Name: Kane Bounevialle
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Species: Human
"As long as I draw breath, I stand with the people of Talbor. No corruption nor blasted skeletal army will bring the lands to ruin. If so be it, I will take upon myself the responsibility of dethroning the Child-King and do what I may to preserve what the Talborian people and their past kings and queens have built together."
BackgroundKingdom of Origin: Talbor, Ferdinand Shire
Family:Horace Bounevialle, Father, 50, location: Bounevialle Vineyard
Amelia Bounevialle, Mother, 45, location: Bounevialle Vineyard
Irene Bounevialle, Sister, 22, location: Unknown
(traveling)Backstory: He was born on a Talborian vineyard to a pair of farmers. They were by no means of any noble bloodline, and their ancestry can be traced down to nothing more than a couple of men and women with a patch of dirt to their name. However, the acres of land under Bounevialle's name has proliferated since those days. The Bounevialle vineyards are by no means the largest vineyards in Talbor, nor are they the most expensive. Their vineyard was just a few twelve acres or so on a small patch of fertile soil in the midst of the rocky, mountainous region. The end product was a mid-price concord grape, and was difficult to find in most breweries and taverns. When Kane became of working age, and as his father and mother were wearing down, he'd spend most of his days tending the vineyard and harvesting the grapes. This often brought him home with hands bloodied by the thorns and littering them with scars and calluses. While the Bounevialle family were considered what was essentially middle-class, they were still too short on money, and especially too short on time to invest in Kane's education.
Kane has a sister six years younger than he, and with her birth brought on the early stages of Kane's protective nature. When he'd come home from laboring a long day in the vineyard, he'd watch over his sister while his parents went off into the market. He'd cook her and himself some supper, often a potato and carrot stew, with small chunks of meat floating about in the broth. It was nothing fancy, but it was easy to please a toddler as long as you assured them it was something tasty. They never had grapes available though. What couldn't be locked up in a barrel was taken to market to sell. Almost always there was a buyer, and on those super rare occasions that there were grapes leftover, there wasn't much left that could be put into a crepe, but there were almost always some blueberries to put in that could supplement the lack of grape filling.
In between those years and the day he left home, he'd find himself fighting bullies that were harassing his sister. It almost seemed like every other week – it didn't matter how outmatched he was, Kane always fought them. An angry big brother who spent his days working on farms was usually enough to at least chase those kids away.
Years pass, and at the age of 13, Kane brought up the prospect of becoming a knight. Not just any knight however, but a Knight of the Ram, in direct service to the country. His parents agreed to his requests, of course. It was a noble calling, and Kane's sister was old enough to help with farm work. In fact, looking up to Kane all her life had inspired her to help him pick grapes even when she was little. The thorns never scared her off. Kane had walked off to the Talbor capital of Maceron a couple miles off and stopped the castle barracks front door. They had initially turned down his request to enter as a squire, as he was already far over the age of 8 and was ineligible to become a page - a whopping 5 years late - but he didn't so much as walk five feet away. Not wanting to walk home as a failure, he stayed there. He'd ask again and again, every time the door opened. It was a “no” every single time. Kane still remained there, and squatted in that spot for two days without anything to eat or drink. At that point, Kane was desperate and resorted to begging. When the head of the order, Sir Fallon, found a starving boy groveling near the steps, he took him in and fed him. Gave him water. A bed for a night or two. Then he turned him back loose.
Kane repeated the process. This time, he was out there for three days, asking to be made a squire. It was less easy to sympathize with an illiterate farmboy the second time around when he starts begging. Sir Fallon resigned and permitted the boy to walk into the barracks. After his recuperation, he'd begin his days as a squire where he will first be educated and then he will perform his duties in his services for the the Knights of the Ram.
His days as a squire were not easy. He first had to receive an education if he were to become of such a noble order, and he crunched hours day in and day out taking in as much as he could. He learned how to read and to write, he learned arithmetic, some science and chemistry, and of course, extensive lessons in history and the finer arts, such as dance. It was expected of a noble knight, as strange as it was. It took a while in all of that, but with hard devotion, he got it all done in three years, putting to rest all doubts amongst the order that there'd be no hope for a teenager that didn't even know how to read yet. At sixteen, his real chores were only beginning.
As an arming squire, he was appointed to a knight and was required to perform all duties and services the knight requested. His knight's name was Sir Raleigh Cruz. A simple if not humble man, and surprisingly modest for a noble. This duty involved taking care of the knight's horses and his armor, dressing the knight in his armor, running chores and messages, waiting the knight's table, guarding him as he slept, and even accompanying his knight to the battlefield. There hardly seemed to be more time for anything else, but amidst all that, he was expected to train in the use of weapons, including marksmanship, exercise to develop their bodies, climbing, athletic, and swimming skills, and horsemanship. He was also required to learn the code of chivalry and rules of heraldry if he were to become a knight. It was also his duty to enter the social life of the castle and learn: courtly etiquette, jousting, music, and dancing.
All of this had a huge impact on Kane's discipline and triggered him to form rigid schedules that left little to no time for himself. At the end of these hard and trying days, when he would stay awake to watch his knight's sleeping hide, he'd write letters. Given the amount of time available to him, he'd write slowly and carefully, allowing him the time to pick out the best words possible and write in the best and neatest way possible. He'd begin writing letters to his little sister. Letters that she'd never read because the family wasn't literate. Still, every night he would do this, writing a letter for his sister, finish it, and then stare at the end product for a while and sigh before he puts it away in his strongbox. There are countless letters in his box, and it has gotten to the point where Kane's handwriting is among the finest and neatest in the castle.
Martial training was something Kane thoroughly enjoyed whenever his knight would allow him to spend the day training instead of accompanying him, but it was exceptionally harder than anything he ever had to do on the farm. With the thin mountain air, he often found himself on the verge of unconsciousness. Amidst that, he learned how to use swords and shields, he learned how to carry his armor and how to wear it properly, he even learned crossbow shooting. Though it was one of the more difficult skills for him to learn, proper aim was still important to learn as a knight. During his spar sessions with the other squires, often using dulled swords or wooden swords, he found himself best suited when both were using only longswords. Contrary to popular belief, these fights did not last very long. It doesn't take a long time for someone to land a hit on the other person, and in the case of sparring circles, the squire who won the match must get into position as the next squire in line entered the circle comes in to replace the loser. Among the squires, Kane landed in the top fifteen percentile for martial skill.
There was also the thinking side of military training. The squires had to practice tactics and strategy extensively if they were going to be any more useful than disposable fodder. While a steadfast and protective fellow, and by no means a slouch in the physical department, Kane truly shined in the area of tactics and strategy, and it was where his introverted nature functioned at its best. He wasn't a prodigy among his peers, but what he did have over the others was his determination to succeed and his devotion to the cause of knighthood. He developed a strategy in one of the board games, inspired by a type of polearm, like that of a corseque, or ranseur, or even a spetum – a triple spearhead. It was similar to that of a spearhead assault. The problem with spearheading an assault is that is leaves a risk for being taken advantage of and being flanked. With the triple spearhead, it takes advantage of that risk, and eliminates flanking enemy units, and also acts as two smaller spearheads on either side, further separating the hostile army.
Kane's first experience with political corruption was when he first witnessed a noble accepting a bribe from a hunter so that they may poach in excess. Kane called the nobleman out on it, but being a lowly squire, and being older than the others, he was not taken seriously and immediately dismissed under threat of expulsion. Later, testing results came out.
Among the squires, Kane landed in the top ten percentile for strategy.
Top twenty percentile for history.
He, however, suspiciously did not make it into the top twenty percentile for comprehension of the code of chivalry and courtly behavior. It was outrageous to him! To consider all the years he has spent devoting himself to chivalry and acting accordingly amidst the goofing and playing of the other squires. His serious disposition offered contention to dissenters. An explanation was later provided to him that his earlier accusation made against a court noble after alleged corruption via acceptance of bribery – and that, for Kane to maintain favor with the court, his superiors were forced to remove Kane's score from the board regardless of the truth. Kane begrudgingly followed his knight's word.
His squire training and duties were supposed to last seven years, as it does for all squires. Considering how he crunched years of education that was supposed to be learned as a young page in three years, and started his training and duties at age 16, this would mean he wouldn't become a knight until he was 23 years old, 2 years after some of his class had already become Knights of the Ram. He would have to take the test late. At the age of 19, three years into his training, a castle watch guard sounded the alarming signaling for an impending bandit raid on a Talbor-controlled settlement nearby. All of the guardsman and even the Knights of the Ram were awakened in the dead of night to prepare. The raiding party was still a bit far off and provided time for planning. However, with most of the real strategists off abroad, there was none in the immediate vicinity that could think clearly just minutes after being awoken. As Kane was strapping Sir Cruz's armor on, he pitched his idea: the triple-spearhead. There were objections to using an untested tactic, of course, but Kane continued. The present Knights of the Ram would lead the initial charge and spearhead the raiding party, as they were the most skilled and experienced and could fend off the majority of bandits and outlaws. The following two waves would follow, consisting of soldiers and guardsmen, and would cover the knights' flank and assault two other sections of the party.
There were still some dissent among the present party, but with no time to waste, a couple of the knighthood agreed to his strategy and thereby pulled the support from the remaining soldiers.
After the defense relocated outside the gate and swiftly raced across the countryside to give the village their aid, they got into position. Kane was mounted on Sir Cruz's horse along with him, riding right behind, armed with a spear. Here, his equestrian skills were tested. Mounted on the horse's flanks, holding a spear, right behind Sir Cruz who bore a sword and shield. The shield gave cover to both him and and Kane, and the sword to eliminate close threats. He and the Knights of the Ram, along with their squires, led the charge, with their relief force on standby and prepared to follow in pursuit. As soon as the knights broke through the raiders' charge, the relief force began their own charge. The Knights of the Ram, the undefeated Talborian cavalry, pierced into the heart of the enemy raiding party and plowed through all that stood in their way. Before they had a chance to come around and swallow them in a flank, the second wave of soldiers cut down the barbarians while their backs were turned. It has later been referred to unofficially as the hurricane tactic, where a devastating wave would sweep in, and the enemy would falsely consider that the back line was a defense - the space in between was the eye of the storm - and then another wave traps them.
In the following battle, Kane had shed his fair share of blood, and ended a couple of lives by his own hand. Not a single Knight of the Ram had perished, and there were but two casualties among the soldiers. Kane's tactic had caught the enemy off guard, resulting in eight decimations of the raiding party and the total unconditional surrender of the remaining attackers – a decisive victory.
A ceremony the next day celebrated the bravery and skill of the Knights of the Ram and the Maceron guard. Kane received an honorable mention and, as a reward for his bravery and instrumentality to defeating the enemy with minimal casualties, was permitted to ascend into knighthood early. Shaving two years off his years as a squire, he'd be a Knight of the Ram along with any other passing squires.
Between this point and his knighting was a terrifying time for Kane. The latest tournament to decide who would be king was settled, leaving Vladimir of Draco in power. The last two years of Kane's squire hood had him watch Vladimir issuing invasions on the neighboring nation of Ignion. Kane did not want to be used as a weapon in senseless war. In addition, he watched Maceron grow into an increasingly filthy city as industry began booming. He used this to bolster his resolve and eventually bring change to his nation.
Two years later, he was knighted as a Knight of the Ram as Sir Bouenevialle by nobility themselves. Most knights were knighted and serve either a lord or a king, but in Kane’s case, a lady. He was knighted by Lady Debbens and was to protect their land, and as a full-fledged knight of the order, he himself was now considered of noble blood. Quickly sending royal servants to the Bounevialle vineyard to help his family and to give his little sister an education that she wouldn’t have otherwise received. There is, suffice to say, a little more Bounevialle wine on the tavern shelves, but it was still a rather rare kind of wine when you compare it to the likes of the cheap Chardonnay or the finer, more expensive wines. While the day of his knighthood was a day of celebration, his true hardships were only beginning.
They had, in fact, begun that day. They used his knighting ceremony as an opportunity to assassinate King Vladimir of Draco. He had no love for the man, maybe Kane was even ashamed to admit he was grateful - but it was no way to settle things. War activity stopped as the kingdom scrambled to decide the successor. It was revealed to Kane that House Forton committed foul play. Now Kane had two houses to be suspicious of. When Kane attended the tournament, he immediately smelled cheating from House Draco. Kane knew the people of Talbor well, and the Orc working for Victor of Draco was not from around here. Unfortunately... Kane didn't stand a chance in standing up to such a powerful house. He'd be found dead the next day.
As expected, Victor of Draco won, and Kane already did not like him. The boy was too vengeful, he executed the assassin as part of his coronation, it seemed. Following his majesty's coronation, the Knights were immediately put to work. Still Kane suspected he was merely keeping the Knights busy - too busy, that they might overlook or fail to investigate whatever this Boy King had in mind.
Work started the next morning, bright and early. He was deployed along the Talborian border to assess the conditions of the nearby forts, and to assist in whatever way he could. With the Ignion in the north, fresh after war, Kane often engaged in border control, usually with only one or two guards to accompany him. Most of the trouble was the occasional skirmish of bandits, brigands, and outlaws. With the many hard years of training, the martial skill of wild men looked to be child’s play. This was often his job, patrolling the border, escorting trade caravans, and escorting nobles, ambassadors, and diplomats. Staving off highwaymen and assassins alike, it felt as though the childhood nightmares of mean men on the countryside had been turned upside down, as they were but small babes wielding toys in comparison to him. The longer he remained a knight, the less important he felt his role, as his duties were summed down to be a glorified bodyguard. Even in the presence of nobility, standing amongst the court in official business, he didn’t quite feel like he was serving the common people as he expected to be.
These were just small missions. As a newly inducted Knight of the Ram, and with less time of training than the other squires, they were still testing Kane’s reliability. His flawless execution of his appointed tasks assured his superiors of his skill. The missions he took up were gradually bore greater and greater risks and higher reward. The tasks themselves, more prestigious. As a knight, another part of his duties was to administer justice. Missions included personal requests from his lord and barons, and on rare occasions, on king's orders. During peacetime, this often involved plundering bandit camps, rescuing hostages, or investigating kidnappings. This also meant patrolling around the crime-ridden capital of Maceron itself, with a blue and gold tabard dressing his armor, on top of a high horse. This in particular he was especially recognized for, as he did not only just subdue perpetrators - as many knights and guards did not due whether out of apathy or laziness - but also took those shifts as an opportunity to engage with the people. He took their pleas upon himself, whether it was talking down a lord from raising a poor family’s land tax, or paying a broke farmer’s debt off with his own wealth. From settling disputes, tackling pickpockets, to escorting nobles and engaging in battle or honorable combat, Kane was respected by the people he served. He was the only one that defended them even against other guards and knights… a risky action in itself.
During this time, a number of suspicious happenings had come up, such as the untimely death of Lord Forton. Most suspiciously, the investigation was closed in favor of death by disease, or "natural causes", but no official record was actually released. Kane knew that the new king bore a grudge against the Forton house - to make matters worse, the successor to house Forton was a Draco sympathizer. Lord Jessup had the worst crop yield in his history, while Kane's own family's vineyard flourished. The Debbens manor burned, the Lord killed, and Kane's own Lady, Lady Debbens, fell ill and became paralyzed from the waist down.
All of Victors opponents were being eliminated. Kane swore he would do something to right this country and bring it back to the days of King Arnold.
He became a Justiciar Knight in due time at the end of his first year as a knight. He was given a plot of land, and due to his inclination to remain in the barracks, forwarded that grant to the Bounevialle family, expanding their vineyards. He took on a page, named John March.
Despite his preference to not get involved, he took part in tournaments to maintain and hone his skills. These tournaments were often international, and Kane was one of the few Knights of the Ram to take part in then. As a particularly trained and undefeated noble cavalry, as was expected of his order, his mere presence was enough to unnerve his competitors. Having won each of his matches - as mere soldiers and regular knights were mildly challenging at best - he took his winnings and invested them in public affairs in Maceron. Of his many opponents, that most challenging had to have been a king’s knight from central Nepharie, a senior glacial knight from the Northlands, and a peculiar camel-mounted orc from Jikari - though the challenge of the latter likely had much to do with his height advantage of sitting on a camel’s hump. It made jousting with him… interesting, to say the least. His experiences in tournaments provides him with insight in dealing with different kinds of obstacles, and has helped him learn to be adaptable.
He had trained John March for many years during following his initial assignment, and went as far as allowing the young page join him in his missions, despite what dangers awaited them.
On the seventh and final year of John being a page, one of the biggest events Kane's career as a knight was another, yet very different, and much more sensitive hostage situation: rescuing one of the barons. The cause of the event was unclear, but what was certain was that they were holed up in an abandoned fort and demanded two hundred thousand drunes, which in itself would damage a huge chunk of the country’s coffers. So it was a decision between agreeing to their demands, or risking the life of a baron, which in itself would reflect badly on him and of the rest of the knighthood - in the long run, it would damage the welfare of the people. It challenged Kane’s stance of not compromising with outlaws. Kane was nothing if not honest, but in a circumstance such as this, there were perhaps people that did not deserve his honesty. With that conclusion, Kane formulated a strategy that’d show the world that Talbor does not compromise and that its people are not to be trifled with.
Through courier, it was established that it was a one-sided negotiation. They were not interested in dead-drops, debts, foreign currency, or anything of the sort. Cold, hard reons are to be delivered in person or the baron gets a scarlet neck tie. The business was to be made inside the fort. The fort overlooks the jigsaw river by about twenty feet at the base of the main tower. Kane agreed to their terms and brought a caravan carrying sacks upon sacks filled with reons, escorted by only himself and two guardsmen. As a show of faith, he appeared without his armor; just his boots, jerkin, and jodhpurs. There was his sword, of course, as it was customary for any noble or knight to carry it with him anywhere, but it was tied to his sheath with a strap of leather. After carrying the sacks of gold into the fort himself, and the guardsmen inconspicuously leaving the field in which the abandoned fort stood, going back into the forest some distance away. The bandits weighed the reons with a scale - it matched what they had expected from the ransom, according to their math. They returned the baron, who fled outside and mounted the horse provided to him.
With Kane and the baron riding away in the caravan at full speed, the baron couldn’t help but point out a peculiar smoke pillar rising from the forest. The sound of several wooden clunks followed, and with a sharp whistle, a giant, flaming, tar-coated boulder flew from the forest at great distance. Unyielding, Kane rode the baron and himself through the field, and the projectile had struck the tower at perfect trajectory with an explosion of dust, rubble, and fire behind him. With the caravan penetrating the treeline, they stopped at the side of the road and took a detour through the forest where Kane had met up with the two guards he was with before, and his page, John. With them, a giant trebuchet, already reloaded with another boulder coated in gooey, black tar, and a torch in John March's hands.
“How’s our aim, sir?” One of them said smugly.
“Perfect.” Kane assured. “One shot was all it took. But while you’re at it… destroy whatever is left of the fort. We don’t need it anymore.”
“Yes sir.”
Another launch, and the fort walls went crumbling down. Another few and all that would remain is a pile of gravel. Kane and the baron returned to the caravan where he will return him to safety. Thus goes the story of one of the most successful critical-risk missions ever completed. In one fell swoop, a Knight of the Ram rescued the baron and maintained Talbor’s uncompromising image to the world. It was at the cost of a large chunk of the monarchy’s coffers that ultimately went to nobody, but with the stunt pulled, surely there’d be no one stupid enough to risk Talbor’s anger again. The rescued baron honored Kane’s bravery and cunning, and among the three hundred cavalry in the Knights of the Ram, he had been issued a Commander Knight at age 28, and John had become a squire.
He was in command of his own regiment, a team of ten skilled knights. However, among them, three stood out. They were: Sir Sten Vellen, a pretty abrasive man, sarcastic, generally mean, but his motivations and heart are all in the right place. He was particularly skilled with crossbows and was a capable equestrian, able to snipe from horseback... sitting backwards. There was Sir Oscar Gene, who had the heart of bard more than he did a knight. Numbingly cheerful, he loved dancing and music, but was also the phalanx among them - his armor was heavier than the rest and he bore a tall tower shield, a javelin, and a gladius. Oscar was actually a knight longer than Kane, but lacked the same drive that kept him from advancing as quickly. Sir Alexander Xerxes, a half-orc, and was a particularly curious case among the Knights of the Ram, as they often took only humans. His martial skill was incredible though, and paired with two war axes and a tall morningstar, only Oscar seemed capable of defending against his strength and fury. Xerxes wore a shield, but it remained on his back at all times. He claimed that going turtle style would allow him to focus on eviscerating the guy in front of him, instead of worrying about cowardly back stabbers. John March was no knight, only a fresh squire, but the training came naturally to the boy, almost prodigiously. There was no doubt in Kane's mind that he'd become s knight earlier than many.
Despite the absurdly diverse team of knights at his disposal, who Kane himself contributed to with his stern and uptight demeanor, they came to be more like brothers than they were his subordinates. An inseparable team that, when working together, seemed to be unstoppable as they played upon each others strengths and weaknesses. Further, as miracles would have it, the aforementioned three all shared the same aspirations as Kane. These three knights in particular seemed to have been inspired by Kane’s oaths as he entered knighthood, that they too took up the ideals of liberty and justice, performing duty and services for the people and the people alone. Only on one drunken night of revelry did they admit that, if ever given the opportunity, would work with Kane. The miracle of being paired up with men like himself appeared a little less magical at the discovery that this arrangement was made out of requests, but it was heartwarming to realize that the superiors agreed to it.
Years later, after countless missions and adventures, and patrolling the city making a name for themselves as the knights of the people, things took a turn for the worse. On a lone night patrol through the city of Maceron, he stumbled upon candlelight emanating from inside a warehouse. Peering through the window to investigate, he spotted the baron he had saved from years ago in a conversation with a noble, and couple of other dirty men; shady types. He became alarmed when he noticed two orcs covered in rags, scarred and gagged. Slowly and carefully, he moved the window until there was but a crack and he could hear what they were saying.
To sum up what’s been heard, the noble employed mercenaries and slavers. The two orcs on the ground were supposedly warriors from Jikari. The baron himself was being bribed to allow the noble’s activities to continue - a process which had been going on for quite some time. From the sounds of it, even years. With the involvement of the baron and a noble, Kane feared the worst. He left the scene before he was discovered and returned to the barracks where the Knights of the Ram were stationed to talk to the headmaster of the order, Sir Fallon. Sharing his concerns, about his fear of corruption in Talbor’s government. Fallon appeared solemn. For a few minutes he was speechless, but finally returned to Kane with a grave warning: to keep his nose out of business that didn’t concern him.
Kane, mortified, returned to his quarters as well as the quarters of his men. He shared everything he learned about corruption among the royalty and the nobles, and even Sir Fallon of the Knights of the Ram. His seven of his ten men were tentative, hearing Kane's words, sounding almost like treason. They did not rally behind him, only Sten, Alex, and Oscar - even his own squire, John. Without the others, they began attempting to figure out a plan about how they were going to handle this. They all knew what had to be done, but none wished to say it aloud. A coup d’etat was in order, but the four men, Knights of the Ram or not, and a young squire weren’t capable of doing it alone. So their goal was to risk going around and talking to the other knights of the order and try to persuade them to follow their cause. Kane, concerned first and foremost for the people, didn’t want to involve them in anything that might result in their harm. Perhaps, in his heart, Kane always knew there was something wrong with the monarchy. The people were said and distrusting of the guards, nobles, and knights.
Unfortunately, their coup didn’t go far. Foiled in the early stages of their plan, one of Kane's own knights had contacted the Sir Fallon and told him about the stratagem Kane, his trainer, and three comrades were up to. The next time when the team was together, the Knights of the Ram stormed around Kane’s regiment with spears and swords circling all around them. The headmaster followed after, and informed Kane and his crew of his awareness of their scheming. They were taken away, tossed into the dungeon, and was scheduled for execution the next day. There were no words between the five men that night. Just solemn, dismayed glances and broken spirits.
The next morning, they held true to their word. His majesty, King Victor of Draco, had been buttering up the crowds and the people with words of their treachery and selfishness. When the priest of Adreal sung his prayers, Victor asked Kane for his final words. He shouted into the crowd claims of corruption. About how he found the baron and nobleman, and the slavers and orcs in the warehouse the previous night. How the nobility was unscrupulous and corrupt, accepted bribes and perpetuated slavery. He shouted his experiences with the people, about how the nobility took advantage of the poor, and the number of debts Kane had repayed for them, the inordinate taxes he relieved them of. His reminders of all the things he has done for the people seem to have hit the crowd’s soft spot as indicated by how their demands for his execution and yelling traitor died down to nothing but silence. His noble actions apparently went unaware to even Sir Fallon, who solemnly looked away from Kane as he issued his last words.
Without so much as a suiting final phrase of goodbye, Kane went silent and accepted his fate. Instead, Victor waved his hand for the executioner to stand by. He responded to his last words hesitantly. Victor expressed his shame in this misunderstanding. While Kane’s skill in oration served him well here, Victor has had more experience in doing so - but even then, Kane could tell his words were insincere. The misunderstanding, he explained, had much in part to do with corruption among the nobles. A cunning choice of words on his behalf, as admission of fault made the argument more credible if one would willingly proclaim something that made a bad appearance of himself. Victor continued to explain how he didn’t have full control over the land’s nobility.
In fact, that nobleman’s execution was scheduled to follow Kane’s and his regiment.
Guards escorted a well-dressed man up onto the headsman’s platform, cuffed and gagged. As a boot pushed him to kneeling onto the platform, he turned to face Kane wide-eyed with fear. This nobleman was, in fact, the same one he saw from last night.
The king continued. As a result, he would pardon the regiment as a token of forgiveness and understanding. Their goals, after all, were noble and for the welfare of the people. They could not let something as a coup go off so easy however. Each knight involved in the attempted coup were stripped of their knighthood and were demoted to simple guardsmen. But because of their skill and talent, together, they will be permitted to work as a separate division of the guard, G-2, of which Kane will be the captain and Victor would have direct control over. Kane and his men were subsequently released, and as they had done so, the headsman swung his gargantuan axe, and decapitated the nobleman’s head.
“Slavers,” Victor said, “and all those who would tread on the rights of others… do not have the right to any last words.”
The crowd cheered wildly, and Kane and his men were escorted to their old quarters to pack all of their things, get proper food and rest, and then move to the new barracks where they will be stationed for now on. As Kane and King Victor of Draco went their separate ways, they met each other’s gaze. There he saw the truth. Kane’s indignance, and amber eyes bore in Victor's own, who stared back callously and calculated, neither trusting the other. It was at that moment they both knew that this battle was far from over.
It has been three months since that day.
"I wear this precious armor with pride. It was given as a present by the very people I am to serve - I supposed it could represent them and our relationship. It's a bond not readily broken."
Physical AppearanceHeight: 6'0"
Weight: 190 lbs.
Appearance: With the stature and body of a soldier, and the disposition and appearance of a noble, it is a little difficult to put a finger on Kane by appearance alone. A life of hard work has done well for him and his growth. Kane stands at a solid six feet in height and weighs in at about 190 lbs. A good deal above the average human height during this age, he finds himself looking down on most people in the literal sense. Pair with his height a variety of sharp features such as his jawline, high cheekbones, squared-off chin, blond hair, and dinaric nose, you see that his overall appearance is striking. His aforementioned blond hair is a pale color, and is cleaned and well-kept. It is of medium length as the hair does not fall below his shoulders, but is still long enough to curtain and frame his face, although it is generally combed back in a wind-blown style.
Constantly on duty, his face is often stern as he maintains his official status and regal appearance. His skin lacks the tan a man would usually have if he spent all day under the sun like he does, but his naturally pale skin has at least since darkened in tone, and sits in-between those shades. These colors provide little contrast with one another, but blends, and amber eyes contribute to that. Sharply-angeled eyebrows frame his eyes and his frequent stoic expression gives him a cold and calculating appearance in the presence of his warm color scheme, especially when those eyes trail your every move. Even the sound of his voice, unexpected of a soldier, sounds cool - calm and collected. Though as a soldier, he is still capable of conjuring the booming force and projection befitting of an officer.
Devoting his life to the sword and liberty of the people, in addition to his early days of farm-work, his physique is sublime, even if it falls short of peak human conditioning. His grueling days of training back when he was a squire was thorough: crunches, push ups, leg training, being pelted by rocks – every part and aspect of his body was pushed to breaking points in his training to be a Knight of the Ram. As expected, his body, hands, and feet are riddled with scars, but there is nary a scar to be found on Kane's face. He and his trainers were of the opinion that a knight's acceptance was affected by charisma and presentation, as it would be his face that'd be leading his men and the people - at the expense of his arms' welfare.
Attire: In the most basic of adornments, Kane wears an off-white linen shirt with sleeves down to his wrist and the neck left unstrung. A similar color of linen pants is paired with it, along with woolen socks. Over these are leather boots that are strung up to the calves. Only in the most humble and modest of situations are these worn in the presence of others. In formal advents are more presentable clothing pieces donned. A black leather saberist jerkin, for instance. The jerkin itself is sleeveless, allowing Kane's white sleeves to feed through. The buttons on the jerkin are entirely on the left side of the article, and can be buttoned all the way up, or save a couple to leave a flap – which is entirely for the sake of fashion (the latter is more frequently done to reflect Kane's “proper” appearance). In unison with this, breeches – or more often, jodhpurs – are worn. The wool breeches are gray whereas the jodhpurs are a black leather. The dark color scheme contrasts heavily with Kane's brighter, natural colors, but is there for the sake of making dirt and such to be less visible, and a leather outfit provides at least some protection in the event of an emergency spur-of-the-moment conflict.
In preparation for battle or duty, however, the color scheme returns to bright and noble colors. The suit of armor Kane dons is shined and polished, detracting from the scratches that decorates the armor. The suit of armor is heavy and bulky. We're talking full-on plate armor with chainmail lining wherever there are joints, with an aketon underneath the suit. The breastplate and backplate are of course large plates of armor that protects most of Kane's organs, and are sleek in their design. The breastplate and backplate are actually divided into two separate parts. Two plates of armor overlap, allowing the knight to breathe with his chest and move his chest around. The armor plates slides against each other and is so close together and tied tightly enough that a sword slipping through the plates would be highly improbable. In addition, a couple pieces of armor are in place that retracts the need for a full gorget. The pauldrons he wears are large. The cover his shoulder down to the middle of his biceps, and there is an extension to the top of the pauldrons that raises up and flares out to protect his neck. On these pauldrons, there is a gold leaf trim where they flare up around the neck and three gold-leaf coated studs on the armor where the flares are bolted to the pauldrons. There is a half-sized gorget that acts as little more than a throat guard. The gorget itself is highly decorated in what appears to be a design resembling a ram's head, which is entirely coated in gold leaf.
This armor is not the typical ware for a Knight of the Ram, rather, it was lovingly custom made for him by one of Maceron's own citizen-owned forgery following Kane's demotion to the G-2 guard unit. Being a special division, he was allowed equipment that didn't necessarily conform to the standard outfit. It was so meticulously crafted and detailed, it's rumored its second only to the Knights' own armor.
That is all there is for the most notable aspects of his armor, where the rest are greaves on his calves, cuisses on his thighs, and so on. The only other areas of his armor trimmed with gold leaf is around the fan-plates over his knees, the top of his sabatons, and along the vambraces of his gauntlets. Kane opts to forgo his helmet, a fluted armet, most of the time as he often finds himself planning and leading a charge, and consequently needing to get a good view of the field and more effectively calling out his commands.
"It is my solemn duty to serve."
PersonalityPersonality: The core of Kane's motivations is “for the sake of law and liberty for the people”. Truly, he embodies the principles and ideals of knights and guardsmen, and has upheld these ideals since the beginning of his aspirations. While many people become knights and guards for the esteem, the money, or for the thrill, Kane has wanted to do good and protect others back when he was a boy. Those ideas were attributed to and represented by knights and guards and soldiers, which thereby inspired him to follow that path. He, amidst his virtues, recognizes he is not without flaws, and works hard to compensate for those negative aspects of his character. He has a soft spot for the vulnerable and poor, but he has little tolerance for domination, prejudice, and corruption. He even goes as far as to root it out from wherever it may be hiding, for the sake of protecting the greater good. It puts him at odds with the corruption of King Victor of Draco, and would go as far as dethroning him in a coup and take the responsibility upon himself to lead. At his best, Kane is selfless, loyal, and compassionate.
Despite his altruism, Kane's disposition is something of a hindrance to those who wish to approach him. He is a highly disciplined knight after all, shaped to a soldier's protocol. As a rule of thumb, he is not allowed to become emotionally invested lest he lose his cool demeanor. Keeping a level head is crucial in being a Talborian Knight of the Ram. His discipline, however, also lends to him a degree of tenacity quite unlike the typical soldier or guardsman. This stubborn rigidness gives him the “never give up” code and quick-to-act reflexes he carries with him even to this day. Kane has often been credited among his troop that, should they ever have to fight one another, he might win just by outlasting them all through sheer willpower. Granted, he is also credited to being the biggest stick-in-the-mud of the team, and very rarely does Kane drop the sense of duty and stoic temperament.
The knight is also intelligent and carries with him a certain charisma. The intelligence is due to the education that he had received in his training to be a knight, since no respectable high-ranking soldier can serve the royal court and be deemed a fool or moron. His intelligence is well applied to practical use. Among his cadet class, Kane was among the top ten percentile for strategy and tactics. His charisma factor is a different story, and has very little to do with his training. It is a sort of noble selflessness that Kane has held close to heart since he was a young teen. His capability for empathy and his devotion to others allows him to carry the flag of command and inspire others, or calm the angry. Being a talented fighter and strategist, he can be very calculating in the midst of a fight or spar. This calculating behavior influences other aspects of his life as well.
However, his charisma is not all that it is cracked up to be. Despite being able to inspire in the heat of the moment, Kane still possesses the predisposition to be intellectually oriented. The aforementioned calculating behavior detracts from his appearance as being compassionate. He comes across as unmoving and stoic; cold and uptight. You would think the man has never had the heart to live it up some, as one could see when you consider that Kane regards music as a distracting novelty, and being overall oblivious and unmindful in the area of romance or sex. Also, one of the quirks that was often made fun of back at the barracks was how picky of an eater he was. If he looked at the plate of food and thought he wouldn't like it, he wouldn't eat it – or even
touch it. Granted, if he were starving, this would change, but he'd accept it reluctantly. While he is generally open-minded, he can be a little black and white if he sets his mind on one thing for too long. At his worst, Kane can be distant, stubborn, and evangelical.
Hobbies: As a knight-turned-guardsman who is very much dedicated to his duty, he has little time to do or think about much in the ways of hobbies or interests. As he was once a knight of the highest prestigious order, he got somewhat involved in the political field. While he is by no means talented in the area, he possesses a mild curiosity in politics. If he were to lead, and lead effectively, this is surely something he should look into, right? He has a natural curiosity when it comes to people as well. He seeks to protect them, their freedom, and their ideas regardless of what they are. When Kane has nothing to do and cannot sleep at night, he writes unaddressed letters.
Skills: Kane was once a farm boy, so he has a natural inclination to perform any farm activities with little struggle. He worked specifically on a grape vineyard, which in itself is a little different from other produce, but he'd likely get the hang of tending to other crops. He has an understanding of survival techniques and therefore can get by in the wilderness for a period of time and set up a camp, while nothing exceptional, being a picky eater forces him to learn how to cook for himself. As one of the Knights of the Ram cavalry, he is an expert on horseback and understands basic animal husbandry when it comes to horses. Being an inspiring captain and field commander, Kane is an exceptional orator. He happens to be something of an amateur calligrapher due to his nights of aimless letter writing.
"I should seek to return the favor, that this world has done right by me. I would have it that, in return, I would do right by it. With armor or without - all that I've learned and all who've I've allied will be all that I need to see it through."
Abilities/CombatAbilities: As once being a Knight of the Ram, Kane possesses martial prowess equal to that of ten soldiers. Capable of carrying out missions and objectives single-handedly that’d normally take a squad of infantrymen to perform. His technique with a wide variety of weapons lends to him a flexibility that’d be useful in most combat situations, though his greatest prowess comes from the use of spears, pikes, and swords, keeping his enemies at a distance while taking the advantage of his superior reach. Even if the enemy gets around his reach, he can use his spear much like he would use a staff and use the shaft of his weapon to pummel the enemy away. He is exceptional with his bastard sword, a two-handed longsword. His skill with the blade, maneuverability, and strength are acknowledged by his peers and would outmatch any adversary without extensive training in combat. He also carries his armor well, and knows how to shift his weight
just so, that he can maneuver in it to compensate for his lack of speed inside it. He is an expert equestrian.
His training has done more for him than just his skill in arms and armor. Extensive training exercises and workout routines in the Knights of the Ram are some of the strictest and most rigid to be found. The order of undefeated cavalry also train up in the mountains where the air is thin. So not just their muscular strength, but their endurance as well, is tested to absurd extremes. Pelted by rocks and struck by wooden swords has risen his pain tolerance to a degree where anything short of being slashed by a real blade would do little to slow him down. Being a knight, he also wears his heavy plated armor on a regular basis - where I will leave you to simply wonder how strong the man is.
In addition to his physical attributes, both knights and noblemen receive excellent educations. This means that Kane probably knows a fair deal more than the common man or woman. He knows his history, is literate, understands mathematical skills and applications, taught extensively in politics and courtship, and other fields of education befitting of a noble (such as dance). While not necessarily an ability, Kane does possess a leader’s charisma. Whether or not he is everyone’s favorite person isn’t the issue, but he can inspire and encourage others under his banner. It is a combination of good will, passion, and sincerity that garners the trust of others and makes people want to believe in him.
Weaponry:Large weapon: A spontoon, otherwise known as a half-pike, is a 6-7 foot spear. Kane's in particular is almost 7 feet in length, and has the spear-head of a pike.
Medium weapon: A bastard sword, otherwise known as a two-handed longsword. The length of the sword is such that, while capable of being used one-handed, and also has a long handle, so its capabilities are maximized when used with two hands. Kane's in particular has a black leather grip on the handle, a conical shaped pommel, and a long blade. The sword itself is about 4 feet in length.
Small weapon: A dagger. The dagger that Kane possesses is nothing special or extraordinary. It is simply an emergency back-up in case he has been disarmed of his other two weapons. He keeps it hidden in his boot. It is just slightly curved so it can slip between pieces of armor and ribs.
Weaknesses: Naturally, Kane
is only human. He shares all of the same mortal weaknesses as we do. We don’t necessarily like hot or cold environments, despite our ability to adapt to it. We’re pretty squishy without armor, our strength pales in comparison to the likes of orcs and minotaurs. Kane’s particular weaknesses does come from the fact that he
does wear armor. Despite him moving very easily in full-on plated armor, it still slows him down, which would mean an unencumbered opponent can take advantage of that. Being skilled in all sorts of weapons makes finding a duel that is weighted in his adversary’s favor something of a challenge, and while he is exceptional using his sword and spear, he isn’t a master swordsman nor is he a master with a spear.
His biggest weaknesses have nothing to do with physical flaws, or flaws in his skill however - he excels in those areas, and he is also a strategist. The best thing to do is to take advantage of his character. This does often involve delving into unscrupulous territory, but it does get the job done. Kane, being naturally self-sacrificing and altruistic, will put himself on the line for others. Taking advantage of that will put him at risk at either injury or death, for instance, jumping in front of an arrow or trading the custody of an innocent with himself. Even in non-combat circumstances, this can be taken advantage of if you wish to take someone’s money within the law.
Always wanting to see the good in everybody and believing most people are capable of redemption, that can be taken advantage of. But Kane does have an intuition for sensing motives, so if not of Kane, then his mercy, as it has given you another opportunity. You can definitely take advantage of the people around him since people tend to believe in his word. He also abides by honor and the code of chivalry. Work outside of that for an unfair advantage. The best way to combat him and undermine him is to target his allies. If you apply the pressure and don’t give him time to think or strategize, and demand quick decision making, he can either cave in to your requests/demands, or he may lose his clear head and become sloppy.
Companion: Kane has a shire horse as his steed; a tall, strong, dark brown shire horse with its signature white fur flaring around her hooves and a black mane. This tall and mighty horse is named Edna. Along with Edna, Kane is the captain of the elite G-2 “outcast” regiment of the Talborian guard, all of whom were once Knights of the Ram like himself. He has 4 men under his command: Sten Vellen, Oscar Gene, Alexander Xerxes, and John March.
Other: It's really important to me that you understand that this guy can bust some sick moves on the dance floor.
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