Name: D'zek
Age: 30
Sex: Male
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual
Weyr: Western Weyr
Rider Rank: Wingrider
Previous Rank/Craft: Journeyman Miner
Physical Description: If anyone ever wondered why D'zek's family went into mining and wherhandling, they would only have to take a look around their dinner table. It is a veritable case study of those genetically predisposed to life in the darkness. Dark blue irises disappear into unusually wide pupils, pale skin abounds... And although he's chosen a life in the light (at least, compared to his family's night time occupations), D'zek is no exception. His eyes appear almost black at times, his skin is fairly pale. All his melanin seems to have gone into his hair. He is usually clean shaven, unless he's been on the job too long, in which case the shadow of a beard starts to show itself. His hair is inky black and slightly curly, going a few inches past the nape of his neck. His eyes are deep set and darkly framed, giving him an ever present look of intensity. When caught alone, pouring over a map, or deep in thought, he might seem to be always scowling. Yet any wariness about his appearance is dispelled by his easy smile, his confident gait. Still, on a scale of one to handsome, he's a solid 'almost, but not quite'. He has a kind of scruffy, rugged appeal, if you like that sort of thing, but isn't what you would call classically attractive.
Personality: D'zek is a family man through and through. He finds it strange for a dinner table to contain any less than a dozen people. He tends to treat those around him the same way, thinking of his wing, and the Weyr at large, as a kind of extended family. He is friendly and familiar to all, and enjoys doing simple things for those around him, such as cooking or eating together.
Despite his social nature and inclination towards forming close friendships, D'zek has an impressive ability to compartmentalize. To him, it is not something that needs to be practiced or thought about. Work is work, and his personal life has nothing to do with that. He would cut down a friend as harshly, or praise an enemy as profusely, as anyone else that he works with. Similarly, he doesn't see why what happens on duty should affect his friendships outside of work. Unfortunately, not everyone is so understanding, especially since D'zek can be fairly harsh with his criticism, favoring honesty over putting things lightly. He tends to speak openly with little regard to rank or politics when voicing his opinions, which could get him in trouble with certain kinds of people at times. Still, he's not entirely tactless, and (having some small amount of personal ambition) tries not to piss off anyone he really shouldn't.
D'zek collects friends everywhere he goes. He looks on every social gathering eagerly as a chance to create new connections or acquaintances. And a friend of his is never forgotten. If he's ever able to do them a favor, he will. If he sees something he thinks they might like, he'll buy it without a second thought. He pours wealth into friendships as though they were investments, but it's just the way he was raised. In his vast family, no one really spent much money on themselves. There were too many nameday gifts to buy, too many marriages to celebrate, too many new children on the way. They get by on a currency of social capital rather than cash; most of D'zek's own possessions are presents from one relative or another. And, just as he is always happy to do someone a favor, he knows there are countless people he can rely on if he ever needs the same.
With Jageth, D'zek was fortunate enough to have a half dozen brothers, and a dozen or more cousins, to frequently make fun of him. The resultant thick skin helps him look at Jageth's criticisms with a patient sense of humor. As a younger sibling of a large family, D'zek is skilled at mediating. He was always the peace keeper among his siblings, so he's a good person to go to with an argument or a dispute. If he was able to keep a level head while trying to stop two irrational brothers and their violently angry whers from coming to blows, he's pretty sure he can deal with your problems.
History: D’zek was born in a small mining colony in the center of the Western continent. He is the youngest of seven brothers, having only one, younger, sister (whom he dotes on considerably). His father was nearly 50 when D’zek was born, and died not ten turns later. For most of his life, then, it was just him, his six brothers, and the two girls. Since his brothers were all much older than him, D’zek was closest to his younger sister. For much of their childhood, it was just the two of them and their mother in the house, although one brother or another was never far away. His extended family is, well, extensive (you couldn’t drop a stone down the mines without it hitting some uncle or cousin of his).
Growing up near a mine, D’zek became accustomed to life around whers. Most of his brothers, his father and his mother, were handlers of some kind. It was always assumed that D’zek would one day grow up to bond to one as well. But while he loves whers, respects miners, and couldn’t imagine being separated from his family for any great length of time, D’zek always wanted more in his life than settling down in the same place he lived since he was born and working the job he was expected to. He had a great desire to achieve things with his life, and a wander-lust that not even the excitement and danger of the Western continent could satisfy.
At the age of 12, D'zek moved away from the mining community to a nearby Hold, under the guise of taking up an apprenticeship there. As a child, he had developed a keen interest in the science behind mining. All the ‘whys’ of the world fascinated him. Unfortunately such ponderings alone could not satisfy him, and he was apt to experiment. In the Hold there was an old master crafter who specialized in what he called 'experimental mining techniques'. The man was an old acquaintance of his father and, given D'zek's childhood history, they thought it would be a good match. To D'zek, the move to the Hold was a chance to experience new places, visit parts of the continent that he had never seen, and meet people from all over Pern. When he first arrived, the preteen boy was still entertaining thoughts of running away on the first trader caravan or merchant ship he came by.
Fortunately, the switch to Hold life was enough to keep his interest for a while. Besides which, he found his master to be both brilliant and highly likable. The work was interesting, his life was never dull, and he had begun to believe he'd found his place in life. That was shortly before his first brush with wher's flighted cousins.. A group of dragonriders had come to the Hold for a performance. Though D'zek was aware of dragons, and had seen one or two flying in distance before, this was his first time seeing them up close and in action. To say it made a lasting impression on the boy is to drastically understate things. After that, he started to pay a little more attention to what was happening in the neighboring Weyr and he made sure he put himself within sight, the next time dragons were Searching the Hold. His optimistic efforts were not in vain, and D'zek was noticed and picked up to be taken to Western Weyr as a Candidate. Four turns and two clutches later, he was the proud rider of a pugnacious, petulant bronze.
While he enjoyed his life at both the Weyr and the Hold, a part of him always knew that he would one day return to his home, and once Jageth was old enough to leave the Weyr, D'zek did just that. His connection to his family was too strong and the truth was, he liked his little home in the mines. Besides which, life with Jageth was never boring, and having a dragon afforded him a wider variety of tasks than his cave-bound relatives. Jageth helped with much of the heavy lifting, but D'zek also worked alone, putting to use what he had learned as an apprentice and continuing his studies, while Jageth spent his time hunting in the surrounding plains and forests. There were only a few dragons in the small cothold, making it easy for Jageth to believe he was at the top of the food chain (even if no one else did).
When thread came, D'zek was fortunate in having a family that spent most of their life under half a mile of solid rock. Their losses were minimal. D'zek himself, lacking firestone, had no choice but to stay in their makeshift weyr and wait it out. In the aftermath, D'zek decided that it was his duty to return to Western Weyr and help in the fight against thread. He might have made the decision to become a dragonrider on a whim when he was 13 years old, but he still didn't take it lightly. Thread had stirred something in Jageth too, meaning (in a rare event) the two were in agreement about this. The past seventh months have been a 'trial by fire' of sorts. In an ideal world, they would have a turn or more to come back up to speed after being out of the Weyr so long, but with too much thread and too few dragons, they couldn't afford it. Jageth is nimble, at the very least, and the turns of hunting together helped them in dodging and diving for thread. And so far, they have managed to avoid all but very minor injuries.
Other: D'zek is currently one of only two bachelors out of his entire rank of cousins and siblings, a subject of much discussion and good-natured prodding whenever he returns back home. Besides his mother and sister, D'zek keeps his more flexible sexuality a secret around his family, since they can be a little more traditional compared to the open and accepting Weyr.
Though he lived outside the Weyr, Jageth was hatched at Western and the two returned periodically to keep up with their training, so they may know many of the riders there.
DRAGON
Name: Jageth
Age: 13
Color: Bronze
Size: 38'
Physical Description: Jageth is a small and nimble bronze, measuring in at the lower end of average. His hide is dark and dappled, camouflaging him against the shadows. He is not a flashy bronze by any stretch of the imagination. His eyes are more commonly on the warmer end of the spectrum; orange for irritation, or red when he's hunting.
Personality: D'zek has always said that all dragons are unique blend of sentient thought and animal instinct. Which is his nice way of saying that some dragons are as human as humans, while others (like Jageth) have more in common with a wild feline. Jageth himself admits he has little understanding of (nor interest in) the human psyche. Rarely a kind word comes out of this dragon, and least of all to his rider. Whenever D'zek is feeling low, Jageth will always be there to kick him when he's down. Not that he restricts himself to these times; he's more than happy to kick him off his high horse as well. D'zek may be his beloved rider and his sole confidant, but that's no excuse for being such a spineless, hapless idiot.
While not particularly vain, Jageth still manages to be about as arrogant as they come. His confidence is more brooding than boasting. He doesn't brag about his accomplishments, but he definitely thinks he's the smartest person in the room (or the Weyr... or all of Pern), and he gets frustrated whenever he feels like his talents or insights are not being taken advantage of. It's not that he never finds fault with himself, he does. He should have taken that bank harder.. How could he the gold get ahead of him like that? If he'd only been quicker, that feline would never have gotten her claw on him.. Jageth is well aware of his own faults. It's just that, by comparison, they are so much smaller than everyone else's.
Jageth has a pragmatic spirit, a love of danger, and a respect for solitude. He is attracted to females of strength rather than beauty, but let's face it, since when did mating flights have anything to do with attraction? His opinion of the female doesn't matter, what matters is winning, something he enjoys almost as much as mating and hunting, making flights a particular passion of his. And should the female fail to choose him, his opinion of himself remains undamaged. His opinion of the gold or green, however… Well, she made the wrong choice. Clearly this is a female is driven by ridiculous whimsy rather than any kind of sense.
Flights aside, once Jageth truly respects a female, it's hard to get him to shut up about it. It becomes almost an extension of his own egotism. It's not flattery because she is the most beautiful green that ever existed. And have you noticed how clever she is? D'zek? Have you? No? Well then you're an idiot and have bad taste. A partner that truly captures his heart will be one he respects even more than himself, a high bar to meet. When it happens, though, this typically disinterested jerk will turn whipped in about two seconds flat. He's not even embarrassed about the fact, but almost seems proud of it. And, should his rider try to mock him for it, is not above reminding him that at least he has a female in his life, whereas D'zek will probably die miserable and alone.
Jageth is always willing to take criticism from his wing. He may not believe it, but he's never annoyed by it. If he messes up, his wingmates should be the first ones to point it out. Criticism from anyone else, however, will not be taken so well. Indeed, even the most innocent of comments could be blown well out of proportion if made by the wrong person. Jageth feels very combative towards other wings, believing (usually falsely) that they are in constant competition, which leads him to take anything they say the wrong way. Despite his brooding egotism and standoffishness, Jageth has a great deal of pride in the dragons and riders that they work with, and at least a begrudging respect for the chain of command (even if he thinks he should be at the top of it). He may not act super friendly, but he feels a kind of comfort around those dragons that he's gotten to know that he won't get anywhere else. He may even go so far as to engage them in conversation, if they happen to discuss something cares about.
D'zek and Jageth disagree with each other more often than not, which turns out to be a plus for both of them. They serve as each other's system of checks and balances, Jageth keeps D'zek humble, and D'zek keeps Jageth from pissing off anyone he really shouldn't. On the other hand, when the two stand together on a united front, they are a difficult force to contend with.
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