Persona Profile: R'fayne

Writer: Iluva

Name: R'fayne
Pronunciation: Ruh - FEIGN
Age: 18
Birthday: m8 d18
Rank: Senior Weyrling
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr

Physical Description of Persona:
There is an understated but undeniable attractiveness to R'fayne’s strong build and boyish facial features. A wide-set mouth. Strong jaw. Closely maintained facial hair that sometimes hides the dimple in his chin showcases a rare but brilliant smile. Most notably, his large dark hazel eyes could be rather bright and expressive, but more often R'fayne maintains a guarded expression with little betraying his true thoughts. Thick, dark eyebrows. A mass of brown-black curls falling to the nape of his neck. In the southern heat it is no small mercy for it to be cool enough to wear more than a shirt, and with or without there’s usually some amount of dark chest hair showing.

R'fayne is a fairly tall man, above average and broad through the shoulders, slim through the hip, with plenty of time spent in the training yards and outdoor pursuits to ensure a body well-primed for dragonriding when the time comes. While he tends to drift more toward wiry strength than massive bulk, the tight coil of muscles, stinging reflexes and fluid physicality suggest an ease - or an edginess - that is not even a little feigned.

Emotional Description of Persona:
For the most part he’s a reserved individual. His serious, brooding personality lies beneath a slick and universal affability, where it isn’t always obvious how much his mind is at work. He’s a steadfast observer and a quick study, always seeking truth, quirks, knowledge, insights, reasons, weaknesses. There is a very real desire to understand, a hunger for more, more, always more, as well as a bit of separation between him and other people - not quite arrogance, not quite contempt, but a carefully maintained distance that makes it challenging for anyone to get close (including him), but a little easier to think.

The cool cunning and intelligence lurking beneath most interactions adapts a little too easily to anchor him in clear morals. Instead, R'fayne’s laser focused. Ambition burns in his bones and he longs for the chance to prove himself and achieve something on his own merits, by his own hand. He rarely gives up or in, not without a fight, however bloody, not without the last word, however cutting. Whatever’s necessary to get where he’s going. Once he gets a taste for blood, he goes for the whole beast.

To the people he holds dear, however, Ril is unquestionably devoted, demonstrably kind. _Soft_. He’ll do almost anything to please them. But he is _uncomfortable_ with opening that circle of trust to just anyone or showing too much real sensitivity, however friendly and polite he may appear. As shrewd as his mind is, R'fayne’s dominated by intense passion and drive, his own unique principles, and - sometimes - even his heart.

That’s probably the part he’s most frustrated with - his soft heart beating as hard and loud as his temper. He really doesn’t understand those qualities well enough to harness them, nor can he control them nearly as much as he’d like. Instead of giving his softer side space to breathe, more often R'fayne is at war with them and trying to stamp out the deep well of sensitivity he has no idea how to handle, steer, or follow. Unsurprisingly, he’s his own worst enemy, and a short temper mixed with a sharp tongue make him ruthless by accident as well as design.

History of Persona:
Rilfayne is sure of where he fits in the world. It lives beneath his skin, in his veins, quiet only because he’s never been prone to dramatics or theatrics. He knows who his people are, where he comes from, and where he’s going.

How?

Generations of dragonriding. Being the few, the elite, the chosen, and the highly ranked has been a staple of Rilfayne’s bloodlines for so long that he often forgets his mother is a holdborn woman without status, skills, or land.

A Weyrbrat born to a beautiful young woman of twenty and a distinguished young bronzerider of sixty five, his mother was easily charmed by the dashing salt and pepper haired man and his dragon, a literal hero stepping from the tapestry of time into her world. There were few marriage prospects for her in the hold, and her large family struggled to provide for all their children. A handsome, well-to-do man and the prospect of living in a new and mysterious place welcoming her with open arms was too good to resist. So, astride a brilliant bronze, off she went to the place of ballads, of heroes, of plenty. The promise of Impressing a dragon wasn’t as high on her list as discovering a new life, but the romanticism of following this dragonman excited Marillia into wracks of ecstasy nonetheless.

For a time. As the tale goes, things aren’t always as they seem.

It really didn’t take long for her to grow overwhelmed and more than a little put out by the differences of Weyrlife, not to mention how set in his ways C’fayne was. This dashing man never once heard the word monogamy and already had children more than twice her age when she discovered she was pregnant. Marillia stayed another Turn or so after Rilfayne was born before ‘ageing out’ of Candidacy. Where her departure from the hold had been rushed, her return to more ‘civil’, familiar society was quite deliberate. Ril was content in the creche and although his existence was eventually disclosed to her family, any discomfort around the holds and their ways only lasted as long as the few candlemarks that made up a visit.

His real life was and has always been in the Weyr.

Rilfayne's been ready to Impress from the moment he turned twelve, and the obvious lack of dragon is really wearing on him. He’s eager to get into the air with the rest of his family, where they’ve always been, and he has no intention of living disgraced in a hold, any more than he has to shuffle around the lower caverns or busywork in some craft. His father is ageing. His siblings are leagues ahead. At this point Rilfayne’s running out of time to make them proud and claim his rightful spot among them.

He’s hungry to make his own indelible mark on the world, with every intention of doing it with the flare and gusto of a born-natural.

Fate had others ideas for Rilfayne in Turn 11. Panitath's and Loseth's clutch gifted him a dragon in the form of a blue, Skadith, and dreams of leadership and legacy have suddenly slipped between his fingers. He's speechless, he's angry, he's suffering from a major identity crisis, totally unsure of who he is anymore.

Family and Friends
C'fayne, 83, Retired rider (father)
Ayalla, 36, Wingrider (sister)
Affaya, 42, Wingrider (sister)
T'caran, 45, Wingrider (brother)
C'gai, 49, Wingrider (brother)
Kierfay, 53, Wingrider (sister)
Kalayne, 56, Wingrider (sister)
F'tan, 61, Wingrider (brother)
Marillia, 38, Holder (mother)
S'fayal, 29, Wingrider (brother)

Dragon's Name: Skadith
Dragon's Age: 0
Dragon's Colour: Blue
Description of Dragon:
Skadith is going to be a brute of dragon, thick limbed, wide-bodied, solidly muscled. He’s large for a blue and even as a Weyrling his reserved presence seems to exaggerate his size in the stiff, drawn-up way he's starting to hold himself. Few seem to notice the great blue boulder and Skadith prefers that, really, to the alternative of having all eyes constantly on him. Unlike some dragons, he is entirely comfortable with how ordinary and forgetful looking he is. His color is a deep, midnight blue, the only deviation a shower of ultramarine hail across his wings, and when unfurled he looks plucked from the night sky.

Despite the brutish appearance, Skadith is a remarkably even-tempered dragon. He can seem a little imposing, especially since he tends to loom or purposefully stay to one side, but that’s simply because he’s an observer, a fly on the wall. Skadith spends a large amount of his time watching others, learning all he can about then, and prefers to separate himself from those he doesn’t know until he feels he’s learned enough about them. While not decidedly anti-social, he is a cautious dragon and will rarely embark on any task or enter a conversation without assessing all the necessary components beforehand.

It’s fortunate for R’fayne that he Impressed such a solid, self-contained dragon, as the calm seriousness he employs has a rather soothing effect on his rider. There’s very little he’ll bat a genuine eye to, though that’s not to say he’s unshakeable, more practical. He’s entirely focused on the reality he is faced with right now and how he can tackle what is put in front of him at this moment. Everything else is a waste of energy.

Independent and intelligent, Skadith doesn’t possess a dramatic bone in his body. He’s no desire to show off or garner attention and functions beyond the trappings of praise or glory. While his seriousness is readily apparent to all, there is a small, repressed sense of humor, usually ironic or dark in nature, and the odd time he and R’fayne don’t see eye to eye ends in reprimands and bickerings strictly between the two of them. As a whole, Skadith is not an unfriendly dragon. He simply lacks the outgoing nature that drives most social interactions, preferring to anchor the sidelines, to observe, to assess. He’s a calm ocean, a deep, powerful presence, unbothered by waves, and with plenty of surprises beneath the surface.

Approved: June 3rd 2024
Last updated: November 16th 2024

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Persona Profile: R'fayne