Post by madb on Oct 13, 2013 13:25:41 GMT -5
NAME: X'ar (pronounced: eks-ar)
RANK: Wingleader of Gust, Weyrsecond
AGE: 53 turns
GENDER: male
ORIENTATION: heterosexual
DRAGON: Bronze Historith x
PETS: nada
APPEARANCE:
When he was a younger man, X'ar was handsome, in a kind of humble, guy-next-door sort of way. His hair was a light brown, almost mousy, and it curled atop his head. He started losing it relatively early in his career, which he blames on the stress and the demands of the responsibilities he had placed upon himself. At one point, he simply began to cut it as close as possible to his head, to save himself the trouble of watching it thin.
The old bronzerider is a relatively athletic and healthy looking man for his age, with very little fat or excess on his body. About an averaged sized fellow, 5'8", he does have a tenancy to hunch over, or otherwise make himself seem not so imposing, which is a subconscious effort. His eyes are bright and warm, crinkled with laugh lines along the edges, though of late they've been haunted by a dark overcast and accompanied with a frown. He's balding, but what hair he does have his white, as are the hairs on his chin.
X'ar hates the cold absolutely and can be often found wearing more clothing than you'd think would stifle in the weather--winter, his least favorite season, will find him wrapped in scarves and thick clothing. As he's gotten older and creakier-boned, this has only gotten worse, and he will occasionally walk about doing his business with a thick blanket wrapped around his shoulders because at this point in his life, what does he care what other people think?
PERSONALITY FAULTS:
Although kind, he is a conservative stick in the mud ('traditionalist' as he prefers to put it) and is quite colorist. This is somewhat masked by his gentle personality, but perhaps it is even more subtle and dangerous to the 'lesser colors' - as he would refer to them - than if X'ar had been a brutal man. It is easy to rage against an obvious bully, and much more difficult to call out someone when they coat their language with kindness. Stubborn and set in his ways, X'ar might listen to others, however he is convinced he sees the world and how it should work better than most anyone around him. He is also quite unambitious, very hesitant to change of any sort.
PERSONALITY STRENGTHS:
Gentle mannered, quiet, X'ar is a non-assuming and soft-spoken man. Nevertheless, he radiates a calm sort of confidence. There is steel beneath his eyes, indicating a willful personality that will bend to the changing winds yet never break. People tend to listen to the man when he speaks, and as he seems reasonable and contemplative, he manages to have a loyal group of (particularly older) riders who agree with much of what he says. X'ar is very dutiful, and puts the needs of the Weyr above his own, even at the cost to his own health. He is responsible and quite kind as well.
KIND OF BOTH:
Experienced and calm, X'ar is known by those in his wing to be a rock in the middle of threadfall as well as in training, and quite protective of the riders under his charge. Despite this, he overtly favors the bronzes and browns, and his protectiveness of the blues and greens in his wing can come across as patronizing. He treats them kindly, but occasionally as though he is afraid greenriders cannot control their dragon's urges, and as if blues are all lost in a daze of over-sensitivity.
FAMILY:
X'anos - father, deceased
(numerous half-siblings)
Sarena - mother, likely deceased
Istela - weyrmate, deceased
HISTORY:
Born Xaesar (ek-say-sar), one of bronzerider X'anos's large brood. His mother was Sarena, she had been brought from the holds as a candidate, but never Impressed. Like most weyrbrats, Xaesar was brought up by the weyr though he had even less contact with his parents than most. He never did meet his mother, she went back to her hold without telling anyone that she had given birth, for her own safety. X'anos would occasionally check in with his older children, but he was too busy to keep up with the younger ones. Xaesar didn't really mind it much, he was a solitary child anyways. Enough so that the caretakers worried over him.
His stable hands and gentle, comforting presence brought him under the consideration of the weyrhealer. Although X'ar eventually wound up Impressing and becoming a capable rider, he would always look fondly back at that period of his life. The patients didn't mind that he wasn't talkative, and whenever he felt like the weyr was too loud elsewhere for him, he could always retreat to the infirmary. Of course, there was always the threat of sickness, horrible wounds, and even the occasional passing between. As a child, Xaesar watched these things wonderingly, fascinated by just how delicate even the most seemingly impressive riders around him were. How small things could bring down giants.
Historith found him on the sands on Xaesar's second Standing. The young boy had pushed another candidate out of the way of a seething green, taking the blow himself. As he bled on the sands from a nasty looking wound to his side, Xaesar looked up to find an awkward looking bronze staring down on him. Suddenly, his life would never be quiet again.
X'ar didn't mind, really. He had not realized as a shy child what comfort could be gained from a dragon, a perfect partner that could understand everything about you intuitively, and loved you unconditionally.
Though no fault was ever found in their abilities as riders, X'ar and Historith were often criticized for not fitting the bronze rider and dragon mold. Beyond being unambitious and uninterested in any of the politics of the weyr, Historith rarely flew greens. And he never tried for a gold, whether Queen or no.
The rumor was that there was something wrong with X'ar. And, he supposed, they were right in their own way. The truth of the matter was that he had a rather low sex drive, and that his repulsion to what he viewed as the sexually obsessed weyr culture had a negative effect on Historith - for all that dragons were viewed by some to almost bully their riders into awful situations during Flights, they did take their rider's feelings into account. On the rare occasion that Historith stretched his wings on a green's cry, he would often seem out of the race before it had even begun.
In fact, X'ar didn't even take another rider as a weyrmate. Instead, he formed a long relationship with a healer he fell in love with; Istela. She was not capable of bearing children, which upset them both, however they remained strong throughout it. X'ar never would respect anyone as much as he did Istela, and was wrecked when she passed before him at 43 turns.
Inconsolable for many turns, X'ar decided that he needed to transfer to a weyr where he could work away his feelings. Mavros seemed a perfect fit - young, in need of some serious help, and full of so much to do that X'ar could not possibly lose himself to grieving, like a dragon left behind by their rider.
IN THE EVENT OF YOUR SUDDEN, UNEXPLAINED DISAPPEARANCE FROM THE SITE AT ANY POINT IN TIME, WHAT DO YOU WISH TO BECOME OF THIS CHARACTER AND ANY CREATURES THEY MAY IMPRESS?
a. Put them up for adoption by another player.
