Perscitia

Character Profile

Name:	Perscitia
Date of Birth:
Breed:	crossbreed between Malachite Reaper and Pascal's Blue
Captain:	None, rejected by her captain
National Loyalty:	Britain
Appearance:	Body and wings bright blue, streaked with shades of pale green; spines along her back
Special Abilities:
Status:	Breeding

Biography

Perscitia (Latin for 'very clever') was a dragon Temeraire met while in the Pen Y Fan Breeding Grounds. She was a middle-weight, an experimental cross between a Pascal's Blue and a Malachite Reaper. Unfortunately, she was slower, larger, and more nervous than the breeders had been looking for. She had been harnessed after birth, and her captain had taught her mathematics when she was young, but she had a penchant for individual thought, and had no interest in fighting or warfare so she was sent to the breeding grounds. Perscitia believed that her captain did not want a dragon that did not fight. Certainly the Aerial Corps had little use for such a dragon, and few aviators had the means to support a dragon outside the Corps.

When Temeraire arrived, Perscitia often discussed mathematics with him. She was even able to comprehend some theories he had not thought of before. When he went to fight the French, she went with him, though she refused to do actual fighting. Perscitia became something of a dragon-strategist, coming up with ideas such as alcohol-soaked "fire bombs" for Iskierka to light.

By the end of the campaign, she was respected by her peers despite being non-violent. Even Wellesley seemed to appreciate her talents.