Age: 24
Sex: Male
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
Weyr: High Reaches Weyr
Rider Rank: Wingrider
Previous Rank/Craft: Journeyman Harper/Vocal and violin. Dabbles in composing and lyric writing as a hobby.
Physical Description: Unlike his tall and rather dashing brothers, who take after their father, A’myl takes after his mother. He’s more on the short side at 5’6”, with brown hair that is usually neatly groomed into place. There is a slight convex curve to the bridge of his nose, and that, combined with darkest brown eyes sharp enough to cut glass, gives him an almost raptor-like look when he’s focused or vexed over something. A smile results in dimples and a flash of white teeth that are well-cared for. He is very fit and well-muscled, but perhaps a shade too thin at times, as evidenced by an occasional hollowness in his pale, high-boned cheeks.
Personality: A’myl is an exceedingly conscientious person. He is very diligent about his work and studies and will cheerfully do less desirable jobs and assignments, believing that even the lowest task is essential to keeping everything running smoothly for all. He’s known for being caring and motherly, but can and will be a nag if things aren’t up to his expectations. He does have a lot of pride and a quick temper, shown by a sharp word and reddened ears, but it rarely lasts very long. Conversely, make him laugh hard enough and his knees will give out. That’s always a good thing if you’re looking to smooth any ruffled feathers he might have. Generally, A’myl is very kind and loves being around people. He has a huge soft spot for animals and children, especially his baby niece Ayona – aside from Viyanakerth, Ayo is his whole world.
The boy knows he looks good, and is confident but not vain about it. He takes proper care of his skin and body and is very clean. He also prefers clean surroundings, even if it means cleaning up after others to get them that way. And bad smells? He would take the time to scrub every single inch of Viyanakerth with rose petals if that char smell didn’t come out with normal bathing. He can’t stand fish because of the smell, real or imagined, and will never eat it. He also has an aversion to eggs, due to living in close quarters with an unfortunate little white dragonet who smelled like rotten eggs for several weeks after Hatch Day.
A’myl likes girls who have cute looks and personality, though, frankly, he’s a bit of a prude. He’s not interested in flings of any sort, dragon-prompted or otherwise. Unfortunately Viyanakerth, not really understanding the concept of a mate in the first place, seems to think that he can help his rider find “the one” by letting nature take its course – more specifically, by letting a mating flight determine where the dice falls. When he “overhears” one of the more compelling greenflights, Viyanakerth will send his rider constant transmissions of the feelings of everyone involved. The little dragon means well, but these incidents usually end up resulting in a series of psychedelic migraines for the poor man. Whether it’s A’myl’s upbringing or just his (frankly a**l) nature, he’d rather wait it out in hopes of finding a sweet, adoring weyrmate and having lots of (planned) children together.
Positive Trait List Diligent, social, nurturing, team player
Negative Trait List Clean freak, nagging, quick-tempered, prudish
History: Arrimyl grew up in Fort Hold, born to Iamagyol and Terrila into a clannish family of Harpers and Healers. From early on, he displayed a predisposition toward order and tidiness. He might have made a good Healer, but he chose to follow his mother and closest-in-age elder brother Farinalgo in becoming a Harper, apprenticing at age ten. The violin and voice were his chosen instruments, and they suited him well.
As with most of his pursuits, Arrimyl practiced hard and became skilled at music in a technical sense, but was a little lost when it came to trying to express emotion. Notes were to be played or sung in order, at the notated length, never ad-libbed. He certainly didn’t dance during a recital like his brother did, either, though he sometimes deeply wanted to. What good was it to both look like a fool and spoil your proper singing posture?
At age fourteen, he was selected to be part of a special choral performance to celebrate the Hatching of the latest clutch at High Reaches Weyr, which was where his eldest brother Ay’ril, a bronzerider, was stationed. They arrived several days early, giving the Harpers time to learn about the Weyr, its residents and their lifestyle, as a sort of field trip. It was a fun and exciting experience, exploring the weyrbowl every day and watching all the goings-on. Most of the Harper students had never been so close to a dragon before.
Though he’ll steadfastly deny his involvement, Arrimyl was one of the Harper students who snuck onto the Hatching Grounds along with some Candidates one evening to get a closer look at the eggs while their golden mother was occupied elsewhere. There was one in particular that everyone was interested in – it was rumored that a large egg, probably with a brown or bronze growing inside, had a crack in it. The kids found there was indeed such an egg, with a hairline fissure from the top all the way to the bottom. One older Candidate said he’d heard one of the Wingleaders say it probably hadn’t been able to incubate properly because the necessary heat would seep out through the crack, and it would be taken between when the Hatch was over, as dud eggs always were at High Reaches. That seemed to remove any inhibitions they had, and suddenly several kids were touching the egg, Candidates and Harpers alike, telling it either out loud or with their minds how sorry they were for it and how they hoped it would make it. Arrimyl was one of those who spoke privately with his mind. Don’t listen to those naysayers. You’re strong, you can do it! …and he felt the being inside the shell pushing back, telling everyone not to worry -- it would be fine, and it was so happy that they had noticed and were concerned about it!
On Hatching Day, Arrimyl was in the werybowl, demonstrating to some weyrbrats how to carve a simple pipe, when the dragons’ humming began to rumble throughout High Reaches. Everyone made their way toward the sands, except Arrimyl. He stashed his carving knife in his pocket and, true to form, stayed behind to clean up the mess they’d made. He was still working when a shadow loomed over the him from behind. A warm snort ruffled the boy’s hair and he turned to find himself face to nostrils with what had to be the biggest blue there ever was.
It would be a bald-faced lie to say he wasn’t frightened. In fact, he was frozen stiff as the dragon sniffed at him, nearly knocking him over with no effort whatsoever. The blue’s eyes whirled with ever-darkening shades of orange that were not at all encouraging. There was no one around to rescue the boy by then; they were all hurrying to get in place for the Hatching. He opened his mouth – whether to speak or scream, he really didn’t know – but before anything could come out, the dragon snorted again, right in his face.
You. Shut up. A huge paw descended with a decisive thump that shook the earth beneath Arrimyl’s feet. The dragon’s treetrunk of a leg seemed to fill the boy’s vision, bending in slow-motion until he could almost have reached up and touched the thick blue shoulder. Up. Now. Before I change my mind.
Arrimyl was in such a daze that he could never remember how it happened afterward, but somehow he ended up perched precariously on one of the blue’s neck ridges, holding on for dear life as the dragon bolted in huge bounds, using flaps of his tattered wings to increase his already tremendous strides to get to the Hatching Grounds. Then, with a backward glance of distaste at the boy, the blue rolled his shoulder and dumped him in a heap at the edge of the sands. Arrimyl started to get up, but before he could get his feet properly under him, he received a shove from the dragon’s paw that sent him reeling towards the group of people further in… the ones all in white robes.
His sudden appearance caused a bit of a stir, both amid the Candidates and in the stands audience, but no one made a move to expel him. A couple of dragonriders watching from the sidelines seemed to have witnessed the unusual delivery. With an amused, “Cutting it rather close, aren’t we, Krahsujunth?” a stocky woman waved Arrimyl further onto the sands where the gold was guarding her clutch. He was still a bit shocked and didn’t even realize what was happening until he saw that the huge eggs were moving and cracking.
He’d just been Searched.
And just as suddenly as he’d been Searched, his focus returned. He knew very little about Hatchings, but common sense dictated that sharp appendages were to be avoided. Arrimyl watched several dragonets hatch and bond with Candidates, amazed at the emotional response of their human partners at the moment of Impression.
He suddenly recalled the cracked egg, and discovered that it had at some point been rolled off to one side, as if it had been dismissed. From then on, he kept glancing at it, wondering if the dragonet inside was still alive. Did it move a little, just then? No, it was probably his imagination. The heat distortion from the hot sand could certainly explain it. Then… no, it did move. He was sure of it. Arrimyl side-stepped his way across the sand, trying to get closer without drawing any undue attention. He really wasn’t sure if anyone was allowed to go near an egg that, as far as he could tell, had been rejected. As he neared the egg, he saw that the crack at one end had been enlarged. And it was definitely moving. Just barely.
Suddenly, the egg shook once, hard, a desperate but heavily-muffled shriek coming from within. Arrimyl glanced around at the other Candidates for some kind of confirmation, but they were all, for the moment, fixed upon the hatchlings who had already made their appearances. Was it permitted to assist a hatchling in trouble? He didn’t know. It seemed no one else had even noticed.
He was sweating now, frightened by both of his options. Remain unnoticed and unharmed, and let the dragonet die in its shell? Or help it and risk danger and punishment, and after all of that, possibly watching it Impress someone else? Feeling the need to hide, he jammed his hands into his pockets, and yelped as he cut his finger on the carving knife he’d forgotten was there. The boy lifted his hand to his face and stared at the trickling blood… and made his decision. He took a few slow steps toward the egg, then burst into an all-out sprint.
Where they had been quiet before, now those riders were shouting at him as he dropped to his knees and bashed the egg’s shell with his knife. Suddenly a girl was beside him, grabbing at the shell he’d loosened. He couldn’t break off his next swing in time, and accidentally grazed her hand with the blade. To her credit, she barely reacted other than to give him a significant look. This wasn’t a competition. This was saving a life.
Together, they broke several large shards away and passed the knife back and forth to cut through membranes. All the while, deep, distressed sounds were coming from the golden queen and her bronze mate, their wings spreading overhead in postures of alarm. Whether they were upset or trying to encourage their efforts to help the stuck dragonet, Arrimyl didn’t know, and barely even noticed.
When they’d broken enough of the shell away to let light in, Arrimyl was shocked at what he saw inside. Two tiny dragonets, each barely any larger than a house feline, looked back at the boy and girl who had torn open their egg. One dragonet was mostly free, but the other, slightly smaller, was cemented to the side of the much-too-large shell by yolk and albumen that had dried around it. The trapped hatchling struggled against its sticky prison, stretching its neck towards Arrimyl. And then its eyes flashed with dazzling pulses of color.
I knew you would come for me! The voice thrummed in Arrimyl’s head like the music of a violin, imbued with layers of yearning, admiration, and adoration. It was irresistible. Incredible. Beyond hearing the warnings and exclamations of his observers, Arrimyl carefully cut through the viscous chunks and strings of sludge to break his dragon free, while the girl did the same for the other. Finally, the smaller dragonet was loosed and lay in Arrimyl’s arms, utterly exhausted and still caked with viscid egg innards. Ever so gently, the boy cradled his bonded… his Viyanakerth.
A white dragon.
Arrimyl, now known as A’myl, soon discovered that High Reaches Weyr was not the fun and friendly place it had seemed before he’d made the apparently heinous mistake of Impressing Viyanakerth. It was lucky that they had Amna, the girl who helped hatch and Impressed Viyanakerth’s twin, Zunulth. A’myl knew very little about dragons and High Reaches’ traditions, and few were willing to to help a woefully inexperienced, woefully young boy with a sickly white dragon. It was Amna’s mentoring and companionship that got them up to speed and kept them going. A’myl’s elder brother Ay’ril and some other concerned dragonriders were able to shield them from some of the prejudice, but it was still quite clear that Viyanakerth and Zunulth were considered aberrations. Their little “family” was the butt of many cruel pranks and often openly ridiculed.
Viyanakerth was by far the weaker twin, and the general opinion was that he wouldn’t survive to adulthood. There were a few close calls in his early days, and he had difficulty gaining weight from the start. Even with a special feeding regimen, he remained very lean for turns after he reached his full size. A’myl and Viyanakerth failed weyrling training once due to the white’s trifling size and low stamina – he couldn’t even carry his rider until their tenth month – and graduated on their second attempt.
Amna and Zunulth remained at High Reaches to support their “brothers” until they graduated, but graduation day barely passed before the two whiteriders fled the Weyr and its persecution. A’myl and Viyanakerth returned to Harper Hall so that the boy could complete his studies, while Amna and Zunulth went their own way. A’myl was no prodigy, but he was determined to catch up to where he left off, working harder than most of his fellow apprentices. He managed to make up for the time lost in weyrling training and (by the skin of his teeth) walked the tables on time at age twenty-one. In succeeding at this, A’myl, older and far wiser than he was at fourteen, proved to himself that he was perfectly capable of reaching his goals, regardless of what ignorant, legalistic folks said. From there, he accepted a post as one of High Reaches’ Journeyman weyrharpers.
If asked why they chose to return to a place where they were obviously unwelcome, A’myl will say that he never does anything halfway, including his duty to the place where Viyanakerth was clutched. If he’s going to be a Harper, and if he’s going to be a Dragonrider, he’s going to do it right. He and Viyanakerth have trained relentlessly in order to meet the demands expected of a green wingrider pair. They’ve managed to hold their own, even with the advent of Thread’s return. Even so, Viyanakerth is often referred to as a “rotten egg” or a “goldfart,” and A’myl as “that fool Harper with the overgrown firelizard.” On good days, that is.
Life at High Reaches has been anything but easy for them, but they have a strong support network in A’myl’s family and some fellow riders who aren’t convinced that size and hide color necessarily determine one’s worthiness. At present, his bronzerider brother Ay’ril is also stationed at High Reaches and his brother Farinalgo has recently joined them as a Candidate.
Other:
DRAGON
Name: Viyanakerth (aka “Vee”)
Age: 10
Color: White
Size: 13’
Physical Description: For all the ridicule he suffers for his size and color, Viyanakerth is often considered extremely beautiful – even by some of the same who claim to despise him. He is fine-boned and lissome, every petite feature formed and set just so. His hide appears to be pure white, with a faint opalescent sheen. This iridescence makes him glow like an otherworldly being on an overcast day, revealing glimmers all of the dragoncolors in his hide, much in the way that a pearl shows its true colors in the right light.
He may seem fragile, as if made of glass, though he is stronger than he looks. It would be difficult to find a dragon as mobile in the air as he is, unless it be his twin, Zunulth. Like an insect flying from flower to flower, he darts from dragon to dragon during Threadfall, weaving tightly around them and zipping through tiny spaces with such precision timing and extravagant maneuvering that he often draws a crowd. It doesn’t last long, with the piffling stamina of a decidedly diminutive dragon, but it is always quite a show.
Personality: Viyanakerth has proven to be both very like and unlike A’myl. Where A’myl has certain standards that he needs to be met in his relationships, Viyanakerth accepts everyone as a whole, and sometimes even conforms himself for their comfort. For example, similar to the way riders shorten their names, Viyanakerth recognizes that his name is a bit of a mouthful, and insists that he be referred to as “Vee.” He also tends to respond to any variant of his name and various nicknames, and doesn’t mind when he is mistaken for a female dragon.
Though this is in line with his nature, Vee is also very aware that any sort of self-seeking or defiant behavior will cause punishment, in some form, to descend upon him, as nothing he or his rider says or does is overlooked at High Reaches. It leads to him often being unwilling to stand up for himself, and he has (very grudgingly) learned not to defend A’myl either, in order to avoid exacerbating an already bad situation. He will often cling to his rider for the security and moral support of both of them, even coming into indoor places where most other adult dragons can’t fit or aren’t allowed. He actually manages to get away with the latter quite often, as he is commonly thought of as something more of a pet, and less of a dragon.
Like his rider, Vee has a tenderness toward young and small creatures, be it dragon, human, or other animal. The relative innocence of the young toward negative things in general is appealing to him, and he encourages them to be good to others and to believe in themselves. He enjoys the company of firelizards in particular and tends to “collect” them. He is also musical, to a certain degree. He likes music of all kinds and will often hum along, or help out with lyrics.
Other: So one night I had my screen brightness turned down and noticed that Viyanakerth actually has markings, where before I’d thought he was pure white. They struck me as making him look pearl-like, hence his description. Just thought that was a neat discovery. XD Vee is eggtwinnies with Shinos’ Zunulth.
Dragon Art or Proof of Obtainment: Song Parody contest!
