Artos

by **Artos** on September 20th, 2010, 6:15 pm

Artos

A Bear Among Men

Basic Information

Race: Kelvic
Animal: Bear (Kodiak)
Birthday & Age: 87th of Spring 507 AV / 3 Years Old [Appears roughly 25]
Gender: Male

Physical Description

Animal

Being a bear causes the average person's initial thought to be that he is large. Artos' true form takes the shape of a particularly large variety of bear, one that is in a rival comparison to the polar bear. Artos himself resides a slight bit higher than the top end average, this is not entirely uncommon in domestic animals verse their wild counterparts. When flat on the pads of all four of his limbs the top of his shoulders hits 5'2". The length of his body from the end of nose to tail reaches 9'5". The entirety of his form comes to an impressive 1327 pounds. What weight is from frame, muscle, fat or fur is uncertain. Other than being slightly large Artos is a very common specimen of his species. His eyes are small, consisting of a prominent black center with a thin surrounding brown and yellow coloring. Like most bears his eyes tend to reflect the moonlight in a startling fashion. The coat of his fur is of a very thick texture, the coloring a medium brown that tends to shade with the light. There are no defining features in this form, any wounds of war or competition hidden well within his pelt.

Human

Overview: Artos' human form grew much in the same way as his true form. This is to say that it grew to be large. This seemed natural since being large and strong was as much a part of his world as breathing air. Standing at a towering 6'8" his 318 pound very muscular frame is a bit of a site. Unlike many people who grow tall his frame also grew broad giving him ample space to fit his weight. His body is littered with scars with the exception of his face and the left side of his chest, the vital areas he instinctively protects. The overall appearance is that of a large yet young battle tested individual.

Head: The eyes of this form mimic those of his true form, a black center with a trimming of brown and yellow. His eyes in the way of their gaze do give off a primal feel, when in the moonlight they are strikingly piercing and even beautiful with the moons reflection. The singular scar on his face is a relatively new horizontal cut under his right eye, the cleanliness of it shows he hadn't fought it's coming. A smile will show teeth that seem normal unless given a close inspection to reveal them slightly sharper than average.

Torso: The entire area from his shoulders to waist is rather broad. It is also very fit making his midsection a wall of muscle. The muscle itself is all very tightly woven keeping it large yet not obstructive. This section of his body is a testament to the durability of his species. The scars across his torso, front and back are of such a wide variety and consistency he would never be able to recount their origins. The only area on the torso which seems to have avoided it to a minor extent is the area directly around his heart.

Arms & Hands: Following the previously stated tendency of his body his arms are well toned. There is a continuance to this section of his body in carrying a good deal of scars of all sizes and shapes. The length of his arms has a few scars from cuts in battle, one area high on his left arm shows the claw marks of a bear. His hands are large with very rough and calloused palms and fingers, they are otherwise unharmed.

Legs & Feet: The legs are built for power and stability rather than any semblance of quickness. The majority of the area has managed to avoid deep scars, one long gash across the back of his left calf being the only one of note with the remainder being generally small and shallow. The area is otherwise not extraordinary.

Clothing:Clothing is generally a secondary nature to him and at times a nuisance. Yet wearing them his become partially ingrained into him. The only garments he feels really comfortable wearing are those made in a special way having the clothe in sections that easily rip from each other. Not only is it just more to his taste, but it also servers a needed utility. The stitches are together in a way that makes them strong enough to hold together, but weak enough to rip at the stitching should he need to change form. The divided nature of the material keeps the individual squares intact making it a simple task of doing a little sewing to repair. This is also a required of any armor he will wear, usually limiting him to specially made chain mail.

Character Concept

Personality: Artos' personality follows his animal nature so closely at times it is hard to put into normal terms. To people he would seem lazy and slow to show intelligence. In reality his lazy movement to action is born of his confidence as well as an animal instinct of caution to the unknown. His seemingly slow intelligence coming from a lack of emotional response to human activities, it is hard to focus on something you don't care about. The only real rise people see from him is anger or a desire to compete in combat. When he is not in a state of heightened emotion he is generally a pleasant and at times fun and friendly person.

When anger does come it does so quickly. This is especially true when it is in response to a belief that someone is encroaching on his territory, which is in his eyes a category that can cover everything from possessions to people. Competing in tests of strength and combatant skills brings out signs of his youth and energy that is often hidden. He is also generally silent unless telling stories, this is generally when his true intelligence and knowledge is shown. Often seems to speak and take more from body language than from actual words spoken. Will often brood on a single answer for hours before he ever responds to the person asking the question even if he seems to be thinking of other things.

Ethics: Ethics are a concept of civilization which Artos finds redundant. Outside of the influence a bond might place on him he believes in survival foremost. In a way he sees civilization as a disease corrupting the natural order of survival of the fittest. He will only kill for necessity, due to an order from a bond or out of hunger and only fights outside of need as a way to test himself and others. He will eat anything that will give him nurishment and only avoids theft because he knows he is poor at it and apt to get caught.

Likes: Meat and fish, raw or cooked. Combat both in the spirit of competition or in the face of death. Bathing in either of his forms. Female company. Hunting or fishing for food. The things that any of his bonds may like. Alcohol, especially honey wine.

Dislikes: Vegetables, though he will eat them for a need of their nourishment. Wasting of the flesh or fur of animals. Weakness and a lack of a person attempting to grow better. Any sort of restricting and tough clothes, to a degree clothes in general. Being caught off guard. The lapse between events, whether they are the company of a person or entering a fight of some sort. Any sort of lecture that goes beyond a few minutes, any sort of higher education.

Character History

The Unbearable Child

Artos' early life is one that is not entirely uncommon among young Kelvics. Born as the first and only child to peasant status parents who seemed to be as normal as any other human couple. Yet somewhere deep in their ancestry there was a long forgotten muddling with a certain magic muddied blood line. The cosmos had seemingly aligned as that gene was born to a prominent level in Artos making him unique. Had this not taken place and he'd been born normal, he'd likely still be under his parents care as any 3 year old human boy generally is. His parents had made little attempt to raise him as they quickly knew it would be beyond their means. Though it seemingly never crossed their minds to lessen their drinking habits in order to raise him. So the choice was made and they gave him up only two weeks after his birth.

Or at least that had been what they told themselves to justify their selling of their son as if he was cattle. The buyer a part of a group of a traveling merchant group that happened to be in the area. It was to be a glorious deal of a life time for all of the parties involved. The boy wouldn't die in squalor from starvation, the parents walked away with a fairly heft sack of coin, and the merchant had found something exotic and thus valuable. Though reality has a way of making things far less than the perfection we plan things to be. The parents would be killed for that extra money lining their purses one night they decided to show it off in the local pub. The merchant would not make out horribly. Yet he would often consider the time the Kelvic was his guardian little consolation for his lost plans and impregnated daughter.

Artos for a good bit of his life would end up being a slave to his nature as well as to the merchant bond, a journey that would have him gain and loose much. The early seasons would be one of the highlights of his time with the caravan. He would be taken care of in a modest fashion, give food, clothing and shelter. As well he'd be instructed in the basic ways of human combat from a fairly skilled mercenary on the merchants payroll. In time when he started to show signs of nearing manhood he'd be introduced into a world of ale and womanly pleasure. Preparing him for the merchants plan to try and find a female Kelvic and make them mate to give him off spring to sell. These wants were ingrained deeply enough that they would likely plague him for life.

An Age to Bear Arms

The merchant had known that his plans would be a process, yet he inevitably grew impatient. His impatience in part fueled by his inability to find a female Kelvic to pair with the male he had now. All the money he had spent buying then raising the Kelvic had yet to bring him back any profit. So impatience in place and Kelvic a year old and nearly fully into manhood, it was time to reap some rewards. The caravan was often plagued by people attempting to pillage their stores. Of course the merchants had never been short of purse in keeping around a good quality of mercenaries. So when an order went around to these paid protectors to capture as many combatants as they could alive, all that was required was a little monetary incentive. The result had ended ever better than the merchant had hoped, nine prisoners were taken in the next attempted raid.

With only a mild effort a competition was set in place and bets were taken. The end result was that Artos would be tested in a ring of battle. The merchants knowing he was a Kelvic were drawn in quickly and the stakes had grown very high. Yet the only person who had nothing to loose was the owner, as always the house would win no matter the outcome. The carts were circled, the combatants were outfitted, and the rounds were set. Artos following the orders of his bond entered the ring with nothing more than a tower shield, a halberd and a pair of breaches. It was a challenging night, the roars of the crowd had been masterfully loud for and against him. In the end he had stood victorious and the crowd though poorer for the show had been awed by the performance.

Though the merchant was still angry over his trouble finding a female Kelvic his mood was raised. The extra weight to his purse and knowing of his pets strength giving him a reason to be joyful. Artos would now be put into full service in aiding the mercenaries to defend the caravan. It was during this period of his life that Artos would grow to love the violence of man. It was during this time that most of the scars now decorating his body found form. This was prominently due to the fact that the mercenaries abused their given control over him. He was often made to be the first into a fight as well as being the bait they would use to spring any ambush they thought might be present. Though it would be shown that even wounds sometimes brought good things.

The Bonds We Make and Sometimes Break

Though the merchant had been many things to Artos, including cruel. The reality of the situation was that he could not run against his nature and break that bond they shared. Yet a new bond had begun to form, slowly at first almost hidden to himself by his loyalty to the merchant. The daughter of the merchant was often called on to take care of the wounded. While not a healer or great medicinal practitioner, she knew how to care for a person. How to make even the dying man feel that instant of comfort before passing on. While mercenaries moved on and changed their lines of work, Artos had become a constant and frequent person in her care. As with many things it had begun slowly at first then quickly spiraled out of their control.

It had all begun into motion because of one simple and innocent question for the Kelvic. She had asked simply enough what it was like to be an animal, to be a bear. In the minutes of silence that lingered after hearing this question, his world would adopt a shroud of gray. It was hard for him to come to terms with the fact he was unable to give her an answer. Though it was much harder still to bring himself to accept that he didn't truly know the answer. It is a world shattering experience to gain an understanding that in a way you are not in reality what you have always identified yourself to be. With a heavy voice that carried with it a deeply apparent sorrow he responded in the only manner he could think of to speak his realization. "I can tell you what it is to be a bear no more than a stable raised horse can tell you what it is to be a true stallion."

It was with an unwavering smile that the young lady kept herself from allowing his answer to depress her in the manner it had done to him. "Then you simply must take some time to learn," was her simple and cheerful answer. It was this attitude in reality that would eventually make them bond together into a strong relationship. For her attitude had given him both an arrow of leadership to follow while also giving him a support to his needs that he had never been given before. It was with her advice and guidance that he would begin to sneak away from the caravan at times to roam the wilderness in his true form. It was in these expeditions that he had started to hunt and fish for meals, tasks which caused him to more fully use the capabilities of his senses. It also gave him training to fight as a bear on the rare occasions he would cross paths with his wild brethren. It was also common for him to seek out some of the wilderness' hidden gems that the road life had never invited him to.

It was with great pride that he took all of these experiences and stories back to his new bond, his confidant and soon to be his lover. She would always listen to the tales with an eager intent and soaking up every minuscule detail. It wouldn't be until recently after he had left her that his reflection showed him that she too was a captive who was being tamed by her life. Yet it would not last, and as with most of the major events in Artos' life this would be changed in part as a result of battle. The fighting that day as always lasted for on a short time, of course when on the field of battle time seems to slow and every chime seems bells long. When the fighting had come to an end, the raiders all lay dead, but the cost was heavy in return. Among many others Artos had been wounded to a nearly fatal level, lucky considering several were already dead in puddles of mud and blood. He was found in his bear form seemingly motionless on the ground with three spears still sticking like sick quills from his back.

Initially his body was avoided all together, the groups rummaging through the wounded thinking he was surely dead. This belief would cause them all to react in quite a startled manor when he grunted before laboring slowly to his paws. It seemed he had once again been favored as the fur, muscle and fat of his frame had kept the weapons from aiming to true. Yet the wounds were many and if he did not get some form of medical or healing attention soon he would likely bleed out to death. Getting him treated was obviously going to be a task in itself. In this form he was too large to move and to change they would have to remove the weapons allowing his blood to flow more rapidly. The only decent decision they could bring around was to make the help come to him. The merchant once told decided to protect his interest and brought his daughter and any free medical personnel he could pay to try and save his property.

The events would show a level of skill that one wouldn't expect from such a rag tag group of people. The weapons were removed allowing him to change, and he was bandaged and stitched with quick precision. His life was still in the balance, but his chances had improved significantly. Though what had caught the merchant's eye was that fact that during this ordeal he saw his daughter try to hide tears when they spilled onto her cheek. While he was far from patient he kept from rushing to a conclusion, but the foundation for his curiosity was put into play. It would only be 11 days later that the two would be caught in the midst of an act of intimacy. The reaction was quick as Artos would be collared and moved at the point of a sword to a tent where he would be chained to wait. It would be many hours before the merchant would come to him to deal his fate.

When the merchant came to him, the fury showed on the fat man'ss face as he began to go into a tirade and lecture the Kelvic who sat there and took it. It is one of the few lectures Artos can remember word for word to this day. "I raised you, I had you trained and even gave you the company of women. Then you do this to me, to me who has been so good to you. I should have known that an animal like you would only turn and disgrace what was given to you. My own daughter soiled by your foul being. Be assured you will be killed to pay for this crime against your master." Clinching his fist the fat man had to let off some of the building steam and back handed the Kelvic on the right cheek.

The ring of the man's right finger dug a deep rivet in Artos' face the newest scar to a much damaged body. "Not only did you soil her, but to think she believes herself pregnant. You soil my line with your tainted being," he had paused to take a deep breath. "I will send her away and let her have the child, if it is born abnormal know that it will be put to death. Even if it comes into this world normal it will be raised fatherless because of your greed. No one shall know who the father was and you, every trace of you shall be scattered to the wind after my piss has dried in your ashes. If anything you should be wonderfully glad that I am merciful enough to grant you a quick death." Staring into the eyes of the one he saw at the beast only infuriated the merchant more, Artos seemingly showing no emotion to this all.

"Tomorrow I will be rid of you at last," with that the merchant huffed his anger and stormed from the tent. It would be several hours before his love would come to him and to free him. The moment he was free he knew what he had to do. He would kill every last man in this camp who would threaten his bond with her, who would threaten his bond to his child. It was the way things had to be and he knew it, and accepted the task with relative ease. That is, until she handed him his backpack filled with some necessities and a purse filled to the brim. As she told him to leave and where to go, he felt as if his chest had imploded. In that moment he had begun to wish he had not believed that he could be with her, and that instead he had been left alone that night to prepare for death.

She had done what he could not in breaking the bond with her father, and now using his bond with her to make him leave. It was like being shoved away from water while your inner cheek dried to a point it began to split. With the most heavy of hearts and the information and equipment she had managed to rummage for him he left. It would not be a short journey and he would have to spend much of the beginning of it off the road to hide from those the merchant would send. Though he endured and traveled using the skills of the bear to keep himself alive. It would be 22 days later that he would finally arrive at the gates of Syliras. It was the 23rd of fall, 510 AV and he was lost and without direction. Hoping to find something, anything that could guide him he continued on into the stone walls that promised safety yet to him little comfort.

Information -(Skills, Senses, Lore, Languages)

Skills

(Weapon: Claw and Fang) - 12 pts
(Weapon: Halberd) - 10 pts
(Shield: Tower) - 5 pts
(Story Telling) - 5 pts
(Sewing) - 5 pts.
(Wilderness Survival) - 8 pts
(Tracking) - 5 pts
(Hunting) - 10 pts

Skill Breakdown

(Weapon: Claw and Fang) - 12 pts Starting Package
(Weapon: Halberd) 10 Starting Package
(Shield: Tower) 5 Starting Package
(Story Telling) 5 Starting Package
(Sewing) 5 Starting Package
(Wilderness Survival) 8 Starting Package
(Tracking) 5 Starting Package
(Hunting) 10 Racial

Senses

Eyesight - Average - Can see on level with a human and can use height to get a greater plane of view.
Hearing - Above Average - Can hear normal conversation levels at roughly 250 yards. Can understand it as far as 150 yards. This is only useful when there is few sources of sound, such as in the wilderness. In crowded areas it becomes to hard to distinguish the origins of sound or even to separate conversations.
Smell - Very heightened - Can smell tracks long after the person has moved on, great for tracking. Useful in the dark. Though this can differentiate tracks even if they are in great number it becomes a larger burden and takes more time in such situations.

Lore

Lore of the Traveling Bear
Lore of Scavenging the Dead.

Languages

Bear - Fluent
Common - Fluent

Equipment and Possessions

General Equipment

Weaponry

Survival Knife

Ledger

Current Funds

Current 589.5.0

Sources of Income

Starting Package 100
Forfeiture of Dwelling 500

Expenses

Survival Knife - 5 sm
Lodging 23rd of Fall - 53rd of Fall- 10 gm - [Syliras Location] Traveler's Row

Breakdown

100.0.0 Initial
500.0.0 Home
600.0.0 Starting Balance
000.5.0 Survival Knife
599.5.0 New Balance
010.0.0 Lodging
589.5.0 New Balance

Thread List
Fall of AV 510
23rd

[Syliras Location] The Main Gates

[Syliras Location] Traveler's Row

Artos

Artos

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