Age: 18
Sexual Orientation: Homosexual
Craft/Rank: apprentice farmer
History: Zal’s up bringing was nothing really out of the ordinary, in fact many people would have a hard time discerning it from a hundred others just like it that scatter across pern. Zal’s parents were a nice decent sort of folk, although his mother was always frail and sickness made it dangerous for her to carry any other child after Zal had been born and thus unlike most of his friends he lacked any brothers or sisters to depend on but there were plenty of farmhands to keep him company and when he was 13 his uncle and aunt moved in with their three children. But by then he was already working and didn’t have much time to play.
His father was always a good man but he was never an easy man. He was proud of his son and gave him much fatherly affection and support but he didn’t let him get away with slacking. He was expected to pull his weight just like everybody else. His mother was more inclined to let him be a child but she would always follow his fathers guidance as well.
His father was also a strong believer in a solid code of ethics and morals to guide a man through life and he drummed them into the young boys head constantly. Much like his father Zal’s childhood was a good one filled with affection and laughs but it was far from an easy one.
However the very morals his father had set him up to love with would end up leading him astray. One of the neighbouring farm boys had always been a bully, a thief and a liar and it was a well known fact amongst the small community that he was no good but it just so happened that he ended up saving Zal’s life. One day when Zal was taking a cart over a narrow mountain pass there was an unfortunate rock slide. Zal was thrown over the edge and knocked unconscious. By Fates good will only held from tumbling all the way down the side of the cliff by the heard beasts reigns caught around his leg. When the local bad (Olan) came along he saw the chance to steal the valuable beast and cut him loose from the wrecked remains of the cart. Only when leading him further along the trail to safety did he realise he had pulled up Zal as well. He would have left the injured boy on the dusty road had he not woken up at that moment. Not wanting the other boy to think he was stealing the heard beast he helped him.
Zal was unbelievably grateful. His father had taught him that all such debts had to be repaid and Zal fully intended to. From that day forth every spare minute he got Zal would be following Olan, begging him for a chance to show him how grateful he was. Seeing the opportunity in this olan quickly started using Zal for his dirty work. And even thought zal knew many of the things he was made to do were wrong he was unflinchingly loyal to the little thug he now protected from all persecution. Pretty soon poor Zal had a worse reputation than Olan. His father of course was furious. He punished zal in every way that he could think of but Zal would not waver. The boy becoming equally frustrated that his father would not understand his need to serve Olan. It didn’t help that as Olan got older he was coming into staggering Adonis like looks just as Zal was realising that that his attractions drew him more towards males than females.
The brawl to Olans brains the smart little thief wasn’t about to let Zal go easily either. He had got something much better than an old heard beast that day on the mountain cliff. But all that was bout to change. Zal’s father was desperate to rid his son of Olans bad infulance now tried to take any opportunity he that he could to get his son away from Olan so he sent Zal to market with a farm hand to sell some of their crops. Little did he know he was bout to get his wish. A rider was there on search. The sensitive green quickly picked the bewildered Zal out of the crowd.
After that he rode back to his farm by dragon back to talk to his parents. But after the initial excitement and dumbstruck awe that took him Zal was the most reluctant. And although his parents were loath to see their only child taken from them they believed that it was an opportunity that couldn’t be missed. It was at last his mother that convinced him, he had always loved the sickly women with a protective and almost secretive fierceness and with her getting sicker as the years passed he couldn’t say no.
So without even the chance to say goodbye to Olan who he had come to love almost as much but in a very different way to his family he was whisked away to a new life.
Description: The first thing people notice about Zalrhan is his size. He’s over 6ft already and with shoulders like a heard beast, you could crack a nut on those abs and perch a small dragon on his arms. The muscles are by no means budging or unattractive but certainty well defined. His body also seems to have just gotten over the last stages of puberty and so his figure has evened out to be well balanced and proportioned. In other words. Drool worthy.
His face isn’t half bad either. Nothing stunning but high cheek bones and clear almost liquid brown eyes make him a little less intimidating tumble down brown hair reached past his shoulders and is the colour of hot chocolate. Slim lips always seem to have a rather ready smile although that smile can often be the result of bemused confusion on his part.
Naturaly he wears clothing suited to his farming porfession, hidea and leathers. Usualy with a weaved undershirt over which goes a leather jerkin and pants, of course these usualy come in natural colours, browns and whites. But when he can get them in the markets he likes to get some strips of colour, a scarf or belt dyed vibrant shakes of blue, green, red and many others. somtimes he even manges to get just the off cuts or test peices. And has gathered quite a collection in the bottom of his clothes chest.
Personality: Zal’s character is a rather simple one but hard to define because often his greatest strength is often his greatest flaw. It can take some work to earn his solid friend ship and trust but with that comes utter and unquestioning loyalty. He will do anything for someone once they have earned this special reverence and it is hard to make him turn against someone once he has decided to follow them. This strong sense of loyalty and duty are what push him to work tirelessly and with true determination but with a word they can always cause the boy to do things that put all else he does in that shadow of darkness and leave him with the unfortunate label of nothing more than a dumb thug.
He is far from bright, he grasps things fairly quickly only because he is usually desperate to please, and left to his own devices when he hasn’t yet attached to himself he is usually at a loss about what to do with himself so jumps on any task presented too him that will help him feel useful and keep him busy. People see him hanging around in the weyr and mistake him for lazy but he's only waiting for instructions as he has little to no iniative when it comes to most things, esspecialy work that is strange and new to him. He's happiest when he has a clear routine to follow or someone close by to tell him his next chore.
When given free time he usually wonders the halls like a lost puppy until someone gives him something to do. And in many ways he really is like an overgrown guard dog. It’s a shame that he can often fall under the sway of people that would direct him to more undesirable and almost criminal activities because other than that he really is quite a softy. He’s kind and helpful, polite and usually cheerful. He likes casual conversation as well as most even though sometimes he doesn’t understand a lot of things so ends up listening. At the moment the idea of having a dragon is really mainly appealing to him because it seems like what everyone expects and he is attracted to the idea of being everyone’s protector but he doesn’t truly grasp the magnitude of bonding on such a deep level and for life with another creature.
Other: N/A
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