Well, the character has green eyes, so just pretend those brown eyes in the pictures are actually green! ;}
R'lann and Essa
Also see this one of R'lann as Renegade!
The picture does take some time to download, please be patient, it's pretty cool! Also, PLEASE NOTE!!! This is a modified version of a picture by Michael Whelan. Please click here to view the original painting.
Please visit Michael Whelan's home page and see and support his wonderful artwork.
More pictures to come!!
Born to Raela (NPC) and Marlann (NPC) at Nerat Hold, Raelann was the second child to this very rich, well-to-do family of minor holder aristocracy. Accordingly, he was tutored in everything from runner riding, sword play to formal dancing and etiquette. But from birth and onward, if the term 'Royal Brat' existed on Pern, then Raelann would instantly qualify. He was stuck up, snotty, arrogant, and used people at any whim. As he got older and started into his teens, this became worse and worse, until the holders started to stay away from him in fear of his temper and sometimes utter physically destructive tantrums.
One younger teen named Tegosh at the hold did take a liking, actually an infatuation, to Raelann and started following and mooning after him. Raelann casually used him in anyway he could finally cruelly dropping him. Tegosh, the next day, threw himself from the highest point he could find, killing himself. Raelann was only temporarily put out by this not having a toy to play with anymore.
Things were at their worst and he was the terror of the hold, until, amazingly enough, at age 14, a visiting bronze (and rider) spotted him and Searched him. No one was more surprised than everyone else except Raelann - the arrogant, stuck up boy thought it perfectly natural that he be Searched. His parents were thrilled despite their surprise and waited eagerly for that special day. He stood his candidacy at Igen Weyr and was constantly getting into trouble and constantly punished. The time came and he did not Impress, the only left standing on the sands who didn't.
He returned to his home in Nerat, very angry and disappointed, much more subdued. He moped about, mostly keeping to himself to the relief of everyone else, and avoided his parents who were horribly disappointed with him and quit lavishing spoiling actions and praise on him. Later, again, he was taken as candidate to stand the sands at Eastern. He wasn't as bad as last time, more 'put in his place' put still caused enough trouble to turn hair grey prematurely. Again he did not Impress and his parents sent notice that he was not to return home, that he had been disowned, and sent holdless.
Raelann was fiercely angry, joining a renegade band near Nerat in order to lash out his frustration. They took him in with pleasure, eager to make use of his sword fencing skills. In this short period, the band caused great amounts of destruction and many deaths, several by Raelann's hand and blade alone. Here, also, Raelann met someone he truly loved, a woman who travelled with the band named Essa. The band was caught by Fort riders and taken back to the weyr for justice. There was a scuffle between members of the renegades as the leader suspected someone of informing the riders who captured them. In this fight, Raelann lost sight of Essa and thought the leader had run her through, saying she was the informant, but it was too confusing to know what had actually happened. For most of the band, the sentence was hard, hard labor in the mines, conditions often poor and survival sometimes uncertain. (More stories from the renegade era soon to come!)
Now 17 turns old, Raelann shrugged and resigned himself to it when a green dragon at Fort Searched him much to his great frustration and disappointment. His third candidacy was both subdued and wild, the instigator of the more hard-core pranks (including mooning the Weyrleader through the window while....involved with his weyrmate). That one got him latrine duty for the rest of his candidacy (a good solid two months) and on probation: another stunt and he would be forced to leave as candidate. Of course he pulled off another spectacular stunt and was almost one step out the door before the weyrleader changed his mind but with the restriction that he could not and would not touch the eggs, supposedly a tortourous thing, but Raelann didn't much care.
Finally, standing on the sands of Fort Weyr, an egg hatched and out of it fell a dark, dark blue, almost black hatchling and made a straight line for the shocked boy, no hesitation or considerations for any other candidates. A bond was formed, very strong and very deep, thoughts and feelings becoming each others, life firmly and totally intertwined from that day on. From that moment after looking deeply into those loving, swirling eyes, R'lann started the ascent of personal change, very rapidly and drastically. Almost overnight, the once snarly brat became a sweet, caring, gentleman. There were times and are still when the brat/renegade reappears during moments of intense stress but these are far and few between.
As the pair grew together, their bond tightening, they became known as Two-As-One. The bond had grown to the point where they saw through each other's eyes, felt what each other felt, on a daily, 24 hour basis. It took time for both dragon and rider to learn how to separate themselves at need, which wasn't very often.
During werylinghood, namely the time learning to jump *between*, R'lann and Mahlth discovered an amazing ability to *between* many, many times in a short period of time without ill effects, even timing it didn't seem to have that much effect either. This may be due to the fact that R'lann finds *between*, unlike others: energizing and strangely wonderful, almost exquisite.
As dragon and rider grew together, the change in R'lann was basically hailed as amazing, he had become a responsible, even tempered, yes even warm hearted, caring, and generous. Bluerider to the core, he was usually seen with someone, often male. Mahlth had an odd penchant to just play during flights, usually losing due to this clowning around and R'lann didn't really mind as he had plenty of company!
With an overcrowding of Fort Weyr, he was relocated to the mountain lake weyr of Xanadu at the age of 32 turns. He served as a wingrider in the Search and Rescue Xanadu wing called Cyclone, earning his Journeyman status as a Healer, specializing in mindhealing, during this time. With the shifting of incoming and outgoing residents and riders, R'lann was made Wingsecond, taking on less sweeps and more paperwork. Despite hating paperwork, he enjoyed working with the wing in this new fashion.
Several turns later, R'lann was made Weyrsecond and has served in this capacity since.
More to come!
Postings of TP for R'lann.
=============================Rumors============================== Message: 18/36 Posted Author Xanadu Rider Fri Jul 17 Auntie Gossip ----------------------------------------------------------------- The Auntie and several riders at the High Reaches: "Did you see that rider from Xanadu? The one that rides that almost black blue? He came up to visit his fosterling and friends the other day...." One breaks into the conversation. "Yeah, I heard he's a nice guy." The others stare at the rider as if he's crazy, "You heard wrong then, friend. Someone said something, nothing bad or anything and that blue rider just flipped!! He was a totally different person! Snarling with rage, talking like we were all other folks!" A drudge starts sniffling in a corner and the Auntie pipes up indignantly, "He almost ran her through with that sword of his!!" she waves a hand at the drudge. A brown rider blinks, "What happened?" A blue rider shrugs, "He just took off before anyone could do anything, climbing up on his dragon and went *between* barely a foot off the ground! No one knows where he is now." The Auntie's eyes narrow and she whispers. "There's rumors that man used to run as a renegade in the mountains near Fort Weyr, quiet deadly that one was. Maybe he's taken up them ways again, mark my words." The others stare at her and then quickly change the subject, no one wants to think of one of their own going bad. =================================================================
====================== Rumours ================================== Message: 18/46 Posted Author Bodies Fri Aug 14 Auntie Gossip ----------------------------------------------------------------- A report comes in: Several bodies were recently found in the mountains near Fort Weyr, in bad shape, several weeks old. They have identified as renegades, part of a group opposing another set of renegades. It has been determined that these unfortunate individuals met with a very skilled fencer as death was by sword. The renegade problem is getting worse but at least they are taking it out on opposing bands. That keeps them at least a little busy. Witnesses have reported seeing a black dragon in the vicinity of the deaths for the past month. Of course, these must be exaggerated since there is no such thing as a black dragon. =================================================================
İFall 1998-1999
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