[b]Character Sheet[/b] 
[B]Name:[/b] Ephraim ju-Karnur, the Pale Avenger. 
[B]Age:[/b] 44. 
[B]Gender:[/b] Male.
[B]Race:[/b] Elf. 
[B]Physical Description:[/b] 
[INDENT]Hailing from a secluded tribe of elves from the far north, Ephraim sticks out like a sore thumb in the city of Dara; an outlander among outlanders. His hair and skin are stark white, bright as fresh-fallen snow, and even the irises of his eyes are a milky white that makes his gaze seem unflinchingly sharp. Like a wildling, his shoulder-length hair is unkempt; Ephraim makes no effort to tame his mane. Traditional tattoos of black ink, the meaning of which have been lost with time, line his cheeks, mark his lips and emblazon his forehead. His arms and legs are also lined with thin, gently curving lines that follow the general flow of his vital arteries. 

Like all elves, he is tall and thin, towering over men (and especially dwarves) but not matching humans for girth or stature. At their respective physical peaks, Ephraim would never match a human for strength, but his lithe limbs and porous bones mean he is faster than they could ever be. Aside from his appearance, there is no significant difference between the physiology of Ephraim's tribe and the more southerly elves. 

[url=http://orig00.deviantart.net/57c5/f/2008/259/7/a/7a2b9e3ada49f3f147512812dd104cd2.jpg]Reference image[/url]. [/INDENT]
[B]Skillset:[/b]
[INDENT]Before Ephraim traveled south to seek fame and fortune, he was educated in the flashy and deceptively nimble style of swordplay his tribe has practiced for centuries. They wage no war and suffer little infighting, so the style is practiced mostly ceremonially; despite this, however, it is decidedly deadly. It requires two swords, both light and with curved blades, called rhyming swords. The weight and handling of the two swords is identical, which means neither has a specific purpose: both swords can be used for all possible moves and techniques, creating a very fluid fighting style. The elven swordsmen are taught not to have a dominant hand and train excessively to become equally proficient with their right and their left hands. It is not unfair to say that Ephraim is a master.

In the cold, harsh lands where he is from, agriculture is all but impossible; hunting and gathering is the only way of life. Out of necessity, Ephraim is proficient with the bow and arrow and is an expert at tracking prey through snowy lands. This skill is mostly applicable to the sandy lands near Dara as well, but considering Ephraim's current position in Dara, he has not practiced it for many years. 

Ephraim's greatest talent is his ability to instill fear with a few whispered words, and his presence demands authority wherever he goes. He acknowledges this skill and uses it often, and to great effect.[/INDENT]
[B]Far Ancestry:[/b]
[indent]Ephraim's tribe, which no longer has a name, used to be very widespread in the snowy lands of the Far North. They never formed a centralized empire, which was eventually their undoing, but for thousands of years they defended their lands through insurrectionist and terrorist tactics whenever an invading force showed up at their doorstep. In ages past, all pale elves could call upon the snow to serve them; invaders could not trust their eyes, as the elves could wade through the snow without leaving a trace, and turn it into a whirling, blinding storm that only their gazes could pierce. It wasn't until an unknown enemy -- vaguely described as bringing fire and shadow with them -- almost wiped them out that the pale elves lost their hold over the Far North. Without a standing army or a single, strong leader, they were unable to repel the enemy force. Now, the survivors, Ephraim's single tribe, ekes out a living, numbering merely a few hundred.[/indent]
[B]Character History:[/b]
[INDENT]As previously mentioned, Ephraim is a pale elf from the Far North. As a young adult, he became fed up with the tough life his tribe led, and when his parents were killed by a fierce blizzard on a hunting trip, Ephraim realized there was absolutely nothing keeping him there. He gathered his possessions, including his prized rhyming swords, said his tribe farewell and set out for the sunny south. He did not stop until he reached sand.

He quickly discovered that his (what he had previously assumed to only be) 'ceremonial' fighting style was actually very effective against more the more conventional human style of combat. He was too fast for the knights wearing plate and wielding greatswords, and his curved blades reached behind shields and other defenses. Pleased, he took up the mantle as a soldier-of-fortune, mercenary and assassin. The tough life of the Far North hadn't exactly instilled a great sense of appreciation for life in Ephraim, so he had no qualms with killing strangers for gold. 

It wasn't until King Pykas threatened to take the whole region by force that Ephraim used his abilities for good. The pale elf fell in with a band of adventurers who teamed up to eliminate the King and his accursed advisor, Cyrabassis. Ephraim reasoned that war was bad for his particular kind of business; it relied on a stable region with various factions vying for dominance, not an out-and-out war where all the city states were fighting for their independence. 

In the catacombs of Melazus, Ephraim was confronted with the horrors of real magic. He had been raised with stories of the things the pale elves were supposedly capable of in ages past, the snow magic, but this was different. Terribly, terribly different. Where some faltered, other steeled themselves, and Ephraim was amongst them. He personally slew several of Cyrabassis's conjurations and almost executed Cyrabassis on the spot, were it not for the other adventurers, who were forced to restrain Ephraim until he agreed not to slay the defeated sorcerer.

That event instilled him with a single, unshakeable idea: magic was an abomination. He had always been a hard sort of fellow, but after the catacombs he was entirely made of sharp edges. Using his talent for intimidation, he installed himself as Dara's resident witch-hunter, and has been hunting down occultists ever since, backed by a few city magistrates who share his ideals. The fact that so many of his former adventuring colleagues have turned to gathering occult resources and learning about it has been a major thorn in his eye for years, but he can't bring himself to persecute them. The common folk of Dara have (predictably without little imagination) dubbed him the Pale Avenger for his efforts. 

Now that Dara's Guardians have been slain, Ephraim is planning to immediately seize the opportunity to become a Guardian himself. Perhaps he can use the greater authority of that station to finally justify bringing his former friends and colleagues to justice. 

[/INDENT]
[B]Psychological Profile:[/b]
[INDENT]Ephraim is a difficult, dangerous individual. Ever since the incident in the catacombs he has been filled with cold fury and an almost zealous hatred of magic and those who think it's anywhere remotely near an acceptable idea to dabble in it. This has caused a huge rift between himself and his former adventuring colleagues, none of whom have taken such a strong stance against magic as Ephraim. Because many of them, like (especially) Leytan, have learned as much about it as they can, Ephraim is constantly unsettled and torn, feeling simultaneously unable to persecute his former friends, but also guilty over letting them get away with what they do. 

This colours all of his interactions with other people; he is terse, direct and often rude, incapable of forming friendships with anyone. Even those who work with him and back his witch-hunting efforts don't personally like Ephraim much, but he is damn good at what he does and commands enough respect and fear that nobody turns against him. His cultural upbringing is also radically different from anyone else in Dara, which further alienates him. [/INDENT]
[B]Equipment:[/b] 
[INDENT]- A matching pair of rhyming swords; thin, curved blades crafted in the rimefire forges of the Far North. The handle is also curved to fit snugly into the palm. Neither sword has a crossguard; Ephraim uses the flat of the blade to parry and deflect. They are light in weight but deceptively strong and require little maintenance to retain their edge. 
- Ephraim wears no armor, instead dressing in loose-fitting robes of various colours (mostly red) that allow him total freedom of movement. Soft leather boots protect his feet.
- He owns a bow, but keeps it in his home as he has no real purpose for it in Dara.
- Various knives and daggers strapped to his chest and legs beneath his robes for emergency work.[/INDENT]
[b]Titles/Holdings/Power Base:[/b]
[indent]He is the Pale Avenger, Dara's resident witch-hunter extraordinaire. Ephraim works together with a small group of informants and mercenaries throughout the city; there is much overlap between his network and the Undertaker's, and the two often end up working on the same case. The biggest difference is the fact that Ephraim is backed and funded by a few of Dara's magistrates, who use Ephraim to solidify their own political influence (being "tough on magic" is popular with the common folk). Ephraim also persecutes and executes people who have technically not committed any crimes (there is no law against owning occult materials), which means he relies on the magistrates to keep the City Guard off his back. 

The only property Ephraim owns is his home, a dark and gloomy house hidden away in an alley in the poor part of Dara. He keeps records of all persecuted would-be witches and wizards there, and a large, cast-iron furnace where he burns occult materials.[/indent]
[b]Relationships[/b]
[indent]- Kanros: Ephraim and Kanros remain on good footing, as Kanros hasn't turned to the occult at all. In fact, his fear of it nurtures Ephraim's fondness for the man. Ephraim occasionally calls upon Kanros for favours in his position as Dara's most influential mercenary.

- Nasharia: Her nosedive into Daran politics means she and Ephraim have drifted apart completely, as they move in radically different circles. Ephraim considered asking Nasharia to become one of the magistrates to back his witch-hunting efforts, but he hasn't yet. She seemed to have her hands full anyway.

- Erwun: The Pale Avenger and the Undertaker run into each other frequently and maintain a professional working relationship. Ephraim respects Erwun for his crime-fighting exploits, but they were never friends and still aren't.

- Landar: The Blood Rider is a useful source of information, but Ephraim has no respect for the man's bloodthirsty exploits abroad -- why had Landar not turned his rage on those actually deserving of it, like those who dabble in the occult?

- Haljon: Ephraim plays a dangerous dance around the commander of the Khavi, as the Pale Avenger could easily be labelled a criminal and hunted down himself. So far, however, this has not yet occurred (to Ephraim's knowledge). Haljon and Ephraim have not spoken in years.

- Leytan: Of all his previous colleagues, Leytan is one of Ephraim's greatest enemies. Ephraim vehemently disagrees with Leytan's habit of collecting occult knowledge, and his position as an authority on the matter pains Ephraim greatly. So far, Ephraim has not persecuted Leytan yet, but this may change soon.

- Alaric: Much like Leytan, Ephraim despises Alaric's collection of grimoires, tomes and artifacts. However, also much like Leytan, Ephraim has not been able to bring himself to turn on his former colleague. Recently, however, since the death of the Guardians, Ephraim has noticed Alaric's activities and silently approves. If the man can make up for his moment of weakness in the catacombs by turning all his occult knowledge to bear against this new enemy, it would be a good first step towards redemption.

Edohr: That CS is still WIP.  [/indent]