Malakaus

27

Orsimer

Male

Atronach

Combat

Juggernaut

When most think of orcs, one would think burly, green-skinned men or even women with predominant tusked teeth, animistic eyes, and many scars adorning their bodies. Well, Malakaus has some of those things. Malakaus had the great misfortune of being born smaller than most orcs; some say it’s because his father was a human, others think that Malacath had cursed him. Whatever the case may be, Malakaus is still only a 5’6” with a brownish green skin tone and no tusks at all. Cruel children called him a goblin instead of an orc. He tries to look intimidating as much as he can, such as growing his hair out in barbaric braids, showing off his scars, and wearing frightening clothing. Sometimes it works. The only thing about him that he believes is appropriately orcish is his piercing red eyes. His mother says he has the eyes of Malacath, burning bright red with the fire of passion and hate.

And try as he might, while Malakaus can certainly build muscles he will always be scrawny compared to other orcs. He could train just as hard, eat just as much, and fight just as often, yet he will never grow the muscle mass and height to compare to them, and even some humans (Typically nords) can out do him in size. He has the scars and wounds to prove just how often he tries to grow stronger in body, but all they really serve is as a reminder of his shortcomings. Aside from his wounds, Malakaus is oddly hygienic. He tends to wash whenever possible and even brushes his teeth, figuring that while he may not have tusks like other orcs, he could at least try to keep his teeth clean. Even his hair is notable soft and often fragrant. His mother insist that he keeps himself clean due to his activities, and Malakaus himself doesn't mind the jeers. It just gives Malakaus a reason to get into fights with people.

Malakaus generally prefers to go shirtless whenever possible, mostly just to show off his chest and scars. Thus his casual attire tends to just be a pair of comfortable trousers and boots. That being said, he does wear proper attire for the weather or situation: he has proper clothing for smithing work and cold weather. And more often than not, he is wearing his armor and other equipment anyways, which is not only made to be comfortable, but also protective. He accessorizes a bit with golden earrings he made himself, as well as an amulet that belonged to his father. He often wears a mask to cover his mouth, mostly to hide his non-orcish teeth, and has a ragged mantle that was once his baby-blanket.

Some would call Malakaus boisterous. Others human. Most say he's angry. Honestly, the best way to describe Malakaus is not a word, but a phrase: His personality is who he is. His attitude depends on who you are. It is for this reason that if you get different people talking about him, they each could give a different version of him. One moment he could be heroic, and another he could have gotten into a fight with you for a perceived insult. There is a method to his madness, but very rarely would people get his true personality. They'd most just get whatever attitude he adopts to deal with whatever people is around him.

Generally speaking Malakaus prefers to do good when he can. The only issue is that what good he can do tends to be of the violent sorts. He certainly has skills to live a normal, peaceful life of a common smith or even an enchanter, but Malakaus always felt like he needs to "Prove" himself due to his insecurities, feeling as though he isn't orcish enough to settle down peacefully. A lot of Malakaus's actions could be reasoned out as "He's trying to show off" or "He's compensating for something". Whether it's helping a village against a gang of bandits or picking a fight with a demon who's minding his own business, anything to prove that he is a true orcish warrior, even if the only one he's proving himself to is himself.

So while Malakaus can be selfish, he does get pleasure from doing good things just as he does bad things. He feels good giving a beggar a septim, thinking that he's helped. He also has no problem shooting down a pickpocket who was begging and had the misfortune of being caught. To him they're just the different side of the same coin. He does have something of a meek streak when dealing with particularly attractive girls as well as those of actual authority. Growing up as "The Goblin" has made Malakaus uneasy around girls, believing that any attempts to get close to him is just a ploy to steal his money, heart, or dignity. And thanks to his time in the Imperial Legion, he can be oddly obedient at times, but it also makes him weak-willed too. Quick to anger yet at the same time easily cowed, it all simply builds up into a frustration Malakaus often fails to contain and deal with in a safe and proper manner, thus creating his nearly suicidal desire to do extreme acts.

Malakaus doesn't particularly care for the Divines. He feels that they're too disconnected to the world and that "coincidences" aren't things he's going to put faith in. Thus he has more stock in the Daedra Lords, despite knowing fully well that while the Divines may not be able to act directly in his interest, more often then not the Daedra Lords are working in ways that will result in his death. But at least they're active. As an orc he of course gives proper respect due to Malacath for whom Malakaus was blessed with his name. He's also courted Hircine from time-to-time, hoping to be blessed with lycanthropy. So far none of Malakaus's prayers have been answered. And while most of the other gods get their due respect/fear, Malakaus is violently against Boethiah. Not because of his potential hand in the creation of Malacath (And the disgusting implications behind it), but mostly due to the Dark Elves whom often call Boethiah their patron god. Malakaus does not like Dark Elves. At all.

Malakaus's story begins with the death of his father. His father, unlike some orcs, was an Imperial Soldier who had been stationed in Bruma. He was out on patrol one day when he found a wounded orcish huntress. She was laying on the ground bleeding to death alongside two bears she had just killed. His father took the huntress back to the city and nursed her back to health, and it was there that the two began their romance. Over the course of a few years the two would meet one another out in the cold fields of Burma, sharing stories with one another and keeping each other company. Eventually after a few years of companionship, they eloped.

However not long after the chief of the stronghold learned of the huntress’s interaction with the Imperial Soldier, and knowing that one of his daughters dare had the gall to give herself away to a human of all things angered him greatly. So one day he and his warriors went to find his daughter when she was out hunting, and when they found her with the Imperial Soldier they attacked him. Malakaus’s father stayed back to defend himself and his lover from the orcs, telling her to run back to the city. He gave her his amulet, which many of his fellow soldiers would recognize as his. It would be what she needed in order for them to safeguard her. So Malakaus’s mother ran to the city and sought help with the Imperial Soldiers there, showing them the amulet and telling them what happened. But it would be too late, and by the time the guards went to investigate Malakaus’s father had already been slain. He took out four warriors on his own, including the chief himself. But in the end he had died before anyone could have saved him.

The others knew about Malakaus’s father and his meetings with the huntress. Not everyone approved, some even threaten to report him for it, but their commanding officer was sympathetic. Having served alongside many fine orcish soldiers in his long career with the Legion, the officer chose to help Malakaus and his mother, by allowing her to enlist with the Imperial Legion. She signed on as a smith, working the forge to create and repair equipment for Imperial Soldiers. It wasn’t long before Malakaus himself was born, and shortly after his mother had saved up enough money to buy supplies and travel to the Imperial City, where the two would live in a home that belonged to Malakaus’s Imperial Father.

Raising a young boy alone while working for the Imperial Army wasn’t easy for a single orcish mother, but she was more than willing to rise to the challenge. She was strict with Malakaus, but at the same time made sure that he could quickly take care of himself. By the time he could walk on his own two feet she made him learn how to use a bow and hunt for his own meals. He wasn’t very good at first, but by the time he was ten years old he could at least kill a rats with his bow and arrows.

However Malakaus found living in the Imperial City to be an absolute nightmare as a child. At first he was excited at seeing other children, and they excited to see him. They were too innocent to realize the implication of his birth, and most didn't care that he was an orc. But it wasn't long before they grew smarter and crueler. Other orcs looked down on him when he didn't grow to their size. Other mer and men considered him ugly and barbaric. Even the beast races thought that he was too bizarre, even for them. All just because he didn't quite fit in with his own kind. They threw racists names at him, degraded him in public, and at times even attacked him. He was known throughout the city as "The Goblin" for his off-green skin tone and scrawny appearance. He's even had mercenaries attack him, believing he truly was a goblin who had managed to get inside the city. The worse were the dunmer; they combined all these hateful things and multiplied it by their numbers. The gang of bullies who picked on him the most were proud dunmer sons of noblemen, whose idea of “training” was ganging up on Malakaus.

But like a true orc he these insults not with stoic silence, but burning fury. When those mercenaries attacked him he fought back. He didn't win, and he got stabbed for his troubles, but he fought and he didn't die. When those bullies made fun of him for being small, he attacked them until they were looking up at him, on the ground. It didn't happen the first time, but after the seventh brawl or so he had gotten so used to taking the hits that he was the last one standing. Even the gossip spread about him came to a quick end when he assaulted a couple of dunmer girls by throwing a giant rat corpse at them, which actually got Malakaus arrested. He was only fourteen years old.

All of this of course came right back to his mother, who was both sad and disappointment. She understood why he acted like this, but did not approve of it at all. Malakaus was going to get at least a year in prison due to assaulting the daughters of some rich family, but his mother had one get-out-of-jail card for him: the commanding officer of Malakaus’s father. When he heard that Malakaus had gotten into trouble, he was willing to do a favor for him. But there was a catch: If Malakaus was going to be pardoned, he would join the Imperial Legion. It wasn't exactly an easy choice for Malakaus to make, but he figured if he was going to be fighting people, he may as well make a career of it. So he joined the Legion.

His first two years consisted of basic training. He was given a set of heavy iron armor that he was to wear nearly all the time, even while resting, bathing, and sleeping. By the end of the week he had to be taken to a healer due to the exhaustion he was feeling. However seeing the jeering faces of his fellow soldiers, who seemed to take to the armor so easily, enraged Malakaus to continue onward. To survive just to spite them. Of course he didn't wear the iron armor just to loose weight: he was also given plenty of combat drills. From individual combat to mass combat, he was expected to perform well in all categories. Once he became used to the weight of the armor, Malakaus did fairly well for himself. The military also was an oddly nice change of scenery compared to his life on the streets. Those who jeered and insulted him were quickly weeded or straighten out: In the Legion there was no Mer, Men, or Beasts. Only soldiers. Malakaus's commanding officer was harsh but fair. He never spoke badly of Malakaus unless he screwed up during a drill or was lagging behind during practice. His commanding officer never made Malakaus do anything he couldn't himself, and did plenty of things Malakaus simply couldn't. He could swim in full imperial regalia, create a localized blizzard, and create enough swords to arm the entire unit in a week. Sufficient to say, there was a high bar. Malakaus was determined to meet it.

After two years of basic training, Malakaus was considered an Auxiliary. Despite his training, he wasn't necessarily going to have to see battle. During his time in basic, Malakaus showed extreme promise in smithing, making quick and decent repairs and even manufacturing his own equipment. Mostly basic but useful things, such as shovels, axe heads, silverware, and even jewelry. Thus he was given an opportunity to train with Imperial Smiths. Much to his surprise and pleasure, most of them were orcs. And unlike the orcs he grew up with, these orcs were disciplined and mature. While they certainly piled on most of the menial tasks to "the fresh meat", they never degraded him for his size or stature. He was often challenged in smithing to see if he could keep up in their level of craft, and it was certainly difficult for him at first. But it wasn't long before he was keeping up with the others, and practically a veteran in the forge by the time he served the Imperial Legion for another three years.

After five years, Malakaus was already an adult. He had served loyally in the Legion and grown into a respectable man. Yet at the same time, he felt that he wasn't complete. He was still young, yet he has never left the city. Many others his age had gone to war, or at least left the city for adventure. He too wanted to see the world outside these walls, but didn't know where to start. But thankfully his mother came to his aid once more. During her time in the Imperial City she had made a few friends, and one friend was a member of the Mage’s Guild. This man was a breton who traveled the world to discover and study ancient dwemer ruins, and had recently returned from Morrowind after an extensive archaeological survey, was currently doing research in the city. He and Malakaus’s mother bonded over dwarven metallurgy and when she heard that Malakaus was seeking more to his life, she offered him as an apprentice to the mage. The breton was hesitant at first, but figured that he could use someone like Malakaus at his side. He would teach the young orc what he knew, while at the same time Malakaus would help the man in his endeavours.

Of course Malakaus jumped onto this opportunity, but unfortunately he didn’t leave on a life of adventure immediately. As was mentioned, he was doing research in the city, and Malakaus was mostly used as muscles to move heavy objects or bring things to the breton. True he also tried to teach Malakaus magic, but either Malakaus had no talent for it or the teacher was horrible, as the orc failed to really grasp most magic. When he tried destruction magic he'd be lucky if he sets himself on fire. Restoration often caused sores and even blisters to appear instead of healing wounds, and nothing came from his conjuration. His illusions were so poor and shoddy a rock could see through them, and he had absolutely no talent in Mysticism. Only two forms of magic did he do well in: Alteration and Enchanting.

The latter was because it felt so similar to Smithing, it was simply using magic instead of metal. The former mostly because Malakaus was being mischievous. One day while Malakaus was fetching books for the mage, he stumbled upon a tome from Morrowwind. Inside contained various information about spells and incantations, one in particular which was information about the Levitation spells. An alteration spell that essentially allowed one to fly through the air using magic. Malakaus he felt that this spell would be exactly what he needs to make a name for himself as a mage. There was, of course, some issues such as the fact that even the mage had no further information about levitation magic, or the fact that levitation itself was banned by the Empire. But Malakaus was determined to look nonetheless, and thus set out on an adventure to learn more.

So packing up his things and informing the mage the general intent of his journey (To journey to the mage guilds to further his career in magic, but not anything about Levitation), Malakaus set out to the Mage Guild in Leyawiin. He wasn’t sure if Leyawiin had the answers she sought and they could very well lead to a dead end, but he was determined to look anyways. He’d take any lead he could find, even some that would seem unrelated to what he was looking for. Anything could be the key to discovering the secrets of Levitation. But as he traveled along the road he reached the crossroads, one heading south and another west. And from the west, many travelers told him of some sort of strange disaster occurring in the city of Kvatch. What strange phenomenon could be happening that so many spoke about it? Malakaus didn’t know. But he was about to find out.

Alteration - Sea Stride, Buoyancy, Minor Latch Crack, Ease Burden, Defend

Imperial Heavy Duty Backpack
Iron Armor Set (Helmet, Iron Armor, Gauntlets, Boots)
Blacksmith's Outfit (Thick Cotton Shirt, Apron, Pants)
Bandoliers (Two bandoliers with straps and pouches, each can hold up to 4 small things like potions, daggers, scrolls, etc)
Gold Earrings (Four total, two for each ear)
Amulet (Belonged to his father, enchanted with Minor Stamina Regeneration)
Ragged red Mantle (Former baby blanket)
Comfortable Underwear
Tough Leather Boots
Thick Leather Gloves
Furred Traveling Cloak
Bedroll
5x5 Leather Canopy
Wineskin (Currently full of water)
Sealed Iron Flagon (Currently full of tomato soup)
Wolf Jerky (x2 1/2)
Potato Bread (Not eaten yet)
Chewsticks (Eight of them in a bag, used to brush teeth)
Soap on a rope
Fairly Clean Towel/Blanket
Potion of Moderate Healing x2
Potion of Cure Disease
Steel Waraxe (Gift from his mother)
Steel Shortsword of Soul Trapping (His first weapon and enchantment he’s ever made)
Iron Dagger
Iron Bow
Iron Arrows x50
Spiked Targe (Iron shield with a spike at the center, can be strapped to the arm instead of held in hand)
Petty Soul Gems x3 (Empty)
Coin Purse (Has 300 Gold)
Magic Journal (Contains magical notes, theorems, incomplete scrolls, flowers, Enchantments, and formulas. Written in Orcish.)
Charcoal
Smithing Hammer (Also doubles as a repair hammer)
Tongs
Twelve-Inch Iron Bar with runes carved into it (Experimental magic device Malakaus is trying to make)

Rinori Imaryn

32

Dunmer

Female

The Serpent

Stealth

Hunter

At first Rinori seems haughty and bashful, rarely interacting with others and she seems quite easy to offend. But she's actually just shy and sensitive, as she isn't used to interacting with others on her own. She doesn't feel comfortable in normal, social situations as she doesn't really know what to say or how to interact with people. She's far more personal when she's outside during a hunt however; once she has a bow in her hand she's much more confident and even pleasant. Rinori is careful and cautious, never wanting to get into more trouble than she has too. But that doesn't mean she's a coward, as she'll hunt down anyone who poses a threat to her or others. Whether it's a lone bear or a bandit gang, she'll stalk her prey for as long as she needs too until they're no longer a threat.

Generally speaking Rinori is a nice person. She doesn't go out of her way to cause trouble and if people have problems with her she usually just leaves instead of letting it escalate. However this also means that if someone else is in trouble, she might not always come to their aid. If she sees a hungry child on the street she would be willing to give some money or food, but if she sees two people fighting she might just ignore it. If she sees someone like a bandit preying on travelers of course she'd help the travelers too, but again when it's two people who seem evenly matched she prefers not to get involved.

When it comes to killing, Rinori has a complicated feeling about it. She is both detached yet proud of hunting, whether she's killing wild animals, dangerous monsters, or other people. Like an artist she has no feeling about what she does until it's done, and depending on what sort of effort it took she may be proud or disgusted. Rinori prefers fairly clean and quick kills, such as an arrow from the shadows. However she also isn't afraid of using traps or poisons to help her ensure her target's death sooner or later. Trapping her quarry and rendering them unable to move for hours on end is just as clean to her as it would be to slice their throat in their sleep.

Rinori's parents were mercenaries, a pair of dunmer sellswords who once worked in the same unit, before eventually leaving with each other. Their life was a simple one, yet wrought with danger. Her folks took jobs such as protecting caravans, hunting down creatures for alchemists, and other sort of work one may hire someone from the Fighter's Guild to do instead. However they made a comfortable living because unlike those from the Guild, they'd take any job someone would pay them for. Sometimes instead of protecting caravans, they'd raid them. Maybe even kidnap a noble. Whatever they felt would be an easy job.

As Rinori grew up, they taught her their skills, skills they used to stay alive for as long as they did. The most important thing was how to use a bow: It was practically their signature weapon. Death at a hundred paces. It was from her parents that Rinori learned most of her skills now, from combat skills like how to handle a blade or use light armor, to alchemy and foraging wild ingredients. Her mother was fairly skilled in magic and taught her some illusion and Restoration spells, while her father fancied himself a hunter and taught her how to lay traps, sneak up on prey, and how to catch or run away from them.

When Rinori was twenty years old her father was killed during a job. Her parents were out hunting minotaurs when they where attacked by a swamp of imps. As they tried to fight them off, the minotaurs arrived and her father stayed behind so her mother could escape. The only thing left after Rinori and her mother went back was her father's scarf. Not long after her mother, after losing her husband, fell into depression and took her own life. She was on a job to deal with a troll's den, but chose to collapse the cave she and the trolls were in instead of escaping. Suddenly Rinori was left without her parents, in a land unknown to her. These lands was Cyrodiil.

It wasn't easy for Rinori. She had always been training or watching her parent's belongings, and never really knew how to interact with other people. Sure she watched her parents meet clients and arrange deals, but she was never part of that. At best she just looked tough and did her best not to let others scare her. And while she never showed it, she was always scared of what others would do to her. So even in Cyrodiil, she never really tried to live in the big cities. Instead she simply roamed the countryside, hunting for food on her own, occasionally going to a small village inn if she can't find a cave or abandoned fort to rest for the night.

After a while Rinori became good at it too. She was quite adapt at sneaking past her foes, avoiding them if she can and quietly eliminating them when she can't. Her bow became the only thing that gave her comfort. With it she could snipe a bird flying through the skies, or hit a deer who's running full speed into the forest. Bandits who tried to stop her rarely were able to catch up to her, and when they'd least expect it her arrows would shoot them down so they'd never hurt anyone again. She started to grow a taste for her abilities, honing her skills whenever she can and proud whenever she did well. When she didn't she simply made sure not to make the same mistakes as before.

That being said, Rinori never really left the Golden Coast, and only traveled to the southern parts of the Colovian Highlands. Growing older now Rinori felt that she should try to travel more, perhaps even interact with people. She was still young (For a dunmer) and wanted to see what more she had to life than merely surviving. She spent some time in Anvil, growing slowly accustomed to people though still distant. When she felt she had her fill of the city she tried going to the next one: Kvatch.

Illusion: Serenity, Inspiration, Illuminate
Restoration: Salve, Absorb Fatigue

Leather Armor (Includes boots, bracer, and body armor)
Woolen Dress
Red Scarf
Earrings
Steel Bow
Steel Arrows x50
Steel Shortsword
Steel Dagger x2
Silk Rope 50 feet (Used to make traps)
Travel Backpack
Bedroll
Extra-Comfy Pillow
Weather-Resistant Cloak w/Hood
Mortar and Pedestal
Alchemy Satchel
Nightshade x3
Stinkhorn x3
Mandrake Root x5
Venison x3
Boar Meat x4
Waterskin
Flint and Steel
Poison (Minor) x4
Potion of Healing x2
Potion of Magic x2
Potion of Cure Poison x1