[h3][center][color=lightcyan]Basics[/color][/center][/h3]
[center][img]https://www.dandwiki.com/w/images/1/12/Rogue_resized.jpg[/img][/center]
Disclaimer: Archie does not own a dragon. Please read the physical description; this was just the best image I've found so far.

Archibald Maryson, “the Bladed Devil”
[b]Age:[/b] 23
[b]Appeared Age:[/b] Late 20s, early 20s if shaven
[b]Height:[/b] 178 cm (5’10)
[b]Weight:[/b] 77 kg (170 lbs)
[b]Eye Color:[/b] Blue
[b]Hair Color:[/b] Brown
[b]Physical Disabilities:[/b] None.
[b]Physical Identifiers:[/b][list]
[*]Neatly trimmed hair
[*]Brown goatee and mustache
[*]Highly muscular and ruggedly good-looking
[*]Several large scars on back from a whip
[*]Vaguely Hispanic features
[*]Lightly tanned skin[/list]
[b]Appearance:[/b] 
Archie was always the better looking of the Maryson Brothers prior to Cyrus’ acquisition of shapeshifting powers. A chiseled, square jaw and cheekbones outline his tanned face, which features an incredibly well-kept mustache and goatee, and two refreshingly normal-looking blue eyes. Over the last ten years he has honed his body to perfection through vigorous exercise and a strict training regimen in order to keep up with the fighting slaves, immortals, outlaws, mutants and monsters that inhabit Dust and Ash. As a result, Archie's lean frame is rippling with muscles, with not an ounce of fat visible on him. His every movement is calculated, cautious and graceful, harkening back to his background as a dancer and experienced swordsman. Though strong, he is lean compact, and so does not look particularly intimidating.


He occasionally wears a black motorcycle helmet, as well as a black kevlar vest over a white, long-sleeve shirt, brown pants, and a pair of black hiking boots.

Those lucky enough to get Archie's shirt off will no doubt notice the series of whip scars on his back.

[h3][center][color=lightcyan]Background[/color][/center][/h3]
[b]Residence:[/b] Roaming around Ash, usually resting at small settlements in the area
[b]Profession:[/b] Bounty Hunter
[b]Aligned Faction:[/b] Independent
[b]Relatives:[/b] Cyrus Maryson is Archie’s half-brother. Though they had somewhat of a falling out, which prompted Archie to leave for the island of Ash, they are currently on decent terms, and Archie has returned to see his brother twice since he initially left.

Esmerelda (Essie) “the Elastic” Maryson was also taken as a Forsaken slave, but sold directly to the self-proclaimed “king” of the Forsaken. The brothers have not seen her since.

Mary the Magnificent, mother of the three half-siblings, is unfortunately deceased.

Rico is the name of Archie’s father, though he is old enough to be Archie’s grandfather. He currently resides in Russell City (now part of the Wintergold Conglomerate). Rico was a great deal more responsible than most people who father bastard children, and had an active role in raising Archie, even as Mary travelled around, living a nomadic lifestyle. He is the one who taught Archie Spanish, as well as helping him to hone some more advanced sword techniques.

[hider=Backstory]
(It may be better to read Cyrus’ backstory first; they have many things in common.)

Archie’s backstory is similar to that of his brother. Both were raised by Mary the Magnificent among circus-style performers and other various unusual characters, and took to different crafts. Archie was a dancer and acrobat from when he was only eight years old, and picked up swordplay soon after, practicing daily with the masters who performed in their troupe. His fencing style was swift and precise, but had never really been applied to real combat before being sold to Luther, the cruel arena slavemaster.

Before his kidnapping, Archie had been a kind, somewhat naive boy, but Luther quickly worked to beat this out of him. Daily whippings eroded his will slowly, and though he never truly lost his mind, he learned to keep his head down and avoid further abuse. He was forced to kill other helpless slaves, those who Luther saw as having outlived their usefulness, in order to prepare him for the bloody fighting pits. As he was forced to kill helpless opponents, he grew accustomed to it, and was eventually placed upon the sands of the arena to prove his might.

Archie was better than his brother at fighting, and was able to rack up a decent number of wins early on in his career. He couldn’t much rely on intimidation, given that many of the fighting slaves had been bred for generations to be especially tall, strong and vicious, and he was only thirteen at the time. However, the stupid brutes he faced simply didn’t have enough finesse and skill to keep up with Archie’s deft fencing, and were dispatched without much trouble. This entire time, Archibald the Amazing learned that the only thing which would keep him alive in this world was his skill. He [i]had[/i] to be better than everyone else, or he would be slaughtered by them.

Luther thought of Archie as his prized possession, along with all that entailed. He was kept well-fed, though caged up and on a leash so he wouldn’t escape. His training regimen was brutal, far past the point of cruelty, but not so cruel that it would leave lasting damage. The training worked, though, and Archie was soon one of the greatest fighters in the Forsaken pits, able to slay foes seven feet tall with his thin, gruesome blade. As Archie continued along this path, however, he began to realize something horrifying: he was beginning to enjoy this. He enjoyed the roar of the crowds, the lamentations of his fans, the comfort slaves which were sent to his chambers in his final years of fighting, and even the feel of taking another man’s life. But his love for fighting was eclipsed by hatred; hatred of Luther, of his freedom being deprived from him, of being treated as a commodity instead of a person, and of being bred like a show dog to bring more tortured slave-champions into this world who would no doubt suffer the same fate as him. To this day, he seldom talks about this, even to his brother.

Overtime, Archie began to despise himself for taking part in such debauchery (despite not really having a choice). He turned to religion to give him some comfort, the faith of the Aqueons, whose dedication to honour and tradition inspired Archie. He learned to block out the brutal realities of his situation, to internally calm himself, and to focus his rage and anger back at their cause: Luther.

To this day, Luther is still Archie’s proudest kill. After winning their freedom, they went out into the wasteland, continuing where there mother had left off as wandering performers.

After the fall of the Motus Diversum, Archie and Cyrus’ lifestyle was made unsustainable by the decreased territorial security that went along with it. Though Cyrus quickly blended into Hedonist territory, the sheer decadence and sinfulness of the area made Archie sick to his stomach. He left for Ash, a large island off the coast, in order to forge a new life for himself. Killing was one of the few things he was good was still in high demand, and so it was only natural that he became a bounty hunter, still going by his old arena name: “The Bladed Devil”.
[/hider]

[h3][center][color=gold]Gear[/color][/center][/h3]
[b]Weapons:[/b][list]
[*][b]Pen[/b]: Pen is Archie’s favourite and most-used sword, named after the old adage “the pen is mightier than the sword”. Like most of the rest of his arsenal, he found it sticking out of a pile of rubble in an old renaissance history museum.
[*][b]Spider Bite[/b]: Most of those who see Spider’s Bite don’t live to tell the tale, as Archie prefers to keep it a secret. In situations where he feels he may be outmatched or has given up trying to take his target alive, Archie pulls out this three-pronged secondary weapon to surprise his opponent and go for a swift kill. It can also be used to catch and break swords.
[*][b]The Bastard’s Bastard[/b]: This large bastard sword is atypical from what he usually uses, but packs quite the punch. Given Archie’s physical strength, he has no trouble wielding it with one hand, but he definitely prefers using it with two. When using this blade, his fighting style becomes more brutal and fierce, relying on overpowering his opponent rather than using precision strikes. This approach is usually reserved for easily scared foes that will lose composure at the first sign of being overwhelmed, or inexperienced opponents for whom finesse is not as necessary.
[*][b]Silenced 9mm Handgun[/b]: Though certainly not the most powerful gun (it certainly couldn’t pierce through a bulletproof vest or a Hollow’s armour), there are two particular aspects of this particular gun which makes it invaluable and irreplaceable for Archie. Firstly, it is quiet, allowing him to stay discreet in most situations. Secondly, it has very little recoil, so it can be utilized with one hand or while on the move, albeit with reduced accuracy.
[*][b]Sawed-off Double-Barrel Shotgun[/b]: For getting those gawsh dern whippersnappers off your lawn.
[/list]
[b]Armor:[/b] A bulletproof vest and sometimes a motorcycle helmet. Not much else.
[b]Ammunition:[/b][list]
[*][b]Dirty Rounds:[/b] 22 shotgun shells, four magazines of 9mm ammo
[*][b]High Grade Rounds:[/b] Two magazines of subsonic 9mm rounds
[*][b]Heavy Ammunition:[/b] None[/list]
[b]Backpack A:[/b][list]
[*]Rope
[*]Two sets of handcuffs
[*]Three days worth of canned food and clean water
[*]Can opener
[*]Small whetstone and polish
[*]Comb and shaving kit
[*]Small mirror
[*][/list]
[b]Miscellaneous:[/b]
[list]
[*]Motorcycle: The most difficult part was finding proper sand-tires for it, but they’ve made all the difference.[/list]

[h3][center][color=navajowhite]Immortalis Information[/color][/center][/h3]
[b]Unique Abilities:[/b]
[list]
[*][b]The Dance of the Bladed Devil: [/b]Though by no means an immortal power, one might mistake the grace and power with which Archie uses a sword for something supernatural. Swordsmanship may be somewhat of a lost art, but Archie is a damned good artist.
[/list]
[b]Strengths:[/b] 
[list]
[*][b]Archie the Amazing:[/b] Archie has trained as an acrobat, a dancer, and a swordsman for eleven years. Not only is he in peak physical condition, but Archie can perform acrobatic and agile maneuvers both in and out of combat that push the limits of normal human physiology.
[*][b]Champion of the Arena:[/b] Someone who does nothing but fight for most of his life will unsurprisingly be quite good at fighting. Archie’s arena training has given him ample experience with all types of foes. He is not only trained to fight individuals, but large groups of (usually less experienced) people as well. Since swords were not necessarily always available to him, Archie has also been trained intensively in hand-to-hand combat, and intersperses his swashbuckling with well-placed kicks to trip up and disorient his opponents. With or without a sword, Archie is more than a match for most foes in close combat.
[*][b]Be Polite, Be Efficient...:[/b] For someone so cock-sure of their abilities, Archie is surprisingly modest and pleasant. Barring a few boasts and well-placed quips, of course. Archie has a level of calmness and cool-headedness about him, and displays a cautious kindness towards anyone who doesn’t immediately strike him as a bad egg.
[*][b]... Have a Plan to Kill Everyone You Meet:[/b] Through years of intense study, Archie has learned how to quickly pick up on his enemies’ fighting styles and gain an advantage over them. Archie claims that he can tell how someone fights simply by watching how they walk.
[/list]
[b]Weaknesses:[/b]
[list]
[*][b]Live to Win:[/b] Archie may be very good at what he does, but his constant practice and almost fanatical devotion to his craft are partially from fear that someone else might be better, and partially from a mindset that was drilled into his head during his years fighting in the arena: “If you lose, you will die.” A certain stoic pride also makes it difficult for him to stand down from a direct challenge, even if he knows he has nothing to prove.
[*][b]I Wish I Could Do That...:[/b] It pains Archie to know that no matter how much he trains, he will never match the mythical abilities of the immortals, and would likely perish very quickly if he had to fight one of them alone. In the same vein, he often worries that because he lacks any special abilities, he will be seen as useless, particularly if a better swordsman comes along.
[*][b]Man, I’m Pretty:[/b] Archie takes perhaps just a little too much pride in his appearance, almost to the point of vanity. Though he has no qualms with getting dirty, he rivals the Ancient Greeks in his obsession with physical perfection, and enjoys showing off.
[*][b]LITERALLY JUST GUY WITH A FANCY METAL STICK:[/b] I mean seriously, what do you expect him to do against a Hollow? Seduce it? Sure, he's hard to kill if he manages to get you locked in single combat, but Archie is very much mortal.
[/list]