Anchoa Silverstorm

[Anchoa]

Anchoa Silverstorm of the Diamond Clan Basic Information Race: Human, Drykas Birthday & Age : Fall, Day 13, 486 AV; 24 years old. Gender: Male Physical Description Standing on the taller side of six foot, Anchoa wouldn’t be called a person of small stature. Much like many other Drykas men, the young archer is toned and framed in a slightly tanned skin lightly caressed by the sun’s rays. Small scars can be found scattered over his knees, elbows and palms from rough play as a child. From less innocent play, a few more silvery skin patterns are located across the shins and lower arms. But such things aren’t as meaningful to Anchoa as his Windmarks. The tattooing spreads across his back, beginning at the base of his skull and ending at the bottom of his ribs. Most of the time, they are hidden, that being the reason he had them placed on his back and not elsewhere. To Anchoa, they are a very personal sign of his ‘adulthood’, per say, and he shares them only with those closest to him. If someone were to force him to reveal them without good reason, he would be most offended. Asides from his windmarks and obscenely coloured eyes, Anchoa is fairly mundane in appearance. His hair is a dark brown, yet not vividly so. His jaw is square and his chin strong, just like his father’s and brothers’. Whites and silvers are adorned on his body, like others of the Diamond clan. Everything is quite human about him, as it should be. Character Concept Anchoa is a very private person. He speaks very little of himself unless he is asked directly, and even then, he keeps his answers very short and on a ‘need to know’ basis. Modesty comes quite naturally to him, his body almost like a portrait of his inner self. And in a way, it is. The way he moves reflects his moods; his thoughts. If one were to know how to read him, Anchoa could potentially tell all of his thoughts in a single movement. Or so the theory goes. Therefore, he keeps himself covered, baring only as much skin as is necessary. Not what you would call a religious man, Anchoa has questioned the authority of his clan’s deities more than once. It’s not that he doesn’t believe (because if you don’t believe in gods, what can you believe in?) but rather he wants to know where the boundaries between god and man lay. In his own opinion, paying tribute to them is a waste of time. Why bother offering petty offerings when one could be practicing the gifts they have been given? He isn’t exactly a rebellion. Just curious of what he can get safely away with. He detests the thought of arranged marriages. Being forced to join with someone he may not love or even possibly dislike, the thought is enough to make him queasy. It probably doesn’t help that he prefers the menfolk, either. Strength and masculinity are far appealing to him, whether it be because he grew up with three older brothers or not. Character History Born the youngest of four sons in the Silverstorm pavilion, Anchoa had a lot to live up to. One son was an accomplished hunter, another a stormwarden. The only sibling who didn’t have a headstart on him was his older twin brother, Favilak. The two were known as the troublemakers of the pavilion, often switching names to play tricks on their parents and the other children of the clan. After all, who would question someone’s name without a good reason? At one point, Anchoa’s father gave up on guessing and would ask the boys who was who that day whenever he happened across them. Even their mother would ask at times, though she had a way of knowing. Things changed when Favilak was chosen by his first strider at the age of 12 and Anchoa was not. Everyone else in his family had their Windmarks, their striders, and Anchoa did not. After that, the twins grew apart. Favilak began to mature and take on a craft. Anchoa went the other way and began to question his gods. It went on for years, the separation. Both boys had grown visibly withdrawn from their family, often glancing awkwardly at each other whenever they came within eyesight. And then, the day they both turned 20, the Silverstorm pavilion changed forever. Favilak had gone hunting with their oldest brother when they had a terrible accident. They had been jumped by a lone glassbeak, Favilak the only victim of the predator. However, it was driven away. The body was brought back late at night, during the beginnings of a storm. Anchoa was the last to know, and when he did find out, he clung to the broken and bloody corpse of his twin, weeping and lashing out whoever approached. The next day, he was still clinging to his brother, refusing to release his grasp. It came down to his remaining brothers to pry him away and keep him away while the funeral took place. Afterwards, Anchoa became depressed, even suicidal at times. He refused to eat, he refused to sleep and his health deteriorated rapidly. It appeared he was to die. Despite his grief, though, Anchoa eventually began his life again, albeit much more solemnly. Exactly 2 years to the day after Favilak’s death, Anchoa was chosen by a buckskin strider. The colt was barely old enough to be ridden. He had come up to the Drykas man, nudging Anchoa’s elbow not unlike Favilak used to. Why a wild strider colt had come to Anchoa was beyond him, however he didn’t question fate. He named his strider Skylight, a name his brother had considered calling his. Now, 2 years after earning his Windmarks, Anchoa is still privately mourning the loss of his twin. He aims to prove that he can function independently without Favilak and become a man worthy of being a Drykas. Training (Skills, Arcana, Gnosis, Lore) Skills Riding: 12 / 100 (10 points Racial Bonus, 2 points Starting Package) Brawling: 10 / 100 (10 Points Starting Package) Medicine: 8 / 100 (8 Points Starting Package) Drawing: 15 / 100 (15 Points Starting Package) Sword: 10 / 100 (10 Points Starting Package) Tattooing: 5 / 100 (5 Points Starting Package) Lores If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it. Lore of Cyphrus Striders Languages Pavi Common Grassland Sign Equipment and Possessions 1 Set of Clothing (cloak/coat & footwear included) 1 Leather Jerkin 1 Pair of Cotton Breeches 1 Set of Riding Boots 1 Wool Cloak 1 Waterskin 1 Backpack which contains: 1 Set of Toiletries (comb, brush, razor, soap) Food for a week 1 eating knife Flint & Steel 1 Large Tent (4 person) Large Tarp 100 ft of Rope Flint and Steel Lantern 2 Torches Bedroll Blanket Fishing Tackle and Hooks Purebred Cyphrus Strider Buckskin Stallion Yvas Large Set of Saddlebags Favilak's Wooden Flute (Family Heirloom) 1 Scimitar (15gm - Purchased at Creation) 1 Blanket And Hood, Horse, Medium (4gm - Purchased at Creation) Ledger Staring Amount: 100gm Current Amount: 81gm Income: - Expenses Thus Far: 19gm Thread List

[Anchoa]

In Depth

General Information :

1. What is your Name? My name's Anchoa after my mother's father.
2. Do you go by a nickname or pet name? No, but my brothers and my mother call me 'Anchy'.
3. How old are you? Twenty six summers old.
4. What is your height? Six foot to the inch.
5. What is your weight? 165 pounds.

Aesthetics :

1. Describe yourself as you see yourself. I see myself as a man who has yet to transition into my prime, both mentally and emotionally. After he died, I never truly healed. Still, I cannot say his name, but slowly, the wound is scarring over.
2. Describe yourself as others typically see you. Most people I know would say that I'm withdrawn and depressed. My mother often tries to get me to marry. Heh, if only she knew. I've heard the description 'lifeless and without heart' used to describe me. Someone even went so far as to compare me to a zombie, though I personally wouldn't go that far.
3. What is your favorite body feature? On me? Probably my feet. I don't know why, but I find the tendons in my toes fascinating. The way my toes curve, the thick calluses on my soles, the short, smooth toenails... It may have something to do with my attraction to strength and masculinity. After all, I most certainly do not have dainty feet.
4. How physically fit are you? I'm fit enough to be a Drykas.
5. How do you typically dress and what is your style? I typically dress in leather and cotton. I don't particularly like wearing heavy materials like metals. I prefer jerkins to say, full sleeved shirts. And if I could have it my way, I'd walk around in nothing but a loincloth. But that, of course, would mean strangers wouldn't see me unless I wanted them to. Too bad my father would call me a barbarian.

Family :

1. Who are your parents and what are they like? Reje was my father and Avila was my mother. My father is just like any other. He spends a lot of time with my brothers, knowing his life is probably existing on borrowed time. He's very supportive, though a lot old fashioned. My mother is a bit shallow, though she is a kind, caring woman. I love the both of them enough that I'd trade my life for theirs.
2. Do you have any brothers or sisters? I had three brothers, though the one I was closest to died four years ago. He was my twin.
3. What is your extended family like? My aunts and uncles are like second parents to me; my cousins like siblings. I know I could go to them if I ever needed everything. I didn't get the chance to know my grandparents.
4. Do you consider close friends as important or more/less important than family? I couldn't tell you, to be honest. My best friend was family.
5. Do you treat animals like family? Of course. We are but animals ourselves.

Location :

1. Where were you born? In the Sea of Grass, specifically in my family's pavilion.
2. Where do you live now? I don't live anywhere in particular. I'm a Drykas. I travel a lot.
3. If you could live anywhere in Mizahar where would that be? Anywhere? I'm not sure. I haven't been to every place in Mizahar, so I couldn't compare each place fairly enough to really answer that question.
4. Do you have a favorite place to vacation or spend leisure time? I suppose on my strider's back doesn't count, does it? Well, the Sea of Grass, my home, would probably be a reasonable answer.
5. Where do you fear to be? Places aren't to be feared. Only the creatures that inhabit them.

Traits :

1. Do you have any physical weaknesses (disease, scars, and missing limbs?) I have some light scarring from when I was a child and I'm missing most of my left pinkie finger. When your father tells you not to annoy his strider, you should listen.
2. Are you right handed or left handed? Ambidextrous.
3. What languages do you speak? What do you sound like? Do you have an accent? I speak Pavi, Grassland Sign and Common. My Common is heavily accented, though I'm fluent enough to communicate the general idea of what I'm saying.
4. Do you have any odd mannerisms, annoying habits, or other defining characteristics? I tend to avoid my reflection a lot. I don't like looking at my face. I also tend to touch things just to feel them.
5. Do you have (or want to get) any tattoos or piercing? Why do you have them (or will get them) ? I have my Windmarks. Apart from that, no, I don't have any tattoos or piercings. I'll probably end up with a few different tattoos over my arms and legs later in life when I find time to practice tattooing on myself.

Occupations :

1. What is your occupation? I don't really have an occupation. I live off of the land and sometimes I buy and trade with other sentient beings. If anything, I'd most likely be an artist.
2. Do you like/dislike your work? Why? How can I like or dislike something that is not?
3. If you could be anything you wanted to, what would you be? I'd be a Horse Breeder, if anything. I'm still young, however. Maybe one day, when I return to my homeland.
4. What occupation do you admire the most? Why? I admire many people in their jobs. But the most? A goldsmith. The ability to make beautiful things out of gold, whether it be as small as a fingernail or as large as a mask.
5. What occupation do you lest like? Why? Slaves. I'd go insane if I were kept in one place for too long, some spoiled person ordering me around all the time.

Childhood :

1. What sort of child were you? Heh, I was the type to be disciplined and never learn from it. Well, not until now, at any rate. I loved to cause mischief, often playing tricks on my older brothers. though, I admit, that streak of naughtiness lost me my pinkie.
2. What is your favorite memory from childhood? Oh, I remember this one time when my twin and some friends of ours spied on some of the girls from our clan while they bathed in a stream. He turned as red as a beet! Mind you, I was too busy noticing them than the girls, but a good time was had by all. At least until my father caught and we got a throttling. I couldn't wipe the grin from my face afterwards though. We did it a few times.
3. What is your worst memory from childhood? Worst memory... Let me think on it for a second. Well, there was that time I stole some of Father's alcohol. Never felt more sick in my life. Never touching that stuff again.
4. What sort of relationship did you have with your parents? Well, I was very close to my parents. I loved them a great. I still do. Even though there were times when I wouldn't speak to them, I still love them dearly.
5. Who was your most influential rolemodel? Probably my eldest brother, Valik. He's a stormwarden. I used to imitate him all the time, much to his annoyance. Sure, I was such a pest to him, but that was only because I wanted to show him I looked up to him.

Education :

1. What sort of education do you have? I can read and write in Pavi, albeit not as well as some. I often skipped lessons with my mother. I really do regret that now that I'm older. Perhaps I'll take up Mathematics or something.
2. Do you like/dislike learning? It depends if I find interest in the subject or not. But in general, I do.
3. Where or how did you learn most of your skills/abilities? Mostly from either my family or by doing it myself. I learnt how to draw by simply picking up a stick of charcoal one day and drawing it on a piece of scrap parchment from my father's archives.
4. How do you learn best? By doing it myself. You can explain all you like, but until I do it with my own hands, I probably won't get or understand it fully.
5. What are your educational goals for the future?/b] I'd like to learn how to read and write in Common. That would be quite useful. Also, I wouldn't mind learning how to correctly use a scimitar.

Relationships :

[b]1. Do you form close bonds with people? Why? Why not? Yes, with some people. If I find something I can relate to with that person, I will see at least a bit of myself in them. And I'd say I'm very close to myself so, you make up your own mind on why.
2. Do you trust people easily? If not, why not? I do if I'm close to them.
3. Do you consider yourself straight, gay, bi, or something else? Gay, for the most part.
4. Have you ever been kissed? If so, describe the first time. I have, but I can't say it was particularly thrilling. It was one of the girls my mother tried to get me to marry had asked if she could see me one night. I still can’t believe Mother let her in at that time of night. Well, I was half draped over my twin because we shared everything when she came in. I think I was dreaming something I’d rather not share with you. But I woke up to this strange girl kissing my face. The way I screamed, you’d of thought I was being murdered.
5. Have you ever had sex? If so, describe the first time. Um, I er... No. Just... No.

Drugs and Alcohol :

1. Have you ever been drunk? If so, describe your first time. Yeah. I was fourteen I think. I had snuck into my father’s things and found one of the bottles of his most prized alcohol. Fa- My twin was fast asleep, just as the rest of the family. So I thought I’d tried this mysterious liquid my father so loved. It smelled spicy. I swear, I burned off the hairs in my nasal passages. But I was curious, so I took a swig. It burned all the way down, but it was addictive so I continued drinking the vile stuff. This went on until half of the bottle was gone. I was hallucinating. After that, I don’t remember much. The next morning, I woke up, feeling like a pile of strider dung.
2. Do you like to drink on a regular basis? No.
3. What sort of alcohol do you prefer? I don't.
4. Have you ever tried drugs (mood altering substances)? If so, which kinds and what did you think of them? No. Never.
5. What do you think of drugs and alcohol? Be specific. I think drugs are useless and alcohol is the stale urine of a thousand Ziths.

Likes and Dislikes :

1. What are your hobbies? I like drawing. It clears my mind because I have to concentrate on what I'm doing. I also don't mind just standing around for an hour or so, plaitng Skylight's mane and tail.
2. Do you like to read? I can only read in Pavi, but I suppose I do if the text is interesting enough.
3. What annoys you more than anything else? People who grind their teeth. Just the sound of it makes shivers ran up my spin! Also, it's bad for your teeth.
4. What do you find the most relaxing activity to do? Pretending to fish. Just sitting on the bank under the shade of a tree, idly pretending to fish and you're really just lazing about.
5. What kinds of things embarrass you? Why? This question in and of itself is embarrassing. I suppose the topic of sex is embarrassing to me. I grew up with three other brothers who were interested in girls, while I wasn't. I just feel awkward talking about it.Swearing is embarrassing. It shows that one doesn't have the self restraint to hold back from using such coarse language.

Favorites :

1. What is your favorite color or colors? Pale yellow. It reminds me of the grasses in the Sea of Grass.
2. What is your favorite time of day? Twilight. When it's neither day or night and the world seems to stand still for a few minutes. Very calming time of day.
3. What is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?/b] That's a hard one. There was this one day when I was sitting just outside of the clan's boundries, watching the sun come up. Just the way the sun spilled over the striders and the gently waving grass. That image will forever be burnt into my mind.
[b]4. What do you like to eat? What do you hate to eat? Despite my upbringing, I prefer to eat vegetation rather than meat. It's not like I don't like a good chunk of haunch. I just don't like it as much as my greens. The thing I won't even contemplate eating would be a pear. That fruit is disgusting.
5. What is your favorite type of weather? Does any kind scare you? I like the rain when it's not blowing all sorts. I believe it washes the world anew and represents change. I'm not afraid of the weather, though I am wary when a storm brews.

Outlook :

1. Are you optimistic or pessimistic? Honestly, I'm naturally pessimistic, though I try to be optimistic.
2. What are your religious views? Gods are gods and men are men. I'm not religiously deep.
3. Would you be able to kill? If the situation called for it. But that doesn't mean I'd be able to live with myself for a while.
4. What are your views on sex? It's an intimate thing that should only be shared with whomever holds your heart at the time.
5. What, in your opinion, makes a successful life? Being able to support yourself.

Actions :

1. What is the worst and best thing you’ve ever done? The worst would be breaking a girl's arm because she said I reminded her of my twin. The best would be that time when I helped one of the blind old men in clan around Endrykas for a week.
2. What is your greatest regret? Distancing myself from my twin when he got his Windmarks before me.
3. What is your best/worst memory? My best memory would be a day I spent hanging out with my brothers in a stream. The worst would be that time I was drunk.
4. If you could change one thing about your past, what would it be and why? I would have stopped my brothers from hunting the day they did. Maybe then I'd still have three brothers.
5. What are you the most proud of doing in your life? Earning my Windmarks.

Emotions :

1. How honest are you about your thoughts and feelings with others? I don't see any reason to lie about anything... well, anything that isn't my sexuality.
2. Do you have any biases or prejudices? I don't particularly like Dhani. Snakes make me feel jittery.
3. What makes you happy? Skylight, my strider. He knows how to cheer me up in any situation.
4. Who or what, if anything, would you die for? My family. I won't lose another member if I can help it. Also, I'd die fr my strider. He is like a brother to me.
5. What makes you angry? People who distreat their horses. Ungreatful bastards should learn how to walk.

Relationships :

1. In general, how do you treat others? As they treat me.
2. Who is the most important person in your life, and why? At the moment? My father. He is my Pavilion's Ankal.
3. Who is the person you respect the most, and why? Again, my father for the same reason.
4. Do you have a spouse or significant other? If not, describe an ideal lover. No, I don't have anyone. My ideal lover would be serious and appropriate in public. But in private, he would be my best friend, someone I could be myself around. And he'd love me the way I am.
5. Do you trust anyone to protect you? Who, and why Skylight. He's my strider, like another part of my soul.

Group Situations :

1. Do you tend to argue with people, or avoid conflict? Mostly, I avoid conflict.
2. Do you tend to take on leadership roles in social situations? No.
3. Do you like interacting with large groups of people? Why or why not? No I don't, because with so many people around, I tend to be forgotten.
4. Do you care what others think of you? Not particularly. I'm not trying to impress anmyone.
5. What do you think of others, in general? People are people. I can't change that.

Self Image :

1. What is your greatest strength as a person? I'm determined, most likely.
2. What is your greatest weakness? The death of my twin. I'm very ouchy about the subject. Very touchy.
3. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Am I not acceptable as I am?
4. Are you generally introverted or extroverted? Introverted.
5. Are you generally organized or messy? Messy, generally.

Beliefs :

1. What God or Goddess do you find most appealing, if any? Each god is appealing in their own right.
2. Which God or Goddess do you fear, if any? All of them. You'd be mad not to fear the gods.
3. Do you have any Gnosis Marks? If so, how did you receive them? No, no Gnosis Marks.
4. What lengths would you go to to please your deity? I'd travel to the end of the world and back if I had to.
5. Where do you draw the line at pleasing your deity? What is too much? I wouldn't provoke another god.

Life & Death :

1. What do you absolutely live for? My strider and my family.
2. What is the best part of life? Life itself. What's not good about it?
3. What is the best part of death? All the pain in life is eased.
4. If you could choose, how would you want to die? On my strider's back, fighting for what I believe in. Though I seriously doubt that's going to happen.
5. What is the one thing for which you would most like to be remembered after your death? My artistic ability.