ADOPT: J'lorin of Bronze Illumiath

[Ember]

J'lorin

Formerly Jerotlorin
42 (January 2981)
Male
Heterosexual
Wingrider

Physical Appearance;

He’s not lovely by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, J’lorin might be described as plain. His long face lacks distinctive features, and the crooked nose that comes as a result of a friendly elbow to the face when he was younger falls just short of the rugged, craggy effect it often produces in other men. Perhaps this is a result of the rather large, almost feminine brown eyes that fall upon you in a squint. (Yes, he’s quite near-sighted.) His black yet graying hair has a nasty habit of falling into his eyes, and, though he keeps it short - or tries to - it grows so fast that it always seems to be in that awkward stage where it’s most inconvenient.

Still, he can’t be described as precisely ‘awkward’ either. Though some have speculated that he might be very distantly related to the late D’loro due to some similarities in appearance, he isn’t all skin and bones. The man’s musculature is actually much like a runner’s, lean and long, but not too wiry. It helps that he wears tighter clothing instead of losing himself in fabric, though this is merely a matter of practicality. Loose clothing is far more likely to get caught up on stuff, just like longer hair. His dark appearance is further enhanced by the neutrals he prefers to wear, and the tan that is definitely deeper than the average northerner sports.

All of this is distinctive, but not overly so, until you take into account that J’lorin is, quite possibly, the tallest man living on Pern at this moment. He stands so close to seven feet in height you might as well just give up and call it that. It’s pretty bad when a man can dwarf most saplings. Though he’s confident enough that he doesn’t precisely skulk - and, truly, most bronze riders don’t - the hunch is clearly a learned habit. He can’t walk into a room with a ceiling at a normal height, after all, without bending a little. This height has proven to be quite intimidating at times, and he will use that to his advantage if the need arises.

Aside from his height, the only identifying features of this defected Fort rider are a series of burn scars that extend the entire length of his arms, silvery in areas where the damage is lighter, and unsetting in others where the flesh literally melted before fusing back together in the high heat. He’s also been stabbed numerous times - curiously all along his sides. Fortunately, his height helps a little, as it’s harder to locate his organs. At least, this is what he believes, given he’s clearly still very much alive.

Personality;

J’lorin is far from your typical northern wingleader, even by Fort standards. This should be obvious just at a casual review of the facts. Not only did he leave Fort for Benden in support of Baith, but his entire wing followed him to the heart of the enemy unquestioningly. This loyalty is clearly a matter of genuine respect, too, because the man doesn’t rule by fear. He isn’t even particularly stern. In fact, J’lorin tends to be reticent and soft-spoken, unerringly polite to even the most seemingly insignificant of people. Frankly, the other wingleaders at Fort didn’t understand what his leadership style even was, but it worked, and the man was hard not to like. He simply didn’t seem capable of being remotely offensive.

Neither is he incapable, though. The keen, tactical mind behind those pretty eyes of his is nearly a rival to that of D’loro’s. J’lorin is usually a good dozen steps ahead of everyone around him. But, unlike the most notable of Fort’s recent weyrleaders, he uses his resources - namely, the ideas and impressions of the people around him - to the utmost. A meeting of J’lorin’s wing leadership amounts to a meeting of the wing, wherein he introduces a topic and listens to the arguments and suggestions as they fly around the table. The end decision is invariably his, but it is always based on the input of the wing itself. You can’t expect to think of every angle all on your own, can you?

As a result of his extreme intelligence and even-tempered demeanor, diplomacy comes naturally to J’lorin. He genuinely respects most people, which is half of diplomacy anyway. And even if his bent toward avoiding as much violence as necessary has more to do with the wastefulness aspect than any particular softness on his part, it remains a desire to avoid needless violence. He and Baith, for this reason - and because he essentially gave her the opportunity to reverse her most unsavory situation at Benden - share a natural rapport that isn’t at all diminished by the necessity of Illumiath as an intermediator.

Unfortunately, the usual drawbacks to such brilliance - and what amounts to an exceedingly active imagination, which is, in fact, the source of his intelligence - is the extreme paranoia that everyone but his wing is subject to. Maybe it has something to do with all those stab wounds, or possibly because he’s walking around a Weyr in which most of the people have every reason to want to gut him, but he conceals on his person what amounts to a small arsenal. Women, in particular, J’lorin is a bit leery around, though mostly because he knows his reasoning abilities tend to dip terribly when subjected to a pretty face.

Fighting the paranoia that suggests they’re attempting to pull something over on him and he’s not aware of it because he’s too distracted - while his quiet ways digress into what very nearly resembles the shyness of a teenager - he’s nothing short of hilariously awkward around the ‘softer’ sex.

History;

Birth to Impression (2981-2994)
Jerotlorin was born to a drudge of Fort Weyr and expected to amount to nothing more than that himself. To be sure, this was due to no lack of confidence on his part but rather a lack of desire to aim for anything more. Despite being surrounded by dragonriders day in and day out, Jerotlorin was far more interested in growing up far too fast and looking after his ailing mother. His father, whoever he was, obviously didn't care for the woman enough to stick around after having a kid. So, yes, J'lorin was far too busy growing like a weed and learning about compassion to have dreams of his own or to even play much with other children.

It was only because sweet old Loriana - and she was old, to be having a child, at thirty-five turns of age - wanted her son to have a more normal life that she insisted the boy become a candidate. Jerotlorin listened to her request and at twelve turns of age joined the ranks trying to be a dragonrider. Jerotlorin didn't particularly care so when he was left standing it made little difference to him. His later Impression at age thirteen, however, shook his whole world apart. Jerotlorin had never been on anyone's radar before bronze Illumiath chose him to be his rider but suddenly he was thrust into a world of dangerous politics with his capable dragon partner.

Weyrlinghood (2994-2996)
J'lorin began weyrlinghood and immediately realized that he knew little about interacting with those his own age. Wisened beyond his turns, the boy got along better with his superiors than he did with his teasing classmates. Apparently being thirteen and well on his way to approaching six feet was cause for endless teasing. His classmates discovered that he was a soft-spoken sort and not prone to violent outbursts so by the time they graduated together J'lorin didn't have any enemies. Perhaps he didn't have that many friends among his classmates but he was able to live with that. It was shortly before the war broke out that J'lorin's mother died due to illness and in a way J'lorin believes that to have been kinder than watching him come home from battle. His weyrling class graduated well-trained for war and that was what they were used for not long after earning their full knots.

The War and Being Wingleader (2996-3006)
J'lorin and Illumiath excelled in warfare and quickly rose to be a wingleader though both remained relatively off the radar in comparison to D'loro. The two men were nearly equals as tactical geniuses but J'lorin was more than willing to let the other bronzerider rise to prominence instead. Or he tried to anyway. When Illumiath caught Grenostith in 2997 J'lorin was elevated to Weyrleader and was woefully undertrained for it. He did, however, discover that the true leader of the weyr was not himself but Kamerai and they worked together well enough - even if he disapproved of dragonless slaves on a moral level they were very useful for the weyr - that Fort held its ground in that turn.

He was glad enough to turn over the reigns to D'loro in the following turn, returning to his much simpler job as only a wingleader. He was loved and respected in that position and his wing was fiercely loyal to him. He continued to serve as a wingleader and was good at what he did in a way that no one else quite understood. The turn of 3001 brought about difficult times for the weyr for the next few turns for jsut when they were getting ready to win the war a bronzerider defected from Fort to join Benden, bringing with him vital information. Fort became more and more closed off to the outside world though J'lorin didn't necessarily agree with that choice. Diplomacy had always been his strongest point and there could be none of that without interaction first.

The turn Thread returned was an interesting one for J'lorin. Fort was quickest to rally against the old menace, leaving them at an advantage against the other weyrs and that gave them to chance to send spies to both weyrs. The bronzerider, largely absent from the stage at that point, took a more active role when he was approached about being a contact for a couple of spies. While J'lorin held no loyalty for any one Weyrleader the bronzerider had long since proven that his loyalty - and therefore the loyalty of his wing - belonged to Fort Weyr. When the war picked up again J'lorin's wing continued on with what they did best - fighting against Benden wings rather than fighting Thread.

Casualties of War (3006-3010)
Life was mostly the same old deal it had been since the war began for the turns following Thread. Perhaps due to Thread taking up some of the fighters being used for Thread protection there was less fighting in general but certainly not for J'lorin and his wing. The spies he was in charge of at Benden Weyr brought news of the gruesome death of one of Benden's drugged golds, effectively ending any of Fort's interest in that option for bolstering their ranks. The bronzerider that had betrayed Fort to Benden had also become Weyrleader of Selenitas which destroyed the option of allying themselves with that weyr.

Those losses were nothing compared to the loss of Fort's Weyrleaders in the following turn. Illumiath had been chasing the day that D'loro and Kamerai were assassinated but there was little he could do besides stay alive and try to rally once the flightlust wore off. They managed to repulse Benden's attack but the weyr was left with R'anatar to rule them and only young Liosa as Weyrwoman for Elaira fled to High Reaches. J'lorin himself withdrew from any active part of leadership except for his role as wingleader. Contrary to rumours, J'lorin never had any affection for Kamerai although he counted her a rare friend. No, the smart bronzerider noticed the deaths of his peers as less than random chance in battle and sought to keep his life for a while longer. He always had been good at pretending to be less than he was.

Taking Action (3010-3012)
J'lorin had risen to just enough prominence and enough D'loro loyalists believed in him over R'anatar that despite him pulling away from his former roles he still earned the new Weyrleader's unwanted attention. Attacks and convenient accidents began to occur to him fairly regularly, resulting in many scars from stabbings as well as the grotesque burns on his arms. The even-tempered man couldn't let that go on and so when Doryith rose for the first time J'lorin encouraged Illumiath rather strongly but to no avail. Wereth won under rather suspicious circumstances and J'lorin was forced to watch as Fort began to become what Benden was. J'lorin took the chance in contacting old Benden spies as a last resort option, overcoming his hate for the other weyr when he realized that he and Baith could help one another.

When Benden laid siege to Selenitas Weyr J'lorin finally took overt action - himself, his wing, and a few remaining loyalists left Fort for Benden Weyr where Baith and Ja'kin welcomed him as their new leader. So began the reshaping of Benden Weyr in Baith and J'lorin's image. It was nothing more - though certainly nothing less either - than culling the ones loyal to C'leon or the needlessly violent as well as the beginning of a slow reshaping of ideals to better match what J'lorin knew to be better, to better resemble old Fort Weyr. J'lorin had no intentions of accepting violence for the sake of violence or very strong sexism - they were pointless drains on already stretched resources. Although his prime motivation was about just that J'lorin also detested the disgusting ways of old Benden on a more personal level.

Benden Weyr (3013-3017)
At the beginning of 3013 Baith rose and chose Illumiath, solidifying his position as Weyrleader. Once he had Benden Weyr well enough under control his first act was to form an alliance with Selenitas Weyr, putting aside his feelings regarding the one who betrayed Fort - Selentias' Weyrleader at the time of the alliance's formation. The alliance cost him a couple of Benden's most capable fighters and the promise of aid in return for supplies that Benden Weyr sorely needed. J'lorin unfortunately had to betray that alliance due to a mix of civil unrest in Benden and an increased number of attacks by Fort Weyr. His Junior Weyrleader, Ja'kin, and many older riders or those who had not yet been killed for their behaviour defected from Benden Weyr which loosened his control for a short time on his Weyr.

For that reason, when J'lorin captured some of the rebel group under Ja'kin's Weyrleadership he apologized to Selenitas Weyr for his inability to assist them when Fort attacked and sent the rebel group to the Southern based Weyr. Their ideas were too dangerous to harbour in Benden Weyr. J'lorin realized his mistake too late - Wasteland took over Selenitas Weyr, turning his one ally into an enemy instead. Still, Wasteland didn't have enough of a hold on the native inhabitants and there was little he could do at the time so he kept most of his attention on fighting back Fort. It was only due to his tactical genius that Benden managed to stay in the game.

Benden's despair at Lyratenth's death helped J'lorin further solidify his position as Weyrleader - he had a way with words that inspired faith. Still, the bronzerider was in a tricky situation with Benden's greatest advantage - sheer numbers - at risk with only two golds to replenish Benden rider ranks. Disaster struck again in 3017 though in a different way than J'lorin expected. His eyes and ears in Selenitas Weyr reported Wasteland control as stable and to prepare for the worst. Mother nature was on J'lorin's side, however, as the Weyr suffered a brutal earthquake. Before Benden could spare a couple wings to check it out the weyr had effectively vanished. He kept an ear out for an whispers of their location but he was too busy fighting Benden to spare riders for a search.

The Close of the War (3018-3022)
The truth about Selenitas' fate was revealed when Elysia and Iskierka visited Benden Weyr early in the following turn with a proposal. J'lorin accepted a new alliance with Selentias Weyr and discussed with various members of Selenitas' Council until they were all satisfied with the new terms - namely the destruction of Fort Weyr and an end to the decade long war. J'lorin suggested mixing in Selenitas riders with Benden wings to keep Fort from suspecting what was going on and to give the Selenitas riders and dragons more experience with combat. J'lorin squashed any sort of tension when he caught it. There was no room for it if they were to bring down R'anatar's Fort.

When Selentias Weyr was ready, J'lorin lead an all-out attack on Fort Weyr that they responded in kind to. They did not, however, expect Selenitas forces to flank them and when R'anatar was assasinated by a small group of elites Fort crumbled around their leader. The combined forces of Benden and Selenitas spent the rest of the turn eliminating the rogue Fort riders that had escaped from the battle after the fall of Fort. When that was finally all done a Summit was called in 3020 and J'lorin attended with Arga. The bronzerider didn't particularly like any of the changes on a personal level but he understood and actually supported the reasons behind them. If the price of peace was Benden Weyr disbanded, so be it. He was sorted to Inverness Weyr along with Arga and Baith and did his best to help support Ce'thian of bronze Sparath rather than undermine his leadership.

Something New (3023-present)
Life at Inverness was largely unexciting without war to trouble them and J'lorin felt the itch like most others who had fought most of their lives did. Thread wasn't a very exciting enemy but J'lorin understood peace to be better even if he sometimes longed for a smarter enemy once again. With the Weyrleader Trials upcoming J'lorin had considered once again trying to become Weyrleader in a world that didn't strictly need his tactical brilliance. He remained undecided on the matter but began to prepare for them anyway. Foresight was better than hindsight, after all. Better to be prepared than not.

Illumiath

29 (March 2994)
Bronze #EEB422 #D98719

Physical Appearance;

Illumiath is just a bit larger than the average size for a bronze dragon. If not for his size and his colouring this bronze would look a touch too much like a gold. He's a lithe creature, strong enough but definitely a bit feminine in appearance. His body is long and borders on being thin, complimenting his graceful features. This is mainly seen in his slender and long neck, swan-like in its graceful beauty. Yes, that would be the word to apply to this bronze because he can't be called handsome but neither can he be called unattractive. So, beautiful it is. Set atop his neck is an equine-like head. He has wide wings that match his length well, the sails well formed to give him great lift.

As mentioned before, he resembles a gold a touch more than a bronze in appearance. His hide is so touched with golden highlights in the bronze that he can almost be mistaken for one. Almost. His golden bronze hide is touched with soft copper tones all throughout his hide, giving him an undeniable bronze sheen that can be seen in any lighting. Aside from the delicate shading of his hide there really isn't much else to this bronze. He has no unique markings to speak of. In fact, the only thing that could be counted might be the numerous scars he has all over his body, though against his already light hide they aren't as noticeable as they could be.

Illumiath is quite fast for a bronze, especially one who is on the larger side of average. However, he is not the most agile creature around, settling distinctly in the average for a bronze. He has a decent endurance with his wide wings, compensating for the fact that agile maneouvers take more energy to properly perform for him. His strength is a touch lacking for his size so that all in all he is pretty average. Illumiath may not be exceptional on land or in the air in most aspects but he does move with a confident charm at all times. He's economical in his movements without skimping on not looking like some kind of robot. If anything, underneath the confidence is a predator waiting for a chance to strike.

Personality;

Illumiath is undeniably a great match for his rider. He's incredibly smart and, like J'lorin, usually at least a couple steps ahead of others. His quirky personality lets him look at things from a different angle than J'lorin a lot of the time. Not to say they don't agree on most things but like any complimentary pair they do have their differences occasionally. These are resolved quickly and without fuss, however, and they always agree to show a front of solidarity regardless of what goes on privately between them. This is possible from Illumiath's end because he knows without a doubt the role of a bronze dragon and that of his rider.

Bronzes are the natural leaders of the dragon world - browns may occasionally claim that title through hard work but they are not born with the responsbility on their shoulders the way bronzes are - and it is their duty to provide support for the senior golds and the chromatic dragons under their care. Illumiath does clearly have bronze arrogance but it is rather harmless as far as interactions go for this bronze genuinely sees his rank as looking after others and not lording over them as some might. He likes to converse with other dragons and has an especially good sense of humour about everything. He understands the need to be firm and unyielding when the occasion calls for it, though.

Illumiath, at his core, is a calm and extremely level-headed creature. As a result he manages to keep J'lorin sane on the rare occasions that His loses his cool. He also loves His very much and is probably one of the most protective dragons on Pern. He will not tolerate even petty insults to His so nevermind threatening J'lorin. What's scariest about this bronze in that regard is how quiet his anger is - usually none but J'lorin can tell and Illumiath uses that to his advantage if he needs to. Illumiath is also very fond of gold Baith and outright refuses to chase any other female to the point of going out of his way to be absent from the weyr when other golds rise.

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