Talaryn

Virtues: Charismatic, Genuine, Compassionate, Honest, Thoughtful

Flaws: Relentless, Arrogant, Private, Impatient, Willful

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Talaryn is a young man of many facets, and at his core he possesses a deep sense of idealism and integrity.  He is not, however, an idle daydreamer - he puts considerable thought and effort into realizing his vision.  His creativity and enthusiasm are boundless, and one can be forgiven for getting carried along for the ride when he gets the proverbial bit in his teeth.  Most would describe his appeal as magnetic, because there just is that special something about him.  Those less charitable may call him something else entirely, but Talaryn doesn't put a lot of stock in naysayers.   If they want to get things done, they know where to find him.  Despite the considerable thought that he puts into things, he is quite impatient when awaiting results.  This can make him appear fidgety at times.

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That said, he values deep, authentic relationships with the people around him, and will take the time to let them develop.  Some would say he sees too well, and he'd admit readily that most people exhaust him.  As a result, he tends to hold himself apart from his would-be friends and followers.  So he's reserved in his personal life, preferring to take some time by himself to recharge his batteries.  Attempts to enter his inner sanctum are generally politely rebuffed.  Talaryn will always help a fellow in need, but he can be defensive of his space and what he perceives as his right to privacy.  There are exceptions to this - he always has time for his true friends and will go to great lengths to help them. Even at considerable cost to himself.  

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When drawn to anger, Talaryn's is an incandescent fury.  He doesn't hold back his tongue or his temper when his extraordinarily long fuse reaches the end.  He can, and will, use his intellect and insight to levy punishing insults against his foe.  Calming down, when it happens, takes time and he almost always needs his own space to process the argument and what was said.  Rarely, he'll stomp right back for more; but often he'll return and figure out some sort of compromise (when available.) When compromise is not available, he tends to dig in - his convictions run deep and strong, as do his opinions.  This can make him intractable sometimes (and frustrating) but it also means he doesn't sway easily from his chosen path.    Stubborn will is one of his hallmarks, along with all of the associated grief.  

 

 

 

 

 

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Raised in the woods of Lemos to a woodcrafter mother and a harper father, Talaryn grew up wandering the vast tracts of forest maintained by his mother’s family for generations.  As a little boy, he was as adventurous and interested in the wild ways of his forebears as his mother could wish.  Naturally, his father saw to it that he received the valuable skills of reading, writing and calculating his sums - but young Talaryn was quick to be off reading the slightest animal track or measuring the angle of growth of a young sapling.  His mother took him out into the woods daily for wilderness lessons, and he treasures those days still. 

 

By the time he was old enough to sit for the apprentice Woodcrafter exams, he was itching to be done with the ‘boring’ part and off with a new master and fellow apprentices in the greater regional forests managed by the Lord of Lemos.  Thankfully his aptitude matched his enthusiasm, and he was accepted into the Woodcraft and was assigned to some of the farthest acreage under Hold management.  His master was a venerable elder of the Craft know only as Led.  Not ‘Master’ Led. Not his full name of Ledran.  Just Led. Only Led, even.  At 14, Talaryn idolized the old man and affected a similar manner, preferring to be called ‘Tal’ - just Tal.  This lasted several years as Talaryn studied his craft and finally took the test for Journeyman at 18.    

 

This time the test wasn’t as quickly passed.  In his eagerness to run the woods - he’d neglected to learn basics about the ‘finishing’ aspects of the craft; woodworking and the sale of such products, mostly.  Disheartened, he returned to his master - and was promptly sent back to the main Hold and a different master for ‘proper learning.’  Led didn’t seem particularly perturbed by Tal’s lack, but Tal took it to heart when the old man simply cut him loose. 
 

Sullen on his return to the Hold, Talaryn took up residence with the older apprentices in the Craft and took part in classes he’d been told would help.  Truthfully, he hated them.  Sitting still for any amount of time had never been his strong suit, but doing so under present circumstances was pure torture. 

 

Still, he endured, and he learned.  A year later he was allowed to test again, and this time earned his Journeyman knots and the right to manage his own home acreage.  Life seemed set, except for a chance encounter with a young (beautiful) woman in the Hold and her subsequent disappearance.    His fellow craftsmen urged Tal to move on - she’d probably settled on someone else.  It was just a brief fling.  Girls didn’t like it when boys were too eager. The advice ran the gamut. But Tal couldn’t get Ellia’s smiling face out of his mind, and in the manner of young men with torches fully burning, set out to find out where she’d gone. 

And it is there that his story begins.