Unknown Artist. Ardumaniš Vauhaka Sketch. May 312 A.C. Pencil on Parchment. Personal collection. Basic Information ⇶Full Name | Ardumaniš Vauhaka →Nicknames: N/A⇶Heritage | Asha →Legacy’s Will: Legacy of Forgiving [x2] →Savent Lineage⇶Age | 38 →Born October 27th, 274 A.C.⇶Gender | Identifies male ⇶Occult | Mundane Core Concept Ardumaniš is a Savent cavalry officer, who relies on his intelligence and skill more than any brawn. Having been immersed in the Regalian mercenary life, he consciously distances himself from his Asha brethren as he seeks to make his own path in the world undefined by those who share his heritage. Despite his immersion into Wirtem and Baldmark regions, he retains a position away from the conservative Ailor he found himself amongst. Instead, Ardumaniš holds an impartial, meritocratic worldview; respect, order, and praxis is he values most, no matter who it is who displays it. Visual Information Ardumaniš is a poised Savent with an athletic build, whose avian influence is the harpy eagle. Ardumaniš’ has a lifelong injury in his right foot, leading to the use of a cane. In order to take flight as Savent do, Ardumaniš utilizes long, broad feathers on his arms. He possesses slim, predatory features that would be expected of a bird of prey. He has a sharp, black, hooked beak and a tall, regal crest of feathers atop his head. Small brown eyes cast a universally brooding, almost judgmental gaze to those which they look upon, irregardless of his true intent. Ardumaniš dresses austere, favoring dark and otherwise nondescript colors where possible- yet always remaining functional. He additionally always carries a golden Living Metal-capped cane with him, acting as both a useful tool to help him stand, and a receptacle of the Godsblood. Proficiency ⇶Points spent | 14/14 ⇶Combat styles | Commander (StrAtk (Rare), WisDef) ⇶Strength | 2 →Athletic Point Buy →Building Scale Pack →Steady Body Pack⇶Constitution | 2 →Mount Point Buy →Cavalry Summon [Free, Mounted PB] →Carriage Summon [Free, Mounted PB] →Mount Getaway Pack →Mount Rolling Armory Pack⇶Intelligence | 1 →Tech Point Buy →Tech Charge Pack⇶Wisdom | 7 →Chem Point Buy →Chem Hyperfocus Pack→Command Point Buy →Command Stance [Free, PB] →Mobile Command →Chase Command →Attack Command →Defend Command [Free, Legacy of Forgiving] →Champion Command [Free, Legacy of Forgiving] →Overwhelm Command →Shield Command →Resist Command⇶Dexterity | 2 →Roguery Point Buy →Soft Landing Pack →Escape Artist Pack⇶Faith | 0 →N/A ⇶Magic | 0 →N/A ⇶Hobbies →Alchemy Hobby (1/10) →Technology Hobby (5/10, Savent Living Metal) All Mechanics Spoiler Active →Asha can control a special liquid metal called Living Metal, that can harden and reshape on their command, and they can telekinetically move around. →Asha claws act like matches, capable of causing flint and steel sparks when struck against surfaces or each other, useful for making fire. →Asha are omnivores, but are capable of consuming raw and even spoiled meat without digestive or illness troubles. →Asha have a limited body language to do with tails, that can communicate only the following: words "like", "dislike", and "favorite". →Asha have perfect nightvision, capable of seeing in the dark and low light environments without needing an external light. →Savent Asha make use of the regular Asha Heritage Traits including Legacy's Will. →Savent Asha can manifest feathered wings, which while not in combat allow (Elytra) flight (including the use of rockets). →Savent Asha can turn any metal-like substance into faux-Gold or Silver with their touch. →Savent can still use the Asha Living Metal Mechanic, but it is Gold or Silver instead. Inactive →Baskarr Faithful (even if non-Asha) gain access to Living Metal (a liquid metallic substance that can imitate organic functions and be moved like water by its owner, or solidify in desired shapes), which is now capable of developing a will of its own. If they should die before it is their time (as arbitrarily dictated by the Gods), then their Soul and mind is transported into the Living Metal, which produces a whole new body for them out of Living Metal, which imitates their previous body, but in a more metallic form. Additionally, Living Metal can develop a will of its own while on their owner's body, and express sentiments or feelings independently of the owner's will, but will always subject to the owner's commands when given. Languages →Ibeth (Fluent, Native, Qelis accent (Farsi)) →Common (Fluent, Lingua franca) →Calem (Semi-fluent, command language) →Réginyelv (Useful phrases, soldiering language) →Înnora (Useful phrases, soldiering language) Life Story Spoiler ⇶ Qelisi Childhood(274-284, 0-10): Born amidst vast, arid highland plateaus in northwest Qelis to a family immersed in the smithing of cavalier mounts and tools, it was perhaps inevitable that Ardumaniš would follow in the footsteps of his ancestors. Though Qelis is indeed a largely peaceful realm in its corner of the world, it is not a utopia, and the regular patrols of Methil beasts and Dew’enet behemoths throughout the fractured polities kept banditry and intrigue from establishing too strong a root anywhere. To a young Ardumaniš such things were paramount to magic (in the metaphorical sense), and something he wished to immerse himself among. His parents, eager to fan the flames of his cavalier interest in hopes their sole child would climb the ladder higher in their little Qelisi republic, taught him to ride various mounts when he was young, and afforded him the best training their limited wealth could buy. ⇶ ‘Education’ (284-290, 10-16): It was this training that continued into Ardumaniš’ early teens. As a student at a boarding school in the capital of his little republic, it was here that found himself extremely lucky; luck that he capitalized on completely. Becoming friends with a young Savent named Acina, the daughter of a prominent politician named Herbad Vauhaka, Ardumaniš was afforded privilege far above his station, as well as opportunities to observe, and understand the wheels of power, both political, and to a lesser degree, martial. Fostering this connection for much of his early teens, he came to be considered nigh a part of the Vauhaka family. ⇶ The Scion (290-297, 16-23): In his late teens, Ardumaniš began to take a more intentional hold of the reins leading his life. Acina and Ardumaniš’ relationship blossomed into a youthful romance, enmeshing him further into this privileged family. Graduating from his boarding school, he was taken quickly under the wing of Herbad, whereupon he leveraged his position in order to join the Qelisi cavalry which he had grown up watching. Acina became far more a scholar than Ardumaniš, though it was her well-funded scholarly pursuits that would ultimately shape the young cavalier’s life more so than anything else. ⇶ Change (297-301, 23-27): Moving into adulthood changes everyone in unforeseen ways, and for Ardumaniš it was no different. With his parents growing old, and passing peacefully as he crested twenty, he was left with sole attachment to what had become his second family. Slowly growing more experienced as a patrolman and cavalier, more admired in the local-scale political realm, and comfortable with his partner, Ardumaniš likely would have stayed in this peaceful, comfortable life for the rest of his own. He would have, if misfortune had not so abruptly shattered his sphere. Unbeknownst to Ardumaniš, his partner Acina had grown obsessed with tales of the east, his people’s history, their sins, and their fight against the Allorn. She was distraught with the flight of the Savent people away from their brethren in a time of need and the subsequent disconnect between her people and the wider Asha diaspora. In an act of youthful hubris to try and reorient her politician-father’s focus away from isolationism, she attempted to summon a spirit from Gahan’s ancient Dewamenet legions. When all was said and done, Ardumaniš had been maimed, Herbad had been killed, and Acina had been cursed by magicks which Ardumaniš had never known. Rather than abandoning her however, Ardumaniš tried his hardest to meet with a sorcerer from a nearby kingdom so as to save her life. It was in the audience hall of this nearby kingdom that Acina perished despite the sorcerer’s best efforts. Surrounded by friends and allies he had made during his time inadvertently politicking, Acina spoke to Ardumaniš, and the gathered as a whole. She implored him in her final moments, to not hate what she had tried to do, and that her actions had been for the good of the people- that she wished their ancestors had stopped and changed the world- like she had tried to- rather than running from it. ⇶ Downfall (301-303, 27-29): Recovery from tragedy is a difficult road. With his world in tatters, Ardumaniš fell into a deep depression. It was no gift to his mind that in Herbad’s Vauhaka family will, Ardumaniš had been left with all of his now extinct Vauhaka’s wealth and property, making him only slightly less than a lowly prince. Knowing he could not let it rot, Ardumaniš tried with the little hope and power he still had in him to take Herbad’s place at the topic of his little Qelisi republic- but the truth remained, that Ardumaniš was but a child in a world far older, and far more capable than himself. Elections and appointments passed him by, and the once rising-star found himself alienated from his home. It was in 303 A.C. however, that Ardumaniš received news from the west, of a cataclysmic war between two far-away powers, of the Songaskian and Regalians Empires, and how this conflict had ended in the Regalian’s favor. With nothing left to lose save for the money in his coffers, Ardumaniš chartered a ship, handed the lionshare of his once-family’s wealth over to the government of his little republic, and headed east. ⇶ The Voyage (304, 29): The voyage to Regalia was long. Qelis is further than even the most far-flung Regalian flag in Fendarfelle, and it took the Savent almost half a year to reach this place alone. Stopping in the Polons, bouncing through Nordskag, Ardumanis reached Regalia in the short few weeks before the outbreak of the Bone Horror Crisis. It was in this time that he decided to visit some of the most pre-eminent military academies of the Empire in Calemberg, audaciously believing that he would find himself at home, akin to his position in faraway Qelis. ⇶ A New Direction (304-311, 29-36): For the first time in his life, Ardumaniš was met with abrupt failure. In a foreign land, amidst a foreign people, Ardumaniš had no place. Despite his best attempts, with demonstrations of experience and (dwindling) wealth, he was an alien amidst the Wirtem- but he was not utterly without hope. A mish-mash cultured mercenary company headed for Baldmark was quick to pick up what the conservative Wirtem had left behind, with Ardumaniš happily signing on so as to find at least some level of comfort in the familiarity of the ride. By the time they reached Baldmark, the Bone Horror Crisis had begun, and Ardumaniš was quickly put to the test in an effort not only to prove himself- but to survive. Making it to their destination and job to defend a local baron, the company dug in, and fought hard to hold on against a tide of unholy monsters. Vampires, of course, smell blood in the water, and knowing that the realm’s levy defenses would be occupied, they sought to strike at the substantially weaker mercenary company which protected the valuable goods and technology held by the baron. Ardumaniš had up until this point, never truly been in combat. The fight against Gahan’s demonic soldier, and the occasional bandit group in Qelis were different games entirely to an all out assault by an organized coven, and monsters of the dead. But Ardumaniš did not falter. Despite the injury which left him largely useless as a dragoon, the Savent still had wings, and was able to break through the Vampiric siege and alert a local garrison of the impending destruction of the barony. Given command of a cavalry platoon, Ardumaniš rode back over the course of the next few days, and, in a decisive move, relieved the besieged baron and his company. The next few months were spent entrenched in their hillfort, holding out until help arrived against the Bone Horrors. Indeed, such help did come in time, but Ardumaniš had been forever changed. He had grown a newfound respect for the country of Baldmark which had become his temporary home, and so it was with the blessing of the mercenary company, that he was given command over his own contingent, which he soon molded into his own. From escorting notables around the Empire, flushing out Vampiric holdouts, to manning baronies’ garrisons, his little cavalry regiment became a home for Ardumaniš. ⇶ Regalia (311-312, 36-38): Acina would not have recognized Ardumaniš of 312, who had become a starkly different man. Ardumaniš had never been particularly religious, though with his immersion amongst the Wirtem and Szabadok soldiers of his company, Unionism had taken root in the corners of his worldview. Ardumaniš had become a man of order, and military discipline, as opposed to the slyly charismatic and princely child who had watched his partner torn to shreds by a demon. Ardumaniš, however, never lost sight of his roots, nor of the many lessons spoken to him by the Diviners of Divi; of respect, of humility, and of peace. Indeed, despite his martial position, Ardumaniš still honed his skill at dissuasion and fear tactics, seeking to rout and make sure of surrender for his enemies, as opposed to trampling them underfoot. Indeed, it was after the horrors of the Oldt Era war that Ardumaniš began to consider a move to the capital and a break from his company, in order to do as his love had told him to all those years ago: changing the world by doing, as opposed to running. In the Spring of 312 AC, on his way back from an expedition in Nordskag which put Ardumaniš into unforeseen debt, Ardumaniš decided it was time for change. Whilst wandering the docks of Kongehaug following his resignation from his mercenary company, Ardumaniš once again found himself lucky, coming across the first Savent he had seen since his departure from Qelis eight long years ago. Speaking briefly, he got on with this ‘Khufu’ well, and decided to join her in traveling to the capital of the Regalian Empire. Life, afterall, has a way of setting opportunities in one’s lap, and such is a fact that Ardumaniš knows to capitalize on well. Plot Hooks ⇶Interactions (‘Traditional’ plot hooks) →Mercenary Cavalry Officer: Compared to many Savent, Ardumaniš’ martiality is odd. Ardumaniš is experienced in commanding heavy cavalry into the height of a battle, something learned from the Living Metal cataphracts of Qelis, though the Szabadok have taught him light cavalry too. Despite being a mercenary, he always styled himself as 'respectable'. →Baldmark and Tigrunn: Ardumaniš’ has the lionshare of his experience in Baldmark and to a lesser degree Tigrunn, fighting as Vampires, bandits, and peasant uprisings where knights were unable. →From ‘Where There Be Dragons’: Ardumaniš’ republican homeland in Qelis is as far away as Dexai, and even less traveled by outsiders. Despite having been in the archipelago for just short of a decade, many things remain new and foreign to the well traveled Asha. →Distance from Asha: Due to events in his past, Ardumaniš has distanced himself from the Asha diaspora. In part this is a continuation of the Savent abandonment of the Dewamenet, but equally it is a personal choice. Whether he possesses animosity to his cousins, or charts his own path, is unclear. →Religious Uncertainty: Far from the Savent patron god, Ardumaniš has been influenced by Unionist and pagan thought in the meantime, though has yet to ascribe himself to one faith or another. →Wirtem and Szabadok: Ardumaniš has engaged with the peoples of the central archipelago as opposed to Ashal culture; the military prowess of Wirtem officers, and the husbandry of the Szabadok. ⇶Integrations (Free links with the character for quick interaction) →Mercenary: Ardumaniš commanded many mercenaries over the years. Though his company was small, some may have heard of the ‘feathered rider’ on the plains of Baldmark and forests of Tigrunn. →Vampire Hunter: As martial folk do in Baldmark and Tigrunn, Ardumaniš fought with Vampires. It would be incorrect to have called him a hunter, and instead, Ardumaniš cavalry company was largely engaged in rescuing blood cattle, or defending hamlets under the banner of various local barons. →Qelisi Traveler: Ardumaniš spent a year traveling to Regalia from Qelis, and met many people on the way. Should one character or another recall him on his journeys, he would hardly bat an eye. →Lone Savent: In a land of Ailor, an eagle-headed Savent is a notably rare sight. It is not unlikely that a character around the central archipelago may have heard of a certain avian cavalry officer.
