[color=39b54a][b]Name:[/b][/color] Maulakanth gro-Urgak, the Hand of Mauloch.

[color=39b54a][b]Race:[/b][/color] Orsimer, though the legend goes that his family has giant's blood. 

[color=39b54a][b]Family Origins:[/b][/color] Born and raised in the kingdom of Orsinium. Maulakanth's father was a renowned warrior and his mother was one of the city-state's many smiths. He was raised from birth to be a peerless combatant. 

[color=39b54a][b]Appearance:[/b][/color]

[center][i][color=39b54a]“Are you scared, welp? You should be.”[/color][/i][/center]

The first thing anyone would notice about Maulakanth is his sheer size – he's massive, even for an Orc, and makes the average Nord look like an adolescent Breton. He measures 7'2” from tip to toe and clocks in at 284 pounds of solid muscle. Maulakanth's thick skin is dark green, almost gray, mottled with even darker spots and covered in scars. His long, black hair recedes sharply from his forehead in a widow's peak and he wears it braided, tucked behind his ears, where his braids spill over his shoulders and run down his back. Once the initial shock at his stature has subsided, one would see a brooding, heavy face with strong features. Maulakanth's eyes are dark and deep-set, smouldering quietly in the shade of his powerful brow, his nose is short and squat and two fearsome tusks jut out of his lower jaw. 

Maulakanth is large enough to ignore the elements and goes through life bare-chested, proudly displaying his muscular form for all the world to see. From the waist down, he wears a knee-length traditional Orsimer battle-dress made from leather, fur and painted cloth. Several potion vials and pouches hang from his belt and he has the skull of a ram in lieu of a belt-buckle. Maulakanth's feet are clad in sturdy fur-and-leather boots and his only protective equipment are two orichalcum gauntlets with extended vambraces that allow him to deflect incoming blows. And last but not least are Maulakanth's weapons, two large Orcish longswords, that he carries diagonally sheathed across his back. 

[hider=Inspiration and reference image.][img]https://daotyr.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/risar-the-half-orc-from-mortal-online.jpg[/img][/hider]

[color=39b54a][b]Age:[/b][/color] 28. 

[color=39b54a][b]Equipment:[/b][/color] 

[color=39b54a][center][i]“You shouldn't have brought a toothpick to fight a mountain. Go on... try to stab me.”[/i][/center][/color]

As mentioned before, Maulakanth mostly eschews the use of armor and leaves his torso bare at all times. His hands and forearms are protected by Orcish gauntlet-vambraces that are durable enough to block attacks from all but the deadliest of weapons, but that's about it. 

Speaking of weapons, Maulakanth's swords are two impressive pieces of Orcish craftsmanship. They're identical longswords, perfectly weighted and balanced, forged specifically for him. As is typical of Orcish swords, they're slightly curved and the blade's edge is uneven, but what sets them apart are their size – between a one-handed sword and a greatsword in length and weight – and the hilt's design incorporates the use of a knuckle-bow, which Maulakanth uses to parry blows and bash people in the face. 

[color=39b54a][b]Miscellaneous:[/b][/color] Not much else. He carries a few alchemy ingredients, two potions that restore health, one potion that enhances his strength, a handful of septims, a whetstone and some food; dried meat, nuts and a waterskin. 

[color=39b54a][b]Favored Skills:[/b][/color]

[center][i][color=39b54a]“To face me is to face Malacath himself.”[/color][/i][/center]

[color=39b54a][i][b]Highly Proficient[/b][/i][/color] 
[b]One-Handed:[/b] Maulakanth is a master at dual-wielding, utilizing his prodigious strength to wield a longsword in each hand with the ease a child might swing a stick. His technique is unusually refined and disciplined for an Orc, combining fast, relentless strikes with patient, defensive parries. He is capable of fighting multiple opponents at once and becomes almost unstoppable when succumbing to the berserker's rage of his race. 

[b]Unarmored:[/b] The lack of armor on his person is obviously a risk, but Maulakanth sees it as an advantange. He is deceptively nimble and agile, dodging what cannot be blocked, and the lack of encumberment on his arms and upper torso gives him free range of movement that allows for impressive and complex swordplay. 

[color=39b54a][b][i]Moderately Proficient[/i][/b][/color]
[b]Alchemy:[/b] Magically completely inept, Maulakanth remedies this void in his skillset with alchemical concoctions to heal himself, boost his strength and poison his foes. He knows which ingredients to use, where to find them and how to prepare the potions themselves. Alas, alchemical equipment is too big and complicated to carry on his person, which means he can only restock on his potion supplies whenever he has access to an alchemy station. 

[color=39b54a][b][i]Somewhat Proficient[/i][/b][/color]
[b]Armorer:[/b] Maulakanth is far from a certified smith but he knows how to take care of his weapons. While the orichalcum used in their creation means that his swords require very little upkeep, a little touch-up with a whetstone is never a bad thing. 

[b]Athletics:[/b] Years of rigorous physical exercise have given Maulakanth high endurance and the ability to run for long distances without stopping. 

[b]Speechcraft:[/b] Despite his fiercely wild appearance, Maulakanth can be surprisingly eloquent and commanding – a skill that was necessary as the Hand of Mauloch. 

[color=39b54a][b]Crime Committed:[/b][/color] Battery and assault. Maulakanth was in the employment of the count of Meir Thorvale as a bodyguard and enforcer until the count was fed up with Maulakanth's pride and stubbornness and fired him; Maulakanth responded by punching him in the face. 

[color=39b54a][b]Character Background:[/b][/color]

[color=39b54a][i][center]“It's time, father. I am ready. Defend yourself.”[/center][/i][/color]

Maulakanth's father, Narzul gro-Urgak, was the Hand of Mauloch of Orsinium. Where the king focuses on ruling and governing, the task of defending the city against outside threats was mostly delegated to a fearless champion that received the aforementioned title. Narzul had been the Hand for several years when Maulakanth was born, one of Narzul's many children with his wife, Ushug gra-Urgak, a smith and daughter to the king. It was a perfect situation to be born in as an Orc – son to powerful, influential parents and with immediate access to martial schooling of the highest degree, during a time of great prosperity for Orsinium. 

The young Orc didn't waste a single minute of his time. As soon as he could walk, Maulakanth enthusiastically took to his father's combat lessons. While the position of the Hand wasn't hereditary, Narzul was determined for one of his sons to succeed him... and for that to happen, they had to be skilled enough to kill him. Much like Orc chieftains, the successor of the Hand of Mauloch was chosen via a trial by combat. Maulakanth enjoyed a lively rivalry with his siblings but it became apparent very early on, when Maulakanth was only a few years old, that Malacath had blessed him in particular. Maulakanth grew faster than any of his brothers and exceeded his father's height and bulk when he was only fourteen years old. 

This trend continued until Maulakanth finally finished growing in his twentieth year, having reached an impressive seven feet and two inches. None of his siblings could challenge him in a sparring duel anymore and his skill with dual-wielding meant he could fight up to three of his brothers and sisters at once without being overpowered. Narzul was pleased – he was growing old and he could feel Malacath's call to die in battle before it was too late.

The entire city came out to watch when Maulakanth challenged his father to a fight to the death for the position of the Hand of Mauloch. Narzul fought in full plate armor, carrying a tower shield and a morning star – Maulakanth had shown up bare-chested, brandishing two brand new orichalcum swords that his mother had forged just for this occasion. The duel was intense and lasted for longer than ten minutes (which is generally considered a protracted affair in Orc culture). The blows of Narzul's morning star were either deflected and turned aside by Maulakanth's swords or evaded entirely, but Narzul caught all of Maulakanth's slices and thrusts on his shield. Both warriors became more reckless as the duel went on and the climax came when Narzul managed to land a satisfying hit on Maulakanth's flank, the spikes of his morning star driving into Maulakanth's flesh. Doing his best to ignore the pain, Maulakanth stepped in behind Narzul's shield before his father had a chance to pull the morning star free from his side and Maulakanth drove his swords through Narzul's cuirass with two powerful thrusts, impaling his heart and his lungs. The Hand of Mauloch died almost instantly. 

Maulakanth still wears the scars of his father's morning star to this day. It was a great victory, however, and Narzul's last wish had been granted – Maulakanth was the new Hand of Mauloch. After recovering from his injuries, the king of Orsinium officially bestowed the title upon Maulakanth in a ceremony, followed by a lavish feast. 

As the Hand of Mauloch, Maulakanth was officially the supreme leader of the armed forces of Orsinium. In practice, most of the leading and commanding was done by veterans that had been commanding soldiers for decades. Instead of letting them carry on with their jobs, Maulakanth started interfering immediately and asserted his newfound authority wherever possible – within his first year, he demanded a reform of the soldiers' combat tactics, demoted four war-chiefs for speaking against him and challenged two others to a duel to the death. As the abuses of power piled up, the king was eventually forced to reign Maulakanth in and the proud Hand of Mauloch only relented grudgingly. This started a feud between Maulakanth and the king that would last for years. 

Maulakanth was a fervent nationalist and supporter of Orsinium's expansion. The city-state was located near the border between Hammerfell and Skyrim and expansion in any direction would mean coming into direct conflict with the local peoples and authorities. The king of Orsinium was a wise, patient and diplomatic Orc – Maulakanth was none of these things. He had ousted all those who didn't agree with him from the leaderschip echelon of Orsinium's armed forces and was eventually able to force the king's hand into agreeing to a campaign of small-scale raids, designed to assert Orsinium's superiority over the nearby towns and their militias. 

The Jarl of Falkreath hold and the leaders of Elinhir and Dragonstar suddenly found themselves having to deal with Orc warriors, personally led by Maulakanth, invading their lands and displacing the Nord and Redguard citizens. Many skirmishes were fought with mostly inconclusive results – the Nords and Redguards were both tough opponents and fiercely resisted the plans for Orcish expansion. Both sent pleas to the king of Orsinium to stop the senseless violence and the king consented. Maulakanth was furious upon hearing the news and strode into the king's longhouse, shoving past the guards, to rage at the king in person. 

Finally having an excuse to get rid of Maulakanth once and for all, the king had the Hand of Mauloch stripped of his title and exiled for insubordination. Beyond himself with fury, Maulakanth drew his blades and was immediately beset on all sides by the king's bodyguard. Maulakanth fought savagely and roared at his king, calling him a traitor and a coward, demanding an honest one-on-one duel. The king wouldn't have any of it, however, and Maulakanth was forced out of the longhouse and eventually out of the city. Five Orcs fell beneath his blades that day but that merely served to reinforce the king's point and Maulakanth found no support from his erstwhile allies in the armed forces. 

Disgraced and abandoned, Maulakanth fled to High Rock. He was now twenty-six years old and had nothing to his name, but he was still an excellent warrior and turned to mercenary work. He still referred to himself as the Hand of Mauloch, considering the king's actions to be false and traitorous, and has gained quite a reputation for himself under that name in High Rock over the past two years. Lords and merchants used him as a bodyguard and magistrates paid him to take care of bandits and thieves. None of his jobs lasted long, however, as all of his employers agreed on one thing; Maulakanth was impossible to work with. The count of Meir Thorvale thought no different.

[color=39b54a][b]Fighting Style:[/b][/color]

[color=39b54a][i][center]“Do you even know who you're dealing with? I am the Hand of Mauloch! Flee before me, runts!”[/center][/i][/color]

Maulakanth is a fantastic duelist, capable of taking on several opponents at once with his flexible two-bladed fighting style. He uses his offhand sword to parry and feint, striking hard and fast with his mainhand sword – combining such speed with a frightfully powerful impact when his attacks connect is only possible because of his bulk and musculature. Of course, excellence in one area comes at the expense of others, and Maulakanth has no options for ranged combat. He relies entirely on either cornering his enemies or being on the defensive, forcing them to come to him, and his huge size and weight mean that sneaking up on enemies is practically impossible. Maulakanth amplifies his abilities in combat with potions that he brews himself, ritualistically downing them in one go while muttering a quick prayer to Malacath before every fight. Juiced up, well-rested and in the primal throes of his berserker's rage, there are precious few warriors who can face the Hand of Mauloch in melee combat and live to tell the tale. 

[color=39b54a][b]Personality:[/b][/color] His prodigious skill at arms is offset by having the most offensive and abrasive personality this side of the Imperial City. Maulakanth is obscenely prideful, stubborn and short-tempered, especially after his exile -- having become ostracized and spurned even among Orcs, Maulakanth sees himself as having become everything Malacath embodies and looks down on everyone else. As such, he seems to be fiercely allergic to advice, instructions and orders, doing everything his way or not at all, and the value of listening to others is almost totally lost on him. It has been years since he's had anything approaching a friend. 

That said, he isn't [i]always[/i] unpleasant. He loosens up after a few drinks, revealing himself to be a passionate storyteller and uproarious reveler, and should he drink far too much, he might tearfully confess he's just looking for somewhere to belong. All the rage he carries with him gets in the way of that constantly and expresses itself in self-destructive behavior. Should someone be capable of putting up with his bullshit, however, they might find there is more to Maulakanth than meets the eye.

While superficially arrogant, Maulakanth actually struggles with his compulsion to be physically superior and has become dependent on strength potions over the years. He can go for a few days without, but he will eventually start to feel inadequate and suffer from withdrawals, something that infuriates him to no end. Maulakanth is at his most dangerous during such a period. 

[b]Font Colour:[/b] Not sure what to call it... [color=39b54a]moderately green[/color]?