Post by Shikai on May 20, 2008 19:25:45 GMT -5
Character Name: Aclaryn (ah-CLAIR-en)
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Preference: Both
Previous Position: Lord Holder’s son
Current Position: Candidate
Appearance: Aclaryn is a tall boy, although not awkwardly so. He is one of those people whose presence is immediately noticed when he enters a room, as he seems to exude a confident, powerful aura. This is not due to any impressive physical stature, for he has a slim build, but because of his learned, practiced way of carrying himself. His hair is longer than the average and very straight, falling nearly to his shoulders. It is jet black in color, and usually smooth and glossy due to good care. He has wide, thoughtful eyes that are a vibrant jade green in color, and are very expressive, allowing him to convey his emotions and thoughts wordlessly. However, he had much difficulty learning to mask inappropriate feelings and reactions as was necessary for a Lord Holder, or someone aspiring to be one, due to this. While he has learned to be careful and better keep his thoughts to himself, one can still see them in his eyes if they know him. His skin is paler than what one would expect for a boy brought up on the Southern Continent, as he spent most of his time indoors studying and learning how to attend to the affairs of the hold, rather than outdoors doing physical labor.
Personality: On the surface, Aclaryn always seems poised and confident, carrying himself with the dignity expected from one in his position. He rarely stumbles with his words, possessing an acute mind and a quick wit to match. He is good with people, able to adapt himself as needed depending on who he is speaking to, and he has a good sense of humor. Confident as he seems, there is little Aclaryn hates more than conflict. He does his best to alleviate tension with witty remarks, and it is apparent after watching him do this again and again that he never intends to start a confrontation, however needed or necessary it may be. If there is something Aclaryn doesn’t want to do, he procrastinates and dances around the issue for as long as possible to avoid it. He often acted as a negotiator and peacekeeper when his friends at the hold got into a fight, to clear up issues as soon as possible and avoid having to take sides later. While he actively competed with Treylis to be his father’s heir, he doesn’t really enjoy the power and responsibility that comes with leadership. Rather, he simply didn’t know what he would do with his life if he was not chosen to be the next Lord Holder, as he was trained for, as Aclaryn has difficulty thinking about his future, and prefers not to. It was often said of Aclaryn by his parents that he is irresponsible, and lacking in good morals and discipline. This is due to his conflict-avoidance, as he often skirts uncomfortable tasks set to him, ignoring his problems in favor of riding runners with his friends, and that he developed a reputation for being more interested in girls than Hold politics, and sleeping around with many of them. This is undeniably true, as Aclaryn is very much a ladies’ man, and likes to flirt. He does, however, have morals, they are simply different than those his parents would have him observe, as he prefers to think for himself what is right and wrong. Commitment scares Aclaryn, as he is never quite sure what he wants from his life, and he especially fears being tied to one girl because of the inevitable conflict that would arise if he changed his mind. Aclaryn is usually polite and amiable, yet somehow aloof when he first meets people. It takes a little while before he will truly open up to someone, but once he finds them trustworthy, he can be surprisingly candid about his life, occasionally disclosing details others may not wish to know. With those he likes and trusts, he seems to have no shame, and is unworried about what they think of him.
History: Aclaryn was born to Lord Telryn and Lady Aralis of the prosperous Dawnfire Hold, on the Southern Continent. The couple already had one son, nearly two turns old, named Treylis. The boys knew from a young age that only one of them could be their father’s successor as Lord Holder, and naturally, began the rivalry of a parent’s nightmare. Rather than learning a craft, Aclaryn was brought up learning how to manage a hold. He also learned how to carry himself, act around important men and women from other holds, and the politics of holds and crafthalls. Aclaryn easily picked up the social aspects and facts about who was who, but found that while he could understand politics, he was hopeless when it came to negotiating and taking a stand for his hold. Aclaryn became frustrated, as he was unable to best his older brother in this respect, began to doubt that he could ever be chosen over Treylis, who seemed to be everything he was not.
His mother had had another child, this time a girl, nearly four years younger than Aclaryn. The girl, named Selra, had instantly become their mother’s favorite, but Aclaryn never really minded, as he felt neither reason nor desire to compete with her. Rather, he thought fondly of her, and even enjoyed doting on his little sister.
When Aclaryn was fifteen, his father was given a fire lizard clutch as a generous gift from a minor holder. He selected five of the eggs for his family, one for each person, and dispersed the rest strategically. Telryn’s was decidedly the largest, and Aralis’s the second-largest, while the other three were about the same in size. Aralis, who didn’t really care for the little creatures, gave her egg to Selra. Aclaryn couldn’t help but be suspicious that Treylis had been given a bigger egg than he, and while there was no visible difference, Treylis’s egg bore a blue while Aclaryn’s contained a green. Telryn’s was a fine bronze, and Selras’ hatched a brown and a green. Aclaryn adored his little green, for she was beautiful, without a doubt, and carried herself like a young lady holder herself, so that he often called her ‘his lady’, as she always accompanied him like one at Gathers. However, he was certain that Treylis had been given the larger egg, and was resentful of their father for this.
As the boy grew, his love of Gathers and shameless pursuit of girls became the stuff of rumors, and Telryn became displeased with his younger son’s habits in socializing. He often told Aclaryn to be more mature and responsible, but the boy simply shrugged off his father’s advice.
One Gather, however, would prove to be a fateful night in Aclaryn’s life. Traders and merchants had poured in from distant holds and crafthalls for what was one of the largest Gathers Dawnfire had seen in turns, set to span over several days. Lord Telryn’s greatest pride, an impressive array of metal-crafted blades, had been assembled in the armory, to be displayed on the final day of the Gather as a show of Dawnfire’s wealth. The first night of the Gather, Aclaryn was wandering the area around the dancing square when he caught sight of a small crowd. Curious, he moved toward it, and saw that it was actually a cluster of young men gathered around a girl who looked to be about 17 or 18, a dancer traveling with a caravan. He watched, as mesmerized as the rest of them, as she performed. She clearly had talent as a dancer, and was beautiful as well – only added to by the light of the full moon, glinting silver off her dark skin and curls. As she finished her performance, Aclaryn joined the procession following her, with the other hold lads clamoring for a dance with her at the nearby dancing square. To his surprise, she picked the fifteen-turn-old lord holder’s son out of the crowd, and, ecstatic, he shared several dances with her until they were both exhausted, and left to find a place to rest and talk.
Once they found themselves alone, he learned that her name was Liira, and he listened, enraptured, as she described her life to him, wandering with her caravan from hold to hold, stopping at Gathers wherever they could. How lucky she was! He could only dream of such freedom. Aclaryn was bound to Dawnfire and stuck in a perpetual competition with Treylis, fighting a battle he doubted he would win for a prize he wasn’t sure he wanted. To be free to wander Pern, to see all the sights it had to offer, traveling to Gather after Gather…what better life could there be? But Liira smiled sadly, shaking her head. No, it was he who was the lucky one. Constantly on the move, she could never form lasting relationships. Any friends she was able to make, she would have to bid farewell the next day, and who knew if they would ever meet again?
Aclaryn felt a connection to Liira unlike anything he had felt before, and she seemed to reciprocate his feelings. The two talked late into the night, and he opened up to her, for the first time pouring out his innermost feelings and anxieties, while she simply listened, yet there was nothing Aclaryn wanted more. Eventually they were forced to part, but resolved to meet the next day, and spend the Gather together when Liira wasn’t required to dance in hopes of winning the spare marks of the boys from the hold.
She stuck to her word, and the boy found Liira waiting for him the next morning at the appointed meeting place. However, rather than enjoy the Gather festivities, she asked if they couldn’t wander the hold instead, away from the crowds. She spent her life split between Gathers and traveling, after all, and it would be nice to simply see a hold and talk to a friend for once. Aclaryn agreed, as he had fallen quite head over heels for her, and was willing to do anything she wanted. So they wandered for hours, and their discussion turned to their future. There had to be a way for Liira to stay at the hold with him. He had known her for but a day, but it felt like so much longer. The boy was convinced that Liira was his soulmate. But it seemed that their only option was marriage, and Aclaryn knew his father wouldn’t even consider allowing his son to marry at his age. Liira, sadly accustomed to such partings, simply told him that they should make the best of their time.
Dawnfire was a remarkably prosperous hold, she remarked, as Aclaryn showed her the sights of his home. Did they have an armory? Liira claimed that she had always been somehow fascinated by blades, admiring both their beauty, and their danger. Blades? Aclaryn had never cared much for the things, but he was eager to make Liira happy. After a moment’s internal debate, for he knew his father would be enraged should he ever learn that his son had brought someone into his armory, he somewhat reluctantly led her to the large locked door. After ensuring that no one was watching, he slipped his set of hold keys from his pocket, undid the locks, and the two snuck inside. Liira’s eyes widened with wonder as she beheld the large collection, blades of all different designs and sizes neatly left in their places, awaiting their move to a more suitable display place the next day. Though he was rather uncomfortable, afraid that someone would notice them, he was nonetheless happy to please Liira. He carefully locked the doors again as they left, and resumed their wandering.
As night came, Liira had another strange request – where were Aclaryn’s chambers? As a Lord Holder’s son, certainly he had a nice room. She had never had a room of her own. He certainly wasn’t going to deny any requests she had, and took Liira to his room. It was a fairly good one, spacious, and with decent furnishings. Yet as he haphazardly pointed out what few points of interest there were, hoping to return to the Gather and perhaps join Liira in a few more dances before she left the next day, it became clear that it wasn’t Aclaryn’s furniture the girl was interested in. He was quite taken aback by her advances, at barely fifteen turns, the lad had never actually gone beyond harmless flirting with anyone before. But Liira was insistent, and wouldn’t be dissuaded by Aclaryn’s feeble protests. The act left him more confused than anything, as he simply hadn’t been ready for the barrage of strange emotions.
When he awoke the next morning, he was disappointed to find that Liira wasn’t by his side, wanting to talk to her about what had happened between them. He hastily dressed, digging through the pockets of the previous day’s pants in search of his keys, and seemed to go emotionally numb as he realized that they were nowhere to be found. No, it simply couldn’t be. Dazed, he left his room, wandering down the corridors of Dawnfire in search of Liira. The hold was in a panic, which became clearer as Aclaryn’s feet took him nearer to the armory. His worst fears were confirmed – the doors were open, not broken into, but simply unlocked, and in front of the room stood Telryn, his face contorted into an expression of barely contained, absolute rage. He turned to face Aclaryn as he heard his son approach, and his expression turned to one of contempt as a glance at the lad’s face confirmed his suspicions. Aclaryn nearly began to tremble, certain that he was about to face his father’s full fury. However, the Lord Holder quietly informed Aclaryn that the dancer he had been with could not be found, making it clear to the boy that Liira’s caravan were not mere entertainers, but thieves. He seemed to think that the betrayal was punishment enough for Aclaryn, and never spoke of the incident again.
But just as Telryn left, Treylis appeared from around the corner, no doubt busying himself with trying to help the futile search for Liira and her caravan, but stopped when he caught sight of his brother. Feeling, perhaps, that Aclaryn had gotten off too easily from his father, he proceeded to inform Aclaryn of exactly how much of an idiot he was. Aclaryn, still reeling from Liira’s treachery, was unable to so much as attempt to argue with Treylis, and he could only stand dumbly, facing the older boy as his brother hurled an onslaught of insults. Once Treylis was satisfied, he left to resume the search for the thieves, leaving Aclaryn frozen, still gaping uncomprehendingly at the empty armory.
Slowly, the numbness faded, leaving him with so many unwanted emotions that he longed for the state of shock to return. In only three days, he had found the girl he knew he was meant to be with, had his first intimate experience with someone, and been betrayed, cut to his very core. It was too much for Aclaryn to handle, but he had no one to talk to about it. Aclaryn wanted to hate Liira. She would deserve it too, after using him as she had to steal Dawnfire’s prized blades. But to his frustration, he found himself unable to. Instead, he was furious at himself and Treylis. How dare Treylis say such things to him, and at his very lowest state? As if Treylis could ever understand! He cared for no one but himself, for nothing but his ambition; he had never felt the connection with someone that Aclaryn had had with Liira. He had never been betrayed by that very person he had bared his soul to. Any lingering affection for his brother vanished that day, leaving only a cold hatred Aclaryn felt for no one else. And of course, he blamed himself as well, cursing his naïveté. How had he been so stupid, so blind to her true intentions? Yet she really had seemed genuine whenever they had spoken. Even so, he should have noticed the way her eyes lingered on the keys, watching which he used to unlock the door, noting which pocket he placed them in. She had used him, and he had never suspected that she had an alternate motive, never questioned her requests.
But life goes on, and Aclaryn somehow moved past the incident, although he was never quite the same cheerful youth he had been before. He became more introspective, and created walls to guard himself. While he eventually returned to flirting, he kept all relationships purely informal flings, shying away immediately from anything serious. His trust became more difficult to earn, and his pride was especially crushed. He rebuilt it somewhat over the years, but lost a good deal of his self-confidence, even if his manner didn’t show it. He continued to compete as actively as ever with Treylis, but out of habit and spite, as he was utterly convinced that his father would never choose him after what he had done.
Over time, he also came to realize that he was not as straight as he had thought, for he had the uncomfortable revelation at a Gather that he was just as interested in the boys as the girls. However, he knew his parents would disapprove, and decided to keep this aspect of him a secret from his parents.
His life continued without event until suddenly, years of competition came to nothing. Telryn had been among the few proud holders who would not accept all the weyr’s demands, and had begun to withhold the tithes they asked for. However, the weyr would not stand for this, and sought to make an example out of the Lord Holder. Both Treylis and Aclaryn, Telryn’s only sons, were forcibly Searched, dragged away from the hold at sword and dagger point to be candidates at the weyr.
Position in Family: Middle child, with older brother Treylis and younger sister Selra.
Pets: Green fire lizard Valera
Alignment: Loyalist
(Despite his history of being forcefully Searched, Aclaryn is conflict-avoidant, and isn't the type to join a rebellion. xD He doesn't support the weyrleaders, necessarily, but is not a part of the rebel group.)
Relation to Existing Character: Younger brother to Treylis
Candidates Only Section:
Desired Dragon Colour: Brown
Reason for this Preference: Brown would be good. Because…I want a male brownrider. xD And it’d be fun for him, having a little authority if he wants it, but not required to take it up.
Syllable Numbers for Name: No Preference
Preferred Starting Letters for Name: No Preference
Preferred Dragon Ability: Team Coordination, Agility, Concentration
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Preference: Both
Previous Position: Lord Holder’s son
Current Position: Candidate
Appearance: Aclaryn is a tall boy, although not awkwardly so. He is one of those people whose presence is immediately noticed when he enters a room, as he seems to exude a confident, powerful aura. This is not due to any impressive physical stature, for he has a slim build, but because of his learned, practiced way of carrying himself. His hair is longer than the average and very straight, falling nearly to his shoulders. It is jet black in color, and usually smooth and glossy due to good care. He has wide, thoughtful eyes that are a vibrant jade green in color, and are very expressive, allowing him to convey his emotions and thoughts wordlessly. However, he had much difficulty learning to mask inappropriate feelings and reactions as was necessary for a Lord Holder, or someone aspiring to be one, due to this. While he has learned to be careful and better keep his thoughts to himself, one can still see them in his eyes if they know him. His skin is paler than what one would expect for a boy brought up on the Southern Continent, as he spent most of his time indoors studying and learning how to attend to the affairs of the hold, rather than outdoors doing physical labor.
Personality: On the surface, Aclaryn always seems poised and confident, carrying himself with the dignity expected from one in his position. He rarely stumbles with his words, possessing an acute mind and a quick wit to match. He is good with people, able to adapt himself as needed depending on who he is speaking to, and he has a good sense of humor. Confident as he seems, there is little Aclaryn hates more than conflict. He does his best to alleviate tension with witty remarks, and it is apparent after watching him do this again and again that he never intends to start a confrontation, however needed or necessary it may be. If there is something Aclaryn doesn’t want to do, he procrastinates and dances around the issue for as long as possible to avoid it. He often acted as a negotiator and peacekeeper when his friends at the hold got into a fight, to clear up issues as soon as possible and avoid having to take sides later. While he actively competed with Treylis to be his father’s heir, he doesn’t really enjoy the power and responsibility that comes with leadership. Rather, he simply didn’t know what he would do with his life if he was not chosen to be the next Lord Holder, as he was trained for, as Aclaryn has difficulty thinking about his future, and prefers not to. It was often said of Aclaryn by his parents that he is irresponsible, and lacking in good morals and discipline. This is due to his conflict-avoidance, as he often skirts uncomfortable tasks set to him, ignoring his problems in favor of riding runners with his friends, and that he developed a reputation for being more interested in girls than Hold politics, and sleeping around with many of them. This is undeniably true, as Aclaryn is very much a ladies’ man, and likes to flirt. He does, however, have morals, they are simply different than those his parents would have him observe, as he prefers to think for himself what is right and wrong. Commitment scares Aclaryn, as he is never quite sure what he wants from his life, and he especially fears being tied to one girl because of the inevitable conflict that would arise if he changed his mind. Aclaryn is usually polite and amiable, yet somehow aloof when he first meets people. It takes a little while before he will truly open up to someone, but once he finds them trustworthy, he can be surprisingly candid about his life, occasionally disclosing details others may not wish to know. With those he likes and trusts, he seems to have no shame, and is unworried about what they think of him.
History: Aclaryn was born to Lord Telryn and Lady Aralis of the prosperous Dawnfire Hold, on the Southern Continent. The couple already had one son, nearly two turns old, named Treylis. The boys knew from a young age that only one of them could be their father’s successor as Lord Holder, and naturally, began the rivalry of a parent’s nightmare. Rather than learning a craft, Aclaryn was brought up learning how to manage a hold. He also learned how to carry himself, act around important men and women from other holds, and the politics of holds and crafthalls. Aclaryn easily picked up the social aspects and facts about who was who, but found that while he could understand politics, he was hopeless when it came to negotiating and taking a stand for his hold. Aclaryn became frustrated, as he was unable to best his older brother in this respect, began to doubt that he could ever be chosen over Treylis, who seemed to be everything he was not.
His mother had had another child, this time a girl, nearly four years younger than Aclaryn. The girl, named Selra, had instantly become their mother’s favorite, but Aclaryn never really minded, as he felt neither reason nor desire to compete with her. Rather, he thought fondly of her, and even enjoyed doting on his little sister.
When Aclaryn was fifteen, his father was given a fire lizard clutch as a generous gift from a minor holder. He selected five of the eggs for his family, one for each person, and dispersed the rest strategically. Telryn’s was decidedly the largest, and Aralis’s the second-largest, while the other three were about the same in size. Aralis, who didn’t really care for the little creatures, gave her egg to Selra. Aclaryn couldn’t help but be suspicious that Treylis had been given a bigger egg than he, and while there was no visible difference, Treylis’s egg bore a blue while Aclaryn’s contained a green. Telryn’s was a fine bronze, and Selras’ hatched a brown and a green. Aclaryn adored his little green, for she was beautiful, without a doubt, and carried herself like a young lady holder herself, so that he often called her ‘his lady’, as she always accompanied him like one at Gathers. However, he was certain that Treylis had been given the larger egg, and was resentful of their father for this.
As the boy grew, his love of Gathers and shameless pursuit of girls became the stuff of rumors, and Telryn became displeased with his younger son’s habits in socializing. He often told Aclaryn to be more mature and responsible, but the boy simply shrugged off his father’s advice.
One Gather, however, would prove to be a fateful night in Aclaryn’s life. Traders and merchants had poured in from distant holds and crafthalls for what was one of the largest Gathers Dawnfire had seen in turns, set to span over several days. Lord Telryn’s greatest pride, an impressive array of metal-crafted blades, had been assembled in the armory, to be displayed on the final day of the Gather as a show of Dawnfire’s wealth. The first night of the Gather, Aclaryn was wandering the area around the dancing square when he caught sight of a small crowd. Curious, he moved toward it, and saw that it was actually a cluster of young men gathered around a girl who looked to be about 17 or 18, a dancer traveling with a caravan. He watched, as mesmerized as the rest of them, as she performed. She clearly had talent as a dancer, and was beautiful as well – only added to by the light of the full moon, glinting silver off her dark skin and curls. As she finished her performance, Aclaryn joined the procession following her, with the other hold lads clamoring for a dance with her at the nearby dancing square. To his surprise, she picked the fifteen-turn-old lord holder’s son out of the crowd, and, ecstatic, he shared several dances with her until they were both exhausted, and left to find a place to rest and talk.
Once they found themselves alone, he learned that her name was Liira, and he listened, enraptured, as she described her life to him, wandering with her caravan from hold to hold, stopping at Gathers wherever they could. How lucky she was! He could only dream of such freedom. Aclaryn was bound to Dawnfire and stuck in a perpetual competition with Treylis, fighting a battle he doubted he would win for a prize he wasn’t sure he wanted. To be free to wander Pern, to see all the sights it had to offer, traveling to Gather after Gather…what better life could there be? But Liira smiled sadly, shaking her head. No, it was he who was the lucky one. Constantly on the move, she could never form lasting relationships. Any friends she was able to make, she would have to bid farewell the next day, and who knew if they would ever meet again?
Aclaryn felt a connection to Liira unlike anything he had felt before, and she seemed to reciprocate his feelings. The two talked late into the night, and he opened up to her, for the first time pouring out his innermost feelings and anxieties, while she simply listened, yet there was nothing Aclaryn wanted more. Eventually they were forced to part, but resolved to meet the next day, and spend the Gather together when Liira wasn’t required to dance in hopes of winning the spare marks of the boys from the hold.
She stuck to her word, and the boy found Liira waiting for him the next morning at the appointed meeting place. However, rather than enjoy the Gather festivities, she asked if they couldn’t wander the hold instead, away from the crowds. She spent her life split between Gathers and traveling, after all, and it would be nice to simply see a hold and talk to a friend for once. Aclaryn agreed, as he had fallen quite head over heels for her, and was willing to do anything she wanted. So they wandered for hours, and their discussion turned to their future. There had to be a way for Liira to stay at the hold with him. He had known her for but a day, but it felt like so much longer. The boy was convinced that Liira was his soulmate. But it seemed that their only option was marriage, and Aclaryn knew his father wouldn’t even consider allowing his son to marry at his age. Liira, sadly accustomed to such partings, simply told him that they should make the best of their time.
Dawnfire was a remarkably prosperous hold, she remarked, as Aclaryn showed her the sights of his home. Did they have an armory? Liira claimed that she had always been somehow fascinated by blades, admiring both their beauty, and their danger. Blades? Aclaryn had never cared much for the things, but he was eager to make Liira happy. After a moment’s internal debate, for he knew his father would be enraged should he ever learn that his son had brought someone into his armory, he somewhat reluctantly led her to the large locked door. After ensuring that no one was watching, he slipped his set of hold keys from his pocket, undid the locks, and the two snuck inside. Liira’s eyes widened with wonder as she beheld the large collection, blades of all different designs and sizes neatly left in their places, awaiting their move to a more suitable display place the next day. Though he was rather uncomfortable, afraid that someone would notice them, he was nonetheless happy to please Liira. He carefully locked the doors again as they left, and resumed their wandering.
As night came, Liira had another strange request – where were Aclaryn’s chambers? As a Lord Holder’s son, certainly he had a nice room. She had never had a room of her own. He certainly wasn’t going to deny any requests she had, and took Liira to his room. It was a fairly good one, spacious, and with decent furnishings. Yet as he haphazardly pointed out what few points of interest there were, hoping to return to the Gather and perhaps join Liira in a few more dances before she left the next day, it became clear that it wasn’t Aclaryn’s furniture the girl was interested in. He was quite taken aback by her advances, at barely fifteen turns, the lad had never actually gone beyond harmless flirting with anyone before. But Liira was insistent, and wouldn’t be dissuaded by Aclaryn’s feeble protests. The act left him more confused than anything, as he simply hadn’t been ready for the barrage of strange emotions.
When he awoke the next morning, he was disappointed to find that Liira wasn’t by his side, wanting to talk to her about what had happened between them. He hastily dressed, digging through the pockets of the previous day’s pants in search of his keys, and seemed to go emotionally numb as he realized that they were nowhere to be found. No, it simply couldn’t be. Dazed, he left his room, wandering down the corridors of Dawnfire in search of Liira. The hold was in a panic, which became clearer as Aclaryn’s feet took him nearer to the armory. His worst fears were confirmed – the doors were open, not broken into, but simply unlocked, and in front of the room stood Telryn, his face contorted into an expression of barely contained, absolute rage. He turned to face Aclaryn as he heard his son approach, and his expression turned to one of contempt as a glance at the lad’s face confirmed his suspicions. Aclaryn nearly began to tremble, certain that he was about to face his father’s full fury. However, the Lord Holder quietly informed Aclaryn that the dancer he had been with could not be found, making it clear to the boy that Liira’s caravan were not mere entertainers, but thieves. He seemed to think that the betrayal was punishment enough for Aclaryn, and never spoke of the incident again.
But just as Telryn left, Treylis appeared from around the corner, no doubt busying himself with trying to help the futile search for Liira and her caravan, but stopped when he caught sight of his brother. Feeling, perhaps, that Aclaryn had gotten off too easily from his father, he proceeded to inform Aclaryn of exactly how much of an idiot he was. Aclaryn, still reeling from Liira’s treachery, was unable to so much as attempt to argue with Treylis, and he could only stand dumbly, facing the older boy as his brother hurled an onslaught of insults. Once Treylis was satisfied, he left to resume the search for the thieves, leaving Aclaryn frozen, still gaping uncomprehendingly at the empty armory.
Slowly, the numbness faded, leaving him with so many unwanted emotions that he longed for the state of shock to return. In only three days, he had found the girl he knew he was meant to be with, had his first intimate experience with someone, and been betrayed, cut to his very core. It was too much for Aclaryn to handle, but he had no one to talk to about it. Aclaryn wanted to hate Liira. She would deserve it too, after using him as she had to steal Dawnfire’s prized blades. But to his frustration, he found himself unable to. Instead, he was furious at himself and Treylis. How dare Treylis say such things to him, and at his very lowest state? As if Treylis could ever understand! He cared for no one but himself, for nothing but his ambition; he had never felt the connection with someone that Aclaryn had had with Liira. He had never been betrayed by that very person he had bared his soul to. Any lingering affection for his brother vanished that day, leaving only a cold hatred Aclaryn felt for no one else. And of course, he blamed himself as well, cursing his naïveté. How had he been so stupid, so blind to her true intentions? Yet she really had seemed genuine whenever they had spoken. Even so, he should have noticed the way her eyes lingered on the keys, watching which he used to unlock the door, noting which pocket he placed them in. She had used him, and he had never suspected that she had an alternate motive, never questioned her requests.
But life goes on, and Aclaryn somehow moved past the incident, although he was never quite the same cheerful youth he had been before. He became more introspective, and created walls to guard himself. While he eventually returned to flirting, he kept all relationships purely informal flings, shying away immediately from anything serious. His trust became more difficult to earn, and his pride was especially crushed. He rebuilt it somewhat over the years, but lost a good deal of his self-confidence, even if his manner didn’t show it. He continued to compete as actively as ever with Treylis, but out of habit and spite, as he was utterly convinced that his father would never choose him after what he had done.
Over time, he also came to realize that he was not as straight as he had thought, for he had the uncomfortable revelation at a Gather that he was just as interested in the boys as the girls. However, he knew his parents would disapprove, and decided to keep this aspect of him a secret from his parents.
His life continued without event until suddenly, years of competition came to nothing. Telryn had been among the few proud holders who would not accept all the weyr’s demands, and had begun to withhold the tithes they asked for. However, the weyr would not stand for this, and sought to make an example out of the Lord Holder. Both Treylis and Aclaryn, Telryn’s only sons, were forcibly Searched, dragged away from the hold at sword and dagger point to be candidates at the weyr.
Position in Family: Middle child, with older brother Treylis and younger sister Selra.
Pets: Green fire lizard Valera
Alignment: Loyalist
(Despite his history of being forcefully Searched, Aclaryn is conflict-avoidant, and isn't the type to join a rebellion. xD He doesn't support the weyrleaders, necessarily, but is not a part of the rebel group.)
Relation to Existing Character: Younger brother to Treylis
Candidates Only Section:
Desired Dragon Colour: Brown
Reason for this Preference: Brown would be good. Because…I want a male brownrider. xD And it’d be fun for him, having a little authority if he wants it, but not required to take it up.
Syllable Numbers for Name: No Preference
Preferred Starting Letters for Name: No Preference
Preferred Dragon Ability: Team Coordination, Agility, Concentration