Difference between revisions of "Arcian Martell"
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===<div style="padding:10px 15px; background: #BEC3BC;font-size:14px;color:#5F5F5F;">Combat</div>=== | ===<div style="padding:10px 15px; background: #BEC3BC;font-size:14px;color:#5F5F5F;">Combat</div>=== | ||
+ | In battle, Arcian prefers to strike swiftly, savagely, and with overwhelming force. Her objective is not a mercifully quick end to combat, but to brutally put her opponent down in such a way that they are incapable of retaliating. In her mind there is no reason to pull punches if she's being threatened. She prefers to wield baghnakhs instead of the more common spiked knuckles or cesti; they allow her to rend and tear as well as punch. While her choice of weaponry does not play to her raw physical strength as much as a battleaxe or zweihander would, it permits her to be surprisingly quick. Many of her opponents have found themselves beaten, bloodied, and reeling after expecting naught but clumsy power from someone so large. | ||
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+ | As she does not tend to wear heavy armor, her defense is based on evasion and mobility. Rather than blocking or taking a hit, she'll twist or duck away, then lunge in to strike again. Arcian prioritizes a relentless assault over cautious, measured combat. Her tendency towards unceasing aggression proves both an asset and a detriment. While it keeps her opponent under pressure, her ability to fight defensively suffers for it. | ||
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+ | She is not a full Fist of Rhalgr, nor would she even dream of titling herself as such. She has, however, devoted significant time and attention to opening her chakras. This effort is one that she has struggled with in the past; she continues to have difficulty with it, even after hesitantly coming into contact with a group of monks seeking to rebuild the old order. | ||
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+ | Arcian has only opened one chakra. Combined with her skill and experience, this is still enough for her to be a threat. Her already formidable strength and speed can rise higher still if it is drawn upon; between that capability and her fists occasionally wreathing themselves in flame during battle, she is more than capable of shredding an overconfident adversary. | ||
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+ | In addition, she also has some skill with knives, though she is by far more adept with her fists and claws. | ||
===<div style="padding:10px 15px; background: #BEC3BC;font-size:14px;color:#5F5F5F;">Biography</div>=== | ===<div style="padding:10px 15px; background: #BEC3BC;font-size:14px;color:#5F5F5F;">Biography</div>=== |
Revision as of 16:39, 2 October 2015
(Still under construction. It's a process, folks.)
"What, you want something witty? From me? Think you're asking the wrong person."
Contents
Basic Info
A friendly oaf, and nothing more - at least, at first glance. On the surface, Arcian seems to be naught but a fairly good-natured Highlander of no real note. This, however, is not entirely accurate; she has brains to go with her brawn, though she takes pains not to reveal the extent of her perceptiveness and competence. The finesse and savagery she learned during her time in the Ala Mhigan Resistance still remains, though cloaked by good humor and carefully contained.
Appearance
Arcian cuts an imposing figure even among her fellow Highlanders. She easily passes the six-fulm mark and towers over most other Hyur women. Broad-shouldered and well-muscled, she looks as though she'd be best suited to delivering beatings to unruly drunks, or perhaps breaking kneecaps for a moneylender. Hers is a strong-featured face, with a chiseled jawline, generous lips, and a nose that seems to have been broken at least once. Shaggy blonde hair frames her face, though of late she at least takes the time to tie it back. With her somewhat masculine build, relatively flat chest, and apparent lack of curves, she is rather androgynous in appearance, and has been mistaken for a man far more often than she cares to admit.
Her eyes are a fierce blue, like glacier ice.
For the most part, Arcian eschews armor, barring light leathers. Her preferences run to loose shirts and trousers, favoring mobility over protection. Though seemingly not overly concerned with appearances, she does make one concession to vanity; her earlobes are pierced with a pair of worn, unremarkable silver rings.
Physical Appearance
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Personality
Strengths
The persona that Arcian does her best to project is not a wholly false one; she is entirely personable when treated with civility. Most often, she is a genuinely affable person, barring insult or provocation. Arcian is more likely to invite a stranger for a pint than to turn a cold shoulder, even if she subtly watches them like a hawk. Her loyalty, too, is neither feigned nor exaggerated. To those who have won her esteem and affection, she is a true and devoted friend, considerate of their welfare and valiant in their defense. There is a noble sort of earnestness to her staunch allegiance; those close to Arcian have a faithful ally unless they break her trust.
Despite her oafish facade, she is fairly bright, and is capable of grasping reasonably complex concepts despite her rough and incomplete education.
Defeat does not send her spiraling downwards, nor does she brood over her failures unless they are truly crushing. Failure, Arcian believes, is how one learns to be better, and so it is that she shrugs it off more often than not. This is not to say that she waves off matters of consequence; while she is more than capable of recognizing the seriousness of a given situation, she harbors a capacity for great and stubborn determination and will strive for victory until she attains it.
Flaws
Under her carefully maintained veneer of goodwill, Arcian is not terribly trusting. Past experiences have conditioned her not to open her heart to all and sundry. While she does genuinely love the people she's close to, she's guarded despite her apparent good nature, and generally will not render herself emotionally vulnerable barring exceptional circumstances, a close bond, or both.
Her insecurities run deep, especially about her appearance; she thinks of herself as brutish and grotesque, wholly undesirable, and a joke. The world has not been kind to her in matters of the heart, and she still expects any attempt at intimacy to be thrown back in her face in a gale of scornful laughter. Consequently, she is not one given to flirtation or lasciviousness, or public displays of affection beyond the minor and innocuous. Her inclinations, too, have caused her grief. She views her preference for the company of women as something abnormal, though she does not enjoy the thought of attempting to change it, and it is with some lingering guilt over her orientation that she strives to be a loving, supportive partner to Brave.
In truth, she is not so easygoing as she strives to appear. Lurking beneath her initial friendliness is a volcanic and disturbingly violent temper. While it is no longer as easy to provoke as it once was, the potential for explosive, destructive rage still lies within her, and she devotes considerable time and effort to controlling it so as not to appear a threat. It has reared its head in recent sennights, despite her best efforts.
Arcian is not above doing grim or distasteful things to protect the ones she loves. She has attacked, threatened, blackmailed, and, on at least one occasion, beat someone nearly to death with her bare hands in the name of defending those dear to her. At heart, she is deeply pragmatic; the world is not a storybook, and sometimes one must do wrong for the right reasons. Try as she might to come across as honorable, in her eyes the end tends to justify the means.
She's also a bit of a bigot when it comes to those with Garlean blood. To her, such folk are all alike: invaders and sadists all, at least until strongly proven otherwise.
Mannerisms
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Hobbies and Talents
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Combat
In battle, Arcian prefers to strike swiftly, savagely, and with overwhelming force. Her objective is not a mercifully quick end to combat, but to brutally put her opponent down in such a way that they are incapable of retaliating. In her mind there is no reason to pull punches if she's being threatened. She prefers to wield baghnakhs instead of the more common spiked knuckles or cesti; they allow her to rend and tear as well as punch. While her choice of weaponry does not play to her raw physical strength as much as a battleaxe or zweihander would, it permits her to be surprisingly quick. Many of her opponents have found themselves beaten, bloodied, and reeling after expecting naught but clumsy power from someone so large.
As she does not tend to wear heavy armor, her defense is based on evasion and mobility. Rather than blocking or taking a hit, she'll twist or duck away, then lunge in to strike again. Arcian prioritizes a relentless assault over cautious, measured combat. Her tendency towards unceasing aggression proves both an asset and a detriment. While it keeps her opponent under pressure, her ability to fight defensively suffers for it.
She is not a full Fist of Rhalgr, nor would she even dream of titling herself as such. She has, however, devoted significant time and attention to opening her chakras. This effort is one that she has struggled with in the past; she continues to have difficulty with it, even after hesitantly coming into contact with a group of monks seeking to rebuild the old order.
Arcian has only opened one chakra. Combined with her skill and experience, this is still enough for her to be a threat. Her already formidable strength and speed can rise higher still if it is drawn upon; between that capability and her fists occasionally wreathing themselves in flame during battle, she is more than capable of shredding an overconfident adversary.
In addition, she also has some skill with knives, though she is by far more adept with her fists and claws.
Biography
Before the Calamity
After the Calamity
Present Day
Anyone whom Arcian has interacted with may feel free to add a rumor under PC rumors if they are so inclined. ◢ Common Rumors (Easily overheard)
◢ Moderate Rumors (Moderately difficult to overhear)
◢ Rare Rumors (Very difficult or rarely overheard)
◢ PC Rumors (Rumors from the characters of other players)
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Roleplaying Connections
You might know Arcian if:
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Contacts and Out-of-Character Information
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Footnotes
- Original template by Bancroft Gairn, using modifications from an older version of that template as seen on the page for Valerie Vaulefort, and totally borrowed from Reima Awen with her permission.