Here's our newest Knight. Everybody make him feel welcome!
Name: Nicholas Palentine
Title: Sir
Age: 37
Appearance:
Nicholas stands at 6'1” and weighs around 150lbs. His torso and arms are covered in interlocking scars, his medals of honour for the various situations he's managed to survive.
Background/History: Nicholas was raised in a city-state called Palestone far to the east of Ilvance, and as is the nature with city-states he saw it constantly undergo changes in rule as he grew older. His father was a dock-worker who always did his best for the family and his mother had occasional work as a scullery maid in the homes of the wealthy. He had a strange childhood; as his parents were constantly working he would spend extended amounts of time wandering the plentiful and lush forests around the city. Eventually he learned through experience how to survive in wilderness; a skill that has constantly aided him in the course of his life.
Nicholas had been the only child in his household, his parents only being able to afford the amount of mouths they already had to feed. He had two other siblings to his knowledge, but they were sent into foster homes. He'd wished he could've given them a good home somehow, but since they left his house he'd never had any contact with them, his parents finding it easier to forget they existed.
He learned to hunt at the age of 12, stealing a bow from a market stall whilst the owner had been distracted with customers. He'd also managed to steal a healthy supply of arrows, but as a necessity he eventually learned to create primitive arrows from sticks and flint. He would mainly catch rabbits, but he still remembers with pride the first deer he had managed to bring home. His parents looked so happy.
When he was 14, Palestone fell. It was yet another attempted capture by one of the neighbouring sovereign states; they had a pyromancer with them who in a moment of indecision set fire to a warehouse he soon discovered contained an industrial amount of lamp-oil. The city burned to ashes, Nicholas' parents died from smoke inhalation, and Nicholas ran faster than he'd ever ran before. He travelled for weeks in the forest, his bow the only remainder of his former life.
He still considers that night his greatest failure, his parents dying due to his own cowardice. He'd tried to rescue them initially, but they insisted he flee and leave them behind. He shouldn't have listened, in his own opinion. He was found by a group of bandits; after they ascertained he had nothing of significant value they offered him a spot in the gang. Hungry, cold and tired he agreed.
His first kill was two weeks later; a trading caravan was passing through the forest between two of the sovereign states that had ravaged Palestone. He was waiting on a tree-branch; he pegged the first guard in the neck whilst they were still unaware of the bandit presence. His cohorts took care of the rest; he simply stared at the man as he choked on his own blood, wanting to help but knowing it would spell his death at the hands of his team-mates. In his own opinion this was his second greatest act of cowardice.
He continued with the gang (known as the Forest Family) for a further year and a half, trying to spill as little blood as possible whilst still playing a crucial role. He had to have some kind of moral code; it wasn't in his nature to wantonly murder. When he had enough money he left without ceremony; he snook away in the middle of the night, using one of the horses they had captured. After two days of riding he reached Blueharbour, a port town on the border of Ilvance. He made a living hunting for a year before signing up with the royal army, who had began recruiting in the town. Blueharbour was largely unaware of his presence for that year, he had a very small circle of friends with whom he'd hunt, and that was it.
He describes his ten years in the military as the most important time of his life; he learned what it was to be a part of something, and accomplished many feats of heroism in his time. Men owed him their lives, and he owed his to a handful of people. It was his time in the military where he learned to use a war-axe and shield, his training requiring he be versed in the use of at least one melee weapon.
One night, whilst garrisoned in a castle on the border, a full invasion force of marauders attempted to level it to the ground. He and five other men managed to repel the band of four hundred, using guerilla warfare and lateral tactics to drive them away. Eventually they retreated, their number having been halved. He and his team-mates were knighted personally by the Emperor.
His years as a Knight have been eventful; he hunted down his former brothers in the Forest Family, who had grow to the size of a small army. He and a hundred of Ilvance's fine soldiers drove them from the forests surrounding the ruins of Palestone. He has played a major role in a defining battle in Ilvance's recent years, managing to capture territory from a neighbouring country who saw Janolf's coup and decided to try their own hands at it.
He regrets what happened to Alcea, but the Emperor had been clear that Janolf was too powerful and influential to engage in a direct military confrontation. He personally volunteered to assist the rebels, his knowledge of unconventional warfare being an important resource in his mind.
Skills: Whilst his main talent will always be the bow, Nicholas is also proficient in hand-to-hand combat and the use of a war-axe. He has a shield he carries in his pack for direct physical confrontations, but ideally he likes to win a battle before the enemy's aware there's a battle at all. He is also possessed of a refined pool of stamina, able to reserve his energy well enough to fight for hours. He can hunt when needed and is gifted at surviving in the wild; this was the main reason for his advancement, often being a scout for the Ilvance military that led to retrieving crucial intel. He has a keen mind of strategy (as mentioned before) and a knack for exploiting an enemy's weaknesses.
Something else?: Nicholas has always had a fear of fire, ever since that crucial night in Palestone. He's also distrustful of magic to an innate degree, but life experience has dulled that distrust somewhat, mages having saved his life on multiple occasions. He has unresolved issues with the idea of a rebellion, but acknowledges that this case particularly is definitely acceptable.
Name: Nicholas Palentine
Title: Sir
Age: 37
Appearance:
Nicholas stands at 6'1” and weighs around 150lbs. His torso and arms are covered in interlocking scars, his medals of honour for the various situations he's managed to survive.
Background/History: Nicholas was raised in a city-state called Palestone far to the east of Ilvance, and as is the nature with city-states he saw it constantly undergo changes in rule as he grew older. His father was a dock-worker who always did his best for the family and his mother had occasional work as a scullery maid in the homes of the wealthy. He had a strange childhood; as his parents were constantly working he would spend extended amounts of time wandering the plentiful and lush forests around the city. Eventually he learned through experience how to survive in wilderness; a skill that has constantly aided him in the course of his life.
Nicholas had been the only child in his household, his parents only being able to afford the amount of mouths they already had to feed. He had two other siblings to his knowledge, but they were sent into foster homes. He'd wished he could've given them a good home somehow, but since they left his house he'd never had any contact with them, his parents finding it easier to forget they existed.
He learned to hunt at the age of 12, stealing a bow from a market stall whilst the owner had been distracted with customers. He'd also managed to steal a healthy supply of arrows, but as a necessity he eventually learned to create primitive arrows from sticks and flint. He would mainly catch rabbits, but he still remembers with pride the first deer he had managed to bring home. His parents looked so happy.
When he was 14, Palestone fell. It was yet another attempted capture by one of the neighbouring sovereign states; they had a pyromancer with them who in a moment of indecision set fire to a warehouse he soon discovered contained an industrial amount of lamp-oil. The city burned to ashes, Nicholas' parents died from smoke inhalation, and Nicholas ran faster than he'd ever ran before. He travelled for weeks in the forest, his bow the only remainder of his former life.
He still considers that night his greatest failure, his parents dying due to his own cowardice. He'd tried to rescue them initially, but they insisted he flee and leave them behind. He shouldn't have listened, in his own opinion. He was found by a group of bandits; after they ascertained he had nothing of significant value they offered him a spot in the gang. Hungry, cold and tired he agreed.
His first kill was two weeks later; a trading caravan was passing through the forest between two of the sovereign states that had ravaged Palestone. He was waiting on a tree-branch; he pegged the first guard in the neck whilst they were still unaware of the bandit presence. His cohorts took care of the rest; he simply stared at the man as he choked on his own blood, wanting to help but knowing it would spell his death at the hands of his team-mates. In his own opinion this was his second greatest act of cowardice.
He continued with the gang (known as the Forest Family) for a further year and a half, trying to spill as little blood as possible whilst still playing a crucial role. He had to have some kind of moral code; it wasn't in his nature to wantonly murder. When he had enough money he left without ceremony; he snook away in the middle of the night, using one of the horses they had captured. After two days of riding he reached Blueharbour, a port town on the border of Ilvance. He made a living hunting for a year before signing up with the royal army, who had began recruiting in the town. Blueharbour was largely unaware of his presence for that year, he had a very small circle of friends with whom he'd hunt, and that was it.
He describes his ten years in the military as the most important time of his life; he learned what it was to be a part of something, and accomplished many feats of heroism in his time. Men owed him their lives, and he owed his to a handful of people. It was his time in the military where he learned to use a war-axe and shield, his training requiring he be versed in the use of at least one melee weapon.
One night, whilst garrisoned in a castle on the border, a full invasion force of marauders attempted to level it to the ground. He and five other men managed to repel the band of four hundred, using guerilla warfare and lateral tactics to drive them away. Eventually they retreated, their number having been halved. He and his team-mates were knighted personally by the Emperor.
His years as a Knight have been eventful; he hunted down his former brothers in the Forest Family, who had grow to the size of a small army. He and a hundred of Ilvance's fine soldiers drove them from the forests surrounding the ruins of Palestone. He has played a major role in a defining battle in Ilvance's recent years, managing to capture territory from a neighbouring country who saw Janolf's coup and decided to try their own hands at it.
He regrets what happened to Alcea, but the Emperor had been clear that Janolf was too powerful and influential to engage in a direct military confrontation. He personally volunteered to assist the rebels, his knowledge of unconventional warfare being an important resource in his mind.
Skills: Whilst his main talent will always be the bow, Nicholas is also proficient in hand-to-hand combat and the use of a war-axe. He has a shield he carries in his pack for direct physical confrontations, but ideally he likes to win a battle before the enemy's aware there's a battle at all. He is also possessed of a refined pool of stamina, able to reserve his energy well enough to fight for hours. He can hunt when needed and is gifted at surviving in the wild; this was the main reason for his advancement, often being a scout for the Ilvance military that led to retrieving crucial intel. He has a keen mind of strategy (as mentioned before) and a knack for exploiting an enemy's weaknesses.
Something else?: Nicholas has always had a fear of fire, ever since that crucial night in Palestone. He's also distrustful of magic to an innate degree, but life experience has dulled that distrust somewhat, mages having saved his life on multiple occasions. He has unresolved issues with the idea of a rebellion, but acknowledges that this case particularly is definitely acceptable.
