Amaru
01-29-07, 05:26 AM
Name: Amaru
Age: 20
Race: Human
Hair Color: Wheat
Eye Color: green
Height: 5’10
Weight: 145
Appearance: The best word to describe the lanky, long limbed teenager is mismatched. Amaru has well tanned skin darker than his shaggy, wheat-colored hair. Bangs constantly flip down into his green eyes. His slim nose has a tiny crooked spot in it, evidence of a nose broken and almost completely straightened. His smile is white and cutting. He has a green-gray cloak tossed over his tunic that goes well with his eyes. His drab tunic is shabby, cinched at the waist with a black sash, and from the straight collars an indigo blue collar hiding his neck. The same blue shirt is seen from under the tunic’s short sleeves, tucked into brown gloves that leave his fingers bare. His leggings are the same blue stuffed into high boots. Chain mail, bronze plate on his legs, gorget, are all hidden but for the cheap gauntlets he wears. A tall staff hangs on his back, or used as a walking stick, made of thin wood. He is a young human, to be sure, scruffy and dressed in dull colors.
Personality: A flirt, a boaster, an entertainer and a thief with itching fingers. Amaru rarely reveals his more brilliant and educated side except to amuse someone. Oddly enough, he is a fierce follower of the Thayne religion and some of its ideals (though he usually chooses to ignore them, but there are rare instances where it kicks in.) Besides that, Amaru has no ideals... Honor, chivalry and courage never helped him along. It was always want of gain, simple satisfaction and finding the easy way out that won over. He is a man who values common sense over morality and practicality over courage. Pride is a commodity he drops gracelessly to avoid even the merest confrontation. Amaru is extremely lazy, which some mistake for a carefree nature, but this laxity prevents him from using tact so that he’ll also come off as an apathetic, crass idiot who is far from the best example of a Scarabrian or a human. Without many ethics of his own, Amaru is free to mock the ideas and ways of others. All in all, Amaru can be in turns amiable and rude, a low-life, or perhaps at times a helpful guy. He doesn't believe in right or wrong, so he's not an especially good guy, or an especially evil one.
History:
Amaru’s life in Scara Brae was hard and menial, but not a sob story. He was the bastard son of a tavern wench and passing lord, in a small town along the shores of Valeena Lake. As many others, he took to a fishing boat as soon as he could walk and throw a net, and made a low living selling mussels, clams, fish, and all manner of seafood. It was hard, nearly thankless, but not impoverishing. When his mother died of illness, however, Amaru traveled to the capital Scara Brae to seek out his father. His father, vexed by the arrival of his bastard son, shunned him from the household, but gave Amaru a generous dowry and shunted him to a Thayne temple on the edge of Brokenthorn Forest.
It was a plain life, with plain food and simple worship. But they had a most wondrous collection of books donated over many decades, and a few of the disciples were scholars, one of great renown. Amaru took a greater interest in the academics more than the religious aspects, and devoured the teachings of the scholars and books, learning of economics, politics, history, science and even a few spells in which he quickly grew bored of and forgot them at once. From one of the scholars, Amaru learned languages and proved dangerously clever, learning them more quickly than he had a right to.
He had been only ten when he traveled to his father, and was now fourteen. Amaru went on a pilgrimage with his closest friend, east and to Scara Brae. Their preaching fell on the deaf ears of some dwarves. When they were to take their leave, one of the dwarves killed Amaru’s friend out of brute nature. Amaru remained in Scara Brae for some time, taking shelter in yet another Thayne temple and learning more of the monarchy of the country. He traveled and hit the West Road of Corone by himself. He kept half quiet of his Thayne religion, but the good terms between Corone and Scara Brae helped to ease his passage. He met an old bard there, and they became instant companions. Amaru dropped religion easily and took up the more adventurous life, which turned out to be cold, wet nights and a hungry belly.
Still, Amaru traveled a few countries in that time and learned quite a bit, especially at skill in arms, since the bard had been a knight once and well trained in spears. When he died from a chill after a stay in the Zaileya Mountains, Amaru shot back down to Scara Brae and before he could return reluctantly to his temple, helped out a pirate (unbeknownst to him) in a tight spot. The man escorted him to the least likely place for Amaru: Hooligan’s Grotto. By then, Amaru had been a fisher, a scholar, a priest, a wanderer, a bard, and an amateur warrior. His ideals, his shifting way of life, were only half held, and he considered the shadier life just another part of it. Amaru developed a case of the itching fingers, never able to look at a valuable item without thinking of ways to steal it. And a penchant for piracy. The first thing he stole was an ancient heirloom from a passing trader. Amaru, months later, found the dwarf who had killed his friend. Amaru took vengeance, found no satisfaction in it, and set out with his jumble of skills and possessions.
Skills:
Stealing Spell: Amaru can steal spells/powers from a person, or more accurately just copy it. Some might say a copy isn’t as good as the original, and that’s true. When Amaru steals a spell, he doesn’t have the experience, training and familiarity with it as the original user does. Nor does he have an instantaneous grasp of it. If he copies someone’s ability to summon a sword from mid-air, it might end up appearing and dropping down on his foot. Neither does he gain the physicality to use the spell. Even if he could cast spells under water, he’d still drown from lack of air. Yet the upside is that any special ability (namely something that the person learns supernaturally rather than naturally) can be learned by Amaru if he stares at the person casting it unblinking. Right now, this technique is unperfected and he can only learn two weaker spells before losing the ability to learn any more. Also, Amaru can only learn a spell that is at his level. If he is level 1, he can learn a level 1 spell.
Silence: Amaru can enchant clothing, people, and items to be completely silent when moving. This spell is temporary, and fades more swiftly with more complexity (i.e. living beings). So enchanting chain mail would keep the metal from clinking, boots from making steps on the ground, or even silencing someone’s breathing. For now, this is a lengthy and complex technique to perform, and not full-proof if the sound is severely loud.
Strength endowment: Amaru tried to find a quick way to strengthen quickly, and did...somewhat. He could now strengthen his fist to punch twice as hard, his legs to run faster, but it has a great drawback. If he were to run twice as fast, it’d be as though he’d run twice the length. The strength endowment could enable him to break through most kinds of wood, but thereafter he’d be exhausted. In other words, the more the strength, the greater expending of energy. This is a skill that will be fixed, never improving, unless there’s some magical item out there that helps him improve it.
Knowledge: Amaru has several years of knowledge as a thief, from detecting booby traps to sneaking into a building unseen. The tools he needs are only simply, since he relies on fast feet and clever hands to steal something. His other knowledge is in academics. He knows of history, economics, politics, races, spells, and most everything scholarly. He is fluent in the official languages of each country, and a rudimentary grasp in more obscure ones (High Elvish, Dwarven.)
Skill at arms: Amaru can fight with a staff or a spear (so long as it’s used like a staff) as good as the average warrior wields a sword. He is also good at throwing weapons, especially knives.
Equipment:
Holy Staff: It’s an old staff carved with ancient runes. It’s made of the Yollsha tree, which was an ancient tree famed to be invulnerable to both axe and flame. Though its light as driftwood, it’s hard as steel. If broken it need only be thrust into the soil, where it grows back instantly. It grows heavy as a boulder if the user were to try to attack a child, woman or holy man.
Small tools: Whistle: This whistle can only be heard by foxes, who are drawn to its call. He has picks, rope, a mask, and three iron knives ranging from normal to tiny.
Harp: Just a small harp.
Clothing/armor: Amaru wears light armor with his clothes: lightweight, iron chainmail only under his tunic, copper gauntlets, leather leggings, and a bronze helm usually unworn. He carries a small, round shield of steel, hammered thin.
Familiars: Amaru once stole a prized fox, sold it, and it soon returned. Since then, the fox he simply named Fox is his constant companion. She is like any other fox in that she is swift and small and cunning. She is unnaturally smart for a fox, able to understand words or at least catch the gist of what is being said, and to even speak somewhat, though not in the human sense. Her fur and sometimes build changes according to the terrain or the weather. She is a little stronger, a little faster than normal foxes, though not notably so. She has an ability to sniff out spell casters, or to understand the strength and nature of a spell.
Age: 20
Race: Human
Hair Color: Wheat
Eye Color: green
Height: 5’10
Weight: 145
Appearance: The best word to describe the lanky, long limbed teenager is mismatched. Amaru has well tanned skin darker than his shaggy, wheat-colored hair. Bangs constantly flip down into his green eyes. His slim nose has a tiny crooked spot in it, evidence of a nose broken and almost completely straightened. His smile is white and cutting. He has a green-gray cloak tossed over his tunic that goes well with his eyes. His drab tunic is shabby, cinched at the waist with a black sash, and from the straight collars an indigo blue collar hiding his neck. The same blue shirt is seen from under the tunic’s short sleeves, tucked into brown gloves that leave his fingers bare. His leggings are the same blue stuffed into high boots. Chain mail, bronze plate on his legs, gorget, are all hidden but for the cheap gauntlets he wears. A tall staff hangs on his back, or used as a walking stick, made of thin wood. He is a young human, to be sure, scruffy and dressed in dull colors.
Personality: A flirt, a boaster, an entertainer and a thief with itching fingers. Amaru rarely reveals his more brilliant and educated side except to amuse someone. Oddly enough, he is a fierce follower of the Thayne religion and some of its ideals (though he usually chooses to ignore them, but there are rare instances where it kicks in.) Besides that, Amaru has no ideals... Honor, chivalry and courage never helped him along. It was always want of gain, simple satisfaction and finding the easy way out that won over. He is a man who values common sense over morality and practicality over courage. Pride is a commodity he drops gracelessly to avoid even the merest confrontation. Amaru is extremely lazy, which some mistake for a carefree nature, but this laxity prevents him from using tact so that he’ll also come off as an apathetic, crass idiot who is far from the best example of a Scarabrian or a human. Without many ethics of his own, Amaru is free to mock the ideas and ways of others. All in all, Amaru can be in turns amiable and rude, a low-life, or perhaps at times a helpful guy. He doesn't believe in right or wrong, so he's not an especially good guy, or an especially evil one.
History:
Amaru’s life in Scara Brae was hard and menial, but not a sob story. He was the bastard son of a tavern wench and passing lord, in a small town along the shores of Valeena Lake. As many others, he took to a fishing boat as soon as he could walk and throw a net, and made a low living selling mussels, clams, fish, and all manner of seafood. It was hard, nearly thankless, but not impoverishing. When his mother died of illness, however, Amaru traveled to the capital Scara Brae to seek out his father. His father, vexed by the arrival of his bastard son, shunned him from the household, but gave Amaru a generous dowry and shunted him to a Thayne temple on the edge of Brokenthorn Forest.
It was a plain life, with plain food and simple worship. But they had a most wondrous collection of books donated over many decades, and a few of the disciples were scholars, one of great renown. Amaru took a greater interest in the academics more than the religious aspects, and devoured the teachings of the scholars and books, learning of economics, politics, history, science and even a few spells in which he quickly grew bored of and forgot them at once. From one of the scholars, Amaru learned languages and proved dangerously clever, learning them more quickly than he had a right to.
He had been only ten when he traveled to his father, and was now fourteen. Amaru went on a pilgrimage with his closest friend, east and to Scara Brae. Their preaching fell on the deaf ears of some dwarves. When they were to take their leave, one of the dwarves killed Amaru’s friend out of brute nature. Amaru remained in Scara Brae for some time, taking shelter in yet another Thayne temple and learning more of the monarchy of the country. He traveled and hit the West Road of Corone by himself. He kept half quiet of his Thayne religion, but the good terms between Corone and Scara Brae helped to ease his passage. He met an old bard there, and they became instant companions. Amaru dropped religion easily and took up the more adventurous life, which turned out to be cold, wet nights and a hungry belly.
Still, Amaru traveled a few countries in that time and learned quite a bit, especially at skill in arms, since the bard had been a knight once and well trained in spears. When he died from a chill after a stay in the Zaileya Mountains, Amaru shot back down to Scara Brae and before he could return reluctantly to his temple, helped out a pirate (unbeknownst to him) in a tight spot. The man escorted him to the least likely place for Amaru: Hooligan’s Grotto. By then, Amaru had been a fisher, a scholar, a priest, a wanderer, a bard, and an amateur warrior. His ideals, his shifting way of life, were only half held, and he considered the shadier life just another part of it. Amaru developed a case of the itching fingers, never able to look at a valuable item without thinking of ways to steal it. And a penchant for piracy. The first thing he stole was an ancient heirloom from a passing trader. Amaru, months later, found the dwarf who had killed his friend. Amaru took vengeance, found no satisfaction in it, and set out with his jumble of skills and possessions.
Skills:
Stealing Spell: Amaru can steal spells/powers from a person, or more accurately just copy it. Some might say a copy isn’t as good as the original, and that’s true. When Amaru steals a spell, he doesn’t have the experience, training and familiarity with it as the original user does. Nor does he have an instantaneous grasp of it. If he copies someone’s ability to summon a sword from mid-air, it might end up appearing and dropping down on his foot. Neither does he gain the physicality to use the spell. Even if he could cast spells under water, he’d still drown from lack of air. Yet the upside is that any special ability (namely something that the person learns supernaturally rather than naturally) can be learned by Amaru if he stares at the person casting it unblinking. Right now, this technique is unperfected and he can only learn two weaker spells before losing the ability to learn any more. Also, Amaru can only learn a spell that is at his level. If he is level 1, he can learn a level 1 spell.
Silence: Amaru can enchant clothing, people, and items to be completely silent when moving. This spell is temporary, and fades more swiftly with more complexity (i.e. living beings). So enchanting chain mail would keep the metal from clinking, boots from making steps on the ground, or even silencing someone’s breathing. For now, this is a lengthy and complex technique to perform, and not full-proof if the sound is severely loud.
Strength endowment: Amaru tried to find a quick way to strengthen quickly, and did...somewhat. He could now strengthen his fist to punch twice as hard, his legs to run faster, but it has a great drawback. If he were to run twice as fast, it’d be as though he’d run twice the length. The strength endowment could enable him to break through most kinds of wood, but thereafter he’d be exhausted. In other words, the more the strength, the greater expending of energy. This is a skill that will be fixed, never improving, unless there’s some magical item out there that helps him improve it.
Knowledge: Amaru has several years of knowledge as a thief, from detecting booby traps to sneaking into a building unseen. The tools he needs are only simply, since he relies on fast feet and clever hands to steal something. His other knowledge is in academics. He knows of history, economics, politics, races, spells, and most everything scholarly. He is fluent in the official languages of each country, and a rudimentary grasp in more obscure ones (High Elvish, Dwarven.)
Skill at arms: Amaru can fight with a staff or a spear (so long as it’s used like a staff) as good as the average warrior wields a sword. He is also good at throwing weapons, especially knives.
Equipment:
Holy Staff: It’s an old staff carved with ancient runes. It’s made of the Yollsha tree, which was an ancient tree famed to be invulnerable to both axe and flame. Though its light as driftwood, it’s hard as steel. If broken it need only be thrust into the soil, where it grows back instantly. It grows heavy as a boulder if the user were to try to attack a child, woman or holy man.
Small tools: Whistle: This whistle can only be heard by foxes, who are drawn to its call. He has picks, rope, a mask, and three iron knives ranging from normal to tiny.
Harp: Just a small harp.
Clothing/armor: Amaru wears light armor with his clothes: lightweight, iron chainmail only under his tunic, copper gauntlets, leather leggings, and a bronze helm usually unworn. He carries a small, round shield of steel, hammered thin.
Familiars: Amaru once stole a prized fox, sold it, and it soon returned. Since then, the fox he simply named Fox is his constant companion. She is like any other fox in that she is swift and small and cunning. She is unnaturally smart for a fox, able to understand words or at least catch the gist of what is being said, and to even speak somewhat, though not in the human sense. Her fur and sometimes build changes according to the terrain or the weather. She is a little stronger, a little faster than normal foxes, though not notably so. She has an ability to sniff out spell casters, or to understand the strength and nature of a spell.