Oliander Kridleysson is a human Rider, the son of Kridley and Himnia, and the Rider of Lidiana, a beautiful orange dragon with ice blue eyes. His name was a mixture of Oliver and Andrew, who were ancestors of his, and many mistake his name for the plant Nerium oleander, which is his favorite flower.
Backstory
Oliander was raised in Belatona with his parents, under the oppression of the Empire until Galbatorix was killed. A few months after Eragon left Alagaësia to bring back the Riders, Surda was given the land promised to King Orrin by Queen Nasuada, including Belatona. Enraged that Surda was now in control of Belatona, Oliander fled the city and began roaming the new Broddring Empire.
In time he made his way Ilirea, where he was discovered by some of Queen Nasuada's guards when he tried to steal food from a market close to the palace. When Queen Nasuada learned of his presence, she gave him food and a place to stay in the palace. A few months later, he learned of how the Riders were being brought back and arranged with Nasuada to leave for Fells abr Shur'tugalar and see if a dragon would hatch for him.
A week after he arrived, everybody who didn't have a dragon was told to line up in front of a large table covered with eggs. They were asked by Eragon and the other teachers to go to the egg that caught their attention and place their hand on it. Oliander went to an orange egg webbed with white, and several minutes after he put his hand on it, it broke open and Lidiana hatched, giving him his Gedwëy Ignasia on his left hand.
Appearance
Oliander has medium-length, messy brown hair and brown eyes that look like chocolate. He has a sharp nose and chin, and slight shadows under his eyes. His left ear has a slight point to it for reasons unknown. He has a small, thin scar next to his right ear from a time a kid in Belatona threw a stick at him and which cut into his temple (the kid got of much worse). He has thin arms and legs and long, slender fingers with semi-long nails. His body is lean as well, and his legs are much longer than his torso. He is very wiry and was known in Belatona for his strength under pressure, which included stabbing people with quills and almost denting skulls.
Personality
Oliander is outgoing and energetic. He's been known for his very short temper and the grudges he holds for months, if not years. However, he's extremely loyal to those he deems worthy of his loyalty and is very kind to those who haven't wronged him. He always tries to get people to laugh, though it usually results in groans from dragons and Riders alike. He has a love for plants, and has made it a hobby to sing plants into shape, and has made very interesting bonsai this way, which he's delivered to Queen Nasuada, his parents, King Orrin, and others as well as placed them around the Fells.
Skills
Oliander is proficient in magic and combat, but is still working on both.
Magic
Oliander has proven that he is very skilled in magic, being able to sing plants into shape with relative ease after two weeks' practice. He is also skilled at shielding his mind from mental attacks, but hasn't done very well in counterattacking and penetrating an opponents mind.
Combat
Oliander is skilled in combat, especially with Spearmanship and Swordsmanship, and has shown development in speed, power, and stamina. He carries a short sword with a blade length of one and one half feet on his belt. It has an orange blade made of brightsteel and is called Bjartblödh, or "bright blood" in the Ancient Language. He's decent in archery and getting better, but lacks the strength to use a mace or axe well in battle.
Relationships
Lidiana
Lidiana is Oliander's dragon and best friend. They are almost always together, unless the situation doesn't allow it. Despit Lidiana's calm demeanor conflicting with Oliander's energetic one, they manage to keep each other in check and get along very well. Neither of them keeps secrets from the other, and even if they could, they wouldn't.