Name: Azriel Telvayn
Age: 163
Gender: Male
Race: Dunmer
Appearance: The elf before you is a proud example of one who has seen - and participated in numerous battles. Tall and sinewy, he reaches nearly two meters in height, possessing a broad-shouldered frame, corded with muscle and hardened with callous. His skin is ashy blue in complexion, marked with various scars earned over a long, battle-filled life; the most notable of these being two long jagged lines that etch down the corner of his right eye. Purple-gray tattoos run from his neck up his jaw and ending just at his cheekbones, while additional tattoos mark his chin. His features, like many Dunmer, are sharp and angular, not overtly attractive but nonetheless devilishly enticing. His eyes are narrow and sharp, flashing a bright, almost malevolent blood-red, while his thin, almost nonexistent purple lips naturally curve into a frown. His nose is straight and prominent with a high bridge, while his ears stick out, almost dagger-sharp in appearance, the left ear pierced with gold earrings. His face is gaunt and narrow with almost hollow cheekbones, with a strong, prominent chin and a sturdy, curved jaw. He prefers to go generally clean-shaven, while the jet-black hair on top of his head nearly reaches down to his shoulders, typically kept knotted up behind him.
Though rarely seen without his trademark Chitin Armor, Azriel's clothing is practical and inelegant, consisting of various layered tunics and shawls colored differing shades of red, purple, and brown. A rawhide leather belt is wrapped around his waist, holding various pouches and satchels, and a single Elven dagger is strapped to his thick, rawhide leather boots.
Personality: Azriel is, by nature, something of a loner and outcast. Like many Dunmer, he is ruthless and aggressive when provoked and openly disrespectful and rude to those who have earned his ire. Yet underneath, he is an incredibly loyal friend, a lover of stories, and a sound giver of advice.
An experienced warrior who has fought for almost his entire life, Azriel is somewhat world-weary and cynical, hiding this emotional exhaustion with a front of sarcasm and deadpan sardonicism. He is a patient, tactical, and cautious combatant, knowing when to draw his blades and when to keep them sheathed on his back. This natural cautiousness makes him less quicksilver than other fighters, but allows him to pace his thinking, often coming to solutions after deep contemplation. However, he is capable of quickly thinking on the spot when necessary, often devising a plan of attack after visually studying how his opponents move. As a result, he possesses something of a confident recklessness, showing little fear in the face of danger and regularly seeking out worthy challengers.
In many ways, Azriel is a lover of the finer things in life. He would just as soon sit by a campfire with a good book and a bottle of brandy as he would demand combat. However, Azriel knows when to prioritize, and will put aside his own well-being without complaint to do what is best for his allies.
He is well-educated and well-read, having studied a variety of cultures over the course of his life. He enjoys to learn new things and will sometimes get caught up reading ancient inscriptions in a tomb or retelling the history of long-gone civilizations.
Lastly, Azriel does not appear to be driven by avarice or greed. While he expects payment for his services and a cut of loot from adventures, he is not guided by these desires and simply fights because he wants a challenge, wants to test his strength in hopes of finding a worthy opponent to face him.
History: Azriel Telvayn's backstory is a rather complicated and sad one. The son of a poor family of ash farmers, Azriel had very little in the way of an actual childhood. When he was very young, his father (who had taken one too many loans from a rather unscrupulous money launderer) had a large bounty put on his head. A notably dangerous assassin formerly associated with the Morag Tong by the name of Thoros Myr took the contract and quickly dispatched of both Azriel's parents.
Azriel caught Thoros in the act and bravely (if foolishly) attempted to attack the assassin. Though easily defeated and knocked down, Thoros took something of an interest in the young boy, and, in a rare moment of pity, took Azriel under his wing as a pupil and protege.
The duo spent the next few decades journeying all across Tamriel on a ship called
The Marnais, traveling from Solstheim to Skyrim, Cyrodiil, Hammerfell, and most any other province in-between. Thoros and Azriel had a complex relationship, one of mutual trust but lacking in affection or parental warmth. Thoros was a teacher, an instructor - nothing more.
As Azriel grew older, Thoros taught him everything he knew on combat, training him in the arts of Swordsmanship and Destruction magic, skills that Azriel picked up on quickly and effectively. As the years passed, the two of them functioned as an effective mercenary team, with Azriel even allowed to take his own solo contracts from time to time. These continued exploits made them rather wealthy though they never spent their riches on anything other than basic necessities and equipment (though notably higher in quality).
By the time Azriel had reached his mid-sixties and possessed skill enough to rival Thoros, the older assassin finally revealed an ultimatum to the young elf: that they now had to fight to the death, one-on-one. There was no room in Tamriel for two equally skilled sellswords, and Thoros stated that whomever was the victor would carry on the mantle.
And so the two fought, their duel lasting for many hours as both Thoros and Azriel knew the other's tactics and maneuvers, parrying or blocking any strike. By the time the battle had reached its conclusion, both participants were exhausted and bloody, covered in wounds and ready to collapse. Yet Azriel finally cut down his former mentor before setting off on his own, taking his teacher's favored Elven Dagger as a keepsake.
Nearly a century has passed since that day, and Azriel has never again faced a battle quite so challenging and devastating as the one against his mentor. Constantly seeking out new challenges and opponents to face, an opportunity came along in the city of Cheydinhal, where a small group of adventurers came seeking allies to aid in their exploration.
Believing this to be the perfect chance to finally face a challenger who can defeat him, Azriel offered his services to the group, journeying to the small village of Falkreath to face a dangerous Nordic tomb...
Skills: Trained as a Spellsword since he was very young, Azriel is an excellent swordsman, specializing in dual wielding swordplay with his scimitars. His tactics are highly aggressive, using strong, debilitating attacks in an attempt to overwhelm and take down his opponents. Azriel is also capable of combining hand-to-hand combat and Destruction magic with his swordplay for more devastating attacks when facing multiple opponents.
However, dual-wielding comes at the cost of defense, and while he is capable of blocking attacks with his swords, his lack of a shield or heavy armor makes him vulnerable at longer ranges or to heavier weaponry, forcing him to use Destruction magic as a backup weapon.
While Azriel is capable of refining and repairing his own equipment, his knowledge of Smithing is rather lackluster, though he can repair most Steel, Elven, and Chitin equipment rather easily.
Magically, Azriel shows an adept amount of skill in wielding Destruction Magic, specializing in the use of Fire. Because of this, he is rather inept at using Shock or Frost spells, but this does not appear to disadvantage him too much. Secondly, while knowledgeable of the Restoration School and capable of healing himself and others to a degree, Azriel can be considered little more than an Apprentice skill-wise. Lastly, Azriel shows some knowledge of Alchemy and Enchanting, though this knowledge is on a textbook level and lacks much actual application, though with training he could develop these skills immensely.
When it comes to matters of persuasion, while Azriel is not a charmer by any means, he is rather skilled at intimidation and strong-arming, usually with threats of violence - threats he's more than ready to follow through on.
Equipment: - A full set of heavily-used Chitin Armor
- Dual Scimitars sheathed to his back
- An enchanted Elven Dagger secured to his boot
- A series of leather pouches around his waist containing potions, soul gems and other necessities
- A single rawhide satchel for storing loot and supplies
- A water skin and leather flask
- A single flute
Birthsign: The Tower -
"Those born under the sign of the Tower have a knack for finding gold and can open locks of all kinds."Miscellaneous: For reasons unknown, Azriel dislikes taking his helmet off in the presence of others, even though he possesses no deformity or disfiguring scarring. The reasoning behind this unwillingness to show his face is unknown, and appears to be a personal choice, if anything.