Description
At six foot even, Xhal cuts an impressive figure for a baker. Thick, but maintained brows sit ever-so-slightly arched above warm brown eyes where there is a sparkle of amusement there more often than not. Dark brown hair sprouts from his head, kept on the short side. A straight nose leads on from there to a pair of lips that are full. His face has a bit of scruff that's grown out, and he keeps it close trimmed to his face. His build is muscular, displaying an inclination to quite a bit of heavy lifting with a natural dusky hue to the smooth flesh stretched over his bones. Tapered fingers better suited to a Harper adorn rough calloused hands that have seen their fair share of labor, but overall suggest strength and hard work.
He wears simple clothing. A pair of deep brown trousers that fit as if they had been recently obtained from the tanning craft. They neither hang nor cling to his body. His simple tunic, in an unassuming cream color, sports roomy sleeves that cuff at his wrists and is belted with a wide sash in a deep crimson at his narrow waist accentuating his slenderness. Feet are dressed simply in a pair of wherry hide boots made less for looks and more for durability, dyed a darker brown then his pants, tied up to just past his calf with black laces. Set into the lobe of each ear is a small ruby stud. On his shoulder two knots, one for his Ista residency, and the other for his rank of Journeyman of the Baker craft.
History
Xhal was born to the simple life of a crafter family located in tropical Ista, with his mother Xaana who was a baker by trade. He knew very little to nothing of his father, other than his conception had been during a gather that his mother had attended at the insistence of her craft for learning purposes. She let slip in a heated conversation that he was a greenrider, but since then, hasn't had any luck milking anymore than that from her. Eventually he let it go. He was, by nature, an inquisitive boy and terribly mischievous. He got into trouble quite a bit in his earlier days, whether it was adding strange spices when his mother's back was turned to her stews, or rough housing with the other boys and disturbing headachy riders. When he was eight, he and his mother moved in with a man she liked very much named Trensin and they were inseparable. Xhal was pleased his mother had found happiness, and a turn later, he had a little sister: Nares. Two turns after that, another sister: Tessa. Finally there was a final sibling, a boy named Xenin dangerously nine months almost exactly after his elder sister had been born. Xaana had nearly lost her life, but recovered slowly, if only to be informed that she wouldn't be able to have any more offspring.
By this time Xhal had apprenticed to the baker craft himself, deciding to focus on the sweeter side with candies. He did passable in the other aspects of cooking, but by no means excelled in anything other than sweets. His roast recipes were okay, his vegetable dishes edible, and his breads weren't likely to induce vomiting. They tasted fine, but really there was nothing special about them. His confections however, were something completely different. He could work wonders with very few ingredients, creating marvels that when put in the mouth exploded with flavor and sweetness. A visit from their eldest half brother usually left his siblings on a permanent sugar rush, which despite the implication put a smile on everyone's face, and that was why Xhal joined the craft to start. He wanted to be the one that could make someone smile, just by putting something he had created, in their mouth. It seemed almost magical. Now recently knotted a journeyman, Xhal brings his confections back to the Ista hold and weyr that had birthed him, just hoping to put a smile on someone's face.
Family
| Name | Relation | Location | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| A'ra | Weyrmate | Ista Weyr | Rider of Bronze Kapalith |
| Xaana | Mother | Ista Weyr | Master Baker |
| Unknown Greenrider | Father | Unknown | Unknown |
| Trensin | Step-Father | Ista Weyr | Journeyman Baker |
| Nares | Half-Sister | Ista Weyr | Weyrbrat |
| Tessa | Half-Sister | Ista Weyr | Weyrbrat |
| Xenin | Half-Brother | Ista Weyr | Weyrbrat |
