Image Credits : meiker elequinoa Power Princess

Name: Ulovar (OO low var)

Gender/Pref: Female, straight

Age: 16 at judgement

Hair: dark brown, messy, kept short and out of her face but secretly wants to have long, pretty hair to style. Maybe when she's retired...

Eyes: blue-grey with flecks of brown, narrow

Height/Build: quite tall at 5'11" with a burly build that makes her naturally intimidating

Appearance: creamy skin, prefers sturdy leather gear as shown, and during jousting or events, adds the skirt and shoulder armor befitting of a jouster for protection. Has a gruff, loud voice, and usually smells of leather oil or the stables

Family: Castle workers who specialize in organized events and tourist duties; living mother and father, one younger brother; several aunts and uncles with a few cousins thrown in, most of whom still live and work in the area though not necessarily with the exact trade of her own

Aspirant At: Wo Yao Fei

Skills: Trained since a young age, since she was already tall enough to ride (goats, a camel, racers, take your pick) and deft enough to stay on even a bucking and untamed racer. Her ability to select and use tools, weapons, tack, and gear is exceptional, so she also has trained herself to recognize different styles of riding, fighting, or behaviors that she uses to figure out a weakness, and choose the right jousting bar or lasso for the event. She's always loved archery, hunting, and trick shooting, as well, and can speed through a crowded area on Racerback with weapons out, and only ever hit her specific target even if there is panic and chaos

Personality: Easily read and obviously mistrustful, while she's always tried to hide her feelings or her obvious disgust about some people, she blows any comments off with a sarcastic quip or remark. Yes, she is very defensive and 'has some things to work through', but she won't say what those things are, nor why she's like this

Background: aside from her clear knowledge and experience with tools of the Racer trade and her choices of archery and riding gear, Ulovar doesn't have much of an education beyond basic math and the ability to read and write (though does neither of those particularly fast or well). Her whole life was spent in the 'welcome and tourist' type areas around the Castle of Dun Keiba, and she's seen plenty of people come and go through the great gate beyond. She prefers to see only a couple people up close, though: her blacksmith friend, Sevelm, and the tannery group who trade with her when she's gone out hunting. She is close with a couple members of her family, but won't eagerly attend their 'family dinners' if too many of them show up. She prefers to be cheered on by strangers watching the jousting, not picked at and judged by her cousins.

She was however Judged by one particular rider, and because of that, she is now an Aspirant to become a drak knight! She has yet to decide whether this will impact her other duties, but she is very good at riding, and is an exceptional shot. This could make her a ranked Knight, though she would then also need to learn a lot more about the actual Castle and its mannerisms... hmmm. Maybe.

** some from hatching by Trix **

She hadn't been at Wo Yao Fei very long, but definitely time enough to have given a little advice here and there about hunting or riding. They'd finally called the Aspirants in and she was somewhat surprised that there was only one other Human among them, and a drak who eagerly awaited ... well, whichever of the three beautiful draklings would choose him. Light, dark, brown and gold... Very pretty, Ulovar thought.

They all looked pleased as punch to be there, almost impish with their soft giggles and occasional unsteady looks around. The Day found that the flute player was the right one for him, and Ulovar wondered whether the drak would add his voice to that flute?

Ulovar broke away from watching that, as she noticed a slightly damp nose and sniffing sniffing sniffing at her pockets, her shoes, her hands... and then abruptly stuck his face fully into her pouch - had she left it open or had this draklink tugged the strings? And he ate her half sandwich? "Hello?" she said with some surprise.

But the drakling pressed his long face against her leg, looked up at her and whispered, "I've conssidered my optionss and I like you besst."

"I think you considered the easiest lunch!" she replied with a giggle. She heard his mental voice nudge just a little, as their minds touched and formed a bond, "Ryudiz," she said, and the drakling nodded. They noticed that the drak had found his one, as well, the pretty earth.

It would be a fun party, but as always Ulovar prefered to be on her own or at least, hanging around with her potential trainers, rather than letting who-knew-who-all get up and in her face.

It would be Xerxes with his fire Pukya that followed up on the instruction session - knights that would help train her for real Castle duties at last!

**

"Ryudiz, that isn't strong enough to..."

*crash*

"... to support you any more..." Ulovar sighed and chuckled to herself, it was impossible to be angry with her little partner. A partner who wasn't quite as little as before.

"How would I know unlesss I tried?"

"The bed is half your size now!"

"And now I know!" He was quite proud of his 'scientific method' working out. Even if it meant he had to spend time collecting new materials for his sleeping nest.

**

"He will be talented if you've already got the stability to do... that," Xerxes appraised the pair, and watched as Ulovar and Ryudiz stood as tall as they could together, with the drak upon his heavy hind feet and tail carefully balancing, wings frozen in a ready pose, and Ulovar perched atop the forewing shoulders. She drew back her arrow and seemed to wait for a particular cue, what that might have been Xerxes didn't know. When she loosed it, he couldn't even follow the arc, it was almost straight up?

But it hit a flying pest that came fluttering down and landed with a plop not ten meters away. Ryudiz gently lowered his forepaws to the ground, careful enough that Ulovar didn't even wobble as she nestled back down.

**

They graduated with honors, though not without issue here and there. Ulovar still needed to get a little more used to trusting more people, or trusting in people at all, beyond herself and her drak partner. That was information relayed to Dun Keiba's leadership for sure, as they were clearly prepared for her arrival. Some of her family was there, open mouthed but impressed and happy at her return. While she'd made sure to inform a couple people that she was Judged and sent off... it appeared she hadn't exactly given them the full information.

"We thought you'd been dragged off by mob, or eaten..." her mother clutched a cloth and seemed to be hamming it up.

"Obviously not, I did send that letter didn't I?" Half of that was a question to herself. Had she sent it? Certainly she did, she remembered having to pay for someone to pack it up with others on their way delivering things.

"Well now are you going to be the star of our--"

"Mother I'm to be working with the Castle guard," Ulovar sighed.

"We are to asssissst High Knight Epelia," Ryudiz clarified.

"Hunting Nex, patrolling," Ulovar nodded with a grim confidence.

That would keep the parents occupied with worry for a good long while.