Post by Luminantis on Nov 15, 2010 23:23:39 GMT -5
Harper, tell me of the road...
Username: Luminantis
Character Number: 1st
Name: Riayl
Age: 40
Birth Season: Autumn
Gender: Male
Location: Harper Hall
Rank: The Masterharper
Craft: Harper
That leads beyond this hold...
Appearance: With a rapid glance, one can surmise the Harper spends little time perfecting his appearance. He is a lean, agile, and vaguely fair skinned creature who only takes up five feet and five inches of space, vertically speaking. His hair color can be described as slightly peppered with the knowledge that gray has conquered the majority of its battle with the otherwise dark brown color. Falling to his shoulders, Riayl keeps it pulled back into a haphazard ponytail, with quite a few pesky strands quickly finding freedom during the process. His eyes have always been the color of a warm and vibrant ocean, with depths filled with either wisdom or worse. Otherwise, his facial features are wholly unremarkable, with small lips and (he swears it is true) a medium sized nose.
That wends its way around the hill...
Personality: Publicly, Riayl has been described as many things: an artist, a scholar, and a wack-a-loon, to name a few. Personally, he never adhered to any specific description, save only he was as any other citizen of Pern, and his love of the Arts ran deep into his very being.
When meeting Riayl initially, he generally comes on strong as an eccentric, muttering of history, literature, and how minor thirds taste of strawberries. Once the pleasantries have been exchanged, the Harper emits a warm and kind presence to most everyone, especially towards (what he would call) the younglings. "Younglings are impressionable!" Despite his position, he always seems to find the time to perform music, tricks, or the like for anyone who pays even the slightest amount of attention.
Despite his kindness and often supposed naivety, Riayl has never been the one to suffer fools for a very prolonged period of time. "Do unto others as one would do unto themselves," he would say. Or stole the phrase from somewhere. Either way, one best tread carefully once the Harper edges towards his ire.
Does it go farther on until...
History: Riayl's beginnings were as humble as one could expect. He was the oldest of two, and while both sons loved each other, he was never completely close to his brother. His father spent his life supporting the family as a fisherman while his mother stayed home. For the most part, she raised Riayl and his brother alone. When their father had the chance to spend time with his wife and sons, the atmosphere was loving in general, though all families have their ups and downs. While the youngest brother would eventually follow in their father's footsteps, Riayl chose to become a Harper, inspired only by the angelic voice of his mother. The choice, unfortunately, created a rift between himself and the family he once knew, but few know of the specifics and few ever would.
Regardless, Riayl (with the aid of his ever loving mother) joined the Harper Crafthall during his tenth turn, having already shown virtuosity as a singer at such a young age; however, his supposed "genius " was never limited to music alone. Working hard and studying diligently, Riayl found himself mastering the Arts itself, including (but not limited to) acting, drawing, painting, dancing, and learning to play as many instruments as there existed in all of Pern. Day after day, he spent nine turns immersed in his craft, becoming a senior apprentice at thirteen, and graduating as a journeyman at the age of seventeen.
After becoming a journeyman, Riayl spent the majority of his time performing across the land to crowds of all shapes and sizes. It is generally said if even one person took the time to watch the Harper, then he had enough of an audience to perform. Still, Riayl absorbed as much information as he could, met with peoples all over the inhabited places of Pern, and composed a wide variety of music; those which became textbook masterpieces and those which made rough men weep (which also found their way into the books). His determination towards knowledge seeking and creativity earned him the rank of Master at the age of twenty-nine. The pinnacle of his career came during the spring of his thirty-second turn. After studying for a time under the previous Masterharper (as well as having been recognized for some of his more sane achievements) Riayl was selected to become the next Masterharper of Pern, a seat he has held onto for the past eight turns.
Despite his rank and the responsibilities it entails, Riayl always finds time to travel (much to the grumbling or praise of other Masters) and perform for what fans he had acquired over the turns. Every so often, he visits Delant Hold, where he observes and sometimes speaks to or performs for the students. (There has been a time, however briefly, where the Mastercoggler dragged Riayl away to aid in whatever coggling needed done, despite the fact he was, indeed, no coggler, but a Mastercrafter of Pern himself!)
It ends in sunset gold?
