"Time and death really do offer perspective on life. I pray that I'm spending mine well on this grand quest for virtue." Basic Information Full Name: Artair Fawkes Mackay, "Bearblood" Age: 40 Gender: Male Race: Highland Ceardian Sexuality: Straight Preferred Weapon: Gauntleted Fists Basic Information (Expansion) Spoiler: Basic Information (Expansion) Artair has only recently returned to Regalia. He has spent the better part of a decade traveling the world, adventuring and bringing justice to the wronged as he sees fit. His name and symbol, a red bear rearing on its hind legs, is something of a legend among those who recognize him. However, given the passage of time it's likely he can maintain something of a low profile in Regalia. As of now he currently lives off of the coin he's gathered from his travels, though has yet to settle into a more permanent residence. The Mackay family is known for their lumber business, which is a tad unusual, but certainly has come in handy for their various settlements. Artair was born second eldest of three to a male lumberjack and a female huntress, both of whom are of strong builds and healthy bodies. Since he last saw them, his older brother and younger sister are all still alive, though his father has grown closer to death's door with age. Given his somewhat advanced age, Artair is looking to start a family. He understands that the life of a knight is difficult, and that he's been able to enact much change on the world through his deeds, but he hopes that his legacy will be carried on by those of his bloodline. Skill Information Total Points: 40 Proficiency points to spend from age, because he is 40 years old. +25 Unarmed Combat Skill (from Race Boost [+10] and Points [+15]) +10 Shielding Combat Skill (from Points) +5 Athletic Training (from Points) +5 Perception Training (from Points) +5 Historical Training (from Points) Body Shape Physical Stat: 50 15x2 Unarmed Combat + 5x2 Athletic Training + 10 Shielding Training = 50 Physical Stat Body Shape: Strongman Body Fat: Low Languages Common (learned in childhood) Special Traits/Spells/Mutations Race: Will of Faith (Holiness) Visual Information (Required) Eye Color: Blue Hair Color: Blonde Hair Style: Spiked/High and Tight Skin Color: Light Clothing: Knightly (with armor), Standard Male Highland Ceardian (without armor) Height: 6'5 Visual Information (Expansion) Spoiler: Visual Information (Expansion) For a man entering his 40's, Artair has been holding up fairly well in terms of head and facial appearance. In his younger years his blond hair was grown out longer, flowing back behind his ears and braided with a typical Northerner design. However, after quite a few engagements in heavy armor, he's decided to go with a high-and-tight haircut. It's been met with mixed reception, but ever since he started doing it six years ago, people have been generally more accepting of it. His face has a few aged battle-scars scars, his eyes are a warm blue color, his jawline, forehead and neck are masculine, and his nose is a tad on the larger side. When not wearing armor, Artair is an absolute beefcake. Light skin dotted with battle scars, a decent amount of golden hair all around, a small yet healthy portion of fat, and zero signs of skin-sagging from age to be found. What separates him from others, however, is everything past his elbows. His forearm and hands are exceptionally large, both much more scarred than the rest of his body, most notably around his knuckles where he may rip the skin or damage the bone beneath. For the most part, Artair prefers to wear his plate armor and red cloak. These were standard issued to him many years ago by the Bloodcast Order, but since then he's customized it. Whenever he stops somewhere to perform acts of good, he includes something small from that location to add to his armor. Several plates of his armor have paint marks upon them from various cultures, while he also bears a Cielothar necklace around his upper left bicep. He interchanges the nick-knacks he carries upon him from time to time, primarily depending on where he is or how he feels that day. Artair has a deep, powerful voice that can come across as aggressive if he's not careful. He certainly still has a noticeable Highland Ceardian accent whenever he speaks, though through his travels he has grown a more 'neutral' and easier to understand across all Common-speaking cultures. Still, whenever speaking in his native language, the full extent of his accent is put on display for all listeners. Personality and Abilities (Required with Choice) Option Two: The Core List Choose your Character Alignment Lawful Good. Artair holds himself to his own personal creed, as directed by the Bloodcast. However, his creed does not always hold local laws as ones he should obey, though he will only intentionally break said laws if it will serve a greater good and fulfill his beliefs. When it comes to anything more directly related to the Bloodcast Order, he is sure to straighten himself up and be more lawful than altruistic. Choose your Character Personality Type ESTJ - The Supervisor. Though Artair was given no list of codes to follow by the Bloodcast, he always carries himself with a sense of knightly professionalism. He has a mostly black-and-white view of right and wrong, and does his best to always act objectively for the greater good. He's not afraid of his reputation being tainted, as he knows his good deeds speak more for himself than anything else. Choose your Character's Religion Unionism [3 - Some Consideration]. Though he believes that humanity is superior to other races, he does not do so maliciously. Instead, he sees it as a burden of responsibility that all Ailor must bear, using every ounce of their race's strength for all things righteous. Even if that means having to turn on his fellow man for the sake of a non-human, his worldly travels have shown him enough for him to not blindly follow every aspect of the religion. There is strength in other races, this he knows, but deep down he has a feeling that it is Ailor who possess the greatest potential among all others. Weaknesses (OPTIONAL) Lack of Trust. Artair has experienced failure enough to have grown a sense that he must be the one to take responsibility and act in any evil situation. He's not entirely trusting of other people to have the same capability for goodness as himself, save his fellow Bloodcast. Though he isn't foolish enough to approach dangerous situations alone, he does not always feel comfortable with other members of his group taking on the deadlier of tasks or fighting the greatest of foes. Personality and Abilities (Expansion) Whenever in deep conversation, Artair tends to stand almost as rigid as a statue. Some have said that if he wore his helmet more, he could get away with being just another armor display in a castle. However, when discussing an injustice or a bad situation that he's about to deal will, he will tend to pace, clenching and unclenching his hands to warm them up for a fight. Also, if he feels that a combat situation does not require his full capacity, he will switch to his less-comfortable sword and shield technique, in order to spare his opponent some pride and offer them a fairer chance of success. Due to his extensive travels, Artair fancies himself something of a historian. He enjoys collecting stories and folk lore from those he spends time with, taking them down in his journal. In his down time, he may visit a library or archives to learn about interesting events in a people's history, though he much prefers direct conversation as opposed to reading. Likes Justice. Artair was raised with the Bloodcast Order, and as such follows their code of doing good wherever it may be needed. He holds himself to high standards of conduct in this regard, motivating himself with the idea that if he doesn't step up to the plate, who will? And if someone does, will they be as successful as him? No, an Ailor of his abilities must be used for the betterment of all, and the wrongs of the world simply cannot be ignored. He knows very well what his capabilities are, and he will not back down if villainy rears its ugly head. History. Given his extensive travels, Artair has learned and seen much. Folk tales in particular are his favorites, and he's never above tracking down urban legends in his spare time, especially if they might be true. As a child he was fascinated with the stories shared around the campfire, and even into his training he would make up and share tales from his people. If given the opportunity to act as a storyteller or be a listener for such an oration, he will take it. It's his favorite form of communication, after all, and always provides him use for his journal (writing down new stories). Unarmed Fighting. Ever since he was a boy, Artair has always thrived in brawls or wrestling matches. The feeling of pitting oneself against another with nothing but his bare hands was energizing, and he never backed down from an opportunity to practice. Though the Bloodcast Order has more or less banned him from tournaments, he finds a way around that by encouraging fellow combatants with 'sparring matches'. He's enjoyed it so much that it's by far his most preferred form of attack: he wears thick hand and forearm wraps under his bracers just for this reason. Dislikes Evil. Artair has despised those who prey on the weak or hurt the innocent all his life. Warfare is one thing, but performing such acts on civilians for personal gain is something he cannot stand. Even among other knights, he grows especially furious when he sees them abuse non-knights, including non-Ailors. He recognizes killing others in battle as a necessary evil, one to be avoided if possible and practical. Betrayal is perhaps one of the worst crimes against morality in his opinion, and he will not hesitate to punish those who demonstrate such things. Hot Weather. This one is perhaps a bit obvious, given his Northerner nature, but it's true. He's spent much of his life in cooler climates, with the hottest times of the year being the summer months in comfortably warm temperatures. His travels have taken him to deserts and jungles, and he hates the feeling of high humidity or unforgiving sun blazing down upon him. Given the fact that he prefers to wear plate armor over most other outfits, hot and humid weather essentially forces him to adapt to lighter armor or less plating in order to avoid heat stroke. Swimming. Ever since Artair's mother drowned, the idea of submerging himself more than waist-deep in water secretly terrifies him. He is perfectly capable of physically handling himself in water, and has practiced quick methods of removing enough of his armor in case such an event occurs. However, he can't help but feel on-edge whenever approaching a coastline or water that rises to his chest or higher. Most of his worldwide travels were done by horseback, even to the point of spending additional money and taking a few more risks than necessary to find the shortest seafaring path from one continent to another. Relationships (Optional) To be determined... Life Story (Required) In early February 267 AC, Artair Mackay was born the second eldest son to a lumberjack father and huntress mother in northern Gallovia. Throughout his childhood, he lived a quieter life with his family, with the occasional conflict against local wildlife or bands of Velheim attackers to keep things lively. Out of his five siblings, he was easily the biggest among them, even in comparison to his older brother. He spent a good portion of his childhood with his father, working the mill and handling lumber, which caused him to bulk up significantly. As a child he would often play-wrestle with other children, and pretend to be great folk heroes of old out in the hills and forests. When he was ten, a tragedy struck his family. His mother and eldest brother were in a fishing boat out in open water, catching various fish for feasting, when a storm suddenly rolled in. It began pushing them further out into sea, and the unsteadiness of the boat caused his eldest brother to fall into the water. His mother immediately dropped the net and dove in after him. After the skies cleared and the waters calmed, Artair discovered the dead body of his mother washed up on shore, his brother coughing but still alive. It was a sight that would never leave him, and he began to heed old sailors' warnings about the supernatural dangers of the seas far more seriously. At age 16, the time came for Artair to become his own man. His father never wanted him to spend the rest of his days stuck on a lumber mill, like he was. Artair's time at the local Dearth and interest in competitive brawling was as good of an occupation as any, though his father told him that he was always welcome back home if he found his passion for fighting to be unsustainable. So, he began to travel, journeying with his Dearth to various locations to battle others. It was during this time that he met the Bloodcast Order, saving a local village in the south from bandits. To see such men and women of honor fighting for no other cause than righteousness was appealing, and though he was a bit older than their typical recruits, they welcomed him into their fold. Ten years of training and squire duty later, he was knighted into the Order, having already earned a reputation for preferring unarmed combat and shield bashing over swords and more proper weapons. He spent another four years in Castle Duurwallis, traveling with his fellow knight to perform good deeds around Regalia. Once a year he made the pilgrimage back to his homeland, visiting his father and siblings for a few weeks to maintain his relationship with his origins. After all, he was a Highland Ceardian through and through, and they were nothing if not true to their own. He could no longer fight with his Dearth, but he did travel with them to their events to act as a peacekeeper and cheer them on, to some of his fellow knights' disapproval. As time passed, he grew restless of the local area. He spoke with non-Ailorians while he relaxed in the Regalian taverns, learning their stories and troubles back home. It seemed that there was just as much evil out in the wide world as there was in Regalia, if not more so. With that thought growing in his mind, he eventually decided to travel the world with a few of his companions, looking to perform deeds of righteousness wherever they may be needed. For the first few years, he journeyed with a company of five. By the eight year, he was all alone, save the occasional companion in local regions. Artair's adventures took him across Corontium, but before the first year came to a close, he had already continued onward to Daen. From Daen, he traveled to Hadaria, then briefly to Sendrass and Oldt Era, where two of his fellow knights were killed before the rest returned home. Now alone, he spent two years in Farah'deen, then two in Essalonia, and finally ended his worldly travels after a troubled excursion into the North Belt. It seems that his bloodline was more prominent there than the red cloak upon his shoulders, and there was only so much he could do to help with Velheim constantly berating and threatening him. He didn't allow himself to grow a grudge against them, simply accepting the reality of his situation and making his return to Regalia in 307 AC. It is said that he avoided a fair amount of major conflicts during his travels, though in truth he played small parts in the Bone Horror Crisis, the Second Songaskian and Elven Wars. He acted as a neutral party, putting an end to small injustices on all sides of the conflict, including but not limited to violence against civilians. Political matters were never his strong suit, so he stayed out of it. Some believe he took part in other conflicts as well, though at the time his crest, the bright red bear rearing upon its hind legs, was not as well known. Regardless, he is an experienced man of many stories. Age may be beginning to take its toll on his body, though it certainly has had no noticeable impact on Artair's battles. If anything, his collective experience has only made him all the more dangerous to those who would dare threaten his ideals.
My application is complete, but I would also like to apply this character as an official member of the Bloodcast Order.
An interesting twist on what I suspected might be a blindly moral-good character, not to mention the well fleshed-out expansion sections. A thoroughly enjoyable read. @Graysworn Approved!
