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Name: Tacelon
Age: 15
Gender: male
Sexuality: heterosexual
Craft: Harper
Rank: Apprentice/Candidate
Appearance: Tacelon is of a stocky build, though not fat, and is a nondescript, middling height. He considers much of himself nondescript; aside from grey eyes the color of a stormy sky, his short hair in an unremarkable brown, his face, though a little wide, is not one that sticks in the mind, and his skin is the same light tan as anyone who spends time on the drum heights. His face sometimes seems like it’s fixed in a resigned expression that, while not especially unhappy, is far from cheerful.

Personality:
Tacelon is accustomed to being disappointed. As a result, he’s pessimistic, and has low self-esteem; he believes he will amount to little and the best he can hope for is small goals. In his mind, Impressing a fire-lizard is likely one of the very few times he’ll ever succeed at an important goal. He is very quiet and speaks as little as possible, but has a habit of drumming (with his fingers or any tool in his hand) to reflect his moods. His firelizard, named Clarion, often sings his moods as well, and has such an expressive vocal range at times he seems like he’s taken over as Tacelon’s voice. Tacelon will doggedly keep to his tasks no matter what, since he is used to pressing on through adversity, and hardworking, since he’s of the opinion that working diligently is the only way he’ll have any chance of making anything of himself.

Although he can be surprised when something unexpected comes up and hesitate while figuring out how to proceed, he rarely panics. He is respectful and polite, though with all things he tend to express this more with body language than words. Clarion often copies such actions when possible (when Tacelon bows or waves for someone to go ahead of him through a door, Clarion will do the same from its perch on his shoulder). He rarely will initiate a conversation, and often comes off an introverted due to how little he speaks. However, he will gladly initiate contact if it does not require him to speak much, such as offering to help with work if a questioning look (and accompanying trill of query from Clarion) will suffice. Although he speaks little, he watches and listens a lot, and is perceptive. He’s humble, more out of the opinion that his accomplishments really aren’t all that great than from any desire to seem modest.

History:
Tacelon’s family comes from a smaller hold beholden to Nabol Hold. His father a woodworker, and his mother was a housewife who did some sewing on the side. As most children do, he adored his mother when he was a young child. When he was about 6, she died in childbirth with his youngest sister. His father raised him and his 4 siblings by himself, aside from when he hired a wet nurse for the baby. The father decided that the elder siblings were old enough to help raise younger, and he did not want to let go of any of his children, so he did not foster any. He was a strict disciplinarian with high hopes for his children; if he felt they did not do well enough at a task, he let them know in no uncertain terms, and was sparing with praise.

Tacelon had lapped up tales of other regions and as a result developed a bit of wanderlust, with a dream of traveling Pern. Throughout his life the dream never quite died, though it withered and waned as it seemed increasingly unlikely. He would have liked to apprentice to a trader, since they traveled all over and provided a useful service. However, his father denied him, firmly telling his children that it was not a respectable life for a proper holder. He would have liked to be a Runner instead, but even when he was fittest he didn’t have the build, stamina or athletic ability. He eventually settled is dreams on being a Harper, which was met with Father’s approval and encouraged by the Hold Harper. He wanted to be a Harper for all of a Harper’s duties besides music: teaching, mediating, bringing news, and most of all traveling to do so. However, could also play and sing well, which it why he met with the hold Harper’s approval.

Shortly after he was accepted as a Harper Apprentice and sent to the Harper Hall, a grave illness wrecked his voice, reducing it to a gravely rasp with a nonexistent singing voice. While it was only a bit of a strain to speak and doing so caused him no pain, he was embarrassed by the coarse voice and rightly thought it could sometimes be hard to understand. As a result he became taciturn, speaking as little as possible.

Since singing and extensive speaking was effectively denied him, he applied himself to learning instruments in hopes that he could still travel as a Harper. With a bit of luck, he managed to acquire a firelizard, bronze Clarion, and taught it to sing along with his music, having it take the place of the vocal parts he could not sing. Clarion stuck close to him at all times and often voiced his moods, helping others understand the quiet boy. Tacelon also taught Clarion to sing various notes with perfect pitch, which was useful for tuning instruments. To better command the flirelizard without speaking, Tacelon also taught him to respond to a set of whistled instructions based on drum codes.

Despite all his efforts with learning instruments and training Clarion, he found that aside from Gathers, there was little call for an effectively mute instrumental Harper. If he still wished to travel, his best bet was working in drum towers, where he could at least be posted somewhere new, and maybe change around now and then.

He had resigned himself to drum tower training when was unexpectedly Searched. Seeing a chance at a dragonrider’s coveted ability to travel anywhere on Pern in the blink of an eye, (and since dragonriding was a profession his father would approve) he quickly accepted. He has little hope that he’ll actually Impress, but at least thinks he’ll see more of Pern than wherever he’ll end up when he’s learned his craft. He expects that once he grows too old to be a Candidate any longer, he'll return to the Harper Hall and continue working towards his Journeyman rank, at which point he may be posted at another hold.

Anything else?:
-Can play drums, pipes, flute and guitar, picks up new instruments reasonably quickly. Owns a flute and a small hand drum.
-is as adept at understanding Clarion’s moods as Clarion is at picking up his

I will be giving him this bronze flit: [Clarion]