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 Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 3:42 pm
You approach the sound of laughter and the light of glows down by the river; what's going on here?
1. Welcome/contents
2. D'io and Liorth
3. Friends and more friends
4. Journals and logs
Stats
STR: 11
CON: 12
DEX: 14
INT: 13
WIS: 19
CHA: 24
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Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 3:50 pm
A tall white haired man greets you with a friendly word and hands you a cup of wine; the blue dragon who lounges by the water extends a greeting of his own before turning back to a rather lovely young green. It seems you've happened upon a party, and that unexpected guests are more than welcome. The rider
Basics
Name: D’io (Dio pre-Impression. He didn’t have much to work with there)
Age: 44 (Impressed at 19)
Gender: Male
Rank/craft Wingrider, vintner
Appearance
Height: 6'0"
Build: Lean, tough
Hair: White, straight to mid-back
Eyes: Bright blue, lively
Skin: Tanned
Detailed Appearance: D’io is one of those men who is hated by other men his age. With a full head of snow-white hair which falls half way down his back, a handsome chiseled face with matching handsome (roguish) grin, bright blue eyes, and a lean tough body he’s your stereotypical hot older man. He’s quite tall, too, just about scraping six foot, and carries himself well to emphasize his height. This isn’t to say he’s ramrod stiff, however, while some of his joints are starting to creak he always manages to have a languid, relaxed air about him; D’io could probably look casual running a marathon on fire, while being chased by twenty hungry felines that shoot killer bees out of their mouths and have saliva made of Thread.
In terms of clothes, whenever he isn’t working he’ll be dressed to impress; he’s related to tailors on his mother’s side and takes full advantage of this fact. Over all, to a lot of Ghenza he probably looks like trouble; the sort of man who’ll be a bad influence on teenaged girls. This is, of course, entirely correct, but pretty teenaged boys should be added to the list as well.
History
Dio was never really that good a Ghenzan. Honestly, he was kind of lazy and self-indulgent from birth. His parents despaired, but luckily when he was old enough to start learning his father’s craft he rather enjoyed being a vintner and thus was willing to put in the effort. He especially enjoyed the tasting bit, and as he progressed he especially enjoyed tasting the wines he was responsible for, and sharing them with his friends... Especially pretty friends. Pretty females, or pretty males; he loved the company of both, and charmed plenty into bed. In general, at this stage in his life, he showed a preference for men, merely because then he didn’t have to worry about getting them pregnant and having to do something as horrid as settle down.
He could happily have carried on as a good vintner and poor Ghenzan all his life, but when he was nineteen and standing at a hatching a blue dragonet kicked languidly out of his shell, and sauntered over to the young man who found himself wondering how the heck he was going to make an honorific out of his three letter name. Liorth pointed out that he could go with D’io, D’i, or D’o, and that all but the first sounded ridiculous.
So, D’io and Liorth set off together along life’s course searching for the finer things that it had to offer. One would think that they might have grown up a little by now, but one would be one hundred percent wrong there. D’io has kept up with winemaking as much as possible, and now feels free to sleep around more than ever as he can just take a girl for a hop between the morning after to make sure there are no Consequences.
When the weyrlings and other folk from High reaches arrived, he was fascinated. At first his fears about illness kept him back from them, but when nobody keeled over and died he began to watch them more closely. Before he could get around to approaching any of them, however, the weyrlings departed. A few outsiders, however, remained and D’io is getting around to seeking friendship (or maybe even Friendship) with these interesting new people. Given that nobody died when they arrived, he has also begun to grow curious about the world outside Ghenza, but is keeping this as much to himself as he can; he knows he’s frowned upon by the higher ups quite enough as it is without adding more transgressions to his rather long list.
Personality
Five words: Charming, lazy, self-indulgent, self-centered, man-slut
Quote:
Character tracks: Candyman, The Jackal
Detailed personality: D’io is a bad, bad man. Not as in evil, or malicious; he’s one of those people whose friends will tell them they’re terrible through fits of laughter. He’s sharp, witty, charming, imaginative, and a champion of flattery, and sometimes false flattery at that (of course your arse doesn’t look big in that/what a lovely singing voice you have, are you sure you’re not harper trained?...). He’s also a complete hedonist, and rather selfish; he’ll work cheerfully, but only if he enjoys what he’s being asked to do. If he doesn’t like what he’s being asked to do, expect sloppiness and rather childish bad grace.
Onto that selfishness; he can and does see things from other people’s point of view, but that doesn’t mean he acts on his understanding. In his world, he ranks above everyone and everything; he’ll go out of his way to help a very good friend or a pretty thing who might sleep with him but only if they actually ask him to help them, and have something to offer in return. Even for people he’s known all his life, even for family, even for his dragon he will not make an effort he doesn’t want to make unless you promise him something he wants in return. No, it isn’t the thought that counts for him, and just saying please and thanks won’t do; take a nasty job off his hands, sleep with him if he fancies you, or something along those lines if you expect him to do something he doesn’t want to for you. If what you want is for him to come flying with you or chill with a bottle of wine, however, he’s there free of charge because those things are fun.
While he’s very insistent when people owe him, he can be a bit lax when it comes to repaying the people he owes. This much, however, is not intentional; he always really means to square up with somebody who has specifically said ‘you owe me’, but unless they want something easy like a shag, free wine, or a dragon ride he tends to procrastinate on sorting out their dues. With repeated prodding he will get around to it, but if somebody is too shy to remind him again and again it could be months or even more before he repays them. If they’re too shy or too good-natured to even ask to be repaid in the first place, then they’re not going to get anything other than his usual charming demeanor. For those who just take reciprocity as a given this could really grate, especially how demanding he is when it comes to getting back what he’s ‘owed’.
When it suits him, D’io can also be a liar and a cheat. Yes, he will mark the cards or stack the deck if he thinks he can get away with it, and if he thinks it’ll get him out of trouble or bring him some other benefit he’ll certainly lie about whose fault something was, or twist the truth at the very least. He doesn’t set out to hurt anyone, he just means to help himself and sometimes there’s a bit of collateral damage; if somebody is too dim to figure out that he’s not being one hundred percent candid about whatever it is... Well, he might feel a little bad for them, but it won’t stop him doing it again, and in the end it’s their own fault for not being sharper. There are a select few people who he wouldn’t cheat, but even these nearest and dearest might well be lied to in a pinch; he wants to keep his life comfortable, and if the best way to do that is to swear to his friend that he had no idea said friend wanted him to keep away from a girl they might like... Well, a man has to do what a man has to do; lie like a champion in whatever way he thinks will save the most face for him will still being believable; ‘She came onto me!...’
For all his selfishness and laziness, however, D’io is a blast to be around. He knows how to throw a party, how to crack a joke or ten, and he can be an excellent listening ear for all your problems (mostly because listening requires very little effort on his part). Ever light-hearted, always seeing the bright light at the end of the tunnel, always with a smile and a good word for all: D’io is a bounder, a cad, and a terribly bad man but he’s also undeniably nice in a social setting, and would like nothing better than for the whole world to get along and enjoy itself. Why bother with parties, with charming words, with keeping on good terms even with people he happens to think are daft gits? If he was left on his own, D’io would still have plenty of self-worth, but he’d be bored and lonely. Yes D’io loves himself, but he loves others, and loves them to love him as well. He doesn’t need their validation to feel like a worthwhile person, but he does need other people around to have fun; laughter, wine, and staying up until more hours when you have to be on duty early is only any fun when shared in the end. D’io puts in the effort when it’s fun, and so as long as it continues to be fun to be around people (i.e. probably forever), he’ll make the effort to keep them there.
The dragon
Name: Liorth
Age: 25
Rank: Wingrider
Appearance:
Statistics
Size: Average.
Resilience: Very low. If he tweaks a muscle or starts to feel strained, only heavy bribes or threats will keep him in the air.
Speed: Average.
Stamina: Average.
Strength: Below average. Liorth has always been fairly slight for a blue, and as he enjoys the sleek look he's never made the effort to build extra muscle.
Intelligence: Above average. Liorth isn't the most brilliant dragon ever hatched, but he's certainly bright.
Wit: Very high. He's a real smooth talker, and quick to react both physically and verbally.
Personality
Liorth could be D’io’s twin. He’s bright and witty, he doesn’t like being told to do things he doesn’t enjoy, he chases every single green that rises, and he adores socializing. He’ll make a friend of anyone, be they human, dragon, or wher, and he’ll do his best to make sure his friends get the best in life along with him. If he can’t, however, you’d best be prepared to accept that Liorth comes first. He even puts himself before his rider, but that’s alright because D’io does the same. Luckily, the pair usually want more or less the same things, and want to avoid more or less the same things, such as boring watch duty. If Liorth can charm somebody into taking on a job he doesn’t want to do, and Liorth certainly has plenty of charm, then he will.
In his ideal world, he’d have a nice little bunch of adoring greens who take on all the jobs he doesn’t want to do, and want him to catch them every time they rise. They shouldn’t make it too easy, because Liorth likes a bit of a challenge, but equally if they make it so difficult that he fails he’ll have a huff; he hates to lose in flight, and in general actually. When life gets too tough, he’ll grumble about it and go and lie in the sun or eat something tasty; until he’s made himself feel good again, so help anyone but a gold who gives him an order because he’ll completely ignore them. If you really, really want this dragon to do something for you, you’d best be able to make it fun, or to offer him something for his trouble.
Why D'io? Essentially, these two are peas in a pod. They’re quite bright, they love the fine things in life, and they love chasing tail. What more need be said?
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Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2010 4:42 am
The riverside babbles more with chatter than the sound of water; people from all crafts seem to be here tonight, taking a break from the hard work that makes up every day life. Interestingly, while some people smile and wave the host over to their conversations, others are avoiding him and even shooting him dark looks when he isn't looking. It seems you don't have to approve of the man to approve of his parties. Best beloved
Alexisk (green)
She takes very good care of Alexius, and she's a lot more fun than he is. A bit dim perhaps, but she's a sweetheart all the same and I don't mind throwing a ball for her if I'm not otherwise occupied.
She does go on about silly things, and gets very snappy if she's not paid enough attention, but I love her all the same too.
Alexius
Dearest nephew; one feels that he takes it upon himself to balance out my work ethic. The man's utterly insane if you ask me, but he's always happy to trade good wine for good clothes even if he does think I'm a disgrace.
A stick in the mud and a workaholic, but he is family, and he makes lovely clothes.
D'io
What a singularly awful and obtuse old man. He should be taken out and shot.
I quite agree; he's a disgrace to his family and to Ghenza, and seems to have no control over that terrible blue of his at all.
Liorth (blue)
My, what a terribly bad dragon. He's lazier than a feline, and really very much too pleased with his reflection. I'm surprised he hasn't been banished yet.
What a handsome fellow he is, handsome but terribly badly behaved. He and His must be the worst rider pair in Ghenza.
Friends
Other
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Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2010 4:45 am
If you were to approach the host and ask him about his past, or his views on life the universe or anything, you would most certainly be regaled with a hilarious story or three. One or two of them might even be mostly true. Procrastination and a pretty girl
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Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2010 5:02 am
Well, that's what you get for hanging about; almost all of the strangers have left us and returned to High Reaches. They took three of our dragons with them too, the cheeky little buggers. The only outsider who Impressed and then remained here is the girl who got the pretty little gold. Jada, I believe her name is, and the dragon is named Gemineth I think...
Really I should have acted sooner, made friends of them, had parties... But that probably wouldn't have made me popular with the council; it was made very clear that the young riders were not welcome here, and that those who Impressed our dragons were even less welcome. So, perhaps it's better that I procrastinated; it's not like I need any more black marks next to my name, after all.
Besides, that Jada girl is still around; she really is a lovely thing, and now that it seems she's staying here she's a good deal less reviled than when she first came here I believe... She was so delicate and soft when she arrived; all pale skin and smooth hands. She's got a bit of tan and toughness to her now, but she's still not your typical Ghenzan woman. If she keeps on slaving in the fields like that she'll have to become one though, a shame really, but at least having a dragon keeps her away for the hardest work for some of the day...
I think I shall befriend her. She's a bit young by the looks of her, but once her dragon comes to adulthood that's hardly here or there, and she has to be at least sixteen in any case. Anyway, even if she isn't interested in me I imagine she'll be fun to be around; Ghenza denounces the outsiders as lazy and self-indulgent, which is what they denounce me as too. Yes. I think Jada and I shall get along very well indeed.
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