Piden of Bronze Pidesk

[Ruby]

Piden
Guardhandler, Player, Mandyr Guru

Name: Piden (PEE-den)
Age: 28 Turns (Born September 2994)
Gender: Male
Sexual Orientation: Pansexual
Rank: Selenitas Wherhandler

Physical Appearance:
Although Piden has a coloring that usually suggests light and bright, specifically red hair and green eyes, he is undeniably dark. His skin has lost some of its tan due to his nocturnal lifestyle, but he remains a shade that no one would quite call 'pasty', something that is often a problem for Wherhandlers. Lucky for him, he seems to have inherited his mother's darker tone as opposed to his father's tendency to stay milky pale and freckle. Lots of time spent in the sun until he impressed, working in the Cothold fields, is the only explanation for his remaining darkness.

His hair, too, is an auburn so dark it is almost brown. Deep forest green eyes regard the world quite jadedly from beneath heavy, dark brows. Those are brown, without the redder tone of his hair. All facial hair grows in brown too, and now that Piden can actually grow some that doesn't look totally ridiculous, he has opted for a bit of stubble, hoping that it makes his jaw look more sculpted. It only sort of works.

He has strong, but not large, features. Although he wishes he had a squarer, more manly jaw and chin, they create what can only be called a pixie-like face, and it does suit him whether he likes it or not. Strong, high cheekbones are his favorite part of his face, and they have only become more prominent with age. As attractive as his face may be, however, his features are constantly contorted into a mask of cockiness, projecting an "I am better than you" message to any authority figure he comes in contact with, and a "Come hither" message to every eligible person, male or female.

A lifetime in the fields and working with Whers has left him with a rock-hard physique. He has finally reached his full growth, and stands at 5'10", quite a bit taller than he expected. He is well-muscled and well proportioned, kind of disgustingly so if we're being totally truthful. No one deserves to be as good looking as Piden is, no matter their personality.

Personality:
Piden has grown up somewhat in the past few years, but he's still got his flaws. He isn't mean or unlikeable or anti-social or anything, but he is pretty generally devoid of morals. He does harbor the belief that men and women are equal, probably due to his mother's strong impact on his life, but he doesn't believe either one is deserving of respect unless they earn it. Of course, to people's faces, he is almost exclusively quite pleasant, but his main aim in being friendly is to get them into his bed (or to get into theirs, either one works for him). He's less aggressive than he used to be, though; he still lacks empathy, but the re-connection with Saphor and Phaiden and his surprisingly healthy relationship with Roivao seem to have softened him up a bit. He isn't adverse to picking up pretty people to prove he still can, but he's pickier than he used to be.

He does still have quite the ego, maintained to protect the insecurities that linger at his core. To the outside world, and even to his own mind, he is not only right in all situations, but he deserves everything he gets. This usually does not sit well with authority figures, and therefore he usually has a very negative reaction to them, to the point of being considered rebellious. In fact, he covets and encourages this rebellious reputation- he figures it makes him more interesting.

Despite all this, though, he is undeniably charming. He has an innate ability to coerce both men and women into falling for him, and also has the incredible power to talk himself out of all the trouble and drama it may cause for them. He is a smooth liar, a flatterer, and highly manipulative without even meaning to be that way. It comes to him like grasping comes to a newborn- it is simply the way he understands the world, and the way he explores it.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that he's attractive. This is partly due to a complete obsession with his appearance, along with a practically genetic vanity. He will spend hours selecting just the right outfit for that day, and often spends more time on his hair in the morning than the girls he sleeps with. Anything shiny should be kept far away from him, as he greatly enjoys staring at himself, fixing every stray hair and examining every blemish and oddness about his appearance, and trying to find ways to fix them. He also has a bit of a talent for cutting hair, although it's not anything he would do for someone other than a friend.

History:
2994 - 3008: Near Selenitas Hold; Early Life
Piden was born in a small cothold outside of Selenitas Hold. His family are farmers, providing Selenitas with some of their grain. His father, Pilas, is a pale, freckled redhead, and walks with a limp after a lifetime of backbreaking labor. Before Piden was born, Pilas lived in a minor hold outside of Nerat, and fell deeply in love with a woman from the same hold named Ennaya. Blonde, tan, and beautiful, she was the pride of her Hold, set up to travel to Nerat Hold to attempt to catch the eye of the Lord Holder, and maybe be married to a high-ranked male. Too bad she fell for Pilas too. The pair eloped, leaving their old Hold to cross the sea and find sanctuary on the outskirts of Selenitas. Their first child was a girl, Ayada, who is now married and has several children of her own; then came two boys back to back, and another girl. These four children were born in the couple's first six years at the new Cothold, and they decided four was enough to help in the fields without overtaxing the family. Fifteen years after Ayada was born, Piden followed.

At his birth, his parents were dealing with drought conditions, and rising tensions in the outside world were causing Selenitas to ask them to produce more. Through most of his life, this was true, and it caused both of his parents and all of his siblings to have absolutely no time for him. If he was working the fields, sure, he was worth something, but other than that he was just in the way, an inconvenience. Looking for outside affection, he found the son of the other family at their Cothold. The boys started off as friends, turning into tentative lovers as time went by. When that boy's older brother found out, he decided he wanted a piece of Piden too, more to teach him a lesson than out of actual desire. Piden loved him for it.

Eventually, though, the now 14-year-old tired of their games, and sought out something new- the boys' sister. She was his age, but the two had never been close. Well, soon they were. Halfway through Piden’s fifteenth year, Saphor discovered that she was with child, and Piden knew he would be implicated when she began to show. Of course, he himself had had his dalliances at gathers and the like, and so could have she, but... come on. It was his child, they weren't married, and the thought of marriage terrified Piden to no end.

So he packed up his few possessions, and was in the process of running away when something enormous landed in the fields in front of him. It was a Blue dragon, who had sensed him during a flyover. Since his stuff was already packed, Piden convinced the Bluerider (rather physically) that there was no reason to go back and tell his parents that he would be leaving. The Bluerider complied, and Piden arrived in the Weyr a few minutes later.

3009 - 3010: Selenitas Weyr; Candidate, Wherling
After a very short stint as a Candidate, Piden impressed Bronze Pidesk from Niesk’s clutch. He had never exactly pictured himself as the handler of a Watchwher, but certainly did not object- as far as he was concerned, Impression was Impression, and meant he could stay in the Weyr forever, instead of being shipped back home to take care of Saphor and her now undoubtedly born child. Impressing Bronze was simply an added bonus, making him even more valuable to keep around. He also added a Salamandyr to the mix: green Red, courtesy of Daeluunya.

3011 - 3013: The North, including High Reaches Weyr; Wanderer
Unfortunately, most of the way through his training, Piden's scandalous past caught up to him. His father appeared at the Weyr one day, claiming that his boy had been kidnapped. Piden didn’t wait around to see what that would mean for him; he and Pidesk took off that very night, despite the Bronze’s protests. They spent two years in exile, traveling to High Reaches for a time, before word of Shmee’s death and the chaos that followed reached their ears. Pidesk, who still felt strong ties to the place of his birth and his clutchmates, finally convinced his handler to return.

3014 - 3017: Old Selenitas Weyr; Watch Cadre
Piden wasn't back for long before things started to work in his favor. A chance meeting at Hepaticath's hatching brought him together with Greenrider Tiramnet, an ex-High Reaches rider and surprisingly interesting love interest; Yoalla's 'generosity' during Yosk's maiden run left him in bed with Dmitri, something he had never expected to accomplish; Pidesk won Eikask's maiden Run and sired a clutch (not so interesting to Piden, but hey, when Pidesk is happy, Piden is); and the Night Sentinel was picked up again, and the Bronzepair was promoted to South Watch Cadre and given a Wherling to mentor.

On the downside, he also managed to add not one but two more Salamandyrs to his lineup, including the red-bronze Shells, from an egg mistakenly purchased at a Gather, and his second green, Three, one of Harmony's babies. As the only human who has managed to bond to three Salmandyrs, Piden had to get used to the strain fast - having that many insane things chattering away in your mind can't be good for anyone.

The Wasteland Invasion was a momentary blip in his daily life; he regularly ignored their rules and attempted to seduce their riders. The loss of Tira, however, was distinctly more damaging. For someone who rarely (if ever) felt even the vaguest desire for monogamy, losing the one you (maybe almost) loved was harsh, to say the least. Piden found comfort in Eikane and Dmitri, of all people, after various salamandyr runs. That, and the return of Ceryl and Cerysk, two of his original clutchmates, meant things were looking up once again. Saphor even reappeared in his life, daughter in tow, which was a mixed blessing. Piden greatly enjoyed his time with his daughter, but Saphor's hot then cold attitude was frustrating, to say the least. Still, everything was moving right along, Pidesk sired another clutch and things seemed to be quite normal... until the Earthquake.

3017 - Present: New Selenitas Weyr; Wherhandler
Piden was one of the first responders that night, but luckily for him Eikane showed almost immediately and took charge. He and Pidesk spent the night clearing the East side, freeing trapped riders wherever they could. It was exhausting, but what seemed more exhausting was the eventual move to Burimyu, or as it was later renamed, New Selenitas. A whole new Weyr to learn, and worst of all, a dark monster stalking the corridors, killing Weyrwomen and highly trained riders. And since they stalked at night, it was up to the Whers to protect the Weyr.

One tragic confrontation meant the loss of Darmori and Piden's old flame, Ceryl. The monsters - Kymans - became a personal project for Piden, one of the few things he dedicated as much attention to as picking up bedmates. This seemed to be a good thing: he grew up a little and spent more time with his daughter, especially while Saphor completed Weyrling training, and other people that mattered to him. Generally, he ignored the activities of the day-folk in favor of pursuing the Kymans; they would have their wars, he had his own. As long as they left him alone he was happy. The only part of the Summit that affected him was what to do about Weyrmates. Well, that was a problem with a simple solution, at least how Piden saw it - he had moved in with Roi, mainly for Three and Puddleglum's sakes. He kept that arrangement in the Apartments, and made Saphor his official Weyrmate, since she had just graduated. That kept his bizarre little family together, and left Piden where he could kill more Kymans. Perfect arrangement.

Children:
Phaiden (f, 14, born February 3009, Weyrbrat)

Pidesk
Bronze Wher

Name: Pidesk
Color: Bronze
Age: 14 turns (Born March 3009)

Physical Appearance:
Pidesk is a leggy and slightly built bronze, lacking the bulk that even his brown brothers have. He couldn't be consider slender so much as he is gangly, with long, knobbly limbs and an often awkward, stumbling gait. This is only apparent when walking, at least, for when running, there is nothing swifter than this long-legged wher, who practically flies across the ground. From tip to tail, everything about Pidesk is long, even his gnarled headknobs and narrow wings. While not particularly wide, Pidesk's wings certainly have a degree of length, giving him a greater maneuverability when gliding as compared to other whers.

Pidesk is a soft, almost sandy bronze, which some might consider brown if not for his distinctive metallic sheen. His coloration is surprisingly solid, with only the slightest bit of a darker tip on the end of his tail, as well as his 'racing stripe.' On each side, above the base bronze of his hide, Pidesk has a single solid stripe that runs from very near the base of his neck back to his hind legs. This particular stripe, which is visible on both sides of his body, is a much darker bronze, which has a distinctive greenish tinge, almost as if the green-bronze is striving to make up for any other lack of green in the rest of his hide.

Personality:
Of all the whers from Neisk's Clutch, Pidesk is easily the most pacifistic of them. He is peaceful and will not engage in arguments unless the circumstance absolutely calls for it, and even then he is extremely reluctant. While he isn't the brightest, nor is he particularly unintelligent, instead choosing to act upon his feelings or that of his bonded at the moment, not caring for the consequences. Because of this, he often watches from a distance instead of acting, waiting until it is completely necessary to intervene.

Oddly enough, Pidesk expresses more of a desire for greens than gold, whether they be whers, dragons, firelizards, or salamandyrs. It is greens who will receive most of his attention, and while he certainly desires friendship with them, particularly his clutchmates, he is a bit shy at times. With his peace-loving, complacent attitude, most greens, and other creatures for that fact, believe him to be lazy, but just the opposite is true. Pidesk is quite energetic and prone to nipping playfully at anyone and everyone, particularly his handler.

Red
Green Salamandyr

Name: Red
Color: Green
Age: 13 turns (Born May 3009)
Mate: Blue flit Auran (Merridan's)
Notes: Red is mentally mute following testing during the pet plague.

Physical Appearance:
Small is this salamandyr, and undeniably delicate in appearance. Her legs look as if they might break at the slightest pressure, as though she's fragile and easily injured. The fact that she's about the size of an average white doesn't help this appearance, and this green is decidedly thin and willowy. Like her physical build, her color is decidedly strange, a mottled, off-green just a slight shade off of gray, just enough to be reminiscent of green. Lighter green splotches add the appearance of highlights and shadows to her hide, but what is most unique is that her entire body is simply covered in thousands of tiny black spots that add emphasis to her odd coloration. Two large spots like eyeliner surround both of her eyes, bringing emphasis to the fact that they are on the large side. Her frill, when extended, looks like someone tried to play connect the dots - and not necessarily in the best of ways. While she would never be called ugly, this salamandyr is distinctly... strange.

Personality:
This salamandyr is quirky to say the least. She is deathly terrified of loud noises and things larger than herself, and will cling to Hers at all times, often latching onto fingertips or other ways to hang on. More unusual than this is the fact that red hair positively enrages her and often results in spasming and frantic displaying. But what makes these things particularly awkward is that this salamandyr also is prone to throwing up everything she's eaten whenever she's frightened or angry - which at a weyr filled with dragons so much larger than her can be exceptionally unnerving. Hers will require an extreme amount of patience in caring for her, for due to her weak stomach, she will need to be fed and watered near constantly. High-maintenance is this salamandyr.

Shells
Bronze Salamandyr

Name: Shells
Color: Bronze
Age: 8 Turns (born May 3014)

Physical Appearance:
At hatching, this salamandyr is likely to resemble a sprawling mess of limbs –awkwardly long legs that make him look ‘tall’ are one of his most dominant features, and they’re easily the thing that people (and other creatures) will notice about him first. Even when he runs around, he’s higher off the ground than most salamandyrs. He has long, slender wings that are completely useless for gliding – quite the major failing in a bronze salamandyr – and his tail is actually on the short side for a salamandyr. The end result is that he looks more awkward than anything else, and this is emphasized by the fact that though he’s definitely large for a bronze, he’s stocky, built more for strength than speed, and while he doesn’t look fat, he definitely isn’t slender and appealing to look at like many of his kind. He has a very large frill that, when fanned, can actually make him take off the ground if he isn’t careful. Wind gusts are dangerous: avoid them at all costs!

At least his color is appealing – well, to most creatures, anyway. A rich red-bronze shade makes up the backwash of his hide, glimmering a vibrant shade of scarlet that can only be described as lovely. The true red tones ripple over his hide like tiger strips that disappear at the base of his body – so that he looks as though he has red bands over a sparkly red-bronze background. Finishing off his otherwise gorgeous coloration is a face so pale as to appear like a light shade of gold, rather than his actual color. His frill is the same shade of red as his stripes, which makes it extraordinarily prominent when he fans it at anyone. He’s definitely a bronze. This is especially true when light hits him and makes his whole body shine a vivid shade of crimson – like staring into a ruby. Lovely.

Personality:
Such a small creature should not have such a big mouth. It’s just not natural. But a big mouth he does possess, as evidenced by the fact that this salamandyr never stops talking. He’s also not eloquent, frequently using the wrong words to describe things and he just assumes everyone should automatically know what he means. If they don’t, they’re just dumb. He broadcasts constantly (privacy, what’s that?) and couldn’t keep a secret to save his life – everything he hears gets advertised to everyone and everything that he sees. He’s particularly bad about blurting out everything that His is thinking to everyone nearby, so Faranth forbid his mindmate ever want to keep an opinion private. With this little guy around, that will just… never happen. A fleeting fantasy, perhaps, but it won’t last. Even food doesn’t shut him up: he loves to talk, and he has an opinion on everything, and it’s very rarely good.

Being a bronze, he has quite the large ego and as a result, he has no tolerance for firelizards. He’ll actively pick fights with them every chance he gets and yes, he loves to eat firelizard eggs: nom nom nom. He’ll never chase any firelizard, but he might try to filch eggs if he can find them, which is likely to make him the nemesis of any that he meets. He’s also extremely prone to picking fights with dragons and whers (especially golds because they make even more of the annoyances) and he thinks of himself as significantly more intelligent than any of them. Even though, well, intelligence is up for debate: he’s definitely not the sharpest bronze to ever hatch, at least.

When it comes to other salamandyrs, he’s very arrogant. Greens are worthless (and he will pick on them solely to get reactions – he loves to be mean, insulting and malicious) and blues exist solely to mate with greens. Browns are tolerable to him when they obey him (and if he ever met a brown that was more handsome than him, he’d have to be mean to them solely so they never realized this fact), and other bronzes are rivals. He loves golds and will flirt with them incorrigibly, and he will only chase gold salamandyrs. His favorites are the ones who he feels match him in terms of intelligence (which basically means the more they talk the more he likes them), but he’ll chase any and every that he can find until he has a permanent mate. Prone to sucking up, it also isn’t unusual for him to try and bribe golds to get their attention. Anything and everything will work: he’s got to have a shiny of his own to keep~

Three
Green Salamandyr

Name: Three
Color: Green
Age: 8 Turns (born December 3014)
Mate: Brown Flit Puddleglum (Roivao's)

Physical Appearance:
This mandyr is as odd looking as her egg was. Short stubby legs are attached to a short stocky body, while her neck and tail are easily two times the length of a normal mandyr. She will often tangle herself into impossible knots, but fear not she can always wind her way out of them with ease. Like the rest of her siblings she lacks any sort of frill. Instead she sports the same hardened spines just behind her head. These ones are doubly dangerous however because at their tips are small barbs. She will oftentimes find herself caught on things while they are extended. Much to her displeasure. Overall she has a very serpentine appearance, including her narrow blunt head. Her wings are slender but wide, allowing her greater agility than her other siblings. Like most of them she will be capable of flight. She will not have the stamina for long flights sadly. However her aerial prowess will be nothing short of spectacular.

Although proportionately she could never be called beautiful, her coloration sure is. A deep pine green covers her entire hide lightening only slightly in the form of small spots in twin rows down her back. Her wing membranes are also remarkable. A collage of green when fully flared they sport the same twin eye markings as her other siblings. Her particular markings are made up of an electric yellow pupil bordered in blood red. In the sunlight you can see that the scaled appearance of her egg has transferred to her hide. The pure green broken up by darker diamond like outlines that look remarkably like the scales of a tunnel snake. However upon touching her her bonded will find that her hide is by no means scaled.

Personality:
This mandyr is not a friendly green. Which is not surprising due to the teasing she is likely to endure from those who find her serpentine shape odd. She prefers to keep to herself and it will not be odd for her to totally ignore those speaking to her. It is not that she is arrogant, she just simply doesn’t care for the company of others. This aloofness extends to every specie of draconic as well as humans. She expects to be ignored in return and attempts at conversation are normally met with anger (if they persist) or silence. In her ‘leave me alone’ rages it is not uncommon for her to bite or scratch and she is just as likely to physically attack someone as verbally assault them. As can be expected relationships for her are few and far between and she prefers to keep things this way.

While her social life leaves much to be desired she has an affection for hers bordering on extreme possessiveness. She will grow very jealous when she is not the center of her bonded’s world and will go out of her way to keep hers to herself. Unlike most greens she is terribly smart and cunning in revenge. Adept at playing people, dragons, mandyrs, and flits, against one another. She also has a remarkable memory for those who slight her. She loves nothing more than to start up trouble, as long as it does not involve hers of course. As far as her vocabulary she picks up words that seem useful to her and is quite good at her use of them. She may never have the vocabulary of a queen or bronze but those words she does pick up she uses perfectly. In matters of love she is just as possessive as with her bonded. The male who she chooses will be treated to the same possessive affection as her bonded. Although with her lack of social graces finding mandyrs willing to chase might be a bit difficult. Woe betide the fool who tries to take that which clearly belongs to her.