Narien Ki'ila

Narien Ki'ila (NAH-ree-ehn kee-ee-lah)|| 23 (June 6th Birthday) || Male || Freya/Solona, Calidar

Personality

"Trust no one. Believe in nothing. And do not hope, for Fate shows no mercy. It does not know the meaning of the word." Narien is extremely suspicious of everyone he meets, believing that all humans are naturally selfish and cruel, young or old. He is very observant, and is intelligent enough to learn things quickly. When he sees fit, he can be excruciatingly loquacious and is actually fairly eloquent, not to mention an excellent liar and secretly a poet. He is physically capable of protecting himself and is especially good at taking punches. Though he never forgets an insult, never forgives a grudge, he is surprisingly quick to judge himself, and is more likely to respect others whose opinions of him match his own less than stellar ones than be offended by it. He also cares more about efficiency than personal grudges, and gets severe tunnel vision when he has to roll up his sleeves and get to work. When it comes to his personal feelings, the default mode of Narien's life is hatred and he holds a deep anger against what he calls his "Fate," which refers to the tragedy that has surrounded his life. He does have quite the sharp wit, taking a great deal of enjoyment in using blistering sarcasm and confusing people with word puns, but despite the oft-unkind humor that he shows his bondmate, at times he is unable to hide the truth that comes shining through his expression and body language: he is never happy. Loneliness, anger, and grief are the three emotions that have governed his life, and though he remembers a time when he used to be happy, he can't even imagine what that would actually feel like anymore. He has no hope that things ever can or will get better, and the only thing he truly prioritizes is his survival. The terrible irony of this is that, while he will probably never stop somewhat despising the human race, he desperately craves their love and affection, and despite his anger, he cannot help but pity and try to protect the wounded or scared.

History/Bio

"For every good thing given, something good must be taken away. Only evil is meant to endure and be endured." Unborn Saefi Leevr was a beautiful girl. Dark brown hair and waxy pale skin, she was petite and naturally elegant, seeming to float as she moved. Innocence and wonder and joy that permeated her every move made her all the more attractive to the people around her, but she neither noticed nor cared. She grew up her whole life in the Temple of the Moon in Calidar. She had never stepped outside of the temple, surrounded by the monks. Her family was part of the People of Dragons, descendants of the first of the Arcane dragon tamers. The lore, the temple, they were her life. She didn't know anything else. When she was 19, she was sent out of the Temple to retrieve a message from one of the confidante's of the People in Arinar. Everything she saw left her awestruck, but she had a job to do and she would do it properly. She met the man and took his message and that might have been the end of it, if she hadn't met him.

"STOPP." Saefi had been walking down the street, when a boy slammed into her, knocking her down. Next thing she knew, another, older boy had yanked the first one off of her and had him pressed against the wall. He pulled a bag from the boy's hands harshly and sent him on his way with a kick. An older woman came huffing after them, gratefully taking the bag from him and thanking him profusely. He shook his head, refused any gestures of gratitude, and immediately turned his attention to her, helping her up. "I'm sorry about that, miss. Are you alright?" He had strong features, curly black hair, and beautiful blue eyes. He looked to be in his mid-twenties.

She brushed herself off and offered a gentle smile, trying not to blush as she looked down shyly. She hadn't been exposed to men her age much "Yes, I'm fine, thank you. It was very brave of you to help that lady."

Mason Ki'ila was pretty certain he'd just met the most beautiful girl in the world. When she smiled at him, he was pretty sure he swallowed just a little too loudly. He was the son of a well-to-do diplomat, and well on his way to becoming one as well. He'd come from Freya to visit the libraries and saw the boy rip the bag away from the woman. An active sort of person, and with a strong sense of justice, he chased after the boy without thinking about it. She was shy, but when he offered to buy her some food she complied, and the next thing either of them knew, the two of them were having lunch and he was showing her around the whole city. They shared stories, and although they came from very different places, both of them felt something special about each other by the time the day was done. The both of them returned home late and elated that night. From then on, Saefi sneaked out to meet with Mason often, and remained clearly distracted to her father and the other monks. As Arinar was not close, her long disappearances were not easy to miss. Their relationship was eventually discovered by her father and she decided to leave her home, going off to live with him. The two of them married within the week.

Freya Narien's birth was a moment of celebration for his father and mother. A healthy, beautiful boy. Both his father and mother loved him very much, though his father's job kept him away at times. He was treasured, spoiled, and took after his mother both in his appearance and in his joyful innocence. Unbeknownst to his father, his mother taught him in the traditions of the People, teaching him about the dragons and the lineage he came from. He believed her, but idolized his proud, strong father too much to focus on her stories. As he grew older, he began interacting with other boys his age more, but the other boys in Freya weren't like him. Their mothers were harsher, more like their fathers, and they were tough, mean, strong. Not like him. And they made sure he knew it. With his small frame, he became an easy target for neighborhood bullying. Not wanting to disappoint his father and worry his mother, he never told them about it. They were what made it survivable, after all, being able to come home to that happy, loving home, knowing that no matter what the other boys thought of him, his family loved him. At age eight, that was taken away from him as well. His mother got sick. For two years, she was bedridden, deteriorating slowly. Narien spent a lot of time with her, watching her grow weaker and weaker even as she continued to teach him about the dragons. His father desperately tried to find cures, going half-mad with frustration. He continued looking right up until the day she died.

Saefi's death broke Mason. He became harsher, crueler, putting up a wall around himself and crushing anyone who opposed him. He also refused to look at Narien again. He reminded Mason too much of his mother, the sight of him simply made it hurt more. The bullying didn't get worse, but it felt worse after his mother's death. It felt like he'd lost both his parents at once. The place that had once been his refuge became cold and empty and he had nowhere left to turn. So he hardened like his father, learning that to survive he had only himself to rely on. In this time, one thing his mother had told him became his mantra: "Understanding is the key to everything. Mana is understanding. Magic is understanding. Understanding is everything." He repeated those words to himself over and over again, not truly realizing she'd meant it literally. He took the time to observe and absorb information in order to escape bad situations. Another two years passed like this, but when he was twelve, he was kidnapped by men hired by one of his father's competitors. Rather than insisting he step down, as they'd been hired to do, they demanded a ransom. They waited, and waited, but Mason never came. Narien was alone, as he somehow knew he would be.

Solona Killing Narien certainly might have been satisfying, but it wouldn't have gotten them any kind of profit, so, instead of killing him, they brought him back home to Solona with them and sold him as a slave. He had obviously had a good upbringing, but was strong, and oddly enough obedient - the perfect candidate for a high-end household, which is exactly where he ended up. His first day as a slave, he met the daughter of the household, not much older than him. She had light brown, almost golden hair, and glimmering green eyes, and she smiled as though the earth would move at her command. She leaned down in front of him, put her finger under his chin and announced, "I'm Mauri, and you're mine now." He instantly hated her. Over the next few years, Narien remained Mauri's plaything. He protected her, took care of her, and did everything she told him to without complaint. He never stopped hating her. Her character was recklessly selfish and although not due to any ill-will on her part, everything she did showed a distinct disregard for the feelings of others around her. That wasn't why he hated her, though. He hated that she was happy, that she couldn't see how much he hated her, and that she represented everything he'd once had. He hated her parents more, though. They were kind to him when she was around, because Mauri liked him and protested injustice done towards him, but when she wasn't looking, they were cruel, looking for any reason to punish him.

It came to end when he was fifteen. Mauri's mother tried to assault him, and this time, Mauri was there to see it. She didn't confront her parents, but that night, she drugged the guards and told him to escape, letting him go. He didn't hesitate, though he never really forgave her for showing him that kindness. He ran away, but still had nowhere to go. The streets of Solona were nothing like either Freya or the house he'd been a slave to, but his experiences in both gave everything he needed to stay alive. He took to the environment like a fish to water, even becoming an expert at wielding a knife and tying knots. He got very good at setting traps, protecting himself against those who attacked to him, stealing money from other muggers when he needed it, even managing to avoid the bigger crime organizations skillfully. The dark streets became his home and his kingdom.

The Moon and the Meadow He didn't think of his mother's stories at all since the day she died. Stories were useless to him, and he simply didn't have room in his brain, or his heart, for useless things anymore. But when he began feeling... odd, restless almost, they came to mind. Things he'd thought he'd completely forgotten about inexorably popped into his brain, chasing away other thoughts. He kept feeling the urge to leave, sometimes feeling his legs take him to the edge of town before he could stop himself. Finally, unable to stand it any longer, he decided to take a trip to the Temple of the Moon, a place his mother had told him about in great detail. At the Temple of the Moon, he met his grandfather, though he never found out the man was his grandfather, and all the old stories about his lineage and the dragons were refreshed and embellished upon. He was told to follow these urges, to go to the Lunate Monastery in Sylvis, where he would find his fate. Not knowing what else to do, he went on the long journey, finally making it to the Lunate Monastery.

Arriving at the Monastery, Narien was shocked to find himself face to face with a dragon. He had originally thought he would return to Solona when his questions were answered, but bonding with Agni Lu'ule changed everything. His ancestry as an Arcane Tamer became more than just stories, and suddenly he had a duty to all of Illos and a fancy fate to be a "Dragon Tamer of the Order." What he didn't realize at first was that this further meant he would have to live with the other members of the Order and learn to work together with them. He attempted to hide his true self from the rest of them, despising them all the while, but quickly began to discover that not everything would work out the way he wanted it. Fighting a necromancer side by side with his senior in the Order, Sairantha, going on a strange journey of illusion and delusion to rediscover a kindness in his soul, accidentally earning the respect of his commander, Merrik, coming face to face with Ogual himself, and making a fool of himself and enemies out of other members of the Order - all of it seemed to be happening in a flash, and before he knew it, he had given up the pretenses he'd begun and was finding himself changing, growing, unwittingly becoming the person his father had always hoped he'd be. The only thing was, he still wasn't quite ready to let down the walls that had protected him his whole life. Only time could tell what more would change, and he did not yet know how much the ragtag group of the Order were already coming to mean to him.

Strengths

"Devils are not the only hunters of men."

• Endurance - Narien is used to taking beatings. Having had so many throughout his childhood has meant that, while he's still able to feel pain, he's learned how to deal with it, resist it, and carry on if he has to.

• External Control - Regardless of what he's feeling inside, he has pretty good control over what other people see of him, particularly in terms of masking his anger or sadness.

• Creativity - Narien likes to think outside the box, and is pretty good at solving his problems with unusual solutions.

• Observation - His aptitude for noticing and remembering small details compliments his creativity rather well, and has helped him get out of tight spots before.

• Determination - Although he seems like he'd give in easily to others' wills, the truth is he can be a bit of a stubborn son of a- well, you get the picture. Once he's decided something, he doesn't give up no matter what, and it's gotten him through a lot of tough times.

• Instincts - He's always had pretty acute instincts, and he's learned to follow his gut and to do it fast - main reason why he hasn't died yet.
  

Weaknesses

"Beasts that do not fight are not beasts. They're pets."

• Paranoia - While not quite PTSD level, Narien is pretty darn paranoid and suspicious, which makes it difficult for him to work well with other people. Constantly second-guessing other people's abilities and trustworthiness is a good way to really fail at team efforts.

• Drama - He does have the tendency to overreact about things and can sometimes get a little dramatic about what's happening. It's not a deathly flaw, but it can be kind of irritating to other people and can make him lose focus at times.

• Pity - Something he hates to admit to himself is that he gets too emotionally involved. More than he knows he should. As difficult as it might be to see outwardly, he is strongly affected by people in distress, and can get caught up in others' pains when they don't concern him. It can sometimes affect his psyche.

• Grudge - Narien is... not really big on forgiveness. Let's just put it that way. As the Jane Austen quote goes, "My good opinion once lost is lost forever," and if he holds a grudge against you, it becomes apparent eventually, one way or another.

• Risks - Despite being analytical and relatively cool-headed when facing difficult decisions, when he doesn't see a good way to go about things, he can be downright reckless, risking his life without much hesitation to achieve his goals.
  

Abilities/Skills

"Do what you're good at, learn what you're not." Navigating Dodging Reading People Knifework Tying Knots Pick-pocketing He used to be able to play the Viol

Bonded Ability Mana Drain - Can non-exclusively cause the mana of people around him to be depleted, making them tired and weakening their magic. Like it does with his dragon, however, holding it for too long poisons him, and he has to release it gradually or it'll make him seriously sick. Narien X Agni: Counter-Hex - Can now curse a foe, allowing themselves to manipulate the mana of that foe. Once cursed, the pair have ready access to the foe’s mana and can use it against them. (E.g. If Narien get strong enough, he could overpower and force Merrik’s dark mana to strangle him or force Nova’s nightmare ability to draw out Nova’s worst fears.)

Relationships

"If we are nothing but the sum of our relationships, I am nothing at all."

• Mason Ki'ila - His father is someone who used to be very important to Narien. Back when he was a child, Narien intended to follow his father's footsteps and become a diplomat. He loved and idolized his father as a strong man, a man of power. His father could be rather strict at times, and tried to instill in him that he should fight for something if he wants it, but his discipline was just another sign of his love towards Narien. After the death of Narien's mother, however, Narien grew apart from Mason. The two of them never talked, and after a while, Narien stopped trying. He came to see his father as just the man who abandoned him, who perhaps had never loved him at all, and certainly didn't now. He was not even surprised that his father didn't respond to the ransom note. He does not hate his father, merely feels disdainful of the coward who couldn't even comfort his son when he needed him the most. His father means nothing to him now.

• Saefi Ki'ila (nee Leevr) - He will always think of his mother as that purest of people, the paragon of everything he would ever have reason to love. Her frailty was unfortunate, but no matter how hard he tried, he could never blame his mother for the hurt that her death caused him. His only real regret is that he didn't have the chance to spend more time with her. He has something of a shrine for her in his brain, preserving her at her best, and forgetting many of her faults.

• Mauri Wellon - This girl confuses him, and he often thinks back on her with a mixture of emotions. On a straightforward level, he simply hates her, but on top of feeling somewhat indebted to her, he also secretly saw her as something of a little sister. She was selfish and annoying and stupid, to some extent, but not blatantly unkind. She didn't torture the servants the way her mother and father did, and she had showed him kindness he hadn't experienced since his mother had died. While he certainly thinks of her with disgust and anger, much of that anger is also directed at himself for the feelings he knows can be somewhat unjustified, and deep down inside he knows that if he ever saw her again, he'd sacrifice his life to help her.

• Merrik Tetra - Narien heard a lot about the Tetras as he was growing up from his mother, so oddly enough his first instinct upon meeting Merrik was to respect him (probably helped along with Agni's memories of being trained by the man). However, he also holds a critical eye towards the other man's doings, constantly looking out for signs of stupidity or weakness, not so much because he hopes for failure, but because he understands acutely that this man is his commander. Merrik's decisions impact his, and the rest of the Order's, chances of survival, so he has a lot more to be held accountable for. In a way, his respect for Merrik has held fairly staunch... right up until Merrik decided to make him the leader of a small band of the Order for a mission. He still respects the man somewhere in his heart, but at the moment, he isn't quite sure about the man's judgment of character or... sanity.

• Goliath Atreus - The impression Narien got of this man was that he was (well, a friendly, annoying idiot) a strong warrior, a good speechmaker, and most importantly, a tie to the royalty of Calidar. Losing him was possibly the most staggering loss in Narien's opinion.

• Sairantha Rinien - Sairantha makes him nervous beyond everyone else in the Order, mostly because he can tell that he likes her. Romantically or not, that is not clear to even himself and probably not important, but it worries him, because it tempts him to be himself around her, something he is still not quite ready to do for anyone beyond Agni. He taught her how to use a short knife and is impressed with her progress in such a short time, only wishing he could have had the same advancement in his use of the bow and arrow (she still owes him that lesson on how to carve a bow). On the other hand, he believes that her mellow kindness is simply default for her, and is certain that even a friendship with her will end up in disaster for himself. In his opinion, she is the most perceptive of the Order, and that makes her the most dangerous.

• Kalona Fischer - Narien hated her on sight, as she reminded him of every domineering, entitled female he could imagine. Oh well, she's dead. Moving on.

• Avren Lebram - At first seeing him as a bumbling woodsman, Narien is beginning to wonder if Avren might have some good qualities as a member of the Order after all. He believes the man might, but none of that matters if the idiot remains a blithering, reckless, socially incompetent idiot.

• Reverie White - Long story short, Narien thinks Reverie is kind of a bipolar nutcase. He does realize she has courage, and can tell she is gaining some of Merrik's trust (again, is he losing his sanity?), but his initial impression of her as a crazy has never quite worn off, as she still does things that he finds nothing short of ODD. He wouldn't trust her sanity as far as he could throw her, but he finds the idea of working with her surprisingly palatable. He just... wouldn't want to be under her lead.

• Illyria Renthir - Though she's been relatively quiet, Narien has kept an eye on this girl, and may feel some secret sense of solidarity with her, because she seems like a spunky lover of knowledge when she's allowed to be spunky?

• Pomona Muldell - Narien is worried about this woman. Insofar as he wonders whether she'll let her personal feelings interfere with her level-headed soldier's nature. He does believe she is, well, a level-headed soldier/fighter, but she also seems quick to anger in ways that he is not, and he is not sure whether she is reliable or not.
  

Appearance

"People cannot see, no matter how hard they look." He basically fits the picture to the tee. Pale skin, pale blue eyes, with long, very dark hair he keeps in a ponytail, that scar under his right eye, and somewhat pointy ears. He's got a strong frame, is about 5'8", and weighs around 140lb. He does not have a tattoo, the inside of his right wrist has a brand in the shape of three, elegant, squiggly lines forming a triangle: a symbol of the house he was slave to. He usually just wears simple, dark clothing with good coverage that are easy to move in. An odd sign of luxury is an earring in his left ear - a crude depiction of a white oak set in dark metal. It was a small sign of mercy that the people who took him allowed him to keep it. It was originally his mother's, but was left it to him after her death. It's the only thing he has left of her, or his father.

Agni Lu'ule (AHnyee loo-oo-leh)|| Female || Arcane/Platinum

Dragon Personality

Poised || Calm || Impartial || Honest || Distant || Gentle || Kind || Motherly It takes quite a lot to rattle Agni. She rarely feels flustered by a situation, even if she doesn't know what to do, and is very good at keeping her head. The more people panic, the more calm she is. She also has a rather graceful air, comporting herself with poise and control. This can sometimes come off as haughty, however, and is coupled with a desire for peace and quiet that does not necessarily endear her to the other dragons. On top of this, she doesn't play favorites. She tries not to judge anyone by first impressions, and takes things at a case by case basis, preferring to get all the facts before making decisions. The truth is more important to her than whom she does or does not like. Perhaps because of this, she often seems distant and cold. Despite this, she has a very caring soul and is thoughtful of others. Agni does also have a strange spark of dragonly humor that has likely gotten worse with her bond to Narien. Her calm nature in some respects makes it such that she has a sense of good-natured amusement towards the more present-minded turbulent natures of the others. She often peruses the memories of her ancestors not only for the wisdom they have taught her, but also because she believes there is wisdom hidden in each new perusal. Thoughtful and quiet, Agni also displays a surprising bit of social awareness, kind enough to notice the concerns and needs of other people.

Dragon Strengths

Calm under pressure Forgiving Brave Wise Large/relatively strong

Dragon Weaknesses

Has some troubles with social interactions A little gullible Slow flier Not so agile Takes everything upon herself (has a hard time asking for help or showing weakness)​