Post by Tealah on Feb 24, 2009 1:45:49 GMT -5
Character Name: Arysa
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Preference: Males
Previous Position: Apprentice Harper, Candidate
Current Position: Journeyman Harper
Appearance: Arysa is just barely on the tall end of average height. Her long-legged, slender figure gives the impression of grace without making her seem delicate - she's by no means gaunt, but there's very little spare flesh on her frame. She looks exactly her age, not childlike as many young women are, nor more mature. Her youthful body has curves in just the right places.
Arysa's thick, copper hair is worn in a braid to keep it out of the way, and when released flows in gentle waves down to her hips. Long lashes frame eyes that were once the bright green of a dragon's hide. Now those eyes are clouded with a blue film. Her pale skin was untouched by the freckles that many red-heads suffered from, but a small dark birthmark face is partially hidden by her hair.
Her hands are what you would expect from a Harper: delicate, callused in places from many hours of playing but otherwise smooth and unmarked.
Personality: Arysa is in general a very easy-going woman. Very little really bothers her, and she rarely loses her temper. Part of this is because she's been raised to be very self-confident and relaxed; part of it's because she makes the effort call the situation before tempers flare. As said before, she's supremely self-confident, and this leads her to be very trusting, because she knows that she can handle any drama that comes her way. This isn't to say she never feels a negative emotion; she's human, she cries, she worries, she even occasionally mopes, especially since she lost her sight. But IN GENERAL she's calm and cheerful.
This is not a prudish woman. In fact, she practically sleeps in a different bed every night. The social and sexual dynamics of the Weyr suit her. She's not looking to settle down with a family, and since neither are most dragonriders it hasn't been an issue for her. She has no wish for kids, although she doesn't mind them. She even likes some of them. She just doesn't want any of her own. She uses sex like she does her music - it can be a great emotional boost and encouragement.
Since the fever, Arysa has been a little less confident than usual. Helping others has given her something to work for while she finds steadier ground within herself. She's found that rescuing others from their own insecurities helps her to better accept her own handicaps.
History: Arysa's parents met when her father, Andru, was the resident Harper of the hold her mother, Ritia, was the head cook. The relationship never progressed to marriage despite the children that were born, but they were both comfortable with the arrangement and few people in the hold thought to confront the formidable Ritia about it. Arysa's older brother showed no talent for music (and was in fact completely tone deaf) but neither Andru nor Ritia considered him a disappointment, especially since he was more than happy to work beside his mother in the kitchens. Arysa, on the other hand, showed an aptitude for music at a very young age. She was by no means a prodigy (as her younger brother turned out to be) but she worked hard and loved the music, which shone through in her work.
She was quite happy to be sent to the Harper Hall at eleven turns. Once there, it was discovered that although she was excellent on most instruments, her voice was only passable and she couldn't compose worth beans. Her determination pulled through for her, and at seventeen she reached Journeyman status. She spent a year back at her family's home with her mother, father, and older brother (her younger sister had been sent by this time to the weaver hall, and her younger brother had walked the tables the year before and was a junior Harper at another hold) as junior Harper under her father's tutelage. At eighteen she was given an assignment traveling between remote holds near where Araelen Weyr would be. Her first sight of dragons fired her imagination - what would it be like to ride such a magnificent creature? She was even lucky enough to be Searched, and brought to the Weyr as a Candidate. But before there was a clutch on the sands, disaster struck.
Arysa had contracted an unknown disease on her travels. For a long time she was feverish, hallucinating, and racked with coughs. She missed her chance to stand at the first clutch, and for a while the healers thought she would die. But finally, the fever broke, the hallucinations went away, and the coughing stopped. That's when they discovered that she'd never be able to be a dragonrider - the long fever had left her almost completely blind. She could only see vague shapes, and her vision slowly worsened until it was gone entirely.
Although she will never be able to be a dragonrider, and never even see the dragons again, she was allowed to stay on at the Weyr to assist the Weyrharper. It took her a while, but Arysa is now back to something close to her old confident, free-spirited self.
Position in Family: older middle child of four - an older brother, younger sister and the youngest another boy
Pets: none
Alignment: Not sure yet.
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Preference: Males
Previous Position: Apprentice Harper, Candidate
Current Position: Journeyman Harper
Appearance: Arysa is just barely on the tall end of average height. Her long-legged, slender figure gives the impression of grace without making her seem delicate - she's by no means gaunt, but there's very little spare flesh on her frame. She looks exactly her age, not childlike as many young women are, nor more mature. Her youthful body has curves in just the right places.
Arysa's thick, copper hair is worn in a braid to keep it out of the way, and when released flows in gentle waves down to her hips. Long lashes frame eyes that were once the bright green of a dragon's hide. Now those eyes are clouded with a blue film. Her pale skin was untouched by the freckles that many red-heads suffered from, but a small dark birthmark face is partially hidden by her hair.
Her hands are what you would expect from a Harper: delicate, callused in places from many hours of playing but otherwise smooth and unmarked.
Personality: Arysa is in general a very easy-going woman. Very little really bothers her, and she rarely loses her temper. Part of this is because she's been raised to be very self-confident and relaxed; part of it's because she makes the effort call the situation before tempers flare. As said before, she's supremely self-confident, and this leads her to be very trusting, because she knows that she can handle any drama that comes her way. This isn't to say she never feels a negative emotion; she's human, she cries, she worries, she even occasionally mopes, especially since she lost her sight. But IN GENERAL she's calm and cheerful.
This is not a prudish woman. In fact, she practically sleeps in a different bed every night. The social and sexual dynamics of the Weyr suit her. She's not looking to settle down with a family, and since neither are most dragonriders it hasn't been an issue for her. She has no wish for kids, although she doesn't mind them. She even likes some of them. She just doesn't want any of her own. She uses sex like she does her music - it can be a great emotional boost and encouragement.
Since the fever, Arysa has been a little less confident than usual. Helping others has given her something to work for while she finds steadier ground within herself. She's found that rescuing others from their own insecurities helps her to better accept her own handicaps.
History: Arysa's parents met when her father, Andru, was the resident Harper of the hold her mother, Ritia, was the head cook. The relationship never progressed to marriage despite the children that were born, but they were both comfortable with the arrangement and few people in the hold thought to confront the formidable Ritia about it. Arysa's older brother showed no talent for music (and was in fact completely tone deaf) but neither Andru nor Ritia considered him a disappointment, especially since he was more than happy to work beside his mother in the kitchens. Arysa, on the other hand, showed an aptitude for music at a very young age. She was by no means a prodigy (as her younger brother turned out to be) but she worked hard and loved the music, which shone through in her work.
She was quite happy to be sent to the Harper Hall at eleven turns. Once there, it was discovered that although she was excellent on most instruments, her voice was only passable and she couldn't compose worth beans. Her determination pulled through for her, and at seventeen she reached Journeyman status. She spent a year back at her family's home with her mother, father, and older brother (her younger sister had been sent by this time to the weaver hall, and her younger brother had walked the tables the year before and was a junior Harper at another hold) as junior Harper under her father's tutelage. At eighteen she was given an assignment traveling between remote holds near where Araelen Weyr would be. Her first sight of dragons fired her imagination - what would it be like to ride such a magnificent creature? She was even lucky enough to be Searched, and brought to the Weyr as a Candidate. But before there was a clutch on the sands, disaster struck.
Arysa had contracted an unknown disease on her travels. For a long time she was feverish, hallucinating, and racked with coughs. She missed her chance to stand at the first clutch, and for a while the healers thought she would die. But finally, the fever broke, the hallucinations went away, and the coughing stopped. That's when they discovered that she'd never be able to be a dragonrider - the long fever had left her almost completely blind. She could only see vague shapes, and her vision slowly worsened until it was gone entirely.
Although she will never be able to be a dragonrider, and never even see the dragons again, she was allowed to stay on at the Weyr to assist the Weyrharper. It took her a while, but Arysa is now back to something close to her old confident, free-spirited self.
Position in Family: older middle child of four - an older brother, younger sister and the youngest another boy
Pets: none
Alignment: Not sure yet.
