[hider=Torin Somares] [b]Age[/b]: 24 [b]Gender[/b]: Male [b]Nationality[/b]: Tairen [b]Race[/b]: Human [b]Class[/b]: Noble [b]Appearance[/b]: Torin stands at about 5’9’’ with a straight-backed and confident composure, which seems to add a few inches to his height and immediately marks him as a man of gentle birth. He has olive skin, black hair and brown eyes of similar dark hues. While not exactly handsome, his oblong face is pleasant to look at and bears no scars or markings, save for a small mole to the right of his lip. Like most Tairen nobility, he keeps his hair short and his beard well-groomed and drawn to a point, but lacking the oily lustre commonly seen among the rich. Though lithe rather than muscular, Torin’s physique is defined and signifies he leads an active life; further proof of this are his calloused hands, ones belonging to a swordsman, not a pampered dandy. As befits a man of his standing, he dresses in a dark red silk doublet, worn over a white linen shirt, black breeches tucked into a pair of knee-high riding boots polished to a shine and an embroidered cloak to ward off the rain. [u][b]Background[/b][/u]: Torin is a scion of House Somares, an old and respected family, best known for their olive plantations along the coast near the city of Godan in southeast Tear. While lacking the power and wealth to be counted amongst Tear’s High Lords, they had significant land and the oil they produced was carried by their ships to markets in Tear and beyond, filling the House’s coffers. As a result, the Somares enjoyed an easy life and spared no expense in the education of their children. Torin was no exception and was taught all that a young man of gentle birth needed to know; he spent his days being tutored in riding and swordsmanship, history and geography, statecraft and strategy, manners and dancing. He was the middle child, having an older brother and a younger sister. Torin’s father, the Lord Somares, was an irritable man and a drunk, known for his foul moods, constant criticism of those around him and a tendency for squandering the family wealth in taverns and gambling dens. The estate was mainly managed by Torin’s mother, Lady Ilira Somares, who ruled the family business and household with an iron fist. Since Torin’s brother was often away negotiating trade deals or parlaying with other nobles in Tear and his sister was busy with the family’s books, it fell to Torin to watch over the family lands, which were growing increasingly neglected by his father. Such tasks came easily to Torin, who had proven himself to be quick and energetic, a capable rider and a natural with a sword from a young age. Though he lacked his sister’s head for numbers and his brother’s way with people, he was confident and driven, a quality which made him popular among the commoners. Even before he could grow a beard, he began accompanying his father’s captains on their patrols throughout the olive groves. As he grew into a man, he even managed to make a bit of a name for himself in nearby Godan after winning a number of duels in defence of his family’s name. When the Aiel War began, Torin’s father and thousands of other Tairens left to join the war effort, under High Lord Astoril Damara. He raised the majority of the Somares troops and, to Torin’s dismay, ordered him to stay behind and look after his mother and sister, seeing as his brother could not afford to return home from his business in Tear. Around this time, he was trying to raise the family’s standing with a High Lord, a task of the utmost importance in the eyes of Lady and Lord Somares. And so, disgruntled and sullen, Torin saw to the concerns of the peasantry and toured the family holdings, while his brother and father were away winning fame and prestige. One day, relatively early on in the war, a letter from Cairhien announced that the Lord Somares had died during the fighting, pierced by an Aiel’s spear. They grieved and then they awaited his brother’s return from Tear so that he could formally assume his role as head of the House. Unfortunately, that never happened. A few weeks before the war’s end, Torin’s brother was implicated in a plot against a High Lord, along with a number of lesser nobles and, worst of all, an agent of the Illianer king. The penalty for such a transgression was death, thus Torin lost two family members before the war finally ended. The shadow of treason fell on the Somares household, their friends dwindled and many profitable contracts were lost. Their bad fortunes would not end here, however, as the man his brother had crossed turned out to be particularly vindictive. He used his influence to have the council of High Lords issue an edict, which saw Torin exiled from Tear. His mother and sister were spared the indignity, but Torin had no choice. It should be noted that, for a man such as Torin, exile was the greatest blow of all. He grieved for his dead relatives, but for him, standing and pride was above all. As such, not only was the family name blemished by his brother’s betrayal, his own exile meant that the Somares household would have no one to restore their honour! While Torin was making preparations to leave his home forever, word reached them that a Great Hunt had been called in Illian. Desperate, broken and thoroughly soaked in booze, he told his mother and sister that he would embark on the Hunt, seeing this as his only chance of redeeming himself and ending his unjust exile. [b]Desired equipment at the start of the game:[/b] [list] [*] Sword [*] Warmount [*] Saddle & saddlebags [*] Deck of cards [*] Bedroll [*] Shaving kit [*] A trunk full of clothes [*] A smaller trunk containing books and a number of maps [/list] [b][u]Companions[/u]:[/b] [i]Nalin[/i] (Valet) -> A thin, elegant man in his late forties, as evidenced by his greying hair and wrinkling face. Originally from Andor, he joined the Somares household some fifteen years ago and became a personal manservant to Torin’s older brother. Rumour has it that Nalin is a noble bastard, who fled his country to avoid shaming his father. Whether that is true or not remains a mystery, but Nalin is certainly literate and well-read, with fine taste and exquisite manners, certainly above what one would consider of a servant. When the older Somares was executed, Nalin was acquitted of all guilt and returned to the family estate, where he was ordered to see to Torin’s needs during the Hunt by Lady Ilira. [i]Rosario[/i] (Bodyguard) -> One of Lord Somares’ former soldiers, served as a sergeant before he retired. Dark-skinned with wide shoulders, short bristly hair and a patchy beard. Accompanied Torin’s father during the Aiel war and then continued the fight along with the other Somares soldiers even after their lord had died. Despite Torin’s protests, he was assigned to protect the young lord at the behest of Lady Ilira, a thing she firmly insisted on. (+1 Con) [/hider] [b]Level 1 Noble[/b] [b]Hitpoints:[/b] [color=green]11[/color] (10 from noble + 1 con modifier) [b]Attributes[/b] Strength - 16 [color=green]+3[/color] (High due to sword training.) Dexterity - 16 [color=green]+3[/color] (High due to sword training.) Constitution - 13 [color=green]+1[/color] (Slightly high due to a comfortable noble life.) Intelligence - 13 [color=green]+1[/color] (Slightly high due to noble education and a life of managing the estate.) Wisdom - 11 [color=silver]+0[/color] (Normal.) Charisma - 11 [color=silver]+0[/color] (Normal.) [b]Skills[/b] Balance (2) (*)Concentration (4) (*)Diplomacy (2) (*)Ride (4) Geographical Knowledge (1) (*)Knowledge of Nobility and Royalty (2) (*)Knowledge of the Karaethon Cycle (2) [hider=Point spread] 4 points - Balance (non-class) 4 points - Concentration 2 points - Diplomacy 4 points - Ride 2 points - Geographical Knowledge (non-class) 2 points - Knowledge of Nobility and Royalty 2 points - Knowledge of the Karaethon Cycle [u]Total Spent Points[/u]: 20 [/hider] [b]Feats [/b](available from 3rd level): N/A