Profile
Name: Meroc
Age: 19
Gender: male
Sexual Orientation: Straight (But with his flamboyant nature and flirting he keeps everyone guessing just which side of the fence he plays and that's just the way Meroc likes it)
Craft/Rank: Journeyman Harper/ Arbitration
History: Meroc was born to a rather prosperous cot holder mother and a southern weaver craft father just south of Benden and lived a rather pleasant life until it was time to choose a trade. From the moment he was born Meroc had been so unfortunate as to be smitten with the Harper trade and while the officials of the Harpercraft hall would admit the boy had an unusually advanced sense of rhythm and timing he was completely tone deaf. Still this didn't stop Meroc from retaking the entrance exam again and again and again finally just barely slipping in as an apprentice by memorizing the lengthy exam and all it's possible questions. As an apprentice Meroc was sub-par at best. While he had quick and deft fingers it was rare for him to be able to hit a pitch proper and only his timing and vast memory allowed him to scrape by. Where the harper lad excelled at though was manipulation, acting, and worming his way into the hearts of many a contact. His sharp memory served him well when it came to ballads and epics just as well as it served him in remembering that the boy two beds down was sneaking around with one of the young kitchen lasses or that the voice master had an unusual fondness for bubbly pies and a tendency to be more lax after a meal. Though his musical performance was hardly enough to get him attention his eye for detail and deft memory caught the eye of one of the masters who pointed the boy down the path of Arbitration believing his negotiating skills would serve him well. The master was right and Meroc took the ways of law like a fish would to water. He eventually walked the tables to become a journeyman and was assigned to assist the resident harper of Benden Weyr in dealing with the many political problems a Weyr could pose when he was scouted by a young blue dragon. Liking the prospect of power the Weyr could offer a young man like himself he agreed and became a candidate. He was among those who fought to free Trine when Benden fell and while he found himself missing his Benden home he adapted well to the hotter tropical climate.
Description: Meroc is a tall slim man around 6'1 with an dancers athletic build, deft fingers, and light feet. His skin is very darkly tan from spending many a day under the sun travelling from this hold to that. While he adorns a variety of clothing to blend in Meroc has a distinct love for the brightly colored and extravagant clothing preferring to deck himself out in an array befitting his more independent station as a Harper Journeyman. While he's lost most of his possessions with the loss of Benden he still wears whatever brightly colored clothes he can get his hands on. He's typically seen wearing harper blue with well worn boots, a large brimmed hat to keep the sun off his head and various pieces of earrings or whatever shiny bauble or jewelry catches his eye. Meroc prefers to keep his head shaved for ease of donning a disguise and simply the lack of maintenance it requires. He almost always has a bright easy going smile on his lips and can be seen flirting with male and female alike, whichever one suits his purpose at the time.
Personality: A rather charismatic young man Meroc prefers to talk things out rather then resort to a fist fight. Talking also happens to be what Meroc does best. With an excellent memory, sharp wit, and easy going smile he employs the cover of a wherry brained lackadaisy flirt to cover his tracks. No where else is he so at home then spying on ally and enemy alike lying through his teeth with a chipper grin as he bluffs himself past defenses. A performer at heart he thrives on the dramatic and can't help, but love to make every action a show. An actor however must be posed, perfect, and capable of reacting to a new situation at any second and if there is one thing Meroc simply can't stand it's someone screwing up their lines or trodding on his carefully spun web of lies. It's when someone get's in Meroc's way that his friendly facade begins to fall away revealing a much more ruthless and ambitious personality. Everyone to him is a tool and every tool has it's use and it's place and if a tool does not serve it's purpose then there's not point continuing to keep it. Meroc prefers to use blackmail, cleverness, political favors, or emotions to control his allies an enemies over physical threats. While certainly not a bad fighter he has a distinct distaste for violence and considers any who resort to tackling an enemy over talking things out a crack dusted fool.
More then anything Meroc is an opportunist, wealth, freedom, and information are all a carefully guarded currency to him to be used to purchase favors or to see to his continued survival and eventual rise to power. And Meroc is determined to gain power. The politics of the Weyr are a delightful game to him and he's determined to rise above being a mere pawn to becoming a master player in his own right. He's especially skilled in telling people what they want to hear, which makes it more shocking still when he turns his razorsharp tongue on someone as a weapon. When it comes to fist fights and the like Meroc is not so much the coward, but has a well developed sense of 'self preservation' as he likes to put it. If given a choice he prefers to talk his way out of a fight or run for it if he doesn't think he can win. He rarely ever involves himself in pitched battles unless he has something at stake or feels the gamble is worth it preferring to let others do the fighting for him. While he may have been born with a silver tongue Meroc has a distinct distaste for tattletales, especially those that get nothing out of their tattling! A businessman at heart he can't help, but flinch at the sight of a deal or opportunity wasted. True there are such things as 'investments' his usually running the gambit from his 'friends' to those individual officials he makes it a point to ingrain himself with, but to give away information so freely simply appalls him.
While Meroc to most appears to be nothing more then a vain, charismatic, flirty, pretty boy fop of questionable sexuality, the real Meroc is a good deal less. . .kind. Beneath his mask Meroc is a calculating, unapologetic, ambitious, ruthless, b*****d of a candidate. He's certainly not afraid to set the candidate master on your heels in order to buy himself some more time to accomplish his own plans. True he'll loop back around and help you with your punishment, maybe even share some of his hard won loot with you. The fact still stands though, you're just a pawn in his game. He may grow more attached to certain pawns, but once you've outlived your usefulness he's likely to walk away. After all it's the job of a tool to be useful and make itself useful, which is exactly why until he can attain a more. . .permanent standing Meroc makes himself very useful, if not somewhat unassuming. After all it wouldn't due to give away his game just yet.
While the real Meroc may have some soft spots it's hard to tell when he's genuinely being kind or if he's just trying to win you over for some later purpose. The one sure fire thing is that given a choice he would never kill. Killing after all is the ultimate destruction, any usefulness that could have been attained after that is null and void, lost to the depths of between, or perhaps Meroc simply has a bit more humanity hidden behind his pretty smile then he might let on.
Other: dancer, sneak, gossip, slight of hand tricks, juggler, flirt, and all around brightly colored flamboyant playboy
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