Gharen Wolfsong
| Gharen Wolfsong | |
| |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | Hyur |
| Clan | Highlander |
| Citizenship | None |
| Height | 6 fulms 5 ilms |
| Weight | 275 ponz |
| Age | 25 |
| Patron Deity | Halone, the fury |
| Namesday | 8th Sun of the 5th Astral Moon |
| Occupation | Wandering Warrior |
Gharen at first glance is a warrior who has seen more than his fair share of battles, he is a quiet and serious individual that smiles only very rarely, with a tall and powerful frame earned through years of hard labor and living off the land. He is prone to quiet isolation and as such is not very good at socializing with others, This constant self imposed separation and detachment has in the past led people to (incorrectly) believe that he thinks himself their better. He is ever the consummate lone wolf, never quite fitting in and alone even when in the middle of a crowd. Those who get to know and understand him will find that he is in many ways a man who has been broken by the circumstances of his life prior to the cataclysm and is now a mess of contradicting actions and beliefs.
Contents
Character
Aliases/Nicknames:
"Wolfsong": A name used to refer to him by Siobhain Surtsthalwyn.
Appearance
Face: His face is scarred, Most would assume that the scars are from combat, while true for one or two, they are due primarily to years of physical abuse at the hands of his guardian. His face is rough and rugged due to constant exposure to the elements. He bears the traditional dark blue facial tattoos of the Wolfsong clan given to him by his father at the age of five. He inherited his Dark Ginger hair from his Mother, which he keeps in what is known to his clan as the "Warrior's Wolf Knot". His face is regularly unshaven as he doesn't worry much about his looks living in the wilds.
Eyes: His eyes are a piercing hazel color; those with a high natural empathy will see a deep seated self hatred/sadness/Loneliness reflected in his eyes. Conversely, when angry or enraged which does not occur often they take on the feral look of his namesake animal and reflect a dark side lying within the young man that is kept under lock and key.
Body: Years of hard labor, living in the wilds, and training with any fighting style he can has earned him a well chiseled body of muscle and strength. Something that he makes sure to cover as much as possible, due to the fact that the majority of his back, chest, arms, legs, and abdomen are covered in deep scars and burns. Remnants of his abuse at the hands of his guardian Ortolf Frostheart, these are a source of intense shame and are one of the things that regularly fuel his bouts of depression. They are also something that few people, if any, have ever seen and one of the primary reasons he avoids living in towns or cities.
Behavior
Voice: Gharen speaks with an accent of the highlander clans that inhabited the mountains north of Ala Mhigo,(I.e. Scottish) His voice is generally friendly and non threatening, unless something has been done to earn his ire, in extreme cases it can become vicious and dark.
Demeanor: Gharen is quiet and somber, and generally doesn't deal well with others whether it just be simple etiquette or conversation, it is extremely rare for him to smile, even more so is the individual that can regularly coax one out of him. His stance and motion belie someone versed in multiple forms of combat.
Personality: (Social setting) Gharen is prone to self isolation, and when in a group of socializing individuals tends to sit off the side and just listen hoping to be ignored. This has caused issues in the past with people thinking that he believes himself better than everyone else. Which couldn't be further from the truth, the fact is he simply tries to blend in the background and disappear.
(Combat) In combat Gharen finds some measure of respite, while still quiet, he becomes focused and his mind does not wander down the dark paths that plague him and lead to him brooding.
Flaws: Above all else he believes that his life is of little to no worth and that no one will mourn or notice it's passing, he also sees himself as horribly disfigured by the scars that adorn much his body, and as a result, will be alone for the remainder of his days. These two conditions lead him to be more willing than most to put others before himself to his own detriment, or in an extreme case, to throw his own life away, as death in the defense of others in his mind, might in some small way add value to a life that has none.
Intelligence: Gharen is not stupid by any means, unfortunately after the age of five he did not receive a formal education, most of what he knows was self taught. Reading, writing, basic fighting forms. Etc.
Religious Views: Before the occupation of Ala Mhigo he belonged to a devout family that fervently believed in the twelve, and paid their respects Halone, the Fury and Azeyma, the Warden. Some time after, during his time in Little Ala Mhigo while in the hands of his abusive guardian he had lost his faith in the divine. Believing that any higher being that would not listen to the prayers of an abused child, or intervene in some way was not worth worshiping. After 8 years of traveling Eorzea, he returned to Ul'Dah and met Siobhain Surtsthalwyn, her devout belief seems to be slowly rekindling his as he has openly admitted to her that perhaps Halone put him on his path, and Azeyma led him back to the one that had given him hope.
The Wolf: "The Wolf" is The psychological representation of Gharen's Id, it is also the darkness within him that characters with a high empathy will feel. This aspect of his psyche lies closer to the surface than it does for most due to years of physical and psychological trauma. It represents all of the locked away anger, hatred, and pain he has experienced in his life, it also represents his will to survive, It does not make it's presence known often, but when it does it is savage and feral, it's only goal is to destroy potential threats that cause it harm, it last appeared 8 cycles ago to viciously kill Ortolf Frostheart.
Combat
General
Gharen aims to become a weapon master, an individual who can pick up any weapon and use it to great effect. When asked why Gharen will become evasive and give a generalized answer "Te prove a point te someone." While not a lie he intends to prove it to two people. First, To himself that it can be done, and second, to a dead man, Ortolf Frostheart, the Guardian that abused him for 13 years, or more to the point, the memory of a dead man.
Style: Gharen's preferred weapon is the Lance, which he can use both offensively and defensively to great effect. Keeping his enemies at bay, allowing him to control the flow of battle, and keeping his opponents guessing. He will from time to time employ techniques he has learned from studying other various forms of combat.
Strengths: Believing that the each known martial style of combat form a wheel, and every style is but a single spoke in that wheel, obtaining even a fundamental understanding of these various methods of combat offer insight and adaptability to whatever weapon focus is used and or faced. The weapon master is able given a wider range of options in order to think outside of the box in the heat of battle and enhancing overall survivability potential for victory by using unconventional tactics in order to keep opponents guessing, and off balance.
Weaknesses: The path of becoming a weapon master runs the danger being a Jack of all trades and master of none, leaving oneself open to defeat at the hands of a more specialized opponent. Garnering the fundamentals, then specific specialization, builds a stronger foundation that can be built upon as time goes by.
Pain Tolerance: Due to the years of physical abuse at the hands of his guardian Gharen has learned how to control pain he may feel. This is not to say he does not feel pain, he simply knows how to not acknowledge it, and fight through it.
Tendencies
Likes
- The sound, smell, and feel of rain falling.
- The heat of battle.
- Training
Dislikes
- Himself
- Those that would push others around for their own benefit.
- ((WIP))
Hobbies/Talents
- ((WIP))
Other
- ((WIP))
Relationships
Family
Gregor Wolfsong: A blacksmith by trade, Gregor originated from one of the outlying villages in the mountainous northern regions of Ala Mhigan territory there was a warrior and hunter, On one of his trips into Ala Mhigo he met Aline, courted her, and eventually the two married. It was after this he took up blacksmithing in order to provide for his beginning family. He never lost his pride in his heritage though, and would tell the stories of the Wolfsong clan that he grew up with to his son. Gregor was killed when the Garlean empire took control Ala Mhigo 20 years ago.
Aline Wolfsong: Aline grew up to a middle class family within the walls of Ala Mhigo, at the time she met Gregor she was weaver in her fathers shop in merchants alley. Aline was killed when the Garlean empire took control Ala Mhigo 20 years ago.
Kayle Wolfsong: Gharen's sister, slightly older than one year of age when the Garlean empire came to power in Ala Mhigo, She is presumed dead.
Friends
Siobhain Surtsthalwyn - Gharen and Siobhain have a shared history that spans into their childhood. As a child he'd caught glimpses of a shy Roegadyn girl with white hair that he found beautiful, never knowing her name, her image eventually came to symbolize something in the mind of the tortured young man, Hope. Never officially meeting and discovering this history until only recently, she holds a special place in his heart, something he has never felt or dealt with until now, but would fight fiercely to protect.
A'khenna Khai - A young Miqo'te that has taken apprenticeship under Siobhain. He respects her abilities in combat but treats her as almost a younger sister as she would almost be the same age as his. He Feels the need to teach her what he can so that she is prepared for the harsh realities of the world.
A’nzil Oenomaus - A young Miqo'te that has taken apprenticeship under Gharen. In many ways A'nzil reminds Gharen of himself when he was a child, a scared kid that doesn't see a way out. Gharen aims to help A'nzil find the "Heart of a Coeurl" that beats within his chest and turn a scared kid into a young man that fights for what he believes in despite the fear inside of him.
Qaeli Varily - Gharen knows little about the white haired woman, the two have fought in against one another in a Grindstone tournament in which he rose the victor, only by which because Gharen drew upon fighting skills he did not normally employ, He respects her skills as a fighter.
Enemies
Rumors
Common Rumors
- "Yeah tha' Highlander fellow comes here inte th' smitty' an helps out fer a days wage. Good solid worker. Swings a mean hammer I tells ya!"
- "Boy blew into town a few days ago and left just as sudden, Never stayed at the Inn far as I'm aware. Think he'd be dumb enough to make camp in the wilds outside of town?"
- "He'd come in here and order something to eat. Never bought a drop of ale though, he treated the stuff like it was tainted."
Moderate Rumors
- He comes in here from time to time for supplies, I'd swear those eyes of his look right through you, so much sadness in them...
- I watched him put himself between a bunch of syndicate thugs and their mark. He can take a hit for sure, he walked away from the fight but I don't think he ever bothered to see a healer.
Rare Rumors
- "I was outside of town and heard a commotion, when I went to see what it was that man training with a lance. Thank the twelve he didn't see me! I'd swear he'd been tortured in the dungeon with the amount of scars I could see."
- "Yeah I remember tha' one. ol' Frostheart beat th' boy almost te death, more'n once I tell ye'."
- "Ortolf Frostheart? Mean drunken bastard he was, tortured th' poor boy put inte his care. He was killed... oh.. some eight cycles ago now. Looked like a wolf got te 'im and ripped 'im te shreds it did, thinkin' it was tha' boy I tell ye. He disappeared tha same night."
PC Rumors
((Characters I've interacted with free to add))
- "That wayward 'brother' of mine bears a heavy burden...But as I have told him before: Rivers and seas, Gharen. Rivers and seas." - Siobhain Surtsthalwyn
History/Timeline
((Work in progress))
Annotations
This Template was created by Deirdre Ta'ea
