Name: Sir Tanzanno Ferdinand. Age: Getting up in his thirties, probably around thirty-seven. Gender: The one with a big donk. Species: Just a boring Human. Kingdom of Origin: Nepharie, somewhere to the south. Physical appearance: Tanzanno, or Tanz for short, is only just starting to get old. Of course, he's still in his prime, but he's been on the downswing for a while now. His short, angled hair is starting to get a few grayer bits, even more every day. Tanz' eyes and face are starting to show signs of crow's feet and the hollowing of his cheeks. Still, at five foot nine, he certainly has a bit of height over the average man. Don't think you can get the upper hand over him since he's getting old, he'll show any recruit he can still get them behind the ear with one hand behind his back. The many old scars and remnants of wounds certainly can attest to that. Attire: While most knights would prefer to charge into battle wielding full plate armor and hefting swords taller than them, Tanz would do otherwise. He prefers to run in wearing light chainmail, small iron plating, and generally a good chest plate. These combinations allow for Tanz to gracefully dodge and weave while fighting at the sake of less protection. Not like he needs it, anyways. Other than that, he prefers to wear a mix of light cloth and linen to stave off the heat of summers in southern Nepharie. You probably won't ever see him without his two weapons clipped to his belt. Personality: Most people would call Tanzanno a cryptic bastard when they first meet him. And they're right, he is a cryptic bastard, preferring to speak in rhymes and riddles and metaphors when teaching his students in the ways of swordplay. If you can make it past the first week, he's a pretty nice person. From the lowest recruit to the stubborn nobleman's son, he'll find a way to help them. Years of teaching have instilled a personal sense of responsibility that he takes up on most people he meet. Most of the flair and grace he had during his younger days are gone, replaced by a calm and cool personality. Swordplay is his passion, though, and he is usually automatically interested in anything related to it. That doesn't mean he's a sword freak, he loves politics. Debate and discussion with nobles often fills his schedule. Hobbies/interests: From swordplay to debate, to even an unhealthy interest in flowers, Tanzanno enjoys lots of things in the coastal hub of Port Orarius. Wines and exotic fruits grown nearby are his favorite things to eat. Skills: While his career is teaching the art of swordplay, Tanzanno has learned many things along the way. How to deal with nobles for example. There is a certain precise method you have to uphold around their kind, and he's become an expert at it. Debate and discussion is probably second on the list, with many a council influenced by his tacit smooth tongue. Other than that, Tanz has become an addict to the growth of horticulture. For someone first visiting his home, you would be extremely surprised at how he rivals that of a Dryad with his growing. Backstory: The Ferdinand family is popularly known throughout most of southern Nepharie. The common folk dream big when hearing of the family's down to earth roots and their rise, the barons and princes from over the land flock to get a chance to be taught by a Ferdinand. The Ferdinand family started off simple. Three or four centuries ago, a fairly large family of grape growers had all of their men were drafted off and sent to fight for Nepharie. While most would expect the men to return in a state of dread with many killed and wounded, the Ferdinand men proved them wrong. Bravery in the heart of battle and a bond grown while scraping the earth, the men stuck together. While some did indeed die, the majority managed to survive. And with it, their first tastes of sword fighting. The legend stops there, as many details have been lost, and most people only know the general story. Tanzanno was born under Marie Charlotte Tencinna and Rondero Ferdinand, his father being an important general in the Nepharian army and his mother being an important woman under a family of rich land owners. For the most part, he never really saw his mother on the small plantation he lived at for his young life. She had tastes like any other noblewoman, and therefor preferred lounging in castles and on the beaches of southern Nepharie. Being a man under the Ferdinand family had expectations of you, and once he turned ten years old, he was thrusted into learning swordplay. As a young man, Tanz caught onto the sword as a carpenter would a hammer. The art came naturally, as it did most of the Ferdinand family. Their style came not from drilling or swinging a sword the entire day, it came from fierce sparring. The standard Ferdinand style consists of an adaptation of the common rapier. Thicker and with a keener edge, the estoc mixed the slashing of a longsword with the penetration of fencing. Not only that, but wielded in the offhand is a smaller sword known as an espada, bordering on the line between shortsword and dagger. Their original style consists of a rapid flurry of blows meant to stagger the target, while at the same time parrying and blocking with the espada, combining the two to harry an opponent into making mistakes. Tanzanno's skills in the art meant that he could get away with a lot of things, and he did. Tanzanna really didn't develop much of a taste for war as his father did. He preferred to stay at his home of Port Orarius, but found a way to do so. Teaching the art was his goal. From lowly soldiers to elite noblemen, he taught them all. While some left in pure stubbornness, most found his skills in teaching others to be the best option. Many southern Nepharian men have been taught and improved their skills in the twenty years or so he has been teaching. Family: While Tanzanno for the most part rarely knew his mother who so easily left him, he knew his father well. Many an evening would be spent sparring with wooden sticks with his own father, and many an evening spent nursing bruises given by his own father. Being a general made it hard, though. Rondero was often away on campaigns, either solving riots or fighting on distant battlefields. Relationships: Weaponry: In standard Ferdinand style, Tanzanno wields the main weapons of his family. The longsword estoc and the shortsword espada. More often than not, he has found himself in need of a backup weapon of sorts, so Tanzanno keeps a curved dagger hidden in the small of his back. Abilities: Being a special kind of sword fighter, Tanz is very agile and quick. Attacks focused more on accuracy and speed than pure brute force can often force a person not experienced in aggressive fighting to make mistakes. A relentless attack is the core of every Ferdinand style, and with the two weapons, it certainly forces a person to go on the defensive. Other than that, Tanz is still strong and fast for his growing age, with a keen sense of reaction drilled from youth. Weaknesses: Being focused on the attack often leaves you exposed. The drawbacks of wearing light armor are pretty obvious, and the lack of a shield increases the chances of getting hit by a projectile. The Ferdinand style, while very effective against people simply hiding behind a shield, has problems when going up against another aggressive style. In such a situation, both sides will likely be injured heavily simply due to the fact that neither are able to properly defend. His slightly larger size also works to disadvantage him. While agile and fast, his stature just works against him on that playing field. Also, being of noble birth, Tanz has never really experienced any sort of hard work. Of course, he's not a soft weakling, but he knows nothing of the plights of farming or mining. Nor does he have knowledge over the wilderness. Toss him out into the woods with no equipment and he might just be tempted to chase after squirrels with his sword. Really, the only thing he does well is fighting and debating. Companion: Do flowers count? Other: Not much other than this.