Post by Theron Bradford d'Metreon on Feb 9, 2013 20:30:11 GMT -5
TITLE / ALIAS: 'The 13th Heir'; 'The Prince of Stratagem'
GENDER: Male
RACE: Human
ORIGIN:
AGE: 22
CLASS: Warrior
SECONDARY CLASS: Swordsman
LEGENDARY CLASS: ---
APPEARANCE:
"The foolish look at my outward appearance and see only a boy, all prim and proper, dressed in expensive silk clothes... they see a posh little prince, nothing more. A mistake, I assure you -- if one look into my emerald green eyes doesn't convince them of my intelligent and decisive nature, my sword will make the point quite convincingly. I keep my light brown hair short, but not too short to inhibit its natural tendency for curls -- experience has taught me that it is as useless to fight one's own hair as to fight one's own nature."
"My appearance may not be intimidating, but assuming anything about me is a mistake. Strength, both of mind and body, means EVERYTHING in my family; they're seldom seen, but I do have muscles, hard-earned from long hours of training, exercise, and fighting practice. Still, they're not the rippling marks of a brute but rather the slender strength of a dancer -- and I assure you, I certainly can dance... both on and off the battlefield."
"As I mentioned, my outerwear matches my station in life: nothing short of finery. White, silver, and purple are the colors of the d'Metreon family, sometimes trimmed with gold or scarlet. I prefer that my attire be regal, a bit dashing, and rich without being snobbish or overly ostentatious... and I also insist that it never inhibit my movements. You can't imagine how hard it is to find a tailor that understands such basic requests! But this is only outerwear; beneath I always wear my fencing clothes, sans helmet, naturally. They are the best that money can buy -- light as a feather, yet strong enough to be considered functional armor for battle, able to turn a knife or stop a common bullet. A d'Metreon heir must have nothing less."[/ul]
EQUIPMENT:
- 700 gold coins
- 1 ornate dagger (secondary weapon)
- [MAIN WEAPON: Sangfroid]
(image from DigitalEel.com)
"The blade Sangfroid is a rare example of hybrid design in swords, uniting in perfect symmetry and subtlety that which makes the curved blade of the Falchion so effective with the Ottoman's 'yelman' weighted heft -- in this case, distributed to the middle instead of the tip -- all without compromising the streamlined aesthetics that make a sword elegant, lightweight, and precise. Truly a remarkable piece of work, especially considering the age in which it was crafted some three-hundred years ago. The hand guard has two points which can be used as sword-catchers, a notch on the front and a literal catch on the back. What's more, a long L-shaped support piece backs the blade on one side; this gives the wielder a chance to leverage one hand against the blade itself if deadlocked in a struggle of strength. Swift, versatile, razor-sharp... a sword I am proud to call my own. I'm quite fortunate most my siblings foolishly opted for newer, more exotic weapons, leaving the nobler blades of the armory for me to cull through. How they shall regret it..."
Sangfroid is an ancestral weapon of the d'Metreon family, an heirloom which Theron took with him when he left on his journey. It also has a distinct and unusual enchantment on it, as described below:
WEAPON: Sangfroid
DESCRIPTION: This is a 'common', 'shamanist', 'wind' enchantment. The sword Sangfroid is imbued with a permanent enchantment that draws power from the wind and channels it into the blade. This takes the forms of both a passive effect and an active power. The passive effect is described here.
Sangfroid's enchantment draws on power from the wind; when unsheathed, the blade will glow very faintly and create a 'calm zone' around the one who wields it (or the blade itself) where no wind can be felt whatsoever. Holding Sangfroid, a person could walk right into a hurricane and be completely unaffected -- no wind could touch them, not even ruffle their clothes or move a single hair, no matter how fierce the gale or vicious the tempest. Even 'wind' magic and the shockwaves from powerful spells (but not the spells themselves) are nullified by the field, their force and vigor absorbed directly into the sword's enchantment. In the hands of a shamanist mage who can cast wind spells, such magic will be absorbed instantly when it is cast. The sword's enchantment has no effect on non-'wind' magic, however.
The area of calm is an invisible bubble roughly ten feet wide, providing room enough to shelter several people.
RELATED CLASS: Swordsman, Shaman
AP COST: 70
ABILITY: Zephyr Blade
WEAPON: Sangfroid
DESCRIPTION: This is a 'common', 'shamanist', 'wind' enchantment. The sword Sangfroid is imbued with a permanent enchantment that draws power from the wind and channels it into the blade. This takes the forms of both a passive effect and an active power. The active power is described here.
The result of Sangfroid absorbing power from the wind and 'wind' magic is that the blade becomes charged up with wind power, which the weapon's wielder can unleash at will. This typically takes the form of a slash of fierce winds being hurled in the direction the weapon is swung, though if the wielder is clever and experienced with the blade some minor variation on the wind force released can be achieved (for example, simply pointing the sword and releasing a precision gust of wind or battering a foe with wind while crossing blades with them). The strength of the wind released is dependent on the wind "power" that Sangfroid has already absorbed, and this gradually decreases over time. For example, the enchantment's power would be very weak on a day with little or no wind, the sword only having the "wind" from being swung around to absorb in such case -- however, in the midst of a heavy windstorm or any battle where the air is stirred up fiercely, Sangfroid can gain impressive strength very quickly. Sangfroid is at its best in a true tempest or in the hands of a shamanist mage who can channel potent wind spells straight into the sword -- if the person holding it casts such magic it will absorb it instantly.
RELATED CLASS: Swordsman, Shaman
AP COST: 70
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[EQUIPMENT: Fencing Gear and Armor]
Beneath his finery and regalia Theron wears a protective suit of fencing apparel of extremely high quality and excellent make, such that it doubles as fully functional body armor. This suit of fencing gear is complete except for the helmet, which Theron left behind in the Sovereign Barony when he began his journey. The fencing apparel is sturdy and resilient while remaining lightweight and flexible, never inhibiting the young d'Metreon's movements while still possessing the stopping power to save his life from an enemy's blade or a low-caliber bullet. It grants comparatively little protection against magic and supernatural energies, as it was never meant to be proof against such things.
Additionally, Theron wears a pair of sturdy black hardened-leather boots of rather elegant design. As his agility is one of his key assets in a fight, giving added protection to his legs and feet is essential to maintaining the advantage.[/li][/ul]
PERSONALITY:
Though he clings to the teachings of his family and d'Metreon traditions out of force of habit and inability to disassociate his own identity from that of his bloodline, he still has much to prove to both himself, his family and, in his mind at least, everyone around him. It is perhaps this desire first and foremost that drives him, and is leading him into adventures that will test and define the young prince.
Theron has a fondness for playing chess and is quite skilled at the game, reflecting his propensity for strategic thinking. He dislikes guns and thinks of them as "those loud, inaccurate handheld cannons from the Outer World". He far prefers the nobility and directness of swordplay and fighting up close to picking off opponents at a distance with such weaponry -- this mindset extends to his thoughts regarding spellcasters and magic in general, although with far less bias. He sees guns as a cheat, a short road to false power for anyone who can pull a trigger, whereas those with magic talent he at least will acknowledge that their power comes chiefly from their own efforts and talents.[/ul]
PERSONAL STRENGTHS:
PERSONAL WEAKNESSES:
COMBAT STRENGTHS:
COMBAT WEAKNESSES:
TRAITS:
WEAPON: One-handed swords
DESCRIPTION: This is an 'advanced' 'skill' trait. This character has trained extensively in the use of this particular weapon with the goal of personal mastery. Their skills now far surpass that of common soldiers or mercenaries.
After 5 ★s, this Trait is replaced by Superior Weapon Focus.
RELATED CLASS: Swordsman
AP COST: 60
TRAIT: Iron Will
DESCRIPTION: This is an 'advanced' 'mind' trait. This character possesses a strong will that can help them more easily resist 'mind' attacks, dispel paralyzing fear, push through intense pain, and never give up until the bitter end. They still have their limits, however, and use of this Trait should reflect that as well as suggest where this character's inner strength stems from.
AP COST: 30
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ABILITIES:
none currently
HISTORY:
Theron Bradford was the 13th child born to the reigning Lord Baron, Dorak Margrave d'Metreon. If the kingdom had a normal rule of succession then he would be considered last in line (a long line) for the throne... but it didn't.
Instead it had the Reckoning -- a supervised free-for-all whereby the sons and daughters of the reigning Baron would, one year after the monarch's death, fight tooth and nail against one another. The victor would claim the crown, the throne, and the authority to rule; the losers would spend the rest of their lives as mere servants, bereft of any royal privilege, treatment, or deference, mere bond-slaves to their victorious sibling. True, sometimes some would band together, striking deals for noble titles and rights in exchange for their deference to a sibling they saw as certain to win, but they were still thralls all the same. And sadly, as happens in combat, sometimes a son or daughter of d'Metreon would perish in the fighting, beyond the skill of magic to heal. Such a thing was regarded as a true tragedy; the kingdom, small of stature and populace, could little bear the loss of what may have become a lineage of capable servants and warriors. Yet such things had been known to happen.
It was in preparation for this day that Theron, along with six brothers and five sisters, had been raised since he was old enough to walk. It's shadow had hung over his head since the earliest memories of his fleeting childhood, it's reality beaten into his body with every training session and drilled into his mind with every tutor and book. The only refuge that the youngest child had was the compassion of his mother, the Lord Baron's second wife, who did her best to comfort her child whilst teaching him the noble game of chess.
Her death bit into him deeply and with venom. Unable to bear the idea of continuing such cold torments without her, Theron did the unthinkable. The very night her funeral was to be held, Theron packed a small sack of food and essentials, stole into the royal armory, and fled from the Sovereign Barony with one of his family's ancestral swords in tow, using the disruption caused by the grim ceremony to slip past guards and patrols... and out into the broader world, for the first time ever. Grieving and running for his life with tears in his eyes, the errant prince disappeared into the night with no destination, no plan... and no idea of the adventures that awaited him.
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