Name: Mathias Rugal
Age: 30
Race: Half-orc
Appearance: Stands at about 6'5. Has a well-muscled physique, as befitting someone who fights and trains for a living. Has broad shoulders befitting a swordsman, but is leaner than he should be after months on the run.
Equipment: Half-Plate: A breastplate, helmet, gauntlets, greaves, and a single pauldron. All are worn and blackened, with a ragged cloak thrown over the ensemble in order to protect them from the elements. Any insignias on the armor have long since been scraped off. Despite the wear and tear accumulated, the set of half-plate is still functional and provides substantial protection. Worn leathers are worn underneath, covering that which the plate does not.
Warhammer: Length is fitted for one-handed use. Blunt end on one side, sharp point on the other. Capable of smashing through armor and crushing bone with the blunt surface, and piercing and grappling with the spike. This particular one has the signs of frequent use, but is lovingly cared for.
Falchion: Standard-issue sidearm among the knightly orders of Tyrcliff. A single-edged, curved blade meant for slashing. Given to Mathias upon his ascension as a knight.
Heater Shield: Composed of wood braced and reinforced with iron. The surface of the shield is scuffed and scratched, almost as if there was once a coat-of-arms on it that was scraped off.
Magic: N/A
History: Once, Mathias Rugal had been more than just a wandering knight-errant, fleeing from false accusations and falser justice. Once, he'd been a proud rider of the Order of the Red Elk. And once, he'd just been nothing more than a noble's bastard desperately looking for any way to advance his lot in life.
Mathias was born in the fortress city of Tyrcliff, located west of the central portions of the High Road. At the dawn of the Age of Dreams, both humans and orcs in the region had been forced to band together in order to simply survive, and centuries later, the population had interbred so much that both pureblooded orcs and humans were practically unheard of as natives of the city. Mathias himself had been nothing more than a noble's natural-born son, whose commoner mother had died in childbirth. With little care for a bastard, Mathias's father had simply handed him off to some of his estate's servants and ordered them to take him in.
The boy grew up with full knowledge of who his father was, as well as the understanding that he'd never be able to take advantage of it as his half-siblings would be able to. Thus, he'd have to find his own way in life.
Tyrcliff's defense was left up to several knightly orders, all of whom recruited from noble and commoner alike. Of course, noble knights often had preferential treatment in terms of being appointed to leadership positions, but there was nothing stopping the smallfolk from attempting to become squired to one of these knights.
At the age of fourteen, Mathias had managed to impress a knight of the Order of the Red Elk enough to be taken on as his squire. Upon beginning his instruction in the art of war, Mathias realized something. He thrived in combat. What had once been merely a way for him to get ahead in life became a genuine calling for him. Five years later, he'd found himself anointed as a Knight of the Red Elk in full, and sought to serve with distinction.
Over the next ten years, Mathias saw frequent combat, as given that Tyrcliff was located off of the High Road, it was surrounded on all sides by hostile wilderness. When not outside the city, however, he chafed. While each of Tyrcliff's orders were united in one purpose outside the city, they fought for political and economic influence inside, each wanting to be above their fellows.
Just eight months before the present day, this all came to a head. The Order of the Red Elk saw itself framed by one of its rivals for plotting to commit a coup against the ruling regime, and every other knight in Tyrcliff turned against the Red Elk, raiding the order's headquarters and putting every member they could find to the sword. Mathias and several of his fellows survived long enough to regroup, banding together and attempting to make an escape from the city.
What remained of the Red Elk were largely massacred in the attempt. By the time that they were desperately riding away from the city gates and towards the High Road, only Mathias and three other knights had survived. But they were pursued, the original instigators of the plot not wanting to leave any loose ends. By the time they reached the High Road, what remained of the Red Elk deliberately split apart, wanting to scatter and confuse their pursuers. For his part, Mathias roamed south, trying to survive as best he could now that he was but a wandering hedge knight. He sought refuge and work with various Guilds along the way, but his pursuers inevitably appeared in town, forcing the orc-blooded knight to flee further and further south. Finally, with no other recourse, Mathias settled on his last resort: seeking asylum with the Wayfarer's Guild.
Guild Ranking: Initiate
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