Rand Arundel
Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 2:12 am
Name: Rand Arundel
Race: Human, with traces of elven and fae lineage
Age: approximately 30; actual date of birth is unknown
Personality: Typically very reserved and unwilling to let others into his affairs, Rand usually comes off as very guarded. However, those who do earn his trust have it forever. He is very determined and dedicated, to the point of stubbornness, and never backs down from a fight. He is fearless in combat, where he is most in his element, and has an affinity for nature. Because of this, he tends to avoid staying in civilized areas for too long. He also hates to see others fail because of their own weakness, and is an ally to those too weak to defend themselves. He considers his "luck" to be more of a curse; he has survived when others should have in his place, and he feels partially responsible for their deaths.
Physical Description: Rand is fairly tall, a scrape above 175 cm, with a well-proportioned, wiry frame, weighing in at about 16 and a half stone (around 75 kg). His facial features, while not unattractive, are sharp and keen, vaguely elven, but with none of the delicacy. light brown, almost tawny yellow eyes peer out from behind shaggy copper-colored bangs, and a mane of reddish-brown hair trails to just past his shoulders. Typically, he keeps most of his body covered, including his arms and hands, with long gloves or leather gauntlets, and even part of his face with the cowl of a high-necked traveling cloak, but on occasions where his forearms are exposed, dozens of small scars are evident, some small nicks, others gashes that look like claw marks running up the length of his arms past his elbows. His skin is oddly dusky, almost a faint olive color, not fair or pale as is typical for the region, but it seems to be pallid in comparison to the tans of the farmers.
He favors nondescript, neutral-colored clothing, usually in grays or browns, occasionally with darkened shades of red or blue, though he always wears a pair of sturdy, calf-length travelling boots that seem well-worn but are in surprisingly good condition. At his waist, a single-edged, thin-bladed longsword is sheathed, positioned for an unorthodox left-handed draw. If going into a dangerous area or situation, he wears a brigandine coat (essentially a leather buffcoat with a layer of small metal plates fastened to the inside and cushioned by a layer of padding beneath that) and leather gauntlets, but he prefers to be as unfettered as possible by armor and the like.
Possessions:
Single-edged, thin-bladed longsword, approximately 105 cm long from pommel to tip. The sword is balanced to be used one-handed, but the hilt has been lengthened to accommodate a two-handed grip for extra power and added flexibility to fighting style.
Travelling cloak
Sturdy boots
Brigandine coat
Leather gauntlets
Three sets of clothing suited for travel
Shortbow and quiver of arrows, for hunting when he travels
130 Bishani
A small jade pendant, hand-carved, that his brother carried as a good-luck charm
Advantages:
Ambidextrous: Rand can use both of his hands equally well; he was born right-handed but taught himself to use his left hand just as proficiently in almost every way (he still writes slightly more adeptly with his right hand than his left, and tends to use utensils right-handed when eating). This can be a great asset in combat, as will be detailed below.
Swordsmanship: Rand, having grown up outside the borders of Thar Shaddin, learned a swordfighting style very different from what is taught to the City Guard in Marn. It is made up of graceful, sweeping motions that flow into each other, which, after a few observations by an attentive opponent, is fairly predictable, but Rand has made up for this deficiency by constantly shifting his sword from hand to hand, and incorporating circular strikes and occasional quick, abrupt motions and thrusts, essentially creating a freeform, constantly changing, adaptive style that continuously improves its own effectiveness. However, the style loses effectiveness in fights against more than a handful of opponents, so he has to be careful not to fight too many at a time, and he has had difficulty against opponents with polearms.
Wilderness survival and tracking: Spending most of his life without a permanent home and traveling through expanses of untamed land has turned Rand into a skilled survivalist. He has an uncanny sense of innate direction, has experience making snares and other traps, knows which plants are safe to eat, and has a fair amount of skill with a hunting bow. He is also an accomplished tracker, able to follow trails most other scouts or trackers wouldn't even be able to pick up on.
Self-sufficiency: Having spent most of his life on his own, he learned from a very young age how to survive without external aid, and is perfectly content travelling on his own. Surviving for so long by himself has given him an acute sense of danger, almost making him seem to have eyes in the back of his head at times.
"Luck": Whenever he faces insurmountable odds, something seems to guide him out of the danger, almost calling out to him, leading him through paths of least resistance. He doesn't know why, but he can feel some kind of external guidance at his back when he really needs it. (this is actually a very subtle form of magic that he's unaware of, because of a mental block that prevents him from hearing or communing with the astral plane, though once the block is removed, he can learn magic just as well as anyone else, if he chooses to, but see below)
Weaknesses:
Loner mentality: Being self-sufficient for so long has led Rand to believe he doesn't need the aid of others, making him reluctant to accept help even in extreme circumstances; however, he does recognize the limits of his skill and will call upon the services of others for things he has absolutely no experience with.
Self-trained: the fact that he developed most of his skills through his own experience means that his learning style is almost completely incompatible with anyone else's teaching style; it is very difficult for him to learn anything from any teacher except his own experience. Likewise, he would be a terrible teacher if anyone asked him to teach them what he knows.
Guilt complex: Through his own selfish actions, he allowed the deaths of his brother and the rest of his tribe nearly a decade ago, and he hasn't been able to live it down. He placed himself in voluntary exile and left his home region to atone for his poor decisions.
Unknown origin/ abandoned by parents: Rand was found alone, toddling about a rocky plain at the age of three, and was taken in by a tribe of nomads. They taught him to be self-sufficient from a young age, but his unconventional childhood stunted his social growth to the point where he comes off as callous, distant and cold no matter how strong his intentions are to do otherwise; he simply knows no other way to speak to people. It has also made it extremely difficult for him to trust people, and was one of the results of the inadvertent loss of his tribe.
Mistrust of magic: Rand's mistrust of magic and magic-users is almost as strong as that of a dwarf, but he lacks the ability to disbelieve magical effects and force reality to work the way it's supposed to. It is a prejudice more than anything, but due to personal beliefs rather than religious fanaticism. This means that if he ever found out that he has enough latent potential to make a skilled mage, he will likely reject it and never tap into it, and it would cause even more damage to his already dwindling sense of self-worth.
Fugitive: Rand is in danger of being killed by the battle mage he attacked in Shim, and if he is ever seen by the battlemage, he will have a fierce fight on his hands.
History: His place and exact date of birth are unknown to him, as is his parentage, though his father was the direct descendant of a faerie who delighted in seducing mortals and his mother was from Keltaris, giving him his exotic blend of features. Rand was found wandering the desert at a very young age, and was taken in by a passing tribe of nomadic warriors. The man who became the closest Rand would ever have to a father had a son only one or two years older than him, and he raised the two like brothers. After the age of 9, Rand was expected to fend for himself using the survival skills the tribe had taught him, his "father" now sliding into the role of comrade in arms. Rand had no problems with this, and became almost completely self-reliant.
The next year, he took up the sword; before then he had only been permitted to use knives and slings. He relished the sword training, and quickly proved to possess a natural talent for it. The sword felt like an extension of his own body, and by the time he was 13, he was defeating fellow nomads twice his age in sparring matches. He continued to improve over the years, until his tribe ran into another roving band from the north. They fought, and while the graceful, sweeping sword style Rand had learned proved effective in offense, its defensive capabilities were too slow to block the northerners' lightning-fast attacks, and many fell, including the man who had become Rand's father figure. Rand was 17. Seeing the man who had raised him fall, Rand became a man possessed by one goal, to avenge his father. He ripped through the ranks of the northmen, cutting them down before they had time to bring their weapons and shields up to bear, for Rand had become the fastest swordsman in his tribe, and he was angry. Hot tears flowing down his face, mixing with the blood of his enemies spattering onto his skin, Rand was a ferocious sight to behold, a whirlwind of steel and emotion, singlehandedly slaughtering two dozen of the northern invaders. The broken remnants of the northmen fled, unwilling to tangle with the demonically skilled young man who had just decimated their ranks, but Rand didn't notice. By that point, his father's limp frame was cradled in his arms, and he wept openly. The rest of the tribe was silent, allowing him to grieve openly, until Rand stood, tawny eyes burning. He declared that this would be a turning point for the tribe, and that nothing like these losses would ever come about again. His brother stood beside him, affirming his decision to back Rand in this, and the tribe, moved by the determination of the young men, resolved to devote themselves to avenging their fallen comrades and creating a legacy that would last eternally.
For the next few years, they regrouped and trained and procreated to begin a new generation, all the while seeking the northern barbarians who had claimed the lives of many of their comrades. When they found them, they met with a force far larger than they had anticipated; it seemed news of their activity and recruitment had reached their ears. Many of the tribe were slaughtered, including Rand's own older brother, and Rand almost perished himself, but somehow survived when he probably shouldn't have, along with a handful of others. Realizing he had utterly failed his men, and that he had much to learn about leadership, a 20-year-old Rand left his fellows, sending himself into exile to atone for his mistakes and his rashness. Never again would he allow his emotions to drive his decisions that much.
Over the next ten years, he lived most of his life in self-isolation, often going months at a time without human contact, with only the company of his own thoughts, the wilderness, and the occasional animal companion who took a liking to him. Even then, whenever he came across a town, he only stayed for a night or two and avoided the busy centers, preferring to stay in out-of-the-way inns and keeping a low profile. Only twice in these ten years did he spend more than a few days in a single place. The first time was at the age of 23, when he collapsed 200 feet from a town gate, severely wounded. He had been attacked by an angry bear, and hadn't been able to escape without suffering serious injuries.
After he was nursed back to health, the townspeople urged him to stay, which he did, for around a month, before becoming restless and wanting to leave. But the day he was getting ready to leave, the town was attacked by a terribly powerful magic user, who set buildings ablaze and tossed dozens of soldiers into the sky with a wave of his hand. Rand, torn between his decision to never let his emotions make decisions for him and his affection for the townsfolk, who had been extremely hospitable, Rand's body began moving before his mind had fully decided. He ran at the magic user, ducking and weaving through the chaos of frightened civilians running in the opposite direction, and engaged the mage in single combat. For most of the battle, it seemed as though Rand's heroic effort were suicidal; the mage was easily besting him, slinging all manner of spells at him before he could get even two or three sword strikes in. However, with some miracle, or stroke of luck, Rand's blade finally found the mage's throat, in the middle of an incantation that surely would've finished Rand off. After the crowd celebrated their salvation and Rand's triumph, and he had recovered from his new injuries, he left, thanking the town for their hospitality and promising to return again someday.
He returned to his self sufficient ways and kept moving from place to place, though he spent less and less time in isolation. However, the next time he would spend more than a few days in a single place did not come until he arrived in Thar Shaddin. First entering the town of Shim, he ran into a man garbed similarly to the mage who had attacked the town he was in seven years prior. Not waiting for the mage to attack, he attacked him on sight, wary of the destruction he was likely to cause. Little did he know that this mage was far more powerful than the last one he had faced, being a Battlemage of Marn. The Battlemage almost dispatched him then and there, but by some stroke of luck Rand managed to escape with his life and hid in the town. The Battlemage hadn't left him unharmed, though. Before Rand could find a way out of the fight, the Battlemage had hit him with some spell that rended his entire body, cutting his clothes to tatters and leaving him with wounds that would leave horrendous scars. He spent the next several weeks recovering and hiding out in the forest just outside Shim, but has made his way to Marn to see if it's worth staying in.
Race: Human, with traces of elven and fae lineage
Age: approximately 30; actual date of birth is unknown
Personality: Typically very reserved and unwilling to let others into his affairs, Rand usually comes off as very guarded. However, those who do earn his trust have it forever. He is very determined and dedicated, to the point of stubbornness, and never backs down from a fight. He is fearless in combat, where he is most in his element, and has an affinity for nature. Because of this, he tends to avoid staying in civilized areas for too long. He also hates to see others fail because of their own weakness, and is an ally to those too weak to defend themselves. He considers his "luck" to be more of a curse; he has survived when others should have in his place, and he feels partially responsible for their deaths.
Physical Description: Rand is fairly tall, a scrape above 175 cm, with a well-proportioned, wiry frame, weighing in at about 16 and a half stone (around 75 kg). His facial features, while not unattractive, are sharp and keen, vaguely elven, but with none of the delicacy. light brown, almost tawny yellow eyes peer out from behind shaggy copper-colored bangs, and a mane of reddish-brown hair trails to just past his shoulders. Typically, he keeps most of his body covered, including his arms and hands, with long gloves or leather gauntlets, and even part of his face with the cowl of a high-necked traveling cloak, but on occasions where his forearms are exposed, dozens of small scars are evident, some small nicks, others gashes that look like claw marks running up the length of his arms past his elbows. His skin is oddly dusky, almost a faint olive color, not fair or pale as is typical for the region, but it seems to be pallid in comparison to the tans of the farmers.
He favors nondescript, neutral-colored clothing, usually in grays or browns, occasionally with darkened shades of red or blue, though he always wears a pair of sturdy, calf-length travelling boots that seem well-worn but are in surprisingly good condition. At his waist, a single-edged, thin-bladed longsword is sheathed, positioned for an unorthodox left-handed draw. If going into a dangerous area or situation, he wears a brigandine coat (essentially a leather buffcoat with a layer of small metal plates fastened to the inside and cushioned by a layer of padding beneath that) and leather gauntlets, but he prefers to be as unfettered as possible by armor and the like.
Possessions:
Single-edged, thin-bladed longsword, approximately 105 cm long from pommel to tip. The sword is balanced to be used one-handed, but the hilt has been lengthened to accommodate a two-handed grip for extra power and added flexibility to fighting style.
Travelling cloak
Sturdy boots
Brigandine coat
Leather gauntlets
Three sets of clothing suited for travel
Shortbow and quiver of arrows, for hunting when he travels
130 Bishani
A small jade pendant, hand-carved, that his brother carried as a good-luck charm
Advantages:
Ambidextrous: Rand can use both of his hands equally well; he was born right-handed but taught himself to use his left hand just as proficiently in almost every way (he still writes slightly more adeptly with his right hand than his left, and tends to use utensils right-handed when eating). This can be a great asset in combat, as will be detailed below.
Swordsmanship: Rand, having grown up outside the borders of Thar Shaddin, learned a swordfighting style very different from what is taught to the City Guard in Marn. It is made up of graceful, sweeping motions that flow into each other, which, after a few observations by an attentive opponent, is fairly predictable, but Rand has made up for this deficiency by constantly shifting his sword from hand to hand, and incorporating circular strikes and occasional quick, abrupt motions and thrusts, essentially creating a freeform, constantly changing, adaptive style that continuously improves its own effectiveness. However, the style loses effectiveness in fights against more than a handful of opponents, so he has to be careful not to fight too many at a time, and he has had difficulty against opponents with polearms.
Wilderness survival and tracking: Spending most of his life without a permanent home and traveling through expanses of untamed land has turned Rand into a skilled survivalist. He has an uncanny sense of innate direction, has experience making snares and other traps, knows which plants are safe to eat, and has a fair amount of skill with a hunting bow. He is also an accomplished tracker, able to follow trails most other scouts or trackers wouldn't even be able to pick up on.
Self-sufficiency: Having spent most of his life on his own, he learned from a very young age how to survive without external aid, and is perfectly content travelling on his own. Surviving for so long by himself has given him an acute sense of danger, almost making him seem to have eyes in the back of his head at times.
"Luck": Whenever he faces insurmountable odds, something seems to guide him out of the danger, almost calling out to him, leading him through paths of least resistance. He doesn't know why, but he can feel some kind of external guidance at his back when he really needs it. (this is actually a very subtle form of magic that he's unaware of, because of a mental block that prevents him from hearing or communing with the astral plane, though once the block is removed, he can learn magic just as well as anyone else, if he chooses to, but see below)
Weaknesses:
Loner mentality: Being self-sufficient for so long has led Rand to believe he doesn't need the aid of others, making him reluctant to accept help even in extreme circumstances; however, he does recognize the limits of his skill and will call upon the services of others for things he has absolutely no experience with.
Self-trained: the fact that he developed most of his skills through his own experience means that his learning style is almost completely incompatible with anyone else's teaching style; it is very difficult for him to learn anything from any teacher except his own experience. Likewise, he would be a terrible teacher if anyone asked him to teach them what he knows.
Guilt complex: Through his own selfish actions, he allowed the deaths of his brother and the rest of his tribe nearly a decade ago, and he hasn't been able to live it down. He placed himself in voluntary exile and left his home region to atone for his poor decisions.
Unknown origin/ abandoned by parents: Rand was found alone, toddling about a rocky plain at the age of three, and was taken in by a tribe of nomads. They taught him to be self-sufficient from a young age, but his unconventional childhood stunted his social growth to the point where he comes off as callous, distant and cold no matter how strong his intentions are to do otherwise; he simply knows no other way to speak to people. It has also made it extremely difficult for him to trust people, and was one of the results of the inadvertent loss of his tribe.
Mistrust of magic: Rand's mistrust of magic and magic-users is almost as strong as that of a dwarf, but he lacks the ability to disbelieve magical effects and force reality to work the way it's supposed to. It is a prejudice more than anything, but due to personal beliefs rather than religious fanaticism. This means that if he ever found out that he has enough latent potential to make a skilled mage, he will likely reject it and never tap into it, and it would cause even more damage to his already dwindling sense of self-worth.
Fugitive: Rand is in danger of being killed by the battle mage he attacked in Shim, and if he is ever seen by the battlemage, he will have a fierce fight on his hands.
History: His place and exact date of birth are unknown to him, as is his parentage, though his father was the direct descendant of a faerie who delighted in seducing mortals and his mother was from Keltaris, giving him his exotic blend of features. Rand was found wandering the desert at a very young age, and was taken in by a passing tribe of nomadic warriors. The man who became the closest Rand would ever have to a father had a son only one or two years older than him, and he raised the two like brothers. After the age of 9, Rand was expected to fend for himself using the survival skills the tribe had taught him, his "father" now sliding into the role of comrade in arms. Rand had no problems with this, and became almost completely self-reliant.
The next year, he took up the sword; before then he had only been permitted to use knives and slings. He relished the sword training, and quickly proved to possess a natural talent for it. The sword felt like an extension of his own body, and by the time he was 13, he was defeating fellow nomads twice his age in sparring matches. He continued to improve over the years, until his tribe ran into another roving band from the north. They fought, and while the graceful, sweeping sword style Rand had learned proved effective in offense, its defensive capabilities were too slow to block the northerners' lightning-fast attacks, and many fell, including the man who had become Rand's father figure. Rand was 17. Seeing the man who had raised him fall, Rand became a man possessed by one goal, to avenge his father. He ripped through the ranks of the northmen, cutting them down before they had time to bring their weapons and shields up to bear, for Rand had become the fastest swordsman in his tribe, and he was angry. Hot tears flowing down his face, mixing with the blood of his enemies spattering onto his skin, Rand was a ferocious sight to behold, a whirlwind of steel and emotion, singlehandedly slaughtering two dozen of the northern invaders. The broken remnants of the northmen fled, unwilling to tangle with the demonically skilled young man who had just decimated their ranks, but Rand didn't notice. By that point, his father's limp frame was cradled in his arms, and he wept openly. The rest of the tribe was silent, allowing him to grieve openly, until Rand stood, tawny eyes burning. He declared that this would be a turning point for the tribe, and that nothing like these losses would ever come about again. His brother stood beside him, affirming his decision to back Rand in this, and the tribe, moved by the determination of the young men, resolved to devote themselves to avenging their fallen comrades and creating a legacy that would last eternally.
For the next few years, they regrouped and trained and procreated to begin a new generation, all the while seeking the northern barbarians who had claimed the lives of many of their comrades. When they found them, they met with a force far larger than they had anticipated; it seemed news of their activity and recruitment had reached their ears. Many of the tribe were slaughtered, including Rand's own older brother, and Rand almost perished himself, but somehow survived when he probably shouldn't have, along with a handful of others. Realizing he had utterly failed his men, and that he had much to learn about leadership, a 20-year-old Rand left his fellows, sending himself into exile to atone for his mistakes and his rashness. Never again would he allow his emotions to drive his decisions that much.
Over the next ten years, he lived most of his life in self-isolation, often going months at a time without human contact, with only the company of his own thoughts, the wilderness, and the occasional animal companion who took a liking to him. Even then, whenever he came across a town, he only stayed for a night or two and avoided the busy centers, preferring to stay in out-of-the-way inns and keeping a low profile. Only twice in these ten years did he spend more than a few days in a single place. The first time was at the age of 23, when he collapsed 200 feet from a town gate, severely wounded. He had been attacked by an angry bear, and hadn't been able to escape without suffering serious injuries.
After he was nursed back to health, the townspeople urged him to stay, which he did, for around a month, before becoming restless and wanting to leave. But the day he was getting ready to leave, the town was attacked by a terribly powerful magic user, who set buildings ablaze and tossed dozens of soldiers into the sky with a wave of his hand. Rand, torn between his decision to never let his emotions make decisions for him and his affection for the townsfolk, who had been extremely hospitable, Rand's body began moving before his mind had fully decided. He ran at the magic user, ducking and weaving through the chaos of frightened civilians running in the opposite direction, and engaged the mage in single combat. For most of the battle, it seemed as though Rand's heroic effort were suicidal; the mage was easily besting him, slinging all manner of spells at him before he could get even two or three sword strikes in. However, with some miracle, or stroke of luck, Rand's blade finally found the mage's throat, in the middle of an incantation that surely would've finished Rand off. After the crowd celebrated their salvation and Rand's triumph, and he had recovered from his new injuries, he left, thanking the town for their hospitality and promising to return again someday.
He returned to his self sufficient ways and kept moving from place to place, though he spent less and less time in isolation. However, the next time he would spend more than a few days in a single place did not come until he arrived in Thar Shaddin. First entering the town of Shim, he ran into a man garbed similarly to the mage who had attacked the town he was in seven years prior. Not waiting for the mage to attack, he attacked him on sight, wary of the destruction he was likely to cause. Little did he know that this mage was far more powerful than the last one he had faced, being a Battlemage of Marn. The Battlemage almost dispatched him then and there, but by some stroke of luck Rand managed to escape with his life and hid in the town. The Battlemage hadn't left him unharmed, though. Before Rand could find a way out of the fight, the Battlemage had hit him with some spell that rended his entire body, cutting his clothes to tatters and leaving him with wounds that would leave horrendous scars. He spent the next several weeks recovering and hiding out in the forest just outside Shim, but has made his way to Marn to see if it's worth staying in.