Humans
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Name: Sophie LeClaire; "Dear One" to Delyth, "Rider" to Silvanus
Gender: Female
Age: 24 years
Nationality or place of origin: Sophie hails from Alabaster City, in the middle-class neighborhood.
Current place of residence: Tuldaringa, a middle-sized town north of Alabaster City, located on the edge of the Celtlands by the ocean.
Appearance: Picture - oldie but a goodie.She stands about 5'7", with a fairly athletic build - but certainly not a gymnast or a body-builder, ohhhh no. Her strawberry-blonde hair is kept at just past her shoulders, all one length, and often tied back with a band of some sort. She prefers to keep it from her face. Her face is somewhat heart-shaped with higher cheekbones and hazel-gold eyes hid behind red-framed glasses. It's a face that manages to be pretty only if you stare at it for more than a moment; you really couldn't pull it out on the street in passing. She prefers practical clothing and is often found in jeans, a weather-appropriate shirt, walking boots, and a dark-blue weather-proof coat with many pockets. The coat has a large hood so she can wear her hair back inside it. She would be loathe to part with the tan hiking backpack always found on or nearby her.
Personality: Sophie is a young lady who you'd probably get along with unless something about her bothered you; in which case, she'd drive you nuts because she's more at ease with herself than most people are. She accepts that she is who she is and won't change unless absolutely necessary.
When working on something or at her job, she becomes intently focused. Sure, she'll take a moment to address you and maybe consult with you about a problem if you have one, but there will be a point where you realize that she did stop listening to you about five minutes back. If given too many tasks, she's almost perfect about completing them all, but will inevitably forget something. This makes her feel quite guilty and she'll do her best to make up for her mistakes, since she does her best to avoid making them. If they are mistakes she caused, expect them to never happen again. If they are mistakes you caused and she has to clean up the mess, well...let's just say you get a rather icy wall of contempt. Especially if you flew in the face of common sense. Logic is one of her best friends.
When not working on a task and relaxing, you'll find her quite amiable and even dryly amusing in her choice of humor. She'll be working on making herself comfortable or making others happy, whatever suits her plans most at the moment. She has a bit of a sweet tooth, so chocolate will generally factor into the equation. She likes to be on the side-lines in any sort of social gathering, influencing but not being directly involved. In a council meeting, she would rather listen and give advice after a long period of patient thought. Impulsiveness, unless logical, earns a sharp response from her. She prefers plans that work, not plans that might work unless they stand a good chance of working.
Her being half-deaf influenced her basic personality quite a bit. She has a deep empathy for anyone with any form of a handicap and prefers her relationships to be meaningful, not brief. This means her circle of friends is rather small, but loyal. She is hypersensitive to being mocked due to her hearing loss and while she has learned to hide it well over the years, it isn't wise to earn a spot on her black list. Sure, she'll treat you like a human being, but that's about it; you've lost most of her respect.
Skills and weaknesses:Skills:
- The ability to read and write, which can become very useful in certain situations.
- The ability to sketch and manipulate images in her mind.
- The ability to read into body language and read lips from a distance. She can figure out how to blend into a crowd by watching how everyone interacts.
- Strong mental communication skills with her Ancient and Elkrin.
Failings:
- Not so hot with arithmetic. Math definitely drives her nuts.
- Half-deaf; without Delyth and Silvanus around, she would make a horrible guard and probably scare herself half to death jumping at imagined noises.
- Being incredibly sensitive to any form of negative commentary about her hearing.
- Can't see too well without her glasses either.
Skills and/or weaknesses acquired from companion:Skills:
- Telepathy with both Delyth and Silvanus
- The ability to sing in a very soothing way. So soothing, others might fall asleep...immediately...
- Silvanus, being an Elkrin, influences her appearance every time she rides. Her facial features become fine and softened and silvery streaks appear within her hair; her hazel-gold eyes gain a silver ring around the outside. Her normal clothing is replaced by a soft leather riding outfit in blue-grey with designs akin to the natural markings on Silvanus. Her belt is adorned with tiny bells, much like the ones that hang on Silvanus's antlers, and they ring softly when she rides.
Weaknesses:
- Sensitive to the moods and physical changes in her Ancient and Elkrin. If one was to be injured, she would feel it, albeit not as sharply as the real wound. If one died...who knows how she would fare.
History: Basic:Sophie was blessed to have been born into a family of a high-middle-class standing and therefore received what was considered to be a proper education, according to her parents: reading, writing, basic arithmetic, geography, painting and some science. She wasn't spoiled, not at all. Her parents believed in basic equality and fairness. She was also born half-deaf. Being an only child, she spent much of her time amusing herself while her friends were busy and this influenced her basic personality (along with her hearing loss). It didn't take long for her to become interested in the one thing that she had been deprived of in her learning: biology. It wasn't uncommon to find her immersed in a book about the life of domesticated animals. It took her many years, until she was about 20 or so, to come across the Rune Dragons in person and bond to Delyth (as a Rune Dragon, not an Ancient Rune). She bonded to the Silvervale Elkrin stag Silvanus when she was older, around 23.
During the Purge:When the man "Hubris" came to power, her parents would talk late into the night about things they felt Sophie wasn't old enough to hear. It took Delyth in order for her to finally figure out that the Cutters were now going to house to house within miles of their neighborhood and separating the "abominations" from their "possessed". Her parents smugged her outside of the city and set her free with her travel pack to find the rebels and their cottage.
They found the cottage, joined the rebel group, and spent most of the Purge fighting on the fringes, helping to turn battle tides in favor of the Rune Dragons and their Bonded. Sophie was never directly responsible for the deaths of any Cutters, but Delyth...her powers were eerily growing during this time and more than once, a Cutter fell asleep never to awaken.
After the Purge: After the Purge had ended and the Cutters had scattered, Sophie was left adrift for a time. Her focus, for so long, had been fighting against the destruction of the ones she loved and saving those who couldn't defend themselves. It took some gentle nudging from Delyth to convince her to travel north, farther away still from the dark memories of Alabaster City, and into the Celtlands. There, she found a job as an apprentice veterinarian in the middle-sized town of Tuldaringa, located along the ocean. She sees mostly normal house pets in the forms of dogs, cats, hamsters, parakeets, etc, etc. Very rarely does she see a Rune Dragon and she is known as the "technician to go to" when they have a problem. Delyth aids her in keeping the distressed Rune calm while she takes the stats and waits for the veterinarian to come help. Silvanus chooses to be absent during her work hours. The people of Tuldaringa (and the Celtlands in general) were mostly untouched by the shadow of the Purge and blessedly accept the Runes for what they are: charmingly odd miracles.
Meeting Delyth:Sophie was in her early 20's and it was another year or two before the Purge.
She had been up late reading during the summer and while the sun was still just above the horizon, as it always is during those sultry evenings, she was bored enough to take her book-related musings out to her window-ledge. The window had been always easy to open and it let in peaceful wafts of warmed grass along with pine needles. It took her a moment, so deep in her daydreaming was she, to hear the whuffling of feathered wings. She had time to throw her arms up across her body before the Rune landed on her windowsill with a soft, vibrating chirp-like sound. It only took a second for their eyes to meet before Sophie realized that Delyth wanted to be with her - she had been lonely for so long, looking for something, no - someone to understand her. What deeply bonded her to Delyth the most was the Rune's solemn promise to be her ears as well as her shadow. With all of her heart, Sophie had been wanting a friend who understood and accepted her handicap without judgment and the Sunset Rune filled her heart to overflowing.
*** Her bonding with Silvanus is described below, in his section.
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Name: Matteo Fitzpatrick Marchand, "Boss" to Fitzroy
Gender: Male
Age: 25
Nationality or place of origin: Alabaster City
Current place of residence: On the road for each new job that comes along, but he stays nearby Alabaster City unless necessary.
Appearance: Just under 6’2†with a body that leaned out once he decided to become the leader of his little gang. He has scruffy brown-blonde hair with natural highlights from the sun and grey eyes; chin-strap beard/goatee on face. You can see that his muscles are wiry, so he’s not a body builder. Once he entered his gang years, he lost his clean-cut look to build up his reputation. He wears a dark-brown jacket lined with cream-colored sheep’s wool that zips up the front. Dark pants are always worn, but he hates how they’re almost worn bare in both knees. He wears a hand-me-down pair of military boots that he “borrowed†from an open window-sill. Both ears are pierced up the outside multiple times; his left ear is missing a piece from it where a rival’s bullet just barely missed the rest of his head and if he ever took off his jacket and shirt, you’d see some bullet scars on his left arm. He always wears a newsboy cap, whether it’s warm or not, to hide his ear. His money pouch/small bag is always at his belt.
Personality: Matteo is the second oldest of five children altogether within the Marchand family. His personality leans towards the type of attention-getter that succeeds and then annoys you a bit. It stems from being shuffled to the side once his younger siblings came about. He talks a bit louder than necessary and you can’t ignore him in a room even when he’s standing still and just listening; he exudes presence. Within a discussion, he must say what he’s thinking, whether you like it or not. He tends to ignore most insults that come about from his input, but only to a point. If you ask him to do something, he might do it; tell him to and he’ll passively ignore you. When he’s in action, he will get the job done regardless of the body count. He has an innate way of succeeding at his task, but it gives him a merciless feel when he accepts that people will get hurt. However, he’s fully aware of every death he had any part in and wishes that he could forget them all; it gives him night sweats. He doesn't like deep relationships, but it’s that kind of denial where it’s a slippery slope and suddenly he’s your best friend and he’ll do anything to protect you. Within his group of friends, he becomes a pretty cool “big brother†type.
Skills and weaknesses:Skills:
- He's good at setting up little traps and destroying things “accidentally†with explosives and fire.
- He's fairly good at math and geography.
- He can cook fairly well, since he has to feed himself when he's traveling between jobs.
Weaknesses:
- A huge ego that masks his "needy feelings"; one gets easily ignored with multiple siblings.
- Since he has a spotty attendance record for schooling, he has trouble writing.
- He forgets to return things he “borrowed†and can never throw anything away because “it could be usefulâ€.
- He's gun-shy because of his ear. Anyone wielding that weapon could scare him into submission.
- He's impulsive if it means he can “win†in any manner. He also can’t stand “immaturityâ€.
Skills and/or weaknesses acquired from companion:When he's riding Fitzroy, his garb becomes more along the lines of dressage. Riding jacket and pants in royal blue with bronze trimmings, knee-high boots in coal-black. His grey eyes become more sea-green, like the shadows of an iceberg. He sits taller, his shoulders are broader, and an air of nobility encircles him. The only thing that doesn't change is his newsboy cap, which gives him away every time. It has something to do with a "stutter" in Fitzroy's Elkrin magic; maybe he'll outgrow it...?
History: Matteo comes from a rather large family with four other siblings, so he has worked since he was rather young to keep everyone fed. While many other children grow up spending most of their day in school, it was rather rare for Matteo to spend more than a few hours with his nose in a book before he was excused to go to his job; well, he didn’t necessarily have his nose in his book, but at least he was present and accounted for. He had a penchant for getting yelled at over anything else, but his teacher was happy with his math and geography skills.
Matteo has held many random jobs throughout the years, including accountant, assistant chef, concierge, chimney sweeper, cat sitter, and shoe seller. The easiest, by far, is unemployed-but-looking, because that means he can go out and check his traps in the woods. They tend to put more food on his family’s table than some of his jobs. His favorite, however, was working in the weapons factory putting together all sorts of devious devices. It was there that he discovered his love of explosives and basically playing with matches. It has come in very handy during problematic situations with the rival gangs.
He bonded with Fitzroy when the Crowned Cavalier Elkrin stag tore loose from his handler on the streets of Alabaster City. The stag had been up for auction (his personality wasn't good for their breeding program...too "lively") and had been frightened by the barking of a nearby guard dog. Matteo had beaten the stag around a corner and grabbed the lead rope to slow down the lathered creature. When they made eye contact, something clicked inside both of them and despite the initial shock all around, the noble family officially acknowledged the Bonding. Well...they did it after Fitzroy kicked some teeth from the mouth of his handler trying to get back to Matteo.
