Basic Information Maciel Castanara is a 37 year old male Ailor. He belongs to the Ceardian culture. Maciel is the fourth child of Aston Castanara II and Justine Castanara. He was born on 266 A.C. and was born in New Ceardia. He has seven siblings, three older ones by the names of Aston the 3rd (42), Kristoff (40), Brielle (38), and four younger ones by the names of Genevieve (35), Yvette (30), Mikhael (30), and Josef (28). He has several nieces and nephews, but no children of his own. They all currently still live in New Ceardia. Mac currently lives in one of the flat apartments of the poor district in Regalia, in a cramped living quarters near the poor district canals. While currently working odd jobs and doing whatever he can for money, Mac hopes to one day get a steady, permanent position as a bodyguard for a Noble family to gain a steady flow of income. Visual Information Body Description Standing at 6’4, Maciel has a muscular build from years of physical labor. Most of his strength lies within his shoulders and arms from long days of woodwork and manual labor. This muscle brings his weight to around 202 lbs, and his build remains firm largely around his torso. While his legs are not as strong, they are sturdy to bear his weight, bearing a bit of muscle of their own. He’s missing the tip of his middle finger on his left hand from an accident as a teenager. Maciel has a naturally light skin tone, but he usually sports a medium tan from outside work and his preference for the outdoors. He has a few various small nicks and scars across his body, largely from various odd jobs he’s taken and gotten a bit banged up and scraped on. Mac has a thin trail of dark hair across his pectoral muscles, fading as it moves downwards to his stomach, where it picks up again in a thin trail across his the muscles of his stomach, below his navel and down into his pants line. Head Description With distinctly sharp features, Maciel may sometimes come off as intimidating. His angular face peeks into a curve of rounded jawbone leading to a clefted, but defined chin. His cheekbones are high, and his nose is straight, with a slight upturn at the very tip. His narrow features give him a somewhat “gaunt” appearance. Mac’s eyes are a vivid, forest green. His expression usually comes off as intense due to his sharp features, but an air of general, solemn quietness usually permeates his natural life. While he may not necessarily be unhappy, he has a reserved nature. Maciel wears his dark hair in a shaggy style around his head-- it isn’t rare to find spikes of hair cast over his forehead and brow. Accompanying this, he has sideburns that stretch to his jawline, often with a smattering of scruff across his jaw and chin. Rather than completely shaving, he keeps it trimmed at this length. Mac wears two earrings in his right ear, both of which are of a golden color. He has no other facial markings, piercings, or deformities. Clothing and Accessories Mac prefers nondescript, darker clothing. He is often seen with a dark brown, nearly black tunic tied at a v-cut at his collarbone. He ties the tunic with a belt at his hips, and wears a softer brown set of breeches that tuck into black boots about half-way up his calves. His other clothing would be in the Coen families style. Occasionally for more dangerous situations, he has shoulder and arm guards that serve as mild protection, but no further armor. Other than the two earrings sported in his left ear, which have no special meaning to them, Mac wears no significant accessories. Behavior Information Personality Traits Reserved: Maciel does not often go out of his way to speak in conversations, preferring the role of the ear rather than the mouth. While this comes off as him being generally a quiet, intimidating figure, he learns more by listening than he does speaking. Judgmental: Quick to judge and one to do so harshly, Mac does not waver on his opinions easily. He tends to be very critical of people who strike a wrong first impression. It’s difficult to get on his good side once he’s passed a judgement on someone, but it’s actually quite easy to get on his bad side. Hardworking: With a work ethic rivalling the most determined beaver making a dam, he will never falter at the task at hand. Whether it’s simply manual labor or working to protect someone as hired muscle, he sees tasks through the end with no wavering and rarely any complaint. Observant: Mac has a sharp eye for detail, though he’s particularly skilled at reading people’s actions and words. Perhaps from his childhood full of siblings of surrounding ages, Mac is attuned to knowing when fights will break out, or when someone is trying to get something out of him. Callous: When Maciel does speak, it tends to be rather blunt. He doesn’t often elaborate on things he sees as useless information, or gossip. Rather than trying to pepper his words with flattery or description, he can usually get what’s on his mind out in around two sentences or less. This often comes off as rudeness, though he doesn’t see the point in disguising his opinion. Secretive: Because of how often he sees information as unimportant to others, he tends to hold any knowledge he gain under lock and key-- it’s difficult to get further information out of him. He’s likely the best person to know one’s secrets, as unless tortured or bribed to, he won’t spill them. Jealous: From his almost impoverished background, Mac is unused to the amount of wealth some Regalians display. He is more than mildly envious of this wealth, and how people tend to display their money without much modesty should they have the funds to do so. He’s likely to become jealous should someone display their prestige, hence his drive to work and horde his own coin to some day match that wealth. Cynical: Tying in with his callous nature, Mac has a very cynical view of the world. Essentially he thinks poorly of most people, often believing the worst of a situation will likely happen, or having a poor attitude in his quiet nature in general should anyone bother to speak with him or try to push him for responses when he did not initiate a conversation himself. Likes Loud, bustling rooms: While he does not speak much himself, Mac enjoys the ability to quietly listen to conversations going on around him. Due to him being observant, he likes to observe people's conversations and the gist of what is going on around him. Dogs: Mac simply sees them as loyal beasts that could do things on command if properly taught. He doesn't hold affection or love to dogs at all, but sees them simply as something that could be used for labor and work. Such as warding off people or alerting whenever there is someone nearby his home. Money: Due to him living in hard conditions during his childhood and teen years, Mac is used to doing odd jobs for Regals to earn a small living. He found a great and intense liking for money, hiding it from his siblings when he was smaller. Mac sees money as something that he’s able to work for properly. Maciel would do any odd jobs just to earn money. Forgery: Maciel seems forgery as something beautiful and unique. He enjoys staring at the anvils and forgery, sometimes hanging around in the Coen's forgery. During his past times, Mac admires the swords and maces that are crafted by anyone. To him, it's a very delicate and unique thing. Not only does it look rather pleasing but it can also be used during battles and become a tool that one can wield. Training: Maciel enjoys training since he finds it rather amusing and fun. He likes to both participate in them and watch people train, sometimes picking up a tip or two. Maciel is untrained so he only bashes people with weapons instead of actually using tactics. Due to this, he has tried to work hard and train. Soup: While Mac does enjoy food and a good drink, his favorite would be soup. He is very much fond of any soup. It's hard for him to get soup everyday so it's more of a treat for him instead of everyday supper. Recently however, Maciel has gotten a job at Mama's soupery, allowing him to eat a bit more than usual. Men and Women: He finds them both equally attractive and doesn't mind being with whichever gender. Maciel is secretive however about relationships because he is afraid of gay scandals breaking out, considering how homophobic people could be in Regalia. He tends to just be quiet. Mac goes both ways. Dislikes The Lazy: Maciel dislikes the lazy, simply because he seems them as some sort of fat sloths or people who are a slob. Mac could be seen as a person with much diligence and works hard. He tries his best not to slack off or procrastinate with tasks or jobs, even though it is very tempting. Rats: Infestations of rats aggravates Mac due to them giving off very annoying repetitive sounds of them chittering or making skittering noises. Not only that but they also give off a bad and pungent smell which disgusts Maciel. He finds them nothing but to be annoyance and finds absolutely nothing adorable about them. Tigrans: He finds these cats as awfully savage and feral. Maciel would only stay away from them or either picked a fight with a small Tigran as he doesn't want to get into a fight with a large Tigran. Mac generally tends to only look down on them as he believes that they'll spread like an infestations of cats. The same goes to Thylans, but he tends to like them slightly more than Tigrans, only because of their resemblance to dogs. Qadirs: After seeing the destruction that they have done to Regalia, he has a taste for their blood. Of course, he won't attack any of them randomly but will always feel a strong hate towards them. Mac is racist to them, to the point where he will refuse to help them or provide his own services to them. Naylar: Maciel recently had a run-in with a Naylar in the prison. Him and Thurinor had a hard time subduing the lizard and it caused plenty of trouble for them, to the point where it almost blew him and Thurinor up. To this day, Maciel greatly frowns upon them and has a great distaste for them. Thinking that they're all just scaly bastards that don't belong in Regalia. Another time would be when a Naylar once murdered his daughter. From then on, Maciel had absolutely hate them. Having fits of rage whenever he sees one nearby. Gluttony: This awfully disgusts Mac, which he isn't sure why. Seeing an act of gluttony has always disturbed him and bothered him an awful lot. He thinks that a gluttonous person is a waste and is greedy. Though Mac tends to be greedy, he tries to not overindulge himself with food and other things that could cause gluttony. Abilities and Disabilities Strengths Raw Power: Mac’s well built form gives him a reservoir of strength for lifting as well as the ability to display a brutish power should it be needed for combat. This strength gives him force behind his hits, whether he be chopping lumber or chopping limbs. His frame is ideal for work in lumberyards, shipyards, or personal protection services, giving him a wide range of options for employment. Self-Assured: Mac is incredibly emotionally strong, with a high level of confidence in his own actions and commitments. He believes strongly in his own abilities, despite his cynical thoughts, and his self-assurance is one of his strongest mental characteristics due to the unmoving, firm conviction he has in himself and his ethics. Excellent Memory: While he may not be well educated, or know much beyond basic reading, Mac has a near perfect memory. Often resourceful in remembering faces, names, or conversations, it attributes to his focus on mental strength more than spoken word. Weaknesses Intimidating Form: Due to his tall stature and physical form, it is difficult for him to disguise himself in crowds or otherwise go unnoticed. With his somewhat gruff appearance and nature, he also comes off as intimidating, which generally makes people either fearful of him, or too discouraged from actually speaking, forcing him to interact with them rather than simply listening. Stubborn: Maciel’s stubbornness has often landed him in trouble when his self-confidence interferes with dealings with others. Once he has made up his mind, it’s difficult to sway his decision, which often leaves a foul taste in the mouths of those who cannot convince him otherwise. Slow: Rather than skill or weapons that take formal training, Mac is only good at open-interpreted weapons that rely on physical strength to use. He has no formal combat training, therefore he has no skill with bows or other “manually operated” weapons that aren’t simply swung to crush. However, Mac had recently started to take sparring lessons and lessons from Alistair Coen to prepare for the upcoming war and from guard training. Combat Styles Brute Strength: While Maciel may have his strength on his side, he doesn’t particularly have a trained fighting style. He tends to brawl best with his bare fists in a less serious fight, though should things become dangerous, he’ll often reach for whatever can be used for a weapon and generally use it to bludgeon his foe, relying on the brutish muscle to literally beat his enemy down. Weapons of Choice Usually, Maciel uses his fists in a fight, considering Regalia’s “No Weapons” laws. He often carries his lumber axe with him to work should it be required, and if necessary, it can be used as a weapon as well. Since the war is upcoming, Maciel has favored the war hammer due to impact it can make on the human body. Mac simply likes it because it could damage because of the blunt force, without penetrating armor which tends to cause swords or other sharp weapons to ricochet. Relationships Family: Maciel’s relationship with his father can be said to be nonexistent. A man not particularly fond of anything, his father’s idea of children were easily produced farmworkers. His mother was often too absorbed with tending to whatever child happened to be newest and youngest in the family, which ended up with him simply being passed on to older siblings to tend to once a child was born after him. His relationship with his siblings, like all the ones between the rest of them, has been considerably hostile with constant tension and rivalries. William Coen: Maciel once saw William as a man that he had to simply serve. Now he sees William as a brother/close friend that he must protect in case danger comes in their way. While Mac serves him as his liebegarde, he also serves him as a friend and is loyal. - @BillyTheScroofy Juaquin Diaz: Tristan Lampero: He's a rather admirable man, to Maciel. One of the few reasons why Maciel likes him is simply because his claymore gave off a first good impression. Mac does enjoy looking at swords and all sorts of weapons crafted by a forge. Maciel sees him as a friend. - @SupremeCripple Harmless Darikon: Maciel remembers having to kick him out of the soupery for starting to freak out about getting fired by Mama. He doesn't understand why someone would cause an outburst that loud but doesn't seem to care much for him. Maciel considers him rather irrelevant and decides to ignore him for the time being. Jeraud Ithildin-Drossier: There is a thick sense of dissatisfaction with Jeraud. Maciel is horribly irritated with him after an incident at the soupery of insults being exchanged and found his behavior to be unacceptable in the presence of a noble. Should Maciel run into Jeraud again, he'll perhaps either ignore him or speak a strong word or two. - @Posidem Mama Morbash: Maciel has never been able to connect to his own biological mother. Instead, Maciel sees Mama as some sort of aunt. It's possible that he sees her as some sort of mother but it's hard for him to see an orc as his mother. While he doesn't take this literally but he has a very friendly relation with Mama and continues to gladly work at her soupery. The taste of her soup that she served left a wildly good impression on him. - @TheScruffyLJ Dianne Coen: Maciel feels somewhat bad for Dianne and William's relation with each other. He is very used to siblings snapping at each other but does not like seeing Dianne being so sad afterwards. He decided to try to cheer up the woman and plans to talk to her. Mac sees her as only a shallow friend. - @darkarely Alistair Coen: He never had time to bond with Alistair but sees him being an exact replica of William. Maciel appreciates Alistair offering sparring and training lessons to him, however and sees him as some sort of friend/mentor. He plans on talking to Alistair more. - @Woodwork Life Story Birth Maciel was born in the early morning hours of the first day of planting season in 266 A.C in New Ceardia. The night was spent with his mother alone with the midwife so that his father, Aston, would not be weary for the planting the next morning. As Maciel was the fourth child by now, with two sons already healthy at five and three, his father was hardly concerned with complications from the birth of another child. Reproduction was for all intents and purposes was to gain more farmhands to till the small family settlement, and when the sun rose, Aston gave a brief check in on his wife and took his oldest son to begin learning to work the land, ushering Mac into a world of domestic apathy and vying conflict for any attention from his parents. Settled close to the birth of his older sister Brielle, she was weaned quickly as he started suckling, something she never forgave him for, and it was not uncommon to find the toddler patronizing her infant brother, until her vengeance moved to the next-born child, Genevieve, upon the younger sister’s birth. Childhood As uneventful as his birth, when he reached the age of five, he was dragged along with his brothers to every planting season. While his small hands were nearly useless at this point to assist in the actual labor, but his father was insistent upon having him and his brothers learn to work as early as possible, causing conflict between all of them in the fight for their father’s approval; rewards for gaining Aston’s attention generally included an extra portion at the tight pursed meals that barely fed the ever-expanding family. The family’s method of barely scraping by caused more than a few fights between all of the siblings growing up, with the girl’s battling as fiercely as their brothers due to the hostile competition in the household; getting a sibling in trouble often meant that sibling went without dinner, which meant just a bit more food for those who went unscathed and unscolded for the day. Backstabbings and tattling to their tired mother or cold-natured father were not uncommon, and it was in self-preservation to prevent himself from getting in trouble often that Mac developed his quiet nature. He primarily began speaking only to rat one of his siblings out, and to request the occasional reading lesson from his father to read the Scriptures of Unionism, the only book in the house. It was these lessons that gave him the basic idea on how to read and write. Teenage Years By the time he was fourteen, all of the siblings he was intended to have had been borne, and work was daily done about the farm and house between all of them. It was at this age that his mother, body strained from the effects of eight pregnancies over the course of just under twenty years, fell ill and passed away in their small three bedroom home. This left the girls squabbling over who would assume power over the household manners. His father made quick work of managing the issue, marrying off the then 15 year old Brielle to a local butcher, and allowing the 13 year old Genevieve to loom her newfound power over her younger sisters- and to an extent, even over her older brothers. She now controlled the food portioning of the house, something which their father seemed to not care about as long as his own was unaffected. It was during this period that Mac learned to cook the greens he could sometimes filch from the field when his father wasn’t looking, hiding them in a pouch under the lining of his pants, under the pretense of cutting more wood for the family fireplaces. At this age he hit a drastic growth spurt, his thieving of food from the family fields giving him enough nutrition to grow adequately in comparison to his brothers. It was his later teenage years that he earned the name “Big Mac” for his height compared to his siblings, and when he was eighteen he began earning a few Regals on the side by cutting wood for the locals after nightfall, working late hours to scrape together what money he had. Often burying it in the nearby woods so his siblings wouldn’t steal it from him. Continuing to live in the increasingly cramped family home as the rest of the seven other than the married off Brielle all grew, the hostile as volatile and tense as ever under the firm hand of their father, Maciel finally decided to leave the town once he managed to save enough to pay his passage to travel when he turned twenty four. Adulthood Upon leaving his home, Mac found himself caught in wanderlust. He often worked odd jobs to pay his passage for sleep and food in inns, anywhere from tending animals to cleaning areas and chopping wood. On occasion he took up arms to defend caravans and traders in need of raw muscle. His large form worked well in ensuring he always had the ability to do some sort of manual labor, and it wasn’t often that he went hungry. However, with this nearly vagrant lifestyle he was never able to save more than a few Regals for his next set of clothing, or his next meal, which he viewed as only a small downfall to his travelling. At the time, he was still in New Ceardia, until he managed to get a job as a shiphand. Working as a shiphand occasionally to get him to travel from continent to continent, such as Ellador and variety of other places. Places such as Fendarfell, Nordskag, and Arlora. He picked up small fragments of a few languages but never enough to speak anything fluently, never taking interest in anything more than short jobs. As he grew older he found himself tiring of travel, and in his mid thirties he decided to find a place to stay on a more long term basis, deciding finally on the city of Regalia. As a place that spoke primarily a tongue he was familiar with, and surely a place that could always use a worker to do some sort of labor, he set in wait until the siege of the Holy City was over, finally taking a small transport boat to it as a worker to start his new plans on “settling down.” After purchasing a small flat in the poor district, paying his rent ahead a few months, he set out and began looking for work.
I will be reviewing this character application! Cutting in line a bit due to participation in the Qadir war.
@NariA7x I really enjoy reading about mercenary-like characters like these. Apply these few edits and I'll gladly approve this character application. In the very first sentence, please state which culture Maciel belongs to. In the second bullet point, please mention Maciel's birth place, year of birth, and the whereabouts of Maciel's relatives. Being a fairly muscular individual at the height of 6'4, 182 pounds is an unrealistic weight for him. I would advise adding 15-25 pounds to it. Although not a major problem, I'd like you to keep swear words in character applications to a minimum. In the paragraph about how he dislikes rats, perhaps "upset" or such would be more suitable. In the life story, I would like you to add the place Maciel was born in, where he grew up, and where he passed through during his travels.
