Name: Venatorius Maritus
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Appearance:
Venatorius wears coarse tunics and simple leggings while occasionally donning a hood. Combed brown hair and a short beard do little to draw attention from his sunken eyes; they always give the impression of having been roused from a short-lived nap. His face is otherwise unremarkable; he is neither a handsome knight nor privileged noble. His hands are calloused from handling bows on land and ropes at sea. He is missing a portion of his left index finger. On this finger, he wears a silver ring emblazoned with a ruby kraken in a sea of obsidian. He has a small pouch in his tunic that contains a tortoiseshell comb and a small book.
Affinity: Transformation Magic
Spells:
• Waterfowl: Venatorius shifts into a duck, goose, or swan. (4-29 lbs, 4-60 inches tall approx.)
• Mantidae: Venatorius grows the trademark mandibles and raptorial front limbs of a mantis. He has not yet been able to fully complete this transformation.
• Cephalopoda: Venatorius shifts into an octopus, squid, or nautilus. (1-10 lbs, 0.5-24 inches long approx.)
• Arachnida: Venatorius shifts into a spider or scorpion.(Negligible weight, 1.5 inches long approx.)
• Smilodon: Venatorius shifts into a large dirk-toothed cat. (480 lbs, 40 x 70 inches approx.)
Non-magical skills:
• Bowyer: can craft bow staves, bowstring, and fletch arrows
• Merchant: Bartering, haggling, salesmanship
• Sailor: Navigation and vessel upkeep/piloting.
Background:
Son of seafaring merchants, Venatorius Maritus spent the majority of his childhood waiting at the shore for his parents to return with foreign goods and tales of exotic life forms. Each day, the froth of the salt sea would greet Venatorius and he would, in turn, greet it. As he reached his fourteenth year, he became more restless and would demand to go with his parents on their journeys. His father, Lodbrok, would agree to his request on the condition that Venatorius would learn to properly handle a ship. Under the guiding hand of his father, he constructed his own ship and began to sail. Each day would be a new lesson for the young sailor. A year later, during a violent storm, a large wave jostled the boat as Lodbrok instructed Venatorius and both men were cast into the sea. Using his boarding axe, Venatorius hung onto the side of the boat and began to climb aboard. When another wave shook the boat, his aim failed and he brought the axe down onto his other hand. He screamed as the flesh fell into the water and as he clambered onto the boat. He did not see his father climb aboard for the few seconds he remained conscious. The waves carried the boat towards his home, where upon waking he was greeted only by the froth of the salt sea crashing upon the shore.
Upon receiving the news of her husband’s apparent death, Mariana fell into a depression and would not set foot upon another boat for as long as she would live. The King’s treasurers, however, took the death as an opportunity to seize assets. ‘Proofs’ of unpaid taxes and expired licenses were flaunted in the family’s face. The ships and goods that were keeping them clothed and sheltered were stolen away and when Mariana fell ill a year later, Venatorius could not afford her medicines. On her last day, she stumbled onto the shore and cried. She gave Venatorius his father’s family ring and kissed him briefly before passing. They could afford no holy burial besides that of Lodbrok’s pagan ancestors. Venatorius lay her body onto a small raft and gave her to the sea. He stood up after watching the raft being swallowed up by a wave in the horizon and placed his father’s ring on his stub of a finger. The ruby kraken shone like a star in the light of the setting sun. (AT THE BEHEST OF GM THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES TAKE PLACE JUST BEFORE THE STORY BEGINS)He felt a strange pulsating in his stomach, which then expanded to his entire body and eventually to the nearby area, blowing sand away in all directions. *Squish* *Squash* Venatorius looked around and saw that his limbs were no longer like those of a human; rather, they were those of the great beast that adorned his father’s ring but… slightly smaller… He had become a squid, flopping about on the shore. A bit of concentration later, and he shifted back into his normal self.
Venatorius spent the next 24 years of his life rebuilding his family’s legacy. He began to rebuild his father’s flagship vessel, hoping that he could become the merchant his parents once were. He dreamed of exotic lands and strange creatures while he worked, but the money was never enough. On a busy afternoon in the market, he had overheard a family bemoaning the lack of quality meats available to the peasant folk. He knew that the King and the landed gentry had access to the marvelous game in the Royal Forests. It was illegal for a man like himself to hunt there, but if it meant cornering a market on these meats, it also meant a great leap forward in his quest to rebuild his father’s fleet. If the King’s men could take so much from his family, this would simply be repaying the favor in kind. For the latter portion of almost 3 decades, he poached in the Royal Forests, bringing meats to the market and gold to his pocket. In the last year, he also realized that he had a degree of control to his transforming magic. He transformed into strange creatures, large and small. In order to find the best game, Venatorius spent a great deal of time in a form that would go unnoticed by both his targets and royal hunters: a sick looking duck. He did not always have to look like a lame duck but in doing so, it allowed him to be ignored for healthier fowl in case hunters passed by. After scouting his game, he would shift into his normal form and take his shots. It was a great source of income while simultaneously frustrating the gamekeepers, hunters, and nobles alike. This went on until one day, while following geese to a new tract of land, an arrow flew through the air and dug into Venatorius. “I got it, I got it!” a cracking voice exclaimed. A scrawny hunter took a step out of some nearby bushes only to find that the duck was now a human with an arrow in the calf. “Good lord boy, what the hell were you doing shooting a lame duck?!” he shouted in pain. “Oh gods I’m sorry…. I’m not very good with my bow yet and I thought you’d make an easier shot… but wait, you were a duck? And now you’re a human?!” “YES I’M HUMAN NOW SHUT UP AND HELP ME UP!” As he spoke those words, Venatorius saw another hunter step into view. This was an experienced hunter, with a crossbow in his hand and 3 geese slung over his back. “So you’re the one what’s been prancing around our woods all these years, eh? “ The hunter turned to his tiny companion and said, “Good job, Twiggly!” The scrawny boy smiled and helped up the wounded poacher. “You’ve got what those know-it alls in the palace call an affinity, don’t ya boy?” asked the hunter. “Sneaking around and snatching up all our little plump duckies… I think I know what to do with you boy….”
Personality:
Venatorius is tired man from a life where dreams are cut short too many times. He does not speak often because he often has no one to speak to. He may seem rude to the point where even his well-meaning advice can sound like an insult. This is because he believes greatly in equality between persons and as a result he sees no reason to flatter a person or deal with polite mannerisms because of their contrived standing within a certain societal group. He does not believe in violence for the sake of violence and is always quick to question the logic behind anyone’s decisions. Objective thinking is important to him, and all things matter when dealing with conflict.
General Likes & Dislikes:
Likes:
• Modest people
• Sea Salt
• Lemon
• Travelling
• Reading
Dislikes:
• Hasty people
• People who value themselves over others
• Eggs
• Lazy people