@gcold Thank you for spotting those. I've been thinking of him as Tss for long enough that switching to a more correct name is challenging my habits. I hope I don't make that mistake again.
@Leidenschaft, Thanks for the correction. If I recall correctly I used silverborn as a stand in because I was writing the CS with a migraine and couldn't remember the precise name at the time. I forgot completely that I hadn't gone back and corrected it. Lidl'embarrassin.
And all fixed I think.
I do indeed bow to thee Leidenschaft. Jarl of the 200!
Basic information: Name: Utu-ja Race: Argonian Age: 25 Gender: Male Birthsign: The Thief Place of Origin: Markarth Appearance: Short for an Argonian and more forward-leaning, Utu-ja naturally moves closer to the ground. His build is lithe and defined though his tail is a little flatter than most. In the eyes of an Argonian, he wouldn't be that handsome or masculine but his looks tend more toward aesthetically pleasing than most and the soothing brown of his eyes can be disarming. His arms are also a little on the long side, almost enough to be touching the ground when he runs. His skin coloration is a non-uniform mottling of dark grays, blues and black. Combined with a swept back head crest he has a very subtle and unusual profile and is difficult to pick out and recognize from a dark background or the bottom of a body of water.
Background: Utu-ja was born in the prison mines owned by the Silver-Blood family. His mother was a prisoner there after failing to pay her husband's debt. She was kind but the work was hard on her and she had little left for her son at the end of the day. He lived and worked there with her until he was fifteen when his mother died in a small cave-in. This would have been a personal tragedy had he not been somewhat distanced from his mother by the extremes of their living conditions. In the mines, where he had been born and where he had only heard of things like weather and the sky, was the only world he knew. Here he learned the art of not being noticed even when he was right in front of someone. He also became strong and patient and honed his observational skills on the many people who were incarcerated during his life there. He picked up a few practical skills from them as well. Lockpicking and the basics of using one handed weapons were the most useful of these skills, though he had only the most simple of locks and shanks or pickaxes to practice with. Thankfully, a few of the guards and inmates treated him with some leniency since he had never been free, though they did tease him often.
The family's debt was mostly paid off by the time of his mother's death but a small amount remained. Since he was already employed there the debt was quietly transferred to him on the books and he continued as a worker in the only world he knew until he was sixteen. A few months after his sixteenth birthday an enterprising hunter by the name of Ulster came and purchased his small remaining debt from the Silver-Bloods. This hunter became the closest thing that Utu-ja would have to a father figure. He was also the man who first showed the argonian youth the sky for the first time. But, before he left the mines, one of the guards gave him an iron dagger to help him in the real world. He and his mother hadn't caused any trouble, a very rare thing in those mines.
Over the next seven years Utu-ja proved a diligent student and a talented one, though more diligent than talented. His master was a skilled enough hunter but needed extra help on longer hunts and it had actually been cheaper to buy out the remaining debt than it was to hire help. In this case, the hunter counted himself very lucky. Utu, as he came to be called by his master for the sake of convenience, was naturally gifted at swimming even in the strongest currents and proved capable with a bow as well as an axe. He made more money on the long hunts of those years than he had hoped for and rewarded his quiet helper with periodic gifts of equipment or trinkets to practice his skills on.
Those seven years of indentured service ended shortly after a bad river crossing when Ulster was attacked by seven slaughterfish and knocked into the deep water. Unable to fight in the water or get away to shore, he would have died if not for the skill of his quick learning servant. Utu dove into the water with his dagger in hand and killed the fish then pulled his master to shore. They were both badly wounded but they managed to reach a small fishing village and survived. After this incident Ulster completed the legal process of declaring the argonian's family debt paid in full. He also offered the young man an apprenticeship. Utu accepted quickly.
The next three years passed quickly with even more successful hunts and the gradual improvement of the skills that had proved vital so many times. However, all good times come to an end eventually. Ulster fell ill and died shortly before Utu would have turned 25. At this time he inherited his master's most prized tool of the trade, one that he had learned how to maintain at some expense and rarely used except when having to deal with some of the more dangerous beasts such as a wandering troll or a particularly strong example of frostbite spider. This tool was an elven bow. However, as his master did, he rarely used it unless he believed he needed its greater range and power to survive a dangerous encounter. In fact, since his master's death, the elven bow spent most of its time in a well oiled roll of leather to protect it from weather and hide it while it sat in camp.
Without a master he found that his apprenticeship proved a handicap. He couldn't get good prices for meat or hides and his fortunes dropped considerably. Without knowledge of reading or writing he had little alternative but to continue on as he was. Soon he was only able to afford short hunts and had to live in the warrens, back underground and only seeing the sky when he could manage to get out to hunt.
Things were not improved by the worsening political climate. However, with the arrival of war there arose new opportunities for his existing skills to turn a better profit. Unfortunately, his illiteracy and general ignorance about the larger world caused him to fare little better in his search for a profitable mercenary position. He was shunted into a mismatched bunch of mercenaries who generally fit each other like poorly sized boots. At least the looks on a lot of their faces reminded him of the look that others had when they said their boots were too tight. With the kind of work that was likely to need doing, Utu has taken to carrying the elven bow and leaving the hunters bow in camp, though he does carry both arrows for men and for beasts. More food and hide in camp was almost always welcome.
Personality: His time in the mines taught him to learn the behaviors of others quickly and to keep his head down and his mouth shut. He is one to work well but he never gives his all to a single task so that he has enough left to take a beating or handle other unexpected trouble. While he is illiterate, he has a bookish mentality. He studies by observation and has a keen eye for behaviors and trends in everything.
His natural instinct for survival leads him to act quietly and quickly without advertising his efforts whether he's setting up a campsite, picking a lock, or shooting a hawk on the fly. In short, you are most likely to realize that he entered the fight when an arrow flashes past you to strike an enemy that was paying too much attention to you and too little to the shadows in the background.
He also lacks any real sense of honor but respects power of all forms. As a misshapen argonian raised in a prison mine in Skyrim he has neither a personal culture nor anything to gain by the glorified high-horse that is a noble reputation. He has nowhere to go. With every step away from the abyss the edge gets that much closer.
Capabilities: Skills: Expert Marksman- All of his hunting and almost all of his fighting have been at medium to long range since his scent spooks game before he can get close enough for easy shots. Adept Athletics- He can run or hike long distances without notable difficulty and traverse rough terrain without trouble. Most significant is that he is a very adept swimmer and is able to fire his bow from deep water while using his tail and feet to maintain his balance and buoyancy. However, this is difficult and cannot be done in flowing water with noticeable current or at long ranges. Adept One-handed Blade- He is competent with an axe but lethal with a dagger, especially if he can get his opponent into the water. Apprentice Sneak- It's amazing sometimes how much easier it is to sneak up on people rather than animals. Apprentice Light Armor- Normal clothing and fur keep moisture next to his skin so he just wears leathers, as he has since he was given his first set. Apprentice Smithing- He knows his leather and his bows but has little experience with any other metals above iron due to a lack of funds or raw materials. His iron knowledge is largely limited to maintenance of his dagger and axe though he could probably make a shiv if he had to. He does have a decent eye for where the ore is likely to be, though that has little likelihood of being useful in mercenary work. Novice Lockpicking- Some of the trinkets that were given to him by his master were locks to practice on. You could encounter a lot of interesting and valuable things if you hunted in less traveled places. Novice Acrobatics- He had to jump well enough to cross rivers by hopping stones without getting the furs he was carrying wet. But, his unusual body shape prevents him from jumping high. Novice Alchemy- He knows how to find the ingredients for, and make, simple health potions and poisons but that's all.
Weaknesses: Illiterate - He wouldn't even know his own name or age on paper. Abnormally low natural mana - Even if he could read the books he couldn't make the spells work. Relations to Other Characters: Due to the present xenophobia in Skyrim Utu has kept to himself, worked harder than most in camp, and taken care to be seen as reliable and capable to those with rank. Specifically, he has used his natural skills to be of use to Ashav whenever called for. However, most of what could be idle time has been spent helping Edith with food and leather supplies and Daelin with any scouting too dangerous for booted humans. Affiliation(s): N/A Spells (if any): N/A Combat Style (or the Lack of): Stealth and long range archery and ambush dagger work comprise most of his fighting experience. His axe work is pretty crude though unusual. He tends to swing sideways instead of down, using his tail to add force. It's how he learned to use a pickaxe when he was young. Other Capabilities: Natural Water Breathing, resistant to disease.
Inventory: Cash: 30 septims Keys and Lockpicks: 20 lockpicks Clothing and Armor: oiled leather hauberk, oiled leather greaves, oiled leather helm, oiled leather bracers Weapon and Ammunition: Elven bow, Hunters bow, 20 iron arrows, 20 steel arrows, iron war axe, iron long dagger ~12" Potion and Arcane Supplies: 2 vials of poison, 1 health potion Jewelry and Novelty Items: N/A Books and Documents: N/A Food, Drinks, Provisions: smoked venison, smoked salmon, skin of cheap wine, skin of cheap ale Bags, Pouches, Packs: 2 large oiled knapsacks on a belt with leg straps, one for each hip. Other:
Anything at all as regards advice, recommendations, or criticisms would be welcome. I'd like to take advantage of the more stringent standards here to hone my character creation skills.
@gcold Thank you for the invite. I had no prior knowledge of this particular Elder Scrolls scenario but I am definitely interested. I'm thinking of simply making some minor alterations to the argonian that I never had a chance to use in the last TES role-play that I applied to join. I have actually already started the conversion process. I'll get it done as soon as practical. For now, sleep and whiny children call.
@pockets We'll have to be careful later on. If it was a level five area then it would make sense that other monsters could show up. But, it wasn't. There was only a specific spot with monsters three levels higher than the surrounding area. If that happens in a more dangerous spot then we could end up with way too many powerful monsters to deal with.
As for specifics that involve your character, @Yunagi, she was almost killed by a giant black fox jumping at her from behind. Tailpin stopped that attack with an Impact Sidewinder. Aside from that close call the rest of the fighting was handled by the heavy-hitters and a couple arrows. By my count that last bear should already be dead but people kept adding monsters that never arrived. So, eh, whatever.
Mai'lo and Tailpin have already started walking toward the next town and everybody's reacting to the death of Matsuta.
I'm figuring that proper introductions etc should probably wait till everybody's in a safe zone.
Tailpin had already done what he would do for the lost player. He saw that others were taking it in different ways ranging from vows to the building of a memorial. But, in the end, this world had been created by Kayaba. If they couldn't get free of the rules of this world's god and get to a place where they could kill him then none of this would matter or be remembered.
"Life first, introductions later, people." Tailpin's voice was harsh and loud in his own ears. "We don't want to be here when those monsters respawn."
He knew that there wasn't even a single group here yet, nevermind a leader. But, someone had to get them to remember the present moment. They didn't know the respawn times for those monsters and they had wounded people and damaged weapons to take care of. It would be all to easy to waste time here and end up caught in another battle that might cost another life.
He turned and followed Mai'lo. He wasn't so weak as before but he had still not been strong enough. If he had spent that time killing monsters he would have had the stats to stop that boy from dying. But, if he had chosen that path then he wouldn't have known about the monsters and the girl would probably have died instead. Could he save anyone? Would it always come down to a question of merely who is going to die? These were the thoughts that occupied his mind while his eyes continued to scan both sides of the road for any threats. There would be time later for the exchange of names and formation of parties.
He also planned to come back here later. He would kill those foxes again and again. Level five monsters that were weak to arrows could help him get strong enough to prevent future tragedies. He just needed to be able to hold the bears off as well. That would be the hard part.
I love how I say that Kip's gonna go mad and everyone is like, "Oh, okay. Cool. More importantly..." XD
(Also, yes, Kip is truly going to lose her sanity. Every person who dies in front of her, she's going to mourn, whether she knew them or not, and swear vengeance on Kayaba; eventually, that will be what she cares the most about. Surviving, and destroying Kayaba.)
And, that one bear is the last one if my count is right. That will clear the area for proper introductions and the choosing of... a better place to camp.
Red Gypsy