Member
Rane Mendrake
Gender: Male
Age: 35
Race: Human
Equipment
- Plain sword – Weighs around 10 lbs, easily swung around. It was meant to be held in one hand, but Rane often switches between stances, holding it in his left, his right, and sometimes both. It was fashioned by a local blacksmith. It’s sturdy and doesn’t break easily, but also isn’t sharp enough to pierce through any more than reinforced leather. Rane adjusts his fighting style to accommodate for this, and often bludgeons armoured opponents with the pommel.
- Heavy plate armour – Courtesy of Lord Janys for several months of dedicated service. Contrary to the quality his sword and other belongings, his armor was made by royal smiths out of finer metals. It originally had golden trimming, but Rane thought it looked ridiculous and had it removed. His lord insisted that he kept the wings on the helmet, and he grudgingly obliged. Its material cannot be pierced by all but the sharpest of blades, and its structure was made to withstand a good amount of force. It has taken quite a beating over the years.
- Wineskin - It's a calfskin sack for some wine. Rane drinks a lot, but usually not before fighting.
- Grappling Chain - Perhaps one of Rane's nastier possessions. It was originally a makeshift weapon fashioned from an old rope and half a bear trap. Since then, there have been many iterations of the weapon, the latest being a ten foot steel chain with a venom-drenched hook on one end. Rane can grapple small to medium-sized foes with his chain and pull them in. The hook was also made to find chinks between armour, and its barbs make it much harder to remove, especially in the heat of combat. The venom he uses isn't lethal, but it's strong enough to cripple a limb for a few hours, given some time.
Abilities
- Red Lapi ring - When activated, it deadens his nerve endings, so he can’t feel pain. He frequently misuses his Lapi, leaving him exhausted and wounded. Because of this, he often finds himself with injuries that caution could have prevented.
Talents
- Swordsmanship – Rane fights ambidextrously and often switches hands in the middle of fights. Having learned most of it on the streets, he isn’t afraid to fight without honour. He’s not a blademaster, but he can definitely hold his own in a fight.
Personality: Quiet, stoic, and utterly boring. He rarely talks, and when he does, it’s often no more than a few words. Although he is a mercenary, he’s fiercely loyal to his employers, at least until their contract ends. He obeys order without question, and has a distinct lack of empathy. However, he’s not a good leader, and typically cannot manage more than ten men at a time. He does have a fairly dry sense of humour, and his sarcastic remarks have landed him in trouble on numerous occasions.
Biography: Rane was a sickly child. His parents were noblemen of a small House, and spent the majority of his youth squandering their money on doctors to try and heal him. Their family fortune dwindled to nothing, and his father grew angrier and angrier. One night, convinced that Rane was the fulfilment of a curse that had been laid upon him years ago, he murdered his wife and threw Rane into the night.
Rane’s adolescence was spent on the streets, stealing food and beating other street rats for coin. A strangely generous thief named Wake took pity on him and took him under his wing, and showed him how to survive, nursing him back to health. His ferocity quickly earned him a following. Though he was the de facto leader of their gang, it was Wake who often gave commands and organized attacks. His gang, the Black Boars, quickly became notorious in his city, though he never had much passion for his life of crime. His anger towards his father was his only driving force. As he grew older and stronger, his anger dwindled, and he felt oddly indifferent towards the injustices he had suffered at the hands of his father. He eventually left his gang, leaving Wake in charge, and became a mercenary.
In an ironic turn of events, his first employer, a wealthy foreign merchant, ordered him to clear out the slums where he had grown up. He led a skeleton crew of six untrained recruits, slaughtering his old gang members. Eventually, he cornered Wake, begging for his life, trying to remind Rane of everything they had been through. Without a hint of hesitation or remorse, Rane rammed his sword through Wake’s throat.
Since that day, Rane has been roaming across the country, looking for work wherever he could find it. He had fought under countless masters and dozens of different banners. He acquired his ring from a nobleman who believed he would abandon the life of a mercenary to fight for him. Naturally, he left when their contract ended. He had also been knighted by another lord he had served, but he never felt any prestige in the title. He never followed any code of honour save his own, and the will of some pea-brained lord wasn't going to change that.
Life had taught Rane a cruel lesson. Some men found purpose in faith, some in riches, and some in love. Despite fighting for gold, Rane dismissed all of these ideas; the only power he ever acknowledged was power itself.
Other: Rane keeps a locket with his old House’s sigil. He has never shown it to anyone, and becomes uncharacteristically angry when someone tries to see what is inside.