Character Name:Nikolaus “Niko” Valerious
Age:37
Race:Nord
Sex:Male
Birthsign:The Lover
Specialisation:Combat/Magic
Class:Paragon
Skills:- Expert: One-Handed Blade (Dual-Wielding)
- Journeyman: Speechcraft, Destruction
- Apprentice: Athletics, Restoration, Heavy Armour
- Novice: Two-Handed Blade, Acrobatics, Illusion, Medicine (Non-Alchemical/Magical (Craft)), Hunting (Craft), Foraging (Craft)
Appearance:Looking every part the Nord, Niko stands at a towering height of 6’7; matched with broad shoulders and the muscled build of someone who works his swords every day, he can seem somewhat daunting at times. However, when one focuses on his face, softness shines through. Gentle blonde brows above stormy grey-blue eyes; a sharp jawline softened by a smattering of badly trimmed blond stubble; high cheekbones crinkled with laughter lines, and dimples that brighten cheeks once round with wellness, but now have a somewhat haggard and hungry look about them.
On a usual day out in the field, Niko can usually be seen wearing his armour; shaggy, dark-blonde hair pulled back haphazardly by messy braids, and shoulder’s stiff with the weight he is carrying. However, when more relaxed and among friends, his hair hangs loose, brushing against his eyes and shoulders in a messy but appealing manner – armour is replaced with comforting and loose clothing, shirt sleeves usually pushed up to the elbow and revealing a plethora of scars up and down his forearms. The scars carry on under his clothing; some fresher and deeper than others, but you’ll need to either get him drunk or be close to him to get the stories behind the scarring dotted over his skin – some hurt more than others, and not in a physical way.
While he doesn’t smile as much as he used to, Niko remains still an amicable sort – but if one looks close enough, you can see the tension in his smile; the stretched out laughs that sound just a touch too hollow to be considered genuine or warm. His eyes have retained that caring spark of friendliness, but it dulls whenever nobody is looking his way. His kindness isn’t faked or forced… it’s just harder to be the way he was before. It’s rare for his grief or anger to come through, but when faced with something particularly cruel, or anything involved in raising the dead, anything remotely nice about him falls away, and his eyes become as hard as ice. Killing for him then isn’t just a job to be done; it becomes frenzied, and very personal.
However, regardless of his own internal turmoils, he’ll remain good to those around him. While respect is earned, Niko makes a point of being polite to most, no matter how brash they appear to be. Being more than aware of how death and killing can get to a man, he’ll listen to people’s worries and concerns in the hopes he can do something to help them… when sometimes, a listening friend is all many need.
When it comes to matter away from friends and family, Niko still remains polite; even in battle, while others may make puns, threats or quips while slicing down their enemy, Niko will do it as quickly and as painlessly as possible – no intimidation, no dark humour. It’s not his style. Neither is bragging of past battles fought, though one would be able to hear a good tale from him if coaxed enough – it comes from having a daughter, for him. Niko quite firmly believes that Mia should be kept safe from violence, bad language, and all of the other things that his race and Skyrim are famous for; a foolish endeavour, considering his girl is getting street-smart enough to find out about all of these things herself; but he remains very protective over her, not wanting to lose her as he lost his wife. This protectiveness passes on to his friends and family, particularly those he gets close to.
Backstory:While our story begins in Kvatch, as does the life of Nikolaus. Born to an Imperial father and Nord mother, the pair had met, fell in love, and married in a short span of time – moving from the mother’s native Skyrim to Kvatch for a both safer and warmer climate to raise their son in. And it was a good childhood for Niko; there was never danger within the city walls, and with his mother and father’s decent wages from the Fighters and Mages Guild respectively, never had an empty stomach or cold night. Niko’s father – Percius – had his own parents, now retired, living in Kvatch too – so whenever he and his wife – Ulva – needed to do a job for money, they could quite simply live Niko with his grandparents and do what needed to be done. As a baby, Niko barely noticed his parent’s absence unless they were gone for a unusually long time; but as a child, he started growing curious as to what reason for and where his parents were going. Curiosity soon grew into indignation, and the usually mild-mannered child began to constantly question exactly why he had to stay at home, and why his parents had to leave all the time. Well… he was still mild-mannered in his questioning; politeness always came first, especially when talking to his elders. But it was clear to his parents that their little boy was growing up rather quickly, and would need to start learning something to keep him happy – and away from their own adventures. To counter this, Percius’ father – a retired guard of Kvatch - started teaching Niko how to use swords – of course starting with a wooden sword and a straw dummy at the young age of 8, but still, it worked well enough. With his grandmother teaching him his letters and numbers, Niko constantly itched for his training sessions every evening.
Over time, Ulva began to spend more and more days at home, having growing tired from all of the contracts taken from the Fighter’s Guild. When Percius’ father grew too old to continue training Niko (now 13) Ulva took over, helping him branch out into proper training; wearing armour that weighed his light teenage frame down; real swords instead of wooden ones – she even persuaded Percius to begin training Niko in certain schools of magic, just so it would come in handy in the future. Niko picked up the magic just as well as his blades, barring a few incidents with rogue fireballs. He was fine once his eyebrows grew back, honestly.
When Niko reached the age of 16, he had a firm grasp in the basics of restoration, destruction, and the wielding of blades. His mother wanted him to join the fighter’s guild, and his father wanted him to join the mage’s guild. Thinking he wanted the best of both worlds, he started working as a battlemage for the arcane university; training under a more experienced guard who worked there to get him up to the right standard for such a prestigious college. It was a solid job, and kept both of his parents happy – Niko continued to have a steady income, a warm bed, and full stomach. He was just going to be living with longer hours and bruised skin from his rigorous training regime – the safety of the mages and the University was no small matter, what with the countless troves of knowledge and precious items hidden within those walls. Niko had only been inside a few times, but he had caught glimpses of endless libraries, impossibly large, echoing chambers (He and a few colleagues enjoyed a few shouting matches in there before being kicked out by their Guard-Captain; after several hours of sprinting the battlements in full armour in the pouring rain, they decided not to do it again), and of course, the mages themselves. Only 2 really stood out to him; one was a slimy looking fellow. Niko was never one to judge people before meeting them, but as it happened, he had had the misfortune of meeting and talking to Conjurer Astian Onius – but Niko also had the fortune of meeting Astian’s cousin, Elisabeth. And to him, she was the greatest treasure in the University.
At the age of 25 – now an established guard of his own right, having graduated his training top of the class (despite the hollering matches in the halls) – Niko finally plucked up the courage to talk to Elisabeth in a more than friendly manner, asking her to join him for drinks that night – no friends of his, and no weasel-like cousins of hers to accompany them. One night of drinks turned into another night, and then another; then it was candlelit meals, walks along the shores of lake Rumare, picnics in the forest. For anyone watching the pair, it would be quite obvious that the two were in love – and indeed, Astian was watching them. He was not happy.
After 3 years of courting, Niko and Elisabeth were wed, and a year after that, she fell pregnant with what would be their first and only child. Named Amelia for Elisabeth’s mother who had passed that spring, their life seemed idyllic. But as time passed, things began to grow dark. Not in their relationship, exactly; they were still a happy couple, raising their daughter in Imperial City and continuing with their jobs – and it was their jobs that began causing issues. What with Niko just being a guard, he and his fellows didn’t really involve themselves in the fight for power brewing between the Mages – not just in the University, but across Cyrodiil. Favours were split, and Elisabeth herself was not wanting Hannibal Traven as Arch-Mage; She considered him too close-minded, especially when it came to matters such as necromancy; although having never done any spells in that area, she was doing research into possible life after death – a cure that could bring someone back if they were saved seconds after dying. An innocent enough area of study, and certainly with a noble enough gesture behind it. But once Arch-Mage Traven won the fight for power, she became cowed; fearful of what could happen to her and her work after the banning of necromancy by the Arch-Mage, she begged Niko for them both to leave Imperial City and the Mages Guild – they had more than enough experience between them both to get jobs elsewhere. Although slightly concerned at her reasons behind it – her cousin Astian had been visiting their home more than usual the weeks previous, having hushed and irritated conversations with Elisabeth before the harassed woman asked him to leave – Niko conceded, and along with their 6 year old daughter, left for his parent’s home in Kvatch; having died in the winter, they’d left the home to Niko and his family.
The next two years that passed were easily the worst in Niko’s life. While Kvatch was a nice change at first; his daughter enjoying the smaller and more open city as opposed to Imperial City’s near stifling buildings and towering walls – he too was welcomed back with open arms, as many who still lived there knew his family. Getting a job as a guard was no trouble, what with his long service record at the Arcane University. He knew he’d probably get more money in the Fighter’s Guild or even a sellsword, but being a guard was safer, more secure, and more honest; that was just the kind of man he was.
His wife, however, was growing more and more secretive. Elisabeth had become more withdrawn, even after moving away from the Mages Guild; “hunting trips” were going on far too long for her to come home with nothing, and she would constantly change the subject whenever her studies came up in conversation. As Astian’s trips became more frequent, and news of strange lights coming from caves not far from Kvatch began circulating through the city, Niko’s worries grew into suspicions. It was time to find out what his wife and her troublesome cousin were up to.
As he followed Elisabeth from a distance – her leaving Kvatch a few hours previous for more “hunting” – Niko told himself that he was worrying over nothing. She was probably just continuing her research, and was worried about the Guild swooping in to stop her; but it wasn’t necromancy. Just research.
Whether his wife was dabbling in the magic of raising the dead, Niko never knew – but whatever she had attempted to do in those dimly lit caves was too dangerous – as he watched on from the shadows, he saw something go wrong. He was no expert in the type of magic Elisabeth and Astian were attempting, so Niko couldn’t understand why after a sudden flash of light, Elisabeth hit the ground and no longer moved; he couldn’t understand why Astian looked perfectly unconcerned by this, and simply began performing another spell. But when the magic hit her body, and she slowly rose to her feet, he did understand. And no matter what had happened, no matter what she may had done; he was not going to let his wife’s body become nothing more than a puppet. Wiping his eyes that had become blurred with tears, Niko slowly unsheathed his swords and stormed towards Astian.
When finally returning to Kvatch, it had been difficult to coax the full story from the grieving Niko; heavily injured and clutching Elisabeth’s – now still – body in his arms, he had collapsed at the gate, being brought into the chapel for healing. Although Astian had put up quite the fight, Niko had barely felt any pain at each landed blow from the disgraced mage; it was killing his wife’s resurrected body that had been the most difficult part for him. While the healer Oleta was able to mend his several cuts and burns, aided by Brother Martin, it was harder to ease the near-broken man’s mind. After the story was finally pulled from Niko, and the caves investigated, the city guards discovered that Astian had indeed been practicing Necromancy. Out of sheer respect to Niko, their comrade, they made sure to state there was nothing to incriminate Elisabeth in the forbidden act. There was no evidence in fact, but many people -particularly at the guild – would have been happy to connect the dots of her being at the caves so often.
Not so long after the tragedy, Niko had fully recovered; he had taken to spending much of his time at the Chapel, hoping to find solace in the Gods. But nothing seemed to bring him peace; the daily chats with the Priests brought him some comfort, but Kvatch no longer seemed like home anymore. Mia seemed to have taken the news of her mother better than he, but then, she hadn’t seen or done what he had been forced to do – all the same, she complied when Niko suggested leaving Kvatch. He left his job with the guard, sold their home, and the lonely father and daughter left the gates of their hometown. And for nearly 2 years, they wandered throughout Cyrodiil. Never staying in one place for too long, Niko took whatever jobs that came to him as long as they paid enough, and weren’t too time-wasting or life-threatening. He was more desperate than before, but he wouldn’t risk his life while Mia was so young; she had no-one left to look after her.
Of course, things became far more dangerous when he finally came back to Kvatch. A chance encounter; retrieving some rare book from the local bookstore for an old bedbound fellow in Bravil; at first, Niko was going to pass it up, not quite ready to return to Kvatch even after 2 years. But the man was offering quite a bit of money, and Mia’s birthday was approaching – it couldn’t hurt, could it?
That was what he thought until the Oblivion Gate opened. It had been easy enough to gather a terrified Mia into his arms and pelt towards the chapel, but it was getting out that would be the hardest part.
Spells:Destruction: Blazing Spear, Corrode Weapon, Dire Wound, Drain Skill: Destruction, Fire Ball, Frost Bolt, Great Magicka Drain, Hail Storm, Lightning Bolt, Lightning Grasp, Searing Grasp, Shocking Burst, Weakness to Magicka, Winter’s Grasp, Withering Touch
Restoration: Convalescence, Cure Paralysis, Cure Poison, Fortify Health, Fortify Speed, Fortify Strength, Great Fortity Fatigue, Heal Major Wounds
Illusion: Serenity, Soothing Touch, Starlight
Inventory:1x Off-white tunic, to wear under armour
2x Black Leather pants, one for casual wear, one to wear under greaves
1x Set of steel greaves
1x Set of steel pauldrons
1x Steel chestplate
1x Set of steel bracers over 1x Pair of leather gloves
2x Steel longswords
1x Steel Greatsword
1x Iron dagger
1x Dark shirt
1x Black overcoat
1x Pair of leather boots
1x Black hood
1x Spare child’s dress, red
1x Spare pair of child’s shoes
Mia’s teddy bear
1x Plain gold wedding ring
1x Waterskin
1x Bottle of rum
1x Loaf of bread
2x Wedges of cheese
Several slices of smoked salmon, wrapped in cheesecloth
Several slices of cooked beef, wrapped in cheesecloth
3x Sweetened biscuits, slightly stale
1x Skin of milk
2x Bedrolls
1x Pillow
1x Large fur blanket
1x Tent
1x Cooking pot & Spit
1x Horse, carrying majority of the camping equipment
1x Knapsack, to carry the remainder of his things
374 Septims
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