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Lord Zaon
© Verridith
Name:: Zaon (Lord Zaon Fellstar); Age:: 11,253 (birthyear: 1776); Gender:: male; Species:: western dragon; Links:: Dawn: daughter. Soleil: lover. Elvoret: deceased rider.

My feathers may be torn-

This Ancient is a massive dragon with wide, sweeping wings colored the purples, violets and oranges of a new dawn. Beneath, his webbing is a deep blue edged in an iridescent violet sheen, faint striping spanning between each orange wing finger. Overlaying that are thick feathers that coat the entire fore of each wing, feathers that help his flight stay silent as an owl's.

Along his back, fanning between both wings, lay a feathered crest that matched his tail-fan and head-crest in color, purples and violets and oranges bright against any starry sky. Long horns that match the orange of fire tip his tail, echoing his swept-back horns and sharp raptor claws. All down his neck are spiked plates that protect his underparts from attack, running down to end at the feathers on his tail. On his nose is a similar horn, bladed, that juts out to the front - a weapon much like a warrior's sword, deep orange and red.

Instead of scales, save for the top of his muzzle and around his eyes, fur a dark purple covers his entire body, marked with lighter blue in jagged stripes around his shoulders. His forepaws, as well, are built much like hands, and are tipped in violet with deep blue paw pads and long, curved claws. Twin whiskers tipped in feathers sprout from his muzzle, and his formidable teeth glisten whitely even when his jaws are firmly shut.

When angered, Zaon's blue markings glow icy white with power, as do his eyes. Only when calmed may he banish the glow, and regain his regular coloration.

Back in my day...

Zaon is an ancient elemental dragon who resides among the Starfall Peaks in one of Stroen’na’s most dangerous regions. He holds Lordship, granted by the avians who live there for deeds done long ago, over the Fellstar Isles. An ancient drake who loves company just as much as he loves horn-rot, he is somewhat rude and antagonistic to outsiders who may wander into his domain.

To those who live in the Isles, he is a just leader who wishes for nothing but to maintain the peace all have come to know. Vastly against war, having seen too many battles in a former life, he has vowed to never again set foot in Vystriana unless the need is absolutely dire. To that end, he sees Verridith as a weak leader prone to overreaction, and hates the path that Felnova’s leading country has taken.

Being an elemental dragon, he is able to control a variety of elements. Over the years, he’s found fire and darkness to be his favorites, and works to maintain his abilities against the fading of age. He still has trouble with ice and wind.

I will never forget.

Many years ago, Zaon lived in the Darklights of Vystriana, and soon traveled to Albronel to join their military as a Knight of the Beryl. After passing the initial testing, he was accepted as a squire, moved into the Order of the Sword, and - at long last - was promoted for his magical prowess to the Order of the Beryl. With other knight-mages, he traveled across Vystriana and then ventured into other Realms, Evylon and Xaeri were wondrous to behold - as well as the ever green Lizzarkyth, where dragons are hailed as gods. But it was Vystriana’s own neighbor, the sky-continent Stroen’na, that captivated him most.

After their explorations, many from other Realms followed Zaon and his companions back to Albronel, including many avians from Stroen’na. He took a particular interest in one of them; a young avian lad named Elvoret. When the Head of the Beryl assigned Elvoret to be Zaon’s squire, he couldn’t have been happier. Not long after, little Elva was knighted; and together, they vowed to explore and discover new Realms, to find new peoples, to do everything side by side. Thus, Elvoret became Zaon’s dragonrider, one who could fly in the sky alongside him.

Darker days came later in the years since, ones that stole the light from Zaon’s eyes and forever cast his thoughts into shadow. When Snakra first struck the dragons in Felnova, they moved to the front line and pushed her forces back, at great cost to the Vystrian armies. Zaon was wounded, and they withdrew - but another friend of Elvoret’s remained, one he couldn’t leave behind. So Zaon allowed his rider to stay and protect the retreating army’s flank as his friends escaped... but as he turned to flee himself, he was caught with an arrow to the side.

There was little that Zaon could do. With one wing broken, he was refused in his attempt to go back, refused and ordered to stay. Elvoret made it to the camp where Zaon was, but later died that night. Since, the great dragon has never been the same.

He left the Knighthood after Elvoret died. Returning to tell his rider’s family of the heroic acts that Elva did, he never did leave; and in vowing to protect the avian people that his dragonrider was part of, he found he never left again.