Name: Gaela ‘Greenfingers’ Dunywyr

Race: Breton

Family Origins: Born in Glenumbra in a hunter’s cabin on the edge of the woods, far from the bustle of the city. Her parents are Bretons, her mother’s family from Daggerfall and has a tradition of mages in their lines and blood of the Reach flows in her father’s veins, which explains the naming tradition of his line. Gaela and her siblings would follow their mother as she gathered herbs for her healing practice and learned how to track and survive in the wild forests and swamps of their homeland from their father, a ranger who was often gone for long stretches of time hunting not just to provide food and hides for his family but to collect bounties on the wolves and werewolves that plagued the land. A dangerous profession that would eventually claim his life.

Appearance: She stands around 5’6’’ with an ample, feminine build. A fair face with a scattering of freckles, her eyes are river blue and bright with curiosity. Her brown hair is worn in a messy bun at the nape of her neck to keep it out of her face. Gaela has a slight pointed tip to her otherwise human ears, a faint trace of the elvish blood in Breton race. She favors robes with plenty of hidden pockets and when she travels she carries a knapsack, with a belt of pouches around her waist. A hooded cloak to keep off the weather and sturdy supple leather boots are also worn.

Age: 28



Equipment: A walking staff, can be wielded for self defense if her magic is depleted. A steel knife used mostly for utilitarian jobs.

Miscellaneous: In her pack is a hood and cloak, a bedroll, travel food, a waterskin, 15 septims. 4 vials of health potion, 2 vials of regeneration potion, 2 empty vials. Bundles of dried herbs and roots, a small mortar and pestle, a small ceramic crucible, and a change of clothes (wool robe, leather leggings). A silver arrow head on a chain worn around her neck, under her robes. Carved figures of Stendarr and Kynareth, a few small books and scrolls. A strangely engraved bit of metal, seemly of Dwemer make, a finger bone of a draugr and silver ring with a dark red garnet. A variety of bits and pieces picked up on her journey, she tends to hoard little things of interest, with intention of figuring it out but often forgetting about it until much later which is why she has a knapsack but also pouches around her waist and another slung over her shoulder.

Favored Skills:
Highly Proficient : Alchemy
Moderately Proficient: Restoration, Destruction
Somewhat Proficient: Alteration, Sneak, Speech

Crime Committed: Accused of selling poison to a woman to kill her husband.

Character Background: Gaela earned the nickname ‘Greenfingers’ when she was a child, coming back from the fields and woods surrounding the cabin her father built with her fists full of herbs, staining her pale skin. With an insatiable appetite for knowledge, she devoured any book she could get her hands on, surpassing her parent’s rudimentary schooling by the time she was eight. She showed an aptitude for magic but there were few mages in the countryside to learn from.

When she turned twelve, two major things happened that changed her life. Her father accompanied her into a wild untracked part of the forest, for she was seeking a rare herb to help with her mother’s chronic illness. There they were stalked and attacked by a particularly large and vicious werewolf. Gaela never spoke of the events, no one knew how she managed to survive but she came home alone and began to set fire to things. She blamed herself for putting him in danger, for forgetting the most simple rule he set for her exploring. Always return to camp before the sun starts to set. But she was distracted, lost in wandering and the shadows grew before she realized how late it was. If she had not ventured so far into the wild woods, her scent would not have been picked up by the cursed of Hircine and her father would not have had to come searching for her. The details of being stalked by the blood thirsty creature, the fear and the horror at facing the beast haunt her dreams but the guilt weighs on her even in her waking hours. What if...the two most bitter words to touch the tongue.

Without a husband to support her and her children, her mother returned to Daggerfall. Unable to handle the change in her oldest daughter, the trauma manifesting itself in the teenage girl acting out with fire and painful silence, so unlike Gaela's good natured personality. She was sent to live with an aunt who was a servant to the local Lord. There she would be given the chance to learn to harness her internal gift. She began to learn from the court mage and when her talent at healing was apparent, she went to apprentice at the Temple of the Divines. The priests and priestesses taught her not only about the art of Restoration magic but about mercy and temperance, to come to terms with her own guilt as much as she could. There she became accomplished at Restoration but Gaela continued to be Greenfingers and never forgot her love for herblore, continuing her study of alchemy.

Gaela has never married nor had any great loves. Her passions are for her study and though she has had her passing fancies and lovers, no one has stayed. Instead, she pours her heart into helping those in need and into her craft.

Despite the healing to her soul the work in the temple did, priesthood did not suit her though and her desire to travel led her away from the temple. She wandered around Highrock, visiting small villages to ply her healing trade as well as gather ingredients for her alchemy. Rare plants and fungi in out of the way areas was her specialty, she would gain the trust of the rural farmers and hunters, and they in turn showed her the caves and hidden glens that she would find her elusive flora.

One of her trips took her through a small town in northern Highrock she met a woman who came to her for healing a broken arm of her youngest child. After a long talk and prying on Gaela’s part, she discovered the woman’s husband as an abusive drunk who kept his family in a state of constant fear. The time the woman did tried to escape with her children, he nearly killed her and forced her to miscarry. They are underfed and battered and when the woman mentions getting rid of her husband as the only solution, Gaela decided to help.

So it came to it, in the end the potion that was supposed to paralyze the man ended up killing him, for the wife was generous with the portion. They escaped but Gaela stood accused of murder and is now in chains with thieves and brawlers, the label of ‘poisoner’ now darkening her reputation and perhaps costing her own life.

Fighting Style: She is a mage and wields the elements as her weapon. While she prefers Restoration there is no doubt that Destruction is a useful tool to master. Gaela will use her staff for defense if her magic reserves are drained. Fire and shock being her favored offensive magic. Restoration magic is mostly healing but there are some defensive spells she calls upon such as wards and spells against the undead.

Personality: Bright and goodnatured, caring, dreamy, and sometimes flaky Gaela is not the image of the dark and mysterious mage. Perhaps experimenting too often with her own potions or spending too much time alone, she tends to be off in her own world unless focused on a task such a saving a life or destroying one. As a Restoration mage her idea of vengenance is not through blood but through healing the hurts caused by those that would prey on the weak and saving those she can. Though it takes much to raise her ire, she has little tolerance for those that would prey on the weak. Though a compassionate person by nature and trade, she harbors an old and deep hate for werecreatures.

Font Colour: None or LimeGreen, if I must.

Name: Maulakanth gro-Urgak, the Hand of Mauloch.

Race: Orsimer, though the legend goes that his family has giant's blood.

Family Origins: Born and raised in the kingdom of Orsinium. Maulakanth's father was a renowned warrior and his mother was one of the city-state's many smiths. He was raised from birth to be a peerless combatant.

Appearance:



The first thing anyone would notice about Maulakanth is his sheer size – he's massive, even for an Orc, and makes the average Nord look like an adolescent Breton. He measures 7'2” from tip to toe and clocks in at 284 pounds of solid muscle. Maulakanth's thick skin is dark green, almost gray, mottled with even darker spots and covered in scars. His long, black hair recedes sharply from his forehead in a widow's peak and he wears it braided, tucked behind his ears, where his braids spill over his shoulders and run down his back. Once the initial shock at his stature has subsided, one would see a brooding, heavy face with strong features. Maulakanth's eyes are dark and deep-set, smouldering quietly in the shade of his powerful brow, his nose is short and squat and two fearsome tusks jut out of his lower jaw.

Maulakanth is large enough to ignore the elements and goes through life bare-chested, proudly displaying his muscular form for all the world to see. From the waist down, he wears a knee-length traditional Orsimer battle-dress made from leather, fur and painted cloth. Several potion vials and pouches hang from his belt and he has the skull of a ram in lieu of a belt-buckle. Maulakanth's feet are clad in sturdy fur-and-leather boots and his only protective equipment are two orichalcum gauntlets with extended vambraces that allow him to deflect incoming blows. And last but not least are Maulakanth's weapons, two large Orcish longswords, that he carries diagonally sheathed across his back.



Age: 28.

Equipment:

“You shouldn't have brought a toothpick to fight a mountain. Go on... try to stab me.”

As mentioned before, Maulakanth mostly eschews the use of armor and leaves his torso bare at all times. His hands and forearms are protected by Orcish gauntlet-vambraces that are durable enough to block attacks from all but the deadliest of weapons, but that's about it.

Speaking of weapons, Maulakanth's swords are two impressive pieces of Orcish craftsmanship. They're identical longswords, perfectly weighted and balanced, forged specifically for him. As is typical of Orcish swords, they're slightly curved and the blade's edge is uneven, but what sets them apart are their size – between a one-handed sword and a greatsword in length and weight – and the hilt's design incorporates the use of a knuckle-bow, which Maulakanth uses to parry blows and bash people in the face.

Miscellaneous: Not much else. He carries a few alchemy ingredients, two potions that restore health, one potion that enhances his strength, a handful of septims, a whetstone and some food; dried meat, nuts and a waterskin.

Favored Skills:



Highly Proficient
One-Handed: Maulakanth is a master at dual-wielding, utilizing his prodigious strength to wield a longsword in each hand with the ease a child might swing a stick. His technique is unusually refined and disciplined for an Orc, combining fast, relentless strikes with patient, defensive parries. He is capable of fighting multiple opponents at once and becomes almost unstoppable when succumbing to the berserker's rage of his race.

Unarmored: The lack of armor on his person is obviously a risk, but Maulakanth sees it as an advantange. He is deceptively nimble and agile, dodging what cannot be blocked, and the lack of encumberment on his arms and upper torso gives him free range of movement that allows for impressive and complex swordplay.

Moderately Proficient
Alchemy: Magically completely inept, Maulakanth remedies this void in his skillset with alchemical concoctions to heal himself, boost his strength and poison his foes. He knows which ingredients to use, where to find them and how to prepare the potions themselves. Alas, alchemical equipment is too big and complicated to carry on his person, which means he can only restock on his potion supplies whenever he has access to an alchemy station.

Somewhat Proficient
Armorer: Maulakanth is far from a certified smith but he knows how to take care of his weapons. While the orichalcum used in their creation means that his swords require very little upkeep, a little touch-up with a whetstone is never a bad thing.

Athletics: Years of rigorous physical exercise have given Maulakanth high endurance and the ability to run for long distances without stopping.

Speechcraft: Despite his fiercely wild appearance, Maulakanth can be surprisingly eloquent and commanding – a skill that was necessary as the Hand of Mauloch.

Crime Committed: Battery and assault. Maulakanth was in the employment of the count of Meir Thorvale as a bodyguard and enforcer until the count was fed up with Maulakanth's pride and stubbornness and fired him; Maulakanth responded by punching him in the face.

Character Background:

“It's time, father. I am ready. Defend yourself.”

Maulakanth's father, Narzul gro-Urgak, was the Hand of Mauloch of Orsinium. Where the king focuses on ruling and governing, the task of defending the city against outside threats was mostly delegated to a fearless champion that received the aforementioned title. Narzul had been the Hand for several years when Maulakanth was born, one of Narzul's many children with his wife, Ushug gra-Urgak, a smith and daughter to the king. It was a perfect situation to be born in as an Orc – son to powerful, influential parents and with immediate access to martial schooling of the highest degree, during a time of great prosperity for Orsinium.

The young Orc didn't waste a single minute of his time. As soon as he could walk, Maulakanth enthusiastically took to his father's combat lessons. While the position of the Hand wasn't hereditary, Narzul was determined for one of his sons to succeed him... and for that to happen, they had to be skilled enough to kill him. Much like Orc chieftains, the successor of the Hand of Mauloch was chosen via a trial by combat. Maulakanth enjoyed a lively rivalry with his siblings but it became apparent very early on, when Maulakanth was only a few years old, that Malacath had blessed him in particular. Maulakanth grew faster than any of his brothers and exceeded his father's height and bulk when he was only fourteen years old.

This trend continued until Maulakanth finally finished growing in his twentieth year, having reached an impressive seven feet and two inches. None of his siblings could challenge him in a sparring duel anymore and his skill with dual-wielding meant he could fight up to three of his brothers and sisters at once without being overpowered. Narzul was pleased – he was growing old and he could feel Malacath's call to die in battle before it was too late.

The entire city came out to watch when Maulakanth challenged his father to a fight to the death for the position of the Hand of Mauloch. Narzul fought in full plate armor, carrying a tower shield and a morning star – Maulakanth had shown up bare-chested, brandishing two brand new orichalcum swords that his mother had forged just for this occasion. The duel was intense and lasted for longer than ten minutes (which is generally considered a protracted affair in Orc culture). The blows of Narzul's morning star were either deflected and turned aside by Maulakanth's swords or evaded entirely, but Narzul caught all of Maulakanth's slices and thrusts on his shield. Both warriors became more reckless as the duel went on and the climax came when Narzul managed to land a satisfying hit on Maulakanth's flank, the spikes of his morning star driving into Maulakanth's flesh. Doing his best to ignore the pain, Maulakanth stepped in behind Narzul's shield before his father had a chance to pull the morning star free from his side and Maulakanth drove his swords through Narzul's cuirass with two powerful thrusts, impaling his heart and his lungs. The Hand of Mauloch died almost instantly.

Maulakanth still wears the scars of his father's morning star to this day. It was a great victory, however, and Narzul's last wish had been granted – Maulakanth was the new Hand of Mauloch. After recovering from his injuries, the king of Orsinium officially bestowed the title upon Maulakanth in a ceremony, followed by a lavish feast.

As the Hand of Mauloch, Maulakanth was officially the supreme leader of the armed forces of Orsinium. In practice, most of the leading and commanding was done by veterans that had been commanding soldiers for decades. Instead of letting them carry on with their jobs, Maulakanth started interfering immediately and asserted his newfound authority wherever possible – within his first year, he demanded a reform of the soldiers' combat tactics, demoted four war-chiefs for speaking against him and challenged two others to a duel to the death. As the abuses of power piled up, the king was eventually forced to reign Maulakanth in and the proud Hand of Mauloch only relented grudgingly. This started a feud between Maulakanth and the king that would last for years.

Maulakanth was a fervent nationalist and supporter of Orsinium's expansion. The city-state was located near the border between Hammerfell and Skyrim and expansion in any direction would mean coming into direct conflict with the local peoples and authorities. The king of Orsinium was a wise, patient and diplomatic Orc – Maulakanth was none of these things. He had ousted all those who didn't agree with him from the leaderschip echelon of Orsinium's armed forces and was eventually able to force the king's hand into agreeing to a campaign of small-scale raids, designed to assert Orsinium's superiority over the nearby towns and their militias.

The Jarl of Falkreath hold and the leaders of Elinhir and Dragonstar suddenly found themselves having to deal with Orc warriors, personally led by Maulakanth, invading their lands and displacing the Nord and Redguard citizens. Many skirmishes were fought with mostly inconclusive results – the Nords and Redguards were both tough opponents and fiercely resisted the plans for Orcish expansion. Both sent pleas to the king of Orsinium to stop the senseless violence and the king consented. Maulakanth was furious upon hearing the news and strode into the king's longhouse, shoving past the guards, to rage at the king in person.

Finally having an excuse to get rid of Maulakanth once and for all, the king had the Hand of Mauloch stripped of his title and exiled for insubordination. Beyond himself with fury, Maulakanth drew his blades and was immediately beset on all sides by the king's bodyguard. Maulakanth fought savagely and roared at his king, calling him a traitor and a coward, demanding an honest one-on-one duel. The king wouldn't have any of it, however, and Maulakanth was forced out of the longhouse and eventually out of the city. Five Orcs fell beneath his blades that day but that merely served to reinforce the king's point and Maulakanth found no support from his erstwhile allies in the armed forces.

Disgraced and abandoned, Maulakanth fled to High Rock. He was now twenty-six years old and had nothing to his name, but he was still an excellent warrior and turned to mercenary work. He still referred to himself as the Hand of Mauloch, considering the king's actions to be false and traitorous, and has gained quite a reputation for himself under that name in High Rock over the past two years. Lords and merchants used him as a bodyguard and magistrates paid him to take care of bandits and thieves. None of his jobs lasted long, however, as all of his employers agreed on one thing; Maulakanth was impossible to work with. The count of Meir Thorvale thought no different.

Fighting Style:

“Do you even know who you're dealing with? I am the Hand of Mauloch! Flee before me, runts!”

Maulakanth is a fantastic duelist, capable of taking on several opponents at once with his flexible two-bladed fighting style. He uses his offhand sword to parry and feint, striking hard and fast with his mainhand sword – combining such speed with a frightfully powerful impact when his attacks connect is only possible because of his bulk and musculature. Of course, excellence in one area comes at the expense of others, and Maulakanth has no options for ranged combat. He relies entirely on either cornering his enemies or being on the defensive, forcing them to come to him, and his huge size and weight mean that sneaking up on enemies is practically impossible. Maulakanth amplifies his abilities in combat with potions that he brews himself, ritualistically downing them in one go while muttering a quick prayer to Malacath before every fight. Juiced up, well-rested and in the primal throes of his berserker's rage, there are precious few warriors who can face the Hand of Mauloch in melee combat and live to tell the tale.

Personality: His prodigious skill at arms is offset by having the most offensive and abrasive personality this side of the Imperial City. Maulakanth is obscenely prideful, stubborn and short-tempered, especially after his exile -- having become ostracized and spurned even among Orcs, Maulakanth sees himself as having become everything Malacath embodies and looks down on everyone else. As such, he seems to be fiercely allergic to advice, instructions and orders, doing everything his way or not at all, and the value of listening to others is almost totally lost on him. It has been years since he's had anything approaching a friend.

That said, he isn't always unpleasant. He loosens up after a few drinks, revealing himself to be a passionate storyteller and uproarious reveler, and should he drink far too much, he might tearfully confess he's just looking for somewhere to belong. All the rage he carries with him gets in the way of that constantly and expresses itself in self-destructive behavior. Should someone be capable of putting up with his bullshit, however, they might find there is more to Maulakanth than meets the eye.

While superficially arrogant, Maulakanth actually struggles with his compulsion to be physically superior and has become dependent on strength potions over the years. He can go for a few days without, but he will eventually start to feel inadequate and suffer from withdrawals, something that infuriates him to no end. Maulakanth is at his most dangerous during such a period.

Font Colour: Not sure what to call it... moderately green?