Name: Okassis
Age: 17
Sex: Male
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
Craft: Ex-Trader/Candidate
Rank: Apprentice
Physical Description
Okassis has an oval face shape with a strong jawline, tousled and pale blond hair, and dark, dark brown eyes. His build is average, his height as well; he packs some decent muscle, but it isn't obvious - he's a guy that's built to push hard for long periods, walking from dawn to dusk (or riding a runner beast, if he's lucky!), and that means he's got energy stores making up some of his bulk - not quite a keg on his belly, but definitely not a six-pack. He has a couple scars that he's acquired over his lifetime on the road, but the only one he brags about is the most visible, running above his right eyebrow, which he says he got from a Watchwher at Benden Hold when he was 15. According to his story, he managed to deck the thing out cold with a punch to its nose; he is known to embellish, however....
Personality
Okassis is a temperamental and impulsive type, which everyone just hopes he will grow of. Although he is socially confident and quick-witted, he handles perceived insults poorly. He's quick to anger if he thinks someone is provoking him, and he's not afraid to back up threats with violence. This winds up happening more often than it probably should, due to his outspoken and passionate nature. Having grown up outside of the Holds, Okassis sometimes has very particular opinions - often disparaging of Craftshalls, for example, saying that the system cuts out competition - and he often unintentionally (and sometimes intentionally) runs his mouth when it needs to stay shut.
Although he seems like an open and friendly person, Okassis is, in reality, evasive and shallow around others; it takes a great level of trust before he'll talk about things that actually matter to him. Once this bond of trust has been established, he will do everything he can to maintain it. This is especially true in romantic relationships - he can have a fling and never care, but if the "this is real" line is crossed, he will never willingly turn back from it.
When he's alone, Okassis is a doer. If he doesn't have a project to keep his hands busy, then he'll pace and mutter to himself often. He doesn't seem to sleep easily, and is always groggy in the morning. Despite this, he doesn't drink klah, and just drags through his morning duties sleepy-eyed for the most of an hour or so before he's fully awake.
History
Whenever Okassis is asked about his history, he tends to generalize and summarize, but adamantly refuses to dig into details. He'll talk freely about his experiences growing up as a Trader on the road, moving from Hold to Hold. He's inordinately proud of the independence his childhood maintained, separated from what he scornfully refers to as "soft life" in the Holds. He talks vivaciously about his mother and older sister, along with his circle of friends in the caravan who would get into all sorts of wild exploits with him. He likes to say that his childhood exemplified the way all children should grow up, in such a close family, with such strength.
Anyone who does a bit of digging, though, might be able to get an idea of why Okassis is so dodgy about the details. The group of Traders he grew up with were of a very particular sort. Outspoken and belligerent, they toted widely the fact that they were not just profiting off of the Hold system by moving in-demand goods from place to place, but were not "Weyrslaves". They seemed to leave a bad taste in folks' mouths wherever they passed, with their mutterings about freeloaders, of totalitarianism, of oppression. They make no small bit about hating dragonriders, though it's a bit harder to figure out "why". This group is unpopular, if mostly harmless; more than once, though, they've wound up in a fight with patriotic locals.
Most holds tolerate their trouble-making, though, thanks to their astonishing efficiency; they can get goods from point A to point B with remarkable speed, and this seems to be attributed mainly to the nearly militaristic mindset of the men which lead the caravans, in the face of which not even the Trader children dare slow the procession. Craftspersons who have traveled with them have commented on some sort of great organization in their group, fresh beasts being provided along the way by other Traders which then join the caravan; it's hard to imagine exactly how this could be, however, and is generally dismissed as nonsense. After all, there's really no way to establish the sort of communication between Traders that such a system would require, and where would the extra beasts come from?
The detail most key to Okassis' candidacy: Sometime after Okassis had turned 16, he had a falling-out with his father while trading around Ista Weyr. In fact, some would say it was less a falling-out, more a bare-fisted death match that was ended without casualty only because of a passing dragonrider and a few determined onlookers. There were few witnesses to this scuffle, but those who did see it described the young Trader as tear-stained and screaming obscenities, even as he was pulled away by the rider.
Exactly what prompted this meltdown is unclear, but upon being Searched by that same dragonrider (which was quite possibly the real reason behind his intervention; Okassis' father has insinuated as much), the results are clear enough - Okassis has left the ways of Trader living, and begun searching for a life at the Weyr. Whether or not this was a good idea will take time to tell; most people regard Okassis' candidacy as one that will either bring new strength and passion into the Weyrs, or blow up in order to vindicate the Traders which he came from.
Pets: N/A
Other/Talents:
* Survivalist: While not necessarily to say that Okassis is ready to strike out and "live off the land", he has accumulated a good number of skills that would give him a boost. Firestarting, foraging, herbalism, and such, along with a few snippets of how to navigate by the sun and the stars and read the weather.
* Rough-houser: Okassis knows a decent bit about wrestling and how to throw a punch. It would be a stretch to call him a top-notch fighter, but he can take down at least a couple people bigger than him.
* Appraisal: If growing up among Traders does anything for a kid, it's to teach him the value of what's in front of him. Although not necessarily specialized, Okassis does have a good idea of what goes for how much, and if he trips over something valuable, he'll know it.
* Smart Fingers: Okassis is nimble. One of those things you develop when you spend your childhood doing labor, showing off tricks, and maybe picking a few pockets until you got caught at age 13 and beaten until you swore never to do it again. (Which isn't to say you never did it again, just that you were smarter about it.)
* Disciplined: Although Okassis can go a bit out-of-control when his temper gets going, that doesn't mean he's likely to do the same when under fire. His life among the Traders has impressed him with a sense of duty, and it would take something that fully goes against his gut for him to voice more than a worried question when he's in the middle of a pressured situation; otherwise, he's fully capable of following orders now, and screaming about it later.
Will this character be a candidate?: Yep.
Picture: o<-<
