Name: Alec Cross 'The Vulture'

Age: 30

Gender:Male

Race: Human

Appearance: Alec stands about six feet tall, and has a thin, though quite muscular, frame. He has long, straight, ink black hair that is parted down the middle and falls just short of his shoulders. His skin is rather pale, owing mostly to the multiple years he spent in a prison with no sunlight. A number of his teeth were knocked out or broken during his time in the Castle of Tears, and have since been replaced with gold. The most notable of these are his front teeth and his canines, the latter of which have been replaced with slightly lengthened gold fangs. His eyes are a light pink, and seem to shimmer with craze and bloodlust, a characteristic that often makes others rather uncomfortable. His skin is heavily scarred from the tortures he had to endure, most notably on his face. Two cross-shaped scars adorn his sallow cheeks. These were left when an iron prisoner's mask was nailed onto his face. This constant reminder of torture, in combination with his wild eyes, gives Alec a fearsome appearance befitting of the Vulture of the Reins.

Clothing: Alec's clothing is fitting of his title as Lord of the Reins, being made of expensive fabrics. He wears a long black cloak, the exterior of which appears similar to velvet. The inside of the cloak is lined with thick black fur, which extends into a large collar around his shoulders. The cloak has no hood, and is bound with a golden brooch bearing the symbol of the Roost: a vulture with broken shackles around it's ankles. Beneath his cloak, Alec wears a loose fitting, long-sleeved black shirt that is covered by a crimson vest. The vest is made of a sturdy fabric, carefully sewn to be resilient as well as elegant. Beneath his clothing, Alec wears a shirt of chainmail, which is completely concealed. 

 The sleeves of his shirt are tucked into a pair of long black gloves made of hard leather. The gloves reach up to just below his elbows. The knuckles of the gloves are adorned with inch long spikes made of black iron, which can be used as a weapon if the need arises. Around his waist, Alec wears a fine black leather belt, which carries his weapons. There is a black wooden sheath covered with leather for his dagger on the left side of the belt, and a simple latch with a buckle to carry his morningstar on the right. The weapons are completely covered by his cloak. Alec also wears black pants, made of a similar fabric to his shirt, which are tucked into a pair of fine black leather boots. The boots are pointed and fasten with golden buckles. A small sheathe for Alec's second dagger is fastened to one of the boots and is made of black leather. Around his neck, Alec wears a collar of black iron, a reminder of where he came from.

Weapons: Alec's primary weapon is a cruel morningstar made of black iron. The mace was forged from the chains that had bound prisoners in the Castle of Tears. He prefers the weapon for it's brutality and the massive amount of physical damage it can do to an opponent. The head of the weapon is covered in jagged spikes, each several inches long. The spines are slightly serrated. The weapon is capable of causing massive bleeding as well as a great deal of trauma. The handle of the weapon is about three feet long,made of the same metal, and ridged for added grip. The bottom of the handle has a single spike protruding from the bottom.

 Alec also has two daggers. One is foot long stiletto made of polished silver. The blade is thin and razor sharp on both sides, though it is more useful for stabbing. The weapon has a crossguard made of the same silver and a fine ivory handle. Alec acquired the weapon during one of his 'visits' to a foreign land.

 Alec's only other weapon is a small dagger with a undulating blade made of a strange black metal. The metal is porous and soaked in a deadly poison. Even a small amount of the poison is capable of killing a grown man. The poison causes an intense pain in the target, immobilizing them before constricting their breathing and eventually killing them. Few have ever survived the experience, though those who have are thereafter nearly completely immune to the poison. The weapon was acquired by the Lord of the Reins in the kingdom of Lyok, a land known for their worship of snakes. The porous metal the blade is made of is only found in the desert kingdom. The exact circumstances regarding the weapon's acquisition are unknown.

Personality: Alec is bloodthirsty and cruel, thoroughly enjoying killing. He is brutal and unrelenting in combat, though he does not kill needlessly. Due to his torture, he is nearly unfazed by even the most agonizing pain. He is fiercely independent and confident, seeing himself on the same level as any other lord despite his impoverished background. He shows little reverence to the stations of others, a trait that has often offended his highborn clients. Despite his severity, the people of the Vulture's Roost generally praise their lord, as he abolished slavery within the Reins and protected them against the men of Gris. He is an adept tactician, and has commanded his troops to devastating effect in a number of battles.

 History: Alec was born as a slave in The Reins, a province of Gris. Gris is a frigid land, lying far to the north of Estovet. His family were from Castil, and island near Esterl, though they were kidnapped and sold by slavers raiding the small island nation. He grew up in a rough environment, serving under Kraston Vjorn, the Lord of the Reins and holder of Thornbrook Castle, more commonly referred to as the Castle of Tears for it's enormous dungeon and it's infamy for torturing prisoners. Alec's mother died in childbirth, so he was raised, alongside his older sister, by his father in one of the small slave villages that surrounded the keep.

 At the age of eleven he ran afoul of the lord and was imprisoned in the dungeons of the Castle of Tears. He became a favorite 'pet' of the dungeon's jailer, who put him under excruciating torture every day for six years. At seventeen, he managed to kill his tormentor and take his keys, going on to release a multitude of other prisoners. The mob of prisoners rebelled against their lord, raiding the armory and arming themselves and the castle's slaves. The force overtook the castle's relatively small army. Alec killed the lord who had caused him so much pain, and took his title as Lord of the Reins. He renamed the keep Vulture's Roost and took his place as it's lord, freeing all slaves within the region and building a fierce reputation. Alec also built his army considerably by offering asylum to slaves from any region seeking freedom. Thousands flocked to the Reins to begin new lives.

 After consolidating his power in the Reins, Alec set out to build reputation and wealth for his kingdom in the outside world. His army became a renowned mercenary force, and he himself took numerous contracts for assassination, accumulating a great deal of fear and gold. Alec's reputation is feared on a wide scale amongst nobility. It is often stated that any man who sees the Vulture is already dead.