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Rider

Rider
Name: D'lin
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Rank: Wingleader
History:

Pre-Weyr

Devlin grew up as part of a family where the father was defineatly the king of his own little castle. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing but he was certainly a proud man, proud of his family and proud of his work in the field of Smithcraft. Imagine his dismay then when his wife birthed two daughters - both petitie and completely uninstrested in a field such as smithcraft. After several years of unsucsessfully trying for another child he was finally granted a son.

He had great plans for his son and from a very early age attempted to push him in a specific direction. He wanted his son to follow in his footsteps - which was understandable and quite normal. Unfortunately Devlin had no intrest in this life - and while he learned smithcraft because his father forced it on him, he detested it. Allot.

The work was hard, hot and repetitive, it kept him chained to the forge when Devlin would much rather be enjoying his time elsewhere, but his father had no sympathy for his son's green thumb and adamantly refused to let him pursue work in farming. Devlin liked growing things but his father considered this a field for lesser people. There was no way his only son was going to become a farmer of all things. His older sisters were spared the pressure placed upon Devlin as they sought to become weavers and housewives like thier mother and it wasn't long before Devlin began to resent thier relative freedoms. It was absurd he knew because they could hardly be blamed for it and they had other limits placed on them - for instance whom they would end up marrying. His father was keen to move up in Pern society and Devlin knew he wasn't afraid to use his daughters to help build those proverbial bridges. Or his son for that matter - although in a differant way.

Devlins father was forever more boasting about his son's skill in the forge, about how advanced he was already and how he would surely walk the tables early once he found a suitible helper to replace him at home. Devlin knew this was mostly a lie - his work was...functional...but there was no heart in it, no extra care that set it above and beyond anyone elses work because he just didn't care about the field. It wasn't long before devlins apathy towards smithcraft would backfire on him. Once should always pay attention in the forge it was a dangerous place and when one misplaced tool caused him to trip while moving a hot bit of metal - Devlin paid the price with a nasty burn across his shoulder and chest. It was painful and left an awful looking scar...but it did allow him time away from the forge while he healed so Devlin couldn't find himself too sorry for the accident.In fact he pretty much considered the pain worth it.

His father on the other hand was appaled - it certainly put a stop to his boasting, how could he claim Devlin was extrodinarily skilled when he bore such an obvious scar proclaiming him to be clumsy in the forge? It did not however lessen the pressure put on him by his father. He'd justh ave to work harder his father told him to overcome this mark of shame and prove himself skilled. A 'learning expirience' his father called it and filled more and more of Devlins time with lectures and scroll reading to do with Metal Smithing as his burn healed to the point he would soon be back in the forge as the heat would no longer bother it.

Devlin was not looking foreward to this and if he was truthful would have to admit he'd been perfectly capable of going back to the forge for a while now...but had been stalling and just a bit untruthful about how well his burn had healed. He was starting to get desperate when the search rider appeared on the horizan. When Devlin was singled out as a possible candidate he seized the chance to escape the way a drowning man seizes a piece of floaing wood. A lifeline had been thrown to him and Devlin was going to make the best of it. Flying to Trine with the search rider was just the start he told himself of a life without forges.

Trine Weyr

Although escaping a life filled with forges and work he hated had been his first goal, it wasn't long before Devlin found himself quite taken with Weyr life, however impressing to a bronze had never been part of this master plan and suddenly Devlin - D'lin now, found himself caged by responsibilities once more..this time though..this time was different. D'lin loved being a dragon rider, every moment with Plexith felt like a gift that he didn't deserve and even his somewhat estranged father was able to express some pride in his impression.

Sure things were not always sunshine and wildflowers but through it all D'lin felt like he was actually making a difference in the world of Pern, even the dangerous time missions were undertaken with youthful exuberance and pride in their success. As the seasons wore on D'lin and Plexith became seasoned Riders..and then Wingleaders in the fight against thread.

If only thread had been the only thing the pair had been forced to fight...the battle to save Trine from the wherhandlers and rogue dragonriders was brutal and exhausting but working with the others leaders of Trine the Weyr managed to hold on, there was great loss on either side and Trine itself was badly damaged, damage that was made all the more horrible with the arrival of refugees from Benden and Malvren.

Overcrowding, rebuilding and near constant paranoia about when and where the next attack might take place seemed to become the dominant thought in everyone's mind. Tensions were high, tempers were frayed and D'lin struggled to remain true to who he was - a task which became harder and harder as the fighting, the manipulation and underhanded tactics wore on into seeming eternity, hard enough without the growing dissent towards the color of his dragon, an underlying tone that D'lin did his best to ignore

Sharath's death seemed to be a tipping point in the endless fighting, suddenly merely struggling to somewhat co-exist and deal with each others raids was not acceptable and the decision was made to end it all. Having long ago pledged to help his Benden and Malvren friends regain their home should the opportunity ever present itself D'lin and Plexith took part in the battles to regain the Weyr's according themselves well and gaining new scars atop the old ones in the process both physical and mental in bearing. With the death of Keller D'lin hoped that the violence would end but it was not to be in the long run.

It seemed that although the man was gone, some of his visions were seen to have merit and conversations regarding the traditional way of the Weyrs and that long long undercurrent of resentment towards the leadership and their shiny dragons began to surface once more, the gold riders had it the worst but he and his fellow bronzeriders were not spared snide remarks and contemptuous looks either, opinions that were not fair in D'lin's mind - had he not worked just as hard and fought just as much as anyone in Trine? Both for his position and his fellows. Plexith was enraged by the changes being considered, rules were made for a reason the bronze demanded and should be left alone, it was only D'lin's weariness of fighting and more even tempered manner that kept the bronze in line, briefly D'lin considered stepping down as Wing Leader when the changes came to be..who would want to follow a bronze now, when the current attitudes were so against the old ways? Plexith refused to consider the option however..they had earned their place through blood and sweat and tears and they would keep it and so they did, despite the remarks and the look and the anger.

Having a fairly good idea of what the outcome of everything would be the pair have attempted to come to terms with the changes - a task that is much easier for D'lin then it is for Plexith, whose very genetics seem to writhe at the thought of them, the dragon is trying however - and has even flown Crimson Lanterneth, a flight that resulted in a clutch of fine eggs that the Bronze could be proud of.

Tired of fighting D'lin and with Plexith loathe to hurt a gold regardless of the changes the pair tries to stay out of Rogue Queen hunting - though flying protection for caravans and defending Weyr property when needed are tasks they are more then willing to help with

But the majority of the fighting is over now and finally, at long last thread is their main enemy again. It's almost a welcome enemy, a return to easier times - a thought which would have been laughable before all of this started.

Description:

Devlin is well muscled with particularly strong shoulders and arms from his time working in the forge. His hands are worn with calluses and rather large but surprisingly light and gentle when tending to small children or animals.He's a bit on the tall side of average and can seem rather intimating at first glance because of both his height and broad shoulders. His hair is a light sandy brown and while he tried to keep it short for comforts sakes (forgers were hot and now it's just habit) it has a tendency to curl up at the ends creating a rather rogueish or mussed look no matter how much he tries to flatten it down. He is typically well tanned from spending time outdoors and has pale grey eyes and a strong jawline.

Devlin would likely be considered 'imposing' or 'striking' rather then outwardly handsome and this impression is only punctuated by a scar that runs across his left shoulder and part of his chest.

Personality:

Devlin seems to have two main goals in life - to free himself from he envisioned enslavement life as a smith would be to him and to be seen as who he is rather then who his parents wanted him to be...to gain their approval even if he doesn't follow the path they seemed set on him taking. Devlin wants to enjoy life for what it can be, he wishes to stop and smell the roses every now and then, not follow a path that was chosen for him - and for which he finds no love of. He is generally seems to be a calm person, outwardly cool and collected about most situations but inwardly highly emotional and prone to being easily irritated when someone infringes on what he considers his privacy.

Although Devlin likes to believe he's idealistic and believes in the better things in life, in truth he has a slightly pessimistic outlook and is far more prone to seeing the bad in a situation then the good, such 'bad' stands out like glaring flaws in his perceived perfection to his mind and he's never really happy until such things are fixed.

He has a good work ethic as long as the chore seems to have a point to it, if he considers it a pointless or time wasting chore he has a tendency to become unmotivated until the point of the work is pointed out to him. With most decisions he is a fairly controlled individual, often thinking things through very carefully before he makes a move though he has a tendency to think most peoples are expecting him to fail and can be a little bit paranoid about that fact.

Despite his generally cool nature when it comes to others Devlin is a bit of a hidden knight - he's the unexpected rescuer someone might have if they were being pushed around as he simply can't stand to see someone run over by their peer's and is incredibly stubborn when it comes to his beliefs that everyone should have a right to choose their on path in life. When it comes to solving problems however he can be incredibly flexible.

Devlin can come across as a bit cold to those who don't know him as he prefers to keep most people at arm's length and gather only a small group of 'true' friends. He seems to prefer female company which might stem from his lack of male companionship growing up in a female dominant family. He is ever the gentlemen when it comes to these females however and can be rather obtuse when it comes to any feelings they might have for him. He tends to be reserved in social situations like feasts and gatherings but is far more open and forward when it comes to solving a problem of handling 'business'.

He has a distaste for sharing close or personal information, most people would consider him 'secretive' though he just doesn't like to air out dirty laundry when its just not other people's business, most of the time he simply tries to turn such conversations around on the questioner or simply change the subject. His sense of humor could easily be defined as dry and sometimes cynical.

Wing