[hider=Varzhul] [B]Name:[/b] Varzhul [B]Age:[/b] 26 [B]Gender:[/b] Male [B]Species:[/b] Human [B]Physical Description:[/b] [INDENT] Lean, wiry and compact, Varzhul isn’t an intimidating figure to look upon as most dismiss his lighter frame and shorter stature of 5’7 as portraying a lack of strength. Upon closer examination, the tell-tale signs of a conditioned body begin to appear through subtle hints of muscular definition and an absence of fat on his frame. His hair is close cropped and brown, resembling little more than a fuzzy covering for the top of his head along rough stubble encroaching over his face. A slender, hawklike nose sits perched above a pair of thin, strip-like lips and overseen by a pair of grey, seemingly lifeless eyes. Varzhul’s body has been tempered and tarnished by a life of both violence and transience with a hint of weatherworn features and the creased outlines of scars on his body. While most are relatively minor nicks and cuts that did little more than blemish his skin, three scars stand out as indicators of significant trauma. One run diagonally across his chest, a jagged affair where an axe broke his guard, the second; a clean stab wound on the right of his lower back where a knife was plunged from a coward’s act and finally a large circular blot on his left quad where a javelin once found purchase. [/INDENT] [B]Skillset:[/b] [INDENT] As with any of the children raised by Brand, Varzhul is trained in woodcraft and survival; being more than adept at finding food, shelter and water along with being able use it as a refuge in times of strife. However he never embraced the use of ranged weapons, preferring the feel of a blade in his hand albeit he did relent to learning to hunt with the bow. His true specialty lay in his ambidexterity, agility and speed which he put into becoming a student of the blade. Under Brand’s tutelage and guidance, along with a strong dose of innovation, Varzhul created a fighting style with twin short swords to incorporate his strongest traits into one fighting style. Reminiscent of Elvish swordsmanship, he incorporated the grace and serenity of the elder race with the flowing movements of a duelist. It is a style developed both under and away from Brand; ever adapting and shifting, it draws inspiration from a myriad of sources encountered during his wanderings. The most notable inclusion to its roots was that of the use of a reverse grip, developed after Varzhul watched one of the warrior monks of Khartool fight off a bastard-sword wielding mercenary with naught but a dagger. Varzhul is also an experienced horseman with skills developed from spending nearly a decade in the saddle both travelling and fighting from horseback. [/INDENT] [B]History:[/b] [INDENT] A boy born as the bastard child of a bandit and a captive woman, who was so malnourished she perished in birth; Varzhul , named Rork by his father, was born into a life of evil and hardship. His father cared little for his offspring; were it not for the spiteful whims of the bandit chieftain he would’ve been left to the wolves by his father. Beaten and derided by his father from when he could walk, there was little kindness to be found in the camp, even from the other captured who saw him as little more than the offspring of cruelty. This upbringing nurtured only hate and anger in the boy, who began to take after his own farther and the other bandits, terrorising captives and torturing animals. He seemed destined for a life of vagrancy and banditry until the fates intervened when a company of soldiers besieged the camp. In the ensuing battle and chaos, Varzhul managed to escape the burning camp into the foreboding darkness as a lonely six year old boy. He was found fevered and famished, on the verge of slipping into death’s cold embrace when Brand found him as a grimy, malnourished boy collapsed in the woods. Despite the kindness shown by Brand and the other adopted children of Brann, hate and anger was all that had grown in his heart which tainted his actions in his first few years. He was a trouble maker and often disciplined by the older man, although the kindness of Brand’s heart eventually warmed his own; near the end of the time he could’ve been described as friendly. He was given the name Varzhul from the stitching left on the tattered clothes he’d been wearing at the time and embraced it over the tainted legacy of his birth name. Whilst being educated by Brand, he wasn’t particularly enamoured with learning to use a bow or other variation of a ranged weapon. Woodcraft and survivalism was tolerated but Varzhul left his committed and love for learning the use of a sword. He was one of the best of Brand’s pupils with a blade, albeit relatively unpopular due to his somewhat gruff and unfriendly demeanour. By the time he came of age at 16, he was still aloof but much more psychologically balanced than when he first arrived at Brand’s cabin. He set out to make his mark with basic provisions, a light coin pouch and two blades at his side. He moved from job to job, never settling over the years but always learning and experiencing the world. He found employment as many of the wandering men of violence did in the world, as a bodyguard, mercenary and caravan guard. This kaleidoscopic range of employment lead him around most of the known world, seeing exotic sights and experiencing a variety of cultures. He moved on to form a mercenary group with some of his old comrades some four years ago, finding increased success from working on his own. The company went from strength to strength, until it took a contract to fight against a foreign tyrant. The majority of the company was wiped out when they were ambushed and massacred with the rest of the rebel force which had been plagued with spies and double agents. He barely escaped from the fight with his chest split open and a knife in his back and with almost everyone he knew left dead in a field of blood. Fleeing the tyrant’s wrath he moved from town to town, eventually seeking refuge with the warrior monks of Khartool. After a few months, a message arrived for him; its contents only pain and sorrow.[/INDENT] [B]Psychological Profile:[/b] [INDENT] Varzhul could only be described as cold and Machiavellian; never particularly friendly or close to the vast majority of people in the world, his interaction is usually business or as required. An introverted soul, he closely manages his emotions; oftentimes appearing cold and harsh to those around him but below the layers of emotional control, the scarred remains of his abusive childhood remain. He generally tries not to provoke violence in the world, preferring to keep to himself until the situation requires he return with violence. He does however, harbour a secret desire to leave some sort of legacy in the world despite his apathetic attitude to much of it. Finally he is unafraid of manipulating or using people to achieve his ambitions, seeing most people are little more than pawns in a large game.[/INDENT] [B]Equipment:[/b] [list][*] Two steel short swords [*]Light hunting bow [*]A large hunting knife [*]Studded leather armour [*]Black travelling cloak [*]Longsword kept on his horse for horseback fighting [*]Large black warhorse [*]Various travelling provisions [/list] [/hider]