[b][center]Armas Jonahsson  ---  26|5'11"|Male [/center][/b]

[ S Y N O P S I S ]

[indent]A sprightly fellow with messy blond hair, Armas is one of the few trained divers in the United Isles. A shipwright and mechanic by trade, he is a cheerful daredevil who jumped at the chance to help explore the unknown beyond the Ring of Thunder.[/indent]
 

[ A P P E A R A N C E ]

[indent]Armas is a little above average height with a lean, muscular build. He has blond hair he is forever running his greasy hands through, making it stick up and appear darker than it actually is. When out of the water he usually wears an old set of coveralls, along with a thick oilskin for wet or cold conditions. He has brown eyes and solid, almost blocky facial features. His hands are thick and callused from years of working on engines, and usually have a couple of nicks and scratches on them. His diving suit is a full-bodied thick canvas suit with a large copper helmet with portholes for viewing. A corrugated tube runs up the the surface where a small pump supplies him with air. A toolbelt around his waist holds weights for ballast as well as special tools for use with the clumsy gloves. [/indent]


[ P E R S O N A L I T Y ]

[indent]Because of the rarity and relative obscurity of diving, most see the act of going underwater in a cobbled together suit of metal and canvas as that of a raving lunatic. Armas isn't as bad as all that, but he's a daredevil at heart, with a cheerful demeanour and a ready attitude. A talented mechanic and shipwright, he is very sure of his abilities, and won't hesitate to take risks to get the job done.

Armas is an open and honest sort, though that cuts both ways, and he tends to be short with those he views as dishonest or incompetent. He is friendly enough, and often strikes up a conversation with someone whilst tinkering away at an engine or his suit. 
[/indent]


[ H I S T O R Y ]  

[indent]Whilst Maru has the largest network of lakes and rivers, including the famous Lake Marum, Dover comes in a close second due to the increased rainfall caused by its proximity to the Ring of Thunder. As such there is a small but healthy industry dedicated to making and tending to the ferries, barges, yachts and fishing boats that ply its waters. Dover's rough weather can make for some exciting times even on the limited waters of a floating island, so there is always at at least some work to go around. While there was never much reason to develop marine technology in the UI, developments and materials have bled over from other areas, including the prominient aeronautics sector.

It was here Armas got his start. Born to a riverside family of fisherman, he had a fairly normal childhood; schooling, helping with the family business, and swimming in the local river. When he was old enough he apprenticed to a shipwright in the next town over in order to learn the trade. The crochety old ship builder mostly worked on ferries and fishing boats, and Armas quickly grew strong helping to weld metal plates and lug engine components. It was here he first learned to dive, going underwater with an airtube in his teeth in order to check hulls for damage and repair what he could before they were brought out of the water.

After he finished his apprenticeship he had a falling out with his father, who wanted him to come back and continue with the family business. Armas disagreed, wanting to travel, and feeling limited by the small stretch of Canth that was all he'd ever known. After a mjaor argument he left with a buag of clothes and tools and signed on with a freighter crew. It was several years before he'd return home. He worked on various freighters and barges for the next few years, keeping engines running and the old rustbuckets in one piece. Eventually he got a job at a shipwright in the Gershland capital. His diving experience came to good use, and he was soon at it again. It was here he first used a suit, going right underneath the larger vessels.

From there the United Isles Naval Coalition seemed like the natural next step. They were soon one of the biggest single employer of shiprights and crewmen in the UI, and he had years of experience on, around and underneath many different kinds of ships. He arrived at the tope of the Doherty Outreach Center with plenty of time before he was due to arrive, but still elected to take The Drop, insisting he wasn't going to give up an oppurtunity to fall off the edge of the world. He payed for it later with some decent bruising, but he had no regrets. He was soon hard at work, helping to build the UIS [i]Garrloch[/i] and her sisters. His diving experience came in useful again, and he got a suit of his own. But still he watched the vessels go out everyday, so he signed on with the [i]Garrlock[/i], eager to see what was actually out there.

[/indent] 


[ N O T E S / O T H E R  I N F O ][indent]

Armas has a small collapsible fishing rod and tackle kit, mainly for nostalgia, that he sometimes brings out and fishes with off the side of the boat.

Even with the limited marine tech, the old style copper helmet diving suits seem to be well within the UI's tech level - they'd just be fairly rare due to their limited use.
[/indent]