[hider=Captain Gashin Kazor] [center][img]https://orig00.deviantart.net/37d9/f/2013/306/b/7/calico_jack_by_sunsetagain-d6spotp.jpg[/img] "I'd rather ya toss me into the ocean with nothin' but a piece of driftwood to cling to than make me live in a fookin' cave. I hate caves." [/center] [hr] [B]✶ P R O F I L E[/B] [indent][indent][I][b]BIRTHNAME[/b][/I]: Gashin Kazor [I][b]OTHER NAMES[/b][/I]: Captain, Gash, Sea Hound [I][b]AGE[/b][/I]: 34 [I][b]GENDER[/b][/I]: Male [I][b]RACE[/b][/I]: Half Human, half Dwarf [I][b]BIRTHPLACE[/b][/I]: Ryth, Amorynthia [I][b]RELIGION[/b][/I]: Worships Zorion, God of Freedom and Will[/indent][/indent] [hr] [B]✶ P H Y S I C A L I T Y[/B] [indent][indent][I][b]HEIGHT[/b][/I]: 4'11 ft [I][b]WEIGHT[/b][/I]: 123 lbs [I][b]APPEARANCE[/b][/I]: Captain Gashin Kazor is a short man, as one might expect. His stature is nearly a foot higher than the average dwarf, though several inches shorter than most men. Gash's origins are clear to anyone who give him a cursory glance. From his brawny, short form to his scraggly facial hair, to his strong accent and even stronger desire for pipeweed and alcohol, Kazor screams [i]dwarf[/i]. Yet another look might cause the mind to doubt, for he's too tall to be a dwarf, his beard is horribly short and- strangest of all- he wears the badge of the Amorynthian Navy upon his breast. Apart from his heritage, the captain's appearance is markedly similar to that of most men of his occupation. Gash's flesh is tanned and leathery from years spent out under the beating sun on the deck of his ship. On his head, the captain wears golden bandanna and a black tricorn hat. On his feet, a pair of dusty old boots. And on his hip, the sheathe for his reliable cutlass. A white, low cut shirt, a golden vest adorned with runes of ages past and a sash of crimson tie together the sailor's attire. Several scars from boarding hatchet and cutlass adorn his arms and chest; the gnarliest of which rests right over his heart. His hands, calloused and worn by the sea, have several cuts across their dark surface. Tattoos, too, mar his flesh alongside those wounds of old. A sea serpent coils about his left arm from wrist to shoulder. An anchor, with a mermaid hanging from it's hook, sits in the center of his broad chest. Most important to him, however, are the letters lined upon each finger. Put together they read the name of Kazor's vessel: [i]Saint Leona.[/i] [I][b]SKILLS, STRENGTHS & TALENTS[/b][/I]: Captain Gashin Kazor, of the Royal Navy's [i]Saint Leona,[/i] is a sailor without equal. None commands the high seas with the same tenacity, skill, or vigor of the half dwarf captain. He particularly specializes in Caravels, such as the [i]Saint leona[/i] herself, preferring speed and maneuverability to size and bulk. Gashin is a pirate hunter. He chases down the rogues and bandits of the sea with ruthless efficiency, carving out a safe haven for Amorynthia's merchant fleets. Anyone who dares to fly the black flag knows the name Gashin Kazor, and of his damnable vessel, and fears him; those that wish to survive more than a fortnight on his ocean, anyway. Though ship to ship combat is where Kazor is best known, the Sea Hound of Valdez excels in all aspects of sailing. He can guide a vessel through the sharpest rocks and the narrowest of paths, barely scraping by areas that any other captain would say was impassible. When Gashin must travel across the open ocean in long, drawn out voyages to far away lands, he can reliably guide the [i]Saint Leona[/i] using the stars. Kazor rarely gets lost anymore, his knowledge of the heavens allowing him to get his bearings without the need for maps or landmarks. A sailor first, and a navigator second, Captain Gashin is far from completely helpless when not manning his ship. While he's no master swordsman who dedicated his life to learning the ways of the blade, Kazor wields a cutlass well enough to skewer most who dare lift up a weapon against him in a duel. His training as a marine of the Royal Navy allows him to stand toe to toe against [i]most[/i] foes he could expect to face. Alongside his curved blade, Gashin typically carries a boarding axe as a secondary weapon. It works well in tandem with a sword, and as a last resort if his primary armament was damaged or lost. Other weapons Kazor has some experience with are pikes, throwing axes and clubs. Learned skills and talents are not all that Kazor has at his disposal. The blood of the dwarves runs through his veins, offering him a sturdy form and strapping muscles. He's naturally stronger than the average man, making the half dwarf a frightening wrestler in hand to hand. Alongside his dwarvish heritage, Gash is partially human. This gives him the advantage of height, reach, and agility over a full blooded dwarf. [I][b]WEAKNESSES & DRAWBACKS[/b][/I]: The Sea Hound of Amorynthia is at his best on the deck of a ship. His ship, specifically. Taking him from that and putting him down in another place takes Gashin out of his comfort zone. Ships larger or smaller than the [i]Saint Leona[/i] are alien to him; Kazor can count the number of times he's had to captain another ship for any extended amount of time on one hand. This is not to say he'd be useless, far from it. But a lack of familiarity with his vessel makes the captain less effective in the whole. Other environments- such as forests, deserts and caves- are similarly out of Gashin's area of expertise. Physically, Kazor's blood is as much a disadvantage as it is an advantage to him. While Gashin might be stronger than a man, he's almost always weaker than a dwarf. He may be more agile than a dwarf, but Gashin's slower than a human. His half breed status means that the captain lacks the all-in strength of either race, while still possessing the weaknesses of each. Being a half breed is more a curse than a gift in the eyes of society as a whole. Men look down on him for his Dwarvish heritage, throwing him in the same class as the disenfranchised race of stocky slaves and craftsmen. His peers in the Navy view Kazor as a stain on their prestigious institution. More than one concerted effort has been made to force Gashin into an early retirement, though the half dwarf has never given in to the pressure of his fellow soldiers. He has few friends in Amorynthia, but even fewer among the Dwarves. Acting as an agent of the king responsible for the Dwarven Exploitation marks Gashin as a traitor to his own people. [/indent][/indent] [B]✶ B E L O N G I N G S[/B] [indent][indent][I][b]ATTIRE[/b][/I]: The attire donned by the Sea Hound is an unmodified uniform of the Royal Navy, marking Gashin as an officer in service of the Crown. A white waistcoat and a puffed shirt of the same color, accented by golden stripes and facings, protected the captain's chest from the rough conditions of the sea. Trousers matching Kazor's long jacket in color and material keeps his lower half warm and himself decent. More lavish is the long jacket that Gashin wears over everything else. Buttons of gold and dark blue linen mark it as a high quality product, though years at sea have sullied it's appearance significantly. Epaulettes, medals, and tassels can be added to the coat for ceremonial purposes, though Kazor's idea of a party involves more grog and fiddles than the a ballroom dance in the capital. The most treasured of his uniform is the old tricorn hat and bandana he wears on his head. [I][b]WEAPONS[/b][/I]: Wielded by sailors of all classes, ranks, races and creeds, the cutlass is as synonymous with the men of the sea as their ships. Gashin's cutlass is twenty nine inches long and a little under a pound in weight. A basket hilt embroidered with gold protects the captain's hand. The blade was forged with tempered steel by the venerable smiths of the Amorynthian military, and enchanted to be sturdier and sharper for longer. Named after a young maiden that Gashin courted in his youth, [i]Betsy[/i] is a fearsome sword to cross indeed. Alongside the mighty [i]Betsy[/i] is a far less exciting boarding axe. Unenchanted though usually well crafted, Kazor has gone through more than a dozen over his career as a sailor. He has a habit of losing or breaking them, so Gashin likes to carry several on him at once. On occasion, if the situation calls for it, Gashin can use his axe as a ranged weapon. [I][b]TOOLS[/b][/I]: Any number of navigation tools are carried in Gashin's pack. A sextant, spyglass, a pocket watch, maps and various charting tools, and Kazor's trusty compass are all kept on his person when he travels anywhere. A short working knife, rope, bandages, rations, a lighter, and a bedroll were included in his equipment when he set off on the king's expedition. [I][b]PERSONAL ITEMS[/b][/I]: Golden earrings and a single iron band marked with the symbol of the king are all the jewelry worn by Captain Gash. One of the only personal items Kazor keeps with him is a worn copy of [i]A Kraken's Tale;[/i] an old novel about a captain obsessed with killing a sea monster that destroyed his first ship. Gashin has read the book more times than he can count, though he never tires of the narrative and likes to come back to it whenever he has nothing else to do. [/INDENT][/indent] [hr] [B]✶ H I S T O R Y[/B] [indent][indent][hr] [center][b]REGISTERY OF THE AMORYNTHIAN ROYAL NAVAL ACADEMY[/b][/center] [hr] [center][b]MILITARY SERVICE RECORD ARCHIVE, LISTED UNDER PUBLIC INFORMATION BY ORDER OF KING VALDEZ II[/b][/center] [hr] [b]NAME:[/b] [u]Kazor, Gashin[/u] [b]SEX:[/b] [u]MALE[/u] [b]RACE:[/b] [u]MIXED, HUMAN / DWARF[/u] [b]P.O.B (PLACE OF BIRTH):[/b] [u]GARD, AMORYNTHIA[/u] [b]P.O.R (PLACE OF RESIDENCE):[/b] [u]DRAY, AMORYNTHIA[/u] [b]MOTHER:[/b] [u]Kazor, Vilea (age 64, registered blind)[/u] [b]FATHER:[/b] [u]Kazor, Deon (deceased)[/u] [b]SIBLINGS:[/b][u] Kazor, Laeya (age 9, craftsman assistant)[/u] [b]ENLISTMENT:[/b] [u]Dray Recruitment Office (age 17)[/u] [b]RANK:[/b] [u]Captain[/u] [b]DEPLOYMENT:[/b] [u][i]Saint Leona[/i][/u] [hr] [b]FIRST TOUR:[/b] [indent]Gashin Kazor first served under the original captain of the [i]Saint Leona[/i], the late [b]BOARSON, WILLIAM[/b]. Patrolled the coast of Tumeken as ordered by the king, under the Valdez-Setsiput Treaty in the courts of Ryth earlier that year. Engaged in ship to ship combat with pirate raiders, and assisted the Tumeken Army in clearing out bandits in Fool's Mistake. NOTE: Following first tour of duty, 50% of earnings were sent back home to family in Gard.[/indent] [b]SECOND TOUR:[/b] [indent]Assisting in the transport of engineers and resources to Wizard's Tower for construction purposes. [i]Saint Leona[/i] was tasked with protecting unarmed transports from northern pirates and keeping forest bandits in the foothills away from the construction site. During a battle with pirates, a Boatswain was shot and killed via a crossbow bolt to the skull. Gashin, being the most experienced deckhand present, was elected to take his position. Captain Boarson received a good deal of harsh criticism from command and his peers for promoting a [i]dwarf[/i] man of Gashin's inexperience to the position of junior officer. NOTE: 65% of earnings sent back to Gard. Father is diagnosed with unknown heart disease, and Laeya is born. Kazor heads to the Royal Naval Academy for training as a naval officer, under the orders of Captain Boarson. [/indent] [b]THIRD TOUR:[/b] [indent]Admiral [REDACTED]'s campaign to eradicate the pirate threat living on Rat's Nest island included a number of veteran pirate hunting ships. The [i]Saint Leona[/i] was on the short list to join the fleet due to it's recent clashes with pirates in the north and along the Tumeken Coast. The fighting was incredibly fierce, resulting in several Royal Navy ships being severely damaged while others were sunk. Captain Boarson's first mate was slain in combat. Due to the courage he had shown during the campaign and his last two tours, Boarson elected to promote Kazor to the position. Mutiny was considered inevitable; that is, until the [i]Saint Leona[/i] came under direct attack by several pirate ships. The captain was wounded, taking an arrow to the shoulder, and Gashin was forced to take the wheel. Showing considerable ability, Kazor directed the crew and successfully evaded their pursuers, earning the [s]begrudging[/s] respect of the [i]Saint's[/i] crew. NOTE: 80% of earnings sent back to family. Deon passed away in his sleep, and Kazor returned home on leave to help his family with funeral arrangements. The Kazors, using the money Gashin received from his recent promotion, moved to Dray.[/indent] [b]FOURTH TOUR:[/b] [indent]Following the failed Rat's Nest campaign, the [i]Saint Leona[/i] takes on low-stress cargo transport defense patrols. Captain Boarson's condition continues to deteriorate; the blow struck to him during the previous tour has, unbeknownst to him, become infected. While out at sea, William passes away, and Kazor finishes military duties until they can return to port. He is then unanimously recommended to take the position of captain by the crew. A letter written by Boarson on his deathbed confirms that these are his wishes, and command chooses to promote Kazor [i]after eight months[/i] immediately. [/indent] [b]FIFTH TOUR:[/b] [indent]Gashin serves as captain of the [i]Saint Leona[/i] for a number of years, acting as a pirate hunter in the seas near Rat's Nest. Fighting is intense and often, though Kazor shows a significant degree of skill at the helm of his ship. He receives several accolades for successfully capturing or sinking a number of vessels, having a direct impact on the region's frighteningly high population of pirates and criminals. NOTE: As of very recently, Gashin has been pulled from duty and asked to accompany a special envoy by the king. His dwarven heritage, loyalty to the crown and navigational skills make Kazor a reliable asset for the mission his highness has planned.[/indent][/indent][/indent][/hider]