CANDIDATE KERELLIN

Persona : Kerellin
Writing Status : PC/Active
Age : 15
Gender : Male
Rank/Craft : Thief
Residence : Ierne Island Weyr

Physical Description : Kerellin is small for his age, being one of those boys who grow late. His shock of dark brown hair is rarely cut to any style, but hangs loosely to his ears, cut when anyone in his 'family' thinks to give it a whack or two. His eyes are a dark brown to match his hair. He appears frail, but in truth he has a wiry strength which belies his appearance.

Personality : Kerellin is a very quiet boy, although perhaps a better adjective would be _still_. He rarely brings attention to himself, being taught as he had been that bringing attention at the wrong time can get you caught. He trusts no one but his adoptive mother, for whom he would give his life.

Life Story : Kerellin was born in a small cothold near Sonnette's Dawn Hold, the son of a farmer who was too lazy to farm and who quickly turned to a life of thievery. When he was caught for the 4th time, he was banished from the Hold lands and eventually he drifted to the Maze, accompanied by his wife, who doggedly refused to accept his worthlessness, and his 4 children. Kerellin had been young enough when they were banished not to remember the cot where he was born, the Maze being all that he remembered. Life was hard at the Maze, and he and his siblings were forced to work long hours on little food, and if they could go through a day without attracting their father's attention and its accompanying beating, they considered it a day well spent.

When he was 8 turns old, a woman came to the Maze, followed by two men who appeared to be big enough and mean enough that no one "messed with them." After little more than a sevenday of observing, one of the men came to Kerellin and said that Taishe wanted to talk to him. With a look over his shoulder at his father, who merely turned away, he followed the man. She offered to take him away from the Maze and teach him how to live better than he ever had before. He never considered anything but agreeing. They left the next morning, in the company of a young man and girl who seemed to have agreed that a better life was something they also wanted.

Eventually he was to learn that the better life involved thieving, but on a bigger scale than his father had ever done, and more skillfully. They moved to a cothold close to Sonnette's Dawn, and at first he couldn't see much betterment, but he was learning all the while, and soon became a better pickpocket than Taishe had hoped. Then they moved nearer to Thread's End Hold, where they were successful in stealing herdbeasts and the rare runner from small holders, changing brands and marketing live beasts and hides to various traders.

They moved on from time to time, eventually moving eastward until they were south of Southern Hold, and then they moved still farther east across the Dragon Gate River to a cothold beholden to Green Ridge Hold. It sat on the river, and one of the men fished during the warm months; another made corn whiskey, and the woman--still not much more than a girl even after 7 turns with them-- made brooms. All together there were 6 of them, with two boys around the age of 6 that they had picked up near Southern Hold. They did a thriving business of stealing during Market Days, once even successfully picking the pocket of the Lady herself. His adoptive mother, Taishe, was a master of disguises, and could disguise him or any other in the band as well as herself. Most usually she went to market day in the guise of an old woman, whom the Lady greeted fondly as "Granny." Recently they brought in what to his eyes was a great number of marks when a relative of the Lady schemed a kidnapping which was managed by Taishe and her group. The relative had been killed, and they all had almost been caught, but as usual, Taishe's luck held and they all escaped back to their small cothold.

Kerellin looks forward each month to Market Day. Sometimes he gets to go along and "help" but other times he accompanies others to a hold left unpeopled for the Market Day, and they bring home items to be taken across the river and sold to certain traders who never look closely at goods offered. They never take enough to be considered as a really serious threat, but when it all added up at the end of each month, he felt wealthy beyond his wildest dreams. He knew that Taishe was saving marks, and that some day they would have a fine hold of their own. Time was all that it would take. And then came that market day in the first month of turn 39...

Last updated on 06-Apr-10.