[b]Name[/b]: Malkai
[b]Age/Gender[/b]: 31/Male

[b]Appearance[/b]: 

[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/zDPmc2w.jpg[/img][/center]

[b]Personality[/b]: Malkai is a strong-willed individual with his own code of honor. Often stubborn and determined, but also naive and petty. Malkai can be a kind man who will come to the aid of others without cause or reason, but he's also quick to anger and slow to calm. While he doesn't consider himself such, he often acts out of idealistic heroic notions, risking life and limb for himself or others for no reason other than that the person is in trouble, or whoever is causing them trouble is wrong for doing so. Not that he isn't pragmatic and selfish; while he may be kind he is not generous, and does not give his belongings freely. He involves himself in the affairs of others regardless of their wishes, often getting in the way of things which he has no business to be in. Malkai has no issues with stealing from the poor or the rich, young or old, needy or not. While his actions may result in some good, he himself is not a good person, as he'll lie, cheat, and steal as it suits him, and at the same time defend someone's honor and put a stop to more vile villains on principle or simply because he wants to. He can easily chose not to if he so desires.

[b]Backstory[/b]: Malkai was born beyond The Grinds, in a land known as the Planescape. A land of wild nature and powerful monsters, were mortal men lived transient live styles, forced to either flee from the beasts or become the monsters themselves. They were called the Kharnates, who were excellent beast tamers and could often turn a simple metal pot into workable piece of armor, and one Kharnate could take on an entire company of men.

Of course this was rumor and hearsay, and Malkai himself wouldn't know the truth of it. He was only a babe when his father left the Kharnate and ventured through the Grind, living as travelers and occasionally mercenaries. The reasons were simple enough: His father was marked by a demonic creature known as a Succubus. These devilish women prey on men's base desire for sex, but use that desire to sire more of their own and to eat the souls of mortals. The succubus sought Malkai's father specifically because he and his ancestors have had a long history of being preyed upon by this specific demon, and some would even say that she is an ancestor to Malkai as well.

Malkai's father was caught by the demon when he was eleven years old. He and his father had returned from a bloody battle, where his father had lost a leg due to arrow infections. He was hallucinating and in his dying moments, thought back to more pleasant times with his wife, who died while birthing Malkai. It was then that the succubus attacked, taking on the illusion of Malkai's mother to elope with his dying father, impregnating the demon as well as absorbing his father's soul. Malkai did not discover that this happened until it was too late, when he walked into the tent and saw the demon straddling his father's lifeless corpse. He didn't even have time to scream when the demon pounced him and put her brand at the base of Malkai's crotch. When he was older and more of a man, he too would be sought after by the demon, and his future would be abruptly taken from him for the pleasure of the she-demon.

Since his father's death Malkai knew to do very little beyond fight and run, and he did more running than fighting. He ran into the forest hoping that perhaps he would get eaten by a monster or wild animal, to die quickly before letting the demon toy with his body and soul. But instead of finding despair, he found a friend. A little pup, sucking from the teat of his slain mother. The dog was barely larger than Malkai's own hand, and yet there was a certain kinship with the pathetic beast. They both were survivors of a violent tragedy. Perhaps together, they could survive their brutally short future.

With the pup in tow, Malkai roamed the lands. He raised the dog, which he named Pup, to protect and hunt with him. Together they roamed the Shadowed Vale, facing men and beasts together, growing stronger and richer each battle. But little did he know, Malkai's growth and success were being watched by the very same demon that slew his father. And soon he'd discover that the strength that carried him so far won't be enough to defeat this demon...

[b]Equipment[/b]: 
[hider=Inventory]
	Hunting Knife - A knife Malkai stole from a hunter, good for skinning animals, gutting his enemies, and cutting his steak. Malkai is pretty good at throwing it too, though he only does this in emergencies or for tricks.

	Battle Axe - Malkai's ancestral axe. Small enough to hold with one arm but big enough to cleave a main right through his chainmail, Malkai's axe is truly a barbaric weapon. 

	Short bow - Another weapon stolen from a hunter, though it's said that this arrow is a specially designed one from the Kharnate: It has the strength of a longbow but compact, best for horse-back archery. Malkai has some experience with the weapon as a hunting tool, though he's recently used up all his arrows trying to kill his recent catch.

	Butchered Deer - Ever pragmatic, Malkai has recently killed and butchered a deer for his own use. The meat he's obviously saved and salted to feed himself and pup, and has a total of ten pounds of the stuff on him. He also has some bones and antlers bundled up. He isn't entirely sure what he can use them for, though he figures he could turn them into arrowheads when he has a chance.

	Water skin - Made from a Deer's stomach, this leathery bag can hold up to a quart of liquid, typically river water though Malkai has used it as a wineskin before.

	Bear fangs (17) - While he's aware that Valeton has an actual currency, Malkai has found that he could trade the teeth of various beasts for bartering, at least with certain tribals in the Shadowed Vale. Bear teeth in particular seem to be quite valued by most, and Malkai was fortunate enough to find an already dead one not too long ago. If nothing else, once he can find himself some string he could make a badass necklace out of the teeth. 

	Coin Purse - Separate from his the pouch that holds his bear teeth is a purse that actually holds some money. It's mostly silver piece, but he does have some gold for more expensive purchases, though not enough to give him anything more than a weeks stay at a decent inn. Most of the coins are dirty and rusted.

	Armor - A spiky metal helmet, hide pauldrons, fur kilt, and thick fur boots are what Malkai has for armor. While certainly not as protective as conventional metal mail or nowhere near as useful as actual plate armor, what little it does protect gives Malkai the ability to shrug off glancing blows, and it makes him look intimidating. 

	Hunting dog ([url=http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110603041254/dragonage/images/9/9d/Kaddis_2.jpg]Pup[/url]) - Despite his name, Pup is actually quite large now. He would stand at Malkai's height if he was on his hind legs, and is waist high on all fours. Pup is quite intelligent compared to other dogs, and he's capable of preforming quite a few complicated tricks and seems to understand what people are saying. Malkai likes to say that Pup "Is smart enough to speak, but wise enough to stay quiet". Has a knack for smelling creatures of the night, particularly animal-like monsters such as werewolves or trolls. He's painted with kaddis, a special war paint that allows Pup to be able to smell out Malkai even if they are both covered in blood and gore. 

	Tent and Bedroll - Made from the tanned hides of various animals, the tent is a large tarp that can be folded into a compact square, and the bedroll is a thicker thing of fur and skins which can be rolled up. Clever use of rope and sticks can allow Malkai to make the ten large enough to cover up to at least two people, typically himself and Pup.

	Lantern - Helps Malkai see in the dark. Can be fueled with either oils or wood, though currently it has half a container of oil. Attached to the lantern is some flint and steel, which he uses to light the lantern and anything else that needs to be on fire.

	Fermented Mushrooms (3) - Shrooms which Malkai typically eats in the midst of battle. While he doesn't know what they're called, he does know what they do: When consumed they increase his pain threshold, allowing him to ignore pain that would otherwise make most men crying for death. The harm he suffers won't affect his performance beyond literally dismemberment, though he'll be in a world of pain once he recovers.

	Travel Sack - What everything is being carried in. A sturdy leather bag that holds most of Malkai's things, with extra pockets on the outside to easy access to small objects and straps to secure larger ones.[/hider]

[b]Theme[/b]: 
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DGe4RtPmWw[/youtube]

[b]Other[/b]: Malkai is illiterate, though he knows how to do some math, such as multiplication and division. While not famous, he's fairly well known outside of Valeton, at least if you're a mercenary or tribal. Whether or not it's good or bad depends on who's asking, as he has made as many allies as he's made enemies. He is something of a criminal due to engaging in acts of thievery, burglary, robbery, and at least one confirmed murder of a caravan guardsman. Has not actually been in Valeton, though he knows where it is.