Sighard Beleld.

by **Sighard** on November 25th, 2011, 2:36 am

Name: Sighard Beleld
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 17

Appearance

Height: 5’9
Weight: 164 lbs.
Skin Color: White
Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: Blonde

Character Concept

In the literary world, Sighard would be called a tragic hero, in that although he is morally aligned to the goodness that exists within us all, certain events have created a barrier from achieving such goodness, and he instead is forced into a life turmoil and strife. Predestined to his alcoholism, there are few things in the world that -won't- drive him to drink and even then he'll probably be drinking anyways. The pressures of a poor upbringing, a strict knighthood, and expectations have culminated in an outlet for the boy who does not yet quite understand the gravity of his actions. Although at the moment he's experienced a provincial spike in his luck, and has for the moment dropped his drinking habits, it is only a matter of time before his predisposition brings him back.

Yet, all is not world in the world with this boy. In fact, for all of the terrible things that have happened to him such as the disowning of his family, their subsequent death and the Djed storm, he can also be described as remarkably resilient. Having survived a number of life threatening experiences has toughened his exterior and granted him the necessary disposition required to be a true Knight that has the ability to operate within the modality of a morally gray world. He is the product of survivability and armed with the skills required to protect himself in a new, radically changed Syliras.

Discipline also exists in Sighard, and although he has been drunk on more then one occasion, it very rarely affects his business as a squire.

Character History

In a fashion suiting a Beleld, the events which lead up to the pivotal moment Sighard’s life, the Djed Storm, were as equally tumultuous and degrading to the very core of his character. It is perhaps a miracle that he resolves to maintain the false idealisms of the Knights today, and that his gallantry is reflects this. Although some say Sighard today is a hollow vessel of what he aspires to be, this is a misunderstood statement, perpetuated by ignorance of the events which happened behind closed doors. In reality Sighard’s life had never been easy, and although he was raised to believe such things, it was all build-up to prevent him from the ultimate lie that poisoned the name he holds today. But first, in order to realize the gravity of this devastation as it has accumulated over seventeen years, we must start at the beginning.

The Beleld family name is not one of prestige or even honor, but it is lasting. In fact, variations of the name, before it has evolved into what it is currently now, can be drawn to some of the earliest Knights of Syliras. Granted, the Beleld ancestors were but faces in the crowd and it seemed that is what they always aspired to be. They were generators for a main force, providing men that became knights, and providing women that mothered men that became knights. Yet, what many do not know about this bloodline, and it is a well-kept secret, is that the Beleld name carries with it the stigma of alcoholism. A chronic curse, few to no men have been able to escape this early grave and it is a disease triggered by the ultimate pressures of the job. This explains, then, why not one Beleld has risen to a position of prominence within their order.

The branch which contains Sighard’s family tree is more or less of the same flavor of this terrible root. Darald Beleld, who is the boy’s father, presents himself as a man with exuberant charisma and a powerful stature. He was, at one point, seriously considered for a higher calling within the order. However, the Windoak knows all, and advised heavily against the man’s advancement knowing that in secret the man coped with the pressures of his job through drink. When Darald approached the Windoak desperately to escape the bonds of his name, he was calmly rejected and was advised to instill different values in his son. The notion crushed Darald, who has ever since been bitter towards the order, but nonetheless took the advice of the Windoak and fathered a son with the highest of ideals in mind.

Sighard’s childhood life, then, was built off of a psychological shaping in which he was punished for behaviors that his father deemed risky and rewarded for those that conformed to the idealisms that a knight should follow. In this way Sighard became a very mild-mannered child and a humble one that knew only kindness. Arguably the treatment worked, but Darald, unfortunately became obsessive. He took the shaping of his son to the extreme and often punished him too brutally for small failures. At times he even neglected to give praise to Sighard for the greatest of accomplishments. Further confusing this mentality was the rampant alcoholism which the boy experienced and came to fear, that was until his adolescent years came to pass. . .

The life of a page was pretty customary for the boy and the years passed pretty uneventfully. In this time he continued to develop, fearful of his father and his own family name which became ground into his head as a title that was honorable and one that he was not fit to hold. The mixed messages reached a pinnacle when he became a squire under a Knight called Ser Tons. Ser Tons was a Stewart Knight who at one point was a very recognizable member of the force. However, when Sighard squired under him, much of what he learned was the care for the elderly and housekeeping duties that the man was too old to do himself. Tons had been charged as a chronicler for the Knights, and his vast wisdom and array of knowledge impacted Sighard in a very beneficial way. Stories of gallant knights previously were very inspiring to him and he grew to appreciate the responsibility of his task, which was to live up to his family name and even extend it beyond its generic value.

For three years Sighard existed in this cycle of light and darkness, between the kindness and wisdom of Ser Tons and the brutality of his father. These two meshed the form the budding pressure that lead Sighard to his first drink at the age of fourteen in secret, and to his progressive drinking which has not stalled today. This was a fact that did not settle well with Ser Tons, and despite his best efforts, was unable to pull Sighard fully from the drink. Since Tons could not reach the source that was his Darald, he instead buffered the negative influence of the man by continually trying to inspire Sighard to his full potential. Sighard grew from this, and by the age of sixteen, he became a competent squire, ever nearing the trial that would allow him to become a full-fledged knight.

Unfortunately, at the age of sixteen, Ser Tons fell gravely ill, and passed away soon after that. The light in Sighard’s life had extinguished and he fell deeper into despair. The later part of the year 511 was a darker one indeed. With more skill, the boy was granted more responsibility and bore witness to some of the atrocities associated with the Knights. The notion of death was pervasive to him, and he begun to drink heavily because of it. This was a terrible thing once Darald realized, because it resulted in the climax that ultimately broke their relationship.

When Darald came to grips with his failure he broke down in front of his son and wept, although this was not the kind of sadness that garnered pity. It was a sadness that was a bitter and generated hatred towards his son, one so strong that he eventually disowned Sighard and expelled him from their household. Sighard was forced to live out of the barracks from that point on and, with no barriers to his behavior, fell into a deep depression and alcoholism that nearly stunted his progress as a squire within the order until the Spring of 512.

When the Djed storm hit his parents both succumbed to illness and died, although the information was secondhand that he had not learned until much later, when the restoration efforts had begun. At that point he was more or a less a glorified clean-up crew for the Knights with no purpose or focus. Given the lack of resources, he was unable to feed into his addiction and so suffered withdrawals that paralyzed his very being for months. Very nearly he came close to death several times, although he survived by some divine grace.

The close run with death rejuvenated the perspective of Sighard, although it did not radically change it. He grew to appreciate life more and, with the added bonus of being kicked of his alcoholism for the time, he opted to involve himself more with his order as he had in the past. Currently he exists in the progressive Syliras, with only his family sword to remember his fallen parents by.

Combat Skills

Weapon (Longsword) - 43 [15 SP, 15 RB]
Weapon (Shield) - 25 [15 SP]
Weapon (Spear) - 13 [10 SP]
Riding - 13 [10 SP]
Unarmed Combat - 5
Tactics - 6
Bodybuilding - 1

Non-Combat Skills

Rhetoric - 11
Observation - 10
Philosophy - 2
Seduction - 2
Interrogation - 5
Drinking - 2

Lores

Valterrian
Syliran History
Acquaintance: Laurel
Acquaintance: Marcus Braeden
Acquaintance: Tara
Acquaintance: Alexander Vasiliev
Acquaintance: Jon DuFraine
Sacrificial Maneuvers
Fighting Through Pain
Persisting through Shyness
Resisting a Disarm
Learning is Doing
Defensive Focus
Being Recognized
Yukmen - Partial
Akalaks - Partial
Xalet - Partial
Dangers of the Cobalt Range
First Blood
Doubts
Empty Victory

Equipment

Borrowed From the Knights

Ledger
+100 GM's [Starting Package]

Spring, 510 A.V.
5th Learned Lazily [Active]
21st The Devil's Brew [Observation +1, Weapon (Longsword +3), Weapon (Shield +3), Tactics +1]

Fall, 511 A.V.
1st Chapter I [Observation +1, Weapon (Shield) +3, Unarmed Combat +1, Tactics +2]
6th On the Edge of the World [Weapon (Longsword) +5, Unarmed Combat +4, Tactics +3]
10th Cirque Du Sylira [Ungraded]
84th Tranquility [Rhetoric +3, Interrogation +1, Drinking +2]

Winter, 511 A.V.
3rd Meeting Place [Weapon (Longsword) +4, Weapon (Shield) +4]
7th/8th Stranger than Fiction [Graded]
15th Eye of the Beholder [Rhetoric +4, Interrogation +4, Philosophy +2, Seduction +2]
20th Money Talks, Knights Walk [Rhetoric +4, Observation +4, Riding +3, Weapon (Spear) +3, Weapon (Longsword) +1, Bodybuilding +1]

Fall, 512 A.V.
1st Chapter II [Ungraded]
27th The Road Not Taken [Active]
50th Saving Face [Active]
64th Hot Water on A Cool Day [Active]

Sighard Beleld.

Sighard Beleld.

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