Sr. Weyrwoman Aria on Gold Monaryth

Player: Aria

Name: Aria
Age: 31 (8.20.4646)
Rank: Sr. Weyrwoman

Description: Dark golden hair with reddish highlight streaks that falls in curls down her back and is long enough to sit on. Kept up in a simple tail and occasionally braided, her hair is often wind tousled though and keeping knots out of it is almost an obsession. She has always preferred the outdoors, and spent enough time out and about as a child that while she doesn't tan dark, she rarely burns. She has no freckles to speak of, and her eyes are a bright blue with silver flecks. She is 5' 6'', and 130lbs. From her preference for activity and hard work she is lean and athletic, but not hard muscled, retaining gentle curves. She retains an unusual criss-cross patterned scar down her left side from a feline attack several years ago. Her preference for clothing is loose but well fitting breeches, and slightly snug-bodiced blouses or tunics with loose sleeves. Flattering but functional. She will wear skirts for formal occasions, but usually only when the situation requires. . Her favorite colors are blues (especially Harper blue), purples, and greens.

Personality: Easy going with friends, but fiery tempered at times. When she was younger her naturally adventurous spirit and impulsiveness get her into trouble. Now however, they have made her the perfect choice as founding Weyrwoman of a Weyr in a remote location. Her first loves are her duty and her dragon which, fortunately, coincide. She is disciplined in whatever she does, though she was more easy going when she was younger. She has a sensitive side, though it shows much less now than it used to. While she's *not* all about the job, she sometimes comes across that way.

History: The product of a liaison between a Dragonrider and a holder's younger daughter, Aria has been an orphan since she was six. Her mother, Arine, died in childbirth, and Aria was sent to her father, M'ron rider of Bronze Garanth and then Weyrling Master at Benden Weyr. Her mother's relatives at Telgar Hold were glad to be rid of her. Aria absolutely adored life at Benden, spending hours watching the dragons fly and swim, and often helped riders wash and oil their hides. Her father indulgent of his daughter's wild personality, allowing her to run about as she wished, as long as she didn't get in the way of Weyr business. In fact, the only time Aria ever sat still was to listen to Harpers. Then, late one winter night, during a blizzard still called the worst in fifty turns, a Dragonrider out on watch came back with news of a trapped band of travelers caught off guard between Bitra and Benden Holds. All able riders had been called out to rescue them. During the rescue, the weather grew worse, and many dragonriders and dragons came back ill and injured. Many from frostbite, or close encounters with mountain cliffs. M'ron and Garanth stayed out the longest, making sure everyone was rescued. On their return trip, they noticed a mountain top a fraction too late, and Garanth crashed. By the time the weather cleared enough to send riders out to find them, M'ron was feverish and half dead with cold, and Garanth was not much better off, his right wing mangled and torn. The two were transported back to Benden Weyr, where they remained unconscious for several days, before M'ron died. Garanth followed almost immediately. Aria remained at Benden through the winter, quiet and deeply in mourning, watched over by everyone at the Weyr. But come spring it was decided that the best thing for her was to be sent back to her mother's family at Telgar.

Aria was miserable at Telgar. Considered a disgrace to the family by all of her older relatives, her cousins treated her as a freak. She knew nothing of life in a Hold, and the strict rules she was kept under chafed at her constantly. She was often in trouble for standing up against her cousins, and was never allowed to explain herself. That didn't stop her however. To keep herself out of trouble, Aria took t playing by herself, and spent as much time as possible in the countryside around the Hold, taking any excuse, even a chore such as collecting herbs that grew in undesirable places - like bramble patches - as a chance to be free. She reveled in that freedom, and would sing to herself as she walked, and dream of becoming a dragonrider as her father had been. One evening when she was ten, as she walked home late one afternoon, Aria was accosted by a man in Harper blue, who had been traveling by road through the countryside, taking news and new learning songs to all of the minor cots and holds between Igen hold and Telgar. He gave her a ride back to the hold on his runnerbeast and, much to Aria's surprise, insisted that she be sent to Harper Hall for proper training.

At Harper Hall, Aria was in heaven, or something close to it. Her vocal range turned out to be very good, anything from high soprano to middle alto, and her teachers adored her. For her eleventh birthday, Aria was given a fire-lizard egg, and was delighted when it turned out to be a Bronze. She named him Moroanth, after her father and his dragon, and loves her Bronze like a little brother.. But Aria's true nature reasserted itself full force. While she focused very hard on singing, she had never known there was so much more to it than just finding a pretty melody, and even on the exacting tasks of learning to read music and compose, she was still very much a free spirit at heart. To alleviate her boredom she would pull pranks (such as switching out a teacher's music for the day with something totally different and inappropriate, or adding extra spices to stews), and writing her own pieces, as well as beginning to flirt with several of the male apprentices. But the schedules and constant hard work still felt binding to her, and when she grew bored, her adventurous spirit let her out of the Hall, where she came in conflict, as often happens, with the Holder brats of Fort. That turned out badly. After her experiences at her mother's family hold, Aria was no longer willing to put up with nastiness she didn't have to. Against them her pranks weren't quite so innocent. Realizing her need for space and independence was beginning to interfere with Aria's progress, the Master Harper decided she needed a change of scenery and daily routine. Remembering that the Journeyman at Southern Weyr was very pregnant, and would likely appreciate someone to alleviate some of her duties, as well as the challenge of taking on a new apprentice he decided that Aria might do well there. Aria, naturally, was thrilled at the idea of going, not only to the Southern Continent, but at living in a Weyr again. On her trip, she came upon a small wild flit nest about to hatch, and impressed a green, whom she has named Lyric.

Upon her arrival, Aria took up residence next door to the classroom, and began teaching some of the classes. An unexpected turn in her life was the introduction of a bronze Weyrling, D'star, who was as enamored of her as she was of him. Aria received a note from Harper Hall that her elevation to Journeyman status has been approved. Then, roughly a seven day later, there was a hatching.... and the beautiful young gold Monaryth chose the young Harper from her place in the stands after a frantic search through the available candidates. Shocked, and never expecting such an honor, Aria was still immediately drawn in by the love and need of her dragon.

Not long after Monaryth's hatching, the Masterharper visited the Southern Continent, and Aria was elevated to Journeyman status. Her schedule became very busy as she focused not only on her Weyrling training, rigorous for everyone, but with the extra classes gold Weyrlings needed, but also working on her harpering in her spare time. Her romance with D'star grew as well. Then, one day, while out on a picnic in the snow not long before Turn's End, and not long after they had finished Weyrling training, they were caught in an avalanche caused by Saanpath and Monaryth's cavorting in the snow, and trapped in a cave. For the first time in her life, Aria let her feelings rule, and willingly she and her Bronzerider finally made love. Three months later, Aria discovered she was pregnant. When she told her lover, a miscommunication in their discussion turned it into a fight, which ended in her leaving in tears. To worsen matters, not two weeks after Aria's discovery, Monaryth flew for the first time, and was caught by the Weyrling Master's Bronze instead of Saanpath. Eventually, Aria and D'star made up. Then, another tragedy struck. Complications during pre-mature childbirth caused the infant -a boy- to die during labor, and internal injuries that may have caused her to be incapable of bearing another child. Aria was convinced it was her fault, and once again relations between her and her lover became strained. Before they could fully recover from the pain of their loss, he was transferred North. They gradually lost communication, and she through herself entirely into her work. Four years after the loss of her child, she was injured in a feline attack which put her out of her duties for a couple of months to recover, leaving her with an unusual scar.

Since then, all of her life has been devoted to her duties as a Goldrider. She's had lovers from those whose dragons have caught Monaryth, and sometimes not, but none that she ever felt more than friendly affection for, or simply physical attraction. After eleven years as a Jr. Weyrwoman at Southern Weyr, Aria was chosen to head up the new Mountain Song Weyr, even further to the South. Eagerly, she accepted the opportunity. Things have gone well since, and she settled easily into the role to which she had risen. Monaryth's massive clutch of twenty-five hatched well, and her first flight in the new Weyr, Bronzerider D'nel's dragon caught Monaryth. Since then, Aria and D'nel have had an easy friendship, and good work relationship, sprinkled with occasional casual beddings. Aria still fears getting into a relationship closer than that with any man. 

Then, much to her surprise, D'star transferred to Mountain Song. After several rocky months, the couple began to reconcile, and then Saanpath caught Monaryth, siring a massive clutch of forty-nine eggs! In that same flight, a miracle -in Aria's mind- occured... she became pregnant! It was not the easiest pregnancy, but this one did not end in disaster. Instead it ended in the result of a lovely daughter named Arista. Within a turn, Aria was hoping they might be able to have at least one more, despite how busy life kept them both. The healers said if they wanted more, than it should be soon, and, indeed, Aria managed to get pregnant again, miraculously, about the time they started trying again. The second pregnancy went well, and Aria was delivered of a son with minimal problems. Though it has been agreed that she should not try and have more. Aria and D'star were very happy to have Delenar.

Pets:

name: Moroanth (after her father and his dragon)
species: Flit
color: Bronze...so bright he's almost copper colored
description: Now 19 turns old, Moroanth is fairly stable for a fire lizard. He is extremely protective of Aria, and will attack if he feels she is being threatened in any way she cannot handle by herself. He tries to keep her out of trouble, but rarely succeeds. He's almost her little winged conscience.Almost in contrast to this is his reputation for flying almost any female that rises, be she gold or green. In the three years at the Hall he'd been chasing females, Moroanth flew seven Greens and four Golds. All of them clutched. He had a similarly successful history at Southern Weyr, and the years have not calmed his drive to chase.

name: Lyric
species: Flit
color: Green
description: Lyric is a fairly small green, 14 turns old. She's kittenish at times Very affectionate, and prone to fits of wild activity interspersed with relaxed lounging.

Crafter: Yes (formerly)
Craft: Harper
Craft Rank: Journeyman
Specialties: Vocals and Harp, also other stringed instruments

Dragon Name: Monaryth
Color: Gold
Age: 13

Dragon Description: A very large stunning antiqued gold, with swirls of copper adorning her sides, that meld beautifully into the gold color of her hide. Currently the largest Gold on Pern.

Dragon Personality: Monaryth is very much a queen, stubborn yet regal and graceful despite her size. She is inquisitive and clever, and knows exactly what she wants and what is needed to get it done. She loves attention, so the fanfare in which she arrived was enjoyed immensely. She's a real performer on occasions, much like her rider still is sometimes. She has a pensive more serious side, along with a very intellectual bent to her thoughts. She loves contemplating difficult questions and thinking things out. Most of the time she's extremely reasonable, but when she's egg heavy, or has eggs hardening on the sands, her temper tends to be less even. She very much dislikes anyone -person or dragon- who can't make up their minds, or who have bad manners.

Strengths/Weakensses: Her mind is her strength, having a long memory, and the ability to think things over on several intellectual levels. She's very logical, and a critical thinker, using her brain even when rising to mate in order to make the chase that much more challenging.

Children: Arista and Delenar