Reply With QuoteName: Tancred Santoro
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 38
Appearance:
At this point in his life, Tancred is 185 centimetres tall, and weighs in at 95 kilograms without his armour, and most of that weight is muscle, which he packed on and then toned over the course of many battles. His lightly-tanned body is covered in scars, a long list of small miscalculations. Along with the scars, much of him is tattooed in dark blue ink. Starting at the top of his head and wrapping down his chest to his legs, much of him is coated in lines of scripture, detailing every letter written in the codex of his order. His heavy, angular, and somewhat gaunt features are contrasted by his bright, vitality-filled amber-gold eyes, and topped by his hairless head. His close-cropped beard, however, reveals that his hair would be a very dark brown, were it to be allowed to grow in.
Background:
Tancred was born in Har'teth, A monastery hidden deep in a mountain pass, far away from prying eyes. There he was trained, from the moment he could walk, to fight the witch and the daemon, the heretic, and the monster. There he also learned the worship of Zarus, god of humanity, perfection, and domination. He remained under the care of the monastery's knights for many years, until they did what they do with all of their trainees. The then-knight-errant was told to seek out an artefact. Some legendary item that might aid him in his desire to destroy the enemies of man. And it was on this quest where he discovered his signature weapon, the Blessed Maul of Kord. The weapon had been captured by a large band of Orcs, who had begun to worship the thing. Seeing the power it had, the knight proved himself to Kord, vanquishing the Orcs and gaining the right to bear his weapon. Upon returning to the monastery with this mighty weapon, Tancred was made a full member of the order. Here was named Knight, Witch Hunter, and Cleric of both Kord and Zarus.
He was then given the blessed, red and gold Gothic plate armour and surcoat of the order, gifted a horse, and told to go out into the world and serve as a champion of humanity. In his arrogance, the warrior took on a Daemon Prince alone, and was defeated, though the beast had a cruel sense of humour, and it left the man alive to return to his home in failure. There, Tancred was stripped of his armour and ordered back out into the world. He was to retrieve his hammer, as well as a second artefact, or die in the attempt. This quest took many years to finish, but he managed it. Seeking out lesser lords of other races, the disgraced knight challenged and slew them, and took their badges of office. Having retrieved the crowns of an Elf, a Dwarf, and an Orc, each more arrogant than the last, and all less skilled than the knight, he traded the crowns to his Grand-Master for a Lance of Zarus, which he used to subjugate the Daemon Prince who had taken his hammer. With the daemon under his control, and his rank re-instated, the mighty warrior locked the Daemon Prince within the hammer and the lance, and he carries both with him, always, along with the flammenschwert that he had wielded while disgraced. Once more he became an arrogant warrior, but this time he was tempered by his experience, and he continued his duties to the world, destroying and subjugating all that he could that was not human. And then word came from the monastery that there would be a contest soon. Tancred was selected, and he was one of the first into Aelhurst, eager to slaughter the inferior races that would be attending...
Personality:
Tancred is considered haughty and arrogant by most, though he always acts honourably, especially when in the company of fellow humans. People of other races often find themselves on the wrong side of the knight's temper no matter what they might do, and he has only rarely shown mercy to such people. The witch hunter flat out refuses to compromise his beliefs, and will die before he lets anyone who is not human gain much of anything.
Occupation: Knight of the Order of the Scions Zarus, Witch Hunter, Cleric of Zarus and Kord
Power/Weapon:
The Maul of Kord: a massive hammer with a white marble, lozenge-shaped head, marbled with deep crimson veins, and engraved with a prayer to Kord. The haft is carved of hornbeam and it also is adorned with prayers to Kord. The handle itself is wrapped in wire and leather to give it a better gripping surface. It contains one half of the Daemon Prince that originally stole the hammer, and is capable of rendering low-level spells harmless, though it can only manage a few each day. Because of its inhabitant, the maul is also capable of feeding off of Tancred's hate, becoming lighter and easier to wield as it draws more power. This also helps to balance the knight, as it depletes his emotions.
The Lance of Zarus: A ten-foot spear tipped with a wicked silver spike on each end. There is a cross-guard about a foot down the shaft from the main spike and this is also sharp on both ends. The shaft is also carved of hornbeam, but it is unadorned. It contains the other half of the Daemon Prince and can banish all lesser Daemonic Beings withing a six metre radius once per day. Housing the other half of the Daemon, this lance can also feed on the hatred of its wielder, becoming easier to manage as it draws on the wrathful emotions of those nearby. However, this will not deplete an emotional reserve, as Zarus has blessed it to be used against those who are not human, and they must be hated with all of one's might.
A generic Flammenschwert: Tancred carries the weapon he bore while disgraced with him, to remind him of his failings. It keeps his arrogance in check, reminding him that some fights require more than brawn, faith, and constitution. It is two metres long, from pommel to tip, and weighs in at three and a half kilos. It will very occasionally manifest magical abilities, but only when Tancred's hatred is at its peak. At this point the sword gains a mind of its own, manifesting a hate-fueled aura that it feels is appropriate.
Weakness: high-level magic, as well as ranged attacks. Crossbows are particularly unpleasant.
Dislikes/Fears:* He hates all other races with a passion. All of his being is regularly devoted to hating those who are not human. He fears only his own imperfection, and ignominious death.
Wish: Tancred wishes to see the human race united and perfected and in control of the world, with all others subjugated or dead.
Other:
Tancred's horse, Praetorian, is a massive destrier, and a prime example of the perfect war horse. The big bay horse is trained not only as a steed, but to fight on its own, and is perfectly capable of defeating other beings of lesser skill. Usually, though, Praetorian is content to use his abilities to work with his knight, rather than risking them working separately. And while not the smartest horse, he take direction well, and is not an animal to be trifled with...
Tancred's armour is not only blessed by both Zarus and Kord, it is also engraved with runes that aid him in battle. Within two metres of him, all spells cast being losing power, and within one metre, they lose a full level of power, reducing the effectiveness of any kind of magic. The energy that might otherwise have gone to the spell is instead converted into hate and used to fuel Tancred's emotions, allowing his weapons to soak up more power from their wielder. As well, creatures that are magical in nature will find their concentration disrupted once they enter the two metre radius, and as they get closer, their ability to focus is disrupted more and more. This ability requires more passionate loathing from the wearer, however.
Obviously he doesn't play very well with others, but I've found that if I sit him down and we have a good talk, he can be convinced to do a fair bit. If you need something from Tancred, feel free to pm me and we'll talk... And his theme is Siegreicher Marsch by Amon Amarth
Originally Posted by Dlayeth
