Name:
Namid Aurelius
Age:
23 years
Gender:
Male
Appearance:
Namid is a man who doesn't look too impressive at the first glance, or even second glance. He stands at a decent height of five feet, nine inches tall; he may not be the tallest person around, but he is not the shortest either, even if he is arguably a little on the shorter side. With his slender frame and apparent lack of muscle, he can easily appear delicate to other people; and it is clear that he is fitted more to speed and agility rather than brute strength. He is not as weak as he seems despite appearances, in spite of physical activity and training, he has not gained a more bulky form; but instead he is like a sight hound dog, all slight build and lithe muscle.
In terms of skin tone, this young man is on the lighter end of the spectrum. Light skin that has a bit of a brownish color to it, just a hint of a tanned appearance but not very dark in complexion; a color that would be classified as a beige skin tone with a cooler undertone. There are multiple scars marring the light brown skin, some from getting into a fight during his days of travel and some from pure accidents; somehow he has avoided distinctive facial scars, the closest so far is a small scar located on his collarbone, something that never faded with time for some reason.
He has dark hair, a inky black shade that almost has a barely visible blueish tinge in certain lighting. For the most part, in most kinds of lighting though, it appears a true black, like a raven's feather. And as he does have mostly straight hair, it is on the more shiny side. He mostly keeps it short, mid ear length at the longest, and usually just below the tips of his ears or just above them as the usual length; he just doesn't like to have longer hair, and it could get annoying so he prefers to keep it short. The dark hair is what one would call straight, not wavy and certainly not curly, but on a straight plain down from his head.
Namid's eyes are quite unusual in color, it can make him stand out a little, but at the same time one has to take a better look at him to really get it; or even a second or third glance. His left eye is brown, a deep earthy tone that is so dark it almost appears black, and that in itself is not so strange, it is a very common color. No, the unusual thing is that his right eye is a bright blue, nothing like the brown of the other iris; a shade that is reminiscent of the azure of a cloudless afternoon sky. It certainly is interesting, it is not often one sees a person with two different eye colors; and the contrast between the two hues are in a sense, startling, the dark of damp earth on one side, and the rich blue of the sky on the other.
While not wholly opposed to brighter stuff, more often than not he'll be seen in dark or black clothing. It is actually very rare for him to change it to something lighter in color. This choice is mostly due to Astraeus, for he wishes to in a sense, match, or blend in with his dragon; bright clothing against black would definitely be seen and it could be a liability of sorts. As far out there as the idea that he could be shot from the Night Terror's back, it could still technically happen and so he decided to reduce the risk by wearing more matching clothing. Along with the fact that he blends into the night better in black clothes, which he is often out with the dragon, it would be impractical not to make an effort and blend into his dragon's element. The motivation behind the subtle attire change, for he always did prefer darker clothes, is not all practicality; after all, it is only natural that he want to correspond to his dragon's main coloration.
Like his dragon, Namid seems to have this air about him, calm and proud. Whether it is a natural poise in which he conducts himself, or something that lies within his posture and how he carries himself. He does not have the ethereal air that surrounds the Night Terror, but rather it is something different, more poised and calm rather than otherwordly and slightly spooky.
Personality:
This young man is someone who is pretty adaptable to things; different situations and needing to simply get on with life. This aspect of him traces its roots to his childhood, when his parents moved around a lot, never staying in one place for more than a week or two before packing up and moving on. He learned an important lesson about going with the flow, despite your personal wishes, for life has its own plan and moves on its on time. And so he is used to things changing suddenly, to situations flowing into something else and plans needing quick revising; while he still definitely can be disoriented and clueless as to what to do, it doesn't happen to him as often as it would with someone unused to change in their life, and he generally has a better time recovering his thoughts and scraping together an idea of what to do once the worst of the panic fades a little.
Namid of a more cautious nature, he isn't one to trust others all too easily or quickly, it simply isn't who he is to trust freely. He will be polite to strangers, not rude nor welcoming, neither warm nor cold, although he can and has come off as aloof or unfriendly to those who don't know him. It takes some time for him to grow used to someone, and longer for him to come to trust others; this part of him is not because of betrayal or bad experiences with 'friends' it simply is who he is, he has never found it in him to trust someone within minutes or an hour of interacting with a stranger. This caution translates into other circumstances too; his first instinct of being in a new area is to hang back and find a safe place to observe, to take a few minutes to take a look around his surroundings and gain a semblance of a bearing on the land. In all ways really, he is a careful person at heart, and this may or may not have been cultivated during the time where he traveled so much as a child.
While he does not look like a fighter, he is someone who will definitely fight back if he needs to. Just because he is naturally cautious does not mean he won't fight; he will, and he is not someone to pick a fight with. He will stand up for himself, and let it be known that he will not tolerate being pushed around. He is a rather fierce opponent when roused, either verbally or physically, and while he may not always start the fight, then he will most likely finish it.
Generally, Namid is a more serious sort. Cut from a more mature and quiet cloth, he often acts as the voice of reason and reponsibility when placed in a team setting. He is not often an impulsive or emotional person, at least he doesn't show that side of himself to others often, and he can come off as a more lowkey type of person.
With certain people, most likely people he knows and is familiar with enough to relax, he can be on the petty side. Not in a narrow-minded way but as in the spiteful manner, he can hang onto stuff for a long time. Although in the context of friends and such, he does not mean it in a truly malicious or unpleasant way, it can sometimes come across like that because of how he is.
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Strengths & Weaknesses:
-Speed: He is much more suited to speed, and he can be very quick when he needs to be, although he's more suited to sprints rather than more endurance based things.
-Agility: His agility has helped him out a lot, being light of foot and able to manuever quickly as been a great help in situations such as combat and fleeing and losing opponents, he's nimble and can be outright cat-like sometimes
-Stealth: he has always been a quieter fellow but currently he is much more stealthy than he used to be, an upside to being bonded to a dragon of the night and having to adapt a bit to that.
-Lowkey: When Astraeus is not with him, he is not someone that catches a lot of attention and is one of those people that tend to be easily forgettable in a crowd, nothing about him really screams out to others -other than his eye colors- and therefore, he is actually a good choice for a spy or some other related role.
-Adaptability: Being able to adapt to changing situations is a good thing to have going for him.
-Brute Strength: Namid is a naturally slender man and is more lithe and suited to speed and agility, and while not weak or delicate, raw power is something that he is lacking, he is not as strong as people who are built for it.
-Fear of water: It's more like the fear of large open bodies of water like an ocean, and being in or around them, he can't describe why but the thing about not being able to see under him and just the whole thing of the open ocea really gets to him, it doesn't help that he knows there can be some really nasty creatures in the water as well.
-Secretive: As he is a more reserved type with people he doesn't know, and it takes a bit for him to properly warm up to someone, he can come off as secretive or even cold, and this can make him more open to suspicion in regards to a group.
-Close combat: He knows how to fight, make no mistake, but as many people who do better in close combat are often much strong than him and wield heavier weaponry and armor, he is pretty much screwed if he is forced to fight up close; his best bet is typically to use fast and precise attacks and then make some distance rather than go in guns blazing.
-Bad sense of direction: It's amusing really, how he seems to entirely lack any innate sense of direction, well it's amusing unless you're stuck traveling with him and he gets the group lost by accident; he has gotten lost in a variety of enviroments and it is honestly amazing how easily he can get lost if not with someone with a better sense of direction.
Likes & Dislikes:
-His dragon: Well, Astraeus is the dragon he's bonded to, it'd be quite bad if he didn't like him, actually he isn't sure if the bond could even be established if one or both parties don't like each other; but other than that, but the dragon is like a brother or very close friend to him, he feels safe around him, it's hard to describe but he knows it's a positive thing.
-Climbing: It's odd how he doesn't care for flying in the being high up off the ground aspect, but is just fine scaling a cliff of mountain, although that is not without its stressors; perhaps it is because he usually has his feet on something, or because he is much more used to climbing.
-Archery: He was taught at a young age how to correctly handle a bow and arrows, and he enjoys using the weapon, whether just practicing his shot or truly putting it to use for hunting or combat, it's kind of relaxing for him to go off and practice archery for a little bit.
-Stories: Ever since he was a child, he loved to hear or even read stories, and he still does; he thinks myths and lore and religion are so fascinating if only because they're different and unique, so he has a good amount of tales and history stored in his memory.
-Bees: While he has never been actually stung by a bee or wasp, he is still very skittish around them as he has heard stories from people who had bad experiences with the insects and he has no will be to stung.
-Flying: It's honestly a love-hate relationship, he does not like the feeling of being so high above the ground with nothing solid under his feet, he knows logically that even if he did fall then Astraeus would definitely catch him, and he has gotten used to being high in the air because he is a dragon rider, but he is still a bit shaky sometimes; on the other hand he honestly enjoys the freedom and the sights that he could not feel when on the ground, there's something about it that is absolutely wonderful if he doesn't think about how high up he is.
-Dried Seaweed: This is a strangely specific food he dislikes, one of the only things he is hesitant to try again, and it's because that when he was pretty young and his family were in this village that was by the ocean and he tried dried seaweed; thing is he liked it a lot, and he ate a lot of it and later threw it up, so it isn't a pleasant experience for him with the getting sick part.
-Heavy clothing/gear: He really does not like heavier clothing, while it can be more durable and warmer, he just doesn't like how it weighs him down and all that; he can be kind of picky regarding his clothes because when he has a choice, he will not wear things that weigh him down, and usually goes for lighter things that aid quick movement.
~
Name:
Astraeus
Age:
82 years
Gender
Male
Breed:
Night Terror
Appearance:
From a distance this dragon appears a solid black, with a certain depth to the body that lends an interesting appearance, as if he does not merely carry the color of polished jet upon his scales, but as if he is the void between the stars in space; as if he is an embodiment of the encompassing blackness of the shadows and night and everything dark in the world. A closer inspection will reveal that this dragon is not a solid color, but rather his scales are varying shades of black, subtly shading into a deeper color; adding an illusion of depth that makes him look like he is not made of flesh and bone, but rather more like a living shadow.
When Astaeus spreads his wings it is a truly breathtaking sight. Printed on the inside of the wings over a background as black as the void are stars, glowing with inner light and clearer than any night sky ever seen before. It is so wonderfully realistic that the twin sheets of fake stars are indistinguishable from the actual night sky; the sight of stars unfolding in front of their eyes has dazzled many a person, and will continue to do so.
An otherwordly air surrounds this creature even in broad daylight, for the bright light only brings into stark relief the details that cannot be seen under the moon; the delicately shaded scales that seem to have a solidity yet not that gives the impression of being made of nothing but the darkness of nighttime. But in a way, the clarity of day lessens this effect to a degree, for he seems more real in the brightness; but the effect is not fully gone just because of this, instead it couples with the impression of power and awe that the sight of a dragon brings.
It is when night falls that Astraeus is in his element. His void-dark scales blend smoothly into the enveloping shadow; the false stars in his wings disguise his flight from onlookers; a living shadow in the dark, not even seeming to be made up of mortal flesh and bone and firmly anchored to the earthly realm. Indeed he seems an otherwordly being that is only seen in the barest glimpses in the corner of the vision, a specter in the night who weighs down the shadow with his gaze, the softness of night cloaking his form unless he wants to be seen, prowling in the corners of his target's vision or standing as still as a statue. He will never been seen fully unless he wills it to be. But when he does want to be seen, this dragon is terrifying and ethereal in equal measure, the very picture of the terrors that the first Stygirans glimpsed in the nights of the land.
This dragon is definitely on the larger end of the scale, standing at a very impressive 23 feet tall at the shoulder; at this height he is taller than a good amount of dragons, and absolutely towers over humans. Of course, the serpentine neck as well as the somewhat triangle shaped head add a few feet when held in a standard position. Length-wise, he would be a good 36 feet from nose to the tip of his tail. As for his wings, completely outstretched his wingspan is an astounding 47 feet across, about a foot longer than he is; it is more than enough to produce the night sky illusion in full.
Astraeus' build is pretty balanced, allowing him strength to tangle with other dragons of similiar size with ease, and agility in the air and to an extent, on the ground. Although he does lean to the slender side, like his rider, it does not detract from the power in his muscles or the impressiveness of him. In fact it may just be this leaness around the edges, making him look more sleek and lithe, that lends him a certain elegance.
True to the unique ability of his species, his eyes can carry no trace of any light, appearing as normal as a dog's or human's eyes; or they can be suffused with such a brillant glow it is like looking into the sun itself. Speaking of, this dragon has startlingly light eyes, a pale blue-silver in color and reminiscent of the blue-tinged ice seen in wintertime. Even when there is no trace of a glow in those eyes, they appear to be brighter than they really are in contrast with the ink-black scales of his face.
Personality:
First and foremost, Astraeus is a proud creature. He definitely has a good level of self-esteem, he knows how much he is worth, and it is a lot. After all, he is a dragon, and any dragon is a formidable beast that is not to be trifled with; and he carries this instinctual and learned knowledge with him, knowing it to be no different for him than any other dragon. He is confident in himself and his abilities, and he acknowledges that while not unbeatable, he is still a force to be reckoned with, that he is a predator at the top of the chain. He is not one to be deferential to anyone, even other dragons, and he will not -never- bow to anybody, no matter who or what they are; but while he never will bow nor bend to others, he will treat those he deems worthy with respect, and those are a rare few.
This dragon has a very good sense of what is dramatic and what isn't, and is quite dramatic as well. His version of dramatics isn't really the playful type, but rather a more dignified sort; he knows how to make an entrance, swooping from the air with a roar that seems to rattle one's bones or stalking from the shadows with starry wings spread and with a predator's intent in his motions. He likes to make an entrance, and takes a little bit of joy in startling or messing with people in that manner; after all, he certainly gains attention when he is around, even more so if he gives a little effort to make it have a little more memorable. This is not limited to appearing for the first time however, although it is the most common circumstance. He just likes to be dramatic, that's all.
No one would accuse this dragon of being the most compassionate creature, in fact it would most likely be the opposite when it comes to most save for a special few. In most cases, he could care less about the general population of people; after all there's so many of them for one, and also because they are not his rider nor important to either of them, in his opinion. And besides, things happen and people die oh so easily; why bother with most of them? So, yes, he is definitely not empathetic to others and their plights, not in the slightest. His stance on fellow dragons is a little bit more positive, but ulitmately, if it came down to another of his species and his rider or any under their protection, then he will absolutely choose to fight against the dragon. This does not mean that he is heartless however, yes he can be quite apathetic in terms of others, but he is able to preform kind acts to others.
Astraeus will not shy from a fight, in fact he sometimes seems to welcome a battle. He is fierce and an opponent not many want to face; a dragon is not something to be trifled with, regardless of the size and breed. In combat, he is downright vicious yet cunning, and despite his youth -in dragon terms- he knows how to trick others of his kind, knows what he can do and gives all he has against opponents. As a bit of a juxtaposition between him and Namid, he tends to be more on the aggressive side, more likely to threaten with a snarl and mantled wings, to start fights and end them. His fiercer temper is something to be wary of, for he does not hold as many reservations about outright attacking when roused as his rider; and infinitiely more lethal than a human could ever be.
Among his more positive qualities, this dragon does have a measure of patience, or perhaps self-control. It is the patience of a hunter rather than that of a saint; he can lay in wait of his target for a long while, nearly as motionless as stone as he silently watches and waits. He can wait for the best time to strike, to bide his time and simply observe and wait; although he often prefers a more bolder method of dealing with things most of the time.
Another positive trait is that when his trust and respect is earned, he is a very loyal creature. He will not turn on the other party unless they have throroughly showed that they are hostile, but aside from that, he will stand by their side no matter what. He will protect those he is close to with ferocity, and it is unlikely that those who harm himself or his rider would see the next day; after all, it is a bad idea to get on the wrong side of a creature such as he. Honestly though, the only person to gain this level of loyalty from him is his rider, and it is highly unlikely there will be another that is granted it in that manner.
Likes:
-His rider: well duh, Namid would not be the human he chose to bond with if he didn't like him in some way. The man is like a blend of a close friend and a brother, a friendship he cannot find words to accurately describe other than "rider".
-Flying: As a creature of the sky, it is only natural that he enjoys flight. Especially the heights, he likes the whipping winds and the chill that sinks in to his being; likes the freedom of being high in the sky; and the thrill of diving down, down, down before pulling up a scant few feet from the ground.
-The night: the night and darkness is his element, it is his ally and while he is a creature of the sky, he is also a creature of the dark. He blends into the night, and it is his advantage.
-Combat: well, sometimes. He does not enjoy worrying about his rider, since he's well aware that humans are much more delicate than he is; but he does enjoy the heat of battle and the thrill of testing himself against his opponent.
Dislikes:
-Fish: he isn't very fond of the taste that most fish and seafood have, he will eat it if he has to, but he'll make it clear that it isn't the first or second choice of food to him.
-Being away from Namid for too long: while he does appreciate alone time and knows his rider does too, he typically doesn't like to be seperated for too long, he's much more at ease when he knows Namid is around, if only because the man is his rider and he naturally feels more protective towards him.
-Hot locations: he truly does not do well in enviroments that reach a high temperature, such as a desert, it makes sense since he is a black dragon and the color is known to absorb heat; he likes to be warm, like sleeping in the sun or something, not roasting.
-Flying in storms: the reason for this is because the winds in a storm are often very strong and unpredictable, and while he is far from a bad flier, he is not as good at it as the dragons that are more suited to it and therefore actually enjoy testing themselves in a storm