Name: Wilhelm the Bastard
Age: 19
House: None
Position: Farmhand turned outlaw; bastard son of the King, and weak claimant to the throne of Astaoviel
Race: Human
Weapons/Gear: A surprisingly pristine pollaxe, some very shabby-looking armour, and a wide-brimmed helmet.
Skills/Magic: The royal line has some sorcerer's blood flowing through their veins, but due to his lack of training, Wilhelm can only muster the most basic of spells. Most of these are force-oriented, used to create shields out of mid-air or push back his enemies, but his favourite spell is one which allows him to hover for short periods of time.
Wilhelm is decently gifted with his pollaxe, perhaps as much as your average man-at-arms, but no more. Wilhelm’s true combat prowess comes from his acrobatic fighting style and use of magic to supplement his above-average natural ability. His style is raw, but he himself is powerful.
Appearance: Wilhelm is an even six feet tall and decently muscular with black hair and brown eyes. Even in more domestic environments, he can usually be seen wearing some sort of shabby armour. In truth, his “armor” is more like an old, thick leather coat with small, salvaged scraps of metal around his chest and shoulders for any real protection. This, combined with his wrought-iron kettle hat, gives him the image of the stereotypical peasant militiaman, forced to fight to protect his home. The weapon he carries, however, sharply contrasts his shabby appearance. It is a beautiful-looking pollaxe, certainly out of the price range of most farmers, and made out of fine steel.
Background: Wilhelm is a young man who should have never existed. A tyrant king on his way to war, a peasant woman raped, and a bribe to cover it all up. Even spread amongst her family, Lillian Flowers could live relatively comfortably for the rest of her days and watch the bastard grow up to be a strong young man. She chose to keep his origins a secret, though she suffered some post-traumatic stress as a result of the king’s assault. But what could she, a peasant woman, do about the behaviour of a king?
For nineteen years, Wilhelm lived in modesty. Peace under the rule of the tyrant king was rare as he fought his wars of bloody conquest, so he was conscripted to the army with his two cousins. This was where he learned spear fighting, as well as basic horseback riding. Miraculously, he and his cousins survived long enough to return home with new weapons and armour taken from fallen foes, and several stories of war to tell. This is where Wilhelm got his scrappy armour and helmet, but his pollaxe was a present for having saved his officer’s life.
When the civil war started, the Tyrant King saw it fit to exterminate all potential threats to his claim on the throne. He started with his bastard children, systematically hunting them down and slaughtering him. Wilhelm was one of the last to be targeted. Even when his family lay dead, he was able to escape, using the last of the bribe money to purchase a sturdy grey mare and ride off into the night. He only discovered his origins after it was too late.
Now, Wilhelm is constantly pursued by his father’s hitmen, going from town to town and taking refuge wherever he is welcome. Other nobles have began to pursue him as well, either promising his protection, his elimination, or his capture. There are even a few houses who want to use Wilhelm to push their own claims to the throne...
Opinion On War: “I don’t want the throne or get chased after by my father n’ his merry bands o’ murderers! I jus’ want to be left alone!”