Name: Rodrick Malentine
Race: Tiefling (A race of former humans whose ancestors were cursed, giving them a devilish appearance)
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Appearance: Rodrick stands at roughly 6' tall with a medium and toned frame, and light red skin. His hair a deep, rich and he tends to keep it long, but this is more out of a hatred of dealing with a barber then out of any sense of fashion. His eyes are a golden yellow in color and he has semi large horns that stick out from his forehead. He goes back and forth between being clean shaven and having a short beard. His clothes are a hodgepodge of whatever is comfortable and offers a little bit of protection from the elements. Most of his clothes do tend to have small pockets or pouches sewn into them, as one can never have enough pockets. He tends to be smiling most of the time, whether he is actually happy or not.
Class: Bard/Swashbuckler (Rodrick uses a vibration in order to to strengthen his allies and himself, and to cause general mischief to his enemies. He is also skilled with a rapier and a dagger and tends to excel more in one on one combat.)
Personality: Rodrick is surprisingly quiet for a bard. He rarely is loud or boisterous unless it benefits a situation. He generally comes off as confident and outgoing. This is an act. Rodrick is, in general, terrified of most social interactions. He is secretly in a constant state of panic when he has to deal with others and he always feels as if he is going to say something stupid. In order to cope with this he has a tendency to stay on the more... intoxicated, side of life. He especially has difficulties around woman, even though he comes off as charming and polite.
Despite his social shortcoming Rodrick is quick to act in dangerous situations. He has a quick wit and a sharp tongue when needed, and he learns quickly. He has a great love for art and music and appreciates them in all of their forms.
In the past few years Rodrick has noticed a strange anger that seems to lie in the back of his mind. He's not sure what causes it, but there have been a few moments were he has become overwhelmingly enraged and blacks out. The anger feels alien to him, almost like its coming from something else. He has no memory of what happens when he black out, which worries him even more.
Strengths:
- Rodrick is a rather talented musician and singer. He seems to have a knack of being able to play any instrument he picks up.
- He is rather good with a rapier and a knife, and he has some natural talent with vibration magic.
- He is agile and quick.
- He is intelligent and a quick study when it comes to learning new things.
- He is a talented liar
- In moments of extreme anger or stress he gains an unnatural strength, and seems to feel almost no pain.
Weaknesses:
- Unbeknownst to Rodrick he is inflicted by a curse known as 'Mephestos' Mark.' It is this curse that causes him to blackout in moments of extreme stress or rage.
- He is terrified of embarrassing himself in front of others and lives in an almost constant state of mild panic.
- He relies on alcohol to dull his panic and negative emotions.
- He is a talented liar. Which means being open and honest with others is difficult.
- He is incapable of using incantations or runic magic. He is also incapable of making a pact with a spirit.
Biography: Rodrick’s life has never been an easy one. His mother, Anabella was a tiefling who was a skilled performer. She was an extremely talented dancer and singer and could seemingly play any instrument she picked up. She taught Rodrick everything she knew about how to perform and schmooze. She was talented swordswoman as well and made sure that Rodrick knew how to defend himself. Rodrick and Anabella would travel from town to town, sometimes with other mistrals and sometimes by themselves. His mother’s performances made them enough to get by, but never enough for them to settle down anywhere. It was far from easy, as life on the road is often hard and filled with dangers, but the two had each other and that was all that mattered to Rodrick.
As he grew older Rodrick became curious about his father, but Anabella would give him a sad smile and only say that he was a great warrior. She would never describe him or give Rodrick a name, which left Rodrick confused, but he would always drop it as he could see the pain in his mothers eyes. She would never even confirm if he was still alive or not. After a time Rodrick stopped asking about him, though his curiosity never truly faded.
As time passed Anabella became more and more ill. She tried to brush it off as nothing, but before to long she was no longer able to travel. Rodrick looked everywhere to try and find help. He visited every doctor and cleric he could reach, but none were able to do anything for her. When Rodrick was only 14 his mother passed away. She left him her lute and her ornate Rapier and what little money she had managed to save up.
Rodrick buried her under a small cherry tree and the north of Balmoria. He stayed near her grave for a few months after her passing, unsure of what to do with himself. He mostly just sat and played her lute wishing for some miracle that would return her to him. Time became a blur for a while.
But life must continue..... And Rodrick was not quite ready to give in completely to despair.
Eventually when he ran out of food and money Rodrick traveled to Balmoria and attempted to make a living there. It was difficult going, as there is little for love tieflings in Balmoria, and even less love for orphans. Somehow though he managed to get buy. He was forced to sell his mothers rapier at one point in order to buy, but refused to part with the lute for anything. Rodrick would often perform on street corners and in shady taverns for whatever he could get.
After over a year of struggling Rodrick finally started to make a slight name for himself. His talent at the lute was obvious and he had a deep rich singing voice that many found pleasant. He found a regular job at the Red Warden Inn, a small inn close to the merchant district of the city. They gave him a room and 2 meals a day, and allowed him to keep whatever tips he made for performing. It wasn't an extravagant life but it was pleasant enough.
Still life in Balmoria was never easy. Rodrick was attacked, robbed, and beaten half to death more then once during his time there. At one point he woke up covered in blood in an alleyway, a dead man laying nearby. Rodrick could remember nothing of what happened in the past day and fled the scene as quickly as he could. He learned to lie to get what he needed and to try and stay out of trouble as much as he could. His unhappiness grew as time passed. He started to miss the road, but was sure how to save enough money to get away from the city.
It was on his 19th birthday that something rather strange happened. Rodrick found a letter hidden among his few possessions. He had never seen the letter and was convinced that it had not been there before. What was even stranger, was that it was an acceptance letter to Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers. Rodrick had never applied for to Hoseforns, or to any other academy for that matter, and was convinced it had to be some kind of scam or trap. But the longer he thought about it, the more the idea called to him. He was tired of Balmoria, tired of struggling just to survive. It was a chance, even if it was a small one.
And so Rodrick packed up his meager belongings and used almost all the money he had stashed away to buy passage with a caravan to Hoseforn’s, the tiniest flame of hope burning his heart that he could find a better life for himself.
Name: Sa’Hari
Race: Sirnaran Desert Shifter (Shifters are usually humans who have made a pact with a particularly power spirit or demi-god. In return for their worship, the humans are able to take on certain aspects of their revered creature. They cannot completely transform into another creature, like a were-beast would. The shifters of the Sirnaran desert worship Na’Has, the Great Serpant of The Sands
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Appearance: Sa’Hari is 5’11” with dark, copper skin and a thin but well muscled body. His hair is remarkably long, reaching well past his waist and is charcoal black in color. His eyes are a smattering of yellow and gold and often hold a serious edge to them. He remains clean shaven at all times. Sa’hari almost always wears a white hood that wraps around his head and neck. When he is not in his uniform he wears a long white robe with no sleeves and dark cloth pants. It is not uncommon for him to have golden rings decorating his hands, ears, and arms. Sa’hari goes nowhere without his scimitar and often wears a unique bracer on his left arm that shoots a grappling hook when activated.
In Sa’hari’s shifted form he looks much the same as before, but with large patches of golden scales that are hard is iron and tend to cover his arms, chest, back, and around his eyes. His nails become longer and tougher and take on a sharpened, claw like appearance. His pupils become slits, though they keep they same yellow gold color. His teeth sharpen slightly, though it is not overly noticeable, and his tongue becomes long and forked.
Class: Fang of Na’Has. (The warriors of the Sirnaran desert are masters of swift movements and deadly strikes. Their movements are alarmingly quick, as each step or swing flows effortlessly into the next. They have little to no long range magical abilities, but can close distances at an alarmingly rapid pace and have been known to strike a magic user down before they could finish casting their spell)
Personality: Sa’Hari is in a constant state of seriousness. He rarely smiles or laughs, and has little understanding of sarcasm. He has a scowl that his brother has said could “force brick to crumble from the pressure of it.” He can speak the common tongue, but not well which generally leads to misunderstandings between Sa’Hari and those not of his tribe. Sa’Hari has a fierce code of honor that he follows without question, and is often surprised or angered when others don’t follow the same code.
Despite his mistrust of many things, Sa’Hari is very courageous in the face of danger, refusing to back down just because a situation is difficult. He will work tirelessly to achieve his goals, whatever they may be, and can become captivated by a single task to the point of obsession. He is good at staying calm under pressure and seems to have a natural gift for finding an enemies weakness and exploiting it. His only real fear is that of large bodies of water. He has thus far refused to step foot on a ship of any kind and, while he can swim a little, he is far from good at it.
Deep down, Sa’Hari is rather lonely. He isn’t sure exactly how someone goes about making friends, though he secretly wants them more then anything. When Sa’Hari does manage to connect with someone else he becomes unquestionably loyal to them, risking life or limb for them without hesitation.
Strengths:
- Sa’Hari is an exceptionally skilled swordsman, his fighting style is swift and difficult for most to predict. He is also skilled without a weapon, his fighting style blending well with hand to hand combat.
- He has a tactical mind and a gift for seeing an enemies weakness and exploiting it.
- Though he wears no armor, the scales he develops in his shifted form are hard as iron and can reflect a strike from most blades. He becomes stronger then average as well, though he tends to still rely on speed more then strength.
- Sa’Hari is determined, courageous and refuses to shy away from a task simply because it is difficult.
- He is loyal to his friends without question, and will not hesitate to kill any who bring them harm.
- His unique bracer gives him a great deal of maneuverability.
Weaknesses:
- He is far too serious and has little understanding of sarcasm.
- He has a difficult time understanding the common tongue, making it hard to connect with others.
- He is too rigid in his beliefs, and must actively work to understand those who think differently then himself.
- He has little to no magical abilities, and does not care to gain any.
- “will not hesitate to kill any who bring them harm” ← Could lead to trouble.
- He is terrified of large bodies of water and is a poor swimmer.
Biography: Sa’Hari belongs to a tribe of warriors known as the Faithful of Na’Has, a group of shifters who worship the great serpent that calls the Sirnaran Desert home. The tribe has little in the way of agriculture or or economic goods, but produces some of the most skilled and sought after mercenaries in the world.
The youngest son of the former chieftain Na’Haruu, and the priestess Ma’Nira, it was apparent at a very young age that Sa’Hari would make a great fighter. He rarely played with the other children, choosing to instead watch the warriors of the clan train and fight, and mimicking their movements when he thought no one was watching. He was a natural warrior, as quick and strong as others twice his age.
It is a tradition among the Sirnaran warriors that, when a chieftain becomes to old to fight, that he retires from the position so that a younger, more able bodied warrior could take their place. When Sa’Hari was 8, his father decided that he was growing too old, and stepped down as chieftain. In the tribe, a new leader could only be decided by a battle royal, where all those who thought themselves strong and wise enough to lead would fight until only one was left, Sa’Hari’s half brother, Nih’Ras won, and was found to be a wise and powerful warrior, crowning him as the new chieftain.
Sa’Hari practically worshiped his older brother, wishing nothing more then to be like him. Nih’Ras was outgoing, intelligent, and above all else in Sa’hari’s mind, a magnificent warrior. He strived to be like his brother, and trained nearly every day for 10 years in hopes that he could emulate him.
Nih’Ras loved his younger brother deeply, but believed that he was too serious. He saw a lack of understanding in Sa’Hari of how the world actually worked. He worried that when he reached adulthood, that the rest of Ealinata would be too alien for him, and that he would do something that would get him imprisoned or killed. He did his best to teach Sa’Hari to relax and to see perspectives that fell outside of his own, but his little brother was already too set in his way for Nih’Ras to reach. Realizing that he was not up to the task, the young chieftain reached out to a powerful warrior he had met while traveling as a mercenary; a warrior who happened to teach at Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers.
At the age of majority, which is eighteen to the Sirnaran warriors, each child is tasked with a right of passage designed to ensure they are ready to become a mercenary for their people. Sa’Hari’s task was ‘simple’, he would have to attend Hoseforn’s Academy for Gifted Adventurers, and graduate, before he would be allowed to return to his village as a mercenary.
Sa’Hari complained and grumbled at the task, as many who are too young to understand the wisdom of their elders do, but finally agreed to it. He was sure that the academy would prove to be trouble for a warrior such as himself. Though he grew a little more concerned when he told Nih’Ras this, and his brother started to laugh uncontrollably.
1x Like