Name: James Terna
Age: 19
Race: Human.
Gender: Male
Appearance:
Tallish at 5'11" and relatively powerfully built, James has the callused hands and strong body of someone who has grown up working every day from sun up to sun down. His skin, naturally dark, is only made darker by his tan and the normal level of dirt he's covered in. If cleaned up, he'd probably be attractive, but the dirt and smoke accrued by his ordinary profession detracts. His eyes are set in a face mostly handsome for its ruggedness, constantly somewhat unshaven, his hair normally a little long. All in all, James is the image of quiet, unassuming strength, easily walked by in a crowd--even if he's the strongest and largest in it.
His brown eyes are often the only clear, clean part of his face, and they sparkle with joy far more often than with anger, the only indication of any sadness he might be feeling a slight watery-ness to them.
Theme Song: Gender swap "Stand in the Rain" by Superchick:
youtube.com/watch?v=UIwfruNJNUUNature: A bit of an odd individual to those who don't know him, James is often quiet and taciturn. Brought up in Diedremere, James has always been taught that you should not offer your opinion unless it's asked, nor help those who do not want it--but when asked, you stay completely honest and help those who request your aid to the absolute best of your ability. James is a stoic, to be sure. He does not show pain or hurt when it concerns only him, the only sign of his emotions often being shown in his eyes. He's not talkative or dominating enough to be a natural leader, but James is the rock of whatever group he's in--almost always levelheaded and calm, or willful enough to keep a check on his emotions and not allow them to interfere with what he needs to do. Threats to his family or his village will impact his emotional state a lot more than threatening him will.
As one gets to know him better, it becomes easier to tell what emotions he's feeling and when. The emotions are there, they just have to be searched for--and the better someone knows his particular tells, the better idea they'll have of his reactions to events. Otherwise, dealing with James emotionally is a one way street. He's not insensitive to the feelings of others (no matter how callous he might seem), but trying to read his is often like trying to find emotion in a solid rock wall.
His personality is not without its negative side. He tends to bottle up his rage and despair, and if he's not careful they'll burst forth all at once, becoming what might seem a major overreaction to a minor incident--and perceiving him as insensitive is far too easy.
Backstory: Born and raised in Drediemere, James has lived the private, unassuming life that most inhabitants of the village have. Most of his abnormality comes from his parentage, the son of an outsider master smith and the town's mayor. Outsiders are rare in Diedremere, much less one who ended up marrying the golden boy of the village. Still, James' mother adapted quickly to life in Drediemere, her expert skill and naturally quiet personality letting her blend in to Drediemere's ordinary life quickly and easily. James definitely takes after his mother, and spent most of his childhood and young life with her. Mary Terna was not a cold mother, but she was a busy one--and if James wanted to spend time with her, he had to help her around the forge and farm. He's had almost no formal education as a result, but his skill with metal and dirt is nigh unmatched.
Despite his father's attempts to make him more social and get more involved in life around Drediemere, James almost entirely focused on his smithy and mining as a child, the best his father could hope for was to involve him in hunting parties or fencing matches. Even with those he considered his friends, James was always quiet, always preferring to show his affection for someone by
doing things with them, not talking idly or bantering back and forth needlessly.
However, one part of his mother's personality rings truer for him than for her. James is something of a wanderer. While he certainly loves home and wants to spend as much time there as possible, he often wanders in the woods nearby, looking for interesting kinds of wood to use in his craft or just thinking, spending far too long away from the village for any sane Drediemerean.
Recently, having stayed too late in the wood alone, James was knocked on his back by a jaguar whose den he'd wandered too close to. Pushing himself back and across a gorge via a small dirt bridge formed by the eroding of the surface that had once supported its underside as a last resort, it seemed like there was no way he could get away...
But as he kicked at the creature as it started its final prowl, his boot struck the dirt bridge--and with a clatter and a shake the passage shattered to dust, the jaguar yowling into the abyss...
He never wanted to feel that helpless again. After that incident, James redoubled his swordsmanship training and changed his archery from a mere habit to an almost obssessive desire. He's not naturally talented at either, but his constant training has enhanced his purely average skill to something approaching expert level. Rumors of an effort to oppose the darkness began circulating... Rumors that James gathered something of an interest in, especially given that his mother's wandering bug has finally bitten him.
Goal(s): James' dreams would make the ambitious scoff. He wants to do nothing more than to live happily and grow old in Diedremere, his largest dream to be the best blacksmith he can possibly be--and thus support him and his wife, if he chooses to marry.
Inventory:
-A chainmail suit James forged himself, normally worn under his clothes. While a good suit, the mail was obviously forged by someone learning: small imperfections make the mail somewhat weak in the armpit area, imperfections James would fix if given time and resources.
-A bastard (or hand-and-a-half) sword also made by James himself, those this blade has obviously been made closer to the present day. The blade's quality is nearly that of a master, tempered with expert skill and forged from metal normally prohibitively hard. Definitely the most cared for of James' possessions, but simple and not ostentatious in the least.
-A longbow, reinforced with metal.
-A quiver, containing 20 arrows with forged metal heads.
-His blacksmithing equipment, kept in a small satchel in his pack.
-A hammer and dagger kept at his waist.
-Canteen
-Pack containing aforementioned satchel, small pursestring, clothes, rations, utensils.
-Walking staff, with a small spade blade on the upper end.
