@WriterRaven welcome! go ahead and write if that's what fits your character best. secondly, dragonriders stay on their dragons to fight—that's what makes them so formidable.
Just by the title alone my interest was piqued. Gimme a second to look through the opening and characters. I could probably have something to thrown in before the night's out.
Also, what Raven said about appearances applies for me too. S'just what i'm used to. 'Less I could issue out another commission, lol
@WriterRaven excellent! if you want to pop in late, either you can ask someone to catch you up or, for the sake of expediency, you've been informed one way or another.
as far as language, i'd say there's a universal trade language, but each island has its own native tongue—caerel's first language is the trade tongue, but there's an older native language that's widely regarded as archaic and only useful for historians. native languages on other islands are usually called the same as the island—for instance, qiandri people speak qian, and kullathi speak kulla.
Thought of having a female Sea Drake as my character's dragon...until I realized their rarity. Mind if I keep it that way, or should I just make it male?
@hoppiholla391Here's my sheet. Kept it as short as I could.
Quincy James “Jamie” Odell
Rider of Alejandra
APPEARANCE— Quincy’s about 5’11”. Thin, toned, athletic frame. Long, muscular arms. Black hair buzzed down, piercing light brown eyes. Fairly tan skinned, marked from head to toe in both fresh and fading scarring.
Clothing is a contradicting subject for Quincy. Spending most of his time in the warm waters of the coast, he usually won't be seen wearing much (if anything at all). If he absolutely has to wear clothes, it’ll most likely be something light and easy to take off. Sleeveless shirts are his favorite. Roomy trousers. A pair of boots that he can slip in and out of with minimal effort. He carries a sandy brown sack across his back, full of assorted clothing articles and other belongings (including a series of spears strapped alongside it.)
AGE— 22 Bonded for 9 years
GENDER— Male
HISTORY— Quincy spent a lot of his time growing up along the east side of Caerel, specifically inhabiting Tyndall Point and Fathom Bay. If you haven’t guessed by now, his mother and father were pretty close followers of the Sea Drakes. They weren’t riders, per se, but the two were close confidants of both Dragon and Rider alike. Instead, the two were researchers, studying the habits, schedules, appetites, and mating rituals of the particular breed.
The two slowed on their findings once Quincy came into the picture, but it didn’t stop the two from introducing their son into the world of the Sea Drakes. Unfortunately, they didn’t initially pique his interest the way his parents would’ve wanted. He thought they were handed the bad end of the evolutionary stick. “Can’t fly? Can’t breathe fire? What’s the point? They’re nothing more than glorified water snakes!” Despite his unsavory opinions, he’d only seen them from afar up to that point, and never really had any intentions on meeting them up close.
That is, until one particularly stormy night. Rider friends of the parents informed the two that a Drake was expecting an arrival soon. His parents thought it kind of cute that a Drake was planned to deliver a clutch on the same night as their son’s birthday, so they took him down to the beach to see the beautiful process in person. Naturally, Quincy didn’t understand what was so “beautiful” about a massive beast plopping out slimy eggs, but he reluctantly went along anyway. Two hours of watching a Dragon go through labor (in the rain, no less) was about as exciting for the boy as you’d expect. Didn’t help that the storm only got worse as the hours progressed. “Welp, thanks for nothing, mom and dad. Twas a mighty eventful thirteenth birthday.” As bratty as he could be, Quincy began storming off the beach. He didn’t get very far, however, as the storm reached a fever pitch. Winds blew him back, and a fierce stroke of lightning cut down heavy flora, pinning him underneath.
Before his parents could rush to help, Momma Sea Drake (having welcomed her eight, already hatching eggs into the world) had acted first, doing much to remove the heavy plant Quincy was stuck under. As soon as it was clear, one of the newly hatched Sea Drakes came to their mother’s side, curious and inquisitive. The lone female born out of a series of males.
That was years ago. Now, Quincy and Alejandra are just about inseparable. That plucky little Sea Drake took a liking to her now master, and his opinion of the Drakes have lightened up since then.
PERSONALITY— Brash and impulsive would be a few of the words used to sum up the boy’s usual demeanor. Has a tendency to talk light of a situation, to understate the dire circumstances of, well, just about anything. His mouth has definitely gotten him in trouble on several occasions. So, what’s the deal with this guy? Is it all some sort of defense mechanism? Or is he just a naive asshole? Who knows, might be the former, might be the latter. Either way, don’t let his foolhardy ways deter you. He has a strong sense of duty as well as a massive respect for his elders and superiors.
TALENTS/SKILLS—
Swimmer: Living along the beach and raising a Sea Drake has made swimming second nature for Quincy. He can hold his breath longer than most, and his vision has honed to perceive many things while submerged.
Athleticism: Kinda comes with being a skilled swimmer and Dragon rider, doesn’t it? Possesses impressive amounts of speed, stamina. Owns tightly coiled frame with a massive wingspan.
Staff Proficient: Quincy has an affinity for most weapons in the staff category, preferably ones that are thrown, like javelins and spears. Has thought of owning a trident, to really tie the whole “ruler of the sea” look together.
FLAWS/WEAKNESSES—
Fear of Heights: Ironic, given his initial preference of winged dragons. The phobia is to the point that it immobilizes him completely, and disorients and nauseates him.
Puckered Arsehole: See PERSONALITY. May or may not have a tendency to get into scuffles due to some of the stupid things he'd say.
EXTRAS—
Carries three light spears, all about 5 and three quarters feet in length, and tipped with sharpened Black Knight teeth. Uses them to fight, fish, and cook.
Has a sleeve tattoo from the top of his right shoulder, down to the elbow. A simple Drake-scale pattern with the slightest gradient of blue-green color to it, much like Alejandra’s.
APPEARANCE— About 9 and a half feet in length, and still growing. Scales are a delightful shade of sea blue/green that easily conceals her in some waters.
PERSONALITY—
Curious of the world around her, even to this day.
Playful with her Master. Enjoys swimming games with Quincy.
Protective, almost motherly so. Quincy calls it annoying, especially if she tends to him around others. He secretly loves it though.
I can do that, but it does leave me a little confused. He's in his 20s, and she was born when he turned 13. I'm guessing bonding between a human and dragon isn't a instant thing, like imprinting? They can't have bonded in the span between 13 and 22? (though, I did realize I had the bond span wrong, so that was an easy fix.) Just looking for some clarification, is all. I might be thinking about the process in the wrong way.
I'm sure you've realized your mistake by now, but I'll say it anyway: his age is 22, and was bonded for 13 years. Therefore, they would have bonded when Quincy was 9 years old. You can see why I told you to change the age (or years bonded, that works too).
Appearance: Caitra is Caerelian with some Qiandri traits: she stands at five feet eight inches, with pale skin and dark brown eyes. Her black hair is always tied back in a medium-length ponytail. She is of a medium build, though most of her physique is given over to the strength and fitness of a dragonrider.
Caitra can usually be found wearing plain leather armour - lightweight but still quite tough - plus a set of gloves and boots with metal plating fitted into them for additional protection. The back of her chestpiece has a set of catches sewn in place, to hold her staff when she is not wielding it. She has also packed several sets of civilian clothing, for wear when combat situations or extended dragonriding are unlikely. Whether in armour or not, she wears a small silver pendant on a necklace; a family heirloom given to her when she first became a dragonrider.
Personality: Caitra is a calm and collected individual who is very slow to anger. She knows that if she cannot master a task quickly, it will come in time. To that end, she is methodical; she prefers to gather information before making decisions. Some might say she's a slow thinker as a result of this, but she disproves that notion in both combat and conversation. Caitra has great respect for dragonriders in positions of authority, and will often look for their approval of, or input on, a decision she makes in their presence.
Despite its awkwardness in some situations, Caitra takes a particularly formal approach to conversations and meeting people, instilled in her by her parents. She does, however, lighten up when talking to Neva.
Skills and Talents:
Staff Combat - Caitra has trained in the use of a quarterstaff as her primary weapon. Fighting from the back of a dragon has led to the choice of a weapon that is practical, multipurpose, and has a long reach.
Frost Affinity - Spending most of her time in or near chilled caverns, and being bonded to Neva for several years, has resulted in Caitra attuning to Neva's icy breath. She does not suffer from exposure to cold temperatures to a certain degree, including the breath of frostbite dragons - though given the intensity of a frostbite's breath, she can only withstand it for a few seconds.
Adept Dragonrider - Caitra keeps in shape through her training with Neva, and has done so for the better part of two decades.
Steadfast Footing - Caitra has trained to resist the impact of blows that would otherwise break her footing, and it is difficult to make her flinch in battle. In addition, as long as Neva remains a stable platform beneath her, Caitra can stand on her back with ease (and prefers to do so rather than sit, even in battle).
Flaws and Weaknesses:
High Expectations - In the interest of ensuring she maintains a reputation as a skilled dragonrider, Caitra can often be very tough on herself if her actions do not meet her personal standards.
Formal - As mentioned above, Caitra tends to treat most people with a formal disposition. This often results in her seeming rather distant in conversations. Neva is, of course, the one exception to this.
Limited Acrobatics - In flight, Caitra's preference for standing atop Neva means that the pair cannot perform certain acrobatic maneuvers, such as a loop or roll, unless Caitra quickly finds a handhold.
History: The oldest child of a Caerelian and a Qiandri, Caitra was raised on the southern side of the mountain Shearpoint. Her childhood was spent with her two younger brothers: tending the family farm, adventuring across rocky cliffsides, getting caught in the occasional snowdrift, and learning the ways of the warrior and protector - for her father, having travelled from Qiandr to Caerel in pursuit of the study of dragons and dragonriders, desired nothing less than for one of his children to join the ranks of these great heroes, and so he instructed all three of the young Sayls in combat training.
Then came the winter of her thirteenth birthday, and she was one of the lucky handful to make the journey to approach a frostbite den. Imagine her surprise when the eggs began to crack open, revealing silver-blue dragon hatchlings. No sooner had one of these new arrivals stretched her limbs and taken her first steps than she looked directly to Caitra, paced forward, and lightly trod on her boot as if to say hello.
So began the life of a dragonrider: Caitra was shuttled off to Draketooth with her new friend, Neva, for training and study. She quickly took to her new profession; her father's lessons were not for nothing. Over the years she learned much of dragonkind, as most dragonriders do, but the combat training was where she felt most at home. With the freedom to choose whichever weapon skills she wished to learn, Caitra chose the quarterstaff. A useful weapon in battle, where she had the reach to outmatch a swordsman both on the ground and in the air; and a multipurpose tool outside of it, where she could test ground before trusting it with her weight and give Neva a better chance to catch her if she fell, among other things. Shoving doors closed from across the room without having to get up from her chair was a nice bonus.
Caitra and Neva spent eight years training in Draketooth before venturing out to pursue an independent career. The pair roamed across the island for a year and a half, seeking out ways to help the citizens as best they could, training with older dragonriders who sought sparring partners, and learning more of Caerel. But Caitra soon found that wandering without a clear and defined purpose was not to her liking, and so she suggested that they return to Draketooth. Perhaps they would be drawn to some purpose there.
When the drought set in, Caitra's first port of call was the records kept in Draketooth's archives. She scoured them for any mention of similar natural events, and found nothing of note. Perhaps most Caerelians had taken the weather, predictable as ever, for granted, and so there was nothing to report on it, no specialists who could explain it. She flew to Shearpoint, her home, to find the farms worn out and broken, the snowfall small in scale. The frostbites at the summit, Neva's kindred, were likely suffering even at their altitude. Concerned that there was no way to tell what had caused the issue - nor how to fix it - Caitra and Neva spent the following years searching for more information on the drought and other natural disasters.
Additional Notes:
Caitra's staff is a simple weapon with no need for ornamentation; a six-foot length of treated hardwood, with a metal cap fitted into place at each end.
She has inherited a touch of her father's Qiandri accent, and speaks fluent Qian in addition to the universal trade tongue.
Name: Neva
Gender: Female
Breed: Frostbite
Appearance: Neva is your average frostbite dragon; she has no unusual markings or physical differences.
Personality:
Slow to Anger - Much like Caitra, it takes a lot of (non-jovial) prodding - or a series of particularly barbed insults - to rouse Neva to anger. This shared trait of being able to shrug off the smaller things was the driving factor in the formation of their bond.
Restless - Neva likes to stay on the move whether she's in battle or not. Often just flying in circles or pacing back and forth will satisfy her.
Practical Joker - In moments of downtime, Neva tends to play jokes on Caitra, whether hitting her with a short blast of ice-cold dragon breath, tripping her with her tail, or poking her nose in where it doesn't belong. In company, it's mostly the latter. She knows better than to do something like this in serious situations, however.