Post by Moo on Sept 13, 2011 19:57:55 GMT -8
Name: N’kio Marre (Nikio before Impression)
Pronunciation: Nih-KEY-oh MAR-ay
Gender: Male
Age: Thirty-five Turns
Turnday: 06.08 of Turn 3038
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Location: Cliffside Sea Hold
Rank: Watchrider of Cliffside Sea Hold, Wingrider in the Sky Jumpers wing at Rainbow Mists Weyr.
Family:
- Nedrio Marre – father, 53 Turns, fisherman at Cliffside Sea Hold.
- Sorcha Marre – mother, 56 Turns, seamstress (and occasional fisherwoman) at Cliffside Sea Hold.
- Noila (Noy-lah) and Aeli (Ay-ell-EE) – daughters, 8 and 4 1/2 Turns (respectively); lives at Ista Hold with their mother Isbel.
Noila and Aeli
Weyrmate: N/A
Relations With: Elora
Friends:
- Elora and Saphireth
- various fishermen and women at Cliffside Sea Hold
- business relationship with the Lord and Lady Holder
Pets: None.
Appearance:
N’kio is an average sized man, muscular from his work as a fisherman and WatchRider. He stands around 5’9” and moves with a very balanced, precise gait. His voice is sharp and clear, and has a sort of rolling accent when he speaks. His hair is mid-length, auburn, and curly from the saltwater. He has an equally red mustache and beard, and his chest is covered with hair. N’kio is a very energetic, engaging man, and his blue eyes always seem to be shining with some sort of secret amusement. Though he is only thirty-five, turns spent out at sea have aged him a bit; he has started to get crows feet and lines on his forehead. His hands are weathered and calloused, and his scars are few: cuts on his hands from fishing hooks, a scar on his arm, torso, and one through his right foot (stepped on a nail barefoot). While he has a full riding suit, he seldom wears it entirely, as the rain and saltwater prove to be equal foes in cracking the leather. Instead, he usually prefers to wear woolen, knitted jumpers, dark jodhpurs, a warm coat, and his scuffed riding boots. He only wears a full riding suit if he is to meet with anyone of higher authority than he: a Lord, a Lady, or perhaps even a Weyrwoman or Weyrleader, if he is so lucky. N’kio often smells of a mixture of clean sweat, salt water, oil, and damp wool.
celebrity look-alike: tony curran, seen above
Personality:
N’kio would be a welcome sight if you were having a bad day. Full of jokes, as well as inappropriate sailing songs and poems, he uses his wit to make others laugh and see the world as he does. He is a man who enjoys life, and is willing to try anything at least once, even if it is foolhardy. That is not to say that he is not responsible; on the contrary, he is both a WatchRider as well as a sailor, and both positions come with plenty of obligations. He is an extremely hard worker (when he is working), and always gives everything his best effort, even when situations are grim. N’kio is a man who sees the glass half-full, yet there are times he chooses to be blind to certain matters. He gets depression in the winter months – but those bouts are few and far between. He tries to always keep a brave face in the eye of the public, as he feels he should as WatchRider. He has a remarkable memory for the things he finds interesting; anything else, and it just goes in one ear and out the other. Having grown up with the ocean at his door, N’kio understands that everything has a time and place – “the sea gives and the sea takes away” – and he tries to live his life in accordance with that rhythm, even if it is unfair at times.
History:
Born into Cliffside Sea Hold one early morning, Nikio was expected to grow up fast. The only son of a fisherman, it was his duty to learn the trade and bring in an additional source of income for his family. He took to his father’s craft at five Turns of age and started out by learning simple lessons, like knot tying and the identification of various marine life. As he grew older, his lessons increased and grew in complexity, and he had an insatiable appetite for knowledge. By eleven Turns, he was able to give a name and detailed description to every single part of a ship; he also learned how to sail, under direction of his father and a small crew, and learned the art of haggling. By twelve, Nikio was bequeathed a small dinghy and some fishing nets, and allowed to sail alone from dawn to dusk, provided the weather was not foul.
He seldom saw the WatchRider, a dark haired woman who rode a rosy-colored Wood, though he didn’t care much for her – he was far too engrossed in his own work of catching and sailing and gutting fish. His mother, Sorcha Raesvan, was one of the few seamstresses in the Hold, and was continually busy. Nikio did not see much of her during fair-weather days, but she tried her best to imbue him with the “noble art”, as she called it, of sewing and repairing clothes. When the seas grew too rough, he was sent back home and bade to sew with his mother.
All together, they were a quiet, content family, not needing anything more than what they already had. Nikio’s father was a large inspiration to him, and always seemed to have a solution and saying for everything. Two turns later, though, they were all speechless when a SearchRider appeared at their doorstep.
Nikio was not enthusiastic about being selected for Monaco Bay Weyr’s hatching. He didn’t want to have a dragon. All he cared about was his life at sea, and he couldn't do that with a dragon trailing behind. His parents, however, knew that it was a great honor to be selected, and fervently encouraged him to go along. Nikio accepted once his father spoke to him, but he was angry all the same. He just wanted his life with his mother and father, nothing more, nothing less.
Then came the Hatching.
#
A great, melodious hum took to the skies. Dragons from every corner joined in, their eyes spinning a multitude of colors. The sound made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.
Nikio stood quietly in his white robe, awed by the sheer number of people that sat in the stands. They were all present to watch the birth of a new generation of dragon riders. A generation he could be a part of. He was still surprised by how large Monaco Bay Weyr was, having been so used to the secluded fishing community of Cliffside. And now, grouped with a large flock of Candidates, he felt as if he had taken a step into something much bigger than himself. He looked up at the clutchmother.
The large Cloud walked through the Sands and observed the Candidates with curious, green eyes, and then settled down behind her numerous eggs. Nikio had been told earlier her name was Wilanath. Standing close by was the sire, a Flame so brightly colored it almost hurt to look at him. His name was Finenth. He watched over the eggs with particular interest, his chest proudly puffed out. Wilanath gurgled to herself. She did not seem to favor any of her eggs in particular, yet they all lay close to her in a tight oval.
“Twelve,” Nikio whispered to himself. There were twelve eggs. Twelve opportunities. He had to admit, at first he did not want to Impress a dragon. He saw no use for them, since his life was so drastically different from those of the Weyr. What good would a dragon do? But now that he was here, amid the tension and exhilaration, among the dragon riders and their dragons, looking out at the possibilities that lay encased before him…the thought filled him with a secret desire to Impress. To show others that he was more that he seemed. To make his parents proud, and to live out a life he never dreamed possible.
And then a loud creel echoed in the air.
An egg was hatching!
Almost as if in a frenzy, the others followed suit. A mad rush of dragonets emerged from their eggs, eager and excited to explore the world. Nikio had never seen such glorious creatures: Citrines, Blues, Sunsets, Greens, Pink, Iron, White – a barrage of screaming colors assaulted his eyes. He stood enraptured, and all around him Impressions happened.
A particular dragonet caught his eye, a strong Blue with a blocky, bull-like head. And it seemed as if…it was walking toward him! His heart leapt; could this be it? He began to move in the direction of the Blue when he was nearly yanked back by his robes. Startled, Nikio turned around and locked eyes with a dragonet black as pitch. He hadn't noticed this one...he looked around, and noticed the Black was the only one of his color. Or rather, the only one without color. Nikio's knees wobbled as a cool voice touched his mind.
N’kio, I am your Metanath and you are Mine! Pay no attention to that Blue. Let us find something to eat!
With a nudge of his nose, the dragonet pushed him toward the exit ramp. N'kio was all smiles.
He had Impressed.
#
N’kio and Metanath remained at Monaco Bay Weyr for the duration of their Weyrling training. It was a tough, trying period of time, as the two could not be more different. The Black was not like most dragonets – he had a very serious demeanor and always obeyed the rules, much to N'kio's annoyance. But they survived, as the majority of Weyrlings do, and were soon sent back to Cliffside Sea Hold to take up the Watch. They were to learn from the dark-haired woman he had once ignored, and discovered her name was Liada, and her Wood’s name was Yisseth.
Then things became interesting for N’kio. Under Liada’s tutelage, he was taught more about the ocean, about the wind currents, how to protect your dragon when flying in bad weather. He took to it like a fish to water; if anything, it was an expansion of his prior knowledge. Where once he was only able to sail the ocean, he now found that he could sail the skies. He became very close with Liada in the Turn he had returned, and considered her a close friend. But it was not meant to be.
One night, a maelstrom happened upon the Hold during a Gather. They were caught out in the open. It pounded the coastline with thunder, drums in the dark. Holdfolk were swept out to sea by the ferocity of the wind and the rain. N’kio watched helplessly with Metanath from their spot against the rocks – they had not been trained for a storm of this size. Liada took to the skies with Yisseth, and time and time again dove to the sea, fighting against the waves to rescue the Holdfolk. With a single-minded determination she challenged the ocean’s churning waters, and reached over the side of her dragon to pull a flailing woman out of harm’s way.
She never saw the swell coming. It crashed down with a deafening roar, powerful enough to break bones. With a strangled bugle, Yisseth cried out only to be silenced by the black sea. The storm raged so fiercely that without a WatchRider, the people of Cliffside had no choice to retreat to their homes and abandon the rest.
N’kio had already mounted Metanath when the Lord Holder found him. Ser Ralt pulled him off his dragon, kicking and biting and clawing, and dragged him to his own lodgings. He screamed and screamed until his lungs were raw. Lady Harra had to lock him in the spare room, so fearful the boy would try to escape. Without a Rider to help him, Metanath retreated to safety far inland and spoke with N'kio all night, almost as frantic as the boy. All the while, the wind howled like a scream in the dark.
It was a black day the next morning. A WatchRider from another Weyr had already been sent for, and it was up to Cliffside to recover what was left of their dead. N’kio combed the beaches day and night with Metanath, but Liada was never found. Yisseth’s body was discovered, pinned and bleeding against jagged rocks – she did not even have the time to go Between before she died. A few days later, a man riding a Brown appeared, and took over N’kio’s training. It was a swift exchange, and a Turn or so later, the WatchRider returned to his Weyr and at last left N’kio to his post at Cliffside.
#
More than a few Turns ago, and a bit inebriated at the time, N'kio initiated a romantic entanglement one night with Isbel, the young first mate of a well-to-do trading ship from Ista Hold. As relationships between Rainbow Mists and Ista were rocky at the time, they both figured their meetings would be few and far between -- and they would have nothing else to do with each other, save for the times when Ista traded with Cliffside. As it turned out, he had gotten her pregnant with Noila, their eldest daughter. She decided to keep Noila and raise her at Ista, and when they could arrange passage to Cliffside, they both would travel and meet each other. Four turns later and she was pregnant again, this time with Aeli. Tensions being what they were (and still are) between the Weyrs, visits shortened, and both N'kio and Isbel agreed it would be best if the girls grew up at Ista with their mother. They have few chances to visit Cliffside, but when they do, it is often much shorter than they would like. Though they are not married, N'kio still sends a stipend of Marks to Isbel every month, and talks little of his children in public -- preferring to keep that part of his life separate. He has not been in a committed relationship since he and Isbel decided to keep their relationship platonic.
Nearly a turn has gone by since he has befriended the candidate-turned-weyrling, Elora, and despite Metanath's protestations and rule-citing, trysts have been formed and rules have been broken. Whether or not their relationship -- or rather, a lack of a plan -- will last a good while has yet to be seen. After all, he hasn't told her everything about himself, and a pretty, young girl with a dragon and aspirations of freedom wouldn't want to be moored to another's life. Right?
Adoption?: Nope!
{artwork by the lovely Terna!}
Dragon's Name: Metanath
Dragon’s Gender: Male
Dragon's Age: 21 Turns
Dragon's Color: Black
Dragon's Appearance:
Quite an average dragon for his age, Metanath is a simple colored, fairly conformational Black dragon. He has a thick neck, a strong, deep barrel and sturdy legs. He measures 28.5 feet in length from tail tip to the end of his nose. Metanath’s face is rather long, and he has a pronounced roman nose. He carries a large amount of muscle in his wings and forearms, despite the fact that his dark hide often hides the definition. He, like his Rider, has very little evident scarring. The only scar that might be visible against his hide can be found on his right hindquarter – a jagged slice, earned when a broken mast drove into his leg one dark night at sea. His wings are strong, but he has to take caution when flying into gales; his wing membranes are surprisingly fragile, and would tear easily were he not careful. His hide has to be oiled thrice a day during the summer season, and only twice a day in the winter months, as he is very sensitive to the sun. Despite N'kio's attempts, Metanath gets sunburned at least five times during the summer, and has unofficially become the poster-child for adequate skin protection among the sailors.
On days when there are bad storms, and sailors are unable to safely dock their boats, he can be spotted wearing a special riding harness for rescues. As he is Black, and would disappear right in the middle of a storm, glows have been fitted into small sockets to light up his flight movement, and are changed often so they shine at full capacity.
Dragon's Personality:
Metanath is very honest and rigid in his thoughts and actions. He is goal-oriented, but only when he feels the work would come to fruition. He sees the world in black-and-white; in other terms, he is very left-brained. Order and consistency is what he lives by, and anything spur-of-the-moment leaves him grumpy. He has tried in the past to understand N’kio’s energetic, outgoing behavior, but it just rubs him the wrong way. That is not to say that he isn’t brave or bold or outgoing; he just happens to be very reserved about showing off his particulars. He is not the sort to be seen playing at the beach or exploring the Hold, no, he prefers to stay in the shade and observe those out at sea. Metanath takes his job as Watchdragon very seriously, but has his rare moments when he wants nothing more than to laze around.
With the exception of his Rider's children, he seldom talks to anyone other than N’kio, unless they catch his attention or his rank at the Hold requires it of him. He is opposite his rider in most every way possible, and the two bicker like gulls, but he would willingly put aside his differences and work together when they share a common goal. At times, people would say that the Black is the elder, and N’kio the boy, as the dragon takes his job more seriously than his rider. He is a good listener, and usually when he speaks, those around him listen. Metanath does not understand N’kio all the time, but he has a great love for his Rider and considers him a close friend, despite their differences.
