Rowan Slater [WIP]

[Rowan Slater]

Hi, this is still a WIP so if there is anything wrong or even iffy, please do not hesitate to correct me (In a discrete PM ). Oh, and any advice welcomed.

Rowan Slater Appearance Name: Rowan Slater Race: Human Gender: Male Age: 35 Birthday: 67th of Autumn, AV 479 Birthplace: Sunberth Appearance: Danger could be found everywhere in Mizahar making life ever so fragile and fleeting. Sunberth was certainly not the exception to this rule, in fact it was probably the only rule the city followed. Rowan grew up with this truth. Most clothes struggling not to hang loosely from his wiry frame, one subjected infrequent feeding and spurts of intense labour when it was required from it. Pale skin stretched across his meagre frame, while ash white scars crisscrossed the meagre frame, something few in Sunberth could boast of not having. His face was no better, deep set wrinkles traced along his forehead before curving in towards his furrowed brow. Beneath the thick dark eyebrows, a pair of equally deep eyes was set, both of them prone to darting around at random in an attempt to scan his surroundings, fuelled by paranoia. With good reason to it appeared at a glance, while hardly disfigured nicks and cuts could be found, none were deep nor vicious but all pointed towards this man being taught more than his fair share of lessons in life. His most prominent feature was the goatee that covered his jaw,, it was thick and bristly, a few streaks of grey were flecked through it, a constant reminder of his increasing age but while this was a permanent feature, even if it was trimmed back at times for the sake of convenience, a thick, dark stubble could often be found coating the rest of his sharp jaw as the season progressed, kept in check by its owner to avoid looking like the beggars that plagued the streets, if only by a whisker. Finally a nest of unkempt hair nestled his crown, swept back with the sweat of labour or the dirt of the city so his vision remained unhindered. Character Concept Morals and ethics are tricky to pin down with this man, his love for danger has made him quick to resort to fists and blades over the seasons, and with surviving till the next season always being his foremost priority he is quick to abandon those he doesn’t call friends for the sake of gold or simply his neck. Someone with no bias would call him grey or neutral, he is a man who considers most actions whether they are his or someone else's not personal, just necessary but those who have felt the bitter sting that he is capable of seldom see it that way. Rowan loved danger, in fact some people claimed he lived for it which was good since in Mizahar in was everywhere, no matter how rich, skilled or influential you were. He loved tempting whatever gods were watching, giving them the opportunity to strike him down as he stood on the metaphorical edge of a cliff. In truth, it was only traits of caution and mistrust instilled into him by his family and his city that had prevented this addiction from becoming self-destructive, though as he gets older has become more consciously aware of the fact that his death is inevitable regardless of whether this is by old age, disease, drink or the edge of a sword, no-one is sure if this will slow him down or spur him on, like some many things time will tell. Regardless of this addiction, the traits found in most Sunberthian’s are found running thick through him - Paranoia, xenophobia and hatred of magic were instilled into him as soon as he stopped suckling, and like an old trees these traits are rooted deep within in him, only growing thick as the seasons have passed, it would take an tremendous and intense experience to even bend to any other way of thinking. Time has proven itself repeatedly to be the best method with this man; few of his friends can claim to be incredibly useful to him, none of them sporting master-level skills in any field and instead manifesting themselves as drinking buddies, longstanding mercenaries and even gnarled old beggars who have refused to move on. He makes use of people if they have some value to him but any who believe that they are friends with him because of it are fools, few people he would name as his friend if he has known them less than a year. Likes Gold - At heart Slater is still a mercenary, and to him gold equals survival. It's not a quick way to this grunt's respect, but it is a quick to earn his blade. Drinking - Rowan is like most men, he needs a drink to truly unwind and enjoy himself. Smoking - If you're having a drink you've got to have a smoke with it. Slavery - To say he loves it is a bit far, but slavers have paid him more than few Mizas over the years so he's found himself willing to accept slavery when it lines his pockets. Violence - Few mercenaries can claim to find themselves repulsed by violence when they start to ply their trade, and few after twenty-something years can claim they don't enjoy the rush when they spill blood. Dislikes Outsiders - Raised with ignorance and stereotypes, Slater finds himself distrusting them more and more over the years. Rowan will seldom warm up to an outsider when first meeting them. And woe betides any outsider who tries to con or change the citizens of Sunberth in front of him. Magic - Flint and magic was never a match that would end well. Raised with the Sunberthian mentality to hate magic with venom, he was weaned onto the stories Obal the tyrant and how a warrior freed Sunberth from his shackles. Rowan hates magic, it would take considerable exposure to "good" magic to change his views, and only one bad encounter with it to cement his hatred forever. Neutral Religion - In a city like Sunberth, where no temples stand bar one to an unknown god perhaps it isn't unsurprising that Rowan knows little about the gods, he struggles to recall all but the most prominent of deities and their rites are as foreign to him as the land beyond his city. Squalor - Show him a child scavenging through trash for food, confront him with a pregnant women begging for money, present him with a man sleeping in his own shite - He won't bat an eyelid. He couldn't give two shits about the rest of the world, his priority is himself and he'll scoff at any charitable mind who thinks that isn't right. Character History He was born Rowan Slater on the 87th of Summer, AV 477 in the city of Sunberth to a family of crooks, prostitutes and thieves. His mother, Bonnie Slater, was in fact a pit fighter, one of the lucky few who continued to ply their violent trade in the pits of Sunberth, while his father, Nick Slater, appeared to be a pariah in the Slater family at a glance, being an established hunter in Sunberth, was also a "professional" gambler, meaning he lost a lot of money on a regular basis. Rowan's relationship with his parents as he grew up was strained to the breaking point on numerous occasions; a generous disposition would say that they weren't natural parents while someone with common sense would say they were shit at parenting. Besides instilling him with a morally ambiguous outlook on life, several racist views, and very colourful vocabulary, they did little to prepare him for adult life. Nick did make some attempts to show him how to hunt but he quickly became annoyed by having a child in tow with him while he went hunting which he mainly did to avoid his wife who everyone knew was really in charge of the family. Bonnie was a scary woman at times, well at all times really which helped when she was in the Blood Pits, smashing some bastard's skull, she made sure that everyone knew when she was home, especially since Rowan's father began to lose more money than he could afford to as he got older, making Bonnie the sole earner for them. The trick with gambling is to know when to cut your losses, and that was a trick Derek never learnt. Descending into an addictive spiral he soon found himself owing money to the wrong sort of people, the sort of people who never forget a debt; slavers. He was ready to leave though, he knew the wilderness and he was prepared to nick his family's savings before leaving them to deal with the debtors. At that moment Rowan and his mother finally managed to agree on something, screw that arsehole. Between them the managed to knock the bastard unconscious and delivered him to the slaver who turned out to be "Chubs" Tryannus, who promptly stuck the bastard on the market and even Rowan isn't sure what happened to him. This however, did bring Rowan and Bonnie closer than he had been in years and finally Bonnie taught his son the only thing she could do... Kill. She wasn't a teacher, and he wasn't a great student so he learnt more through experience then anything else, each drop of blood he shed and spilt in the Blood Pits was a lesson he had to learn. For once it was something he was eager to learn, with the dead weight of his family cut off he felt free and unburdened, entering a trade that he came to enjoy more and more each day, with each Miza that lined his pocket. [WIP, it's a lot harder then I though ] Language Fluent Language: Common Basic Language: Fratava Skills Skill EXP Total Proficiency Weapon - Mace 10 SP, 15 RB 25 Novice Small Shield 15 SP 15 Novice Brawling 10 SP 10 Novice Weapon - Crossbow 10 SP 10 Novice Strength 5 SP 5 Novice (HELPFUL HINT, Please Remove - Common Skills: Trade skills related to Larceny, Thugs, Fighters, Prostitution.) Lores Lore of Sunberth Culture Lore of Obal and His Mages Possessions 1 Set of Clothing -Simple Shirt -Simple Pants -Simple Undergarments -Simple Coat -Simple Boots 1 Waterskin 1 Backpack which contains: -Comb (Metal) -Brush (Metal) -Soap -Razor -Balanced Rations (1 Week’s Worth) -1 eating knife -Flint & Steel 100 Gold Mizas Heirloom: Fill me in, please! (HELPFUL HINT, Please Remove - Max. 50gm worth) Housing Location: Where in Mizahar are you living? House: An apartment in the Sunset Quarter or in Daggerhand territory. The buildings are of poor quality but still standing which is quite an accomplishment in Sunberth. (HELPFUL HINT, Please Remove - Temporary Housing for visitors is available at the Aquillar Hot Springs. ) Ledger Purchase Cost Total Starting +100 GM 100 GM Thread List Link your current& past threads here!