Profile of Cian

Painted by nature in shades of flame and ember, his dense coat is a swirl of reddish colors and ivory passed down from his mother. At one year old, Cian is still growing into his enormous size, an inheritance from his father's lineage. His limbs are long and lanky, and his paws are oversized and massive, giving the youth a slightly awkward appearance, but his bulk and his muscle will continue to build. As an adult, he will be of intimidating size and weight. His fur is often unkempt -- not filthy, but also not exactly neat and tidy. His form is not yet marked by the scars of battle.

His watchful eyes are deep pools of fire, a deep orange hue alright with hints of scarlet. Despite his wild appearance, the boy is usually found relatively calm, and though his colors are that of a wildfire, he is more placid than what one would normally imagine for a soldier in the king's army. His expression is usually one of quiet observance and curiosity, not unfriendly despite his heritage of warriors.

When his family is present, however, the man is truly alive. His eyes shine brighter when his wife and children are near, and his smile is ever-present. He was born and raised for a life of fighting, but instead became a doting father and a traveler.

Intelligent and eager to learn, Cian's bright and capable mind were that made for a soldier. Despite his training as a child to fight and to dominate, Cian was remarkably gentle, with an unexpected streak of kindness as long as a winding river, and the patience of an elder. Even in his youth, he thoughtful and more empathetic than his father had liked. His mother's loving nature was passed along to her favored child, and in spite of all of Cian's past ambition to be traditional and follow the path expected of him, he has had a genuinely loving heart that he once nurtured in private.

Cian often struggled to express his own feelings, as doing so was discouraged by one parent, while secretly fostered by another. Thus, he has difficulty opening up to others about his emotions. All of this changed when he met Fern Eithne, a girl of the Fae Forest. Her beliefs were opposite to what he had been taught in every way: where he had been taught war, she had been raised to create peace. Where his family had been traditional, hers was free-spirited and open. When Cian finally followed his heart to the Eithne clan, he began to embrace his loving, affectionate side that had been discouraged.

When Cian became a young father, he embraced the role with enthusiasm and pride. His children are his joy, and he would do anything to protect them and his now-wife, Clover. Watching his son and daughters grow up carefree and adventurous has been healing for his own heart, which was never allowed a proper childhood.

Cian (key-in)
“ancient” - “enduring”
The fiery brute was born last in a trio of boys to Cathal of the Mainlands and his wife, Imogen the Highlander, along with barely-older brothers Niall and Aodhan. Father was years older than Mother, though Cian would not learn the true origins of his family in his childhood - and perhaps he never will.

The boys were encouraged to play rough or not play at all. Injuries were routine and handled with callousness. Even more serious wounds were dismissed, and scars were considered a badge of honor.

No crying. Be tough. Be the best. And being the best meant being the most wild, the most aggressive, the most confident. Whoever won a match was his favored child. But Cian was his mother’s favorite son, though the woman would strive to hide her preference from her husband, who would undoubtedly punish them both.

Cian spent his first year training to carry on the family legacy, though he followed the warrior's path with less fervor than his siblings. Any lack of interest was punished severely, and no questions were to be asked. This was simply what happened, and as soon as he was old enough, Cian was sent to fill the ranks of the Royalist army. It was his destiny.


Eamonn (ay-mun)
“keeper of riches” - “wealthy protector”
It is Cian's family name that has dictated his trajectory thus far. Father Cathal was a soldier born to a soldier, as his father before him. War was in their blood. Generation after generation of Eamonn progeny were trained from an early age to fight, to be a useful part of a functioning army, despite who the king was. They had a sworn duty.

Cathal had indeed been married previously -- to several different women, though never at the same time. It seemed each union was cursed, with three wives meeting grim early deaths. The brute became obsessed with siring offspring, even visiting brothels in an attempt to spread his seed. Even this seemed to fail, leaving Cathal fully convinced that a curse was real. But how did he change the course of his legacy?

He would find success in his fourth wife, Imogen, who was many years his junior. She was the daughter of a Highlander peasant whose addiction to ale had ruined their family and brought disgrace and shame. Many had shunned Imogen along with her father, but she was beautiful and full of life.

Despite her youth, being four years younger than Cathal and newly an adult, Imogen recognized that being the wife of an army guard would be a safer and more fulfilling venture than caring for her aging and ailing father. But the life of an army wife proved stressful and daunting to the innocent fae, and the two could never see eye to eye about subjects of war and necessity.

Imogen was both excited and frightened when she became pregnant. Cian and his brothers were the result, and to Imogen's dismay, their training began as soon as they could walk.

The boys were rambunctious, and their energy was funneled into work. Cathal wanted sons worthy of his lineage, and while two of the boys took after their sire, the youngest, Cian, was the spitting image of his mother's Highlander roots. Perhaps for this reason, Father was particularly hard on Cian, quick to correct and insistent upon loyalty to their king. It was only through stories told by his mother than Cian learned of his wilder heritage, and despite Father's intentions, Cian was curious.


Eithne (en-yah)
“Eden”
At one year old, Cian was sent to the Army Barracks. But here, the youth felt out of place, and he failed to connect with many of his fellow soldiers. It was during this time of transition that Cian met Clover Eithne, a carefree girl from the Highlands. Instantly, he was smitten, admiring her relaxed attitude and adventurous spirit. The two would find each other at random times, but Cian's sense of duty outweighed his desire to live a similarly free existence.

Life changed with the coming of a summer's heatwave and drought. Cian began to doubt his Royalist inclinations when it became clear the king had no real solutions. As summer dwindled but the drought remained, the disaster took the life of the elder Eamonn, as Cian would learn of his father's fate.

On the precipice of adulthood, Cian slipped away from his delegated duties and traveled north to the Highlands to reconnect with his other side, his maternal lineage, for if being a Mainlander had not been right for him, then perhaps his fate lie elsewhere.

Could it be anything but kismet that led him to the mountains, where he would find Clover once more? This time, Cian would not let his upbringing cloud his future. Now, his path would be one of his own choosing, and he determined his journey would be at the side of Clover Eithne. The young pair traveled together, and as time progressed, the former Mainlander grew into an affectionate, adventurous adult. With great intention, Cian had become all of the things his father had despised. Life was meant to be lived, and love conquered all.

Fatherhood was not far behind being fully grown, as he and Clover had conceived their first litter accidentally when they were still adolescents. Though it was a frightening prospect at first, the two became adoring parents to two pups, who they called Summit (a son) and Journey (a daughter). Their family soon expanded by one more darling daughter when an infant needing maternal care was discovered in a blanket of ferns, thus earning the name Fern.

The children grew quickly, but the family remained closely connected. But forces beyond their control threatened their happiness and stability - war was coming to Rionnach, a war that Cian had been bred to fight in. Cian and Clover would do their best to keep the bloody reality of warfare far away, especially as the seasons passed.

Cian and Clover were married on the beach of Aberdeen on the first day of winter 1709, and Cian officially took his wife's family name, abandoning the clan of his brutal father for good. Their second litter was born two months later, all girls: Daisy, Piper, and Soraya. Tragedy soon followed when Daisy disappeared without a trace when she was still a toddler. The family searched in vain for their missing daughter...
[WIP]