Yay! I finally finished! Go me! XD
Name: Joscelyn Gedamos – of Haven
Sex: Male
Age: 26
Occupation: Joscelyn, for the last ten years, has considered himself a hunter, and a ranger. While accustomed to the lifestyle of a royal court – having been born of royal blood – a life of “freedom” and open land appeals far greater than a life lived as kin to the royal bloodline of Calandae. Rather than spend his days as a member of the royal court, or perhaps even of part of a personal guard to the royal family, Joscelyn instead chooses to live his life within the wilderness of Calandae.
Rank and Status: Self-exiled noble. Joscelyn is roughly one-quarter to one-third elven – the exact proportion of elven blood is quite difficult to determine – and a relatively close heir to the High Seat of House Calandae – cousin to the official heirs of Calandae – though his ascension would require both the death of the current Lord, and all his heirs.
Roots and Origin: Joscelyn’s mother, Nienna, was the sister to the High Lord of Calandae, which naturally made Joscelyn nephew and cousin to the High Lord and his heirs, respectively. Nienna was descended of the royal house of Calandae, dating as far back as to the Calandae’s harried departure from the Forgotten Island, centuries prior, and perhaps even before. Her life was spent within the royal court, and she was raised befitting her birth.
His father was a man by the name of Fiorne Gedamos, and was a wanderer and hunter by trade. He himself was of Calandae blood – and strong elven descent, possessing strong elven features – though was born in the city of Maloren, amidst the crime, corruption and degradation that was and is the city. Fiorne himself was an orphan, having been abandoned by parents not likely worth bearing children, who found solace in the wilderness, rather than in the alleys of the despicable city of his birth.
Fiorne survived where few of his age – at the time, fifteen – and inexperience would be able to; he possessed a natural affinity for life in the wilderness, and it was there that he thrived… It was there that he happened upon Nienna.
At the age of 24 and 20, Fiorne and Nienna, respectively, stumbled upon each other as though by chance alone – or perhaps as though by some small design of fate. During a (return) trip from the port of Nirav to Haven – Nienna herself having gone to “see the sea” – a brutal storm swept in across the Sea of Serpents. The storm’s approach was swift, and wholly unexpected, having caught the Haven entourage just south of Nirav.
The storm’s wrath separated Nienna from the rest of the company – seemingly left alone to die within a dangerous and unfamiliar wilderness.
Fiorne, intimately familiar with the forests of Calandae, was in no immediate danger caused by the storm. The woman whom he found wandering lost, dazed – almost delirious – however, certainly was.
The full recounting of how Nienna and Fiorne fell in love would require a full story in itself; it was, suffice to say, “love at first sight.” Fiorne came upon Nienna stumbling alone through the forest, and in the time that they met, Fiorne cared for her, brought her safely home, the two were inexplicably drawn to each other. The love they shared together was short-lived, but intensely passionate. Fiorne met a woman whom he saw as more beautiful than any he had ever gazed upon, and ever would; Nienna found a man of striking features, strong and proud, unlike any she had ever met before.
The one night spent together, in each other’s intimate company would be the cause of a boy’s birth, their son’s birth, approximately 9 months later…
Appearance: Joscelyn stands at six feet, and one inch tall, and weighs roughly 165-170 pounds, possessing a natural athletic physique, exactly like his father, only furthered and strengthened by the rigors of the wilds in which he lives. This is not to say he has a body toned and conditioned to a surprising degree – a crafted muscular structure; rather, Joscelyn possesses a leaner physique – attributed to his elven heritage – than one would suspect of his height and weight, and his strength especially. His body is one not conditioned by routine exercises inside a tame environment, but rather out of necessity living within the potentially dangerous and difficult wilderness of Calandae. Often times, it can lead to a false assumption of his strength and physical prowess.
Joscelyn holds himself with an air of confidence, though lacking any traces of superiority or arrogance – a sureness of step, gaze and bearing, and his abilities.
Similar to his elven ancestors, and to his parents even, Joscelyn is fair of face and complexion; his features even have the potential to be called striking, were it not for the hard, often times cold, calculating stare that is reflected in his eyes. Similarly, his face often remains as nothing more than a blank mask, concealing thought and all emotion, aloof and distant – though his perception of his surroundings would never be described similarly.
Dirty blonde, almost brown, hair falls in messy, thin-stranded locks to just past Joscelyn’s eyes; little care is given to his hair, as well as the rest of his “style and fashion” sensibility, aside from the necessities of proper and decent hygiene. Brilliant emerald green eyes maintain his icy hard stare. True to his elven blood, Joscelyn has noticeably elven features, the most notable of which being the sharply pointed ears. A small tattoo resides on Joscelyn’s face on the left cheek bone, under his eye, and extending to the base of his jawline – the tattoo itself resembling a strangely angled hook (as though a question mark) with a dot contained within the loop of the hook.
Joscelyn’s most frequent attire – since he has little need of anything else – consists of a tight-fitting, albeit breathable, white tunic, worn underneath a slim, brown-hide vest. Simple undergarments, common to most anyone, are worn over slim, yet loose-fitting cotton pants. Sturdy, custom-fitted leather boots adorn Joscelyn’s feet, and scatterings of various animal fur adorn specific parts of his clothing: the lower legs, the forearms (overtop of a pair of leather gloves commonly worn), and around the backside of his collar. A thick, hooded cloak complements the ensemble, which is an expected item of clothing for use outdoors. Various knives are worn about his body, including one on each lower leg, thigh, each side of the hip, one on the left arm, and one also fastened to Joscelyn’s quiver strap – the quiver naturally being worn over his back, along with his bow.
Strengths:
-Joscelyn is quite physically adept, possessing substantial endurance and stamina, and surprising strength. Years of life in the wilderness has adapted and trained his body to a degree unrivaled save those in occupations that require a similar degree of physical aptitude: soldiers, fellow rangers, etc.
-He is also quite skilled in the use of weaponry and unarmed combat, having spent years in Haven training with the mindset of joining the ranks of Haven’s army. He is specifically skilled in use of smaller bladed weapons, such as short swords and predominantly knives and daggers, as well as with the longbow.
-Joscelyn is also quite intelligent and impressively perceptive, and has a natural affinity for his situational awareness, and awareness of those around him. While this does not give him any sort of clairvoyance, it has allowed him to thrive in the wilderness, where such things as tracking prey (dinner) may require the detection of very subtle signs.
-Calm and level headed. It describes Joscelyn almost totally. Joscelyn has a measured, calm state of mind that even the most strenuous, stressful and chaotic situations would be hard pressed to crack.
Weaknesses:
-Social ineptitude: Though he was, for the majority of his life raised in a royal court, Joscelyn finds himself quite flummoxed in the face of situations requiring fine social finesse. This can even lead him to be taken advantage in some instances: bartering, etc.
-Hand-in-hand with his social ineptitude is his fear of large crowds – Enochlophobia. When amidst large masses, Joscelyn becomes very agitated and anxious – even in some cases fearful – one of the few situations where he finds his serene state-of-mind to falter.
-Joscelyn’s social distance and aloof nature, often seen as arrogance, can not only lead to misinterpretation of his outlook, but downright animosity towards him, born of contempt and dislike. Coupled with his social ineptitude, it can lead to dangerous situations. (A relatively strong reason why Joscelyn infrequently visits any sort of town.)
-Independence and stubbornness: The “ranger” is often too independent and self-reliant for his own good, which has the potential to back-fire; Joscelyn would rather see himself fail than shame himself for allowing someone else to assist him.
-Joscelyn’s mother died a rather violent death, a death which Joscelyn himself bore witness to. While years have passed since then, memories of the event have an especially potent way of plaguing his psyche.
-There is an area of range in which Joscelyn finds himself at a decisive disadvantage when engaged in armed combat: outside the range of his knives, and inside the effective range of his bow. If an opponent is too close for Joscelyn to safely use his bow, yet too close to use melee weaponry (as his largest bladed weapon is only a foot long dagger – blade length) his opponent will naturally hold the advantage.
Magic: None. Joscelyn has almost no experience with energies of a magical nature, and he himself has absolutely no innate ability or talent for the magical crafts.
Personality: Above all else, Joscelyn is best described as a taciturn, eccentric social outsider. Even in the days of his early childhood and teen years, he did not fit in among the other individuals his age; he did not truly fit in with anyone, anywhere. This “loner” mentality is what inexplicably, and undeniably drew him to a life of a hunter and wanderer. He feels at home in the forest, and is perhaps the one place he feels genuinely comfortable – the lack of human interaction, for the most part, is one of the key attractions.
The exterior of his personality is nothing more than a cold, calculating, and quite often terse, if not downright rude, attitude. He does not maintain arrogance, or even thoughts on the commonly seen unattractive personality trait. What Joscelyn merely possesses is a mentality of indifference, an aloof nature, and a strong streak of shyness. Synonymous with his exterior front is his manner of speech: short and clipped, and generally as simple and cutting as possible.
Joscelyn is preternaturally calm, almost supernaturally so – except for the rare instances in which his calm can be shattered (when his enochlophobia strikes, for example) – and quite reserved. Slow to anger, with substantial patience, Joscelyn is inherently good-hearted and aligned, and more than willing “to do the right thing” often at any cost, even placing his life in danger if the situation demands it. He himself, however, has a strong steak of independence and stubbornness, and almost shuns assistance and a “helping-hand.”
Below his semi-façade of iciness lies an individual of warmth, which was all but buried at the time of Joscelyn’s mother’s death, and his soon-following self-exile in the wilderness. In close, intimate company, a shy, charming smile can be uncovered, and a potential for soft-spoken, eloquent speech, befitting one learned in a Royal house. However, awkwardness has tendency to override in any social situation for him.
Befitting a calm, shy nature, Joscelyn dislikes the act of killing; the only times he may bring himself to draw blood in good conscious is in the pursuit of livelihood – hunting and killing animals for skins and food, to sell and for food, respectively – and in the act of self-defense.
History (continuing from “Roots and Origins): Born roughly nine months – two weeks prematurely – following a heated and passionate night between Nienna and Fiorne, the wailing of a newborn boy rang out in an otherwise quiet wing of the Royal Keep in Haven.
The father of the newborn boy, named Joscelyn by his mother, was clearly unmistakable… at least to Nienna that was, Fiorne having been the only man to share Nienna’s “bed” within the time frame it was feasible for the conception of a child to occur. The rest of Nienna’s family, however, including the various assortment of staff the family kept on the pay-roll, was at a loss; the common rumor was that Nienna had bedded a strapping young servant, and that the child would naturally belong to someone within the Keep itself. It had never dawned on anyone to ask exactly how Nienna had made her way back to Haven after the ordeal with the storm; and it most certainly did not dawn on anyone to wonder at what had occurred to her during the time in which she was missing. It was, simply put, a relief that Nienna came home safe and sound.
Naturally, the entire story of the events surrounding Joscelyn’s birth – what little there was to tell – was kept a closely guarded secret, despite several attempts to “coerce,” in friendly fashion, the information from her sealed lips. As such, the boy was raised father-less, at least for the better part of his life. He was, after all, royal born – though not an heir to the High Seat – nobility, nonetheless; Nienna saw fit to educate the boy befitting that.
Formal education ensued, which included the various ideals of schooling: arithmetic, language, both oral and written, and even such things as swordsmanship. Proper etiquette naturally was included, though Joscelyn proved far too shy and socially withdrawn to truly benefit. In truth, the boy spent more time learning the nuances of combat, both with the blade and unarmed, than learning the nuances of social interaction.
Furthering the recounting of Joscelyn’s social interaction: there was very little to say. Joscelyn avoided the very concept itself almost with fervor. It was, to him, “more trouble than it was worth.” Time was instead spent confined in his room reading, studying, or training for things bigger and better – most of which included arms training.
By the age of fifteen, Joscelyn displayed promise as a swordsman, perhaps not fit for the army, but rather a personal guard to the proper heirs – though his mother less than secretly loathed and despised the idea. There was, however, little Nienna could do as her son’s strong streak of stubbornness and independence had quickly begun manifesting.
In one final and desperate attempt, Nienna traveled with her son to the Port of Nirav, in a last ditch effort to entice her son with a trade, something, anything, other than a life spent grasping the handle of a weapon… a life that would inevitably end in bloody, gruesome fashion. The hope and trip was spent for naught, and once again a return trip from Nirav to Haven would prove disastrous for Nienna. Once again, perhaps by chance, or even fate, bad luck and a resulting catastrophe struck the noble-born mother, this time including her sixteen-year-old son.
The Haven-bound company, in almost the same place as the storm caught Nienna the first time, was attacked by a group of bandits, thieves and cutthroats. They perhaps hailed from Maloren – though that was little more than speculation.
As the company was attacked, mostly for the simple, inconsequential allure of “wealth,” blood was shed, and many lives were lost. Naturally, there were guards, though it was, to put it bluntly, an ambush. It left the guards little, if any, chance. Few lives were spared; among the casualties was Joscelyn’s mother, and even the teen nearly lost his life, as well. In fact, in the aftermath, Joscelyn was the only one to survive – the rest having died as a result of mortal wounds.
In the end, it was Joscelyn’s time spent training, which not only allowed him to survive – though he could not save anyone else, his mother included – though not without grievous wounds.
As though by one final, sympathetic manipulation of fate, the individual which came across the grief stricken, utterly depressed and traumatized, and near-mortally wounded teen would be none other than one Fiorne Gedamos – his father.
The time spent between unbeknownst father and son was mostly spent, early on, on treating the teen’s wounds… both physical and psychological. It was, all things considered, inherently helpful, in a chance avenue of conversation, that boy and man realized the biological connection. Although it did leave Joscelyn within a state of confusion and disbelief for more time than he would care to remember.
Father and son were naturally drawn in companionship, and it was during that time that Joscelyn discovered a powerful, compelling magnetism to a life lived by Fiorne, just as the father himself had experienced years earlier. One trip back to Haven was undertaken, in which Joscelyn’s only desire was to recount the events of the bandit ambush, and prove he indeed survived; he did not stay long.
Afterward, a life returned to the wilderness, in which he spent years learning from his father and coming to terms with grief, and such a profound change, for the better, in his surroundings and lifestyle. Father and son still see each other, occasionally, though each wanders where he wills solitarily. Roughly ten years later, Joscelyn’s life continues, though within a realm he considers peaceful… serene.