"lyrics or quotes here"
BASICS
NAME: Coryn
GENDER: Feminine
PRONOUNS: Feminine (she/her/hers)
ORIENTATION: Not important
BIRTHDATE: Early Fall 2724
AGE: 52 as of 2776
LOCATION: High Reaches Weyr
OCCUPATION: Squadrider
WING: Sunburst
APPEARANCE
EYES: Green
HAIR: Blonde
HEIGHT AND BUILD: 5’ 6”
PLAY-BY: Saoirse Ronan
EXPY SOURCE: N/A
FULL APPEARANCE:
Coryn stands at average height, but her body is strong from Turns of caravan life and wherhandling. A huge set of scars run down behind her leg from hip to knee, a token from Orysk's mother for stealing her egg; after dedicated treatment, it's healed enough that she hardly has a visible limp. Light blonde hair, kept short, brushes her shoulder, while her eyes are a light green in color, her skin tanned from spending most of her time outdoors at work. For her clothing, she's a practical woman, meaning her wardrobe is completely devoid of dresses and skirts. If she needs to look fancy, a nice blouse and some slacks will do. Otherwise, she's always in fighting gear or clothes suited for working.
PERSONALITY
PERSONALITY:
First and foremost, Coryn is a very dutiful and driven person, consistently putting others before herself. But she notably doesn't socialize much, though she seems to enjoy spending time among her family. Otherwise, she keeps to herself, unless she has reason to engage her squad members, but strictly for professional matters. Among her caravan, she was a lot more sociable and friendly, but that was before; she cannot be that woman now. Though well-versed in social graces from Turns of observing her father's engagements, she can come across as rude by being incredibly blunt and straightforward in speaking; she doesn't believe in sugarcoating matters, though she knows how to approach carefully.
Coryn is incredibly responsible for those under her care, especially those younger than her. While she saw her younger brothers and sisters were viewed as needing protection and guidance, Nicola is a different matter completely. Since adopting her as an infant, Coryn feels a strong devotion to her, seeing as she was, from that point on, in charge of making sure she had a secure future. Though her cousin by blood, something in Coryn makes her feel like a surrogate mother to a degree, but she's always afraid of letting Nicola down. In fact, she consistently fears failing everyone she loves, terrified that if she does, she will fall from favor and be shunned; left behind and forsaken. So to defend herself, she puts her best forward and keeps from letting others getting too close, other than those she has now.
Coryn isn't as strong as she works to appear. In addition to her fear of failing and being deserted if she's no longer useful, she's also afraid of needles, as rare as she is to face them. If a Healer has need of one in order to treat her, she'll absolutely need someone to hold her hand through it; that someone used to be her parents most often, but that trust is placed in Nicola now. Coryn is an insecure woman, something she's still denying, hating how weak she feels sometimes, knowing she has to be strong for everyone else. It isn't uncommon for her to consider every little detail until she's overthinking herself into uselessness; her fears bleeding into each other. Additionally, though she means well and doesn't mean to be overwhelming in her criticisms, she can be bossy enough to seem controlling, as well as too attentive to detail, especially to those she sees as her charges, like Nicola. Everything must be exact; hair brushed, nails clean, clothes pressed.
HISTORY
FAMILY:
Father - caravan leader - deceased (combat)
Mother - wherhandler - deceased (combat)
Siblings/Half-Siblings - all younger - most living - open tie(s)!
Maternal aunt and spouse - both living
Nicola of Bronze Colask - cousin - wherhandler - living
SIGNIFICANT OTHER: N/A
BIRTHPLACE: Some stretch of wilderness
HISTORY: TW: death
Coryn was born to two leaders of a trading caravan, a large gathering of which ranged from hawkers selling trinkets to shrewd merchants bartering valuable goods. While her father had a mind for business and a charming manner that few could resist, her mother was a protector at heart, who'd sacrifice everything and more to defend those under her care. Alongside her wher, a huge gold who took no shards, she kept vigilant watch for danger and took care of threats before her caravan could fall prey. Coryn was a dutiful and obedient girl from a young age, growing up watching her father negotiate trade and her mother take care of those who'd start trouble within her caravan. Though they wouldn't stay in one place for long before moving on again, being together as a family was good enough; Coryn was happy.
But in 2746, someone was born that would change Coryn's life irrevocably. Coryn's mother didn't think highly of her sister or her husband, rarely speaking of them kindly or at all, but did right by her and made sure to drop in on occasion. On one such visit, it was discovered she had given birth to a baby girl, but had no true interest in raising her themselves. Coryn, twenty-two Turns, would speak up and offer to bring her little cousin under her wing, raising her within her family's caravan; after all, Nicola was family too, wasn't she? Though both her parents were rightfully concerned, compassion ultimately won, seeing Coryn bringing baby Nicola along as they began traveling again. Though Coryn was unaware, seeing her sister behave so irresponsibly had been her mother's last straw in keeping her in mind. After that day, she had no intention to visit again. It would be her last visit, in more ways than one.
Coryn decided to take chief responsibility for Nicola, as it was her idea to adopt her at all, rather than place more on her parents' shoulders. It's a choice she's been proud of making ever since. Being Nicola's primary guardian made her realize how important it was to be dutiful and dedicated to her charge, as she was to her younger siblings, so as to grant her as good a life as being raised in a caravan could give; a life like her own and her siblings'. But one night, Coryn couldn't find Nicola, no matter where she looked, until she spotted her far outside caravan camp boundaries for that night. Though she followed her explicitly to herd her home before her mother found out about her little adventure, it wasn't just Nicola she found, but a clutch of eggs too. Wher eggs, mothered by a wild wher, who was likely away on a hunt. Coryn doesn't know what went through her head, but as Nicola moved to take one, so did she...
And both were rightfully punished. Finding intruders robbing her eggs, she retaliated, catching Nicola down her arm and Coryn down her leg, scars that still ache today. Both could've died if it weren't for a caravan wher charging in to defend them, granting them enough reprieve to bolt, each still clutching an egg. It would've been impossible to hide what had happened, especially from her mother, who wasted no time in scolding them both personally, in addition to everyone else who had enough position. Coryn was shaken; she'd rarely been in trouble before, especially to such a glaring degree. But her mother didn't punish her, deciding that her theft had been justly punished enough by wher claws. Plus, a young wher of new blood would benefit them all, enough that her transgression and Nicola's was forgiven.
It wouldn't be long before both eggs began to hatch, everyone gathering close to see. Nicola's egg hatched a bronze, while Coryn's gave her a fine little garnet. Both girls were quick to blood and Impress them, welcoming two new whers to a caravan eager to meet them. Orysk was a troublemaker and a trickster, but Coryn loved her regardless, finding that her wher had filled a void that she hadn't known been empty; where her mother had her gold, she had her garnet. Once both were grown, both Orysk and Nicola's Colsk began pulling carts, though Orysk also made multiple appearances in security details alongside her mother's gold. Life seemed perfect now, her cousin a woman grown and both bonded to fantastic young whers, all members of a strong caravan.
But not strong enough. Holdless attacked while most everyone was asleep, Coryn and Orysk included, striking a decisive blow before caravan defenders could get up to fight. There was too much going on, too fast. Though trained in combat from her mother's diligence, Coryn still found herself suffering a serious injury, enough that Orysk panicked and fled, taking them both far from where fires consumed all they'd known. Coryn later awoke to find her wounds bandaged, courtesy of a pair of kind Holdless who'd found a frantic Orysk carrying her unconscious handler and managed to persuade her into letting them help. It took almost a full season for her injury to heal enough to permit her regular movement again, in which time Orysk assisted in task these Holdless needed a wher's strength, while Coryn fretted for her caravan and Nicola, wondering if her cousin was okay.
Once she was recovered, Coryn decided it was time to go, to try to find both her caravan and her cousin, but she was given one last gift before she left. One of these two Holdless had a firelizard, a gold, who had been flown by a wild bronze and laid a fine clutch. Though there was an entire clutch for them to worry about, one of these eggs went to Coryn before she went on her way, grateful for all they'd done to help her. But arriving where her caravan had been attacked, she found nothing left but ransacked carts and broken bodies, all that was left of those who had stood and fought, her parents included. It was up to Coryn to bury her dead, in which time her firelizard egg hatched, granted her a blue. Tearfully, she named him after all she had lost, after someone that had made her into who she was today: Taryn, her mother.
Putting her past behind her wouldn't be easy, but Coryn had something to keep her going. Among those who had fallen, she hadn't seen traces of Nicola or most of her younger siblings, though she had been grieved to bury those she had found dead too. Presuming them fled in face of such a terrible attack, she journeyed on to find what was left of her family. As a new Turn dawned, a weary Coryn and Orysk would come to High Reaches Weyr, hoping to find some clues as to her family's whereabouts; if one had stopped for shelter before moving on elsewhere. Much to her surprise, she found Nicola herself there, alive and well! It was an easy decision, to volunteer her services as a wherhandler and join a squad.
