Kaseth

Heart of the Vortex Gold Hatchling:

The bright white-gold of intense sunlight, this gold hatchling is one of the few that is almost painful to stare at in daylight. Only around her underside does the color dim to a more mellow gold, the softer color running from her chin to the tip of her tail and splashing over her legs. Her wingsails are a silvery white-gold, their pale color matched only by her neckridges. Brushed under her eyes, across the very tips of her 'ridges is just the barest hint of blue; so subtle that it is very often missed. Her talons, however, are a more startling shade of blue-grey. Massive in size and stature, this hatchling queen is imposing even at such a young age.

Impression message:

There's a blinding light and a rush of sand and dust as if you've suddenly been thrust forward through time. There's a passing instant where you wonder if this is how your mother and her mother felt, but then there's no room for anything beyond the massively powerful presence in your mind… around your mind; cradling you as if you were something beautiful and precious. « There you are, my Randi. I've spent a very long time looking for you… » The acrid smell of hot metal and ozone assault you like a punch to the face, but are then soothed by fresh cut grass and smooth, cool water. « It's alright. Your Kaseth is here. We have forever, now. Do not fret. »

Personality

For Kaseth, I thought of the Doctor's TARDIS. Ancient and wise, she exists outside of time and space and so has a very logical reason for not being bothered by most things; they are fleeting, they will pass. Still, she has an element of the mischievous in her and won't hesitate to shock someone she feels is out of line. These elements fit Randi so well that it seemed as if there was no choice /but/ the TARDIS.

“Ohh, you should have seen it, that old planet … The Second Sun would rise in the south and the mountains would shine … The leaves on the trees were silver, and when they caught the light every morning, it was like a forest on fire … " - Tenth Doctor

Randi grew up underestimating herself; thinking that of course /she/ could never make a difference in this world. She had all the potential, but she needed a push; a boost of borrowed power to propel her good intentions. For this needed power, she now has Kaseth, based on one of the most powerful creatures ever to exist; the TARDIS.

From the time she was born, Kaseth has had a very wide understanding of her world. Even as a hatchling, when she had to be coaxed out of her dark, secluded couch and into company, her focus was always broad. She saw the whole machine; not the single cog. She doesn't concentrate on the here and now because the here and now is so small, so transitory. Because of this, you will have to be her anchor to the present, her link to the immediate. She'll rely on you for the details, but if you want a good picture of how things are shaping and progressing in the world at large, she's your gal.

She loves you, first and foremost. You are a part of her as integral as the wings on her back, but you are seperate. You exist in time and she exists outside it, but the bond between you is strong. She can tap into your ability to comprehend the temporary and you can tap into her massive psychic presence to boost your own confidence and thus be able to /use/ the abilities you have, rather than hide from them or dismiss them.

One of her oddest quirks is the propensity towards riddles. She /loves/ them. She can't get enough of them. The best way for someone - besides you, of course - to worm their way into her heart is to provide her with good, challenging riddles. Riddles are timeless, you see - and good mental exercise. While young, she'll constantly pester you to ask anyone you meet for a new riddle. As she grows, this tendency will fade, but the desire is always there; floating just under the surface.

She is what the ancient Chinese monks strove to be, your Kaseth. So immersed in the eternal, the lasting, the whole picture, barbs or minor irritations slide off her back without so much as a twitch. This will probably be infuriating at first, since we know Randi has a short fuse. Eventually though, she may learn to take comfort in that stoicism, to use it as an aid to holding her temper in check. Her only concession to irritation is a mild mental 'shock', but that's more of a reminder and a warning than any true anger.

"If these are gonna be my last words then you're gonna listen. I met the Emperor, and I took the Time Vortex and poured it into his head and turned him into dust. Do you get that? The God of all Daleks, and I destroyed him." - Rose Tyler

It takes a lot to raise Kaseth's ire, but that's because when it is raised, all hell breaks loose. In possession of a very strong psychic presence - even for a queen - Kaseth is a force to be reckoned with. Very few things will anger her, but endangering or harming one of those beings who 'belong' to her is the quickest way there. And she /knows/ who belongs to her.

Perhaps because - unlike most dragons - she has no sense of the here and the now, Kaseth has an extremely long memory. Part of it she pulls from your own memories - even if you don't remember that you rememer - but part of it is her own mind. She /knows/ her children because they are the legacy that will extend into forever and forever is one concept she understands intimately. Their riders are unimportant except in how they relate to you, but her children are paramount.

Physicality

Though she started life as a big hatchling, it seems to take such a long time for Kaseth to grow - though when it happens, it happens smoothly. By the time she's finished, she'll actually be smaller than some of the larger bronzes, but somehow she always seems to be much bigger than she actually is.

Feeding

Consuming food is a chore necessary to support life and life means continued existence. The kill will always be quick and clean and everything that can be eaten will be. She is efficient in her meals as well, filling her belly at the appropriate pace without pausing to really taste the food. She does, however, savor the flavors of the things /you/ eat and drink, commenting on her favorites and influencing your diet over time.

Flights

When she becomes proddy, her hide - which already shines brightly - will become increasingly hard to look at. And it does not last for hours or days. Kaseth is proddy for at /least/ a full sevenday if not more. During this time her mind is scattered; erratic. She is pulled from forever by the urge to fly that builds inside her body and it makes her a holy terror to be around. Out of her element, she is cranky, erratic, illogical, nosy and ruthless. You'll bear the brunt of this, and that probably won't make you too much of a happy camper either.

When she finally gives in to the urge to fly, she /explodes/. Leaping to the feeding grounds, she'll tear her kill to pieces. This isn't the most effective way to blood and so she will need to kill more than most; the one time Kaseth is prone to waste. In the air, she is chasing her forever, trying to catch what she's been missing. This desperation causes her to pull out all the stops each and every time. It makes for one hell of a flight and will sorely test every dragon who gives chase.

When she's finished, Kaseth will have once again found her peace of mind. Job done, she will settle into her old patterns. The dragon who catches will be looked on favorably because he was the key to shedding that awful sensation, but it's no more than a peripheral fondness. She will allow him to hunt for her and visit her once she clutches, but it will take a very special dragon to capture her interest long-term.

Clutching

Clutching is a whole other ball game. When it comes time to lay the eggs she's been growing, Kaseth reverts to her weyrling tendencies. She will use her psychic weight and order two bronzes to sit outside the cavern if need be, but whatever it takes, you are the only one she'll allow near her during the process. Even when the eggs are laid, she does not like visitors. Egg touchings will be a challenge, as you'll have to be the one to distract her from the fact that strange people are /touching/ her children; her future.

Once her children are Impressed, most golds feel the job is done and go on with their lives, but Kaseth takes an active interest in the weyrlings - hers especially, but others as well - because they are the future. They will last and their children will last and /their/ children will last. She will often drag you away from your own duties or downtime to go oversee their lessons or practice drills. This is the one time where she will lucidly connect the details wtih the big picture, because you know that one mistake can be fatal and what you know, she knows.

Mindvoice

Smooth and ageless; Kaseth's mind voice gives the impression of both someone very old and very young. When she forms words, it's in a breathy sort of soprano, but there's always a background hum of life. White and gold tendrils of light tease around the edges, only making direct contact when necessary and if one is very quiet, the sound of eerie singing can be heard; wordless notes in a haunting melody.

(See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV-ERCnQfuc for both the background hums and clicks, the melody and the timbre of her 'voice'.)

Mind Scent: The overiding factor in the mind scent of your Kaseth is that there /is/ no single scent. Brushes of ozone, of metallic tang, of dust and wind and grass and sunshine; of fresh water and stale bread. The big things and the little things. Things that will always be.

Physical Voice

Rarely does Kaseth ever use her vocal chords to make a sound. The first time she does, it will be crystal clear why. The sound is a whooshing, screeching whir that will be immediately recognizable to anyone who hears it. Only when arriving at a new weyr, leaving her own weyr or returning to it will she consistently emit a vocal cry. It will probably start to annoy some Weyr residents, but it can't be helped.

Thread

Threadfall sees the advent of Kaseth as the warrior. Rather than the hot and fiery fury of proddiness and flight, this is Kaseth at her coldest. Quiet and focussed, she deals with the fighting of the menace with the icy efficiency of a serial killer; Thread /must/ be eradicated. No matter how many times she fights it, no matter how many friends are injured and lost, it still comes back. She lost three close clutchmates to Thread and /still/ it comes back. She hates it. She hates it more than she hates anyone or anything else in existence and so she pulls all the force of her cold, calculating mind into the fray - putting her all into the battle every time.

Name

Kaseth comes from the word 'Kasterborous' which is the name of the constellation where the home world of both the TARDIS and the Doctor - Gallifrey - can be found. Because of this connotation, it is pronounced KAH-seth, rather than KAW-seth or KAY-seth.

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