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Post by Baal Tansley on Jul 26, 2011 16:46:12 GMT -5
 x x Baal TansleySwordsman Extraordinaire
RACE,
Hylian
GENDER,
Male
BATTLE ROLE,
Melee DPS
BATTLE STYLE,
Casual / LS
AGE,
23
ALLIANCE,
-
PERSONALITY,
Off hand the best word to describe Baal is chaotic. Not outright evil. Nor even bad. He does have a good set of morals, but he is inherently chaotic about their enactment. What is meant by this is simple: the ends justify the means. If an ending is ultimately beneficial for Baal and those he cares about, then it won’t matter how many nameless faces he has to step on to get there. Of course he is already in a pretty good position, so there isn’t really much need to step on faces unless they upset the other customers.
That being said, Baal is not a bad person in the least. He has an easy smile and is quick to laugh, and does a fair job at making others laugh, too. All the typical traits one would attribute to a bartender. He’s friendly, tactful, with a silver tongue and dancing eyes. But there is a flip side to that, as he is not one to forget a debt. He won’t stand for any wrong being done to him or his, including his property and employees. He’ll be quick to take action in either case, and will easily take the front of the pack where necessary. In such a case one would see his leadership potential, despite it being wasted.
APPEARANCE,
First and foremost, Baal is a handsome man. Modesty aside, it pays when you can recognize these things. The best way to describe would be to say he once was ruggedly handsome, but has cleaned up since, which, ironically enough, is exactly what happened. His build is athletic—he does take care of himself—and slightly taller than average. Just enough to be noticeable, anyway. While it’s tastefully hidden away under his normal garb, the man is fairly fit, with hard, seasoned muscles off put by the presence of many silvery scars.
His hair is long and white gold, falling to his shoulders but typically tied back and out of the way, though a few strands often get loose to frame his face. His features are masculine and angular, with a cleanly shaven jaw blemished only by a single scar near his right ear. His eyes are a sparkling faded blue, with much wear around them. Whether this is from that easy smile or a life of hardship is hard to tell, but they certainly add a maturity to him. This is contrasted, however, by an almost ever-present grin, as if there’s some kind of joke to the world that only he knows.
As for clothing, well, he has quite simple tastes. Despite typically standing in as bartender at his tavern, he doesn’t wear an apron, preferring his own clothes. Much like his hair they are very black in their scheme, with white trimmings around the seams. He wears a simple white cotton tunic overlapped by what some might call his trademarked overcoat, a long jacket that sweeps just above his knees, slit up the side to allow for manoeuvrability even when the coat is buttoned up. His trousers are as simple as his tunic, but black, and are held by two belts, one around his waist and the other holding a dagger at his hip. Finally his boots are worn, efficiently broken in from years of use but not quite to the point where they are old and ratty.
Overall when one looks at him they can see exactly what he is: an adventurer. Or at least, what he was. The belt around his waist that holds a dagger sags as if it had once worn a sword, and a ring he wears on his finger seems to call out as if it has a story to be told. His mannerisms carry that same weight: he moves with intent, efficient, with balance achieved only through years of practice, and a confident stride pushed forward by a past he has overcome.
WEAPONS,
Asher
No sword serves its owner better than a sword with a name, particularly those whose prior owners aren’t still around. The loyalty of a sword is to the hand that wields it, not to any particular man, though some swords are said to have honor and bear some semblance of familiarity to those who wield it. Asher is one such sword. A keen blade with elegant design, Asher seems to be a cross between a scimitar and a bastard sword. A two handed grip with a wide, efficient cross guard holds a long blade with a gentle curve. Upon close examination one could see that the blade of the sword is actually on the inside of the curve, honed sharp enough to cut a hair. Along the blade is a story, etched in intricate carvings of swirls, leaves and doorways. Exactly what it says, well, that’s unknown.
Asher holds within it powers unknown to most. The hilt can only be held by those who have permission. Permission is granted by the sword’s previous owner, and so it was passed on through time from whenever it was forged long ago. Those who try to grab it without permission get a shock that only increases the longer they hold onto it. But the sword’s true power is what got it many nicknames, including Asher the Backstabber, Asher the Heartseeker and Asher Knightslayer. Those who have felt the sting of the sword and survive can attest to the origins of these nicknames. When struck, regardless of where, the victim will feel a sharp pain in their back, right over the heart. Though there is never any wound, some even say the sword has left a scar on their heart. If they live, that is.
Asher the Heartseeker
- Protective Ward: passive—anyone who holds the sword without permission (granted by Baal) will receive a shock for half a level of damage. If they hold onto the weapon, the shock increases damage by half a level for each post they hold onto it (half a level on the first post, one level on the second, a level and a half on the third, et cetera).
- Backstabber: active—damage done with the blade of the sword is doubled for the turn it’s activated, with the extra damage done being strictly magical in nature.
Cooldown: 1 post
Other: does not consume an action slot to activate
ITEMS,
Hylianfriend
Most people don’t name a ring, but when a ring does something particularly special it tends to get special treatment. This ring definitely does something special, and is coveted by most wizards who know of its existence as it could be quite powerful in the right hands. Due to the magical gifts Hylians have naturally, the ring has been called Hylianfriend, as it complements these strengths quite beautifully.
The ring itself is quite conservative in design. It’s made out of gold, with a single red gem set into the top. If one were to look particularly close, with some form of magnification, they’d be able to see a glowing light deep down in the center of the gem. Whenever the ring is activated this light is brought forth and surrounds the ring’s wearer, boosting their magical prowess by a significant amount.
Hylianfriend
- Demiboost: active—when this ability is activated the attacks done by the ring's wearer is raised by one level of damage for that turn.
Cooldown: 1 post
Other: does not consume an action slot to activate
Fairy's Fountain
The infamous tavern and inn where Baal was made, it is now completely in his possession. Located in a prime location near Castle Town Market, it holds such lovely faces as Lucky, the Goron cook, and Jules, the friendly Hylian housekeeper.
ABILITIES,
-
RACIAL ABILITIES,
Magical Devastator
All magical damage dealt by the Hylian is increased (by a half level), and they gain access to a Magic Attack, which mimics the regular attack save that it deals magical damage (i.e. deal a half-level of magical damage, consumes one action slot, no cooldown).
HISTORY,
Once upon a time Baal was a thief. Sure there was more before that, such as who his parents were and such, but that’s not important at this juncture. What is important is that he was a thief. Not a very remarkable thief, either. He had no special abilities helping him steal stuff. He just jimmied the lock, snuck in, grabbed whatever he could pawn, and snuck out. Maybe he pickpocketed some, a bit of shoplifting, but that was it. Nothing remarkable.
Why is this even important? Simple. It explains why he did what he did next.
Clearly if he was going to be a thief and actually work hard at it in this day and age when magic does everything for you he desperately needed the money. One day in this once upon a time he was walking down the street, as most people do, when he happened upon a finely dressed gentleman. Happened upon might be the wrong word, as the man flagged him down. Perhaps it was because his clothes was ratty or he needed a bath, or some other reason. Either way he flagged Baal down.
”Hey kid, I’ll give you twenty rupees if you run this over to the Fairy’s Fountain for me,” the man said and offered Baal an envelope, in which he could only assume was a letter. Such a large sum of money, in the eyes of someone so poor, for such a simple job, he didn’t even think twice. Perhaps he should’ve.
The Fairy’s Fountain was a tavern of some repute in Castle Town. It was a prime piece of real estate located almost directly in the market, on the main road. It was known to house all sorts, from the poor beggars who usually got thrown out to the more modest businessmen looking for something to wet their whistle with between one business act and the next. Baal entered the place nervously and went straight for the bar, offering the envelope.
He was promptly directed to another gentleman, who directed him further back into the bar. After several more gentlemen the envelope finally found its way into the right hands: a rather imposing gentleman who wore a sword on his hip. The weapon, we won’t dance around it, was Asher, so you can see where this story is going. The man read the letter, looked Baal up and down, and nodded to one of his goons.
Baal woke up in the alley behind the Fairy’s Fountain with a broken nose and more bruises than he cared to admit. But that wasn’t enough to deter him. Baal was a resourceful young man, see, one of the only things that worked in his favour as a thief. He’d seen a business opportunity. The goon had even been so kind as to not rob the kid when he beat him up, so Baal’s pockets still held the twenty rupees.
With a fiery determination Baal began to hang around the Fairy’s Fountain. He got a few odd jobs at first, honest ones, sweeping the floor, cleaning the gutter, he even helped replace some of the thatching on the roof. The more he hung around there the more they came to him with jobs. And the more he got noticed by the crowd one normally didn’t want to throw their hat in with.
Baal could’ve lived a modest life doing these odd jobs, eventually earning himself a job in the Fairy’s Fountain for decent pay. It wouldn’t have been splendid, but it would’ve been steady pay. But Baal had seen the treasure chest and he wasn’t settling with anything less. So when a gentleman came to him offering him yet another errand, much like that first one, he tactfully gave the man a hesitant yes. This time he only walked away with a bloody lip and fifty rupees in his pocket for it.
He had uncorked the bottle then. Jobs started to come every other day, and got less and less corporeally punishing. It was mostly delivering messages for the imposing gentleman, with the occasional fetch quest thrown in there as well. The men started to learn his name—the lower ranked men who hired him, anyway—and he was moving up in the world. Of course this would’ve taken years to get him anywhere, and Baal didn’t want to wait that long.
His opportunity came a few weeks into this business. It was a slow day and he had to settle for one of the old jobs sweeping the floor. As such it put him in a prime location to notice a rather shady man who had entered the bar an hour before and simply sat there, turning away the waitresses. There was little else to do when one was sweeping than to watch people, and this man kept glancing up at the imposing man. It wasn’t hard to see what was going to happen.
The glint of iron in the sunlight was all it took to seal it. Weapons weren’t allowed in the Fairy’s Fountain and had to be checked at the door, with exception to Asher, whose owner was the exception to all rules because of his position. The shady man got up and started to move across the room, his hand casually resting against the dagger hidden under his clothing.
Shady men still felt a broomstick to the back of the skull.
Unfortunately this man was no amateur assassin. The broomstick swung through the air, smacked into the man’s palm as he reached out and caught it, and suddenly Baal had no wind in his lungs as he was thrown back against the bar. The man knew his cover was blown and moved quickly, but Asher’s owner was faster and that sword cleaved the man from shoulder to hip.
There was a lot of blood and Baal wasn’t exactly accustomed to death, so he fainted.
Manly, no?
He woke up on the floor of the bar an hour later. The mess had been mostly taken care of. Blood takes a while to get out. The imposing man, who by now we should name so let’s call him Akeem, was sitting not far away. ”Brave kid,” was all he really said, but from that day Baal seemed to have the man’s approval. The jobs came more frequently, and one of Akeem’s goons even began to teach Baal some swordplay.
He had moved up in the world, to say the least. He moved out of his ratty bed in a hostel to an actual apartment not far from the Fairy’s Fountain. He made sure to go there every day, his lessons continued, and life began to get good. But of course this story ends with Baal wielding Asher, so it’s not going to stop there. Bad things happen yet.
Baal was offered a job as usual, accompanied by the man who had become his swordplay instructor. It wasn’t a normal job, but Baal didn’t know it at first. Not until he was standing over a cowering man in a burning house, sword in hand and his instructor insisting he kill the man. How he got there? Details are not important in this case. Baal was an ambitious boy, but this was a real test of that ambition. And a real test of his loyalty, he later learned. But he hesitated a little too long before finally committing the deed.
Hylian Knights were arriving on scene as the man hit the ground. His instructor bailed and left Baal to try and get away himself. Except he was only experienced with evading the city watch. Hylian Knights were a different story and he was quickly taken into custody. The long and short of it? Baal was given the choice of being locked away or assisting the Hylian Knights in picking apart Akeem’s operation. Needless to say, it was a very hard decision.
But Baal was an ambitious boy.
Released with a new directive, he returned to the Fairy’s Fountain. He gave a story about how he got away and everyone bought it. Baal was a good liar. He had to be, having had been a thief. Things were back to normal, except Baal was now a mole, an undercover agent for the Hylian Knights. It was hard not to be nervous when you were betraying the man who made you. Baal played the role admirably; he started to get closer after the mission was a success, even talking with Akeem sometimes. Then, when it was over, he fed the information to the Hylian Knights.
As in most of these scenarios, Baal found it hard to continue. Akeem welcomed him almost as family now, and the Hylian Knights were impassive, unemotional when it came to their dealings. They weren’t even offering him any compensation for jobs he helped thwart, meaning his income was thrown off. And, as in most of these scenarios something had to give.
Turns out things don’t give out fast. This entire thing lasted for months, almost a full year, before Baal couldn’t take it anymore. He had to do something about it, so he began to plot. Akeem was treating him like family, so he couldn’t betray the man. He needed things to go against the Hylian Knights, to get him out. Maybe if he faked his own death? It was hard to figure out a way to escape. It took him weeks to come up with a plan, to place the seeds, and to build everything up to one final climactic encounter.
In the end he told Akeem everything. The man understood. He even gave Baal a pat on the head for coming clean, it was a big thing. Everything was in place and Akeem was a major player, a major piece in Baal’s freedom from this scene. The Knights in charge of keep track of and countering Akeem’s operation arrived on scene, as did Akeem’s men. Words were exchanged, much happened, and it all ended with one giant brawl.
It turned out the Knights had another mole in Akeem’s operation, who turned against him at that moment. The Knights had actually planned everything out, since the other mole had fed them everything. The clash was bloody, and Akeem was wounded. As were practically everyone involved. Despite the entire thing going sour Akeem was much more formidable than anyone though, and the Knights were taken down too. Baal managed to hold his own, then hide as necessary and survive the encounter.
When it was all said and done, three people survived. One of them was Akeem’s man, and he ran from the scene. Baal and Akeem were the other survivors, though Akeem was dying. That was when Baal went to his side, apologies flowing forth, tears mixing with blood. Yes, tears. It was actually very tragic. It was surprising it didn’t rain, actually. Akeem passed on permission for Asher to Baal and gave him then the deed to the Fairy’s Fountain, as otherwise the place would be repossessed. He knew that Baal would treat it well. The place made Baal who he was.
Years passed and the incident was forgotten. Many Knights died, but Akeem’s body was found on scene as well, so the entire case was closed. Baal’s involvement was lost with it, and he decided he’d had enough with organized crime. He took the deed to the Fairy’s Fountain and settled into his role as owner and proprietor of the place. Things became peaceful once more, and since Asher wasn’t needed, he kept the blade tucked away nearby in the bar.
From beggar and thief to a business owner, the Fairy’s Fountain had given him a lot, so he took ownership of the place and decided it was time to give back.
EXTRAS,
-
FACE CLAIM,
For once, N/A
OTHER CHARACTERS,
ಠ_ಠ
HOW DID YOU FIND US,
ಠ_ಠ
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