[hider=Brynjolf Battleborn] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/474x/9a/5b/21/9a5b2105e8b4fea58e128988426544c1.jpg[/img] [i][b]"War does not determine who is right - only who is left"[/b][/i] [b]Name:[/b] Brynjolf Battleborn [b]Age:[/b] 24 [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Race:[/b] Nord [b]Appearance:[/b] Brynjolf is of a larger size than many other races of men, as are most nords. He's no hulking monster by any means but he is tall and well built even for a nord. Standing at roughly 6'3 and weighing 16 stone he displays the complexion of a true nord with light skin (although somewhat tanned for a nord due to southbound travels) and blue eyes. His father however was of Bretonic descent and as such he bares his dark hair. Brynjolf's long hair is more often than not tied into a knot behind his head in an attempt to keep it out of his face while a full though not overly large beard is diverted into two braids at his chin. He is sometimes described as having daggers for eyes although most of the time this isn't intentional on his part. He is a fierce man who during conversation displays rather well taken care of teeth considering the times. He has a fair amount of body hair although probably less than many other Nords due to his father's genetics. Like many warriors he has more than his fair share of scars with the most noticeable being a horizontal scar running across his throat. Many others decorate his flesh especially near the shoulders, hands, back, and legs where blows can often slip past a mans defense and leave their mark. Brynjolf is also decorated with many tattoos of Nordic origin, these tattoos range from areas on his neck, chest, back, hands, arms, and even smaller ones on his face. The ink varies in quality with some being recent and others nearly a decade old. Most of the ink is black with occasional shades of blue. Many of the tattoos on his torso and upper arms are covered by a simple tunic and maybe a vest when Brynjolf isn't wearing his armor or dressed up for another occasion. After all he is a simple man who prefers comfort over fashion. [b]Personality:[/b] Stoic, Relentless, Ambitious, Charming, Charitable, Asshole. All of these and then some have been used to describe Brynjolf in the past. Most if not all are quite valid descriptions for his personality. Brynjolf was often taunted and mocked as a child because of his fathers ancestry. "You're not a real nord", "You'll never make it to Sovngarde you mutt", "You stink like Breton shit half-breed" and many more awful things were told to him as a child over and over again mostly by other children and even occasionally immature adults. Feeling like an outcast event amongst his own people lead Brynjolf to develop a soft spot in his heart for the oppressed and downtrodden. He is extremely sympathetic to those groups of people among many others. This also lead to his distaste for bullying the weak or different and it is something he will not tolerate or at the very least not partake in. Few were sympathetic towards him but those that were received his undying loyalty, something he carried even into adulthood. Brynjolf spent some years as a sellsword before he ended up with Isobel's rebellion and as such has become desensitized to many things including violence. While he doesn't necessarily seek trouble he is more than willing to indulge those that wish for bloodshed. Despite his desensitization he still remains very human and has a good although sometimes dark sense of humor especially among other warriors. He is no fool and knows to be polite around nobility and royalty as well as those who are above him. While he isn't necessarily against finding a long term romantic partner, his previous profession and current duties leave little time for romance and with the death of his lover and their unborn child he often has regrets when romance is involved. Like many Nords, Brynjolf is sometimes quick to anger and in the past has made rash decisions he later came to regret. His temper has gotten better with age and maturity but he's ended a few lives prematurely in the past because of it and they likely wont be the last. Like the old saying goes, if all you have is a hammer, everything begins to look like a nail. [b]History:[/b] Despite his interesting persona, Brynjolf's early life had a rather boring start. He was born in the ancient city of Markarth located in the far west region of Skyrim. His father had travelled east from Wayrest sometime before he was born to visit the ancient dwarven ruins that rested beneath Markarth. Sometime during his visit he met Brynjolf's mother who at the time worked as a tailor and the two fell in love. Settling down the two had a baby boy together born under the sign of the Lord in the year 3E 425, roughly 8 years before the start of the Oblivion Crisis. Brynjolf was born and raised in the Riverside of Markarth where as a young boy he often got into scraps with other children over things like food and them not letting him play with them. His mother was known as one of the better tailors in the city and was usually far too busy taking care of soldiers and nobilities needs to keep a watchful eye on Brynjolf leading him to get into some trouble with the local law at a young age. Usually petty things like stealing food and vandalism but as he grew into a teenager he began stealing horses from the local stable at dusk only to return them several hours later just before dawn. His father was an avid magic user who often travelled to and from Winterhold for months at a time to speak with locals and members of the college for studying purposes which also contributed to Brynjolf's frequent unsupervised mischief. Though few in number, Brynjolf did have some friends within the city. The most notable being a young boy around his age that was crippled during an accident while horseback riding. The boy's father was a well respected military commander in the city of Markarth and extended an offer of formal military education to Brynjolf for the kindness he'd shown to his son despite his now crippled state. Things changed for the better for young Brynjolf as he was now occupied learning the ins and outs of melee combat, basic military tactics, and leadership leaving little time for him to cause trouble around the city. He became rather competent with two handed weaponry and as such grew to appreciate heavier armor due to the lack of a shield to protect him. Some years after the oblivion crisis ended Brynjolf's father left for one of his typical visits to Winterhold only to never return for reasons still unknown to him or his mother, though many speculated brigands on the road may have taken him for an easy target. Though sad as any child would be by the disappearance of his father, his new martial teacher and many of the cities garrison stepped into the role of father figures for young Brynjolf helping him cope through the difficulties of losing his father. With his father gone Brynjolf and his mother's already humble life grew increasingly more difficult now that his father's source of income to the household was no more. This forced Brynjolf at the tender young age of 16 to step up as the man of the house and aid his mother with their expenses. Ending his military education prematurely he began working for local merchants as a caravan guard on many of the smaller trips to Karthwasten and Rorikstead, his job being quite simple, protect the caravans filled with silver and iron from the mines of Markarth from any who would try to attack them. Brigands were a common sight in the Reach as were barbaric clans of Reachmen who still believed in the "old ways". It wasn't long before Brynjolf found himself using real weapons against real combatants. To spar with a friend using blunted steel was one thing, to disembowel another living creature with a real sword was another and it wasn't something Brynjolf was entirely ready for. Though no amount of training can truly prepare you to take another life. His martial prowess was recognized by the merchants that employed him and Brynjolf soon found himself being sent on longer trips to places such as Falkreath, Riften, and Windhelm among several others. The farther the trip the better the pay and eventually he'd saved enough to purchase himself better equipment as well as being able to move his mother from the Riverside of Markarth to the Dryside where the quality of life was noticeably better. Some time went by and eventually Brynjolf found himself in the far northern regions of Skyrim, specifically Dawnstar. The caravan he was escorting arrived during the New Life Festival, the streets and inns were full with people celebrating the yearly event where food and drink was free. During this time he met a woman who he became quite fond of, an innkeep's daughter who often sang to patrons visiting her father's place of business. The two grew rather close in the week Brynjolf was there and it wasn't long before they eloped with Brynjolf persuading the young woman to accompany him back to Markarth. The journey back was a long one due to the winter snows and the trek through various mountains leaving plenty of time for the two to "get to know each other". Approaching Solitude the young woman became increasingly sick each morning they travelled leading to the discovery that she was with child. Alas all good things must end and while closing the gap between Karthwasten and Markarth the caravan was ambushed by a group of hostile Reachmen. Brynjolf and the other caravan guards fought them off relatively easily as the barbaric clansmen lacked good quality weapons nor armor however in the aftermath he found his lover bleeding to death atop the rocky soil. Several arrows had struck her torso and were lodged firmly inside of her, potions only being able to do so much the young woman perished shortly afterwards. The heartbroken Brynjolf returned home to his mother who did her best to console him but depression is a tricky beast and he could no longer stand to even look upon the Nordic landscape. He fled Skyrim leaving behind most of his coin and other valuables for his mother, bringing only his weapons, armor, and steed with him on the journey to Hammerfell. He worked as a sellsword for several years serving many people including lords, towns, and independent merchants, taking all manner of work from monster hunting to caravan escorts. He encountered other mercenaries along the road many of which he bid farewell and good luck to. More muscle also meant more profit however and eventually he stumbled upon two Redguard brothers in Dragonstar who were also interested in taking on larger jobs. The trio sought new work in Cyrodiil and quickly made the journey southeast atop their mounts. Cyrodiil was a much wealthier land than Skyrim or Hammerfell and as such the contracts Brynjolf and his Redguard companions took on often paid slightly better than they were accustomed to. There was never a lack of work with bandits, deserters, and monsters roaming the land as war and political intrigue consumed the region. Sometime after their arrival the trio took on some riskier and riskier contracts allowing greed to cloud their better judgement. Biting off more than they could chew, Brynjolf ended up injured rather badly, the two brothers brutally killed in action. It took months for Brynjolf to fully recover from his injuries, he spent most of this time in Chorrol using his savings to get by at various inns and making occasional donations at The Chapel of Stendarr. Despite his injuries he still wished to make a difference in the world and often donated septims to help feed the needy. Finally he recovered and was able to stand for more than a few hours at a time without being in pain. Rumors of a woman and a Minotaur leading a resistance to the south against a tyrannical count flooded the inn shortly after his recovery. It almost sounded like a fairy tale, too good to be true he thought. Having done his fair share of good and bad in life he decided it was time to truly make a positive impact in Tamriel, and so he rode for Skingrad. [b]Attributes:[/b] Major: Strength Minor: Personality [b]Skills:[/b] Expert: Two-Handed - Brynjolf is a large man and as such uses large weapons. His go to is his large great sword but he also has experience with battleaxes and warhammers. He is very much an offensive fighter relying on feints and other trickery to overwhelm his opponents defense. In scenarios where he is the larger and stronger combatant he may even use brute force to break his way through an opponents defense. Adept: Heavy Armor - Two handed weaponry leaves no room for a shield which means Brynjolf relies heavily on his armor to protect him from enemy combatants blows should he not be able to deflect, dodge, or otherwise evade them. Sneak - Despite his large size Brynjolf is more than capable of sneaking around competently. Years of stealing as a child made him rather good at it and sometimes when fighting a larger more well armed force than your own may require an ambush if you want to survive the attack. Speech - While no silver tongue Brynjolf can at times have a way with words. Whether it be intimidating someone into submission, haggling for a better price on a contract, or even talking himself out of trouble. Sometimes words are mightier than the sword. Athletics - Brynjolf is a hardy Nord who combined with his youth is in quite good shape. He tires slower than others and recuperates faster. Swimming and climbing are second nature to him. Journeyman: Marksman - Brynjolf cant use a bow to save his life but he's had some practice with crossbows in the past. Typically he prefers them for hunting rather than actual combat but will not hesitate to use one in a pinch. Spells: Magic isn't incredibly encouraged by the Nords and years of torment from his peers over his father's use of it has made him somewhat unwilling to learn. [b]Equipment:[/b] - Steel Greatsword - A well crafted Greatsword made by one of the better smiths in Markarth [hider=My Hider] [img]https://s3.amazonaws.com/koa-media-library/wp-media-folder-kult-of-athena//www/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ANT3WG_L.jpg[/img] [/hider] - Steel Armor - Armor he had forged while still living in Markarth [hider=My Hider] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/aa/ca/92/aaca929bccc79adddcf40939f006d101.jpg[/img] [/hider] - Dagger - Nothing fancy a Rondel style dagger - Potions - Primarily healing and stamina potions for battle but in preparation for something larger he may even bring poison. [b]Belongings:[/b] - 100 septims - Flint and steel - Maps of Skyrim, Hammerfell, and Cyrodiil - Rations - Bedroll - Eating utensils - A gold ring fitted with a red ruby worn on his ring finger [b]Birthsign:[/b] The Lord [b]Miscellaneous:[/b] Brynjolf loves to carouse with friends and even enjoys games here and there. Gambling has been a problem in the past. [/hider]