SENIOR JOURNEYWOMAN HARPER GRAE

Persona : Grae (Delanni)
Writing Status : NPC/Owned
Age : 29
Gender : Female
Rank/Craft : Senior Journeywoman Harper
Craft Specialty : Covert - Arbitration Residence : Sonnette's Dawn Hold

Physical Description : Several Turns spent journeying the remote minor holds and cotholds of Sonnette's Dawn Hold have ensured that Grae is always in peak physical condition. Apart from the womanly curves of her chest and hips she has a trim athletic body and fast reflexes to match. Standing at 5' 9" her no nonsense attitude combined with the perpetually serious set of her face is usually enough to send apprentices scurrying.

Her dark brown hair falls midway down her back, but is nearly always tied back in a braid or twisted into a bun. Her eyes are a slate blue that frequently appear grey. She does not consider herself attractive and tends to overwhelm her natural assets with the use of severe hairstyles and sombre expressions.

Personality : Grae is a resourceful, independent and intelligent woman with a keen eye for detail and a talent for being painfully honest in her assessment of others. She does not invite nor encourage friendship and while there are a number of people who she considers acquaintances she does not see the need to develop these relationships further.

Though she has a huge capacity for self control there are occasions when her temper gets away with her, sometimes to her detriment. Love and tenderness were something she experienced little of while growing up and are traits she exhibits only very rarely herself.

Life Story : The youngest child of a Neratian farmer, Dersal and his wife, Laysa, Grae had only one older sibling, a brother named Dayson. She started off life as Delanni, but later circumstances caused her to change her name. Her father, Dersal, spent part of each day consuming alcohol. He was a angry drunk who would routinely indulge in the verbal and physical abuse of his family. There were many times when Dayson stood between his father and his mother and sister and often took the bulk of the abuse. With Laysa's help her brother left to join the Harpercraft at the age of twelve. Not long afterwards Delanni was fostered with another family thus removing her from the reach of her father's drunken ranting. The life as a fosterling did not suit Delanni. She became increasing silent and sullen and was eventually passed on to the family of a healer who specialised in the care of difficult younglings. It was there that Delanni made her first real friend in a girl who had been born profoundly deaf. It was from this friend that she learnt how to communicate in signs. She also discovered that, by reading the lips of people standing too far away to hear, she could learn all manner of interesting information. Three Turns after leaving the farm her brother, Dayson, was searched for a clutch at Fort Weyr and impressed a green. Once free from weyringhood he returned for Delanni and with his assistance she was admitted into the harpercraft. Her training in all areas of the craft progressed reasonably well. She became proficient at playing both strings and drums, was a reasonable artist and showed some talent for arbitration, but her real skill was discovered in her ability for stealth and she was eventually trained for covert operations. During one covert operation she placed at Fort Weyr, masquerading as a candidate in order to protect and investigate threats made against another candidate who was favoured to Impress the Gold egg in the clutch. Just prior to the hatching, moments after thwarting an attempt to snatch the girl from the Weyr, Delanni was more surprised than anyone else when she herself Impressed a green hatchling from that clutch, and following in her brother's footsteps became a green rider. However her time as a rider was cut horribly short. Her bond with young Graelith lasted a mere five sevendays. Seeking to settle the score, the man who had tried to snatch the candidate from the Weyr returned during Fall and attacked Delanni leaving her deeply unconscious. With no Queen's at the Weyr to restrain her, apart from the weyrling gold, Graelith panicked and went /between/. Delanni recovered from her injuries and left the Weyr as soon as she possibly could, returning to her former craft, immersing herself in it to try and drown the sorrow in her heart. She adopted the name 'Grae' a short time later. Seeking to distance herself from Fort and all that she had lost Grae travelled south to join the harpers at Sonnette's Dawn Hold, where she found good use for her skills. She sees her brother only rarely since he transferred North from Threads End Weyr.

Last updated on 12-Oct-07.