Okay, I’ve had a few people ask about the Diegose I mention all the time. It is one of the main characters in my stories and everything centers around Chalice and Tierin. My Diegose’s name is actually Ezmira Solanna, but you’ll have to read my book to get why she’s called Chalice as a nickname/pet name.

It is a common misconception in my world that there are only four types of Diegose. This is because there are four Categories of Diegose, but eight types in reality. Let me explain it like this: In my book there are four “races” of men, but they are all men. The Diegose is that way. These eight races are then transferred into four different pairs that categorize them.

Now before anyone thinks I ripped off of Donita K. Paul or am going with the Eragon theme, I’m not. I’ve spent a long time working out glitches in these amazing creatures and interweaving in there DNA what I wanted them to be. To start out with the Diegose is similar in frame to a typical Dragon. They have long necks, reptilian frames, bat like wings, and massive tales. Here are a few excerpts from my book where I describe Chalice physically.

A deafening shatter erupted and Tierin felt shards of rock cut the skin of his arms and hands. The silence deafened him. His breath caught as he lowered his hands. Curled in a little ball was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. Its exhausted little form lay panting, eyes closed, body in a jumbled heap nestled in a piece of shell.
It was reptilian, with withered looking wings folded over its back. The creature was wrinkly and had a sheen of moisture encasing its small form. It twitched with life and stretched its shaky body, tripping over itself and falling back down into its cradle.
A deep jade colored eye opened. Tierin caught his breath and watched as its gaze wandered until it saw him. As the creature looked at him, Tierin could see it focusing its gaze. For a long moment it stared unblinking, its soulful eyes arresting Tierin and drawing him closer. For a moment his heart seemed to stop. He felt a connection. Something deep and drawing. The moment was broken as the little one heaved a sigh of exhaustion and tried to raise its long neck. With innocent endeavor and childlike determination, the winged beast tested its unstable legs. It rose on two front legs for a moment before its shaky supports gave way and it crumpled it into a heap of fatigue.


The creature was about the size of his palm, its long tail the length of its body. It stood at about 10 inches high when its long neck was erected. Two little nubs rose on the top of its head, representing ears. Its face was delicately structured and full of expression. Breathtaking scales shimmered along its body like a coat of armor, yet pliable like chain mail. It was an unusual color, sort of a deep scarlet, breathtaking in intensity. However, Tierin quickly noticed that when the sun reflected off of its scales that a light iridescent sheen of purple would tint its edges. The sun refracted off of the scaly red body like water.
The little wrinkled and withered wings that had graced the creature’s back the previous night were now no longer wrinkled and withered. It had reminded Tierin of a butterfly’s wings. When the beautiful colored creatures first hatched forth from their cocoons their wings were useless and crumpled, but as they dried and pumped full of fluid they became strong, going from wrinkled and shriveled to smooth and inflated.
Tierin ran his hands along the powerful little wings that folded beside it. They too were plated with scales, but these ones were different than the larger ones that rode along the creature’s neck, back, legs, and sides. These scales were tiny like the ones that covered the little creatures face, tail, and feet.
The creature’s eyes were wise and enthralling. They seemed to draw Tierin into their depths, allowing him to see its soul. He almost believed the creature could talk to him. The depth of those dark green eyes calmed Tierin, made him feel safe and secure. Upon the tip of the creature’s long tail were three raised, rounded humps. Tierin was sure they could do quite some damage if the creature chose to use its tail like a weapon. Little nodules ran down the beast’s neck and ended once they reached its shoulder blades.
The reptilian creature was very warm to the touch, like a cozy fire crackled in its belly.

These are the descriptions given concerning the Diegose very early on in its life. Throughout the book I give one liner descriptions as she ages and matures, but you get the gist. However, I will mention that the male and female Diegose are different in their looks. The female creatures are much more delicate looking than the males. Their heads are smaller, their necks more graceful. The nodules on their bodies are more rounded where the males are more angular.

The story behind the Diegose is that they were once the protectors of Mankind. Each Diegose, when born, attaches itself to a human directly after it hatches. This means an egg will remain dormant until it feels its connection with its human. Only the Caldarian race is chosen as the Diegose’s life companion. If the egg comes in contact with the skin of any other human not their life’s partner the person will die. It is a very serious business that the people of my world don’t take lightly.

However the Diegose and their life partners (masters, as the Diegose choose to call them) were betrayed from within, and their king murdered by his evil twin brother. This mad man then turned to exterminating every Diegose he could get his hands upon because of a prophesy. This included the ones that had helped him reach his state of power. Thus all Diegose died off and those loyal to the good king were forced into hiding, waiting for the day when the prophesy would come to pass.

The Diegose and their Masters have an incredible bond. They are linked together through their minds and bodies. If the Diegose feels pain, so does the Master, if the Human feels pain, so does the Diegose. They communicate through thoughts. Nothing is hidden from the other. The Diegose can also communicate with each other through thoughts, and thus link their master into the thoughts of fellow Diegosian Riders through their creatures. Also, when a human dies the Diegose is not long in following. Because of the incredible bond between Rider and beast the Diegose no longer has the will to survive their Master. A Riderless Diegose is the most sorrowful creature to behold and worthy of great pity. However, their lives are not interconnected in the way that when one dies so will the other.

The Diegose have been created with natural power that they can draw from. However their power is part of their physical ability, it isn’t magic, so they have many limitations. Every act of power uses energy. A Diegose could kill themselves if they used too much power too many times without being able to regenerate themselves. Kind of like a rattle snake. The rattler creates venom which, when used, has to be redeveloped before they can use it again, thus it is only used in great need when they really feel threatened. Same concept.

This power however can only be accessed through their rider. The Rider is like the key. The Diegose themselves cannot use “magic”, neither can the rider. If separated from the Diegose the Rider cannot create energy forces or anything else. It is only through each other that the process works. The diegose has the source of power, but the human is what that power is channeled through. This being said each Diegose has certain abilities that do not require the human (I.e. Fire Diegose can breathe fire without the human).

First I am going to give you a description of all the races and then go into their generalized habits and such.

The Ice and Fire Diegose represent the most prominent and influential “class” of Diegose. They are referred to as the Dominant Class. These Diegose are the fighters, the ones who are used primarily in battle. The Dominant Diegose can change their size from very small (as in almost newborn size) to their fullest potential, at which point they can carry several men on their backs if need be.
Next come the Scouting Class. These Diegose are only half the size of the Dominant Diegose and can also minimize their size. They are made up of the Shifting Diegose and the Enchantment Diegose.
The third classification is the Operational Class. This category is made up of Historians and Agricultural Diegose. They are about the size of a large dog and cannot carry their humans on their backs. They are highly intelligent and very friendly. These Diegose work alongside their humans for the betterment of society. They cannot change their size however and their humans are not referred to as Riders but Diegosian Keepers.
The final category is called the Ministerial Class. This last group of Diegose are very unique. They too cannot manipulate their size and never grow larger than the size of your hand. They are made up of Healing Diegose and Light Diegose. They are rarer than their other brothers and their humans are also called Keepers.

Each Race has their own distinctive markings and characteristics that help to separate them from one another.

The Fire Diegose has sort of a bluish red colored scale, deep and breathtaking in intensity. However, when the sun reflects off of its scales a light iridescent sheen of purple tints them. They are known for being somewhat testy although just as wise and majestic as their other brothers.
The Ice Diegose is a beautifully vibrant blue color with icy white scales under his neck, belly, and frosted around his eyes. As the Ice diegose uses their gifts the energy draining from them causes their scales to loose their color and turn white.
The Light Diegose perhaps is the most unusual. Their scales have almost no color. They take on a sort of muddled gray look like a rock. They are said to look very plain and unattractive, so history tells us. It is only when they exude their light quality that they turn breathtaking in appearance. (Sort of like Donita’s version of her light Dragon).
Though the Light Diegose may be the most unusual, the Shifting Diegose is the most curious. When they are first born they are a pale white but very quickly begin to absorb the colors that surround them and cloak themselves with whatever color they happen to fancy. They have the gift of being able to mimic the colors of their environment like a chameleon and disguise themselves.
An Enchantment Diegose is silver scaled and reflects colors off of its body similar to the Shifter and yet completely different. This gives the Scouting class of Diegoses the element of invisibility in a way.
The Operational Class is not so flamboyant in their coloring. The Agricultural Diegose is varying shades of green. They resemble the colors of the forest and history recounts that they appear to have moss growing over their bodies that is phosphorescent in the dark.
The Historians are rich brown earth tones and they move differently than their fellow brothers. They resemble the brothers in appearance, but they change from crawling on all four to walking on their hind legs and using their front appendages as arms.
Healers are a deep dark purple, their darkest scales looking almost black. History tells us that they look very majestic and awe inspiring, like they hold secrets within their grasp.

All the Diegose have similar qualities that stretch across the board, but they each hold separate and unique gifts as well.

A Shifter is a Scouting Class. Their natural gifts allow them to take on the appearance of an inanimate object such as a rock or a walking staff. The combination between their color changing and their shape bending makes it almost impossible for someone to detect them from the real thing.
There is a common misconception that Healers can bring people back from the dead. A Healer is limited in power just like the rest of their brothers. It cannot heal a fatal wound or cure a degenerate sickness leading up to death. They cannot bring people back from the dead either. A Healer can however mend a broken arm or heal a wound received in battle (as long as it is not fatal). The Healer can cure a child of the croup or cure an inconvenient cold. However it is unlikely that they would do so due to the fact that it takes considerable amounts of energy to heal someone. Healers are considered the most prized and rare form of the Diegose.
The enchantment Diegose are unique in that they can mesmerize people’s minds. They can cause a deep sleep to overcome someone, or make people think they are seeing something they really aren’t. Enchantment Diegose can alter your mind so that it makes you believe the words it whispers into your mind are actually your own thoughts and can make feeble minded people follow the inclinations they have put in their minds. An Enchantment Diegose can tell someone that a young woman looks pregnant and they believe they see her as such, but in actuality the Diegose is only changing their thought process.
The Agricultural Diegose is given the gift of fertility and growth. They sing over the plants and make things grow. They can call forth water from the deep chasms of the ground and make a tree move its branches to shade someone from the sun. They can hum softly to the ground and sprout flowers in minutes.
The Historian Diegose has been a great asset to the people throughout the years. They are like the agricultural in that they are man’s helper more than defender. Their defense is against loss of knowledge and the scarring of the land. The Historical Diegose has a photographic memory and never forgets any piece of information ever read or told to them. They are amazing when it comes to classification and can calculate numbers better than any man. If you wanted to know where a certain book was in an ancient library they could point you to the exact spot in a moment.
The Light Diegose controls the light in exudes by exact measurements. If you want it’s light to penetrate six inches away from its body and no more it can do that. If you want a light Diegose to fill a whole room with light it could do that also. But they are not merely convenient torches. A Light Diegose holds a much more powerful tool. It holds the ability to judge light. A light Diegose can tell what the quality of your inner light is. When they look into your soul they can either see a scared and blacked being or a being of life and light. They judge character and can tell true noble hearts apart from the pretenders

Each Diegose is given a gift to share with the people and use in their protection and gain.

And now finally, some of the basics across the board.

The Diegose, as I said, are reptilian. This means that they are cold blooded by nature, even the Fire Diegose. So anytime it is cold the Diegose struggle more with moveablity. This is a great disadvantage during the wintertime and early in the morning. They become sluggish, and this feeling takes awhile to dissipate. They have to get their limbs moving and blood flowing freely in order to regain their ease of movement.
The Diegose are also like Camels. They gorge on food that will then last them for quite some time. They can also retain water and store inside their bodies to live off of for a number of days.
As a final note a Diegose’s name is made up of two parts. For a female Diegose their name is comprised of first their mother’s name and then their own. My main Diegose is name Ezmira Solanna (nickname Chalice). Her mother before her was Lyseer Ezmira. For a male it is the same thing, only they take on their father’s name.
Oh yeah, and a pregnant Diegose is limited by her powers. All energy is going to developing the egg within her, so she cannot use most of her powers. It is also not recommended that she carry heavy loads during her gestation. Also, they cannot change their size! It takes all the energy of the Diegose in her largest size to be able to care for her egg.
And as a last note a Diegose whose master becomes corrupt also corrupts his Diegose. They begin to change in appearance and personality, mirroring the dark heart of their Master.

I think that’s a pretty good overview. If you have any questions or suggestions I’m open.

That's so awesome! You know, I suppose I might have a bit of Diegose heritage, but I'm just not sure!

Told ya! *he he*

Wow! This is really good, I can tell you spent a lot of time on it. Wouldn't bluish red be purple? And could a light dragon, since he can control where to stop the light, become invisible simply by moving the light around instead of through him?

It could be taken as purple I suppose. However I was thinking more along the lines of a scarlet color. Purple is very blue. I'll have to re-word that one. Thanks for the tip Griffin.

Could you explain the light part a little more? I'm trying to figure out how that would make them invisible.

Yes, I have been working on this for awhile. It has been two very long years of slaving over my work, but I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm getting ready to start the publication process (good Lord willing) on the first book in my trilogy.

So the light dragons can bend light or stop it right? If they can they can simply bend it around themselves so that they remain unseen. Light is what makes it possible for things to be seen, without it, all would be not only without color, but nothing would be seen at all.
I hope it gets published!

Okay, I see what you mean. I'll have to think on that one. It is a good point though; I'll have to take that into consideration. It doesn't fit into their category.... I'll have to look into that one. Thank you so much for the suggestion! It’s very helpful to have other eyes looking at your work.

You're welcome! Your creatures are so cool!

Thanks Griffin, that’s the idea. I’m hoping the complexity and intricacy of my creatures and characters are going to help sell my book in the publishing process. We shall see.

I totally want one Where can I find one?

I don't know, I tell my daddy all the time I want one! He tells me when I find one he'll get me five. I love my Daddy! (by the way, my Dad only says he'll get me something if I'm talking about ewalks (spelling?) and Diegose. In real life he won't even agree to my puppy)

Lol an ewok would be super cool

Yep. I used to want a Wookie, but I figured I could get more Ewoks because they are smaller. We had 5 Great Peers and they ate a ton. My Dad would prefer something that ate less. And then I always wanted a Star Wars Speeder. Man, I could tear some turf up with one of those! Except they don’t touch the ground. Bad analogy.

yeah but you wouldn't want to make the wookie mad... it may pull your arms off a mogwai would be cool... but you would have to remember never to get it wet, and never... NEVER feed it after midnight.

I thought having a Mogwai would be cool! (We’re talking about Gizmo here, right? The Gremlins?)

yep! They totally need to do another Gremlins movie.

I'd agree.

I want an ewok!! "eokcha, a nub nub" (that was the ewok in the background)

You mean you actually have one!

Oh, definitely!

Just wanted to say I read all of your diegose post Arianna (how DO you spell that name? ) and I am very impressed. Greatly well thought out character! Just one question...how exactly do they differ physically from dragons? At all? Or just the colors thing?

eruheran

Are you asking how I spell Diegose or my Username?

I’m glad you enjoyed the Diegose Eruheran. I know I did writing and creating them.

Physically they don’t differ much from Dragons. Dragons have different looks depending on whose drawing/portraying them. I decided to give the basic outline of a dragon (physically) and leave what that “dragon” looks like to the individual reader. I do mention spikes on the tail, which lots of Dragons’ don’t have, but for the most part they look like the type of Dragon you personally, as the reader, imagine.

I think some of my favorite reading was when my imagination was allowed to take over from time to time. I'm hoping I can do the same in my writing. Either way the diegose are super cool. Well... I'm off to work for now. I hope you all have a great day.

Thank you Evening. Lewis talked about the power of suggestion in lots of his nonfiction stuff. He spoke on how powerful our own imaginations were and that if we merely structured someone’s imagination then our work would be stronger as a whole (not his words, but that was the basic drift).

You go into impressive detail about the Diegose.



Five Great Pyrenese dogs? Actually, that would be cool. I love dogs.

Oh, by the way, how do you pronounce Diegose?

Yeah, five. I live on a farm and my Mom was a Vet Tech before she decided to be a stay at home mom a number of years ago. Our family is constantly rehabilitating or bottle feeding something furry. We have property, so the five dogs were a happy lot.

Back on the subject at hand, the name is pronounced basically how is appears. Die-go-s. And the stroke of geniuses behind that name goes to my 16 year old brother (who was 12 when he created it). He told me I should make a story that used the name Diegose in it. That one word is what sparked my whole trilogy.

Nice! Way to go little bro! lol

Yeah, the two older boys (I'm the oldest) can be pretty cool when they aren't falling into the annoying younger sibling role (they're pretty special though). It is amazing how one little word can spark an entire trilogy.

I was just thinking that a Historian Diegose would be extremely handy at times... are they good with cats? I can't have one if it won't get along with the cat. Ewoks are cute.

Anyway, very well thought out. A lot of curious details that will be interesting when worked into a book; in other words, there is a lot of plot potential in all the nuances. It makes me want to read your story and see how you use all this information.

I like how the diegose's ability is interconnected with the presence of its master, and that their strength is not unlimited. Adds a touch of realism; it's not a 'magic' fix that can get one out of any situation. I have one question about that, though - when you say that the ability is "channeled" through the human, how does that affect the human? Does the human actually perform some of the actions? Or does the human just need to be present for the dragon to operate?

I like how the diegose will grow dark if its master grows dark... can that process work in reverse? If a human turns, can the diegose change back as well? Or are the physical changes permanent? Is it possible for the human to make a sudden change of mind and have the diegose not follow right away? That'd be tragic...

Love the descriptions in the excerpts. Adorable yet fascinating. Don't you wish they stayed that small? It's so cute.

I like the visual of the Ice Diegose's scales fading as it uses up its energy. Does the color come back as it regenerates?

And isn't it wonderful when family gives you the perfect idea?

They can be very gentle creatures Philli, so I think they would be good with cats. Besides, they could become cat sized and that would make them seem less intimidating to your furry little friend.




Thank you Philli. Everything that is complied into this thread is described and weaved into my story, so you get all of this information in some form or another.




The Caldarian and the Diegose are partners. The Diegose does not have the ability to use the natural powers they posses without their rider. They each give to the relationship. A Caldarian has no power in themselves, but the abilities that the Diegose have are “channeled” through them and they produce the outworking of the abilities. Does that make sense, or have I just confused you? It is hard to explain without reading it in context.




Yes, if a Rider becomes a changed being and his heart is regenerate then a Diegose will follow accordingly, but just like sin, there are always consequences and reminders that will linger with us. A Borodag who reverts back to a Diegose will still have slight differences in their appearance that can never be altered. And no, the rider and Diegose/Borodag do not take separate paths. They each have a say in the relationship, thus they will influence one another’s minds. If a rider has had a change of heart then its Borodag has also slowly made this transformation as well. It is a joint effort.




Yeah, there is something so innocent and pure about baby creatures. I always say God makes them as cute as he does because they are 3x as much work.




Yes, the color returns when the Diegose is rejuvenated.



Yep, my brother sparked a whole trilogy with one simple word.



Really? I’ve never thought that the name could be pronounced that way, but I can see your reasoning behind your pronunciation. Hmmm…




Yep, this was always something that concerned me. I hate story rip offs, and while I don’t think my story really resembles Eragon, I could see some of the similarities. However, I began writing my story before I ever read Eragon or saw the movie. Mr. Paolini’s Dragon’s aren’t all that original. He uses lots of Dragon Lore in his stories, so the mind speaking and pain sensing are not original to his work, they were pieces of information I found when I began to study dragons knowing I intended to base my Diegose off of them. However, the egg and the mark (although mine is different from Paolini’s) are similar to his work, although I did not know it at the time.




You didn’t over step your bounds Evening. To tell you the truth, I was a very irked when I watched the movie Eragon and saw these few similarities. I thought they were unique to my creatures and my story. Course, I also thought I made up the name Airianna, but I was later informed by someone who will remain unnamed *coughFalcon Lord/Phillipofvalorcough* that they knew an Airianna. Plagiarists!

My book does seem less Eragonish when you read it, but I do see some parralles that are a great irritant for the previously named reasons. Thank you for your honesty Evening. I also would like to thank you for presenting your opinion in a very kind a gracious way. People take criticism better when it is spoken in kindness.

All this to say I’m not sure how to take these aspects out of my story. My hope is that when all of this information is red in context it will not feel reminiscent of Eragon because of all the differences I have. We shall see I guess.

Thank you ladies for your in-depth comments and good feedback.

I don't think I completely understand the "channeling" effect, but I'm sure it makes good sense in-context. I can just wait until I have an opportunity to read the finished book and see how it's done in action.

A cat-sized dragon-like friend... that would be utterly fabulous! Let me know when you've found one, and your dad provides 5 more, and I'll buy one from you. (If that's allowed with Diegose...?)

Not to derail the thread, but I know the agony of finding that your "original" name/creation is not-so original. It's tough (especially the first time it happens - I was amazingly crushed!), but I've come to realize... there is truly nothing new under the sun. Everything you put in your story will have a cousin somewhere; there will always be similarities. So my philosophy is not to let it worry you over-much.

That's a good philosophy Philli. I learned along time ago there was nothing new under the sun, but sometimes I forget that.

The channeling effect is certainly a difficult aspect to grasp without representation, so I'm not sure I can describe it any better. Sorry.

I like the name daigoh-s. You may not like this, but I always pronounced it dee-eh-goh-s. However I still wondered how to pronounce it. Would you mind if I used the name Diyegose?

*nods * I would, actually, because it is very similar to how I pronounce Diegose. Which is Die.goh.s

Sorry, Patrick.

*snaps fingers*

I did not really know what I would use it for anyways, maybe a mountain or a shape-shifter in a Moses type role.

It is the close bond that links them, not their souls. The loyalty and faith of a Diegose leads them to do whatever the rider chooses. They could, theoretically choose not to follow after them, but the reality is that they wouldn't, because of the attachment.

*whacks Brendan with a newspaper *

The idea is that they influence each other. It is a give and take relationship. If the master's heart is turning, the odds are the Diegose's heart is also. A Diegose with a propensity towards pride, chooses a master whose heart reflects the same things it does. So the Diegose wouldn't be innocent in and of themselves, in all probability.

I would think that, due to their telepathic connection, the Diegose would know the heart of the master they choose, and so would only be drawn to a master whose heart reflected their own. That's the idea I got from reading the book, anyway.

However, perhaps I should let the author answer.

No, Jonathan is not only qualified to answer (having not only read the original book, but also being an invaluable help in assisting me in multiple ways with the 15,000 words of rewrites), he is also quite right. I'm happy that was conveyed in the book, Jonathan.

Chalice made it clear to Tierin why she chose him, so when the question came up on this thread, it seemed I could assume that all Diegose chose their riders in the same way.

*nods * Makes perfect sense to me, Jonathan. A wise assumption.

I posted for test readers a couple months ago, Brendan.

*smiles * Okay. Thanks for the questions, Brendan.