I'm glad to see this thread back, some stunning and amazing work in here. I had posted this one before the big crash, so it probably got lost in the shuffle, so I'll go ahead and put it in here:
-----
Shaladin
The rough blindfold wrapped around the old man’s eyes (55 years old or so) are what most notice at first. He is of average height with a wiry frame, and time has brought no stoop or slouch to his shoulders. His body language is one of tension and control, like a tightly wound metal cord. Shaladin’s face, once handsome and noble (in his youth, he looked like Armand in the movie version of Interview with the Vampire), is now hardened with the passing of the years. His features stand in contrast with others his age from this desert land though, he has none of the wrinkles and roughness they develop. He shaves his head daily and covers himself in a draping aba (desert robes) that was once of the highest quality, but are now worn and slightly torn. His arms are tattoo-scarred with strange runes, raised up in a morbid relief. In his hand, the old man holds a long thin staff made of the weathered bone of some ancient and unknown creature. Lastly, the observant will notice the somewhat hidden monstrous desert-spider (18” across or so) hanging from the many folds of the aba. Both the spider and Shaladin seem comfortable with each other. (This familiar, a tiny spider, will often touch the earth with it’s two front appendages while it hangs from the aba to assist with it’s tremorsense ability).
-----
I'd love for anyone to give Shaladin a try, it would be great to see him beyond my mind's eye

. Thanks guys, anything would be tremendously appreciated!
—Arravis