"Do you really want to upset the man who makes the drinks?"
BASICS
NAME: Manston
GENDER: Male
PRONOUNS: he/him/his
ORIENTATION: Demisexual
BIRTHDATE: Winter 2710
AGE: 61 as of 2771
LOCATION: Semaca Weyr
OCCUPATION: Master Vintner
APPEARANCE
EYE: Blue
HAIR: Grey
HEIGHT AND BUILD: 5'9", average
PLAY-BY: Anthony Hopkins
FULL APPEARANCE:
Still hale and hearty despite the march of the years, Master Marston moves with the confidence of a long life well-lived, though perhaps a little more carefully than he likely used to. With hair long since gone to grey and a ready smile, if this man doesn't have a whole herd of grandchildren then he should. He's lost an eye somewhere along the line, but a neat patch generally covers it; his hands are often covered in stains, about which he seems to care little.
With his day-to-day clothing speckled and spotted with the stains of his trade, Manston generally dresses for comfort rather than to show off his status. Simple shirt and trews, plain half-boots, ordinary belt - the only real sign of any status, most of the time, is the Vinter's knot announcing his rank.
If he remembered to put it on this morning.
PERSONALITY
PERSONALITY:
Widely reputed to be irritable, irascible and downright nasty, Master Manston is something of a dichotomy - because he can be all those things, and worse. The vintner's trade can be a dangerous one, for the vintner and anyone nearby, and over the years Manston's lost any patience he ever had with fools. That, and aching bones never did anything for anyone's temper.
If someone's honestly trying, though, that's different. Learning from mistakes gets the old Vintner's approval, and in reality he loves to teach. And to experiment, too, and that's what he's here in Semaca for - to experiment with the new plants and see what he can brew up. The man's sheer unbridled enthusiasm and appetite for new things is what's brought him down to Semaca, and that enthusiasm can take years off him - temporarily, at least.
HISTORY
FAMILY: A few children, survivors mostly Crafters. Several grandchildren, dotted all over Pern
SIGNIFICANT OTHER: Wife: Master Farmcrafter Jerrily
BIRTHPLACE: Fort Hold
HISTORY:
Born at Fort to a pair of Journeyman Scribes, Manston made fast friends with the Hold's Vintners in short order. Instead of being fascinated with the inks and the pens and the hides as his parents had hoped, he was enthralled by the great vats of ale, the casks of wine, and the potent things brewed for the Healers. His Apprenticeship into the Vintnercraft was almost inevitable, and he made Journeyman in a respectably-short time.
His journeying took him far and wide, and he learned the secrets of brewing with every fruit, grain, vegetable, herb and tuber that Pern had to offer. He also lost an eye when a sparkling wine's bottle couldn't hold the pressure thanks to a flaw in the glass, and shattered when he tried to do the usual rotation. Returning to the Vintnerhall, he wrote several new recipes, with an emphasis on the brews the Healers used; modifications of the old, a little more palatable or a fraction more potent, along with theories as to why some things just didn't go together however hard the Vintners tried. He also proved a dab hand at teaching Apprentices, and his Mastery was almost inevitable - and, of course, an object lesson in the Vintnercraft's less-obvious dangers never goes amiss (although to hear him tell it outside his Craft, it was a duel with a Lord Holder's son, or a crazed tunnelsnake, or an amorous herdbeast, or a sharp stick he played with as a boy, or any one of a number of tall stories depending on what mood he's in).
He walked the tables for the second time at forty turns of age, and his wife - a Farmercrafter - attained her Mastery a year later. He credits her as a great part of his success; after all, without the various fruits, vegetables, grains and tubers, there'd be nothing to brew. She, in turn, created several new breeds of redfruit perfect for brewing, as well as some new strains of grape well-suited to wine, but better-suited to the Fort area than Benden.
Now, after twenty years as craftmasters, Manston and Jerrily have decided to move south. There's a whole continent of new things to go at, and experienced hands are needed to bring out the best of what's available and keep Weyr and Healers in stock. That and it's warmer in the south, which is much more pleasant for old bones.