Name: Eidolon[ahy-doh-luhn]
It means 'phantom, specter, apparition' or an ideal
Gender: Male
Personality: He knew himself a villain—but he deem'd
The rest no better than the thing he seem'd;
And scorn'd the best as hypocrites who hid
Those deeds the bolder spirit plainly did.
He knew himself detested, but he knew
The hearts that loath'd him, crouch'd and dreaded too.
Lone, wild, and strange, he stood alike exempt
From all affection and from all contempt.-
The Corsair Lord Byron
Eidolon is not a Rune to be trifled with. Devious and selfish, the Kelpie Rune is an unbridled force to be reckoned with. His heart is wild, and his motives twisted like the weeds tangled in his mane. Lazy and self-interested, this Rune is as likely to love you as kill you, and he doesn't give a kipper what anyone thinks of him.
Eidolon is a wild and impetuous Rune dragon. He is extremely selfish and cares little for anyone but himself. Eidolon enjoys having power over others, especially humans. Rarely are his pranks deadly – as he enjoys seeing them run away screaming in terror - but he would not feel remorse even if they were. If he helps someone, it's most likely to benefit himself, but conversely he won't go too out of his way to case undue harm to others if it means nothing to him. He's too lazy for that. He is a very manipulative Rune, although he doesn't realize it yet, and thank goodness he doesn't or we'd all be in big trouble.
Adaptable and confident, this Rune dragon seems comfortable wherever he goes. He is often very disrespectful, and not afraid to voice his opinions, although almost no one wants to hear them. He is rebellious, reckless, and hates being told what to do. He is a quick and cunning little devil, and one will often find him getting in serious trouble because of it. He seems to have no sense of right or wrong, and is certainly lacking in social etiquette. Eidolon is an opportunist, and will be happy to take advantage of any situation he might be in the position of taking advantage of. But this Rune is also easily frustrated, and if he can't get his way or must work hard to do so, he'll quickly give up and pout about it.
This Rune is a real charmer. Eidolon is a very handsome young Kelpie Rune, and he's not afraid to use his dark charms to break the hearts of many a pretty lady Rune. He is certainly not immune to a pretty young thing, and will pursue his heart's desire with the passion of a starving wolf pursuing it's prey. Eidolon can be soft-spoken, sweet and sincere. He loves epically, but inevitably he will lose interest in his chosen sweetheart and find something more interesting to do. Eidolon is always very genteel and charming to his love interests, but his charms don't work on everyone. That's alright though, since this Rune enjoys a bit of a challenge. His personality is magnetic, attracting attention from those who both loathe him, and find him interesting. He has a trickster's enchantment about him, teetering on the edge of loathing and fascination, and can cunningly win over the more weak-minded to his opinions.
Eidolon is most at home in any body of water. EBut like the water horse of classical tales he prefers moving bodies of water: the ocean, a river, a loch. He detests stagnancy, (in more ways then one) and would much rather be battling deadly currents then basking in a quiet lagoon. He likes being in the water, where he can hide from his prey, and where he is master of the deep. He is a Rune who thrives on chaos.
The Kelpie Rune is a Rune shrouded in mystery. Eidolon doesn't mean to be so secretive, he just doesn't like talking about himself. He doesn't make friends easily, because of his disregard for others, nor is he ever really looking for companionship. Kelpie Runes in generally are loners, but this one seems to tolerate, and at times even enjoy hanging out with other Runes, although he remains very suspicious of humans. Eidolon certainly offers an interesting view of things, as he has a fairly violent mentality. He'll be the one egging on the fight, and laughing at the losers. But despite all this, he is a likable fellow once you get to know him. He can be charming and sweet and fun-loving, or turn on a dime and be a pig-headed bully, or a monster out of a nightmare, hunting you down. He is not a very competitive dragon, as he doesn't really see the point in competition. He's the kind of Rune happy to take a back seat, and let others take the lead, and plot his various schemes from the back of the pack.
But I don't want to give you the wrong idea about this Rune. He isn't completely evil like some, but does posses some redeeming qualities. There is no anger in his heart, in fact he's fairly light-hearted for someone so bad. He loves being wild and free, and is a fierce defender of his waters. (He usually attacks litterbugs, so
don't litter!) Eidolon always means what he says. He doesn't see a point in lying on most occasions, or sugar-coating on any, and so is usually brutally honest. He is always true to himself. Eidolon is a true romantic at heart; a dark romantic.
History:Up, Ride with the Kelpie!
I’ll steal your soul to the deep.
If you don’t ride with me while the devil’s free,
I’ll ride with somebody else!-
Kelpie Jethro Tull
The lightening flashed and the thunder bellowed, and the wind was whipping the waves into a fury when the Kelpie Rune was born. Some may say it was a bad omen, but regardless, the Kelpie Rune was born on a terrible stormy night, and would go on to leave a terrible stormy legacy.
In the wild Celtic Highlands there is a story told about the Kelpie Rune,or the each uìsge, a monstrous water dragon said to drag it's victims under the water to drown. No one knows what drives the Kelpie Rune to such evil deeds, but they are admired and feared for their cunning and strength.
Eidolon, the Kelpie Rune, was born in a loch in the Celtic Highlands. But it was a dull place, almost completely devoid of humans and Runes. That might've worked for his unsociable mother, but Eidolon was a Rune filled with wanderlust. And so the son of Loch Ness set off to find his own way. He crossed river and stream, searching for a place to call his own, but none seemed right, until he came to a dark and fast moving river. He dove into and felt the strong current tug at his wings. This place was dark and wild and indomitable. This was home.
Eidolon's home was near a town, and everyday people would walk along the road by the river, and he would watch them, and their Runes. It so happened that one day, nearing twilight, the Kelpie Rune spied someone eating some candy out of a bag, and he decided he wanted it. When the person came close enough, Eidolon jumped on him and began to drag him into the cold, dark waters. He wrestled with the man, eventually stealing away his tasty treats. Occupied with digging the delicious snacks from the bag, Eidolon ignored the man as he struggled to the surface and went galloping over the countryside raising Cain about a Kelpie Rune in the river.
Ever since, the people knew there was a Kelpie Rune with a taste for sweets in the river. Some thought the man was talking nonsense, but others were genuinely afraid, and told their children not to take the path by the river any more. But still people and Runes walked by, and Eidolon attacked them for various reasons. They were no serious injuries; a bruise here, a scrap there, a little water damage to various clothing, but it was only a matter of time before things got more serious. Eidolon was aggressive in his attacks, biting and scratching, and growing more aggressive by the day. The people were frightened. There could be no denying his existence now, and they stopped using the path by the river.
It happened around this time that a stranger came to the river. He heard the people's plight, and took a bridle blessed with magic and went to the river. Eidolon saw him from underwater, and watched him like a hawk, as he stepped down into the river. Eidolon just watched, but was in no mood to attack. The man waited, and Eidolon continued to ignore him. Hours went by, and the man became cold, and wet and hungry, and he gave up. The next day he came again, this time with meat which he tossed in the water. But Eidolon was full, and he continued to ignore the man and his lame offering. The next day the man came yet again, and left milk on the shore. Little did he know that Eidolon hated milk. He might've had better luck with salt water taffy. The next day the man came, this time with his Rune dragon. Now Eidolon's attention had been caught, as she was pretty little thing, and he wanted to go introduce himself. Which he did.
When the man saw the Kelpie Rune poke it's head out of the water, he took a firm grip on the leather bridle and readied to catch the beast. Eidolon swam to the shore and unaware of the man sneaking up on him greeted the lovely lady Rune. Before she could think of what to say, the man lunged at the Kelpie Rune, and they went down into the water.
The two struggled for a time, each vying for supremacy over the other. The waters surged and swelled with their battle, as it swung between the two combatants. Then Eidolon felt the leather of the bridle slip over his ears, and with a wild cry he dove into the water. The man hung on with dogged determination, as he went for the ride of his life on the bucking, twisting, screaming Kelpie Rune. Eidolon has a very strong spirit, but his body's limits don't quiet match. The Rune soon tired, and with his hand wrapped in the bridle and controlling Eidolon's head, the man found it easy to subdue the wild dragon. Panting, the two surfaced. The man's Rune chirped with relief at the sight of them. Eidolon tiredly followed the man out of the river. He tried again and again to escape, but his meager efforts were in vain as the bridle would not break.
The man tried for weeks to tame the untamaeable Kelpie Rune, to bend him to his will, but to no avail. The Rune was downright mean, and would try and attack anyone who came near him. Eidolon was cunning though. He convinced the man's Rune to help him escape, which she did. Once free of the ropes and bridle, Eidolon went and attacked the man who'd held him captive in anger and want of revenge. Who knows how worse the poor man would've come off if his own dear, sweet, little Rune hadn't intervened. She charged Eidolon and fought off the bigger, stronger Rune. Eidolon was puzzled at her devotion, and his pride smarting, he flew away. He went back to his river and brooded for a very long time on Runes and their bearers. He wondered if he was becoming jealous. Maybe he should try having one sometime. It would be nice to have someone take care of him, as the man had taken care of his Rune. He shook the thought from his mind, and went back to living the good life, terrorizing the people and stealing from them every now and again. But it still sat at the back of his mind, gnawed at him like an itch he couldn't reach. Eidolon wondered...
Art(optional):
Kelpie RuneMariana and EidolonI know the size differences just went out the window for this one, but oh well.
Coexist kindly made me some art for my form. Thanks Coexist!Why you want this Rune?: Well, I was on the fence about trying out for a while. I mean I absolutely love him, but I already have a Deep Sea Rune, and didn't know if I should try for another water based Rune. And I spent so much time and effort on the Pictish Rune, that I didn't think I would have the time, or the energy to write up another form so soon. I figured you gotta get back on that horse, or kelpie in this case, and try again. I might not win him, but in any case that's not what matters, it's the trying again. It was a struggle to find more inspiration, but I managed and actually enjoyed writing his personality and history. And I just love him now! I've been eying this Rune since it was released. I love his soft ghostly colors, and his contrasting deep red eyes. I love mythology, and Celtic mythology is quite a passion of mine. I love all the old stories, and the culture and the folk songs. Kelpies are my absolute favorite mythological creature. I have a few kelpie characters. Yeah, I write a ton of Celtic-inspired stories. One of my characters coincidentally has somewhat similar colors to this Rune, so I was immediately attracted to him. Of course, they are two completely different individuals, and while I was tempted to name this Rune after my character, I knew that would be silly. So instead, I choose the name Eidolon, which I really like. And a completely unique personality too. And don't worry so much about Mariana. She can whack him around a bit and put him in his place, and being both water type Runes they'll probably get along well. Plus he appeals to the draker side of my nature. *evil grins*
I freely admit that I was not able to put in as much time as I would've liked for this form, and the story is somewhat lacking. I apologize for that. I was stuck for inspiration, and this past week has been very busy for me, which again did not help with inspiration. I know this Rune deserves a better story and a lot more time and thought put into it. But I had to at least try, because he is so handsome and wonderful. If I do win him, I'll try my best to develop him further. And thanks for making this Rune Ashenjay! You always do such a great job! It's fantastic!