raphael a. deluna

AGE

OCCUPATION

GROUP

DRAGON 

personality

Raphael is not an outgoing person. When he was younger he was most definitely on the shy side, and though he likes to think he's gotten over that a little his timid nature has never truly left him. He's quiet, he's polite, he boasts a wicked stutter- overall he's quite easily passed over, an incredibly unassuming type of person. He tends to guide attention away from himself, consciously or otherwise, and rarely feels comfortable in group situations. Saying he hates the spotlight is a bit too strong- he'd certainly never use such a word himself, he could hurt someone's feelings after all- but whenever given the choice he'll definitely take the supporting role.

It's something of a complicated relationship, as he loves to teach and help and is incredibly sweet and supportive. It's just that he gets all flustered when too much is put on his shoulders, and it can be a rough contradiction. He gets overwhelmed easily and can be quite scatterbrained when he's stressed, so though he has a strong work ethic he can sometimes be more of a hindrance than a help. He's enthusiastic, you can at least give him that. He's loyal to a fault and pretty dependable when it comes to matters of moral support- just don't expect him to be of much use in a fight. He lives to serve, but has problems communicating and expressing his own emotions clearly. His naturally submissive nature also means he's easily trampled, bossed around, and otherwise taken advantage of- and despite how easily and how often his feelings get hurt, he's still retained enough naivety to keep making the same mistakes. 

That isn't to say he's unintelligent or completely useless, because that isn't the case. He's forgetful and afraid of pretty much everything, sure, but he's got a level head on his shoulders and is generally very down to earth. His dragon can calm him down pretty well when he gets flustered, and once he's cooled his head he's incredibly intelligent. Though he's awkward in social situations he does a decent job of shutting away his insecurities when in a professional environment, and when he's in front of a class few would guess that he's something of a pushover in his private life. When he knows what he's doing and is comfortable with the subject matter he's calm and has an endless patience for questions- there's a reason he went into teaching, though those who know him outside of the classroom are often surprised by it. What can he say? He's something of a fussing mother hen, maybe, but he loves helping people to reach their full potential and guiding them down whatever paths they chose to take.

Oh, and it doesn't hurt that there are very few bold enough to backtalk his dragon. He doesn't need a spine, his giant fire-breathing soulmate has got that covered, thank you very much.

history

Raphael was never meant to be a dragonrider. Oh, sure, he was born in Woodkeep, but his father was an immigrant and showed very little love for the kingdom, on some days even a distinct distaste. Exile was the price one paid for being a mercenary, though, and so the man had settled down with a beautiful girl from the Keep and called it a day. He wasn't one to be discouraged, Raphael's father, and he'd simply sworn that he'd sire strong sons to carry on his tradition and return to his homeland in his stead.

As you can probably imagine, he was not exactly pleased when his first born child turned out to be, well, Raphael. He was small, he was thin, he didn't seem to have any sort of skill at violence whatsoever. He was, in fact, the spitting image of his mother, and though her meekness and skill in the more feminine arts was what had drawn the mercenary to her, now he found it coming back to bite him. His son showed little to know interest in fighting, blacksmithing, or pretty much anything his father tried to force on him, and it made for a strained relationship. He learned to avoid his father from an early age, instead preferring to spend his days at his mother's side, learning to sew and cook and any manner of useful things that only served to piss off his tyrant. As he aged he began to show interest in the art of healing, and though the proposition was met by stony silence by his father his mother encouraged him.

As he approached his late childhood and early teenage years, it seemed likely that he'd take an apprenticeship to one of the local doctors. He was patient and a quick learner, and it seemed that he would have the chance to excel in his chosen field. He took to the man as a sort of replacement father figure over the one that seemed to despise him, and though the healer was a tad on the crazy side life was good. But just as he thought he was getting everything under control, fate seemed to have something else in store for him. It was traditional for he and his mentor to attend hatchings, just in case some candidate or another was injured by a rampaging (or maybe just clumsy) baby dragon. Each year went by rather uneventfully, that was until in his seventeenth year a brilliant amethyst little dragon came charging right at him. And that was that.

His father had no love for dragons, and for a while Raphael feared for what might happen, but his dragon told him straight out that she'd kill any who dared lay a hand on him, and that was that. He moved to the Dragonrider's quarters and, though saying farewell to his mother and former mentor was rough, made an otherwise uneventful transition. His limited skills in healing served him well in those rocky first months of training, and though it was clear from the start he was next to useless in combat he found other ways to be useful. In fact, he showed some impressive skill in wrangling wayward hatchlings, and that combined with his skill in keeping people from bleeding out immediately made him something of a teacher's pet. When Iraleth was more or less grown and it was time to end the lessons he found that he really didn't want to go- that is, until the current head hatchling coordinator offered him a job as an assistant at the age of twenty one.

A few years have passed and he's since taken over the role, serving as a mentor for those with newly hatched dragons and keeping them from being, you know, eaten. There's nothing more rewarding than helping someone find and bond with their dragon soulmate, and he loves the work. He's done okay so far, but then with a new clutch coming in you never know just what might happen.

WRITER