sketch by me
Name: X'ech
Gender: Male
Age: 34
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
Rank: Bronzerider / Wingleader
Appearance: X'ech is not a young lad, or even a young man anymore, but as Dragonriders frequently live well into their eighties he can be considered in the prime of life. He doesn't look old; in fact his face combined with his atitude often makes him seem like one of the young riders fresh from the barracks. He keeps his black hair short, and it has a wavvy, somewhat curly look because of his riding helmet. He never lets his facial hair get longer than early morning stubble, and those familiar with him know that X'ech with a beard means he's either sick or severely hungover. He has a finely-featured face with cheekbones that stand out slightly, a mouth with full lips, a smooth forehead and somewhat thinner eyebrows that accent his yellowish-brown eyes well. X'ech keeps himself fit, his shoulders in particular are very strong, and though his muscles aren't huge they are sculpted very nicely into classic proportions. He stands at about 6' 4'' and his skin is fair - which contrasts with his hair.
He has a scar across his chest going in a diagonal line from his left pectoral muscle down to his right hip from when he fell and broke his leg as a child.
Personality: X'ech is sort of a happy go lucky guy. He loves to drink, loves to be social, loves dancing and is quite good at it, loves girls, and just loves life in general. He's intelligent and charismatic, not to mention handsome, so he has no shortage of women willing to warm his weyr. This goes to his head every now and then, but Umwarith can always be counted on to poke a little hole in X'ech's bubble when it's necessary. If you manage to make him really and truly angry, though, he will become totally different - and X'ech knows how to hold a grudge.
He runs his wing with a firm hand for tactics and a more relaxed approach off the practice feilds and away from Thread. X'ech wants his riders to be able to come to him with their problems and to trust him to handle their wing in Threadfall. He never forgets to look in on them if they are injured or ill, never pushes the new riders out of the weyrling wing too hard, and never forgets that his orders apply to living beings - or what the consequences will be if he leads them wrong.
History: X'ech was born in the newest Southern Weyr, where it's still a little rough and there aren't too many of the conveniences that the North has. His mother was actually the Junior Weyrwoman and X'ech has always been proud of it - his ultimate goal as a child was to be a weyrleader himself. His mother and father, of course, didn't have time for him so he was raised by one of the many healers who flocked to Southern to get their hands on all the herbs that grew so well in the tropical climate. It was a good thing, too, because X'ech was always managing to get himself injured. He'd go off leading a group of other kids into the jungle or try to see how far he could swim out into the ocean without thinking even once about what might go wrong. Once when he was young X'ech managed to get caught out during one of the tropical storms and broke his leg, falling down a steep bank that rainwater had cut away and slicing his chest in the process. X'ech was alone all day and part of the night because no one knew where he'd run off to - he hadn't bothered to tell anyone. One of the watch whers found him and guided her handler over to rescue him. He has a soft spot for whers as a result and never lets anyone put them down in front of him. When he got over how much his leg hurt he began whining to his foster mother about how bored he was and how he didn't want to stay in bed, so she began looking through the old records in desperation to keep him occupied. She found a few old charts on dragon formations while fighting Thread, and X'ech adored them. He had them all memorized by the time his leg healed. Thankfully the break was not large and didn't fester. Every now and then during a bad winter storm it will twinge a little, but X'ech hardly notices it after so many years.
As he grew X'ech decided that if he was ever going to impress a bronze he'd better start working hard. So even though he still caused a few incidents around the weyr he buckled down and cheerfully put his nose to the grindstone. This wore down a little of his energy and allowed the adults a breather, much to their relief, however once he started really learning useful stuff it meant he had more weapons in his arsenal for causing trouble. Oh, one of the cooks is having a baby? X'ech would take off to build it it's own room - break a few tools and collapse half of the stocked woodpiles in the process. There's a pride of felines raiding the herds? You can bet X'ech is going to start practicing with his sling and snares. One of the older kids got a tunnel snake that was 5 feet long? Well, he could catch one twice that size!! X'ech never doubted himself, never faltered in his resolve, always strove towards being a dragonrider. It was perhaps understandable, then, that he was greatly disappointed when he wasn't picked as a candidate once he was old enough. Aside from wanting to be a dragonrider more than anything, he rather felt that he had a right to be considered - seeing as his mother was a queen rider. So, defying the authoritve figures in the weyr, when the dragons began humming for the clutch on the sands X'ech snuck onto the sands after the candidates. The first hatchling was a bronze, a proud looking little fellow, and X'ech just couldn't help himself when he saw the hatchling - he ran right out onto the sands to it. To the consternation of quite a few, including the unfortunate weyrling master who was now responsible for the overenthusiastic terror, X'ech impressed Umwarith and became a dragonrider.
Umwarith was just as driven as X'ech was, though he had more sense and respected any dangers that they were likely to face. So, to the relief of all, X'ech chilled out a little. For the better part of their time together as weyrlings there were no major incidents, though X'ech did get royally reamed by the weyrling master when he was found passed-out-drunk in his cot with one of the girls who had been a candidate for the queen egg. X'ech was easily bored by the tedious drills he and the other weyrlings had to go through, but he put much more effort into the training when Umwarith became involved. There is no greater thrill for X'ech than sitting on the back of his bronze and flying through the air as high as they can go. Training from that point onward was not only a fun game, it was a way to distinguish themselves in front of the weyrleaders. X'ech decided that it was never to early to start striving for the top spot, and even if Thread wasn't due for a long while the weyr might want a leader who knew how to fight it well. X'ech built his own rooms when he and Umwarith left the barracks, relishing in the work even if he did end up with a bad sunburn afterward. The pair spent many happy years together in Southern, chasing greens, winning in the games, flying off to explore together, swimming in the clear waters off the coast. X'ech had his fair share of girlfriends but all of them were really just casual relationships. X'ech is not a man who can settle down permanently, and after all - monogamy isn't that big of a deal in a weyr. It happens, but it isn't a requirement. Shards - his own parents weren't even together, wasn't it just the way things were?
When Thread was almost ready to start falling X'ech was thrilled by the challenge. It was a huge disappointment for him, therefore, when his own weyrmates didn't seem as thrilled by the prospect. The reaction that he got from most of them was - well, the grubs will clean up after us, right? Feeling rather put out, X'ech requested a transfer to the North. He wanted to fight, to prove himself, to do great things and leave his mark on the world. Besides, that last girl was getting way too clingy. She had actually mentioned marriage contracts: the idea! A young bronzerider in his prime settling down with one girl? Not happening, sorry sweetheart. The weyrleaders of Telgar were amenable to the idea of a transfer, so X'ech happily set off. Of course, a new weyr brings new complaints. X'ech doesn't miss the sunburns but he does miss Southern's climate. He also misses the work ethic that is such a vibrant current among southerners. He has a somewhat lower opinion of northerners, thinking of them as being soft after living in such a tame place for so long. Hannele, when he met her, was such a refreshing change that he happily began spending more and more time with her. She shared his passion for doing things: for seeing that horizon and going for it, not caring what you'd see when you got there. For putting your all into something just for the sake of doing it and doing it well. X'ech found that he could talk to her freely and she would understand his frustrations and his hopes easily. He was happy as a wherry among the hens when Umwarith flew Elenneth, he was also very happy with his reception from Hannele in that quarter. It was nice to be with a girl that made him happy and didn't expect him to "settle down." That tendancy turned back to bite him in a major way, however, when the baby became involved. X'ech was thrilled, once he wrapped his head around it. Here was a way to leave a part of himself in the world, a way to influence the future. He actually wanted to be a part of his child's life, and would have happily supported Hannele through it - not wishing to be cruel to her. He was already imagining having a son who impressed a bronze and became a wingleader after him when Hannele broke the news to X'ech that she had gone between on Elenneth and gotten rid of the baby.
"How could you do that?!"
X'ech was hurt, badly hurt by Hannele's reaction. Especially the fact that she hadn't even discussed it with him. Hadn't he had a right to a say in the decision? If she felt she hadn't known him well enough, that problem was easily fixable! Well, if she wasn't even going to try, if she didn't care enough to put the effort in, then neither would he. X'ech was determined never to get involved with her again, not least because he didn't want his hopes raised up and dashed down once more. It hurts him, mostly because he still likes Hannele and has to admit that he should have seen her actions coming. He knew her well enough to have an idea of what to expect. He avoids her if he can and holds no grudges against the other bronzeriders that fly Elenneth, but X'ech doesn't feel like he can face her without losing his temper: and he doesn't want to hurt her in the process. He figure that there's been enough trouble over the whole thing already.
Pet(s): None
Dragon: Umwarith
Age: 20
Color: Bronze
Appearance: Umwarith's main muscle mass is centered in his forelegs, neck, wing muscles and in his chest. He looks slightly off balance because of this. In the air he has decent speed, though he is not all that maneuverable and is built more for endurance. Often he will fly a fall and still have energy left at the end. His coat is a uniform amber-ish bronze, darkening only on the backs of his wingsails. He has a few threadscore scars along his tail from when he and X'ech were just starting out as fighters, though since then he has become more experienced.
Personality: Umwarith is as ambitious as his rider and works just as hard hoping for the position of weyrleader one day. He has a gift for organizing his wing, knowing almost instinctively what riders and dragons will do best in a certain position and why. This talent helps X'ech out considerably, especially during a fall when riders are injured and must be replaced. Umwarith also has a slight tendancy towards snobbiness. When the others are playing or swimming he will hold himself at a distance, only joining in when things settle down and he can maintain his stoic exterior. To the girls he flies, however, Umwarith is courteous and considerate - even friendly. He is grateful for what they are willing to do and has no qualms about showing it, though he has no more inclination to settle down with one girl than X'ech does: unless it's a queen.
Other: Unlike X'ech, Umwarith has no qualms about talking to Hannele or Elenneth. He misses Elenneth and makes a point of telling X'ech so every now and then.
