Post by hockey on Jun 11, 2008 5:31:48 GMT -8
Name: Kersha
Gender: Female
Age: well into her 18th turn
Rank: Candidate
Dark haired, but certainly not dark skinned, Kersha is a pretty girl when she can be made to smile. Most of the time, however, her once warm brown eyes are hard and cold, and her lovely full lips are pressed into a stoney frown. Her face is lined with the cares of a woman much older than she. She would certainly strike some people as the stern Headwoman type, with her ability to seem taller than her 5'5" height and strong build.
Saying she is strong is not saying that she is not feminine in her looks. She has all the right curves in all the right places, and could be considered quite pretty, though she does not much care about that lately. Her usual dress is something in the comfortable and practical range, so it is not uncommon for her to be seen sporting what would be considered men's clothing, especially in the holds. None of her clothing is bright or frivolous, whether it is trousers and a shirt or a practical skirt and blouse, and her beautiful waist length wavy brown hair is usually hidden in a braid.
A determined and stubborn girl is Kersha. Once she gets an idea into her head, it is nearly impossible for anyone to change her mind, and she always goes about things her own way, even if there is a much simpler or more sensible course of action. While she has always been one to go her own way and do her own thing, she was not always the stern, serious young woman she is today. She has always searched for something greater than what she has, because somehow she just knows there's something better she is meant to be doing. Until recently, she has been rather agreeable and almost happy in her search for "More", but in the past few months she has become bitter and almost vengeful, especially toward the Caminars. Because, while her spirit could come out of anything this world has thrown at her with little more than faint scars, the loss of her daughter has completely torn her apart. The only person who can speak to her and receive more than a rude remark (barring any very high ranking person, such as a Craft Master or Weyrwoman/leader, though even they won't be treated with much more than base civility) is the Bluerider A'jun, who brought her to the Weyr in the first place.
Kersha was never a docile child. From her rather difficult birth, through a noisy and sleepless (especially for her parents) infancy to a worrisome and rebellious childhood and adolescence, Kersha was always a handful. Her parents were Devak, an unassuming man who, though he had trained with the Beastcraft for a short while, held no official rank and simply helped with the animals used by the miners at Crom Hold, where they lived. Vassa was a kind, quiet woman who helped with sewing, cooking and other womanly tasks in the hold. She was educated about as well as most holder women, and in general just tried to go through life with as little conflict and as much happiness as she could expect.
Kersha was born in middle of the night, with little light and a lot of worry. Though there was much concern that neither mother nor child would survive, both did, if just barely. It was a good thing, too, because Kersha's father would never have forgiven his daughter if the love of his life had died giving birth to her. Kersha was the first and only child of Devak and Vassa, and as such was doted on by both. Despite all of the love and attention, this spitfire was never content to be their darling little girl. As soon as she could walk, Kersha was always wandering off in search of something better. However, as much as her parents doted and asked their daughter what she was looking for, she could never quite put a name to it other than "More". In her heart, she felt the call of adventure, though as the daughter of a very normal and unimportant pair of holders, she had never experienced anything that could rightly be called adventurous. That call was strongest whenever she heard the tales of dragonriders that harpers told by the firelight on chilly evenings, and her parents always dreaded those nights, because they meant a renewal in Kersha's wandering, testing and fighting.
The fighting got worse as Kersha entered adolescence. She began to truly take notice of what she considered discrepancies in the way that men and women were treated in the hold, and she did not like it. Her well-meaning parents did their best to keep their hot-headed daughter out of trouble and tried to persuade her to accept the life that was laid out for her at the hold. It was for her own good, they said, but she was not content to settle down, become some hard-headed holder's little wife and cook and clean and breed babies for him for the rest of her life. No sir, that was not the life for her, she knew.
So, in order to escape what she considered a rather grim fate, Kersha left quietly one night when she was fourteen turns old. A rather stupid thing to do, if one were to ask her today. Life certainly wasn't easy, especially in those first lonely weeks. She wasn't sure exactly how to go about her search, and while it occurred to her that she should make her way to a Weyr, she had no idea how to get there on her own. For the first month or so she traveled on her own, seemingly going in circles for all the progress she made. Thankfully, she had set out in late spring, so while the weather was not always the best, there was nothing truly threatening for quite some time. After a few weeks of trying to survive on her own, and finding out that highwaymen were more difficult to avoid than she had anticipated and food not easy to find, she began taking up with small groups of travelers, usually telling them that she had become separated from her companions and needed someone to travel with to the nearest cothold. Then, in order to avoid anyone finding out that was actually traveling on her own, she would tell the group that she was traveling with that her companions would be sure to find her at the cothold, then telling the cotholders that her group would be waiting at a nearby hold (always "our planned meeting place in case anyone got lost"). To further avoid any chance of being found out, she was careful not to stay at the same place twice.
Kersha later found out that she had indeed traveled in a rather odd semi-circle. While she had started out heading east, as she should have in order to reach Telgar, sometime in those months she had turned south and was now nearer the sea than the Weyr, which she should have noticed if she had known anything about finding her way. So, once an eager journeyman harper explained to the "curious hold girl" how to tell what direction she was traveling and where to find old Thread shelters, she took off north, keeping more and more with groups of travelers (though never Caminar, for even if they would have taken her in, she still had the same prejudice against them that any hold-bred person does, despite her own wandering nature) as the weather grew more and more unsuitable for traveling. She was holed up for more than a few nights in several different cotholds during the winter months, leaving each as soon as the weather cleared enough for her to continue, though always with such supplies as she required, usually gotten through bartering. Her cooking skills and almost harper-like knowledge of dragon tales were rather helpful in this area, as was her strenght, so that she could possibly entertain or more likely do certain chores in exchange for supplies. Most of those black, freezing nights were spent bundled up in a thick fur traveling cloak next to a warm fire, with the occasional stint in some barn, huddled in with the runners for warmth. When spring came, she again shied away from the holds, large and small, sticking to taking up with groups of travelers when she needed to, which helped her avoid getting into too much trouble. A little over a turn after leaving her home, she finally came close to her goal, reaching Telgar Hold in the very early summer.
Despite her best efforts she got into a few scrapes involving some less than pleasant highwaymen in that year. Most of them ended relatively well, considering. Most of the time she got away with none of her money left but hardly a scratch on her. She was not so lucky in her last encounter, which left her half dead by the side of the road with no food, no money, and no help in sight. Add to that the fact that no one knew where she was and, though she didn't know it just yet, she was pregnant, it was a lucky thing she was found by a kind, if suspiciously dark skinned, Bluerider named A'jun not far from Telgar Weyr. He took her to the Weyr, where she managed quite well working in the kitchens, a role she was willing to play for the time being, since she was still in shock. Even living in the Weyr, though, she was not completely happy, though if one were to ask her where she thought she would be happy, she might smile her own private smile, or, if that person were lucky, they might receive a nebulous anwser like, "The sky". She did hope to stand someday, but in her condition, she could not, though A'jun and his Blue insisted that she must after her child was born. Kersha was determined that, even though she would be allowed to Stand once that happened, she could not until she saw to it that her child would be well loved and cared for, which she did not think would happen in the Weyr, especially if she were to become a rider.
Nine months later, her beautiful baby girl was born, and despite the rather unpleasant circumstances of her conception, Kersha loved her dearly and named her Ramaya. Ramaya was the most wonderful child anyone could ask for, hardly crying, walking at 9 months, talking at a turn, she was a joy. When she was old enough to go between, A'jun took Kersha and Ramaya to visit Kersha's parents, who she had not seen in more than three turns. Needless to say, Devak and Vassa were overjoyed at the sight of their daughter alive and well, and with a healthy child, no less! Vassa wept and cradled her grandchild in her arms, and Devak and his wife doted on Ramaya as they had their own daughter. Certain that her parents could care better for her child than she herself could and not happy to leave her to be raised in the creche, Kersha left Ramaya in her parents' care, almost as an apology to her parents for being such a difficult child, content that she would be brought up with all the love and care that she deserved. She thought then that she would be free to pursue the life of a dragonrider, now that she did not need to worry about Ramaya's care, and of course, A'jun was happy to take Kersha to visit her daughter anytime she wished. Her visits were not as frequent as she might have wished, however, since Kersha still could not stand to stay at the hold any longer than a few hours, even if it was to see her precious Ramaya.
Six months ago, however, Kersha received word that Ramaya had gone missing. She was devastated by the news, and not even A'jun and his Bishuth could comfort her. That greatest disaster finally broke a spirit that stayed steady even when she came to the Weyr physically broken and nearly dead, and now that rumor has come about the Caminars' involvement in the disappearance of children in the holds, Kersha holds a grudge and will do anything to get her daughter back. She will not listen to reason, and while she has not done anything rash yet, there is not guarantee that she will not later, even if she is to stand at the upcoming Hatching. At the moment, she is almost reluctant to Stand, because even though she knows that it is what she has wanted for her entire life, she feels that all of her attention should go to her missing daughter.
Desired Colors & Why: Gold and Green
Well, even if she does have some funny ideas about men and women's roles, I think Kersha would take well to being a Goldrider, and riding Green would certainly make sense, given her feelings on the subject.
Requests: Nothing calm or flighty. Calm dragons are nearly impossible for me to play well, and I don't think a flighty dragon would really suit Kersha. Happy is fine, just not Superhappyalwaysonasugarhighth.
Have you read Game Philosophy and The Rules of Tempus Fugit?
Of course!
Gender: Female
Age: well into her 18th turn
Rank: Candidate
Physical Description
Dark haired, but certainly not dark skinned, Kersha is a pretty girl when she can be made to smile. Most of the time, however, her once warm brown eyes are hard and cold, and her lovely full lips are pressed into a stoney frown. Her face is lined with the cares of a woman much older than she. She would certainly strike some people as the stern Headwoman type, with her ability to seem taller than her 5'5" height and strong build.
Saying she is strong is not saying that she is not feminine in her looks. She has all the right curves in all the right places, and could be considered quite pretty, though she does not much care about that lately. Her usual dress is something in the comfortable and practical range, so it is not uncommon for her to be seen sporting what would be considered men's clothing, especially in the holds. None of her clothing is bright or frivolous, whether it is trousers and a shirt or a practical skirt and blouse, and her beautiful waist length wavy brown hair is usually hidden in a braid.
Personality
A determined and stubborn girl is Kersha. Once she gets an idea into her head, it is nearly impossible for anyone to change her mind, and she always goes about things her own way, even if there is a much simpler or more sensible course of action. While she has always been one to go her own way and do her own thing, she was not always the stern, serious young woman she is today. She has always searched for something greater than what she has, because somehow she just knows there's something better she is meant to be doing. Until recently, she has been rather agreeable and almost happy in her search for "More", but in the past few months she has become bitter and almost vengeful, especially toward the Caminars. Because, while her spirit could come out of anything this world has thrown at her with little more than faint scars, the loss of her daughter has completely torn her apart. The only person who can speak to her and receive more than a rude remark (barring any very high ranking person, such as a Craft Master or Weyrwoman/leader, though even they won't be treated with much more than base civility) is the Bluerider A'jun, who brought her to the Weyr in the first place.
Background
Kersha was never a docile child. From her rather difficult birth, through a noisy and sleepless (especially for her parents) infancy to a worrisome and rebellious childhood and adolescence, Kersha was always a handful. Her parents were Devak, an unassuming man who, though he had trained with the Beastcraft for a short while, held no official rank and simply helped with the animals used by the miners at Crom Hold, where they lived. Vassa was a kind, quiet woman who helped with sewing, cooking and other womanly tasks in the hold. She was educated about as well as most holder women, and in general just tried to go through life with as little conflict and as much happiness as she could expect.
Kersha was born in middle of the night, with little light and a lot of worry. Though there was much concern that neither mother nor child would survive, both did, if just barely. It was a good thing, too, because Kersha's father would never have forgiven his daughter if the love of his life had died giving birth to her. Kersha was the first and only child of Devak and Vassa, and as such was doted on by both. Despite all of the love and attention, this spitfire was never content to be their darling little girl. As soon as she could walk, Kersha was always wandering off in search of something better. However, as much as her parents doted and asked their daughter what she was looking for, she could never quite put a name to it other than "More". In her heart, she felt the call of adventure, though as the daughter of a very normal and unimportant pair of holders, she had never experienced anything that could rightly be called adventurous. That call was strongest whenever she heard the tales of dragonriders that harpers told by the firelight on chilly evenings, and her parents always dreaded those nights, because they meant a renewal in Kersha's wandering, testing and fighting.
The fighting got worse as Kersha entered adolescence. She began to truly take notice of what she considered discrepancies in the way that men and women were treated in the hold, and she did not like it. Her well-meaning parents did their best to keep their hot-headed daughter out of trouble and tried to persuade her to accept the life that was laid out for her at the hold. It was for her own good, they said, but she was not content to settle down, become some hard-headed holder's little wife and cook and clean and breed babies for him for the rest of her life. No sir, that was not the life for her, she knew.
So, in order to escape what she considered a rather grim fate, Kersha left quietly one night when she was fourteen turns old. A rather stupid thing to do, if one were to ask her today. Life certainly wasn't easy, especially in those first lonely weeks. She wasn't sure exactly how to go about her search, and while it occurred to her that she should make her way to a Weyr, she had no idea how to get there on her own. For the first month or so she traveled on her own, seemingly going in circles for all the progress she made. Thankfully, she had set out in late spring, so while the weather was not always the best, there was nothing truly threatening for quite some time. After a few weeks of trying to survive on her own, and finding out that highwaymen were more difficult to avoid than she had anticipated and food not easy to find, she began taking up with small groups of travelers, usually telling them that she had become separated from her companions and needed someone to travel with to the nearest cothold. Then, in order to avoid anyone finding out that was actually traveling on her own, she would tell the group that she was traveling with that her companions would be sure to find her at the cothold, then telling the cotholders that her group would be waiting at a nearby hold (always "our planned meeting place in case anyone got lost"). To further avoid any chance of being found out, she was careful not to stay at the same place twice.
Kersha later found out that she had indeed traveled in a rather odd semi-circle. While she had started out heading east, as she should have in order to reach Telgar, sometime in those months she had turned south and was now nearer the sea than the Weyr, which she should have noticed if she had known anything about finding her way. So, once an eager journeyman harper explained to the "curious hold girl" how to tell what direction she was traveling and where to find old Thread shelters, she took off north, keeping more and more with groups of travelers (though never Caminar, for even if they would have taken her in, she still had the same prejudice against them that any hold-bred person does, despite her own wandering nature) as the weather grew more and more unsuitable for traveling. She was holed up for more than a few nights in several different cotholds during the winter months, leaving each as soon as the weather cleared enough for her to continue, though always with such supplies as she required, usually gotten through bartering. Her cooking skills and almost harper-like knowledge of dragon tales were rather helpful in this area, as was her strenght, so that she could possibly entertain or more likely do certain chores in exchange for supplies. Most of those black, freezing nights were spent bundled up in a thick fur traveling cloak next to a warm fire, with the occasional stint in some barn, huddled in with the runners for warmth. When spring came, she again shied away from the holds, large and small, sticking to taking up with groups of travelers when she needed to, which helped her avoid getting into too much trouble. A little over a turn after leaving her home, she finally came close to her goal, reaching Telgar Hold in the very early summer.
Despite her best efforts she got into a few scrapes involving some less than pleasant highwaymen in that year. Most of them ended relatively well, considering. Most of the time she got away with none of her money left but hardly a scratch on her. She was not so lucky in her last encounter, which left her half dead by the side of the road with no food, no money, and no help in sight. Add to that the fact that no one knew where she was and, though she didn't know it just yet, she was pregnant, it was a lucky thing she was found by a kind, if suspiciously dark skinned, Bluerider named A'jun not far from Telgar Weyr. He took her to the Weyr, where she managed quite well working in the kitchens, a role she was willing to play for the time being, since she was still in shock. Even living in the Weyr, though, she was not completely happy, though if one were to ask her where she thought she would be happy, she might smile her own private smile, or, if that person were lucky, they might receive a nebulous anwser like, "The sky". She did hope to stand someday, but in her condition, she could not, though A'jun and his Blue insisted that she must after her child was born. Kersha was determined that, even though she would be allowed to Stand once that happened, she could not until she saw to it that her child would be well loved and cared for, which she did not think would happen in the Weyr, especially if she were to become a rider.
Nine months later, her beautiful baby girl was born, and despite the rather unpleasant circumstances of her conception, Kersha loved her dearly and named her Ramaya. Ramaya was the most wonderful child anyone could ask for, hardly crying, walking at 9 months, talking at a turn, she was a joy. When she was old enough to go between, A'jun took Kersha and Ramaya to visit Kersha's parents, who she had not seen in more than three turns. Needless to say, Devak and Vassa were overjoyed at the sight of their daughter alive and well, and with a healthy child, no less! Vassa wept and cradled her grandchild in her arms, and Devak and his wife doted on Ramaya as they had their own daughter. Certain that her parents could care better for her child than she herself could and not happy to leave her to be raised in the creche, Kersha left Ramaya in her parents' care, almost as an apology to her parents for being such a difficult child, content that she would be brought up with all the love and care that she deserved. She thought then that she would be free to pursue the life of a dragonrider, now that she did not need to worry about Ramaya's care, and of course, A'jun was happy to take Kersha to visit her daughter anytime she wished. Her visits were not as frequent as she might have wished, however, since Kersha still could not stand to stay at the hold any longer than a few hours, even if it was to see her precious Ramaya.
Six months ago, however, Kersha received word that Ramaya had gone missing. She was devastated by the news, and not even A'jun and his Bishuth could comfort her. That greatest disaster finally broke a spirit that stayed steady even when she came to the Weyr physically broken and nearly dead, and now that rumor has come about the Caminars' involvement in the disappearance of children in the holds, Kersha holds a grudge and will do anything to get her daughter back. She will not listen to reason, and while she has not done anything rash yet, there is not guarantee that she will not later, even if she is to stand at the upcoming Hatching. At the moment, she is almost reluctant to Stand, because even though she knows that it is what she has wanted for her entire life, she feels that all of her attention should go to her missing daughter.
Candidates
Desired Colors & Why: Gold and Green
Well, even if she does have some funny ideas about men and women's roles, I think Kersha would take well to being a Goldrider, and riding Green would certainly make sense, given her feelings on the subject.
Requests: Nothing calm or flighty. Calm dragons are nearly impossible for me to play well, and I don't think a flighty dragon would really suit Kersha. Happy is fine, just not Superhappyalwaysonasugarhighth.
Have you read Game Philosophy and The Rules of Tempus Fugit?
Of course!
