Name: R’ogun
Age: 37
Sex: Male
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
Weyr: High Reaches Weyr
Rider Rank: Wingleader of the Harbingers
Previous Rank/Craft: Wingrider
Physical Description: R'ogun is not the stereotypical statuesque bronzerider. He's not too tall, only about 5’9”, a bit long in the torso and a bit short-shanked, though decently broad in the shoulders. He has naturally-wavy auburn hair that’s kept trimmed just below the tips of his round, sizable ears. His dark brown eyes are large and heavily-lidded, often featuring stylish bags and dark circles that beg for a little more sleep. He’s missing the ring finger of his right hand and the first joint of his left pinkie and middle fingers—the former bitten off by a feline and the latter two taken as payment for stolen goods when he was a teenager. Along with the missing finger, his entire right hand is marked with bite scars and has a tendency to stiffen up in cold weather.
Personality: Something about R’ogun smacks of a big brother, or perhaps a youthful and trendy dad. He’s all business in front of a group, but one-on-one interaction is his specialty and is usually a pretty casual affair. It’s done that way on purpose, to give anarchic or anxious wingmembers a sense of being “off the record.” He’s very approachable, and there’s always a sense of placid serenity when a tough subject comes up. A lot of it is calculated and impartial, being a part of his job, but though he doesn’t often say so in tender words, he really does care about people, especially those in his charge. So much so that at times he’ll overwork himself trying to fit everyone into his already busy schedule. The added stress interferes with his sleep patterns in a most unpleasant manner, but he tries to let the bags under his eyes be the only indication of the lengthy and horrible dreams he’ll have on those nights.
R’ogun is very detail-oriented and remembers ridiculous amounts of information about people and things that are important to him. He collects glass marbles in every color and dice made from every material crafters will utilize. The dice are his real passion, and he is able to recall who made them and when, the story behind their creation, what they were made from, how much he paid for them, and even what he was wearing and the weather at the time of the transaction or receipt of the items as a gift. He’d like to have a set from every Master crafter on Pern, or several, if they’re uniquely-made sets. Sometimes his passion goes a little too far, however. More than a few of his treasured objects were stolen or bought on an irresponsible whim with the last of his marks. Though he’s come a long way during his turns at High Reaches, he still suffers strong temptations and occasionally falls prey to them.
After the extremes he’s experienced throughout his young life, there is very little that upsets him these days. It takes a lot of work to ruffle his feathers, and even when he does get angry, he will remain quite calm—alarmingly so at times. This is really when his particular eccentricities manifest at their maximum potency. One such idiosyncrasy is, in an attempt to control himself and anything else within his reach, he’ll go on a rampage in his weyr, counting out his collected trinkets, cleaning and organizing them. His furniture will be re-positioned, sometimes lined up like little wherries in a row by size, shape, or some other determination, or sometimes scattered about in bizarre places. On nights like this, if he sleeps at all, he will usually do so in an unusual location, perhaps with Casreth, perhaps in the bath, perhaps up on the heights, if the weather is good for it.
Positive Trait List Spontaneous, relaxed, observant, dedicated
Negative Trait List Aberrant, avaricious, overextending
History: During his early life, Renogun was the whipping boy for some holder’s spoiled son who took full advantage of that servitude. The punishments he took on behalf of the son were heavy and often, and the son seemed to enjoy watching him suffer. Life was all about unfairness, hatred, and seeking justice. In pursuit of the latter, he finally set fire to the boy’s room. Though no harm came to the son, the Lord Holder literally threw Renogun to his feral felines as punishment, went to bed, and checked on them in the morning. Enough evidence of a death was left behind that no one suspected that the felines had not eaten their fill that night. His fingers numbered only nine and his wounds bled badly, but Renogun managed to escape the one-way journey to their bellies.
He lived on the streets as a wanton thief for several turns, suffering the loss of a few more finger joints and gaining permanent marks on his skin as he crossed the wrong sorts of people. During a Gather where he’d been studiously pickpocketing every likely-looking person, he was caught. Fortuitously, he was Searched (or perhaps “Searched,” but he was never sure) by a High Reaches dragon. His acceptance was probably the only thing that saved him from losing another finger, but what he really cared about was the promise of a full belly and a bed to sleep in.
After being there but a short time, he
hated the Weyr. He hated being under what felt like constant surveillance, being ordered about, and always expecting but never actually
receiving the punishment he knew he must deserve. It kept a layer of fear about him, always waiting for the moment when it would come. Because he never expected this little fantasy world to last, he did the bare minimum required of him and nothing more—even less, when he could get away with it. He
definitely did not want to become invested, lest he become attached and everything he had be torn away from him.
He was surprised, to say the least, when Casreth was shelled and a voice in his head told him that he’d done some bad things, but he was a good person and was loved more than he could imagine. He’d been told similar things a hundred times before, but it’d meant nothing coming from people who had no idea what they were talking about. He was sure they were only spouting the usual hackneyed lines they gave anyone they were already convinced would never amount to anything. Somebody who could actually read his thoughts, who saw everything he was and everything he’d done, and
still had something good to say about him, much less still
loved him… well, that was different.
That meant something.
It was a start, but change did not happen overnight. Life as weyrlings was a trial, with Renogun (now R’ogun) continuously alternating between pushing the Weyrlingmaster’s buttons and completely giving up on himself. The only thing that kept him going was Casreth, the one light in his life. That and the fact that the Weyrlingmaster was merciful was fortuitous for the young man, because he and his dragon had to suffer through two
turns of remedial training before they could be trusted to graduate and fly in a fighting wing.
He was never able to pinpoint any particular moment when he truly noticed it, but he eventually became aware that V’mel, as well as a few others in the Weyr, had been a constant presence in his life—a consistent source of direction and boundaries that he’d badly needed. Instead of getting kicked out of the Weyr, R’ogun and Casreth had been allowed to stay and were given the attention and correction they needed until things
finally clicked. R’ogun was sorry that he’d wasted so much time and caused himself and Casreth both to remain children in the eyes of the Weyr, but it wasn’t rubbed in his face. He was allowed to move forward. There was no further punishment.
Though part of him always felt his personal story was a little cliche, he came to realize that it seemed so because there were a lot of other folks like himself in the world. In the turns that followed, he and Casreth naturally connected with riders who had dealt with or were currently dealing with similar backgrounds and attitudes. Instead of letting the naysayers drag them back down, they tried to pull these folks in the opposite direction. High Reaches was a
good place to be. You could be your own person while still having your dignity and a purpose—and a
home. Sometimes other arguments worked better.
Sure, you can go back whenever you want. I mean, Bitra is so much better than this sharding prison. Remember how great it was before you had all the food you wanted cooked by someone else and set out on a table for you every day? It’s going to be so much better when you have to figure out how to feed a dragon as well as yourself. Totally worth the freedom from those stupid drills and lectures. No, Gedyth, they don’t leave buckets of free meat by the kitchen door in Bitra Hold. And they don’t have a herd to take from, unless you want your rider to be arrested for stealing. You have to go outside the hold and hunt everything yourself. Yes, in the wild. Still others only needed someone to connect with, someone who would care enough to spend time with them one-on-one.
The pair’s loyalty to the Weyr was won in full, and when they felt ready, they began to prepare for the possibility of someday earning an official leadership position.
Other: R’ogun has two most treasured dice sets. One pair was carved from the mast of the marauder ship White Fire. The abnormally pale wood was said to come from a grove of strange white trees discovered and cut by the captain himself, though it was claimed by experts to have been common wood that was somehow bleached. The pips on the dice were inlaid with precious metals from the captain’s ill-gotten hoard. (The other needs to be re-decided but is just for flavor.)
DRAGON
Name: Casreth
Age: 13
Color: Bronze
Size: 37'
Physical Description: Casreth is a smaller bronze, but doesn't seem to mind it. He is fighting fit and naturally has more dexterity in the air than some of his larger counterparts. (More when art comes!)
Personality: Casreth is a well of paternal love and support. He isn’t afraid to express his affection and does so often, but tempers it with firm language and expectations. This, unfortunately, overflows a bit into romance territory. He can be a bit bossy with his lovers, which is probably why he hasn’t settled down yet. He’d like to, though! He loves the idea of being with a gold with whom he can raise offspring, but hasn’t made that an absolute requirement to claim his hearts.
Unlike his rider, Casreth’s memory retention outside of the visual and physical realm is rather poor—anything that requires recital of names or dates, particularly. He’ll memorize drills without a hitch after flying through them a few times, but forget things like the names of riders
and dragons. He easily remembers faces he’s only seen once or twice, and that saves him in most situations as he can just share the face in his mind if he forgets their name during conversation, or have the name supplied by his rider. It does get a bit awkward when he has to remember a lot names in a public setting for roll call and the like, though. Repetition over a period of time is the best learning method for him. Sometimes he and R’ogun will sit on the sidelines while on break and just practice naming everyone in sight.
One thing that Casreth takes notice of more than his rider does is color. He is a dragon who fully subscribes to High Reaches’ traditions, though not in any way that is harsh. Greens, blues and whites only fly half-falls so they can keep up their health for the long haul—because they are the core of the Weyr’s fighting strength, not because they are somehow inferior. Allowing for individuals who don’t always fit the mold, Golds and bronzes are the strongest and provide the next generation, both colors given gifts of leadership that ultimately benefit everyone in the Weyr. Browns are the center line, able to work hard as full-fall fighting dragons or provide the necessary genetics for the future. He feels that all dragons should embrace their roles instead of feeling limited by them but tries to be understanding with those whose very nature seems to disagree.
Dragon Art or Proof of Obtainment: 2019 Wingleader/Second Shakeup results
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