[b]Name:[/b] Sir Yanin Glade [b]Ethnicity and species:[/b] Rodorian, human (white) [b]Sex/gender:[/b] Male/man [b]Age:[/b] 22 [b]Physical build and appearance:[/b] Sir Yanin Glade doesn't tend to leave the most approachable first impression. He is a tall man - 6'7'', or about two meters -, with a build that's neither narrow nor pronouncedly broad, neither overweight nor so thin one could see all muscles clearly defined through the skin. Rather, he seems well-proportioned and -balanced, naturally both strong and agile - an assessment which wouldn't be wrong. Furthermore, he keeps his training up [i]very[/i] rigorously. It's, however, not his apparent physical prowess which tends to make people wary of him. It's far more his mannerisms, mien, and way of expressing himself (and, just perhaps, the vague impression that he might actually make use of said physical prowess if he did not get his way otherwise). Most of the time, his expression seems either blank, forced or mildly annoyed. Or very annoyed. And occasionally confused, though it remains unclear whether or not it isn't just his disbelief at your insistence on arguing with him. He gives rather abrupt, confrontational impression, and seems to frequently disregard apparent power levels - that is, if he doesn't instead simply seem to mostly ignore you, and just absentmindedly give replies when directly addressed. He is equally likely to stare at you for too long and intently, or not bother looking at you at all. Incidentally, it would also appear that any attempt to intimidate [i]him[/i] in turn merely elicits a blank stare. Sir Yanin's complexion is pale - he doesn't seem to tan during summers, either -, with deep-set and contrastingly dark brown eyes and thick, nearly black dark brown eyebrows. With strong brow and strong jawline, his face appears almost rectangular, with an averagely proportioned, if slightly crooked nose. His hair is slightly lighter dark brown than his eyebrows, slightly wavy, and of somewhat ambiguous and varying length - maybe fifteen to twenty centimeters as of the present time. He's usually clean-shaven, though he might neglect to do so for a few days if he doesn't have to appear before people. [b]Usual attire:[/b] These days he can usually be seen wearing heavy long black hiking boots - chosen more for comfort than looks - and black pants, off-white shirt and silver-trimmed dark blue gambeson accompanied by a wide, black leather belt with a silver buckle. Attached to said belt are a couple of pouches, a dagger's scabbard on the right and a sword's to the left, both of the latter black leather reinforced with dark wood and silvery metal. Within the longer scabbard a finely crafted steel longsword with a 108 cm blade resides (fullered, hollow grind). The two arms of the guard curve slightly towards the blade, and have the overall width of 24 cm; in addition, the guard comprises of two metal semi-circles on either side of the blade's base for additional protection. The total length of the guard, grip and pommel is 30 cm. The grip is wrapped in black leather, and the pommel is round. On closer inspection, one can see the pommel has a falcon holding a live strike-ready viper between its talons engraved in its back, painted copper and black. The overall weight of the sword is 1.6 kg. The dagger is remarkably similar, just with a 26 cm blade, enough grip to comfortably fit one hand, and no semi-circular bits to its proportionally reduced guard. Even when just traveling, he somewhat commonly also opts to wear a long mail vest with his gambeson, and if he knows he'll be in actual combat, he'll supplement it with a visored conical helmet, with mail attached to the edge for neck protection (that one limits field of vision and affects general comfort a bit too much to wear while just traveling). On top of everything else, a black hooded cloak might be worn - not so much for warmth (the gambeson is rather warm on its own), but rather to make him less conspicuous and as protection from rain. [b]Other equipment, rations and clothing (includes that carried by, but not associated with, his horse):[/b] 493 rodlin. Soap. Straight razor. Flint and iron. Thread (white, black), needle. Ink, quill, a couple dozen sheets of paper. A leather-bound notebook. A little bottle of oil, a whetstone and a rag. Cloth that can be used as bandages. Flask with strong alcohol. A flanged iron mace, 1.2 kg. A halberd (iron), 185 cm length, ash pole. An elm recurve bow (left-handed), 175 cm long, about 40 kg draw force. A steel arming sword, 75 cm blade, 90 cm overall length, simple cross-guard, leather-wrapped oval grip, round pommel. Rope (~8 meters). Tent (waterproofed canvas x2, rods, support poles). Two blankets (human). Four pairs of socks (black). A tabard in his family colors and symbolics (red and blue, diagonally, copper and black trim, copper-and-black falcon holding a copper and black viper). A backup pair of pants (black). Extra underwear (3). Three off-white cotton shirts, two dark blue. One dark blue silk shirt. A copper-and-black-trimmed dark blue long jacket (or a very formal variant of his usual gambeson) with crimson lining. Two knives more suitable for cooking and eating. A fork. Three spoons. A small cauldron. Two cups (clay). A metal rod, about 60 cm long. Smoked dried meat (~2kg). Bread (4 loaves). Two dozen sweet-spicy baked things (about a kilogram). Yanin calls them cookies, but that's probably not it. Dried fruit (200 gr) and nuts (800 gr). Salt and various spices. Tea. A backpack and a canvas bag to fit everything that does not fit in the saddle bags. [b]Social status and family ties:[/b] The Glades presently hold fourty-three inhabited farms with their fields and lots, about three dozen hectares of forest (largely firewood), and a mansion with associated stables and a small orchard of its own, situated in Etlon. On local basis, they're decently well-known and respected, though some members of their family more than others. The Glades' mansion and grounds are governed by Yanin's father (Tareon, 51), who has the reputation of an iron-willed and skilled combatant, strategist and negotiator (qualities which served the Glades well in achieving their current position), but also a rather ruthless and unforgiving man whom you do not want to cross. Though Sir Tareon is no longer in his prime fighting condition due to some old injuries, reduced training regimen and age starting to slowly creep up on him, he would still make a rather formidable opponent. Most people, though, will shy away from merely facing his rather imposing figure in a wrathful state. Yanin's mother (Melone, 47) has relatively little input on the proceedings of the Glades' holdings other than the (younger) children's care and education (which is a matter she seems to have taken to her heart), as well as the managing of household servants. She's a quiet woman, soft-spoken and well-mannered, not fond of either confrontations or scheming. She stands tall and rather broad-shouldered - though no match for Sir Tareon -, but seems to be quite pale and often tired, frail rather than powerful, even more so in recent years. Sir Yanin Glade furthermore has six living brothers (Jeran, 28; Elan, 26; Javien, 23; Gerain, 18; Marlon, 15; Adrian, 10) and three sisters (Eleanor, 25; Alaisi, 21; Ilene, 3). One of his brothers (Manin) died when he was an adult (at 24, three years ago). Melone has also underwent multiple miscarriages, at least two of which are semi-publicly known, more suspected. As she got older, her ability to conceive and carry to term seemed to lessen (as might have her general health, claimed those who had known her for a long time); Ilene's successful birth was a true surprise, but also came the closest to ending Melone's life out of her many pregnancies. Sir Jeran as the eldest son will supposedly be succeed Sir Tareon as the head of the holdings; he is leaner in build, though, and while is undoubtedly steadfast where it matters, he does not seem to share his father's temper. He is overall more diplomatic, more understanding individual; people have also described him as a nobler person, a gentleman rather than a soldier. Or a more idealized knight. The Falcon of the Glades. Currently single. The late Sir Manin, in turn, was perhaps his father's favorite son; though he was more of a shadow of his direct ancestor in his skills, their personalities were definitely a fit. Curiously enough, in spite of them being similarly tempered (and Sir Manin being perhaps the nastier one of the two), the company of one another seemed to have calmed the both of them down, or at least get them high enough spirits to make more concessions. Even his aspirations were close to his father's, and that's what eventually did him in - Sir Manin fell in armed conflict. Caught a crossbow bolt in the neck, to be exact. Tareon has been a lot more bitter, irritable after the fact. Sir Elan is ... an "odd one", his father used to say. Which, in his eyes, meant bookish and quiet, at least until he found someone willing to listen a lecture on whatever got his interest last. Elan is otherwise rarely seen in social situations, and tends to spend time studying languages, deities and artefacts instead. His knowledge seems to have made him a decent conversationalist with whom it mattered, though - he is married to Lady Jeanette (23), a well-mannered noblewoman who has won both of Elan's parents' approval. Lady Eleanor is much akin to her mother sans the health problems, though with a deeper interest in economy and finances, and some of her father's stubbornness. She is engaged to a Relimonian merchant, and thus rarely seen on the family grounds; it is typically assumed this arrangement will be out of practical considerations rather than something as fleeting as love. Sharper tongues might insist it's the numbers in her fiancé's books - others will say it's less to do with vanity and desire for wealth, and more with passion for playing the market in and of itself. Sir Javien is neither here nor there. He is decent, but not exceptional at most things he does. More so out of lack of passion than intelligence - he's quite sharp, as far as wits go. He might be more hedonistic than most of his siblings, but bereft of scandals as he is, people don't tend to consider it a big deal, or worth noting. He is also one of the more social, charismatic and approachable ones, and seems to be overall well liked. Still single. Sir Yanin Glade himself is an exceptional fighter, but otherwise not too noteworthy individual. People tend to consider him not really the amicable sort, nor, for the matter, too sociable - during events, he mostly kept to the side until he felt obliged to speak, and when he did, he was either quite laconic or, oppositely, confrontational. Some suspect he is an incarnation of the darker side of his father, and perhaps a crueler man than either Tareon or Manin ever were - an impression that is further deepened by the fact that even Sir Tareon himself might be afraid of him, deep down, enough so to have made a couple of concessions. His siblings have varied opinions on him, though even Sir Jeran - who is one of those who quite like him - occasionally refers to him as the Viper of the Glades. For the better part of the year and a half of his knighting, he served as a head of guard in Brow's Rest, Etlon, where people cautiously thought he was doing a decent enough job. His middle sister, Alaisi is quite a carefree soul who took early interest in the magical arts, and after a visit to the magical academy of Zerul City in her teenage years, it turned out she might have sufficient innate affinity for the powers of her soul to be worth nurturing. A few years later, she was admitted, and is presently studying there. Most people who encounter her like her; though she shares the Glades' more robust build, people used to always call the younger version of her "that sweet girl". Gerain is a knight still in the making, apprentice to one Sir Marcus, an old acquaintance - not quite a friend - of Sir Tareon. As Sir Marcus was also Jeran and Yanin's (but not Manin's or Elan's) master, he does seem to hold some reservations towards the boy, just in case he turns out more like the Viper than the Falcon. Chances are, the former managed to bruise his ego quite a bit... In practice, Gerain is at once both and neither. He lacks the kind warmth of Jeran or the brash straightforwardness of Yanin, and falls somewhere between the two in combat prowess and manner, but is probably a better battle tactician than either of the two, rivaling or even surpassing Sir Tareon himself. People seem to think that in him, nature has found a decent point of balance between the two of his older brothers. He himself is not too fond of the comparisons with his siblings, and would rather be considered as his own individual. Marlon is just barely too young to be on a path to become a knight - as is generally expected of the male members of the family -, and as such, has other than regular training (as opposed to Yanin, who did start full combat training early) mostly focused on his education. More than anything else, he seems to share just about equal passion for numbers and magic. A decent young guy, if with a bit of a short fuse when distracted. Adrian is still too young to formally do anything much besides receiving education. Seems to have a fondness for animals, though. Especially, for some reason, the monstrous sort. His parents are not particularly happy with that particular obsession, though they've permitted him access to some copies of the Deo'iel texts (in the hopes that it would facilitate interest in reading, at least), and offered to grant him his own horse sooner rather than later. A proper, full-sized one, as Sir Tareon does not believe in ponies. Ilene is barely more than a toddler. At best, she knows how to use a fork, talk as a child would, and "sing" a bit. Nevertheless, she's her mother's current dearest. Jeran, Javien and Yanin presently have squires; Elan insists that he does not possess the time for matters of that sort. The mansion has about four dozen various servants and other folk permanently on its ground (including stable workers), as well as three dozen guards on place and patrolling the broader grounds. [b]Notes on abilities and skills (to be added to upon necessity):[/b] In spite of his apparent disinterest in learning such, he can read and write quite freely, as well as sort of do calculations, if given time and (preferably) something to write things down on. He has also been educated in etiquette (even though he doesn't seem to know how and when to put it in use, or simply doesn't bother to), know who many of the important people are (or at least their names), know some history and lore, know some about materials, trading and in general the appropriate values of things, some about the different creatures of the land, and other varia. In spite of his lack of enthusiasm in learning it all, it would appear that at the very least his memory is quite good. Where Yanin excels, though, is combat. Before he was granted knighthood a year ago, and in spite of never taking part in larger tournaments, he managed to locally acquire minor reputation for it, having rather quickly bested his mentors, and later, volunteer challengers who wished to try their hand against defeating him. Last but not least, though currently unknown to anyone but Yanin himself, he also has a ... "demon problem" ... or, as might be more apt seeing the apparent absence of anything truly demonic, a void beast problem. Nothing at all can be detected near or in him in the magical sense outside of his soul appearing unusually weak (without the withering or evident signs of magical exhaustion), and magic unraveling near him, as if absorbed or dissipated. The beast's also overtaken his dreams. [hr] [b]Name:[/b] Jordan Forthey [b]Ethnicity and species:[/b] Rodorian, human (white) [b]Sex/gender:[/b] Male/man [b]Age:[/b] 17 [b]Physical build and appearance:[/b] Jordan is about 1.83 tall (a notch over 6 feet), narrow-shouldered, but quite fit guy. He has shoulder-length hair that, much to his annoyance, has been described as "potato-colored" - a sort of uneven light brown that's almost, but not quite dirty blond -, perpetually slightly concerned blueish-gray eyes, and quite youthful face which seems to acquire a random thin mess of (for some reason) blond hair, should he ever go more than two days without shaving. [b]Usual attire:[/b] He is typically seen wearing worn brown leather boots, brown leather belt, gray pants, a white cotton shirt and (in current, colder weather) a woolen coat. He also has a simple, but steel, longsword with its own brown leather sheathe, attached to his belt at the left hilt. The sword is not much of a looker with its simple crossguard and round pommel; one can tell it's been "fixed" a few times - the blade has been ground down to 93 cm to fix a blunted or broken end from the original probably of around a meter, even -, but it serves its purpose, and Sir Yanin had insisted it's still semi-decently balanced. It's material is also a bit too soft, rather than brittle; seems to be without rust veins, though, so not too bad original metalwork or care. He also has a dagger (again with its own leather sheathe, though this one attached at the right hip), which is actually new and appropriate steel. Recently, Sir Yanin acquired him studded leather armor, so when conflict is to be anticipated, he'd be wearing those. [b]Other equipment, rations and clothing (includes that carried by, but not associated with, his horse):[/b] A whole eight rodlin. Not much, granted, but it's his to spend, and Sir Yanin usually buys food and the essential supplies. A leaf-bladed iron spear, ash pole. An extra pair of gray pants. Two extra shirts. Five extra socks ... he is unsure where the sixth went, but guesses that should he lose another one, he'd have an even number again. Spare underwear (3). Flint and iron. About half a kilogram of dried jerky. Two loaves of bread. A little bottle of oil, a whetstone and a rag. Soap. Straight razor. About six meters of rope. Cloth that can be used as bandages. A small bottle of strong alcohol (moonshine). [b]Social status and family ties:[/b] He's been Sir Yanin Glade's squire for about a year now, formerly having been the Glades' stable hand; that's about as far as his standing goes. His family are farmers in Nemhim, owners of a small household, a couple of fields, and a dozen cattle. The household consists of Jordan's mother (36), his father's elderly grandmother (78), as well as still hosts his two sisters (6 and 12) and brother (9). His third sister and father succumbed to the withering a couple of years back. Aside of Jordan, the Fortheys are otherwise unaffiliated with the Glades, and in fact condone his continued service after the demise of his father, when it should be his, as the oldest son's, duty to take over his father's place rather than go pursue some illusions of grandeur and potentially get himself killed. Him sending part of his allowance back to his family does not seem to affect their (or at least his mother and grandmother's) opinion on the matter much. [b]Notes on abilities and skills (to be added to upon necessity):[/b] Knows how to take care of and ride horses. Knows how to cook. Knows how to take care of laundry and sort out supplies. And has a number of other quite mundane skills. As a part of acquiring his status as a squire (largely on Sir Yanin's word - something he still feels indebted for, as it was very unlikely that a stable hand of no significant family background could have achieved the status of as much as a young low-ranking knight's squire otherwise, unlikely as further progress is even now), Sir Yanin has also been trying to teach him combat and social manners. Sir Yanin is a decent, if somewhat impatient teacher of martial arts, so Jordan hopes to improve quickly. For the time being, though, his master recommends sticking with polearms in actual confrontations, if possible. He hasn't managed to defeat Sir Yanin even with spear against bare hands, though, which ... is not too encouraging. As far as social manners go ... a lot of rules. Sir Yanin doesn't seem particularly pleased with those himself, and is even liable to outright ignore his own teachings. But sir Yanin was also an actual knight of a decently well-known family. A peasant squire was probably not permitted to follow suit. [hr] [b]Name:[/b] Prince [b]Species:[/b] Horse. [b]Sex:[/b] Male (gelding) [b]Age:[/b] 8 [b]Physical build and appearance:[/b] A "white" horse - actually gray, as indicated the off-tone of his mane, tail and socks. 173 cm or a notch over 17 hands tall. Allegedly Thoroughbred, though Yanin suspects he's quarter draft horse - too stocky for a full Thoroughbred. As it makes him better suited at carrying him and his equipment, his owner does not mind. Jordan is inclined to agree on both points. [b]Associated equipment:[/b] A well-made horned black leather saddle and saddle bags with matching stirrups and bridle. Silver details. A light blanket and a winter blanket, both silver-trimmed black. In addition, there's a blue-and-red light blanket, trimmed in copper and black - the Glades' family colors. Prince is shod (studded). In addition, a feeding bag, brush, comb, washcloth, lead rope (stored). [b]Note(s):[/b] Effectively Yanin's 16th birthday present. [hr] [b]Name:[/b] Buddy [b]Species:[/b] Horse [b]Sex:[/b] Male (gelding) [b]Age:[/b] 4 [b]Physical build and appearance:[/b] A slight sorrel horse at barely more than 15 hands (152.4 cm) tall. Who knows what exactly he's supposed to be, but Jordan seems to be quite fond of him. [b]Associated equipment:[/b] Has a brown leather saddle and saddle bags, standard and a bit worn, but not bad quality, stirrups, bridle, a dark gray saddle blanket, and an old patchwork winter blanket. The latter's mostly light gray, but seems to have once been white and cobalt blue. Buddy goes bare-hoofed. In addition, a feeding bag, brush, comb, washcloth, lead rope (stored).