Kallis

Kallis can be a very hard, cold man at times. He has no use for sentimentality, romantic love, or even (so the rumors say) humanity, and if he catches someone goofing off while on duty, the guilty party can expect extra work and punishment duty. On the other hand, he will do everything in his power to keep his own men (and women) healthy and happy, and prefers to lead by deed, not just words.

When he's off duty and around people he trusts and cares for, Kallis unbends and becomes more than just a cold, tactically oriented mind. Many people are surprised to realize that he has a wicked sense of humor, that he loves his bond with a fierceness that few can match, and that he enjoys, of all things, cooking as a hobby. In fact, he went through the trouble of having a small kitchen installed in his set of rooms.

Son of a general, Kallis was trained from the moment he could walk to handle a sword, think tactically, and otherwise be a 'good son' to follow in his father's footsteps. At sixteen he joined his country's military, and by the time he was twenty, he had risen swiftly through the ranks to the position of Captain.

It was when he was out on campaign when he was twenty-two that the unthinkable happened. A dragon descended upon his company and demanded that he and several others (specifically, Rakelo, Ketas, and Lin) in his command immediately come with him to bond. While dragons were known (barely) to his people, there was no way he would abandon his company at the say-so of someone not in his chain of command.

Much to the Rider's disgust, Kallis sent Lin back to headquarters (on horseback, at that!) and refused to cooperate with the dragon and Rider until he received orders. Nearly a week later (a week in which Kallis continued his work, and the rider disappeared, came back, fumed at him, left again, came back, fumed even more, and so on), Lin returned with another Captain, another two Lieutenants, and another scout. Orders from on high were that the four chosen were considered relieved of active duty and under orders to cooperate with the Rider.

Kallis was furious. Dragons might be known to his people, but no Rider could be part of the military - the massive creatures made the horses (and the people, though few would admit it) nervous, and a Rider's focus was considered compromised by the bond itself. In short - a Rider was incapable of doing anything but working with other Riders.

But, furious as he was, he couldn't help but care for (and eventually come to truly, deeply love) the ungainly hatchling that eventually came to sit at his feet. But, taken with his bond or not, he refused to elide his name, no matter what others tried to say.

Kallis was still at a loss as to what to do, though, until Rasha approached him and the other three from his Company about joining a slowly growing Clan. More importantly, she pointed out, the Clan had no true warriors in it, though she and a few others were calling themselves Protectors and were learning how to defend the Clan proper.

Kallis accepted the offer. When he found out that everyone in the Clan had nicknames, he winced a little inside, but upon learning that the nicknames were rarely cutesy or derogatory, he accepted it with slightly better grace. He's still a bit slow to answer to "Warblade", but he's getting better.