Name: Eien (Eh-en)
Gender: Female
Element: Death
Personality: Eien is not an overly emotional dragon. She rarely, if ever, expresses whatever she happens to be feeling at any point in time, unless she's particularly agitated. Instead, she chooses to maintain a carefully constructed shield of neutrality. It takes a very well-trained observer to so much as glimpse what is going on in her head. Even her voice isn't much of an indication; her usual hard, stern tone does not often waver. In the cases that it does, it most often turns to one of two things- wry amusement or cold fury, and the latter is most certainly not to be desired.
Needless to say, she's more than a little irritable. It takes very little to set off her temper. Arrogance, foolishness, dishonesty, self-pity, the list goes on. However, as much as she'd like to, Eien rarely allows herself to react violently. More often than not, she will respond with a harsh reprimand and a glare, but little more. Only in cases of dire need- especially when one of the few she cares about is threatened- will she strike out. But when she does, she fights ruthlessly, and won't give in until she is sure the danger has passed. No one threatens her companions. Ever.
Chronically sarcastic, and with a tendency to be brutally honest with everyone, she is not an easy dragon to get along with. She can rarely bring herself to hold her tongue, although she doesn't necessarily intend to be mean- at least not all the time. There are occasions when she means to make a joke, just as there are occasions when she means to make it very clear just how foolish she thinks someone is being. She has no qualms with making her thoughts known, and flatly refuses to sugar-coat anything, regardless of whose feelings might get hurt. The truth hurts, and anyone too 'weak' to deal with that fact is not worth her time.
With her uncanny ability to notice small details, very little escapes Eien's attention. In essence, this allows her to see straight through others with relative ease. She knows a lie when she hears one, and can recognize when she is not getting the whole truth with just as little effort. In addition, she's highly intuitive, able to pick up on things by instinct when observation alone can't get the job done. Though she won't admit to it, there have been occasions- few and far between as they are- when simply watching carefully has failed to reveal necessary information. In these moments, her gut feelings have been quite useful.
Having never been much a social butterfly, Eien rarely seeks out the company of others. She'd much rather be left alone (excepting Desmond's presence), than submerged in a social group. As it is, she's not all that skilled in handling the emotions of others properly, nor does she really try. She is not the one to turn to when one is in need of comfort or moral support. Besides, who would want to play friends with the Death Elemental? As a general rule, most others are frightened by her presence alone because of the element she wields. A slight habit of morbid behavior doesn't do much to improve her image either. Of course, she doesn't really care about that sort of thing, so it's not much of an issue.
Appearance: All things considered, Eien makes for a rather daunting figure. While she's not the largest dragon there is, she's still a fairly sizable creature; two of your average adult humans would barely reach her shoulders. If her legs were more in proportion to the rest of her body, she'd be much taller. From the tip of her nose to the base of her tail, she's a good twelve yards (or almost eleven meters) long, and her tail adds an additional eight (seven-ish). Lean and muscular in build, Eien lacks neither strength nor speed although, strangely enough, she possesses more of the latter.
Her body is encased mostly in deep purple scales- smooth, almost snake-like above, and thick and plate-like below. On her front legs and about a third of the way down her tail, the scales transition into a tough, rubbery hide. However, these areas are no more vulnerable than anywhere else. A row of flexible spines starts at the base of her neck, and trails down a little past the place where scales turn to skin on her tail. Her wings have a span of just about double her total body length, and appear to be made up of several tattered layers- they're still perfectly functional, of course. Each of the 'fingers' end in claws, and the tops sport another two each. Each foot boasts a total of five toes, all tipped with lethal talons.
She has somewhat odd eyes; a bright, unearthly blue in color, they hold no visible pupils (a trait often found to be unsettling to others), and yield a soft glow. Unlike many dragons, Eien possesses a narrow, beak-like snout. As a result, she has no teeth. The inside of her mouth glows the same blue as her eyes. Beneath her chin hangs a set of short, jagged spikes. A pair of large, antler-like horns sits atop her head, and is by no means strictly for show. They are predominantly indigo in color, but lighten into that same gently shining blue. Another pair of horns can be found on either side of her head, at the back of her jawline, similar in appearance to the others. From the back of her neck sprouts a mane of sorts, although it's not made up of actual fur. Instead, it appears to be made of a cold, smoky substance that, much like the clouds that hide the sky over her territory, is in constant motion, regardless of the presence of wind. Eien's voice- somewhat deep and ethereal, while still distinctly feminine- is a bit of an oddity. Almost as though a combination of three rather than the one voice it must be, when she talks, the words seem to be clearly spoken, echo, and whisper all at once. It should also be noted that Eien does not snarl or roar; instead, she hisses and screeches.
Fighting Weapons: Skilled in both land and air-based combat, in the rare cases she chooses to fight, Eien is a force to be reckoned with. While she does have no teeth, this doesn't really put her at a disadvantage; her beak can tear into flesh just fine. Her horns can be used to both attack and defend, either to block an opponent's strike, or to ram headlong into a vulnerable spot. While a little short in comparison to some, her claws can also do some serious damage, and her feet have enough mobility to grab onto things. Her wings also serve her well, either to batter or to claw. And although her tail carries no spikes or other sorts of weapons, it is prehensile and can be used for a variety of purposes, ranging from throwing lose objects to entangling a foe.
However, her most lethal weapon lies in her control of the element Death. There is, of course, the standard ability to breathe fire, but hers is a rather unusual flame. Bright blue in color, it is bitterly cold and burns much more than just the body- Eien's fire also irreparably damages the soul. The outward wounds will heal given time, as they should, but one's soul is not so easily repaired and, if left unhealed, anyone who has touched her fire can expect a much shorter life span depending on how much harm was done. (The Life Elemental should be able to help, but thus far, none have lived to test this theory.)
Furthermore, wounds inflicted by her claws or beak often become diseased and rot quickly. More often than not, she uses her power to speed up the process. Inversely, disease and poisons don't have an effect on the Elemental, and she can take quite a bit more damage than most before she begins to slow down. Physical contact allows her to siphon off energy from her opponents as well. The longer the touch, the more she can drain, to the point of death. There is a reason you don't trifle with Death, wouldn't you say?
Another ability she possesses is the power to raise the dead. Most often, she summons the spirits of the deceased to aid her, but temporarily raising a corpse can also come in handy. Both can be hurt, but as with their master, it takes more effort, and they cannot truly be killed as they're already dead. They do, however, need time to recover after a battle, and can't be immediately re-summoned after sustaining too much damage.
History: As is to be expected, Eien's history is just as long and complicated as any of the other Elementals'. But only recently in all this time has she sought out a mate, namely Icarus, the Dark Elemental. The creation of life isn't exactly her deal, after all, and it never amounted to much of anything for either party anyway. For him, it was just another fling, and on her part, it was more of a social experiment than an actual relationship. But, brief as it was, a single child was born to the pair; Raven.
Overall, the number of Creations she has made is the smallest out of all the Elementals. Once they've been formed, her Creations are usually left to fend for themselves. There have been some cases when she has come to one's aid, but these are few and far between, brought on by a feeling that her territory is being threatened in some way. Outside the realm of Death, her Creations are on their own.
In the conflicts that have taken place between the Elementals in the past, Eien has almost always maintained a stoutly neutral stance. Death does not take sides in war. When the occasions arose where she was forced to choose, the disputes ended very quickly.
The humanoid creatures have found a way to fascinate her to some extent, in that she's interested in the wide variety of ways they've found to kill one another. As in her own realm, she does not often interfere with the wars fought in the humanoid worlds. Were the complete annihilation of a world a possibility, she might step in to preserve the balance, but this has not yet happened in all her years of existence.
Rider: Desmond
Other: Although it may not be apparent at first, Eien has an extremely close bond with her Rider- almost like a mother might have for her child. Treat him well, and no one gets hurt. The same applies to her daughter.
Eien's Creations are a bit different from those of the other Elementals in that they're almost always dragons that have been resurrected. They never remember their past lives, though, and rarely resemble their old appearances.
Eien possesses several other abilities due to her mastery of Death that she does not use in combat, including the power to communicate with deceased spirits, traveling between the realms of the living and dead, and taking on an ethereal form. Basically, she can become a ghost. She can neither harm nor be harmed in this form, and can pass through solid objects as she pleases. Her appearance doesn't change, but she does become transparent.
Gender: Female
Element: Death
Personality: Eien is not an overly emotional dragon. She rarely, if ever, expresses whatever she happens to be feeling at any point in time, unless she's particularly agitated. Instead, she chooses to maintain a carefully constructed shield of neutrality. It takes a very well-trained observer to so much as glimpse what is going on in her head. Even her voice isn't much of an indication; her usual hard, stern tone does not often waver. In the cases that it does, it most often turns to one of two things- wry amusement or cold fury, and the latter is most certainly not to be desired.
Needless to say, she's more than a little irritable. It takes very little to set off her temper. Arrogance, foolishness, dishonesty, self-pity, the list goes on. However, as much as she'd like to, Eien rarely allows herself to react violently. More often than not, she will respond with a harsh reprimand and a glare, but little more. Only in cases of dire need- especially when one of the few she cares about is threatened- will she strike out. But when she does, she fights ruthlessly, and won't give in until she is sure the danger has passed. No one threatens her companions. Ever.
Chronically sarcastic, and with a tendency to be brutally honest with everyone, she is not an easy dragon to get along with. She can rarely bring herself to hold her tongue, although she doesn't necessarily intend to be mean- at least not all the time. There are occasions when she means to make a joke, just as there are occasions when she means to make it very clear just how foolish she thinks someone is being. She has no qualms with making her thoughts known, and flatly refuses to sugar-coat anything, regardless of whose feelings might get hurt. The truth hurts, and anyone too 'weak' to deal with that fact is not worth her time.
With her uncanny ability to notice small details, very little escapes Eien's attention. In essence, this allows her to see straight through others with relative ease. She knows a lie when she hears one, and can recognize when she is not getting the whole truth with just as little effort. In addition, she's highly intuitive, able to pick up on things by instinct when observation alone can't get the job done. Though she won't admit to it, there have been occasions- few and far between as they are- when simply watching carefully has failed to reveal necessary information. In these moments, her gut feelings have been quite useful.
Having never been much a social butterfly, Eien rarely seeks out the company of others. She'd much rather be left alone (excepting Desmond's presence), than submerged in a social group. As it is, she's not all that skilled in handling the emotions of others properly, nor does she really try. She is not the one to turn to when one is in need of comfort or moral support. Besides, who would want to play friends with the Death Elemental? As a general rule, most others are frightened by her presence alone because of the element she wields. A slight habit of morbid behavior doesn't do much to improve her image either. Of course, she doesn't really care about that sort of thing, so it's not much of an issue.
Appearance: All things considered, Eien makes for a rather daunting figure. While she's not the largest dragon there is, she's still a fairly sizable creature; two of your average adult humans would barely reach her shoulders. If her legs were more in proportion to the rest of her body, she'd be much taller. From the tip of her nose to the base of her tail, she's a good twelve yards (or almost eleven meters) long, and her tail adds an additional eight (seven-ish). Lean and muscular in build, Eien lacks neither strength nor speed although, strangely enough, she possesses more of the latter.
Her body is encased mostly in deep purple scales- smooth, almost snake-like above, and thick and plate-like below. On her front legs and about a third of the way down her tail, the scales transition into a tough, rubbery hide. However, these areas are no more vulnerable than anywhere else. A row of flexible spines starts at the base of her neck, and trails down a little past the place where scales turn to skin on her tail. Her wings have a span of just about double her total body length, and appear to be made up of several tattered layers- they're still perfectly functional, of course. Each of the 'fingers' end in claws, and the tops sport another two each. Each foot boasts a total of five toes, all tipped with lethal talons.
She has somewhat odd eyes; a bright, unearthly blue in color, they hold no visible pupils (a trait often found to be unsettling to others), and yield a soft glow. Unlike many dragons, Eien possesses a narrow, beak-like snout. As a result, she has no teeth. The inside of her mouth glows the same blue as her eyes. Beneath her chin hangs a set of short, jagged spikes. A pair of large, antler-like horns sits atop her head, and is by no means strictly for show. They are predominantly indigo in color, but lighten into that same gently shining blue. Another pair of horns can be found on either side of her head, at the back of her jawline, similar in appearance to the others. From the back of her neck sprouts a mane of sorts, although it's not made up of actual fur. Instead, it appears to be made of a cold, smoky substance that, much like the clouds that hide the sky over her territory, is in constant motion, regardless of the presence of wind. Eien's voice- somewhat deep and ethereal, while still distinctly feminine- is a bit of an oddity. Almost as though a combination of three rather than the one voice it must be, when she talks, the words seem to be clearly spoken, echo, and whisper all at once. It should also be noted that Eien does not snarl or roar; instead, she hisses and screeches.
Fighting Weapons: Skilled in both land and air-based combat, in the rare cases she chooses to fight, Eien is a force to be reckoned with. While she does have no teeth, this doesn't really put her at a disadvantage; her beak can tear into flesh just fine. Her horns can be used to both attack and defend, either to block an opponent's strike, or to ram headlong into a vulnerable spot. While a little short in comparison to some, her claws can also do some serious damage, and her feet have enough mobility to grab onto things. Her wings also serve her well, either to batter or to claw. And although her tail carries no spikes or other sorts of weapons, it is prehensile and can be used for a variety of purposes, ranging from throwing lose objects to entangling a foe.
However, her most lethal weapon lies in her control of the element Death. There is, of course, the standard ability to breathe fire, but hers is a rather unusual flame. Bright blue in color, it is bitterly cold and burns much more than just the body- Eien's fire also irreparably damages the soul. The outward wounds will heal given time, as they should, but one's soul is not so easily repaired and, if left unhealed, anyone who has touched her fire can expect a much shorter life span depending on how much harm was done. (The Life Elemental should be able to help, but thus far, none have lived to test this theory.)
Furthermore, wounds inflicted by her claws or beak often become diseased and rot quickly. More often than not, she uses her power to speed up the process. Inversely, disease and poisons don't have an effect on the Elemental, and she can take quite a bit more damage than most before she begins to slow down. Physical contact allows her to siphon off energy from her opponents as well. The longer the touch, the more she can drain, to the point of death. There is a reason you don't trifle with Death, wouldn't you say?
Another ability she possesses is the power to raise the dead. Most often, she summons the spirits of the deceased to aid her, but temporarily raising a corpse can also come in handy. Both can be hurt, but as with their master, it takes more effort, and they cannot truly be killed as they're already dead. They do, however, need time to recover after a battle, and can't be immediately re-summoned after sustaining too much damage.
History: As is to be expected, Eien's history is just as long and complicated as any of the other Elementals'. But only recently in all this time has she sought out a mate, namely Icarus, the Dark Elemental. The creation of life isn't exactly her deal, after all, and it never amounted to much of anything for either party anyway. For him, it was just another fling, and on her part, it was more of a social experiment than an actual relationship. But, brief as it was, a single child was born to the pair; Raven.
Overall, the number of Creations she has made is the smallest out of all the Elementals. Once they've been formed, her Creations are usually left to fend for themselves. There have been some cases when she has come to one's aid, but these are few and far between, brought on by a feeling that her territory is being threatened in some way. Outside the realm of Death, her Creations are on their own.
In the conflicts that have taken place between the Elementals in the past, Eien has almost always maintained a stoutly neutral stance. Death does not take sides in war. When the occasions arose where she was forced to choose, the disputes ended very quickly.
The humanoid creatures have found a way to fascinate her to some extent, in that she's interested in the wide variety of ways they've found to kill one another. As in her own realm, she does not often interfere with the wars fought in the humanoid worlds. Were the complete annihilation of a world a possibility, she might step in to preserve the balance, but this has not yet happened in all her years of existence.
Rider: Desmond
Other: Although it may not be apparent at first, Eien has an extremely close bond with her Rider- almost like a mother might have for her child. Treat him well, and no one gets hurt. The same applies to her daughter.
Eien's Creations are a bit different from those of the other Elementals in that they're almost always dragons that have been resurrected. They never remember their past lives, though, and rarely resemble their old appearances.
Eien possesses several other abilities due to her mastery of Death that she does not use in combat, including the power to communicate with deceased spirits, traveling between the realms of the living and dead, and taking on an ethereal form. Basically, she can become a ghost. She can neither harm nor be harmed in this form, and can pass through solid objects as she pleases. Her appearance doesn't change, but she does become transparent.