General Traits
--Slippery: While Alotha is loath to admit it, she can’t take a hit as well as the guys in the ring usually can. The only way to really stay in the fight was to avoid the hits until she could land a good one.
----Dodge!: And part of that is being able to react fast enough to avoid the hit and get a counter punch in.
--Charger: Alotha isn’t a ranged fighter. Closing that gap and getting in on someone is part of how she kicks ass.
--Endurance Training: No one is perfect at dodging. If you can’t make it whiff completely, best to be able to take what does hit you.
--Fortitude: Same as above. Only with magic. Yeah.

Unique Traits
--Consistent Punches: Her punches aren’t the fastest. Her punches aren’t the hardest. You know what they are? Reliable. ( Improved Accuracy; Weak Punches do more damage to line them up with stronger ones. )
--Projectile Deflection: Using the smooth strong surface on the backs of her hand and along her wrist and forearm, Alotha may deflect projectiles that are coming her way with her cestuses while she gets close enough to make those ranged attacks useless. She’s able to deflect physical and magical attacks to some degree in this way. ( Able to deflect projectiles to the sides semi-randomly. )
----Projectile Reflection: Instead of just knocking the projectile aside, Alotha may meet it more directly. Usually, punching arrows and bullets still sends them off to the side, and she can’t reflect attacks as fast as she can deflect them. But that fireball? Yeah, she’s going to hit that bitch back at you. ( Able to choose the direction of the projectile’s reflection. )
--Close Quarters Combat: Alotha specialized in not just normal pugilism, but battle against both armed opponents and lizards with natural weapons. She’s become adept at fighting at a close range in general, but knows when to dodge and parry for her own sake against those with weapons. ( Bonus at close range fighting, further bonuses against armed foes. )

General Traits
--Slippery: While Alotha is loath to admit it, she can’t take a hit as well as the guys in the ring usually can. The only way to really stay in the fight was to avoid the hits until she could land a good one.
----Dodge!: And part of that is being able to react fast enough to avoid the hit and get a counter punch in.
--Charger: Alotha isn’t a ranged fighter. Closing that gap and getting in on someone is part of how she kicks ass.
--Endurance Training: No one is perfect at dodging. If you can’t make it whiff completely, best to be able to take what does hit you.
--Adrenaline: Out numbered, and outmatched, Alotha fights stronger than ever.

Unique Traits
--Consistent Punches: Her punches aren’t the fastest. Her punches aren’t the hardest. You know what they are? Reliable. ( Improved Accuracy; Weak Punches do more damage to line them up with stronger ones. )
--Projectile Deflection: Using the smooth strong surface on the backs of her hand and along her wrist and forearm, Alotha may deflect projectiles that are coming her way with her cestuses while she gets close enough to make those ranged attacks useless. She’s able to deflect physical and magical attacks to some degree in this way. ( Able to deflect projectiles to the sides semi-randomly. )
--Close Quarters Combat: Alotha specialized in not just normal pugilism, but battle against both armed opponents and lizards with natural weapons. She’s become adept at fighting at a close range in general, but knows when to dodge and parry for her own sake against those with weapons. ( Bonus at close range fighting, further bonuses against armed foes. )
----Underdog's Victory: Alotha's fought in not exactly fair circumstances, but more than that, she thrives in them, to a point. The more the odds are stacked against her, the harder she'll fight. ( Bonus to combat and survivability when fighting greater odds, be they from numbers, equipment, or skills )

In short, Ynari was born to a travelling group of dwarven traders, where she learned the art of blacksmithing from her father. However, slavers attacked their caravan, and killed or captured most of her family, enslaving and moving them around. She does not know what came of them, although it is very likely they’re all dead. She became a slave as a helper to gladiators under Haidar el-Hashem, who used her skills in magic and smithing to cheat for profit and status, and to fortify his hold against outsiders. Under his ownership, she forgot her real last name, and became Ynari the Nameless as she’d be later known.

When the liberation of the hold occurred, she was found amongst many dead slaves, horribly injured and requiring medical attention. After being liberated, she began to work with the Goblin Holds for some time during their conquests before going off on her own private ventures. She rose to monetary power through a secret method of creating high quality and illustrious steel, both useful in practical applications and ceremonial. With this rise to wealth and prestige, she adopted a new surname becoming Ynari el-Haddad.

Recently she uncovered an ancient tomb that may or may not be religious, hellish, or otherwise. The tomb is within land considered hers, although she permits others to enter for a fee if they do so under close watch. There are rumours that she lusts for more ancient power and secrets, as she continues scouring the desert for more things beneath the sand. However, with fate, destiny, providence, or fortune apparently blessing her rise from being a slave, and her mighty smithing skills, she was chosen to be a member of the Queens’ Blades, supplying them with armours and weapons in return for coin to fund more expeditions around the continent in search for her prize.

Ynari was born with another name, and has changed it multiple times since. Born Yasae Kawru, she lived with her family, travelling smiths and artisans, until she was separated from them. Earning her way through what little she knew of smithing and her skill at forgecraft, she took the name Yasae Ajam for she was a foreigner of the cities. When the holding that she called home came under attack by the Goblin Holds, she took on the name of a recently dead slave, Ynari the Nameless, and used this to keep herself alive when she turned sides to the liberators. Within the Goblin Holds she gained another new surname, el-Haddad, in honour of her great smithing skills that she learned from Jabir al-Ebheredem.

Ynari as a child travelled with her family, beyond just her mother, father, and older brother. There were aunts, uncles, and more cousins than she could count. The caravan included a several wagons and many animals to draw them across the sands, as her kin roamed to sell their goods across the lands. There was a small selection of stone laden carts, that were used as various types of forges for their more lucrative wares. Her father’s, a man named Arun Kawru, was a smithy within he produced great weapons and armours. While her brother was more interested in using the blades and warhammers, Ynari took an interest in the creation aspect of it. She apprenticed under her father when she was still young, at roughly twenty years old, much to her mother’s, a fine weaver named Isra Kawru, annoyance. Isra wanted her daughter to take up her craft and not Arun’s.

She learned for thirteen years under her father, helping him provide arms for others and make money for her kin. Her first weapon made entirely by herself was after a decade under her father’s apprenticeship, and was a mace that would go on to serve her older brother, Mardic Kawru, as one of the defenders of the family’s many caravans. It was thought an impressive piece… for one who was still so new to the craft, and was little compared to the works of her father. However, it was still celebrated for her skills upon the metals they had on hand. In particular, she had learned from her father how to take shoddy materials and still refine them to make higher quality goods. It was far cheaper, although more labour intensive, to make them. However, it had less overhead than attempting to secure high quality material as nomads.

Her thirteenth year of apprenticeship was her last under her father, and her most eventful. For years she had begun to learn how to take the bones of the dead and forge weapons and armours out of those as well, a skill she was able to quickly put to use. It was but twelve days after her thirty and third birthday when their journeys further south had earned their family ill attention, as handfuls of bandit ‘liberators’ attacked their caravan one evening for ‘trading with the slavers’. She was familiar with these sorts, and how they were truly no better than those they opposed. They raped, pillaged, and burned until they were crushed again only to rise months or years later. A terribly dark cycle of the lands. The attack was brutal, but the advance of the banditry was held at bay, and from their corpses she and her father worked to make new supplies, specifically as a sign of defiance against the banditry. They would not falter to their assaults, and their attempts would only strengthen them, and arm them.

However, the message was not well met. A fortnight after their first raid, a great sandstorm rose supernaturally around their caravan, and the clans rode into battle with bloodstained banners with the intent to kill them all, or worse, for their stand against them. Ynari does not know what came of her family during the ensuing battle, the storm served as a means to split them apart, and distract them while they were slaughtered. But, she knows she was able to get out of it alive, and she was armed only with a hammer she had used at the forge. Her father was stronger still, her mother wily, and her brother a fiery warrior. There were many others in the caravan, and there couldn’t have been as many bandits as she recalls. So, to this day, she is unsure of their fate. If they had survived. If they had escaped.

Her time wandering the desert alone was arduous until she did finally stumble upon a small holding. The tall standing sandstone walls first appeared in her worn down mind as just stretching dunes into the horizon. However, when she did find that they were real, she found a small hole in them and crawled into it for a rest. There was still standing water, probably not sanitary, but she was so thirsty that she didn’t mind drinking some of the stagnant fluid before she slept. Her nap was not a long one, as the watch upon the walls had spotted her, and woke her at the point of a blade, thinking her an escaped slave at first. Quickly, however, she lied to them. She told them that she and her family were smiths from another holding, and their home was attacked by bandits. That they were dead and she had been wandering the lands in search of a shelter, and that her slaves had been liberated and turned against her. Such lies they did believe, but that did not necessarily earn their compassion. The bandits had been at their door before, and they gained little for offering this girl kindness, when instead she could be a new, young slave, right?

She tried to fight them, and one of the men at the apparent leader’s side tried to slice into her with his scimitar. However, Ynari stuck her hands out to try to block it from hitting her in the face, and a spark of magic surged from her and into the blade before it could strike her. It rusted and, of all things, fell from its handle to the ground impotently. This certainly caught the attentions of those around her. The leader of the guard around her, a man named Haidar el-Hashem, told them to stay their blades and spoke to Ynari, expressing a new interest in her now that she had demonstrated magic that even she didn’t know she had. He mused out loud that he couldn’t keep one like her in chains, she could rust them away. No, instead, he offered her a deal, one that she couldn’t refuse. Work with him under watch, or die. He didn’t know if she had more magic, but knew she couldn’t do it forever. She knew this too, and accepted his offer, introducing herself as Yasae Ajam when he asked for her name, simply calling herself a foreigner instead of him knowing her true name.

Her duties with Haidar were not so much akin to enslavement after some time, and if it were, it was perhaps the most gilded of cages she had ever seen. Haidar had a gambling addiction, namely linked to gladiatorial and arena combat, an addiction that she would help satisfy. She would go with his entourage as a smith, a seat that she did earn with her skills, and cheat for him. Weaken the arms of the others, and bolster magically those of his own slaves. She would get a cut of the profits, albeit small. It was strange, being under the man’s employ. After years of working with him and getting stronger at her magic, and better at her physical craft, she merged them quite well and resulted in Haidar’s local power rising, specifically when she put her skills to help arm the guard and militia against the bandits. Whether they were the ones who struck her family or not was something she could only wonder. Upon her fortieth birthday, in thanks for her efforts, Haidar offered her a selection of bed slaves of which he had now accrued many, of variety of ages, races, and even genders. You’d think there’d only be two genders in that variety, but you’d be wrong. While they were not her own slaves, she did partake in them, securing her position of power in her own eyes. After all, it was only the powerful that had slaves here, therefore she was powerful to use them, correct?

She would be a friend and confidant of Haidar for sixteen years in total. During these times she would accrue her own powers, although he always made sure to keep her just weaker. She was his mage and a cash fountain, and he couldn’t let her be too well known in that regard. His cheating wouldn’t be well seen. Instead, she was a background figure, holding no official title in the holding, and was seen a slave by many, and even was titled as one despite her pleasant and comfortable accommodations, and her influence. With his favour she was able to go on expeditions for ‘treasure’ and ‘power’ for his holding while she remained under watch of his own troops. In truth these were attempts to find her family again, and in both regards were mostly fruitless save for some small caches of gold found in few caves.

These expeditions were cut short after roughly six years of trying, when more than mere banditry began to organize and rise. Goblins under a powerful mage began to wage wars of liberation, and she was sequestered back to the holding of Haidar to make arms for him and his men, so that they could hold off this stronger invasion after it became clear that stronger holdings still were falling. Ill omens indeed for Haidar, and even for Ynari whom thought that these invaders were just as barbarous as Haidar on a bad day, or worse, responsible for the fate and presumed doom of her family, even if they were a revolution in power thirteen years after she last saw any of her kin.

For three years, the holding was at war with the goblins, and it was through her arms that they fought so well, metal slicing through metal when it shouldn’t be capable of so, pushing back the invaders time and again, until they pulled back for some time to focus on other holdings. Such was a temporary reprieve as when they turned their eyes upon the holding, there was nothing they could do. Her magic was nothing compared to theirs. The siege lasted months before they broke in and began to tear the place apart, freeing slaves and the like. Most slaves and others thought she was a slave too, but there were those that knew she wasn’t. For fear of her life, she had to hide who she was. If they knew, they would kill her. She burned and melted and destroyed any sign of her status however hidden it was. She knew she didn’t get everything, but more so couldn’t, she kept for certain the one memory she truly had attached to her family; the hammer for working heated metals… that, unlike the others, she hid within the some of the empty slave quarters. Later, with knife in hand, she stalked to the cells that held the slaves that knew who she really was. She sent the guards away telling them that they were needed elsewhere… and went in, and killed each slave there before piling their corpses upon each other, disposing of the blade, and in the end tore her clothes asunder and threw herself against the walls and ground to make her look beaten, tearing chunks of her own hair out through tears and screams. She was broken, bloody, beaten, half naked, and truly afraid of her life. Despite this all, she felt she would survive this. She crawled into the corpse pile, and waited.

When the liberators did arrive, and saw the sight, there were few words that they could say. They had already killed most of the slave owners, guards, and warriors there. No one was left alive that they could find who knew who she was, other than knowing her as a slave. The liberators came to her, and liberated. They took this girl, obviously violated and thought dead from the pile, so afraid of everything, and they saved her. How useful it was that she had some skills, apparently enslaved to make things at the forge as a smith, but how horrible they had treated her. No, they’d treat her right. This girl, Ynari, they would treat her right, and they would find her former master, the lord of the holding who had managed to escape.

They tended to her wounds, to her pain, and were far nicer than Ynari was actually expecting. Having been so close to a slave and a slave owner, Ynari didn't have a natural vitriol against slavery as they did, but beyond that they were no worse or better than other people. In her mind, slavery was just a thing, ultimately not good nor evil, it was just a part of life here, not a right, just a symbol of power. But these people, these liberators? They were remarkably good, for invaders. The slaves so freed were genuinely free. They weren’t forced then to join the army, they weren’t forced into work. They were free, and more than that they were helped onto what or where they wanted to go. She was suspicious, didn’t leave when others did. No, she’d stay behind and watch what they would do in their war, and also to regain the hammer from hiding. If they were violent and marauding, she’d take them apart from, the inside if she had to. But, no. They were about as good of people as she had ever seen, second only to her family. Wishful in thinking, but wanting to be sure to remain hidden her true self from them, after some months with them she asked them if they knew of any desert dwarves. She told them that before she was enslaved that she and her family were nomadic traders. Unfortunately, while there were those that could recall the traders from decades ago, they hadn’t seen them in years. They were sorry that they couldn’t help more.

Instead, seeing these people as a force of good if not slightly worse, she took to using her skills to help them after some months. With her aid, however little it was in the end, they secured more and more land, and she was handsomely paid for her help. When things slowed down, she moved into one of the larger holds and made a name for herself for her skills at the forge and anvil. She made more tools for the craftsmen, weapons for the guards, and armours for the nobles of afar, trading with Tuleria some. From there, more and more of the world opened up to her, and yet she remained in the Goblin Holds. They held land that last had her family, and so if they were still surface dwellers then they would likely be there, and if they were dead she could still find and honour them with a proper burial.

Yet, at this point she was not capable of affording such searches for too long. She despite this went on a journey to look for herself, eventually arriving by herself at the shore of the Blood Sea. There she met a man, Jabir al-Ebheredem, who claimed to have been a mighty smith in his youth, but his now wrinkled and old form could hardly lift the hammer necessary to pound metal into shape. The sickly decrepit man pulled at Ynari’s empathy, for she as a smith would hate losing this craft from her father. She told him that she is strong, and that she can still use a hammer as he once could. She offered to to take him back to one of the holdings where he can be well and taken care of. Jabir, however, denied this kindness, saying that he couldn’t leave these shores, he only wished he could again forge upon an anvil as proper.

Ynari felt such sorrow for this man that she returned home to acquire as much of her tools as she could travel with, and visited him again. He was still there, feet in the shallows of the blood as when she first saw him. She set up the anvil, and built a kiln and offered her body as his tool to forge something, refraining from acting in a way against what he said. By his words, she produced first a work of her own, camping out there for weeks as the iron ore became ingots became steel. The bar she produced brought a smile to Jabir’s face, and he offered to teach her one of his own techniques. One of the blood.

The technique of coagulation, charring, burning, and refining were unlike those she had seen before, or nary even thought of before. It wasn’t like she never thought of using the blood before in the process, but this technique was special. It tied into her magic, her Forgecraft just as it did Jabir’s. He was a mage as she was. Through the weeks that followed she practised the technique under his eternally watching eyes. Some part of her was sure this man was not just old, but the way he never stepped from the blood… he was dead.

And when she had finally been able to produce the blood steel on her own, he was gone.

Using the techniques from this, she began to amass some wealth, and make a name for herself, even going so far as to change her name once more, from Ynari the Nameless to Ynari el-Haddad, for she was a talented smith. And with her finances on the rise, she sought out with her own full expeditions to find her family, now fifty and two years old, having been within the Goblin Holds for nearly three years, and it having been now almost twenty years since she last saw any of her family. While she did not know where exactly they were when attacked, she did know where she ended up, and so could corner off where they were likely to have been. Fortunately for her, all the lands that she was to search through were under Goblin Holds, and still a ways from the border with the existing Free Holds.

A full year is invested in combing the desert for any sign of her family, their corpses beneath the sand, or any paths to the Underdark that they may have taken to get away. Her efforts were seemingly for naught, until she did discover, almost half buried beneath the sand what appeared to be a massive door. Far larger than would be necessary for a man, for a giant, or even a full dragon. No, this seemed to be a gate that a legion could march out with banners flying, hundreds by hundreds in blocks moving through. The door was stone, and heavy; it was not perfectly safe from their attempts to mine through, despite the strange ancient and eldritch runes that adorned it. Perhaps there was some connection between this door and the recently banished gods? Or perhaps it was more likened to the hells below.

Was it Destiny, Fate, Providence, or simply chance that she found it, and got within? She doesn’t know who could say for certain, but she did know that as soon as the wall was breached that the servants she had hired to help her get in were not to be the ones to go in. She swore she could feel a call from within, and so she descended a precariously hung ladder down deep into the chamber. With her torch she lit a contraption upon the wall that set the flames spiralling across the walls, lighting the massive stone chamber she found herself in.

She does not know what the name of the chamber is, but to her it became the Vaulted Reliquary. A place that she would mention in her writings and notes as she explored it alone in the flickering light that engulfed it. She was sure that while she descended quite a distance, that the height was still less than what she could see within the chamber. Was it bigger on the inside, or were her eyes playing tricks on her within this subterranean shelter? In either case, there was a simple, lonely tomb in the centre of it, atop a small alter. Curiosity pushing her forward, she opened the stone coffin, and found but few bones and dust within it. Whomever was laid here had been long dead, and while she could not tell for certain, she was sure that she wasn’t the first to be here after it was sealed, and with all the strange eldritch symbols about it it wasn’t certain if it was of the banished gods, or if it was tied to the hells, some ancient magic, or whatever.

She took to securing the spot of the Vaulted Reliquary for herself, keeping it mostly a secret, but such things do not really exist in the world when it comes to something so powerful. The location was eventually revealed to the rest of the Goblin Holds after she had only two years to study within it. While it was more rumour than fact, others did manage to come and look through it as well, but her long stance and influence around it made sure that only those she approved of could get through lest they had to use force against her. Word of her find and fortune spread, of course, and when the time for the Queens’ Blades came, she was both an impressive blacksmith, a skill Forgecraft mage, and one who had shown some aptitude or connection to the great powers of the world. Surely, she could help them, although she did insist on payment, and ultimately, help finding her family.

Biographical Section

Name: Gork the Crusher
Age: Unknown, but many decades. Roughly the equivalent of human early thirties for Ogres.
Race: Ogre
Sex: Male
Appearance:
Image borrowed from Hamsterfly on deviantart.
Gork stands at about 8 feet tall when slouching as he normally does, though he'd brush 9 feet if he stood up straight. He's heavy with huge rolls of fat as well, such that he'd easily crush even an ox if he attempted to use it as a mount.
Homeland: The Underdark

History: To be fleshed out if Gork ever comes into play. Short version is that he doesn't remember much past a few years ago, just vague memories of living and fighting in the Underdark and finding strange things there that made him feel funny or made pretty lights (the sources of two of his unique traits). He went to the surface when he was driven away from a dwarf encampment, came out in the mountains between Rheinfeld and Renalta, wandered around and got into trouble on the surface for a couple years, then wound up getting recruited to the Blades by someone or other.

Motivation: A Queen's Blades recruiter told Gork that demons were going to kill everyone and ruin the world, and that the ogre should help them to fight off the otherworldly menace. Gork took the recruiter's words quite literally and joined the Blades purely because he was told he should do so. He doesn't really understand the stuff about demons and saving the world, but the job comes with enough food and fighting to keep him interested and the direct orders to do things keeps more or less on task.

Traits & Equipment

General Traits
Endurance Training: After training out in the field for hours and hours on ending, you have come to realize the value of being able to simply last longer than your opponent. This translates into taking a couple more hits before you will go down, and having a higher tolerance to pain... Though, getting hit still hurts, quite a bit actually, and you’re no god. (Basics of taking more damage and resisting pain-related negative effects.)

Heavy Hitter: Where some would resort to flailing their arms about in an unsophisticated manner, you’ve decided that if you can hit something hard enough the first time that it stays down, that you can end fights before they can even really begin. Though, you’re still working on that “consistent” part, and not slowing down when you swing harder than usual. In the case of a ranged weapon, it means a larger calibre firearm or larger bow, translating to greater recoil and/or slower fire rate instead. (Basics of doing more damage with each swing.)
--Crushing Blow (Rank 2): You've learned that against enemies who are pained or slowed, you have even more time to swing and aim, hitting them with the maximum potential force possible. (Automatic critical hit against enemies that are stunned, dazed, unaware, or otherwise not expecting the attack. Small chance to crush armour in such a way as to mangle a limb or cause internal damage to a target through armour.)

Charger: Something a lot of people don’t seem to realize is that the more muscles you have, the faster you are. Sure, perhaps not dexterous, but certainly faster. While you have only begun to learn the true meaning of land speed and would still be caught and killed by a tiger, you are capable of a short distance charge that can knock opponents down and catch the unwary by surprise. (Basics of dashing quickly and charging into opponents.)

Slippery: You are fully aware of what happens if that war hammer the size of a small child hits you square on the chin. You’ve decided to make it a priority to learn how to never let that happen, and while you’re still learning, you understand at least enough to jump back from a blow before it takes off your head. (Basics of dodging and evasion.)

Unique Traits
Big Dumb Brute: Gork is an ogre, and a specimen on that large side at that. He has a much longer reach and greater physical strength than smaller humanoids, and his thick and heavily scarred green hide provides protection from various damage on par with studded leather armor, plus some lesser resistance to fire and extreme temperatures. However, being an ogre, Gork is at a great disadvantage when it comes to the social and mental arenas. Most people have extreme biases against ogres and are rightfully afraid of them, so getting people to do anything for him other than run away in terror or attack him is just not Gork's forte. Being of lesser mental fortitude than others, Gork is extremely susceptible to mental manipulation of all kinds; magical manipulation is probably the most reliable method, but even a moderately persuasive speaker working their charms can screw with Gork's mind very easily. To top it all off, Gork is pretty damned stupid. He is incapable of reading or writing, and his speech is primitive at best; he cannot do even basic math; big words confuse him, and if he suspects the speaker is using them on purpose to mock him he tends to become enraged; magic users confuse and scare him, he holds a strange reverence for those who demonstrate skill in the aforementioned arts of literacy, mathematics, speechcraft, and magic; he is trusting of anyone who claims to be his friend or ally, despite obvious signs to the contrary. Basically, Gork is the type of arguably sentient creature that the phrase "dumb as a rock" was made for.

Greasy Sweat: Heavy perspiration is normal for ogres, but Gork is a bit special in this area. He is capable of sweating copious amounts of a thick and greasy substance all over his body on command, making it nigh impossible for anything to get a grip on him and causing glancing blows to slip aside and do little to no harm. Creating a coating of this sweat is somewhat tiring, as if he had run at full lumbering speed for about half a minute. Contact with this substance causes no harm, and it doesn't even irritate Gork's eyes like normal sweat could do; it might as well be plain old water as far as touching or ingesting it is concerned, though obviously with a very different consistency. Nobody, not even Gork himself, knows how he came by this disgusting talent, but odds are good it came from contact with some magical artifact or entity in the depths of the Underdark.
--Thick Sweat: Gork has attained a level of mastery over his nasty little talent and is able to coat himself with this slick sweat without any noticeable toll on his stamina. Furthermore, he has found a way to make it heap up on his skin in much thicker layers, and it can stay there without dripping away like normal sweat. This increases his chances to passively deflect sharp weapons, lessens the impact of blunt weapon attacks, and increases his resistance to fire.

Unshakable Grip: Gork has large, strong hands, and they have been scarred and calloused from years of living in the dark caves of the Underdark and fighting other things that lived there. It also helps that they've been magically enhanced in some way, as evidenced by the way the scars glow a faint blue in dark areas. This combination of rough strength and magic has left Gork with hands that can hold on to damned near anything his size or smaller no matter how hard it struggles, and he's got a good chance of holding on to larger and stronger things anyway. Gork's supernaturally aided grip also means his Greasy Sweat does not inhibit his grappling ability even when it gets all over his hands and/or opponent.

Equipment List
A tattered leather loincloth
A small (for Gork, meaning it would be a large backpack on a human) bag hanging from the side of the loincloth containing shiny things that have caught the ogre's interest
A large (for Gork, meaning large enough to hold two grown men with room to spare) bag of various foodstuffs

Personal Section

Romance: I absolutely demand romance for Gork without a single shred of sarcasm. ^_^
Does the Kouri Plushie exist?: Yup.

Signature: I, Jorick, hereby condemn Gork to his own follies and failures and probably inevitable death.

Biographical Section
Name: Donovhan (Vhan in the later years)
Age: 35
Race: Human of the Templar Order
Sex: Male
Appearance:

Homeland: The Templar Order of Rheinfeld
History:
Raised by his mother, a simple priestess of a small town, Donovhan was nothing but a common boy. His father had been a Templar for many years… And still is. The two rarely ever had a chance to see the man, as it was an ever ending occupation and the the would never come the he would come back. Yet, the boy and the mother were happy that their family was graced with the man’s name. It was an honor to know that Donovhan was the son of this man. And even the boy was glad, even if he was never there. He even aspired to be one! How to better impress his dad? Following in his footsteps!

And so, when came the age he could join the military might of the Templar Order, Donovhan jumped on the occasion and signed up with his good friend Oleg. Both were trained together, as soldiers, to aspire to become templars. The Duo weren’t separated, which was a relief for the both of them. They could grow into men of the battlefield together. But, the least they knew, it wasn’t going to be a straight road to the battlefield.

The two were eventually pulled out of the ranks. At first, they thought it was them being stripped away from the military, although it made no sense. They were doing fine in training, why would they be pulled out? Well, it was only a meeting with their supêrior and a man from a special unit of the Order: The Mage hunters. These soldiers had the aptitude to defend themselves more efficiently against the magic of this world. Both Oleg and Donovhan had proved that they were men capable of joining this special unit. They were both brought out to train somewhere else.

And so to say, although they both had rough beginnings, they eventually came to learn about their natural skills and developed them to become exactly what the order wanted. Full-fledged hunters. Although both were unique and strong hunters, Donovhan had risen to a great reputation amongst the unit.

This is when the civil war had started in Rheinfeld… It created a whole within the unit itself, as many had departed from the lands of the Templar Order to join back up with the Papacy or the Republic. It was a very bitter time, as feud between members erupted and opinions on the fact came in conflict. The unit survived, but lost many of its members. Oleg and Donovhan had a strong believe, after what he had heard about the Gods, that the Papacy shouldn’t have governmental control anymore and still remain with the Templars.

Eventually, they both risen to Elite Hunters, and with that title, Donovhan was asked to partake in a new ‘’unit’’ to say. One that would mean a great deal to the Templar Order. The Queen’s Blade. Of course, Donovhan accepted without question, as he was proud of the Templar Order and would represent them as perfectly as he could.

Motivation: “My skills would bring great help, I believe... And the Nine Hells are an abomination and their beasts should stay there. Oh, and of course, I want to make the Templar proud that they have trained me.”

Traits & Equipment

Fortitude (Rank II): Whether or not you are a mage, you can learn how to defend yourself from one, and that is just what you decided to do. After all, how else are you supposed to save the world if you can be cooked in a fireball by a pissed off mage?

+ Basics of resisting magical spells.
++ Increased resistance to magical spells.

Sharp (Rank I): You’ve started to notice how certain people stand, and how others try to keep certain parts of themselves out of harm’s way, or try to cover up certain not-so-good looking pieces of armor. Given more time, you could manifest this into a real talent for assassinating even the most armored of targets.

+ Basics of weakness-finding and lie detecting.

Wells of Power (Rank I): Having been born with this talent or having artificially acquired it later on in life, you’ve connected your mind and soul to the five ethereal Wells of Power, the sources of all magic. You can subtly feel nearby mages and places of magical power, though this isn’t precise yet. The more powerful it is, the more likely you will detect it.

+ Basics of detecting magic and mages.

Defender (Rank I): You could take more hits to the face and become an unrecognizable, horrible mutilated piece of scar tissue on one and a half legs... Or, you’ve mused, you could probably just stop that by holding a shield and your armour correctly. This lets you absorb harder blows with your shield and armour.

+ Basics of using shields and armors

Unique Traits:

Mage Hunter Aptitude - Iron Will (Stage I): The first thing that Donovhan was taught as a Mage Hunter was that their minds must be solid and impenetrable walls for mages. Losing control of oneself meant all their knowledge and experience would be turned against themselves and to allies around. And so, one must make sure that no one takes over their will.

+ Increased resistance against Mind Control, Mind reading and Mental Influence (Upgrade to Fortitude)

Mage Slayer Aptitude - Disruptive Knowledge (Stage II): Donovhan went above simply making himself resilient against spells and went into studies of the art of disrupting magic before it even reaches him. This powerful Anti-Magic has allowed to extend his resilience to magical spells to further than his own self.

++ Advanced knowledge of how magic works (Substitute to Apprentice and Wizened)
_____ ++ Anti-Magic (Disruption) school Unlocked (Focused, No Secondary School)
_____ ++ Knowledge of how common and uncommon magic is used and their sources

High Ranking Hunter of the Templar Order (Rank I): Donovhan earned his rank as a Mage Hunter, working through from the bottom into the elites of the Templar Order. And it wasn’t by sly lies or going around the orders given. He went and came back from every mission asked to be done. It got him where he is today.

+ Good Reputation and Contacts within the Templar Order and the Ranks of the Mage Hunters

Equipment List
Banded mail armor
Coffin-shaped shield
Longsword
Heavy Mace
Dagger
Note book with General Knowledge of many kinds of magic and their sources (Quick reference book in case he forgets details he should remember)
Waterskin
A few sets of clothes
Light Crossbow
10 bolts

Personal Section

Romance: Of course, it is part of life to find love, so why restrict the option?
Does the Kouri Plushie exist?: Somewhere in this world, maybe

Signature: I, Rayn Night, shall abide to the rules mentioned in the intro post of the OOC and willingly accept that my character can be killed off at any time by the GM Brovo under any circumstances.

Biographical Section

Name: Elrithos “Sand Runner”
Age: 521
Race: Aavikanian (Desert elves who used to reside in the Blighted Lands up North of Tuleria, now live within the Kingdom)
Sex: Male
Appearance:

Homeland: Freehold
History:
The Aavikanian people where once a proud, independent culture from the lands up north of the Kingdom of Tuleria that used to belong to the lands of the Freeholds many years ago. The lands could bare the lot of settlements and nomads inhabiting it. The Aavikanian had a hold that could hold its own, although like any other settlement; they needed traded goods, which were often exchanged with those of Tuleria and rarely anyone within the Freeholds. A solid civilization… Until there came the Blight. No one saw it coming, and most of the people who inhabited the lands didn’t have time to react properly to the sudden changes in the sands. This led to many deaths across these sandy planes which the Aavikanian were not spared from, causing a large portion of their elders, children and ill people to die rapidly with the lack of resources that came.

These events had caused the Aavikanians to move slowly towards the west, going into the lands that were control by warlords… Their arrival within these places was well recognized, especially for those slave traders. The Aavikanians, being natural tough and hardworking people, were gems for those who sold slaves. And so, which these cold hearted kidnappings and disappearances of many of their folk around the desert, they retreated to the only place where they would be safe from this. They moved towards the kingdom, their numbers having dropped considerably, and hoped that they could be brought in. Fortunately enough, one of the leaders had accepted their pled, but ask for their complete allegiance and military might to be asked upon whenever he seemed fit and aid from the people. Naturally, the Aavikanians had no problem with this as it would be somewhere for them to be and continue on their culture.

Amongst this resilient race was Elrithos, a simple military man. He is one of the view that had seen the exile of the Blighted lands and the tragic loss of their people to both these cursed lands and to the slave traders… He is also one of the few who still practices the ancient Aavikanian arts of desert warfare. He has seen many battles and encounters in his five hundred years of living. He has grown accustomed to the deserts and its mischiefs. With the old council dismissed ever since the exile, he and a few of the elders now speak for their people when consulting with Boann, their current leader they follow under.. He also teaches the old Aavikanian desert warfare to the soldiers their leader within Tuleria ask them to train his soldiers.

The few years have passed and finally, his military might was recognized by people and eventually, had an invitation to come to Renalta to join the Queen`s Blade. He had discussed it with Boann, which seemed to actually encourage Elithos to answer this invitation with his presence. And so, Elrithos thanked King Boann and went off to Renalta, hoping to honor his people and the King.

Motivation: “My people are the most important thing to me... And with everything happening, I wish to help keep these demons away from those I love..”

Traits & Equipment

Endurance Training (Rank I): As you would expect from an Aavikanian like Elrithos, he was hardened as a soldier of the Council and his remarkable resilience is nothing short of his many years of experience.

+ Basics of taking more damage and resisting pain-related negative effects.

Slippery (Rank I): Making sure that one is not hit is much more important than actually hitting your target… Or so say the Aavikanians. Elrithos takes those words and puts them into a fierce battle tactic.

+Basics of dodging and evasion

Investigator (Sharp Rank II): Having lived so many years, Elrithos has learned to read and find holes in both speeches and actions and notice things most other youthful people wouldn’t snap right away. You could say that the years gave him an insight with people and to adapt as he needed.

+ Basics of spotting weaknesses and lie detecting
++ Increases chances of finding out of place things and detecting weaknesses in armour. There is a chance that your character will suddenly have a realization about something they didn't understand before (GM assistance).

Rapid Blows (Rank I): When Elrithos faces people who are more lightly armored, he does not need to be exact and precise in his actions and prefers going for rapid blows, bringing the enemy down much faster when slicing them down to bits and moving down to the next individual quickly.

+ Basics of attacking rapidly in an effective manner.

Unique Traits

Aavikanian – Runners of the Desert: The deserts of the Freehold are not on to be easy to live within, especially with the nomadic tribes living in these places. They do not have the might of the savage races around, but they are particularly resilient people, built to last the harshest of conditions and toughest of battles.

+ Increased Senses (Sight and Hearing)
+ Resilient to Extreme climates (Hot and Cold)
+ Increased cardio endurance and energy conservation (Upgrade of Endurance Training)

Ancient Aavikanian Warfare (Rank II): Elrithos is one of many Aavikanian who has gone through the harsh training to become a soldier of the council, basically part of the elite troops of their people. They are taught, first and for most, that survival is the key. If one has to fight to the death to survive, then shall it be. If one has to run. Run. If one has to hold the line until reinforcement, then you fight until it is surely impossible to defend.

++ Advanced combat maneuvering and techniques with single edged blades and double bladed weapons.
______ + Increased Accuracy with these weapons
______ ++ Increased (Defense) deflection/parrying with these weapons against humanoids
+ Increased dodging and evasion when engaged in melee combat. (Upgrade of Slippery)

Stand Your Ground (Rank I): Amongst one of the important things to know from battle, survival, general things in life, Elrithos knows that once you hit the ground, chances are, you won’t stand back up again in most situations. Therefore, one must be able to stay up against most assaults, most situations so that a prone stance doesn’t make your chances of survival slim to none.

+ Increased chances of staying on your feet after a misstep, overruns, tripping, etc.

Equipment List
Chainmail Hauberk
Combat sown desert clothing
Traveling clothes (Desert)
Traveling Clothes (Other)
2 Waterskins (Very Important)

Sandblade – This specialty weapon was created by the Aavikanians to adapt to the desert and the threat that was brought towards them. It is what the common warrior would possibly call a double scimitar. It is a wooden shaft, about 3 feet long, with two sharp, single edged blades at each end, resembling shorter versions of the scimitar. The blunt, rounded edges of the blade were made for parrying and deflection of weapons, enabling the Aavikanian to parry and immediately slid in for a slice. This weapon is best used versus lightly armored or unarmored foes. Plates mail require the user of the Sandblade to aim for weak or discovered areas, such as the wrist, neck and head. This usually requires a more elaborate, extended battle.

Two Elven scimitars
A curved dagger
A pouch of sand
Amulet of the Sand God

Personal Section

Romance: Of course, it is part of life to find love, so why restrict the option?
Does the Kouri Plushie exist?: Somewhere in this world, maybe

Signature: I, Rayn Night, shall abide to the rules mentioned in the intro post of the OOC and willingly accept that my character can be killed off at any time by the GM Brovo under any circumstances.

Biography

*Note: Some of these things are points you likely might not be able to know unless someone told you, so don't feel like I'm beating up on you or berating you. These are points I've often told others as well, usually through an instant messenger. Also, major points need addressing. Minor points can be brushed over.

Major
#1: Elite mage hunters in the Templar Order... The Templar Order are already elite anti-mages. No need to reinvent the wheel.
#2: The civil war has only been going on for ten years, and it's a major part of the history of Rheinfeld. Not mentioning it at some point is surprising.
#3: So your character uses their spirit to defend themselves from magic? That's not how anti-magic works. Anti-magic is created through magic.
#4: Donovhan is trained exclusively in methods of anti-magic. Encounters a situation that involves unholy magic, and he... Gets... Completely wasted? Why? Did his anti-magic suddenly fail him? If not, then why is he still alive, but Oleg is dead? Is it because the demon killed Oleg? Why didn't the demon kill Donovhan then?
#5: So your character's dad was a crusader? Or was he a soldier? Or was he a militia man? Did he become militia after serving as a crusader? Why is there like, a 63 year old man in the militia? Crusaders can retire now?
#6: He's banished and given no reasons whatsoever. He seems alright with this. Also his dad and best bud Oleg are dead. He also seems alright with this. No resistance, no questions, just... Leaves.
#7: The elite mage hunter subgroup within the Templar Order would not have the authority to banish people from the entire kingdom, leave alone from the Templar Order. If they seriously did this, they would be disbanded immediately, as it threatens the ultimate authority of the Templar.
Minor
#8:Somehow cultists build a giant underground facility beneath a house in a town without anyone noticing at any point.
#9: Somehow Donovhan is the only one to survive the incident despite being at ground zero.
#10: For some reason the demon did not kill Donovhan, but it killed Oleg, his best friend, who was standing right beside him. Presumable.
#11: Somehow his mother retrieves him and heals him from that nightmare.
#12: Who sent him the parchment? Why would he receive a parchment? Also, Renalta has two Queens.
#13: His motivation is to rejoin the order that threw him out without rhyme or reason and who for all tense and purposes have been horrible punishing towards him for no more reason than that he has corruption. Instead of helping him figure out what's going on, they're just literally abandoning him... Why is his motivation to join the Queen's Blades, a force that fights demons, to be ultimately to rejoin a group of people who have shown disdain and hatred towards him for reasons out of his control and who don't care at all to help him save himself?

Uniques

I like the way you formatted your uniques, it made it very easy on the eyes.

Note: Your character will start at second level, to keep on par with the others. This means upgrading one standard trait and adding one standard trait, as well as upgrading one custom trait and adding one custom trait. Keep this in mind as I'm reviewing your character's level one starting bonuses, and you could retain some of it with a level up.

The concept of a bloodling is acceptable, however, keep in mind that the more powers and abilities you stack in a single unique, the less overall effectiveness that unique is going to have. (Think of it this way. 1 Ability unique = 1.0 efficiency. 2 abilities unique = 0.6 efficiency to each ability. 3 abilities unique = 0.4 efficiency to each. So on and so forth. That's not the exact way the math is done, but it's simplified to give you an idea of what you're working with.)

+ Basic control of his own heartbeat, lessen bleeding and infection chances <- Acceptable.
+ Basic detection of Holy and Demonic entities <- Stick to demonic only.
+ Able to hear heartbeats within 3 - 4 meters <- Interesting, and I just wanted to point out that it's an unorthodox way of detecting last second assassins.
_________+ Can differentiate someone who is alive, dead or undead <- Remove this. Those that have the power to hide their undead-ness are likely out of your league to detect anyway, and I don't think you need a power to tell if someone is dead...
_________+ Can differentiate humanoids from other creatures <- Same thing as the "I don't think you need this as a power to be able to do it", remove it.
_________+ Combined with Sharp, can find a creature’s heart after some time of concentration <- Acceptable addition to make a more specific variation to sharp, since you have the sharp skill as a prerequisite.
_________- Large, tight crowds confuse his senses and render him nearly sick. <- Remove this, it's unnecessary as a weakness.
- Light aura of demonic presence (Can be sensed by holy beings and those who can detect mages) <- Optional for you to leave it in. It was going to happen either way due to the demonic corruption.
- Slight discomfort in holy places and near holy objects, discomfort near holy beings <- Same as above.

Mage Hunter might be a bit more problematic to balance around due to the nature of anti-magic in Renalta: Anti-magic is a two way street. It both affects positive and negative spells against your person and impacts your ability to cast magic yourself. Consider it the ultimate price, if you want to be immune to magic, that is all magic. Atop this it takes a while to really become fully immune, due to the nature of magic. There aren't many that are fully immune, many simply have a high amount of resistance. Which still isn't anything to scoff at.

Also remember what I typed above, the more abilities you compound into one trait, the less overall effectiveness they will have.

+ Advanced resilience against mind control and mind reading <- Upgraded specific Fortitude?
+ Advanced weakness detection and ruse detection for mages and magic <- Better Sharp & Wells of Power? (Three standard upgrades in one trait.)
+ Advanced detection of mages and magic <- Wells of Power again? (Four.)
+ Advanced knowledge of how magic works (But can’t use it himself) <- Apprentice, though a unique can substitute for it to specifically focus on the magic knowledge, yes. (Five.)
+ Ioss, a unique magic absorbing shield <- Atop the equivalent of five standard traits you've added a magic immune shield. This alone should be a trait, as magic immunity is immensely strong, leave alone a "toggleable" one where you can still receive the benefits of magic from allies without the negatives from enemies.

Ioss – These rare shields are accustomed to most of the Mage Hunters that join the Order. This shield is a nearly weightless steel gauntlet fitted to the weak hand of the user. On command, it creates a transparent force shield that can absorb magic. Magical projectiles as absorbed and dispensed swiftly and weapons made purely of a spell or magic are disrupted for a moment and cannot be remade for a short period of time. Note that this does NOT stop weapons and projectiles that are enhanced by magic, BUT does negate the magical affects it may apply. Also note that this shield can only absorb a certain amount of magic before dissipating and re-energizing itself.

Disrupting Mace – Simple magically enhanced weapons made to disrupt magical protection on contact for a short period of time. <- You can't disrupt magic protection with a standard weapon. You could acquire one on your travels in the RP, but not on start.
Disrupting Longsword – As disrupting Mace <- As Disrupting Mace. ;)

Note that I also slapped Raen with the "too much in one ability" criticism, so you aren't alone in getting this. A downfall of a system that implores you to go wild on creativity but still has power levels and dice rolls in the background.

Biography

#1: Note that priests in Rheinfeld still had magic powers even after the gods vanished. I'd assume the sand priests would also retain their powers.
#2: The Nine Hells have not yet invaded. They're still spreading agents around and trying to get corruption and weaken threats.
#3: The Blighted Lands are not really a livable place for an entire civilization. If they were, the Free Holds or Tuleria would already be on it, though I can ignore this, it's minor.
#4: To get help from the Free Holds you'd have first passed all the way through Tuleria. You'd have to confirm with Tempest, but I think at least Boann would want to harbour the desert elves in their time of need, knowing he could ask them for help later against the potential civil war in his lands.
#5: They're a desert nomadic people. If their lands are uninhabitable, they can move to deserts further north, likely in Tuleria, but I could still understand why they would want to get the Queen's Blades to support them in retaking it, if you do really want them to live there. Just try to avoid having them in imminent danger because chances are that either means the Queen's Blades have to immediately devote resources to quashing the threat, ending your character arc early, or abandon them to die, which would likely and logically result in your character leaving the Blades out of wrath.

Uniques

Runners of the Desert
+ Increased resilience and pain tolerance <- Endurance 2?
+ Increased Senses (Sight and hearing) <- Specific variation of sharp, it's fine. Would have granted hearing free anyway, being an elf.
+ Resilient to Extreme climates (Hot and Cold) <- Minor trait so it's fine to just throw in.
+ Minor resistance to Fire and Ice magic <- Likely related to the extreme climates, so this doesn't need to be separate and can fold in with the above ability.
+ Increased endurance and cardio for Survival, Fights and Long Distance Runs <- Endurance 2?

Overall solid, ish. Though I'd pick either increased resilience and pain tolerance or increased endurance and cardio, not both.

Ancient Aavikanian Warfare – Defend and Survive – Stage I:

+ Advanced combat maneuvers and knowledge with swords and double bladed weapons <- Greater skill, okay.
+ Basic deflection and parrying with two single edged swords in hand or double bladed weapons <- Presumed knowledge, unnecessary as an ability.
+ Increased Dodging and Evasion against melee opponents (Must be aware of the danger) <- Slippery 2?
+ Basic knowledge of Mounted Combat <- Presumed knowledge, unnecessary as an ability.
+ Basic knowledge of combat with Spears and Bows <- Presumed.
+ Sandblade – Special Aavikanian weapon <- Since it's just a special weapon that has no extreme characteristics beyond basically being a double edged staff, you can have this without needing to make it part of a custom trait to strengthen the trait overall.

Overall pretty balanced, you can easily upgrade it too.