Lyranel - Candidate

:: OOC Information ::
Moniker: Erin
How did you hear about us?: RPG Directory



:: Character Information ::
Name: Lyranel

Pronunciation: LEER-uh-nell

Title: Candidate

Honourific: N/A


Age/ Turn of Birth: 19 / 482

Gender: Female

Place of Birth: River’s Landing Cothold

Place of Residence: Fort Hold

Craft: N/A


Occupation/ Role: Formerly cotholder’s wife, currently a candidate

Character Aspirations:

• To find her own identity after being told what to do and who to be for her entire life
  
• To Impress a dragon of her own
  
• To empower others who are weak to fight back
  
• To ensure that no one ever forgets her, or underestimates her again
  
• To try and rescue her youngest stepson, Rialin, from the clutches of his idiot brothers.
  
• To show her parents and sisters that women have value beyond what connections they can make by getting married.
  

Family:
✣Father: Nelane, 51/450, Cotholder, River’s Landing Cothold
✣Mother: Lyretta, 50/451, Cotholder’s Wife, River’s Landing Cothold
✣Siblings:
Lynae, 30/471, Cotholder’s Wife
Anly, 28/473, Journeywoman Harper
Lyraena, 26/475, Cotholder’s Wife
Taera, 24/477, Journeywoman Fishercrafter
Retty, 22/479, Cotholder’s Daughter, River’s Landing Cothold
Traelyn, 20/481, Cotholder’s Daughter, River’s Landing Cothold
Lytrea, 17/484, Cotholder’s Daughter, River’s Landing Cothold
✣Children:
✣Other Significant: Gorial, 51/450,  Cotholder, Deceased early 501, husband
Children by marriage:
Nillaen, 20/481, Cotholder’s Son, Crescent Rock Cothold
Nealin, 17/484, Cotholder’s Son, Crescent Rock Cothold
Linean, 15/486, Cotholder’s Son, Crescent Rock Cothold
Rialin, 10/491, Cotholder’s Son, Crescent Rock Cothold



Appearance:


✣Face: Felicia Day
✣Hair: Dark auburn red with a natural curl to it, hair is Lyranel’s primary vanity. She loves the way it gets lighter when exposed to the light, and how it stands out when she wears emerald green or sapphire hues. It does capture attention, though, so when she’s trying to keep a low profile, she tends to wear a muted gray/green hooded cloak.
✣Eyes: Greenish-brown, depending on the way the light hits them, and almond shaped. Her eyes are frequently slightly squinted, either from concentration, suspicion, or simply the brightness of the light reflecting off of the ghostly pallor she calls skin.
✣Height: Lyranel is perfectly average in terms of height.
✣Build: On the emaciated side of skinny, it is clear that Lyranel has suffered malnutrition during the formative years of her physical development.  Still, she is surprisingly strong for someone so slender, due to the physical labor that she performed while married to Gorial.
✣Other Notable Physical Traits: Lyranel’s skin tone is rather pale, although when exposed to the sun she burns into a quite lovely red hue. Her nose, cheeks, and arms are lightly speckled with freckles, and she frequently jokes that the only chance of her ever tanning is if all of her freckles decide to converge one day. Lyranel is one of those women who is either awkward or hot, depending on the angle that you’re looking from, with very little in between. Her facial features are angular, and give her an almost regal bearing. Still, her nose is a bit large to be proportional, and her lips are somewhat thin. Still, she’s learned how to hold her head at an angle just so, in order to present the best possible view of her. Her body has an array of scars, varying in age, the most prominent in the shape of a spoon, on the back of her left arm.
✣Style of Dress: Lyranel spent many turns wearing clothes that didn’t fit her properly. Because of this, since she is now free of the two miserable cotholds that she spent much of her life at, she tries to put some effort into altering things to a more appropriate fit. She is a tunic and trousers sort of girl, only pulling out dresses and skirts to catch people off guard. Her favorite colors include various shades of blue and green, both of which contrast nicely with her hair, and help to bring out her eyes.
✣Possessions usually found on persona: Lyranel has a simple, unadorned belt knife. It is, however, kept very sharp. She has a black choker with a diamond-shaped emerald on it. It was originally the possession of Gorial’s first wife. Lyranel claimed it upon Gorial’s death as reparations for all the suffering she endured at his hands.



History:
When Lyranel was born, her father needed another daughter about as much as he needed a hole in his head. The seventh of eight girls born to cotholder’s Nelane and Lyretta, Lyranel was raised in a very female-dominated environment. Unfortunately, Nelane was desperate for a son to ensure that his cothold didn’t end up turned over to one of the lesser members of the bloodline, and took out his frustrations on his wife and daughters. Nelane was distant and detached on the best of days, and outwardly hostile and abusive on the worst. Her mother Lyretta did little to try and protect her daughters from her husband’s fits, for Nelane couldn’t beat her when his hands were otherwise occupied beating his children.

Fortunately for all involved, Nelane was frequently away from the cothold, either negotiating trade arrangements with Fort’s Lord Holder, lining up potential husbands for his daughters, or working with farmcraft and beastcraft on various projects. This left much of the day-to-day operation of the cothold in Lyretta’s hands. Lyretta knew that most (if not all) of her daughters would need to be desirable for marriage, and she imparted as much wisdom and knowledge upon them as she could. Nelane did not approve of them learning the financials, or reading harper tales, as he feared what would occur if they were to believe they were independent. Lyranel and her sisters learned from a young age that there were things that they were only allowed to do when Nelane wasn’t at the hold.

Despite Lyretta’s best intentions regarding raising her girls, it was near impossible for a woman to not only raise eight girls, but also to handle a lot of cothold operations, while at the same time giving each girl equal attention. Lyranel, being one of the youngest, tended to get less attention. As a young girl, she would fight to catch her mother’s eye by telling jokes, clowning around, and telling stories that weren’t true. When her father was around, she was punished heavily for this behavior, so over time she tried less and less. She lived a life of fantasy in her own mind, frequently daydreaming little adventures when no one was watching.

Her father expected her to dress in frilly dresses, and wear her hair in elaborate styles, but Lyranel rejected these at the age of 10 turns. It was easier to sneak around when wearing trousers, and they tended to fit her better than the hand-me-down clothing from her older sisters, who were far less slender. Nelane, burdened with trying to marry off as many of them as he could, resented Lyranel for making a difficult job even harder.

When she was twelve, Nelane began hunting for a future suitor for Lyranel, hoping to have something arranged before she developed, as he knew that she would never have the birthing hips that were so desirable amongst Hold men. Still, with awkward facial features, a masculine style of dress, and with narrow hips that showed no sign of developing, Lyranel was a hard sell. And while two of her sisters ended up taking on a craft, Lyranel showed no real talent for anything of the sort.

By the time Lyranel was 16 turns old, Nelane was getting a bit desperate. It didn’t help matters that Lyretta nagged him, fearing that her daughter would end up holdless and destitute if she didn’t end up married off. “I fear that she doesn’t need a husband, she needs a father,” Lyretta once said in frustration, which set Nelane’s thoughts into a flurry of motion. Rather than seeking out a husband that was Lyranel’s age, and who wanted a wife to give him children, Nelane instead began to look for an older man, who already had his children and merely needed the other services a wife performed.

What Nelane found was Gorial. Gorial was the same age as Nelane, but with four sons; not counting a fifth who had died at birth and taken his mother Linnea with him. Gorial desired a woman who could finish raising his sons, handle the domestic tasks, and keep him entertained in the bedroom as well.

Shortly before her 18th birthingday, Lyranel was married to Gorial, and went to live with him at Crescent Rock Cothold. Gorial was a disgusting man, both physically, and personality-wise. He was grossly overweight, had poor hygiene, and believed that all women were inferior to all men. Given that he had four sons, he believed them all to be above Lyranel, which left her unable to discipline them in any fashion. Gorial ran his cothold poorly, and food was often in low supply. They couldn’t spare the space or supplies to keep any crafters around, and the building itself was in a state of disrepair.

According to Gorial, Lyranel could do no right. She didn’t cook as well as Linnea. The cothold was never clean enough. She had too much of an attitude. And on top of all that, her build wasn’t “feminine” enough, nor her face pretty enough for Gorial to be able to perform sexually. It was only a matter of time before he became abusive as well.

The situation continued to escalate, until Gorial learned on day that Fort’s Lord Holder was going to come and visit his cothold to see how things were going. He made it abundantly clear to Lyranel that the visit had to go perfectly. When she protested his standards, he placed a large metal spoon in the firepit, before using it to burn her. He warned her that if the Lord Holder had anything negative to say about his visit that she would find herself in a much worse place.

Unfortunately, the visit seemed to be doomed from the beginning. The Lord Holder was surprised by a number of things at the cothold, like how they didn’t have a harper or a healer on site. He refused to take no for an answer when Gorial insisted that they had no need for one.  Though the food Lyranel prepared for the visit was good, there were many other issues with the feast, such as cheap wine that had gone bad, and a temper tantrum from Gorial’s youngest son. Just when it seemed like the cothold couldn’t look like more of a laughing stock, the chair the Lord Holder was seated in broke, causing him to fall and spill klah on himself in the process.

The Lord Holder spoke to each of Gorial’s sons to try and get an idea of what was going on behind closed doors. His youngest son embarrassed him once more, pointing out that the cotholder had been manipulating the records to get away with tithing less to Fort Hold. Gorial was told that his family would likely lose the cothold after he died— if not sooner— because neither he nor his children were fit to lead it.

That night, Gorial attempted to consummate his marriage with Lyranel once more, hoping that he could have another son, one who wasn’t so incompetent. But once again he could not perform, and he blamed Lyranel. He told her that if she was going to be as useless as a dog that she was going to sleep like one; on the floor in the kitchen.

A sevenday later, the healer and harper that Fort’s Lord had sent for arrived. It didn’t take them long to realize that Lyranel— and many of the other cothold residents— had been mistreated. Though Lyranel would not confess all that had occurred, her injuries made it quite clear. Whenever she could, Lyranel spent time with the healer, learning which herbs were good for which things. The healer— a man named Barheil— pushed Lyranel to use her knowledge of what plants were hazardous to rid Pern of Gorial once and for all. Lyranel refused. "If I kill someone, I'm no better than he is." No matter how much she suffered, she wasn't going to stoop to Gorial's level.

Still, a few days later, something fortuitous occurred. No one was particularly sad when Gorial failed to wake up one morning, apparently dead of a heart attack. Despite the fact that Lyranel had done nothing, they believed her to have killed Gorial, and before they fought over who would claim the prize of cotholder, they wanted vengeance. While the healer distracted them, the harper slipped her a few marks, a cloak, a runner, and the name of a contact at Fort Hold.

She made her way to the Hold with haste, and was accepted as a kitchen worker. Though she was clumsy, and a bit accident prone, she was a hard worker who genuinely wanted to do well. It only took a few sevendays for her to make friends, and a place for herself. No sooner had she done that then a rider from the Weyr arrived, and asked her if she would like to stand as a candidate. She graciously accepted.


Personality:
Though she has been through a lot in her young life, Lyranel is not broken. On the contrary, her recent success in life has made her aware of just what she has to offer the world, and has given her the ambition and drive to take the world by storm.
✣Independence Lyranel has developed a fierce independence, because everyone that she’s known in her life has been unreliable at best, or abusive at worst. Until recently, the biggest limitation in her life has been men: first her father, then Gorial. Now that she has rid herself of Gorial, and has no obligation to return to her father’s cothold, she wants to push herself as hard as she can to see how far she can go. Sure, the world is harder for women. But just because you’re not a Lord Holder doesn’t mean that you can’t change and influence the world.
✣Passionate Lyranel doesn’t do anything in half-measures. She feels as though she’s wasted a lot of turns, so she doesn’t want to waste any more time waiting, hoping, or half-assing things. Similarly, there’s no time to waste on people or things that she doesn’t like.
✣Resourceful When you grow up with nothing, you have to learn how to make the best of anything. Whether it means trying to stretch too little food to feed everyone, or clean the entirety of the Hold in record time, necessity breeds invention.  Lyranel doesn’t have a tremendous amount of “book smarts” but common sense she has in abundance.
✣Observant When you’re around people who punish you, often for little to no reason, you learn how to read the small signs. In learning how to avoid angering her father and Gorial, Lyranel has learned valuable lessons to tell when people are legitimately angry versus when they’re just pretending, whether or not they’re lying, etc.
✣Steadfast Lyranel is not wishy washy. When she decides she wants something, she pursues it. When she makes up her mind, it can take a lot to change it.
✣Mysterious For most of her life, Lyranel has had to keep her feelings to herself. She has a hard time opening up to others, unless they open up first. She doesn’t like leaving herself vulnerable emotionally. Though she cannot control what others do to her body, she can make sure that they don’t come near her heart.



Shortcomings:
✣Suspicious Everyone has their own agenda, even Lyranel. She also seeks to know as much as she can about other people’s agendas, so she can try and figure out what motivates them.
✣Manipulative Sure, women can’t be Lord Holders, and a lot of men don’t consider them equal either. What women can do is work behind the scenes. They have a lot of power over men, it’s just a matter of learning when and how to use it.
✣Stubborn If Lyranel has made up her mind that the skies are clear, it will take Thread falling on her head for her to change her mind. The same dedication that she has that makes her a good worker also means that she can have trouble adapting to change.
✣Obsessive After not getting her way for so many turns, she has become quite obsessive. Her room needs to be perfect at all times. If she’s trying to learn a new skill, she must practice it as much as possible until she’s perfect. If she is learning a new skill, she practices in private, as she does not wish for other people to see her do it incorrectly.
✣Unforgiving That time someone slighted Lyranel when she was 4 turns old? She still remembers, and one of these days, she will make you pay.

Mannerisms/ Habits:
✣Squints when concentrating/trying to figure people out
✣Hums when she thinks no one is around
✣Tries to read everything she comes across
✣Obsessively orders/straightens things



Skills/ Likes:
✣Cooking: One of the few things she enjoyed about living at the cothold
✣Learning: Her education was limited growing up. Much of her free time is spent trying to learn/do new things.
✣Dancing: You can tell a lot about someone by the way they dance
✣Sewing: Having clothes that fit— and were made specifically for her— is one of her favorite luxuries


Unskilled at/ Dislikes:
✣Relaxing: Especially around strangers. She wants to be in complete control of herself at all times.
✣Singing: She can barely keep a tune
✣Writing: A product of her limited education. She can write, just not very legibly


Fighting Style/ Weapon of Choice: Lyranel isn’t built for fighting, and even if she were, she doesn't have it in her to genuinely hurt another human being. At least... not physically.

:: Candidate Information ::
Standing only?: Perhaps

Colour preference: Gold