Manzur looks at Ashevelen - thinking about that offer. Death, while never managing to take Manzur from the mortal plane, comes closer every year. If war, bloodshed, assassination, and disease cannot kill the Butcher then the passing of time will - Death’s ultimate ender for those who have yet to succumb. Manzur knows well that his body cannot last for much longer at this pace, but retirement is not much of an option either - lest in the traditional sense.
Having decided, Manzur stares at Ashevelen. “You will be my legacy,” Manzur says in a friendly tone - a surprise for a man that does not often give off pleasantries. Either a cruel joke or an odd twist of fate, the Butcher of Bloodied Sands now sees it upon himself to bestow his skills and talents to young Ashevelen. The man renowned for his butchering of Daemonfolk, to now train his former adversary.
“Pursue? Yes,” Manzur says - being aggressive as always. After all, this was the man that cleared out Takiyah and held Zafeera Pass.
Manzur welcomes Cicero’s hand as both men firmly shake hands - letting go after a few seconds. “Demonfolk killed everyone,” Manzur says in a straightway fashion, befitting his stolid mannerisms. Manzur bushes off dust and grime from his spear tip with the leather side of his gauntlet as he mourns the death of his comrades quietly to himself.
After that, Manzur points back to his own watchtower off in the distance. “There, a friend, demonfolk. Been with me for a time,” Manzur quickly fires off, speaking in a broken sentence structure so as to not waste time on his end. Manzur rests his spear on top of his shoulder and relaxes his shield position - looking towards Cicero and then Gwyn for answers of their own.
Speaking in his usual gruffed voice, Manzur responds to an old friend. “Good to meet you too.” - having just exchanged pleasantries while stabbing the heads of two walking corpses. Walking over their truly lifeless bodies, Manzur pushes forward with his assault - blocking various strikes and blows from multiple angles.
The melee continues as Manzur does what he knows best, to kill and maim. A job that does not need much of an explanation in its details. A stab there, a shield push forward, a block here, and a jab elsewhere. Aside from the active combat, a few questions are being raised in the mind of Manzur. Who the hell would go to the trouble of turning his former comrades into walking corpses?
A solid question to ask after these damn undead are well…dead.
Is that Cicero? It must be. The way he swings his sword, the blocking method, the posture, and the footing. Manzur recognizes that fighting style from anywhere. But what the hell is he doing here? It has been ages ever since Cicero left home for Alvion. Well - best save the questions for later.
Climbing down the watchtower, Manzur makes haste toward the strangers and his former barracks of his. The trek across the sand took little time and effort for Manzur to cross - being used to the way that sand interacts with his feet. Once arrived, the man sizes up the Undeath. Nothing more than a rabble of half-decomposed corpses with equally rusted arms and armor.
Without delay, Manzur approaches the undead with spear and shield in hand. Decades of constant bloodshed and combat had done quite the number to Manzur’s body - scars and wounds occupying various parts and bits. Thankfully, forty years of experience have allowed Manzur to keep his wits and fighting prowess in tip-top shape.
Name: Manzur Iman Age: 56 Height: 5'6 Weight: 125 Class: ??? Race: Human
Weapons & Equipment: Manzur Iman carries everything on him to survive. A tent, rope, firestarter, rations, work tools, canteen, pot, spoon, fort, and whatnot. For arms and armors, Manzur has a steel tipped-spear, a decently made wooden shield, an iron helmet, iron boots, and iron chainmail with thick gambeson underneath it all.
Skills and Abilities: The skillset of Manzur Iman is quite direct, if you will. The handling of a spear and shield is one of the most recognizable and easiest to understand for the man. The nuances of it are all known to Manzur - how to properly grip the shaft, use its reach as an advantage, employment of certain stabbing methods to which part of the body, blocking-ways, etc, etc. Likewise, Manzur is very comfortable with brutal close-quarters-combat. The battlefield is no place for fancy and flashy move sets. All it takes is plenty of grit and a straightforward mind.
When it comes to wearing heavy armor, Manzur is good at that too. How it feels to move and walk in it. How its weights on his body. How it affects his movement and whatnot.
Elsewhere, Manzur also contains a fair bit of tactical knowledge. How to properly maneuver formations on a battlefield. How to gauge the front-line formations and call for a rally, if need be. And the subtle details of battlefield communications between him, his subordinates, and formations. Of course, those skills do not apply to the strategy side of things - the actual macro-management of a military force and all of its fine details of military bureaucracy and logistics.
Lastly is carpentry and cooking - two life skills developed during his short-retirement. If you are looking for someone able to cook a decent meal and also make some acceptable woodwork then Manzur can fill that role.
Bio: The underbelly of Roh is home to many people, and one of those people was Manzur Iman - living amongst the downtrodden, poor, and homeless. Driven by the will to survive, Manzur took up many odd jobs and tasks for individuals superior to him in wealth and power. Be that shoveling, mining, rat-trapping, trash disposal, water-carrying, and plenty more - whatever it took to get a meal in that day. This routine, the constant dirty hard labor, and shifting of jobs changed little in its nature. Of course, there was also the occasional crime here and there as it seemed…appropriate by Manzur.
Reaching his late teens, Manzur had an interest in escaping his current conditions. Sadly, he never learned how to read or write, do rhetoric, and the many things required to pursue a decent station. And the constant tit-for-tat scuffles between territorial cliques…Well, let's say that dying in a dank and dark alleyway is not a good way to go. Likewise, dying on a battlefield did not conjure up good images either. But daily food and monthly payment was a good enough convincer for Manzur.
Signed into the armies of Roh, Manzur was rushed into an extremely short period of training before being given the barest of equipment. His job? Grind down the enemy to a pulp in brutal close-quarters-combat. A job with a questionable survival rate for most, and made worse by his dubious arms/armor given to him. With a combination of luck and skill (largely luck), Manzur withstood the hells of war as mere cannon fodder.
From camp to camp, battle to battle, stronghold to stronghold, Manzur marched alongside his brothers in arms - death constantly stalking each corner, to barely miss each opportunity to take away Manzur every time. Manzur had his work cut out for him - ever so slowly rising in notoriety and prestige. Albeit, such fame is not exactly tied to great heroism or anything equally as romanticized.
Given the command of a company, Manzur had the task of clearing out resistance in the Takiyah region and then hold Zafeera Pass. Manzur understood, from various scout reports, that a demon folk army was fast approaching the pass to reinforce those in the Takiyah region. Theorizing, Manzur guessed that if reinforced then the rear-supply lines would be threatened and the main Royal Army ahead entrapped.
In order to not waste time and men, Manzur had no plan to take prisoners or loot. The command was simple - Kill everyone and burn anything. Spare absolutely no one. And just like that, Manzur led his forces in and butchered anyone or thing in his path - supply depots burned, villages destroyed, corpses everywhere. Morally evil, yes. But it did allow Manzur to quickly make way to Zafeera Pass before the demon folk reinforcements came.
Once in Zafeera Pass, Manzur held the path like a stonewall - utilizing the narrow nature of Zafeera to ensure his forces could not be overwhelmed. Brutal melee claimed the lives of many but the demon folk never managed to push out Manzur. In the end, the Zafeera Pass was littered with plenty more corpses. For his part, Manzur was noted to be quite vicious in his kills - a stab to the throat, a slash across the stomach, and other bloody impales.
The victory was gained and rumors quickly gave Manzur a new title - the Butcher of Takiyah and Zafeera. The man who slaughtered all in his way without remorse. A title that Manzur would not really come to enjoy but did use greatly to his advantage. At the end of his three-decade-long service, Manzur retired from his position. Manzur settled down for a good few years before being forced to become a mercenary after a political debacle caused him to have his savings taken away.
It was during his time as a mercenary that Manzur met Cicero Bladewalker. Both men quickly make good company over the years as they went about hunting down demon folk banditry. Things came to an end after a particularly unfortunate ambush in an attempted assassination on Manzur and whoever was with him. An act of revenge against the Butcher and Cicero. Sadly for the demon folk, their plot was cut short. The aftermath only left Manzur and Cicero alive.
Returning to the Royal City, Cicero left home back to Alvion while Manzur continue his merc-work as a grizzled veteran. A new reputation came to Manzur - a title evolution due to his constant bloodshed. The Butcher of Bloodied Sands - a monster of untold brutality as the rumors goes.
Izurich
Punished GN
Guardian Angel Haruki