Lucian — Roleplayer Guild

 Galadred's nose curled as soon as the party entered the clearing, the smell of old fires and rotting flesh mixed to make a stomach-churning bouquet that reminded him too much of his vile kin and their raids on the shores of Ulthuan. This put him instantly on-edge. Obviously, somethinbg was wrong here, and the Estalian's reaction to the visual evidence further perturbed the elf. Even before the thudding of the arrow, Galadred had raised Argent Roar, resting the enchanted battleaxe on his broad shoulder, ready for what may come next. Still, prepared as he was, the arrow finding its home in the tree next to his charge surprised him. For a split second, he thought the unseen archer may have missed, and he moved to cover the Estalian with the bulk of his thick fur cloak, which made decent protection against projectiles.

 However, in the brief moment of surprise after the arrow struck the tree, the shooter revealed that they had indeed hit their mark. A warning shot. Perhaps they were not the perpetrators of the massacre? The unseen archer claimed that they had the party outnumbered. It may have been true, though even with Galadred's keen Asur eye, he was having trouble seeing anyone at all in the underbrush. Shortly after the archer spoke, there was a slight whistle and a crack from another direction in the woods. It seemed that they were indeed surrounded and outnumbered. Talking their way out was the only recourse, but Galadred wasn't quite as confident in his silver tongue as he was his Ithilmar axe.

 The tall elf turned his head toward the Estalian behind him, and raised an eyebrow.

 "Well, Severo. What do you think? Should we talk, or let the stunted one charge in to distract them?" He asked slyly, only half joking.

Username
Lucian

Character Name 
Galadred "The Lion"

Race/Species 
Asur 

Gender 
Male

Age 
122

Career Overview
Galadred is the descendant of one of the White Lions of Chrace and can claim a rich familial ancestry that goes back nearly to the founding of the order. As such, it was fated that he join their ranks at a young age (for an elf) after demonstrating great martial ability and a knack for good leadership. At the age of fifty, Galadred set out to hunt and kill a white lion, the beasts for which the order he sought entry into was named. Though the rite of passage into the order cost him his handsome and pristine elven features (The beast landed a near-fatal blow to Galadred's face, resulting in a long, permanent scar) he nevertheless overcame the Lion, and claimed it's pelt as a badge of honour, and a symbol of his acceptance into the order of the White Lions. He served as a Lion exceptionally for fifty years, and took up the defense of countless Noble Families of Ulthuan. 

Eventually, however, he was involved in a scandal which, to his chagrin, resulted in his expulsion from Ulthuan. Since then, Galadred has wandered the Old World as a mercenary, to various degrees of success. While his skill is not in question (indeed, he is somewhat famous for his martial prowess among mercenaries) he is choosy about what cause he will sell his blade to, tending to prefer escort and defense missions to anything else, and he never supports forces he deems unworthy. While this code of Mercenary ethics is relatively cumbersome when it comes to the acquisition of wealth, combined with his proficiency in combat, it has lead to his semi-fame in the mercenary world, and his moniker of The Lion, though his appearance certainly contributed to this as well.

Weapons 
Argent Roar is Galadred's signature weapon. The ancestral battleaxe of his family, passed down through generations of White Lions, each adding their own flair and enchantments to the weapon, as is the custom. The blade is formed of Ithilmar, and the weapon is thus extremely light and wieldy. At a command from it's wielder, the axe's blade can be magically 'ignited,' causing it to glow with a brilliant radiance. When swung in this state, the axe seems to roar as it cuts the wind, this is the enchantment for which the weapon gained its name. Aside from this enchantment, the weapon has countless enchantments of sharpening and preservation, ensuring that even to this day, despite centuries of use, it is as pristine as ever.

Aside from Argent Roar, Galadred keeps a small, ordinary dagger at his belt.

Attire
Ithilmar Armour in the style of the White Lions, though with his family's noble heraldry and any signs or marks of his merit in service to the Phoenix Court removed, and without the tall helmet that is another signature of the order.

Equipment/Other 
Galadred still wears the pelt of the white lion. Despite his exile from Ulthuan, it serves as a testament to his past exploits and skill. In a more utilitarian manner, the thick pelt can be used to great effect to tangle and deflect light missiles such as arrows.

Physical Description 
Like any high elf, Galadred is tall and graceful in his movement, with handsome angular features to his fair-skinned face. However, the similarities end there. He is well-toned and strong in appearance, barely retaining the lithe physique of his kin for all of his muscle. The left side of his face is marred by three claw marks that run straight down from his forehead to his chin, cutting through the left side of his nose and clefting his lip, the result of his fight with the white lion. His ithilmar armour is a few pieces shy of the full set, giving Galadred a sort of uneven and worn, yet undeniably noble look. His beautifully blond hair is cut short and unkempt, in a permanent state of "bed-head," something rarely seen on an elf, as the length of their hair is often as important to them as the beard is to a dwarf. Even when out of his armour, Galadred is rarely seen without his white lion pelt cloak. The cloak itself is massive, thick, and heavy, with the lion's head resting on Galadred's left shoulder like a pauldron. Galadred's overall appearance evokes past glories, dimmed by shame and exile, but still bright enough to be worthy of note.

Mental Description/Personality 
Galadred is haughty to a degree, though less so than many high-elves due to his humbling shame, and exile from his homeland. His life in the Old World among humans and Dwarfs and sell-swords of all types has lead to a blunting of his noble elven refinement and though he is still poised and respectful for the likes of a mercenary, he is considered brash and crude for one of the Asur. Despite this, he is kindhearted and will always step in to fight injustice or evil as he sees it, and protect those who cannot protect themselves.

Background/History
As previously mentioned, Galadred rose to the ranks of the White Lions at an early age and served exceptionally as a guard for many nobles of the Phoenix Court, so in this section I'll just focus on the events leading up to his exile. Galadred fell in love with the scion of one of the noble houses he was meant to be protecting. It was forbidden, as the noble was bound in marriage to another. However, the attraction was mutual, and Galadrad and the other noble began a clandestine affair. The affair lasted for a long time, with Galadred becoming the personally appointed guard of the noble's family and head of their security detail. Despite the dishonour of keeping their relationship hidden, it worked well for many years, until a Dark Elf raid on the noble family's compound forced Galadred to choose between saving his lover's life, or that of the noble's family. Resources would not allow for both. Galadred chose his lover, and after he and his contingent of White Lions had saved the young noble, they pushed the Druchii to route and secured the compound. 

However, the Dark Elves had not left empty-handed. They had taken the noble's family, likely to work as slaves until death, as was the dark elf way. Galadred's lover was furious, wracked with guilt, and lacking any vent, he turned on Galadred. Galadred's blunder was revealed to the Phoenix Court, and in the fashion of high elven politics, the scandal was revealed. The Noble blamed Galadred for all of it, claiming that he had been coerced by Galadred, and that his advances were unwanted. Galadred pleaded his case as best he could, but it was his word against the scion of a noble house who had the ear of the Phoenix King. So, Galadred lost his hereditary title, his place among the White Lions, and even his place in Ulthuan. He was only allowed to keep his family's axe, as there were no other heirs to wield it, and his equipment from his time as a Lion. So, with only that in hand, he set off to the Old World, bitter and scornful.

In the Old World, he found new purpose in the life of a mercenary. He found that he could still protect people, which was his passion, and so he often took contracts which allowed him to escort merchants or join in the defense of small settlements. Eventually, after making something of a name for himself in the mercenary community, he joined the Guild Of Esteemed Sellswords.

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