Granis Klensbane
 Granis Klensbane
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[[Image: |250px]]Trust can get you dead real quick. | |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | Hyur Midlander |
| Clan | N/A |
| Citizenship | Ul'dah |
Contents
Character
General
Granis is a stoic and cynical man who's having trouble trusting anyone right now. He's warily accepted the invitation into the Free Company Aeon but is still very on edge about the whole situation. His upbringing has left him with very little faith in people, a fact which seems to be reinforced due to the many times he's been betrayed or abandoned by those he get's close too.
Appearance
Due to his mercenary upbringing Granis is rarely seen out of his armour and without a blade at his hip. His once short hair has grown long and unkempt, partly due to it being a way to hide his identity, and partly as a way to rebel against his former life. He has pale blue eyes, which have a persistent, distant look to them. His years spent in the deserts of Thanalan have left his skin tanned and weathered. His hair is bleached a nearly white colour, although time spent in more moderate climates see's it revert to a dirty blonde. Above average in height, he often stands on par with shorter Highlanders and Elezan. There is a long, ragged scar running down the centre of his face, splitting his forehead and down across the bridge of his nose. It seems to have healed somewhat but still appears to cause Granis a great deal of discomfort, including crippling headaches.
A life led on the front lines, training with blade and shield has left Granis lean and muscular. While not overly bulky like a Highlander, he has very little fat on him and is exceptionally strong for his size. Were one too see Granis without a shirt on, his body would be a myriad of scars. His right shoulder has a large piece of flesh missing, as if someone has tried to decapitate the limb from the shoulder. His chest and back are criss crossed with multiple scars, causing Granis to be quite self conscious on the rare occasion he is without a shirt around others.
Personality
Gruff, taciturn, a bit of an arsehole is how he's been described. Granis is fairly blunt in his dealings with people and rarely has time for idle chatter. He is not afraid to speak his mind but generally conveys his displeasure at people with a glare rather than words. He has a heart, but years of doing unsavoury jobs as a mercenary has forced him to lock it away so deeply even he questions whether it's there anymore. A succession of failed relationships, both romantic and other have caused his normally heavy drinking to spiral even further out of control, reducing him to being little more than a washed up drunk taking odd jobs to keep enough gil in his pocket so that he can drink himself into oblivion each night.
Combat
Granis has had a blade in his hand before he had hairs on his chest. The Mercenary Company that bought him teach their younglings to fight from a very early age.
He's proficient with nearly all long and short bladed weapons, along with being a very handy brawler. As his work as a sell sword has taken him the length and breadth of Eorzea, he's been witness too and trained in a number of different combat styles, a jack of all trades yet master of none. He's also trained to fight with a shield, not only as a defensive item but also as an offensive weapon. Many a time he's turned the tables in a fight with a swift shield bash to an opponents face.
His lack of formal training has also led to Granis having no compunctions about fighting dirty. He will bite,scratch, kick, spit in your eye and taunt you into a blinding rage if it means victory.
Granis is also unusually fast for someone wearing heavy armour. While he puts it down to nothing more than combat experience his ex companions have often commented that there's almost something supernatural about the way he moves at times. During sparring matches there have been instances where he's been caught completely out of position yet somehow has dodged a blow or parried an attack that he had no right in doing so.
A life lead taking a beating for a living has left Granis with a hardy constitution, unless grievously wounded he seems to always get back up, although some might say its his pig headedness that leads to this trait.
Granis's biggest weakness is magic users. Unless he can close the distance on them he's essentially at their mercy. While he can shoot a bow for hunting purposes he's no marksmen thus cannot be relied up to make any real impact with a ranged weapon. His best bet is to taunt the Mage into doing something stupid while he closes the gap, or take the punishment and rely on another to get close for the killing blow. He has been working on a technique involving a shield throw but it's hardly a reliable tactic.
Along with being trained as a front line fighter, Granis was trained and used as a behind the lines killer by his Company's leader, Lyrion Klensbane. Detecting an emotional detachment in the damaged child, Lyrion exploited Granis's lack of empathy or emotion and had him trained in the arts of stealth and murder. Granis is just as comfortable facing a man in a fair fight, as he is cutting a man's throat while he sleeps.
'Aether Touched'
It has long been debated by Granis's former commanders, fellow soldiers and those who've seen him fight that he is possessed of some otherworldly abilities. On too many occasions he's dodged a killing blow, parried an unstoppable attack, or healed from a grievous wound that would lay any normal man low. Granis, through some quirk of his genetics, is possessed of latent aether abilities that seek to protect him from harm should the need arise. This ability seems to manifest itself most commonly during combat, where a sudden surge of power has driven Granis's muscles into almost superhuman feats, such as being able to duck a beheading strike, or closing the gap on an opponent to give him an advantage in combat. He also seems to bounce back unusually quickly from injury, and his battered and scarred body is a testament to just how much punishment he has taken over the years. Wounds that should have left him crippled or dead, have instead been closed over, leaving naught but scars and painful memories for the man.
This ability is not something he can call on at will, and seems rather fickle when deciding on whether or not to intervene on the mercenaries behalf. In fact Granis doesn't believe he's possessed of anything extraordinary, putting it down to 'dumb luck' that he's still alive.
History
Granis grew up an orphan on the streets of Ul'dah. He was housed at an Orphanage which was in actual fact a front for far more shady dealings including pickpocketing, child abuse and slavery. He was eventually sold to a mercenary who purchased the boy after seeing him beat the snot out of a fellow orphan who tried to steal a mouldy loaf of bread off him. he took Granis to his Company where he at first used him as a camp follower, then trained him to fight. Granis's memories consist of mercenary life and he hasn't had much experience outside that.
Granis fought, both covertly and on the front lines for this Company for many years, earning the respect, and fear of his comrades. His own commander, Lyrion Klensbane, gave Granis his last name in an attempt to forge a connection with the boy. However a job resulting in the deaths of a Mi'qote family at his hands struck some chord in Granis and he abruptly quit the Mercenary group and disappeared. That fateful night has change the course of Granis's life, as it has resulted in him taking on a dangerous Brand that has forced him to seek the company of others bearing the same mark.
Tendencies
Granis struggles to let anyone close. He will close down the moment anyone tries to pry into his past, or becomes too familiar with him. Multiple times in his past, he's been forced to either hurt those he's cared about to keep them safe, or they have left him due to his presence causing them harm.
Granis's solitary nature makes him approaching him difficult. Secretly, he yearns for the companionship of others but simply does not possess the social skills to forge such bonds. This lonely existence has forced him to seek comfort in hard liquor, and is rarely seen without a drink in his hand when not in combat. His drinking is reflective of his mental state, and of late has become almost an addiction.
Likes
- Honesty
- Battle Prowess
- A good bar
Dislikes
- Being touched without permission
- Liars
- Betrayal
Hobbies/Talents
- Is a rather talented smith, or would be were he ever of the inclination to pursue the craft. His pragmatic attitude has relegated the craft to a way of keeping his arms and armour maintained.
- Is surprisingly adept with children. His orphanage often forced the older children to take care of the younger ones.
- Many years training in harsh conditions has given him the ability to go almost 3 nights without sleep, and can function on very little rest for extended periods.
Other
- Has a distinct,mocking laugh, which while many think is directed at them, is usually self deprecating and often used to mock his own feelings of inadequacy.
- Struggles with any sort of intimacy, often deliberately sabotaging relationships due to his own feelings of unworthiness.
- Has an aversion to Miqo'te.
Relationships
Family
Granis has no family that he knows of, the closest thing he had was a young Seeker named Nyla going up in the orphanage. The two were split up under sad circumstances when an offer to buy the girl was put to those running the orphanage as a playmate, and despite her protests, Granis forced her to go by deliberately making her hate him enough to leave.
Friends
Growing up, Granis made few friends. This continued well into his mercenary life, and while he garnered the respect of those he fought with, his standoffish and cold demeanor made it difficult for anyone to get close to him. His time in Aeon hasn't changed this greatly, with those around him finding him difficult to deal with. Granis for his part has kept most at arms length. Lady Portia Bartel is one who he would consider a friend, having saved his life after a fairly traumatic battle. He's recently done his best to derail this friendship however, struggling to reconcile his feelings towards her, and her recent pregnancy to another man. The two have slowly drifted apart, however Granis is determined to reconnect with the woman when his situation allows it. She was the first true friend he'd had since childhood and he cherishes her deeply, more so than he would ever admit to her.
Of late Granis's solitary lifestyle has slowly eroded. He's managed to develop a small number of connections despite his best efforts to remain alone. Lacey Orwell, a Rogue who stayed with the Branded for a period of time struck him as something of a kindred spirit. It is not uncommon to see the two sharing a drink. Granis has a soft spot for one of the Companies younger members, Flickering Ember. Her child like nature evokes a protective instinct in the normally taciturn man.
Enemies
Granis has made many enemies in his time. His most pressing concern is the child of the Seeker family he murdered. Now grown to manhood, he's sought out his revenge against Granis and is seeking a confrontation, while destroying the few precious relationships Granis has been able to tenuously built.
The Seeker and his sister, T'lara continued to follow Granis's movements. Eckhart, hoping to force Granis's hand into facing him, sought out his lover Seraphim Locke and brutally beat her bloody. Events then spiralled out of control for the Mercenary, with Sera leaving him in an attempt to protect Granis, by removing any further need to pursue Eckhart. While brave, her leaving drove Granis into an alcohol fueled bender. Eckhart confronted the man, staying his hand from taking his own life and revealing to him his Ex Company Captain, Lyrion Klensbane had in fact been the one who sold him out. This information sparked Granis into action, causing him to go on a fury filled rampage, slaying his former commander and a number of his troops.
Knowing he would never be free from Eckhart unless he faced him, he sought out the Seeker and the two clashed. While Granis eventually triumphed, in order to do so he needed to let the Seeker strike a killing blow. Granis, to his knowledge, died out in the sands, the Seekers lust for revenge finally sated. However, whether it be due to his aetheric healing abilities, or some external force, he managed to disappear from the scene of the fight, leaving T'lara to wonder if the mercenary had in fact survived.
Granis appeared a week later in a healers hut, sporting a brutal spear wound to the gut. To this day the wound hasn't healed properly, some unholy magic that had coated Eckharts weapon, preventing it from healing, and in the process, slowly tainting Granis.
The taint has continued to infect Granis, influencing his actions and making him more and more erratic. Behind the scenes, a Mage by the name of Thatos Reller had in fact been behind the mercenaries changing behaviour. Through careful manipulation, he had placed himself in a position to be the one to enchant Eckhart Grayson's weapon with the curse that is now afflicting Granis. His influence over the man has grown to the point where he can now affect Granis's emotional state, or cause his physical harm should he disobey his orders.
Rumors
Common Rumors
- "That man with the scar, some say he use to be a sell sword, a merc. Some say he was good too, really good."
- "That scarred fella? Yeah he drinks here, dunno how his liver hasn't up and left him already, looks ta be trying to drown himself in the booze."
- "I heard he was fooled into killin some folk he shouldn't have, an it broke him good and proper."
Moderate Rumors
- "Some lass shacked up with him awhile back, seemed to be real happy too. She left though. Now he just mopes around all day, drunk off his arse."
- "Why Lady Bartel consorts with such a ruffian is beyond me, she's truly slumming it by associating with that mercenary scum."
- "I saw him fight once, was scary good. They way he moved, even in full chain was...disturbing. So quick, no man can move like that."
Rare Rumors
- "He killed folk that one, not just in a straight fight. Would sneak into their rooms at night and cut em open."
- "He carries a mark, some brand type thing. Makes things interesting for him, makes him hunted.
- "Turns out he has a heart after all, loved a girl who just up and left him one day."
Intimate/Personal Connections
Granis has never truly been in love until a chance encounter with a woman who grew up in the same orphanage as him, Seraphim Locke. She seemed to accept Granis for who he was, history and all. Unfortunately, the relationship has fallen to pieces due to the Seeker, Eckhart Grey, forcing Sera to make a terrible decision and leave Granis for his own safety. Her hope is that by breaking Granis fully, he won't be perceived as a threat by the vengeful Seeker, and will give up his pursuit of revenge.
Events lead to a confrontation between Granis and Eckhart, that while resolved, has left Granis gravely wounded. He's wound up back in Ul'dah, and has managed to rekindle his relationship with Seraphim in spite of everything. While things seemed ok at first, the festering wound left in his stomach by the Seekers spear has in fact began to change Granis, his personality edging ever away from the man Seraphim knew and fell in love with.
His own misgivings about Sera's work as a courtesan during their time apart has also caused tension between the two, with Granis still not quite trusting her. His previous experiences with whores having tainted his view of her.
The relationship was doomed unfortunately, with Granis ever spiralling out of control. One fateful night he endangered Sera's night during a bounty hunt, then proceeded to stray from his relationship with her. After becoming involved with another women for a one night fling, the ensuing fight with Seraphim left Granis alone and broken hearted. Unbeknownst to Sera, Granis was actually being influenced by the Mage Thatos Reller, seeking to isolate Granis.
Reeling from the breakup, Granis has thought himself lost to any sort of romantic links. Surprisingly, from the ashes of this, a spark of romance has developed between him and a healer seeking to help free him from Thatos Rellers grasp. Granis isn't sure what to make of this development, and is terrified of hurting yet another innocent person.
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