Persona Profile: Eyla

Writer: Iluva

Name: Eyla
Pronunciation: Eh - lah
Age: 56
Birthday: m6 d20
Rank: Weyrdragonhealer
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Craft: Dragonhealer
Craft Rank: Master
Speciality: Diagnostics

Physical Description of Persona:
Eyla has always taken great pride in her appearance, but it’s a form of self-respect rather than an attempt to project a particular image or garner attention, and her fair skin sports fewer wrinkles and scars over the Turns than one would expect of someone her age or the stressful demands of her lifestyle. That said, even with well-tailored clothing and an expressive, put together visage, she’s aware of the passage of time, the toll her work takes on the body, and she’s determined to make the most of it while she’s able.

Once a lustrous ebony black that bordered on blue in certain lights, Eyla wears her hair in silvery sheets carrying well past her waist and still maintains as many intricate styles as her youth. However grey is the dominant color now, weaving unchecked through thick, silky strands without any hope of stopping. It’s still quite wavy when loose, though the majority of the time it is arranged away from her face and hands to allow for ruthless speed and tight-handed efficiency. It is lighter and greyer than she would honestly prefer, though it does showcase her keen hazel eyes better than the black ever did. Eyla likes to accent her long dark lashes with kohl and various cosmetics whenever time allows, especially on special occasions like Gathers and Hatchings. Her fine dark eyebrows are quick to lift, furrow, arch with explicit intent, reflecting the intensity of her mood.

She’s not particularly tall, in fact barely skimming 5’2”, and decades of dragonriding have kept her fit, lean, strong, radiating with self-confidence. Pregnancies and age have packed more curves onto an already voluptuous figure, and although hers is a mostly poised and put-together presence, her core strength is undisputed, and she shows no signs of weakening well into her sixth decade.

Emotional Description of Persona:
Eyla is warm, and unquestionably precise.

For the most part mellow and steady, a rock in a raging storm, there’s a certain hardness and an affinity for efficiency embedded in her character that never fails to shine through. She is picky and particular in both her personal and professional lives - blunt, but not unkind. It’s not that she is difficult to get along with, but rather she’s a woman of pride, not pretense, and doesn’t care for those who deal more in the latter. Beneath her understanding of life’s chaos lies a strong preference for neatness and order, and that tends to carry over to her time spent in the infirmary. Part clinical detachment, part honest evaluation, Eyla also tends to have more patience for her dragonic patients than their riders and doesn’t tolerate excuses when it comes to matters of their health and recovery. Her passion and devotion are as obvious as the grey in her hair these days. She has great respect for the power and potential of their love, treasuring her bond with Thakkorth and channelling a lot of it and herself into her work, often at the expense of her own love life.

Eyla prefers to let actions speak for themselves, and as a steadfast observer you can be sure she’s judging you by yours. That said, when someone speaks, she listens. The only way to move forward is together, after all. She’s willing to admit when she’s wrong, fully expecting the same accountability and humility in return, and doesn't suffer those who are unwilling to put in the work or communicate in honest terms, if she can help it. Her mostly calm demeanor anchors her evenly in the space between emotion and logic, but she's known to be quite the control freak when properly stressed.

All that aside, she's got a funner, looser, softer side. Eyla sees the lightness of life when it pokes through and welcomes any chance to laugh and lighten the load - that kind of interaction is its own medicine. She enjoys a good drink and a sad song after a long day, and when Thakkorth is getting near to rising her warmth starts to spill into more and more of her interactions, a fountain of everything that she quietly keeps inside.

History of Persona:
A Weyrbrat from Thayan Peak, Eyla grew up in the relative peace of the Interval, well protected from the demands and realities of Thread eating its way through the younger generations now.

Her parents were riders as well as practicing healers, and she never thought much about a craft until she was around the age most kids took apprenticeships. Not knowing when or if her dragon would show, at the urging of her parents Eyla reluctantly followed into their world. A craft was better than no craft - at least she would have those vital skills, that foundation to build on -- if and when she wanted. Despite her initial resistance, not wanting to be told what to do or why she should do it, she took to it surprisingly fast, finding the work demanding, yet infinitely rewarding.

She continued her studies even after Impressing at the tender age of 14, and together with Thakkorth she transitioned into dragonhealing in her later teens, driven by the need to deepen her understanding and proficiency in such a vital area of Pernese culture. The world was simpler back then. Prior to the return Thread, Eyla spent a good deal of her time researching and exploring, hunting down as many species of plant as she could get her hands on and getting to know the lay of the land without the pressures or urgency of the Pass hanging over her.

The destruction of Thayan Peak and the re-opening of Windswept Islands Weyr meant she had a new Weyr to call home, and she and Thakkorth settled in well. Eyla never thought of being anywhere but an infirmary if she wasn’t flying in the Wings, and Thakkorth’s calm demeanor became an even greater help with the Pass looming ever closer.

However, as rewarding as the work was, it came hand in hand with unimaginable tragedy. Her father’s blue was eaten by Thread in that first disastrous Turn, and watching him become a shell of the man he once was was more a curse than any kind of mercy or miracle, and eventually he followed his dragon in death. Eyla worried for her children everytime they flew, and her worst nightmare almost came true when her daughter, Jarys, nearly lost her green to Thread in early Turn 10. Even Eyla’s skills weren’t enough to keep Slasikath in fighting condition, and the strain and pain of those irreversible changes caused an intense and unforgiving friction to grow between mother and daughter. Ultimately, Jarys’ green was forced into retirement, and, finding it difficult to adjust, that tension and resentment reached a boiling point, ending with Jarys transferring to Dolphin Cove in late Turn 10, and not a word to her mother since.

Heartbroken and unable to find the path to mending that rift, Eyla threw herself even further into her work, as if in it she would finally find the solution to past mistakes, finally earning her Master's knots the same Turn.

News from Barrier Lake arrived in Turn 12, thawing the silent weight of her despair a little with the opportunity to join another Windswept Island rider, Thiseta, as she became their new Weyrwoman. Although the new Weyrhold had its share of challenges and tragedies already, how could Eyla possibly say no to Thiseta after all the young woman had been through? All that Barrier Lake had endured? How could she turn her back when there was every opportunity to lend a hand, help, and shape (and maybe save) some lives?

To be on that level, to be able to oversee the care of so many…

Well, they transferred the next day and settled in as the new Weyrdragonhealer like they’d always been there, ready to face whatever challenges reared their heads from the moment Thakkorth landed.

Family and Friends
E'lor, 81, Wingrider (father, deceased)
Hanekella, 80, Retired rider (mother)
Jarys, 35, Retired rider (daughter by J'tavis)
Jovys, 31, Wingrider (daughter by J'tavis)
E'maki, 15, Weyrling (grandson)
Aryel, 13, Candidate (granddaughter)

Dragon's Name: Thakkorth
Dragon's Age: 42
Dragon's Hatching Date: m7 d7
Dragon's Colour: Green
Next Mating Flight: m5 d10 of turn 13
Description of Dragon:
Sap green in coloration, Thakkorth is on the larger end of the spectrum for a green, roughly the size of a small blue, and is sturdy in her construction. She’s not completely utilitarian, not without alluring and feminine appeal, but it is as subtle and soft as her mindvoice, her curves far more understated than her rider’s. Still as spry as a summer Weyrling, her hide is unfortunately riddled with minor Threadscore scars across her flanks, her spine, her neck, and as a result the secret of her age is now rather poorly kept.

Gentle without being timid, determined without being dogged, Thakkorth is like a summer breeze. Her touch is light, but with the potential to turn blustery and powerful on a wingtip. She has no problems telling others where to go, and no problems helping them get there. She has a distinctly caring attitude toward everyone, even when she's due to Rise, and although not overly flirtatious, she is not immune to a little flattery. She tends to be a little bashful, actually -- like she’s not quite sure what to do with it, and like her rider often gravitates to the demands of work more than the nebulous world of socialization. Thakkorth is a frank, if tactful dragon, defying most of the stereotypes of the haughty or flighty female. Instead she embodies a distinct calming energy, a constance that makes her invaluable both in and out of the infirmary.

Pets

Aconite, Blue Firelizard: aged 28, hatched m10 d14
A large lizard who thinks his mottled lapis lazuli hide is quite eye-catching, in reality Aconite's pretty dull, more like a weathered pebble near the shore than some marvelous precious jewel. Eyla tells him he's handsome anyway, and he's more than fine living with the delusion.

Aconite struggles to take rejection seriously. He honestly believes everyone adores him, and being a well-trained and good-natured boy, he can't see any reason why they wouldn't. He might not be particularly smart, but he is steadfast company. Greens are his favorite (and least testy) companions and he's always doting or bringing them things, snuggling up with any who let him. He'd dote on golds, too, if they'd allow it, though he's sure it's only a matter of time before his charms win their favor.

Approved: May 25th 2025
Last updated: June 1st 2025

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Persona Profile: Eyla

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