Description
Eyes are often viewed as the windows of the soul; in this case, Landers' eyes show that he is a young man who has had to grow up quickly. The dawn pale-blue grey stare he has, can be intense, but always bearing some unseen burden, corrupted not by hatred, instead by grief. However, durability has etched into the glassy windows of his soul; an enduring flame of hope, no matter how dim.
He is otherwise a tall olive-skinned young man, who seems stout and capable of being a powerhouse, since his build is sturdy and muscular. His skin bears the evidence of his turmoil upon the sea, for there are several nicks and lashes dotting his arms, neck, and chest. Kept close to his head, he wears his tawny-brown hair short, which means that pieces don't sit straight, instead curl and bob in loose voluminous waves. It still grows fuller on top, where light brown bangs coil over his forehead. Often times he'll be seen wearing a bandana tied over his forehead in a thin folded band or styled to cover his whole skull. Tufted brows bearing a wide contour help define the aforementioned eyes, which preside over a slight crooked nose and fair mouth that's given to quick expression. Scruffy whiskers dominate his wide powerful jaw line, forming a beard from side burn to side burn. The whiskers are even found to give him a soft moustache over his upper lip; a typical sight on any seafaring man. Overall, his face while strong with defined mid-height cheekbones and a thick jaw, has a subtle roundness to it which softens his features considerably.
A drape of ivory cloth flows over the young man's form. It is a long sleeved furled cuffed sailor blouse, cut to billow at the arms - both at elbow and wrist - while the neck line drops to a loose slope, allowing chest to show from underneath. Thrown on top is a dark chocolate leather tunic-vest, split down the middle like a tabard and clasped together at the waist with a slender belt. Beefy arms look like they're no stranger to climbing riggings or swabbing the decks, which bears the scars of shallow cuts, showing further scars lining the back of his right hand, and one on his left. His fingers are long and have a firm grip when curled. He also wears a shell-tooths pendant around his neck.
Form fitting leather breeches begin low on the young man's waist. Styled as greaves, an additional darker leather panel has been sewn atop the lad's thighs; the panels have scores in the leather that would mimic the definition of muscle underneath. They're are held up by a thick stomacher, its buckle bearing a double hasp. Ankles lead to booted feet, each adorned with numerous buckles. An additional belt rests low on the young man's hips, weighted down by the tools of his trade which hang from hooks on the right
Rider Name | Ers'lan | Craft | Sea Craft |
Former Name | Landers | Craft Position | 5th Turn Apprentice (Sr.) |
Hair | Tawny Brown | Current Location | Xanadu |
Eyes | Dawn Blue | Weyr Position | Wingleader of Galaxy |
Age | 27 Turns (Approx) | Dragon | Brown Zhaoth |
Height | 6'1" | Birth Place | Landing |
History
Conceived by a man of the sea and a woman of the herbs, Landers faced the typical Pernese upbringing. It's safe to say that in the busy lives of his parents, his name was an afterthought of their consequential coupling, hastily christened Landers for the place of his birth: Landing.
The Turns following were none too different than his birth, often left in the care of nurse maids or other children. His mother spent many hours in Landing teaching her craft, and his father whom owned his own fishing fleet just off the coast was also absent for most of the Turns that Landers was a child.
When Landers grew to a point that he no longer needed a caretaker, he drifted into a group of younglings that often provoked the law. Several times Landers was caught up in the penalty facing his scoundrel troupe. Despite this and his growing disorderly conduct, his parents were of no consequence, their absence only encouraged his further insurgence.
A turning point in Landers young life was when he approached the age of fifteen and still ran amok with his troupe. They had riled up Landing for some time since and the last straw came when a decision was made to rob a caravan of its particular contents - fireworks.
Rare expensive fireworks that had been developed at Landing for many Turns were the pride of many a crafter. They were to be used in the next festival gathering in honor of a Weyr. As the troupe was relieving the caravan of their precious cargo, the kids didn't realize the caravan was heavily guarded. The outcome was that the whole troupe was battered down and arrested.
Harpers came to deliberate on their punishment, it was that serious of an offense to Landing and its people. Parents came forward to speak for their children, save for a few whose parents were not in attendance; Landers was one of these children without a voice to speak for him.
Needless to say, even without the aid of his parents, Landers was one of the teens given the chance to turn his life around or face the work mines for Turns to come. The ultimatum was simple, submit himself to a Craft for education or be sent off to the work camps.
Therefore, Landers selected the footsteps of his estranged father. His father had room on one of the boats for an apprentice. Though not pleased to hear of his son's scandalous adventures, he gave the boy the opportunity to rectify his behavior.
It was a rocky relationship at best. Eventually, Landers was left behind at one of the ports his father's fleet traded at. Father and son were never to speak to one another again after this day.
Though Landers was a resourceful lad and worked his way onto the deck of a large merchant ship. With a might to prove his worth to the world, the young man stayed on with the ship 'Windy Waters' and her captain, Jonas.
Family
Laera | Relation | Notes |
---|---|---|
Weyrmate | Ers'lan met Laera when he was still called Landers. He had recently fell into some despair after a shipwreck had stolen everything from him. While having a fling with D'len, Lan was introduced to the D'len's weyrmate, Laera. Since the moment he saw her, he knew he wanted her as his own. He started spending a lot of time with the woman. In the end, when she was single, she accepted his offer to be his weyrmate and took the symbol for his heart some time later. She will still wear it from time to time, a necklace made out of an old eyepiece len's frame. Lan will always be true to Laera, as she has seen him through many obstacles in life. She's currently a wingrider of Galaxy wing and has one child with Lan. She has three others as well, one with L'ton and two with D'len. | |
Keziah | Relation | Notes |
Weyrmate | Ers'lan has a long history with Keziah, that started when he impressed. She was the AWLM for his class and would spend hours talking him through difficult times … or well… yelling at him. It ended up he tried to kiss her during weyrlinghood and she kneed him in the nuts. He took it to mean she didn't like him at -all- so he left off pursuing something with her. She ended up yelling at him more and they always seemed to be getting into fights. When he graduated, he was put into the search and rescue wing and she was made the Wingleader after some scandal removed the last. They fought more. She made him wingsecond and they fought harder. They were both demoted until they could sort it out. Sometime after getting hit with a frying pan and a flight, they talked and got it out in the open. While they still fight and bicker sometimes, Lan asked her to weyrmate with him and join his family with Laera. She agreed. She would later given him triplet sons. She has two other children, daughters both, one with K'ael and one she adopted. | |
Lorelai | Relation | Notes |
Weyrmate | Lorelai is an interesting case. Lan had a crush on her when they were in candidacy together. However, he never acted on it. She was too young at that point and they were candidates. Then he impressed and he forgot all about her, getting busy with everything else that happened. However, when she returned from her studies, they met up again and the same old feelings returned. He made love to her and that was that. She got pregnant and he welcomed her into the family - as did his two other weyrmates. |
Windy Waters (ICly Wrecked)
Windy Waters is a workhorse; designed specifically to travel immense barriers of the ocean and schooner the inland rivers. Windy Waters has numerous admirable qualities to her, the most recognizable is the boastful and distinctive caravel shape. She has a gently sloping bow and a single stern castle - a prominent feature of this vessel. She is a three-masted vessel, wielding a square sail on the mainmast and foremast, and a lateen sail on the mizzen, making her quite capable of handling rocky coastlines and narrow straights with agile speed of a green dragon. She is still small enough that she can be easily manoeuvred, even in the greatest of tempests.
Once a luxurious testament to her fine craftsmanship, the wood she is built of is starting to show the long history out at sea, for there is a dullness of wear that only age can cause along her planks. The keel’s clustering of barnacles, which make a rise toward the hull and bulk hold, are a secondary indication that this ship has been long since out at sea. Still, the Windy Waters is a pride of many, her old leaf and scroll work a mainstay on her man-height rails and quarter deck castle.
The actual main deck space is limited for enjoyment, since it is the main workspace for its seafaring crew. Obviously, the majority of the space has been taken up by the large masts, the netting, the rigging and lines falling from the masts and sails, and the yard booms extending from the masts themselves, along with all the cleats and pins used to secure the lines and ropes. The captain’s cabin, crew galley, and passenger suites can be found through the entrance on the stern castle; the doors themselves aged but still capable of holding back water if waves overwhelm the deck, built with a threshold that is not flat with the deck. A cargo hold is directly underneath the cabins and is often reached by another set of cargo bay doors that lie flat upon the main deck.
Regardless, a visitor or passenger can always find a spot to view the ocean from the quarter deck on the stern of the ship above the Captain‘s cabin, or on the forecastle deck at the bow, near the bowsprit that reaches out and points the ship in her forward direction.
Firelizards
Brown Firelizard: Steady
A brown firelizard with slightly droopy eyes, like an old man. Even when young, this one's eyes are dark and hooded. And he even sports a little ridge of drooping skin under his chin, like a beard. Fact, his skin seems slightly loose and droopy all over, wizened and wrinkled with age, even when he is not yet in the twilight of his life.
He is not, however, an "ugly" firelizard, not at all. His body is slim and lithe, packed with lean muscle tone that might not be readily apparent until one touches him. His hide is dappled with cloudy shapes in many hues of brown, all over his top side, with a more solid, dark velvet brown on his underside.
His wings are quite large for his size, and look like they could provide him with hours of effortless gliding on updrafts in the sky. More clouds are dappled across the topside of his wingsails. The spars have an almost metallic quality to them, their golden-brown whiskey color clear against the dappled sky of his sails. The underside of his wingsails, however, actually have a slight hint of red to them, strung between the whiskey-gold of his spars.
Brown Firelizard: Sturdy
Sleek, satiny amber hide encompasses this large brown. His well formed head, which begins with a sharp wedge tip and glowing green eyes, widens into a lovely rounded skull upon which his darkened midgety headknobs settle. His neck is thick, but long and graceful and his shadow colored ridges begin about halfway down said neck and continue across his back and halfway down his tail where they fade, again, into nothing. His miniature barrel shaped chest is powerful, showing his strength and power. His legs are tough and showered in the same amber hide as the rest of him. His tail is sleek, and narrows considerably before sprouting a spade shaped tail.
Gold Firelizard: Sexy
Long, lithe and gorgeous. This gold firelizard is definitely not the smallest gold ever seen, although her petite body seems delicate. Her entire body is covered in a tawny, burnished gold that seems to simply radiate from her. Head is small and sleek, her intelligent blue eyes whirling deeply in her head, the facets throwing bright wisps of teal in with the deep blue. Her slender neck leads from head to chest, the delicate ridges sharp, like a single row of razor sharp teeth that leads from the crest of her head to her tail tip. Her chest is slim, but powerful and her body muscular. Her legs are graceful and strong, the tawny stems ending in black talons. Her tail stretches behind her, long, long longer than most and about double the length of her body. Curled up, she could probably reach it around herself twice.
Dragon: Brown Zhaoth
Harsh and not exactly beautiful, this wiry, bony creature who calls himself a dragon is hardly one to swoon over. Ruddy with russets and umbers, his rough hide seems to never have enough oil, never be buffed or sanded completely smooth. It matters not that his coloration is rather handsome — all-over shaded with rich earth-tones almost vibrant enough to make up for his lack of metallic coloration — since his form is rather lacking in elegance and seems almost…unfinished. Form follows function, though, and this brown's form is quite functional. He covers ground with ease, sturdy legs propelling him with far more ease than most dragons possess. Long wings near being overly-long, hanging at the precipice, but never quite plunging over, instead giving him remarkable gliding ability in the air, like a sea-bird. Charred shadows drift over the sails of those pinions, echoed along craggy-ridged neck and down his bony back to his long, whip-like tail, marring the vibrant shades of the rest of his hide with their starkly ashen qualities. Autumnal gold flecks in tiny motes up those sturdy, otherwise plain paws, giving way to solid, stubby but quite sharp obsidian talons. Over all, while one might glance past this one for being either a small, bony bronze or a large, oddly-colored brown, he cares not — he holds his head high and strides through life with more purpose than any of *you*.