Rider
Name: S’aak
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Sexual Orientation: Straight?
Former/secondary Craft: Smithcraft
Rank: Wingrider
History: S’aak was not born to Trine or Malvren or Benden. His entry into the conflict was different – had he not been motivated by a genuine cause, he would have lived outside the Wherholders’ mess all his life.
He was born at Telgar Hold, to a pair of Smithcrafters who desperately wanted their son to follow in their tracks. And initially, it seemed this would be exactly what happened. Samraak was a clever boy, with good hands, and he was helping in the forges from the moment it was safe. A bright and sensitive child, there were initially some wonderings as to whether or not he’d be cut out for the rough smithing life of Telgar, but they were all in all overruled. Samraak was sent to Smithcraft Hall as soon as he was old enough to formally Apprentice – and he went with far more experience than would generally be expected of a twelve-turn-old boy.
His time at the hall was quiet – Samraak was good, but he was not exceptional, and though he had excellent fundamentals, there was some degree of concern that he wouldn’t be suitable for a proper Journeyman status. Walking the tables was mean to imply some kind of competency, and while Samraak was not bad, he wasn’t quite ready for the responsibility inherent in the new rank. But the debate was in part because Samraak was only eighteen; had he been given a few more turns to work on himself, the entire situation would have turned out quite differently. As it were, he was gently denied the chance to walk the tables at eighteen – which proved to be a catalyst for what happened next. When a Telgar blue landed in the courtyard at the Smithcraft Hall and proclaimed himself to be a Searchdragon, Samraak presented himself immediately. He was a little wounded by the denial of the rank he thought he deserved, and he hoped that maybe the dragon would see something in him that the Mastersmiths didn’t.
He was right. Samraak was Searched that day and left three hours later. His arrival at Telgar Weyr was unceremonious – there was a clutch due to hatch in only a few days, and Samraak was one of dozens of Candidates prepared to try and meet their bondmates. He didn’t Impress that first clutch, but he didn’t want to go back to Smithcraft Hall, where he felt underappreciated. Instead, he stayed at Telgar, hanging around in the hopes that maybe the next clutch would see him Impressed. And ultimately, he was right. Not one, but two clutches later, a small egg hatched not the blue that was expected of it, but a brown, who moved quickly through the crowd of boys to coil around Samraak’s legs. He became S’aak.
The next two turns were relatively uneventful – Weyrling training didn’t exactly leave a lot to be desired, but it was shortly after that, when Anferth had only just begun chasing female dragons in earnest, that he met Marilde. She was fairly quiet, a Lower Caverns worker who wasn’t quite a Healer but served as a midwife to her fellow workers, but she was sweet-natured, and generous. S’aak loved her immediately. Their flirtation was at first tentative, but what Marilde had assumed would only be a brief fling turned into a complicated romance, and S’aak found himself completely enamored with her. They talked briefly about handfasting – something dragonriders simply didn’t do – but ultimately, it was decided that their relationship might not be able to survive through something like that. And so instead, they became something greater than Weyrmates, but less than a handfasted pair. When Marilde found out she was pregnant, S’aak was delighted, and the two welcomed their son into the world with open arms.
S’aak admits, he wasn’t present as often as he should have been during this time, but there were problems in the Weyr that he was navigating on his own, without any real support. Complicated issues like the culling of eggs that were known to contain living dragonets, arguments with wingmates over whether or not killing atypicals counted as the murder of dragonkin, discussions he would never have with Marilde for fear of souring her on dragonriders, and couldn’t speak to Ildresaak because the boy was four. And so he kept it to himself, put on a cheerful front, and never let Marilde know about his discontent. Others found out, though – fellow wingmates, and a few of his closer confidants. That was how it got out, he supposed, and also how he heard the first tiny whispers of malcontent – things were going to happen. People were working toward a better world. But not at Telgar. They needed to go elsewhere – to the Weyrs where equality was already on the rise. To Trine or Malvren.
And that was how S’aak found himself faking his own death at age twenty-eight, just a few days before his son’s fourth nameday. A storm blew up, and he and Anferth went flying in it – only to conveniently disappear, never to be heard from again.
He regrets that choice now, but at the time it seemed like the only way he’d be able to properly make a difference in his life. Washing up on Trine’s shores, lying low until he was certain Telgar was no longer looking for him, generally fitting himself as tightly into his newfound home as he could – it consumed S’aak for turns. But eventually, he had made a home for himself at Trine, had slotted neatly into position – had even been considered for a position as Wingsecond. He was doing well for himself, and he and Anferth were happy. Trine was better than Telgar, and the whisperings of a movement for equality were still present, though quieter than he had been led to believe. Still, he was home. And Trine was enough for him for over a decade.
And then things began happening. Declining gold fertility. The Ancientcrafter. Mystweed – all of it so strange and mysterious. S’aak was involved in everything he could be – putting his nose into as much business as he could. And so it was for turns, the brownrider throwing himself into what he saw as a massive chance for social upheaval – for change and equality. And this, too, was when the whispers of equality became more than faint, occasional things. They became constant, an undercurrent of discussion that S’aak wanted nothing more than to be in the middle of.
Pern was changing. Afraid that he would have to face the new world alone, S’aak was compelled by a sudden need to contact his son. So he borrowed a friend’s flit, sent the little creature to Smithcraft Hall, and was unsurprised to find Ildresaak deep in his studies there. He arrived a sevenday later, attempted to rescue Ildresaak from the drudgery of his old life and bring him to Trine, where things were different. They could be together again. Ildresaak was understandably suspicious – his father’s disappearance had driven his mother mad, and for S’aak to suddenly waltz back into his life was impossible to understand – and eventually refused the trip. But S’aak kept in touch, maintained contact.
For two turns, they worked to rebuild a relationship. But S’aak couldn’t explain everything about his life to Ildresaak. He promised the boy would learn, with time, but he could make no guarantees. When Ildresaak graduated and agreed to come with S’aak to Trine, the brownrider only briefly thought about the consequences. The time frame was bad – things were going to get ugly, and soon – but S’aak wasn’t thinking about the potential danger the Revolution might hold for his son. He was thinking only about how desperately he wanted to be a family again. In spite of a few faint misgivings, he brought the boy to Trine – just in time for everything to fall apart.
S’aak was not expecting his son to be as profoundly sensitive as he proved to be. Ildresaak was quiet, withdrawn – not the kind of boy S’aak was willing to compromise when the impending Revolution came to pass. He couldn’t bring himself to tell Ildresaak about the impending plans, and on the day the Revolution came, he made the young man promise to lock himself in the forge. And then, things exploded. S’aak found himself in the middle of a conflict that was far bloodier than he had expected. Trine was fighting back – something that neither of the other two Weyrs did as effectively or as well. When things took a turn for the worse, he only had the chance to scribble a single letter to his son before taking Anferth and fleeing to Benden. They haven’t spoken since.
With the move to Benden, things haven’t exactly taken a turn for the better. The violence of the Wherholds – and their continued insistence on it as a method of problem solving – has left him disillusioned with the entire situation, but he still believes he made the right choice. He desperately misses his son, but can’t bring himself to endanger Ildresaak again. He has already ruined his son’s life twice – he’s not willing to do it again.
Description: S’aak isn’t the kind of man who really stands out in a crowd. He’s tall enough, at six feet, three inches, but other than that he’s surprisingly nondescript. Neither slight of frame nor excessively heavy, he has broad shoulders, narrow hips, and tends toward wiry muscle and a high metabolism. He is careful about both eating and exercise – S’aak’s svelte figure is one of his few vanities, and he intends to keep it for as long as he can. Dressing in practical, sturdy fabrics and Wherholder colors, he often nowadays eschews his knots, preferring anonymity in solidarity with the idea that no one Wherholder is more important than the others. He is proud of Anferth, though, and will never be seen without a varnished wood lapel pin in the shape of a dragon in flight. Under the clothes, he is thoroughly scarred on his arms and legs from fights with dragonriders and wherholders alike, with an impressive Threadscore directly across his chest.
His face is handsome enough, if prematurely-weathered, but for the most part S’aak is nondescript. His sooty-brown hair began greying early, leaving him almost completely salt-and-pepper by the time he was thirty-five, and the increasing silver on his temples and at his hairline is just another mark of age. S’aak doesn’t mind – he wears it fashionably short and jokes that it makes him distinguished. His features are, for the most part, ordinary – a long, straight nose, heavy brow-line with thick dark brows, and blue-green eyes that are surprisingly warm for all their sharp intensity. A small nick across his mouth and just to the left of his nose pulls his lips into a permanent wry half-smile, but he smiles often enough that it’s rarely noticeable.
Personality:
Strengths
- Sensible: S’aak is a practical problem-solver. Born and raised in the smithcraft, he is by nature someone who looks at problems as puzzles to be solved, and generally tries to find the quickest solution in the shortest amount of time. He might be clouded by idealism, but he’s not stupid, and though many of his personal decisions prove to be counterintuitive, real-world logistics or otherwise practical problems don’t generally pass by S’aak without a solution being offered.
Persistent: When S’aak wants something, he will work hard to get it. He’s not put off by demanding tasks or thorough requirements, generally considering more difficult work to be more rewarding. And he’s patient, too – S’aak will work tirelessly for hours or days , even years to get something he really wants. Once he has set his mind to it, whether it be a better relationship with his son or peace and equality on Pern, he will work until it’s done. And he won’t stop unless something awful happens.
Idealist: S’aak wants the world to be perfect, and he honestly believes he can make it so. Unfortunately, coupled with his natural inclination for persistence, this means that S’aak will all but sacrifice himself for the causes he believes in. He is willing to make major life changes if he honestly thinks it will help him advance the things he believes in, and his beliefs can occasionally be more important to him than real, physical things. He makes constant sacrifices for “the cause.”
Well-Intentioned: Everything S’aak does, he does because he genuinely believes that he is going to make the world a better place. He does not personally partake in the atrocities committed by some wherholders, but he does believe that the cause he is supporting is the right one, and he does everything out of a desire to make the world a better place. There is no cunning or guile in the things S’aak does – he is earnest to his very core.
Kind-Hearted: S’aak believes in the inherent goodness of others and almost never turns away those who come to him with a problem. He would work himself to the bone for other people, and his desperate desire to help the entire world was what led him to the Wherholders’ cause in the first place. Words of equality resonate strongly with him, and his general love for people and desire to do the right thing make him a devoted partner in both professional and personal situations.
- Reserved: S’aak does not speak his mind. He’s not necessarily shy, but rather soft-spoken and disinclined to interrupt others when they are speaking. He doesn’t believe in getting in the way unless directly asked for his input, and will not speak up against someone unless he has absolutely no choice. By dint of general reservation he’s a follower, rather than a leader – talking to large groups of people distresses him, and he’d much rather keep himself to himself.
Permissive: S’aak forgives things from the wherholders that should, by all rights, be unforgivable. He firmly believes that actions done with pure intentions cannot be judged as wholly evil, and he is willing – too willing – to assume the best of others. S’aak does everything out of a desire to help people, and the idea that other people might be acting only for personal gain does not occur to him. His desire to think the best of others makes him easily-manipulated and blinds him to circumstances.
Rash: Not all the decisions that S’aak makes are wise ones – he faked his own death, abandoned his devoted weyrmate, failed to be present in his son’s life for fourteen turns and then kidnapped him, only to abandon him. These weren’t choices with thought-out long term consequences, rather impulsive decisions made spur-of-the-moment based on pure desire. He is an emotional, rather than a logical thinker, allowing his feelings to dictate his choices and rarely second-guessing himself.
Avoidant: In order to avoid second-guessing himself, S’aak is not exactly the most introspective person. He makes decisions once, and once only, and it makes him extremely uncomfortable to revisit his actions. Likewise, he tries not to think too hard about the atrocities that wherholders commit, preferring to simply rationalize them with “they want to make the world better” and try not to think of their victims as people.
Insecure: When he’s given half a chance to sit down and think about the things he’s done, S’aak second-guesses himself. This is one of the major reasons he’s so impulsive – because if he were to stop and think, he’d realize how many mistakes he had really made, and he’d end up hating himself. Deep down inside, S’aak is terrified that everything he’s done, he’s done for the wrong reasons, and that he’s made a terrible mistake. He covers it by not thinking about it.
S’aak believes he is a good man fighting for a good cause, and it is that belief that gives him the strength to get out of bed every day – even on days where he knows there are prisoners starving in the depths of Benden, or his colleagues are sabotaging firestone to prevent Trine from protecting its holdings. His cause is right and his cause is just and he made the right decision – which must be validated nearly every time he stops to think about it. S’aak’s not exactly a deep philosophical thinker, and the less he dwells on the nature of evil and the more he reminds himself that his cause is a genuinely good cause, the happier he is. That said, he tends to be surprisingly shallow and a little frivolous – hen writing everything off as being part of the cause is the only way to get through the day, you try not to think too hard about yourself and what you’ve done.
That said, S’aak does genuinely try to be a good person. He wants to help people rather than harm them, and his conflict with the dragonriders tends to be theoretical rather than literal. People are people, and he earnestly believes that everyone does what they do because they want to make the world a better place – and so he tends to have surprising amounts of empathy for the Resistance fighters. In another world, had he been given another chance to select his craft, he would have been a Healer. As it stands, he would never raise a hand to another person again – he saw enough bloodshed in the first fight of the Revolution to put him off the idea entirely, and though he supports it when other Wherholders do it, he’s done carrying it out himself. Moved by deep sympathy, he is the kind of Revolutionary who would offer his home to Resistance refugees if they needed it – because differing ideals or not, they’re still people.
He is aware that Wherholders are connected only by a dream of equality, and that practices do not always measure up to the theories that they are intended to support. S’aak is not stupid, merely idealistic, and though he does not always approve of Keller’s choices, neither is he stupid enough to directly contradict the man. He’s also not insane enough to try and drag anyone else into the cause – he eventually gave up in his attempts to sway his son to his side because he realized there would be bloodshed, and he couldn’t bear the thought of Ildresaak being dragged into violence. He is much the same with those few personal relationships he has managed to make since then – the world is horrific, and S’aak desperately wants to protect people, especially young or idealistic people, from the realities of it.
His inclination to trust everyone means that his relationships get deeply personal very quickly, but S’aak is not exactly a romantic sort. He forms deep, profoundly emotional friendships, but perhaps out of fear that he’ll lose another weyrmate, or perhaps out of his own belief that he’s not worthy of such attention, he has yet to take a weyrmate after his time at Telgar. As a friend, though, he’s ferociously devoted and fiercely committed – often to the point of blindness to evil actions. A friend, in S’aak’s mind, is an inherently good person. Evil actions committed by those close to him tend to be discounted, because, “There must have been a reason for it!” Whether or not that’s true depends on the person.
Other: I’saak of green Ellibreth is his son.
Dragon
Name: Anferth
Age: 26
Colour: Brown
Description: [Adult]
Anferth is a bit of a peculiar-looking dragon. He’s just about average for a brown but slightly disproportionate, with short legs and a massive chest. He’s not exactly pretty, slightly bowlegged with a short, thick neck and immensely powerful hindquarters, but he moves with confidence, the powerful motions of a large predator. His head is square and blunt, heavy-jawed with fangs that protrude slightly. In contrast, both his tail and his wings are long and thin, making him surprisingly maneuverable and giving him remarkable staying power. There isn’t an ounce of superfluous fat on Anferth – a combination of the somewhat-scarce resources of wherholders and his commitment to being prepared. It’s not exactly the most attractive of shapes, but S’aak keeps his hide well-oiled, and short of the thick ropy scars across his neck and muzzle – gifts from Resistance dragons and Thread equally – he shines.
- Size: Average
Build: Very Muscular
[[While I’m going to leave most of the ultimate coloration and aesthetic choices up to the artist, I would like him to be based primarily on a nautilus (1, 2, 3). In terms of lines, I’m not super picky. Whatever you think showcases the markings the best (I am slightly inclined to the far-left “standing” pose, but defer to your judgment).]]
Personality: Anferth is not as trusting as his rider. Where S’aak earnestly believes that everyone in the world is out there for the good of everyone else, Anferth is neither so naïve nor so idealist as his rider. He is committed to the cause, of course – and committed to ensuring that S’aak is happy – but he’s neither innately trusting nor particularly committed to any sort of “make the world a better place for everyone” philosophy. Anferth’s number one priority is protecting his rider – and S’aak, frankly, needs a lot of protection. Anferth is aware of S’aak’s inherent trust to everyone around him, as well as his tendency to believe that people want the same thing as he does, and he knows exactly how much of a target that can make him. He’s wary of strangers, slow to trust other humans, and tends to quietly question the motivations of everyone around him. People want things that advance their own interests – Anferth understands that, even if S’aak doesn’t, and he’s quite willing to make sure S’aak pulls his head out of the clouds and looks at things rationally every now and again.
He’s quiet, dependable, and calm – everything Pern expects from a brown. But he’s also surprisingly cheerful, a quiet sort of optimist who, though nowhere near as blindly idealistic as his rider, seems to be of the general belief that things will eventually turn out all right. He’s not the sort inclined to telling other people that sort of thing, because frankly, he would be lying, but he lives his life with a sort of quiet conviction: he and S’aak are doing the right thing and fighting the good fight, and eventually their work will pay off. Maybe not immediately, maybe not in the way anyone expects, but like S’aak, Anferth does tend to believe that intent at least partially justifies someone’s actions. He’s less likely to excuse major atrocities, though, and is the more introspective and questioning one between himself and his rider. Anferth will ask if casualties were necessary, or why a choice was made to harm civilians. And if the justification is good enough, he’ll excuse it. War is hell, and sometimes terrible choices have to be made. But he doesn’t trust blindly, and if someone’s motives seem suspect, he will notice. And he will be wary.
On the whole, he does not trust whers. They are unpredictable, inherently aggressive, difficult to control – and their handlers are much the same. He respects whers, and anyone who holds rank above him, but you don’t have to like something to respect it. Where most wherholders see dragons as a weakness, Anferth sees whers as a liability. He would never argue that to a wher’s face, but he’s also not particularly afraid to ask S’aak to remove himself from situations he deems dangerous. He, much like his rider, would prefer to stay away from the front lines. They’ve seen enough fighting, and Anferth is ready to retire from mauling “traditionalists” and turn his attention instead toward Threadfall. Thread is an age-old enemy, one that makes him less viscerally uncomfortable. Ripping open another dragon is alien and often concerns him. Flaming Thread out of the sky is straightforward. Anferth prefers straightforward.
With other dragons, he’s calm and friendly – he’s not particularly sociable or interested in making friends, but he’s also not quick to get rattled and doesn’t tend to fight with other males. There’s always a little jostling for position in the Wherholds, but neither S’aak nor Anferth is interested in holding rank – and so he mostly stays out of them. He can be sarcastic – his sense of humor is very dark, in strange counterpoint to his and his rider’s general attitudes – but on the whole he seems quite willing to sit and talk. He chases most females out of respect for them, and pays particular attention to both golds and clutching crimsons. Anferth would really like to be a father someday, to put something good into the world to make up for what he has so far taken out of it. And deep, deep down, he’s a bit of a pacifist, harkening back to the genetic predispositions of his draconic ancestors. Anferth will not fight another dragon unless he absolutely has to. Whers are a little different, but even then – harming dragonkin makes him almost as uncomfortable as the idea of harming humans does.
Other:
