Name: Rothgar
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Sexual Orientation: Panromantic Asexual
Craft: BeastCraft
Rank: Apprentice
Origin: Fort...?
Appearance.
Physique: Tall for his age, a trait inherited from his father, Rothgar seems more like a rubber band than anything. He likes to stay limber and strong so he can take on the BeastCraft properly. Unfortunately, he has yet to fill out, and "taking on" anything much bigger than a cria is a dream for the future.
Face: His skin is medium in darkness and a hue that makes scars more difficult to see. With his brash demeanor he has made more than his fair share of mistakes and once got on the wrong side of a watch wher, leading to an ugly claw mark across the face. For those that cannot see the scar at first, he appears to snarl incessantly, just like a wher! On the other hand, a jolly smile can become extra bright.
Narrow but striking light-blue eyes are a trait he inherited from his mother Garmeyla, along with her thick mop of wavy, near-black hair. His facial features, beyond the scar, are rather flat with wide, high cheekbones that angle to a strong jaw and chin.
Fashion: His clothing, well, it's strictly utilitarian and if he has a moment tries to wear some of the Weyr or Craft's colors. Otherwise he grabs whatever happens to be clean and/or what is needed for the day, such as mucking-around boots. The exceptions to that are as follows: the chain of silvery material of unknown design, origin and reason hidden in his shirt, and an earring made from the claw-tip of a certain wher.
Personality.
Rothgar likes to joke around and make friends. He has been surrounded by animals "forever" and sometimes forgets that he enjoys people's company too. As a Candidate he felt like he was making up for lost time before dragons could chain them all up to a life of rigid rules and silvery doom. Yes, his father made sure he believed as the Weyr did, that Thread would Fall again. Why is he a Candidate again? Oh yes. He likes dragons. He adores his father's silly Blue.
The here and now is what fun-loving Rothgar focuses on to enjoy his life. He sees the positive and tries to lighten the lives of those around him with his crooked smile and straightforward but positive words. He would probably make a great leader if his gaze was aimed more at the future and his mind more technical and tactical. But he would rather see that people suffer a lot less when pain and suffering will happen no matter what. Some people are good at preventing some of it, but he's better at dealing with Right Now.
Personality: Myers-Briggs profile. ESFP, Creators: Entertainer/Joker
Personality: Positive.
- Adaptable,
- Animal affinity,
- Energetic,
- Fun,
- Generous,
- Sociable.
Personality: Negative.
- Attention whore somewhat, sometimes,
- Difficulty learning new things on his own,
- Rash,
- Thinking ahead is not his forte
History: Family.
Father: R'ulfr of Blue Isbranth
- Elder sister Raumaney (rao mah nay), 23, greenrider
- Elder brother R'thou (er-thoo), 21, brownrider
- Younger brother R'guo (er-gwoh), 13, bluerider
- Younger sister Ronalthie (roh naahl thee-eh), 9, weyrbrat; lives with mother, lower caverns
Mother: Garmeyla, Jny BeastCrafter (llamas)
- Younger sister Gamlee, 10, Apc BeastCraft (llamas), knitting and adornment
History: A Narrative.
Rothgar has spent his days outside and his nights studying by the fire as far back as he could carry tack and tools, and read. Shuffled back and forth between his parents, Rothgar has always been surrounded by herd animals and dragons. One of his earliest memories was that of climbing all over his father's Blue Isbranth. Later, his father taught him how to put riding straps on Isbranth, how to oil him, and how to ride! Of course, as a toddler, one is not controlling the dragon.
He knows that his parents Garmeyla and R'ulfr practically grew up together, and that they were childhood sweethearts. But R'ulfr was Searched and his life became that of a dragonrider. Sometime after his graduation, they tried to live together at the Weyr. They even tried to live in both places separately and stay together as a couple. Rothgar knows not how much time passed nor how many times they "tried again," but it became a pattern and even a habit.
It was during one such time of indecision that Rothgar was born and his first dragon-centric memories were forged during the first half-dozen Turns of his life. While Rothgar did not grow up in the Weyr per se, he was familiar with it. His elder siblings, still weyrbrats at the time, doted on him as only children can, by dragging him along to investigate the hidden tunnels, secret stashes, and many ways to get into trouble. Some of the weyrbrats of other riders and of that time may still remember their adventures. Some may remember Rothgar's face or even his name when as he returns Turns later as a Beastcrafter.
Garmeyla took Rothgar with her, back to their small Hold in the mountains, for the last time when he was about six or eight Turns old. It was (and continues to be) a multi-family effort, one of several Holds in the region specializing in sturdy pack llamas that produce high-quality wool. The herds need minimal shepherding but the life is hard: the weather can be unpredictable, the terrain treacherous. Only the strongest beasts and humans survived for long, and never alone. But Rothgar is strong, and everyone in that community works together to raise the children. He learned how to work as a team even before he came back to live at the Weyr permanently. He cares about everyone, even those he does not like, and they worked through every challenge together.
By the time he had come of age, he had decided that he was not close enough with his father. Over the Turns he and Garmeyla had visited R'ulfr and Isbranth many times, but it was not enough for the boy, who could remember what it was like before. And there was something else. He enjoyed the quirky llamas at home, but as he grew older yearned for a dragon and the life of a rider. Perhaps it was a flight of fancy, but he wanted to be certain! So, with his parents' blessing, he requested to transfer to Fort Weyr.
Rothgar had not been Searched and had no reason to believe that he would become a rider even if he was Searched. He understood this, and applied himself seriously to his Craft, learning with great curiosity the many differences between llamas and other herdbeasts. He would never get used to watching any herdbeast eaten alive, nor blooded, or so he told himself. Thankfully, he studied primarily under the Weyr's Ovines (sheep) Master, whose job was breeding and rearing for the production of wool and human consumption, not dragons.
Searched only months after settling in, he jumped at the chance to become an official Candidate. But first, he wanted to make a careful transition between these two vastly different but demanding lives. As a shepherd, he had brought llamas and two dogs to help with the herd. The dogs use specific hand and voice commands to herd the ovines and other herd beasts. In deciding to leave these under the Weyr Ovinemaster's care, he has begun to show the other apprentices how to work with the dogs and use their hand signals. The llamas are already bonding with the ovines as their guard animals, and need little fuss, but what they do need they will certainly get in his absence.
Now as a fulltime Candidate, in his free time he spins wool and is proficient in knitting and crocheting. Increasingly, he has found himself teaching the skills to others who never picked them up due to living in warmer climates or simply not needing (or wanting) to. Not so good at felting and with little dye training, he has reached out to lower caverns staff to give him some pointers.
He understands that his future as a rider is questionable. Even more still, he cannot be certain his dragon would be safe from the Plague. He does not really understand it, to be honest! But he was raised to be adaptable, and he thinks that if his father and siblings can survive this with their dragons healthy, so can he. But it's up to chance.
Rothgar quickly switched over to helping the riders wherever necessary. With even less free time now, he has spent most of his waking hours in the here and now, with little time wasted wondering about the future. When he thinks about his father, his worry only serves to freeze him in place. It is not just R'ulfr fighting thread, and not just Isbranth who could become sick and die, now. He has two elder siblings and one younger brother in the air protecting their home. Right now all he can think about is hurrying up with that numbweed. Or getting up there himself. He doesn't want to think about what he would rather do, and if he was just fantasizing before. He can't let himself doubt if he can do it. If little brother R'guo can fight thread, so can he. Anyone can do it. One must simply think of the here and now and hope that that keening has nothing to do with his own family.
Smile.
He'll do that, too.
Other:
Elided Name: R'gar (rr gaar)
