Name: Zertus
Titles: N/A
Aliases: N/A
Age:30 Species: Jiralhanae (Brute)
Planet of Origin:DosiacGender:MaleHeight: 9ft
Weight: 1400lbs
Appearance Description: Zertus is, in every sense of the word,
imposing. He's built like a brick wall with legs, and is covered with a multitude of scars from the wars he has waged. Some are from battles with other Jiralhanae, others the UNSC, and still others from the war against the Sangheli, he bears them all with pride, eagerly retelling how he got his memorable ones. Confidence, and arrogance, is etched into everything he does. He is a Jiralhanae, a peerless warrior. He will show deference to no one. A mocking sneer is almost always on his face, as he believes himself to be superior to almost everything. Certainly everything and anything that is not another Jiralhanae, and even then he believes it would take an extremely powerful member of his race to prove his better. To further show this innate superiority, Zertus keeps his gear and himself almost impeccably groomed whenever he can, making as clean of a Jiralhanae as one can get.
Day To Day Attire: Zertus is almost never out of his power armor. The war against the Sangheli has taught him to always be ready for an attack, and he is always prepared. On the rare occasion he is not in his armor, he tends to wear the simple leather garments his people are known for, just keeping modesty.
Strengths: Max of 3
- CQC: Zertus thrives in close quarters combat. With his massive frame, great strength, and ruthless brutality, he's practically a force of nature.
- Experienced Warrior: Zertus has been fighting for essentially his entire life. He knows war and battle almost better than he knows himself.
- Unexpected Cunning: Due to his demeanor and appearance, most people expect Zertus to be a foolish brute, easily fooled and lacking in intelligence. He is not. He would have died a long time ago if he had been as foolish and blindly aggressive as others of his race.
Weaknesses: Minimal of 3
- Stealth: Nothing of Zertus' 9ft tall, 1400lb body is designed to move quietly. He's like a blind, enraged, bull in a china shop.
- Diplomacy: If you send Zertus to be the head of negotiations, you either expect them to fall apart almost immediately, are planning to have him kill the opposing negotiators, or have a really bad sense of humor. Maybe all three.
- Ranged Combat: If Zertus can't close the distance, his threat to you is greatly diminished.
Extremely Arrogant* Complete Lack of Conscience and Empathy* Dependable* Wrathful
Sexuality:HeterosexualRelationship Status:SinglePersonality: Zertus practically oozes arrogance, the kind that only the very foolish and the very skilled exude. He's so sure of his superiority that it's almost inconceivable to him that there can be others better than he is. This is partially simply because of who he is, and partially because of his birth race. Jiralhanae as a whole are arrogant and Zertus embraces that facet of his race fully. Because of that arrogance, and the losses of his past, Zertus has no conscience and is completely incapable of empathy. There is nothing that will stop him from achieving his goals, and he feels nothing for the suffering of others. Your weaknesses are your problems in his eyes, and he will not be burdened by them. While not going quite so far as to abandon allies in the heat of combat to their fates (provided saving them doesn't compromise the mission), as he knows that is a good way to end up being betrayed, if you go to him for sympathy at best you will be met with icy indifference, at worst malicious mocking.
Zertus has inherited the easy rage of his race, and embraces it, but keeps it controlled. Too many of his brethren have lost their temper, given into the rage, and only gotten killed as it made them make foolish mistakes. Zertus keeps his rage in check. Nurses it, grows it, and waits for the proper moment to release it. His wrath unchained is a sight to behold, and usually spells the end for whatever he releases it upon.
Habits: - Zertus has an expended, broken, energy sword hilt on his person at all times. He believes it is a totem that protects him. He rubs it whenever he is about to enter battle or feels he could use some extra luck and protection.
- Zertus often hums to himself. It's never a specific song, just music and rhythms he's heard through his long life.
Hobbies: Zertus studies military history of the galaxy, particularly human, as often as he can.
Fears: Note: Zertus smothers all of his fear with rage, hiding behind the fury - Hunters: Something about the colony of worm creatures ignites a deep fear in Zertus.
- Deep Water: Zertus can't swim, or float, so the idea of being trapped in a deep water scares him.
- Self Weakness: Zertus is terrified of becoming weak and crippled, a burden that can't even take care of himself.
Likes: 6 minimal
- Challenge in Battle
- Weapons
- War History
- Meat, particularly uncooked
- Vehicles
- Flying
Dislikes: 6 minimal
- Sangheili
- Spartans
- Cowardice
- Weakness
- Vegetables
- Indirect talk and double speak
A listing of skills, such as Ghost driving, and natural abilities, such as night vision or enhanced strength
- Skill:Enhanced Strength Born on Dosiac and used to its much higher gravity, and having been building his strength for decades, Zertus is stronger than most other creatures and fully capable of using it to demolish opponents.
- Skill:Enhanced Smell Zertus has a high sense of smell and uses it for limited tracking and defense against ambushes.
- Skill:Vehicular Combat Zertus knows how to operate all of the land vehicles of the Covenant, and can use them effectively in battle.
- Skill:Covenant Weapons While much preferring the Mauler and the Gravity Hammer, Zertus is skilled at using all of the weapons of the Covenant
- Skill:Power Armor Zertus is extremely comfortable in Jiralhanae power armor and knows how to use it to it's best ability.
>/list>
{This list is optional, but may be useful for you!}
Possessions Generally in Room:- Trophies: Zertus has collected at least one trophy from each type of worthy enemy he and his tribe have slain, organizing them with great care in the room provided to him by ONI. These represent his last true possessions in the world, and his last connection to his tribe, and he is very proud and protective of them. There are, in no particular order: Helmets from a UNSC Marine, an ODST, and a Spartan, a Jackal Energy Shield and a broken Needle Rifle, pieces of armor from each color of Elite, a gravity hammer head, and a piece of Hunter armor.
Weapons: Personal weapons, no forerunner weapons to start
- Item:Mauler (2x)
- Item:Gravity Hammer
Armor: Jiralhanae Power Armor.
History: For most of Zertus' life, he has been at war. From fighting amongst his peers in his tribe, to serving the Covenant in its genocidal campaign against humanity, to the war against the Sangheili, he has been fighting for what seems his entire life. And that suits him just fine. He is of the Jiralhanae, and he is built for war. It is what he is good at, perhaps the only thing he is good at, and he embraces it fully. The galaxy is ruled by the strong, and the Covenant is the strongest entity in it.
At least, that's what he thought, until he joined the Human-Covenant war and fought in all the wars after. Despite many victories and exterminations of the humans, they began to turn the tide of the war. Their Spartans were forcing the Covenant forces back, dragging victory from the jaws of defeat. For the first time in his life, the Covenant was showing signs of weakness, of failure. Many of his people, himself included, blamed the Sangheili for this. When the enemy's back was against the wall and they were fighting as hard as they could, as desperately as they could, there was no room for rules and honor. There was only room for victory, and the Sangheili were holding themselves and the Covenant back.
One of Zertus' proudest days would be when the remaining Prophets saw that truth for themselves, and replaced the Sangheili with the Jiralhanae. Of course, the Sangheili couldn't just accept that. They revolted in uprising against what the Prophets had proclaimed, and attempted to destroy the Covenant it, going so far as to side with the humans. Thus, it was with great glee that Zertus and his tribe took their revenge upon the Sangheili that battled against the Covenant, and the last Prophet. It would all be in vain, as the Sangheili would use the distraction caused by the Flood to kill the Prophet and his guards. With the Prophets dead, the holy city destroyed, and the Covenant shattered, Zertus and his tribe did the only thing they knew; They continued waging war against the Sangheili, determined to keep their conquests going. Of his tribe, Zertus was the only one to be disillusioned with the 'Great Journey' promised by the Prophets. They had been wrong. At every step the Covenant's attempt to enact the Great Journey had been stalled or outright denied entirely, and the Prophets themselves were dead. The Forerunners were no Gods. They could not even protect their own worshipers.
Zertus instead put his faith in the old ways of the Jiralhanae, of totems and power residing in them. Specifically, he put his belief in the totem of a broken energy sword hilt. He had been holding it, intending to use it as his latest trophy as he and members of his tribe flew back from a successful raid on a Sangheili settlement, when their ship was shot down. Zertus was the only survivor, coming to consciousness with the broken energy sword still in his hand. This was proof of its power, and he has kept it with him ever since.
The war against the Sangheili only took a turn for the worse, as the infrastructure that the Jiralhanae had relied on to keep their extreme focus on war running had disappeared or collapsed, with no means of truly utilizing the technology left behind by the collapse of the Covenant to feed themselves or build up their homes, Zertus and his tribe were left to constant raids and slaughters against the Sangheili that they could find. This provoked and enraged the Sangheili, and it was only a matter of time before they found where his tribe was and enacted their retribution.
Zertus awoke one day to the sounds of Banshees screeching overhead and destruction being rained down upon his village. Grasping his Gravity Hammer he raced out of his home to meet the enemy, only to find there was on enemy to meet. The Sangheili had destroyed what little aircraft his tribe had had first, and were now systematically destroying everything and killing everyone. Zertus and his fellows tried to fight back with what they could, but there was little good their weapons could do against aircraft. The last thing he saw before a bomb sent him flying backwards and into unconsciousness was his tribe being slaughtered, and his village destroyed.
Zertus woke a few hours later, once again the only survivor of the attack. His totem was powerful, at the very least. He needed to find the Sangheili that had done this, and bring bloody vengeance to them for it. He didn't care that they had done it this way, he and his tribe would have, and had before, done it the same way. It was simple strategy. He just wanted to avenge his tribe or die trying, as the ways of his people dictated. With no means of leaving the planet he was on, he sent out a distress signal with what little technology he had left, waiting for someone to arrive.
That was how he ended up in the Service of ONI. They responded to his call, and promised him to find the ones who had killed his tribe in return for his services. It was the best chance he would have, and Zertus agreed, albeit begrugdingly. Now he waits for them to tell him where the Sangheili are, and plans for his revenge.
