours for courage, steam-drenched rouge for passion. /Always/ though, he attempts to express himself without the need for "speech" using it only as a last resort.

Inspiration

The egg itself is based on David Lanz' piano music, which has rather beautiful, evocative and wandering melodies. From that, you can rather directly see where his name Lanzath comes from, as direct tribute to the egg's inspiration. His personality though, comes in part from the musical style and in part from the inspiration of an old, eccentric philosopher, combined with the spirit of poetic expression, be it in music, literature or simply emotivity. I wanted to try and give you all that you wanted, plus a little more and as unique a twist as I could think of. He's almost a throwback to the earlier dragons, in the method of his mind. His description was inspired by a dust-covered piano left in a bewintered conservatory. His egg and touch messages were made by Elara, his personality and all else besides were created by X'an, with a little help from Z'ran.

Credits