Matthew O'Boyle

[Matthew O'Boyle]

Character Name Appearance Race: Human Gender: Male Age: 23 Birthday: 16, Summer, 491 AV Birthplace: Sunberth Appearance: Matthew is a relatively tall man, standing roughly at 6 foot. He has short black hair which is kept combed and soft, his beard is kept short and well kept. This gives him a mature appearance and makes him seem older and more seasoned than he actually is. His fair yet weathered skin is marred by a large bite mark on his right forearm, which seems to be canine in origin. The rest of his body is spotted with the occasional scar, the majority seem to be scratches or bites. His face usually wears a stern scowl, this is slightly off-putting and tends to keep curious people at bay... that and his dogs. When near an animal of any kind the scowl melts from his face, replaced by a childlike smile of joy. Matthew walks with a quiet sort of confidence, one that's not overly obvious, but hard to miss. His scowl and somewhat flinty demeanour makes him hard to approach at times. Character Concept One thing that is central to Matthew's personality, his very being, is his love for animals. Even from a young age Matthew would prefer to be with animals than playing with the other kids on the streets of Sunberth. Animals were much simpler to figure out than people, yet they were complex at the same time. No other creature on the planet was as loyal or as loving as a hound, no animal more majestic than an eagle. Especially not people, Matthew viewed them as fickle, their loyalties and beliefs change on a breeze, rarely staying the same for a long time. As a result of his love for animals, he has made them his career. While Matthew cares for animals, he is not against putting them in harm's way. It is a part of nature after all, denying this would be like trying to deny the rise and fall of the tides. It is for this reason he actively tries to train his hounds for battle or guard duties. Many thieves or soldiers wouldn't hesitate to fight a man but blanch at the sight of a snarling war dog, charging at them. Matthew isn't much of a socializer, he tends to prefer being with his animals than with people, that being said he isn't unpleasant to talk to. He is generally kind and will go out of his way to help people, so long as it doesn't put him in too much danger. Matthew isn't particularly vain, but does look after himself. He keeps his beard and hair short and neat, he also combs his hair every morning and washes when given the chance... but that's about the extent of his personal care. While Matthew possess a quiet sort of confidence he is far off being over confident or arrogant. Any praise that is directed towards him will be waved off and directed to something else. Character History Matthew was the oldest child of a family of 6. His parents were relatively comfortable... in Sunberthian terms, meaning they were less likely to be killed in their sleep and be stripped bare of any possessions. His parents were hard workers, his father was an animal breeder and trainer, who Matthew took aspiration from and carries on his profession to this day. His mother was primarily a housewife but had some medical knowledge which she used to help her friends or family after an event like a riot or a mugging which were unsurprisingly, quite common. Matthew inherited their sense of goodwill and dedication admiring how hard they worked, this certainly rubbed off on him as he took on some of these traits. One by one his other three brothers were born, the twins, Conor and David, the cheeky red headed menaces and finally his youngest brother Brian. While Matthew worked with his father, Conor and David were apprenticed to a merchant in the city. Matthew began to worry about his youngest brother Brian however, he never worked, only wanting to be on the streets with the other children. They weren't a good influence on him, more than once Matthew caught Brian stealing from the markets. Matthew could never bring himself to tell his parents about it however. The years went by, the family got older, all of them learning a trade, bar Brian who was rarely seen without his gang of cronies. One day Brian came back different, Matthew never did figure out what happened but something had changed within his youngest brother. He seemed colder, yet slightly more arrogant. Matthew's skills with animals increased everyday, on his 18th birthday, he received a magnificent Akinva Deerstalker, recently born. Matthew brought him everywhere and named it Samson, his father trained Samson, along with the rest of the litter to be War Dogs, fierce in combat and protective of their owners. One day Matthew was returning from a walk with Samson when he saw a chilling sight, the door of his house lying unhinged in splinters. Matthew ran towards his house, tears already brimming in his eyes... he knew there was little hope to be found inside the house. As he entered his once cosy house he let out a low wail, inside the house lay his entire family, slaughtered where they stood... all but Brian and himself. The house was ruined, looted and damaged beyond repair. As he approached the body of his father he found a note, soaked with blood nailed to his chest that read "Do not cross us, these are the consequences" The note left no name. A thought crossed Matthew's mind "The Dogs" Tears streaming down his face he ran to the kennels, only to find a similar fate had befallen the dogs. Any dog that had no practical use had been killed, the hunting, guard and war dogs had been taken, most likely to the market. He heard the dogs a long time before he saw them, and followed the sound, barking and snarling wildly. As he approached they recognised him and calmed. After accusing the man of murdering his family the salesman either had no part in it or was very good at playing dumb. Matthew was forced to buy some of the dogs back, but couldn't afford all of them. He picked the ones that were the best trained and best bred. This cost him a large chunk of his miza stock but it was worth it. The experience hardened Matthew somewhat, giving him a distrustful and paranoid attitude towards other people. Matthew has since left Sunberth and travelled to Zeltiva, he couldn't bear to stay in the cesspool any longer, every sight contained a memory of his parents. He hasn't seen Brian since that day, or figured out who was responsible for the atrocity against his family. Only the future holds the answers. Language Fluent Language: Common Skills Skill EXP Total Proficiency Riding 10 SP 10 Novice Hunting 10 SP 10 Novice Weapon: Sword, Bastard 15 SP 15 Novice Animal Husbandry 15 RB, 15 SP 30 Competent Lores Lore of War Dog Commands Lore of Hunting Dog Commands Possessions   Backpack -Comb (Metal) -Brush (Metal) -Soap -Razor -Balanced Rations (1 Week’s Worth) -1 eating knife -Flint & Steel - Leash, Huge x2 - Leash, Large x2 -Leash, Medium x2 -Armour, War Dog x3   On Person -Weapon Harness -Cold Iron Bastard Sword -Studded Leather Armour -Scabbard 1 Set of Clothing -Simple Shirt -Simple Pants -Simple Undergarments -Simple Cloak or Coat -Simple Boots 1 Waterskin Heirloom: War Dog, Akinva Deerstalker - Samson Gender: Male Age: 4 years old Size: Large - 140 lbs Color: Dark Brown, white on chest. Purpose: War Dog Value: 45 Mizas Special Abilities: Trained War Dog Received from father. Other Dogs Claw- Akinva Deerstalker Gender: Female Age: 3 years old Size: Large (120 lbs) Color: Brown Purpose: War Dog Value: 45 Mizas Special Abilities: War Dog training Fang- Akinva Deerstalker Size: Large (130 lbs) Gender: Female Age: 3 years Color: White Purpose: War Dog Value: 45 Mizas Special Abilities: War Dog training Shadow - Bozderon Shadow Dog Size: Medium Color: Black Purpose: Guard Dog Value: 65 GM Special Abilities: Blends into Shadows, Infravision, Guard Dog Training Titus Falivan Elk Dog Size: Huge Gender: Male Age: 4 Color: Fawn Purpose: Hunting Value: 65 Mizas Special Abilities: Hunting Training Housing Location: Zeltiva House: Room at the World's End Grotto Ledger Purchase Cost Total Starting +100 GM 100 GM Sold House +500 GM 600 GM Leash, Huge x2 12 GM 588 GM Leash, Large x2 4GM 584 GM Leash, Medium x2 2 GM 582 GM Armour, War Dog x3 60 GM 532 GM Weapon Harness 5 GM 527 GM Cold Iron Bastard Sword 105 GM 422 GM Scabbard 4 GM 418 GM Claw 45GM 373 GM Fang 45 GM 328 GM Shadow 65 GM 263 GM Titus 65 GM 198 GM Studded Leather Armour 25 GM 173 GM Thread List Link your current & past threads here!