Caesar

Character Profile

Name:	Caesar
Date of Birth:	1808/9
Breed:	Unknown
Captain:	Jeremy Rankin
National Loyalty:	Britain
Appearance:	Grey with two large red streaks
Special Abilities:	Unknown
Status:	Active

Biography

Caesar was the son of Arkady and Wringe. As an egg, Caesar was placed under Temeraire's care by Arkady with specific instructions on the care of the egg, most important of which was that only someone very rich could become its captain. Caesar's egg traveled with Temeraire upon the transport ship Allegiance which headed to Australia in 1808.

When orders came down from the government that Jeremy Rankin would be the egg's captain, Temeraire distressed at the prospect and plotted to thwart it. At one point, he even suggested to Laurence that the pair of them should kidnap the egg so that it would be free of Rankin's infamous poor care of dragons.

Despite Temeraire's warnings, Caesar accepted Rankin as his captain since the latter was the son of a wealthy earl and immediately gave into certain demands that showed he capable of meeting Caesar's expectations of a lavish lifestyle. Temeraire was taken aback by Caesar's self-indulgent demeanor but ultimately agreed with Laurence that the two were of similar dispositions. And, it was later noted by Laurence, that Rankin consulted with Caesar more than he ever had Levitas, so he was not treated so cruelly.

Caesar was known for being something of a complainer. He took heat-stroke and had to be carried by Temeraire for several days after they set off into the Australian continent, and he often grumbled over sharing food with and having to carry Kulingile, whom he was in favor of letting die due to his deformities. Nor did Caesar show concern for the third egg (later, hatched to become Tharunka) when it was stolen by natives, even though Temeraire and Iskierka (two dragons that seldom agreed on much) were both driven to the extreme to get the egg back.

John Granby's assessment of Caesar's physical attributes when he first hatched was that the dragonet had strong shoulders and good conformation. Jeremy Rankin originally wanted to name him Serenitus but the hatchling suggested Conquistador or Caesar instead, thereby becoming only the second dragon in the Aerial Corps known to pick its own name.