Persona Profile: Zelanka
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Green Valley Hold
Barrier Lake Weyrhold
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Elsewhere on Pern
NPC Weyr (NPC)
River Bluff Weyr
Seacraft Hall
Writer: Paula
Name: Zelanka
Age: 63
Birthday: m9 d2
Rank: Headwoman
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Physical Description of Persona:
Zelanka is 5’6’’ tall, slender, middle aged woman with amazingly narrow waist. In her youth, her hair was the colour of ripe wheat, but since then its colour had faded quite a bit. Otherwise her hair is wildly frizzy, always failing to tame into a dignified chignon. Zelanka’s eyes are hazel, face narrow with thin nose, sensual lips and warm, dimpled smile. The age has left its inevitable marks on her, the beauty of her youth turning into a mature gracefulness. Her body is well preserved for someone of her age. Zelanka tries to look dignified, but usually ends up looking winsome.
Emotional Description of Persona:
The first impression of Zelanka is calmness. She’s mild-mannered, generous and warm-hearted. She has good sense of humour and way to make people around her feel cared and loved. She is also proud, almost obsessed with cleanliness and organization and dedi-cated to her duties. Passions of her youth have abated to tranquillity but not died out yet. She is still able of showing temper when needed. She has also learned to accept that she will never be anything but a friend to her husband. She does enjoy being a grandmother and cherishes her grandchildren, all seven of them. The shame she once felt for being infi-del to her husband has faded to regret and to kind of vague dissatisfaction. Zelanka is very good at keeping secrets, and her true feelings hidden. Keeping still isn’t easy for the active woman and if she has nothing else to do, she knits. Her relationship to Petriv is now based of friendship and mutual respect.
History of Persona:
Born in Amber Hills hold, Zelanka’s father was a holder and mother a journeywoman baker. Plague killed them, along with her siblings and most of the relatives. The orphaned girl be-came a ward of the hold. She became headwoman’s assistant at the age of sixteen and two turns later was arranged to marry Petriv, a hearcrafter seven turns older than she. Soon after the wedding Zelanka realized that her new husband wasn’t sexually interested in her at all. Instead he often found reason to visit the weyrhold.
It wasn’t surprise that embittered Zelanka soon started to look for love outside her marriage bed. Only one of her three children, Pelanka, is sired by Petriv. He did manage to “perform his marital duties” once and a while, mostly when little drunk. Petriv knew about her lovers, and never said or hinted anything, quietly accepting that he couldn’t satisfy her.
Having children was never easy to Zelanka, her narrow pelvis-bone making births difficult. She almost died in an emergency c-section when Lantriv was born. After she recovered, the healer told her she wouldn’t be able to have any more children.
That experience made Zelanka lost her interest in keeping lovers. Instead, she pursued her career in the headwoman’s staff, becoming finally the headwoman fifteen turns ago, after her predecessor retired.
Her children grew up, Zetriv becoming a beasthealer and marrying his teenage love.They soon started to have grandchildren to Zelanka to adore. Pelanka grew up to beautiful young woman and married Tarvon from Steward’s staff. The fact they only have one child causes some worry to Zelanka. Lantriv surprised everyone by enlisting to the hold’s guard. He mar-ried late but well, his pretty young wife being distant relative of Opal Cove Hold’s Blood. She is proud of them all.
Family and Friends
Petriv, 70, Master herdcrafter (husband)
Zetriv, 43, J, beastcrafter, healer (son)
Romella, 42, Hold resident (daughter-in-law)
Zetrom, 19, Hold brat (grand-son)
Trivella, 16, Hold brat (grand-daughter)
Romtriv, 15, Hold brat (grand-son)
Lanalya, 10, Hold brat (grand-daughter)
Alalya, 27, Hold resident (daughter-in-law)
Lantriv, 38, Guard (son)
Tarvon, 43, Assistant steward (son-in-law)
Pelanka, 40, Hold resident (daughter)
Romzella, 8, Hold brat (grand-daughter)
Zetmella, 11, Hold brat (grand-daughter)
Tarlanka, 16, Hold brat (grand-daughter)
Approved: March 22nd 2006
Last updated: March 23rd 2006