Bertram Luxaerion
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Originally hailing from The Holy See of Ishgard, Bertram spent the first 20-something years of his life as a knight in the House of Luxaerion. Although the family had never reached a level of extreme notoriety, the House of Luxaerion was still a well-established family that had produced generations of loyal, steadfast, and obedient knights. Bertram was no exception to this, and he was praised by his fellow knights for his stoic temperament and skill with the sword. He was never arrogant, but he was certainly prideful to be respected and admired by his family members and peers. However, that entire illusion would eventually be shattered.Some time during his mid-twenties, Bertram had been given an order from his father to apprehend a few thieves that had caused a disturbance at a food stall in Ishgard's Jeweled Crozier. Upon discovering the thieves, a young woman and a teenage boy, Bertram seized them and returned to his family's estate, his father waiting in the courtyard. Because something like this was an everyday occurrence for Bertram, he expected the typical scene of his father praising his swift work followed by a pair of other knights taking the criminals to prison. But this time it was different. Yes, his father did indeed praise Bertram's work, but the young knight was immediately told after to execute the two, young thieves. Caught off-guard, Bertram asked his father why they couldn't be sent to prison and later judged, only to be told the excuse that the prison cells were at maximum capacity and "alternative punishments" needed to be dealt. Bertram had indeed slain many violent criminals in his career, but the pair in front of him had put up absolutely no resistance, and he would later discover they were long-abandoned siblings trying to feed themselves while living on the streets.In his singular act of defiance against his father, Bertram refused his father's order and boldly denounced the barbaric, cruel act. Of course, this was a grave mistake. Enraged by the defiance, his father drew his own sword and quickly cut down both thieves, their lifeless eyes staring directly at Bertram. Afterwards, he was seized by a pair of knights, his own cousins, and strapped to a chair inside the manor. There, his father, the man he had respected and admired for all of his life, declared Bertram a disgrace to the House of Luxaerion and the knights, and that he would be punished for his defiance. Schooled in Magick along with the sword, Bertram's father held his open palms directly in front of his eyes, where flames burst forth. Any other sounds inside the manor were drowned out by his agonizing screams. Days later, Bertram could be seen wandering the snowy lands of Coerthas. Disowned by his family, he was thrown into the wilderness with only a set of ragged clothes, a dulled sword, and the ring he had since he was a young child bearing the Luxaerion crest in hand. His left eye was covered with bandages, damaged so beyond repair by his father's punishment that he was forced to gouge it out. Although his other eye was still intact, the burns severely impaired his vision, and his formerly amber-colored eye became a foggy white. In his mind, he somehow managed to remain as stoic as he always had been, but his thoughts were also filled with plots of vengeance, or rather justice towards his family. Several weeks had passed, and through that time, Bertram was met with dangerous encounters with beasts and bandits. He miraculously managed to survive each encounter, despite the injuries received. He was also met with unexpected kindness from strangers that the House of Luxaerion would probably consider to be "deviants", "dogs", and "whores". Although stripped of his knighthood, Bertram's loyal disposition and skill with the sword remained. Months had passed, and the knight-turned-vagrant had successfully managed to stowaway on an airship, not even caring where he would be taken to.
Dismounting the airship once it had finally landed, Bertram was introduced to a scenery and environment that he had only read about in books. The city was warm and by the sea, and its architecture was completely foreign. The people were dressed in unusual clothes, with some holding parasols made from paper and others with an unusually-shaped sword sheathed in its scabbard at their waist. He had arrived in the city of Kugane in the Hingashi region, and although he had occasionally read about it, witnessing the city in person was a greatly different experience. However, because of his scruffy and foreign appearance, it didn't take long before he was arrested by the Sekiseigumi. Although they were in many ways similar to the Ishgardian knights, the Sekiseigumi sympathized with Bertram's story, and they were equally impressed with his displays of swordsmanship. While several officials were reluctant, Bertram was asked to be a temporary officer with the group. For his services, Bertram received food and shelter as well as meager pay. He was even taught how to wield the katana used by the Sekiseigumi's samurai, something he was unusually quick and adept at learning. Despite being a foreigner, Kugane had eventually become Bertram's new home. Several years had passed, and in that time his swordsmanship had improved even further to the point that he had managed to make something of a name for himself among the townsfolk. With enough Gil saved, Bertram eventually decided to end his services for the Sekiseigumi, where the officials who were reluctant to lose such a skilled and loyal officer were also relieved to finally be rid of the foreigner who boldly stood out among the others and unwillingly began overshadowing them. He managed to afford a small apartment in the Shirogane area, and Bertram soon offered his services as a guard, sellsword, and instructor to anyone in need of him. In the following years, Bertram had wandered through the entire Hingashi region, meeting friends, lovers, rivals, and enemies who came and left smoothly and quickly like the passage of time. Now in his 50's, Bertram has also been a victim to the passing of time, not that he paid it much mind. Despite his age, his skill with the sword has only improved along with his wisdom and knowledge of the world around him. His thoughts of vengeance that had plagued him for the first half of his life are far forgotten, and he had only discovered in the past few years that the House of Luxaerion had dissolved entirely, not too long after the Calamity occurred. Although his vengeance was far behind him, the older man still felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders. To this day, he still possesses his family's crested ring along with the dull sword given when he was thrown into the Coerthian wilderness that fateful day. Acquiring a good amount of wealth and notoriety through the decades, Bertram Luxaerion currently spends his time occasionally mentoring people in swordplay and traveling through Eorzea's regions as a wandering swordsman, further expanding his knowledge and wisdom of the world around him and still finding it difficult to completely escape the thrill and excitement of battle.
Berrod is a tall and solidly built Highlander male who reaches a proud height of six fulms and seven ilms. His body is at its physical peak, wrapped in two hundred and eighty-nine ponz of bulky, well-worked muscle. His most distinguishable feature is the shock of red hair on his head. Bright green eyes peer from behind an oft-folded brow, the prelude to a rather roughly handsome face accented with a neatly trimmed red beard about his hard, square jaw.
His name tells no lies, both the Highlander's arms are powerfully muscled and rather large, with moderate vascularity and a ruddy dusting of hair along his corded forearms. They end in big calloused hands with scarred knuckles -- a testament to both hard labor and training. He proudly sports a prominent chest (also red-swept with hair), a broad back and a well-developed core that tapers slightly at the waist before expanding into trunk-like thighs and calves. While the intricacies of his form are usually obscured by his clothing, Berrod's big frame is enough to go by. Berrod seemed to be very interested in gaining mass at one point, and it has shown results; every few moons he appeared noticeably larger than he had been prior. He has gone from a starting weight of two hundred and thirty-five ponz in the streets of Ul'Dah, to his current weight of two hundred and eighty nine ponz.
Aspects That Stand Out:
While fighting to survive in Pearl Lane and the streets of Ul'Dah, Berrod had developed a rather crude, rough, violent and short-tempered personality. The man was as easily pleased as he was angered, however, and found enjoyment in simple things like sharing a meal with friends.
When in a good mood, Berrod was often crudely flirtatious and prone to levity, known for his loud and scandalous barks of laughter. As anger took over he was quick to resort to violence, no matter how imposing his target was. The Highlander was no stranger to obscene language and had no qualms about belting out profanity -- regardless of who was around. Later on, once he had extracted himself from the street situation, Berrod came across as a serious no-nonsense fellow, though he had his rare moments of levity and other juvenile pursuits. Where his temper was once short and his reactions overt, he gained a tendency to hide most of his reactions behind a solid wall of solemn regard. The wall was not permanent, and fell in the private presence of close friends and lovers. Recently his personality has balanced somewhat, especially in light of his induction into the new Fists of Rhalgr. While there is a definite serious side to his dealings, one can easily identify the man's history of thuggery through his speech, and odd lapses. He does his best to help those who come to him in need with patience and due consideration. While it may not always be apparent, he is a deeply religious man -- even when he slips, one would not hear him take Rhalgr's name in vain. Berrod is a persistent and hardworking individual, willing to do what it takes to achieve a goal. This manifests in his tendency to work long hours at whatever job he finds as well as train incessantly until he is satisfied with his level of progress.
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