Post by Tarra on Jan 31, 2011 10:16:05 GMT -5
Name: R'thar
Age: 18 years (born March, Turn 1239)
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Rank: Bronzerider
Wing: Vanish Half-Wing, Vanguard Wing
Appearance:
(Play-by: Milo Ventimiglia)
R'thar stands at 5'9", with a rangy build from his time on the islands and his long years as a youth working the Trade routes with his family. His frame is a sturdy one - moderately muscled and with hardly an ounce of extra fat on him. A few small scars mark his arms and legs where heavy furniture sank too deep into his flesh as he lifted them - or when they fell on him. A very slight unevenness in his left calf shows where he broke his leg four turns ago after falling from a runaway runner. His shoulders are broad and rough like those who have done lifting work since their childhood, and his palms are rough with the calluses of a boy accustomed to doing everything with his own hands.
Yet the roughness of his body contrasts the quiet gentleness of his brown eyes, set beneath well-defined eyebrows. Both his brows and hair are a black-brown shade, the hair worn short as part of his working life. The set of his jaw is square and firm, but with enough curve in it to give him a milder appearance than some men. His skin tone and complexion are lightly tanned from the harsh and active lifestyle he keeps as a rough-living Rider, but coupled with his general unshavenness it tends to come across as attractive. In a stern, unwavering sort of way, of course.
Personality:
Quote: "I killed a man with my bare hands to save my skin. I've not been the same ever since."
R'thar comes across, at first glance, as a relatively easy-going fellow. He is calm and mellow and laidback in many aspects, and in casual situations he is happy to let others make the first move, have the first say. Yet he is also very observant, an intelligent listener, and enjoys a good joke every now and then. The requisite young bronze-rider, in short: capable of pulling his weight in leadership chops and intelligent opinion when needed, but often willing to take the back seat if nothing essential is at stake.
It also helps that R'thar is the hardworking sort - he puts himself 110% into his duties, and apparently doesn't like to break or bend rules unless it's really needed. He does the work, he gets the job done efficiently and quickly, and then he retires to his own world where no one sees who he really is. He is deeply loyal to those he deems to have earned his trust, and they are few; however to all others he is calm, mellow, cordial. A good person who is kind to everyone; a friend who will provide a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear - but at the same time never presume to share his secrets with you. His politeness and dutiful nature are praiseworthy, but his reticence is a huge pain to those trying to figure out his true motivations in any matter.
That's only for surface impressions, however. The mild-mannered character conceals a strength and passion so great he takes pains to hide it; and a ruthlessness that, when it surfaces, comes as a rude shock to those who might have thought they know him. However he might have been when younger, circumstances have pushed R'thar into the open and shaped him into a young man who, while he generally remains kind and chivalrous at heart, can and will do the most savage things to ensure the survival of his dragon and himself. It might be a leaf taken from Lenigrath's book, but like his dragon, he will not balk from being cruel in order to be kind. As a leader he knows the hard decisions will come, and he will deal with them as need calls.
Sharp and perceptive by nature, he also functions as the 'brains' between Lenigrath and himself, and with his trader's background he has the street-smarts and cunning to enforce his will in most situations. R'thar may take the back seat on some things in acknowledgement of his youth and relative inexperience, but as times passes it will become clear that he is in no way pre-disposed to be a follower. He knows the value of his position and the prestige his dragon's skin color calls for, and is not afraid to enforce the respect required for it.
Few things drive R'thar to open rage, but when they do, beware! Slow to anger, terrible in wrath: such is his way. He prefers to wait until all possible excuses and reasons have been exhuasted before he comes down hard on someone who has truly made him mad, and this trait has earned him a reputation for being vindictive, though he is hardly so. He simply remembers everything that has been said and done, even if others don't. Stress can have adverse effects on him too, but he is adept at hiding them. It helps that he has done hard work since his childhood and can handle duties that would break others. But if R'thar ever explodes on anyone without warning or provocation, it can only mean that he has overtaxed himself severely and is near a breakdown.
Family:
(Father) Scarn, Trader (38 years older)
(Mother) Tila, Trader, (36 years older)
(Brother) Soren, Trader (15 years older)
(Sister) Tara, (3 years younger)
Background:
R'thar was born as Ruthar to a long bloodline of Traders who have sold virtually every product throughout the generations. More recently they preferred to deal in furniture, especially wood-crafted items. He is the middle son of Scarn and Tila, both Traders majoring in wood-crafted furniture. R'thar also has an older brother named Soren who runs his own trade route in wine on the other side of Pern; and a younger sister named Tara who travels with his parents.
The boy was born on the road, literally. Tila, though heavily pregnant, had decided that she was not going to give up on an important deal, and her baby was just going to have to deal with it. Thankfully however, she was intelligent enough to take precautions, and so a Healer skilled in midwifery was at hand when Ruthar was born on the route between Fort Hold and Ruatha.
Scarn was less than happy at the extra burdens to be handled in the middle of such a trek, but his annoyance was heftily outweighed at his joy in having another son. Being a straightforward and hardbitten character, however, he showed little of this to his child, and for years afterward Ruthar would live with the nagging belief that his father saw only what he could be used for, and not his true person.
It was Tila, and his uncle Liran, that the young Ruthar was truly close to. The normadic life of a Trader leaves little chance for attachment to any particular place, and so Ruthar grew close to those who travelled often with his family on the routes. His brother Soren was good to him as well- but being much older he was already preparing to start his own trade route in the east. When Ruthar was 4 turns of age, Soren left for good with a few other youngsters and his parents' blessings to start his new route.
With Soren gone, Ruthar grew closer to his cousin Thaddos, who was the only other child of his age amongst the Trader band. They grew up together working the routes, and both became lean and strong with the years of work. Scarn drove his son hard, drlling him in reading, writing and numbers - the essential skills of a Trader. He meant well, but the harshness of his nature forced a wedge between them; a divide that only widened with the years. Ruthar became quieter and more withdrawn. His character was always bubbly and fun, but as the years passed it took on a more serious side, becoming a calm and mellow humour more used to diffuse tension or to turn aside anger with a well-placed joke. The thought of laughing for the sake of laughing itself was all but forgotten by the time Ruthar reached 15 turns of age.
For a time he confided in Tila, his mother. But at the age of 12 turns he learnt by accident that his mother would discuss what he had said with Scarn, trying to get him to loosen up on the boy. The revelation was a shock to Ruthar, and from then on he clammed up completely. He remained obedient and committed in his duties, but was rarely ever open to anyone again. A pity, though: if he had maintained ties with his mother she might have been able to tell him how proud his father was of him, how Scarn wanted him to take over their route when they finally retired. But the words were never spoken, and those sentiments were never told.
Woodcrafting was a subject of immense interest to Ruthar, and throughout his life with the Traders he sought every opportunity possible to pursue the topic. He learnt much in theory, but due to Scarn's objections he was never apprenticed despite his enthusiasm. The sense of loss at being unable to pursue this passion was, however, offset by the goods that his parents traded in. Ruthar developed a sharp eye for what was good wood, what was useless wood, and what was plain rotten through. His expertise so impressed Scarn that the older man finally consented to letting him have a small beginners' set of carving tools when he was 14 turns of age. Ruthar has yet to make anything big, but he has a growing collection of small wooden figures in his tent - all very crude in form, but lovingly made.
It was on the spring route out of Telgar Hold that an event occured which would change Ruthar's life forever. Standing guard one night in the chill air of late winter, a flicker of sound beyond the camp caught his attention. He had been partnered with another older boy, a fairly nasty character an know bully, and in the way of things soon found himself pushed out to examine the recurrent sounds. This Ruthar did reluctantly, with his belt knife at the ready, but nothing could have prepared him for the rush of wings and wind, a sharp blow that knocked the knife away, then a wild grappling move as he suddenly found himself airborne and rapidly climbing away from the camp, with a voice in his head telling him to be quiet or risk falling to the ever further ground below...
It was terrifying to be sure, especially when the rough talons tightened on him and all abruptly went white with the chill of between; but after they had landed and the bluerider had explained himself, Ruthar found he was more happy than afraid. The thought troubled him at first and then faded away; hadn't he always wanted to find a life for himself outside of Scarn's shadow and the ever-bitter sense that he would never belong? Uncertain and dangerous though his future now seemed, the prospect of having a dragon of his own was without doubt tantalizing, and he intended to see to it that he never had reason to be stuck with his father's caraven again...
Pets:
Joy
Green firelizard
Hatchling (hatched July, 1257)
Appearance:
Small and dainty, this little green is quite the charming girl; aside from her unusually small size, there isn’t really a whole lot to set her apart from other greens appearance-wise. She is somewhat long in general, with a long neck and tail. Not quite enough to be called ‘whippy’ but close. Her eyes are a tad on the large side, as are her headknobs. She is a uniform medium green, nothing too exciting. She has no markings to be seen but if one looks closely they might be able to see a faint darkening of her underbelly, starting at her chest and running to the base of her tail.
Personality:
Energetic and spritely, this flitter stands out more because of her personality than her appearance. Affectionate and playful, she’s almost like a small child: trusting, naïve, and almost always happy. Life is just a bowl of cherries as far as this green is concerned and she will encourage everyone around her to think the same. Eager to please, she will always be coming up with new games to play with her bonded and if you can convince her to see training as another of these games, it will be a cinch. But beware: like most children (and green firelizards for that matter), her attention span is woefully short. A few minutes of training several times a day will be ideal for her; any more than that and she will quickly grow bored.
Dragon
Name: Lenigrath (aka "Lenny")
Age: Yearling
Hatch Date: March 1256
Color: Bronze (#E3A869)
Out of: gold Beaumantoth
By: bronze Durrith
Hatched from: Purification egg
Redeemed from: Telgar Weyr
Description:
Even as a hatchling Lenigrath was a large, hulking beast; now as an semi-adult it is becoming clear that at full growth he will dwarf even the largest of browns and give a gold a run for her money. In spite (or perhaps because) of his large size at birth, he is a “slow grower”; Lenigrath was always larger than his clutchmates, but they all grew faster than him even if it wasn't obvious. It will be a few turns yet before he even fully matures physically, but when he does he will be larger than what is considered average for a bronze, though not so mammoth as to draw any odd speculations or comments. It will be noticeable, but only when he’s being directly compared to another dragon. Despite his rather admirable size, he’s fairly average in build. Make no mistake that this bronze is built for power; he will be long, but muscular, and everything will be proportionate.
Lenigrath's color, on the other, hand is something else again. Even more unique than his size, it is always the first to attract attention. For the most part, Lenigrath is a very handsome shade. He is a pale bronze - and unmistakably metallic. His hide gleams and seems to almost sparkle in good light, but even in bad lighting he bears an unmistakable metallic sheen, leaving no doubt in anyone’s mind as to his true color. His base color is a very attractive golden-brown, shot through with hints of red. What makes his hue truly unique however, is the green that lines the edges of his wings as well as his neck- and eyeridges. Some bronzes are greenish in hue, but Lenigrath’s hide only contains green in these areas. It is a deep, noticeable shade, as though he truly is made of metal and that metal has begun to tarnish in these spots.
Personality:
Despite his physical splendor, Lenigrath is woefully lacking in brains. He has the typical bronze pride and arrogance but not the typical bronze intelligence. However he is smart enough to realize this fatal flaw, and does his best to hide it which is not always easy. He often has to think abnormally long and hard about a question or situation before - almost cautiously - offering his answer. It’s really the only area in which he lacks the normal bronze confidence. Lenigrath knows he’s a sexy beast, but he also knows he doesn’t quite have the brainpower that most of his peers do, and that causes his confidence to flag considerably.
As such Lenigrath often goes out of his way to avoid being asked advice or opinions on a situation, lest his answer not make sense and he’s called out on it. Fortunately he’s also an excellent bluffer. He is fantastic at making people who question him feel as though they are the stupid ones. He also puts up a convincing façade - most of the untouchable arrogance Lenigrath displays is meant to keep people away from him. And if all else fails, well, there's always R'thar to turn to - and the bronze has rapidly become adept at looking to his bonded for the plans or proper responses in most situations.
Although this aspect is rather frustrating to him, Lenigrath does have his strong points. Mainly this is in the form of will power. He’s a stubborn bronze, which is actually more of a double-edged blade that cuts both ways. He is unlikely to give up on a task that’s given to him but this can carry on into nigh obsession. Choose tasks carefully for this bronze! His determination is quite admirable but he rarely knows when to quit.
And slow though he might be in some aspects, Lenigrath is ruthlessly fast to respond when the need calls for it. This he displayed clearly at his hatching, taking it upon himself to end the misery of his deformed green sister when no one else stepped up to it. He might not be the brightest spark when it comes to the more cerebral or conceptual questions, but that has almost no bearing at all on his wits and reflexes when he must react in any situation.
And if others can manage to delve past the protective barrier that Lenigrath puts up, they’ll find a creature who may be a bit on the slow side, but ultimately has a heart of gold. He is often gruff and even a tad unpleasant with strangers, acting quite aloof and untouchable. However, His will always know the truth.
Behind closed doors, Lenigrath can also display extraordinary patience. Although he is easily frustrated with himself at times, with others his tolerance seems to know no bounds. He secretly loves children of any species or variety. Although he may make a scene about complaining to His if there’s ever a passel of kids climbing on him, make no mistake that the bronze will be secretly loving it; and his rider will always be privy to Lenigrath’s deepest thoughts and emotions. He may be closed off to strangers, but with His Lenigrath will be forever an open book, hiding nothing and sharing everything. His openness does come at a cost, however: he fully expects the same of His. Although he certainly has his flaws, Lenigrath is a bronze who can still be admired.
The story continues...
Attending to Dreams (Touching - Redemption Clutch)
- In which Ruthar ponders eggs and hatchings
One Dream or the Other
- In which Ruthar meets Nyssa
Victorious Redemption (Hatching)
- In which Ruthar is polite to Siobhan, hears a buzz, and meets Lenigrath (becoming R'thar in the process)
The Welcome Wagon
- In which R'thar and Lenigrath arrive at their new home
The Birthing-Month Gift
- In which R'thar ponders the possibilities of his new existence
W'ling Lesson #1.a - Rationalizing
- In which R'thar and Lenigrath reach an understanding
W'ling Lesson #1.b - The Shuffle
- In which R'thar and Lenigrath greet the half-new weyrlings
So We Meet Again...
- In which R'thar renews ties with Nyssa
W'ling Lesson #6 - Disaster Preparedness
- Whereby R'thar and Lenigrath ponder trouble
All my eggs in one basket (Flitter Clutch distribution)
- In which R'thar and Lenigrath test waters
Inspections
- In which R'thar renews acquaintance with Nyssa
Books and whatsnot
- In which R'thar meets Syrus...
[Skirmish] - 20 July 1257
- In which R'thar and Lenigrath look for trouble...and find it
[Plot] Betrayal in my Blood
- In which R'thar and Lenigrath find a chance for revenge...
[Candidate Lesson] A Meeting of Minds
- In which R'thar and Lenigrath meet the young minds of the Weyr
