My Dream World

 

Xyliah

Lord of High Hill Hold's Daughter

Madison Pettis

 

Important Details

 

Original Name: Xyliah
  Pronounced: ZYE-lee-uh
Nicknames: Xy, Leah

Primary Rank: Lady Xyliah of High Hill Hold
  Secondary Ranks: Youngest Daughter

Place of Birth: High Hill Hold
Date of Birth: 25.03.722 AL

Partner: Engaged to Jalazmar
 

 

Appearance

 

Eyes: Xyliah has large, round eyes set with thick and heavy eyelashes. Deep brown, Xyliah’s eyes are mostly a dark shade, though when out in the sunlight they appear more of a warmed and bright colour. Her eyebrows are neat and arch nicely, though most of it isn’t natural as she keeps them maintained.

Hair: Almost ridiculously curly, Xyliah’s hair is a deep brown, with a red-honey tone that gives it life and light. Reaching down to her shoulder blades, it is several inches longer when wet. Heavy and thick, her hair is something Xyliah considers both her greatest asset, and her biggest pain in the butt. When the weather is humid, her hair – instead of getting frizzy – goes limp, and her curls seem to fade and fall out, leaving her hair in lazy waves.

Height: 5'6

General Appearance: While standing at the average height for a woman of Pern, Xyliah still maintains a ridiculously small structure; she has long, slim limbs and narrow hips with a modest bust. While she carries no excess weight, Xyliah still claims a soft body; a flat but untoned stomach and the gentle natural curve of arms and legs that comes from being a healthy weight, but not having any additional muscle.

Xyliah has a long, slim neck and delicate fingers with short but maintained nails. Her nose is straight and slightly too broad to be called a button; her cheekbones are high, her lips full and often pouty when they are not smiling playfully. Xyliah’s collarbone is often visible, though it isn’t exceedingly prominent.

Dressing Style: The youngest daughter of a minor Lord, Xyliah has always had access to beautiful gowns and dresses, though a lot of them were hand-me-downs from her elder sisters. While Xyliah enjoys wearing whites and creams, she finds them awfully tedious to maintain and requires so much dedication to keep clean. Therefore, Xyliah tends to wear deep shades of reds, purples and blues when she can.

Xyliah never wears pants and her dresses and gowns are always ankle length, though she wears sleeveless styles in the summer with little slippers; in the winter, she prefers to wear warm woollen pieces with warm and sturdy boots designed to be less slippery in the snow.

 

 

Personality

 

General Character Traits: Gentle, of hand and word, Xyliah appears both delicate in appearance and furthers that opinion by being soft-spoken and quiet. She spends a lot of time watching those around her, with a curious if slightly guarded expression on her face as she pretends to be completely focused on the task actually suitable to her station, and not whatever is going on around her. She absorbs a great deal, and will often know more about what is going on around her and within her home and family than she is ever given credit for.

Xyliah is spoiled, and she knows it, but she carries that knowledge with a certain grace. She is always sure to say her please and thank-yous, and make sure the staff are aware that she is aware of how much hard work they go to so that she doesn’t need to lift a finger. She is truly appreciative of their work, because she never wants to be someone who has to cook or clean or make beds. That said, she honestly has no idea how to do any of those things, as she has neither done them nor seen them done in her life. Xyliah isn’t even sure where the cleaning supplies are kept in her home Hold, and while she knows where the kitchen is, she’s never actually done more than poke her nose in to beg a treat.

Quiet and dedicated, Xyliah is not someone who would be associated with adventures; the closest she’s come to an adventure is riding her horse alone, and the most outgoing she’s ever been was correcting her father’s Steward on a mathematic mistake he made that would have cost the hold several hundred Marks. Despite that, Xyliah is a gifted public speaker and can command a crowd with an ease and grace that surprised not only herself the first time she did it, but also her parents. Since that day, she’s been receiving Harper lessons to strengthen her skills in that area and she hopes to someday put them to good use, though she isn’t sure how.

Xyliah loves to learn, especially where numbers are concerned, but she takes to anything related to History with gusto, demanding more information and forming her own conclusions when information isn’t available. She enjoys being read to or listening to stories but has very little love of actually reading herself, instead she tends to have scribes read or write on her behalf, though her father insists this is lazy and that she shouldn’t trust a scribe to use her exact words. Xyliah believes him, but she also hates reading and writing, so...


Habits/Mannerisms: Xyliah tends to twirl her hair around her fingers when she’s board, or tug lightly on a curled strand, letting it bounce free before giving it a tug again, the action completely unconscious. Xyliah also has a habit of eavesdropping, though she is always sure to be completely absorbed in some other task – sewing, reading, math, etc – when she does so, so that no one will realise what she’s up to.

Opinions:
  Threadfall Theory: Since the dragonriders have returned, it must still be a future event.
  Stealing/Kidnapping: Well, that explains the disappearance of a couple of Journeymen who were supposed to arrive at the Hold and never did! She has trouble comprehending that people were actually spirited away and never seen again. It sounds so much like a story!
    Weryrleader S'kef: N/A
     Firelizards: She hasn't seen any yet, since her Hold hasn't garnered the attention of the Dragonriders, and she was born post-Palgue
    Women's loss of honourifics: N/A
  Return North: While enchanted by the idea of dragons, Xyliah has heard a lot of stories about the naughtiness of dragonriders; how brazen and wild they are. She is rather intimidated by the idea of actually meeting one.

Likes:
  Horses: Xyliah has a soft spot for horses, with their beauty and grace. She finds them engaging, intelligent and wonderful to spend time with; she enjoys going for long rides, but is just as happy to sit on the fence and chat all day with whichever horse is close enough to listen. Grooming horses is probably one of the few physical chores she enjoys doing, though a bath is always at the top of her list afterwards.
  Thunderstorms: She finds the unpredictability and wild strength of storms amazing and beautiful. Xyliah loves sitting under cover and watching the way lightening dances across the sky. The tremendous clap of thunder thrills her, and she loves the entire effect of the storm.
  Dancing: Xyliah loves dancing! She loves the swaying steps and gentle guidance of her partner. She loves being held and swept around the dancefloor by a confident and gifted dancer! Most of her dancing experience has been with her Harper teacher, as well as her elder brothers and her sister’s husbands and family members. She has been looking forward to dancing with her husband at their wedding since she was a child.

Dislikes:
  Boredom: Typical of a young woman, Xyliah is both easily bored, and hates being bored. When bored, she becomes restless and antsy, shifting around between half-done tasks and picking things up and putting them down again without doing much. She has a habit of mumbling under her breath and sulking when she’s bored.
  Hot Nights: While Xyliah doesn’t particularly enjoy overly hot days, what she really can’t stand are hot nights. She hates how uncomfortable they make her, the inability to easily fall asleep, sweating grossly, and how rarely there is a cool breeze available to come through wide open windows.
  Tea: She’ll drink it, and she doesn’t hate it, but she much prefers to drink klah than the watery if variably flavoured tea her mother and sisters seem to have a preference for. She was always given the impression that klah wasn’t a “ladies” drink, and it frustrates her. She usually steals the drink from her father, or hides in the kitchen and drinks it with the workers while they catch her up on the latest gossip.

Strengths:
  Empathy: Xyliah has a mostly unconscious ability to read the emotions and feelings of the people around her and with whom she is speaking. It is something she isn’t aware of, but reacts to naturally, responding to cues given, which unintentionally allow her to manipulate crowds of people, a particularly viable talent when she is speaking publically.
  Public Speaking: With a clear, strong voice, Xyliah has an easy time of public speaking; she is not intimidated by the crowd and rarely loses her cool. She made her first public appearance when she was ten, and took to it like a duck to water. After the first time, her father often allowed her to speak before visitors and groups, to strengthen her confidence and encourage her independence.
  Arithmetic: Xyliah has a great head for numbers, finding things like simple math simple and enjoyable to do; she did the book-keeping for her father’s Hold for the past several Turns, and did the job well, keeping track of incoming and outgoing funds as well as livestock, goods, and perishables.

Flaws:
  Spoiled: While Xyliah isn’t a terrible person as a result, she is extremely used to living an easy, relaxed life with servants and drudges that take care of all the hard and dirty work, of having her dresses made to order, her boots polished for her, and her bed made each morning and prepared for her each night. She has no idea how to cook, having been raised under the belief that she would have staff to cook for her. She has never done a day’s hard labour in her life and has no aspirations to do so.
  Reading: While her personal Harper encouraged her to write letters to him each week, to enhance her spelling and writing, Xyliah still struggled with spelling and the way words were put together, finding the task difficult and a frustrating chore. Granted, her skills improved dramatically, but she didn’t enjoy it. On the flip side, she does enjoy listening to stories and people reading out loud.
  Humour: Xyliah isn’t used to people telling jokes, so often when someone says something designed to be funny, she misses it. It isn’t that she has no sense of humour herself, but rather that she’s used to being surrounded by such dry individuals that being around people who enjoy having fun or have quippy comments is unusual to her, and she often blinks several times before realising they were joking and enjoying the quip. While she isn’t slow, it often makes her appear such.
 

 

History

 

Father: Xenpolis, b.689, d.--
Rank: Lord of High Hill Hold
Mother: Orriliyah, b.701, d.--
Rank: Lady of High Hill Hold
Siblings:
- Elder Sister #1, 19.09.719 AL (20)
- Elder Brother #1, 19.09.719 AL (20)
- Elder Sister #2, 24.04.720 AL (19)
- Elder Sister #3, 30.07.721 AL, Stillborn
- Elder Brother #2, 30.07.721 AL (18)
[Xyliah], 25.03.722 AL (17)

- A slew of nieces and nephews.

Past Lovers/Partners:  N/A
Current Lovers/Partners: Jalazmar - eventually!
Children: N/A ... yet

Background Story:

718.06.25 – Parents: Xyliah’s parents are married this day; her mother is seventeen, her father twenty-nine. His previous engagement fell through when he was 26, and it took a couple of Turns for his father to find.
722.03.25 – Birth: Her mother’s fourth pregnancy, Xyliah was to be their fourth daughter and sixth child overall, though she only retained two elder sisters and two brothers.
726.05.14 – 4: Xyliah is gifted her first pony, an elderly black gelding, and taught how to ride, beginning with sidesaddle and then progressing to bareback to strengthen her balance and communication and relationship with her pony.
730.11.09 – 8: Xyliah is promised to the second son of a nearby Holding.
734.01.01 – 11: Xyliah begins her training with the Hold Harper, as her twelfth birthday will be in the coming months. She is assigned to learn reading, writing and arithmetic, as well as subjects related to the wifely duties of running a Hold, though she is not expected to marry very highly, as she has two elder sisters who are more appealing in regards to rank.
735.10.19 – 13: Xyliah’s eldest sister is married off at age 16 to the eldest son of a nearby minor Holding, with the couple set to step up into the Lord and Lady ranks upon the death of her new husband’s death or retirement.
736.06.13 – 14: Xyliah’s old gelding passes away; she’s absolutely heartbroken at the loss and completely inconsolable for months. Her grief fades towards the end of the Turn, but she refuses the offer of a new horse and instead bonds to a stray kitten she finds, keeping the little animal in her bedroom secretly for a couple of months before one of her sisters busts her. Her father is amused, and allows her to keep the creature. She names the cat Sunshine.
738.04.16 – 16: The young man Xyliah was promised to when she was eight is severely injured in a riding accident. While he doesn’t die, his neck is broken just below the shoulder blades and he is paralysed. Her parents break off the engagement.
738.10.15 – 16: Xenpolis is contacted by Lord Jaebrin of High Reaches, asking if he has a daughter suitable for his son to marry; Xyliah’s father is overwhelmed and flattered as he shares the news with Xyliah, as she’s the only unmarried of his daughters. He is unsure how the Lord Holder heard he had a daughter not yet wed, or if it were coincidence – he isn’t even sure who brought him to the attention of the Lord from so far away.
739.03.15 – 16: Xyliah packs and begins the trek to Fort Hold, where she will be meeting with Jalazmar, and wed in the Fourth month, just past her seventeenth birthday. Her parents promise to make the trip to see her wed. In the meantime, she will be guesting with the Fort Hold, until she and her new husband can find their own living arrangements.
 

 

Education

 

Education Details:
Xyliah has all the appropriate education for a child of a Lord Holder, even if the Hold in question is a minor one. She excelled in mathematics, but does not have much of a head for spelling and reading, finding words that are not spelled how they sounded confusing and frustrating.

Riding was something she took to naturally, and she is a gentle handler of horses, unafraid of their significant size or the bad attitudes some are capable of displaying. She has a calming and patient air to her when handling the animals.

She also has a natural grace for dancing, though no real talent for singing (she can hold a tune, but her voice isn’t particularly fine). Needlework is something she enjoys in the lazy winter months, but finds a waste of time in the summer. She enjoys playing stringed instruments.

 

RP Sample

 

Stepping out of the carriage with the assistance of one of the footmen, Xyliah looked up at the sprawling building that was the centre of Fort Hold, and her new home – for the time being. She had been to the Hold in the past, though when she was younger, for events and major Gathers – she remembered vividly the nights spent dancing, but she could not remember much else. Those times, of course, she had been in the company of her entire family. Now, however, as the chilly breeze whispered past her and made her curls flutter around her face, Xyliah was exceedingly aware of how alone she was.

Not for long, though! She knew her betrothed would be arriving within a few weeks, if only because they were scheduled to be married by the end of the fourth month. She was not sure what day, as it had not been confirmed to her, but she was still excited if a little anxious. She had always dreamed of a big, beautiful and elegant wedding, but was under no illusions to how the one she was entering would happen. It would likely be a private affair, with her family and his, and of course the Lord and future Lady of Fort in attendance. Her mother had had a gown crafted for her, and it was exceedingly beautiful and cut to fit perfectly; Xyliah had it in her bags, carefully packed away. She was saddened that they were apparently going to be living somewhere in Fort, and not moving to his home Hold, but she was pleased that she would be so close to her own family, if a little confused by the politics behind their future living arrangements.

Xyliah shifted her gaze as the Head Steward introduced himself and indicated that she should follow him to her living quarters. Xyliah did so, her mind a million miles away as she took in the extravagant Hold. High Hill Hold, while a minor Holding, she knew from her lessons with the Harpers that it is one of the biggest, with a large population and an abundance of livestock, fruits and vegetables. They have good trade with many of the smaller minor holds, as well as Fort itself. Her family have always been wealthy, and Xyliah knew she was used to a certain amount of spoiling. The unknowing part of what her life would be after marrying Jalazmar was causing her no small amount of worry, and Xyliah sighed as she was bowed to by the Steward, before he excused himself. She let herself into the rooms that were to be hers, looking around in delight; the rooms were beautifully furnished, large, and more than adequate for her rank. She was thrilled.

She waited until her baggage had arrived, and been stowed to one side of the room before making her way to the private bathing room attached, and smiling in delight at the steaming water already drawn and filled with scented oils and soft white bubbles. Laughing happily to herself, Xyliah stripped and climbed in, relaxing into the warm embrace of the silky water, and letting the grime of her travels wash away. Her hair was scrubbed, the curls falling out with the weight of the water, before tying it up messily out of the way so she could continue to laze in the water until it was too cool to be comfortable any more. That was when she climbed out, wrapping herself in a fuzzy towel and going in search of an appropriate dress to wear to greet the Lord of Fort before dinner.

 

The Player

 

Character Created By:  ThistleProse
  Played By: ThistleProse
Preferred Contact: PM or Discord
Inactivity Preference: Adoptable NPCs