[b]Name:[/b] Russ Trelyat
[b]Age:[/b] 30
[b]Gender:[/b] Male
[b]Race:[/b] Human
[b]Personality:[/b] Rather curt and blunt, but not entirely devoid of good humor. Fairly superstitious, but also courageous and practical-minded enough that it's not a crippling concern (IE, he's willing to try and kill his superstitions, literally). Fond of a good drink, perhaps overly so, and loyal even to a fault at times. Is most definitely not queasy. Is a passionate admirer of firearms.

[b]Appearance:[/b]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/3U7cDwx.jpg[/img]
Russ is always dressed in his guardsman uniform, which consists of a hardy blue coat, tough leather boots, white breeches, white gloves and a pointed cloth hat. His coat isn’t quite as long as the one in the picture and he wears it open, which looks sloppier but affords more mobility, means less heat and looks cooler. Along with his well-trimmed beard, his uniform makes for an immediately recognizable figure in his homeland.

[b]Abilities:[/b]
As a man and a soldier of Anviek, an inhospitable frozen tundra where life is harsh and often cruel, Russ is quite hardy. He's generally athletic, leaning more towards agility and dexterity rather than sheer strength, and has an extreme tolerance for harsh conditions, hunger, thirst, and other debilitating effects physical or mental. Russ has extremely good eyesight and has trained himself into a degree of ambidexterity as far as weapons handling goes.

As part of an elite corps of guardsmen specialized in the handling of muskets, Russ is a ridiculously good shot, which counts for a lot when you consider old firearms are really inaccurate. He is also familiar with handling a saber, daggers, a pike, heavier polearms such as halberds and hand to hand fighting, as well as riding on horseback and some general level of equipment maintenance.

[b]Equipment:[/b]
-[url=http://i.imgur.com/A6emacf.jpg]Nat[/url]: A custom smoothbore musket, covered in runes to allow its shots to work as well against the mystical as they do a common man. Nat's most remarkable feature is its [url=http://i.imgur.com/yFrFTsL.jpg]breech-loading system[/url], an innovation that allows a shooter to set up premade “cartridges” of paper with black powder and a shot in firing position rather than having to go through the annoying and cumbersome muzzle-loading process. This advance in technology allows it the fantastic firing rate of around 10 shots a minute in Russ' expertly trained hands, a marked improvement over the typical 2.

The musket is also bizarrely hardy thanks to a combination of top notch craftsmanship and possibly its runic enhancements. It can be used reliably essentially anywhere but underwater, and will continue to function properly even if dragged through a mire or used to club someone to death. It also has a bayonet mount to allow for some manner of close range combat. Russ typically carries it wrapped in cloth.

-Bayonet: An addon for Nat, a tough knife that can be mounted under the muzzle to turn it into a polearm of sorts or used on its own if necessary. It's similar to a rondel dagger, being stiff blade with a needle point, it’s very good for thrusting through gaps in armor, though it can still be used to cut. As a companion to Nat, it is also tremendously hardy and capable of harming things that a knife should not.

-[url=http://i.imgur.com/nx17G1I.jpg]Pistols[/url]x8: Eight standard, muzzle-loaded, single shot pistols. It wasn't rare to see someone carry several considering reloading them takes so much time it's practically a death warrant in combat. He carries two openly on belt holsters outside of his jacket, while the two on the thighs, two under his armpits on shoulder holsters and two crossed on the small of his back are hidden by it.

-Pocket pistol x2: Essentially a pair of miniature flintlock pistols Russ hides in his sleeves. They lack a good deal of stopping power, but in case of an emergency they're better than nothing.

-Saber x1: A nondescript curved sword, carried around just in case and more a sign of position than a favored weapon for Russ.

-Jack of plates x1: A garment made up of plates of armor, often recycled from damaged breastplates and cuirasses, sewn between layers of felt and canvas in the form of a vest. Lighter and more comfortable than a solid piece of plate armor while still providing excellent protection, Russ wears his under his coat.

-Backpack x1: A reasonably compact soldier’s backpack which contains what typical assortments of the type such as some rope, flint and steel, rations, a waterskin, a flask etc. It also includes tools to keep his weapons and clothes in good working order and a kit to create more of the disposable cartridges he uses, meaning black powder, paper and loose shots. Russ carries three different types of ammunition: Solid lead balls, small lead pellets for spreading shots with less killing power and smaller lead balls for use with his pistols. He keeps a good deal of pre-made cartridges handily set up on a belt pouch for ease of access.

-Bankert: Not exactly a piece of equipment, yet oft treated as such. Once a dangerous creature that would lead others to their doom in the wilderness, he was captured, stripped from most of his devilish powers and made to repay the crown by being bound to one of its servants as a familiar. He is compelled to obey Russ, who can also kill him with a word as way of incentive, but hates him with a passion and does nothing unless directly ordered, which rather limits his usefulness.

He takes the form of an emaciated, rat-like humanoid with very thin, raggedy fur, an oversized head, long bony fingers, no tail and small, leathery wings. Though typically about 15 inches tall, he can shrink himself to fit inside a gun barrel and that is what he is most often used for, loading Russ’ guns while he is otherwise busy. He is deceptively strong, enough to handle Russ’ pistols himself with some difficulty, hard to kill and very fast, but their mutual dislike means he’s not often called upon.

[b]Backstory:[/b]
Anviek is a sprawling land, vast and inhospitable. Biting cold, lack of sunlight and harsh soil make growing food difficult, and the size of the territory means no one central power has ever held real claim to unified power. Authorities tend to be local, or loose confederations at best, and while there is an imperial dynasty with some sway it constantly flirts with disaster. A strong claim to a good chunk of the most fertile lands, however, has allowed the current Empire to hold itself aloft and establish a strong military base with which to defend itself from threats both foreign and domestic.

Key to this military might are its famed guardsmen, some of the deadliest gunners known to the world, and Russ is one of them. However, the shaky standing of the Empire and its constant spending on reinforcing itself means its subjects often go underpaid and its guardsmen are no exception. While allowed to farm and ply other trades to supplement their income, the discontent of the guardsmen is palpable and whispers of rebellion abound, supported by smaller powers looking for a piece of the pie. At the very least, distinguished captains have begun maneuvering their way into politics and positions of power, making for an unstable situation.

A career soldier born to an equally dedicated father, from whom he inherited his position in the corps, Russ holds no lands and knows no other trade that isn't warfare. He is also politically daft and equally unwilling to betray his lord or engage his former comrades in arms in a massacre. Sensing the coming tide, and seeking a way to avoid going hungry, he took the permission to find alternate ways to supplement his income as an out and left his homeland to work as a mercenary.