Name: Renar Hagen, the Bastard of Brias
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Appearance: Stands tall at about 6'2. Is well-muscled and broad of shoulder. When not in armor, typically wears clothing that is simple in design but well-made. His main concession to vanity is draping himself in a fine cloak or cape.
Personality:Focused and keen, Renar is a man who knows what he wants and how to acquire it. And if he can't acquire it yet, he'll find a way. From his childhood, he'd possessed a chip on his shoulder about his status as a bastard, ever seeking to prove himself and win glory. So long as one doesn't throw his natural born origins in his face, Renar is unbothered, but anyone who attempts to degrade him by insulting his birth status wins themselves a grudge. His primary goal is to win enough prestige in order to rise above his bastard status, either becoming legitimized and taking his father's name or being allowed to start his own noble house.
Renar is more cunning than he is chivalrous, willing to take actions that nobler knights would balk at. After all, he's already a bastard. He'd only be living down to what was expected of him. So why not abuse that to his advantage? In his mind, a knight is a trained killer first and foremost, and any pretensions to honor and chivalry are coping mechanisms to convince oneself of their cause. Still, even he has his limits, and he would not stand for harming children or one's own spouse or paramour.
Despite his craftiness, Renar can't help himself when it comes to personal challenges. Whether it be a formal duel or a single combat in the midst of battle, he is easily goaded into one-on-one battles, eagerly wishing to prove himself better over another.
Brief Backstory: Born as a bastard of the House of Brias to his lord father and a commoner mother, Renar was nonetheless allowed to reside within his family's castle and be raised alongside his trueborn siblings. The Brias family had martial origins, originally being a knightly house before winning lands and glory a century ago. Nonetheless, they were still only a minor house, and even a bastard could be of use to them. By the time Renar was capable of walking and talking, his eldest half-brother was already a grown man. Nonetheless, another son could always win more prestige for the family, despite his bastard status. He would never bear the family name, but he could certainly create his own dynasty.
Renar was raised much the same as his half-siblings were, given a formal education as well as training at arms. He had a fair head for numbers and proved himself adequate in matters of administration, but Renar's talents skewed far more towards the training yard. Castle Brias's master-of-arms was noted to have remarked that of all of Lord Brias's sons, the bastard was by far the most skilled in the knightly arts.
Once he'd completed his squiring and his training, the newly christened Sir Renar took to the battlefield in the hopes of earning further advancement and prestige as a knight. Had he been but a few years older, he could have fought in the Red Flag War and won glory for himself that way, but he’d only barely managed to finish his squiring by the conflict’s end, and the knight he’d been squired to had been stationed within the capital for the entirety of the war’s duration. A bastard had no place on the tourney circuit, and so real combat was his only chance to prove himself worthy. While it only took a few skirmishes and tourney placings for his trueborn brothers to be inducted into orders such as the Crown Knights, Renar served under a banneret for three years, fighting outlaws and beasts until an opportunity presented itself at last.
His chance finally came during a defense against an orcish raid into Thaln, and he seized it with all he had. After a brutal battle, Renar slew the orcs' warchief in single combat, having been the only one of his banneret to break through to him without being bogged down by the rest of the raid party. He claimed the raid leader's mantle as a trophy and distinguished himself in the process, earning an offer of recruitment into the Iron Rose Knights.
While some other knightly orders had also extended offers to Renar, he’d ultimately chosen to join the Iron Rose’s ranks for their prestige and their role in general. Being an Iron Rose knight was a far more likely way for him to gain further glory and establish his name than being stationed in a more specialized order. And so he gladly became a knight of the Iron Rose. That had been two years ago, and he still serves with the order to this day.
Equipment:Renar's armor is rugged and well-worn, but solid and dependable. His set of full plate appears to be a hodgepodge of whatever scavenged pieces he determined both fit him well and provided the best protection. He bears a cavalry lance for use on horseback, but prefers using a poleaxe on foot. His sidearms consist of an arming sword and a dagger, both sheathed on his belt. Renar wears a savage-looking fur-lined mantle into battle, it once belonging to an orcish raid leader he'd slain in single combat and kept as a trophy. His personal steed is a simple brown rouncey.
Skills:Renar is skilled and well-rounded in the knightly arts. Despite the fact that he rides well enough and would likely place a decent ranking in a joust, he prefers fighting on foot as an infantryman and is a far better infantry fighter than he is a cavalryman. He has been trained in most martial weapons, and can fight well enough with a sword. However, his true ability lies in fighting with polearms and quarterstaves, enjoying the reach and versatility a pole weapon affords him. Renar complements his already formidable skill on foot with a willingness to use dirty tactics, believing that victory on the battlefield washes away all stains of dishonor.
However, Renar is only a passable shot with a bow and has no affinity for magic whatsoever. He attempts to compensate for these shortcomings with sheer physical might, exercising and training constantly in order to improve his strength, agility, and skill.
Off the battlefield, Renar has a surprising head for numbers and accounting for a knight, being rather adept at finances and administration.
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