Briar Holden

[Briar Holden]

. Introducing: Briar Holden Human Male, born at the 4th of Fall, 490 AV (22 yrs) Physical Description Briar isn't a very big guy. He stands at 5'8'' and borders on skinny with his 120 pounds. Despite that, he keeps a very cheeky outlook and reflects this in his outward presentation of himself. He's rarely seen without a smirk, smile or grin pasted across his face, shining his joy of living through the layers of dirt, bruises, cuts or whatever might be sullying his face at the time. His facial features are soft and his bright blue eyes certainly stand out as a prominent feature. His head is crowned by dull red hair, nowhere near as brilliant as the Inarta's. It's worn, the tips cloven and the texture rather coarse as he hasn't had the opportunity to care much for it in the past. He generally keeps his hair cut rather short, the cut more often than not coming out very uneven with bigger tufts at the back of his head. Everything in mind, Briar isn't necessarily in a very good shape. He's got the muscle to handle his physical chores, though it's nothing remotely remarkable save his legs. Being a natural runner, he's got enough muscle and endurance in his legs to bolt fast for a longer period of time, though the rest of his body is rather gangling with his flesh and skin sinking in around his ribs and bones to show his long-term malnutrition. This is also a big reason for the dull and sickly texture of his hair, and the pale tone of his skin and dark bags hanging under his eyes. While these can be concealed, they're still there. Briar, when wearig his clothes, appears mostly like anyone else. If you ever take a peek underneath, though, it's not hard to see that the man's not exactly lived a life of excess wealth and access to food. By the look of him, he might even have been close to starving a few times in his life. Mind, he's not close to starving now. He's just malnourished, though this seems to be on its way to fix itself with his new lifestyle. Concept/Personality Briar is a friendly sort. Cheeky and looking at the brighter side of live whenever possible, he does his best to spread good energy into his surroundings to make the living easier for himself and everyone else. He tries to keep a smile on his face at all times and isn't shy to break into laughter; It's the greatest medicine of all, after all, and rather infectuous. He's never been much of a people person, however, and is rather tactless in his handling of others. Quick-witted and instinctive, however, he's quick to try to cover his slip-ups with a few well-placed words and a flash of his smile. This doesn't necessarily work every time, but it's worth the try. If all else fails, he'll just leg it. When it comes down to it, he'll bolt as soon as he feels the heat. While a wee bit selfish, he's capable of looking out for those around him (provided he's covered his own back first). Living and growing up in Sunberth has taught him a thing or two about looking out for your own skin first and foremost since no one else would, though he's been trying very hard to break out of that kind of mindset since he left Sunberth a couple of years ago. Saying Briar has a code of honour would be rather misleading. He has principles that he lives by, but he isn't so honourable that he'd be following a code of chivalry or anything of the sort. He's not above using information to blackmail if that gets him something he wants. With the lack of a physical factor to convince others, he uses his words and whatever information he can fish out about you and your life to convince you to cooperate. He's an avid listener and is somewhat adept at information-gathering, though he's found himself forced to pry it out forcibly by trapping someone in a conversation, for instance. Ultimately, he wouldn't back down from causing discomfort to other people if it served his purpose. Character History : Briar Holden was born in Sunberth. He lived there with his younger brother and older sister for a few years, their family inhabiting a large tent situated within the Tent City. It wasn't the easiest life to live, though it certainly taught Briar a bit about looking out for himself. When no one else would watch out for your skin, you'd have no choice but to do it yourself. The young Briar spent his youth chasing after his little brother, mooching off of the populace further in the city together with a neighbour of his, named Happy, and evading his father at every cost. He's not afraid to admit that he was genuinely afraid of his parents in his younger years and his sentiments seemed to be shared by a few of the other children that ever came upon the pair as the Tent City rearranged and their neighbours were switched out countless times. Briar often got in trouble with the denizens of the city as a child, him and Happy becoming a general nuisance to more than a couple of people. It wasn't every time that Briar could run away and get out unscathed, though this hardly every discouraged him from continuing his and Happy's shenanigans. At ten years of age, his younger brother suddenly passed away. Illness claimed him and there was unfortunately nothing the family could do to provide him proper healthcare, ending with the young boy succumbing and passing away. While this didn't necessarily change the day-to-day life of Briar, his family did go down under from the death of his brother and his parents became all the more desperate and aggressive in their own efforts to raise funds for the family. This probably got them into some trouble with the wrong crowds, as they suddenly disappeared and left Briar alone with his aunt. His older sister was smart enough to bail on the life in Sunberth and didn't give Briar or his brother a second thought as she went to pursue a better life elsewhere. The young Briar was kicked out of the family tents, given a small one of his own to live in as his aunt basked in the privilege of living on her own in such a large tent. She cared little for the life and health of her sister's child, letting him do the best he could of his life. Briar took his little tent and parked it right next to hers, continuing to be a part of her life despite her efforts and got to enjoy a good meal of hers once in a while. Otherwise, his life continued as it had done before, him and Happy crawling the streets of Sunberth on their knees to appeal to the goodwill of the population. They often returned with scraps and coin that they hoarded, making great plans for the future of them both when they had gathered enough wealth to finally escape this life and find a better one elsewhere. Over the years, Briar and Happy managed to gather a rather large amount of items and coin. They were both successful in selling themselves and their limited services to the people of Sunberth in exchange for money, food or clothes and soon found themselves sitting on a smaller wealth. Happy took up the profession of an entertainer while Briar continued to trick people out of their money with the clever use of his words, information and abuse of people's sympathy. He was a great performer for his age, making people buy into the most unlikely stories of misery to ensnare their hearts. Happy and Briar started making plans, for real, to get themselves out of Sunberth and start a new life elsewhere. Unfortunately, they never got to start that new life together. Sunberth is a very dangerous city to live in for those who don't know how to survive on their own, and Happy was unfortunately not a very independent woman. An unfortunate string of events eventually led to her death as she was caught by a group of thugs in Sunberth's streets, her bloody and beaten body left to the dogs in a desolate alleyway. At this point, Briar quickly sold off most of the items that he and Happy had managed to hoard over the years and took with him a limited amount of belongings and plenty of coin as he left Sunberth together with a merchant's caravan. That's how he ended up in Avanthal. In his efforts to run away from his old lifestyle, Briar eventually found his way to the cold northern wastes and set his attention Avanthal. This was as far away as he wanted to run from his old life in Sunberth, and he decided to settle. Renting a room in the available lodgings for common folk and foreigners, Briar carefully used his saved up coin to build himself a steady base for a decent living in this new city. Everything Else   Skills and Languages Spoken languages listed underneath the skill table Skill name Experience Training Proficiency Acting 5/100 5 SP Novice Begging 10/100 10 SP Novice Bodybuilding 2/100 2 XP Novice Disguise 10/100 10 SP Novice Evasion 1/100 1 XP Novice Forgery 5/100 5 SP Novice Intelligence 5/100 5 SP Novice Interrogation 5/100 5 SP Novice Investigation 1/100 1 XP Novice Larceny 1/100 1 XP Novice Medicine 1/100 1 XP Novice Observation 17/100 5 SP, 12 XP Novice Persuasion 1/100 1 XP Novice Rhetoric 5/100 5 SP Novice Running 20/100 15 RB, 5 XP Novice Stealth 2/100 2 XP Novice Tracking 1/100 1 XP Novice Language Proficiency Common Native/Fluent Vani Broken   Lores Miscellaneous: You're Not Convincing Anyone Without Eye-Contact Eye Contact is Necessary to be Convincing Falling Gracelessly Experiencing Nightmares Personal: Burke is a Faster Runner Watching Family Waste Away With Sickness Being Protective Of Happy Burke Is My Role Model Carrying His Brother Home To Die Burke’s Death Worrying About Happy's Lot in Life Sunberth: Surviving in the Tent City The Tent City of Sunberth: Geography The Tent City of Sunberth: Politics The Tent City of Sunberth: How to Survive It The Tent City of Sunberth: Winters Are Hard on People Experiencing an Epidemic (In Tent City) Avanthal: Noticing Oddities in the Snow Magic Can Bite Back Observing a Mage Suffer Social Backlash An Outsider to a City's Problems Watching a Child Plummet to the Ground   Possessions Clothes/Armour: Cotton Shirt (Clothing) Cotton Pantaloons (Clothing) Simple Shoes (Clothing) Cotton Vest (Clothing) Leather Belt Furred Blouse Leather Pants Wool Cloak Leather Gloves Leather Jerkin Leather Shoes Boots, Tall Cloak, Fur Hood, Fur Gauntlets Studded Leather Other: Wooden Comb (Toiletries) Wooden Brush (Toiletries) Razor (Toiletries) Soap (Toiletries) Food/Rations (1 Week) Rope, Hemp (50 ft.) Shovel Pot, Iron Cooking Utensil (Spoon) Tent, one-person Bedroll Lantern, Hooded Oil (1-Pint Flask) Blanket, Winter Disguise Kit (10 Uses) False Knife Knife Club (Wooden) Axe, Woodman's Mirror, Small Steel Sewing Needle Sewing Kit Vial, Ink Quill Mortar and Pestle Manacles Scabbard, Dagger Dog, Companion Map, City (Avanthal) Snowshoes Book, Blank Magnifying Glass Eating Knife Flint & Steel Containers: Bucket Chest Barrel Lockbox, Average Jug, Clay Pitcher, Clay Flask Waterskin Backpack   Housing None, officially. He has a tent in his possession that he could technically live in, though he's currently hiring lodgings in the Warrens of Avanthal.   Ledger Type Entry Amount Total Date Insert Starter Package +100 gm 100 gm 0 sm 00 cm --- Insert Housing Cashed In +500 gm 600 gm 0 sm 00 cm --- Purchase Leather Belt -2 sm 599 gm 8 sm 00 cm --- Purchase Furred Blouse -3 gm 596 gm 8 sm 00 cm --- Purchase Leather Pants -8 sm 596 gm 0 sm 00 cm --- Purchase Wool Cloak -5 sm 595 gm 5 sm 00 cm --- Purchase Leather Gloves -5 sm 595 gm 0 sm 00 cm --- Purchase Leather Jerkin -1 gm 594 gm 0 sm 00 cm --- Purchase Leather Shoes -3 sm 593 gm 7 sm 00 cm --- Purchase Rope, Hemp (50 ft.) -1 gm 592 gm 7 sm 00 cm --- Purchase Shovel -2 gm 590 gm 7 sm 00 cm --- Purchase Pot, Iron -5 sm 590 gm 2 sm 00 cm --- Purchase Pitcher, Clay -2 cm 589 gm 2 sm 98 cm --- Purchase Jug, Clay -3 cm 589 gm 2 sm 95 cm --- Purchase Lockbox, Average -8 gm 581 gm 2 sm 95 cm --- Purchase Flask -3 cm 581 gm 2 sm 92 cm --- Purchase Cooking Utensil (Spoon) -2 sm 581 gm 0 sm 92 cm --- Purchase Bucket -5 sm 580 gm 5 sm 92 cm --- Purchase Barrel -1 gm 579 gm 5 sm 92 cm --- Purchase Tent, one-person -1 gm 578 gm 5 sm 92 cm --- Purchase Bedroll -1 sm 578 gm 4 sm 92 cm --- Purchase Lantern, Hooded -7 gm 571 gm 4 sm 92 cm --- Purchase Oil (1-Pint Flask) -1 sm 571 gm 3 sm 92 cm --- Purchase Blanket, Winter -5 sm 570 gm 8 sm 92 cm --- Purchase Disguise Kit (10 uses) -50 gm 520 gm 8 sm 92 cm --- Purchase False Knife -5 gm 515 gm 8 sm 92 cm --- Purchase Knife -5 sm 515 gm 3 sm 92 cm --- Purchase Axe, Woodman's -4 gm 511 gm 3 sm 92 cm --- Purchase Mirror, Small Steel -10 gm 501 gm 3 sm 92 cm --- Purchase Sewing Needle -5 sm 500 gm 8 sm 92 cm --- Purchase Sewing Kit -18 gm 482 gm 8 sm 92 cm --- Purchase Vial, Ink -1 gm 481 gm 8 sm 92 cm --- Purchase Quill -5 cm 481 gm 8 sm 87 cm --- Purchase Mortar and Pestle -1 gm 480 gm 8 sm 87 cm --- Purchase Chest -2 gm 478 gm 8 sm 87 cm --- Purchase Manacles -15 gm 463 gm 8 sm 87 cm --- Purchase Scabbard, Dagger -2 gm 461 gm 8 sm 87 cm --- Purchase Gauntlets -2 gm 459 gm 8 sm 87 cm --- Purchase Dog, Companion -10 gm 449 gm 8 sm 87 cm --- Purchase Boots, Tall -5 gm 444 gm 8 sm 87 cm --- Purchase Cloak, Fur -25 gm 419 gm 8 sm 87 cm --- Purchase Hood, Fur -1 gm 418 gm 8 sm 87 cm --- Purchase Map, City (Avanthal) -2 gm 416 gm 8 sm 87 cm --- Purchase Snowshoes -8 sm 416 gm 0 sm 87 cm --- Purchase Studded Leather -25 gm 391 gm 0 sm 87 cm --- Purchase Book, Blank -3 gm 388 gm 0 sm 87 cm --- Purchase Magnifying Glass -100 gm 288 gm 0 sm 87 cm --- Seasonal Common Living, Fall 2012 -135 gm 153 gm 0 sm 87 cm 01/12/2012   Threads Flashbacks: That's The Way The World Ends - 29th Winter, 501 AV [done] À Propos... - 12th Spring, 506 AV (Adam King) [done] Fall, 512 AV: Late Night Snow Swimmer - 7th Fall, 512 AV ([WiSPer]) [done] A Bothersome Beggar - 13th Fall, 512 AV (Jynx, Sodrel, Inessa) Icestone Isn't Meant For Movement - 19th Fall, 512 AV ([WiSPer]) [done] Totally Worth It - 23rd Fall, 512 AV (Coren) The First Icechunk Has Been Cast - 25th Fall, 512 AV ([WiSPer]) [done] A Good View of the Port - 33rd Fall, 512 AV ([WiSPer]) [done] From The Sky, Death - 35th Fall, 512 AV ([WiSPer]) [done] Just Another Day in Avanthal - 57th Fall, 512 AV (Sliver, Coren) The Quiet Slip - 59th Fall, 512 AV (Prompt) Since You Ask, Most Days I Cannot Remember - 72nd Fall, 512 AV (Coren, QUEST)   Experience Tracker Experience Awarded Lores Awarded Award Link Date 2 Observation Noticing Oddities in the Snow thread 27/9/12 2 Observation Magic Can Bite Back thread 4/10/12 1 Observation, 1 Investigation Observing a Mage Suffer Social Backlash thread 7/10/12 1 Observation An Outsider to a City’s Problems thread 17/10/12 4 Running, 5 Observation, 2 Stealth, 1 Evasion, 1 Medicine, 1 Tracking, 2 Bodybuilding Burke is a Faster Runner, Falling Gracelessly, ( The Tent City of Sunberth: Geography, Politics, How To Survive It, Winters Are Hard On People), Experiencing Nightmares, Watching Family Waste Away With Sickness, Being Protective Of Happy, Burke Is My Role Model, Experiencing an Epidemic (In Tent City), Carrying His Brother Home To Die, Burke’s Death thread 19/10/12 1 Observation Eye Contact is Necessary to be Convincing, Watching a Child Plummet to the Ground thread 26/10/12 1 Running, 1 Larceny, 1 Persuasion Worrying about Happy's lot in life thread 30/10/12