Character Name: Robert Owen Barrister
Occupation: Sawmill operator / woodcutter
Age: 25 yrs
Special features: "Built like a barn", Intelligent

Equipment:

1 pair heavy leather boots
3 axes, each meant for a different function; A small adze for removing stobs, a large double bearded axe for felling, and a wide-beard hand axe for smoothing.
Timberman's / longshoreman's hook.
Heavy leather tool belt
Leather apron
Cloth hat
Heavy muslin shirt and trousers
Leather gloves
Worn, repeatedly patched socks

Bio:

Robert is the only son of Garvis Barrister, the current owner of the mill at which he works. His mother passed away years ago. His father's mill employs 5 other men from the local community, and supplies timber and rough-cut wood products to the surrounding communities.

He absolutely *hates* his job.

While now a matter of ancient history, the Barrister family were not *always* woodcutters. About 4 generations prior, the great great grandfather was in fact a lawyer, living up to the family name. He had appropriated the sawmill as collateral back payment for a court case, prior to suffering significant financial hardships (From clients that refused or were otherwise unable to pay their legal fees), forcing him and his family to change careers in order to survive with what they had. Namely, the aforementioned sawmill.

It was in derelict condition when they received it, and it has taken this long for the thing to return to proper, full working order.

Garvis very much wants Robert to take over mill operations, and to settle down with a nice village girl to carry on the work.

Robert, however, *VERY MUCH* wants to pursue more intellectual work, and is always looking for ways to be rid of the damn mill.

While inspecting and recording the delivery of timber products to the local market, the king's pressbill caught his eye. 1000 gold would go a LONG way toward starting a new life, away from his overbearing and belligerent father.

- Name:Kaelara Ashwyn
- Age: 27
- Height: 5'9"
- Build:Curvy
- Hair:Red
- Eyes:Grey
- Personality:Brave, independent, guarded, fiercely loyal

Equipment and Skills
- Skills: Combat, stealth, survival, persuasion
- Equipment: Short sword, leather armor, backpack, bedroll, rations
- Abilities: Highly agile and athletic, able to climb walls and jump long distances. She's also an expert at hand-to-hand combat and is proficient in the use of swords and daggers.

Bio
Kaelara Ashwyn has always been on the move. Growing up as an orphan, she never stayed in one place for too long. She learned early on to rely only on herself and trust no one. This tough exterior has served her well over the years, but it's also left her with a deep-seated fear of intimacy and vulnerability.

Despite her tough exterior, Kaelara has a soft spot for those in need. She's always been drawn to helping others, even if it means putting herself in harm's way. This sense of justice has led her to take on various missions and jobs over the years, from guarding merchant caravans to hunting down fugitives.

When Kaelara arrived in Windermere, she was immediately drawn to the rumors of a high-stakes mission to rescue the Duke's daughter. The promise of a hefty reward was too enticing to resist, and Kaelara saw this as an opportunity to finally settle down and start building a life for herself.

Name: Volkhart the Elder
Age: 62
Appearance: Tall and wiry with grey creeping into his aging countenance. Wears an eyepatch over the left eye, and his left hand is missing the pinky and ring fingers.



Additional Info / Bio:

Volkhart the Reaper was a legendary title some four decades back, telling the story of an unstoppable one-man force of nature who travel the realm seeking its greatest battle and leaving broken monsters and champions in his wake before disappearing just as abruptly as his appearance. A thousand stories shrouded the man, facts and myths intertwining until it all blurred into one indistinguishable mass. Some said that he was once trapped in sea for three hundred days, learning how to balance on a piece of flotsam before taking the footwork back into land. Others said that he was trained by a one-armed father, and by the time he learned to use both arms he's already capable of slaying most men with one. Even more outlandish tells tale of a god of war taking the form of man, descending to experience the finest the mortal world had to offer.

His disappearance fueled the rumor mill with even more stories. Many tells of an eventual tragic defeat, with an endless wave of individuals claiming to have done the deed. Others strongly believe that the legend had fought everything the land could offer, and already moved on to foreign soil in search for more. Even the pious chipped in, convinced that the divines took interest of his feat and welcomed him among their ranks.

Whatever's the truth, or whether the man even existed at all, it had long since buried under the sands of time.

If anyone brings up such stories to one old man Volkhart, he'll only smile wryly and wave it off with a three-fingered hand. Whether the legendary master in person or an impersonator, it's quite impossible to verify. He certainly wouldn't confirm it, even if he do there's no evidence to support it. While he could move with springing grace belying his age, one could well find him leaning onto a cane for support not long after.

An old legend, or a particularly good fake? Whatever the case, he's present for the quest.

Notable Equipment:
-An old travel trunk filled with daily necessities
-A heavy hardwood cane, the bronze handle worn and shiny from use
-A set of hardened leather armor supported by thin metal lamellar underneath. Light to wear but sufficiently sturdy
-A partizan tightly bound in cloth and a simple leather sheath

Trivia:
-Impeccable spatial sense and balance. Body struggles to keep up.
-Carries plenty of scars, most prominently one that goes from the left hand to the elbow. The limb couldn't quite flex entirely.
-Restless and twitchy, yet with a hint of fraility that comes from age and old injuries.
-Able to wield simple physical empowerment magic. Doesn't use it much these days, the bones hurt.

Name: Sonia Al-Hathya
Appearance: Sonia is a fair-skinned young woman with a lean build. She is 172cm tall, with red hair that is either tightened in a loose ponytail or be left untied. Like any other demon descendant, she has red, slitted pupils, and short spiky horns jutting out of her head.
Sonia wears a basic black shirt, skirt, and leggings, and as a hunter, she often complements her appearance with a drab green coat with oversized hoodies to accommodate her protruding horn and striking red hair.


Character Background: Sonia was the daughter of a weapons inventor and dealer named Davon Alhazen who once was the biggest supplier for warring countries in the northern side of the continent, and he maintained that successful enterprise until the assassination of him and his wife ten years ago.

Fortunately, Sonia survived. But the ordeal had scarred her both physically and mentally, which later led to partial amnesia she suffered for a few following years, leaving only her skill in marksmanship and a few fragments of her identity, the only and necessary skill she capitalized to survive as a hunter, and a way to earn a living even after she recovered her memories.

It has been a month without a single contract, and while she was far from being destitute, Sonia prefers to keep herself in a constant, monthly paycheck. So she grabbed the flyer and rode to Windermere. It was not a hunting job, true, but after completing her training in Rosemary, she was also eager to put her tracking skills to the test.

Skillsets:

-Heightened Senses
As an expert hunter, Sonia can perceive details others would have missed. Useful in tracking and examining trails, old and new. Relying on this instinct, she could also sense unseen danger.

-Expert Marksmanship
Sonia can shoot accurately over a long distance, as long as her weapons allow. Thankfully her unique crossbow was designed for such a great effective range. Her record was one hundred and fifty meters in shooting a target at its vital point.

-Survivalist
As a hunter, Sonia has all the skills she needs to survive indefinitely in almost all sylvan environments

Equipment
-Alhazen Crossbow
Designed by her father, and the only thing she inherited from her parents after the tragedy. It was a weapon like no other, with a stock and lower body resembling a shortened musket. It was made of black and smooth materials like painted metal, but it was not at all metal, it felt lighter, with pulleys and specialized strings attached to its reversed limbs. The crossbow is operated mainly by pulling the charging handle under its barrel, and a bolt would then be affixed to the barrel, making it both unassuming but still an engineering marvel at the same time.

-Backpack
A medium-sized backpack containing all the necessities for all your woodland adventures.

-Medikit
Generic first aid kit that is in the name only. Upon closer inspection, it looked nothing like the "first aid kit" commonly sold in the market. Consult with Sonia before use.

-Multi-purpose machete
Used for skinning. It has a toothed edge on one side. Always maintained therefore very sharp.

-Canvas quiver containing 25 bolts

-A set of tools to repair her crossbow

Name: Engi (Nickname for her since she is an engineer)
Age: 20

Additional Info/Bio:

Engie came from afar and has been disguised as an adventurer. Her real name is Frieda Grau, and the Grau family is one of the noble families from her land. Grau is famous of weaponize invention and its young prodigy is good at engineering both mechanical and making bombs. She knew the missing lady from her young age as she visited her country. Volunteered to participate in the rescue mission as a disguise and came from afar.

She has natural long gray hair and pupil eye. Has 167.64 cm tall with petite body and a milky skin tone. She seemed wearing a 16th-century Spanish-style infantry armor when in combat, along with her female leather clothing and a pair of boot. (She resembles Bronya)

Skillset:
- Deadly Accuracy
- Demolition Crew
- Create/Repair
- Fix bayonet

Equipment:
- A set of armor that seems like a 16th century Spanish infantry armor.
- An early rifle that resembled Mauser 1871
- 20 rounds on the ammo pouch that has been attached on her waist and spare 80 rounds on her storage.
- Repair Kit (In her back storage bag)
- Ration meal for reasonable amount (Hamburger Meat)
- Sanitizing supply for 2 weeks (In her back storage bag)
- Wheeled Adventurer's Bag (L)

Name: Jean Bernard
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Appearance:
A medium size character with an athletic build. He has tanned skin, but it’s clear that he is actually quite fair underneath his garments. He has medium length dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and a mole just above and to the left of his left eyebrow. He has several light scars from traveling and getting his hands dirty. He is decently strong given his build, and a decently fast runner.
He wears travelers clothes, sturdy pants, long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up often. He has a dusted cloak and hood, hiker’s pack, leather boots. His pants are sun bleached shades of forest green. His shirt is button down and off white in color. He has a gold chain with a pendant of a blue bird and a gold ring.
Biography:
Off in a valley that is often overlooked, there lies a decently sized village known for two things. It’s known for the hundreds of acres of wild flowers that cover the majority of the valley floor and the wide river that carved it out. It’s also known for their bee tenders and the wax candles and honey they produce. The candles are especially notable since several skilled wax artisans live in the town creating often impossibly intricate candles that look better on display than to burn.
This town is looked after by a group known as Sanctus Sana. Not quite a church, the group often holds seminars preaching altruism and humility. The members of this group are so entranced to this ideal that in order to become a part of their leadership, hopefuls are required to leave the town on a quest to travel and render any aid they can along their journey. The time people are gone for this journey range from a coupe months to several years. This also works to prove the resolve of those people to the Sanctus Sana ideals.
Jean Bernard is one of those people hoping to further his advancement among the Sanctus Sana. He grew up in its teachings, and he wholeheartedly believes that their work is good. Furthermore, he hopes that his journey, much like every journey that superseded his, would bring more attention to Sanctus Sana and inspire others to work more selflessly. Despite these ideals and teachings, Sanctus Sana was not hopelessly idealistic. While they never shied away from donations, or selling services. It was often taught for those on journey to try to be the better alternative to mercenaries. Jean knew to be kind, but he also knew to be realistic with his expectations. Being kind was free, but the necessities to continue to do so were not.
Already a year into his trial, Jean traveled hundreds of miles and had helped countless individuals. Nothing noteworthy by any meaningful metric, but it was enough to those who had received him. When word of the disappearance of Lady Miralys met his gaze, he decided that this would be a good final deed before he started his journey back home. The reward was nothing to complain about either. With that, he could travel back more comfortably without having to rely on odd jobs and have enough to jump start a homestead. Taking note of the address, Jean continued on ready to support the rescue effort.
Skills:
One hand Sword Adept
Medicine Adept
Magic Intermediate – requires moon dust, which Jean can harvest from plants that bloom at night. He is specialized into heal/harm and ally buffs.
Equipment:
• Hiker’s Pack – Contains basic and camping supplies
• Shotel
• Leather Buckler
• Pouch of moon dust
• Throwing Knives (10)
• Scaled Breastplate
• Healers Kit – Advanced first aid, generic medicine, and large roll of bandages.
Other:

Name:
Arthur Mercier

Appearance:
A tall, heavyset man in his mid-to-late 30s. His hair is normally brown, although the Sun has lightened it to a dark auburn, and he keeps it cut short, but lets his beard grow out. His skin his tanned from long days spent outside walking or working under the sun, and his hands are large and heavily calloused from years of hard, manual labour. Arthur bears a variety of scars across his body, though none are serious or even especially grisly. His eyes, which are brown, look somewhat small on his face, but they still glow with warmth and good humor. His nose is a bit crooked, probably from a past break. He prefers to wear sturdy, undyed travel clothing in his day-to-day, and only puts on his armor when he needs it (it's rather heavy, you see).

Bio:
Born to a farming family, Arthur quickly heard the call of adventure (and potential profit) and, at 16 years of age, set off on his own, taking up various mercenary work. Throughout the years, he has done almost every odd job you could think of, from construction work, guard duty, deer and wolf culling and monster hunting, to less... reputable work, like bounty hunting, debt collection, helping fix underground fights, participating in underground fights... the list goes on.

While Arthur is not an evil man, and would never stoop so low as to take on hits or participate in more serious criminal enterprises like smuggling or trafficking, his moral compass does still heavily revolve around his purse, and he does not mind skirting around or outright breaking the law if the job pays well enough.

Nevertheless, as the years went by, Arthur grew to yearn for a slower, kinder life. He had done his time on the road, and was ready to settle down, to finally meet Mr. or Ms. Right, maybe even start a family! Seeing the Duke's notice sealed the deal: one last job, enough to secure funds, and perhaps even land, and then he'll retire from this life, for good.

Skills:
Adaptability: A life on the road of doing odd jobs has left Arthur a pro at adapting and improvising on the spot.
Weapon handling: He is skilled with the sword, and has a good aim with the crossbow, although ranged weapons aren't his usual go-to.
Physical strength: Arthur is tall, large, and very, very strong.
Amiable: Arthur is a very friendly, jovial man, who tends to get along with most people. This is both his default way of being, and a great boon when looking for work.
Sewing: Arthur knows how to sew, and can patch up clothing, or even make simple shirts and pants if given enough time and material.

Equipment:
- Brigandine (a type of inexpensive armour, made of cloth or leather -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigandine)
- Camping equipment, containing a bedroll, a mess kit, a tinderbox and a few days of rations consisting of hard tack and salted pork, all neatly rolled together and carried on his back
- A rucksack
- A well sharpened hunting knife
- A buckler (small shield used for close-quarter combat)
- An arming sword (typical double-edged sword)
- A relatively well-stocked money pouch

Trivia:
- While far from being an intellectual, he has acquired a wide range of odd knowledge from the various jobs and he had and people he met over the years.
- Coming from a peasant family, he's never had a formal education, and can't read or write very well, or do complex math.
- He has 3 younger siblings, 2 sister and a brother, and 1 older brother. He hasn't seen them since he left home, almost 20 years ago.
- He has a weirdly good sense of direction since childhood, and he is almost always able to find the north, even when not outside.

Who: Ludwig, a courier. 26 years old.

Appearance: Tall. Brown-orange hair. A horizontal scar under his chin from stumbling as a child.
Leather hydrophobic visor cap, thick-rimmed eyeglasses, tattered black half-cape and scarf fabric, thin grey gambeson with several leather pouches, a roomy bean-shaped leather slingbag, leather gauntlets, leather waistbelt with more pouches, right-thigh leather strap with yet another pouch, grey wooly pants with leather knee padding, leather boots.
All the leather parts are black. The scarf reaches up to his nose, and with the visor, only his eyes are visible, if barely due to the glasses.

Bio: Time. Space. Reality. It's more than a linear path. It's a prism of endless possibility, where a single choice can branch out into infinite realities.
Two decades ago.
Therein lies the still bodies of the patriarch of the Morsanquist family, along with his wife, their heads either drowning in their supper plates or cracked open by the porcelain flooring. This is how it always goes, a full month after the young Ludwig discovers the atrocities committed under the Morsanquist name, to further their magical strength.
Instead of assuming the family's helm, sometimes the young boy runs away from everything, cutting the higher ends of sorcery and vast wealth out of his life forever. This is one of those times.
Present day.
As a freelance courier, he's not privy to whatever he delivers, as long as he is paid to do it. Looks like this time is no different. Nothing short of obvious poison, to be delivered to Lady Miralys of Blackthorn. Do a job enough times and you start to notice things, like a stranger in the wrong city (an obvious proxy) filling your pocket sizably as they hand you a package wrapped so securely and air-tight, with them urging you to be very careful with it to a degree only matched by people whose parcel is a wine bottle.
It's funny, there seems to be miscommunication among these orchestrators of assassination... or maybe someone simply beat the client to the punch. Hard to know for certain.

Skills: Fast runner. Like, really fast. Like he can match the pace of most horses. The secret? Long leaping strides.
Great at avoiding attacks and surviving on limited rations.
Has a nasty Tiger Knee attack, and a good throwing arm. Terrible boxer.
Basic life skills, maybe.