Post by Shikai on Aug 21, 2008 12:07:47 GMT -5
Character Name: Shandar
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Preference: Both
Previous Position: Apprentice hold guard
Current Position: (Wher) Candidate
Appearance: Standing at 5’10, Shandar is tall enough to be intimidating without looking gawky. His build adds to this, for he is strong and well-muscled from turns of rigorous physical training. Shandar has naturally dark skin; a rich, bronze tone, with dark hair to match. It is difficult to tell if his hair is a very dark brown or a dull black, for it seems to have both shades intermixed. He almost never bothers with it beyond keeping it clean and doesn’t get it cut until it is long enough to be an annoyance, so it usually hangs down in long, wavy strands halfway between his ears and his shoulders. His eyes, almost perpetually narrowed in a glare, are hazel, a mottled blend of brown and green. Shandar’s overall appearance is usually rough and unkempt, due to a lack of effort on his part that stems from a complete lack of concern over what he looks like.
Personality: While it’s said that one can’t judge a book by its cover, in Shandar’s case, one’s first impressions are likely to be quite correct. He is as rough in manner as he is in appearance, and whether he has a natural complete lack of tact or simply doesn’t care enough about what others think of him to use it is anyone’s guess. Shandar is blunt and ill-mannered, saying what he wants regardless of how rude it may be. At least it can never be said that he is dishonest. Shandar tends to keep to himself rather than seek friends, as he had difficulty making them anyway. Besides, he doesn’t feel that he needs them, for he is independent and incurably stubborn, preferring to handle things on his own whenever possible. Even when he needs help, he is unlikely to seek it, insisting that he will be fine on his own no matter how hopeless the case. Shandar is anything but lazy, throwing himself immediately into whatever task he is given to get it done as quickly and efficiently as possible. The only time he acts in any way gentlemanly is when he likes someone, be they male or female. He isn’t averse to flirting, should someone take an interest in him that he reciprocates, although he would much prefer a serious relationship over a fling. It takes a lot for Shandar to fully open up to someone, as his policy has always been to keep his problems private. If someone manages to gain his friendship or more, they will find him an incredibly loyal friend, who can be greatly self-sacrificing for the sake of someone he cares about.
History: Shandar was born to Tiandar and Shala, the firstborn child of the newly married couple in a large, prosperous Southern Hold. The hold had suffered from raider attacks in the past, so the Lord Holders had created an order of guards to protect it, of which Tiandar was captain. Shala was a weaver, and a beautiful, though very fragile, young woman. The strain of Shandar’s birth was so great on her that the healers advised that she not attempt to bear another child, for the sake of her health. This didn’t prove to be a problem until five years after Shandar’s birth. Shala became pregnant again, and was determined to bring her baby into the world. After a grueling labor that stretched on for almost a day, she gave birth to a small girl, but at the cost of her life.
The child was named Shanti, and as Tiandar was busy with his duties to the hold and unable to raise an infant and a five year old on his own, the hold women looked after them for the most part. Shandar idolized his father, of whom he saw little, wanting to become a guard as well rather than be apprenticed in a craft. Pleased, Tiandar began teaching Shandar the ways of his occupation, including how to fight with and without a blade. In his spare time, Shandar played with Shanti, for he was very fond of his younger sister. However, as she aged, it became apparent that Shanti was not normal. She was prone to violent outbursts of emotion and even periods of delirium, in which not even Shandar could placate her. Even at the best of times, Shanti had little grasp on reality, and often seemed to live more in her mind than on Pern. The hold women begrudgingly continued to care for the child, but only as a favor to Tiandar, making no secret of their dislike for the mentally unstable little girl.
Shandar slowly began to adopt most of the duties of caring for his sister himself, as the cold attitudes of Shanti’s caretakers only distressed the girl greater. Dividing his time between learning to be a guard and caring for his sister, who naturally required a much greater amount of time than a normal child, Shandar didn’t make friends, having no time to play with the other hold children. Rather, he frequently found himself in scuffles with them in his sister’s name, for he was defensive of Shanti, and never hesitated to fight at any perceived insult to her, whether it was a query from a curious child asking him what was wrong with her, or more direct offenses of bullying the girl. The latter was a rare occurrence, as Shandar often kept her with him to keep an eye on her, and most children thought better of picking on the hold nutcase after a glare from her older brother. Shandar alone insisted that nothing was wrong with his beloved sister, although even he secretly knew that she wasn’t quite sane. After many a bruise and black eye on both sides, the children learned not to so much as mention the word ‘crazy’ around Shandar.
The two children aged – Shandar learning from his father and the other guards, and Shanti showing little improvement. Shandar attempted to get his sister apprenticed in a craft several times, but each effort proved to be a dismal failure. Even he was forced to give up eventually, so Shanti worked with the drudges in the kitchens when he couldn’t tend to her. She was greatly attached to her brother, and was a remarkably sweet and loving little girl when she was well. For Shandar, the good times with her were well worth the bad. Their lives proceeded with little change over the years, until Shandar was 17, and Shanti 12.
He was sparring with another boy, a fellow guard apprentice, while Shanti was supposed to be working in the kitchens. However, it was one of Shanti’s bad days, and the women had given up trying to keep her there or deal with her at all when she was in one of her periods of complete insanity. Shanti was wandering the hold, looking for her brother, and found him in what looked to be a fight. Not understanding that her brother was simply training, she called out to him, scared, and Shandar immediately turned around. Distracted, he didn’t block the blow his partner had been initiating just as Shanti spoke. The blade caught him on the shoulder, knocking him down, and the wound, while not a very serious cut, began to bleed. It was too much for Shanti, and her fragile hold on sanity completely snapped. The girl launched herself at Shandar’s sparring partner, biting him and digging her nails into his skin wherever she could, fighting like a feral animal. Before Shandar could get up to pull her off, the other boy flung her away, nursing the numerous scratches on his arms and face, and, shaken and angry, yelled at Shandar to keep his crazy sister away from him.
Shandar fervently worked to care for his sister, desperately trying to help her regain what precious little sanity she’d had, but though he stayed with her day and night, it was to no avail. Shanti had fallen permanently into a deranged, delirious state, not even recognizing her brother. Shandar begged his father to give him more time, rather than send her to the infirmary to be cared for by healers. Tiandar, while also greatly aggrieved by Shanti’s state, recognized that it was a hopeless case, and wasn’t about to let Shandar ruin his future by casting aside his aspirations to be a guard to care for the girl. He let the healers take her, instructing his son to let her go and move on with his own life. Though the healers, like Shandar, did their best for Shanti, they could not recover her sanity, and could only keep an eye on the girl and give her fellis when she was impossible to manage otherwise.
Shandar, however, refused to let his sister go. He considered her loss of sanity to be a personal failure. After all, he had considered her to be his charge, his responsibility, whether or not he had been officially told to tend to her. The boy continued to pay her regular visits, always hoping to find her condition improved, although he never did. Tiandar’s best efforts could not keep his son from Shanti, for as long as they were at the same hold, it seemed Shandar would find a way. When the dragonriders came on Search several months after the incident and proclaimed that Shandar was suitable, the boy actually turned down their offer, unwilling to leave his younger sister. Tiandar, however, heard what had happened, and spoke to the riders behind his son’s back, persuading them to take him to the weyr anyway. As much as it saddened him to see his only son leave, he could see it was tearing Shandar apart to stay where Shanti was, constantly reminded of how he had failed her. A new home would force Shandar to start anew, leaving the past behind in favor of a brigher future at the weyr. It didn’t take much to persuade the dragonriders to take Shandar, as Sitareh had instructed them to boost the candidate numbers however possible.
The boy protested greatly as the riders took him, disagreeing with his father that he had any potential to have a future as a dragonrider. In his opinion, he didn’t deserve a dragon. He had been responsible for his sister, and he had failed her. Why on Pern should he be entrusted with one of the precious creatures needed to fight the coming Threadfall? But Shandar had no choice in the matter, and had to bid his uncomprehending sister farewell before going between to Araelen Weyr.
Position in Family: Oldest of two.
Pets: None
Alignment: Undecided
Candidates Only Section:
Desired Wher Colour: Brown, or just something male in general.
Reason for this Preference: I can’t really see him with a female somehow.
Syllable Numbers for Name: N/A
Preferred Starting Letters for Name: N/A
Preferred Dragon Ability: N/A?
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Preference: Both
Previous Position: Apprentice hold guard
Current Position: (Wher) Candidate
Appearance: Standing at 5’10, Shandar is tall enough to be intimidating without looking gawky. His build adds to this, for he is strong and well-muscled from turns of rigorous physical training. Shandar has naturally dark skin; a rich, bronze tone, with dark hair to match. It is difficult to tell if his hair is a very dark brown or a dull black, for it seems to have both shades intermixed. He almost never bothers with it beyond keeping it clean and doesn’t get it cut until it is long enough to be an annoyance, so it usually hangs down in long, wavy strands halfway between his ears and his shoulders. His eyes, almost perpetually narrowed in a glare, are hazel, a mottled blend of brown and green. Shandar’s overall appearance is usually rough and unkempt, due to a lack of effort on his part that stems from a complete lack of concern over what he looks like.
Personality: While it’s said that one can’t judge a book by its cover, in Shandar’s case, one’s first impressions are likely to be quite correct. He is as rough in manner as he is in appearance, and whether he has a natural complete lack of tact or simply doesn’t care enough about what others think of him to use it is anyone’s guess. Shandar is blunt and ill-mannered, saying what he wants regardless of how rude it may be. At least it can never be said that he is dishonest. Shandar tends to keep to himself rather than seek friends, as he had difficulty making them anyway. Besides, he doesn’t feel that he needs them, for he is independent and incurably stubborn, preferring to handle things on his own whenever possible. Even when he needs help, he is unlikely to seek it, insisting that he will be fine on his own no matter how hopeless the case. Shandar is anything but lazy, throwing himself immediately into whatever task he is given to get it done as quickly and efficiently as possible. The only time he acts in any way gentlemanly is when he likes someone, be they male or female. He isn’t averse to flirting, should someone take an interest in him that he reciprocates, although he would much prefer a serious relationship over a fling. It takes a lot for Shandar to fully open up to someone, as his policy has always been to keep his problems private. If someone manages to gain his friendship or more, they will find him an incredibly loyal friend, who can be greatly self-sacrificing for the sake of someone he cares about.
History: Shandar was born to Tiandar and Shala, the firstborn child of the newly married couple in a large, prosperous Southern Hold. The hold had suffered from raider attacks in the past, so the Lord Holders had created an order of guards to protect it, of which Tiandar was captain. Shala was a weaver, and a beautiful, though very fragile, young woman. The strain of Shandar’s birth was so great on her that the healers advised that she not attempt to bear another child, for the sake of her health. This didn’t prove to be a problem until five years after Shandar’s birth. Shala became pregnant again, and was determined to bring her baby into the world. After a grueling labor that stretched on for almost a day, she gave birth to a small girl, but at the cost of her life.
The child was named Shanti, and as Tiandar was busy with his duties to the hold and unable to raise an infant and a five year old on his own, the hold women looked after them for the most part. Shandar idolized his father, of whom he saw little, wanting to become a guard as well rather than be apprenticed in a craft. Pleased, Tiandar began teaching Shandar the ways of his occupation, including how to fight with and without a blade. In his spare time, Shandar played with Shanti, for he was very fond of his younger sister. However, as she aged, it became apparent that Shanti was not normal. She was prone to violent outbursts of emotion and even periods of delirium, in which not even Shandar could placate her. Even at the best of times, Shanti had little grasp on reality, and often seemed to live more in her mind than on Pern. The hold women begrudgingly continued to care for the child, but only as a favor to Tiandar, making no secret of their dislike for the mentally unstable little girl.
Shandar slowly began to adopt most of the duties of caring for his sister himself, as the cold attitudes of Shanti’s caretakers only distressed the girl greater. Dividing his time between learning to be a guard and caring for his sister, who naturally required a much greater amount of time than a normal child, Shandar didn’t make friends, having no time to play with the other hold children. Rather, he frequently found himself in scuffles with them in his sister’s name, for he was defensive of Shanti, and never hesitated to fight at any perceived insult to her, whether it was a query from a curious child asking him what was wrong with her, or more direct offenses of bullying the girl. The latter was a rare occurrence, as Shandar often kept her with him to keep an eye on her, and most children thought better of picking on the hold nutcase after a glare from her older brother. Shandar alone insisted that nothing was wrong with his beloved sister, although even he secretly knew that she wasn’t quite sane. After many a bruise and black eye on both sides, the children learned not to so much as mention the word ‘crazy’ around Shandar.
The two children aged – Shandar learning from his father and the other guards, and Shanti showing little improvement. Shandar attempted to get his sister apprenticed in a craft several times, but each effort proved to be a dismal failure. Even he was forced to give up eventually, so Shanti worked with the drudges in the kitchens when he couldn’t tend to her. She was greatly attached to her brother, and was a remarkably sweet and loving little girl when she was well. For Shandar, the good times with her were well worth the bad. Their lives proceeded with little change over the years, until Shandar was 17, and Shanti 12.
He was sparring with another boy, a fellow guard apprentice, while Shanti was supposed to be working in the kitchens. However, it was one of Shanti’s bad days, and the women had given up trying to keep her there or deal with her at all when she was in one of her periods of complete insanity. Shanti was wandering the hold, looking for her brother, and found him in what looked to be a fight. Not understanding that her brother was simply training, she called out to him, scared, and Shandar immediately turned around. Distracted, he didn’t block the blow his partner had been initiating just as Shanti spoke. The blade caught him on the shoulder, knocking him down, and the wound, while not a very serious cut, began to bleed. It was too much for Shanti, and her fragile hold on sanity completely snapped. The girl launched herself at Shandar’s sparring partner, biting him and digging her nails into his skin wherever she could, fighting like a feral animal. Before Shandar could get up to pull her off, the other boy flung her away, nursing the numerous scratches on his arms and face, and, shaken and angry, yelled at Shandar to keep his crazy sister away from him.
Shandar fervently worked to care for his sister, desperately trying to help her regain what precious little sanity she’d had, but though he stayed with her day and night, it was to no avail. Shanti had fallen permanently into a deranged, delirious state, not even recognizing her brother. Shandar begged his father to give him more time, rather than send her to the infirmary to be cared for by healers. Tiandar, while also greatly aggrieved by Shanti’s state, recognized that it was a hopeless case, and wasn’t about to let Shandar ruin his future by casting aside his aspirations to be a guard to care for the girl. He let the healers take her, instructing his son to let her go and move on with his own life. Though the healers, like Shandar, did their best for Shanti, they could not recover her sanity, and could only keep an eye on the girl and give her fellis when she was impossible to manage otherwise.
Shandar, however, refused to let his sister go. He considered her loss of sanity to be a personal failure. After all, he had considered her to be his charge, his responsibility, whether or not he had been officially told to tend to her. The boy continued to pay her regular visits, always hoping to find her condition improved, although he never did. Tiandar’s best efforts could not keep his son from Shanti, for as long as they were at the same hold, it seemed Shandar would find a way. When the dragonriders came on Search several months after the incident and proclaimed that Shandar was suitable, the boy actually turned down their offer, unwilling to leave his younger sister. Tiandar, however, heard what had happened, and spoke to the riders behind his son’s back, persuading them to take him to the weyr anyway. As much as it saddened him to see his only son leave, he could see it was tearing Shandar apart to stay where Shanti was, constantly reminded of how he had failed her. A new home would force Shandar to start anew, leaving the past behind in favor of a brigher future at the weyr. It didn’t take much to persuade the dragonriders to take Shandar, as Sitareh had instructed them to boost the candidate numbers however possible.
The boy protested greatly as the riders took him, disagreeing with his father that he had any potential to have a future as a dragonrider. In his opinion, he didn’t deserve a dragon. He had been responsible for his sister, and he had failed her. Why on Pern should he be entrusted with one of the precious creatures needed to fight the coming Threadfall? But Shandar had no choice in the matter, and had to bid his uncomprehending sister farewell before going between to Araelen Weyr.
Position in Family: Oldest of two.
Pets: None
Alignment: Undecided
Candidates Only Section:
Desired Wher Colour: Brown, or just something male in general.
Reason for this Preference: I can’t really see him with a female somehow.
Syllable Numbers for Name: N/A
Preferred Starting Letters for Name: N/A
Preferred Dragon Ability: N/A?