[hider=Appearance] [img]http://coolvibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/3D-Art-Hu-Zheng-Monk1.jpg[/img] [/hider] Ursu is a bald man, with 9 black dots tattooed onto his forehead. He's quite tall, 6ft 2", and has a lithe build. What he trades for raw strength is his flexibility and gymnastic ability. Being away from the monastery for long has caused him to grow out in stubble a little, however he seems to not be able to grow any hair on his head. He's gotten rid of most of his traditional clothing to go for something more practical, and fitting of a long journey. He has warm brown eyes. [center][h2]Ursu[/h2][/center] [b]Age:[/b] 26 [b]Origins:[/b] Braford [b]Affiliation:[/b] Branded [center][b]Personality:[/b][/center] Ursu was once a young man driven by hatred, anguish and bitterness--however, under the teaching of a lost group of monks, he was reformed, and now has a very calm demeanour. Enlightened by the tenets he learned in the mountains, Ursu strives to be peaceful and chivalrous, but is still learning to keep control of his anger at times. His cool disposition allows him to think rationally during times, and is always ready with a word of wisdom to aid an ally or quell an enemy. Ursu sees the loss of life as a tragic thing, and has come to despise those that kill for their own benefit. He is a complete vegan, and while he understands it's necessary for humans to use animals to survive, objects to cruelty of any kind. He wishes to inspire hope in other people, and is thankful for the tutelage he had. His greatest desire is to let others know the enlightenment he had, so they too may be able to appreciate life and others in all their forms. While he was taught to be polite and peaceful, unlike the other monks, who used their martial knowledge for display and honing the body, he would not shy away from a fight, if it was to protect those who cannot protect themselves, or maintain peace. He believes that becoming Branded is not a burden, but the exact means he needed to be able to show as many people as possible the meaning of peace and oneness with others. [center][b]Backstory:[/b][/center] Ursu grew up in the dingy wastes of Braford, a small, secluded town in the south known for its high population of mercenaries and escaped convicts. It was a squalid, barbaric place, but it had its own sense of anarchic system and lifestyle. Originally born with the name Nautilus, he grew up in a surprisingly stable family, scavenging for most like the rest but still somewhat content with the small life they made. Eventually Nautilus became a crew-member on a ship called the Rapscallion, faring the depths with an outlaw group called the Ocean's Mist. He enjoyed the chaotic lifestyle of assault, plundering nearby towns and ships, for a time. After a few months, Nautilus grew bored of mindless debauchery - what allured him to the crew was the illustrious sense of adventure he used to feel - a sense that was quickly waning. So, Nautilus severed most of his ties with the group, becoming more interested in locating and identifying lost treasures instead. It was during his apprenticeship at a black collar jewellery shop, Pearl's Rind, that he was told of the Cornucopia, an alleged cove out at sea that held riches beyond imagination. For a time, Nautilus became addicted to finding the area, and dreamt of the valuables it held, locked away from civilisation for an unfathomable period of time. Two years of studying maps of the area and scouting uncharted waters around Scumwater, he thought he finally found what could have been the Cornucopia. All he needed was a crew, and he knew just where to look. After a month of preparation, they set out to sea. The journey was arduous, but eventually they came across a shore made completely of dead, black rock. The Ocean Mist disembarked, scouring the small island for any sort of entrance. They found one - marked with a warning in archaic English that whosoever trespassed on this area would be cursed by the [i]Tide's mistress[/i], a folk legend said to have been banished from the Lucenrai by powerful magics. Since none dared enter the cave, Nautilus decided he would lead the men in. And he was right - treasure enough to keep all the men and their grandchildren lords for the rest of their lives. The group took what the could - soon the Cornucopia was bare. The Ocean Mist's crew left with the treasure to load the Rapscallion, but Nautilus remained for just one moment longer to say goodbye to his greatest adventure. It was his greatest mistake. A swirl of black smoke arose from the crevasses in the cave, forming a figure that extended a dark tendril towards him. It screeched like a banshee, resonating to the bottom of Nautilus' soul. He felt a sharp pain in his chest as apparitions crawled out from the shadows. Figures clad in armour and brandishing old, faded swords clambered towards him. Nautilus screamed and ran out of the Cornucopia, exclaiming to load the ship swiftly. The treasure was loaded, and the crew scurried to their posts, straining flesh and steel to leave the bay in any quick time. Unfortunately, this did not include Nautilus. As he watched the Rapscallion pull away from the isle, he felt a boot kick him square in his back and push him overboard. The feeling of the ocean dragging him into the deep was only second to the sting of betrayal that constricted his chest. When he woke up, Nautilus was at his home. He had no treasure. His research on the Cornucopia had disappeared. He was alone and confused. Nautilus heard a few hours later that the Rapscallion was lost at sea. The Ocean's Mist never made it back to Braford. While he was absent, father died in a sailing accident and his mother was nothing more than a whore in one of the many brothels. Nautilus burned with rage at his loss and misfortune--his heart had harded and was reforged in bitterness--in the dead of night, he fled Braford and travelled the land as a mercenary, murdering betrayers and oathbreakers with no mercy or pity. It still did not fill the hole of anguish in his heart--no matter how many people he killed, he himself could not find closure for his crew's treachery. So, he decided to return to Braford, and purge the entire city of perfidious scum. As Nautilus made his way back, he travelled in a caravan that passed through the Kibilgab Crags--an area known for being perilous in footing and nature. However, his anger made him heed no warning--he resolved to take the quickest route back to Braford in the hopes of sating his bloodlust. Alas, tragedy fell upon him once again--a horse driving a carriage slipped on a small rock, and the entire convoy was destroyed by the resulting rockslide--few people remained alive. A passing monk, one of the Cizero, found the wreckage a few days after, recovering as many survivors as he could. The monk didn't have to search for long. Only 4 of the total twenty people remained alive. He worked on dragging the people back to the Cizero monastery, located on an isolated mountain peak. There, Nautilus and the other's wounds were tended to, and they all recuperated within a month. When they were all conscious, the monks asked if they wished to stay with them in the monastery, and adopt a peaceful way of life. The other 3 survivors, being merchants, declined, instead requesting a monk lead them back out of the Crags. Disappointed, the monks complied, sending them back on their way safely. Nautilus too wished to leave so he could continue on his vendetta, but the monks sensed the hatred in his heart, and refused to let him leave. Being held captive, Nautilus refused to eat or drink for three days. Thinking that he could be fuelled on by rage alone, he began to fall sick again despite his recent recovery. On a cold autumn day, the monk that once again gave him the option of a meal, laughed at Nautilus' folly--he asked what he wished to achieve by not eating. Nautilus replied that he would rather starve to death than be forced to remain here. Taking some amusement from the statement, the monk challenged Nautilus--should he manage to survive without food longer than the monk, he would be allowed to leave. If not, he would stay, and learn the ways of the Cizero. Nautilus accepted after some consideration--after all, he had a mission to complete. And so, with the monk sitting beside Nautilus in his room, the challenge began. Three days passed with neither man eating or drinking a drop. Then five. Then ten. Then fifteen. After 20 days, Nautilus could bear it no longer--he was so hungry he could barely sit upright. The monk looked as if he had been eating all week. At long last Nautilus gave up, asking for a bowl of water. His wish was granted, at the cost of him losing the challenge. He would train to become a monk. Over three years later, with the harshest of training from his mentor, Beak, Nautilus was a changed man--he let go of his hatred and anger and had been enlightened; inner peace was within his grasp! Trained in meditation, controlling the body, mind and spirit, he shaved his head bald and became an initiated Cizeron monk. As with all the monks, he had changed his name after he finished his training, taking up the mantle of Ursu. After the Bestowing, he told Beak of his gifts, and loss of mana. As if the monks knew, Ursu was given an ornamental staff, and told to find balance in the world, and bring peace to the warring Titans and other gifted humans. Armed only with his training, the staff, and the wind on his back, Ursu set out to find a destination to his new journey. [center][b]Skills & Talents:[/b][/center] -Inner peace: Ursu's tutilage has allowed him heightened control over his body--he may hold his breath underwater for long periods of time, can maintain his core body temperature and can fuel his body without food for many months. -Martial artist: Ursu has been taught several ancient martial arts, and is adept at hand to hand combat. However, he prefers using his staff, which he is also formidable with. -Excellent agility and gymnastics: Because of his previous life as a pirate along with his Cizeron training, Ursu is extremely gymnastic and can move very swiftly in most settings. He has impeccable hand/eye co-ordination and spacial awareness. -Master geographer: Ursu is an excellent geographer - his memory for graphs and information pertaining location is unparalleled. He can decipher even the oldest maps with relative ease. -Gemmologist: He likes shiny things. [center][b]Equipment:[/b][/center] -Golden ornamental staff -Large Malas prayer beads around his neck -Dark drop crotch pants and flowing gold Cizeron robes -Knee high sandals as footwear -Green gemstone necklace given to him by his mother when he was younger [center][b]Magical abilities:[/b][/center] Not wanting to constant murder in light of using powers, Ursu decided to imbue his Malas beads with power, allowing him to control the metal spheres as weapons. Since his body is already the pinnacle of fitness, he sees no other reason to use magic at the cost of the spirit of another living thing. [center][b]Reason for picking Titan/Branded:[/b][/center] Ursu pledges allegiance to no Titan--he sees their war as petty, and only serving to destroy life. Instead, he wishes to promote peace and harmony between all, and believes that becoming Branded was the best way to do so.