"Thought he had it all before they called his bluff
Found out that his skin just wasn't thick enough
Wanted to go back to how it was before
Thought he lost everything
Then he lost a whole lot more
-- "I'm Looking Forward to Joining You, Finally", Nine Inch Nails
BASICS
NAME: Vakutara
GENDER: Male
PRONOUNS: He/Him/His
ORIENTATION: Heterosexual
BIRTHDATE: Summer 2738
AGE: 39 as of Summer 2777
LOCATION: High Reaches Weyr
OCCUPATION: Goldhandler,
WING: Sunburst Squad
APPEARANCE
EYES: Dark brown, nearing black.
HAIR: Rusty orange.
HEIGHT AND BUILD: 5'9" and spindly, lacking true muscle definition.
PLAY-BY: N/A
EXPY SOURCE: Kamen (Scavenger's Reign)
FULL APPEARANCE: Vakutara is an unkempt, feral-looking sort of human that might impose upon the definition of holdless by his simple rags and wild appearance. His long, ungainly hair is lacking only at the cusp of his balding scalp. Everywhere else it hangs in long strands that intermingle with his equally extensive beard. Gaunt cheeks give his expression a hollow vestige. Paired with the spindliness of long fingers and bony protrusions of his ribs against the flesh of his torso, Vakutara comes across as one who has gone without food for long periods of time. He gives little care to his wardrobe, often donning loose-fitting clothes that hang across emaciated shoulders. He is missing the ring finger of his left hand.
PERSONALITY
PERSONALITY: Vakutara is a man of pride. His devotion towards his work is truly a self-serving endeavor, for he means only to rise in name and fame rather that bring some actual benefits to the world of Pern. His sightless ambition causes him to neglect those in great need around him. The world may suffer but he will carry on, fulfilling the duties he has created for himself and himself alone. He comes off as cold and aggressive to his fellow weyrfolk. There's a sort of violence simmering just below the surface that anybody within arm's reach would be able to feel immediately.
Despite his supercilious and stubborn nature, Vakutara's insecurities are clear through his paradoxically meek nature that he sustains within his social relationships in High Reaches Weyr. Whereas he is full of a violent agency when stalking prey in the mountain ranges and beyond, he is desperate within the Weyr to keep his position and the trust bestowed upon him as a denizen there. He is at least somewhat aware of Tarask's influence on him and strives at least partway to bring it to an end, although one might question whether this is a goal he truly wants.
HISTORY
FAMILY:
Vaktenze - father (69)
Taranee - mother (73)
SIGNIFICANT OTHER:
Florina - estranged wife (†)
BIRTHPLACE: High Reaches Hold
HISTORY: Vakutara had a simple background with a simple life. He grew up in High Reaches Hold during Golre's reign over the Weyr guarding their lands. His parents worked differing positions, often rotating shifts in the crops or the kitchens or ... just about wherever a hand was needed for assistance. Meanwhile he learned to keep his head low as the Interval War raged on, right up until armistice was declared with the coming of Threadfall. Vakutara grew into a well-formed man that dreamed of big things. He had a craving for something that felt just out of reach. His family was content with well-to-do, humbling work that strove to keep the Hold's gears running out of sight. Vakutara thirsted for a glory that was out in the open for the world to see.
As he aged, Vakutara attempted several times to present himself to Searchriders who ventured towards their land. Not a single dragon sensed hidden potential locked away in his form. Of course he had the option of pressing on anyway. Surely the Weyr would not abandon an unlikely candidate that could possibly become a rider one day ... But at the same time, Vakutara's ambitions wandered. He set his eyes on the stars, entering into an apprenticeship to map their locations in the sky. Certainly he would come across something nobody else had seen and uncover a mystery that would awe the masses. Vakutara threw himself into his new profession: body, mind and soul.
At that time, he had been seeing his childhood sweetheart - a woman by the name of Florina. They were wed by 2760. She wanted a family. Many children. It was a dream Vakutara did not share. His mindless devotion to starcrafting and the prospect of becoming a journeyman drove a wedge between the two. Eventually Florina severed ties and and Vakutara realized, too little too late, what exactly he had lost. He tried several times to reconcile with her, but could never put her first. Thus, every attempt ended in failure until they were completely stemmed at the flow in 2764, when plague removed Florina from Pern entirely.
Reeling from the loss, Vakutara threw himself into his second line of work. After all, starcrafters could only really work when the sun slept. He would join the ground crews of High Reaches Hold during threadfall to eliminate potential burrows. This presented him with a unique opportunity: a wher egg. Many of the ground crew were handlers, after all. One of the smithers who considered themself a friend presented Vakutara with a chance to form a blood bond. The egg he purchased broke shell in spring of 2766. The gold within its confined snapped off his ring finger in her eagerness. Gold Tarask became his. Or rather, he belonged to her - always her, only her. It became clear to those around Vakutara that Tarask's intentions were ill-meant. She clamped onto his emotions of worthlessness and drove him into an almost hermit-like state. Suddenly Vakutara's drive to become a journeyman were muddled by thoughts of violence. He joined hunting parties and found very few wanted to be in his presence due to his rather unhinged aggression.
Vakutara's parents were still very much alive. His mother sat him aside to discuss her concerns with her son's behavior. Tarask all but burst into the home during this intervention with the intent to maim and destroy, which raised the alarm in what was left of Vakutara's sound mind. He made it his new ambition to become one with High Reaches Weyr. Surely the stomping grounds of the now-deceased Golre would provide him with handlers that would help him get a better handle on Tarask's treatment towards him. That was back in 2770. Turns later, Vakutara would still struggle with her behavior. In fact, it seemed to have gotten worse.
High Reaches and Fort Weyrs both seem to be in the territory of the Golden Ghost, whom Tarask viewed as a mortal enemy for reasons unknown. And now with more whers within her tangible reach, the young gold has become more determined to prove her superiority to all of them. Dragons, as well. Pern truly needs only one queen, and her name is Tarask!
Another wherhandler made the suggestion to Vakutara that he attempt to blood-bond another wher - that perhaps a 'sibling' might tempter Tarask's brutality. His attempt at this almost ended in disaster. In 2775, he purchased an egg despite his gold's raging. When it hatched into a garnet, Tarask bowled him over and went straight for the creature's throat. Thankfully the hatchling was whisked away before damage could be done and found a bond with another human who wasn't bound to a psychotic monster. Clearly, Tarask will not allow Vakutara some reprieve.
