[center][hider=Gorou]
[h1][sub][color=darkred][b][u]G O R O U[/u][/b][/color][/sub][/h1]
[color=darkred][sub][url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6BV-UdQiG4]Theme Song[/url][/sub][/color]
[img]http://static.zerochan.net/Adam.Taurus.full.2080242.jpg[/img]

[sub][color=darkred]"The only reason a warrior is alive is to fight, and the only reason a warrior fights is to win. Otherwise, why be a warrior?" - Miyamoto Musashi[/color][/sub]

[color=Silver][sub][ ❇ ] I N F O R M A T I O N[/sub][/color][hr]
[indent][color=darkred][b]Class:[/b][/color] [color=Gold]Myrmidon[/color]
[color=darkred][b]Title(s):[/b][/color] [color=Silver]None[/color]
[color=darkred][b]Birthplace:[/b][/color] [color=Silver]???, Estala[/color]
[color=darkred][b]Race:[/b][/color] [color=Silver]Beorc[/color]
[color=darkred][b]Age:[/b][/color] [color=Silver]Twenty[/color]
[color=darkred][b]Inventory:[/b][/color][color=Silver][list][*]Zanbato - A single-edged blade with a curve more subtle than the usual saber or scimitar, and longer than the usual swords made in this ancient style. The extra length and weight make it difficult to use for an unskilled swordsman, but in the right hands it's especially deadly to cavalry because of its reach.
[*]Vulnerary - A small cloth satchel containing some kind of bitter tasting, sharp smelling medicinal solution. It disinfects wounds and stimulates the healing process, but it's not much compared to a healer's staff or an Elixir. Contains enough to be used a handful of times before running out.[/list][/color]
[color=darkred][b]Other:[/b][/color] [color=Silver]The quiet, polite, enigmatic aura Gorou exudes is completely and utterly ruined by watching him eat. His appetite is monstrous, and while he's not going out of his way to be disgusting or anything, table manners take a far away backseat to efficiency and quantity. Another, slightly more understandable quirk is that he almost never completely lets go of his sword--when he's bathing, it's in one hand, held away from the water; before he sleeps, he will always tie himself to it. Even when he walks he'll sometimes make unusual movements to keep people or things from bumping into it.[/color][/indent]
[color=darkred][sub][ ❇ ] P E R S O N A L I T Y[/sub][/color][hr]
[indent][color=Silver]Aloof and stoic, but not unfriendly, Gorou is a deep thinker who listens more than he speaks. There is a melancholy about him, but under the murky gloom something smolders, an inner fire that seems to have burned down. Once he has decided on something, he will follow it through. If he thinks he can help someone he'll offer advice, but he tries not to impose. The moments when he seems most at peace are the times when he devotes himself to swordsmanship, when introspection gives way to complete focus as he sharpens his skills.

As one might expect of a man devoted to the blade, he doesn't have much of a problem with violence. He doesn't revel in it...but at the same time, he seems cold hearted and uncaring. He doesn't express the "sense of justice" one might expect the wandering swordsman archetype to have, but he doesn't give any mercy to those that come at him either. Things that actually seem to get under his skin, however, and peel back some of the metaphorical mask if not the physical one, include: Discrimination by nobility against the lower classes, several forms of vice (drinking, promiscuity, etc), mistreatment of children, incorrect or sloppy use of a sword (this one really gets to him), and barbarous treatment of an opponent on either side of a fight.[/color][/indent]
[color=darkred][sub][ ❇ ] B I O G R A P H Y[/sub][/color][hr]
[indent][color=Silver]In days long past, before Estala came into its own as a kingdom, there were different tribes and clans that vied for territory and power. The ancient kings of Estala would unite the land and put that era to an end, but still there are some who keep those memories alive--they are Estalan, make no mistake, but they practice ancient customs for the sake of preserving their history. Gorou comes from such a place, wearing clothes that might seem odd and using a nearly outdated sword style.

Sword schools across Estala--gentlemen's dueling clubs, knightly academies, and defensive fighting halls alike--have begun to hear the rumors by now: Beware the challenge of the masked man. He claims no lineage of swordplay, nor bloodline, and perhaps even his name is a falsehood. He is polite, well-spoken, and willing to meet many conditions others would consider woefully unfair. 

Yet once the gauntlet is thrown, the eyes behind that mask are as sharp as the blade in his hands. Though he is younger than one might expect of a professional duelist, it's clear he has immense talent. The first few stories of his duels indicate desperate struggles where his victories were note-worthy precisely because they were unexpected. The latest tales, by contrast, suggest a complete reverse in circumstance. Enough of his opponents are alive to guess that he's not looking for bloodsport, but nothing can be assumed--those who did not survive his challenge were put down with efficiency, with no question to his intent and no sign of reluctance or regret.

He has been seen taking work as a sellsword, here and there, but rarely does he stay in one place for long. He wanders the roads alone, save for the occaisonal bandit who soon regrets their choice of mark. 

Where his seemingly endless path leads, only a blade's gleaming edge lights the way...[/color][/indent]
[color=darkred][sub][ ❇ ] D E T A I L S[/sub][/color][hr]
[indent] [color=Silver]Gorou stands an even six feet tall and weighs around 170 pounds. Though they aren't often seen through the slits of his mask, his eyes are a sharp gray-blue, almost silver in the right light. His voluminous clothing hides it somewhat, but he's more muscular than one would think, and an errant pat on the shoulder or arms is like grabbing a solid rock. It can't be seen, obviously, but he has a slight aroma of cloves due to the oils he uses when cleaning his sword.[/color][/indent]
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