RETIRED MASTER HERDER DONSON

Persona : Donson
Writing Status : PC/Active
Age : 46
Gender : Male
Rank/Craft : Master Herder (Ret) River Bend Hold (GRH)
Residence : Green Ridge Hold

Physical Description : Donson is a big man, standing about 6'4" and weighing in at 275 lbs before his injuries. He is a big-boned man who developed enormous muscular strength from wrestling with stubborn bovines for Turns. His normal expression in the past was a jovial smile on his weathered face, and his deep brown eyes that were warmest when watching a new foal. The thinning of his light brown hair bothered him not at all, and he kept it tied back in a long tail. Continuing a slow recovery now from critical injuries sustained in the north, he is less than his former self.

Personality : Normally a quiet man, Donson learned to be extra gentle due to his great strength. In performing duties as a beastcrafter, he had a soft, soothing way with the animals under his care, but was a fearsome sight when he felt that one of them had been mistreated. Never allowing his rage to get out of control, the greater his anger, the softer his voice became. He seemed a hard man, pushing the people in his care to their limits, but his judgments were fairly made. Now he is frequently silent, although he has learned to deal with what life has thrown him, and he feels the ordeal was worth it if it meant keeping Saris in his life.

Life Story : One of five children born to a journeyman herder of a small northern Hold, Donson was in the barns more than the classroom during his growing-up turns. People often mistook his great size and slow speech for slow mental ability, and as a result, the boy was more comfortable with the animals who accepted him as he was. As soon as he was old enough, he apprenticed to the Beastcraft. His training was ordinary, progressing neither faster nor slower than the average student. Only his intense dedication marked him from the rest. Specializing in no single area, Donson is versed in all manner of the Craft.

When Thread's End Weyr requested a Master Herder, Donson applied eagerly. His all-round knowledge made him an excellent choice for the position, and he built a thriving Beastcraft area at the Weyr. With (then) JW Saris he began a zealous racer-breeding program there, but left it in the hands of other beastcrafters when he accompanied her to the north in turn 35 to start their own racer-breeding hold. Not long after that, when Saris and Apprentice Tallin were away with her stallion at a race meet, a tornado wiped out their hold, and Donson sustained critical injuries in the storm. He remained in the north when Saris came south to manage the runners and herdbeasts at Green Ridge Hold. When he was finally pronounced stable enough to travel, he joined her at Green Ridge during the autumn of turn 36.

There his recovery continued, although damage to knees and back could never be repaired, and early in turn 37 he renounced Mastership in his craft, laying his shoulder knot on the desk of Lady Jianna, saying that if he could not fulfill all of his duties he would not keep the title. Nevertheless, he was put in charge of instructing herder apprentices at the Hold, in that manner remaining somewhat attached to the craft.

In the early part of turn 39, Lady Jianna abdicated in favor of her son Caledd, and she and Master Herder Konnor moved to a more northerly part of Green Ridge lands to establish a runner breeder hold. Donson and Saris moved with them, and he remains content at the brave new hold.

Last updated on 07-Feb-12.