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B R U N O T H U N D E R - B L O O D
"Mind your step, child."
══════ C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T ══════ _______________________________________________  _______________________________________________ ═══════ C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y ══════ Bruno Thunder-Blood _______________________________________________ 41 | ♂ | Nord _______________________________________________ Shepherd ▼ P H Y S I C A L T R A I T S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Build - Heavy and muscular. ► Skin Color - Fair, but sun-kissed. ► Hair Color - Graying blonde. ► Eye Color - Blue. ► Other - Numerous small scars nick and pock his skin. ▼ D O S S I E R ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Birthplace - Raven Spring, High Rock. ► Birthsign - The Lord. ► Biggest Regret - That he wasn't able to protect his home when it mattered most, or kill at least one of those Forsworn bastards. ► Bruno's Goal - To live out the rest of his days in peace. Honestly, he's a simple man with simple needs. ▼ F A V O R E D A T T R I B U T E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Endurance ► Strength ▼ S K I L L S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Marksman - Adept ► Athletics - Adept ► Provisioning - Adept ► Speech - Apprentice ► Alchemy - Apprentice ► One-Handed (Axe) - Apprentice ► Two-Handed (Axe) - Apprentice ► Sneak - Apprentice ► Smithing - Apprentice ► Hand-to-Hand - Apprentice ▼ S P E L L S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► What's this magic bullshit? ▼ E Q U I P M E N T ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Weapons - A woodcutter's axe, a hunting bow with a 100lb draw weight, and a quiver of 20 arrows. ► Armor - Fur armor. ► Containers - A 32 oz. waterskin, quiver, and a scroll case (for a map and some odd trinkets). ► Food, Drink, Potions - Venison jerky, nuts, roots, dried fruits, and dense home-baked crackers. A bottle of home-brewed rye beer. ► Miscellaneous - A fluffy shepherd dog. His name is Bozo. | ══════ A P P E A R A N C E ══════ A stocky man, heavy and built like a barrel, Bruno might not stand the tallest of all his friends, but certainly one of the hardest to knock down. 5'11" and a sack of potatoes over 200 lbs worth of bulk, you might be surprised by the dense muscle and bone hiding under his wool and linen clothes and a healthy amount of fat to fill out his figure and keep him warm at night. His muscle toning may not be very sharp, but underestimating him based on that assessment will see you flat on your ass before you knew what happened. He's built like a work horse thanks to the years of labor, and its thanks to that that he doesn't slow himself down with useless muscles and he knows how to use what he does have. His viking build doesn't sacrifice his potential for subtlety either and is capable of treading gently. There's a peculiar way to how he moves, leaning forward into his long purposeful strides while his feet rocking from heel to pads from the edges, incorporating a sort of foxtrot to his pace. Everything about the man from his composure to how he moves seems deliberate. Even when sitting down there's a stillness to him that's only seen in people who've learned to control their quirks and habits, and he does so with ease given his relaxed posture. His skin is fair like most Nords, though sun-kissed and often dirtied. There'd be no mistaking him as one of the local Bretons due to his build and his face. Whereas their features are generally softer or more angular, Bruno's is filled out, his jaw is wide, and a broad nose sits on his face. All of it sits on a short, thick neck. His face is covered in facial hair, once blonde and now fading into grey at the very bottom of his beard. It is styled in such a way that it looked as though he was trying to keep a goatee a month or two ago but decided to stop maintaining it. The result is a mustache and long beard with thick stubble covering the what's left of the bottom half of his face. His age is also beginning to show in his eyes, pale blue and accompanied by crow's feet. His hands are cracked with calluses and his cheeks have been burnt many times by the sun over many years. All the clothes Bruno wears was spun himself and it's obvious to see. Homemade wool and linen shirts and pants that aren't of exceptional make fit for nobility, but meant for functionality. They are certainly warm, durable, and rustic in appearance. Perhaps the leather boots he wears could be considered "nice," for he takes good care of them knowing how hard it is to actually make boots and the resources it takes to make them. He's probably most easily identified by his shoddily made hide cap that sits upon his head and rises to a point, making his head look a little bit like a fuzzy acorn. He wears it to keep his head warm, as male-pattern balding has begun to take place. What he does wear that might set him apart from your typical peasantry is the jewelry he wears, and he wears quite a bit of it. Many different rings of different designs and shapes made from pewter and copper adorn his fingers, solid plugs that he wears in his gauged ears, and a few different amulets. The strings are mostly made of hemp and decorated with teeth and claws from his hunts as well as colorful beads, but he does wear a necklace with a homemade chain and a pewter cast amulet of Talos that he wears unabashedly next to the amulet he wears for Zenithar. He also wears a torc with wolf-head caps and a few leather and chain mail bracelets. ═══════ P E R S O N A L I T Y ══════ Is it possible to be both kind and intimidating? He's as unpredictable as a storm and wears his emotions on his sleeve. It's obvious to tell when he's happy and it's obvious when he's pissed, singing shanties as the sun sets and bearly bellowing when his blood boils. He's as quick to offer you supper as he is to remind you not to cross him. This should tell you if nothing else of how earnest a soul he is. He lives honestly and with sincerity and will be respectful to you as long as you are to him. This might seem like a no-brainer to most people, but we all know somebody who will go out of their way to start some kind of drama and Bruno, quite frankly, doesn't think he has the time or energy for that kind of nonsense. Naturally a generous if a bit tempestuous spirit, he seems like your quintessential Nord: ready to party and ready to fight. Bruno values honesty and hard work. As long as you're upfront with your intentions and put actual effort into whatever you're doing you'll earn his respect, even begrudgingly if you're usually a dick about everything. He's also an active worshiper of Talos and Zenithar and lived far enough from the big cities for most of his life that he was allowed to practice his faith in the Man-God undisturbed by Thalmor inquisitors. As a faithful of the patrons of warriors and tradesfolk, he does his best to live with honor and honesty and that anything worth doing ought to be done right and to its fullest. Takes more time to half-ass something than it does to whole-ass something, as it were, and despite not being a trained or experienced warrior, he does have a warrior's spirit and is as quick to defend his home as any soldier. However, he is not without his flaws. Bruno can be quick to anger and offend, he doesn't respond to figures of authority very well, and he has a tendency to judge others based on a minimal interaction and on what he sees (which is generally without context). He absolutely hates the Forsworn without exception (though if you know his history, this can be forgiven), and although he doesn't dislike elves, he tends to take caution in his dealings with them for no other reason than their stereotypes. His morality can be rather black and white and he doesn't bother to appreciate the nuance and ambiguity of most situations or treat them with the delicacy they deserve. |
But you know what? All that being said, there's really no one else you'd rather have at your side. I mean, maybe an expert swordsman if you're being attacked of course, but Bruno's at least got the spirit to tackle them down and pummel their face into a smoothie. He's loyal to a fault and would put himself against the law if it meant protecting a friend. While he never received a formal education, he has his own brand of smarts. His home-life is completely self-sustained and nearly everything he has, he made himself. If you need something that isn't, like, an expertly forged sword, enchantment, or a magical potion, he could probably do it for you. He is an extremely handy person to have around and seems to know how to do or make anything -- and if he doesn't, he'll probably figure it out or find a way to make it happen. Truly, his ingenuity is something to behold, and he can even extend this ability to self-defense via traps, snares, and improvised weapons. He is also a hunter, after all. His philosophy is the more skills he knows, the better off he'll be.
At his best, Bruno can be forthright, loyal, and generous. At his worst, he can be brash, judgmental, and stubborn. At his bestest best, Bruno has a dog. So he's pretty much the best guy ever.
═══════ B A C K G R O U N D ══════
Bruno was born and raised in Eastern High Rock. By East, I mean East. Nestled between the Wrothgarian and Druadach mountains, he basically lived in the Reach, and yes, the Reachmen were absolutely a problem. You didn't have to worry about bandits, but you did have to worry about a gaggle of pissant tribals trying to raid your house and steal your cattle. So, he quickly had to learn how to make quick judgments, be proactive, and be especially aggressive in his defense of home. If you so much as see an antlered headdress peeking over the slopes, you best grab your bow and send a few Hail Mara's over the hill. Coyotes and wolves also loved to take a bite out of your livestock, so he got plenty used to bludgeoning and axe murdering a few of them into hash, and then there were the lord of the land who came by every so often to bully them into paying their taxes. Not that his family could say no to them, but they did have to stick up for themselves and remind those lords that they'll have their money when they have it. Any piece of land can only produce so much in a certain span of time, and the rocky land in these parts weren't suited to growing more than a few crops at a time, so livestock was their best bet.
As surviving soldiers of the Great War, his parents were both very disciplined and had a hatred for elves, and although Bruno never inherited it, his perceptions were very much colored by the mistrust his parents bestowed upon him. Any elf that came by their farm to do business, he suspected were secretly Thalmor agents for the longest time -- only he had never actually encountered one. The upbringing Raven Rock provided was actually quite tumultuous given the rising threat from the Reach, and the ever-present sense of danger made it difficult to sleep soundly at night. But this is our home, his parents said, we built this home and we will defend it. We will defend our right to be here with our lives. Eventually, they did.
When he was a young adult, he awoke to fire and smoke amid the night. He was dizzy and delirious from the inhalation, but he could see the door busted open with a broken hinge, and outside, a bright orange glow illuminating the many dead pigs, goats, and cow outside. The yipping of Forsworn war cries filled the night. The last thing he saw before succumbing to unconsciousness once again were their shadows being cast against the rocky outcrops. The next time he awoke, he was in a medical tent pitched by Evermore soldiers outside of his homestead. The ground was burnt, all the livestock were dead, and the bodies of his parents were retrieved. All of the Forsworn invaders were dead, his family avenged. His home was beyond repair, and he realized that the Reach was no longer a safe place to live. What's more, he kept a guard dog ever since that fateful day.
After grieving, he decided to move towards southern High Rock. There, the soil was more fertile and the weather was nice, and he wouldn't have to worry about his livelihood being at risk if all of his livestock was stolen or killed. He built his home just a mile outside its walls, plowed a few acres of land for wheat and rye, built his fence and paddock, and he's been there for close to twenty years now. He makes his own beer and ale, hunts and grows his own food, makes his own clothes, raises his own cattle, and makes his own jewelry. Most of these skills were self-taught through trial and error. There was still the occasional brigand or highwayman who payed him a visit, but given the following: they usually just wanted his money, their lack of fanatical devotion to his death spoke little of their commitment to the cause, and his new penchant for keeping a dog to alert him to people and potential threats all meant that they were a significant upgrade to the Forsworn he had to deal with in the days of old.
Since his time living in Glenumbra, he's become somewhat recognized by the locals - at least, they know his name. He keeps a quaint little homestead outside of the city and rarely leaves, only coming into town to trade his food in the market and yell at nobles. In fact, the latter was how he got his name. Rumor has it that there was some lord or lady of the court, and there may or may not have been a tax collector involved, and Bruno was very pissed and seeking some kind of justice. So he entered the court where the peasantry usually made their appeals by kicking the door open and bellowing so loudly that someone's wine glass had shattered. Some say that isn't possible and that maybe he startled them and they dropped it, or they clenched their hands so tight that the neck snapped -- regardless of what happened, an irate, blood-boiled shepherd and a shattered wine glass was involved, and now people make jokes about Bruno having the Thu'um.
Who knows? Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. Anyways, his first dog died just a couple years ago, which saddened him greatly, and now he's on his second dog. His name is Bozo and he's the bestest and sweetest boy ever and he loves to bark.
"Bandits? Ah shit, here we go again."
