[Candidate] Karone [Approved]

[Teiha]

Name: Karone
Age: 18
Sex: Male
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
Craft: Harper
Rank: Apprentice (vocal, dance and defense)
Location: High Reaches Weyr
Physical Description: Karone’s looks are noticibly refined. He has a lithe, agile body, elegant and almost effeminate hands, and a small face. There is usually a spirited gleam in his sharp-edged, golden eyes. His fine copper hair is kept reasonably short, with a fringe of flyaway bangs. He has a generous helping of lips, and they part often in an unconsciously bright and confident smile that some would consider magnetic. He carries himself with innate balance and grace, and a natural lift to his tapered chin belying his wellborn ancestry. Though physically a man of eighteen Turns, he retains his boyish voice and smaller stature -- his growth has slowed or even stopped at about 5’2”. Karone’s best feature, according to himself, is his eyes.

Personality: Though generally considered an attractive person, Karone perceives himself as “fat” and is self conscious about his appearance – particularly his height. (Lenix is always teasing him about his height and gets away with it, but woe to anyone else who tries.) He dresses as well as he can, preferring blues or black, and rarely passes up a chance to check his hair in a mirror or other reflective surface. In accordance to his concern about weight, he is very active and eats light when practical: white meats, fresh fruit, and loads of pickled vegetables.

His diminutive features make him seem cute in a child-like way to some, especially the old aunties, and he makes good use of it to extract small favors here and there. He’s always listened to his elders and is very considerate to them as a whole. Unless in the middle of something urgent, he will drop what he is doing to help an auntie or uncle in need.

Powerfully moved by music, it is as if there is a connection straight from Karone’s ears to the rest of his body. If an upbeat tune is being played, he has to consciously control himself to keep from dancing. If he hears a sad song, he tends to unconsciously match his expression to the tone. Drumbeats and vocal chants are especially empowering before a daunting task.

He has a very strong will to succeed at everything he does. Every hunt is the most important one of his life, every dance is a chance to outdo the one before. Every goal is attainable if he works hard enough for it. What’s more, Karone sincerely believes this applies to everyone. He expresses great faith in others to prevail over their circumstances.

Kar is all for helping others, but hates needing help himself. If he absolutely cannot do something on his own, he will usually only look to a trusted friend for assistance. He’s stubborn that way, and can be quite obnoxious in his drive to finish what he started. Also, he hates losing any sort of competition, and promptly loses his temper when he does.

Lately, as are many others on Pern, he is suffering from depression and anger due to losing most of his family and friends to Threadfall, and from pulling up deep roots to come to High Reaches Weyr to do his part to help fight that same Thread. Being kept busy as a Candidate and having his lifelong companion Lenix nearby is greatly helping to keep him afloat.

Positive Trait List Adventurous, tenacious, playful, encouraging
Negative Trait List Brash, stubborn, conceited, short-tempered

History: Karone has led a fairly privileged life as an heir in a minor hold. He was the third out of Dusiph’s five boys, and developed quite the competetive streak trying to keep up with his brothers. It didn’t matter if it was doing better than one at lessons or besting another in fencing, he wanted to beat them all.

As an apprentice Harper, Karone was trained in vocal, dance and defensive fighting. He was a decent countertenor, and was physically well-suited to the flowing movements required for both dance and fencing. Within his own family, at least, he excelled at all three of these disciplines.
(Note: I didn’t see these concentrations in the shop’s guide to crafting - see Master Detallor in the book “Dragon Harper” for reference to dance and defense/fencing as Harper crafts. I hope they are allowed!)

From a very young age, Karone was paired with an orphan ward named Lenix as his aide. Lenix was very conscientious and knew his place, but Kar really wasn’t interested in being waited on. Len was more of a companion and occasional accomplice, as far as he was concerned. Karone brought this boy, whom he came to think of as a friend, with him everywhere he went.

In his seventeenth Turn, silver streaks fell from the sky and burned through every living thing they touched. These things, which Karone recognized as the extinct “Thread” from the Teaching ballads, killed most of the hold’s residents, including Karone’s mother and all of his siblings. Clearly, it was not as gone and dead as everyone had believed.

His father Dusiph’s hold was built mostly from wood. It had been nearly completely destroyed but for a few stone-brick buildings. With the surrounding farm fields and edible wild plants devoured by the Thread, it was likely that they would not survive long without help evacuating the settlement. Dusiph, however, was not in his right mind after such a devastating loss. His biggest concern was making sure that what little he had left did not go to some bandit after he died. Instead of sending the watchrider to a Weyr to call for aid, Dusiph sent him to all the nearby holds and cotholds to inquire about brides for his two heirs. Karone and Lenix overheard the order – two heirs? All of Karone’s brothers and male relatives were dead!

When pressed, Dusiph grudgingly admitted that Lenix wasn’t just some orphan he’d taken in – he was Dusiph’s nephew, Karone’s cousin. He refused to say any more on the subject, even though both boys had many questions. The revelation caused a rift between Karone and his father. He barely even spoke to Dusiph after that. Instead, he worked to make arrangements for an evacuation. It took several tries, but he managed to catch the watchrider just after one of his check-ins with Dusiph, and sent him to High Reaches Weyr.

The watchrider soon returned with other dragonriders from High Reaches. They provided instructions on what preparations to make before evacuation, and informed Dusiph that they had also come to seek Candidates to Impress at the next hatching. To Dusiph’s horror, both Karone and Lenix were selected. The need for more dragons in the sky was so dire that the riders made it clear they would rather not leave without both young men. It was so obvious to Karone that working for the weyr in any capacity was the most effective thing to do. He insisted upon going to High Reaches as a Candidate, informing his sputtering father that, “If there aren’t enough dragonriders to stop the Thread, it will leave nothing here for you to lose the next time it comes.”

With that, he and Lenix left with the dragonriders. Dusiph was later taken to Healer Hall for intense mindhealing therapies. According to the Master who treated him, it was likely that over time he would make a full recovery and be able to return to run the hold competently again – once it was rebuilt, that is.

Once made acquainted with what was expected of a Candidate at High Reaches, Karone applied himself wherever he was needed, and voraciously absorbed as much from his lessons and advice from experienced weyrfolk as possible. He would either Impress quickly, or else find another useful position to help those who did until he could join them.

Other:

Candidate Specific Questions
Do you want them to have an official Search RP? No
Do you understand they will age every passing year regardless if you're there to RP the or not? Yes
Do you want them to have a possible Stands Impression? No  

[Fated Fable]

Approved.