Post by Ruby on Dec 16, 2010 4:42:26 GMT -5
Greenrider Elisabeta
Name: Elisabeta (NEVER Beta)
Age: 57 (March 2959)
Gender: Female
Sexual Orientation: Straight by choice, although Rakmaninoth has picked female-ridden males in the past and it has never bothered Elisabeta
Rank: Candidatemaster/Searchrider
Physical Appearance:
For a long, long time, Elisabeta was beautiful. She still is, in a way; only it is no longer the fresh-faced beauty of youth. Now, her attractiveness has a sharp edge, only appealing to those of mature tastes. Of course, that tends to happen when you're old.
Her black hair is now more than a little tinged with grey, falling in a dark cascade straight to her waist. She usually braids it or wears it in a tight bun at the base of her neck, but she will leave it loose at night or for special occasions. Years and years of Dragonriding has left the skin on her face and hands brownish and weathered, although she has put off the worst of the wrinkles with the careful application of creams and lotions. Some have snuck through, especially around her eyes and at the corners of her mouth. The rest of her skin isn't as dark, although it always had an olive cast. It looks its age, and she has scars to spare, but no varicose veins yet at least.
Dragonriding has helped her keep her frame, for the most part. In fact, it rather looks as though whatever extra pounds she had melted away, leaving her with whipcord-tight muscles and not much else. She still carries herself with a strictly upright bearing, but at 5'3, she's already lost an inch of height and is quite self-conscious about it. It isn't rare to find her in heeled riding boots, these days, doing her best to re-claim lost height without looking like she is trying to. Otherwise, she dresses rather conservatively, but in the kind of way that suggests what is underneath far more successfully than a low-cut shirt would. Browns and blacks are preferred; more often than not, it is only her red Benden - or later Wasteland - knots that add a hint of color.
Her face is pleasant enough, but to be honest, it looked better with a little chubby bit of cheek and a rosy flush of color. It is somewhere between round and oval, with hollow cheeks and a very sharp profile. Her nose is unremarkable, and while her lips remain full and a rich red, they are often pursed rather than smiling. Wide eyes are an icy slate grey flecked with just the barest hint of blue, and can seem to flash in the right lighting. They are surrounded by carefully trimmed brows and eyelashes that are still rich and full, but the overall effect is harsh, not gentle or pretty anymore. Unless harsh is what you like, anyway.
Personality:
Cold, cold, cold. Asharra's evaluation of her dragonriding sister could not have been more accurate, and that was nearly thirty years ago. While in her young adulthood Elisabeta was considered simply serious, now she is downright scary. She is very picky about issues of control and power, and takes whatever responsibility she is given very seriously. Those beneath her had better beware; Elisabeta isn't above handing out a sharp word or a smack upside the head to those who disobey. Take that poorly and she'll get Rakmaninoth in on the punishment - her Green isn't shy about pinning those that cause problems, holding them down while Hers icily explains what they did wrong, and how she expects them to fix it. While few people enjoy being under Elisabeta's jurisdiction, it cannot be denied that she produces results.
While it doesn't seem quite right with her cold exterior, Elisabeta is extremely ambitious. She's very concerned with who has the power in each of her relationships, and she always prefers that person to be her. Most women, especially of the Benden variety, she can dominate simply with fear and the force of her personality, and she certainly isn't above using age to her advantage. Those women who refuse to be controlled she obeys when she must, and ignores when she can. Those women are few and far between.
Men are much easier. Again, Elisabeta is a surprise. In mixed groups, she treats men much the same as women, but she is watching. Men who do not give way before her, or who hold positions above her by virtue of dragon color or appointment, become her targets. Once she gets them alone, Elisabeta can be surprisingly seductive. She never quite warms up, but she has a mysterious sexiness that she uses to her advantage dramatically. Whatever encounter they have is then used either for leverage or, if that doesn't work, blackmail. Much like her sister Asharra, Elisabeta is adept at her art; only her art is control, not healing.
Of course as she ages, this has gotten both easier and more difficult. She learned long ago that the wilting flower act doesn't work when you're more than, say, 25. However, the experience and maturity that she had gained over those years helped her to modify her strategy, and for a very long time, it worked. Now, though, she is finally starting to show how old she is, and she has also discovered something dangerous: many dragonriders do not live to reach her age. She has become older and older than the men around her, while they seem stuck in their twenties and thirties. No matter how attractive and seductive she is, they don't notice, now that she is far past fifty. Her network of control broke down long ago, and she has no idea how to get it back.
History:
2959 - 2970: Outside Benden Hold; Early Life
The fourth of 11 children, Elisabeta grew up not far from Benden Hold. By the time Elisabeta was three, her oldest sister, Asharra, had already left for the Healer Hall. Elisabeta remembered little of her sister, but she knew that Asharra was to be a Healer, and the little girl decided that she would, too. While her older siblings started helping out on the farm, Beta spent her time with her mother, wrapping and re-wrapping dishtowels and giving the herdbeasts unnecessary slings. While it wasn't thriving, the far was doing well enough, and Beta was soon followed by another sibling, then another.
As soon as she could reliably walk and talk, her mother started bringing her to the fields, where both women helped out the men. Beta kept playing Healer in her spare time, but her parents expected her to make a lovely farm wife, suitable for marriage to one of the larger families in the area, or maybe into a hold for political gain. All their plans were shattered shortly after Beta turned twelve.
2971 - 3015: Benden Weyr; Candidate, Weyrling, Rider
They took her to Benden Hold for the Turnover gather that year, doing their best to pamper and spoil her on their limited salary. It was all for naught, though - on their second day out of a three-day stay, a young Blue landed before them, sixteen-year-old J'reth on his back. Elisabeta was immediately enamored of the Bluerider, and not even her parents' pleas could keep her from going with him. She left that evening, with only enough clothes for another day, and her gather purchases to remember her family by. She never looked back.
J'reth became like a big brother to Elisabeta, guiding her through candidacy until she Impressed at 15, in 2974. It was a near gold, red-eyed hatchling that came her way, but only after mauling every other candidate on the sands, along with a healer that got too close. Rakmaninoth was wild and uncontrollable, absolutely livid at being broken prematurely from her egg by a clumsy sibling, who she killed. It was her mother who finally calmed her, allowing Beta enough time to grab the furious Green by the jawbone, physically holding her gaze. "I am Elisabeta, and you are mine," she said, an authority in her voice she had never known before. Rakmaninoth had stared her down for a full minute, lowering her eyes only a fraction. Fine. I am Rakmaninoth, and you are mine. Now feed me.[/color]
Weyrling training flew by, and Rakmaninoth's first flight left Elisabeta in bed with J'reth, which surprised no one. The pair became nearly inseparable, moving into a double Weyr shortly after Elisabeta's graduation. This lasted four turns, and then... things started to change. J'reth's Blue won another's flight for the first time, and in revenge, Rakmaninoth chose another. This drove a wedge between the pair, straining their relationship to the point where they chose to move to separate Weyrs, only to discover that Elisabeta had gotten pregnant. They moved back in together, planning to save the relationship for the sake of the child.
He was stillborn.
It was shortly after that that Elisabeta met Asharra once again, on search at Southern Boll Hold. Angry at the Healers who had failed to save her baby, and bitter, now, at the sister who had abandoned her, Elisabeta silently stared the Journeyman down. Then, without a word, she selected the child at Asharra's side, without any input from Rakmaninoth. The girl never Impressed; her life was wasted, instead, in flightmothing and, eventually, drink. Elisabeta never had the time to feel bad - she was too busy getting revenge against J'reth for her pain.
Their own personal war lasted until Elisabeta was 37, and the Dragonwar began. J'reth had the poor luck to be the Searchrider on duty when Fort stole Gilganeth's eggs. If the Fort riders hadn't killed him, Benden leadership surely would have. Elisabeta didn't know whether she should be happy or sad, because in the end it didn't matter. J'reth was gone, and she was alone. Instead, Elisabeta turned her sights on C'leon. She was too old for him, and anyway, C'leon bowed to no one. Elisabeta believed she had finally met her match, but he generally ignored her, busy with the war and the worries of the upper echelon. She remained, however, near if not in the Weyrleader's inner circle, doing her part to report those who did not subscribe to the new regime. With her own particular talents and Rakmaninoth's odd abilities in Search, Elisabeta proved quite useful, after all.
The Greenpair mostly ignored the Golds, as was their standard for any women they could not dominate (and of course Golds were that by definition). The return of Thread, Rimeath's gruesome death, Kaegan's flight - none of them changed Elisabeta's life particularly. The vicious Green's talents would never be wasted on a Threadfall wing, after all. Instead, it was C'leon's death and J'lorin's ascension. The Fortian killed many of Elisabeta's 'friends' and most of what little of her generation remained, removing those most loyal to C'leon, her shining leader. It was only a matter of time before the rumors came to her, rumors of rebellion, escape. Really, it was no surprise when Elisabeta left in the night, bound for Wasteland Weyr and, hopefully, a new life.
3016 - Present: Selenitas Weyr; Searchrider, Candidatemaster
Her stint at Wasteland was totally unremarkable, and actually quite short-lived. Within a few months of her arrival, Selenitas was taken, and the move was made. As the oldest Wastelander, she was quickly given a place on Alpha Wing and sent out as a searchrider once again, paired with Selenitas searchrider Farryl. Impression to Brown Sunshine, by way of Gold Harmony and Bronze Imp, did little to change Elisabeta's attitude towards the southern Weyr or improve her generally grumpy mood. When Ka'aen stepped down as Candidatemaster, she was asked to step in - with Farryl as her assistant, in hopes that the Selenitas Greenrider could be turned to the Wastelanders' cause. She'd already befriended Ur'h, after all; it seemed only logical to spend some time seeing if she could be turned.
Dragon
Name: Rakmaninoth
Color: Green (444622)
Age: 43 (born January 2974)
Physical Appearance:
Rakmaninoth's coloring is absolutely striking. She is a deep olive green, which appears to be covered in a thin wash of what is unmistakably gold. The wash appears in thick stripes, which fade into a solid area of gold wash on her stomach. The wash is absent on her face and wingsails, but her wingbones shine gold when the light hits them. A solid gold stripe runs from the tip of her nose, down her ridges, to the tip of her tail and back again under her belly, bisecting her body into two perfect halves. The gold stripe and wash glitters in any light, sharply contrasting the duller tone of the pure, uncovered green, and sometimes making it look as if she is glowing even when she isn't.
She is big and wide, easily outstripping smaller blues and built more like a solid Brown than your usual delicate Green. However, she isn't muscular at all - while she is strong, she's all sharp angles and brutal points, and if her Rider doesn't force her to eat near double that of most other dragons, her rib bones begin to show. Her claws are a blinding white - the better to show the blood that often stains them. Rakmaninoth isn't a dragon to be passed over, or written off as a fluffy little flirt. She's dangerous, and she makes sure you know it.
Her wings, however, are quite undersized for her frame. It makes her fast, agile, and brutal in the air, but her stamina is pathetic. Rakmaninoth is very much about efficiency. She greatly prefers to take dragons out in a single, targeted attack, just the same way her flights usually only last a few minutes, despite her larger size. Surprisingly, her frame also lends itself well to Search - while she might terrify any Candidate in their right mind, she is long and strong enough to carry a few of them, and her own mass is small enough that she can hit many holds in a day, as long as she rests for a moment in between trips.
Personality:
Ever since her hatching, Rakmaninoth has been brutal. She was born that way, and she will die that way. She lives for battle, and isn't above picking earnestly deadly fights with dragons she sees as small or weak (or strong, if she can get away with it, although she learned quickly that authority figures step in more quickly when the dragons she antagonizes are more valuable). Those relegated to the Threadfighting wings had best steer clear of Rakmaninoth, especially when she or Hers is in a foul mood.
Hers is the absolute best indicator of how Rakmaninoth will react. The two are very, very closely bonded, but Elisabeta is obviously the dominant one in their relationship. If Elisabeta remains calm, Rakmaninoth will as well, no matter how much she would like to tear out someone's throat. If hers is angry... well. It is a good thing that Elisabeta is rarely truly angry. This is another thing that makes them especially suited to Search. If Elisabeta wants them to find appropriate candidates, Rakmaninoth will, and her Rider can finesse her Dragon's emotions so potential Candidates aren't as terrified of the dangerous Green as they should be. While they are by no means perfect, Elisabeta and Rakmaninoth have had quite a bit of success where searches are concerned.
In flight, as in battle, Rakmaninoth is brutal and efficient. Both often last less than ten minutes, and both invariably end with someone injured. That is the only time Rakmaninoth really has full control, and it is a very dangerous time. Males planning on chasing should not waste time on pretty words or tricks - Rakmaninoth generally either chooses the male fastest on the uptake, or the one that is fastest, depending on how long her flights last. Those that get in the way in of her choice have their flesh shredded, and her Rider - often accidentally armed with a knife, no matter how carefully she tries to hide them when Rakmaninoth begins to glow - generally follows suit. Males, beware.
Salamandyr
Name: Sunshine
Color: Base 7B3F00 Stripes EE8833 (7B3F00/EE8833)
Age: 1 Turn (Born June 3016)
Physical Appearance:
This brown mandyr is completely average on the size scale. Smack dab in the middle for what is normal for his color. In body structure he is pretty standard as well save for his legs which seem to be just a little shorter than normal for a mandyr. This means as he moves he almost looks like he scurries from place to place, his little legs having to work double what they would if he had normal ones. Thankfully he has a fully functional set of wings. Even if he seems to use them more for gliding than anything else. He has no sky borne aspirations like some of his brothers and sisters. He prefers gliding and climbing thank you very much. His strong and muscular tail will help him in his climbing ventures, especially since it is a tad longer than average and he seems to have near perfect control of it. Like most his siblings he has the typical set of spiny protrusions in place of a frill. Except while their spines seem to mostly be sharp, his are blunt and rounded. That’s okay. He’s not fond of using them for anything but expression anyway.
His hide is the color of a stick of cinnamon. A warm brown shade that looks smooth even if a bit dull. Despite oilings he’ll always retain this dull quality to his hide. It doesn’t mean he’s unhealthy by any means. It’s just the way he is. At least the color is pleasant looking enough. The uniform cinnamon shade is broken only in a few areas. His legs from the knee down are completely color in a tan shade. Almost as if he was wearing socks. There is a stripe of the same color that rings his neck and finally his tail is banded from base to tip. Yes he bears the raccoon rings the rest of the clutch seems to sport.
Personality:
The first thing you’ll notice about this guy is that he’s horribly loud. Yes. He’s extremely found of broadcasting and that might not be such a bad thing normally. Except the brown does it at the most inopportune times. Like in crowds. He has important things to say you see. Everyone should hear them. Thankfully his broadcasts aren’t always complete nonsense as this little guy is pretty smart. He’ll pick up words quickly, even if his grammar won’t be anything spectacular, and he’ll occasionally mix up a word or two. He’s extremely loving and sweet to his bonded. His encompasses his entire world. Isn’t she beautiful and lovely and kind? He picked well when he chose her he did. It seems from the time be broke shell his entire goal is to keep his in a good mood. And how does he accomplish this? Well he has many ideas. Gift giving, flattery, praise and above all singing. You heard right. The minute she seems upset or angry about anything this mandyr breaks into song. Sometimes he makes them up on a whim and sometimes he just tries to find the brightest happiest song ever to serenade her with. This brown adores his bonded to insane levels.
He’s also fond of learning tricks. He can be easily taught to attempt much about anything for even just a small word of praise or attention from his. Deliver messages, scout out areas, heck he’ll even attempt to do her laundry if she’ll spend some time loving on him. This makes him a bit easily manipulated by his bonded if she can figure out just what it is that he so desires. Which is just her undying devotion to him as well. He’s not all that fond of firelizards but will tolerate them as long as they don’t make nuisances of themselves. Other mandyrs are regarded with a bit of jealousy. His is his. You cannot have her. Or touch her. Despite the fact that he dislikes other mandyrs around his bonded he’s perfectly comfortable around them when she isn’t around. He seems to especially favor females of any species it seems, save firelizards. In matters of mating he’ll chase just about every female mandyr that runs. He’s not into the whole monogamy thing though really. Why limit yourself? Besides his heart only truly belongs to one female and that’s his.
[x] By checking this box, I am saying that I have read the Rules and History, and will follow them.
