Baylen Muraliyer

Name:	Baylen Muraliyer
Homeworld:	Atu
Bond:	Black-Brown Batwi'Suah
Bonded At:	Shivran Aerd
Species:	Elven
Age:	39
Sex:	Male
Height:	5'10"
Hair:	Auburn, cut short
Skin:	Well-tanned, weathered
Eyes:	Very light brown
Residence:	Hetue
Position:	Priest of the Third Order
Description:	One's first impression of Baylen upon seeing him is one of strength, which is rare for an elf. Though not particularly tall or large of build, he is sturdily made and heavily muscled from constant practice and work. His face is long, square-jawed, with a nose that has been broken at least once, and home to a firm mouth, sharply pointed ears, and eyes of an unusually pale brown. A practical man, he keeps his auburn hair cut short to forestall it doing annoying things like waving, curling, or, worst of all, getting in the way. His clothing style spurns the bright colors of the priesthood, tending more towards dark brown and black when within the city, or sand-brown and dusty blue when out in the desert itself: nothing fancy, everything practical.
Personality:	As with his physical appearance, one's first impression of Baylen's personality is also one of strength, but strength tempered by compassion and understanding. He is calm and friendly, very free with bestowing quiet smiles, but he has a core of determination and strength, and several handy abilities, that makes him a very competent warrior, despite his aversion to actual killing. Though he is willing to do what is necessary to protect his home from brigands or desert-dwelling creatures, he is more happier dealing the the aftermath of a battle as a healer than actually participating. In any other setting, he probably would have attracted a dragon hatchling for a bond long ago, but in his isolated community, he is simply too strong of will to ever hope for such a thing.
History:	Though a priest, Baylen is a more utilitarian member of the Third Order, which has long since replaced the more standard soldier force of Hetue, incorporating the remnants of professional warriors and indoctrinating them as necessary. Baylen joined separately, due to his particular abilities: strength, moderate speed, cleverness, and an ability to predict what his opponent would do, a practical application of a weak gift for foresight. He also expected to spend a lot of time exercising his other magical talent, healing, in the aftermath of battles. He was not wrong, though lately he has spent more time in battle than in healing, a development he isn't pleased with but has no choice but to accept. Unlike most of his fellows, Baylen has gods different than the so-called deities leading the city of Hetue. Though he publicly acknowledges the dragons as gods, goes through what ritual obeisances he must, and is careful to never blaspheme and get himself imprisoned or worse, Baylen's family has managed to cling to an older, elven, goddess-based faith, of which Baylen considers himself a low-order priest-- a much more meaningful position to him than his place in the dragon-decreed Orders. Because of this, Baylen never actually killed anyone in battle-- wounded and incapacitated, yes, but never killed; and he will gladly heal any who come to him, be they enemy or friend. However, it has also made him fairly unpopular in the more accepted religion of the area, and though there has never been any reason to expell him from the Third Order or even punish him, neither does he get any special benefits, "good" assignments, or invitations to share drinks with compatriots. Honestly, though, he doesn't much mind. The recent choice of the elven lady Sunseri Luluter as the next High Priestess and bond to the Godhead Pasalime was mildly distressful to Baylen, in and of itself, for he saw it as something of a betrayal to his people, a somewhat smaller contingent of Hetue's population. Her change from sweet yet aggressive young woman to adoring dragon-slave was more disturbing, but though he wanted to try speaking to her, to draw out his friend, he really could do nothing, for the High Priestess was allowed only certain associations with others, and certainly not ill-favored oddlings like Baylen. When he was brought before the dragoness Jav and offered a chance to leave Hetue, only to return with new blood and protection for Hetue's "gods", Baylen immediately agreed. He would be the protection for the delicate priestess, her over-zealous lover, and their clever but physically weak diplomat, and possibly be allowed the chance to bond his own "deity". Baylen wasn't entirely certain of the latter, especially if it meant the kind of change for him that he saw in Sunseri, but agreed, anyway, because the journey was endorsed by none other than Sunseri's brother, who hated what his sister had become more than anyone. The small group-- only those four, for none others could be spared-- departed with an odd sense of secrecy about it. Their destination is a city rumored to be in the very sky, the "Star City", and Baylen is quite determined to make sure all of his charges reach there safely.