Excidium
Character Profile
Name: | Excidium |
Date of Birth: | c. 1725 |
Breed: | Longwing |
Captain: | Jane Roland |
National Loyalty: | Britain |
Appearance: | Blue with black/white/orange wing tips |
Special Abilities: | Acid spitter |
Status: | Active |
Biography
Excidium (Latin for 'destruction') is a Longwing with 80 years of experience. His sire was Gentius.
Excidium's current captain, Jane Roland, is probably at least his third. As she explained to Laurence, captains breed themselves as much as dragons are bred with the intent their children become the dragon's captain upon their deaths, and the dragon will have a captain that "shares their pain."
Emily Roland, who served as a member of Temeraire's crew, was to be Excidium's captain after Jane's death. It's not unlikely that Emily's maternal grandmother was Excidium's captain before Jane.
Excidium participated in the Battle of the Nile and Battle of Trafalgar. He became the flag-dragon of the Channel Command when Jane was promoted to admiral, following Observaria's death in the Dragon Plague and Lenton's retirement to the quieter Edinburgh covert.
Excidium and Jane were also fought during Napoleon's invasion of Britain. At that time he received a pair of epaulettes.