Post by Rhys Marhan on Jan 11, 2008 17:39:07 GMT -5
Player
[/u][/center]Alias: Katie
Gender: Female
Contact: marychutchinson@gmail.com, AIM: LadyKnightKaia, MSN: knightowl45@msn.com
Location/Time Zone: USA, EST
Character
[/u][/center]Name: Rhys Marhan
Gender: Male
Age: 18
City: Port Caynn
Status: Commoner/Sailor
Personality
Rhys is your average teenage boy, reckless, optimistic and a dreamer. An all and all “good guy”, he was raised by a strict mother who ensured he has perfect manners and a healthy respect for all those around him. Even out from under his mother’s watchful eye, Rhys has cultivated this image, finding it advantageous in a business setting, as well a charm popular with the ladies.
Rhys is very intelligent, particularly when it comes to numbers and books, and is many times teased by family and friends when he brings a book to a meal or fiercely debates some theoretical business venture. Erring on the side of a bookworm, Rhys does not enjoy the high-spirited activities of the rest of his friends, like wrestling or foot races, which he deems “needless physical stress”, yet prefers to stay in shape through swimming or long hikes through the woods. Rhys was taught how to fight however by his two older brothers (somethings he learned in self-defense), and can hold his own in a brawl, at least for the few minutes he would require to extract himself. He would rather avoid fighting when possible however, not seeing the point of risking physical harm if not necessary. Keeping with his “good guy” image however, he has been known to step in on the behalf of the underdog, mostly to try and mediate a confrontation as opposed to fighting it out.
Having a strong sense of self-pride, Rhys has always sought to be the best he can be, modeling his image against the handsome, smart, and successful men he sees in his own family, but more so in the books and stories he consumes. Unfortunately however, Rhys fails in his own personal expectations when it comes to romance, for however much he struggles against it, Rhys is always shy in the presence of women he admires. Although he can maintain excellent friendships with females, when he is in the company of those he is attracted to, his laid-back nature and clever wit desert him, turning him into a red-faced, stumbling fool. Friends have attempted to suggest that this may be because of Rhys’s own high standards for his own actions as well as the gorgeous and many times clueless women he seems to fall for. Rhys feels this is his major failing and he despairs of ever having a true romance.
Coming from a family of merchants, Rhys is truly serious in only one thing, business. Raised from his cradle on decimals and percents, Rhys turns into a different person in a business setting, his playful side disappearing to be replaced by someone who cares naught but the job in front of him. By many of those who know him only through his father’s office, he is described as overwhelmingly mature and serious, one who can turn a mean profit from any good business venture and excels in making swift, lucrative deals. This business savvy comes from years at his father’s side, whose life has been dedicated to the rise of his once small and now largely successful merchant fleet. Rhys many times has disparaged this life, getting into long passionate arguments with his father and mother about how there is more to the world than goods and ships. He has even gotten to the point where, fed up with his family’s obsession, he pleaded to be allowed to apprentice elsewhere, much to the amusement of his father who cannot imagine a better trade than his own.
In spite of this, Rhys and his father do have a good relationship, but Rhys often feels placed in a second best role as his brothers are both strapping things, devoted to the trade, and have no dreams of doing anything else. Indeed his eldest brother Dustan is in charge of the business’s Port Caynn office and his other brother Lyell is working as a first mate on a ship within the fleet. This frustrates Rhys as he wishes to break out of the family trade and have an “adventure”. Rhys is rather naïve for his station, still half-heartedly believing in the fairy tales he reads, but his eyes are gradually being opened as he did indeed set out on his “adventure”. Stowing away on one of his father’s ships on whim, he thought himself quite clever, but has not realized his father in a sort of paternal affection allowed him to go when the confused captain of the ship came to him asking why his son was hiding upon his ship.
As he continues to venture out into the world Rhys is slowing becoming aware of the realities of real life and his idealism is taking some strong hits. Being his father’s son, he hasn’t had as hard of a time as he might have on the ship, but he is now accustomed to hard work and, surprising both himself as well as the crew of the ship, Rhys found himself at home on the seas, quickly settling into the routine. His fighting techniques are now much improved, and he doesn’t shy away from physical labor as he did before.
Personality Flaw:
Rhys is above all else an idealistic dreamer and often loses himself in daydreams of his future or some girl. This has led to some unfortunate circumstances when he has unintentionally neglected assigned duties. He also is rather naïve, and although he grows more mistrustful by the day, he is very susceptible to street cons, a poor habit for one newly alone in the world. His plain-faced emotions lend to this as he rarely thinks to keep his emotions in check and off his face.
Appearance
Rhys is a tall, gangly youth, the one whose body always seems just a little too big for him. Standing at 6’1, he has long grown used to towering over others, but has cultivated what may have been considered a detriment into a sort of grace which accentuates his lean structure. Rhys has never been muscular, his body instead remaining permanently skinny despite all of his efforts to cultivate a semblance of muscle tone. He is stronger than he looks however, and after his recent dive into hard labor, the little pudge which he did hold has long gone.
Rhys has long brown hair, which he usually wears tied back in a ponytail, thinking it gives him the roguish look popular among those his age. Keeping his hair pulled back however, exposes ears slightly too big for his head, which he hates, and therefore wears a hat when he can to hide them. As for the rest of his face, he has smiling brown eyes, a full mouth and a small nose, all which are key to exposing his emotions. His fair skin aids in this as well as he his prone to blush, particularly in the presence of a lady.
Appearance Flaw:
Rhys is far too gangly to be considered conventionally handsome, and he lacks the toned exterior which makes the ladies swoon. His overall appearance is simply of awkward youth, and he often finds himself the butt of some joke by those around him.
History
Rhys has always lived a life of what can be seen as privilege. The third son of a wealthy merchant, he was coddled at birth and given all a young child could desire, books, an education, pets and constant attention. After spending his first few years in life as a sickly child, his mother particularly doted upon him, showering him with affection and toys. This may have lead Rhys into the realms of the spoilt child, but fortunately (or unfortunately) he had two elder brothers, Dustan and Lyell, who were more than happy to keep the newest addition to their family in line. In fact, jealous and annoyed by the sniveling infant Rhys was, some of his first memories were of his brothers teasing and bullying him. Instead of breaking his spirit however, this only made Rhys more impatient to catch up to his brothers, who he worshiped with unceasing devotion. For this reason, he was introduced to the family business at the age of six, earlier than his parents (mostly his mother) would have wished, as he followed his brothers everywhere and refused to be left out.
Fortunately for Rhys, he had a knack for merchanting and by the age of thirteen he had been elevated from the lowly message boy to a secretary of sorts for his father. It was in this capacity that his business savvy was truly recognized and after a few years his father placed him in charge of overseeing the office books, leaving his father free to go about his duties elsewhere in the town. This was both a blessing and a curse for Rhys. On one hand, he was learning the necessities of his trade and gaining respect among those he worked with, but on the other, his practical field experience was almost nonexistent and he chafed at the bit of the office desk, wishing he could follow his father down to the wharves. It was in these long and boring days that Rhys found solstice in the books provided by his mother’s attentions and began to form a plan for his escape from the doldrums of everyday life.
He prepared carefully, setting aside money, food and anything else he thought might come in handy and told no one of his plans. He had few true friends in the town, as he was shy and the time he spent cooped up in his father’s office afforded him little time to socialize among those his own age, and he did not trust his brothers to keep his escape the secret he needed it to be. Yet for all his planning, it was almost a year before providence sent him the chance he needed, and he stowed away on his father’s new brig “the Kestrel”. Unbeknownst to Rhys however, his presence had been noted before they left port and reported to his father, yet his father, having noted his son’s growing impatience as well as inattention at work, allowed him to go, thinking perhaps the opportunity would mature him.
So Rhys set out on his “adventure”, alerting the Captain to his presence once they were out of the harbor and (according to the wishes of his father) being accepted into the crew as a ship’s boy. The crew initially resisted Rhys, thinking the newcomer (who at the age of seventeen was fairly close in age to most of them, but far behind in knowledge), was simply a rich kid having some fun on the seas at their expense. Yet Rhys brushed this off, working harder than he had ever before in his life, and he gradually gained their respect (if slightly grudgingly, as his work and punishments were not as strict as they may have been. The captain did not forget that it was Rhys’s father who was paying his wage.) He was a swift learner however and soon got into the crew’s good graces by volunteering for the “worst jobs”, which still held enough newness not to be either dull or backbreaking.
It was one of the best times of Rhys’s life and he quickly found he loved being on the open seas. He sent a letter to his father once they got into the next port, along with a letter from the Captain (which was rather surprised in tone) supporting him. He soon received reply and carried on with his father’s blessing for almost a year. When they arrived in Port Caynn however, his brother informed him that his father wished Rhys to spend some time in the Port Caynn office (at the insistence of his mother, who had gone into hysterics about her little Rhys living the harsh life of a sailor) and Rhys was once again pressed back into office life. He has no intention of staying long however, and is currently looking for work upon any ship which will take him.
Family
Hadrian Marhan – Father
Margret Marhan – Mother
Lyell Marhan – Brother, 21
Dustan Marhan – Brother, 23
Emeline Marhan - Sister-in-law (wife of Dustan), 20
Eloise Marhan – Niece, 2
hehe