30 Days of Writing Thingy: Day 28
Have you ever written a character with physical or mental disabilities?
He's only shown up in a few scenes and one meta-fiction because he's shy, but there is a story planned for the elven Commander Nicanion Tuvendi (Nico to his friends). I'm in the mood to tell a story rather than work on my descriptive exercise, so let me tell you about him:
Nico is the middle child (third of five) of Jarl Ricardion Tuvendi. The Tuvendis are down at the bottom of the nobility pecking order since their fame comes from their skills as gardeners rather than magic or battle or making money. Way back when the first Jarl earned his title by developing a line of blue roses*. The roses are still wildly popular several centuries later and very expensive. At the time of my tale the Tuvendis don't even sell them anymore, they give them away to people they think deserve them, which of course makes them even more desirable.
As minor nobles, most of the Tuvendi children go into business rather than study magic or war or lead the dissipated life of the leisured class. The oldest daughter, Lessandra, is the Head Gardener in charge of the family gardens (including the famous Blue Rose Garden). Truvio, the oldest son is the Jarl's heir and spends his days helping run the estate. The youngest two, Marato and Nessalanta, both became lawyers. And then there's Nico.
Remember what I said about the Tuvendis not being into war? I lied. Nico joined the army. Did pretty well for himself, too. He rose through the ranks until he became a Field Commander in charge of guarding the Bergstad portion of the Thornland/Kardansk border. He stayed there for fifty years until the accident.
A group of outlaws had been going on a rape-and-pillage spree across several villages. They were seen heading towards the southern border, so Nico's unit was told that it would be nice if someone shot them before they went to Kardansk. The soldiers caught most of them when they decided to have one last spree but one got hold of a wagon and took off. Nico chased after him and got onto the wagon. A fight ensued which ended when the outlaw cut the harness and the wagon went off a cliff. It smashed against a boulder, killing the man and shattering Nico's left leg and hip.
Nico was rescued by one of his medics, an elf named Marcion. He set his commander's leg the best he could and transported him back to the main Healer's Hall in Bskrevstad. The healers used an experimental treatment to save his leg by using tourmaline to put the shattered leg bone back together**. It worked, but they weren't sure if Nico would ever walk again because of the damage to his hip. Nico was absolutely bound and determined that he would because he didn't want to be stuck in a chair for the rest of his life. And he did, with Marcion's help.
Brief aside: Marci actually left the army and became Nico's personal nurse until Nico was well enough that he didn't need constant care. He went into private practice, but he'll still come by to check on Nico occasionally. They'll be close friends for the rest of their lives.
Anyway, back to Nico. He can walk now-slowly and only with a cane. This bothered him for a long time, but he's gotten used to it. He hasn't gotten used to the constant pain in his hip, so he's also a notorious grouch. Not so much since he got married, but whenever the humidity changes or he's confined inside due to ice outside most people stay out of his way. Except for Marci and Tofer, Nico's husband, who tell him to shut the hell up and give him a dose of willow bark or poppy juice before getting out of his way.
Another brief aside: Nico hates poppy juice because it gives him nightmares. He'll lie about how bad the pain is so he doesn't have to take it. This works with Tofer but not with Marci who's been trained to see through that kind of nonsense.
So there you have it: my "disabled" character. Honestly the leg doesn't bother him as much as the fact that he's gone nearsighted and has to wear spectacles. Canes can be fashionably designed, but he thinks the eyewear makes him look old. He's a bit vain, our Nico.
*I came up with the blue roses before this picture was posted. When I saw it, I squealed like a little girl and saved it to my pictures file. That is exactly the color I was thinking of, the same blue as the sky at equinox.
**This is the case that gave Marc the idea to start his own experiments with using charged stones to treat chronic diseases. When he met Nico years later he decided to see if there was a way to treat chronic pain that way as well. I'll let you know how that works when I know.
He's only shown up in a few scenes and one meta-fiction because he's shy, but there is a story planned for the elven Commander Nicanion Tuvendi (Nico to his friends). I'm in the mood to tell a story rather than work on my descriptive exercise, so let me tell you about him:
Nico is the middle child (third of five) of Jarl Ricardion Tuvendi. The Tuvendis are down at the bottom of the nobility pecking order since their fame comes from their skills as gardeners rather than magic or battle or making money. Way back when the first Jarl earned his title by developing a line of blue roses*. The roses are still wildly popular several centuries later and very expensive. At the time of my tale the Tuvendis don't even sell them anymore, they give them away to people they think deserve them, which of course makes them even more desirable.
As minor nobles, most of the Tuvendi children go into business rather than study magic or war or lead the dissipated life of the leisured class. The oldest daughter, Lessandra, is the Head Gardener in charge of the family gardens (including the famous Blue Rose Garden). Truvio, the oldest son is the Jarl's heir and spends his days helping run the estate. The youngest two, Marato and Nessalanta, both became lawyers. And then there's Nico.
Remember what I said about the Tuvendis not being into war? I lied. Nico joined the army. Did pretty well for himself, too. He rose through the ranks until he became a Field Commander in charge of guarding the Bergstad portion of the Thornland/Kardansk border. He stayed there for fifty years until the accident.
A group of outlaws had been going on a rape-and-pillage spree across several villages. They were seen heading towards the southern border, so Nico's unit was told that it would be nice if someone shot them before they went to Kardansk. The soldiers caught most of them when they decided to have one last spree but one got hold of a wagon and took off. Nico chased after him and got onto the wagon. A fight ensued which ended when the outlaw cut the harness and the wagon went off a cliff. It smashed against a boulder, killing the man and shattering Nico's left leg and hip.
Nico was rescued by one of his medics, an elf named Marcion. He set his commander's leg the best he could and transported him back to the main Healer's Hall in Bskrevstad. The healers used an experimental treatment to save his leg by using tourmaline to put the shattered leg bone back together**. It worked, but they weren't sure if Nico would ever walk again because of the damage to his hip. Nico was absolutely bound and determined that he would because he didn't want to be stuck in a chair for the rest of his life. And he did, with Marcion's help.
Brief aside: Marci actually left the army and became Nico's personal nurse until Nico was well enough that he didn't need constant care. He went into private practice, but he'll still come by to check on Nico occasionally. They'll be close friends for the rest of their lives.
Anyway, back to Nico. He can walk now-slowly and only with a cane. This bothered him for a long time, but he's gotten used to it. He hasn't gotten used to the constant pain in his hip, so he's also a notorious grouch. Not so much since he got married, but whenever the humidity changes or he's confined inside due to ice outside most people stay out of his way. Except for Marci and Tofer, Nico's husband, who tell him to shut the hell up and give him a dose of willow bark or poppy juice before getting out of his way.
Another brief aside: Nico hates poppy juice because it gives him nightmares. He'll lie about how bad the pain is so he doesn't have to take it. This works with Tofer but not with Marci who's been trained to see through that kind of nonsense.
So there you have it: my "disabled" character. Honestly the leg doesn't bother him as much as the fact that he's gone nearsighted and has to wear spectacles. Canes can be fashionably designed, but he thinks the eyewear makes him look old. He's a bit vain, our Nico.
*I came up with the blue roses before this picture was posted. When I saw it, I squealed like a little girl and saved it to my pictures file. That is exactly the color I was thinking of, the same blue as the sky at equinox.
**This is the case that gave Marc the idea to start his own experiments with using charged stones to treat chronic diseases. When he met Nico years later he decided to see if there was a way to treat chronic pain that way as well. I'll let you know how that works when I know.