[hider=Signar Wayland][color=5C5252][CENTER][h2]An Aspiring Forgemaster[/h2][/CENTER]
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[color=2E2C2C][sup]_______________________________________________[/sup][/color][/center][hider=// INFO][indent][sub][b]P E R S O N A L  D E T A I L S[/b][/SUB]

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[b]Full Name[/b][COLOR=#807B84] - Signar Wayland[/COLOR]
[b]Age[/b][COLOR=#807B84] - 17[/COLOR]
[b]Gender[/b][COLOR=#807B84] - Male[/COLOR]
[b]Heritage[/b][COLOR=#807B84] - Tradesman. Almost finished his blacksmith apprenticeship in Valefor.[/COLOR]
[b]Magical Affinity[/b][COLOR=#807B84] - Fire and Earth melding into Metal.[/COLOR][/color][/SUP]

[color=#2e2c2c]-[/color][/indent][/hider]
[hider=// PERSONALITY][indent][SUB][b]P E R S O N A L I T Y[/b][/sub]

[sup][COLOR=SILVER][b]Straightforward[/b]
[COLOR=#807B84]A rather extroverted individual, Signar is boisterous, frank, and all the things a refined noble of Grayle is not. He is happy to introduce himself to those he meets, and his greetings to friends usually include some physicality of sorts. Even in a meritocracy there's those who believe their family name gives them some greater importance than their peers. An intrinsic value to their existence, independent of their skills and actual worth. Signar was quite fond of butting heads with those peers of his, even if sometimes it meant eating his own words. Considering where he is now and his relative inexperience and lack of training? Well, his head is probably about to get significantly tougher.[/COLOR][/COLOR]

[COLOR=SILVER][b]Adventurous[/b]
[COLOR=#807B84] Perhaps it's ill-fitting for someone who aims to master his craft to have such whims as travelling. A waste of time that could be spent honing his trade and perfecting his skills. Yet, Signar was raised on the stories and myths that brought the Age of Darkness to an end and ushered in the new era. As much as he loves the challenge and work, he's not quite able to hermit himself away in seclusion and simply forge day in and day out. Valefor may produce the finest steel the world has seen these days, but there are plenty of stories of what came before. The weapons of heroes lost in the lands abandoned by men.[/COLOR][/COLOR]

[COLOR=SILVER][b]Competitive[/b]
[COLOR=#807B84]Given that Valefor is largely a meritocracy, it should come as no surprise that Signar welcomes any challenges that could be used to help improve. The constant struggle to be recognized out of the many apprentices and peers has long been ingrained in him. He's done his best to learn not to take things too personally or grow malicious over what should be healthy competition that allows each party to recognize their short comings and improve. With that said though... he's clearly got some ways to go seeing as he got worked up enough to get barred from the trade guild.[/COLOR][/COLOR]
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[hider=// SKILLSET][indent][SUB][b]S K I L L S E T[/b][/sub]

[sup][COLOR=SILVER][b]Blacksmith[/b]
[COLOR=#807B84]It's been just over a year since Signar was barred from completing his apprenticeship. Three out of four years isn't bad though, and he's got a solid enough foundation to work with. Though he hasn't had a chance to work in a forge for some time, the knowledge is still fresh in his mind and he's itching for a chance. At least a proper forge. With his affinities and magic, it's quite possible to set up a portable forge wherever he likes. Having actual equipment does make for better practice though. He hasn't had the time or experience to fully devote himself to a particular field as an armourer, weapon-smith, or the like yet. [/COLOR][/COLOR]

[COLOR=SILVER][b]Dragonic Blood[/b]
[COLOR=#807B84]If one wants to truly become a master artisan though, the importance of magical skill and knowledge can't be understated. Even before he started apprenticing as a smith, Signar was taught to control and utilize the affinities he was gifted with. The Waylands are alleged to have the Dragon Lord's blood flowing through their veins, however diluted, and it is supposedly why the affinities of Fire and Earth are found among them. 
The use of magic for Signar has always been something that was meant to assist his work as a blacksmith. As such, he lacks practice when it comes to using magic in combat.[/COLOR][/COLOR]

[COLOR=SILVER][b]Enchantments! Sort of...[/b]
[COLOR=#807B84]The culmination of refined skill and magical expertise. A lofty goal that Signar strives to eventually achieve. The depth of understanding required to design even a single piece is something beyond him though, and even his best attempts are shoddy and flawed. While capable of placing a spell onto a weapon he has forged, it increases the time required. His skills as a smith are also lacking to create a truly reliable weapon. The end result is generally unstable and fragile, rarely good for or worth the risk of squeezing out a second use.
In short, instead of weapons that are fit for Sword Saints and Knight Commanders, he's got daggers and hatchets that function as grenades![/COLOR][/COLOR]

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[/cell][cell][b]Physical Description[/b]
[color=#807B84][indent] Standing 6’4 with a burly build, Signar makes for a rather imposing figure among those his age. Even more so in Grayle, where his height and naturally tanned skin give him away as a foreigner. His black hair is somewhat coarse given the amount of heat damage it has suffered over the years, and he keeps the worst of it tied back and out of the way. He could just cut it off to simplify things, but… His pale blue eyes aren’t too remarkable either. Watchful and perhaps even a bit wary, but lacking in intensity that some nobles might wax on poetically about. They aren’t gleaming sapphires, sharp as ice, or deep like the ocean’s depths and as capable of pulling one in. They’re just the eyes of a learned young man who’s still a bit hopeful about his future.

His choice of clothing also tends towards the simple and plain. Much of it is starting to show signs of their age with a bit of patchwork, but he’s not the sort to replace something that just needs a bit of fixing. While they’re obviously meant for the warmer climate of his homeland, Signar seems rather unbothered by the weather in Grayle. He hardly seems to notice the chill at nights, even while wearing a short-sleeved tunic. His clothing is often wrinkled or somewhat out of place, but rarely is it ever outright dirty. 

The one standout would be the pendant that dangles around his neck. A dragonic embossing practically leaps out from its surface, highlighting the workmanship that must have gone into it. Given how dull and scuffed the metal is though, it seems as if Signar has only treated it with the bare minimum to prevent actual tarnishing.
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[b]Character Conceptualization[/b]
[color=#807B84][indent] The Wayland family is just one of many that make up the ever industrious nation of Valefor. A family of metalworkers that can trace their lineage all the way back to one of their great nation's founders. Blessed with a fraction of the Dragon Lord's splendour, they lack the enterprising nature of their peers and thus remain a relatively small family business. With a few Enchanters over the generations though, they have their own claim to fame even among the ever improving works flowing forth from Valefor.

For larger families that are practically companies in their own right, it's not too uncommon for them to run apprenticeships in-house. They can afford the cost of setting up such an institution to guarantee them a steady flow of new workers. For smaller families though, such as Signar's own, the state provides an option through its guilds. Lanhelm is truly something to behold. An entire city dedicated to any aspect of metalworking. The cloud of smoke hanging above the city from its innumerous forges and workshops would likely send anyone who holds the sanctity of nature into shock too! 

It's here where many of the nation's artisans attend their apprenticeships. Even within the guild, competition is fierce and there are rarely enough anvils to accommodate each individual. Rough housing wasn't that uncommon, and he can remember spending a few days sweating by furnaces while bruised and battered. Good times that. Occasionally things might escalate beyond small scuffles and require the adults to step in, but it was rare. They were all aspiring craftsman rather than trained fighters, so there was only so much danger a few rowdy kids could put themselves in.

Of course that's before magic gets involved in the picture. Let's not even begin to mention the overconfidence of an idiot experimenting with Enchantments without any real guidance given the high level of precision, knowledge, and expertise required. It's not like a practitioner of that level simply hangs around looking for possible students to raise. In short, Signar's creation [i]may[/i] just have blown apart another apprentice's shield and almost taken their arm with it. He [i]may[/i] have ended up stripped of any qualifications and barred from the guild. He [i]may[/i] have almost been disowned by his family for such a blunder.

So Signar's got something of a bad reputation back home, and he [i]may[/i] have escaped his homeland rather than walked out freely. His family intended to keep him grounded until a bit more sense had been instilled into him, but years spent away from them at a place where competition was practically a way of life? Unsurprisingly it left Signar somewhat of an independent individual who refused to simply bow down and accept his punishment.

Why Grayle of all places? It's the closest nation given how his hometown is practically on the border between the two countries. As a result, they have quite a few customers in the country as well, so it won't be too odd for him to be seen. At least until the news spread. As for applying as a Knight Candidate? The most important aspect was the ease of application and the magical education that was included. Trekking all the way to Alexandria as they geared up for conflict seemed... unwise, and he had heard enough disparaging remarks about how the stuffy bookworms worked.[/indent][/color]
[b]Other Information[/b]
[color=#807B84][indent] [list]
[*] Signar's experience with fighting amounts to the occasional spar and weapon testing. He may have lost the debut spar, but the combination of physical might and a decent magical education made for a match instead of a simple beatdown.
[*] He uses a warhammer for its familiarity, but has no real preference as he’s tested all of his creations. Given his large stature, a polearm or spear of sorts could make for a truly oppressive reach.[/list]
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