Yanni

Yanni is an elven-Dragon Rider, living nearly two centuries after the fall of the Old Empire. He is the current leader of the Dragon Riders.

Appearance
Yanni is a tall elf, standing nearly seven foot tall, with long, silver hair, and grey eyes. He has very pale skin for an elf, and wears white robes to compliment the rest of his appearance. He wears a silver Rider's sword on his hip at all times.

Personality
Yanni is a complex person with some rather difficult to understand views. For example, he believes if two people share very different views, its better they go their seperate ways. Despite his seemingly immature, free-spirited and carefree attitude, Yanni, to fit his rank among the Riders, is sage-like and serious when the time calls for it. He has remarkable intuition at seeing the good in others in spite of their actions, though his capacity for forgiving his enemies has occasionally been criticized as excessive; Yanni, for the most part, only fights to win, and spares his enemies after defeating them only for them to attack him when his back is turned. His staggering power is simultaneously reigned in and enhanced by his fierce unshakeable conscience and indomidable spirit. His most remarkable ability is his will to succeed, pushing himself beyond his limitations, and never giving up even when the odds are stacked against him. When someone close to him is in danger, Yanni has no qualms about putting himself at risk to save them, if necessary, as seen when he prioritized the safety of Ryan and his group first, over confronting Kamui head-on when his group confronted his entourage.

He is very proud of his own power, but unlike his father, Datara, he seemingly possesses no physical signs of arrogance or overconfidence. Yanni is also one of the most proficient combatants in Alagaësia, and maintains a level of honor and integrity when engaging in battle. He refuses to fight in the presence of a child or even with a child. Nonetheless, he was seen to be quite respectful, particularly to the fallen and the dead. Perhaps as a consequence of his old age, Yanni seems to enjoy sitting down and taking his time with things, especially when telling stories. As a warrior of great strength, Yanni believed firmly in that the way of the Rider is resolute acceptance of death. He also believed that one can only be strong when one has someone they wish to protect, and that any power gained through other motives are meer trivial increases. True strength comes from inside, which was the way he abided by all his life.

Background
Yanni was born nearly two hundred years prior to the present day, in the elven village of Kirtan, the son of the king of the elves, Datara. When he was around five years of age, he was presented with a dragon egg to see if it would hatch for him. The white egg indeed hatched, producing a small white dragon. Immediately, Yanni was marked with the gedwëy ignasia, making him a member of the new order of Dragon Riders, which, at the time, was still in its infancy.

Yanni was an extremely talented apprentice, and quickly ascended through the ranks of the Riders. At some point, he named his dragon, with the dragon's consent, Ilúvatar. He and Ilúvatar became a well known Rider-dragon pair in the order; known for their ferocity and determination above all other traits.

Centuries passed, and by this time, Yanni and Ilúvatar had become Elders in the order and trained many new Dragon Riders and their dragons. It was around this time that, the re-founder of the Riders and its current Head Dragon Rider, died and Yanni himself was propelled into the leadership.

Powers & Abilities
Magical Mastery: As the leader of the Riders and an elf, Yanni is unquestionably one of the most profound users of magic in Alagaësia. He is one of the few people who is said to know every word in the Ancient Language, though he doesn't know the name of the language itself. He also has profound levels of magical energy at his disposal, making him capable of casting spells that most Rider's would need outside assistance in preforming. Yanni is capable of casting magic wordlessly, a trait few magicians can do successfully.

Master Swordsmanship Specialist: Yanni is especially skilled in the use of a sword, capable of defeating and disarming even the greatest of foes with his weapon. He is capable of using his speed combined with his magical prowess for flawless precision and to inflict lethal attacks without much effort. Yanni prefers to wield his sword with his right hand, leaving the other hand free though it usually remains hanging. He is quite adept at blocking while his offense is capable of great precision. He was able to fend off Ryan for very long amounts without having to rely on Ilúvatar's assistance. Yanni's fighting style also involves evasion and attacking an opponent either in the front or back using the element of surprise to overwhelm them.

Enhanced Strength: Perhaps due to years of combat experience and time on the battlefield as well as being an elf, Yanni has a very large degree of physical strength, most commonly displayed by his ability to fight back his opponent's attacks with a single arm. Repeatedly, he has shown clear evidenced of his strength from acts like kicking Hikaru through a building and slamming Ryan over his shoulder with one hand in their battle, as well as when he grabbed Ryan's sword barehanded and reeled both him and the sword in for an attack. His great strength is shown during his fights with Ryan holding off bladed attacks by force alone. He had dispatched two of his opponents with presumably little effort.

Rider Sword
Brunhvitr (White-browed in the Ancient Language) is the name of Yanni's Rider sword. Like all Rider swords, it takes the color of his dragon, Ilúvatar's, scales; white. It also possesses a black gem in its guard from which Yanni can store magical energy should the need ever arise. Its guard takes the form of several black spikes pointing back at him.

Trivia

 * Yanni's character is based on the character "Seireitou Kawahiru" from the author's Bleach fanfiction, which he co-authors with the character's creator.