Of Two Minds
10-17-08, 02:10 PM
Name: Jeren Silster (Syrian DeVries)
Age: 23
Race: Human
Hair Color: Shoulder length light brown with a hint of premature graying at the temples.
Eye Color: Hazel
Height: 5’ 10”
Weight: 156 lbs.
Occupation: Former Draft Soldier, Currently Wandering Adventurer
Personality:
Jeren Silster is a serious, introspective, level-headed individual. Syrian DeVries, on the other hand, is a light-hearted rouge who is always looking for a good time. Few would find it likely that two men with such vastly different personalities would be such fast friends. Fewer still would believe that the two of them are the same person.
Jeren Silster is mentally ill. He isn’t crazy in the sense that he is a gibbering madman, only in the sense that that he talks to, fights besides, and is best friends with someone that doesn’t exist. Or, perhaps, Syrian DeVries does exist in a certain capacity. Anyone who has seen the switch between personalities in the same body would be able to attest that they are two very different people existing in the same physical frame.
Jeren is a creature of habit. He likes to do the same things, the same way, at the same time. Years of militaristic living have shaped him into a rigid structure, which often leads people to perceive him as extremely stoic. Jeren is quiet and reserved. He likes to take a little time to assess each situation as it appears which frequently gives him an air of aloofness that he does not necessarily possess. Jeren is quite down to earth and extremely pragmatic, another layover from his years as a soldier. He steals naps when he can get them, never passes an opportunity to grab a quick bite to eat, and is almost always overly cautious.
Syrian is a wild and creative person, but is not a reckless person. Syrian likes to talk, and can chatter for hours on end over a variety of topics. He enjoys boisterous songs and pretty women and is always quick with a little wit and a large smile. Syrian has been known to lose a purse in an impulsive bit of gambling and has penchant for a little vice which often leaves him and Jeren without coin, much to Jeren’s consternation.
Neither Jeren nor Syrian realizes that they are the same person, and their particular form of insanity compensates to keep this a reality. Their mind will often fill in gaps with false memories and other hallucinations that keep the non-dominant personality occupied.
Appearance:
Jeren is of average height with a body that was built by the road. His years of military life and later wandering have left him hard and lean. As Jeren, he moves with the smooth, flowing precision of an experienced duelist. As Syrian, his movements are quick and darting, like a nervous, caged animal.
Long hours in the sun have tanned his skin and have given him natural highlights to his shoulder length hair, which Jeren prefers to keep bound up, while Syrian likes to have it hang loose. Having witnessed the crippling results that can come with bad dental hygiene in the fields, he keeps his teeth as clean as possible, though they are by no means pearly white. Syrian tends to smile a lot, while Jeren, not so much.
His hands are rough and calloused from his time spent handling his sword and carting firewood to the campsite. His feet are similarly calloused from long hours walking the road without his boots on, a trick he learned in the military to keep them as fresh as possible.
He wears a tough traveler’s outfit of a dingy beige, loose, long sleeved light cotton shirt; dirt brown, loose denim trousers; and brown leather walking boots. Over his shirt, he wears a sleeveless, heavy leather vest that buttons up one side of his torso. On his forearms, he wears a pair of well-used, but well cared for iron vambraces that he uses to block and deflect close quarter weapons. At his left hip he wears a standard looking side-sword which he handles with deft grace. He carries all of his worldly possessions (not much) is a burlap traveling pack that he hangs over his left shoulder, so as not to interfere with his sword arm.
History:
Jeren was only 14 when the soldiers came, recruiting for their war. The so-called recruiters took one look at the young Jeren, whose body had been honed by years working on his father’s plot of land, and Jeren was drafted into the army.
Jeren was miserable, as miserable as could be for a boy who had never been more than a day’s travel from home. Despite this, Jeren maintained an outward optimism with the enthusiasm that only the young can muster in times of extreme desperation. Jeren quickly became a sort of mascot for his unit, a spear regiment, and Jeren’s Sergeant, a grizzled veteran named Lorre, took Jeren under his wing and taught him the basics of fighting and military life.
Even though Jeren was part of a spear unit, Sergeant Lorre preferred to teach young Jeren how to use his favorite weapon, the side-sword, with which Jeren became extremely proficient. During battles, Jeren would stay behind the veterans and would use his sword to strike at enemies that made it through the line to the back ranks and to bring mercy to the battle’s wounded.
Sergeant Lorre’s training didn’t begin and end with the blade, however. Jeren learned how to read and write from the orders and messages passed from unit to unit, something his illiterate farmer parents would never have been able to teach him. He learned to fish, hunt, and make a campsite in order to survive in the wilderness. He learned to take care of his body and his possessions, since “the weapon you care for will care for you.”
Jeren lived and fought in the army for three years. During an extended campaign in one of the countless battles that Jeren had been in, Jeren’s army was forced into a rout and Sergeant Lorre’s unit was ordered to hold a critical pass while the rest of the army regrouped and redeployed. Though they were guaranteed fresh reserves for relief once the main force recovered, everyone in the unit knew that they had been sacrificed as a road block to allow the rest of the army time to escape. Jeren had joined his comrades in dutifully waiting for death when Sergeant Lorre approached him.
Sergeant Lorre had come to see Jeren as a younger brother and told Jeren that he refused to let the boy throw his life away for a worthless cause. Jeren protested that Sergeant Lorre and his men had become his family and that it was unfair to have his family taken from him a second time, but Sergeant Lorre would not budge. Jeren was spirited away in the night, taken through the enemies scouting lines so that he could live. As Sergeant Lorre left Jeren and headed back to his men, Jeren planned his own return.
Come dawn, Jeren woke with a start to the sound of war horns. Realizing that he had somehow fallen asleep, Jeren grabbed the sword that Sergeant Lorre had given him and rushed towards the battle. He gritted his teeth and determined to die with his brothers-in-arms, but as his unit came into view, something hard crashed into the back of his head and he fell. His last blurry vision was of the enemy hordes sweeping through his comrades.
When Jeren came to, it was hours later. Jeren groaned his way back into the world of the living, and noticed a solitary figure, dressed in his unit’s outfit, grinning down at him. At first he thought it was Sergeant Lorre, miraculously saved from death, but that thought was dashed soon enough. The man introduced himself as Syrian DeVries and claimed that, like Jeren, he had managed to survive the battle. Together, Jeren and Syrian buried their comrades and then set off, no longer tied down to any lord or army and have wandered for over 6 years. Though the two of them have vastly different personalities, the ties of fate have shaped them into the best of friends.
Skills:
Swords: Above Average – Jeren only considers himself to be an average swordsman (Syrian thinks that he’s phenomenal, but then, he thinks he’s great at everything). The truth of the matter is that Jeren is extremely skilled with his sword, but his attention is often divided with the strain of being two people at the same time. This means that often, Jeren cannot fight at his fullest potential. If both the Jeren and Syrian personalities are at the scene, they are considered to have only Average swordsmanship.
Spears: Average – Jeren fought in a military spear regiment for years and though he has slacked in his spear training, he still remembers most of the basics.
Sergeant Lorre’s Training: Sergeant Lorre taught Jeren that the sword is connected to the person just as the person is connected to the sword. The circular nature of his fighting style has been adapted by both Jeren and Syrian into their own unique brand of fighting. These apply only when using a one-handed sword.
Flows Like Water: Watching the basic fighting technique of Jeren Silster is like watching a river flow. Jeren is calm and controlled, keeping his blade flowing in small circles and moving his feet in small arcs as he parries and ripostes. This defensive fighting style is active when Jeren is the dominant personality and gives Jeren a slightly increased chance of parrying an opponent’s strike. The cost of this is that Jeren’s own strikes are also slightly easier to parry since the style is very calm and predictable.
Rages Like Fire: Syrian DeVries’ fighting style is quick and exciting. As he fights, Syrian’s feet are constantly on the move, spinning him in tight circles while his blade flashes a variety of thrusts and slashes. This aggressive fighting style is active when Syrian is the dominant personality and gives him a slightly increased chance to strike his opponent. The cost of this is that Syrian is also slightly easier to strike as his blade weaves around him with barely controlled chaos.
Fights as Two: When engaged by multiple opponents, both the Jeren and Syrian personalities perceive each other in the fight and neither can establish dominance. Since the personalities switch so often that they can do little more than defend themselves. This style only applies when being attacked by multiple opponents. Jeren’s defensive skills greatly improve, making him much harder to strike. The cost of this is that, since he is focused on both personalities staying alive he only strikes an opponent half as often and only does half damage with each strike.
Mental Illness: Jeren Silster sees, hears, talks to, and often becomes Syrian DeVries due to mental anguish over losing his comrades and a serious blow to the back of the head he received at that time. Jeren’s mental illness is thus caused by both psychological and physical triggers and is almost impossible to cure. Jeren’s mental illness does a phenomenal job of rationalizing away discrepancies and over the years, Jeren and Syrian have come to accept that, for some odd reason, people just tend to act strangely around them. The following are the effects of Jeren’s mental illness:
Different Personalities: Jeren and Syrian are two separate personalities in one body. While Jeren is the default dominant personality, the Syrian personality often switches into dominance. The Jeren personality is considered to be the default personality unless otherwise stated, but the personalities can switch dominance at any time. Once a personality has switched into dominance, they must remain dominant until one full post has been completed with that personality.
Note: When Jeren and Syrian are having a discussion, the imaginary personality will be scripted in white. If their conversation is not in white, then both voices are speaking out loud (which is odd and can be extremely disturbing).
Hallucinations: Jeren often perceive things that aren’t real, namely Syrian. Jeren’s mind will create fake memories or other minor hallucinations to rationalize the existence of a non-existent person. Any mental contact with Jeren (for example, telepathy or mind control) has a chance of causing the person making contact to experience similar hallucinations, though not necessarily the same as Jeren’s.
Jeren, You’re Hurt: Since his mind perceives Jeren and Syrian as two separate entities, minor damage taken by one personality is ignored when the other personality is dominant though the damage doesn't go away. This effect does not apply to serious or crippling wounds. If the wounded personality becomes dominant again, wound effects apply as normal.
Soldier’s Training: Living as a solider in time of war for several years has left Jeren with a variety of skills that have kept him alive.
Soldier’s Rest: Living two lives on the open road, Jeren has become extremely proficient in catching sleep where he can. Jeren often slips into small catnaps to rest and keep his energy up. This means that Jeren keep himself active for longer periods than a normal person, though he must still get a good night’s sleep every few days.
Foraging: Below Average – When you’ve got to eat, you’ve got to eat. Jeren has taught himself extremely basic foraging skills. As such, as long as there is a source of food (mushrooms, roots, berried, small game), Jeren can survive for up to a week in the wilderness without rations.
Equipment:
Steel Side-sword: The side-sword is smaller, faster, and less damaging than a knight’s long sword but broader, better suited to slashing, and more damaging than a nobleman’s rapier. The hilt of Jeren’s sword is the same one that was given to him by Sergeant Lorre all those years ago and has an elaborate hand guard to help deflect melee attacks. The blade of the sword can and has been replaced multiple times and is currently a steel blade.
Traveling Clothes: Simple beige cotton long-sleeved shirt, brown denim trousers, and brown leather boots for everyday wear. Fairly old and patched up in several places but still in good condition. Loose for good mobility. Keeps a backup set in his traveling pack.
Leather Duelist’s Vest: Heavy, sleeveless brown leather vest that buttons up the side of the front. It provides some warmth and gives a little protection against minor attacks, but not much more.
Iron Duelist’s Vambraces: Old but kept in good condition; these thick iron vambraces cover the back of Jeren’s forearms and wrists and remain strapped to his arms by two leather buckles that loop around the bottom of his forearms. The vambraces make it easier for him to parry and block light melee attacks that get past his sword but aren’t going to stop a heavy weapon or a solid attack from something lighter.
Burlap Traveling Pack: Standard burlap backpack that Jeren carries over one shoulder. The contents include:
Change of clothes: Same as traveling clothes above but with no boots.
Water Skin: Standard water skin that will hold a day’s worth of water.
Rations: Two days worth of jerky and hardtack for days Jeren can’t forage.
Whetstone and Oilcloth: Used for routine maintenance and repair of weapons and armor.
Sewing Kit: A small sewing kit that is used for daily maintenance and repair of clothes and leather armor.
Utility Knife: Small knife used for trimming small branches off firewood and cutting hard cheese. Not really useful in a fight.
Age: 23
Race: Human
Hair Color: Shoulder length light brown with a hint of premature graying at the temples.
Eye Color: Hazel
Height: 5’ 10”
Weight: 156 lbs.
Occupation: Former Draft Soldier, Currently Wandering Adventurer
Personality:
Jeren Silster is a serious, introspective, level-headed individual. Syrian DeVries, on the other hand, is a light-hearted rouge who is always looking for a good time. Few would find it likely that two men with such vastly different personalities would be such fast friends. Fewer still would believe that the two of them are the same person.
Jeren Silster is mentally ill. He isn’t crazy in the sense that he is a gibbering madman, only in the sense that that he talks to, fights besides, and is best friends with someone that doesn’t exist. Or, perhaps, Syrian DeVries does exist in a certain capacity. Anyone who has seen the switch between personalities in the same body would be able to attest that they are two very different people existing in the same physical frame.
Jeren is a creature of habit. He likes to do the same things, the same way, at the same time. Years of militaristic living have shaped him into a rigid structure, which often leads people to perceive him as extremely stoic. Jeren is quiet and reserved. He likes to take a little time to assess each situation as it appears which frequently gives him an air of aloofness that he does not necessarily possess. Jeren is quite down to earth and extremely pragmatic, another layover from his years as a soldier. He steals naps when he can get them, never passes an opportunity to grab a quick bite to eat, and is almost always overly cautious.
Syrian is a wild and creative person, but is not a reckless person. Syrian likes to talk, and can chatter for hours on end over a variety of topics. He enjoys boisterous songs and pretty women and is always quick with a little wit and a large smile. Syrian has been known to lose a purse in an impulsive bit of gambling and has penchant for a little vice which often leaves him and Jeren without coin, much to Jeren’s consternation.
Neither Jeren nor Syrian realizes that they are the same person, and their particular form of insanity compensates to keep this a reality. Their mind will often fill in gaps with false memories and other hallucinations that keep the non-dominant personality occupied.
Appearance:
Jeren is of average height with a body that was built by the road. His years of military life and later wandering have left him hard and lean. As Jeren, he moves with the smooth, flowing precision of an experienced duelist. As Syrian, his movements are quick and darting, like a nervous, caged animal.
Long hours in the sun have tanned his skin and have given him natural highlights to his shoulder length hair, which Jeren prefers to keep bound up, while Syrian likes to have it hang loose. Having witnessed the crippling results that can come with bad dental hygiene in the fields, he keeps his teeth as clean as possible, though they are by no means pearly white. Syrian tends to smile a lot, while Jeren, not so much.
His hands are rough and calloused from his time spent handling his sword and carting firewood to the campsite. His feet are similarly calloused from long hours walking the road without his boots on, a trick he learned in the military to keep them as fresh as possible.
He wears a tough traveler’s outfit of a dingy beige, loose, long sleeved light cotton shirt; dirt brown, loose denim trousers; and brown leather walking boots. Over his shirt, he wears a sleeveless, heavy leather vest that buttons up one side of his torso. On his forearms, he wears a pair of well-used, but well cared for iron vambraces that he uses to block and deflect close quarter weapons. At his left hip he wears a standard looking side-sword which he handles with deft grace. He carries all of his worldly possessions (not much) is a burlap traveling pack that he hangs over his left shoulder, so as not to interfere with his sword arm.
History:
Jeren was only 14 when the soldiers came, recruiting for their war. The so-called recruiters took one look at the young Jeren, whose body had been honed by years working on his father’s plot of land, and Jeren was drafted into the army.
Jeren was miserable, as miserable as could be for a boy who had never been more than a day’s travel from home. Despite this, Jeren maintained an outward optimism with the enthusiasm that only the young can muster in times of extreme desperation. Jeren quickly became a sort of mascot for his unit, a spear regiment, and Jeren’s Sergeant, a grizzled veteran named Lorre, took Jeren under his wing and taught him the basics of fighting and military life.
Even though Jeren was part of a spear unit, Sergeant Lorre preferred to teach young Jeren how to use his favorite weapon, the side-sword, with which Jeren became extremely proficient. During battles, Jeren would stay behind the veterans and would use his sword to strike at enemies that made it through the line to the back ranks and to bring mercy to the battle’s wounded.
Sergeant Lorre’s training didn’t begin and end with the blade, however. Jeren learned how to read and write from the orders and messages passed from unit to unit, something his illiterate farmer parents would never have been able to teach him. He learned to fish, hunt, and make a campsite in order to survive in the wilderness. He learned to take care of his body and his possessions, since “the weapon you care for will care for you.”
Jeren lived and fought in the army for three years. During an extended campaign in one of the countless battles that Jeren had been in, Jeren’s army was forced into a rout and Sergeant Lorre’s unit was ordered to hold a critical pass while the rest of the army regrouped and redeployed. Though they were guaranteed fresh reserves for relief once the main force recovered, everyone in the unit knew that they had been sacrificed as a road block to allow the rest of the army time to escape. Jeren had joined his comrades in dutifully waiting for death when Sergeant Lorre approached him.
Sergeant Lorre had come to see Jeren as a younger brother and told Jeren that he refused to let the boy throw his life away for a worthless cause. Jeren protested that Sergeant Lorre and his men had become his family and that it was unfair to have his family taken from him a second time, but Sergeant Lorre would not budge. Jeren was spirited away in the night, taken through the enemies scouting lines so that he could live. As Sergeant Lorre left Jeren and headed back to his men, Jeren planned his own return.
Come dawn, Jeren woke with a start to the sound of war horns. Realizing that he had somehow fallen asleep, Jeren grabbed the sword that Sergeant Lorre had given him and rushed towards the battle. He gritted his teeth and determined to die with his brothers-in-arms, but as his unit came into view, something hard crashed into the back of his head and he fell. His last blurry vision was of the enemy hordes sweeping through his comrades.
When Jeren came to, it was hours later. Jeren groaned his way back into the world of the living, and noticed a solitary figure, dressed in his unit’s outfit, grinning down at him. At first he thought it was Sergeant Lorre, miraculously saved from death, but that thought was dashed soon enough. The man introduced himself as Syrian DeVries and claimed that, like Jeren, he had managed to survive the battle. Together, Jeren and Syrian buried their comrades and then set off, no longer tied down to any lord or army and have wandered for over 6 years. Though the two of them have vastly different personalities, the ties of fate have shaped them into the best of friends.
Skills:
Swords: Above Average – Jeren only considers himself to be an average swordsman (Syrian thinks that he’s phenomenal, but then, he thinks he’s great at everything). The truth of the matter is that Jeren is extremely skilled with his sword, but his attention is often divided with the strain of being two people at the same time. This means that often, Jeren cannot fight at his fullest potential. If both the Jeren and Syrian personalities are at the scene, they are considered to have only Average swordsmanship.
Spears: Average – Jeren fought in a military spear regiment for years and though he has slacked in his spear training, he still remembers most of the basics.
Sergeant Lorre’s Training: Sergeant Lorre taught Jeren that the sword is connected to the person just as the person is connected to the sword. The circular nature of his fighting style has been adapted by both Jeren and Syrian into their own unique brand of fighting. These apply only when using a one-handed sword.
Flows Like Water: Watching the basic fighting technique of Jeren Silster is like watching a river flow. Jeren is calm and controlled, keeping his blade flowing in small circles and moving his feet in small arcs as he parries and ripostes. This defensive fighting style is active when Jeren is the dominant personality and gives Jeren a slightly increased chance of parrying an opponent’s strike. The cost of this is that Jeren’s own strikes are also slightly easier to parry since the style is very calm and predictable.
Rages Like Fire: Syrian DeVries’ fighting style is quick and exciting. As he fights, Syrian’s feet are constantly on the move, spinning him in tight circles while his blade flashes a variety of thrusts and slashes. This aggressive fighting style is active when Syrian is the dominant personality and gives him a slightly increased chance to strike his opponent. The cost of this is that Syrian is also slightly easier to strike as his blade weaves around him with barely controlled chaos.
Fights as Two: When engaged by multiple opponents, both the Jeren and Syrian personalities perceive each other in the fight and neither can establish dominance. Since the personalities switch so often that they can do little more than defend themselves. This style only applies when being attacked by multiple opponents. Jeren’s defensive skills greatly improve, making him much harder to strike. The cost of this is that, since he is focused on both personalities staying alive he only strikes an opponent half as often and only does half damage with each strike.
Mental Illness: Jeren Silster sees, hears, talks to, and often becomes Syrian DeVries due to mental anguish over losing his comrades and a serious blow to the back of the head he received at that time. Jeren’s mental illness is thus caused by both psychological and physical triggers and is almost impossible to cure. Jeren’s mental illness does a phenomenal job of rationalizing away discrepancies and over the years, Jeren and Syrian have come to accept that, for some odd reason, people just tend to act strangely around them. The following are the effects of Jeren’s mental illness:
Different Personalities: Jeren and Syrian are two separate personalities in one body. While Jeren is the default dominant personality, the Syrian personality often switches into dominance. The Jeren personality is considered to be the default personality unless otherwise stated, but the personalities can switch dominance at any time. Once a personality has switched into dominance, they must remain dominant until one full post has been completed with that personality.
Note: When Jeren and Syrian are having a discussion, the imaginary personality will be scripted in white. If their conversation is not in white, then both voices are speaking out loud (which is odd and can be extremely disturbing).
Hallucinations: Jeren often perceive things that aren’t real, namely Syrian. Jeren’s mind will create fake memories or other minor hallucinations to rationalize the existence of a non-existent person. Any mental contact with Jeren (for example, telepathy or mind control) has a chance of causing the person making contact to experience similar hallucinations, though not necessarily the same as Jeren’s.
Jeren, You’re Hurt: Since his mind perceives Jeren and Syrian as two separate entities, minor damage taken by one personality is ignored when the other personality is dominant though the damage doesn't go away. This effect does not apply to serious or crippling wounds. If the wounded personality becomes dominant again, wound effects apply as normal.
Soldier’s Training: Living as a solider in time of war for several years has left Jeren with a variety of skills that have kept him alive.
Soldier’s Rest: Living two lives on the open road, Jeren has become extremely proficient in catching sleep where he can. Jeren often slips into small catnaps to rest and keep his energy up. This means that Jeren keep himself active for longer periods than a normal person, though he must still get a good night’s sleep every few days.
Foraging: Below Average – When you’ve got to eat, you’ve got to eat. Jeren has taught himself extremely basic foraging skills. As such, as long as there is a source of food (mushrooms, roots, berried, small game), Jeren can survive for up to a week in the wilderness without rations.
Equipment:
Steel Side-sword: The side-sword is smaller, faster, and less damaging than a knight’s long sword but broader, better suited to slashing, and more damaging than a nobleman’s rapier. The hilt of Jeren’s sword is the same one that was given to him by Sergeant Lorre all those years ago and has an elaborate hand guard to help deflect melee attacks. The blade of the sword can and has been replaced multiple times and is currently a steel blade.
Traveling Clothes: Simple beige cotton long-sleeved shirt, brown denim trousers, and brown leather boots for everyday wear. Fairly old and patched up in several places but still in good condition. Loose for good mobility. Keeps a backup set in his traveling pack.
Leather Duelist’s Vest: Heavy, sleeveless brown leather vest that buttons up the side of the front. It provides some warmth and gives a little protection against minor attacks, but not much more.
Iron Duelist’s Vambraces: Old but kept in good condition; these thick iron vambraces cover the back of Jeren’s forearms and wrists and remain strapped to his arms by two leather buckles that loop around the bottom of his forearms. The vambraces make it easier for him to parry and block light melee attacks that get past his sword but aren’t going to stop a heavy weapon or a solid attack from something lighter.
Burlap Traveling Pack: Standard burlap backpack that Jeren carries over one shoulder. The contents include:
Change of clothes: Same as traveling clothes above but with no boots.
Water Skin: Standard water skin that will hold a day’s worth of water.
Rations: Two days worth of jerky and hardtack for days Jeren can’t forage.
Whetstone and Oilcloth: Used for routine maintenance and repair of weapons and armor.
Sewing Kit: A small sewing kit that is used for daily maintenance and repair of clothes and leather armor.
Utility Knife: Small knife used for trimming small branches off firewood and cutting hard cheese. Not really useful in a fight.