- Joined
- Feb 5, 2013
- Messages
- 369
- Reaction score
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- Age
- 27
- Location
- Minami-Azabu, Tokyo, Japan
- Full Name: Roland Douglas Amell Blakely
- Age: 34
- Gender: Male
- Race: Ailor (Holsen, New Ceardian)
- Main Ambition: Thrill, glory, and a ship of his own to captain for retirement.
Expanded Background
Current Status
- Already in possession of decent wealth and social connections, Roland is currently hopping between employers, performing odd jobs for any willing payers while taking on mercenary work when time permits.
- Born as a bastard to the Amell family, a minor yet ancient Nordskagger house, Roland was fated to become a fighter from birth. He grew up as a squire to a prolific mercenary company, only gaining practical education out of necessity when out on the road.
- Although Roland's main goals are cumulative and earned over time, he has a plethora of secondary ambitions that are designed to get him there. He has his sights upon titles, good connections, coin, and recognition among others as a world-class warrior.
Skill Information
- School: School of Mariposa
- Level: Expert
- Source: Tutoring from his mentor, before funding his own education at the Mariposa academy itself.
Visual Information
- Eye Color: Dullish Blue
- Hair Color: Tawny
- Hair Style: Cut short, swept to the left.
- Skin Color: Tanned lighter complexion.
- Clothing: Simple and practical, often adorning some piece of armor.
- Height: 178 cm
- Weight: 72 kg
- Body Build: Leaner end of well-built.
- Weapon of Choice: Longsword
Expanded Visual Information
Facial Appearance
- A bard once described Roland's face as 'blunt, stock, and framed with an air of apathy and disinterest in life'. With a raised brow, tired eyes, and a mouth eternally close to a judgemental frown, the man himself considers such a description apt. His face has difficulty expressing pleasant expressions, though sours up with grimaces and intense glares quickly enough. Even his smile looks smug and insincere.
- Standing a few inches of the average height of most northmen, Roland's body is well-proportioned and athletic. Middle age creeps in the distance, however, softening his body's cut as his idle time increases. His limbs are the most prominent features of his build, enjoying powerful wrist and leg muscles to match his lifestyle. Weather and wear has dappled his pale skin with freckles and old sunburns, all focused on his shoulders and upper body. The only remarkable scar on his body is a gnarled burn wound that stretches from his left shoulder to his abdominal; a wound deservingly earned from charging a casting fire mage.
- There's little variation in Roland's clothes beyond leathers, gambesons, and white shirts. He enjoys the color red, believing it compliments his skin tone fabulously. Beyond his clothing, he is completely unremarkable in terms of decoration and doesn't wear any accessories whatsoever.
- Roland's voice and mannerisms match his character; he speaks in a gruff and dismissive manner with a voice that's clear, yet low. He is slow to shout or yell, as his indoor voice can carry across the room effortlessly in a commanding tone. Due to his background, Roland is prone to dropping the first word of his sentences, making it difficult to converse with him without context.
Personality and Abilities
Personality Traits
- Brave - When it counts, Roland is never found wanting in courage. Assured by his own confidence and skills, he is quick to leap into the fray of many dangerous situations; whether or not it's for the sake of vainglory or for the desire to protect others is always unclear. Fortunately, he is never fully blinded by his steadfastness and can identify when discretion is the better part of valor.
- Taciturn - Once somewhat chatty and aggressive, Roland is now far less social and prefers to speak gruffly and to-the-point in consequence of his storied background. It's manifested into a certain steadfastness, one which he prides himself on when dealing with others. This reticence reflects itself on his actions and mannerisms greatly, for he often speaks in shorter sentences or acts in a careful manner when trying situations arise.
- Dismissive - Perceived apathy is Roland's ward. He jumps from subjects and situations with alarming speed, quick to judge what is and isn't worth his precious time. This operative measure has made him surprisingly pacifistic and resolute, often opting for the quickest or most expedient solution to any given problem. Nothing irks him more like an issue that comes back like flies over a corpse.
- Judgmental - As his friends would say, Roland 'would judge a mouse if it dared squeak at him'. He is very quick to label people as this or that, jumping to conclusions about their walk in life. This greatly dictates how he treats people; he is slow to change his opinions on people once they make their impression on him. The way his friends react to new strangers has a strong influence on how he judges others, often leading him to narrow-mindedness.
- Prying and Observant - Something of a scholarly trait in Roland, he is both curious and good at dispelling this curiosity with action. Smells, sights, and sensations come easily to him, and he is slow to forgetting these raw impressions. This has made him an excellent busybody who picks up on the smallest details of both people and places.
- Flighty - The smell of new opportunities is quick to drive Roland away from his responsibilities. There are few things save for friends and affection that can keep him nailed in one place, for he enjoys chasing after new thrills and adventures in spite of his callous exterior. To this end, he is also very quick to losing interest in pursuits, preferring not to be 'bogged down by the daily slog' past a few months. From a professional standpoint, he becomes increasingly unreliable the more time he lingers in a place.
- Defiant - Challenging great obstacles is a habit for Roland, to a distracting degree. He goes out of his way to assert himself over even trivial situations, exerting enough of himself to make an impression on other people even when his presence isn't needed. He further expresses his attitude with wanton disrespect or coy commentary to those he dislikes.
- Unredeeming - It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks, and life has led Roland down a path of no return. He is very slow to learn from mistakes made by his own personality, believing consciously that he is a complete person with no significant need for improvement. This draws rifts and cycles into his fate, always repeating the same challenges and returning to the bottom of the ladder in some way or another.
Strengths
- Master swordsman - The sword is not just a weapon for Roland; it is a conduit to his passion and pride. He is a tempest among breezes, a true master of swordsmanship in his own right. Where a man might swing a blade, Roland performs with it, dazzling any foe with any number of the hundreds of ripostes, strokes, and parries learned through years of effort and retained with talent. Even among knights and renowned warriors, there are few equal to his skill. His exceptional skills only apply to a specific weapon; the longsword. None of his proficiency carries over to any other weapon.
- Emotionally steadfast - Roland is slow to be roused by his emotions, and firm in his courage when danger shows it's face. His ire is only reserved for those he deem to be truly rotten, and is otherwise unaffected by goading or threatening. If there's something to be said or done in wake of a situation or challenge, he is sure to take the initiative.
- Perceptive - Blessed with keen senses from birth, Roland's hearing, smell, and eyesight are all acute and prying. Hushed words and idle conversation seldom pass Roland's ears, and he is quick to catch new scents with a mere whiff. His most pleasant memories always have some kind of smell associated to them, fragrant and pungent both.
Weaknesses
- Inconsistent - Roland is prone to speaking or making decisions that go against his own word. He enjoys convenience more than infallibility, to the point where he often makes exceptions and excuses for poor behavior and performs half-hearted favors 'to make up for it'. Although his principles are solid, they play a sparing influence on most of his dealings.
- Socially narrow-minded - Once someone has made an impression on Roland, it takes a significant event to change his mind. He is extraordinarily difficult to reason with, and is clearly untrusting of most people he meets. This inadaptability cripples any meaningful relationship he has with other people, even nipping potential friendships by the bud when it occurs.
- Egotistical - Without a consistent lifestyle, Roland has developed severe delusions about his walk in life. Even when attempting to be humble, he believes himself to be apart from the average man and treats everyone as so. Disrespect and insincerity therefore come to him from instinct, tainting his emotional connections from others from the get go.
- Poor communicator - Going beyond the fact that Roland drops words from his sentences habitually, he has great difficulty in expressing himself and often confuses or misleads others mistakenly. Most of his telegraphed emotions appear on his already placid face before his words, and therefore makes it famously puzzling to eke out his intentions by a mere impression.
- Ruined Left Hand - During the final hours of the Lo Occupation, Roland suffered a mace wound while escorting fellow revolutionaries through the streets. Following a brusque encounter with a healer, he returned home to sleep through the rest of the occupation. When he awoke, he found his left hand unreliable to wield things alone, now lacking sensation in half of his hand. He cannot wield heavy things with his left, and has trouble forcing it to function.
Extended Personality and Abilities
Skills
- Adept Horseman - Roland is more than competent with a horse thanks to his limited time as a cavalryman within the Radiant Sons company. He has a certain knack over larger horses, often able to eke out a little more stamina or speed with well-timed urging.
- Good Actor - For some peculiar reason, Roland is uncanny with the art of mumming, especially using his voice and improvising. When removed from his own facade, Roland can easily play all kinds of roles given that he doesn't use his facial expressions more than his tone.
- Decent Performer - During the extent of an odd bodyguarding contract, Roland learned three important skills for making a certain impression; playing the lute, singing and dancing. Although pleasant to behold, Roland's style of music isn't very inspired.
- Languages - Common, Ithanais
Talent
- There is no denying that Roland's talents truly lie with the sword. From a young age, he has been drawn to the use of the weapon and has a mastered his grasp over the art over the years. While he may not be a particularly enterprising teacher, he is both adaptive and humble in regards to its study. Were he to lose, he would write up the tricks that defeated him and take them on his own. This humility does not carry over to his actual conduct in battle, as showy and acrobatic as it can be.
- The Ithanian Countryside - While Roland hails from the bleak lands of Nordskag, his heart's home is in the lands of his upbringing in Ithania. Beyond it being the site of his childhood, the land is also a beautiful home for fine wine and art, along with comically exaggerated personas of the Ithanais people.
- Complaining - Growing past the glory of youth and nearing his middle ages has soured Roland's already bleak outlook on life. He enjoys running his mouth about things that irritated him, often beneath his breath or through indignant remarks at any who may be listening.
- Making and spending money - What's the mercenary's life without possibly irresponsible use of hard-earned coin? Roland always thinks with his purse in mind, carefully blurring the lines between what's good for his conscious and what benefits his wallet.
- Regalia - Dedication to his new home city (along with a mutual affection for the city with a lover) has deepened his adoration for Regalia. He does his best to keep the city together in honor of all that he's gained and lost while living within.
- Sadism - People who harm and kill in contempt for others are the most deplorable people in Roland's eyes. Barring his own ironic profession from his perspective, he has a special hatred for people who stoop to killing or torturing without reasons.
- Mages and magic - Magic is an untrustworthy practice of demonic power, and mages are reckless psychopaths who harm others in their pursuit for knowledge. Or at least, that's what Roland's thoughts tend to jump to when faced with a magic user in the wild. It takes years of friendship for him to see past a person's involvement with the arcane arts. While he may overlook a mage's value in his machinations, he is slow to trust and will never rely on one.
- Opium, cigars, tabacca - Breathing smoke; Roland doesn't see nor appreciate the appeal. He finds the increasingly popular hobby a filthy habit for those who have nothing better to do with their fingers, and never fails to kick up a small fuss against any smokers if they happen to be smoking in the same enclosed space as he.
Relationships
The Amell Family - In spite of his bastard status, Roland has a very pleasant bond with his original family. While his father, Olmar, has passed, Roland is still privy to visiting his mother and half-siblings who have become much closer thanks to practiced familiarity. Among all of them, he is closest to his stepmother Dymesna, who is startlingly similar to Roland in terms of personality.
Keira Blakely, Mother - Roland will forever resent his mother, an utterly irresponsible woman from whom Roland has inherited his flightiness and unreliable tendencies. To his knowledge, Keira is still 'adventuring' across the face of Aloria with her own family, still harboring some guilt for abandoning Roland as a child.
Winnefred Barescript - Roland's closest confidante and friend, Winnefred has been steadfast throughout all of his exploits in Regalia. He currently searches for her, convinced that she has fallen into trouble since the coming of the Undead.
Sigurna Wodenstaff - Siggy is, for lack of a better wording, Roland's one and only love interest. He absolutely detests the fact that he's fallen for someone, yet her wit and beauty never fails to topples his convictions.
Conrad Cole - Another one of Roland's close friends, he's a constant drinking companion. The elf is only as trustworthy as far as one can spit, sadly.
William Coen - An old comrade in arms who Roland bonded with during their captivity in the Regalia-Masaya War. William has changed greatly since they first met, to the point where Roland isn't sure if he's the same man that he had fought side by side with.
Ulric Typhonus - Old employer, now distrusted and wary.
Tristan Lampero - Old employer, now a friendly face and a trusty reference.
Jared Kade - Current employer.
Rahwon Yeridyl - Old friend, now embittered acquaintances. A disjointed love was shared between the two at different times.
Eira Sorenvik - Current charge for investigation and protection. Roland carefully steps around this woman, taking care not to declare his loyalty while attempting to stay cordial.
The Other Sorenviks - Cold, distant, and possibly enemies.
Jadex Aeron - Annoying, yet endearing acquaintance.
Ally Reid - Old co-workers, now friendly acquaintance.
The Barlowes - Old employers. Only Hrothwulf seems to remember Roland.
Keira Blakely, Mother - Roland will forever resent his mother, an utterly irresponsible woman from whom Roland has inherited his flightiness and unreliable tendencies. To his knowledge, Keira is still 'adventuring' across the face of Aloria with her own family, still harboring some guilt for abandoning Roland as a child.
Winnefred Barescript - Roland's closest confidante and friend, Winnefred has been steadfast throughout all of his exploits in Regalia. He currently searches for her, convinced that she has fallen into trouble since the coming of the Undead.
Sigurna Wodenstaff - Siggy is, for lack of a better wording, Roland's one and only love interest. He absolutely detests the fact that he's fallen for someone, yet her wit and beauty never fails to topples his convictions.
Conrad Cole - Another one of Roland's close friends, he's a constant drinking companion. The elf is only as trustworthy as far as one can spit, sadly.
William Coen - An old comrade in arms who Roland bonded with during their captivity in the Regalia-Masaya War. William has changed greatly since they first met, to the point where Roland isn't sure if he's the same man that he had fought side by side with.
Ulric Typhonus - Old employer, now distrusted and wary.
Tristan Lampero - Old employer, now a friendly face and a trusty reference.
Jared Kade - Current employer.
Rahwon Yeridyl - Old friend, now embittered acquaintances. A disjointed love was shared between the two at different times.
Eira Sorenvik - Current charge for investigation and protection. Roland carefully steps around this woman, taking care not to declare his loyalty while attempting to stay cordial.
The Other Sorenviks - Cold, distant, and possibly enemies.
Jadex Aeron - Annoying, yet endearing acquaintance.
Ally Reid - Old co-workers, now friendly acquaintance.
The Barlowes - Old employers. Only Hrothwulf seems to remember Roland.
Life Story
Childhood (0-7)
>Roland is born, bastard son of Olmar Amell to a traveling bard named Keira Blakely. Keira leaves soon after bearing the child.
>Olmar is forced to marry another Nordskagger noble to gain support from the Fydderling family against an oncoming feud against the Nielson clan.
>Dysna Fydderling marries into the Amell family, producing Elinor Amell within a year.
>Keira Blakely's brother and a retainer for Olmar's troops, Branton, forges a close bond with baby Roland.
Squirehood (8-16)
>The feud between the Amells and the Nielson families end.
>Branton resigns from his martial services, and brings 8 years old Roland along with him. He returns to his old mercenary company, the Radiant Sons, and signs Roland up as a squire.
>Branton and Florian du Palais, on-and-off lovers and comrades-in-arms, take an active role in raising Roland to be a savvy mercenary.
>Roland murders his first man at the age of 12; another squire not much older than he who was quarreling with him. With Branton's help, they hide the body and barely glaze over the incident.
>Keira tracks Roland down and meets him. Roland instantly dislikes his mother and begins his lifelong resentment of her.
>To cheer Roland up, Branton hires him a prostitute. This creates a trend of emotional immaturity from a lack of long-term affection in any relationships.
>Roland begins to learn the daunting steps towards Mariposa fencing from his mentor Florian, who is a proud graduate of the school.
Sellsword (16-22)
>Roland is initiated into the light cavalry unit of the Radiant Sons at the age of 16.
>Branton is slain during a skirmish between two Hivres.
>Roland rouses his friends in the company to lead a nighttime raid on enemy mercenaries in revenge for Branton. This begins a string of commendable and recognized activity for Roland.
>Du Palais overthrows the old Radiant Sons leader, placing himself as grandmaster and controversially appointing Roland as an officer.
>Roland plays politics in the company by sending many of his rivals into a risky position unknowingly by parting his part of the flank in two to create a killing box for his foes. It is successful, leaving many of those at odds with him dead and achieving a staggering victory for himself.
>The tactics employed by Roland is seen as some fluke of tactical genius, propelling him into the role of commander by the age of 19.
>Roland tires of the mercenary life after a particularly climatic campaign, and negotiates severance from the company to start his life elsewhere.
>Roland pays his way into the School of Mariposa where he spends two years attaining Warrior-level proficiency in his Mariposa training.
Agent (24-29)
>Roland moves to the New Ceardian states, hoping to find a cushy job as hired muscle for some Dormin beer baron.
>After reluctantly playing as a bounty hunter for various Dormin merchants, Roland is finally under suspicion for various murders. With the aid of sympathetic friends, Roland flees Dormin.
>Wandering through Silver Shores gives Roland a certain distrust and resentment for vampires and mages, as he had crossed many on his way south.
>Roland finally arrives in Caliphene after a harrowing journey through the unkempt wilderness of the Shores, and quickly finds himself embroiled in city politics.
>Having found employment as a bodyguard for a Caliphene oligarch, Roland is quickly re-enveloped by the bounty hunter life, though with much less trouble.
>Enjoying two years of steady work and good pay, Roland's patron is found murdered and he becomes the prime suspect. He escapes with the skin of his teeth, relying on the few friends he had made while in Ashanna and Meressa.
>Roland spends the better part of a year slowly making his way back to Ithania by hopping ships. He takes the occasional contract from various Regalian provinces.
>Roland undergoes a harrowing contract that turns into a gauntlet of combat between many foes. After suffering through an hour of non-stop combat, he finally enters a climatic duel with an elder man who happened to be a Mariposa fencer. Roland loses and barely escapes, though this marks his entry into Expert level as a fencer in respects to his survival.
>With little else to do besides continue with his work, he returns to selling his sword all across the Western Continents. He was often put in employ of private, small operations.
>Roland meets and saves his cousin, Olly, during a battle of cunning and wits against the latter's old gang, the Four Fingers Gang.
Regalian (31-33)
>Roland arrives in Regalia, hoping to worm his way into politics on a whim and work towards an early retirement.
>After serving the Santorskis and then the Florianis, the city of Regalia falls under the Qadir occupation.
>The Regalia-Masaya War breaks out. Roland serves under Regalia's army, but is struck down during a battle. He is held captive for two months.
>Roland returns to Regalia following it's occupation, then saves a band of slaves and starts the Crownguard Rebellion.
>Roland and his new friends work for months to prepare a mass rebellion by recruiting and smuggling.
>Roland leads a revolt against the Qadir, where his fellow rioters attempted to set a fiery barricade that would bar the Qadir from a large portion of the city. Mages use the fire as a conduit and begin to burn down the harbor district. Three thousand men and women die on his watch, and the blame is placed upon him.
>The Greygate Castle is occupied on Roland's command. He is arrested three days later by returning imperial authorities.
>Roland and the Crownguard Rebellion is charged with rebuilding the Harbor District.
>Finishing his part of the reconstruction after a grueling three months, Roland turns to selling his sword again. He joins the Windvale company.
>Under the behest of Ulric Typhonus, Roland serves as an agent for the Regalian authorities within the sewers.
>Roland embroils himself in a sewer war between the Windvale and the Kindred, leading an assault against them during a climactic point in the conflict.
>Roland is contacted by the Witch Hunter Order for his work, and serves briefly hunting down mages in secret.
>Disturbed by all of his actions, Roland leaves Regalia and returns to the Western Continents for a few months. He returns to Regalia briefly to participate in a Winter Tournament, winning his bout but losing his reward due to his reputation.
>Roland serves various Daenshore authorities as a sellsword during the tyrannical reign of Andrieu Anahera.
>Roland returns to Regalia after Andrieu passes away, purchasing a small home and sinking some of his solid assets within the city. He leaves for more work on the behalf of Tristan Lampero's Behemoth Order out to the Western Continents.
>On the onset of the Undead Apocalypse, Roland escapes by the skin of his teeth to Regalia. He searches for his friends, many who are missing after all this time.
>The Freya Lo occupation occurs, where he leads a small underground resistance within the city. He orchestrates the rescue of several key council members, and continues to contribute to eroding the Lo administration's influence.
>Roland joins the final push towards the Lo palace, but suffers a bone-shattering mace wound to his hand. After being hastily healed (though improperly), he left back home and slept through the rest of the occupation.
>As thanks from General von Treppewitz, the ship Windraker is signed over to Roland's name.
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