Bartimaeus

Pokétopian Dreams: Uncharted Waters

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_{Mentions: Everyone Location: Ocean Pier}

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So.. today was the day..

For most, the idea of being granted passage onto a luxurious, exclusive cruise was one to be enthusiastically coveted. What wasn't there to like about being passenger upon a charmingly grandiose yacht that had all the best entertainment, guests, foods, and all other manner of amenities? The opportunity to meet any number of famous or semi-famous figures, while soaking up a warm ray of sun, Iapapa-twist Martini in hand? And at the end they'd set foot onto an acclaimed, state-of-the-art battle resort?? Oh, the luxury - the excitement! But even so, Bat Standiford was a bit.. bothered.

There he stood, lined up with the others aside the yacht that would take them on their arduous- er, luxurious- voyage. Mind you, the treat that was such an event was not lost on Bat - in part, he was just as excited as anyone else to be able to take part in such a trip as this one. He was.. just a bit bothered that it had to be.. on a ship. On the water. Like.. off-shore. One might think it odd, a tropical-dish specialist with an aversion to the ocean. Bat had his reasons.. but so far he had managed to largely avoid the water. Over the years he has managed to temper, in small degree, his trepidation of the water, at least to the measure that he could endure a cruise, if the vessel was large enough. Sometimes though, the process of embarking was the worst - it was the anticipation of it all, you see.

Bat blinked a few times at the tugging he felt on his collar. His eyes refocused as he was pulled back from the thoughts of anxiety and distress that rolled through his head. His gaze shifted to his right shoulder, upon which perched a dark-furred Alolan Rattata, which gazed back at him with a concerned expression. Its eyes shifted to Bat's left hand, which was white-knuckle gripped around the handle of his luggage. He released his grip alongside a weary sigh and offered a small, appreciative smile as his companion proffered to him a small Leppa berry. Bat raised his gloved right hand to pluck the treat from the Pokémon's small hands before popping it into his mouth. He, momentarily, enjoyed the smooth, even flavors of the berry, closing his eyes and shutting out his nervousness for but a moment.

Before he quickly interrupted himself, and his eyes opened as his gaze snapped back to Rawst, the little Rattata. "Where'd you get this? Did you steal it??" He insisted, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice. The small Pokémon had a history of stealing food - something Bat has been trying desperately to get rid of since childhood. Rawst shook her head, chin held high as she pointed to Bat's bag, which was left opened and clearly tampered with. His gaze relaxed again, his pale visage seeming to lose a touch of its visible stress in general, at the distractions of his companion. He cast a small, sideways glance at the rodent before he began to stoop slightly and re-zip his baggage. "Mhm.. good." He stood again, running a hand through his silver hair as he looked around him.

He spotted a few vaguely familiar faces - at the very least he could recognize a few figures who had held, or at least officially earned, championship titles. Some of the other faces he saw throughout the most immediate crowd, which seemed to be more VIP-focused, he didn't recognize all too well - maybe he was just in the wrong circles. Alongside the championship-winners, there was a recently-arrived, rather glammy-looking individual who was clearly an actor of some kind, and a silver-haired dude in overalls, going on with his own devices. There were two faces that he could recognize right away by name - Vitesse Relais and Sophia Dolci. The former individual Bat recognized pretty quickly as a Pokéathlon athlete - and a good one at that. Bat had always enjoyed the spectacles achieved in the Pokéathlon competitions, and had always wondered if he'd've been capable of competing, if not for his sickliness. The one individual he most enjoyed seeing though was the renowned Sophie. It was a simple appeal - the passion through which she viewed and handled Pokémon was nothing less than uplifting. He could all but guarantee she felt the same way about Pokémon as he felt about food.

A small smile crept up into the corners of his mouth. It might seem a bit funny, but in situations like this, Bat felt.. a little out of his depth. And that was reason to smile, for him. He was surprisingly often surrounded by incredibly successful people - gym leaders, famous actors, Champions, and any other number of affluent personalities, all more prosperous than the last. But there was one thing they all held in common, no matter what - they all needed to eat. The feeling that he got from bringing a smile to someone's lips, no matter their station, was something that never waned. It was for that reason that he would endure a voyage such as the one that approached. It wasn't so bad, after all, if he could delve into his craft as a distraction.

Bat reached up and gave Rawst a friendly scratch on the shoulder, the small Pokémon chittering contently. The two of them listened to the rest of the group chatting amongst themselves. Bat's gaze shifted from one to another as each of them spoke, some of them annoyed at the Captain's tardiness, and others simply excited, or friendly. He took it all in, nodding as a couple of them introduced themselves to the group. He didn't even bat an eye at the loud, flamboyant nature of their fellow pink-clad passenger - he was, perhaps surprisingly, quite used to such displays. He did have to suppress a grin at the mention of Auggie's overalls, covering his mouth with a black-gloved hand.

He was dressed rather casually himself - a peach t-shirt with white flowers, topped by an open, black button-up shirt with the sleeves folded up to the elbow. He wore peach-colored tight-ankle cargo pants, with a pair of comfy black loafers. And of course, his signature black-lens round-rim glasses and a black glove on his right hand, the other tucked into his back pocket. It wasn't long that they dwelled on fashion though, and Bat was grateful to have Andre refresh his memory on the name of one of the present champions. He nodded slowly, wondering to himself how well the lot of them would get along. Hopefully well enough.

Syl had his own theory on what could've happened to the Captain - a though that Bat grimaced at, be it a joke or not. He nervously ran his hand through his hair again. "I'm-" He started once there was break in the dialogue, being interrupted by himself as he coughed into a gloved fist. "-sure the Captain is fine.." He soothed, his brief set of coughs fading away quickly. "Just a little hiccup along the way, assumably.." He spoke, an assuring tone creeping into his voice, which itself was neither soft nor rough. He then remained silent for a moment, before he took the opportunity to address himself as well.

"Aha, my name is Bat Standifur." He stated, offering a friendly smile to the group. He didn't expect any of them to know him by name, but they might -- in culinary circles he was quite popular, but that wasn't saying much for the grand scheme of things.

Blood of the Crown

I'm good with either way.

Blood of the Crown

Caiman Black

_____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

Nickname/Titles:
"Grim-cub"

Rank / Profession:
Knight Commander

Age:
26

Gender:
Male

Appearance:
If you were to ask one to recall Caiman's appearance by memory, the lion's share of people would ration you the recollection of a shorter-than-average man clad in a dark palette consisting of black or brown leathers and furs, grey cloths, or perhaps a rare-few other articles of muted blues or greens. Whatever they might recall, they very likely would remember that they'd not seen the Knight Commander void of his armet - lest they were the Steward, his advisors, or perhaps one of some fellow Knight Commanders.

Caiman's appearance without his armet is one that conveys a youth perhaps a touch more green than is really true of him. His face is shaped with soft yet angular features, he has fair, unmarred skin, and possesses short, inky-black hair. In truth, he wears his armet more often than is considered apt due to the tendency of some of his comrades to patently underestimate him for his ostensible youthfulness, much to his chagrin. But Caiman is certainly not incapable. When it comes to physique, Caiman does stand noticeably on the shorter side at 5'6", but possesses a lean musculature and a slender appearance.

He holds himself with a natural, dutiful countenance. When one has the opportunity to see his face, they'll likely see a very neutral visage with watchful, golden-hazel eyes. Ironically, Caiman's features are quite demonstrative when they have cause to be - his brows, eyes, lips, etc. are very expressive when it comes to the rare-few times he experiences particularly strong, or perhaps alien, emotions.

Personality:

Personality Details

Caiman seems to posses an.. oddly fluctuating sense of impersonalness. While he has shown evident loyalty and a large measure of investment in his kingdom and nation, he is, in most circumstances, seemingly very-well emotionally regulated. A neutral, dutiful aura is likely one which even the most Caiman-familiar Knight Commanders have rarely seen him deviate from. It is a feature, among several, that made, or make, him a notable knight - for keeping a cool head at all times is not always an easy task, even for some veterans.

In sooth, this is not to say that Caiman is emotionless, for this is clearly untrue. His impassive visage is not a cold or dry one - he is simply.. not very expressive, in general. In fact, there have been times when Caiman has shown emotions. When his father, Knight Commander Ritter Black, passed, Caiman was one of many men to shed a tear, or several, at his funeral. Further still, he can respond to lesser encouragements as well - Knight Commander Lerkley Polk, a long-time friend of his father, has been known to cause Caiman to crack a small smile, on occasion.

Regardless of the circumstances, Caiman is known as a knight that is utmost emotionally reliable - whether he finds himself stepping through the gore and viscera of a massacre, or blade-to-throat midst his own mortal peril, his level-headedness is something to be sure of.

Aside from how he reacts to the things around him, Caiman has a solid moral compass. Beside his loyalty to his kingdom and the straight-faced comradery he shares with his fellow Knight Commanders, he is one to uphold good and help where he can, even if he has to do a little bad to accomplish his goals. When it comes to how he treats his enemies, enemies of his nation, or ne'er-do-wells in general - he performs unyieldingly, yet humanely. He has, however, been known to handle particularly heinous malefactors with treatment a touch harsher than the norm.

Background:

Backstory

It'd be truthful to say Caiman was raised to be a knight. Born to be a knight, as his late father would say. Knight Commander Ritter Black was a man who valued honor, virtue, and above all else, family. Even moreso the family that was young Caiman Black, when the birth of the boy caused his wife's passing. It was from his youngest age that Ritter entered Caiman onto the path that would lead him to become a knight - as he wished nothing more than for his son to see the life of luxury and honor that he had made for himself.

The duo resided in the capital of Alveria, Olenta, where Ritter Black served in his duties to the crown as a Knight Commander. As such, it was often that young Caiman found himself cared after by only the best of sitters until an age where he would become a squire, and would be taken under the wing of his father full-time. In truth, his upbringing was rather regular for a boy on the path of knighthood. He developed pretty regularly in his training when it came to the matters of heraldry, chivalry, courtly affairs, etc., but there was a particular shift when it came to the young Caiman's affinity for matters of warfare.

His father spotted in him an irregularly sharp aptitude for swordsmanship, marksmanship, horsemanship, and all other manner of depths of combaterie. Whether it was due to a particular interest in these practices or an exceptionally keen natural inclination, the young squire picked up on techniques very naturally and effectively, and often digested manuals much faster than his father and tutors anticipated. By the time the young lad was approaching the age around which he would start transitioning to knighthood, his progress was well past what any of them would deem acceptable. So much so that his father, who was one of the most trusted Knight-Commanders to the Lord Steward, entered him into knighthood a touch early.

It was from there that Caiman Black quickly made a name for himself ahead of his peers. In his role as a knight, he displayed an unshakeable grip on his usefulness to his kingdom and his ability to improve himself as the highest class of soldier. Even from a place of parity, it was often that Caiman found even accomplished knights seeking his counsel in matters of warfare or swordsmanship, or even seeking rapport with him due to his growing reputation.

All-in-all, Caiman's adult life was just what his father had hoped for him, and much more. It was this pacifying thought that made his father's passing a touch more digestible for Caiman. Ritter Black could, at least, die proud of his son.

The death being some two years ago, it was not terribly long before Caiman Black took his father's place as a Knight Commander - though a rather young one. But, it was in his father's wishes to the Lord Steward and the fellow Commanders to welcome Caiman into that fold - a realm in which he has not disappointed.

Rune Affinity (if applicable):
To-be-revealed.

Skills & Abilities:
Caiman is a masterful wielder of most types of traditional weapons, be they swords, daggers, mauls, flails, etc. Paramount among his most favored weapons are Spears, Swords, Lucerne Hammers, and Crossbows. He is also a very gifted technical grappler - and fortunately so, for his small stature makes him vulnerable to being pinned. Furthermore, he is an incredible rider. The agility and precision with which he controls and maneuvers his mount is impressive, even for a knight.

When it comes to mental warfare, Caiman is second to none in keeping his head. He's quick-witted and tactically intelligent. In truth, he's not a very inspiring commander when it comes to emotive morale-building, but his mere martial reputation has been enough before, in a pinch.

Aside his martial prowesses, Caiman is pretty ordinary in his skills as a knight, though he remembers the entirety of his training over the years with respectable accuracy.

Additional Details:
As an infant, Caiman was plagued with a genetic illness for some weeks, but eventually managed to overcome it. In most-recent months, its return has delivered a shallow turn in his health. For the mostpart he seems alright, but for days at a time has experienced a sickly pallor, accompanied by a fever and cough.

Caiman, whether tending to his knightly duties or not, always carries a sword at his side, as most of status do. Caiman's sword is a pretty average one of roughly 35 inches in blade-length, and can be comfortably wielded in one or two hands. He also carries a Rondel dagger of about 14 inches in length. His favored weapon, though, is a spear measured six feet in total length with a 12 inch, double-edged blade.

Caiman is sidekick to a loveable canine named "Belabog". Most see her as more wolf than acceptable dog, but Caiman seems to have a soft spot for her nonetheless. She seems to respond pretty well to his attempts to train her, and he's confident she could probably be useful as a war hound of some kind, but he is reluctant to utilize her in that capacity.

"Grim-cub" is a, some would say silly, nicknamed bestowed upon him by the older Knight Commander Lerkley Polk, as a way to poke fun at Caiman's usual impersonal, watchful gaze. Much to Caiman's relief, the moniker has caught on with very few.

Caiman picked up the habit of always wearing an armet before he became a Knight Commander, and can't really shake it nowadays, though he truthfully hasn't tried too hard.

Pokétopian Dreams: Uncharted Waters

Sounds awesome! :D

Blood of the Crown

@Lyla If you mean Lerkley, he is, yah :P

Blood of the Crown

@Lyla Thank you! ^^
As for Lerkley, hmn.. I didn't have too much in mind for him in terms of backstory, but I could work something up.

Blood of the Crown

Caiman Black

_____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

Nickname/Titles:
"Grim-cub"

Rank / Profession:
Knight Commander

Age:
26

Gender:
Male

Appearance:
If you were to ask one to recall Caiman's appearance by memory, the lion's share of people would ration you the recollection of a shorter-than-average man clad in a dark palette consisting of black or brown leathers and furs, grey cloths, or perhaps a rare-few other articles of muted blues or greens. Whatever they might recall, they very likely would remember that they'd not seen the Knight Commander void of his armet - lest they were the Steward, his advisors, or perhaps one of some fellow Knight Commanders.

Caiman's appearance without his armet is one that conveys a youth perhaps a touch more green than is really true of him. His face is shaped with soft yet angular features, he has fair, unmarred skin, and possesses short, inky-black hair. In truth, he wears his armet more often than is considered apt due to the tendency of some of his comrades to patently underestimate him for his ostensible youthfulness, much to his chagrin. But Caiman is certainly not incapable. When it comes to physique, Caiman does stand noticeably on the shorter side at 5'6", but possesses a lean musculature and a slender appearance.

He holds himself with a natural, dutiful countenance. When one has the opportunity to see his face, they'll likely see a very neutral visage with watchful, golden-hazel eyes. Ironically, Caiman's features are quite demonstrative when they have cause to be - his brows, eyes, lips, etc. are very expressive when it comes to the rare-few times he experiences particularly strong, or perhaps alien, emotions.

Personality:

Personality Details

Caiman seems to posses an.. oddly fluctuating sense of impersonalness. While he has shown evident loyalty and a large measure of investment in his kingdom and nation, he is, in most circumstances, seemingly very-well emotionally regulated. A neutral, dutiful aura is likely one which even the most Caiman-familiar Knight Commanders have rarely seen him deviate from. It is a feature, among several, that made, or make, him a notable knight - for keeping a cool head at all times is not always an easy task, even for some veterans.

In sooth, this is not to say that Caiman is emotionless, for this is clearly untrue. His impassive visage is not a cold or dry one - he is simply.. not very expressive, in general. In fact, there have been times when Caiman has shown emotions. When his father, Knight Commander Ritter Black, passed, Caiman was one of many men to shed a tear, or several, at his funeral. Further still, he can respond to lesser encouragements as well - Knight Commander Lerkley Polk, a long-time friend of his father, has been known to cause Caiman to crack a small smile, on occasion.

Regardless of the circumstances, Caiman is known as a knight that is utmost emotionally reliable - whether he finds himself stepping through the gore and viscera of a massacre, or blade-to-throat midst his own mortal peril, his level-headedness is something to be sure of.

Aside from how he reacts to the things around him, Caiman has a solid moral compass. Beside his loyalty to his kingdom and the straight-faced comradery he shares with his fellow Knight Commanders, he is one to uphold good and help where he can, even if he has to do a little bad to accomplish his goals. When it comes to how he treats his enemies, enemies of his nation, or ne'er-do-wells in general - he performs unyieldingly, yet humanely. He has, however, been known to handle particularly heinous malefactors with treatment a touch harsher than the norm.

Background:

Backstory

It'd be truthful to say Caiman was raised to be a knight. Born to be a knight, as his late father would say. Knight Commander Ritter Black was a man who valued honor, virtue, and above all else, family. Even moreso the family that was young Caiman Black, when the birth of the boy caused his wife's passing. It was from his youngest age that Ritter entered Caiman onto the path that would lead him to become a knight - as he wished nothing more than for his son to see the life of luxury and honor that he had made for himself.

The duo resided in the capital of Alveria, Olenta, where Ritter Black served in his duties to the crown as a Knight Commander. As such, it was often that young Caiman found himself cared after by only the best of sitters until an age where he would become a squire, and would be taken under the wing of his father full-time. In truth, his upbringing was rather regular for a boy on the path of knighthood. He developed pretty regularly in his training when it came to the matters of heraldry, chivalry, courtly affairs, etc., but there was a particular shift when it came to the young Caiman's affinity for matters of warfare.

His father spotted in him an irregularly sharp aptitude for swordsmanship, marksmanship, horsemanship, and all other manner of depths of combaterie. Whether it was due to a particular interest in these practices or an exceptionally keen natural inclination, the young squire picked up on techniques very naturally and effectively, and often digested manuals much faster than his father and tutors anticipated. By the time the young lad was approaching the age around which he would start transitioning to knighthood, his progress was well past what any of them would deem acceptable. So much so that his father, who was one of the most trusted Knight-Commanders to the Lord Steward, entered him into knighthood a touch early.

It was from there that Caiman Black quickly made a name for himself ahead of his peers. In his role as a knight, he displayed an unshakeable grip on his usefulness to his kingdom and his ability to improve himself as the highest class of soldier. Even from a place of parity, it was often that Caiman found even accomplished knights seeking his counsel in matters of warfare or swordsmanship, or even seeking rapport with him due to his growing reputation.

All-in-all, Caiman's adult life was just what his father had hoped for him, and much more. It was this pacifying thought that made his father's passing a touch more digestible for Caiman. Ritter Black could, at least, die proud of his son.

The death being some two years ago, it was not terribly long before Caiman Black took his father's place as a Knight Commander - though a rather young one. But, it was in his father's wishes to the Lord Steward and the fellow Commanders to welcome Caiman into that fold - a realm in which he has not disappointed.

Rune Affinity (if applicable):
To-be-revealed.

Skills & Abilities:
Caiman is a masterful wielder of most types of traditional weapons, be they swords, daggers, mauls, flails, etc. Paramount among his most favored weapons are Spears, Swords, Lucerne Hammers, and Crossbows. He is also a very gifted technical grappler - and fortunately so, for his small stature makes him vulnerable to being pinned. Furthermore, he is an incredible rider. The agility and precision with which he controls and maneuvers his mount is impressive, even for a knight.

When it comes to mental warfare, Caiman is second to none in keeping his head. He's quick-witted and tactically intelligent. In truth, he's not a very inspiring commander when it comes to emotive morale-building, but his mere martial reputation has been enough before, in a pinch.

Aside his martial prowesses, Caiman is pretty ordinary in his skills as a knight, though he remembers the entirety of his training over the years with respectable accuracy.

Additional Details:
As an infant, Caiman was plagued with a genetic illness for some weeks, but eventually managed to overcome it. In most-recent months, its return has delivered a shallow turn in his health. For the mostpart he seems alright, but for days at a time has experienced a sickly pallor, accompanied by a fever and cough.

Caiman, whether tending to his knightly duties or not, always carries a sword at his side, as most of status do. Caiman's sword is a pretty average one of roughly 35 inches in blade-length, and can be comfortably wielded in one or two hands. He also carries a Rondel dagger of about 14 inches in length. His favored weapon, though, is a spear measured six feet in total length with a 12 inch, double-edged blade.

Caiman is sidekick to a loveable canine named "Belabog". Most see her as more wolf than acceptable dog, but Caiman seems to have a soft spot for her nonetheless. She seems to respond pretty well to his attempts to train her, and he's confident she could probably be useful as a war hound of some kind, but he is reluctant to utilize her in that capacity.

"Grim-cub" is a, some would say silly, nicknamed bestowed upon him by the older Knight Commander Lerkley Polk, as a way to poke fun at Caiman's usual impersonal, watchful gaze. Much to Caiman's relief, the moniker has caught on with very few.

Caiman picked up the habit of always wearing an armet before he became a Knight Commander, and can't really shake it nowadays, though he truthfully hasn't tried too hard.

I'm sure I'm forgetting things, but here da boi.

Blood of the Crown

I dont mind a discord. I'm workin on my boi Caiman as we speak. Gotta get the backstory and capabilities down then im done ^^

Blood of the Crown (Medieval Fantasy, Royalty, Magic)

Feels like you and me are following each other around an awful lot lol

@BurningCold

>:3

Blood of the Crown (Medieval Fantasy, Royalty, Magic)

I reckon I'll throw my interest in, I like smaller groups myself. ^^