Zannen - Journeyman Dolpineer, Southern Weyr

Zannen

Location	Southern Weyr
Position	Journeyman
Craft	Seacraft
Speciality	Dolphincraft
Weyrmate	Selaine, rider of green Akitith
Children	Zalen (son), Saneia (daughter); Thesrov (step-son), Jonaxi & Lenali (step-daughters)
Firelizards	bronze Lir, brown Grannus, green Mazu
Birthplace	Big Bay Hold, 10th Interval
Played By	Luke Mitchell
Player	KyaLia

Description

Terminally tousled blond hair is sun-streaked, partnering with tanned skin to mark this young man as a nearly full-time denizen of sand and sea. A thin-lipped mouth is given to frequent smirks and smiles, and the shadow of sand-hued stubble clings to a strong jaw and subtly-squared chin. He has a straight-bridged nose and level brows that shelter earnest sea blue eyes. He is tall and strapping, his body wrought in a swimmer’s physique - broad-shouldered, narrow-hipped, and lean-muscled.

Zannen is seen with stubble on his face just as frequently as he is clean-shaven. He opts for the latter more in the spring and summer months, when the heat allows him to be in the water more often and makes facial hair less comfortable. However, he tends to look a good deal younger than he really is when he shaves! In the winter, he’s been known to let a full beard happen just because he’s bored…though it isn’t a frequent occurrence. Sometimes this has people taking him for older than he is…which can have its advantages, of course.

He has a rather unique accent, being from Big Bay. It's somewhere between a Bitran brogue and a Fortian lilt, made more complex by his time in Igen and Southern both.

His clothing is always of a practical bent, though he does clean up quite nicely when there’s a Gather to go to. Spring, summer, and early autumn find him most frequently without a shirt since he’s by the water and prepared to jump in at a moment’s notice. When things cool off, it’s trousers, tunic, and boots for him, coupled with his favorite Big Bay-knit sweaters and, when necessary, a pea coat and gloves. You’ll know it’s cold if his knit hat ever makes an appearance. He owns a few. He just rarely seems to have call to wear them.

Personality

Zannen is warm and friendly, easy-going in his downtime and hard-working while on duty. He has the colorful vocabulary common to so many in the Seacraft, though he does try to stay conscious of when and where he lets it come out to play. He keeps it curbed if there are children present, for instance, or in the presence of women…unless they make clear that they have no qualms with it. This goes hand in hand with a rather chivalrous bent, though he’s also quite a flirt, well aware of his own attractiveness and prone to use it to his advantage, though he isn’t arrogant about it.

His favorite thing in the world is to be out with the dolphins, though it’s followed closely by fishing and sailing. He can be just as happy with them as he can be among his friends…and even by himself. Sometimes he needs moments away to just sit and listen to the ocean or watch the stars. He likes company, but the constancy of it can wear him out at times, so recharging is necessary now and then.

He likes to gamble and compete, and he enjoys music and good food. Indeed, he’s a pretty decent cook himself! The one thing he can’t do is drink, much to the chagrin of his fellow Crafters.

Common Knowledge

He's an Oldtimer.
He has a dragonrider for a sister - Kyara of green Liareth at Igen Weyr.
He's allergic to alcohol. Literally.
Though there's a dolphin he's been working with for several Turns - Tiro, son of Eri. Though it took over a decade to happen, they are finally an official team.

Relationships

Name	Relationship	Thoughts
Kyara	Sister (+3)	"Don't know what I'd do without 'er. I mean, I maybe I do, but I dun want t'consider it. She n' Liareth are always makin' me proud."
Tiro	Dolphin-brother	"After workin' t'gether fer Turns, we've fin'lly been officially partnered up. About shardin' time! There's nothin' I wouldn't do fer this finny."
Selaine	Weyrmate	"Hard t' think I've known who she is fer so long without connectin' with her b'fore this. Things've moved fast, but bein' with 'er just feels…right. Her kids and Akitith are all amazin', too. That I get to be hers, t' call her mine, an' be a father to the girls an' Thesrov as much as they'll let me as well as a full father to Zalen and Saneia… It's all more 'n I could've hoped for."
Alyna	Acquaintance	"Greenrider I helped out with an investigation once, includin' a runner ride she seemed t'enjoy a great deal. Pretty! Wouldn' be s'prised t'see 'er round n' about."

History

Zannen is the younger brother of Kyara, rider of green Liareth at Igen Weyr. He is an Oldtimer, and while, from a certain point of view, he has two older brothers between him and his sister, Kyara is his only living relative. He came forward with her out of uncertainty and because he didn’t want her to be alone. He was a very new Seacraft apprentice at the time and wasn’t sure how much of a future he would face by staying in the ravaged past. Taking his chances in the Nowtime proved difficult; the prejudices he faced as an Oldtimer found him floundering with no place to go for his intended course of study - dolphineering. He stayed near Kyara in Igen for a time, often going to Igen River Hold to help the Crafters there with fishing and sailing. Eventually, however, he made the journey to Southern Weyr and immediately found the Craft contingent there to be far more accepting and even welcoming.

Though still heavily involved in fishing and sailing, he was able to take up study with the dolphineers and eventually got his Journeyman’s knot. He’s been at it for a few Turns and is just as in love with his Craft as ever. Sometimes he does consider putting in a request for a posting at his old home, Big Bay Hold, or even Tillek, just to have some more experience outside the context of the Craft in a Weyr setting. But when it comes down to it, he feels at home here, and unless he’s given a more powerful reason than wondering what it might be like elsewhere, Southern is where he means to put down roots.