Played By: HalfofLancelot
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Finneas Bors
[ ⚜ ] O T H E R N A M E S
Finn, Sir Bors
[ ⚜ ] R E A L N A M E
Sir Bors de Ganis
[ ⚜ ] O C C U P A T I O N
Knight of the Round Table
[ ⚜ ] P L A C E O F O R I G I N
Camelot, Rivenspire
[ ⚜ ] A G E
32
[ ⚜ ] A F F I L I A T I O N
[Lawful Good]
☖ Children often think in terms of innocence. Purity lives for as long as a child is willing to close their eyes and keep them shut. That lasted long past adolescence where Bors was concerned. All these knights around him, his own father, Sir Bors the Elder, and his brother, Lionel, portrayed every bit of pride in their arms, in their country, and in their king as the books had portrayed. All those stories his father told him of his adventures with the late Uther gave way to a stark imagination and one ruled by morality most of all. It lived on through his father's untimely death at the hands of Claudas. That kind of treachery, the late coming of Uther's army, and subsequent captivity of the new Lord should have sent his own dreams spiraling to the ground. Finneas Bors, unlike his brother, took advantage of his situation. Claudas allowed him to continue his knight's training and eventually, Bors exacted justice whilst his brother exacted revenge. Claudas still lived, though blood spilled when they took down Dorin, his esteemed son, and fled to Camelot.
In those days before the quest for the Grail, Bors upheld a modicum of respect for the rules set in place. That lived brightly in his display as a knight, among the most renowned in Arthur's court for quite some time. Law meant everything to him. Respect came second. And everything else came after that. Holding some modicum of good remained fervent in his actions, but even then he sacrificed the inherent 'right' choice in order to uphold the rules that bound Camelot.
[Neutral Good]
☖ Later years wouldn't be so kind to Bors sense of morality. The quest for the Grail met with so many disasters and hard givings, so many failures, that it broke Bors down a little at a time. Even then, nature had no rules of its own and the laws in lands far and wild never quite aligned with what Bors considered right and true. Both Galahad and Percival met with as many trials, though their faith never shook as it had in Bors. The irony in that sentence itself proves testament to how frivolous nature can seem. All in all, once they achieved the quest after years spent away, Bors came back alone. The trials proved too hard for young Percival and Galahad had been promised desired death at his choosing. The travels alone had never been documented, not on Bors behalf, at least, and so no one ever knew of the trials he went through. They bore down on him, leaving only room for a middle ground between duty and such dismissive nature that guided folks like the fae. He went with what the world had given him, never once took what was given for granted, and succeeded on his journey home a little wiser, if not worse for wear.
❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯❮ ❮ ❮ ❮ ❮ ❮ ❮ ❮ ❮ [ ⚜ ] A P P E A R A N C E ❮ T H I R T E E N Y E A R S P R I O R - 1 9 ❯
Give a boy the tools to rebel and he won't understand. Give a boy a reason to rebel, and he'll make tools of his own. Young as he was spicy, his attitude reflected his appearance. A curt young lad with a penchant for disrespect, his young features pinched in snarls and scowls almost perpetual. A smile never settled on the curve of his lips and the lines mottling his forehead didn't come from aging. Bors stood tall, his full 6'2" height, chest puffed, and posture aggressive. His surroundings had no room for weakness and the fire in him only further sparked his heavy steps. Training lined him with lean muscle, sharpening already high cheekbones and squaring his jaw. Every bit of Bors at 19 had been reared for a fight - a wolf with his muzzle raised in a snarl. Yet, despite this readiness, Bors never lashed out unduly - every bit of him only reared back in preparation. He wouldn't be the one to swing first and it was evident in the wariness of his steps, the wide berth he gave people. Or rather, the berth people gave him. A massive wall of muscle bounding its way down a corridor didn't bode well for those too stubborn to let him pass.
[ ⚜ ] A P P E A R A N C E ❮ P R E S E N T - 3 2 ❯
Years have worn this old Mastiff. The creases along his pale skin come from tribulation this time, his demeanor far too mellowed out to cast unwarranted scowls. His eyes fall heavy with bags and, though a healthy glow lights his face, Bors walks with an inevitable exhaustion. His foot falls come heavy and pounding, his body always moving to crack or pop a joint. The muscles of his chest heave great sighs, pushing the air out in one exhaustive pulse. Yet, even in his stress, this older, wizened Bors always has room for a smile - a crackling of tooth between chapped lips. Age and exhaustion can't quite stop the oddly mellow chipperness to his attitude and the rising lilt of his voice. They sink between the cracks in his own skin, the scars along each part of his body, and light Bors up even in the dull afterglow of overwork. He never shies away from an act of kindness, even if it's just a funny jokes.
Despite this, the world's constant pounding against his back has coiled Bors into a reactive hound. When provoked or otherwise in need of necessary force, Bors uncoils like a serpent and strikes at an alarming rate. Age hasn't bitten into his bones yet, even if his visible persona alludes to such. He becomes a mountain of a man, all growls and snarls and biting tongue. If it's not his sword that's swinging, it's no doubt his words. Perhaps a hound or a serpent don't do this man justice. Bors is every bit a bear both in nature and in looks.
[ ⚜ ] W A R D R O B E S T Y L E ❮ R I V E N S P I R E ❯
Not a very fashion savvy individual, Bors is mostly seen toting around in leathers and a loose doublet, with a pair of boots to go with. He hasn't a knack for looking... with it, as it were, and it's quite obvious from his lack of care in his attire. The only thing Bors has going for himself is that he, at least, looks rather clean - and he is! Bors prides himself on his hygiene. Cleanliness is close to Godliness, after all. But, other than that, really, Bors has absolutely no mind for spiffing it up and would rather wear comfort clothes when outside of his armor. That thing gets incredibly musty, hot, and sticks to fabric which sticks to his skin. So, outside of it, he goes to great lengths in order to feel nice and relaxed. That often comes in the form of loose fitting shirts, comfy pantaloons, and a pair of boots that go untied more often than not. Maybe a nice cap when the sun's a little too high for his liking.
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Single - Technically Celibate
[ ⚜ ] P A R T N E R
N / A
[ ⚜ ] F A T H E R
King Charles Bors the Elder - Deceased, killed by Claudas. Ruled lands far from Uther's reach.
[ ⚜ ] M O T H E R
Lady Evaine - Deceased, sister to Elaine, who birthed Lancelot, making Lancelot Bors' Cousin.
[ ⚜ ] S I B L I N G S
Lionel - Alive, knight of the round table, exiled for killing Sir Calogrenant and his hermit in a fit of rage against his brother.
[ ⚜ ] P E T S
Rhiannon - a lovely horse he's had for years; she's so named after the goddess of inspiration.
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A man of great virtue and honor, also a man that has more than enough spitfire to bring a manor to it's foundations. As a young lad, under his father's ruling, Bors' mind leaped in grand imaginative strokes. Riddled with stories of knightly adventures with dragons and wizards, witches and thieves, his father instilled into Bors a sense of wonderment that never ceases to this day. With his brother in tow, Bors set out for adventures of all kinds - his curiosity never sated. Yet, what his father inspired in him hadn't been the frivolity of adventures, wandering through the world slaying dragons and monsters. More so, he simply allowed Bors to ignite within himself his own sense of right and wrong. King Bors the Elder never told his son anything outright, but merely allowed him the opportunity to experience and learn himself.
In that, Bors gained compassion and a respect for the laws knights of his home upheld. And when it came time to put that attitude to the test, Bors never failed or fell to temptation once. Claudas wanted a lot from both brothers, knowing full well just what great tools and weapons they could become in his regime. Thus, they came under captivity but only in name and boundaries. Neither brother could leave the premises of the castle, yet Claudas treated them as if he sired them himself. Bors took advantage of Claudas' treatment, using whatever resources he could to exploit weaknesses and train himself as he would under his father's rule, plus a little added 'umph' for good measure.
In doing so, Bors closed in on himself, treating Claudas' people with a coldness none close to him had witnessed. What Bors discovered was a great knack for a biting wit. If he couldn't slay these men with a sword, he'd do so with his tongue alone. The longer his captivity stretched, the more Claudas' men clung to the walls as he neared. They wanted nothing to do with Bors and that would aid him should he ever truly enact his rebellion. Yet, in all his time spent under a wrongful king, Bors never lashed out until the very end and even then, his plan hadn't been so much revenge as it had escape. Claudas had no reign over him. He couldn't say much for his brother, who seethed and toiled in his chains. What Lionel wanted was Claudas' head on a pike and his people strung in a line of corpses. That rage fueled his brother's actions and led to the eventual death of Claudas son, rather brutally.
Upon escape, Bors allowed himself a chance to breathe. No longer stifled by the burning chains and closing bars, Bors was free to truly embrace the life he wanted. Under Arthur's rule and round table, Bors found a place among what he'd call family, though they had no real tie to him aside from his brother and Lancelot. Even then, Bors kept his wit and charm, nipping rather than biting at his compatriots whenever the opportunity arose. And Bors loved to take advantage his clever tongue. Even drunk and half-asleep, not many could match the speed at which Bors through half-baked insults and retorts. So maybe in his own mind, but a sober Bors did lash out in a wicked tongue whenever he could - even if some of his attempts fell flat.
As age caught up, Bors eventually mellowed out. With a heaping ton of quests and trials on his back, along with the weight of his brother's angry betrayal (of which he blames himself for), Bors often finds himself in a relaxed state. Akin to a cat, Bors takes his naps seriously and often. Also like a cat, Bors takes to nipping at those who dare to disturb him - though never heartfelt in his gripes, he often calls back in order to apologize and allow whoever interrupted to go about their business. Currently, he takes to the world as the world wishes, simply going along with the winds, so to speak. It could very well be attributed to a laziness, but Bors does as much work as any other lad and lass that don the knightly mantle, if not more, at times. He just has a subtlety about him that people often find surprising, even as they're be mildly humiliated by his tongue-in-cheek methods of joking.
[ ⚜ ] S T R E N G T H S
☖ Unpredictable - Bors delights in seeming the unwitting opponent, when suddenly that slouched and worn figure turns into a hulking two hundred pound bear of a man about to piledrive you into a quarry. Yeah, he likes surprises and he uses subtlety to his advantage.
☖ Compassion and Reliability - In times of need, Bors is one of those individuals you can count on to take a stand and to do it for the right reasons.
☖ Vigilance - Always a spring loaded and read to fire, it's very difficult to find Bors with his guard down. A trip to retrieve the grail and bring it back alone tends to leave a man ready to bolt into action at a moment's notice.
[ ⚜ ] W E A K N E S S E S
☖ Paranoid - With vigilance comes constant surveillance. The stress piled on from always be at the ready wears Bors down a little bit at a time.
☖ Solo Figure - Bors doesn't have much in the way of tactics when he has to account for more than just himself. Don't give him an army 'cause he won't know what do with it.
☖ Magic - Having no magical background nor latent knowledge of magic leaves Bors with a stark weakness towards it.
[ ⚜ ] M A G I C A L C A P A B I L I T I E S
N / A
[ ⚜ ] W E A P O N S
A man like him needs a fitting weapon. Like most knights, Bors carries around a shield, though it doesn't see much use as his main weapon requires the use of both hands. A hulking warhammer roughly standing about 3/4s the size of him and quite heavy to boot. It's pretty standard in make, though sturdier than most metals and woods. Nothing quite special. He does carry a small dagger when he's unable to use the warhammer, whether due to his lack of room or need for agility and speed over brute force. The shield's mostly for arrows anyways - the idea is to not use his face to stop a sword, but rather to move away from it.
[ ⚜ ] B I O G R A P H Y ❮ R I V E N S P I R E ❯
Simple and normal upbringing, though instead of a regular father, he got a king. So, mostly normal. Normal in the sense that nothing really outstanding or awful happened for a god few years within his family. Outside, he can't really say. Tragedy doesn't really have great timing. For Bors and his brother, tragedy hit pretty early, but not before their father could instill a few virtues, at the least, within them. Claudas took no mercy on the people his father had ruled over - a small piece of land quite far from Uther's reach, despite being well and good friends with his father. With Bors the Elder slain and a kingdom under his hand, Claudas did much to change how things were to be handled. Both Bors and his brother Lionel had been taken under captivity and raised in Claudas' court.
Despite their lack of actual harm - Claudas treated both boys like royalty - both brothers had known their father and mother well enough to not succumb to trickery. Even as impressionable children, Bors had already grown into his own morals and ideals. Right and wrong mattered to him. Lionel, on the other hand, didn't quite appreciate the murder of his father and didn't take to the teachings his father instilled into Bors quite as well. Things didn't stick well with Lionel ever, really. His goal had been revenge, while Bors' goal had been escape.
Years of tutelage under Claudas and self-teaching gave both brothers the tools to leave. They rebelled and took their fate into their own hands. Unfortunately for Lionel, that meant bashing as many heads in as he could on his way out. If he couldn't have Claudas head on a pike, he'd at least take something that truly mattered to him. Bors couldn't stop Dorin's murder, something he often looks back on in a guilt he can't quite shake off. However, after the sword had been felled whilst Bors prepped their escape, he got the both of them out without so much as a scratch. Or, well, a few scratches, but that was mostly Lionel's fault.
The trip to Uther's land had been arduous, mostly, lacking much peril aside from bandits who mistook them for simple travelers. Arriving, it came as quite a surprise when news of Uther's death came to them; they sought court with the king, currently Arthur. Upon admittance, both brothers proved their worth to the new king and found themselves swearing their fealty as Knights to his service. It took a great deal to earn his trust and respect, but Bors considered it worth it. No fiercer ally than Arthur Pendragon and no one as loyal, either. There, quests came aplenty and though both brothers often found each other separated, Bors came to find more than just his brother family. He couldn't quite say the same for Lionel, however. That level of camaraderie carried Bors far, through many battles and many journeys, until it eventually landed him on the quest for the Grail. With young Percival in tow and a fair, pure, and experienced Galahad leading the front, the quest seemed quite a bit less daunting.
However, it didn't get better from that. In fact, it got quite a deal worse. The trials each knight had been put through shook not only their faith, but tore at their minds and brought their ideals crumbling to the ground. Bors, though his will had always been unshakable, found himself burdened and stressed by each tribulation they'd been put through. Eventually, it culminated to the decision of saving his brother from a quest gone terribly wrong, or a maiden his brother had dragged into his own affairs. Morality eventually won over family, and he saved the innocent life over that of his brother. This infuriated him, rightfully so, and upon finding Bors after his escape, Lionel lashed out. Feeling so deserving of this rage, Bors did nothing to stop him and the act eventually drew the attention of Sir Calogrenant who fell to Lionel's sword. So blinded by anger, Lionel wouldn't stop until his vendetta would be sated and it took Bors incapacitating him to accomplish that. He reconvened with both Percival and Galahad after his detour and they both continued their journey, worse for wear, for the grail.
Eventually, they came upon it and in their time spent spelunking the cavern it had been hidden in, the world seemed to change and definitely not for the better. Percival lost his life, or was at least lost to the cavern, whilst Galahad, once the Grail had been retrieved and they made their way back, eventually gave his own life, as well. Arriving alone, with but a mystic cup in hand, Bors didn't quite fit the same anymore. With the news of further calamity and a new, cruel ruler covering Rivenspire, Bors seemed... defeated. He still stood by Arthur's side, still fought ferocious, but everything seemed to go wrong as he aged. Maybe wisdom came at the price of a good, well meaning life. Maybe he didn't quite deserve that. Not yet, at least.
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Hymn for the Weekend - Coldplay"Oh, angel sent from up above
You know you make my world light up
When I was down, when I was hurt
You came to lift me up
Life is a drink and love's a drug
Oh now I think I must be miles up
When I was a river dried up
You came to rain a flood"