Basic Information

Full Name: Gellert Formonde
Age: 47 (so he claims)
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 01/01
Race: Humani
Alignment: Neutral

Appearance

Hair Color: Grey
Eye Color: Beady blue
Face Shape: Square, chiseled, a light stubble covering his chin and lining his jawline
Skin Tone: Pale olive
Height: 182 cm/5'9"
Weight: 75 kg/165 lb
Body Type: Muscular, battle-worn
Natural Markings: None
Scar(s): A singular gash across the left side of his lips, several old scars on his chest and back
Tattoo(s): One on his right shoulder; black outline of a lidded eye lined with inverse pentagramic spikes (img)

Personality

Gellert is nothing but a mysterious figure. Often coming as swiftly as the rain and vanishing without a trace just as fast, he's demure, mysterious and strictly professional with his dealings. No matter how hard you try, you'll find it almost impossible to get into his head. His thoughts are a mystery to everyone but himself and only the most perceptive can outline a pattern in his seemingly erratic and unpredictable judgment. Usually a quiet man who keeps to himself and doesn't let anyone pry at his past, Gellert has a penchant for wit and sarcastic remarks whenever he is stuck into a conversation. Generally, he doesn't go around and pick fights with people he knows to have no quarrel with. Despite his known profession as a shady mercenary and bounty hunter, he's quite peace-loving out of the job and a pleasant man all around. Just very, very intimidating, even when he doesn't mean to.

3 Words: Witty, Unpredictable, Scary
Like(s): The woods, kids, good music, magic (sleight of hand, not sorcery), money, alcohol
Dislike(s): Minstrels, thieves, wanton destruction, swimming, arrogance, being disrespected, monsters

Want(s): Family, home and a peaceful life
Fear(s): Drowning

Favorite...

Color(s): Grey
Time of Day: Evening
Food: Roasted river mackerel on a stick
Animal: Wolf
Place in Terra: Norione Village

Skills and Attributes

Skills

Special ability(s): Gellert wants to keep this under wraps as much as possible (for the shock value), but he is able to shapeshift into a number of various animals. Specifically, a wolf, an owl and a frog. Transformations take about a second at most and last indefinitely as long as he has energy and consciousness.

Good at...: Swordsmanship, primarily. Gellert is an exemplar fighter and can overpower most opponents in an honorable one-on-one duel. He is also good at simple cooking, stealth, lying and combat acrobatics.

Bad at...: Archery. Gellert has always been fascinated the rangers of the wood and wanted to emulate their masterful marksmanship. However, he never could get the hang of aiming and eventually abandoned that aspiration for simpler bladeworks. He's also notably incompetent at flirting, penmanship (his handwriting is sloppier that chicken scratches), dealing with thirst and also putting thoughts into words.

Traits

Good Habit(s): Gellert has tremendous respect for nature and its children and it shows in his day-to-day life. He also has peerless diligence and work ethic.

Bad Habit(s): He's unfortunately quite antisocial and detached, detesting having to interact beyond what is rational (in his eyes). Gellert also likes to binge drink.

History

The Past

Little is known about the origins of Gellert Formonde. He is an unreliable storyteller and rumors about his past are equally dubious. What is certain, however, is that he's lowborn, the son of peasant workers from Wellborough. Both of his parents were shapeshifters and he inherited their ability, able to shift into his favorite animals (wolves, owls and frogs). His life was modest and wasn't filled with much troubles. Not much fortune, either. Some time before he came of age, his father began teaching him how to properly handle a sword, himself being a former brigand that turned a new leaf when he found love with a brothel worker, leading of course to Gellert. As it turns out, he inherited his father's combat savviness; the sword flowed so easily in his arms. He could easily duke it out with his father at such an early age.

At his parent's suggestion, Gellert took up the work of a sellsword, lending his fighting skills where the money was right. He found steady work and camaraderie with the Rogue Knights. They were a mercenary company, primarily consisting of humani, that fought for any side given the right price. Though they styled themselves knights, they were anything but knightly. Each member was given the title Sir as well as an epithet (for example, Sir Dayne the Brave). Given his rapidly graying hair even before he reached his twilight years, Gellert wqs dubbed Sir Gellert the Grey. He racked up a respectable sum of gold fighting with the Knights, but committed no small number of crimes in the process, mostly out of peer pressure. He was given the idea that the world was inherently dark despite its beautiful exterior and the only way to survive was following the nature of it.

Twenty years Gellert spent with the Rogue Knights, becoming one of their most senior members. A turning point came when the company was ambushed by the opposing force. A bloodbath ensued, heavy casualties suffered on both sides. The Knights were forced to retreat, but Gellert was picked off in the rout, thrown into the raging river rapids and left for dead. He would've drowned under the current and died were it not for the kindness of an itinerant water spirit who pulled him out of the current. Given his condition, said water spirit brought her to her home in Norione Village to care for him (with the help of trained Fae healers). He recovered in no time and was invited to stay in the Village for a while. Gellert learned many things in his stay, chief among them water magic, taught by the water spirit that saved his life. The peaceful, serene environment and proximity to the beauty of nature also proved beneficial for his physical and mental health. His faith in the world was restored after being corrupted.

Eventually, his stay came to an end and Gellert was implored to return to his people, but not without given a gift first. The people of Norione Village were not people of warfare, but they have ancient weapons in case they come under attack. He was given two such weapons. First, a short sword (Fae longsword) of enchanted steel that is especially potent against creatures of the dark. The second was a dagger (Fae shortsword) that can conceal the wielder in shadows when held. The two blades are named Dire and Kelen, respectively. They would prove useful for him in future adventures.

The Present

Gellert is now back on the path of a mercenary. Though a resident of Wellborough, he often wanders the land to seek out bounties and troublesome monsters to slay. He aims to help the prosperity of Terra's people and thinks he has no place in the Raziel-Alithe conflict. Rather, Raziel and Alithe have no place here and should take their magical war elsewhere.

Lately, that conflict has raged more than he had ever known. It seems likely that he would be pulled into it. Yet Gellert wants none of that life. If need be, he will destroy both Alithe and Raziel, not in that order, to ensure the world stays in peace and freedom.

Memories

He remembers vividly his first transformation
[Can be in dot points]