Absolem

Gale's Thoughts: Absolem

Absolem and Sargent's relationship has always fascinated me.

No one can argue that Sargent is a murderer, and she's certainly run in the circles of other terrible individuals most of her life, but somehow I always figured that her mate would be someone a bit more like her personality-wise, or that she wouldn't have a mate to begin with, being an immortal creature and all.

There's no love between these two at all, and only the slightest bit of trust. Absolem and Sargent are together for two reasons: they've worked out a mutually beneficial living and working arrangement, and they both have their own primal needs to tend to that the other is willing to provide assistance with.

Absolem is not a pleasant dragon at all; he dislikes the entirety of The Ichor's crew (except, perhaps, for Saoirse, who he at least shares a common tongue with), and he's the ship's "intimidation factor" for a reason. He tends to make it very obvious when he's assessing someone for all the different ways he could kill them. He's got a decently sharp mind and an even quicker tongue, which makes his deadly spells more likely to hit their intended targets. He's extremely rooted in the physical plane and mental sense of self when it comes to his magic, rather than the emotional or spiritual side of things; this could possibly be explained by the fact that he's self-absorbed to the point that I'm not sure he could call even half of his crewmates by their correct names (and he's never bothered to learn to speak common draconic with any sort of fluency, let alone try to communicate with the fae dragons in his life).

But, being unpleasant has given him the reputation he wants, which allows him to be left alone by most. The Ichor gives him his own space and a mate that makes other dragons think twice before engaging with him. He gives the ship magical protection and acts as Sargent's dedicated blood donor in return for that freedom. Neither he nor Sargent have ever taken another lover, surprisingly enough; they take the traditionally monogamous relationship roles of being mates very seriously despite there only being physical attraction between them. I know Sargent has caught the eye of Mistralia and the two of them quietly engage in something resembling flirting on occasion, but I doubt anything will ever come of it unless Absolem and Sargent's deal with each other is renegotiated. They're both too stubborn to give in to something new if the old thing works just fine, so who knows if that'll ever happen.

Most of the time, Absolem feels like some sort of mysterious cryptid rather than an actual dragon (which I find considerably amusing when compared to the actual cryptid-like backstories of some of his crewmates), lurking about and only coming into the public eye when his mate demands it. Most of the crew give him a wide berth despite the weight he holds by courtesy of being Sargent's chosen one, and I think it's generally accepted that if Sargent were to suddenly up and die, they'd get even farther away quickly and without fanfare.

Sargent would never leave him in charge of the ship, though. She's too smart for that. Alesta would take over, most likely, and should they be absent, hopefully Jericho would be old enough to take command. I've never seen Absolem out of his self-contained bubble that Sargent provides, and if I'm very lucky, hopefully I never will. If there's one coatl I've met that has the potential to cause irreparable damage, it's him, and that's a truth I cannot overlook.

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Baseline Stats





No.



Decently efficient at physical combat, but particularly proficient in magical battles, Absolem's not the best combatant I've ever met, but he's also not someone I'd want to meet unprepared. He's more intimidating than coordinated, even with the good punch his electrical shocks can deal.



He's intelligent in a "so cryptic he occasionally sounds mad" kind of way if that makes sense? You can tell he's got a lot of specialized smarts, even if they can't always be applied to broad matters. I think if he had any desire to speak to most dragons, I'd really enjoy talking with him about languages, magics, and stories, since he seems to have a particular fondness for them.



Lucky enough to land someone like Sargent and have gotten his way for most of his life, but nothing crazy to note here.



It's easy to see where Absolem's strengths lie, and magic is definitely one of those strengths. He's even written a couple of spellbooks in his time. He's particularly good with non-inherent magics, with a specialized interest in how not living in the flight's territory one was born in affects how much improvisational magics are used. If he had just a bit more natural aptitude for it, he may have had a very different life as a scholar instead of a pirate.



One of the healthiest members of the entire clan, Absolem has never suffered from any physical, magical, or mental ailments since I've known him. And from what Sargent tells me, he's always been very hardy.