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 Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 10:52 pm
The Journal of Noah Varick & Parader
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 10:54 pm
The Chosen
A horse jockey who only sobers up for races and competitions,
his swaggering and loud-mouthed manner makes him notorious.
But damn, can he race.
Name: Noah Varick
Nicknames: Noah
Sex: Male
Age: 25
Birthdate: July 25, 1773
Occupation: Racing jockey
Homeland: Sunderland
Residence: Western Palisade
Appearance
Standing in at around 5'4", Noah is the shorter (and smaller) of the Varick brothers, and though Frank is not one to go easy on the teasing, Noah couldn't care less. He 'carefully' maintains his weight in order to do his job to the best of his ability, and is a short but sturdy fellow. He has curly, platinum blonde hair that is always kept short, and can almost always be seen wearing riding apparel. If he must go 'casual', he always has something dapper and gentlemanly to wear, being the rather vain creature that he is.
Personality
[+] outgoing, dedicated, energetic
[-] irreverent, argumentative, boastful
Though he can be a charmer if he chooses to be, Noah's most glaring quirks are certainly not his finest. Prideful and arrogant to a fault, his loud mouth gets him into plenty of arguments, and he isn't one to back down from any disagreement if he thinks he's in the right (which isn't often at all). His success on the racetrack has given him quite the swollen ego, and he is quick to boast and tell embellished stories about his exploits, often while besotted with alcohol. His drinking problems and smart-a** nature have landed him in plenty of trouble in the past, to the constant chagrin of his older brother.
Despite all this, there is an underlying sense of seriousness and duty towards some aspects of his life, namely his riding, as well as the treatment of the horses the Varicks trade and sell. Having lived alongside the beasts for the majority of his life, Noah has a very extensive knowledge on handling and caring for horses and sees them as more than just simple tools. While he is no bleeding heart, he makes sure that the horses they breed and trade are provided the best care, and works with Frank to make sure the stables of the Fox and Hound are maintained as well as possible. He works incredibly hard to build a working trust with the horses he rides in any given racing season.
This sense of dedication is likely the only thing that allows Noah to make sales and keep contracts with the nobles he rides for. Though it is not truly his goal to become part of the upper crust, good manners go a long way, and he'll never skip on opportunities that allow him to continue doing the thing he loves most. Exactly what he loves most has been a toss up for the past year or so however; his initial success on the track and the following swaggering have caused some to beg the question of whether he's lost sight of his values or not...
Miscellaneous
While both Noah and Frank were schooled in the Old Ways growing up, Noah's belief has wavered over the years as he's distanced himself from the wood and superstition to embrace a more urban life in Palisade. The knowledge is there of course, but with growing age comes skepticism. However, with the appearance of the Wardens and his own Choosing, it's hard to deny that there isn't at least a drop of truth to some of it...
He shares a strange (to say the least) but close relationship with his older brother Frank, which can fluctuate wildly from eager cooperation in their business ventures, to highly aggressive bickering should they disagree on the details, and any variation in between. He is also not completely immune to his brother's crooked ways, but how that will play out has yet to be seen...
He grooms his guardian, Parader, with as much care as any horse, and also trains with him similarly. Parader has his very own stall in the Fox and Hounds stables, and is, needless to say, spoiled rotten.
He will never turn down a challenge (especially racing related), and has of late been contemplating the possibility of pitting himself and Parader against the thoroughbreds of the nobility, though he is currently certain that even suggesting such a thing might get him laughed out of whatever room he may happen to be in at the time...
History
Raised in a rural town outside Oldcastle, Noah is the (much) younger son of two loving and sensible parents, James and Rebecca Varick. James was a farmer and a successful horse merchant, breeding and providing reliable stock to many of the noble families and their estates around Oldcastle. Their mother was a hedgewitch, talented in healing magics and a helping hand towards her husband's work. Unlike his older brother, Noah took great interest in his father's trade and learned all he could about the care and maintenance of horses, as well as becoming a skilled rider and a fairly good businessman. Though neither of her children seemed to have any skill in magic, Rebecca taught them all she knew about medicine, the Old Ways, and all manner of other practical skills, as mothers often do.
But, by the time Frank had found a wife and moved away, Noah's true passion was making itself apparent; he loved to ride, and the swift new horses of the nobility had quickly managed to capture his eye and his heart. Though his father mainly dealt in raising sturdy working and carriage horses, he was still a well known figure in his community, and acted as a way in for his son, who had set his heart on becoming a jockey.
With the help of his father's connections, Noah was able to secure a job at a high(ish) profile stable and quickly worked his way up, eventually managing to apprentice himself to an older rider for about a year before he landed his first jockey contract, after which followed a very successful first racing season. Several seasons past have seen his ups and downs, but the beginning of the lowest lows started with the death of James, shortly after Noah's seventeenth birthday.
Their father's death hit Noah hard, and he was threatened to be left with nothing but his rookie jockeying career as Frank, the eldest, would receive inheritance. However, what had promised to be a nasty sibling rivalry over their father's business (and more importantly, the animals) turned into something much more lucrative; Frank would take control of the breeding stock under their family name, and Noah would manage it as their father had been doing, breeding the beasts as a steady source of income that would be split between the two of them. Such was Frank's decision, at any rate, and Noah could hardly complain about the compromise despite his brother's often cutthroat business tactics. Their widowed mother remains in their town of birth, partially supported by her sons, but continuing to use her hedgecraft for the benefit of the locals.
They have been working together ever since, moving their base of operations to the Fox and Hounds inn, inherited by Frank upon the death of his wife. He is a common face in the dingy little establishment, not to mention a self-appointed minor celebrity and all around nuisance, often finding time to have a drink with the patrons or bother Frank, when he isn't busy bossing the stable workers around.
Currently
Either hanging around the inn, out training, or managing the stables.
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 10:55 pm
The Guardian 
Personality
With his stately march and grand need to be the center of attention, Parader makes it his mission to live up to his name. An unabashedly arrogant guardian, he thrives on admiration and seeks especially to impress the poor non-Chosen masses. Dignified! Powerful! Regal! All these come to mind when Parader parades about, the absolute picture of a noble Guardian. Generally stoic, with a paternal patience, there is only one thing that can break Parader's cool discipline... A NEED FOR SPEED.
Noah facilitates this need, and while he does get spoiled quite frequently by his Chosen, they also work and train together as well, and Parader enjoys every second of it. Despite feeling the constant need to put on a show, Parader has the capacity to be very cooperative, and follows orders to the word (even if it's usually only Noah he'll listen to). Normally used to the company of horses, he has yet to interact closely with any other guardians, but when it comes to other animals he is generally patient and calm as long as nothing is actively attacking him.
Relationship with Chosen
About the only thing Parader and Noah have in common is their love of racing and performing. Where Parader is dignified and proud, Noah is irreverent and, well, proud too, but he can actually annoy others around with his constant boasting. As Noah is obnoxiously argumentative, Parader often has to step in and get his Chosen to dial back the vanity before he gets himself into trouble, though even Parader can't resist a challenge. Still, between the two, the Guardian definitely has more sense. It's a thankless job, but Parader respects Noah, surprisingly kind beneath the pretentious manner.
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 10:55 pm
The Choosing
If there was one celebration out of the entire year Noah loved in particular, it was Midsummer's Eve. Even if his miserly, fun-hating brother didn't enjoy summer time, it would always have positive connotations in his own mind. Blue skies, swimming, pleasant weather, and a raucous party at the end of June to get it all started, what wasn't there to love? This year's hadn't been any different, and as with every year, he was sad that it was over. A whole weekend of revelry, good food, and visiting with his mother and all his old friends had gone by in a flash. Too soon, he was returning to the city on the back of the trusty gray gelding he'd made the trip with. If Noah could have his way, he'd have stayed the week, but alas, there was business to take care of back in Palisade, and Frank wouldn't tolerate such frivolity.
"Trust that old slave driver to pull me back as quickly as he can. Can't do a thing without me." Noah grumbled, slightly slouched in his saddle as he retrieved a small flask from a pocket in his saddlebag. He carefully unscrewed the top of it before taking a swig. As usual, Noah was in a state of almost constant hangover, not aided at all by the series of Midsummer parties he'd just taken part in. He'd set out from Oldcastle late that afternoon, too, and knew he wasn't going to reach the city until long after darkness fell. To make matters worse, a gloomy sky had settled over the sky around midday, as if to accentuate the jockey's mood towards returning to Palisade. It hadn't worried him so much, until the clouds had begun to darken ominously.
Well, at least the storm had waited until after the party, Noah thought to himself with a smirk. A good thunderstorm was just another thing that came with the season, though he wished he'd waited until after the downpour to leave town. He was about to take another deep swig of his flask when the sky clattered above his head with a sudden and forceful boom of thunder. Before Noah knew what was happening, he was choking on his booze, and his little steed was balking. In moments he was on his a**, yelling in pain as he collided with the ground and holding stubbornly onto the reigns as his horse danced about nervously.
"Easy!" He jumped to his feet, lucky that the beast hadn't bucked up all the way. Just a little scare, enough to embarrassingly knock him off balance and out of the saddle. Thank god no one had been around to see it, he thought, as he rubbed the little gelding's nose and began to walk him off of the road to calm him down. He angled a glare up at the sky, and felt foolish for setting out under such conditions. The thought of turning back quickly crossed his mind, tempting him. Frank could go another day without him, and why risk catching his death riding at night in a storm? With the decision made, he was about to climb back into the saddle again - before another deafening rumble boomed from up above, and his horse startled a second time. A yelp of surprise tore from his throat at the flash that followed, and he could not hold onto the horse as it bolted. Instead of tearing down the road, the frightened animal took off over the grass, straight toward the edge of the wood. Noah panted heavily as he watched, not even bothering to call out as the wall of rain reached him.
The Wardwood seemed to loom up like a monstrous shadow in the growing gloom, and it took his breath away, the sight sending a tremor down his spine. Noah was no stranger to it; he had visited and played there growing up, been taught of the secrets it allegedly held, and the spirits it housed. That knowledge certainly didn't make him feel any safer venturing into it then, especially so soon after the summer solstice...But that was just old superstition. He scowled as he reassured himself. No silly superstition was about to chase him off, or force him to abandon his horse to whatever might live within, spirit or not. He took off at a jog across the expanse of field, intent on getting the situation back under control.
Maybe it was for the best, he thought, as he tromped through the undergrowth, trying to spy his wayward steed. The trees provided some cover from the ceaseless downpour, but he was still damp, and becoming more miserable with each passing minute. If he turned right around and walked, it would take at least two hours to reach Oldcastle. It wasn't a particularly attractive alternative, and he didn't have the heart to leave the poor frightened gelding out in the wood. Tracking was made easy, at least, with all the cracked branches and trampled brush. He was sure it would stop and calm down on its own, or perhaps tangle its reigns (not necessarily good, but at least he would be stationary then). Noah cursed himself for his bad judgement, praying that the little beast didn't manage to harm himself.
Eventually, it grew too dark to follow the trail. Anyone with more sense in their head might have stopped and gone back, but there was more guiding Noah by then than simple determination. Something resonated from within the damp, dark abyss that stretched on before him, and he heeded the call. The storm continued to rumble and flash at occasional intervals, providing momentary, haunting glimpses of the forest, now a jagged world of snaking branches and towering behemoths. It would be hours before Noah finally stumbled, soaked and despondent, onto a discovery that defied comprehension...
~~~~~~~~~
It was going to be a summer that he would never forget, that was for damned certain. The storm battered across Sunderland for a night and a day, and instead of arriving Monday as promised, the younger Varick brother stumbled into the Fox and Hounds long after midnight on Tuesday, dripping wet and completely exhausted. Unfortunate timing, for he was sure a few of the maids would have happily fawned over him for arriving so bedraggled and out of sorts...and he still hadn't been able to avoid his brother, who had been summoned from his quarters by one of the late-shift servants.
The only explanation he could produce, under the forceful and agitated interrogation set forth by his sibling, was a tiny figurine, brown and white, in the unmistakable shape of a deer, antlers and all. How could he possibly explain what he had seen without further prompting his brother's ire? What sense did a gigantic glowing tree in the woods make? Noah almost wished it had been a dream, a feverish vision brought on by cold and exhaustion. But, the little totem in the palm of his hand was indelible proof that what he'd seen in the Wardwood was real. It was all true.
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 10:56 pm
Roleplay Log Waking
[Broken Curfew] - (Noah x Frank) (ongoing)
- Meet/Mentor Zharkov and Kozel
- Family Fight noah drunk daddy issues
- Flash back parader baby days
- Noah and Ferdinand
- Noah and Barclay
[You're Snow Fun] - (noahfrankkozelzharkovferdinand)
Dreaming
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Relationships
Frank
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Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 11:51 pm
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