Name:
Kaith Loren

Position:
Head Stableboy

Age:
19

Physical Description:
Even at his full adult growth, Kaith remains on the lean side of a moderate build, and is not tall; he stands just shy of 5’8”. His face is a bit square, with a determined chin, high cheekbones, and thin lips. His nose is also thin and aristocratic, and he has an olive complexion, indicating that somewhere in his family history there is a possibility of blood from some clan, either Hawkbrother or Shin'a'in.

His hair is a dusky mix of brown and black, straight and worn long, past his shoulders. He usually will braid it back out of his way, tied with a leather cord. His eyes are a soft grey-blue.

He often seems to be angry or defensive when he deals with people, but often it is just his brusque mannerisms. He is still young and slight enough to qualify as being 'pretty' rather than handsome, (which is frequently noted and is a sure way to trigger his temper). Kaith's hands are lean, strong and dexterous from years of working with animals, tack, and tools. He has small scars here and there, the only notable ones are a burn mark on one leg from when he was involved in a blacksmithing accident, and a scar on one shoulder where he was savaged by a horse when he was a child.

A few of Kaith's toes look like they might have been broken in the past, not too unlikely all things considered, and he has a slight limp (right leg) on really damp days; a souvenir of getting kicked hard in the knee by a fractious stallion.

Personality/Attitude:
Kaith was always smaller than his peers, making him defensive and prone to fighting. Only in the last few years has he overcome the knee jerk reaction to brawl. It is still not unusual to find him sporting a black eye or swollen jaw, but he wears the evidence of battle with cocky belligerence. He doesn't have a very high opinion of too many people, and prefers to keep to himself or spend time with his equine charges. To his mind, they are more honest and genuine.

That being said, he gets along tolerably well with the more down-to-earth people he meets, and has respect for those who have respect for others. The quickest way to befriend him is to be a knowledgeable and competent horseman, and he also tends to take a big brother role with youngsters, but he never gets too close to anyone.

Brief History:
Kaith was born to a chambermaid and never knew if his father was the cook of the inn, the Innkeeper, or the inn's hostler. Of the three he preferred the hostler and spent his time following the man around as he tended to the stabled horses of the inn's guests.

Eventually, once he was large enough to be useful, Kaith took on some stable chores and eventually took over a majority of the more physical duties.

He made sure to avoid the inn proper, or at least the guests, because he was not willing to see guests take his mother upstairs with them, or even in some cases, proposition him.

The inn was passed to the Innkeeper's son-in-law, and Kaith was edged out by the new Innkeeper's sons, who took over the stable and basically told him to get out. He was a groom for the army for a short time, and ended up returning to Valdemar’s capital with the regiment he had been assigned to.

Goals:
Kaith currently thinks he has achieved his goals. He has a ranking position that affords him a dry place to sleep, reasonable food, and a decent wage, as well as moderate respect. Occasionally he even works with the unbonded Companions, which is a dream come true for any true horseman.

He can’t climb higher in his current work unless the Stablemaster resigns, which doesn’t seem forthcoming anytime soon. He figures if things continue the way they are going, he will have a decent chance of taking over when that does happen, however. His other choice would be to look for work on an estate, where he would have to start over again to prove himself; an option he is not thrilled with.

Gifts:
As far as he knows, he is completely non-magical, but he has a deep understanding of horses, their care, their mindset and their behavior. Has some modest skill with equine medical care as well, and in a pinch could probably tend to a wounded person.

There might be a touch of latent empathy, but there was no reason to even be tested for it, and who would be looking in a stable yard for an Empath?

Companion/Bondbird:
None

Your name:
Betra

Your Email/YahooID:
brappeport@yahoo.com

Author's Comments:
Kaith seems to be uninterested in human interaction, but this does not mean he doesn't get lonely, depressed or discouraged. His closed-off façade is mostly there to keep himself safe from being hurt by anyone. He is so used to doing everything for himself that he has a lot of trouble accepting help, and doesn’t believe in altruism. Kaith needs a friend, if he will just let himself have one. An older role model would fit the bill, if he was willing to put up with Kaith’s issues.